Chapter 23
"Why the hell does it feel like a funeral in here? You were all running your mouths just fine earlier. What, cat got your tongues now?"
"......."
Mu-gyeong, resting his elbow on the table, shifted his gaze between Guppping and Yang Siljang. The two men, their faces drained of color, sat frozen with their lips tightly pressed together. Mu-gyeong lazily tapped the ashes from his cigarette onto the table.
"So how exactly are you planning to pay up? Gonna borrow from Gu Madam?"
"We'll... we'll pay. Who said we wouldn’t? The house money might not be enough, though...."
Yang Siljang, now practically groveling, muttered in a pitiful voice. Mu-gyeong narrowed his eyes. His brows twitched slightly, deepening the crease above his single eyelid.
"So?"
"We only started this for fun... we had no idea you'd hit so big. Guppping, do we have enough cash to cover it?"
Yang Siljang turned to the still-stunned Guppping, snapping him out of his daze. The man ran a hand through his hair, taking deep, steadying breaths.
"Cash... cash..."
Hongju’s gaze dropped to the two June cards scattered on the table. This time, they won’t pin it on me, will they? He didn’t care about the money—he’d never considered it his to begin with. But the thought of what would come after Mu-gyeong left—the blame, the accusations, the retaliation—made his heartbeat quicken. I didn’t touch the deck. I really had nothing to do with this. The taste of iron spread through his mouth as he bit down on his lip too hard.
"Well, knowing your situation, I’d feel bad about being too harsh."