Card Game

"So, since it's been a while since we hung out, how about playing a card game like we used to?"

After we'd sorted out everything to do with my clothes, there wasn't anything special to do, so I sat beside Hyunwoo and watched the variety show on TV with him. Then, out of the blue, he spoke to me.

Before I could say anything, Hyunwoo turned off the TV with the remote. He rummaged through a drawer just above my reach for a moment, pulled something out, and sat down.

"A card game?"

"Yeah. One we used to play all the time. With a deck of cards."

He pulled the table we'd been eating tteokbokki at between us, gave it a quick wipe with a dishcloth, then set a deck of playing cards on top as if to show them off.

'That's right. We used to play a lot before graduation.'

The box had been worn down so badly that it was frayed and battered all over. One corner had even worn through enough to show the edge of a card inside.

Not one card in the deck that came out of the box was in perfect condition.

They were covered in scratches, tears, and rips. If we played a few more rounds, you could probably tell what each card was from the back or its shape alone. They were old relics by now.

Even so, it felt as though the memories from back then still clung to the cards, giving them a nostalgic quality that made me quietly long for the past.

'What did we even find so fun about this stuff back then...?'

If you looked closely, the cards themselves were nothing but patterns, without any rules or meaning of their own. Unlike other games, they didn't even tell you at a glance what effect each card had.

It was just the act of assigning meaning to pictures and playing with them.

It was inefficient. I could turn on my phone and find plenty of ways to pass the time.

And yet, for some reason, we used to be crazy about board games like this.

If I had to say why, then it was probably...

'Because you can sit face-to-face with someone, talk, and have fun together in the same space.'

Board games let you feel the warmth of other people, something you couldn't get from even the countless popular games online.

They were games people had loved for so long not so much because of the game itself, but because of who you could spend that time with.

By bringing out the cards now, Hyunwoo was reminding us of our shared memories and showing me that even though we'd both changed, Hyunwoo still wasn't tired of me.

That's why I couldn't possibly turn down the offer.

"Sure. Then what should we play? There aren't many games for two people, are there?"

Hyunwoo shrugged, then deftly toyed with the cards in his hands.

Hyunwoo's fingers moved so fast as the cards were shuffled that I could barely see them. Then Hyunwoo dealt us seven cards each and set the rest of the deck in the middle.

Then Hyunwoo turned one card face up and set it beside the pile.

It was one of the simplest games you could play with a deck of cards.

It didn't take long to realize what it was: One Card, the most basic card game of all.

"I'll go first, okay?"

As always, we were following our house rule that whoever shuffled the cards got the first turn, so Hyunwoo started shedding cards.

Unfortunately for me, the first card turned up was a Joker. Since Hyunwoo could play anything on it, Hyunwoo confidently laid down the Ace of Hearts and got off to a strong start.

"...Ugh."

By contrast, my hand was in such bad shape that I didn't have a single attack card.

Luckily, I had drawn the black-and-white Joker, but I decided I'd need it later and drew another card instead.

"Couldn't play anything?"

When I obediently drew a card on my very first turn, Hyunwoo started grinning at me with an unmistakably smug look.

'Yeah... There goes that attitude.'

It was one of Hyunwoo's habits, always showing up whenever Hyunwoo thought there was an advantage.

Hyunwoo would get more talkative and take a lot more interest in other people, as if invincible. It wasn't exactly pleasant.

And just as that suggested, my hand was hopeless.

Even the three cards I'd drawn hadn't included a single useful one, and I was starting to wonder if Hyunwoo had somehow cheated.

"Th-this is weird! You didn't shuffle...!"

In the end, I voiced my reasonable suspicion and yelled at Hyunwoo.

Of course, losing a little at a game like this wasn't a big deal, but it was still embarrassing to lose this badly.

I was frustrated, and the thought that the whole world was unfairly picking on me took over my mind until my eyes started to well up a little.

How could I possibly get a hand this awful unless the game had been rigged?

Somewhere in my heart, I knew Hyunwoo wasn't the kind of person to do that. But this round was so hard to accept that my emotions still got the better of me.

"Really can't play anything? Ask me to start the game over for you~ and I will."

"Ugh... Forget it...! There you go with that awful attitude..."

And so, my protest faded away without getting me anywhere, leaving Hyunwoo with nothing but more material to tease me with.

Besides, if I kept arguing, I'd just look pathetic.

On top of that, the emotions tied to this body were so delicate and sensitive that I got way too invested in even a silly little game like this. I felt like I might burst into tears without meaning to.

I held it in for the sake of what little pride I had left.

'Still, at least I have one Joker...'

Even though the turn had passed back to Hyunwoo, I would lose if I drew just ten more cards.

Still, my hand had a nice range of colors.

Which meant that whatever suit or number Hyunwoo played, I could usually respond and keep getting rid of cards.

With one of the strongest cards already out of play and the other still in my hand, I had a chance if I could play it once the attacks started piling up.

"...Still, that's a relief."

"Huh? What is?"

As I planned out my path to victory and focused, racking my already dulled brain, Hyunwoo's voice cut through my thoughts.

Hyunwoo looked at me with a wistful, longing expression and spoke softly. The meaningful words were enough to draw my attention away from the cards and onto Hyunwoo.

"Minseo, you were really tense until just now. I want you to be lively around me."

"...Yeah."

Hyunwoo's sudden, embarrassing words left me flustered and speechless, and my grip on the cards loosened.

Hyunwoo had deliberately chosen a card game to put me at ease and restore the closeness we'd shared before, when things between us hadn't felt so awkward or distant.

Hearing Hyunwoo say it himself, I was reminded all over again of how deeply I owed him, even though I'd been treating him naturally without even realizing it.

'After all, Hyunwoo's been so good to me that I can hardly deserve it...'

My little body filled with happiness.

But at the same time, an unfounded self-loathing sprang up inside me, making the warmth within clash with a chilly feeling on the outside.

A strange itch spread through my body. I shivered, then took a deep breath to steady myself.

"Then I'll go?"

I didn't know how many seconds had passed while Hyunwoo watched me. Maybe Hyunwoo had gotten tired of waiting, because the game resumed as Hyunwoo took a card from his hand and laid it down.

Sure enough, the Ace of Clubs appeared right away, so absurdly that it made me suspect the deck had been rigged.

I couldn't believe two of the first seven cards had been Aces, and started searching through my hand.

If I responded to that one, I wouldn't lose right away, but I'd be very close. I rummaged through my hand for the Joker I'd been saving.

"...Oh!"

I found the Ace of Spades I'd missed before, even though I hadn't been sure it was there at all.

It was as delightful as finding New Year's money I'd secretly hidden in a childhood diary.

It was only one card, but I couldn't hide my joy and ended up grinning at Hyunwoo.

"Hehe... Ehehe..."

A card that definitely hadn't been there a moment ago.

I wondered how it had suddenly appeared in my hand, but that wasn't important right now, so I went ahead and played it.

Three Aces had already been played, so even if Hyunwoo played the last one, I could use my Joker to launch a guaranteed attack.

All I could see now was victory.

I stretched my arm out as far as I could and played my card with a dramatic smack!

The certainty of victory already had my shoulders lifting with confidence.

'I feel kind of bad for accusing Hyunwoo of screwing me over earlier...'

I must have been so upset that I hadn't properly checked the three cards I'd drawn and had assumed there were no Aces.

I'd accused Hyunwoo and thrown a fit over a game that was actually stacked in my favor. I was starting to feel pathetic.

"Then I'll play this."

"Okay! Joker... Jo...ker... I had one, didn't I...? Huh?"

After watching Hyunwoo silently lay down the last Ace, I searched my hand for the Joker so I could finish the game.

'...Why isn't it here?'

"Looking for this?"

As I rummaged through my hand, Hyunwoo waved a Joker at me.

The trump card that had definitely been in my hand just moments ago.

I didn't even have to think hard to figure out how it had ended up in Hyunwoo's hand.

"Y-you! You switched it on me while you were saying all that weird stuff earlier! You cheater!"

"Got proof? You lost because you suck, Minseo."

"Y-you...! Aaaagh! Again! Again, I said!"

In the end, I'd reached the limit of my patience. With tears brimming in my eyes, I demanded a rematch.

"Then wanna play for something this time? One wish?"

"......That's..."

"Scared?"

"...Bring it on, you bastard!"

And so, after racking up two losses and handing Hyunwoo a wish to cash in, I finally got to cry to my heart's content.

"Hwaaaah...!"