The Stakes Are Life (2)
"Eek!"
The guests seemed to snap back to reality at the sight of the electric drill, which was spinning with a high-pitched, intense motor whine. Whirrrrr!!
"Who’s going first?"
"There are six of us, so each person only has to go once per round."
"The first one has the advantage! Someone, just go out there!"
"Then why don't you go first!"
The guests were in a state of chaos.
"I’ll decide the order. Let’s see. You, your eyebrows are straight lines. You’re number one."
"M-me?! Ugh..."
The fat man stepped forward reluctantly, sweat pouring off him like rain. The henchmen set him up in the coffin opposite Ji Se-hwa.
"We’re betting our right arms. Not too much pressure, right? Round one, start!"
Irua declared without giving them a moment to think.
"Hey, Executive. Like we talked about, just give up your right arm. It’s just one hole. I’ve had holes punched in my gut a hundred times while fighting the Dark Kingdom."
"I-if that’s the case, maybe one more time..."
"Are you fucking kidding me? You bastards only have to get pierced once, but I have to do it six times! If I get pierced six times, even I’ll die! I’m not in my transformed state right now, you asshole!"
Ji Se-hwa immediately unleashed a torrent of curses.
"Hoo. If you have a conscience, if you’re human, let’s make a sacrifice, yeah? I don’t have any cash. Who carries cash these days? I’m writing down ten thousand won, so you write down one thousand."
"Y-yes? One thousand won?"
"I said it clearly. Write down one thousand won. If you write anything else, I’m going to be very, very disappointed in you when I get out of here alive."
Ji Se-hwa really had a piercing gaze. She looked like she could kill someone with just her eyes.
"Ugh, but a drill... A drill on my right arm? And a hole... right in the middle, isn't it? My bone is going to get pierced. Ugh, ugh."
The man was sweating so much he was on the verge of dehydration.
"...Hm? Hey."
Another guest, one who looked intelligent, tried to speak. Irua brought her index finger to her lips.
"Quiet during the round~ I’ll let it slide this time, but if you open your mouth again, I’ll kill you."
The guest immediately shut his mouth.
"Hey, it’s no big deal, so just write down one thousand won! It heals quickly anyway!"
"Ugh, ugh..."
"Answer me! Tell me you’ll do as I say!"
The man squeezed his eyes shut. He didn't answer until the end. He couldn't bring himself to lie because of the pangs of conscience.
"Hey! I told you! I’m writing ten thousand won here! If my arm gets a hole in it, it’s your fault! If I can’t fight properly because of that and we lose to the Galactic Empire, it’s your fault!"
"Alright, that’s enough. Both of you, shut up. Write down your bids."
Pens were placed in the right hands of the two, which protruded from the coffins. The henchmen brought over notebooks, blocking their view so they couldn't see each other's.
Ji Se-hwa clicked her tongue and wrote down a number without hesitation. The man hesitated for a long time before writing a number with a trembling hand.
"The results are in. Hmm~? A-ha. Blue, you’re a better person than I thought?"
"Fuck off, you bitch."
"I really wish you’d do something about that filthy mouth of yours. Everyone saw that there was no tampering, right? This notebook never left your sight, and you can verify the handwriting yourselves. Shall I reveal it? The first round is..."
Irua flipped the notebooks held in both hands.
The amount Ji Se-hwa wrote was truly 10,000. Ten thousand won. On the other hand, the man’s amount was 112,000.
"The guest wins."
"You fucking bastard—!!"
"Eek! I’m sorry, I’m sorry! But I had no choice! I have heart failure, so if I feel that kind of pain, I might have a heart attack!"
The man offered pathetic excuses.
"Of course, I know how much Blue Saber-nim suffers as a hero. I’m always grateful! I agonized over it until the very end. But I was just so scared..."
"What were you agonizing over, you asshole! Is that number what you call agonizing? It’s ten times the amount, and you even added a safety net twice over!!"
It was true. To prepare for Ji Se-hwa lying, he had multiplied it by ten. And just in case she wrote even more, he had written 112,000 to ensure he won.
"I’m sorry, I’m sorry..."
"Forget it. Get out of here."
The henchmen untied the fat man. Irua kicked him out as if she had no interest in him. Whether out of relief or shame, the man quickly fled the VIP room. Of course, he couldn't just go home. He would have to live in constant terror from now on. There was no particular reason to take his life, but she had no intention of telling him that.
"Now, shall we execute the penalty?"
"You bitch! Just wait until I get out of here! I’ll drill a hole in your forehead with that drill!"
Ji Se-hwa cursed up a storm. The henchmen mercilessly brought the drill to the hole in Ji Se-hwa’s right arm. Whirrrrr— crunch!!
"Ugh...! Argh!"
Ji Se-hwa endured it without screaming. A venomous glint filled her eyes. The work ended quickly. Bone fragments fell along with blood through the hole. The guests turned their eyes away from the gruesome sight.
One person, the intelligent-looking man from earlier, raised his hand.
"Yes. What is it? You can speak now."
"I have a question. What happens if Blue Saber-ssi and the guest bid the same amount?"
Irua smiled.
"Ah, that’s right. There was that method."
For a moment, hope flickered on Ji Se-hwa’s face. They could pass all the rounds by forcing a draw. The intelligent man had thought of this the moment Ji Se-hwa bid ten thousand won.
"It’s simple. The guest wins."
However, Irua crushed that hope in an instant.
"You even noticed that? You’re quite capable."
The man didn't answer.
"Next. You, woman, come out."
"Ugh..."
The woman looked like she was about to burst into tears. She was completely consumed by fear. Click, click. The coffin locks were fastened.
"Then round two begins~ This time it’s the left leg. See the center of the thigh? The tool isn't much. It’s a skewer."
Irua announced with a smirk. The henchmen entered carrying a red-hot skewer.
"E-excuse me, Blue Saber-ssi."
"Ten thousand."
"Pardon...?"
"I’m going to write ten thousand won."
Ji Se-hwa said this while clenching her teeth against the pain, cold sweat dripping down her face.
"Ah, Blue Saber-ssi..."
The woman finally burst into tears.
"I’m sorry. I just... I can’t do that."
Ji Se-hwa gritted her teeth.
"It’s going to hurt so, so much. I can’t endure it. I can’t endure it... I’m just a normal person."
The woman began to wail. Her lamentations followed. About her children, about how hard life was. Ji Se-hwa, perhaps lacking the strength to shout due to the trauma of the first round, just listened.
"Alright, time’s up. Write it down."
The second bid. The results were in.
"Hehehe~ This is fun, this is fun. Shall I reveal it?"
The woman was weeping uncontrollably, and Ji Se-hwa was silent. She could guess the woman’s feelings. She must have thought Ji Se-hwa wrote ten thousand won again. It was likely that guilt that made her cry like that. And the result was:
"Guest, 212,000. Blue, 1,642,000."
"...Huh?"
The moment she saw the number, the woman’s jaw dropped.
"W-wait a minute. A million? You said ten thousand. Blue Saber-ssi? The person before was in the tens of thousands. Suddenly a million? Huh?"
Ji Se-hwa glared at the woman.
"Fuck off, you bitch. Die or don't, I don't care."
"N-no, wait. Wait!! You lied! You lied to me!!"
The woman began to go berserk. Irua waved her hand. The henchmen immediately drove the skewer into the woman’s thigh.
"Aaaaaaah! You liar! Aaaaaaaaah!!"
The smell of burning flesh filled the air. Irua, seemingly disgusted, secretly covered her nose. After a brief scream, the woman fainted. The henchmen dragged her out and threw her out the door.
"Ugh."
"My god."
The remaining guests were horrified. The intelligent man seemed lost in thought.
"You just spent 1.6 million, didn't you?"
"Yes. Seems like I used up just enough to be on the edge, right?"
"Psychologically, don't you think you used half?"
"Usually, people don't carry more than five million in cash. Does anyone here carry that much? I’ve never had a reason to use it."
"I don't."
"I don't even carry a million."
"I leave my wallet with my driver and tell him to always keep it at two million."
The guests began to whisper and debate. Slowly, they were realizing it too. To put it simply, this game was designed to be extremely advantageous to Ji Se-hwa. This game isn't won by bidding a high amount. It’s a game won by matching Ji Se-hwa’s remaining balance. Therefore, Ji Se-hwa’s strategy of declaring ten thousand won at the start and bidding ten thousand won as is was technically useless. Still, she wasn't a fool. Her cunning was top-tier. If my guess is correct, Ji Se-hwa understands this game very accurately.
"Round three. The area is the right leg. The knee. The tool is a bone spear."
Negotiation was no longer needed. Only pure psychological warfare remained. And the result.
"Guest, 1,210,000. Blue, 6,240,000."
"Six million?"
"Hey. Is that really cash you just happened to have, not something you prepared?"
With a horrific scream, the guest’s knee was shattered. He was kicked out of the room, crippled. Ji Se-hwa smiled faintly.
"Then you’re next. You were so confident, weren't you? Show me what you’ve got."
Irua called the intelligent man. He was set up in the coffin, cold sweat dripping down his face.
"The area for round four is the stomach. The tool is this."
The henchmen brought out the tool. A sharp, blue-tinted sashimi knife appeared.
"Ugh! T-that!"
The man panicked. Ji Se-hwa, on the other hand, showed no change in expression.
"Hoo. Alright. Since I’m in the tiger’s den, I need to keep my wits about me. Blue Saber-ssi. I’ve figured out your intent."
"What?"
Ji Se-hwa’s eyebrows twitched.
"The reason you took the first hit was because you didn't want to raise the unit price. Once you exceed the range of cash people usually carry, the psychological wall goes up. A calculation made by dividing your cash in advance for a limited six attempts."
"What are you babbling about, you piece of trash?"
"If you think about it that way, you must have quite a lot. It’s not cash you carry around daily. I see. It’s lobbying money, isn't it?"
At those words, Ji Se-hwa’s brow furrowed. She glared at the man as if she would devour him.
"Don't misunderstand. I’m trying to negotiate. Let me ask you differently."
The man smiled with composure.
"If I take the knife hit for you, how much can you give me?"
Interesting. He’s definitely got a brain. If something is sweet, one is bound to want to swallow it. What will you do, Ji Se-hwa? Will you swallow it, or spit it out?