GSGW c266
Chapter 266
They had gathered the basic information needed to rake in over 1,000 coins from the Body Casino.
Preparation was complete. Now came the execution.
“……Hoo.”
Low-quality jazz echoed through the underground casino.
A visitor to the Body Casino steadied their breathing and stepped forward.
[It’s begun.]
That’s right.
“Hello, Dealer!”
First, they took a seat at one of the tables in the dealer room.
But not at the table of the dealer wearing Assistant Manager Lee Songhae’s face—instead, they chose a different one, a stranger.
They could feel Songhae’s gaze from afar, but they ignored it.
“Welcome, guest. Would you like to begin betting?”
The visitor smiled brightly at the unfamiliar dealer.
“Yes. Let’s bet. Can we play that card game you introduced earlier? The one where you guess the card?”
“Of course. We will proceed with the ‘Clairvoyance Game.’”
The dealer shuffled the deck with practiced ease and presented it.
“Oh, I’ll take this one.”
The visitor picked a card.
A simple game—guess its suit or its number.
“I’ll bet 3 coins on hearts.”
“Confirmed.”
However, the visitor's attempt failed.
The card was the Seven of Spades.
Three coins gone.
“Ah, close. One more round!”
“Yes. Bet confirmed.”
The game continued.
The visitor kept bets low—winning a little, losing a little.
Then occasionally—
“This time, I’ll bet 30 coins. I’ve got a good feeling.”
They went big.
And—
“Bet failed.”
“Ugh!”
They lost big.
But every few rounds, they won again.
“Yes!”
In this way, the amount of coins subtly changes.
The win rate and betting amounts fluctuated wildly, up and down, with no rhyme or reason.
More than a hundred coins were piled up on the table, but the visitor's 'war chest' dwindled to half its original amount.
And then…
After more than an hour passed by—
[Now.]
“Will you place your bet?”
“Hmmm…”
As if fully immersed, the visitor slowly extended their hand—
and pushed every coin forward.
Clatter…
Thunk.
Coins gleamed under the dim lights.
The dealer from the ghost story, who kindly scooped up the falling coins, asks with gleaming eyes.
“Will you bet a total of 113 coins?”
[Oh ho.]
“Yeah. Let’s go for it.”
“Please choose a card.”
Casually, the visitor pointed at one of the cards lined up on the table.
“This one.”
“Confirmed.”
The dealer picked it up.
For a brief moment, the visitor’s eyes gleamed—then settled.
Then…
“…I’ll bet on number 7.”
"......!"
The dealer’s expression didn’t change, but their movement slowed ever so slightly.
“Confirmed.”
The card flipped……
“Seven of Spades.”
Jackpot.
“…Your bet is successful.”
“...!!"
“Here are your winnings.”
A massive pile of coins was pushed forward.
“904 coins.”
The visitor clenched and unclenched their fist beneath the table.
In a single move, they had earned nearly 999 coins.
[Congratulations, my friend. A success.]
Yes.
And of course—it wasn’t luck.
‘I chose it because I knew.’
Seven of Spades.
Because I already knew what number and suit were imprinted on the front of that card.
Not clairvoyance and no cheating. They played entirely within the casino’s rules.
But—
‘There’s a flaw in those rules.’
That is…
Something that could be exploited the moment we entered this casino.
The worn-down state of the casino!
‘Everything’s old.’
The walls, lights, slot machines, and even the tables in the dealer room are worn and dilapidated. It was so poorly maintained that it could be mistaken for an abandoned casino.
Not only does it add to the eerie atmosphere of the ghost story, it also creates a 'condition' that sets it apart from ordinary casinos.
Namely… the items used in the games are old.
For example—
‘Playing cards.’
Normally, the backs of playing cards are identical, mass-produced so they can’t be distinguished.
But when time leaves its mark, that changes.
‘They develop distinguishing features.’
Tiny stains. Scratches. Creases.
Subtle signs of wear that only reveal themselves when the light hits just right—those imperfections become identifiers for each individual card.
So the plan was decided:
—In the first round, choose a card whose back has the most noticeable “mark.”
This time, it was the Seven of Spades.
There must have been a faint, forked scratch on the back—just barely catching the light.
Memorize it. Confirm the front: Seven of Spades. Then wait.
And then—
—Once enough time has passed to avoid suspicion, find that same card again and bet on it.
Trigger the jackpot.
Of course, those scratches are incredibly subtle—almost impossible to distinguish with the naked eye. For an average person, it would be unthinkably difficult.
But among them—there just happened to be the perfect candidate.
“Hahaha, there it goes again!”
Agent Choi.
A man capable of identifying a person using nothing but veins and bone structure.
With observation skills and memory like that—and a habit of memorizing everything—there couldn’t have been a better fit.
—Ah~ normally a good public servant shouldn’t be doing things like gambling… but it can’t be helped. Okay. Just leave it to me.
And just like that, acting completely natural, keeping his composure, he casually sat at the table and gambled up until now.
Just like that.
“Ah~ that was good.”
It worked.
[Oh, there are actually real cases where similar methods were used in casinos to make money.]
[Of course, in those cases, they were reading printing errors on the back patterns of the cards!]
Right. In real casinos, they’d probably use new cards every day to prevent something like this.
But inside this ghost story, where the defining trait is ‘old things,’ even a method like this works.
“Current coin balance… 924 coins.”
“…Okay.”
Things were going smoothly.
I sat beside Agent Choi as he played, watching as if I were simply enjoying the thrill of the stakes getting higher.
‘At this rate… just one more careful round.’
To avoid drawing attention, I had been building up a natural flow until now.
“I’ve got momentum, so I’ll just keep going like this….”
“Visitor.”
……
I turned my stiff neck.
“You’re using an interesting method.”
Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae’s face, having approached the table, was staring straight at us.
Unblinking.
She smiled faintly.
“It’s a method I used back when I was a visitor.”
“......!"
“Memorizing the scratches on the back of the cards to figure out their numbers and suits, right?”
The dealer ran unfamiliar hands—fingers fused at the ring and middle—across the back of the cards.
A chill ran down my spine.
“And once a trick like that is exposed, you can’t profit from it again.”
Damn it.
[Now that I think about it, I remember the unfortunate ending to that story.]
[That professional gambler got sued and had to pay back 16 billion won down to the last cent. Oh, the cruelty of casinos!]
“…I’m not sure what you’re talking about. Do you have any proof?”
“See, Grapes! This casino is terrifying. The moment you win a little money, they accuse you of cheating. How can anyone play comfortably like this? My back’s getting soaked.”
“......"
“You don’t have proof, right?”
The dealer withdrew their hand from the back of the cards.
“You’re right.”
But I couldn’t relax. Because…
“Then shall we continue the game?”
The dealer with Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae’s head pushed aside the original dealer and took their place.
As the host.
“You’re not thinking of running away, are you? That’d be suspicious.”
"......"
“Alright then. From now on, I’ll continue as the dealer and assist your play.”
And from their pocket, they took out a new deck of cards.
Old—but completely different from the previous set.
“Now then…”
The smiling face spoke.
“Please place your bets.”
I was screwed.
“I’ll do it.”
“Oh.”
“Grapes.”
“I’m just the supplier. They say luck averages out, so someone who’s already had a fun winning streak should stop here. It’d be better if I take over.”
I spoke while looking at Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae’s remaining eye.
“That’s fine, right?”
“Of course!”
Then I whispered to Agent Choi.
“This time, I’d like to enjoy the fun of betting myself. Just for a moment.”
"......"
“I’ve got a feeling I’ll win.”
Agent Choi’s eyes were sunken, but in the end, he let go.
And for a brief moment…
……
[Oh, it’s not difficult, my friend.]
“Visitor?”
“Ah.”
I raised my head.
“Would it be possible to go back to the table the original dealer was using? It feels like I’ve already used up my luck here.”
“Of course!”
The dealer with Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae’s head gladly guided us to their table. I gathered all the coins and quickly moved, then was asked again.
“Then how much will you bet?”
I placed the coins I had brought onto the table…
All 924 of them.
“…!!”
“You’re betting 924 coins, correct?”
“…Yes.”
“Confirmed. Then…”
Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae spread the cards across the table again. I reached out to pick my card—
“Wait.”
My hand was grabbed.
“Visitor, you’re not supposed to touch the card you chose.”
“......”
“You were trying to leave fingerprints on the back to memorize it, weren’t you?”
“That’s not it. And there’s a misunderstanding.”
“Oh?”
“I’ve bet my entire fortune. If I lose this round, there is no next game. So what would be the point of memorizing these cards? I’d already have lost.”
……
“Oh.”
The dealer loosened their grip.
“That makes sense. Then we’ll proceed.”
“Yes.”
I picked the card I had originally intended.
Drip.
Cold sweat fell onto the table.
“Now…”
……
“What suit, or what number, will you bet on?”
I barely managed to lift my eyes.
“…Heart.”
This was it.
“I won with hearts the first time I bet, so I’ll try my luck with that again.”
"......"
The dealer, who had been staring at the cards, suddenly turned their head.
They scanned the people around the table and the surroundings—no one signaling after reading the dealer’s cards, no sudden mirrors.
At most, Section Chief Lee Jaheon was leaning casually against the back wall nearby. That was all.
No dealer intervened.
Meaning he hadn’t done anything suspicious.
"......"
“Dealer?”
The dealer flipped the card…
“Congratulations.”
Four of hearts.
“We will award you 2,772 coins.”
An enormous pile of coins began pouring onto the table.
"...!!"
It worked.
‘Success.’
Under the table, I clenched and unclenched my fist.
It was damp with cold sweat.
“Jackpot! Hahaha!! Wow, it’s raining coins!”
Agent Choi slapped my back exaggeratedly like a gambler who’d hit it big, but his eyes were still sunken.
He had no idea how I’d managed to guess it.
‘Yeah.’
That made sense. Because…
I hadn’t used a trick—I had outright cheated.
'Hoo.'
The reason I suddenly moved to this table.
—Braun, could you ask Section Chief Lizard to stand leaning against the wall behind Assistant Manager Dolphin’s table?
Yeah.
Because this table had that exact wall where Section Chief Lee Jaheon would naturally be leaning.
And the reason I needed him was simple.
‘Because to my eyes, he looks like he has a lizard head!’
And the eyes on a lizard head the size of a human’s are larger, with thicker lenses than a human’s.
Which meant—
‘The dealer’s card reflects in them.’
I didn’t even need to read fine details like numbers.
The color and a faint silhouette were enough.
‘…And it worked.’
I bet after seeing the front of the card reflected in Section Chief Lee Jaheon’s eyes.
[That was excellent quick thinking, Mr. Roe Deer!]
Thanks.
…And the best part was—
‘No one knows what method I used.’
Because to everyone else, Section Chief Lee Jaheon looked human.
That had never been an exception in any ghost story so far. So if you judged based on ‘a human head’…
‘There’s no way a card would reflect in his eyes.’
In the end, it became a signal only I could perceive.
Maybe even without him realizing it.
[Oh, that was quite thrilling!]
[Of course, a broadcaster can’t be involved in casino fraud, but this much could pass as a cheerful little supernatural ability.]
[If a man who guessed a song from the grooves of a record could be treated as a psychic, then isn’t what my friend did similar? Haha!]
I don’t know.
Even if only I could confirm it, looking at the mechanism…
‘It’s undeniably cheating.’
But the only ways to reliably make money in a casino were tricks like earlier—or outright fraud. And since that trick had already been exposed, there was no other choice.
I improvised and went this far, but just in case…
"......."
Did they notice?
I sat as calmly as possible, laughing and celebrating with Agent Choi, but the dealer said nothing.
I couldn’t even bring myself to look at them.
And then…
After a moment—
“Congratulations. You’ve exceeded 999 coins.”
“…!!"
“You may now enter the VIP area! Shall I guide you?”
“…Yes.”
I did it.
I clenched my fist tightly and carefully stood up from the table.
***
“Only parties possessing at least 999 coins may enter the VIP room. Up to two companions may accompany the holder.”
Six sets of footsteps moved through the casino’s public area, while a cheerful-voiced dealer explained from ahead.
Soon, they stopped.
VIP ACCESS
“Then, I’ll open it.”
The dealer grasped the golden iron door and pulled it aside…
The VIP room opened.
“…!!"
Inside was, surprisingly…
A maze.
[Oh, it’s not worn out.]
It looked like luxurious private spaces for secret conversations stretched endlessly beyond curtains. Spaces connected like facing mirrors.
As if to show that this place was fundamentally different from the worn-down bodily casino outside.
There was only one thing that felt out of place.
~■■ CITY ROYAL CASINO~
A subway advertisement was placed inside a wall frame instead of a picture. It felt unsettling.
Trying not to listen to the whispers beyond the curtains, we approached a door.
“Would you like to come inside? Please, have a seat. You can enjoy private gambling in a separated space.”
The group quietly entered. Baek Saheon tried to slip away at the back, but Agent Bronze grabbed him and dragged him in.
But I felt a bad premonition rising.
“This way.”
The dealer pulled aside a curtain and entered.
The scenes that followed were similar—velvet sofas, tables, refreshments, and…
A silver handgun.
“Today’s game is…”
Step. Step.
The dealer walked over, picked up the handgun resting on the luxurious wooden table, and broke it open to load it.
“Russian roulette.”
…Shit.
“It’s very famous, so you probably know, but to explain—one bullet is loaded into a six-chamber revolver, and two people take turns firing!”
Click, click, click.
The dealer pulled the trigger without hesitation.
As people tensed reflexively, the dealer smiled and raised the unfired gun.
“If someone gives up during this, they lose.”
Ha.
“But! If you’re too scared to shoot, there’s another option.”
The dealer scanned us.
“You can give up a body part.”
"...!"
“Then you can skip your turn and pass the gun to your opponent.”
“Wait.”
I asked urgently.
“Who are we playing against?”
“Another visitor, of course?”
“...!"
“It’s a game where two visitors play Russian roulette, and the winner takes all the bet coins. But right now, in this VIP room…”
The dealer smiled.
“There are no other visitors besides you.”
"......"
“If we wait, will another visitor come?”
“Well. That’s uncertain.”
“When was the last time someone entered the VIP room?”
“Hmm, that’s not something I can tell you.”
“…Have you ever seen one yourself?”
“No.”
"......"
What the hell.
“Wait. Then the ‘special-purpose’ body parts in the pawn shop…”
“Ah, you’ve already figured that out.”
Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae’s smiling lips spoke.
“If a visitor pulls the trigger three times in a row, they can receive a body part as a reward!”
"...!"
“Isn’t it great? A fitting prize for such a thrilling game.”
The framed subway advertisement slid down, revealing what had been behind it—a freight elevator.
No… not an elevator. A rail.
‘Body parts.’
Various limbs and organs hung along the rail in a row…
Among them, Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae’s would be there too.
"......"
To rescue Assistant Manager Lee Seonghae, there was no choice but to participate in this game and win body parts.
“Now then…”
The dealer smiled at us.
“Who will play?”
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