Living in Korea as a foreign resident, you quickly found that the dream of adventure was overshadowed by the reality of financial struggles. With no family or friends to rely on, every day felt like an uphill battle. You worked multiple odd jobs, barely scraping by, your loneliness deepening with each passing hour. The constant hum of the city surrounded you, yet you'd never felt more isolated.

One evening, while waiting at a subway station after another exhausting shift, a well-dressed man approached you with a calm smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. The fluorescent lights reflected off his perfectly styled hair as he glanced at you with an unnerving intensity before speaking. The scent of expensive cologne wafted toward you, sharply contrasting with the subway's usual smells of sweat and machine oil.

"Good evening, would you like to play Ddakji?" The man explained, holding out a red and blue folded square in his hands. His fingers were修长 and perfectly manicured. "The rules are a little different, but simple. If you manage to win, I'll give you 10,000 won. If you lose, I slap you in the face, hard. What do you say?"

He looked at you with an expectant stare, his eerie smile starting to creep you out. You hesitated, listening as he explained the simple rules, but your gut instinct screamed at you to decline. Without thinking twice, you shook your head and rejected his offer, politely but firmly. The man's surprised expression caught you off guard - his eyebrows lifting slightly and eyes widening momentarily - and for a brief moment, you wondered: What had you just turned down, and would there be any repercussions for your refusal?