Jung Ho and Hong Ren silently rose from the bench, exchanging brief, understanding glances. Without a single word, they moved to opposite sides of the court, their movements precise and collected.
At that moment, Lu Shen and Haru Lin walked past them unhurriedly. Lu Shen, with a barely noticeable smirk, tossed over his shoulder:
"I hope you don't screw up."
"We will give it our all," came his firm reply.
Ming You, who was sitting on the back bench, smiled inwardly, but in reality, his face remained impassive:
"The game is going according to plan. The next debtors are already on the court, all that's left is to completely subdue them."
The game referee, Sung Wo, blew his whistle:
"The total pot is twenty million won! The first shot is worth one hundred thousand won!"
"I accept," Jung Ho nodded, followed by Hong Ren:
"Me too."
"Accepted! Ten seconds!" Sung Wo announced loudly, starting the stopwatch and moving closer to the spectators' benches.
Jung Ho bounced the ball off the asphalt once and caught it. He jumped, made a short swing—and released it. The ball traced a smooth arc and cleanly passed through the hoop without even touching the rim.
Hong Ren didn't hesitate: he threw the ball with one sharp movement. The ball hit the backboard but, bouncing off, still fell into the basket.
Sung Wo stopped the stopwatch and whistled again:
"Well, the total pot remains unchanged. The next shot is worth five hundred thousand won! Keep in mind that you can raise the stake!"
"I agree," Jung Ho shouted in a serious voice.
Hong Ren silently nods, his fingers slightly squeezing the ball, checking its grip in his palm.
Sung Wo turned to the spectators:
"Then we begin!"
Jung Ho makes several quick dribbles, each bounce clear and low, to control the rhythm. He stops abruptly, crouching slightly, then sharply straightens up, releasing the ball with a smooth motion of his wrist. The ball describes an arc and, with a soft click, drops through the hoop.
Hong Ren didn't hesitate. His shot was quick, almost without preparation—a sharp push with backspin, and the ball, hitting the backboard, bounces right into the net.
"Dammit, we should have played at this pace from the very start!" Lu Shen shouted from the bench. Haru Lin, who was sitting next to him, turned his head towards him:
"And who, in your opinion, started raising the stakes?"
While they were arguing with each other, Ming You, sitting behind them, was conducting his own thoughts:
"I could force them to make a bet, but after their defeat, I might end up being blamed, so I'll leave the plan unchanged."
Sung Wo, meanwhile, continued the game:
"The next shot is worth one million won!"
"We agree..." Jung Ho didn't have time to finish speaking when Hong Ren sharply exclaimed in his indifferent tone:
"I multiply by ten."
"Huh? Why..." Jung Ho was perplexed, and Hong Ren continued loudly:
"A game without consequences and we'll definitely make the basket. Don't forget that Ming You is in debt."
"Right..." Jung Ho turned to Sung Wo, "Then I accept the raise!"
"Excellent! The amount is increased to ten million won! Time starts now!"
Jung Ho quickly dribbles the ball, bouncing it off the asphalt several times—sharply, firmly, with a familiar rhythm. Stopping, he crouches slightly, then sharply straightens up, releasing the ball with a smooth motion of his wrist. The ball, spinning in the air, describes a high arc and, with a quiet swish, drops through the net.
Hong Ren speeds up his dribble, taking two quick steps back, and at the last moment, almost without aiming, sharply pushes the ball upward. The ball hits the rim of the hoop, bounces up—and, spinning on the edge...
Still falls inside.
"Both players made the basket! The next round is from the three-point line! The total pot is thirty million won! The shot is worth ten million!"
"Ten million per shot?" Lu Shen jumped up from the bench after Sung Wo's words.
Haru Lin, without getting up from the bench, rolled his eyes:
"You've bet more yourself, you idiot."
Jung Ho shouted loudly:
"No changes!"
"Okay," Hong Ren nodded, and the game referee whistled again, starting the stopwatch:
"Begin!"
Jung Ho quickly dribbles the ball, hitting it off the asphalt several times—low, with a clear rhythm. His palm tightly grips the leather, his fingers feeling every bounce.
Stopping in his familiar stance, he slightly bends his knees, then powerfully straightens up, pushing the ball upward with a smooth motion of his wrist. The ball, with backspin, describes a perfect arc and, almost without touching the rim, cleanly drops through the net with a dull rustle.
"I'm buying ten more seconds," Hong Ren shouted, still dribbling the ball on the asphalt.
"Huh? Was that allowed?" Lu Shen stood up from the bench again, and Haru Lin started pulling him back down:
"Idiot, how were you listening to the rules?"
Sung Wo thought for a moment:
"Hmm, this doesn't contradict the rules, plus they're digging themselves deeper into debt!"
He whistled and then shouted:
"Approved! Additional ten seconds have started!"
Hong Ren methodically dribbled the ball against the asphalt, each hit slightly harder than necessary—the ball bounced high, forcing him to take an extra step to control it. His fingers nervously twisted the leather with every bounce, as if trying to find the perfect grip.
Stopping abruptly, he did a shallow squat and straightened up for the shot. The ball left his hand with noticeable backspin, but the trajectory was too flat.
The projectile hit the back of the rim with a dull thud, bounced up, and began spinning slowly around the metal hoop, making two full rotations.
On the last revolution, the ball hesitated for a moment, as if pondering, before finally slipping through the net with a quiet rustle.
"Now, only the shot from the center of the court remains!" Sung Wo began, and Jung Ho made a surprised face:
"But that's..."
"There is only one winner," the game referee interrupted him loudly. "Don't forget that you can force an opponent out of the game by pressuring them with raised stakes!"
"He's not my opponent!" Jung Ho retorted aggressively.
Sung Wo turned away indifferently, tossing out:
"Suit yourself." He looked at the spectators again. "The total pot is forty-four million won! The shot is for the entire pot!"
"Keh, I accept..." Jung Ho hesitated, taking his position at the center.
But Hong Ren's reply, who was standing behind him, was quite confident:
"I refuse!"
This time, besides Lu Shen, Haru Lin also jumped up from the bench:
"WHAT?!"
"Why did you..." Jung Ho didn't have time to finish his question before Hong Ren interrupted him, turning and raising his gaze to him:
"We're a team, and besides, if a player refuses a stake, the winner automatically becomes the one who accepted it. Neither of us would likely make the shot from the center, but this way, at least you win..."
Sung Wo blew a sharp whistle:
"Time's up! The shot is not counted!"
Jung Ho, Hong Ren, Lu Shen, Haru Lin, and Ming You, who professionally feigned surprise, shouted in unison:
"Huh?!"
"But according to the rules..." Jung Ho was interrupted by the game referee:
"You should have listened more carefully! Victory is only automatically awarded when a player refuses an opponent's stake, not the referee's stake!"
Lu Shen got up from the bench and stepped onto the court:
"What the hell is this!? That's nonsense!"
"Exactly! Jung Ho won!" Haru Lin followed him.
Ming You, watching the situation with a smirk, mentally prepared for his next plan:
"Well, it's time to play the hero. Knowing your addresses, which I found in the teachers' office, all I have to do is tell Taek Jung about it, and my final touch will be to become their noble friend, and later, their true leader."
While the team was arguing with the referee, he stood up from the bench and headed towards the group of thugs who were smoking off to the side.
Ming You approached them with his plan and began to share it.
"Taek Jung, how about we mess with that team a little?" He pointed his thumb at the court behind him, where his teammates were.
"Hehe, I don't think you've ever heard of such a thing as shame," Taek Jung said, calming his laughter before continuing, "I don't mind, it sounds fun. Is this the second necessary staged scene for you?"
"That's right, but I'd say you need it more. You need to remind a certain someone about their debts, don't you?" Ming You said with a sly smile.
"You're right, but we would have done that without your reminder. So, what exactly do you need?"
"I need to stage a scene in front of my team to appear as the captain who takes responsibility for the team and their debts. You just need to remind them of their debts and also say you'll let them go if the team submits to me, as if I were your man. I'll also give you additional information about each player on my team to intimidate them better."
The thugs laughed at his absurd shamelessness. Taek Jung, having more or less calmed down, was still amazed by such audacity:
"Haha! You're quite the egoist, Ming You. But what about the debts? Are you ready to pay off their debts for this little act?"
"I will indeed handle their debts. I'll even earn far more than what they owe. So, do we have a deal?"
"We might agree to the act, but you handle the debts yourself. If you can't, I think you know what will happen."
"No problem." Ming You and Taek Jung shook hands.