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ONE | THE CARD WITH THE PLAYSTATION BUTTONS

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THE LEAVES WERE dancing, following the sway of the gentle wind. The night was black as ever, but bright stars lit up the sky, sprinkled across the astronomical landscape like diamonds. Walking along the sidewalk was Chang Soo-Jin with her hands in her pockets, exhausted and forlorn.

It had been twenty-six years ever since her parents died and she was left alone to take care of her adoptive sister. So much had happened ever since that day, her life took a sharp turn and everything just went from bad to worse. She discovered that her parents were robbed and stabbed to death that fateful evening and that they owed millions of money to the bank since they planned to open a beer bar in Itaewon-dong.  They had put all of their assets --  entire savings and estate as financial collateral.

The bank took away all of her parents' properties and the two Chang sisters were left with almost little money, but Soo-Jin was still hopeful despite of their financial trouble. She only had one more year left before she graduates.

But, life... life was cruel.

Her younger sibling, Hana, was diagnosed with kidney disease and was going to be on dialysis for the rest of her life.

Soo-Jin, despite not wanting to let go her dream of becoming a lawyer, dropped out of university and worked three jobs -- sometimes four, to sustain herself and pay her sister's dialysis. It was difficult at first, especially since there weren't really many companies that hired female workers. The sisters had to even leave Ssangmun-dong and rented a cheap apartment to really lower their expenses. It worked for the last twenty-six years until now.

Hana's physician currently told her that her sister had needed immediate kidney transplant to live. Soo-Jin felt her world crash and burn once again when the doctor informed her that the transplant will cost millions of won, the same amount of money she owed to loan sharks.

The silence at the train station was usual, and even quieter since less people were around anymore. Some people held newspapers in their hands, while some were busy checking their phones. Soo-Jin noticed a small family were having a small chit chat with one another and she can't help, but shed a tear at the sight. It had been so long since she felt the warmth of family. She missed her adoptive parents. She missed the life she had. She wished she could go back to her childhood days where it was all easy and happy.

Do I not deserve to be happy?

She then sighed and wiped her tears. "No, you are strong, Chang Soo-Jin. You can do this. You are smart, talented, and determined. There's nothing that can bring you down."

I can do this. She thought. And even if I can't: I have to.

Actually, her co-workers advised her to marry a rich man or be a sugar baby to solve all of her financial problems and Soo-Jin knew it will work, but she wasn't just going to let a man do that for her. She had principles, and those were the only things she had left. Soo-Jin wants her pride to be intact so if she has to work more than three jobs, then so be it.

The young woman sat on the bench, contemplating about her next decision. Earlier, she contacted black market organ dealers to exchange one of her kidneys for one her sister can use in the transplant. To say she was scared was an understatement, she was beyond terrified. She was going to be cut open and only God knows what else might be taken from her. What if they double cross her and take her severance money? Anything can happen.

Inserting her hand in her pocket, Soo-Jin decided to let her fate be decided by a toss coin. Staring at the shiny silver coin, she muttered, "Heads for yes. Tails for no."

Letting out a breath, she flipped the coin and caught it, slamming it against the top of her other hand.

That was when someone sat beside her.

"Hello, miss. Can I talk to you?"

Soo-Jin rolled her eyes, irked by his interruption. "I don't have any money to join your pyramid scheme so go away."

"It’s not that. Listen, I wanna let you in on a great opportunity to -- "

At this, the woman finally glanced at the man beside her. He was wearing a very pristine suit and his dark eyes were glinting as light struck them. His slightly tousled hair and very charming smile disarmed her entirely. Dear god, she would be lying if she said he wasn't the most attractive salesman she had ever seen her entire life.

And then she was brought back to reality after she caught herself staring. "Look, I really do not have the time for this shit you want to sell. I'm currently on my way to sell my kidney to the black market so unless you can give me some money then..."

The salesman cut her off by opening his attache case, revealing what was inside. Soo-Jin's eyes flickered down and was taken aback when she saw the cash inside along with red and blue folded paper tiles. Her eyebrows furrowed and she slightly moved away from him.

"Would you like to play a game with me?"

Soo-Jin narrowed her eyes, carefully studying him. "What kind of scam is this? Ponzi? Forex? You can't fool me. Mind you, my only ex was a business major. He taught me all of that."

"I’m sure you’ve played ddakji before, right?" The salesman picked up two paper tiles from his attache case; one blue, one red. "Play a few rounds of ddakji with me, and each time you win, I’ll pay you 100,000 won."

The woman blinked, trying to register what the man just said. She scoffed. "Seriously? If I hit your ddakji, and it flips over, I get a 100,000 won? You're joking, right? What kind of company would have that as a sales tactic?"

He smiled, genuinely. "I'm serious." He then shrugged. "If you hit my ddakji and it flips over, you get 100,000 won, but if I can flip yours, you will give me the exact same amount of money."

"I'm -- "

"You can also be the first to play."

"... interested in this. Fine, I'll go play."

The salesman smirked. "So, which color do you wanna play as?"

"Blue."

And that's how the two got themselves into a game of ddakji. Soo-Jin looked back at her closed hands, the one where the coin was underneath. Without looking at it, she set it aside and took the blue origami floor tile. She was slightly familiar with the game since she had played it once when she was young. She wasn't an expert in it, but she knew its basics even its strategy.

The salesman set his red ddakji on the ground before clasping his hands on his front. The young woman twirled her between her fingers once then slammed it against her opponent's, hitting its center with such force.

It flipped over.

Soo-Jin smirked, feeling confident over her win. "First try."

"Congratulations." The attractive salesman clapped his hands, smiling. He seemed to be impressed. "My turn."

He successfully flipped it over and smirked. "First try."

The woman rolled her eyes, picking up her ddakji. Narrowing her eyes, she aimed at its center, the puffiest part, but it hit the edge instead. She failed to flip her opponent's piece. Soo-Jin grunted. "Aish..."

"Your luck ran out?" the man teased, taking his origami.

"Luck's not only what I have."

"Good." And with that, he struck her origami and won again, making Soo-Jin grimace and curse under her breath. She lost the game and now, she had to pay the salesman with 100,000 won, money she obviously didn't have.

"And that's it!" proclaimed Soo-Jin, shrugging. "Like I said earlier, I don't have money with me right now so thanks for the game! Bye!" She bowed her head and spun around to leave, but then the man pulled her back.

"How about you use your body to pay?"

Soo-Jin's eyes widened, harshly pushing him away from her, disgusted and appalled. "You perverted ass -- "

A loud crack echoed across the platform as her neck jerks to the side. He had just slapped her.

Enraged, the woman pulled up her sleeves. "What the fuck? What was that for, jerk?"

"I’ll take 100 grand off per slap." the salesman calmly stated, angering Soo-Jin even more.

She tsked, her jaw clenching tight. "So, that's how it is. Fine, then." Soo-Jin cocked her head to the side, the gears in her head turning as strategies formulated in her mind. Suddenly, a switch was turned on in her head. The game became a challenge to her, one that she was determined to win since she wasn't known to lose. Crossing her arms, she stepped forward, a menacing smirk forming in her lips. "I will let you attempt to flip my ddakji for five times and every time you succeed, you slap my face."

The salesman squinted his eyes as if he was studying her deal. "Are you sure about that?"

"Yes, and after your turn, I will attempt to flip your ddakji for five times as well. For every successful change of side, I'll get 100,000 won. For every fail, I'll strip off one piece of my clothing and you'll slap me not only in my face, but anywhere you may wish."

"I don't agree with your deal."

"Then, I'm not playing."

He smiled again. "Nobody has made a deal with me ever since I started this job, but for you, fine."

"Great." Soo-Jin stepped aside and bent slightly forward, carefully observing her rival's techniques. That was the reason why she let him go first for five times, so that she would have enough time and repetition to understand her rival. Soo-Jin knew in every game, the most important element of defense was knowing your opponent.

After the salesman had won every round and slapped Soo-Jin multiple times across her face, the young woman had come to the conclusion that it wasn't the strongest player who will win the game, it was the smartest and the most coordinated.

"Direction, not power. Vertical." she mumbled under her breath, still dazed from the smacks she received.

Taking this into mind, Soo-Jin seized her ddakji and shook her head, focusing solely on her opponent's piece. Remembering all what she had observed, she then vertically struck her target with the flat side of her ddakji paper and used more surface area to make more contact. As she predicted, the momemtum transferred and carried the paper up on the bounce and flipped over.

Soo-Jin smirked, looking at her competition. "One."

And so there it goes, the woman successfully flipped the salesman's piece five times in a row with ease. Her rival clapped his hands, impressed. "Congratulations on your win." he told, walking over to his attache case and handing her her prize money.

"500,000 won." vocalized Soo-Jin, clicking her tongue when she took it from the attractive salesman. She then sat back down at her bench and counted the cash. "Who knew I would get such large money tonight? Thank you for the game." She bowed her head to the man in thanks.

"You're welcome, miss. You know, there are other games like this where you can make even more. Come on, it must sound so tempting."

The brunette sighed. "Look, it's been fun and all, but I'm still not -- "

"Miss Chang," the salesman stated her name, firmly, catching her attention. She had never mentioned her last name to this man, so how come he knew about it? "Earlier, you were told that your adoptive sister is in need of immediate kidney transplant."

At this, Soo-Jin became defensive. She snarled. "Where the fuck did you get that information?"

"Your name, Chang Soo-Jin. 42 years old. Unmarried. You are a non-graduate alumna of SNU. Almost attended Law School at the young age of 20, but dropped due to financial difficulty. Currently working at Merit hotel as a Guest Relations Officer, at Ddong Café as a waitress, and at SB Finance Group as a janitress." he recited as if he had just read her resumé.

Soo-Jin aggressively grabbed the man's collar and drew him close to her. "Where the fuck did you get all that? Who are you?" she growled, not liking how he knew about her background.

"A hundred and eighty million won owed just to loan sharks, and you owe 380 more to the bank."

"Ya!" she yelled, pissed off. "Tell me, who are you?"

"We don’t have many spots left. Just think about it."

And with that, the salesman passed her a brown business card that had three shapes as its logo. A triangle, a circle, and a square. Soo-Jin knitted her eyebrows, both confused and curious. It reminded her of those buttons she saw in that gadget the kids played before. The attractive man then stood up and carried his attache case with him, entering the train car. Beaming, he lifted his arm and cheered her on, mouthing, "Fighting!"

If she wasn't still baffled how he knew everything about her, she would've thought he was mocking her.

The woman let out a long breath, exhausted from the game. Well, at least, she collected five hundred grand from it. She pinched her nose and stared once again at the calling card in her hand. "What kind of company would have the playstation buttons as their logo?" She wondered, loudly, snickering.

As soon as she had said this, her phone rang and she immediately answered it when she saw the number of her sister's doctor on the screen. "Hello."

"Miss Chang, I have a very bad news for you. Hana will need the kidney transplant done within this week or the next or she will completely lose kidney function and..."

"And what, doctor?"

A sigh. "She will die."

Soo-Jin felt like the air from her lungs had been knocked out. Where would she get the money and the matching kidney for her sister's transplant? She momentarily moved her phone away from her lips and muttered, "Fuck, fuck, fuck!"

That was when she remembered the business card in her hand.

Taking a deep breath, she nodded and placed her gadget back to her ear. "Consider it done, doctor. I have 500,000 as of this moment and I will make sure I will have the rest of the payment by the end of this week."

"Okay, good. I'm really sorry, Soo-Jin. I -- "

"It's okay, doctor. Don't worry, I'll get that money. Just save my sister, okay?"

"I will do everything I can."

"Thank you."

The call soon ended and Soo-Jin wanted to cry, to just release all her stress and frustration at life. Why was this all happening to her? Until when was she going to suffer? She inhaled again, calming her pounding heart and agitated nerves. Soo-Jin flickered her gaze toward the coin she had set aside earlier.

It was tails.

She scoffed. That meant she wasn't going to sell her kidney to the black market.

Staring at the telephone number that was written at the back of the card, she punched in the numbers and dialed it without hesitation. After all, she had nothing to lose. She was confident she could win whatever games those men had to offer. She was smart, skilled, and determined. Three things that were very essential not only in games, but also in life.

I can do this. She thought. And even if I can't: I have to.

"Hello. Who’s calling?" responded the person on the other line.

"Hello. One of your salesmen -- no, recruiter..." she corrected herself. "Gave me your business card earlier."

Static silence. "Do you wish to participate in the game? If you wish to participate, please state your name and birthdate."

"Chang Soo-Jin, 1975."