Chapter 17: The Gangsters Debts

At night on the same day, the streetball court was illuminated by the lights. As soon as the final whistle blew, Jung Ho emerged victorious. The rookies left the court in despair, and Jung Ho headed towards Ming You, but before he could boast about his victory, Ming You interrupted him: 

"You didn't let me down! You can leave as soon as we finish taking care of these rookies; the reward will be waiting for you."

Jung Ho nodded and then started to leave the court.

After that, Ming You stretched his sly smile as wide as possible and turned to Taek Jung and his buddies: 

"So, my friend, I won, as always."

Taek Jung and the other henchmen were in a bit of shock: 

"Why are you grinning like that?"

Ming You didn't let his smile fade for a second: 

"You owe me a hundredfold payout for the bet. I wonder, does your profit from games and brothels with whores and drugs add up to that? Or are you just a small gang of petty thugs?"

Taek Jung, with a shocked and angry look, said: 

"Who are you calling a small gang? You think we can't keep our word? Hey, Sung Wo, how much did he bet?"

When Taek Jung shifted his gaze from Ming You to the game referee, Sung Wo was in complete shock: 

"Five... fifty thousand..."

Taek Jung replaced his anger with a smirk: 

"So, considering the hundredfold profit, that's five million won? Easy."

Ming You continued to smile: 

"Haha, five million dollars, kid."

His response left all the gangsters in shock and confusion.

"This madman bet fifty thousand dollars!? Sung Wo, check quickly!" Taek Jung was furious.

Sung Wo pulled out the fifty thousand dollars that Ming You had bet and showed them to everyone with a shocked expression.

"This is fucked up." Taek Jung couldn't contain his surprise.

"What are we going to tell Tae Hwan?" Sung Wo asked in panic.

"So, kids, where's my five million?" Ming You brazenly interjected.

The gangsters exchanged glances, and one of them threatened: 

"Who the fuck do you think you are? You're just a little fucking pussy! Be grateful that you're free of debts and we didn't smash your fucking little faggot face!"

Ming You chuckled slightly, then stepped onto the basketball court and addressed the departing spectators: 

"Hey, esteemed audience, this gang of clowns is too scared to pay me my winnings from my bet. My bet was high, and these little guys are so poor they can't even pay a regular schoolboy! Just look at them!"

As the spectators turned and listened to him, Ming You mockingly pointed at Taek Jung and the other organizers. The rookies were already long gone in despair, and Jung Ho was not paying attention, but the other people looked at Ming You with disdain and then turned the same look towards the gangsters, with one of them shouting: 

"Seriously? You can't give the rightful winnings to some kid? Or is he just mocking you?"

"It seems true, considering the shock on the organizers' faces; are they really cheating schoolkids?" one of the spectators pointed out.

"Haha, I didn't expect such serious guys to be unable to pay a schoolboy his winnings. I guess I won't be betting on kids' games anymore." agreed another spectator who was already heading towards the sidewalk.

The gangsters looked at the spectators in panic, and one of them shouted: 

"Hey, he's a fraud! He didn't bet anything! Why are you running away? Do you really believe some kid?"

Some of the spectators stopped, watching the new show.

"Haha, how can you cheat those who saw with their own eyes how I was betting hundred-dollar bills instead of change? Right, esteemed spectators?" Ming You turned back to the crowd again.

The spectators were slightly stunned, but still, some of them nodded silently.

"What? So you really don't pay out big winnings? What a bunch of frauds." someone from the crowd shouted.

The gangsters gritted their teeth in anger and shock. But Taek Jung, not wanting to lose face, shifted his gaze from the crowd back to Ming You and said loudly: 

"We will pay you your winnings! It's just that the amount is such that we need the boss's decision."

Ming You laughed heartily: 

"Hah! Did you hear him?" Ming You abruptly turned his head towards the crowd and then pointed at Taek Jung, "They can't pay out the winnings properly! They admitted that they owe me, but as you can see, they aren't giving anything!"

The remaining crowd began to look at the gangsters with disdain and whisper among themselves, mentioning words like "Frauds" and "Cowards."

Taek Jung and the other organizers were stunned, but Sung Wo, somewhat calmed down, decided to intervene: 

"I apologize for the misunderstanding! Ming You, we will definitely pay your winnings and provide additional compensation for what happened."

The gangsters were even more shocked. While Taek Jung was calling his boss to come to the court, Ming You slyly replied: 

"I can't wait to see your provided compensation."

When Taek Jung called his boss and asked him to come, after he hung up, he turned to Ming You: 

"Your money is on the way, and you, our esteemed spectators," Taek Jung looked at the crowd, "I apologize for this scene; we truly made a mistake, and it will never happen again. Next time, your winnings from the bets will be increased by fifteen percent."

Upon hearing that their winnings would now be increased, the spectators nodded with forgiving looks and began to disperse.

"Hey, wait a minute, you still haven't seen how I was paid my winnings. Did you really fall for the trick that your winnings would be increased when they haven't even given me the money?" Ming You shouted, addressing the departing crowd.

"And he's right; how can they increase our winnings if they haven't even paid him?" One of the spectators stopped, and others agreed with him.

Taek Jung angrily turned his eyes towards Ming You, and then, making a calmer expression, addressed the spectators: 

"Okay, friends. To avoid suspicion about our inability to pay, you can stay and watch us pay the winnings with compensation."

Some spectators decided to sit on the benches, some left, while others continued to stand, waiting to decide whether to come back next time.

Just then, a black jeep with heavily tinted windows arrived. A muscular man in a black jacket got out of the front door. He approached the back door of the car and opened it, and out stepped another muscular man with gray hair, but shorter—Tae Hwan. He, along with his henchman, headed towards Taek Jung, passing by the crowd. The first thing that caught his eye was Ming You's sly face, who had profited from his games before. The group of gangsters immediately bowed in respect, and Taek Jung began to report in panic: 

"Boss, the situation is that we owe five million dollars, and we have no way to refuse."

Tae Hwan was engulfed in shock; first, he looked at Ming You, then at the spectators, and back at Taek Jung: 

"This... This..."

Tae Hwan began to sort through his thoughts: 

"This schoolboy has really become a threat, what the hell!"

He continued to reflect, imagining a chess game against Ming You: 

"If I don't give him the money, I will lose my reputation, and no one will bet anymore, but on the other hand... I don't have that kind of money!!! He beat me!"

In his thoughts, Ming You had checkmated him on an imaginary board.

After a moment of contemplation, he turned to Ming You and said: 

"You won. I admit defeat. You really are a wolf in sheep's clothing."

Ming You pretended to be puzzled: 

"And where's my winnings, since you acknowledged your defeat in front of everyone?"

Tae Hwan lowered his head and said: 

"We... We don't have that kind of money. From today, we are your debtors."

Ming You leaned closer to Tae Hwan: 

"In that case, I have a condition."

Tae Hwan raised his head and calmly asked: 

"What is it?"

Ming You returned his wide grin: 

"You will fully submit to me, bow your heads." Ming You took Tae Hwan's head and tilted it down. Taek Jung, Sung Wo, and the other gangsters were engulfed in unimaginable shock at such audacity. But after a moment, he continued: "Once your debts are paid, I will acknowledge your authority, and you can consider this as never having happened, but for now, do as I say."

Tae Hwan wanted to kill Ming You with his bare hands and skin him alive, but, struggling to contain his unprecedented rage, which seemed to make his hair grayer, he gritted his teeth and said to everyone: 

"Bow your heads before our new boss!"

The gangsters, like the spectators, were in shock, but they managed to bow their heads towards Ming You.

"Alright, now I will address the esteemed spectators." He looked towards the crowd and continued, "I annul my objections and allow the organizers to take on debts and pay them to me. Since I am now also considered an organizer of these games, your next winnings will indeed be increased by fifteen percent."

The crowd was in confusion, and one person shouted: 

"So if I place a huge bet, I can also become the boss and have such subordinates? If so, I can't wait for the next game!" The rest of the crowd was excited, and everyone began to disperse little by little.

When Ming You was left alone with the gangsters, Taek Jung said: 

"What about the debts of the rookies in your basketball club? Aren't you going to annul their debts? You don't have to play against them."

Ming You replied with a smirk: 

"Of course not, debts are debts; besides, I want to play myself, rather, to win, so I will stomp them into even greater debts." His gaze turned sinister.

"Alright, we got it." Taek Jung said, but inside he was thinking differently and didn't know if he could say such things aloud anymore: "Damn, it's obvious that this shameless trickster has no feelings even for his team members."

"Alright, guys, until the next game." Ming You waved his hand and left the court.

"We can give you a ride if you need it." Tae Hwan shouted without looking up.

"Thanks, but I can walk." Ming You said, not turning back and continuing to leave the court.

A vein bulged on Tae Hwan's forehead, but he said nothing.

As soon as Ming You exited the court's territory, the gangsters raised their heads, looking at their boss.

"This fucking faggot! How dare he! Damn, damn... fuck!!!" Tae Hwan cursed angrily as he headed towards his car.

"This immoral, unscrupulous, and ruthless trickster! He used not only his reputation but mine too! Damn you, Ming You!!!" His nerves were on edge.