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Slap. One more. The Salesman feels that man's cheek is burning, the skin is covering with red spots, and the person in front barely restrains another sob from the pain spreading across the face. Ddakji again remains in the same position, so the future victim of the games is already voluntarily accepts a new slap. So pathetic. But the recruiter tries not to think about it, preferring to play along, as he read in the resume, Woo Seung-gi, so that in a fit of anger and permissiveness he would plough into him, bringing his hand to hit. The Salesman wants to smile at such stupidity, which he watches almost every day, but only intercepts someone else's wrist, showing Seung-gi bills worth one hundred thousand won.
Oh, those eyes burning with excitement are his personal drug. The meaning of life, keeping you afloat, helping to work impeccably for so many years.
— Your money, mister, — says the Salesman, carefully putting the dirty papers in the trembling palm, — My congratulations.
The person in front blinks in misunderstanding, but immediately remembers the initial goal of their game. Spark, which had time to die, reappears when Seung-gi takes the money, which, he knows for sure, will go to dinner and partial payment for housing today.
— You now, sir, there’re other games like this where you can make even more, — while Seung-gi is counting the bills, the Salesman makes his suggestion with a slight smile. A suggestion that cannot be refused.
— This is a new pyramid scheme, right? — asks the man with a smirk, — But you got the wrong person.
The same thing. Nothing new.
— Mister Woo Seung-gi, today you were in the microloan organization again, right? — it will even be too easy, — Woo Seung-gi, forty six years, incomplete higher education, have been a handyman all life, got loans to open a store and burned out, no family. As for now, a hundred eighty millions won owe just to loan sharks and two hundred thirty millions won to the bank, — under the closer look of a surprised man, the recruiter continues, already preparing for another boring question.
— Who are you? — he asks in shock, stepping back more and more.
Without saying a word, the Salesman takes out a business card that has become native, where a circle, triangle and square were engraved, and on the back there was a phone number, ready to become a salvation for someone's life.
— Just think about it, — he smiles again, grabbing the suitcase and shaking himself off the excess dust.
This subway’s wearing him out.
***
After completing all his plans, the Salesman, as always, takes a taxi on the way, hiding between the tall skyscrapers of Seoul.
When the car stops at one of the traffic lights, he begins to look at people scurrying back and forth, homeless animals and ordinary beggars who dream of starting life from scratch. Each of them has own history of losses, ups and downs; and the Salesman knows a lot of these stories by heart.
There is nothing easier for him than approaching the poor in the subway or park, offering to play ddakji in order to get a miserable hundred thousand won, which, according to his calculations and experience, will not be enough even for one-hundredth of the debt of the majority. People are like garbage for him, and the world is a dumpster that needs to be cleaned. This is his life principle, an unbreakable worldview.
Pretty much.
At some point, the Salesman thinks not about the lousy idler sitting in an alley on a cardboard, but about Jun-ho, the policeman from Gi-hun’s team, who is so desperate to find his brother. the thoughts of a new business come to mind, but the recruiter tries to postpone them for a while: he doesn’t want to distract himself from looking for the next victims of the game.
He’s told that the taxi is at the destination, so the Salesman politely, although rather theatrical, smiles, handing the driver a couple of bills.
Getting out of the car, he again feels a suffocating feeling of lousy from the poor people lying on the benches surrounding him everywhere.
— They’re just the future dead, — he thinks.
He again wants to clear his head from such thoughts. His life began to turn in the wrong way too often.
Starting with Russian roulette in a god-forsaken hotel, where he survived thanks to a miracle and a revolver that didn’t work, ending with a broken Jun-ho, who, having lost all hope after searching for Gi-hun, returned to Korea two days later. Directly in the hands of the Salesman, who is ready to suggest him a chance to meet his brother.
The chance that was given to him from the Frontman.
***
— Just look at him! — the old woman indignantly pokes her finger into man's cheek, — He completely stopped living normally.
— Lady Irene, don't worry, I'm fine, — he scoffs.
— It's not good, Gong Yoo.
The Salesman twitches for a second. He tries to pretend that the name spoken a moment ago doesn’t touch him in any way, but it is useless to lie to madam Irene Lesage. Working as In-ho's personal cook on the island, she knows and has seen too much, so Gong Yoo only makes a happy face, accepting a pastry bag from the old woman.
— Mon cher, I’ve worked with people more than you live, donc il n’y a pas d’excuses, — madame Lesage wrinkles, starting to wipe the food counter harder.
The Salesman has long been accustomed to Madame Irene's French expressions, so he's not surprised when she starts burring again, trying not to shout. However, this happens with varying success.
— There’s still so long before the new game, this one hasn’t even ended, pourquoi se dépêcher? — Lesage, realizing that she won’t get an answer, menacingly squeezes her little palms, — How are you still alive?
Never was and here again…
Gong Yoo is undoubtedly grateful to Madame Irene for her care and help that the old woman has provided him for many years, but, to be honest, eternal laments are so boring. He holds back a deep sigh, well aware that Lesage won’t be pleasant from such a thing.
She’s seventy years old, she’s a wonderful cook who came to the organization much earlier than the recruiter himself, running away from her father from France; but for some reason there’s a feeling that in fact Madame Irene doesn’t work anywhere. And that there is no island with deadly games at all. And that the Salesman is a simple person who earns money by distributing leaflets.
After all, when the morning sun is just beginning to illuminate the bakery, which didn’t have time to open, and the clock ticks 7 a.m. under the loud howl of yard dogs, Gong Yoo feels completely different. Another person.
— Sorry, mon cher, but if I hadn’t replaced your favorite revolver then, you would have died. I told you that fortune is an unpredictable thing. No need to think that it’ll always smile, — Irene sadly notices the obvious fact, — Je sais, that every recruiter is actually an ordinary person.
Gong Yoo wants to object, but in time he realizes that he’ll only confirm Madame Lesage’s words. Everyone has weaknesses, but does he have the right to them?
— Yes, — as if she reads his thoughts, — You have the right to be different. Vous ne serez pas heureux de travailler trop souvent, — Irene puts the rag aside, — I can’t understand you, and I can’t help if you don’t want to.
— I don’t need help, — the Salesman pronounces quietly. He knows that he’s trying to lie unsuccessfully.
— How is Jun-ho feeling? He looked so broken when you brought me to him.
Gong Yoo already regrets that having given the business card with the number to Hwang, he didn’t turn around, leaving him. He’s not accustomed to regret his actions.
The Recruiter believed: person like him are calculating, cold people who perfectly and harmoniously perform the given work. Having no weaknesses. But when the Salesman saw Jun-ho beaten by fate, he began to seriously think about his views on life, because, as it turned out, he was bad believer.
— He lay down to rest, — briefly reports the recruiter who wants to end the conversation as soon as possible.
— Avez-vous parlé? — madame Irene, on the contrary, continues.
— Yes.
— Gong Yoo, — she pronounces strictly, and the recruiter gives up, allowing himself to forget about his work and life in general for one minute.
— As Frontman said, I gave the business card; Jun-ho called the night before last. Today we’re going to the island with you and madame Mary, — this time a brief summary of the news pleases Lesage more, especially when the Salesman mention her daughter.
— Very nice, — Irene says happily, — Go to Mary, tell her to get ready. And then run to your policeman, — old woman chides.
Gong Yoo scoffs. And how can this madam even say such a thing, when only a couple of days ago she had the chance to see Jun-ho falling from headaches and tears. The Recruiter thinks that she, having some empathy, is even more heartless than he.
— The bakery is opening, so hurry up, mon cher, — Lesage opens the door, letting the recruiter out, turning over the sign with the sign «닫힌».
***
— Kill me, — Jun-ho whispered quietly, his lips grasping for the living air. He accepted it. The recruiter feels it, knowing full-well that it was meant to be. All people accepted their fate. Sooner or later.
The heated body trembles again from the attacks, and Gong Yoo uncomplicatedly hems, applying a cold water-soaked cloth to policeman’s forehead. Hwang resists, tries to push the recruiter’s hand away, but in the end he takes care for granted.
— I’m Frontman’s brother, — he says bitterly.
— Be patient a little, mon cher, it will get easier soon, — lullingly whisper in the ear, wiping the half-naked body, — Did this asshole finally feel something? Has your conscience woken up, m, Gong Yoo? — madame Lesage looks sullenly and directly. Into the soul. But the Recruiter doesn’t care about the picture unfolding before his eyes. He dragged a policeman to the apartment, called an experienced person and now he can just watch from afar. As always.
After half an hour of stinging and dripping small tears, Jun-ho falls asleep, succumbing to the effect of pills and substances injected into his sore shoulder.
— When he asks why you did it, answer honestly. If not me, then him, — madame Irene shoves a couple of jars with colorful capsules to the recruiter, putting a paper with instructions for using them.
— Immeasely grateful, madame Lesage, — Gong Yoo smiles discreetly, closing the door behind the guest.
He approaches the bed by the window, from which shines a bright light of the night signs, but Jun-ho doesn't seem to be bothered. He quietly sneezes, occasionally shuddering, whispering something unintelligible. As the Recruiter guesses: the nightmare about his brother overtook him here too. However, Gong Yoo knows how to wait, so Hwang won't be left alone when he wakes up.
***
— I said, — Mary is chirping cheerfully, quickly pouring various kinds of liquids into one big glass, — You are attracted to him, — she smiles and adds caramel syrup to the mixture of incomprehensible brown color.
— Today we’re going to the island, don’t forget, VIP-guests will arrive soon, you need to be ready to help Madame Irene, — Gong Yoo prefers to leave the above unanswered.
— Did you really just take him? — madame Lesage, not letting up, continues to ask question.
For those like her, the lives of others are much more interesting. They find peace only when all the dirty secrets of others are in their hands. Mary is just another chatterbox, often able to help in finding the right information about future players, who will definitely not refuse a cup of aromatic coffee in a short conversation. The Recruiter figured out how to treat madame Mary Lesage, at the moment when she met him for the first time and told about all the attractions of Paris during the evening in the company of a couple of bottles of soju.
Pacifier - he thought. Now he’s trying to look a little deeper.
He doesn’t understand why he suddenly began to hold back even in his head in an attempt to give someone a brief (and often unflattering) description.
— I wanted some variety, — Gong Yoo doesn’t know how to be frank, so at least somehow answers, wanting Mary to get the conversation in a different direction.
— Wow, this’s the progress, — Lesage smiles lightly, crumpling the piercing on his lower lip with his tongue. There is an awkward silence, and a lost cat, which simply didn’t want to be driven out, is walking around the cafeteria. Mary’s too taciturn today, which is why the recruiter is in a hurry to draw a conclusion.
— Do you have any news? — the Salesman reads this gesture quickly: he knows perfectly all the patterns of behavior of the girl in front of him.
— Mom was told that the next game is postponed a month earlier, — Mary surrenders under a cunning studying look, — Just don’t tell her what I told you.
Of course. Madame Irene shows her care again.
— Have a nice day, madame Mary, — Gong Yoo politely bows with undisguised pleasure, after which, taking a plastic cup of coffee, leaves, leaving only the smell of expensive cologne.
— And to come by the hand together tonight! — Mary shouts after, hearing the slam of the door. She needs to get cleaned up: only ten minutes before the opening.
***
Personal apartments meet Gong Yoo for the first time not with cold silence, but with some soft sounds coming from the bathroom. The recruiter decides not to disturb the guest, which is probably messing with swollen eyes, so he just goes to the kitchen table, which wasn’t separated from the general part of the apartment.
The Salesman doesn’t need a lot of space - he was always content with the private property presented by Il-nam, because he knew that he wouldn’t need another bed and walls in general. A kitchen table, a bed and a bathroom (the only separate room) were all that the new employee required. This, however, wasn’t considered rude, fulfilling his little whim.
Gong Yoo turns on something in the phone and a familiar melody “Time to say goodbye” is spread throughout all the apartments, letting the guest know that the owner has returned.
A couple of minutes later, Jun-ho comes out, catching the recruiter with a glass of red wine. He’s not wearing a suit anymore - only a white sweater and home pants. And when did he manage to change his clothes?
— How are you feeling, mr. Hwang? — without turning around, the recruiter asks, taking another sip, which giving him a second’s pleasure.
— I’ll meet my brother in the morning, right? — Jun-ho ignores the fake care, and immediately gets down to business.
Gong Yoo doesn’t answer. Silently waiting for Hwang to guess.
— Everything is fine, thank you, — finally says the policeman.
— Yes. We still have a lot of time. Would you like a drink? — the Salesman calmly offers, but Jun-ho notices a spark of excitement in his eyes that accompanies the recruiter, such a feeling, all his life.
— No, thank you, I want to stay sober.
— Nothing will happen from a couple of glasses, you have a high tolerance to alcohol, — Gong Yoo smiles, seeing suspicion in Jun-ho’s eyes, — Do you want to play a game?
Hwang Jun-ho didn’t expect anything else - it became clear from his instantly rolled eyes.
— You are predictable, — ex-policeman hums.
The Salesman grins at this statement: he deliberately gave him a reason to think so. He observes doubts on Jun-ho’s face, noticing to himself that he hasn’t considered the emotions of thoughtfulness and deep immersion in thought so willingly for a long time. Perhaps the last time he did it was on his first trip to the recruitment of players.
— What kind of game?
— It’s very simple, don’t worry, we don’t bet our lives, — Gong Yoo chuckles.
— What happens if I lose? — Hwang asks immediately.
— The loser takes three sips of wine.
— It’s too easy for you, — Jun-ho frowns. A recruiter, who calmly sends people to slaughter, demands to drink expensive wine as a loss? Sounds funny - looks funnier, — What is the game?
— Two truths and one lie. You say three facts from your life, and I’ll have to guess which one is untrue, and vice versa. Do you agree? — A click in the phone - and light in the apartment goes out, while the Salesman sits on the soft pillows that lie on the ledge near the panoramic window.
— And how long will we play?
— If one of us loses three times, the other makes a wish. Within reason, of course.
Jun-ho thinks at the moment that everything that’s happening sounds like an unfunny children’s joke, however, after a few seconds of reflection, he answers briefly: “good”.
***
— As you’re a guest, you will start first, — the Salesman smiles, twisting the bottle and putting it between the pillows.
— Well, — Hwang sits down next to him, still looking at the owner of the apartment cautiously. He should always be on his guard, — My first mission in the police department ended in failure; my mother wanted to abandon me after learning about kidney problems; as a child, I broke my arm when I tried to cook dinner for my brother.
— The second one is a lie, mr. In-Ho helped you, — Gong Yoo answers without hesitation.
— I had no doubt that you would answer correctly, — Jun-ho smirks.
— How did you break your arm? — the Salesman asks with interest.
— The leg of the chair broke off, — Hwang remembers with a smile, — I’d to stay in the hospital for several weeks.
The recruiter hums. He chose the perfect game.
— Well, my turn, — and only then he slightly miscalculated. He has nothing to tell, and revealing important cards is not part of his plan. He wrinkles for a few seconds, and then says:
— I was in a coma for a week; I drowned neighbor’s dog; my hobby is cooking.
Hwang hopes that the Salesman just let him start well, knowing perfectly what Jun-ho will count on.
— The second fact is a lie.
— Correct, — the recruiter nod with a smirk when he hear a light exhalation.
— I’m surprised that you have a hobby, — Jun-ho notices.
— My turn. My hobby is solving crosswords; my hobby is reading; my hobby is collecting.
— You’re playing dirty, — the Salesman scoffs,— He’s an ex-policeman, expanding horizons is his lifeline. This’s useful for every inspector. Reading can be different, from thrillers to detectives, the last in his taste. Taking into account the fact that Hwang has several hobbies, none of them should be too difficult; collecting is not an easy process.
The recruiter thinks fast: he’s trained by years of persistent surveillance of players.
— The third is a lie.
— Correct, — Jun-ho covers his eyes. And when will it all end?
— I was a Triangle-guard in games; I killed my father; I had a black cat, — Gong Yoo turns to the window, again observes the little people below, whom the planet doesn’t understand how to carry. It amuses him. It’s always more pleasant to look from above.
— The second is a lie, — Hwang swallows with hope.
— Minus point, — With a laugh, the Salesman puts the middle and index finger forward, and the thumb raises it up, depicting a gun. With undisguised pleasure, he moves closer, carefully touching the place near Jun-ho’s heart “shooting” with a long whistle, — My cat was red.
— And how…? — the ex-policeman does not have time to finish, as he is interrupted.
— This was required by the rules, — without going into the situation, the recruiter explains. Now he obviously doesn’t want to dig into his shitty past.
— I got out of the burning building; I was caught stealing goods; I wanted to become a policeman inspired by my brother, — meanwhile, Hwang continues, taking three sips of wine along the way, which turns out not to be bad. Even too much.
— The second is a lie.
— Minus point, — under the surprised look of the Salesman, Jun-ho repeats «the shoot», also moving closer. He answers with a perky smile, as if sitting in the company of a ex-friend, - The first one is a lie.
Gong Yoo takes the bottle, deliberately slowly starting to drink alcohol. He casually runs his tongue over the bottle neck, thus making Hwang awkwardly swallow and turn away. He thought the recruiter would pour himself a glass.
— Is he flirting with me? — Jun-ho thinks, and these thoughts make him feel even more strange.
— I almost died on the way to Busan; my colleagues from the island wanted to kill me; I saw a drowning man, — by this time, the Salesman has already managed to issue new information.
— The first is a lie, — Hwang says, watching with frustration how the recruiter «shoots» again Jun-ho takes the bottle away. It becomes more difficult to touch the neck: such an indirect kiss leaves mixed sensations.
— The second one is not true, I haven’t really talked to anyone.
— I was the best gonggi-player when I was a child; I buried my animals next to each other; my police colleagues didn’t love me.
— The third is a lie. You’re too charming.
— Lost again, my pets often ran away from me, the corpses couldn’t be found, — Jun-ho decides not to comment on the recruiter’s compliment.
— We have one life each, — Gong Yoo notices, taking a few sips.
— I grew up in the States; once I anonymously donated five hundred thousand won to a shelter; I have a mate and she’s French, — The Salesman leans back on the pillows, starting to get bored: he knows that Hwang has to guess.
— The first is a lie, there’s no accent.
— Correct. We play the last round, if we both guess or lose, everyone will get the desire, otherwise - someone won’t be lucky, — Gong Yoo smiles.
— I killed several Circle-guards on the island; as a child I was cut with a mirror fragment; I was shot in the right shoulder.
— The first, — it’s the first time the Salesman begins to doubt so much. It turns out that such a busy life of Jun-ho cannot be fully explored, relying only on documents and observation. A truly interesting person.
— I was shot in the left shoulder, — Hwang smiles triumphantly.
— Don’t rush to be happy, — the recruiter smirks, — I shot myself in Russian roulette, knowing that the chances were one to one; I never kissed anyone; at the graduation I danced tap dancing.
One is better than the other. And if Jun-ho can still believe in the dance at the end of school, but with great difficulty and laughter, then the rest makes him think. Gi-hun had already told him that he and the Recruiter played Russian roulette, however, how then both survived, if chances were… if there were no chances.
— The first is a lie.
One moment - and recruiter’s fingers rest on his forehead, again depicting a gun. A shot and a whistle are spread throughout all the apartments, and Hwang notices that he also lost.
— The revolver failed, — Gong Yoo explains, seeing the reflections on Hwang’s face, — Regarding the second. My French mate didn’t want to blunder with her girlfriend - for the sake of interest I offered to practice with me.
— I thought you were in a serious relationship, — Jun-ho wants to grab a bottle, but he is persistently stopped.
— Let’s finish drinking and move on to the most important thing. What would you like to ask?
Gong Yoo looks closely, searchingly, with cunning eyes, noticing the slightest changes on the face opposite: lips are pressed, legs in the lotus pose, and hands lie quietly on the knees, while eyebrows remain reduced to the nose-bridge in bewilderment. Hwang looks back, feeling tension, mixed with something more pleasant, forcing to swallow in anticipation, move even closer. After their mutual “shootouts”, the distance was already too reduced, but Jun-ho, leaning to the recruiter’s left shoulder, whispers quietly:
— Why did you take me to your apartment?
— Do you really waste your desire on this? — the Salesman also switches to a whisper and smiles mischievously.
— Everything else is far from execution.
— It’s the first time I decided to make adjustments in my life. Does this answer suit you?
Gong Yoo is surprised. He realizes that now he is fulfilling madame Irene’s main request - he allows himself weakness.
— Yes. And you…? — Hwang has neither the strength nor the time to think about everything better. After drugs and painkillers, he want to wash his face and go to sleep again on the Salesman’s huge bed in a hug with a soft blanket and sheets made of expensive material.
Gong Yoo slightly withdraws to be able to look Jun-ho straight into the eyes.
— The Salesman recruiting people for deadly games and a ex-cop working with a person who wants to stop these games. Sounds hot, yeah? — Gong Yoo pulls deliberately, studies Hwang, but does not remain in debt, now not hiding his true feelings.
Jun-ho sees two sides of the same person in front of him.
One side strives for destructive excitement, a storm of crazy emotions. Kills the king in his head, knocks down all kinds of limits of decency. A side, demanding discord, desert chaos, ready to destroy from the inside, acting fundamentally against the basic laws of life.
The other side is never seen before, colder, but not devoid of feelings. It invades the body with an ice stream, cools the ardor and another impulse, bringing common interest and desperate fear to their place. Balances personality, doesn’t allow to be out of mind, suffocates with inner voices.
Like Yin and Yang.
— Be my weakness, — the Recruiter whispers into the lips, and Hwang doesn’t have time to understand how they were so close to each other, feeling the cold touch of fingers to his chin.
His head is raised higher, held not tightly, but Jun-ho doesn’t break out even taking into account what he can. He’s not stupid either - understands perfectly well what follows such gestures, but calmly looks into recruiter’s eyes, where sparks of anticipation are swarming. He’s not used to being in such situations: a former policeman after all. The only difference is that Hwang at this moment wants to satisfy the greedy interest that covers the body and mind whenever the recruiter appears nearby, mocks their pathetic attempts to find him and hides among the subway visitors with an annoying grin. Maybe Jun just dreams of catching his brother by surprise somewhere - he will probably be surprised to learn that Hwang Jun-ho is not as simple as he seems. And the Salesman doesn’t look like a person capable of hurting him at this moment: the Frontman wouldn’t allow it.
— I thought you couldn’t have any weaknesses.
And in the next second, Gong Yoo proves that he can: crashes his lips into Jun-ho’s, assertively and with undisguised pleasure. He notices to himself that Hwang doesn’t resist at all, on the contrary, he responds melliantly, but does not give up positions, grabbing the recruiter by the throat in an attempt to slightly weaken him and to take control of the situation himself. The Salesman, once again, allows. But not for long. The attraction of unprecedented generosity works today only because the recruiter wants it. He wants to feel that he can be different too.
Perhaps madame Irene Lesage was right after all, talking about the true desires of every person, which, no matter how hard he tries to hide, will show itself sooner or later. However, at such a moment Gong Yoo realizes: he doesn’t mind at all.
— Wiil you accompany me on the island? — withdrawing for a while, Hwang exhales. Asking such a thing feels like betraying himself, his ideals and values, but he doesn’t want to think about the disbanded team, the suspicious captain or Gi-hun, who disappeared from the radars with the end. Only about the Salesman sitting opposite.
— I may even swear, — the recruiter grins, and this is enough for Jun-ho to just relax and admit that his life is actually worth living.
— Thank you, Gong Yoo, — Hwang reaches for the Salesman’s lips again. Seeing a slight surprise on the recruiter’s face, he explains — I can listen.
And now the Salesman’s thinking about the fact that madame Irene should keep her mouth shut.
***
Gong Yoo knows that it’s unforgivable for him to have weaknesses, but for some reason he forgives himself for this one.