𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐘, kang saebyeok (067). ON HOLD

𝟎𝟎𝟏 win or get slapped?

chapter one.
RED LIGHT GREEN LIGHT

HAIR DOWN, PASSIONLESS COLD STARE, VACANT SMILE— yeah Yeh Yiren looked like she was on her way to kick someone's ass. But no! She was running away again.

Okay, before you pass judgment on her, understand that none of this is her fault. It's not like she spent all of her earnings on art materials without thinking and now has nothing left over to pay her rent. Whatever, enough with the lies; this is exactly what happened to her. Her apartment building's owner was most likely looking for her in Seoul's congested streets. Yiren sighed as she calculated the amount of money she owed. Not only did she not pay this month's rent but the previous month too, the owner was gracious to extend her grace period for a few more days because she was young, but god was he done with Yiren now. On the other hand, she owed money to her next-door neighbor, whom she had borrowed money from to pay for her electricity and water for the past few months, clothes, and that one pink lava lamp in her room, as well as her too nice and expensive carpet— jeez, get a grip Yiren, that boy is not going to be in love with you forever and pay for all your stuff.

Once Yiren realized the subway was ready to depart, she quickened her speed. Yay, you can't earn money, you can't stay silent and you also can't get on a subway quick enough! Nice. She groaned and sat down on one of the benches abruptly, her sketchbook and bag close by. Someone was approaching her from the corner of her eyes. She closed her eyes to rest a little, without thinking much of it.

cough cough

Yiren shuffled away from the man, her eyes still closed, as she didn't want to be sick. I wonder if Mrs. Park's shop is still opened, i would very much like some Fried Ch—

cough cough

The man allegedly coughed again, interrupting her thought process. She realized the man was doing it on purpose now. "May I offer you some cough drops, Sir?" she asked, rage coursing through her veins. He chuckled deeply and asked, "Miss, would you like to play a game with me?" without answering Yerin's query. Yiren glanced at the man up and down, her eyes wide with surprise. Suit, styled hair, and briefcase. Of course, he's a salesman. "Look here, mister," she yelled, "I am not interested in whatever you're trying to force me to buy." he sighed and opened his briefcase, which contained piles of money divided into three different sections: fifty thousand notes in two and ten thousand in the other. There were also two oddly red and blue folded papers in the briefcase.

Yiren gasped quietly, at the back of her head considering to just snatch the money and flee. The man took out the folded papers and held each of them on each of his hands: blue in the right one, red in the left one. "Have you ever played Ddakji before, miss?" he said.

Ddakji?— Yiren had seen her middle school classmates play the game, but she had never tried it because she didn't have anyone to play with. "Yes," she said dryly, "Is that all you wanted to know?"

"I have a way for you to make some money. I'll give you a hundred thousand won if you successfully flip my ddakji." he said, a faint smile on his face. "And if I can flip yours, you give me the exact same amount of money," he said before she could respond. "I'm sorry, but I don't have money to give you if I lose," she sighed for the nth time that day. "If you wish, you can even go first." he replied before she even got up from her seat. "Fine," she said at last. "Would you like red or blue?" he asked. Yiren subconsciously picked blue over red. Why? It was in his right hand, and Yiren was always right.

Yiren has never accepted defeat; she has always aspired to victory. Yiren snatched the blue folded paper from the man's grip and watched as he placed his on the ground. Yiren discreetly prayed that she would defeat the man, despite the fact that she was not religious. One, two, three . . . She threw it on the red one, and her wishes were answered: she flipped it successfully. "I won!" she exclaimed while twirling around like a madwoman, then realized what she had done and looked around to see whether anyone had noticed her. Surprisingly, everyone continued to act as if nothing had happened. "Give me my money right now," she said coldly, believing the man was just playing with her.

He gave her the money with a tiny smile on his face, amazed that she had won on the first round. She snarled, "Wow, I wish I could make money so easily." When Yiren began walking away with her belongings, he started saying, "Yeh Yiren, ran away from home, now owing money to many places." Yiren came to a halt and gently turned around. She almost shrieked, "How do you know my name?" he strolled till he was in front of Yiren, then he took out a business card. On one side, a circle, a triangle, a square; on the other, a phone number. "This is a way to earn money just by playing games. Make sure you call because there are just a few spots left." he then walked away, his briefcase in his hand.

"What the hell just happened?" while waiting for her subway to return, Yiren pondered.

author's note how was the first chapter? pls let me know your thoughts !!