Chapter Text
The left cheek of Myung-gi burned as soon as the hand made contact. His ears buzzed and his head felt numb as he tried to focus his vision on the floor where the folded paper tiles laid. How many times would he need to get slapped in the face until he is finally able to flip it? He looked at the man in front of him, free from sweat and not even near looking tired, unlike himself.
– Do you want to try again? – The man asked, a limp smile in his face.
Myung-gi’s hand traveled to his face, limping the sweat from his forehead as he tried to stabilize his breath. With a huff, he nodded in agreement. After three more rounds, Myung-gi finally succeeded in flipping the paper tile, winning the Ddakji game for the first time. He happily accepted the money, smiling as he slid it into his wallet. Before he was even able to close the wallet, an odd looking card appeared in front of his face. He raised his head to meet the man in the eyes, a brow raised in a silent question.
– If you want to receive more money only by playing games, call this number. – He said, then turned his back and walked away.
Myung-gi only stood there, watching the man disappear from his view, before flipping the card to see the phone number. He slowly put the card in his pocket and turned to face the platform, waiting for the train. His phone buzzed again, showing Jun-hee's face on the screen, but he quickly locked the screen to mute the call. “Not again…” He thought to himself.
He and Jun-hee could be called a couple some months ago, but then came the bitcoins, the debts and the baby and they decided to break up. She wanted a family, besides the both of them being broke at the moment because of Myung-gi’s idea of investing in bitcoins. He wanted the money. Not only his money back, he was greedy, he wanted more. Since he stopped with his youtube streams his life was never the same. He needed a job, a REAL one, just like anybody else, and he actually got one in some shit convenience store, but he couldn't handle it. It was so boring, the same thing every day, so he dropped it and started to ask for money from his parents, his friends, anyone. He just needed enough money to invest at the right time, so he would get more money. But of course it wouldn’t be easy, as he only keeps losing it. Life must be laughing at his face right now, seeing how stupid he is, but he simply can’t stop.
As he enters the train and takes a seat, his hand reaches for his wallet in his pocket, where he sees the lonely bank note inside of it. Damn, he needs more money!
°°°°°°°°°
Myung-gi is leaving the subway station as someone bumps into him. He mumbles an apology and keeps walking into the exit as suddenly a hand grasps his wrist and makes him brutally stop in the trek. He looks back, finding a man with pitch black long hair and sharp dark eyes looking at his face with curiosity. He fixes his hat and his mask before speaking in a sharp tone.
– What do you want?
The man studies him, looking inside his eyes as if looking for his soul. He lets go on his grip before saying:
– I think I know you from somewhere!
– What? – Myung-gi asks, his body frozen in place.
“Did they find me?” He thinks as he swallows, hands starting to shake a little. He gives two steps behind and tries to think in a way he could escape, before the man interrupts his thoughts.
– Did we go to the same school? – His voice is full of curiosity as he asks.
Myung-gi lets a heavy breath escape him before answering in an annoyed tone.
– Probably not. – He says as he turns his back and starts to walk again. He needed to leave, the space looking much more crowded and hot now.
– So we met at the club? – The guy asks, following Myung-gi close behind.
– I don’t go to clubs.
They step outside, the night wind flushing their hairs and creeping inside their clothes. The winter approaches them like trembling fingers, snowflakes reaching for their faces as if to give them a kiss. Myung-gi closes his eyes and lets a fog breath out before continuing his walking. The guy doesn't give up and stops in front of Myung-gi, stopping the latter again.
– What? – He asks again, furring his brows in anger.
– I just have a feeling that I know you from somewhere. Besides, your wallet fell out when you bumped on me. – His mouth stretches in a sarcastic smile as he hands the wallet out.
– You were the one who bumped on me… – Myung-gi says as he snatches the wallet from the stranger's fingers. – And I have never seen you before, so quit asking and following me. – Then, he passes through the stranger guy and follows his path back home.
When Myung-gi finally reaches the front door of his apartment, he takes a proper look inside his wallet and finds out that it’s empty.
Nam-gyu arrives at the club a little later than he should. When he opens the door and sees his boss' angry face in front of the bar he knows he’s screwed. Anyways, he passes through his boss and enters behind the bar’s balcony.
– You’re late!
– I know. Some random dude bumped into me and then-
– Doesn’t matter. – His boss cuts him before he finishes. – Thanos is here.
– Uhum… – Nam-gyu murmurs without taking his eyes from the counter that he started cleaning.
– Move! – His boss screams through clenched teeth, his brows furrowed.
– You’re going to need to be more specific. – Nam-gyu stretches his smiles while looking at the already cleaned counter.
His boss huffs before stopping Nam-gyu’s hand and staring him dead in the eyes.
– Go there… – He points towards a door with a V.I.P. sign – And do your job as bartender and as the whore that we both know you are! Take money from him and I can think of forgiving you for being late.
Nam-gyu sighs and agrees with his head. What else could he do besides following the order?
He enters the V.I.P area and finds the purple haired man in a blink of eyes. He is always so noisy and agitated that it is hard to miss his presence. Nam-gyu puts a smile on his face as he approaches Thanos, puts a hand on his shoulder and asks what he wants.
“Do you need more drinks? Are you okay with the food? Should I get more drugs and girls?”
He asks because he needs to, but don’t think for a second that he doesn’t like. He enjoys it a lot, getting drugs, standing beside Thanos and being the center of his attention once in a while. He lets Thanos spend his money, but also gives him some free stuff, so he would come back and stay with him more. Nam-gyu hates his jobs, his low earnings being almost fully used on the club to pay his debts, but who cares? If Thanos keeps coming, as long as he keeps paying attention to Nam-gyu, everything would be alright.
°°°°°°
None of this was alright. Like seriously, when did things become like this? Running at full speed in the streets, following Thanos from behind, both of them high on drugs and alcohol and dizzy after the night. And what a night. After partying all night with the best and the better, Thanos and Nam-gyu were hugging and singing some random song while everyone else was leaving. They giggled and laughed wide open to every other soul in the place to hear, until the bill came. Thousands and thousands have been spent and now they need to pay.
“They my ass, Thanos will pay. I only bought one or two drinks.” Nam-gyu thought to himself, as he got up and started to clean the mess. After all, he was working or at least was supposed to be. That was when the truth hit him in the face.
– Pay…? – Thanos asked in a slurred voice. – I have no cash. Nam-su will pay for me! – He laughed.
– What?? – Nam-gyu snapped. – What do you mean you have no money? – He shakes Thanos by his shoulders, looking for an answer.
– Do you know MG Coin? – Thanos asked instead of answering. – He once said in one of his lives that using money on buying Bitcoins would make me have more money…
– And? – Nam-gyu asked, preoccupied, knowing very well the answer he would receive.
– And then I spend ALL of my money on bitcoins. – He said cheerfully.
– You’re kidding, right? – Nam-gyu giggled, but stopped when Thanos shook his head. – And why on earth have you decided to have this “party” if you're broke?
– Why?... – Thanos thought, as if the reason was hiding from him. – Ah, I remember now! I came here to ask for money from you, but then I ended up drinking and here we are! – He laughed again.
Nam-gyu looked him dead in the eyes. How can someone be so stupid like this? Not just that, but now he was going to need to pay for all the things Thanos ordered. He was really fucking screwed.
– I don’t have all this money! – Namgyu said in a scolding tone. – This would be like months of what I earn here.
– Well, I don’t have it either. What should we do? – Thanos got up with a smiling face, as nothing in the world could bother him.
Right when Nam-gyu opened his mouth to speak, his boss’s voice echoed through the hallway coming in their direction.
– Now we run. – He said going for the fire exit and running to the street.
That was how they started to run in the streets like crazies, now each one of them going in a different direction. Nam-gyu followed to the closest subway station. He couldn’t go home, his address was in his work file, so he needed to go to a hotel. He reached for his pocket and found a single bill there, the one he stole earlier. He sighs and puts it back, lowering his head in deep thoughts. “What should I do now? Damn Thanos, that stupid motherfucker.”
Then, almost as out of nowhere, a slim man in a clean suit approaches him. He looked at the man suspiciously, which was returned with a smile. “The fuck is wrong with him?” Nam-gyu thinks.
– Want to play a game with me? Each time you win, I will give you 100,000 won. How does that sound?
And right now for Nam-gyu, it sounded like music to his ears.