Chapter 3:

The evening of the Skydive Casino’s opening Jiyong went all out for his outfit. A deep crimson three piece suit to offset his light green hair, violet dress shirt, black leather thousand dollar boots and a black widow gem studded bo-low tie. He was extremely proud of his appearance so much so that when he recalled he had to match his date as social courtesy called for he groaned and marched out the door without changing a thing. Arriving at Hyoyeon’s place he was ready to storm in and have her change outfits as quickly as possible, yet the woman was waiting at the curbside for him.

Rolling down his window he glared out at the girl about to bark an order only to bite his tongue when he caught sight of what she was wearing. It was a full length gown the color of wine and that hugged her curves so perfectly Jiyong could only conclude it was tailored to her. A black fur shell wrapped around her bare upper arms, silver stilettos on her feet and diamonds glittered about . She was dressed to the nines and she complemented Jiyong’s ensemble perfectly.

Clenching his jaw he swallowed the minor disappointment he felt for not being able to correct her. She was shaping up to be a little too perfect for the roll Jiyong hired her for. It was startling.

“Get in,” he ordered.

As Hyoyeon moved towards the black town car Jiyong slid across the backseat so she could enter from the sidewalk. He eyed her once more as she entered the vehicle, gracefully taking his vacated seat. Once her dress’ skirt was safely inside the car she shut the door and Jiyong ordered the driver to take them to their destination for the night. It was a silent ride to the party.

When they arrived at the secret casino that was camouflaged as a weekend getaway for couples Jiyong’s driver stepped out of the car to open the back door to allow the two of them out. Jiyong slid out first and adjusted his suit back into perfection and as his arms returned to his sides something warm wrapped about his bicep. Glancing over he saw Hyoyeon standing elegantly at his side, arm looped through his. He wanted to pull away, but they had their own roles to play and it would appear Hyoyeon was already in character.

Inwardly sighing Jiyong faced the front and led the way into the massive building with the other well-dressed guests. Once inside a woman in a simple black dress took their coats before being escorted to a set of doors that led to a hall at the end of which were a set of elevators that they took up to the sixth floor. The sounds of winning and losing resounded with the chorus of the casino games. Jiyong’s brows knitted together against the volume of the noise as they wandered about the flashing lights and excited people.

“GD?” a deep voice called over the noise.

Turning Jiyong spotted a familiar face strutting his way with a scarlet haired beauty on his arm. When he stopped before the loan-shark he offered a friendly smile and an outstretched hand. Pulling his arm from Hyoyeon’s grip (which wasn’t really difficult since she was already releasing him upon the man’s arrival) and shook hands with the blond man.

“Good to see you Zitao,” Jiyong greeted.

“Same to you,” the boy grinned. Gaze drifting over to Hyoyeon with a raised brow and a Cheshire Cat smile crawling across his face. “Have you brought a date?” he asked in a teasing tone.

Jiyong did not like being the but of a joke, especially Zitao’s joke. Wrapping his arm around Hyoyeon, placing his hand on her shoulder that was now bare from the fur wrap. “I have. And what about you, married yet?” Jiyong questioned back with a cocked brow.

Zitao’s face flushed a deep red as his arm tightened around the girl at his side. He awkwardly coughed as he averted his gaze around the casino floor.

“We’re waiting for things to calm down with work first,” the girl said.

“That’s very sensible of you two,” Hyoyeon said with a polite smile.

“Thank you,” Zitao’s date said with a pause.

“Gho Hyoyeon,” she offered.

“Byun Baekhee,” the redhead said holding out her hand to Hyoyeon.

The woman shook in greeting before returning their holds on their dates. Zitao tightly wrapped his arm around Baekhee as he cleared his throat to regain control over the conversation.

“So you’ve just arrived?” Zitao asked Jiyong in a more business tone than he was used to getting from the boy.

“Been a few minutes,” Jiyong replied.

“Jinjin is by the roulette tables,” Zitao said turning his head in the direction of said gambling game. “She’s been looking forward to your arrival.”

“Who are you speaking for Tao?” a familiar voice spoke over the noise. Jiyong’s heart skipped a beat at the voice, picking up the pace as he glanced over at the approaching woman in the silver and violet dress. Her short hair was curled, the left side pinned back with a feathery flower clip. She looked beautiful, claiming the attention of every person she passed.

“Jinjin I was just moving GD along to greet you,” Tao said innocently.

“Oh,” Yejin said with a sarcastic nod to her friend. Stopping next to Tao and Hyoyeon she folded her arms as she looked about the group forming. Jiyong wanted to smile at the way she rolled her eyes at Tao before grinning at Hyoyeon who bobbed her head in a silent greeting. Her expressions cute, but Jiyong knew he wasn’t allowed to fond over her anymore, hadn’t been for many, many years.

“As the host I should be the one coming to greet him and his date,” Yejin said looking from Tao to Jiyong who offered her a friendly smile. “Welcome GD,” she said smiling back before looking at Hyoyeon again. “And your name is?”

“Gho Hyoyeon,” the girl replied with another polite bob of her head.

Offering a hand in greeting Yejin said, “Then welcome Hyoyeon. I hope you enjoy yourself.”

Hyoyeon didn’t hesitate to take Yejin’s hand and shake it. For some reason as Jiyong watched the interaction he wanted to yell and shove his date aside and explain the truth to Yejin, but his sensible half stopped him. Keeping his composure he bit the inside of his cheeks as idle chattered about their small group about how the evening events were going. Jiyong more focused on the way the lights made Yejin’s eyes sparkle and the shadows her lashes casted across her che