Beat Me

Beat Me! [ Start of Season 2 ] Episode 66

In a small corner of the arcade, the sounds of giggles and laughter filled the air. The bright flashing lights from the machines danced across the faces of Ri Seok and his friends, who had gathered for their usual weekend hangout. They were a tight-knit group, always sticking together no matter what. As the evening went on, they found themselves standing around one of the punching bag machines, still energized from the excitement of the games.

"Hey, you gotta admit," Ri Seok said, brushing a strand of hair from his face, "we’ve been getting pretty strong lately, haven’t we? Especially after that last fight with those older kids."

"Strong? Are you kidding?" one of his friends, Hyun Woo, grinned as he nudged Ri Seok's arm. "You’re the one who punched that bag so hard it nearly broke! We’ve never seen a score like that before!"

The rest of the group chuckled, recalling the moment when Ri Seok had stepped up to the punching game earlier. He’d hit it with such force that the machine blinked and sputtered, barely registering the full score before almost shutting down.

Another friend, Jin Ho, joined in, his voice full of admiration. "No joke, man. I’ve seen a lot of people hit that thing, but no one’s ever gotten that high of a score. You’re like a one-man wrecking crew!"

"Please," Ri Seok waved them off with a playful grin. "It’s nothing. But honestly, we’ve all been through a lot together, right? We’ve been sticking up for each other, fighting off anyone who messes with us."

"Exactly!" Min Su, another member of the group, chimed in with enthusiasm. "And we always will. No matter what happens, we’ve got each other’s backs."

They all nodded, a sense of unity settling over them. It wasn’t just about the arcade games or the occasional street scuffles—they were becoming something more, something tighter.

Ri Seok suddenly lit up with an idea, his voice filled with excitement. "You know... how about we take this a step further? We’re already strong together, but what if we made it official? Like... a gang?"

"A gang?" Jin Ho raised an eyebrow, intrigued but cautious.

"Yeah, but not like one of those criminal gangs or anything," Ri Seok clarified quickly. "More like... a group to protect each other. You know, a brotherhood or something. We could divide ourselves into groups, each looking out for the other. It’d be for fun, but also something serious. Something that could really bring us closer."

"That’s... actually a pretty cool idea," Hyun Woo said after a moment of thought. "A gang for us. But what would we call it?"

The group fell silent for a beat, everyone mulling over the idea. Suddenly, Min Su’s eyes brightened, and he snapped his fingers. "What about 'Poker Gang'? You know, like the four suits in a deck of cards? We could divide ourselves into hearts, diamonds, spades, and clubs."

Ri Seok’s eyes gleamed as he grinned widely. "Poker Gang... I like that. It’s perfect. Each suit representing a part of us, but all coming together as one."

"Yeah!" Jin Ho exclaimed, his face lighting up with excitement. "That’s awesome! We’ll each pick a suit, and it’ll be like our own little symbol."

Hyun Woo chuckled, clearly excited about the idea now. "Poker Gang... sounds like we’re about to make history."

Ri Seok smiled, leaning back against the arcade machine as if already envisioning their new gang’s future. “I think I’ll take the spades,” he declared, his voice calm but carrying an undertone of determination. He had always been the leader among them, and the symbol of spades—with its connotations of strength and power—fit him perfectly.