#123
When Eunseok didn’t answer, the announcer smiled mischievously and said:
“I apologize if that was too personal a question. I only asked because I heard that a couple fan site for Choi Hanseo and Lee Eunseok is very popular these days. From what I’ve learned, this recently created fan site already has over 100,000 members. The name of the fan site is… Zero Point. It’s called Zero Point.”
Eunseok felt a gaze from beside him. It was Choi Hanseo’s. Eunseok tried hard to ignore it.
“Zero Point. I didn’t know such a fan site existed,” Choi Hanseo said with a hint of amusement in his voice.
“It’s quite a unique name for a couple fan site, isn’t it? Usually, they’d pick a name that highlights a unique characteristic of the couple. I wonder what the thinking behind this name was?” the announcer asked with an intrigued expression.
Choi Hanseo silently rolled up his sleeve slightly, revealing his watch.
0%
“I think it means that when we meet, it becomes zero point,” Choi Hanseo explained kindly. Eunseok barely restrained himself from covering Choi Hanseo’s mouth and hiding the watch.
“Oh! If that’s the meaning, it’s certainly an appropriate name for a couple fan site. By the way, it hasn’t been long since you conquered an S-class gate, but your number is already zero… We can tell how close you two are without you having to say anything.”
The announcer’s voice was meaningful.
What kind of broadcasting station is this to say such things, Eunseok wondered.
In front of the rolling cameras, Eunseok couldn’t grab Choi Hanseo by the collar and only managed an awkward smile. The feeling of having his private life exposed not just to the whole nation but now to all Americans was just… well, indescribable.
After the 30-minute interview ended, the broadcasting staff left. The interpreter and guide who had been present for monitoring purposes also left the suite.
Choi Hanseo saw off the last person, closed the door, and turned around. He seemed to be in a good mood, slightly raising the corners of his mouth in a smile. He appeared satisfied with revealing their relationship to all of America.
“How about we go to the casino together this evening and play some games?” Choi Hanseo asked as he approached.
“Mr. Choi Hanseo.”
“Yes?”
“Can I hit you just once?”
“Wasn’t pulling out all my hair enough?”
Choi Hanseo joked, still not grasping the situation. Eunseok couldn’t hold back anymore and suddenly stood up, throwing a surprise punch.
Pak!
The fist aimed at Choi Hanseo’s face was blocked by his hand.
“Why are you angry? Don’t tell me it’s because I acknowledged that we’re partners in front of the camera?”
Choi Hanseo asked soothingly, moving his hand from Eunseok’s fist to his wrist.
Eunseok couldn’t affirm his words. Denying their relationship because he was embarrassed by others’ views wouldn’t be respectful to Choi Hanseo. Eunseok just couldn’t bear the thought of people imagining their sex life.
“Or is it because I showed off our watch numbers?”
“…”
Eunseok remained silent again, but Choi Hanseo seemed to keenly read the affirmation in his silence.
“I understand. I’m sorry. I was wrong. I just wanted to brag about how solid our relationship is. I wanted to tell the whole world that I found someone who’s perfect for me and that we’re doing so well together.”
Choi Hanseo said as he gently embraced Eunseok. After he said that, Eunseok couldn’t stay angry anymore.
“I’m just… not used to this yet,” Eunseok muttered quietly.
Choi Hanseo patted his back understandingly.
“But now that the whole world knows about us, there’s nothing left to be embarrassed about. It’s better to be really embarrassed once and be done with it, right?”
Choi Hanseo whispered in his ear. Eunseok couldn’t understand why that sound was so irritating.
Finally, Eunseok pushed Choi Hanseo away with his hand and stomped on his shin with his toes.
“Ouch.”
Choi Hanseo pretended to be in great pain, even letting out a groan despite not being hurt at all.
“You’re paying today. I’m going to spend a lot of money at the casino,” Eunseok declared, turning his body abruptly. He was determined to empty Choi Hanseo’s bank account. Choi Hanseo, who had been pretending to be in pain until then, quickly approached and clung to Eunseok’s side.
Perhaps because the gate conquest had just ended, there weren’t too many guests. But for having just finished a conquest, there were still quite a few people.
Eunseok looked around with fire in his eyes, searching for a place to spend money lavishly. But he didn’t feel like sitting down calmly to play cards. He wanted to spend money without thinking.
In the end, the place he chose to empty Choi Hanseo’s wallet was the HIGH LIMIT SLOTS corner. It was an area with slot machines where you could bet large amounts with a single button press. Eunseok chose a machine where he could lose $10 per button press and sat down.
“Put in $300 to start.”
When Eunseok ordered, Choi Hanseo inserted $100 bills into the machine with an amused expression.
The large, flashy screen flickered, enticing him to press the button. Eunseok gladly started pressing.
With each button press, the flashy screen sparkled and steadily drained money.
Choi Hanseo sat in the chair next to him, watching Eunseok. As if planning to watch thoroughly, he sat cross-legged and even ordered drinks from a waitress. He kindly ordered a piña colada for Eunseok and handed it to him. His attitude seemed to say “Let’s see how far you can go,” which sparked Eunseok’s competitive spirit.
It was after Eunseok had pressed the button just over 10 times, mindlessly sipping his piña colada through a straw. The spinning images stopped with a ding-ding-ding sound. And suddenly, the machine started spewing out loud noises and flashing lights as if it had gone crazy.
J A C K P O T !
Large golden capital letters filled the screen. Fireworks exploded behind those letters. The machine emitted such loud sounds and bright lights that it felt like being in the middle of a battlefield.
What is this?
Eunseok looked around, holding his half-empty piña colada. People who had been playing nearby all stood up at once and started crowding around Eunseok.
People surrounded Eunseok, clapping and cheering. They patted his shoulder in congratulation and took photos with their phones.
Only then did Eunseok look at Choi Hanseo. Choi Hanseo looked back and forth between Eunseok and the flashing machine a few times before bursting into loud laughter.
Hahaha-!
Choi Hanseo’s hearty laughter mixed with the chaotic machine sounds. Eunseok couldn’t tell whether he was more surprised by the fact that he had hit the jackpot or by Choi Hanseo’s cheerful laughter, which he had never seen before.
Casino staff pushed through the crowd surrounding Eunseok. They offered their congratulations.
Eunseok checked the letters floating above the machine again.
$20 million.
Instead of emptying Choi Hanseo’s bank account, Eunseok had hit a $20 million jackpot. It was an absurd turn of events.
A staff member came to ask about his nationality and request his passport. Of course, he didn’t have his passport with him. While the staff explained about taxes and other details, even the hotel manager rushed over. After being hassled for a while, Eunseok chose to retreat to the suite. After being overwhelmed among the crowd, he no longer felt like doing anything else. Large hotel guards escorted Eunseok and Choi Hanseo to their suite.
As soon as the hotel room door closed behind them, Choi Hanseo suppressed another laugh.
“Are you going to keep laughing?”
Eunseok glared at Choi Hanseo with narrowed eyes. Choi Hanseo, with a broad smile, continued to chuckle.
“You said so proudly that you were going to spend my money lavishly…”
Choi Hanseo burst into laughter again. Eunseok felt a surge of anger, feeling somehow defeated despite winning an enormous amount of money. But seeing Choi Hanseo laugh so cheerfully, he felt his anger dissipate. In the end, Eunseok also let out a chuckle.
Originally, they had planned to dine at a restaurant inside the hotel. But having become such a celebrity after hitting the jackpot, Eunseok didn’t dare to wander around the hotel.
“Let’s go out to eat. I’ve found a nice restaurant,” Choi Hanseo said after finishing a phone call.
Thanks to being specially invited ability users by the American side and hitting the jackpot, the hotel treated them with utmost hospitality. They immediately called a limousine when they saw the two were going out.
Even with the gate still gaping open and the bustle of moving gate by-products, the city was shining brilliantly. It was truly Las Vegas.
The two headed to a restaurant right next to Las Vegas’s famous fountain. It was a high-end restaurant said to have genuine Picasso paintings on display. Eunseok was more pleased by the fact that they could freely go out and have a cozy dinner together than by eating expensive food.
The food was… just okay for the exorbitant price.
Expensive truffles were placed on top of soup and steak, but Eunseok didn’t have the palate to properly appreciate it. However, as he drank some wine, the excitement of hitting the jackpot belatedly hit him. Moreover, with the sense of security from being with Choi Hanseo and the feeling of liberation in a foreign country, he continued to drink alcohol to the point of overindulgence.
As a result, he naturally became quite drunk. But Eunseok didn’t try to suppress his intoxication. By Choi Hanseo’s side was the safest place in the world. If he couldn’t protect Eunseok, it meant no one in the world could.
“Eunseok?”
Choi Hanseo, who had been watching Eunseok drink excessively without stopping him, called his name carefully. Eunseok slowly blinked his eyes, watching the table slowly rotate as if the Earth was spinning.
“Eunseok?”
Choi Hanseo called again. Only then did Eunseok lift his eyes from the table where they had been fixed.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
