“…What?”When Park Woon-soo echoed the word magic a beat too late, Seo-eul blinked innocently and elaborated.“The marble disappeared so fast. I was wondering if maybe it was a magic trick?”“There’s no trick. Just a simple shuffle.”“You’re sure the marble is really under one of the three cups?”“Yes. It’s under cup number two.”Apparently offended that his honesty had been questioned, Park immediately flipped over the second cup. As he’d claimed, the blue marble was right there. Seo-eul’s expression grew sheepish.“Oh, it really is. Sorry for doubting you.”“Agh, come on, Mr. Seo-eul. I’m not that kind of person. I’ll admit I’m fast, but there’s no cheating. If you pick carefully, you can win!”“Right, right. Playing against someone that fast isn’t cheating at all, huh? No way, I’m out. Let’s do something else!”“Really? I think it’s fine. PD-nim said it’s just one-in-three odds, right? I feel like if I watch once more, I might get it.”At that, Ye Ju-yeol—who’d been ready to throw a tantrum—froze, his pupils shaking. He had plenty to say, but the moment he realized Seo-eul’s eyes were sparkling with genuine curiosity, all his fight drained away. Well, if his favorite senior was having fun, who was he to protest?Swept up by Seo-eul’s excitement, Ju-yeol became the next challenger. He picked cup number one—and failed spectacularly.“Ah. I think I can do it. Let me try this time.”Apparently, one round had given Seo-eul confidence.He raised his hand, volunteering. There was no reason to delay.The blue marble rolled back under a cup, and the shuffle began anew. As the cups whirled, Seo-eul stared fixedly, not blinking once.Then Park’s hands came to a sudden stop. Seo-eul immediately pointed.“Number three! It’s number three!”He even held up three fingers, looking utterly sure. The confidence was contagious; even the crew watching leaned in toward the table.Park hesitated briefly, then slowly lifted the third cup. Inside was… nothing.“Uh?”Seo-eul’s eyes widened. No way. He shook the cup, even flipped it upside down, but not a speck appeared. “I swear I saw it,” his expression said—half indignant, half embarrassed. Yoon Hyuk, observing quietly, swept his gaze across the table once more.No change. The marble sat obediently beneath cup number two.Only one chance remained. As all eyes turned to Sa-heon, Seo-eul leaned closer and whispered softly. Their gazes met midair.“Sa-heon. Can I do it instead?”“…Why. You really think you’ll get it this time?”“Yes.”The determination in his eyes was clear. Sa-heon pressed his lips together, the muscle in his jaw tightening, then looked at PD Jeon. His usually blank face was faintly flushed.“Can I give my turn to him?”“To Seo-eul?”“Yes. He seems to really want to. I don’t mind.”The production staff saw no issue—there were still four total turns—so they nodded. Seo-eul’s face brightened instantly.The final shuffle began. Once again, his eyes followed the marble without blinking.Tap.The last cup stopped.After a brief pause, Seo-eul called out firmly, “Number one!”Everyone’s attention zeroed in on the first cup.Park didn’t delay. He flipped it over at once—and there was no blue marble.Seo-eul’s face crumpled.Deflated, he slumped forward onto the table, his shoulders curling in disappointment. He looked so crushed it almost hurt to watch. Even PD Jeon, despite technically winning, felt bad. Gently patting his back, she spoke.“Mr. Seo-eul… do you really want another round that badly?”“I just feel so close. Please, can we go one more?”“Ahh, you must really hate losing. But rules are rules. Let’s stop here.”Maybe it was because this was his first variety show, but Seo-eul seemed unusually sensitive to this kind of dopamine rush. As she tried to wrap things up, coaxing him away from the table, a calm voice interrupted.“Then let’s raise the stakes. One more round—winner takes all.”Raise the stakes? PD Jeon blinked. What else was there to bet? Staring at Seo-eul’s pleading face, she suddenly had a flash of inspiration. If this worked, it could be golden. Her conscience hesitated for a second—but really, what was there to lose?“Well, in that case, Mr. Seo-eul, how about this?”“What is it?”“If we ever get the chance, would you consider doing another show with us? I know you’re not comfortable with variety, but I thought I’d ask. You can say no! Really!”In short: a blank appearance contract.Brazen, yes, but irresistible.Casting Lee Seo-eul again would be a miracle. Even a short cameo would be a godsend.It was a big request to stake on something as small as a guessing game—but if it succeeded, it would be a huge prize.“Hmm…”Seo-eul didn’t answer right away. He’d been so insistent on “just one more,” but now that a real offer appeared, he went still, clearly thinking. PD Jeon waited nervously, hands clasped in silent prayer. Finally, Seo-eul spoke, voice soft and calm.“Then please also reveal the card limit—and double our spending allowance.”“…What?”“Only if I win. If I lose, we’ll do as you said. I’ll join another show.”“…Are you serious?”If it were anyone else, she’d have laughed. But this was Lee Seo-eul. The man who avoided variety like the plague. The one she’d fought tooth and nail to cast this time. And now he was offering himself up?PD Jeon knew instinctively—this chance would never come again.“Alright. But this is really the last one. One round, clean and fair. Deal?”“Yes. The final one.”Of course, the odds of Seo-eul guessing correctly were practically zero. A normal person couldn’t possibly follow that hand speed. Still, there were no tricks; the marble really stayed under one of the cups. It was just a matter of one-in-three chance.Please, not this round, she thought silently, kneeling beside the table.Ye Ju-yeol and Yoon Hyuk, who’d been listening the whole time, edged closer, both suddenly regretting everything.“This is the final shuffle,” said Park Woon-soo, face now solemn. His job was on the line, after all.He began again, his hands flashing as the cups spun. Seo-eul, however, didn’t follow with his eyes this time. Resting his chin on one hand, he watched in silence, expression blank—eerily calm.Was his face always that cold?The man across from him, glancing nervously, rolled the marble to the next cup—when suddenly, numbers spilled into the air.“Three.”……“One. Three. Three. Two.”It was Seo-eul.His low voice recited the cup numbers softly but precisely.Park’s hands faltered. He realized what those numbers meant.He can see it?He shuffled faster, incredulous—but Seo-eul’s quiet voice continued, calling out only the cup that held the marble each time. Gradually, the others realized what was ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) happening.“Three. One. Two. Three.”“……”“Two. One. One. One. One… not changing, huh.”Even when Park changed the pattern, keeping the marble in the same cup repeatedly, the result was the same. Panic flickered in his eyes as he forced himself to stay focused. What had just happened earlier? Did he intentionally miss before?By the time he thought that, the round was over. Placing the cups back into position, he lifted his head and met Seo-eul’s gaze.Tap. A long, elegant finger tapped the table once.“Number three,” Seo-eul said.“……”There was no need to check, but Park still hesitated before lifting the cup.Inside, the blue marble gleamed under the lights.The room went silent. Everyone was speechless—until Sa-heon, standing at Seo-eul’s side, broke it with a low chuckle.“He’s got incredible eyes. PD-nim, you got played.”He couldn’t stop laughing now. He’d known the game was over the moment it started. When Seo-eul had begun his clumsy little act earlier, Sa-heon had nearly lost his composure keeping a straight face. The man who never touched gambling, begging for ‘just one more round,’ had looked almost cute. Only now did he understand why.Seo-eul had planned all along to double the card limit.And the two idiots frozen beside him were the reason for it.“Wow… seriously…”PD Jeon, realizing too late she’d been completely outsmarted, could only gape. She’d thought she’d reeled in the perfect fish, only to discover she was the one caught in the net.Replaying everything in her head, it made sense now. Seo-eul was never the type to be ruled by dopamine. Why hadn’t she questioned his sudden competitiveness?When she looked up, Seo-eul was already gazing at her.The moment their eyes met, his softened apologetically.Closing her mouth at last, PD Jeon strode straight over to him—not angry, but impressed.“How did you even do that? I’ve been watching this stupid shell game all year and never figured it out. Is there some trick?”She’d lost so much pocket money to that very game. When the new rookie VJ showed off his speed, she’d gone to test him, thinking she could win at least once—and lost every time. She never imagined Seo-eul could follow it flawlessly.“Uh, reading the cup labels, maybe…?”“Hah. I could stare all day and never see a thing. So the earlier misses were all acting, huh? Even the begging for another round?”“……”“You baited me on purpose, didn’t you? You knew I’d take it. Wow. I really fell for it. Guess the old saying’s true—greed kills. Sorry for getting greedy. You must’ve really wanted a decent meal.”At that, Seo-eul shook his head quickly. He’d tricked them, yes—but he looked genuinely remorseful. “No, I’m the one who should apologize,” he murmured, patting Sa-heon’s back before glancing sideways.At first he hadn’t understood the flow of things, but after watching, it became clear.That new rule had been added because of them, and Ju-yeol and Hyuk had gone out of their way to fight on his behalf because of it.“Yes. I just wanted all of us to eat something good.”And once he realized that, there was no need to hide behind excuses.Swallowing whatever else he might have said, Seo-eul only smiled—warm and mild—at the two still staring at him in stunned silence.

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