QUEEN OF HEARTS

Park Sandara was anything but ordinary and she probably knew it the moment she learned how to walk. Golden brown hair that tumbled in waves down her back, fair skin that makes her glow in sunlight, a petite but curvy body that make people protective of her and a personality that made people think angels exists on earth. She was every man's ideal. She was a role model to young girls all over the world. She was loved by many and hated by the envious.

At 18, a little time just after high school, marked the breakthrough of Actress Sandara in the entertainment world with her brilliant depiction of a young schizophrenic victim and it won her Best New Actress in every award show in Korea. She was the nation's darling. Directors never fail to include her name in the list of their most wanted casts and writers never tired of writing about her.

Everyone knew who Park Sandara is and she will never be forgotten.

Summer of 2015

Two neatly polished shoes steps out of the elevator and into the quiet hallway leading to the hotel's penthouse suite. The sound of their footsteps echoed on the marble floors and with each step they took closer to the white oak double door that separated them from their Very Important Guest, their hearts raced with excitement despite their stoic expressions. They halt just before the threshold and raise a hand to knock however, the double doors opened and the loud noise from the inside filled the once quiet hallway.

"Oh! Are those for her?", a tall woman, asks with a smile and takes the bouquets from the gentlemen who were trying to peer through her shoulder, just to see a glimpse of the beauty inside. "Wait! You cannot do that!", she suddenly says and both men stopped moving however, the woman seemed to be talking to someone else on the headset. "I told you, she can't make any appointments today! She's barely ready for tonight! I don't care! Make the plane wait or move your flight, that is not my problem!", she screams onto her headset before she turns to the two men outside, smiles and closes the doors again. 

"I'm losing you, there's bad reception inside the suite, Bye!", she says before the white oak double doors closed again.

As soon as Jessi, Park Sandara's manager turns, two helps immediately take the bouquets on her hand. "Put that with the rest and make sure it is arranged well. We don't want people to think that we just throw their gifts away, all right? And make sure to take a photo so that we know who to thank later.", she barks out trains of commands, one after the other. She goes to check on the white designer dress that was being steamed in one corner of the room. "Is that all set? Check the temperature before making her wear it. We don't want her skin to get burned. And if I see a stain, I don't care how you will do it, but you will have to pay for that dress!"

"Jessi!", someone calls and the woman immediately turns to where the voice came from. It was the make-up artist and immediately, she goes to where she's wanted. "I'm all done. I wanted you to see it!"

"Why does she have to see it? I'm the one you put the make up on and I'm not allowed to see myself?", came a complain from inside. Jessi just grinned and stepped in the private room.

A group of 3 men in black formal wear were arguing quite noisily inside. "No! I came here first so I get to her!", came from one. "I am her co-star! I have every right to be her !", came from the other. The last one turned to the woman sitting with her back to the mirror, her face masked her disinterest with a cordial smile. 2 more girls were behind her, her make up artist and now her manager. "You have to choose now! Just say it, Sandara!"

"You know what...", Jessi speaks instead. "You 3 came here uninvited and now you want to pressure her into choosing who gets the honor of being her tonight. How about you 3 leave and just find someone else to go with?"

"That's not an option!", came a protest from the co-star. "She can't walk the red carpet alone!"

"Is she a cripple?", Jessi raised a brow. "Go! Leave! Now! Or I will ask security to you out of this hotel!"

The 3 men looked at Jessi in horror then at the woman sitting prettily , just blinking her brown eyes at them.

"Sandara, please..."

"I'm sorry for your trouble, but I'll walk the red carpet alone.", she says. "I'll see you all at the venue."

As soon as the door closed, Sandara let out a breath of relief.

"If I knew you could kick them out easily, I should've called for you earlier!", the make up artist tells both women. Jessi was looking at Sandara with a proud smile on her face.

"If you didn't charm them, there wouldn't be any arguments today, Sandara.", Jessi says. "Why didn't you just tell them off anyway?"

"I had my earphones on he whole time, I wasn't listening.", the pretty woman says while standing up and going to the window. "Now, can I smoke a cigarette before I see myself? I'm suddenly having cold feet about this event."

Jessi takes a box of Marlboro inside her pocket and gives a stick to Sandara before she lights it by the window. "Why would you even have cold feet? You should be used to this by now.", the make up artist, Chaerin says.

"Have you read the reviews for this movie? Personally, I don't think it deserves an award."

"Sandara, careful. You don't want anyone else to hear that."

"Its just us three here and you are both the only people I trust.", she says with a smile. "If not for my respect for the director who personally asked me to star in it, I wouldn't have played the part. For years now, all roles I've been playing is this love hungry, damsel in distress woman who seems desperate for a guy!"

"What are you complaining about, you get the guy anyway!", Chaerin interjects and Jessi laughs. "If you don't like the roles, just don't commit!"

"She can never say no.", Jessi tells Chaerin.

"Then what kind of roles do you want to play?" Chaerin asks.

"I want to be a villain, like a woman who manipulates everything else to get what she wants. I want to fire a gun or maybe a canon! Set a place on fire! I don't know!", Sandara puts her hands up to put emphasis to her words. "Just not this girl that everyone wants and gets in the end. I'm not the kind of girl who will be easily swept off her feet just because the guy she loves swims all the way from here to Timbuktu just to get her. I don't find the idea of getting drenched in the rain romantic or being surprised by a hot air balloon date or a dozen of bouquets set at her feet! Who believes in stories like that these days? Women are more empowered now!"

"But that's what sells.", Chaerin says. "Everyone wants to watch a love story and everyone wants a happy ending."

"Because its not so easy to get it, Sandara.", Jessi adds. "You give them hope that love still exists!"

"Well, good for them", she says in a whisper. "Its becoming a burden.", she says loudly this time, facing the window and watching two doves play on the rooftop of the building across. "I'm not someone who can make their happy endings happen or make their daydreams come to life."

The black Rolls Royce stops just at the beginning of the red carpet. Flashes of light were blinding and the sound of the shutters were deafening. She swallows her fears and alights the car with a smile that she doesn't mean. Her blonde hair was free to move around her bare shoulder and her white satin gown added to her glow. She takes careful steps to the middle, the beating of her heart obscures the sound of her name as many photographers wanted to her attention. 

She stops a few seconds just to let them have a good shot of her and slowly makes her way to her co-stars in the middle where they will be interviewed. As she neared the stage, she felt her heart hurt. She realized her hypocrisy in front of the whole nation or maybe the whole world. Suddenly she didn't want this. She falters. 

Then she stops. 

Wondering faces turns to her and the flashes from the cameras made her nauseous. Her world was spinning and she was finding it hard to breathe. She takes a step back, then another. Some people from the stage were walking towards her. Panic arose, and she lifts her gown off the red carpet and turns, running back to the car that took her there.

"Bring me to the airport, now!", she instructs the driver, never looking back at the scene she just escaped from.

She fell asleep on the plane, even before it took off. Thank God, for the credit card where only she has access to, inside her pouch. No one can know where she run off. She wanted to be away from all the fallacy. She hated herself for the hypocrisy. The only available flight, ready to take her away was the one heading to Vegas and without a thought, she bought a ticket, one way. 

She may not be used to speaking the language, but Sandara was quite fluent in English. From the airport, she asked a taxi to bring her to the Mandalay Bay which was the only hotel familiar to her, having shot one of her movies there. 

At first, she sat at the bar and ordered a drink, until she was tipsy enough to walk to a roulette table and bet on something. She was pretty much unfamiliar about the games that she could only play a game or two. She plays again after a win and stops when she loses. By the time she was laughing and forgetting her inhibitions, she was by a card game. She watches the players and figures that it was a game of pure luck. Trying to guess which one is higher, the top card or the bottom card. 50:50 probability. She noticed the only guy playing on the table. He was Korean like her. He was quite charming and his confidence upon putting all his tokens up for a bet, brought a grin to her face. 

"All in?", she asks and he turns to her. He hasn't answered her until she sat down beside him. She looks at the croupier and motions that she's going to join in before she turns back to the guy. "Are you going to answer me or are we going to just stare at each other?", she adds with a grin before she takes a sip of her cosmopolitan. She hears the croupier say something to the guy but the latter was still just staring at her. She tips her head to the side, "He just asked if that's your final bet."

The guy seemed to have come to his senses and answered the croupier. "Final."

"He's got a y twang.", she thinks to herself. 

"Cocky", she voiced out. "How sure are you that you will win this?"

He puts on a playful smirk and leans close to her ear to whisper, "As certain as I am that you will end up at the altar tonight, with me.", then he winks before he takes his attention back to the hand shuffling the cards. 

Sandara pushed a token forward and the croupier looked at her, doubting if she knew how to play so he asked, while his hands were still busy and she nodded.

"Miss, are you sure you're just betting one token?"

No, she wasn't sure. Her winning streak before this table was bleak and even on casual card games, she always lost. If the guy beside her was so used to winning, she was the opposite. She downed her drink to the bottom and nodded. "I know I'm going to lose.", she says before turning to Jiyong. The guy doesn't seem to be used to losing and he sure knows well that he will win. How convenient for those who always wins at life. 

"But I don't think he does.", she says. "I think he's used to winning. If you win, you get all the money and I'm sure you would love that. But if I tell you that if you lose, you'll get me, would you still want to win?"

She saw the uncertainty in the guy's eyes and thought, "Would you risk losing once for a lifetime with me? Let's see how romantic this can be." 

The croupier's hands shuffled the cards faster and even without looking, she could feel that it will stop soon and the winner will be announced. The guy wasn't looking away from her, and she held his gaze captive. Anytime soon, the shuffling will stop.

Queen of Hearts

King of Diamonds

Ace of Spades

And the hand stopped.

Sandara closed the gap between them and kissed the charming bachelor's lips until she felt him respond. The noise around them dissipated and all that mattered was that moment, her lips on his, until she stopped and looked him in the eye.

"Tell me your name.", he says. 

"I can't.", she whispers back, biting her lip, regret in her eyes. "You won."

Sandara stood up and left the table, while the guy was too paralyzed to move. The last she heard was the voice of the croupier, "Congratulations, Mr. Kwon. You just won yet another round!"

She grins, his name etched in her mind, her heart drumming to a fast beat as she blends in with the crowd trying to stop herself from looking back. "See, happy endings don't exist", was her last thought before she exits the game room and the guy never followed her.

Year 2020, Present time

Sandara woke up with a pounding headache. She tried to remember what she did last night but she couldn't. When she got down from her bed, she let out a loud yelp as her foot stepped on a bottle of wine which rolled away from her. While limping, she turns on her bedside lamp and saw 4 more bottles on the floor and one wine glass.

"Well, !", she says before picking up the evidences of her foolishness and dumping them in the bin. She started the coffee maker and got some water from the fridge. She eyed the Advil but her stomach churned and she was reminded that she hasn't eaten anything. 

She begins taking out ingredients from the fridge and planned to make breakfast for the whole household. 

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