Chapter 5
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Addiction
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Jin-seong had reconnected with Seong-gwang after a long time, enjoying their hangouts, and before he knew it, he was meeting up with his friend more frequently again.
He still hadn't recharged his account on the site, but in the Family Room that he hadn't left, he casually fired off picks for fun while hanging out with Seong-gwang.
Seong-gwang seemed thrilled to have a friend he could talk openly about gambling with, so he kept dragging Jin-seong out.
And just like that, another month slipped by.
Seong-gwang got a taste of profits from the occasional picks Jin-seong shared, and little by little, his bet sizes grew.
He'd started small, but watching Seong-gwang's bets escalate made Jin-seong uneasy.
Jin-seong knew it all too well.
When bet sizes ramp up, wins come quick, but losses hit even faster.
He knew it better than anyone because he'd walked that road himself.
Seong-gwang had a stable job and a girlfriend he'd been with for years—he was at the age where marriage was on the horizon.
Jin-seong couldn't just stand by and watch his friend crumble like he had.
In the end, he called Seong-gwang out and set up a drinking session.
After a few drinks, he got serious.
"Hey, Gwang. Cut it out now."
"If you're really gonna do it, stick to small stakes or just Proto bets."
"If you keep going like this, your life's really gonna go to shit."
"I've been through it all. I'm dead serious."
Seong-gwang hesitated at Jin-seong's earnest expression and tone, then brushed it off with a laugh.
"Hey, hey, I know. Why so serious?"
"I'll keep it in check. Don't worry."
Jin-seong felt stifled.
He knew better than anyone how dangerous that laugh was.
Every time they met, he'd get stern out of worry for his friend, lecturing him seriously, even yelling sometimes to stop him—but Seong-gwang acted like he hadn't heard a word.
After that day, Seong-gwang started avoiding Jin-seong bit by bit.
Jin-seong felt bitter and heartbroken watching it unfold, but he knew all too well that once someone was hooked on gambling, they tuned out everyone.
And so, the distance between friends grew wider.
Jin-seong finished work as usual that day and, like always, spun picks in the Family Room while chatting idly.
Then the Family Room Leader announced a little event to the members.
Family Room Chicken Fund Event! Fire off 10 picks—if you hit 4 or more, get 30,000 won in site money~
It was free money that could be cashed out right away, so Jin-seong joined casually.
In truth, these events were bait from the Master Agents to lure members into depositing more.
They knew recipients would get hooked and pour in even more cash.
Jin-seong tossed safe picks and nailed 6 hits, scoring the 30,000 won in site money.
But exhausted, he pocketed it and crashed without cashing out.
The next morning at work, during a brief lull, Jin-seong remembered the 30,000 won and logged into the Ladder site on his smartphone.
'Better burn through it quick and be done.'
Seizing a quiet moment with no customers, he all-in'd the full 30,000 won on Even.
59,500 won. Immediately all-in on Even again.
Result: 116,000 won.
Jin-seong dropped a message in the Family Room.
Turning yesterday's 30,000 won into 7 straight all-in doublings!
The members started buzzing.
Jin-seong's pick! Ace as always lololol
Customers piled up, so Jin-seong handled work until another break.
Stepping out for a smoke, he kept the bets rolling.
Guys, out for a quick smoke. Third all-in doubling incoming.
Three lines had already hit four straights in a row.
Jin-seong bet 116,000 won on three lines without hesitation.
Hit. Ballooned to 226,000 won in a flash.
He screenshotted and shouted.
Guys, tear it up! Success spam spam spam!!!
The Family Room lit up with excitement again.
Jin-seong swiftly bet 226,000 won on three lines and headed back to work.
Work flew by until lunch, and when he checked his phone again, the room was flooded with "success spam spam."
The site showed 441,000 won.
Cheering inwardly, Jin-seong pressed on.
4th straight all-in doubling! 441,000 won all-in on Even!
Another hit.
Jin-seong's 30,000 won had swelled to 860,000 won.
The Family Room vibe hit fever pitch.
The Master Agents tensed up inwardly as more people rode Jin-seong's bets than expected but played it cool on the surface.
Our room's Ace, Jin-seong! lolol
Jin-seong kept chaining all-in doublings during breaks.
Next up: four lines.
860,000 won bet without a second thought. Hit—1.67 million won.
Whoa, hot streak, Jin-seong! lol I'll ease off the amount now.
The members were in awe.
Fired up, Jin-seong went for the final all-in doubling.
Site rules had capped max bets at 2 million won, so this was it.
He all-in'd 1.67 million on Odd.
The Family Room held its breath for the result.
The Master Agents prayed for Even behind the scenes.
Result: Odd.
The Master Agents despaired and cursed in the back, but the members and Jin-seong erupted in cheers.
30,000 won had ballooned to 3.27 million.
But Jin-seong still had three bets left from the original 10.
As promised, three more bets to wrap it up.
Jin-seong calmly bet 2 million on Even.
Hit.
2 million on Even again. Hit.
His balance hit 9.07 million won.
Heading into the final bet, his parents called—he rushed back to work without checking.
Two hours later, seeing the hyped Family Room messages, he checked the site.
10.97 million won.
The Family Room exploded.
Jin-seong went solo rampage today lololol
30,000 to 10.97 million for real?? lolololol
Just like that, Jin-seong became the legend who turned 30,000 won into 10.97 million over 10 straight bets.
But he didn't realize this thrilling moment was just another poisoned chalice that would ultimately ruin him.
Jin-seong cashed out the full 10.97 million won without issue.
The Bayern Fam Family Room members held massive shares on the site, it was a huge line, and everyone was watching—no way they could scam it.
Plus, with all the money he'd lost before, Jin-seong had no intention of scamming anyway.
Only the handling Master Agent was left weeping.
From a Master Agent's view, they only settled up when members lost—Jin-seong cashing out millions flipped their page red into the negatives instantly.
Staring at the minus on their admin page, the Master Agent let out a deep sigh of despair.
Meanwhile, Jin-seong made careful plans with the cash.
First, he saved 5 million won. The other 5 million he withdrew as cash and gave to his parents.
Handing it over, he lied.
"Mom, Dad, it's money I've been saving bit by bit from work."
His parents, thinking their son had finally gotten his act together and earned it honestly, beamed with pride.
His mother, who'd suffered the most worry, teared up and gripped his hand tight.
"Good. Never do that crap again—just live steadily now."
After giving his parents their share, plus his savings from steady work, Jin-seong had nearly 10 million won left to his name.
He'd scrimped on living expenses from his salary and saved about 4 million, so he figured if he avoided past mistakes, stuck to small all-in doublings cautiously, he could pay off what he owed his parents in no time.
Touching big money again after forgetting it for months—he couldn't stop.
The rush of earning in one day what took half a year of grueling work kept replaying in his head.
Without greed, just small stakes, repeating all-in doublings to pay off his parents' remaining debt ASAP—Jin-seong dove back in.
Once again, unbeknownst to himself, he was stepping into gambling's treacherous swamp.
This time, Jin-seong set ironclad rules.
Daily limit: 200,000 won.
If he lost, no more deposits that day.
Max 4 successful all-in doublings, then safe 100,000 won fixed bets for the remaining 6 to hit the round count before cashing out.
No hype bets. No drinking bets.
His traumatic drunk-bet history made him obsessively follow this.
He had exactly 10 million won on hand.
Just 15 million more, and he'd recover all past losses.
The goal was clear, and with steady work and income, he had breathing room.
Strictly two hours a day on Ladder—win or lose, he quit.
Deposit 200,000 won, bet strictly to plan: 50k, 95k, 190k, 380k.
Four all-in doublings success, then back to 50k for the last six small rounds.
He never broke his own rules.
Even one all-in doubling covered principal at minimum, so Jin-seong saw this as the rational way: lose little, win big.
Exactly one month sticking to it—he raked in 8 million won.
Just 7 million left to goal.
By now, he knew bone-deep that gambling was designed to bleed you the longer you played.
Having lost so much, he'd instinctively learned how to win without losing.
His plan—pure profit, no fun—had succeeded so far.
Jin-seong finally met up with his girlfriend Hyo-jin after ages.
Hyo-jin was two years his senior, and they'd been dating for two years already.
She was close with his parents and chatted often with his little sister like actual siblings.
Hyo-jin had no clue about Jin-seong's gambling spiral and debt struggles—she just thought he'd been swamped with work.
He lacked the guts to tell his girlfriend the truth.
That day was his off the next day, so they enjoyed a late-night date for the first time in forever, then headed to her place.
After a hot, sweet night, Jin-seong's disciplined routine woke him early, even on a day off.
Glancing over, Hyo-jin slept soundly, completely naked and oblivious.
Jin-seong smiled faintly, shook his head, and headed to the bathroom for a hot shower to shake off sleep.
After brushing his teeth, he returned naked to the room—Hyo-jin still dozed peacefully on the bed.
The sight reignited the fire in him.
He slipped quietly onto the bed, mounting her slowly.
"Ah... what're you doing, babe~?"
She murmured sleepily with a cute whine, and the room heated up again in seconds.
An hour later, Hyo-jin finished showering with a blissful smile.
Regretting they'd only grabbed coffee and food late last night, she buzzed at the thought of a morning date with her boyfriend.
They savored a leisurely late breakfast, strolled the bustling streets window-shopping, and hit some stores.
Walking along, Jin-seong suddenly felt her hand empty in his.
Two years together, and he'd never given her a proper ring—it hit him hard.
Resolved, he grabbed her hand and ducked into a nearby jewelry store.
"Babe, why're we going in here?"
"Let's get matching couple rings."
Hyo-jin's face lit up at his sudden proposal.
Thinking he'd won some cash so this was fine, Jin-seong budgeted 2 million won for the couple rings.
Hyo-jin showered kisses, overjoyed at her first couple-ring gift from him.
Now in her late twenties, she was at marriage-minded age.
She waited with fluttering anticipation for when he'd propose.
That day, they shared an endlessly happy time together after so long.