-------- ≪ ① ≫ --------
"I see your two-hundred and raise you... three," said the gentleman at the far end of the table.
Lee Jieun drummed her painted red nails, fighting to tame the small smirk working its way up to her features, straining to stay honest to her intentions of retaining a stoic demeanor.
Ever since her now-husband decided to move to Las Vegas—or rather, taken up temporary residence there— she had discovered the joys that the vast array of casinos had to offer.
Surprisingly, Busan was no different.
At first, the socialite had been rather skeptical and joined her partner's friends out of mere curiosity and boredom. Because there was nothing remotely exciting about her first days of marriage, she wanted to give it a try, plus to check for herself why some people got addicted to something as simple and superfluous as a game.
And so the answers she was seeking successfully eluded her even after a number of times, thus she had no choice except to keep coming back for more. It wasn't so hard to find different new casinos once they returned to their country so her hobby could continue.
Her fur coat was the first thing discharged upon arriving, displaying a lavish night black dress and she knew, just as every day and everywhere, most gazed at her figure, busy mentally undressing her. It was always an advantage.
"You sound unsure of your choices today, Jungkook-ssi," Jieun commented, glancing down at her cards. "Maybe you should go a little easier."
"Maybe you should be at home cooking," he chuckled, a sound that would shiver down any human's spine. "Last time I checked it was the wife's place, not inside a casino."
"Perhaps in your house," she retorted calmly. "My husband would never allow me to get my hands dirty in the kitchen."
He chuckled again, lower. "So that's how you like to spend his money on."
"Among other things," she stated, shifting on her seat. "Right now, I just wanna spend the money your buddies are going to lose tonight—how much are you raising again?"
The table erupted in laughter that burned Jeon Jungkook's cheekbones as he clenched his jaw. Jieun simply smiled at him, head tilted and eyebrow raised, waiting for the move.
"She fancies you," the one next to him muttered.
Her opponent scoffed, tossing down a pair of queens and three nines. She took her time in doing the same, loving to put on a little bit of suspense at the end of every game; the anticipation in their faces was always so priceless.
"What do you got?" Jungkook asked, reclining back.
Jieun smirked, revealing her hand of three aces and the remaining two queens. "The satisfaction of leaving this place with your money."
Laughter burst louder this time, but instead of feeling angry for losing a game against this woman, the gentleman smiled back at her as she leaned over the table elegantly to bring the many tokens and cash closer. He didn't say a word and slowly left the poker table to join a small group of men.
"Alright, who's next?" Jieun announced to ones standing and watching.
While giving a quick survey to pick her next victim, she caught a glimpse of a strange patron at the corner of the casino bar, one she didn't remember ever joining before. He was easy to spot, towering over most people like a dark presence, enjoying a small glass of whiskey. A new player or not, he didn't seem to be interested in any game that was happening around him.
Challenging.
"That mister over there, Jin," she whispered to the one obediently holding her coat right beside her. "Who is it?"
"Um—" Kim Seokjin, Jieun's one and only puppy escort, fixed his round eyeglasses while studying the man briefly. His features hardened once he couldn't recognize the figure.
"Don't waste your time, gem," laughed Mr. Jung Hoseok approaching the table. "That guy show up sometimes for a drink and leaves, never touching a single card." He deliberately lifted his index finger ready to touch her chin. "I won't mind leaving with the money you won from Jeon if you allow me a g—argh!"
Seokjin had twisted Hoseok's wrist before the poor man had any chance for the physical contact. "The player's seat is the other way, please."
"Christ..." he grumbled with a small pout, moving away to the end of the table where the seat was available. "I wasn't going to break her."
"Touch her and her husband will surely do it with every single of your bones," Seokjin advised.
Hoseok stiffed, his drink freezing in the air on its way to his lips.
"What kind of husband allows his wife to go out at night and be surrounded by a bunch of men?" another asked, dealing the cards.
"Hey!" argued a woman. "What am I supposed to be? Jin, go invite the gentleman for a round."
Jieun didn't look surprised at the request her colleague cast. She was familiar with her intentions of wanting more people to be part of their table. She didn't mind; her name had become somewhat known around town among players and each new confident entrant stepping in, and most importantly, richer than the next, her eyes shone brighter.
Seokjin shot Jieun a questioning look as if asking for permission to leave her side and she shot back with an amused one. He sighed, pushing his eyeglasses up, and hurried forward after this strange man at the bar.
But before he could say his first word, the patron pushed his whiskey glass away fished some cash on his wallet, and began to retreat, turning away from the counter.
Seokjin had to take two steps back to prevent himself from being stepped over by him and quickly bowed.
Jieun watched everything, twirling a finger around a wavy curl and though a smile was lingering on her lips to see her escort struggling to start a conversation with the stranger, knowing about his socializing issues, it quickly faded at the sight.
The man gave a curious glance at the female coat Seokjin was holding, raising an eyebrow, hands deep into the pockets of his tailored, black slacks that fit him so well, she couldn't help her gaze falling to them. She followed his body up to his torso, staring up at his hair, hanging perfectly over one of his eyes.
A short and very brief chat happened between the two before both turned their heads to the poker table, the moment where Jieun forced herself to look away.
She realized Seokjin had convinced him to at least be introduced to the people playing that night when they were already standing by the table. Her escort returned to her side, speaking under a small sigh. "I couldn't get his name."
Jieun dismissed that, pretending to be busy studying her cards.
"We're glad you decided to join," the tipsy-sounding woman said, all smiles for him.
"I'm not planning to play," came out the husky, deep male voice.
"Don't be shy. Just a round."
"C'mon, you strike me as a lucky guy!" Hoseok encouraged cheerfully. "Doesn't he, everyone?"
At that, Jieun risked a glance up, finding the man nonchalantly picking up a $100 token, twirling it casually, only to toss it right back on the table. For the first time, their eyes met and when she thought about looking away again, he did it in her place.
"Sorry," he mumbled. "I don't want to leave anyone in the red."
Under the laughter from the players, Jieun was startled by the sense of humor he showed. He might have struck Hoseok and the rest as a lucky fellow, but he definitely struck her as a very unsympathetic patron at first glance.
"What's your story, newcomer?" Chan, the third-best player, asked. "We heard that you come by and never try to win a single penny."
"Do you come here to watch us playing to maybe... learn some tips?" taunted Hoseok.
"I see many other things inside this casino he could be watching instead."
"Inna," Lee Dongwook hissed from another table. "You know I can hear you, right?"
The woman rolled her eyes, sharing an annoyed look with Jieun, who only smiled, but continued to say nothing. "That was my husband. Ignore him—now, take a seat, silly boy... Play one with us."
He let out a chuckle, barely audible to their ears, and shook his head. "The drinks are the best in here," he explained his reason. "I'll be turning down the invitation. Duty calls me in the early morning... Have fun."
"Is what they all say."
Not more than a few steps forward were given before the words had stopped the man where he was. Turning to look over his shoulder, his eyes searched and quickly found the source of the soothing voice.
"The cowards," Jieun clarified, selecting a card to draw, not looking back at him. "When they want to wuss out, this is the most common excuse they use," she discarded it, slowly lifting her gaze. "But you're right... I wouldn't tempt fate, especially when I feel that it's definitely not my day to win."
The slow step he gave back towards the table quieted the rest down as he gazed over with interest at the socialite for delivering such a bold statement.
Jieun expected; she didn't know him, had no idea if he was good or not, had played before or not, but it was one of her tactics to get the scaredy-cats' butt on a chair and give it a go.
She saw him eyeing at the amount of cash at her side, smirking slightly.
"Looks like you worked hard." The bravado in his voice and the instant look in his eyes on her cut her to the core, though she didn't show it. "Would be a shame to lose everything in one night."
"I can always win it back," she shrugged. "Losing is part of life, isn't it?"
He shifted on his feet, parting his suit jacket to put his hands back inside his pockets, white button-up shirt was tucked into his pants
"Just don't be so sure that it will be by you," she warned.
It was hard to tell how serious he took it, but by his expression, not much.
They all gave him a moment to think about and knowing she had won this round, Jieun pursed her lips to keep from smiling when he nodded. Hoseok was kind to stand—actually, be thrown to another seat by Inna and give his to him, where he faced Jieun at a perfect angle.
As the cards were shuffled, she moved her attention away from them for a second, spotting Jungkook unsurprisingly still talking to his friends on a farther table, surrounded by drinks. Once he sensed her stare on him, he returned it, taking the chance she was looking over to lift his wrist to show his expensive watch, tapping twice on it, which meant her night was coming to an end soon.
Jieun sighed. Her husband was no fun.
Inna laughed at something Chan said, defusing the situation and keeping things light again for her. "Okeey, let's do this!"
"Yeah," Jieun muttered, eyes on the newcomer while dragging the cards from the table slowly to her reach, while he did the same. "Let's do this."
♠︎ 🃑 ♦︎ 🃅 ♥︎ 🃁 ♠︎