Chapter 38 - Poker (1)

"You've got to be kidding me!" Sunye muttered in horror. 

"Nope!" SD said in a cheery tone. "This is the place!"

Sunye's mouth fell in shock as she gaped at the vile place SD had brought her to. It was an illegal gambling den hidden in a dark alley. The alley was deserted except for a few homeless men who were leering at her. Even though she had a long jacket covering the hideous clothes beneath, she still felt very much exposed. 

"This is an illegal den!" she protested. "There are criminals and perverts and-"

"Exactly why I need you here," he said in a matter-of-fact way. "You distract them while I steal the list."

"Are you telling me to display my body to them as if I'm some kind of trophy?" she shrieked at him. To her disgust, he seemed to be pondering on that!

"Not a bad suggestion but I'd prefer if you display it to me only," he said, pretending to think. 

Sunye slapped him with all her might but he merely smirked.

"Your attacks are weak!" he scoffed. 

"And you're disgusting!" she yelled. "I'm out of here!"

"Are you sure you wanna leave without paying me my due?" he asked, a sly smile playing on his lips. "Remember what I can do if I'm not paid."

She wanted to tear out his hair for that. Not only did he bring her to a dangerous place but was also expecting her to mingle with possible gangsters and mafia. Who knew what they would do to her? What if they…

"Relax," SD sighed. "You're not gonna distract them with your body! Sure, it's a pleasant distraction for me but in this place, you'll not stand out at all. These clothes will only help you blend in. And drop the posh accent. I know for a fact that you can mimic street talks. Use that and you'll be no different than the cheap hoes in the club."

"Gee, that is such a nice compliment," Sunye said in a sarcastic tone. 

"Hey, I'm just giving advice," SD shrugged. "You can take it up or leave it. Just be sure not to slip and give away your identity."

Sunye let out a deep breath and asked, "Then why am I here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" SD asked, opening the door to let her in. "To play poker of course!"

That surprised Sunye but she did not say anything. Instead, she followed him down a set of stairs which led to an electronically locked door in front of which a burly guard stood.

"ID?" he demanded. SD took out two ID's. He had Orea make fake ID's for himself and Sunye.

"I'm Heo James and this is my girlfriend, Jang Nayeon," SD said, pointing at themselves. To his slight amusement, Sunye took off her jacket and put her hand around his neck, leaning really close against his body.

"Oppa, Imma gettin' kinda tired," she complained, adopting the perfect street accent. "Don' cha wanna go upstairs and play with yer lil kitty?"

She leaned over to pretend to whisper something dirty to him. 

"Naughty girl!" SD laughed. Turning to the guard, he added, "Isn't she something?"

The guard was visibly disturbed by the skank and the so-called decent man who were about to indulge in PDA. These sort of people were very common in that place and it was obvious to him that these two were also one of those horny couples who wanted to sneak away from their spouses and rent a motel room to do kinky stuff.

"We'll play one round and head over to the rooms," SD winked. Sunye flashed a naughty smile while the guard grudgingly stepped aside to let them in. They casually strolled in, successfully fooling the guards.

"Do you wanna go to the room first or play poker?" SD teased. 

"Shut up and tell me who's my opponent!" she snapped. SD peered around before spotting the man he was looking for.

"That guy," he indicated. Sunye followed his gaze to see a man in his thirties wearing a black suit. The man was haughty with platinum blonde hair and a crooked nose. He was well built and was surrounded by similarly dressed men who were probably his bodyguards.

"That's Cho Kibum," SD murmured. "The head of the Carellona Mafia family. He's the illegitimate son of Don Cerellona but the most capable out of all his sons. His mother was from Country K and dad Italian but settled here to set up his own syndicate."

"They have the list of people who supply the illegal gold in the country?" Sunye asked in a hushed tone. SD had already briefed her about his mission and while it sounded dangerous, Sunye knew very well that if there was one person who could get that information, it was SD.

"All you have to do is, provoke him into playing poker with you and keep him engaged long enough for me to steal the papers," he said.

"But what if it's protected by a lock?" Sunye asked.

"I can figure something out," he said. "You, focus on him."

Sunye bit her lip, feeling nervous. SD held out his arm for her to hold and she hesitantly took it, returning to her hooker persona. Trying to look arrogant and sultry, she let SD lead her towards the table where Kibum sat.

As soon as they approached the mafia lord, the guards tried to block their way.

"What do you want?" one of the guards demanded.

Before SD could reply, Sunye stepped in, "I heard yer boss is the top poka playa in this hub?"

The guards stared at the hooker who was sneering at them. "What does a cheap woman like you know about poker?" one of the guards scoffed. The other laughed at his joke but Sunye was not fazed.

"My gal can prolly beat your boss' ass in poker," SD chimed in. "Or is he scared to play with a girl?"

Before the guards could hit him, a cold voice spoke up.

"Let them through," Kibum ordered. "I'd love to crush their arrogance with my foot."