Chasing Butterflies

No Limit

"Come on guys, we've got work to do." Namjoon clapped his hand and started leading the group away from their apartment. They followed silently.

Taehyung turned back and cast a glance at the door. "Guys, are we sure it's safe to leave her here alone?" He worried that something would happen to her if they left her all alone. He didn't know what she'd been through but judging by her dark eyes and the way she constantly spaced out, something was wrong.

"Tae I'm sure she'll be fine," Yoongi sighed.

"Yeah, nobody knows where our place is and even if they did know, no way in hell would they try something." Taehyung sighed at hearing Hoseok's words, calming down slightly.

"You're right guys. It'll be fine." He nodded to himself.

Seeing that he was satisfied, the boys began to walk away from the apartment. This time none of them turned back. They walked for a few minutes. Knocked over trash cans and empty beer bottles littered the street but they were used to it. A pristine black town car rolled up to the curb and the driver stepped out. The group stopped and looked at the driver.

"Gentlemen, your car as requested," he bowed his head slightly.

"Thank you Mr. Kang," Jin thanked the driver as the man pulled the door open for them. The boys slid into the plush leather seats one at a time and the door shut behind them.

"Where to tonight?" Mr. Kang asked as he turned the ignition.

"Dongdae Central Hotel." Jungkook responded.

They sat in silence. No one said a word as they looked at one another; mostly just at one person. There was no denying the tense feeling in the air as the other boys stared at Jimin. Meanwhile he stared down at his hands, not noticing the six sets of eyes that were trained on him.

"That's it." Yoongi reached up to the ceiling and pressed a switch, making the partition roll up between the driver and cabin.

"What's up with you?" He interrogated, looking at the younger boy with suspicion. "You've been completely silent since we left the apartment. And you stayed behind with Izzy for a quite a long minute before we left. What's going on?" Jimin shook his head in frustration. Why did they need to know?

"I just stayed behind to ask if she was okay," he lied. "The first time I saw her she was sleeping on a subway bench and the time after that she was stumbling down the street to her ex-boyfriends place. It's not exactly a secret that something is going on with her." Jimin's last statement rang with truth. All the boys could see that something wasn't quite right in Izzy's life. But having seen dark days themselves, none of them said anything.

"I figured that if we're going to be keeping her around we should at least make sure that she's alright," he resolved, but the boys looked at one another with hesitation.

"We're keeping her around?" Taehyung asked, a smile working its way into his face.

"I don't know," Namjoon said in all seriousness. "We've only known her for a few hours. Can we really trust her?" The boys shifted in discomfort, knowing that their leader was right. They were silent again. Jimin's fists clenched, as did his jaw.

"Can't we give her a chance?" Jungkook spoke up. "We had fun with her today," he stated quietly.

"And I somehow doubt that she's a threat," Hoseok chimed in. "She's too tiny to do any damage."

"Besides, it looks like she's got issues of her own," Jin added to the conversation.

"I've met her three times now and each time she was wandering around the city with nowhere to go. I don't know if she even has a home. We can't say that we don't know what that's like," Jimin grew quiet, "At least I can't."

No words were said. The boys recalled when Jimin joined their group. He had been the last one. Hoseok remembered finding a teenage Jimin shivering on a railway bench. They all remembered when Hoseok brought him back to their place. Back then, the cold, abandoned railway was the only home they knew. Then they had run into him. And he struck a deal and gave them enough money to be able to afford an apartment. It was small and dingy and had spray paint on the walls, but it was the first time any of them had a real roof over their heads. Even though they were better off now, the boys still stayed in that apartment, the one they had left Izzy in; it was home to them.

"Jimin's right," Yoongi asserted. "We don't know what she's been though but we can't say that we haven't been through hell and back ourselves. I vote we keep her." The guys nodded along in silent agreement

Namjoon sighed, "Okay, you guys are right," he resolved. "Izzy stays." There was finality in his statement. They boys all nodded happily. They didn't want to admit it but they had enjoyed their day with Izzy, her presence somehow made things better.

Their town car pulled to a stop. A massive building shone with neon lights.

"Come on guys, we've got work to do and a game to win," Namjoon says as Mr. Kang pulled open the car door, holding it for them.

Jin was the first to step out, his shiny Italian loafers hitting the pavement. Namjoon slid out as well, followed by Hoseok and Jungkook. Yoongi emerged from the car next, walking to stand with the boys. Jimin took a deep breath where he still sat in the car. He couldn't stop thinking about Izzy and there was no denying that he was glad they were keeping her around. Jimin let out a breath and stepped out of the car.

They walked together up the steps of the hotel. Camera flashes went off around them but they didn't pay any attention to it. The tabloids always had paparazzi around this place, especially ever since word got out that the rich elite of the city gambled at Dongdae Central Hotel. Of course none of those air-brained reporters knew the names of those who gambled or what they looked like. For all they knew, the boys were just a group of rich guests that were staying at the hotel. And that's exactly how the boys liked to keep it.

They ambled up the hotel steps, their expensive suits immaculate and leather shoes without a single scuff on them. The massive glass doors were pulled apart and the group descended into the hotel lobby.

Suit-clad businessmen and women in caked on makeup roamed the hotel. And they were all here for the same reason as the boys; they all wanted in on the game. But everyone knew that they didn't stand a chance now that the boys had arrived. These fat, balding, old men had inherited their wealth from fathers and grandfathers. They spent their toddler years eating caviar from silver spoons. None of them knew what it was like to struggle for money or work their way up in the world. Not like the boys. They had achieved their status and image through years of struggles and dirty work. But it was hard to make an honest living in this city. And yes, they had taken a few liberties and skipped a few steps to get to the top.

"Gentlemen, lovely to see you again. Is it safe to assume that you're here for the game?" The hotel manager greeted them. He was a middle aged man who was graying from the stress of dealing with rich assholes for years

"We always are," Namjoon smiled at the man and his shoulders visibly relaxed. The boys had no grudge against this man and they treated him with respect. There was no sense in making enemies where you could make friends.

"Ah, excellent. I've reserved the late positions for you." The boys all smiled. The late positions were the best at the table, aside from the dealer that is.

"What's the game tonight?" Hoseok inquired.

"No Limit Hold 'Em," the hotel manager began to lead them to the massive back lounge. "I imagine there will be many unhappy players now that you gentlemen have arrived," he laughed and the boys joined in.

"And what's the buy-in for tonight?" Yoongi only asked out of curiosity. They all knew that the buy-in wasn't an issue for them.

"Twenty thousand dollars," the manager stated as he stopped at the lounge door. "As always, have a great night gentlemen. And good luck." He hurried back to the lobby, probably to greet more snobbish men in ill-fitting suits.

"Come on boys," Hoseok called, "We've got ass to kick and money to win."

"Already ahead of you," Jungkook was headed for the massive table where cards were being shuffled and chips were being dealt out to fat men with balding heads. The boys followed after him, poker faces in place.