In front of us, two huge tables, twenty cups each, in total disarray.
And each cup was identical, no difference or strange shape, perfectly identical copies.
The doll was no longer there.
Just a man, dressed all in black
[ROUND 1: K vs A.
Russia, Liberia, Belgium, the betting can begin
Destiny is played by hand.
Get your balls ready, good luck!
The Americans were already prepared.
Three figures in red suits, led by none other than A-09, very confident, he was not smiling.
He was sizing him up.
It was quite clear that we were playing on his turf.
Seo Hwan was the first to step forward for Korea.
His composure was almost inhuman.
Behind him, I was standing, I found him quite suspicious. Kang, for his part, was clenching his fists as usual. Kim Young was looking at her watch without even paying attention to us; she was clearly agonizing over it…
A chance to recover my belongings.
The tension was rising in my throat.
Seo hwan grabs the ping-pong ball from the opponent's table.
Only one word appeared on the ground:
"launched."
Seo launches.
The bullet missed its target
Bounces
Bounces
Tac
touched the edge of the glass,
And falls back
made two bounces
fell into a glass.
Unexpected
And shocked
Clap! clap! clap! clap! clap!
Applause from the man in black.
The "Judge" stepped forward, took the glass and held it out to the Americans.
Silence
A-09 glanced between the worm and the man while A-04 and his second-in-command stepped back and stared into space.
Annoyed, A-09 finally grabbed the cup and drank it in one gulp.
….
[VOTES DISPLAYED]
[RUSSIA:.....]
[BELGIUM: Remedy]
[LIBERIA :..... ]
For three seconds, nothing.
- ha haha
Then he sneered.
"Just plain water," he said, with a drawling accent.
[behind chance for betting]
[AND THE CORRECT ANSWER IS "WATER"]
A-09 grabs the ball from our table.
He launched.
The ball is spinning
Without going into detail
and plunged into the cup
A clean and clear throw.
The man in black approached, grabbed the cup, and pushed it towards our group.
The hesitation was obvious; nobody wanted to go through with it, least of all me.
The man hesitated for half a second.
Then he ordered,
[OBEY. OR DIE.]
Kim young
to intoxicate, to annoy, and to be out of her mind
She took the glass.
Swallow.
Breathe.
Her eyes narrowed.
A drop of blood trickled from the corner of her mouth.
She gritted her teeth, wiped it off with the back of her hand, and smiled anyway.
[THE VOTES]
[RUSSIA: POISON]
[ LIBERIA : POISON]
[BELGIUM: POISON]
"I feel fine," she murmured. "Light. Not fatal."
[THE ANSWER IS "CURE"]
[A debt of 50,000 coins owed to Russia, Liberia, and Belgium, which falls back on Korea]
A beep in our watches.
The amount displayed was: 500 pieces.
And I raise my hand
[Second round.]
- Wait, I have a question
[What then?]
- Can we also bet?
Silence
He stared at me for quite a while and then turned away.
[ Of course]
He breathed, as if lacing up
The group looked at me but was quickly interrupted by something else.
KANG steps forward this time
Grab the ball
launch.
The ball grazed the edge and fell directly into the cup next to it.
A cry rose from the American side.
The man in black applauded and brought the glass directly back to the Americans.
This one was obvious, A-04, must have been drinking.
She grabbed it, took a deep breath, and drank it.
Silence
Her eyes widened, her hand trembled… then she started to laugh.
Uncontrollable laughter, until she collapsed to her knees.
She convulses while laughing.
[THE VOTES]
[RUSSIA: REMEDY]
[ LIBERIA : POISON]
[BELGIUM: POISON]
She stood up laughing, her hand on her stomach, and said:
- I feel good
[THE ANSWER IS "WATER"]
[THE SUMMS FOR AMERICA.]
[ONE POINT]
Each point was one less chance for them.
And on our side… a little more to win.
You could feel the tension sliding like a blade across the skin.
Anything went.
SEO relaunches.
Missed.
A-09 relaunched.
Missed.
This time, it was my turn to hold the ball.
The cups seemed to be vibrating, but the liquid had a calm surface.
I didn't have time to hesitate: the watch sent me a reminder, a brutal reminder that I had made myself a pawn.
*[The revolutionary: I want….]
I'm launching.
And she falls
She falls
Falls into a cup
So I sat down directly on my watch, ready to bet everything I had left as well as my due.
Everyone was waiting
Silence
The man in black remained motionless.
He looked at himself and A-04 pushed his second with a gesture.
He stepped forward timidly before grasping the cup, raising it to his lips, and swallowing.
Pause
[THE VOTES]
[KOREA: POISON]
[ LIBERIA : REMEDIES]
[BELGIUM: POISON]
[RUSSIA: REMEDY]
"Nothing?" asked A-09, worried.
He nodded.
Far too fast.
A thumbs-up, and he collapses in convulsions.
[THE ANSWER IS "POISON"]
[THE WINNER IS KOREA]
[ONE POINT]
Why? It's so hard to guess, and then he just shows up and wins.
"At least one clue," whispered a Russian, "is it because we don't have the money to buy the answers?"
-We haven't won anything since the beginning, it's a bit too hard, isn't it?
[Fifth round.]
A-09 launched again.
His bullet fell straight down.
The man in black offered further congratulations, applauding.
He takes the glass and we hand it to him.
I grab it quickly and drink.
Then, suddenly, he spat the contents onto the ground.
"Too bad," I sighed.
And suddenly, I collapse to the ground.
[THE VOTES.]
[RUSSIA: FISH]
[KOREA:WATER]
[BELGIUM: REMEDY]
[ LIBERIA : REMEDIES
[POINT FOR KOREA]
Kang and Seo burst out laughing together.
Kang vacilla un instant, mais tint bon.
Seo, for his part, is still smiling.
Even when drool ran down his neck.
He did not wipe it.
The towers continued one after another.
The buyers' laughter turned into shouts, then into hysterical applause.
The cups were dwindling, sweat was beading on our foreheads.
With each shot, a player fell, poisoned, paralyzed, alone, laughing to his death.
The entire room vibrated like a sick heart.
Score : K 6 – A 6.
Yet another round.
The Americans…
Or the American, because only one of them remained conscious.
A-09 slowly lifted the ball and rolled it between his fingers.
He was staring at me.
As if he knew.
As if everything had already been written.
He launched it.
The ball rose in a perfect arc, spun around, and plunged towards our glass.
Time stood still.
A shadow passed by.
And the ball stopped abruptly, suspended a few centimeters from the edge.
I felt my watch getting hot.
The Revolutionary symbol was flashing again.
One sentence appeared, alone, simple:
"Remain mindful of what you owe me."