IF I WERE THE DEVIL ; YANG JUNGWON

DEALER: Preliminary round.

"Oh, it seems like there aren't any left." His eyes were on the empty space in front of the boy across from him.

"You lost the game," he said with a seemingly fake look of sadness on his face. A sinister smile formed on his lips.

The boy before him bit his lips desperately.

The boy's eyes fell slowly to the empty space before him where his chips once lay before travelling to the other side, where all his chips had gone. He gulped as he began to realise what the male was alluding to.

"I accept."

The lips of the other parted slowly. He showed his teeth in the evil smile that adorned his face.

"Are you sure you wanna keep playing?" He asked, knowing there was only one answer to this simple question, for he was the one who had made him that way.

Addicted to the falling chips, to the shattered cards, to the feeling of having everything and nothing at the same time.

The addiction with the possibility of being all or nothing at all.

The game of chance.

"Are you sure you want to accept his conditions, Lee Mino?"

A chill ran down Mino's spine as the boy's words echoed in his ears, sending warning goosebumps all over his body.

Everything in him, or rather the form of someone in him, was screaming for a stop, for an end, for an escape from this spiral of misfortune. His luck had run out, but he believed that it would give him one last chance, just this one last chance.

"I cannot hear your answer."

The boy turned his head to the side so that the other could have a look at his visual, while at the same time he tapped his ear in order to symbolise to Mino what he had to do.

"I accept it," the blue-haired boy said, repeating what he had said earlier.

The next thing Mino knew, the boy was tapping his index finger on the surface of the wooden table and the door further back in the crowded, player-filled room opened.

A girl in a dark blue uniform and face mask came in. She placed a new set of chips in front of Mino.

The amount of chips that would be worth the value of his life.

His opponent was paying close attention to how the girl was placing each and every chip on the dark surface of the wood. He licked his lips at the sight. He could already feel the excitement building inside him.

A game that could decide between life and death.

A 50/50 chance.

To take or lose everything.

Just this one chance.

Having hope for the last time.

But at what cost?

Cards were dealt one-for-one until both players had three cards each.

"Miracle's draw," the dealer announced the name of the game. "The challenger should make his decision without looking at his own cards. The lower or the higher hand to win?"

Both players place one of their three cards on their foreheads for the other player to confirm its value.

"The higher," Mino's opponent finally decided while holding the one of hearts. The blue-haired boy secretly lifted the corners of his lips at the knowledge that he was holding the seven of clubs.

"Reveal your cards."

Mino slowly revealed his second card.

"Eight of diamonds."

The other boy showed his card.

"Nine of spades."

Mino swallowed. He began to slowly reach for his last card, while the other reached for his own.

"Jack of clubs." "King of Hearts."

They replied at the same time. One of them opened his eyes in horror while the other leaned back, a devilish expression on his almost angelic features.

"You lost again," his opponent concluded in a intimidating tone as the dealer moved the chips that represented Mino's life to his side.

"Park wins," the dealer announced, causing the boy to suddenly start to shake in terror.

"Just give me anoth-," he tried to bring out with his voice shaking.

"Lee Mino, you knew what you were putting yourself into," the one the dealer had referred to as 'Park' cut him off.

Mino's face had turned completely pale only in seconds as if his soul had left his body.

"Don't act so desperate, then it isn't fun anymore," Park snickered at the blue-haired boy as his face slowly started to darken.

His eyes suddenly filled with red light, his orbs shone in the dimmed light of the room.

The moment Mino had locked eyes with those red ones, everything surrounding him became black, like as if he had been locked up in a black room with only the dangerous creature left in.

The male stood up from his chair and pushed it behind as it fell to the ground.

He came closer and closer to the boy who couldn't help but try to find a way to still save his life from that demon-like creature.

The closer the male came to his frightened figure, the more it was like the light in those red eyes was penetrating his soul, making Mino grip on his clothes in terror.

The closer the other came, the more it seemed like his expression was changing.

The smirk on his lips slowly developed to a sinister smile, into the one of

A devil.

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