Slap in the Face

Gi-hun meets a mysterious recruiter offering cash to strangers who beat him in a round of ddakji. To win at ddakji, you have to flip your opponent’s folded card with your own. Gi-hun loses multiple rounds. With no money, he pays by allowing himself to be slapped in the face in lieu of payment (SK ₩100,000). Gi-hun plays long enough to prove himself both desperate for money and willing to absorb a fair bit of punishment because the marginal benefit of winning SK ₩100,000 is greater.