"Welcome to the bartender's table," Lee Sol said while escorting Seul-ah to one of the tables near the railing, where she would be able to see the arena directly from her seat.
Fighters of all sizes and ages, even from different nationalities, could be seen around the arena. Seul-ah knew some of them were also still in the waiting room--or even in the bar above--especially the veterans and the seeded participant. The people who were busy moving down there were the relatively new ones; they were doing all they could to entice the clients to bet on them, from doing warm-ups to unofficial spars.
After all, unless someone bet on them, they wouldn't be able to get any money, even if they ended up as the champion that night.
Of course, not every fighter was there for the money. Some just wanted to challenge themselves; some did it as an initiation or a requirement to join organizations; some just sought a place for them to release their violent streak so they wouldn't accidentally do it outside and some...
Some just wanted to have fun.
"The real Helios," Seul-ah muttered.
Yes. This place wasn't made as an extension for the adult entertainment above. Instead, the glamorous upscale bar was made to mask the brutal desire happening underground.
"Doesn't it feel fierce like a blazing sun?" Lee Sol spread his arms and laughed softly as if talking about his beloved, favorite child.
"Indeed."
He smiled and placed a tablet that a staff gave him in front of Seul-ah. It had everything she needed to know about the rules of the arena and the bet, as well as the participant list for that night's event--or 'game' as they called it. "Would you like to have something while you peruse the drinks? It's still more than an hour before the first round starts."
"A red wine."
"A classic," the manager smiled and bowed politely. "Please wait for a bit."
Seul-ah waited until she was alone and took the tablet while exhaling heavily. Haa...it was hard to keep this kind of act so soon after returning. She'd be fine acting like a proper haughty heiress of some sort if she was given a week or so and recalling everything that her grandfather taught her, but...well, beggars couldn't be choosers.
At any rate, she was there; which meant she had passed the test. Honestly, she was rather surprised that the manager gave her a premium seat despite being her first time--or was it because of that? But then again, it wasn't a big fight night and she was there more than an hour before the show even started, so the tables on her side were mostly empty.
Phew...thinking that she would be participating in the dark side of the city's entertainment...Seul-ah asked her mother's forgiveness for the illegal things she would have to do that night and the foreseeable future.
Of course, this kind of stuff was illegal--otherwise, there was no need to be so discreet about it. This Colosseum-like arena wasn't for sport--people truly fought while risking their lives here. While there was no condition like a fight to the death and there was always a medical team on standby, the contract stated that Helios bore no responsibility for any loss of life in the arena.
That being said, it didn't mean this place encouraged such brutal practices just to entertain the guests. The participants were their assets, and as long as they were alive, they would be able to participate in the next game. Looking for new fighters wasn't so easy, after all.
Not to mention getting rid of the corpse without inviting suspicion.
Funnily enough, that was as far as illegal stuff happened--gambling and fighting. While the place above was a bar, there was a strict no-drug policy in this place, and possession of such would result in a permanent ban. Apparently, getting banned from where the upper social circle hung out was scarier than getting caught by the police.
Seul-ah chuckle. Wasn't it rather ironic? People like them--like her family--could easily bribe the police and manipulate the whole judicial system, but not in this place where possible crimes abound.
Most thought bribing 'criminals' would be easier, but that wasn't the case. While working for her family, Seul-ah learned how much dirty work conglomerates did behind the public's back. Of course, most of the time, they didn't do it themselves. There were people for that kind of job, smearing their hands and legs dirty so the companies upholding the countries shone brightly above. Hell--even politicians and the governments used the service too.
The groups that managed the underworld ran with certain rules, and they were really strict about it. Breaching the rules meant wars, and wars between people doing management of violence as their livelihood always ended up disastrous.
And that was why this place is trustworthy. Keeping secrets was their principle, which was stressed to everyone participating in this...game. The host kept the clients' identities hidden, and the clients kept the existence of the place for themselves. If even one side violated the agreement, everything would crumble. It was a relationship built upon trust in keeping each other's dirty laundry.
Which the first son--and by that Seul-ah--did not comply in the past.
This time, however, she needed their service. Services.
"Your wine, Miss."
Lee Sol came with a glass of wine, mentioning that it was on the house. It seemed like the manager was curious enough of her that he decided to wait on her himself. Well, the interest was good for her. Seul-ah nodded at the wine. "Thank you."
"Have you made your choice?"
Actually, he returned before Seul-ah could reach the participant list since she was busy reading about the rules and everything, making sure it was still the same as she remembered in the past. Making bets, however, wasn't Seul-ah's main objective. She placed the tablet back on the table and turned her head to look at the keen manager. "Before that, I would like to ask something."
"Yes?"
"About the account..."
Lee Sol smiled, perhaps because he could finally glimpse at what Seul-ah actually doing there. "Naturally, all of our clients will be provided with a special account. You can also rent a vault here--of course, with a fee."
It was stupid to use a traceable account for illegal transactions. Just as people used paper companies, laundered money through cafes, and hid bribery beneath a box of fruit, this place created shadow accounts specifically used for betting transactions. The clients would pay the betting money before the fight starting through cash or a 'purchase' in the bar, and if they won, the host would send the money through various 'clean' methods.
A shadow bank--or rather, a shadow deposit box. It was risky because Helios could disappeared or invalidated the receipt somehow, but Seul-ah needed this kind of account now.
Besides, she knew who was truly controlling this place, and no breach of trust had happened until the first son decided to attack this place five years later.
Once again, Seul-ah wouldn't let it happen. "Are you accepting gold and jewelry too?"
"Ah," the smile on the manager's face grew slightly wider. "We accept gold, but jewelry needs further appraisal for its market value so they wouldn't be able to be used tonight. It's possible for the next event, of course."
"What if I just want to keep it in a vault?"
"The fee will be different, but it is doable."
"Very well," she nodded.
She would probably have to prepare for losing around one-fourth of her total assets, but it was better than losing everything to those people in her house.
"Please inform me or the staff once you make your choice. We will help you set up the account then," Lee Sol said. It seemed like it was time for him to greet other clients that finally arriving.
"Yes, thank you," Seul-ah nodded and looked at the tablet again, immediately getting to the participant list this time. New accounts took a while to be processed--especially since she would convert the golds--so she wanted to put her bet quickly. The most popular fighters that had won several times were displayed on top--like a ranking thing--but the page below that started with people in lowest value, as if to make sure the top fighters shone even more.
And that was when Seul-ah paused.
"Huh?"
She frowned as her eyes caught a familiar face. It was a face she hadn't seen in...what? A year or two before her death, but it was striking enough for her to immediately recognize it. A bit younger, but not much had changed.
What's that person doing here?
The manager, who hadn't stepped away too far, returned when he heard Seul-ah soft exclaim. "Is someone caught your fancy, Miss?"
Seul-ah furrowed her brows even deeper because there was nothing much on this person's information page except for his age, height, and weight. His preferred fighting style was provided, but it was still rather vague and without much assessment. No ratings, no value, and no prediction. A blank slate.
A single-syllable name was written below a sharp, handsome feature and a pair of dull grey eyes; [JIN]
That code name gave Seul-ah everything she needed to know that it was the same person in her memory.
Ryu Hajin.
One of the executioner dogs working for his family.