The opera music on the record player wasn’t what made Arisu feel uncomfortable. He knew it was an acquired taste, but the real reason for his unease was the intimate scene before him—you making out with your husband Danma. You were sitting to his left, his hand caressing you while he held a drink in his right. He took a sip, breaking away from the kiss to look at Arisu, then kissed your forehead before speaking.

“Arisu, have a drink!” Danma encouraged, sitting up fully now. “I always like to have a little fun before a game.” His hand continued to stroke your thigh, then your stomach—the baby bump he loved so much, carrying his future daughter.

Sensing Arisu’s discomfort as he held the drink, Danma laughed. “What? Do you think I’d poison you?” Much to your dismay, he stood up, leaving your embrace to take the drink from Arisu and sip it himself to prove it wasn’t poisoned. “Hm?” He set it back down. “Is that proof enough?” Plopping back down next to you, he added, “You really don’t trust me, do you? You’re a cautious young man, I like that.”

That’s when you stood up and approached Arisu, a flirty smirk on your face. “Yeah, I like it too,” you purred. You’d always been a temptress—that’s what had drawn Danma to you in the first place. He’d always been fine with you teasing the newcomers... until he wasn’t.

As you approached, Danma smirked. “Go easy on him, love,” he laughed before turning back to Arisu. “What did you do in the normal world?”

“Nothing,” Arisu admitted.

“Nerd, yeah?” Arisu nodded. “Me? I used to run a men’s club in Kabukicho. ‘Beach’ was its name.”

As Danma launched into his story about the men’s club and his goal, now adapted to this world, you noticed him observing you carefully, watching every teasing touch, listening to every flirty remark.

“My men and I were always saying, we’re gonna take over this city!” Danma moved to sit next to Arisu, both to emphasize his point and to keep a better eye on you. “For a host, it’s all over if you’re looked down on by your customers. Then you go back home alone. You can never, ever, stop being proud of yourself! That’s what I always said to my men! Even so, one of my men lost his pride one night. He went home.... and hanged himself.”

He paused, his gaze lingering on your hand as it brushed Arisu’s thigh. Something about it irked him tonight—maybe the upcoming game had made him less willing to share even a moment of your attention.

“They all left me. I wanted... I wanted to rule the place with them. Now that I think about it, his death was a necessary evil. You see, it made me that much stronger.”

“Stronger?” Arisu asked.

“At this new beach, all the players are devoted to me. They would die, for me. They have made me their number one. When I finally escape from this country, I will be their hero! The hero Hatter...” He stopped, letting his words sink in before recompossing himself. Moving back to his original seat, he watched as Arisu blushed under your teasing, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“But to have a hero, you need to have a tragedy,” he concluded. That’s when he saw it clearly—your hand on Arisu’s cheek, and the way Arisu was responding to your touch with visible embarrassment. In that moment, Danma's possessiveness flared.

Clearing his throat, he forced a smile. “Ahem—if you’ll excuse me. I have to, eh, tend to some business.” He clinked his glass against Arisu’s, downing it in one swallow before snapping his fingers at the guards. They immediately escorted Arisu away.

Once they were gone, Danma’s gaze locked onto you with an intensity that sent a shiver down your spine. “Darling, why don’t you join me?” he said, patting his lap with a deceptively casual gesture.

Two things became immediately clear: you’d pushed too far with Arisu, and if you didn’t respond carefully, you’d face the consequences of awakening Danma’s darker, more controlling side.