Seul-ah leaned back and exhaled slowly, before sipping on her second glass of wine while the audience were abuzz.
"What?!"
"How? Did she already know?"
"Don't be stupid," someone smacked the one's asking the silly question. "This is Helios."
Yes. People gambled in this place--despite it being an illegal site--because it was trustworthy; because they wanted the thrill of betting their money and enjoying raw fighting without any fake punch or match-fixing. Otherwise, they could just see any fighting sport out there and bet on a licensed platform.
"R-right," the person quickly said when they felt the sharp glances from the staff around the tables. Couldn't risk themselves getting banned from the establishment, after all.
"Isn't it her first night? How lucky..."
"Ah, beginner's luck?"
"Yeah, he won because the others were underestimating him anyway."
"Right--didn't you hear earlier? She picked him because he's good-looking."
"Ah...understandable."
Seul-ah smiled while sloshing her wine. Ah...what nice murmurs. Yeah; it was the best scenario to be seen as a superficial client that was just supposed to be lucky. The fact that people still thought Ryu Hajin won because the others were underestimating him meant he would be able to win a few more times. Since Seul-ah was meant to keep betting on him, she should be able to win big one more time.
That being said...she was actually still trembling inside for how much she had won.
Just a few hours ago, she was crouching and wailing devastatingly in front of her mother's ashes after getting shot in another timeline. To think she would have satisfying capital to start something on her own after all of that...
"Congratulations, Miss," one of the staff bowed at her. "Would you like to proceed with the payment now?"
"Yes, please," she stood up. Half of the clients also walking away already; probably wanted to flush their loss away in the bar above. Seul-ah final goal for the night, however, wasn't winning the bet. "May I speak with the manager while at it?"
"Of course," the staff smiled cheerfully and gestured toward one of the exits. "Please follow me."
As she walked away to follow the staff, Seul-ah glanced at the arena for the last time, and found a pair of deep lakes staring at her; even sharper than before. It made her flinch a little bit, but thankfully, her expression was covered by the mask. Seul-ah took a deep breath and turned her head away.
She didn't know whether Hajin would work for his family again in the future, but she had no intention of making further connections with the man.
Just like the private room used as a secret passage, the general manager's room had two doors. Once again, Seul-ah had to go through long winding passages before arriving there, in a room with a wall screen showing the arena. Lee Sol, with a tray of half-eaten refreshments, was lounging on the couch in front of the screen.
"Wow~" Seul-ah was greeted with a cheery applause. "I really couldn't see that coming."
"Isn't that what makes this place interesting?" Seul-ah took the stiffing mask and coat, giving it to a staff before taking a seat in front of the manager. "There's no fixing, there's no manipulation--everything is left to fate."
"Indeed," Lee Sol smiled and took the tablet he kept at the side table. After fiddling with it for a bit, he handed the tablet to Seul-ah. "This is your total winning. If you want to move it to your white account, it will take about a week to process."
It was understandable to take time to launder the money, but Seul-ah was surprised that it would only take a week. They must have all kinds of channels ready to be operated at any time. Haa...it was truly stupid for the first son to attack this place in the past. Because of that, the company was in chaos at that time...
Ah. That was why his wife managed to kidnap Seul-ah to that warehouse. Everyone was too busy trying to take care of the aftermath, including the first son.
This time, Seul-ah would be the one setting the fire, and she'd make sure to finish the job properly.
Staring at the tablet on Lee Sol's hand, Seul-ah narrowed her eyes without touching it. "I wonder..."
"Yes?"
"Does this amount enough for me to see the owner?"
Lee Sol tilted his head in confusion. "I am the owner, Miss."
Seul-ah flicked her gaze at the man. "Are you really?"
Taking his sore hand back, Lee Sol put the tablet on the couch and chuckled, replying nonchalantly. "I know people called me the manager, but yes--I am the owner."
"Ah, I see. I guess I said it wrong," Seul-ah stroked her smiling lips.
"Well--"
She leaned back and crossed her legs, staring straight at the business smile across her. "What I meant is I want to see your owner."
"Pardon?" the corner of Lee Sol's eyes twitched. Of course, one wouldn't be happy being told they had an 'owner'. Still, Seul-ah respected how the man still replied to her calmly and politely. "Did you have too many drinks, Miss?"
Then, she should return that politeness and get straight to the point.
Tilting her head, Seul-ah smiled deeply. "I'd like to meet the Flower of Disaster."
Lee Sol had managed to maintain his cool up until that point. But he certainly did not prepare to hear a girl who never seemed to step foot inside the darkness of society to come to him with that name. For a few seconds, all he could do was stay still, frozen. His brain was trying to compute how this girl not only knew that name but also the connection it had with him.
"You know that denying now won't work, don't you?"
If this girl knew...who else knew? Did her family know? Her siblings? Her father? How? Where did this information leak from? How should he proceed with this?
All kinds of questions ran inside Lee Sol's mind, but in the end, he just sighed. "If you didn't mention that nickname, I would have kept denying it."
Oh, whatever. He would still get scolded either way.
It was a nickname that only the underground knew. Seul-ah found out about the 'nickname' when she had to take care of the youngest son's drug problem. But only later on, after the first son attacked Helios, did she find out about the person behind that nickname and the connection with Helios. Naturally, no one would think someone who had just turned adult that year would already be privy to this kind of information, even if she was a part of the conglomerate family.
Really; the more he knew, the more he got confused. It was already weird that she knew about the game despite being there for the first time, or how she seemed to be familiar with the place already. Lee Sol had been looking for any information he could obtain regarding her during the game, but...
Again, the confusion only grew.
"Is this your objective from the start?" he asked.
"Not really," Seul-ah smiled.
"Oh?"
"I just wanted to have a secret allowance," Seul-ah shrugged. "But since I'm here anyway, might as well try my luck."
"Huh..."
Again. Just confusion.
"Don't worry," Seul-ah smiled sweetly--the kind of smile the PR team trained her in the past to be used in a business setting. "My family does not know about this--ah, of course, I'm not going to tell you how I know."
Lee Sol arched his brow, before laughing until his shoulder shook. "Oh, I lose," he shook his head helplessly. Yeah; he'd just give up on understanding her. "That being said, meeting him was another matter, Miss. Even I can't just make a request to see him."
"Hmm..."
Seul-ah frowned slightly. As expected, it wouldn't be easy. She could go through another channel, like meeting that person in the office, but...if she could help it, she didn't want her family to find out about it. Meeting through Helios, thus, was the best course.
"Well...I can send in a request, but whether or not he will agree is beyond me," Lee Sol added. He had no idea what she wanted with that person, but he was honestly curious. "Of course, there's no fee for that."
"That's good enough," Seul-ah nodded with a smile. Well...hoping everything would run smoothly was not realistic in the first place. "In that case, would you be able to prepare an account I can use abroad?"
"That is our specialty--although, again, there would be a fee. Shall I take it from your earnings today?"
"Yes."
"Very well," Lee Sol smiled and, as he saw Seul-ah stand up, followed her. "Ah, if I may give you some advice..."
Seul-ah paused and turned to look at the manager again. "Please."
"That person likes...interesting people," Lee Sol tapped the tablet still showing her total earnings. "Perhaps if you can win a few more times--preferably uninterrupted..."
"And it'll be profitable for you," Seul-ah remarked dryly, to which Lee Sol only replied with a smirk. She chuckled softly and nodded. "Please send me the schedule of your events," she paused. "Ones that my champion attends."
"Of course," the manager gave her a deep, gentlemanly bow; eyes sparked with intrigue and excitement.
Another wall had been climbed.