Chapter 52

Chapter 52 – Death Circus #3

Three hours had passed since the Death Circus started . Kim Joon-young frowned as he watched the progress on the monitors .

He didn’t like it .

“This is a stage that is lacking in beauty . ”

There was no drama, nor was there a stunning victory . Usually, at least three times the amount of the current scenes would emerge .

All of this was due to that Choi Sung-yeol brat . Kim Joon-young had prepared the best stage and produced a variety of situations that would pull out human instincts and selfishness . Choi Sung-yeol’s role was to gather the participants . It was a divided structure that took full advantage of both people’s skills .

He usually put a wolf among 29 general participants before opening the Death Circus . However, the number of regular participants was exceptionally low this time . In the end, only 25 people were gathered . Two people entered shortly after it opened . In the end, he was forced to call five wolves in .

The result was this: nine people had already died, but none of the proper scenes came out .

In particular, Cha Soo-hyun was the worst . He cheated the opponent with his words and took their money away . It wasn’t fun or impressive .

Kim Joon-young wanted to see participants challenging the attractions . Betraying those who believed in them to take the money away, or people risking their lives on a last gamble for revenge . Kim Joon-young wanted such drama .

Humans were filled with desires, selfishness, and greed . These emotions were the best seasonings for the Death Circus . If Cha Soo-hyun was left alone, then he would completely ruin this stage .

This had to stop . Kim Joon-young pulled out his phone to deal with Cha Soo-hyun .

For him, sheep and wolves were both consumables . The most important thing was to create the best stage, and it was necessary to get rid of Cha Soo-hyun in order for that to happen .

Kim Joon-young suddenly got a good idea . If Choi Sung-yeol didn’t act properly, then Kim Joon-young would recruit the participants . Most of the people prepared by Choi Sung-yeol were those on the verge of ruin due to their debts . There was a bitter taste and they lacked freshness .

What if he lied to a young woman on the street about becoming a model in order to make her follow him? Maybe he could abduct a child and force their parents to participate . That way, a drama that was several times better than the current one would be born .

Kim Joon-young decided to try it next time .

Then the phone was connected .

“It’s me . Replace a player . Take Cha Soo-hyun out right now . ”

–S-Sorry but he has already been sent off…

A thick vein throbbed on Kim Joon-young’s forehead .

“Who told you to send him off?! This stage is mine . Without my permission…”

–It wasn’t me . He was forcibly ejected by another player .

“What?”

–He was deceived by a man called Lee Cheol-su and handed over all of his money to the other party .

Kim Joon-young’s face distorted . It was really unexpected, but Kim Joon-young decided to think of this as another opportunity .

“Hahat! That’s right . Isn’t a situation like this fun? Indeed, he was a black sheep . ”

It was slang for a criminal hiding amongst the sheep . Kim Joon-young’s thoughts started to move rapidly . He had to take advantage of this situation and turn it into a great drama . It was the only way to save the stage that had been ruined .

“Yes . Deliver a message to all the wolves on stage right now . I will give a special bonus to those who hunt the black sheep . ”

–Yes! I understand .

Cha Soo-hyun was the smallest of the wolves, since all he could do was move his mouth .

Kim Joon-young started laughing . How long could the black sheep last against the wolves, armed with solid teeth and sharp claws? He couldn’t stand the anticipation .

@

Hunt the black sheep .

This instruction was issued to the wolves . A special bonus would be given to the one who was successful . A huge 100 million won bounty . That was 50% of the sum that they needed to earn .

The wolves’ eyes flashed . Although they were experts in various fields, this was the Death Circus, a place where they never knew what would happen . There wasn’t a 100% guarantee that they would be safe . Even so, they decided to participate for the sake of making money . Of course, there were some wolves who liked the taste of sheep, but they were few in number .

‘I will get 100 million by catching Lee Cheol-su!’

That thought popped into the heads of all the wolves . If four wolves converged on the black sheep at the same time, then he could be easily eliminated . Of course, they had no intention of doing that .

The Producer would be angry that the spectacle that he created had been suppressed . Everything they did was in the name of the entertainment of the guests .

The remaining four wolves prepared to catch the black sheep .

@

There were monitors of various sizes in the ballroom . They could see images from hundreds of cameras . If they chose a place that they wanted to watch, then it would be displayed .

The guests could pick the participant that suited their tastes . But now, the same person was showing on every monitor . All the masked people wanted to see him . In the end, they all assembled at the biggest monitor to watch the showdown between the black sheep and a wolf in Bluff Poker .

The opera mask said,

“For those of you who just arrived, I will briefly explain the situation . The sheep on the screen has just eaten a wolf . His name is Lee Cheol-su . ”

The masked people were dismayed .

“The younger one?”

“Yes . It seems like he hasn’t even gone to the army yet . ”

“Looking at those clothes, he looks like a good-for-nothing neighbourhood punk…”

“Did he really eat a wolf?”

The opera mask clapped, forcing everyone else to fall silent .

“The game if Bluff Poker, everybody’s favorite game . Lee Cheol-su has 180 million right now . Let’s see, the wolf… He has 90 million . ”

“What? Isn’t that close to 200 million? What’s going on?”

The opera mask’s eyes narrowed at the question from another masked person .

“I was surprised at first as well . Such an amount means that he will have an overwhelming lead over the wolf . However, that isn’t the case . In fact, the game hasn’t even started yet . This is the result of taking that woman and Cha Soo-hyun’s money . ”

Those who had questions were convinced and nodded .

“He looks like a punk, but it is kind of good? By default, he has the advantage in Bluff Poker . ”

“With this amount, then he might win again . ”

The opera mask refuted the people talking .

“Do you think the Producer wouldn’t take action?”

Opera mask manipulated the monitor to see the wolves . There were two men in their 30s . The masked people shouted as they remembered their faces .

“The Park Tae-soo and Park Dae-soo brothers!”

“Yes . The brother wolves have gathered to catch the sheep . ”

“T-This is a jackpot!”

The masked people shrieked .

The Tae-soo and Dae-soo brothers were famous card sharks known for working together .

“Yes . Each brother has 90 million . They always go against another person and win . It might be the same in this situation . ”

Tae-soo was known for his poker face that never lost its calm, no matter the circumstances, while Dae-soo had a keen eye for reading the opponent’s cards . Of course, dexterity was a basic thing for both of them . If the two of them combined their strengths, they became a team that no other card shark could compete with . It was a confrontation between the sheep who took Cha Soo-hyun’s money and the gambling brothers .

A huge battle was about to happen . The opera mask manipulated the monitor towards the viewpoint of the table .

“The game seems to be started straight away . ”

A time limit existed in the Death Circus . Thus, all the games were fast paced . Bluff Poker needed a dealer so a man in a black suit came and started to mix the cards .

It was two sets from 1-10 . That was a total of 10 games . The number of cards meant it was relatively easy to count the cards .

It was Tae-soo who participated in the match . The lion mask sat on a chair and stared at the screen in front of him as he spoke . The opera mask next to him was in charge of commentary .

“This match is important, so the brother with the good poker face emerged before the other one . ”

“That’s right . ”

“The basic bet is 10 million . ”

“Hoh . Isn’t it usually one million?”

“They know that the opponent has a lot of money . It’s an action designed to end this quickly . ”

The opera mask laughed .

“So if they run out of money, they will need to bet 100ml of blood . One litre of blood might be pulled out . ”

“Haha! I am looking forward to it . It will be a really exciting match . ”

The card was placed in front of Cheol-su and Tae-soo . The two men put the card on their forehead . They could see the opponent’s card but not their own . Betting or withdrawing would now begin .

“Cheol-su has a 3 of spades, and Tae-soo has an 8 of clubs . ”

Cheol-su bet 10 million, even though his opponent’s card was quite high . Tae-soo maintained his poker face and followed the call . In the end, Tae-soo won . In a time that was shorter than a minute, Tae-soo had won 20 million .

“Indeed, a professional gambler . He figured out his opponent’s playing style, and is playing calmly . ”

The next game immediately started . The masked people sighed as they saw the cards on both foreheads .

Cheol-su had a 10 of spades . The strongest card . It would win no matter what card the opponent had . However, this was Bluff Poker . Only the opponent could see the card .

“Oh my god… Tae-soo pulled a 9 of clubs . I think this game is over . ”

The situation was very fun .

And 9 of clubs and a 10 of spades were going against each other . Tae-soo saw the opponent’s 10 of spades and had to decide if he would bluff or forfeit . If he chose to bluff, then he would have to risk a high bet . In the case of Cheol-su, he might withdraw when seeing that the opponent had a 9 of clubs . The game depended on whether Tae-soo bluffed or forfeited .

Indian Poker, the base of Bluff Poker, had a special rule . Those who forfeited after drawing a 10 of spades would have to pay 10 times the base money .

The masked people listened to what Tae-soo would do . Each participant had a miniature microphone built into their badges . They could hear the conversation through it .

-I will bet 100 million .

“Ohh! Bluff!”

Tae-soo had drastically raised the ante by 10 times . If this occurred, then the opponent had to hesitate . If Cheol-su called, he might lose more than two thirds of his money . In addition, Tae-soo’s face hadn’t changed the moment he made a bluff . He was a person who could fool a lie detector .

The lion mask said,

“Cheol-su will withdraw . The experience itself is too different . ”

“That’s right . Eh? Cheol-su is saying something instead of withdrawing!”

The lion mask swallowed his saliva and listened .

-You are called Tae-soo? You aren’t pretending to be a regular participant but aren’t you actually a card shark?

Tae-soo looked at Cheol-su with an expressionless face .

–Have you heard of someone called Kim Shin-hyeong?

Tae-soo finally opened his mouth .

-I’ve heard rumours . He is a pretty good gambler .

-In fact, I’ve fought against him .

–Hrmm .

–You aren’t curious about the result?

–I would have heard if you won .

Cheol-su… No, Seo Tae-hyuk said with a smile .

–I’ll tell you right away . I won perfectly . Then I will call 100 million .

Wodangdang!

All the masked people watching the monitor stood up in shock . The food in their bowls fell to the ground . It was a completely unexpected situation . He bet a large sum of money, despite the opponent holding a 9 of clubs . A person would never agree to that call, unless they were confident they had picked a 10 of clubs .

But how…?

Tae-soo got up and threw the chips that he was using as money at Tae-hyuk .

–This bastard… You are cheating .

–Let’s move on . By the way, it is amazing . I will pick another 10 .

–Shit . You’re barking nonsense . I will definitely find out what trick you used .

The dealer handed out the cards . Tae-hyuk also pulled a 10 this time .

The crowd cheered as they watched it . The ballroom had become a complete mess . Thus, they didn’t realize that the butterfly mask, who informed them of Cheol-su’s existence, had disappeared .