The entire world order collapsed and was rearranged due to various issues such as climate problems, unstable international situations, and the pus of capitalism bursting out everywhere. In the modern era that arrived after this event called the ‘Funeral of the Old World,’ the differences from the previous world were endless if listed, and the ‘proof of the existence of imagined beings’ was one of them.
Imagined Beings (想像存在) were literally several existences that were previously considered fiction but whose existence was ‘proven’ through various methods after the funeral.
‘Goeidam’ was included among them.
“Curiosity becomes rumor, and when anxiety is added to it, it becomes a strange tale, and a small number of those become Goeidam.”
Strange tale (怪談) and Goeidam (怪異談).
It was only a difference of one character, but in modern times, what the two signified was very different. A strange tale simply meant an odd and eerie story, but when the character ‘different (異)’ was added to it, Goeidam referred not to simple rumors but to existences with substance and actual incidents.
And the reason Goeidam had a similar name to strange tales was simple. It was because some among the insubstantial strange tales became Goeidam.
“But this strange tale seems quite frivolous, to become a Goeidam…”
“You shouldn’t jump to conclusions.”
The reason the man said that wasn’t because he had some criteria of his own, but simply because he wanted to be contrary. The man was quite irritated by that person who thought he was still a ‘young playboy with a light attitude and charm’ like before.
‘That kind of guy getting invited here like me!’
More precisely, he was irritated that the other person had been invited to ‘this place’ with qualifications equal to his own.
“Well, you’re right, Teacher. Since so little is known about Goeidam, no matter how careful you are, it’s never enough.”
“…”
So when the other person readily agreed after being rebuked, the man’s mood worsened instead.
“Hmm, Teacher? What’s wrong, all of a sudden?”
Of course, he couldn’t very well confess ‘I got annoyed because you didn’t get offended by my words,’ so the man made a vague excuse.
“…I just became unsettled because my luck doesn’t seem to be following me today.”
“Oh.”
Being the place it was, the other person immediately understood the meaning.
“It seems you’ve lost a lot of chips?”
The place, that is, where the man and the pot-bellied ‘Director’ who came to talk to him were currently located, was a luxurious gambling den set up in the resort they’d been invited to.
Following the other person, the man surveyed the place he was in once again, and the interior view was fully captured in his eyes. Though it was a gambling den attached to a resort, its luxury was not inferior to those of Macau or Las Vegas.
The spacious area consisting of two floors glittered like a giant jewelry box. Antique lighting from the ceiling brightened all directions like daytime, plush and beautiful carpets were laid on the floor, and water continuously fell from an artificial waterfall on the second floor. The sound of the waterfall matched exquisitely with the orchestra’s music and the mechanical sounds of gaming machines.
The sound of roulette spinning, cards being shuffled, dice rotating in containers and such rang out ceaselessly even now as the man looked around.
“How much do you have left?”
At the following question, the man unconsciously shifted his gaze, and the other person—that is, the one called Director—was flicking chips with his fingers. The flat chip bounced up and repeatedly landed gently on his thumb.
“…”
“Oh my. It seems you’ve lost it all?”
He deliberately didn’t answer, but that silence seemed to become an answer instead.
“This is a big problem.”
The man who had been flicking the chip with his fingers put it back in his pocket and clicked his tongue.
“The chips here at ‘Manghyang’ aren’t just used in the casino, you know?”
Manghyang was the name of the massive resort where they had been invited to stay.
“Bedrooms and meals are provided as basics, but you need chips to do anything else… Ah, but don’t be too discouraged, Teacher. Chips are distributed every day, aren’t they? It’ll take quite some time to gather them again, but, haha…”
Despite his silence, the Director kept on babbling, which irritated the man greatly. Every word he said grated on his ears even more.
“Can you not just be quiet for a moment…”
“But Teacher, just how badly did the games go for you to end up in this state?”
Unable to bear it any longer and about to say something, the man found himself at a loss for words.
“St-state?”
That scoundrel!
“Surely you didn’t lose every single time?”
The man’s mouth hung open and closed. The Director, whose only sharp thing was his insight despite appearing dull with his mountain of a belly, read the man’s truth from that as well.
“Oh my! Really? For real? Really not even once?”
The man’s complexion turned red and blue. That should have been enough for him to stop, but the Director showed no intention of changing the subject.
“Oh my, oh my. How did this happen!”
“How would I know that?”
“Hahaha! Don’t be so angry. There are days like that in life, aren’t there? Just as there are days when things go so well you wonder what’s happening, there are also days when nothing goes right!”
Then, before the man could respond to his words, the Director rubbed his chin and spoke as if he’d just thought of something.
“Now that I think about it, maybe someone else sucked up all of Teacher’s luck for today?”
“What is that supposed to…”
Waaaaaaah!
At that moment, the end of the man’s words was buried by cheers that erupted from somewhere.
“Well, well. Here we go again.”
The Director shrugged his shoulders and pointed with his chin toward where the sound came from.
“Shall we go see?”
The man was about to retort when the Director strode forward ahead of him.
“What’s over there?”
The man was going to let him go alone but eventually followed behind him. He was curious about what was happening inside that crowd to cause such a commotion.
“There’s a young man whose luck is the complete opposite of yours today, Teacher!”
About to snap back, the man hesitated. He realized the Director’s meaning just before speaking.
“You’re saying there’s someone who’s been unusually lucky today?”
“That’s right.”
“To what extent?”
“Let me borrow a four-character idiom. Baekjeonbaekseung (百戰百勝, a hundred battles, a hundred victories), Jeonseungbulpae (全勝不敗, complete victory without defeat). How’s that?”
“Don’t exaggerate.”
“It’s not an exaggeration but a statement of fact, Teacher.”
“…He really hasn’t lost a single game?”
“At least not today!”
The man narrowed his brows, then eventually spat out with contempt mixed in.
“I should call the staff!”
“Do you think he used some trick?”
“What else?”
Then the man asked as if he’d suddenly remembered.
“If he’s a secondary guest, we need to revoke his entry pass, but which staff member should I call?”
At a glance, the gambling den seemed to have many people, but in reality, there weren’t many people actually in that place. The only people allowed to enter the resort were VIPs who had been directly invited and entered Manghyang.
People who weren’t VIPs, that is, the ‘secondary guests,’ could only enter specific facilities rather than all facilities, and even then, only those who applied in advance and received permission could enter during certain time slots. On top of that, they could only enter as virtual projections rather than their actual bodies, so if you looked closely, their bodies were slightly translucent.
What the man had just said meant he would revoke that secondary guest’s entry pass to Manghyang’s gambling den on the grounds of cheating.
“Revoke the entry pass? That won’t be necessary.”
“He clearly used some trick, but you’re telling me to let it slide? That can’t be allowed!”
“That’s not what I meant…”
The cheers that came at just that moment swallowed the Director’s words. Unlike before, since the two men had also entered among the crowd, this time they could hear excited secondary guests chattering from here and there.
“How many wins in a row is that?”
“Ten consecutive wins!”
Someone whistled sharply.
“Amazing! What does that person do? Wait, is that poker? Then is he a famous poker player?”
“I don’t think so.”
“You’re saying no right away? Do you know him or something?”
“Not that.”
“Then how are you so sure?”
“Well.”
The person who had been watching the poker game table while even clapping their hands said.
“That person won consecutively at blackjack earlier.”
“What?”
“Before that, he completely swept the mahjong table.”
“Huh?”
“Before that was roulette. Then baccarat. Also slots. Before that… what was it? I don’t remember clearly. But since entering today, he’s kept winning at every table he sits at. So it’s not just that he’s strong at poker.”
