“Are you okay?”
“Wrong person to mess with, Xie Wei.”
Colleagues sidled up to offer their condolences. Unlike the main floor, the High Limit Zone had an atmosphere where idle chatter was discouraged, but given the situation, everyone threw in a word or two.
“That customer has a notorious reputation. Whenever he spots a good-looking man, he comes on to them like that. Especially to floor staff.”
“He does it not just to cage staff but to dealers too. One bar staff member actually went up to that customer’s room, following him.”
He seemed to be a habitual offender. Kang Siwon pressed his throbbing temples and said,
“Shouldn’t someone like that be banned from entering?”
“Easier said than done. That customer is a VIP. And…”
A colleague who had drawn even closer whispered in an extremely low voice.
“He’s the son of an internal director.”
“…Ha.”
“Talk about a ticking time bomb.”
The colleague withdrew with a bitter smile.
This was absurd. So basically, a famous troublemaker had latched onto him when he’d only been in the High Limit Zone for a week?
He had anticipated being caught as a spy or failing to adapt to the High Limit Zone, but he never expected this kind of problem. Instead of wishing for others’ good fortune, he felt like he needed to do something about his own luck first. Or do something about that perverted troublemaker.
Kang Siwon glared at the back of the young man’s head as he walked toward the game table.
* * *
The next day, that same young man—Feng Tao—appeared again. Spotting him, Kang Siwon swallowed a curse internally. He had hoped he would pass by quietly, but Feng Tao stood directly in front of Kang Siwon’s counter.
“Good day to you.”
“Good my ass. Xiao Wei, you know what happened yesterday? I got cleaned out in just 30 minutes. Damn it, losing is one thing, but ending so pathetically like that. Isn’t that too much?”
Feng Tao suddenly poured out his lament. It seemed his prayer for the guy to be completely ruined had worked a little. While Kang Siwon felt secretly satisfied, he offered condolences according to the manual.
“I see. That’s unfortunate.”
“I’m not saying this because I lost the game, okay? I don’t care if I lose that pocket change. But I came to a casino to have fun, and if the game isn’t enjoyable, that’s a problem, right?”
“I see. You’re absolutely right, sir.”
Of course, he couldn’t relate at all. The ‘pocket change’ Feng Tao mentioned was equivalent to six months of Kang Siwon’s salary when he worked in Korea. If one had to spend that kind of fortune to feel entertained, Kang Siwon would be fine living a boring life forever.
“Tsk… Whatever. Today will be different.”
Feng Tao slapped down a bundle of cash and declared boldly.
“All in ten-thousands!”
“Yes, sir.”
Kang Siwon collected the bundle of cash from the tray. The heaviness he felt in his hands was ridiculous. If it were books or document folders it would be one thing, but he never thought he’d feel cash as heavy.
How many tens of thousands of patacas was this, and what kind of life allowed one to blow it all on gambling in a single night? Even though his sense of envy had worn away long ago, he felt a rare pang of relative deprivation. Along with the thought that if he had that kind of money, he would never spend it on gambling.
“The 100,000 patacas you requested have been exchanged in 10,000 denominations. Please confirm.”
“Excellent! Wait for me, Xiao Wei. I’ll go have some fun and come back.”
Feng Tao took the chips and left the counter gleefully. Whether he had fun or not was none of Kang Siwon’s concern, so he could only hope the guy would just get lost like this.
* * *
“If you’re going to deal cards like this garbage, are you telling me to play or not to play? How the hell did you shuffle?!”
About an hour later, a commotion broke out in one corner of the hall. At the somehow familiar voice, Kang Siwon reflexively turned his head.
As expected, it was that young man. Feng Tao, seated at a game table, was raising his voice.
“And what about you guys—did you just learn poker yesterday? If you don’t know the rules, either leave or shut up and at least watch and learn. Why do you keep asking about the rules every five minutes?!”
At the shouting that disrupted the tranquil atmosphere of the High Limit Zone, two guards quickly rushed over to try to mediate the situation.
“Sir, we apologize, but could you please calm down and speak?”
“Wouldn’t your blood pressure rise too if you were in my shoes? Having to play poker with bastards whose intelligence is lower than a monkey’s? Do you think I came all the way here to join this kind of trash game?”
At the continued verbal abuse, the people seated at the same table didn’t stay quiet either. One man stood up abruptly and snapped,
“Where do you get off taking out your frustration? If you lost, accept it gracefully!”
“Ha, if the dealer had just distributed the cards properly, this wouldn’t have happened. Isn’t this rigged?”
“We sincerely apologize, sir. However, the games are operated fairly. Rigging is structurally impossible…”
“Then is it structurally possible for only morons to gather at every table I go to?”
“Ha, what the hell is this punk kid babbling about? Say that again!”
“Hey, hold it. You won the game, so there’s no need to ruin your mood over something like this. Let’s go, let’s go.”
With the dealer, guards, and players each throwing in a word, the commotion grew larger. At least the fight didn’t spread much thanks to the players at the same game table leaving their seats. It was as if they were avoiding not because they feared shit, but because it was disgusting.
“Sir, how about wrapping things up for today and visiting us again when it’s more convenient? If you return next time, we’ll be able to provide better service.”
Before long, even the manager came out to dissuade the young man. However, his unreasonableness didn’t stop.
“Whatever, bring me the best dealer here. I can’t end things on such an unsatisfying note. I need to play at least one proper game before I leave.”
“…Then please wait a moment. We’ll guide you to a quiet space.”
What a mess. It was a complete circus, but since it wasn’t his problem, he just found it amusing. Kang Siwon watched the series of events like watching a fire across the river. That’s when it happened.
“And for the player, bring that good-looking guy at the counter.”
Feng Tao pointed at the counter and shouted. The onlookers’ gazes naturally gravitated toward his fingertip. And Kang Siwon, positioned exactly in the direction he pointed, flinched as if he’d been hit by an arrow.
Could he possibly be pointing at him?
It couldn’t be. He wasn’t the only staff member at the counter, and there was no way his luck could be that bad. Above all, he couldn’t even be called particularly good-looking…
However, as if to shatter Kang Siwon’s anxious hope, the manager delivered the confirmation kill.
“By the good-looking staff member at the counter… do you perhaps mean Xie Wei?”
“Yeah, him.”
“I apologize. However, that staff member is not a dealer and has not received table training. He’s also currently on duty.”
“So what if he’s on duty? Isn’t serving customers what casino staff do anyway? Can’t you provide that much service?”
This was unreasonable beyond belief. It was so absurd that his temples throbbed. Still, surely the manager would cut off such an unreasonable demand—that’s what he was thinking when it happened.
“…Understood. We’ll proceed as you’ve requested.”
With the characteristic amiable expression of someone in the service industry, the manager threw Kang Siwon under the bus.
At that moment, Kang Siwon realized something. No matter how strict the rules were or how much there was to observe in the High Limit Zone, it all became null and void in front of a troublemaker with connections and money.
* * *
It wasn’t as if Kang Siwon meekly accepted it.
As he was practically dragged toward the private room, he grabbed the manager and protested that he couldn’t play games.
“Besides, I don’t even have chips. How am I supposed to play in the High Limit Zone?”
“Don’t worry about that. The customer said he’d lend you your chips.”
“What? Then don’t I have to pay them back? If I lose even once…”
“The customer also said he’d take responsibility for that too.”
“Are you sure? Shouldn’t we leave some kind of proof?”
“Would Director Feng’s son be stingy about something like that? If by any chance he changes his mind, the casino will handle your losses, so don’t worry. In a way, you’re enjoying a game with someone else’s money. Think of it positively, Xie Wei.”
It was no consolation at all to Kang Siwon, who didn’t even want to touch that ‘game.’ Knowing it wouldn’t get through, Kang Siwon protested until the end.
“Even so, this is too burdensome. As I mentioned earlier, I don’t even know any games.”
“Just go along with it appropriately. The dealer will lead the game anyway.”
Whoever the dealer called in would be, they were truly pitiful too. Having to deal with that troublemaker. Of course, the most pitiful one was himself, who wasn’t even a dealer but was about to sit at the table.
Kang Siwon gradually resigned himself. Truth be told, from the moment the young man pointed at the counter, he had somewhat anticipated this would happen.
If he insisted until the very end, they wouldn’t forcibly seat him at the table. However, the other party was a VIP. If he refused this situation, to save face if nothing else, it would be entirely possible to fire him on grounds like disobeying the manager’s orders. If that happened, his contract with the Baeksa Faction would also fall through, so he essentially had no choice.
“I know you’re having a hard time, but you’ll have to work hard. I’m counting on you, Xie Wei.”
Before long, they had reached the private room door. The manager patted Kang Siwon’s shoulder lightly. That touch felt less like consolation and more like a shove.
Kang Siwon entered the private room feeling like he was being dragged to a slaughterhouse. The first thing that caught his eye was a square game table. And in its center stood a man whose dealer uniform fit him sleekly.
“…”
Ray Jun, whose eyes met his, grinned.
