Resorts World Sentosa.
Crockfords Premier.
A VIP-only casino.
The atmosphere was different from an ordinary casino.
There were no loud cheers, no boisterous noise, no tourists wandering around.
It was quiet, composed.
The dealer’s gestures.
The clack of chips colliding.
That was all.
We entered quietly.
Separately.
As if we were strangers to one another.
Mateo was easy to find.
I had already confirmed his face through Victor.
Mateo was sitting at a roulette table.
In a suit.
He had chips piled up carelessly.
An amount worth hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Mateo was focused on the game, leisurely drinking whiskey.
It seemed he couldn’t see anything else.
Must be nice.
Playing games here, of all places.
The dealer spun the ball.
The ball rolled around inside the wheel, then bounced with a click and dropped into a numbered slot.
Mateo must have won his bet; he took chips from the dealer and smiled.
I naturally went over and sat down beside him.
Thud.
I set down a transparent chip tray.
The chip tray was packed with brown chips worth $5,000 each.
I piled up a whole stack of those chip trays.
The people around us stirred at the sight.
Mateo was no exception.
The moment to bet arrived.
I pushed forward one of the chip trays stacked in front of me as it was.
Five rows of twenty $5,000 chips.
A hundred chips inside.
A sum reaching 750 million won.
Everyone but me was shocked.
750 million won on a single round.
There were cases where people bet several chips at a time,
but almost no one bet with the entire chip tray itself like this.
And filled to the brim with the highest-value $5,000 chips, no less.
The most flustered one was the dealer.
“I’m sorry, but that bet exceeds the maximum limit.”
“It isn’t even that much. You can’t take this?”
“I’m sorry. Those are the rules.”
“You’re awfully rigid. I’m saying I’ll spend money, and you’re stopping me?”
“I’m sorry.”
The dealer lowered his head.
What had the dealer done wrong?
It was the rules.
“Forget it. Bring the manager.”
Rules could be changed.
While the dealer contacted the manager, Mateo, sitting beside me, quietly spoke to me.
“You bet big.”
His face was full of curiosity.
I was practically reeking of a rich sucker, so maybe he’d take an interest?
“You have to bet big if you want to win big, don’t you?”
I spoke like an addict lost in gambling.
A moment later, the manager arrived.
“That is entirely possible. We’ll arrange for this table to proceed without a betting limit.”
“Good. Now we can finally play a real game.”
There were many ways to bet in roulette.
Betting directly on one of the thirty-eight numbers was basic,
and you could also bet in various ways by color, row, column, odd or even, high or low.
You didn’t have to pick just one.
You could bet on multiple places at once.
You could bet on a color, on odd or even, and on a number as well.
Overlapping bets were possible.
Mateo bet first.
Red, odd, third column.
I placed my chips on the exact opposite.
Black, even, second column.
The dealer spun the ball.
The wheel turned, and the ball bounced and circled over it.
“Bets are closed. No more bets.”
The dealer called out.
And then.
With a click, the ball bounced into a numbered slot.
Black 20.
“Waaaah!”
I shouted as if I were genuinely delighted.
The calm VIP casino was filled with my cheer.
The three chip trays I had bet returned as seven.
I had bet 2.25 billion won, and it came back as 5.25 billion won.
“Kahahahaha. I knew it would hit. Let it ride and double it. Kahahaha.”
The more I laughed, the more Mateo’s expression rotted.
“Why don’t you just play quietly?”
It wasn’t the curious face from earlier.
Did he think he was missing because of me?
If he thought that, he was right.
I had simply placed mine on the opposite side of Mateo’s bets.
What I wanted wasn’t to win money, but to get on Mateo’s nerves.
I owned a casino myself, but I had never found a single person who made money gambling at a casino.
A casino was something you played at with small amounts, expecting to lose moderately.
Scientific analysis, probability—none of it could ever beat a casino.
Those were rules that applied when things were fair, and casinos manipulated probability when they lost money.
So playing in moderation was best.
“Why so uptight? It’s not like we’re at the casino to make money; we’re here to have fun. You can’t even allow this? If I’m happy, I can shout a little. What are you, a monk? Am I supposed to practice silence? You’re really making it uncomfortable.”
“You should know when to stop. You crossed the line.”
“Crossed the line? Who crossed what line? Mister. If losing money is giving you heartburn, go outside and eat some sisig. Don’t take your anger out on other people here.”
“What?”
“Looking at the chips in front of you, it doesn’t seem like you have much money either, so stop making a scene here and go get a job. Why is a young man thinking of making money at a casino? From what I can see, you can’t even play.”
I could see Mateo clenching his molars.
He glared at me.
“Watch your mouth.”
“You watch where you put those eyes. Keep that up and those eyeballs of yours might get pulled out.”
At my words, Mateo couldn’t hold back his anger and tried to stand, but someone behind him pressed him down.
It was Scott.
“You said we should play quietly. Don’t act up. Just play the game.”
Scott spoke into Mateo’s ear in a threatening voice.
“You’re making a mistake.”
Mateo growled.
“Some stupid bastard already made the mistake. Heh.”
As if to change the murderous atmosphere, the dealer resumed the game.
“Please place your bets.”
Mateo began betting again.
Once more, I bet on the exact opposite of Mateo.
If Mateo chose red, I chose black.
If Mateo chose the first row, I chose the second row.
If Mateo picked odd, I bet even.
I could feel Mateo’s resentment from here.
Perhaps because he was so angry, he bet every chip in front of him.
Once again, the dealer spun the ball.
The ball rolled along the wheel.
Click.
It settled on black 8.
“Wow!”
I shouted.
I deliberately celebrated in an exaggerated way.
Mateo must have lost his temper, because he kicked his chair back and stood up.
Scott and Allen quietly followed Mateo as he left.
After confirming that, I leisurely pointed at the chips.
“Cash these out.”
“The amount is large, so we can issue a check or transfer it.”
“A check.”
After saying that much, I left the casino.
Scott and Allen had already subdued Mateo.
We had been waiting for this moment.
The moment Mateo was alone.
A place where no one was around.
I went over to Mateo and spoke quietly.
“We had a fun warm-up, so shall we get to the real game now?”
.
.
.
.
An underground warehouse in Geylang.
The sound of a heavy iron door closing rang out.
Tied to a chair, Mateo still hadn’t grasped the situation and shouted loudly.
“Hey. This is a huge mistake. Do you know who I am? If I just make one call—”
Bam!!
Before he could finish speaking, I smashed Mateo’s face with my fist.
It had been a long time since I used my fists, but they seemed to still work quite well.
Mateo’s head snapped to the side, and he spat out two or three bloodied teeth.
Even so, my anger did not subside.
Thud! Thud! Bam!
Without thinking of anything, I drove my fists into Mateo.
Mateo’s head, tied to the chair, swung left and right.
Unexpectedly, the one who stopped me when I had lost all reason was Scott.
“At this rate, this bastard will die. At least get the information we need before killing him.”
When I looked at Mateo’s face, it was already a mess.
I breathed hard and took a step back.
I had always told Scott not to hit people in the face,
to leave them able to talk, and yet I was the one who failed to do it.
I reflected on it.
But I couldn’t help it.
Every time I saw that bastard’s face, a nauseating disgust rose in me.
Seeing his face covered in blood made me feel a little better, at least.
With his ruined face, Mateo barely managed to speak.
“Do you know who I am? You’ve made a mistake.”
“The one who made a mistake wasn’t me. It was you. Already. At Marina Bay Sands.”
When I mentioned Marina Bay Sands, Mateo’s eyes changed.
Only then did he seem to understand.
That this wasn’t a coincidence.
It seemed he realized Mateo had been the target from the very beginning.
At that moment, Mateo’s mouth went quiet.
“...”
“I know. I know your name is Mateo, and I know you’re Parallax. You came from headquarters, right? You’re the one in charge.”
Now that his identity had been exposed, Mateo instead became more brazen.
He did not try to hide it.
“Heh heh. Looks like some loose-lipped bastard talked. This is why discipline needs to be strict.”
“Don’t worry too much. Your mouth will become loose too.”
“I won’t. I’m not the type of character who betrays people, even if I die.”
“Let’s see about that. Whether you can keep your convictions.”
Behind Mateo, who held his head high, Scott began putting on silicone gloves with a snap, snap.
“Shall we begin?”
Scott asked.
I nodded.
“What are you going to do first?”
Scott looked at Mateo and said,
“Let’s start by gouging out his eyes. Ah, I didn’t like this bastard’s eyes.”
“It’s rare for us to agree. What are you doing? Hurry up.”
“Yes, sir.”
I sat comfortably in a chair.
Scott picked up a tool and went to Mateo.
Click. Click.
The sound of metal tools knocking against each other was chilling.
“This will sting.”
Scott spoke to Mateo in a practiced manner.
His tone was colorless and odorless, like a nurse giving a shot at a hospital.
At Scott’s words, Mateo went berserk.
He twisted his entire body and shouted.
“Hey. Fuck, what kind of shit is this? Ask me something first. You’re just going to gouge my eyes out right away?”
Mateo’s eyes were filled with fear and terror.
If you said you were going to kill someone outright, it was less frightening.
But when it was limited to a specific body part, and would remain as a permanent disability in the future, it brought a fear greater than one might expect.
“You said you wouldn’t betray anyone even if you died, right? Even if you died. I respect your will. So think of this as a good opportunity to test yourself.”
I encouraged Mateo.
I wanted to help him protect his convictions.
“I don’t know anything. I was just ordered to bring him in since he was at the hotel. There wasn’t anything else.”
Mateo spoke while breathing roughly.
“Who gave that order?”
“...”
Mateo’s mouth snapped shut.
I couldn’t tell whether it was the last bit of loyalty remaining in him,
or fear because he knew he would die the moment he spoke.
I shrugged.
“It’s fine. We have plenty of time. Let’s take our time getting to know each other. Scott. Let’s start.”
“Yes, sir.”
Scott picked up the tool again.
The tool flashed in the light.
Mateo began thrashing again.
“Wait. Wait. I really didn’t know anything. I didn’t even know who Dennis was, and I don’t know where Zamboanga is. I was only told to bring him in. That’s the truth.”
Mateo shouted.
I stared at him.
“So... I’m asking who said that. That’s all you need to say... Is it hard?”
“... The chair—”
Mateo was about to say something,
but my phone rang.
I frowned.
It was an unknown number.
I usually didn’t answer unknown numbers,
but strangely, I had a feeling.
It felt like I had to answer.
“Is that you?”
As soon as I answered the phone, I heard the rough voice of an old man.
He spoke informally from the start.
He didn’t ask who I was,
nor did he reveal who he was.
“And who are you?”
“The person you’re looking for.”
The old man laughed low.
That laugh grated on my nerves.
“What?”
“You’ve been busy lately. I hear you’ve been digging around trying to find me. And you’ve got Mateo with you too?”
Huh?
He knows?
He knows I have Mateo with me too?
I looked at Mateo unconsciously.
He was tied to the chair, looking at me.
So this was Parallax?
Was this what it meant to be the undisputed king of the black market?
Or was there something else I didn’t know?
We had checked everything—cell phones, GPS receivers—before bringing him here.
There were no tracking devices.
And yet this man knew everything.
Think later.
For now, focus on the call.
“So you want to find him? You must be fond of him.”
I spoke as sarcastically as I could.
I wanted to land a blow on this old geezer.
But my mockery didn’t hurt the old geezer at all.
The old man laughed as if amused.
“Hohoho. It’s nice to have him, but it doesn’t matter if I don’t. You handle him as you see fit.”
“Interesting.”
I chuckled.
“But you see, you’ve caused our side some damage. So I think we’ll need to receive some compensation. If you dispose of Mateo, we’ll settle that cost together as well.”
“What did you say?”
The old man spoke as if it were nothing.
“I said I’ll need to receive some compensation.”
“The old coot didn’t age gracefully. Seems like you can’t tell right from wrong anymore.”
I let out a disbelieving laugh as I spoke.
“Hardly. If I couldn’t tell even that much, I wouldn’t be in this position. Let’s see each other’s faces sometime soon.”
With those words, the call ended.
At that moment, the atmosphere inside the warehouse changed strangely.
I slowly looked down at the phone.
And I thought,
This old man is no joke.