Short Stories- Kai ships only!

Beomkai- Debt to Pay

"FUCK!" Beomgyu kicked the slot machine at the shitty Las Vegas motel he was staying at. He just lost again. There was a hundred dollars left in his account. The machine hasn't paid out yet. Sure it was close. It had to be.

One of the smokers playing on the machine next to him told him to stop. "Trust me kid. You don't want to lose all of your money. This ain't where you wanna be stuck."

Arrogantly, Beomgyu declared "I won't be stuck. I still got a couple of bucks left. It'll pay. It's waiting to pay!"

The old guy put his cigarette out then walked away. He didn't want to see this kid lose everything.

Beomgyu put his last hundred dollars into the machine. He pushed the button. Brightly colored lights flashed before him. He gained $5 on his $1 bet. He kept going. Even if he did win, the 25 year old would only gain half the amount of money he originally had.

Loud sounds and bright colored characters flashed across the screen as he kept gambling. The machine still hasn't paid out the jackpot. Beomgyu gritted his teeth. He only had $40 left. That was enough for a couple of bus tickets out of here but he kept going. He won $20. Now he had $59.

The logical side told him to stop. His brain pleaded for him to cut his losses. His hands kept pressing the button. He was addicted to the thrill. The bar to the jackpot was so close. It had to pay out soon. He kept going.

Someone at the bar was watching very closely for the past hour. It was Kai Huening. Son of the head of the MGM resorts division, the largest hotel owners on the strip. He asked the bartender how long that guy had been there. The girl answered "since this morning. Rumor has it, he gambled away his trust fund. Started at the Bellagio until he lost it all. Now he's trying to reclaim a piece of what's left."

Beomgyu was down to $10. He only had a couple of bets left. A cold sweat beaded off of his forehead. He just couldn't stop. It only took a couple more plays before the spoiled trust fund kid lost everything. His parents hard work to set him up for the future, was wasted in a week. He yelled "FUCK! DAMN IT!"

The jackpot was so close. He ran over to the booth to take out a credit line. The 25 year old was so sure he could win it back.

Kai waited until he was out of view to play the machine. He turned the volume all the way down. It did not take long for him to claim the jackpot. Beomgyu was only $20 away but Kai stole it from him. He walked to the bathroom before the other got back.

Beomgyu took out $25,000. There wasn't a single doubt in his mind he could turn it into $50,000, maybe even $100,000. He happily went back to the machine to see the progress bar reset to zero. "No! No! No! NO! This has to be a mistake!" He sat on the chair and started crying. Desperate to gain something, he began to play with his debt.

Kai came back from the bathroom, delighted to see his target continue to play. He left to grab some lunch at one of the nicer parts of the strip.

The bartender gave Beomgyu a free drink out of pity. She said "dude. Cut your losses and stop before you lose more."

"No! I can gain it back! I know I can!" Beomgyu truly believed that. He was addicted to the lights. He was like a hamster running on a wheel with a carrot dangling in front of him. Every time he got a bite, he wanted more. The carrot was now gone. Only imagination remained. Delusions set in and he was stuck in a destructive loop.

Kai came back to see he lost everything again. Now was the time to make his move. He approached his object of desire. "Hey. How come you're so upset?"

Beomgyu didn't look up. He depressingly said "I lost everything. I had a million dollars and gambled it all away. It's all fucking gone." He punched the screen then settled back into his seat.