IC C6

Chapter 6

Regardless of Kang Siwon’s wishes, the personnel transfer was finalized. In the end, he stepped into the High Limit Zone.

The atmosphere there was distinctly different. If Sovereign Casino as a whole felt like a world cut off from reality, then this was yet another hidden stratum—richer, more secretive, vibrant yet hushed.

There, Siwon underwent simple training.

“You must always maintain decorum in this place. No flustered or careless gestures. Accumulate warnings, and you’ll see pay deductions—or in severe cases, your contract terminated. Bear that in mind.”

“Yes, understood.”

“The process for exchanging chips is nearly the same as on the main floor, but you’ll need to be more meticulous.”

The manager placed a stack of cash on the counter’s tray.

“When receiving money from a patron, spread it out flat on the tray like this. See that camera up above?”

Following his gesture, Siwon tilted his head upward. Sure enough, a glittering lens in the corner. He quickly lowered his gaze again, a chill running down his back.

“Spread the banknotes neatly so the camera records them properly. Only then, if suspicion arises, can you explain yourself.”

“Yes.”

“The same goes when handing out chips. Place them on the tray so patrons may confirm the amount. And…”

The explanation continued—mostly chip-related. Naturally so, since chips were liquid assets inside the casino, and cage staff were their frontline handlers.

Siwon gazed at the round, hard pieces, seized by a peculiar thought.

Within the casino walls, they were money itself. Beyond them, just worthless lumps of plastic. Yet people burned their eyes red to clutch more of these tokens.

“And one more crucial point: patrons must never be allowed to remove chips. Officially it’s prohibited even on the main floor, but there, with small-denomination chips, letting a customer pocket one or two as souvenirs could be overlooked. Here, though, each chip can be worth tens, even hundreds of thousands. You understand?”

“Yes.”

“Losing even one is losing hundreds of thousands of patacas. Worse, some might steal chips to counterfeit or misuse them. But don’t burden yourself too heavily. Our core job is still exchange. Security handles theft—or attempts. And every high-value chip has an RFID tag inside, so we can track them.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Good… That’s enough for your first day.”

Siwon bowed deeply. As the manager tidied the tray, he added:

“As I said, the work mirrors the main floor. You’ll be accustomed soon enough. That’ll be all today.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Just listening left him drained. Still, he welcomed the dismissal, eager for rest. He bowed formally before leaving the High Limit Zone.

Heading for the locker room, his phone buzzed briefly in his pocket. A message.

“….”

Instead of entering, Siwon left the Sovereign resort by the employee exit. The surroundings were quiet. He still checked watchfully before pulling out his phone.

He entered the secure password and a message from Director Park flashed up:

[Director Park] Report any individual who exchanges 10,000 chip units over 100 times in the coming week

So they knew at once he had been moved to High Limit. The figures demanded had leapt enormously in scale. No surprise—once his transfer was fixed, Jushang must have reported immediately.

Siwon sighed, shutting the secure app.

The task was not difficult. When he first entered Sovereign, he had expected cinematic spycraft—planting hacking devices in servers, smuggling in bugs or cameras.

Instead, every mission had been mere information gathering. And the information itself seemed pointless. What gain lay in identifying “anyone exchanging over 100 ten‑thousand‑unit chips”?

Though he complied, unease gnawed at him. He had his theories but no clear answer. Resigned, he shoved the phone back into his pocket.

A week into his post in the High Limit Zone.

Though the department changed, the work of a cage staff did not. Having adjusted quickly, Siwon went about exchanging at the counter.

“Exchange for me. Twenty-five tens.”

“Yes, may I see your ID.”

The man handed his ID card. *Zhang Yuren.*¹ Siwon checked the name, then returned it.

“Thank you.”

He hardly needed to check. This customer had appeared yesterday, and the day before. Always exchanging only in tens. His pattern made him memorable.

Zhang placed a fat wad of cash on the tray. Siwon flattened it neatly and scanned it beneath the counterfeit detector.

“All confirmed. Total 250,000 patacas.² Exchanging into twenty-five 10,000‑denomination chips. Please verify.”

He set them down. Without counting, Zhang swept them into his bag with careless hands—hardly what one expected when handling hundreds of thousands.

“Thank you for your patronage.”

As their exchange ended, Siwon’s eyes rested briefly on the man’s face. A sixtysomething with a bored look, wearing a bright-toned shirt—otherwise unremarkable. Only today, with orders to report anyone exceeding the 100‑exchange threshold, did Siwon pay attention.

Still… 250,000 in play. Wouldn’t larger denominations—25,000 or 100,000—be easier?

Zhang’s method was like paying for a 50,000‑won item not with a single 50,000‑won bill but with fifty 1,000‑won notes. Here in the high-stakes arena, it seemed all the more inefficient.

Then again, he himself would never gamble to begin with. Siwon forced his wandering mind quiet, turning to the next patron.

“Hello.”

Greasy‑looking, the youth smiled. His boyish features almost made him look like a high-school student, though entry required ID, so he had to be of age.

“Good evening. How may I help you?”

“If I tell you what I want, will you say yes?”

“If you need assistance, I’ll do my utmost.”

A troublemaker, clearly. His sticky gaze even raked down Siwon’s chest. Reading the name on his silver badge, his lips curled.

“Xiao Wei.”³

“….”

Xiao (小) is a diminutive reserved for familiarity. No customer had the right to address him that way at first meeting. Siwon realized the brat wasn’t just troublesome—he was probably depraved.

For such a lecher to bother with an unremarkable man like him… more shocking than insulting.

“Exchange for me. Fifty thousand patacas.”

“In what denominations would you like it?”

“Tens.”

The youth tossed his bills on the tray. Siwon verified them under the scanner, preparing the chips. But before he could set them down—

The customer caught his hand.

His brows creased instinctively at the contact. The youth smirked, clearly savoring it. He even squeezed Siwon’s hand as he took the chips.

“Xiao Wei.”

“….”

“Tonight I’m going all in. If I win big… will you sleep with me?”

Siwon’s face hardened. Even as a paying customer, this crossed the line. His coworkers at neighboring counters were shocked too.

“That’s inappropriate.”

“Haha, just a joke. Relax.”

So predictable—veiling rudeness as “jokes.” No different anywhere. Curses rose up his throat, but Siwon pressed them down.

“Wish me luck. If a handsome man like you roots for me, fortune’s bound to come.”

The boor muttered his drivel before leaving.

Siwon silently prayed he would lose every last chip and walk out ruined.