Chapter Text
“Ante up. Fifty points.”
The dealer’s voice cuts through the room.
Everyone pays.
Juhoon flicks his chips forward lazily, like he doesn’t care whether they ever make their way back to him.
“Fifty points?” he scoffs, glancing at the other players. “What is this, some kind of kids’ game?”
The dealer ignores him and begins dealing.
Cards slide across the table.
Juhoon looks down.
Seven of spades.
Two of diamonds.
The worst possible starting hand.
Perfect.
His gaze drifts to the fourth-year sitting across from him, watching closely, trying to read faces, tells, breathing, anything.
“Fold while you can,” the boy says.
But Juhoon doesn’t miss the faint tremor in his voice.
He tilts his head, a slow smile spreading across his face. “And why would I do that?”
Silence stretches.
Then-
“I raise. Two hundred thousand.”
Gasps erupt around the table.
Amateurs. Beginners. They think poker is about luck, about who gets the good cards.
No.
Poker is about making your opponent believe they’ve already lost.
“A–are you insane?” the boy stutters, eyes wide. “You’re still on the first floor, how can you bet that recklessly?”
Juhoon shakes his head, grin only growing wider. “Where’s the fun if you’re not risking everything?” he says calmly. “Am I right?”
The dealer lays the flop.
Ace of clubs.
King of diamonds.
Ten of spades.
Strong cards.
Just not for him.
“All signs say you’re bluffing,” the player says, forcing confidence into his voice.
Juhoon’s grin sharpens. “Then call.”
Say it again.
Say I’m bluffing.
I want to hear you believe it.
His heart is racing, but not with fear.
With joy.
The dealer flips the next card.
Two of spades.
A pair.
Weak. Useless. Almost insulting.
The boy freezes.
Just for half a second.
But that’s all Juhoon needs.
There it is. That pause. That hesitation.
You didn’t get what you wanted, did you?
“All in,” the dealer announces.
Juhoon pushes all his chips forward without hesitation.
The fourth-year does the same.
Silence crashes down on the room. The surrounding students don’t even dare to whisper.
The boy is sweating now. “You’re insane,” he mutters.
Juhoon leans forward, resting his chin in his palm. “I know.”
You won’t call.
Because if you do, you lose everything.
And I already decided I don’t mind either way.
The boy’s hands start shaking. Sweat beads at his temple.
Other players look away.
They’ve seen this before.
The dealer looks at Juhoon as the timer ticks down. “What do you have?” he asks.
Juhoon’s eyes never leave the dizzy boy across from him. “Does it matter?” he asks, his voice light and teasing, mean in a way that makes it clear he already knows how this ends.
A long, suffocating pause.
Then-
“I fold,” the boy finally says.
Juhoon jumps to his feet, clapping his hands together. “Yay,” he cheers, bending forward to sweep the chips into his arms and drag them toward himself.
Points flood into his total.
He doesn’t even look.
He’s still staring at the fourth-year.
Still smiling.
Poker isn’t about winning hands.
It’s about convincing someone their courage is smaller than yours.
And that's exactly what Juhoon has done.
The room erupts.
Some students cheer, others whisper, gossip spreading in quick, excited bursts as the numbers on the screen surge, money flooding into Juhoon’s total. The display flickers, then flashes.
Level up. Second floor.
Juhoon stands and gives a small, exaggerated bow to the crowd gathered around the table, as if he’s just finished a performance. Then he turns and walks away, the noise fading behind him.
As he moves down the corridor, he pulls out his phone.
One missed call.
Dad.
Juhoon stares at the screen for a moment, expression unreadable. Then he locks the phone and slips it back into his pocket, continuing toward the lounge.
“Hey.”
A voice stops him.
Juhoon turns.
A girl with short blonde hair stands a few steps behind him, her hands tucked behind her back, studying him with open curiosity.
“Aren’t you the new kid?” she asks. “The one who just moved in today?”
Juhoon nods, brightening instantly. “Yeah, that’s me,” he says, almost cheerfully.
She lets out a breathless laugh. “Well... you just set a record. No one in this school’s history has ever climbed a level on their first day.”
He shrugs, casual. “I’m planning to make it to the fourth by tonight.”
Her face freezes.
“F–fourth level?” she repeats. “By... tonight?”
Juhoon smiles at her reaction. “Am I saying something weird?”
“That’s impossible,” she says quickly, the words tumbling over each other. “To reach the fourth level, you’d need two hundred million points before midnight.”
Juhoon presses his lips together, pretending to think it over seriously.
“Well...” he says slowly, glancing off to the side, “I’ve got about fifty and a half million already.”
He looks back at her, smiling.
“So it shouldn’t be too hard,” he adds lightly. “Right?”
The clock flashes 11:35.
Juhoon has just won the final game, the one that qualifies him for the fourth level.
Hours of nonstop matches. Risk after risk. Bets high enough to cost him his life if he’d slipped even once. And now, as the last points settle into his total, he’s smiling.
The elevator hums softly as it carries him upward into the fifty second floor.
Final floor.
The doors slide open.
Juhoon steps out, turns the corner-
-and stops.
Three students stand in his path, waiting.
Angry, by the look of them.
Juhoon’s smile doesn’t fade. If anything, it sharpens. “Well,” he says lightly as he walks closer, “what do we have here?”
“Who are you?” asks the girl in the center.
She wears an eyepatch, her posture relaxed but deliberate, like she already knows she’s in control.
“My name’s Juhoon,” he replies easily. “I arrived today.”
Her lips curl into a smirk. “Then tell me,” she says, tilting her head, “what cheating techniques did you use to reach the fourth level in less than twenty-four hours?”
She steps forward, circling him slowly.
“Hidden mirrors?” she continues. “Did you memorize the decks?” A pause. Then, smiling wider, sharper. “Or did you sink so low as to pay off the dealer?”
She sounds confident. Almost certain she’s caught him.
Juhoon frowns, genuinely puzzled. “My mom taught me never to cheat,” he says, and simply walks past them.
“Hey, new kid!”
Her voice snaps behind him.
Juhoon turns around-
Just in time.
A sharp dart slices through the air, aimed straight for his eye.
He dodges instinctively, shifting his body effortlessly in a blur, as the dart slams into the painting behind him, right in the eye of the man in the portrait.
Bullseye.
Juhoon glances at it, then back at the girl.
“Nice aim,” he says casually.
Then he turns and walks away, leaving the three of them standing there as he heads toward his dorm, unbothered and very aware that he’s just painted a target on his back.
Juhoon stared down at his key card.
Room 6266.
How many dorm rooms does this place even have? he wondered as he finally found the hallway. At last, he reached his door and swiped the card.
“Access-permitted.”
The door slid open, revealing a room dimly lit by a single bedside lamp.
“Hello?” Juhoon called, stepping inside.
A boy emerged from behind his desk. “Oh, you must be the new kid,” he said with a grin, walking toward him. “Hi, I’m Seonghyeon.”
“Nice to meet you,” Juhoon replied, glancing around the shadowy room. “What’s with all the dark vibes in here?” he asked, setting down his belongings.
Seonghyeon chuckled and flipped on the lights. “Oh, I just perform my rituals in the dark,” he said, picking up a few clothes from the floor. “You know... to sabotage the enemy.”
Juhoon laughed, amused. “Wow... really?”
“No,” Seonghyeon said, smiling, “I was just about to sleep.”
Juhoon nodded, grinning.
Seonghyeon let out a soft, confused laugh. Juhoon’s reactions were underwhelming, in a way. Gullible, almost, like he’d believe anything, no matter how absurd.
“So,” the boy asked asked, leaning back against his desk, “how does it feel being the only person to ever make it up here in a single day?”
“Pretty easy,” Juhoon said casually.
“You know,” Seonghyeon said, “usually students make it their goal to reach the fourth floor. But now that you have... what are you really here for?”
Juhoon’s smile widened. “I’m here to gamble.”
“Really?” Seonghyeon raised an eyebrow. “You don’t seem like someone who came here just to play.”
Juhoon nodded. “I love taking risks. It’s what excites me when I’m bored.”
Seonghyeon nodded thoughtfully. “Well, nice to meet you. You should get some rest. Tomorrow, I’ll introduce you properly to this place.”
Juhoon didn’t quite know how to feel about welcoming someone new into his life. He was here for one thing, and one thing only, but... a friend wouldn’t hurt.
Not for now.
Someone who actually knew the place could come in handy.
Juhoon returned the nod. "Sleep well." he said quietly.