Con Artists All Around
'Ha, this guy's at it again...' Woo Won-jae clicked his tongue inwardly. Seo Jae-kyung. A total moron with a filthy personality and relentless persistence. But ironically—his face was actually worth looking at. That made it even more of a problem.
"Ha..." Woo Won-jae scratched his head and glanced around. Even a guy like that ends up dating someone. And—he picks up the girls that guy discards. Trash. The perfect word for it. Of course, including himself.
'Birds of a feather flock together, right?'
While he was thinking that, Seo Jae-kyung and Kang Sung-hoon sat facing each other. The air grew tense in a strange way. And then—
"How about a little bet?"
Sure enough, it started. The corner of Woo Won-jae's mouth twitched up. Seo Jae-kyung continued leisurely.
"If I win..." His gaze shifted to Seol-ah. "Let me talk to Lee Seol-ah alone for three minutes."
A short, blatant condition. The room fell silent for a moment. Anyone could see his intentions. Woo Won-jae swallowed a laugh inside.
'Wow, that's straight-up disgusting.'
But—'That's why it's even better.'
If that worked? The girl he was dating now would drop soon too. Then naturally—it'd be his turn. A familiar pattern.
In the meantime, Kang Sung-hoon looked at Seol-ah. She hesitated briefly... then nodded slightly.
"...It's fine."
Permission granted. The moment he saw it, Woo Won-jae was certain.
'It's over.'
This wasn't a game. It was a scripted event with a fixed outcome. Seo Jae-kyung grinned and said,
"Then you pick the game."
A taunt. Full of confidence. Kang Sung-hoon glanced at him for a moment—
"Got it."
And stood up. Then—he walked straight toward Woo Won-jae.
"Can you recommend a board game?"
"...Huh?"
"I've never really played them before."
Sudden approach. Woo Won-jae was caught off guard for a second but quickly got it.
'Oh, trying to fish for info?' He snickered inwardly. That made it even easier.
"What're you looking for?"
"Nothing with too big a skill gap."
"Something fair."
"...Yeah?"
Woo Won-jae nodded and headed to the shelves. And—decided inwardly.
'Hide what I'm best at.'
'Pretend I'm bad at what I'm best at.'
Simple. This was an info war. And yeah, he was trash, but he was good at this.
"Life takes too long."
"Clue needs too much brainpower."
"Chess..." He paused. "Jae-kyung's good at that."
A lie. Delivered oh-so-naturally. Sung-hoon nodded as he listened.
"Hm."
He slowly scanned the shelves. Then—his hand stopped.
A deck of playing cards. Stacks of card packs. He brushed over them once, then Sung-hoon said,
"Still... something luck-based feels right, yeah?"
Woo Won-jae's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Luck?"
Sung-hoon picked up one pack. Flick. He bounced it lightly on his palm.
"The one most dependent on luck... was poker, right?"
In that instant, Woo Won-jae's mouth curved up.
"Yeah. Sounds perfect."
Perfect. No, ideal.
'This guy's insane.'
Poker? Might as well beg to get fed. If he handled the dealing, it was done. Sleight of hand. He'd used it countless times. Enough to fool club members, at least.
"Let's do this."
Sung-hoon said, face free of suspicion. Completely hooked. Woo Won-jae nodded.
"Great."
And laughed inwardly.
'This isn't for Jae-kyung—it's mine.'
That was the moment.
"....."
Sung-hoon smiled faintly. Just for a split second. Subtle. But—Woo Won-jae didn't notice.
He was just thinking about the girlfriend he'd soon replace. So—
"Let's go."
He followed Sung-hoon, who moved without a second thought. Without properly checking the number on the card pack on the shelf.
The moment they sat down, the air shifted. The noisy club room had gone quiet before they knew it. Eyes gathered. Naturally. On this game.
"We'll rotate dealers." Kang Sung-hoon spoke first. "I'm a bit suspicious by nature."
A casual remark. Woo Won-jae snickered inside.
'Scaredy-cat confirmed.'
But Seo Jae-kyung just nodded without a word.
"Fine by me."
And then—
"Won-jae."
Short call. One meaning. Woo Won-jae deals.
"...Sure."
Woo Won-jae sat naturally. Opposite side: Lee Seol-ah next to Kang Sung-hoon. Amateur dealer. Perfect contrast. Seats had switched too. Sung-hoon by the wall. Back completely blocked. Jae-kyung by the aisle. Where eyes would pass.
'Worrying about useless crap.'
Woo Won-jae took the card pack. Shuffle. Cards fanned out in his hands. At the familiar feel, he nearly grinned without thinking. Holding back the leaking smile, the game began.
One hand. Two. Three.
Poker was basically a luck game. Fifty-fifty win or lose odds. When Seol-ah dealt, it was nearly even. Obviously. She was clumsy, sometimes dropping cards.
But when Woo Won-jae dealt—it tilted. Just a bit. Very subtly. Toward Seo Jae-kyung.
The difference was small. But... it accumulated.
'At this rate, we win.' Certainty. He'd seized the flow perfectly. Thought it'd wrap in 10 minutes. But—
"Call."
Kang Sung-hoon didn't back down.
"Raise."
He matched the bets.
"Fold."
Dropped out at the perfect times.
'What the hell is this guy?'
Woo Won-jae's eyes narrowed. Reading him? No way. He wasn't some master who controlled every card, but he trusted he wouldn't get caught. Manipulating a few was easy for rigging. Sung-hoon was just hanging on with sheer stubbornness. Weirdly distinguishing bluffs from truth.
......
Time passed. 30 minutes. 50. An hour.
"What the hell is that?"
"First time seeing Jae-kyung drag it out this long."
"He's really a newbie?"
"Never seen him in the club before?"
Murmurs grew louder. Woo Won-jae clicked his tongue briefly. Considered tilting victory more toward Jae-kyung. Then—looked at him.
Irritation. Eyes said it.
'End it.'
Woo Won-jae folded his fingers. Short signal. Seo Jae-kyung's eyes flashed seeing it.
"Hey."
He spoke. Glancing at his and Sung-hoon's chips on the table, acting annoyed.
"Let's end it this hand."
Air froze. Sung-hoon stayed silent, so he continued.
"No showdown— all-in. What do you say?"
Short, forceful proposal. Brief silence.
Click. Sung-hoon rolled a chip.
And—
"...Nah, pass."
"What?"
"That's no fun."
Calm refusal. Just as Jae-kyung thought he'd failed, Sung-hoon spoke.
"But I'll add a condition."
Sung-hoon glanced at Seol-ah. Then—
"We'll reveal one card at a time. That way the dopamine hits harder."
Odd condition. But Jae-kyung nodded with a sneer.
"Fine. Feeling cocky, huh?"
Woo Won-jae snickered inside. The table was already tilted. This hand—he'd set the cards himself. Perfectly.
"Here we go."
First card. Seo Jae-kyung flipped slowly.
Thud. Heart A.
"Ooh..."
Soft admiration leaked from around. Kang Sung-hoon revealed his.
Thud. Club J.
"...Kinda meh."
Second.
Thud. Club A. Jae-kyung's mouth curved up. Two pair A's—some members were sure of victory.
Thud. Spade J. Curious murmurs at Sung-hoon's flip.
"Huh?"
"Two pair too?"
Third.
Thud. Diamond 6.
Thud. Diamond J.
"...Wait."
"Jae-kyung might lose?"
"No way... Seol-ah's boyfriend actually wins?!"
The mood started turning weird. Jae-kyung kept his poker face and revealed the next. Currently: Seo Jae-kyung two Aces, Kang Sung-hoon triple J's.
Fourth.
Thud. Club 10.
"Ah..." One member sighed. Still favored triple J's for Sung-hoon. But—Jae-kyung didn't give up. Or rather, he was fighting not to laugh.
'Woo Won-jae, you bastard. How long you gonna torture with hope?'
Putting on this show. Respecting him inwardly, Sung-hoon revealed his fourth.
Thud. Diamond A.
"...What."
Someone muttered softly. No chance for Jae-kyung now. Everyone thought that—until
Thud. Seo Jae-kyung showed the fifth. Spade A.
The club room erupted.
"Triple A?"
"Insane..."
Woo Won-jae's mouth curved wide. Gave hope till the end, then shoved off the cliff. Seol-ah's face went pale. Sung-hoon had been winning, reversed in one go. Members buzzed.
"Of course."
"Did well against Jae-kyung."
"Hey, wanna join our club? You've got skills."
Atmosphere of a done deal. Unlike Jae-kyung's victorious smile, Sung-hoon shut his mouth. And weakly revealed the last card.
Thud. Spade A.
......
The room chilled. Everyone silent, unable to process. One member muttered,
"Huh?"
Weird. They checked Jae-kyung and Sung-hoon's cards. Heart A, Club A, Diamond A, Spade A, Spade A. Five aces.
Naturally, eyes turned to dealer Woo Won-jae. At the same time, he plunged into confusion.
'What... the hell?! This can't...'
He had cheated with cards, sure. But he hadn't added extras. Yet reality hit. His brain refused to think, froze solid.
At the same time.
"This is some dirty-ass cheating."
Kang Sung-hoon lunged at Woo Won-jae. His outstretched hand grabbed the collar and slammed him down.
Thud! Crash!
Instant brawl. They rolled on the floor until other members restrained them. And on the floor where they'd tumbled—
"Yo, what's this?"
"All cards?"
Playing cards scattered. Twice as many as normal.
Clear proof of fraud. Kang Sung-hoon scooped them up, tossed them in front of Seo Jae-kyung.
"You better explain what this is."
He slammed the desk. "You damn trash."