“This game is rigged,” I muttered, pushing my dwindling stack of cash away.
“Don’t be a sore loser,” Cahya said, stacking his bills neatly into piles like he was auditioning for a job as a banker.
“I’mnota sore loser,” I snapped. “I just hate losing at dumb games like this.”
“You’ve always been a sore loser Soh—”
“No have not.” I argued at nineteen years of age.
“Maybe take a breath get something to drink yeah?” Wynter proposed, not even looking up as he placed yet another house on Park Place. His voice was casual, but it made my blood boil.
“I need water,” I said abruptly, standing up before the heat in my chest spilled over.
The kitchen was dark except for the faint glow of a candle flickering on the counter. I grabbed a glass and filled it at the sink, letting the coolness of the water steady me.
As I drank, I heard their voices drift over from the living room but couldn’t quite make out what exactly was being communicated. All I heard was ayou’ve gotta be kidding mefrom Cahya and ayou’re so whipped it’s embarrassingfrom Bae. I shrugged it off.
I turned and walked back to the living room, keeping my expression neutral. But inside, I was simmering.
“What’d I miss?” I asked, sitting back down.
“Nothing!” Bae said quickly, too brightly, shoving the dice toward me. “Your turn.”
From then on, everything changed. Wynter started making the mostbizarretrades, practically handing me cash and properties. Bae “accidentally” landed on my hotels, and Cahya conveniently forgot to collect rent. I knew what they were doing, and the pity of it burned.
By the end, the board was mine, a kingdom of orange and red hotels, while the others sat bankrupt and “defeated.”
“Well,” Wynter said, leaning back with a faint smile. “Looks like you’re not as bad as you thought.”
“You asshole.” I huffed in offense.
“Woah!” Bae covered hear ears.
“Not in front of the children Yesoh damn.” Cahya scolded.
I stared at the board, then at him. “Youletme win.”
His smirk faltered. “What?”
“Youall let me win,” I snapped, my voice sharper than I intended. “You made everyone throw the game, t’s obvious. You think I didn’t notice?”
Cahya looked uncomfortable. “We just thought—”
“Don’t,” I interrupted, glaring at him. “I don’t need you to go easy on me. I’m not some child who needs to be coddled.”
“It’s not like that,” Wynter said, his tone frustratingly calm.
“Then what is it?” I demanded, standing. “You didn’t think I could handle losing?”
“Girl you never noticed all the times he used to let you win before in Waverly too so.” Bae mumbled and Wynter shot her a warning glare.
“Mal-eul josimhaeseo golla.” He scolded her in Korean and she immediately shut her mouth because she knew he only did that when he wasn’t kidding.
The silence stretched, broken only by the faint patter of rain on the windows. I stood up at that and went off to sulk in the kitchen at the sheer lack of respect. I could’ve believe that all these years he’d been letting me win at every game, did he really think of me as that incompetent?
“Hey,” Wynter said finally, his voice softer now. “The rain’s stopped. Let me make it up to you. Anywhere you want to go, my treat.”
Cahya, ever the instigator, grinned. “Take her to the Lego store. She used to build all these insane castles when we were kids.”
