The glitzy, elegant ballroom was filled with handsomely dressed people of the highest class. Men leaned against the artfully sculpted marble pillars, idly chatting. They were all discussing the recent crime activity in the area, especially the rise of a particularly violent gang. This gang has been responsible for up to thirty-five deaths and several robberies, none of which the police could pin on them. The women were flitting around, gossiping about other high society families with other women upon mauve velvet sofas, completely oblivious to the dangerous goings on in their world. All the young couples were waltzing to the careful, steady music the violinist was soulfully producing, swaying and stepping with skilled precision.

​     The young men dressed in plain uniforms were walking to and fro between the men and women, serving bubbling champagne in classy glasses. One of the servers was especially handsome, with a white as snow complexion and a dainty nose. His hair stuck up in all directions and was bleached blond. Many of the older women looked at him in disdain for his radical hair choice, while the younger women fawned over his feminine beauty. Some of the men even gazed at him with something more than brotherly respect. But he ignored all their attentions, for Kwon Jiyoung was used to this sort of treatment.

​     Jiyoung was more worried about the time. He had another job after this one, and he couldn’t possibly be late. As he handed an old whiskered man a fresh whiskey, Jiyoung noticed another man watching him, with a different intent than the old man’s disturbingly hungry eyes. Across the room, a dashing, ebony haired young man in a black tuxedo was watching him, eyes burning with an intense curiosity and a hint of something darker. This disoriented Jiyoung, so he tried to scuttle away into the kitchen. But the stranger was not giving up on his prey.

​Moving slowly because of his uncomfortable uniform, the strange man was gracefully but swiftly gaining on him, unknown, passionate intent in his muddy brown eyes. Just as he was getting close to the gold gilded door leading to the kitchen, Jiyoung’s arm was caught in a strong yet gentle grip. He turned around to face the stranger who had followed his around.

     ​“Excuse me,” the deep voiced, West Coast accented man said with a smile, “I know you are working right now, but might I interest you in a waltz? You are the most dazzling creature in this entire dreary ballroom, and I’ve been wanting to ask you throughout the evening.”

     ​Jiyoung bit his lip, confused as he could be. The man in front of him was exceedingly handsome, with dark, hair cascading in light waves over his slightly sun-kissed face. He was so tempted to take up his offer, to touch the lapel of his debonair suit and dance the night away with this handsome stranger. He yearned to take his hand, but unfortunately spotted the clock hanging on the other side of the room, just above his shoulder.

​The clock struck ten as soon as he gazed upon it, sending Jiyoung into frenzy. Shouting a quick apology at the stranger, he scurried into the kitchen. Jiyoung hastily grabbed his bag, put on his hat, and dashed out into the cold Chicago air, on his way to a very different kind of party. As Jiyoung hopped onto the doorstep, a burly black man opened the door for him and he stepped inside.
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
 
​     The new party was in full swing all around the cramped jazz club. There were as many black folks as there were white aristocrats at the other party. Though these people weren’t dressed elegantly, they were still dressed to the nines. The women hopped and bopped along to the music, the tassels of their scandalous flapper dresses bouncing along with their cropped curls to the beat of the boisterous jazz music. The band was playing with great big smiles, the white of their teeth highlighted by their dark skin. The gentlemen here were dancing with their ladies, doing such famous moves as the shimmy, the bunny hop, the quick step, and even the Charleston.

​     While Jiyoung was putting on his new uniform in the powder room, he thought to himself, ‘Why can’t I have such a happy relationship, like these people?’ But that thought was quickly dismissed. He thought that building up his career was much more important than finding a lover. He knew plenty of boys his age that had fallen in love young. They were married now, with many overzealous children. But Jiyoung knew that they would never go anywhere with their lives. They’d never see their name in lights, never travel the world. Jiyoung wanted to make a name for himself, something he couldn’t do if he settled down with some mindless country girl. He never had much interest in women anyway. So, in order to make his fortune without a spouse, he works various odd jobs at clubs throughout the city, including the Cotton Club, where he was now.

      ​After fixing up his hair, he emerged into the club to go work as a bartender, his job at this roaring party.As Jiyoung was polishing glasses, a familiar voice asked, “Pardon me, but I’d like to ask another favor.” Without letting him answer, the person continued, “you are pretty cute, and I’m alone tonight. No one should be alone without a dance partner at this kind of a party. Besides, you abandoned me at the last party, even though I was very gracious, so you owe me a dance.”

     Jiyoung looked into the person’s eyes in shock. “Well how about it then?” he asked, along with a slightly joking gentlemanly bow. As he bowed, his dark brown silky locks fell out of their gelled perfection and into his mischievous eyes. He held out a strong hand, inviting him onto the dance floor. Jiyoung recognized this man instantly as the stranger who had asked his to dance earlier.

     The uncontrollable urge to dance with this handsome stranger came back again, this time with more force. But Jiyoung was working, and he couldn’t simply abandon his shift. he looked toward his coworker, Taeyang, the bartender he was about to relieve. Surveying the situation, Taeyang nodded Jiyoung off, telling him that he would have to cover both of their shifts next week. With a quick, joyous thank you, Jiyoung scurried around the bar.To dance with such a wealthy man! That doesn’t happen often to simple bartenders. Taking the attractive stranger’s hand, he made his way onto the dance floor.

     As the two of them danced, time had no meaning. The room was a whirlwind of color, with all kinds of folks spinning around in a boisterous, frenzied dance. Laughter and easy grins were on the faces of everyone that was there. Jiyoung found herself getting somewhat lost in the dashing stranger’s eyes, feeling like a silly little girl. He hadn’t been in a strong, manly grip since his father died when he was young, and he secretly loved how it felt.

Surprisingly, the stranger was a fantastic dancer, extremely flexible and light on his feet. He could keep up with even the most experienced dancers. This only made Jiyoung take a liking to him even more. Throughout the dance marathon, the stranger cracked jokes lightly, while still somehow maintaining a mysterious aura. After many glasses of champagne and endless toots of the saxophone, Jiyoung became more and more infatuated with the stranger. He was handsome, wealthy, a good dancer, funny, and mysterious. If only he knew his name, which he hadn’t yet divulged to him…

     After a particularly energetic dance, Jiyoung excused himself and took a seat on one of the milk cartons up against the wall. As he gazed at his mystery dance partner across the room, a realization hit him like a ton of bricks. His dance partner was no stranger at all. Although he’d never formally met him, he knew who he was. With a gasp, Jiyoung slowly rose from his crate and slipped out the back door. After looking for pursuers, he dashed out onto the street, heading straight home.

     As soon as Jiyoung got into his home, he checked the alley for pursuers then slammed the door with a nervous yet relieved sigh. His crummy, multi-tenant apartment wasn’t nice, but it was much preferable to what could’ve happened to him. He had to tell someone how he had just been in a life-threatening situation. As he thought that, Shindong burst into the room.

     Shin Dong-Hee was Jiyoung’s roommate. Born in South Korea to poor rice farmers, Ben moved to Chicago in order to pursue his career of becoming a professional pastry chef. Ben currently worked as a bus boy by day at a patisserie and a jazz band dancer by night, patiently working for his big break. But as an Asian, Ben faced as much segregation as Jiyoung did in the heavily white Chicago, which had formed an instant bond between the two of them. He was the closest friend that Jiyoung had and his one and only confidante.

“Shindong! You’re home! I have something VERY urgent to tell you about.” Jiyoung exclaimed, pacing in a tight circle in the cramped apartment.

     Shindong’s previously haggard face from his long day of work quickly changed into one of concern and he asked, “What is it? Did you lose another job? You know I can always help you out. I’ll always be there for you~”

“No, nothing like that!” Jiyoung said dismissively, cutting Shindong off, “This is much more perilous. I danced today, in the Cotton Club, with Danny Im.”

     Shindong had such an expression of shock on his face that his golden brown, almond shaped eyes widened to the shape of round saucers. Danny Im was the son of the most powerful Italian mob boss in Chicago. Mr. Im Senior just recently passed, leaving his son as the leader of his criminal empire. The Im Mafia could kill you, your family, and all of your acquaintances without breaking a sweat.

     Jiyoung was just as petrified and confused as Shindong was. But while his mind wasn’t properly functioning, he started admiring Shindong’s almost blue-black hair, which was so perfectly tousled… But his daydreams were cut off by a voice coming from beside him on the couch.

     “Are you alright Jiyoung, did he hurt you?” Shindong asked with a worried expression, and a hint of something else, something covetous… He then drew his arm around Jiyoung’s shoulder, pulling him in close. His touch comforted him, and his sugary scent from his work at the patisserie shop calmed him.

​“No, no I’m fine, he was actually charming.” Jiyoung said, gaining a wince from Shindong. He continued nervously, “But he’s Danny Im, and he’s dangerous.”

     ​“Shh, shh, it’s okay. I’m here now, and I’ll protect you. But it’s fine; you’ll never see him again. By the way, I’ve been thinking. I have been saving up some money for a special occasion. Do you want to go out to dinner with me? I promise it’ll be fun; we can go wherever you want. I’ve been waiting to ask you this for a while now~”

​Shindong was cut off by the sound of a knock on the door. He sprung up off the couch and flung open the door, eyes widening just as they had before. The person behind the door lightly brushed a shocked Shindong out of the way. With a flourishing bow, the intruder bent down on one knee and presented a lovely bouquet to Jiyoung, who was sitting, shocked, on the grungy sofa.

​    Before him, the suave and sophisticated Danny Im, had a look of total devotion while somehow maintaining a sly, enticing tenor when he began to speak.

​     “I was worried about you, you left during our dance. I was wondering if something was wrong, so I found out where you lived.” Danny purred, “I brought you these, they reminded me of you.” And then he presented him with velvety scarlet carnations, dripping with a beguilingly seductive fragrance that slowly lifted Jiyoung off of the sofa and closer to Danny.

     ​Their eyes locked as Danny rose up to be face to face with Jiyoung. Jiyoung noticed the flecks of green in Danny’s roguish brown eyes, and ogled them shamelessly, with a look of foolish captivation. Danny’s mouth was twisted upward into a vague smile as he glided slowly toward his new admirer. Neither of them seemed to notice the irked Shindong, who was still in the room.

​     Breaking the silence, Shindong said, “Excuse me, but what’s going on here? Why did you just barge into our home? Aren’t you Danny Im?” But his questions seemed unable to penetrate the heated gazes of the two young people.

​     “You must come with me.” Danny said, completely ignoring Shindong. “We must get to know each other better. I have seen you many times at the Cotton Club and have always wanted to speak with you. I’ve never seen anyone like you before.”

​     Still in a trance from Mr. Im’s temptation tactics, Jiyoung nodded and gave Danny his hand. He started to lead him toward the door when Shindong caught him by the shoulder.

     ​“You cannot just waltz into my apartment and take my man, I mean uh, roommate.” This last statement caused Shindong to become very flustered, and his previous anger dissolved into embarrassment, which Danny took advantage of.

     ​“See here, big fella. You have obviously not taken up the opportunity to make your claim upon this beautiful man, so I will take him myself. You had your chance. Besides, you have no say in the matter. We shall be going now.” And with that, Danny and Jiyoung left.
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
 
​     The chilly air brought Jiyoung back to his senses as he walked down the cobblestone alleyway. He was walking around at night, unaccompanied, with a man! And not just any man, but the most powerful mob boss in the whole city!

​     “Um excuse me, ah, Mr. Im,” Jiyoung began with a slight tremble in his voice, “Thank you so much for the thought, but I’d like to return home now.”

     ​With a faintly demented laugh, Danny said, “Well that simply won’t do. That means I’ll have to take you more forcefully."

​     After he said that, Jiyoung felt several strong beefy arms grasp him and cover his mouth with a damp rag before he could even scream. Then everything went black.
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
     ​Jiyoung awoke in a cushy dark wood office. There were no windows, and it was rather dark. He seemed to be seated upon a vermillion velvet chaise lounge, and sat up forthwith. Suddenly, the large leather chair on the other side of the mahogany, tastefully carved desk turned around to face her. Lounging on it was Danny, in all of his pinstriped, cigar-smoking, mob boss glory.

     Before Jiyoung had a chance to ask where he was or demand to leave, a large man with an even larger mustache burst into the room and exclaimed with a thick New York accent, “There’s been a shoot-out with the Lee gang on the street! Ya gotta run boss!”

     Danny’s previously cocky eyes widened supremely, and then he got up ety-split, ran over to Jiyoung and whispered in his ear, “Sorry for my lack of charm on our first date.” Then, he slung him over his shoulder, fire-fighter style, and ran to a panel in his wood-paneled wall. Pressing with all his might, a hidden door gave way, and then they barreled into what appeared to be an underground tunnel.

      After what seemed like hours, but probably were only minutes of running, Danny stopped, huffing and puffing up a storm. Then he looked up and pushed open another panel in the roof of the narrow tunnel. Next, he hoisted Jiyoung up onto a small hole in the ceiling of the tunnel, after that hoisting himself up as well. They ended up in an area that looked to be a large grassy field.

     “Whew. That was some first date.” Danny said with a strangled chuckle.

     “First date?” Jiyoung incredulously asked with wild eyes. But as he turned toward Danny for an answer to his rhetorical question, he caught him coughing ferociously, his body convulsing with every hack. Though they hadn’t run very far, Danny was sweating very hard and breathing raggedly and irregularly. Jiyoung was at a loss on what to do.

     “Danny, what’s wrong?” Jiyoung asked with alarmed concern. ‘What have I gotten myself into?’ he thought.

     Between coughs, Danny struggled to say something that Jiyoung finally recognized as “Asthma”. Without a second thought to where they might be, or why he was even there, Jiyoung set to work trying to help his ill captor. Jiyoung’s mother was a nurse, and he had an involuntary reaction to help those who were unwell.

After shedding his jacket and placing it over his core to ensure he was warm enough, Jiyoung slowly comforted him and patted him, trying to help him. While he was calming down, Jiyoung secretly took pleasure in Danny’s innocent, unprotected face. Eventually, Danny fell silent, and Jiyoung, relieved, lay back down into the soft daisies. If he is stuck in such a bizarre situation, he might as well admire the stars, something he could not do in the city. Whilst trying to find Orion’s belt, Danny stirred and murmured, “Guess I’m not the best charmer, huh? I mean, I kidnap you from your home. Then I kidnap you again, this time from my home, and started having an asthma attack in an attempt at romance.”

     Jiyoung nervously laughed. What was he talking about? he thought, He actually meant to charm him? “Mr. Im, I haven’t the slightest idea as to what you are talking about~”

     “Please call me Danny. In exchange, I’ll call you Jiyoung, and not Mr. Kwon.” Before he could object, Danny continued, “I’ve been waiting for this moment for awhile now, and I’ve gone and blew it.” Danny said with a cough-filled sigh.

     “What do you mean, you’ve been waiting for this moment?” Jiyoung said with incredulity.

     “Well, I’ve seen you around often. You always looked so lively and gorgeous, and I wanted in on the fun. I never saw you with a beau, even with that cute smile of yours. So I wanted to court you as a gentleman, respectably, but that’s not how it worked out. Anyway, why don’t we just make the most of this disaster and talk?”

     “Talk?!?” Jiyoung exclaimed, alarmed.

     “Why not?” Danny said, completely unfazed by his alarm.

     And so they did. In his asthmatic, slightly feverish state, Danny told Jiyoung everything he’d ever thought about him. How he loved his laugh. His crazy hairstyle changes. His musical voice. His cocktail creations as a bartender. Everything he’d ever seen him do at the Cotton Club, or anywhere else he’d seen him. This made Jiyoung even more confused. He’d been watching him? He knows who he is? He likes him?

     As he was getting creeped out by Danny’s fever-induced truthfulness, he suggested that he talk about himself.
Apparently, being Danny Im isn’t all its cracked up to be. Danny didn’t really want to lead the mafia. His dream was to play the trumpet in a jazz band, to be a superstar like Louie Armstrong. But he promised his father at his deathbed to become the toughest mob boss in the country. And Danny Im intended to keep that promise. As he mumbled about his many enemies, he eventually fell asleep.

     The next morning, Jiyoung awoke to the sound of Shindong singing ‘What A Wonderful World’, and the smell of bacon frying. He got out of bed and went out to find exactly that going on, Shindong singing and cooking. How did he get back home last night? Did that whole adventure even happen?

     “Good morning, GD.” Shindong said with a loving smile, handing Jiyoung a small plate of delicious looking bacon and eggs with a parsley garnish on the top, artfully arranged. “I can tell that it’s going to be a beautiful day. We should make it special~Oh? What’s this?”

     Shindong then whipped out two tickets from his Sunday best shirt pocket.

     “Shindong! You shouldn’t have! Tickets to the opera?!? Thank you!” Jiyoung exclaimed and hugged Shindong without another thought. Shindong simply smiled, exceedingly pleased with his plan’s results.
 
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
 
     That night after the opera, Shindong and Jiyoung were ambling idly down the avenue. Shindong had his arm around Jiyoung’s shoulders, under the pretense that he would catch a cold in the chilly night air. They both began to speak simultaneously, “You know, I’ve been thinking lately~” “Last night I~

     ​And then they laughed, though Shindong looked a shade nervous about his statement. After insisting that Jiyoung talked first, he said, “Last night, Danny Im took me to a field.”

​     “So that’s where you went? I was worried sick about you! Last night I stayed on the couch all night worrying about you. Eventually I fell asleep. I had thought that it was all a dream this morning since you were asleep in your room, seemingly safe and sound. Did he hurt you? That guy is bad news, you could never be with him; he would take advantage of you. You wouldn’t be able to handle him.” Shindong said with concern.

     ​“What’s with you all of a sudden Shindong?” Jiyoung said with annoyance, “It’s my life, not yours. Even though we’ve been close for years, you’re not my mother.”

     ​“It’s just… I just… thought that… and I… there is something I want to tell you that I’ve been meaning to tell you for quite awhile.” Shindong mumbled to his feet. Before Jiyoung could ask him what he was talking about, they rounded a corner to find Danny Im. Both of them gasped.

     ​“Danny?” Jiyoung asked with confusion as Shindong narrowed his eyes.

​     “Kwon Jiyoung, I had to talk to you about last night. I’m extremely sorry about how frank I was with my feelings, though I was a stranger. But I will not take the words back. I meant what I said, and I might be in love with you, though I have not known you very long.” With that last line, Danny pulled red roses from behind his back and held them out to Jiyoung. “I know this is sudden, but I wish to court you properly, Jiyoung. I have honestly never looked at a dame twice before you. You caught my heart without even communicating with me.”

     ​With every word that came out of Danny’s mouth, Shindong became increasingly angry. After Danny had finished his monologue, Shindong exploded, and giving Danny a powerful shove, he exclaimed, “You don’t even know Jiyoung! How could you insult my precious love with false confessions of impossibly ridiculous feelings? I’ve been in love with him for THREE YEARS, and do intend to marry him someday.”

​     This shocked Jiyoung to the core, as he had always considered Shin Dong-Hee as a friend and nothing more. He never even realized his roommate was gay. Though lately he had been gazing at his gentle grace and noticed that Shindong had been losing weight… He was always so kind to him…

​     “Who are you to say such things to me?” Danny screamed, “You spineless coward, who took three flipping years to finally enlighten such a beautifully amazing guy with your feelings? You obviously are not worthy of him.”

​“WHAT? Spineless coward?” Shindong said angrily, before shoving Danny to the ground. The two fought ruthlessly, tearing up each other’s clothes, and fighting with impossible vigor. Jiyoung simply stood by, speechless, and watched the violence unfold.

     ​There was someone else watching as well. The greatest enemy of the Im family, the Lees, have been following Danny. They wished to dispose of the Im’s haughty new leader. If they could get rid of him, they’d be the biggest gang in the country! Lee Hyukjae sat on his perch on the roof of Pablo’s Hardware Store, across the street from the aggressive brawl. He picked up his long distance rifle, took aim, and pulled the trigger.

     ​The fighting between the two young men stopped immediately as they recognized the sound of gunfire. Since they both appeared unscathed, they hastily turned their attention back to the source of their fighting. Shindong let out a heartbreaking cry, wrenched a small black velvet box out of his coat pocket and flung it against the brick wall, sobbing uncontrollably. Danny simply stood in complete shock, with the look of a man that has experienced the greatest pain in the universe, eyes glued to the agonizing sight. Lee Hyukjae had missed his target.