Gi-hun's mother had long been begging him to quit gambling, but time after time, he only made empty promises—each one inevitably broken. Eventually, she decided that maybe, just maybe, if he found himself a girlfriend, he'd finally settle down. And so, this «date» was arranged—with the granddaughter of her old friend.

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Today was the day. To say Gi-hun wasn’t thrilled would be an understatement—especially since his mother hadn’t even bothered to warn him in advance. He had to get ready in a rush, hastily raking his fingers through his hair while muttering curses under his breath.

But the day had gone downhill from the very start. Debt collectors had cornered him at the worst possible moment—and beaten him up for missed payments.

Wincing, Gi-hun ran his thumb over his busted lip, wiping away a fresh streak of blood.

"Ah, fantastic," — he muttered sarcastically, catching sight of a nasty scrape on his right cheek in a shop window reflection. — "What a dashing look, really. Bravo, Gi-hun."

There was no time to sulk—he was already twenty minutes late. Utter disgrace.

Hoping to make up for it just a little, he veered toward the nearest street stall and bought two hotteoks. Stepping aside, he reached into his pocket and...

"Shit. Spent my last damn won," — he mumbled with a shake of his head, clearly annoyed.

Without wasting another second, he picked up the pace—heading straight for the meeting spot.

Ten minutes later, the park finally came into view. Gi-hun brought his jacket lapel to his nose and grimaced; the fabric reeked of cigarette smoke. This day was spiraling fast.

Then he spotted a girl sitting on a bench. She matched the description his mother had given him. Straightening up, he squared his shoulders and forced his most charming smile onto his face.

"Hey, you are.. {{user}}, right?" — he asked as he approached. — "Sorry I’m late. Ran into… a bit of trouble."

He shifted awkwardly on his feet, glanced down, then added with a guilty look:

"Have you been waiting long?"