Mirror, Mirror - Chapter 3.2

Chapter 3.2

Ara straightened her shoulders, grateful to her grandmother, who was surely watching over her from above. She didn’t fully understand the goblin rules, but it was clear that their power dynamic had shifted.

“Come on, accept it already.”

Ara confidently reached out her hand and shook it up and down.

Instead of shaking her hand, the man crossed his arms defensively and looked down at Ara skeptically.

“What will you put up as collateral?”

“For me, it’s granting a wish, of course. What about you, Mr. Goblin?”

The man was silent for a moment. His deep eyes blinked exactly three times before his firmly closed lips slowly parted.

“Your life.”

“What? My life?” Ara frowned.

Her life? That seemed like an excessive stake for just one bet.

“By the way, you can cancel the bet.”

The man twisted his lips slightly as he spoke, hoping the frightened Ara would back down from making a bet with him.

But instead of being scared, Ara scoffed.

Whether she lost the bet and died at the hands of this wicked goblin or went down and slept on the street only to be kidnapped by loan sharks, there wasn’t much difference. Dying quickly might even be preferable.

“Alright.”

Ara answered cheerfully.

Nothing to lose, all or nothing, even if it means going down fighting. This motto was Ara’s guiding principle she learned from her Grandma Jeong Mal-soon’s card game philosophy.

“Alright? Even with your life at stake?”

The man asked twice, his face incredulous.

“Yes. Let’s make a bet. With my life on the line.” Ara smiled confidently.

The man let out another deep, exasperated sigh. He looked at Ara with an expression of utter frustration, then finally shook his head.

“Fine. What’s the game?”

She hadn’t thought that far ahead.

Ara pondered for a moment, making a thoughtful sound.

In old stories, goblins often wrestled. However, her opponent was a grown man a head taller than her, and her legs were still trembling, making it hard to stand properly.

Wrestling was out of the question.

Instead, she needed a game that required minimal physical effort and was something she was good at…

Ah, I’ve got just the thing.

Ara grinned at the man, a very meaningful smile.

“Go-Stop.”

“Go-Stop?”

The man let out a laugh, clearly not expecting this answer.

“You want to play cards?”

“Yes. Don’t you know how to play?”

Ara tilted her head innocently, her large, round eyes showing no hesitation.

The man stared at her for a moment, then uncrossed his arms. Da*n it. She thought she heard him mutter under his breath.

“Wait here.”

He walked away, leaving Ara in the spacious yard, and entered the dilapidated house. He returned shortly, carrying something in each hand.

A brown herringbone-patterned blanket and a small case containing a set of Hanafuda cards.

Despite his grumbling, the man had prepared everything and sat down across from Ara with a shameless expression. As he spread out the blanket and took out the cards, Ara couldn’t help but chuckle.

A dilapidated hanok, a goblin in a modern suit, a Nordic-style blanket, and Hanafuda cards laid out on top…

“What’s so funny?”

The man asked as he shuffled the cards. Ara stifled another laugh.

“Just… realizing how poor my imagination was.”

“If only your imagination were poor, you’d be lucky. Your bank account is poor, too.”

“What did you say?”

“Why are you getting mad? Am I wrong? You said it yourself. You’re in debt.”

The man abruptly handed a stack of cards to Ara.

Pouting, Ara skillfully took a handful of cards.

“Who’s arguing? You’re right.”

Da*n right.

Ara swallowed her anger, unable to voice the last thought. She wondered if the most annoying person in the universe would turn into a goblin.

Eventually, they each drew a card to determine the dealer. Ara got the cherry blossom, and the man got the orchid. Ara would go first.

The man gathered the remaining cards, shuffled them again, laid out the table cards, and distributed the hand cards. Ara arranged her ten cards neatly in her hand.

It was only then that the gravity of the situation hit her.

These ten cards in her hand and the eight cards laid out on the table, eighteen cards in total, would now determine her life or death.

“One round, right?”

“Yes. I’m busy.”

What kind of job does he have to be so busy all the time?

Ara snorted, making a face that said, “Sure you are.”

“Just be ready to grant my wish.”

“Pride comes before a fall.”

“Really? My grandmother said the brave always win over the handsome guy.”

The man looked at Ara as if she were unbelievable. Before he could start another annoying lecture, Ara casually drew a card from her hand.

“Alright, let’s start with the plum blossom.”

Snap!

The sharp sound of the Hanafuda cards colliding marked the beginning of the bet.