The dealer gulped. Since the surroundings were so quiet, the sound of his gulp reverberated clearly.
“…”
River – at last, the final word was revealed.
[J♠] [J♣️] [J♥] [J◆] [3◆]
In truth, what the card was was no longer important at this point.
A single game with 372,000 dollars on the line, where four of a kind was already made certain. Whatever the two of them had in hand was no longer important, even if that made a full house.
But although the ridiculous community cards had made countless other elements of the game meaningless, it did succeed in bringing madness to the people. The place had already become a pot of greed with Yeorum and Dennis the only ones that were calm.
Finally it was the time for the last bet.
Dennis spoke with a powerless voice.
“All-in.”
He had brought roughly a thousand black chips. The dealer raked in the remaining 827 chips.
“Ahhhhhk!” “Uooohhhh!” “Kieeeet!” People shouted.
An all-in!
In just one game, the first game at that, there were about to be 2 million dollars at stake.
“What? All-in? I don’t have that many chips.”
“Fold then.”
“Shut the crap you f*cker.”
The fact that she was lacking in chips in comparison must have been under his calculation. However, she couldn’t borrow money and couldn’t fold either since there was a lot of her money on the line.
She was giving a frown when Yu Jitae, who was quietly watching her, asked.
“Confident?”
Wearing a scowl, Yeorum turned towards him. There was a menacing frown in her expression, like a baby wolf whose food had been stolen away from it.
He looked into her eyes.
Yu Jitae couldn’t see anything within.
It meant that Yeorum was completely controlling her greed and that instead gave him certainty.
“Got it.”
Drop.
When Yu Jitae placed a card on the tabletop, the audience gazed at it with sparkling eyes. There was a gold familiar engraving on a black card. It was…
That was when one of them gasped with a retch.
“A D, Dungeon Free Pass—!”
Immediately, a veteran dealer ran up and confirmed whether it was fake or not. When he stated, ‘It’s the genuine article with the official stamp of the Association,’ the people buzzed even more.
It was the unlimited dungeon raid privilege that he got while working as Season.
The onlookers attentively appraised Yu Jitae’s face. He wasn’t a famous superhuman. Several people present were quite knowledgeable about the superhuman industry but none of them knew who he was.
In other words, he must have picked it up somewhere. Since it was a card with unique magic set-ups, it might net a million or two if it was returned to the Association!
“Is that a suitable price?”
“Of course.”
Even then, Dennis did not look surprised in the slightest. It was instead Yeorum that was surprised because she knew of the value of the Dungeon Free Pass.
For her, this was just a continuation of her gambling and yet Yu Jitae was trusting her so much that he was willing to put the unlimited dungeon raid qualification on the line. Isn’t that what it meant?
“You don’t have to go that far…”
“It’s fine even if you lose it.”
“No. I won’t lose it. Ever.”
Shutting her lips tight, she turned her head back to the front.
That was the end of the bet.
“Showdown!”
At last, the results were revealed.
[5♥] [2◆]
Those were the cards Yeorum had. Some of the onlookers were so shocked from the ridiculously low numbers that they were about to faint but,
[4♠] [3♣️]
Dennis’s hand was even lower than Yeorum’s.
It was Yeorum’s win.
People shrieked.
“Akkkkkk—!!”
“Aaaahh! Crazy—!! They don’t have K or a J or even an 8 and yet they do that!?”
“These guys are crazy! What in the world is on their minds–!?”
The screams of the crowd shook the entirety of the underground casino like a tsunami. Still dumbfounded from the shock, Yeorum was dazed when Dennis asked with a distorted frown on his face.
“Oi.”
“Huh?”
“Are you crazy? How do you follow my raises with a hand like that, huh!?”
His question caused the crowd to settle a little. What would she say in response? Wasn’t Dennis’s raises crazy in the first place? Did she win after an intensive mind game? It was when they were all holding in their voices waiting for the redhead’s reply.
Yeorum’s voice in return was a bewildered one itself.
“Uhh, I, I just did it.”
Once again, people shouted from all around.
The dealer changed more than a thousand chips to money and added it to the credit card as Yu Jitae took his Dungeon Free Pass back. Only then did Yeorum come to terms with her victory.
While there were still shouts and laments of astonishments among the crowd,
“Uwwahhhhh–!”
Yeorum ran up to Yu Jitae with a smile brighter than ever.
“I won! I won!”
She jumped up and down before hanging her arms around his neck. Yu Jitae then realised that the child’s heart was beating like crazy as if it was about to explode so he hugged her back.
Her expression was filled with joy once her intentional look of peace was gone.
“Wah shit. I was scared as f*ck! Wow! I, I, I was this close to being f*cked! For real!”
“Nice job.”
“Did I do well?!”
“You did great.”
“Really? For real?”
“Of course.”
“Then hurry up and compliment me more! Hurry!”
“I’m proud of you.”
“Ah f*ck! I love it! I’m about to go crazy! Ahhhh, sex—!”
Hugging the child, Yu Jitae repeatedly complimented her while thinking to himself.
Dennis was sprinting forward hoping for Yeorum to fold, while wearing a calm expression until the end of the game. A demeanour like that was an absurdly amazing thing for a normal human.
It was the temperament of a hero.
However, Yeorum also had something similar.
Not only did she have the heart of the beast, she also knew how to be patient, knew how to hide her true intentions and also had the confidence to fight. The result wasn’t important – Yu Jitae realised for the first time that Yeorum could show calmness in front of a true battle.
Although there was his generous support and trust in the centre of all that, it was Yeorum who had managed to pull it off.
Today’s gamble had a very positive impact. An experience like this would remain in a portion of Yeorum’s memories and stay there forever. No matter what battle she would face in the future, Yeorum could reflect on her current memories and settle her emotions.
However, the situation wasn’t just over yet.
“You damn mother f*ckers! Stay right there!”
It was when they were about to leave with the card. Perhaps because they had lost a million dollars in a single game, large men wearing black suits came running towards them holding guns in hand.
There were 7 in total, and it was clear to both Yeorum and Yu Jitae that they were related to Dennis. A million dollars was enough to drive a small organisation in the town like them crazy.
Bang bang bang bang–!
Ear-splitting sounds of firearms echoed as the chandeliers dropped from the ceiling.
“Uaah! Those lunatics are back at it again!”
“R, run! Hide under the table!”
It was chaos.
The gamblers pushed each other away as they ran as some of them fell. Tables flipped and the surprised dealers quickly took out shotguns but another round of firearms caused them to fall.
Kyaaak! A sharp scream of a woman resonated above the gunshots, as well as someone’s desperate cry for police.
It was when Yu Jitae, placed in the centre of the incident, was about to move his body.
“Yu Jitae!”
Yeorum grabbed him by the arm.
Strangely enough, her expression was filled with excitement.
“Let’s run away!”
“What are you doing. Let go.”
“You’re my slave! You have to listen to me…!”
Saying that, she wrapped her arms around his and started pulling him.
Why was she like this, and why did they have to run away?
He was thinking that but suddenly remembered an American drama that he had watched some time last year with Yeorum and Gyeoul. The protagonists who had been gambling in the underworld running away after hearing gunshots… maybe Yeorum had remembered the same thing.
Yu Jitae suddenly found this red hatchling to be like a young kid. Things like the heart of a beast and the calm temperament of a hero all sounded laughably unsuitable now.
He sometimes forgot it since she always acted like a mature adult, bleeding in her zealous efforts but…
Yeorum had just turned seventeen.
“Hurry, hurry up! Let’s run…!”
Thinking that, Yu Jitae decided to play along with the child.
Together they ran past other people, jumped over fallen tables and headed to the exit. The moment they opened the door they were welcomed by three people pointing their firearms at them to stop their escape.
Bang bang bang–!!
When the guns fired their bullets, Yu Jitae stood in front of Yeorum and stopped the bullets with his body. Dozens of S-ranked protective blessings within his body snatched the kinetic energy from the bullets making them drop powerlessly. He then took one of the guns and swung it like a club.
These guys were a bunch of rogues that put their lives on the line for just 2 million dollars. They had chosen this place as their hideout because people couldn’t use magic in Las Vegas: Paradise. That was also why they were using firearms as their weapons but they were naturally powerless before well-trained superhumans.
Kkang–!
The head of one of the villains exploded. Startled, the other two placed their fingers on their triggers but a foot came flying in. It was Yeorum’s flying side kick. With a loud bang, one of the remaining two lost his chin. His head was turned to the side as his heavy body fell down the staircase.
Lastly, the remaining person with a body especially bigger than others tried to physically stop them. However, he seemed to have guessed that it wouldn’t work out and appeared fairly flustered. Yu Jitae grabbed the guy by his neck and casually tossed him as the large muscular superhuman weighing around 340kg helplessly rolled down the stairs.
“Grab them–!”
Seemingly out of their minds, the members of the gang pursued them while shooting their guns from behind. Once the two of them left the building, they found a truck driving towards them. As the hysterical chase began, Yeorum and Yu Jitae quickly turned a corner which the truck followed with an excessive drift.
It was impossible to dodge without using mana. Thinking that, the driver of the truck drove into the two of them despite the casino building being in front of it.
Kwanng!!!
A loud explosion covered the area.
From the midst, Yu Jitae carried Yeorum and jumped out, reaching 20 metres in height without even using mana.
“Kyahahaha! Those retards–!”
Being carried like a princess with her eyes gazing at the blazing scene of the explosion beneath her, Yeorum laughed herself to death.
That seemed to be the end of their eventful day. Superhuman police officers appeared in the distance and the surprised rogues began running away.
“Ohh…! Wow. Look at that…!”
However, the place Yu Jitae landed after the jump happened to be the terrace of the ballroom located on the 6th floor of the casino.
“W, who are you guys!”
“Oh my!”
A couple that had been intoxicated by their champagne and the atmosphere had been sharing a deep kiss but startledly jumped away after spotting them. Inside the building were people entangled and dancing under the brilliant lights. The building had great soundproof walls and they were absorbed in their entertainment no matter what was happening outside.
“Hey slave. Let’s dance together.”
“What?”
“Hurry up…! I feel crazy good right now! I probably won’t dance ever if not today you know?”
He hesitated, thinking why he had to dance all of a sudden but it just served to prove how excited Yeorum was.
In any case, it wasn’t the right condition for a dance. Yu Jitae wearing a business shirt, slax pants and shoes was alright, but Yeorum was still wearing a t-shirt.
“You don’t match the dress code do you.”
Hearing that, Yeorum flicked her head towards the woman who had been sharing a deep kiss.
“Unni. Sorry but let me borrow your clothes for a bit.”
“Uh, huhh?! What are you…!”
She was no different from a gangster herself.
That night was literally a chaos.
In the end, wearing the borrowed dress, Yeorum danced with Yu Jitae under the chandelier lights. However, Yeorum was not the protagonist of a drama and didn’t know how to dance despite the atmosphere.
Thus, she kept on stepping on Yu Jitae’s feet until he became slightly irritated at last. He said ‘Just forget it,’ as Yeorum once again laughed till she gasped for breath.
That was how they spent that night.
*
From sunrise all the way till noon,
The sound of laughter did not leave her mouth.