Chapter 43: Checkmate at the Gambling Den

Yoo Jong-tae’s mouth fell open.

‘What on earth is that money? The deposit I got from Hyeonmu Construction, I already put it into the Jangsu Bank in Myeong-dong earlier.’

Yoo Jong-tae flinched as his eyes met Park Cheol-gu’s.

From the confident, swaggering steps to the glint in his eye, it was as if he was saying, ‘I’m number one! The king of blockheads, Lieutenant Park is here!’

He was overflowing with energy.

A man’s charisma always comes from a bulging wallet.

Quick-witted, Yoo Jong-tae forcibly shut his gaping mouth.

‘No way, right? There’s no way he won that much with such pocket change. That doesn’t even make sense.’

Thud.

Park Cheol-gu sat down in the prepared chair.

The professional gamblers exchanged furtive glances.

In those passing looks mingled the question, ‘Who’s this guy?’ and a sense of relief, ‘Thank goodness.’

After confirming the guest’s face, the Madam regained her composure.

With a fresh cigarette between her lips, she smiled brightly.

“What game would you like? Poker? Hoola? Baccarat? Or...?”

“Anything. Whatever you like.”

“My, you’re as bold as you look. Dashing. Then let’s start formal—poker first. How’s that?”

“That sounds good.”

Shuffle.

The Madam, shuffling the cards, shot a wink at the Young Master.

“Did you come along with your dad just for pocket money? You must be thirsty. Want me to order you a soda?”

“I’m fine.”

“It’s okay. You can drink it. It’s on me.”

“I don’t take freebies in a gambling den.”

He meant he wouldn’t even accept a free drink.

“If you don’t like soda, how about cola?”

“I know there’s no such thing as a favor without a reason, so let’s stop with the tricks.”

“My, ‘tricks’? I’ll have you know my standards are high. Your dad isn’t even my type...”

“I’m saying, stop thinking about spiking the soda with laxatives.”

The Madam burst out laughing.

“My, saying it like that, you’re making me feel embarrassed. I was trying to be nice ‘cause you’re cute, and now I’m getting blamed for nothing?”

“Fine. Then I’ll take the soda.”

“I knew you’d give in. Acting tough, but you want it.”

“But you’re the one drinking that soda, big sis. And drink it in one go, if you don’t mind.”

The Madam burst out laughing again.

“Honestly, I don’t even like soda.”

“If you don’t like soda, have the cola instead.”

As she pretended not to notice, her hands shuffling the cards grew obviously agitated.

“I’m on a diet.”

Yoo Jong-tae, quick on the uptake, understood the meaning behind the gamblers’ exchanged looks.

‘They were really about to serve a drink laced with laxatives?’

They were determined to shake up their opponent by any means.

‘Young Master, did you really see through even that at a glance?’

But just now, the Young Master’s eyes had glinted dangerously, slyly.

For some reason, he looked like he was about to win big here.

No way, right?

---

But “no way” always gets you caught.

No, it caught the whole house this time.

Yoo Jong-tae’s mouth hung open.

‘This is crazy! The scale of this is insane!’

Park Cheol-gu didn’t lose at anything—poker, hoola, baccarat, go-stop, seotda—he won every round, every game.

A true winning streak!

‘Is this even possible? The opponents are pros!’

Already, five pros had been caught cheating and kicked out!

Park Cheol-gu caught foul play with uncanny ease every time.

‘The stakes were so big that in just a few rounds, the whole tide of the game completely shifted!’

Park Cheol-gu swept up chips by the armful.

With his burly arms, he raked in so many chips, the word “mountain” didn’t do it justice.

It looked like he’d swept up every single chip in the house.

“I win again?”

Meanwhile, not a single chip remained on the gamblers’ tables.

Except for the Madam, every gambler was down to just their underwear and socks.

When chips ran out, they’d bet their watches, even their clothes, and lost everything in the end.

“I’ll write an IOU and get more chips in a moment!”

“This time I’ll win for sure! One more round!”

“I’ll bet my own hands—just let me play one more round!”

The pro gamblers clung desperately.

The Madam, too, had long since stripped off all her jewelry and accessories, reduced to a plain appearance.

But she, at least, stood tall and stared down Uncle Cheol-gu, rather than begging pitifully.

“I’ll bet one night with me! So just let us play one more game!”

Turned out, the Madam was just as crazed as the other pros.

“Let’s make a comeback with this next round!”

“One more’s all it takes! Life is all about that one shot!”

It was the chant the pros had been repeating, nearly wailing, for a while now.

Meanwhile, the house managers hurried their steps, running around.

“Chips! We’re out of chips! Bring more chips!”

“Damn it! They took even the chips from the vault!”

“This is bad! This is the biggest crisis ever! Only the boss can handle this!”

---

I watched the entrance calmly.

It’s about time for him to show up, isn’t it?

Rattle!

The Horsehead burst through the beaded curtain, charging like a bullet.

“Who are you?”

Keen-eyed security guard, self-proclaimed number two, Yoo Jong-tae, who boasted about being my right hand and handling his duties perfectly, sprang up quickly.

“I’m Yoo Jong-tae, here with the invitation!”

“Errand boy, out of the way!”

The Horsehead snorted fiercely, glaring daggers at Uncle Cheol-gu.

With murderous intent and enmity that could pierce the sky, he was, in short, furious beyond belief.

Not that Uncle Cheol-gu cared.

He stood up with an innocent smile.

“I’m done with my business here, so I’ll be going now.”

“Going? Sit down!”

The Horsehead grabbed a gambler by the collar, yanked him out, and took the chair for himself.

He sat across from Uncle Cheol-gu.

“You might have come here as you pleased, but you won’t leave without my permission. Sit down!”

“Why should I need your permission to walk out? Did I owe you? You’re the one who should pay up!”

Uncle Cheol-gu pointed at the pile of chips on the table.

“Let’s settle up properly.”

He’d swept up every chip the house had.

Even if the Horsehead could get cash quickly, could he really pay all this out today?

How many of the gambling dens’ vaults across Seoul would he have to empty to settle this?

I was curious, too.

“You, you bastard...!”

The Horsehead’s lips trembled with anger.

“Game’s over, so settle up properly. That’s the casino’s credit. I always collect what I’m owed, and I always pay what I owe.”

I know this, too.

Accurate settlement is a casino’s ironclad rule, its credit.

If a gambling den doesn’t pay out properly?

Gamblers will stop coming immediately.

To keep the money flowing, the Horsehead had to make sure the settlement was done right.

‘Settlement is always fair, but every other method he uses is so filthy and dirty—that’s the problem. No wonder he’s infamous.’

I’ve watched this guy for years; of course, I know that.

“You lucky, mangy bear, today you’re facing me for real!”

The Horsehead was a natural-born gambler.

He slapped a stack of documents on the table.

“These are the deeds to the house and the IOUs from the gamblers. I’m betting it all on this game.”

“Even if you put all that up, I doubt you can cover these chips.”

“I’ll bet the cow, the dog, the chicken—everything! Anything that’s the house’s property goes up.”

“Still looks nowhere near enough, though?”

They’d already brought out all the chips from the vault.

No matter how much cash he could raise, there was a limit.

There’s always a cap on the cash a casino can actually handle.

Thud!

“I’ll put up the houses in Hyochang-dong, Sinsa-dong, and Mugyo-dong, too.”

“Oh!”

I nudged Uncle Cheol-gu with my elbow.

Not enough. Get more out of him.

Catching my signal, Uncle Cheol-gu put on a sour face.

“Still looks like you’re just breaking even.”

“Fine, I’ll add Insa-dong, Seongbuk-dong, Sinseol-dong, and Ojang-dong!”

Nice! We finally got here!

Normally, he’d never reveal his full bankroll.

But after getting his pride thoroughly trampled, the Horsehead decided to go all in.

“Boss, don’t do it!”

“If you lose, how many houses will go up in smoke?!”

The Madam and the others went pale, trying to stop him.

But the Horsehead, now in battle mode, flashed a crazed look in his eyes.

“I just have to win! If I win, I get it all! One shot to turn my life around—that’s the rule here!”

Those trying to stop him fell silent.

He was right.

They’d acted no different in front of the table themselves.

The Horsehead grinned.

“Instead, it’s all-in on this round. Call?”

Uncle Cheol-gu grinned, too.

“Call!”

He glanced at his wristwatch.

“But, you know. I’ve got an appointment, so I can’t stick around too long.”

“Best two out of three! It only takes three games to judge skill and decide the winner.”

Uncle Cheol-gu shot a glance at me.

I winked.

‘The big fish swallowed the bait. Let’s clean him out, nice and proper!’

It’d be hard to beat the Horsehead with gambling skills, mind games, or bluffing alone.

But we had an incredible hidden card on our side.

[Leave it to me this time, too.]

The Grim Reaper stood behind the Horsehead, reading and signaling the cards.

With that, how could we possibly lose?

Uncle Cheol-gu grinned.

“Best two out of three. Fine. Call!”

“Then let’s begin.”

And so the real game began.

---

“...What the hell!”

“I win again?”

Three straight wins!

Uncle Cheol-gu swept up the gamblers’ IOUs and the house deeds in one big bundle.

Thud.

The Horsehead grabbed Uncle Cheol-gu’s wrist.

His eyebrow twitched as he growled.

“Wait. Don’t move.”

The Horsehead, shaking with anger, shouted.

“One more game!”

Whether gambler, professional, or owner, they all sounded the same when it came down to it.

Uncle Cheol-gu glanced at his watch.

“My appointment’s here. From now on, it’s settlement time.”

“The game’s not over yet. If you don’t want to see your kid die, sit down right now!”

The Horsehead sneered wickedly.

“All in! If you lose, I’ll let you walk out unharmed. So, choose.”

Uncle Cheol-gu’s face hardened.

“Funny how your tune changed.”

“The game’s not over. This isn’t about settlement anymore, it’s a choice. By the way, I don’t settle up with anyone who dies while playing.”

Somehow, the Madam and all the pro gamblers had vanished.

“That’s what you get for not quitting when you were ahead. Don’t say you didn’t see this coming.”

The house managers locked the doors to the casino.

“Bear, what’s the point of all this money if you’re going to end up dead and buried in the hills? Planning to use it for ferry fare to the afterlife? Choose—money or your life?”

I clicked my tongue.

‘Knew it. Filthy bastard as always.’

Uncle Cheol-gu clicked his tongue, too.

“Should’ve known you were a dog I couldn’t deal with. Is this how you run your business? Enough. Settle up.”

“I said, the game’s not over yet.”

It was at that moment—

Wee-ooo-wee-ooo-wee-ooo!

Right on time, the sirens blared.

Before coming to the casino, I’d promised Uncle Cheol-gu:

—I’ll show you the secret to shake down their pockets, the casino itself, and the Horsehead’s nerves all at once. A one-move, three-gain strategy.

We’d already cleaned out their pockets; now, it was time to shake down the casino itself.

Our Uncle Cheol-gu is a patriotic man.

He couldn’t turn a blind eye to illegal underground gambling dens that hurt the country.

So what could he do? Report them to the authorities, of course.

Bang bang bang!

Someone frantically pounded on the locked doors from outside.

“Boss, we’re in big trouble! The police are swarming us!”

“No need to panic. I’ve already paid off every cop in the area.”

“Looks like every cop in the city is here! I even see the special armed unit’s flag!”

“What?”

Yep. I’d already called Secretary Kim.

Asked him to put the police chief in motion.

Glad my estimate of the timing was right.

“Start up the cars! Everyone scatter!”

“The engines won’t start! All the wires are cut, and every tire’s been slashed! What do we do now?!”

The game is over.

Now, let’s begin the settlement.