I Picked Up the Trash Others Threw Away - Chapter 19.1

Chapter 19.1

The flow of the ‘Moonlake’ casino began to change a little.

At some point, a story about a mysterious woman who competed against other female guests began to emerge. It was a game played with a strange card deck called ‘hwatu’, and it had a unique charm, unlike Trump.

Even the men had no choice but to listen to the rumors of the women. Something never experienced before piqued the interest of those seeking newness daily.

“It’s different from the black and white trump cards. Should I say that it has a so-called ‘striking flavor’?”

“But isn’t it a game for women?”

“Oh, honey. That’s what I also said. But I heard that lady say that it is a well-known game in the East.”

A few men interested in the new game stepped in and began to raise the stakes in shame that they had lost to women who had a better grasp of the rules than they did.

That was the beginning of the fire. From the moment the leading figures changed into men, the stakes began to rise exponentially.

Seeing the moderately overheating atmosphere, Trish jumped into the game. He always won the stakes at the end, attracting bets and sometimes deliberately playing his opponent with a hand that turned out to be nothing, like a cheater.

When the game of Hwatu we brought began to flourish rather than the dealer games officially taking place in the Moonlake casino, a very tall man wearing a strange mask like us appeared as if he found the game interesting.

“I see an interesting game is taking place. May I also give it a shot?”

He was wearing a mask and hiding his identity like everyone else, but his mask or voice felt like someone I had met somewhere before.

‘Wait, when I first came here…’

Wasn’t it the gentleman who paid the entrance fee when I first came to the Moonlake casino to catch Trish, who was avoiding me?

It was fate that we met again like this, and I was willing to accept it for the sake of the game. Hmm, something like that.

“Alright, let’s play together!”

If I had known the man’s identity earlier at that time, I would have stopped the game even if it was still unfinished.

A bold fox in a tiger’s den. Wasn’t it the perfect prey?

No. He looked like a wealthy man at first glance, so it was also my mistake to welcome him into the game too quickly.

“This…”

“It’s a ‘samkwang’. I guess I’m lucky.”

The flow of atmosphere had long since changed towards that man, who was dominating the game. Trish and I looked at each other with anxious eyes and shut our mouths.

The man who naturally jumped into the game understood the rules of Hwatu and the flow of the game in just one round, and with a small amount of money, he won the stakes of everyone who was participating.

Wasn’t it just a matter of coming up to Trish’s place at the center of the game board and laughing while holding the perfect hand?

‘I think that player caught onto it.’

I gulped and forced the corners of my mouth into a smile so as not to be agitated.

“You’re quite skilled.”

“It’s been a while since I jumped into a game like this, but I’m glad I seem to be getting good hands.”

“It’s not enough to just be… lucky. Have you played anything similar?”

“It’s my first time playing Hwatu, but the combination to get the highest score is no different from Hold’em.”

It wasn’t a game where you could count cards like in normal Trump, but I couldn’t believe it was purely his skill.

I pretended to hesitate and knocked on the table twice with my left hand. Trish, who understood my intention, pulled out the second hand to his left with a face that seemed deep in thought.

I felt a brief joy in the ensuing hand, but I couldn’t feel relieved. I felt that the man had already uncovered this trick that we used occasionally.

I didn’t know all the cards that would appear, but if I watched the flow of the game, I could get a sense of what kind of hand would be advantageous. In that case, I would knock on the table or something else with my left or right hand and let Trish know which hand to play.

Using this too often would make people start noticing, so I only used it in situations that looked unfavorable.

‘I only used it twice in the last game. Did he notice it?’

I should have felt uneasy from the moment he appeared showing interest in this game, but I was so excited by the swelling stakes that I lowered my guard.

Was there an appropriate way to get out at the right time? I sweated as I watched the game flow.

“Damn it, I think my luck ended here today.”