Casino 0 || Card Two

:black_joker: - :diamonds: - :black_joker: - :diamonds: - :black_joker: - :diamonds: - :black_joker: - :diamonds: ~ :black_joker:

Stepping out of the bathroom, I walked off, greeting every prestigious lady and man I ed by. My golden necklace was as bright as the sun itself, adding to my fancy facade. Surely, it would increase my reputation around here. Wealth is always in the right, am I right?

The first thing that greeted me were the white lights stuck on the roof. The dance floor was spotted with neon colors, but at the moment, not a single person was on dancing. They were all sitting in different sections of the room playing the main game — Poker — and other games involving luck. It was the usual, but it would always feel weird.

There was a tap on my shoulder. I turned my head and was met with a pair of cat-like eyes. I sighed, putting on a confident, vile smirk and straightening my back. “Fine evening, Mr. Kim?”

“Indeed, Mr. Kim,” the short man responded. “The games have started a while ago. Where have you been?”

“I had to check myself in the mirror,” I answered in a honest tone. “I can’t be here and look poor, can I?”

He nodded and changed topics. “There’s a man who’s been wanting to make a five-hundred thousand dollar bet with you starting now.” Not breaking the eye , he raised his arm and pointed somewhere to the room. I nodded and walked off.

Ah, The Center. It’s where bets with a minimum of $500,000 dollars are made, and where dignity and honor are always lost. Unlike the other tables, it was made out of pure quartz. In the center of the table was a white diamond, and on the sides of the white diamond were smaller blue and red ones. While it may have been a splendid sight, it was secretly everyone’s worst nightmare to even be seated there.

Atleast for them. As for me, the thrill I get is unexplainable. Especially when they look so confident.

“Hello there,” I greeted, looking the bigger man right in the eye. He was wearing a tuxedo and a white top hat. “You are the one that wishes to bet?”

“Indeed!” He answered. “My name is Mr. Kang, and I own around ten businesses—“

I put a hand up, still flashing my plastic smile. “We will be playing Darts. Poker is too much of a middle-class game for a bet like this.”

The man scoffed. “I’ll win it, ya hear? The money’s all mine!”

It felt like someone set my heart ablaze with the way he spoke. I felt a cold chill go down my spine. The man this way spoke disgusted me to my very core. He sounded just like him.

I won’t let trash like this into Casino 0.

“If I win, you will give me every single cent you have, Mr. Kim,” the man betted with an evil smile. “You’ll even forfeit your position here at this wretched place.”

I almost laughed. “If I win, you will give me half of your fortune. Nothing more, nothing less.”

He went quiet. “That’s all?”

I pointed to the center table, catching my laughter again. “Welcome to The Center. The bet begins now.”

:spades:

As I threw the final dart into the outer bullseye of the dartboard, I glanced at a wary Sehun swirling champagne in his tiny wine glass. The small claps around me faded into the background, then I was brought back into reality with a simple head shake.

I won.

Turning my back on Mr. Kang, I walked towards the dance floor, ready to announce that it was time to let loose and enjoy to your heart’s content. Then, someone gripped my right shoulder from behind. I flinched and spun around so fast that my head couldn’t spin.

It was the guy from earlier. The one wearing a classic tuxedo that I saw in the bathroom at the bar.

“What do you need?” I asked bitterly, fixing the dangly pearl earring. “I’m busy here until five.”

“Nothing. I just recognized you from the bar and didn’t think it was actually you. It is Casino 0, after all,” he answered matter-of-factly, a smug tone hinting at his voice. “What are you doing?”

“Running this place like it’s my last. Don’t tell anybody that I work here, understand? My career as KAI just started, and—“

Rolling his eyes, he put a hand up to my face with a heavy sigh. “You have my word, Mr. Kim. I won’t do anything to harm you. Call me Suho.”

I nodded. “Thanks. Now go bet your life until you can’t no more.”

While I acted all confident and snarky outside, I felt a bitter sense of fear nailing at my pounding heart. Someone from the bar down a couple streets just found out who I was and was brave enough to come take a close look at my marvelous face. It was already enough to act like a Greed Master. How could I act like the role of someone who doesn’t have a dream?

I can’t let that happen. I won’t let that happen.

“Also, did you end up taking the businesses of that guy?” Suho asked curiously with a raised eyebrow. “Ten business could keep this place up and running for even longer than it should be.”

I shook my head. “I have no interest in owning shady businesses, Mr. Suho. It could affect a little thing I call a blooming career.”

He smirked. “All bark. You’ve learned, huh?”

Hm?

“Make sure to come back to the bar. It’s getting busy there, KAI,” he reminded with a noticeable sneer. I kept my cool and waved him goodbye. Once his back was turned, I balled my fist and glared at the ground.

I hated this. If I can’t learn to keep my composure quicker, I’ll be losing my career in a flash.

There are people who know me as KAI — the kind-hearted man who sings confidently like it’s his last, pouring his heart out to everyone around him. And then there’s Kim Jongin — a rich, cruel-hearted man whose heart is colored the darkest of green. He has no regard for anyone, whether rich or poor — especially for the poor.

Both are needed, and both are valuable.

He can’t lose either in this world. Or is he wrong about that?

Throwing on a black leather jacket in his personal bathroom, KAI slips through the back door of Casino 0, a warm smile on his face.

In the end, he was one in the same. What Kim Jongin didn’t know is that, no matter what, KAI would always be with him.

Anywhere

Anytime

Any day.

:diamonds:

School has had me so busy that I’ve been forgetting to update, so I’m sorry! I’ll be back on an update schedule soon, but I won’t be sure when.

#featurethis