Long Journey || ATEEZ

The Gambler

A couple of months or so had passed since Hongjoong had met Seonghwa, and moved to Taerrya.

There were many sides to his new friend, it turned out. When Hongjoong had first met him, he had thought he was rather intimidating and cold. Once he came out of his shell, though, Hongjoong learnt that he was a very warm, shy and sweet guy. As the weeks passed by, Seonghwa had even shown a joking and mischievous side to himself.

Amidst all the friendly interactions, it was easy to forget what his friend's real job was.

And Big Grey decided to give little Hongjoong a painful reminder of this by forcing him to tag along on one of his 'missions'.

* * *

Choi Suyong had made a mistake.

A big one.

And it would probably cost her her life.

She stood alone in the narrow alley, lifting a cigarette to her lips. The usually pristine and scarlet-painted nails atop her fingers had been worn down by anxious teeth, the varnish cracked and old. Her foot tapped a rapid beat against the floor; her rounded, full lips, painted rouge-red, were chapped and dry. Bits of nail polish decorated her teeth, and her eyes, once round and pretty, were now widened with anxiety, flitting from one end of the street to the other, watching and waiting for anything to appear – or happen. Sweat sheened on her forehead, and not just from the blazing heat of the day

She was once a picture of beauty. Once.

Smoke escaped her lips as she exhaled, exhausted. She pulled her grey hoodie jacket closer around her – despite the suffocating warmth of the sun's rays – and lifted herself off the filthy wall she had been resting on.

She was terrified.

But her cravings were louder. Clamouring for her attention, it clung to her ear – next to her gold hoop earrings – swinging backwards and forth until she was forced to give it the spotlight.

She sighed a sigh of submission, and her cravings immediately latched onto her feet, forcing them to take a path she knew oh-so well.

Suyong entered the building, neon lights and other such things blaring in her face. Here, maybe, she might be able to find peace of mind for an hour or so before Duji – her ticket out of this hellhole – arrived.

Unless she blew all her money, of course. But it wasn't like she was going to play something where somebody could easily screw her over – like blackjack, which required skill. No, she was going to play on the slot machines for a while – low-risk and a heck of a lot of fun once you got rolling.

Standing at the slot machine closest to the entrance (in case of the need for a quick escape), she laughed as the money began to roll in, and cursed whenever any was wasted.

Suddenly sunlight flared in her eyes as the door swung open.

"Hey, what the fuck—"

She froze as she saw the tattoo on the burly man who had just walked in.

Cursing silently under her breath, she slipped out of the door before it could swing shut, and hurried off.

* * *

"Take Hongjoong with you, this time."

Seonghwa wasn't sure why.

Why had Big Grey told him to take Hongjoong with him? As far as Seonghwa was concerned, having another person with him would only higher the risks of being caught and the target getting away.