Chapter 78

Shuffle shuffle shuffle!

Kang Jin began skillfully shuffling cards with his hands.

“Wow! You’re good at this.”

At O Taegwang’s compliment, Kang Jin smiled.

“When I worked as a construction worker, there was one older gentleman who taught me how to shuffle well.”

Shuffle shuffle shuffle!

After lightly finishing the shuffle, Kang Jin dealt seven cards each to O Taegwang and himself.

“There’s nothing better than gambling for understanding human psychology.”

“You’re right; grasping human psychology can increase your chances… Ha!” As if struck by a thought, O Taegwang chuckled softly and glanced at Lim Sang-ok.

“I shouldn’t gamble against someone trained in psychology.”

“Not everyone studying psychology is skilled at gambling, but…” Lim Sang-ok paused momentarily before smiling. “Just don’t try it with me.”

“Oh-ho! I’m quite good at cards myself…but aren’t you being too confident, Professor?”

“Then how about we have a game tonight?”

“Hahaha! That sounds fun indeed. Let’s discuss it further over drinks later…”

O Taegwang glanced at Kang Jin, indicating that he should explain. In response, Kang Jin asked:

“Do you like the seven cards you currently hold?”

O Taegwang briefly looked at his hand and replied:

“That depends on what you’re holding, doesn’t it?”

No matter how good O Taegwang’s cards were, they wouldn’t be considered favorable if Kang Jin held better ones. Conversely, even mediocre cards could become advantageous if they outperformed O Taegwang’s hand. Kang Jin nodded in agreement with O Taegwang’s observation.

“I don’t need to explain further; you’re right, sir. In poker, both your hand and your opponent’s matter equally.”

With that, Kang Jin revealed his cards, prompting O Taegwang to show his as well.

“At this moment, it seems like I’ve won.”

“Yes, indeed.”

Based on their current hands, Kang Jin was winning.

“But…”

Kang Jin inserted one of his cards into O Taegwang’s hand.

“This way, you would come out victorious, sir.”

O Taegwang examined the cards after Kang Jin’s suggestion.

“So, by taking a card from my opponent, I can improve my own hand?”

Kang Jin nodded in response.

“The rules are simple: Each intern is given seven cards.”

“If we typically select around 16 interns, that means we’d need 112 cards… But wouldn’t that be too many since there aren’t enough cards in a standard deck?”

“Then let’s make it six cards instead of seven and use two decks.”

“Two decks… That should be plenty,” replied O Taegwang.

Lim Sang-ok chimed in, “Poker with two decks… The possibilities become quite complex.”

The number of combinations drastically changes when playing poker with 104 cards compared to 52.

Kang Jin nodded at Lim Sang-ok’s observation. “That’s correct. Even with one deck, poker is already intricate, but now it becomes even more complicated. With two decks, there can potentially be six-of-a-kind hands, not just four-of-a-kind.”

In traditional poker, four matching cards form a ‘four-of-a-kind’ hand. However, using two decks allows for up to six matching cards, creating a ‘six-of-a-kind’ possibility.

It meant there would be six cards then.

As O Taegwang pondered this revelation, Kang Jin continued her explanation. “Each intern can exchange cards once with every other intern. For example, since we have seventeen interns here now, each person can make sixteen card exchanges. Of course, you cannot exchange cards twice with the same individual. You’re allowed only one exchange per person.”

“So?” Intrigued, O Taegwang examined his cards as Kang Jin elaborated further.

“After revealing two decks of cards, show the remaining ones to everyone present. This allows them to consider all possible scenarios.”

Knowing which cards were not included helps interns eliminate those possibilities from their calculations.

“During card exchanges, interns must reveal two cards from their hand.”

“By revealing cards, you can deduce which card your opponent wants?” O Taegwang immediately grasped Kang Jin’s strategy, and Kang Jin nodded in agreement.

“That’s true, but this game is about discarding unwanted cards while acquiring desired ones. If I discard any random card just because I don’t need it, my opponent could infer what cards I’m aiming for.”

“You’re right; they might guess based on the discarded cards. And since we have to exchange sixteen times… What else?” Intrigued, O Taegwang awaited Kang Jin’s response.

Kang Jin shook his head as he observed O Taegwang’s curiosity. “This should be enough.”

The rules were simple:

1. Each player receives six cards.

2. Interns can exchange cards once per turn.

3. When exchanging, two cards must be revealed.

4. After all exchanges are completed, reveal your cards; the player with the highest hand wins.

O Taegwang looked at Kang Jin after his brief explanation.

“That’s it?”

“Isn’t there usually no detailed explanation for popular intern selection contests either?”

“I suppose…that’s true.”

“So this is sufficient.”

“Hmm…” O Taegwang glanced at Lim Sang-ok, seeking approval. She smiled and nodded reassuringly.

“It’s quite well-designed considering you made it on the spot.”

“Really?”

“This game allows us to assess information gathering, psychological analysis, adaptability, and creativity.”

“Creativity? How does it evaluate creativity?” While he understood the assessment of information gathering, psychological analysis, and adaptability, the aspect of creativity puzzled him.

Lim Sang-ok glanced at Kang Jin upon O Taegwang’s question, prompting Kang Jin to respond.

“There are four rules.”

“Indeed.”

“With only four rules, everything else is permitted.”

“Everything?”

“The four rules don’t specify any prohibited methods.”

“But aren’t rules meant to be followed?”

“Of course. Established rules must be adhered to.”

O Taegwang smiled at Kang Jin’s response.

“As long as we follow the set rules, our actions won’t be restricted?”

“That’s correct.”

“Fascinating.”

“And for this game, interns need time to exchange cards.”

“How much time would that require?”

“After each card exchange, they’ll need time to deduce and strategize. It could take anywhere from ten minutes on the shorter end to an hour on the longer side.”

O Taegwang nodded at Kang Jin’s explanation.

“We can start during the PE event and reveal the results once it ends.”

“That should give us ample time,” replied Kang Jin.

O Taegwang looked at him curiously. “How is your restaurant doing?”

“How do you know about my restaurant?”

“Shouldn’t the president of a company be aware of such matters? So, how’s business?”

“It’s still in its early stages.”

“If running the restaurant proves challenging, why not consider joining our company instead?”

While Taegwang Trading wasn’t a large corporation, it was a reputable mid-sized firm. However…

“I have personal reasons for operating the restaurant.”

“Personal reasons… Well, I understand.”

O Taegwang then turned to Lim Sang-ok.

“I hope you send us another great intern next year as well.”

“Thank you very much,” Lim Sang-ok replied sincerely. While it was ultimately up to his student’s performance whether they’d be hired full-time or not, he appreciated the opportunity provided by O Taegwang. It wasn’t easy for psychology students to secure internships at trading companies.

As Choi Kwang-hyun observed them chatting amiably, he gently interjected:

“Professor, we need to head over for the wrestling competition.”

O Taegwang smiled and responded, “Our products are quite generous, so make sure to bring home the victory.”

Lim Sang-ok nodded at O Taegwang’s words.

“Since we’ve come this far, let’s try to win at least one match.”

As Lim Sang-ok led his students out of the pavilion, Kang Jin bowed to O Taegwang and followed them closely behind.

O Taegwang then turned to Kang Jin with a question.

“What kind of person do you think I am?”

It was the same query he had posed when they first met. Kang Jin looked him over before responding.

“You seem like someone who cares deeply for your employees.”

O Taegwang pressed further. “Anything else?”

Seeing that O Taegwang seemed eager to hear more, Kang Jin smiled and replied,

“It’s hard for me to speak freely since I’m still just an intern.”

“Ha! Is it because I’m the president that you can’t speak freely?”

“I still have two months left as an intern.”

O Taegwang chuckled at Kang Jin’s response.

“Well, then, I’ll just wait until your internship is over.”

“When my internship ends, please come to our restaurant as a customer. Then, I’ll give you both delicious food and a psychological test together.”

O Taegwang nodded at Kang Jin’s suggestion.

“Sounds good.”

Kang Jin bowed his head respectfully before heading towards Lim Sang-ok waiting outside the pavilion.

As they walked together, Lim Sang-ok asked Kang Jin,

“How do you find working for the company?”

“It’s a great company.”

“Do you think it’s suitable for new graduates?”

“I would love to work for this company if it weren’t for the restaurant.”

Choi Kwang-hyun asked Kang Jin, “It’s that good?”

“The benefits are great, but what I appreciate most is the mindset of the people there.” Kang Jin then shared some observations from his time at the company, such as how they trained interns before their departure and emphasized helping small businesses rather than just selling products through export agencies. He explained how they took every small venture seriously.

Impressed by Kang Jin’s insights, Choi Kwang-hyun nodded appreciatively. “Their mindset is commendable.”

Lim Sang-ok agreed with Kang Jin’s sentiment, nodding along.

“As you can see, President Oh is ambitious. And he rewards his employees well due to that ambition.”

“It’s great when ambition is used for good.” Choi Kwang-hyun nodded at Lim Sang-ok’s words.

“Ambition isn’t inherently bad.” Lim Sang-ok paused briefly before continuing. “Desiring a better life or wanting to excel more than others—when these feelings are channeled positively, they can serve as powerful motivation for self-improvement.”

Kang Jin nodded in agreement with Lim Sang-ok’s perspective and then checked the time on his phone.

“I should head out since I have basketball practice later.”

“Yes, let’s have some drinks tonight.”

“Understood.” Kang Jin nodded and turned to head towards the auditorium but paused mid-step. He scanned his surroundings before moving away from prying eyes to a secluded spot.

Once he was certain no one could see him, Kang Jin opened his mouth.

“Bae Yongsoo, Bae Yongsoo, Bae Yongsoo.”

After calling Sung Yongsoo’s name three times, a voice suddenly spoke next to him.

“What?”

Kang Jin looked at Sung Yongsoo upon hearing his voice.

“You’re incredibly fast.”

“By the way, why did you call me?” Sung Yongsoo squinted and glanced around uneasily.

Seeing Sung Yongsoo’s discomfort, Kang Jin asked:

“What’s wrong?”

“There’s the Virgin Ghost and Incubus over there.”

Bae Yongsoo pointed towards the auditorium, and Kang Jin followed his gaze.

“The Virgin Ghost and Incubus?”

“Are they crazy? Why are they together all of a sudden?” Bae Yongsoo looked at the auditorium with a mixture of bewilderment and unease. He shivered, then retreated backwards.

“The energy feels hostile; let’s keep our distance.”

Kang Jin walked alongside Bae Yongsoo as he asked:

“The ghosts inside that auditorium, are they the Virgin Ghost and Incubus?”

Bae Yongsoo nodded in response to Kang Jin’s question.

“I’ve seen both the Virgin Ghost and Incubus separately before, but never together.”

“Then is the Incubus just as terrifying as the Virgin Ghost?”

While Kang Jin had encountered many male ghosts, he had never met an incubus, so he was unsure about its nature.

Moreover, other ghosts had mentioned the Virgin Ghost several times but never spoke about the Incubus before now.

“Do you think only women feel wronged when they die as virgins? Men suffer the same injustice if they die without experiencing intimacy.”

Bae Yongsoo’s words made Kang Jin glance around the auditorium. In truth, he found it slightly odd that both female and male ghosts were present together. However… considering how mature kids these days tend to be, it seemed plausible to him. Some grow up quickly after all.

Yet here was the Virgin Ghost among females, and Yeongsoo, the Incubus, among males.

‘If Virgins and Incubi represent fire and water respectively… does this mean they died together and now roam together?’