Dongcheon's Dagger [Choi Mujin x Reader]

WAGER [내기]

[A/N: This story isn't written in a chronologial order as I found the concept of a slightly offset timeline very intruiging!

You can read them in the order I posted them (which is the way I wanted the timeline to be) or in chronological order.]

The material of the sofa felt cool and smooth against your hands as you leaned onto its back, eyes slowly scanning across the sweaty and excited mass of men in the room. Reaching into your jacket, you pulled out some neatly folded fifty thousand won bills while leaning down to your boss, Choi Mujin, who had just taken his seat.

"Who do you want to bet on?" you asked mischievously, Dongcheon's monthly brawl being your usual occasion to bet on the recruits. You were frequently betting on the underdogs while Mujin picked the most vicious looking one. Today wouldn't be much different, the bet placed reminiscent of your own situation as the weaker link after just having joined the recruits' ranks a little over two years ago.

"As if you don't already know." he answered you, a smile flickering across his face while his eyes never left the ring in front of you. A soft scoff left your lips as you reached out, offering the money between your fingers. His head tilted in your direction lightly when instead of letting the bills slide from your hold into his, you held on, humming pensively.

A devilish smile tugged at your features. "Betting on money is so overrated. What about a different wager?" you proposed, which brought a mirror of your smile onto his own face, intrigue at a potentially more interesting bet glinting in his dark gaze.

Before you could decide which probably highly dangerous thing you wanted to offer today, the unease of the crowd brought you out of your negotiations. Taeju had begun arranging the recruits in two rows opposite of each other, tightly packed in the ring surrounded by chain-link walls. All sides were crowded with already established members of the organisation, the finely tailored suits in stark contrast to their rambunctious behaviour, cheering on the fighters.

After Taeju had the permission to start the brawl by Mujin's signal, he motioned to the ring and opened the event with a shout. Immediately, the noise level spiked as the first fighters collided and began harshly attacking.

It seemed as if the suited Dongcheon members had merged into one collective mass, each rooting for the recruit that they had bet on, the sums on the table in front of the sofa indicating the most popular fighters. The biggest pile would go to Mujin's bet; a lot of his members had decided to join their boss in betting on one particular man.

Your eyes scanned the fighting mass, spotting the aforementioned recruit in one corner of the ring, bare back covered in various tattoos and bruises already forming against the inked skin. He was ruthless, beating a smaller man into the chain link, momentarily dispersing the members behind the fence.

It came as no surprise that the recruit you had bet on, a small but quick man with shoulder length hair, had incurred one of the smallest pile of bets, his stature too slight for the majority of the members to bet on. You had seen him fight before, he lacked strength even though he was toned underneath his baggy shirt. There was quite a bit of room for improvement but you'd bet on his eye for technique in hope that by using it, he would be able to cope with the brawn.

The clink of Mujin's lighter brought you back from your careful and calculated observation, it seemed as if you two were the only ones calmly observing - even the usually reserved Taeju had advanced to the edge of the ring. Clearly he had his bets set high.

After a few minutes of silently watching, your eyes were drawn to your boss' hand, mentioning you closer mutely against the noise of the room. Returning your watchful gaze to the fight, you stepped forward, bending at the waist to be able to hear him over the ruckus.