Chapter 46.
Jeong Da-ram was a woman who couldn’t understand the word that spelled ‘love.’
Jeong Da-ram’s mother worked in a brothel, and her father was always changing, with an emotionless face he would silently throw money at her.
Growing up in such an environment, Jeong Da-ram gradually came to see men not as people to love but as beings from whom she could extract just what she needed.
So she manipulated them freely and thought it was okay to do so.
‘Just as they did to my mother.’
The Jeong Da-ram I know is that kind of woman.
*****
“This looks fun too!”
“……”
“This game looks fun too! Don’t you think so, Ghost Oppa?”
“……”
This woman is really annoying!
Does she think I’ll be dragged along?
Absolutely not.
I am Ghost now.
But just for today….
“Rather than wasting time, it would be better to play a proper game.”
Park Yeon-jeong raised one hand lightly.
As his voice settled coldly, the atmosphere around instantly froze.
The people gathered around the table tensed momentarily.
The two employees instinctively shrank back, and even Jeong Da-ram wore a surprised expression.
“Oh, really?”
She seemed to realize for the first time that she wasn’t the one leading this situation.
“Let’s see.”
Park Yeon-jeong slowly scanned the cards on the table.
On the game table, only number cards excluding Q, J, K, and Joker were arranged.
Looking at the game setup structure and table, only one game came to Park Yeon-jeong’s mind.
<Indian Poker.>
The game explanation is as follows:
———-
One card that you cannot see.
One card that you can see.
The game starts with these two cards being dealt.
The card you cannot see is only revealed to your opponent, and the player must infer their hidden card based on the one visible card.
The hidden card can be inferred from the opponent’s reactions and conversation,
It’s a psychological game where you bet on rounds where you predict your cards are higher.
———-
However,
The Indian Poker here uses a method that eliminates such psychological warfare and relies only on luck.
Bet first.
Cards dealt after.
A game that doesn’t seem much different from a roulette machine on the surface.
“Oppas, what are you doing! Hurry up and sit down!”
“Ah, yes!”
Watching the male employees being manipulated by Jeong Da-ram just like himself, Park Yeon-jeong felt a strange sense of camaraderie.
My comrades.
Soon after everyone, including Park Yeon-jeong himself, Jeong Da-ram, and the remaining two employees sat down.
Words began to appear on the table.
-Before starting Indian Poker, please state your bet amount.
The first person to state their bet amount was.
“50 coins!”
Jeong Da-ram stepped forward first.
She boldly threw her coins on the table.
Watching this scene, the two male employees also spoke up while checking each other’s reactions.
“We’ll bet 50 coins each as well.”
Soon after all three had finished speaking, black words appeared on the table again.
-150 Coins.
Park Yeon-jeong detected subtle trembling and wariness from the two employees.
He sensed some hidden intention in their eyes.
“I will not participate in this round.”
“…What? Ghost Oppa said let’s play!”
Jeong Da-ram blinked her eyes.
“Don’t tell me… Ghost Oppa is scared?”
“Of course not. Let’s have the first game among acquaintances. I’ll participate in the next round.”
Park Yeon-jeong smiled lightly. Then, tapping the table gently, he said,
“It would be more fun to see your cards.”
Flinch!
The two employees’ faces turned pale.
I bluffed shamelessly, but.
Park Yeon-jeong couldn’t forget the disaster of losing 90 coins at the roulette machine exactly 30 minutes ago.
It was right after he had painfully learned that gambling requires caution.
So the total number of coins gathered on the table was.
-150 Coins.
After the betting was over, cards began to be dealt.
Although the game round proceeded quite suddenly, unlike Jeong Da-ram who seemed to be enjoying the current situation.
There was considerable seriousness in the eyes of the two employees.
Park Yeon-jeong decided to watch the game progress under the pretense of understanding the game process.
Also, he wanted to check how well the personnel deployed in this ghost story understood this game.
The current game might be similar to the Indian Poker we know.
But it’s not just ordinary Indian Poker.
-The game will begin now.
The game started with words appearing again.
Cards were dealt to the three participants, and Park Yeon-jeong stepped back to observe the situation.
Cards floated above the participants’ heads, and Park Yeon-jeong slowly checked their hands.
Cards floated above the participants’ heads, and I first checked the card in Jeong Da-ram’s hand.
-♦10
A fairly high card.
My gaze naturally turned to another card floating in the air above Jeong Da-ram’s head.
-♣3
…Hmm.
The card above her head wasn’t that good, but I didn’t think it was a situation to give up easily.
I continued to check the cards above the other two employees’ heads.
-♠8
-♣7
Those are high.
This round seemed like it would be quite an intense psychological battle.
“I fold.”
“I fold too.”
?
But with simultaneous declarations of giving up, they both put down their cards, and with the two employees’ forfeiture, the winner of this game was.
Jeong Da-ram.
“Wow! I won!”
Soon after, the total coins on Jeong Da-ram’s wrist increased to 200 coins.
She rejoiced as if she had predicted everything, but Park Yeon-jeong didn’t miss the trembling at the fingertips of the employees at the table.
Jeong Da-ram boasted to me about the coins she had won.
“Did you see that, Ghost Story oppa? This is how you play this game! It’s easier than you thought, right?”
“Yes, it doesn’t seem too difficult.”
I responded briefly and turned my attention to the two employees who had quickly finished the game.
“Well, our cards were just too bad.”
“Exactly. Hahaha.”
And on the table where the game had ended, these words were written:
-Would you like to raise an objection?
As if everyone sitting at the table had failed to notice this phrase, no one said anything, and soon the words slowly disappeared.
However.
There was something concerning about the game.
The two employees who put down their cards saying their hands weren’t good.
If what Park Yeon-jeong saw was correct.
The numbers on those cards on the table were as follows:
-♠7
-♥9
The total sum of cards Jeong Da-ram was holding in the recent game was ’13’.
And the sums for the two employees were respectively.
15.
16.
Both higher than Jeong Da-ram’s.
Unless these two employees were fools who couldn’t do such simple addition and subtraction.
They must have known they could win this game.
Could it be that they were doing this out of consideration for Jeong Da-ram, who had a higher position than them?
That’s what I thought at first.
“Deputy Department head Jeong Da-ram.”
“Yes, what is it? Oppas.”
“It’s a shame to end like this, let’s play one more game.”
At least until the two employees suggested playing this game with Jeong Da-ram again.
To that proposal for one more game.
“Sure!”
Jeong Da-ram accepted all too willingly.
As soon as she agreed, a rather strange smile spread across the two employees’ faces.
But the odd behavior of these two employees didn’t stop there.
“Since we’re playing one more game, how about betting with larger coins this time?”
“Larger coins?”
“Oh! You didn’t know?”
Seeing Jeong Da-ram’s innocent expression, the corners of the two employees’ mouths rose wide as if to reach their ears.
“It means placing a collateral. The collateral here is betting body parts.”
The blonde-haired man recited casually.
“How about going big this time? We coordinate among ourselves to multiply the coins, then split them cleanly.”
The man with glasses chimed in.
But Park Yeon-jeong knew.
That in this ghost story gambling hall, there was no such thing.
As a way to split coins with opponents.
The blonde-haired man induced conversation again in a cheerful voice.
“Then let’s bet first, Deputy Department head Jeong. You just need to say one arm and one leg each.”
“Really?”
Acting like a gentle lamb, Jeong Da-ram soon spoke carefully.
“One arm and one leg each, you said? I’ll bet that.”
After hearing Jeong Da-ram’s bet amount.
The number of coins marked on the game table was.
-1000 Coins.
The two employees also bet the same amount in succession, making the total number of coins at stake in this round—.
-3000 Coins.
By just the second round, the number of coins had increased exponentially.
Looking at the large sum at stake in this game, Park Yeon-jeong felt tempted to participate.
But.
The two employees’ behavior had been strange from before.
Their blatant actions as if they deliberately wanted Jeong Da-ram to participate in this game.
And the most worrying thing was.
Why has this woman been pretending to be innocent all this time?
There’s no way Jeong Da-ram wouldn’t have noticed the suspicious behavior of the men in front of her.
If she’s the Jeong Da-ram I know.
And, this woman’s eyes have been too frightening all along.
Seeing that creepy smile that keeps splitting, it sends chills down my spine.
She definitely has something up her sleeve.
It would be strange if she didn’t.
Really.
Suddenly!
!
Jeong Da-ram abruptly thrust her face forward.
Turn your blinkers on before you come in!
“Ghost Oppa isn’t playing this time either?”
“……”
This woman.
Her eyes are half-crazed now.
No, was she just crazy from the beginning?
But as if Jeong Da-ram was truly puzzled that I wasn’t participating in this game, she continued to ask again.
“Isn’t it strange? Not participating with such high stakes seems like a loss? Or is a being who becomes a ghost story afraid of losing a few arms and legs? Like a human?”
“……”
“Don’t tell me, instead of Ghost Oppa, you’re a lo-ser ghost?”
At Jeong Da-ram’s provocative words, I lightly tapped the table.
“Since it’s a beautiful human’s proposal, I’ll participate this time.”
“Really! I knew it, Ghost Oppa!… And by the way, that employee ID.”
“!!”
“Are you pretending to be human or something?”
Grip!
At that moment, I unconsciously quickly grabbed my employee ID with one hand.
“…I’m just… interested in human culture.”
Thwack!
After hearing that I would participate, Jeong Da-ram slapped my back hard with all her strength.
‘Ah!!’
That really hurt.
“…Ghost Oppa.”
But Jeong Da-ram instead gave me a subtle smile.
“Looking at Ghost Oppa reminds me of someone I’d like to meet again.”
“……”
This woman Jeong Da-ram… has she figured it out?
While I still couldn’t sort out my confused feelings, the game table had already confirmed the total bet amount for the current game.
-4000 Coins.
A game with about half the amount needed to escape this place at stake.
The cards were about to be distributed, and we were waiting for the start.
Ping!
At the sound of something flicking somewhere, my and Jeong Da-ram’s gazes turned toward the two employees.
“What did you just do?”
To my question, the blonde employee answered in a quite stiff tone.
“I’ll just tell you it’s just preparation.”
I listened quietly to that part because it would seem like a ghost story to them.
This round again.
It’s too suspicious.
Soon cards were given to us, and the number on Park Yeon-jeong’s card was as follows.
-♣7
It wasn’t a bad hand.
And as I turned my gaze to check the others’ hands.
“…Puha! Puhahahahaha! Crazy!”
?
The blond man burst into laughter. We could only wonder at his behavior, and the guy with glasses next to him added an explanation.
“Are you really stupid! Or are you innocent! People around have been calling her crazy, crazy, and I was worried what if she didn’t fall for it… but she’s just mentally deficient!”
“……Huh? Why are our Oppas suddenly acting like this?”
“You still don’t understand the situation! You deficient girl!”
The blond-haired employee revealed his true self toward Jeong Da-ram.
“We’re going to mess you up! Even without an arm or leg, there’s no problem playing with you, so wait!”
Looking at these guys acting like they no longer needed to hide, I was more concerned about Jeong Da-ram’s expression who was still giggling beside me than the two guys in front of my eyes.
I really don’t know what she’s thinking.
And as if the explanation wasn’t over, they continued their noisy conversation.
“And do you know what? We win this game!”
Along with their behavior as if their victory was certain.
Soon we checked the total sum of each other’s cards.
———-
Park Yeon-jeong 7+5=12.
Jeong Da-ram 5+4=9.
Blond employee 8+8=16.
Glasses guy 9+7=16.
———-
We really lost this game.
-Would you like to object?
Park Yeon-jeong stared at the words that appeared again for a while.
Tak!
!
Oh my!
Jeong Da-ram suddenly hit the game table hard.
“Let’s play one more round!”
“…What?”
The blond employee had a rather dumbfounded expression.
Because there was no reason for them to bet more and create variables.
Yes, like just now, ordinarily.
If we were betting our bodies.
“I’ll bet my entire ownership.”
And at the mention of betting her ownership, the two employees’ gazes turned to the game table, and soon words began to be written on the game table.
-Jeong Da-ram’s ownership.
“I-it really works?”
“What will you do? With just this, it’s no different from getting a slave named Jeong Da-ram who can freely do whatever plays our oppas want?”
“……”
A bet staking ownership of her body.
The first to react was the glasses guy.
“I-I’ll do it!”
“Hey! Are you crazy!”
“W-what! It’s her ownership! It’s a fight we’ll win anyway, so there’s nothing to lose by doing it. Right?!”
“……”
At the glasses guy’s sudden outburst, the blond employee also seemed to be contemplating the current situation.
But Jeong Da-ram’s sinister gaze and her small murmur toward the blond employee echoed particularly loudly in this space.
“Huh – huh.”
“!! That girl really, until the end! Fine! I’ll participate too!”
The name of the remaining blond employee goes up, and finally, where Jeong Da-ram’s gaze turned to.
Was toward Park Yeon-jeong herself.
“Our ghost Oppa should also participate in this game if you really don’t want to lose your arms and legs”
“I was about to do that anyway.”
Though I really didn’t want to.
Jeong Da-ram’s insane gaze and the meaningful words she just uttered kept coming to mind.
‘Jeong Da-ram has something.’
Park Yeon-jeong looked at the table and spoke.
“I’ll participate too.”
After seeing me express my intention to participate, Jeong Da-ram came up to me and whispered like this.
“I want the ghost story oppa to take me.”
“…I’ll try.”
And so, our Indian poker game betting our ownership began.
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Tftc