Ethan took the ten thousand dollars he'd earned from setting up the stand some time ago and headed out to a sports betting shop.
He'd originally considered placing bets online with international bookmakers—the odds were indeed attractive—but he thought he might face redemption risks, so he chose a regular domestic sports betting shop.
After all, if he really hit the jackpot, he'd just need to pay taxes. Domestic sports betting shops were more reliable.
The opening game was Brazil's 3-1 victory over Croatia, and at 7 AM, Honduras would surprisingly draw with Spain with a score of 3-3.
Among these, Spain's 3-3 draw with Honduras had odds as high as an astonishing 1,800 to 1, while Brazil's 3-1 over Croatia only had 7.5 to 1 odds.
"I want to place a bet." Ethan put ten thousand dollars in cash on the counter, and although his voice wasn't loud, it attracted several regular bettors in the store to look over.
He mainly bet on the draw between Spain and Honduras, and Brazil's game was only symbolic participation.
The final betting plan was: $8,000 on Spain 3-3 Honduras, $1,000 on Brazil 3-1 Croatia, and the remaining $1,000 on some other group stage matches.
"Are you... are you sure you want to bet like this?" The ticket seller was a young guy with glasses, and he confirmed it several times.
"Spain draws with Honduras? And both sides score a total of 6 goals?" His hands pushing up his glasses were shaking. He'd never seen anyone dare to bet like this in his three years in the industry.
The ticket seller confirmed with him several times.
Ethan just smiled and signed his name on the ticket.
No one noticed that the ticket seller secretly recorded this long-shot score—later he'd follow along with a few bets himself and unexpectedly earn his first million dollars.
Of course, all of that was for later.
In the "Seoul BBQ" restaurant on Main Street, neon tubes blurred into a hazy halo in the smoke.
Flags of various countries hung from the ceiling, and Brazil's yellow and green flag happened to brush Ethan's shoulder.
The corner booth reserved for four had the best view, and the LCD TV on the wall had been tuned to the sports channel.
Ethan, Jack, Sarah, and Ashley had already arrived early.
The LCD TV on the wall was playing pre-game analysis, and jerseys were shining all over the room.
Fans in Brazilian yellow shirts and fans of Croatia's checkered army sat on either side, occasionally raising glasses provocatively at each other.
And Ethan's table was all in casual clothes—the teams they supported hadn't appeared yet.
The skewers were sizzling and marbling on the iron grill, and condensation from the cold beer bottles dripped onto the wooden tabletop.
Ethan and Jack clinked their bottles together, and the crisp sound of glass colliding drowned out the surrounding noise.
Across from them, Ashley was stirring the ice cubes in her Coke with a straw, while Sarah was drinking orange juice.
The aroma of charcoal mixed with the smell of garlic sauce filled the air.
With less than half an hour left before the opening game, the shop owner suddenly turned up the volume.
The announcer's passionate voice instantly electrified the audience:
"ESPN, ESPN! Sports fans! Good evening everyone, the 2014 World Cup in Brazil is about to begin!"
Jack slammed his beer glass on the table with a "thud," and a few drops of golden liquid splashed. "Here we go! Cheers! To our standout high school career—and to the next month of all-night game watching!"
"Well said!" Ashley immediately raised her Coke bottle, and condensation dripped from the bottle onto her wrist.
"I'll take a sip, you cheers! Fair deal!" She blinked slyly, like a kitten that had just stolen fish.
Ethan almost choked on his beer—this girl was too good at taking advantage.
"Cheers!"
Sarah picked up her Coke and joined this small celebration.
"Yo Jack, this is just the beginning. Take it easy and don't get wasted." Ethan said with a smile.
"Dude, you're joking!"
"I'm known as the wine prince. Although my grades aren't as good as yours, I'm not afraid to drink at all."
Jack patted his chest.
"Ashley, it's a deal! You take a sip of Coke, I have a glass of beer. But you have to take a real big sip, not like a kitten licking water. I wanna see who's the lightweight tonight."
Jack shook his glass cheaply.
Ethan rolled his eyes at him, but this guy could actually drink.
Almost every household in his family's Southern hometown would brew wine, and their wine was actually pretty potent despite being called "wine."
This was why he called himself the wine prince.
And Coke was carbonated. It was normal to drink with BBQ, but it'd be good for a girl to drink two bottles of Coke. So Ashley might not be able to out-drink Jack.
And the beer in front of him was really just a BBQ beverage for Jack. If he got full, he'd just go to the bathroom.
Ethan and Jack, two die-hard Argentina and Barcelona loyalists, stared at Neymar on the screen.
They watched this Brazilian genius make a beautiful rainbow flick that instantly tore through the Croatian defense, causing exclamations in the BBQ restaurant.
Ashley and Sarah didn't have such a deep understanding of football and weren't fans of any particular team, so they only knew some big-name stars.
.....
The game started shortly after.
The Brazilian team showed strong offense. Neymar was flexible on the field with various breakthroughs, putting tremendous pressure on the Croatian backline from the start.
Jack bit into his BBQ and said excitedly, "Damn! That change of direction! Look, look, Neymar's speed is insane. He's too good."
Ethan took a sip of beer and nodded. "Yeah! His skills are top-notch. I think from a technical standpoint, only Messi can match him in today's football world."
At this moment, Neymar on the screen was still a bit youthful. He'd just transferred from Santos to Barcelona a year ago, and his playing style was gorgeous with the unique flair of South American players.
Ethan looked at this superstar who would dominate the football world in the future and couldn't help but think that not long after, Suarez would join Barcelona for a sky-high price of 81 million euros.
At that time, it would form the MSN attacking trident that would terrorize the entire European football world.
In the 2014-2015 season, the three of them would contribute 122 goals and 62 assists to the team with terrifying strength, winning the Champions League, La Liga, Copa del Rey, European Super Cup, and Club World Cup for Barcelona, achieving the treble.
Ashley and Sarah didn't understand these things very well, but it didn't prevent them from loving this atmosphere. After this World Cup, the two of them would also fall in love with football.
Ashley rested her chin on her hand and stared at the screen without blinking. "You keep saying Brazil's attacking hard, but the score is still 0-0 so far!"
She pointed to the Croatian goalkeeper. "That tall guy's saves are so impressive!"
Sarah also nodded seriously in agreement beside her.
Ethan said patiently, "In football, you can't treat it like basketball. After a soccer game, even if the final score is 0-0, you can see which of the two teams played better and how the offense was doing."
He took a sip of beer, then continued, "Brazil's attack in this game is very good. You're right—Croatia's defense is also very good, otherwise they would've been destroyed already."
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