Episode 48

“Hey!”

Park Kang-woo trembled as he saw the red axe held by the hefty foreigner next to him, fearing that a mere twitch might result in his leg being severed, not the wooden crate.

“Dobbiamo festeggiare, allora (Well, then, we should celebrate).”

A man seated with crossed legs on the upper bunk declared.

He seemed to be the same man who had dragged Park Kang-woo here, and with a roll of his eyes, Park Kang-woo realized that he was not in a good position. With his limbs bound, he decided to drop to his knees.

Park Kang-woo had risen to the top position of the organization not through courage but through strategic moves and keen perception. Because his legs were tied, he naturally knelt, and as the floor shifted beneath him, he quickly slammed his head back to the ground.

The swaying motion continued, and Park Kang-woo noticed that he was in a cabin on a ship.

“Ah, interesting. Very perceptive. Let’s treat our guest.”

Upon Pierre Choi’s words, his henchmen untied Park Kang-woo’s body and seated him on a chair.

“Hey there, my old friend. I looked into it a bit. You were a small-time thug in Gyeonggi-do, right?”

Pierre Choi said in an exaggerated manner, using exaggerated body movements and expressions like a clown, acting as if he were in a play.

Park Kang-woo, who had a crazed look in his eyes, shrank back.

“Well, you need to answer, right?”

At Pierre’s words, Park Kang-woo rolled his eyes and then spat out the cotton stuffed in his mouth.

“P-please spare me.”

“You’re alive right now, aren’t you?”

Pierre Choi chuckled and stroked his chin.

A foreigner behind him approached Pierre Choi, knelt politely, and began speaking in a foreign language.

“Hey, Park Kang-woo.”

“Yes, yes.”

“People like me in positions like mine, do you know what’s most important? Money? It’s not that significant. I’m here to sweeten this boring life… with fun.”

This was not an act to deceive Park Kang-woo but Pierre Choi’s genuine feelings.

“I’ve been away from this place for a while because there are cute guys causing trouble with the sugar my Sicilian brothers supply”

As Park Kang-woo listens to the man, he is racking his brain to save his life.

‘If he is talking about Sicilian brothers, that mean he is talking about the Italian mafia, and if he is talking about sugar, that mean it’s about drugs.’

“I found an intriguing teaser before even watching the main event. That’s why I’m having so much fun now.”

Pierre Choi finished speaking and tapped the table twice.

Then, the middle-aged man who had been silent behind them walked over and sat between Pierre Choi and Park Kang-woo.

 

“We’re going to play a game now. If you win, you’ll oversee drug distribution in Korea. I like obedient dogs.”

To the unexpected words of the man, Park Kang-woo’s eyes widened.

“Th-that’s right, sir. What happens if I lose?”

At that moment, the ship lurched again.

Pierre Choi silently looked at the fallen ropes and the spit-out cotton on the floor.

Then he chuckled and looked at Park Kang-woo.

While he couldn’t hear the answer, he imagined the swaying sea beyond the ship’s hull and shivered.

“Shall we begin? Dealer.”

Upon Pierre’s command, the solemn-looking elderly man bowed and began shuffling the cards.

He dealt one card face-up to Pierre and another to Park Kang-woo.

“Wait a minute, sir. Is this poker? Why are the cards face-up?”

As Park Kang-woo looked at the familiar poker cards, he couldn’t understand why the cards were exposed.

“Now, you have nothing more to bet, right? Your fate is determined by the cards you get.”

Pierre Choi chuckled as he looked at the poker cards on the table.

Both of them had a 6 of different suits in front of them.

Pierre had a 6 of Spades.

Park Kang-woo had a 6 of Clubs.

Helpless and unable to do anything in this psychological battle, Park Kang-woo trembled as he watched the cards being revealed one by one in front of him.

In total, there were seven cards, and as six of them were placed in front, Park Kang-woo felt despair creeping in.

Pierre had a sequence of cards from 6 to 10, with a missing card, forming a straight.

In contrast, Park Kang-woo had three 6 cards and two unpaired cards, forming a triple.

The chances of winning were too slim.

“Isn’t this fun? Hahaha. Dealer, deal the last card.”

Now, trembling in both his arms and legs, Park Kang-woo was extremely afraid. Still, he tried to count the cards.

In the first two cards, both received 6s, so it was impossible to form a four of a kind (Four of a kind) with four cards of the same number.

The only way to win was by getting a pair from the unpaired cards he held to complete a full house (Full house) with the existing 6 triple.

The rough probability was about 20%.

In other words, there was an 80% chance he would die as it was.

As the elderly dealer’s hands moved the cards from his hand to the front of both players and flipped them over.

In front of Pierre was a 3.

In front of Park Kang-woo was a 7.

With a 6 triple and a 7 pair, Park Kang-woo had completed a full house.

“Uhh!”

With a full house, Park Kang-woo defeated the straight.

“Hahaha!”

Pierre Choi started laughing like a madman, and Park Kang-woo, who didn’t like it and was tense because he never knew when this capricious man would change his mind, shrank in his seat.

“It’s a Diamond Seven. It looks like you’ve got a lucky hand. I’ll tell you the location in a month. You should gather three. To distribute the drugs in this country, you’ll need at least that much.”

“Th-three, If you say three, you mean three billion…”

Before Park Kang-woo could finish speaking, Pierre Choi’s face turned cold and he shook his head.

“Oh, 30 billion…”

“Why? Is this the best you can do, you worthless piece of trash?”

Pierre Choi glanced at the ropes and the men with rifles behind him.

Park Kang-woo, who looked back and forth between Pierre and the men holding rifles, tremblingly opened his quivering lips.

“Ah, no. I can gather that much with construction companies and casinos as collateral.”

“You’re quite good with words.”

Pierre Choi raised the corner of his mouth and smiled like a devil as he looked at Park Kang-woo.

“Okay! Cut! It was great.”

With Director Park Chan-hong’s satisfying “okay” sign, Ryu Yeon-woo rushed over to Jung Ha-kyun and grabbed his hand with both hands.

“Senior, you’ve worked so hard.”

During today’s scene, Jung Ha-kyun had been slapped, kneeled, and fallen countless times.

“No, it seems like the scene came out really well, so I’m very satisfied.”

Seeing how much the senior had suffered, Yeon-woo couldn’t help feeling sorry for him and didn’t let go of the hand he was holding.

They left the specially decorated set hand in hand, just like a father and son walking hand in hand.

Even though there was no more filming left, they were monitoring the scene from a corner of the set, and Ma Seok-do and Han So-hyeon approached them.

“Senior, Yeon-woo, the screen came out so well!”

“Right, you nailed it!”

Ma Seok-do raised his thumb, and Han So-hyeon added her praise.

“Haha, Yeon-woo did a great job.”

“What are you talking about, Senior? I just sat quietly and acted with my expressions and lines.”

Yeon-woo had given a brilliant performance with just his expressions and lines while sitting quietly, but he gave all the credit to Jung Ha-kyun, who had rolled around in the moving special set.

“Our movie now has only the second half of the shoot left. I’m really looking forward to the ending of our movie.”

“That’s right. Sister, when we received the final script, it was quite a shock.”

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They took a few days off before filming the second half.

There were many props and locations to prepare for the shooting, and there were action scenes in the second half that required coordination with the stuntmen, so the actors who had been running without a break for several months were given a short break.

A suddenly lightened schedule.

‘Hmm, what should I do?’

While lying in the officetel, browsing through fan cafes and YouTube comments, Yeon-woo suddenly thought of something and decided to call Son Jin-yuk.

[Oh, Yeon-woo.]

“Hyung, are you busy?”

[No, I’ve finished shooting. Aren’t you busy?]

“I took a few days off. I called you because I was bored.”

Jin-yuk chuckled at Yeon-woo’s words.

[Hey, why not call your friends instead of bothering your hyung?]

“Ah, it’s easier with you. Plus, they are probably in the middle of their exams.”

Yeon-woo’s words made Jin-yuk secretly pleased. As he got older, he began to enjoy being the first to contact by younger colleagues and juniors.

[Then, do you want to come over to my place today? Don’t bother calling Min-soo. I’ll pick you up.]

“Really? I’m fine with that! It’s a bit inconvenient without a car.”

[Hmm, really? You still haven’t thought about buying a car?]

Yeon-woo contemplated Jin-yuk’s question. He had obtained his driver’s license right after graduating, and with his continuous activities, he had accumulated a significant amount of money in his bank account. In a way, he had more assets in this life than in his previous life.

“…Should I buy a car this time?”

At Jin-yuk’s prompt, Yeon-woo prepared for an outing.

He had experienced firsthand the process of acquiring a driver’s license when he wrapped up his past life. He had no intention of living extravagantly, but he didn’t plan to live frugally either in this life.

A while later, Jin-yuk told him that he had arrived, and Yeon-woo descended to the parking lot, where Jin-yuk’s car was waiting.

Yeon-woo had only seen Jin-yuk driving a company van and was now seeing a personal car for the first time.

“Thanks for coming, hyung.”

“I was bored too.”

Yeon-woo opened the door and got into the passenger seat.

“Is this the model from Brand B?”

The SUV was famous for being the vehicle of choice for celebrities.

“Yeah. Do you have any plans for your first car? Any particular price range in mind?”

Jin-yuk had decided to buy a car today and thought Yeon-woo might want to come along.

Yeon-woo pondered Jin-yuk’s question for a moment. If it was his first car, it didn’t have to be something extravagant. He’d be satisfied as long as it wasn’t one of those vintage cars that you’d have trouble finding even at a scrapyard, the kind that might be seen at classic car clubs.

“My first car… Hm, maybe a sports car? As long as it’s not too expensive, I’m okay with it.”

“Really? That’s unexpected.”

Yeon-woo, still immersed in Pierre Choi’s role, had a more upbeat personality than usual. Plus, memories of a past life, when Yeon-woo entered the Czech Republic and Dubai as a businessman, disguised and drove sports cars throughout the espionage period, remained fond memories.

“In that case, I don’t think something too flashy like a sports car would be suitable, so…”

Jin-yuk pondered, stroking his chin.

“Then how about a car from Company P?”

“Well, I haven’t bought a fancy car before, but doesn’t Company P have a relatively long waiting period?”

At Yeon-woo’s remark, Jin-yuk chuckled.

“There are ways around that. Let’s at least go take a look.”

And so, Jin-yuk’s car headed towards Seocho-gu.