“Can you even build two at once?”
“Yeah.”
Apparently Bin hadn’t known that. Staring at his own deed with only one building on it, he muttered in regret, “Wow, if you build two, that’s 800,000 won.”
And the most hellish zone of all—Seoul—was mine. Even without a hotel, it was a prime piece of land that brought in a clean 2 million won. Strangely enough, people kept landing on Seoul. Like it was the final boss.
Jun glanced at me as I basked in the satisfaction of owning Seoul.
“Seoul’s the most expensive? The person who made this game must’ve been clueless.”
“If you land here, you’re completely screwed.”
With only a few plots left, everyone was busy putting up buildings on their land. But even at a glance, it was obvious I owned the most properties, followed by Roban.
Jun and Bin hadn’t built a single thing. Watching the two of them—who in real life owned houses and buildings—sit there dirt poor in this game was quite a sight. At this rate, one more lap and they’d both go bankrupt. In the middle of that, Bin landed on the deserted island and let out a sigh of relief.
“Haah, I can finally breathe. How does a game stress you out like this? But Du-seon, you’re really rich.”
“That money over there? I basically extorted it from him.”
Ignoring Jun’s grumbling, I picked up the dice and rolled them. Eight. I moved and landed on a key card space. Key cards were luck-based, so I felt a flicker of tension as I flipped it over.
Slowly, I turned the card.
[Privilege Pass: If you possess this pass, you may stay on an opponent’s property without paying toll fees.]
“Yes! A privilege pass.”
“That’s rigged!”
Roban lamented that the richest person pulling that card was shameless.
Next was Jun’s turn. He also landed on a key space. But as he flipped the card and read it, his expression gradually stiffened. Bin snatched it from his hand and read it aloud instead.
“Tour Trip. Proceed to Seoul, host city of the 1988 Olympics.”
“Ah, fuck! What year is this, and it’s sending me to the ’88 Olympics?!”
“Hey. Hurry up and move. Move. Heh heh heh.”
I’d never had a chance to deliver such satisfying karma to him before, and beating him so thoroughly—even if it was just in a board game—felt strangely triumphant. I couldn’t stop grinning. Jun shot me a sharp look.
“Even if I sell my land, I can’t scrape together 2 million. Isn’t that bankruptcy?”
“Bankrupt. You’re broke.”
“Wait.”
As I reached to collect his land and money, Jun grabbed my hand to stop me.
“Hyung, can I pay this in cash?”
“Huh? Cash?”
“I’ll transfer you 2 million won.”
“Are you insane? Who pays real money in a game?”
Bin scoffed that he was just flexing his wealth. Roban firmly declared that it violated the sacred rules of Blue Marble.
Honestly, I kind of wanted the 2 million in cash. If it had just been me and Jun playing, maybe I could’ve saved up for my own place. For a brief second, a hopeful fantasy crossed my mind.
“R-Right. That’s not allowed. Juni’s the first one bankrupt.”
“Bankrupt guy has to go buy late-night snacks.”
Skipping over Bin, who was still stuck on the deserted island, we kept rolling the dice. Meanwhile, Jun quietly stood up and put on his shoes. Just as he was about to close the door, Roban shouted, “Beer too!” and the front door slammed so hard it sounded like it might break.
Bin, who had been teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, went completely broke the moment he got off the deserted island. Roban and I traded blows, but when Roban landed on Seoul, he ran out of cash. Selling land to pay tolls quickly drained him, and in the end, I remained the final winner.
“Maybe it’s because you run a real estate office? Du-seon, you’re the best at this.”
“Oh, come on. It was just luck.”
“By the way, why are you two still speaking formally?”
I hadn’t really noticed until Roban pointed it out, but since everyone else was speaking casually, the way Bin and I used formal speech did make us seem a bit distant.
“Right. We’re the same age. Let’s drop the formalities.”
“Oh, should we? We met as client and agent, so it felt a bit awkward.”
Bin shifted his gaze toward Roban.
“By the way, Blue Tracksuit, how old are you?”
“Me? Twenty-eight.”
“Same age.”
Once we’d all revealed our ages, the hierarchy settled naturally. Roban, Bin, and I were the same age. Jun was the youngest at twenty-three. In this country, it was hard to get close without knowing each other’s age.
“Honestly, he doesn’t look twenty-three. Anyone would think he’s the oldest.”
“Feels like he’s lived two lives. Like some old man in a kid’s body—he’s way too good at getting under people’s skin.”
“At least he didn’t order anything. He’s always pretending to be busy. Like he’s the only one with a job.”
As Roban, Bin, and I took turns badmouthing Jun, the doorbell rang. The three of us fell silent at once and said, “That was fast,” as I went to open the door.
Jun stood there with beer and various snacks in both hands. Judging by the assortment, he hadn’t thought too hard about it—just grabbed one of everything on display. The only beer he bought was the Estonian dark beer he’d once said he liked.
“So selfish. Only bought the beer he likes.”
“Then don’t drink it.”
Roban grumbled, apparently not a fan of dark beer.
I didn’t really want beer or snacks, but I carried them over to the sofa table anyway. In the meantime, Bin cleared the board from the middle of the living room. “Cleared” was generous—he just dumped everything back into the box in a heap. Money, cards, hotel pieces all tangled together.
Very much a “the next person can deal with it” mentality. We opened a couple of snack bags and sat around the table.
“So, who won?”
“I did.”
I brought paper cups and poured myself a little beer. I’d gone to the hospital earlier, so I didn’t want to overdo it. I also wanted to sleep early.
Maybe because they were the same age, Bin and Roban hit it off quickly. As proof, Roban started promoting the adult products he sold, and while Bin initially half-listened, at some point he began nodding seriously.
Jun listened from the side with a faint smirk. It was the kind of sneer you’d give to pubescent kids. He was just about to take a sip of beer when he suddenly froze.
“Wait, hyung. What’s this?”
I reached for a snack, and Jun grabbed my hand and lifted it. He stared at the back of it closely, then frowned. There was a bruise from the IV needle earlier.
I pulled my hand away and brushed it off casually.
“I went to the hospital earlier.”
“The hospital? You went to the hospital and got an IV? Are you out of your mind?”
Jun suddenly snapped, snatching the paper cup with beer from my hand and slamming it onto the table. Then he grabbed my arm and forcibly pulled me to my feet.
“Get up. Go to bed.”
“Hey, why are you overreacting? I’m fine now.”
“That’s why you weren’t at the office earlier?”
“Mm… yeah.”
“You said there was nothing you didn’t tell me.”
“Why would I tell you something like that? It’d just be a hassle.”
When I’d called him before I got sick, his voice had been annoyed. He said he was busy. Too busy to even take my call. And now he was scolding me? On what grounds?
Anger spread through my body like a slow gradient. If he’d just left it alone, it would’ve settled. But Jun didn’t seem willing to drop it.
“Hey, stop it. Don’t touch me.”
At that, Jun’s hand fell away instantly. When our eyes met, it was clear—he’d obeyed.
“I told you to call me if something like that happened.”
“You’re the one who said you were busy first. What was I supposed to say to someone like that?”
Jun lowered his eyes and couldn’t answer. Maybe he had his reasons. For some reason, disappointment washed over me.
“I won, so I get to decide, right? Sorry, everyone, but please leave. Juni, you haven’t had any alcohol yet, right? Give Bin a ride on your way.”
The two of them, who’d been silently watching us, stood without protest. Roban tucked Blue Marble under his arm, stuffed snacks and beer into a bag, and headed toward the entrance. Bin followed behind him.
Then Bin lightly grabbed one of Jun’s shoulders and whispered, barely audible,
“So you’re not the master, huh?”
Jun sharply shrugged off Bin’s hand, suppressing his anger as he faced him. A crooked smile still lingered on Bin’s lips.
“See you Monday, Du-seon.”
Telling Jun he’d wait outside and to hurry up, Bin stepped out through the front door. I cleaned up the space they’d been sitting in and urged Jun to leave as well.
“You’re telling me to clean up…”
“Stop. I’m done for today. Just go.”
I busied myself moving back and forth beside him. After a few trips, nothing remained on the sofa table. I was about to tell him again to leave when Jun stepped in front of me.
“Fine, I’ll go… but.”
He carefully opened his arms, waiting for a hug.
Normally, I might’ve thought, Fine, I’ll give you one, and indulged him. But today, I felt a trace of hurt. And I had the sense that I shouldn’t grow any more attached to Jun than this. Like a stray cat.
Just because a stray rubs its face against your leg when you feed it doesn’t make you its owner. If we ran into each other on the street, it probably wouldn’t even recognize me. I decided I’d feed Jun only that much.
“You didn’t do anything good today, so no. Just go.”
Jun’s impassive expression faltered ever so slightly. He only blinked, but I don’t know why it felt like invisible tears were running down his face.
“Okay,” he replied shortly and turned toward the entrance. Just when it seemed like he’d leave, he looked back at me.
“About tomorrow—your plan with the woman from the shop next door. I don’t think you should go.”
“Whether I go or not is up to me. And you don’t need to pick me up tomorrow.”
“You’ll regret it.”
“Yeah, right.”
Without another word, Jun opened the front door and left. The door shut without hesitation. The sound of the door lock engaging echoed as if it were locking something inside my chest.
