I flipped a tiny white pill in my mouth and swallowed, chasing it with a large glass of water. I was standing in the middle of Jiyong’s bedroom in a bra and , getting ready to slip into my pajamas.

 

“What’s that?” Jiyong asked from the bed.

 

“Uh … my pill?”

 

He frowned. “What pill?”

 

“The pill, Jiyong. You have yet to replenish your top drawer and the last thing I need is to worry about whether or not I’m going to get my period.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“One of us has to be responsible,” I said, raising an eyebrow.

 

“My God you’re y,” Jiyong said, propping his head up with his hand. “The most beautiful woman at Seoul is my girlfriend. That’s insanity.”

 

I rolled my eyes and slipped the purple silk over my head, crawling in bed beside him. I straddled his lap and kissed his neck, giggling when he let his head fall against the headboard. “Again? You’re gonna kill me, Babe.”

 

“You can’t die,” I said, covering his face with kisses. “You’re too damn mean.”

 

“No, I can’t die because there are too many jackasses falling over themselves to take my place! I may live forever just to spite them!”

 

I giggled against his mouth and he flipped me onto my back. His finger slid under the delicate purple ribbon tied at the crest of my shoulder and slid it down my arm, kissing the skin it left behind.

 

“Why me, Ji?”

 

He leaned back, searching my eyes. “What do you mean?”

 

“You’ve been with all these women, refused to settle down, refuse to even take a phone number … so why me?”

 

“Where is this coming from?” he said, his thumb caressing my cheek.

 

I shrugged. “I’m just curious.”

 

“Why me? You have half the men at Seoul U just waiting for me to screw up.”

 

I wrinkled my nose. “That’s not true. Don’t change the subject.”

 

“It is true. If I hadn’t been chasing you from the beginning of school, you’d have more than Lee Donghae following you around. He’s just too self-absorbed to be scared of me.”

 

“You’re avoiding my question! And poorly, I might add.”

 

“Okay! Why you?” A smile spread across his face and he leaned down to touch his lips to mine. “I had a thing for you since the night of that first fight.”

 

“What?” I said with a dubious expression.

 

“It’s true. You in that cardigan with blood all over you? You looked absolutely ridiculous,” he chuckled.

 

“Thanks.”

 

His smile faded. “It was when you looked up at me. That was the moment. You had this wide-eyed, innocent look … no pretenses. You didn’t look at me like I was Kwon Jiyong,” he said, rolling his eyes at his own words, “you looked at me like I was … I don’t know, a person, I guess.”

 

“News flash, Ji. You are a person.”

 

He brushed my bangs from my face. “No, before you came, Top was the only one that treated me like anyone else. You didn’t get all awkward or flirt or run your fingers through your hair. You saw me.”

 

“I was a complete to you.”

 

He kissed my neck. “That’s what sealed the deal.”

 

I slipped my hands down his back and into his boxers. “I hope this gets old soon. I don’t see myself ever getting tired of you.”

 

“Promise?” he asked, smiling.

 

His phone buzzed on the night table and he smiled, holding it to his ear. “Yeah? … Oh, hell no, I got Butterfly here with me. We’re just getting’ ready to go to bed … Shut the up, Jo, that’s not funny … Seriously? What’s he doin’ in town?” He looked at me and sighed. “All right. We’ll be there in half an hour. … You heard me, douchebag. Because I don’t go anywhere without her, that’s why. Do you want me to pound your face when I get there?” Jiyong hung up and shook his head.

 

I raised an eyebrow. “That is the weirdest conversation I’ve ever heard.”

 

“That was Jo. Jiro is in town and it’s poker night at my dad’s.”

 

“Poker night?” I swallowed.

 

“Yeah, they usually take all of my money. Cheatin’ bastards.”

 

“I’m going to meet your family in thirty minutes?”

 

He looked at his watch. “Twenty-seven minutes to be exact.”

 

“Oh my God, Jiyong!” I wailed, jumping out of bed.

 

“What are you doing?” he sighed.

 

I rummaged through the closet and yanked on a pair of jeans, hopping up and down to pull them up, and then pulled the nightgown over my head, throwing it into Jiyong’s face. “I can’t believe you gave me twenty minutes’ notice to meet your family! I could kill you right now!”

 

He pulled my nightgown from his eyes and laughed at my desperate attempt to look presentable. I grabbed a black v-neck shirt and tugged it to its proper position, and then ran to the bathroom, brushing my teeth and ripping a brush through my hair. Jiyong walked up behind me, fully dressed and ready, and wrapped his arms around my waist.

 

“I’m a mess!” I said, frowning in the mirror.

 

“Do you even realize how beautiful you are?” he asked, kissing my neck.

 

I huffed, scampering into his room to slip on a pair of heels, and then took Jiyong’s hand as he lead me to the door. I stopped, zipping up my black leather jacket and pulling my hair up into a tight bun in preparation for the blustery ride to his father’s house.

 

“Calm down, Butterfly. It’s just a bunch of guys sitting around a table.”

 

“This is the first time I’m meeting your dad and your brothers … all at the same time … and you want me to calm down?” I said, climbing onto his bike behind him.

 

He angled his neck, touching my cheek as he kissed me. “They’re going to love you, just like I do.”

 

When we arrived, I let my hair fall down my back and ran my fingers through it a few times before Jiyong led me through the door.

 

“Holy Christ! It’s the asshat!” one of the boys called.

 

Jiyong nodded once. He tried to look annoyed, but I could see that he was excited to see his brothers. The house was dated, with yellow and brown faded wallpaper and shag carpet in different shades of brown. We walked down a hall to a room straight ahead with the door wide open. Smoke wafted into the hallway, and his brothers and father were seated at a round wooden table with mismatched chairs.

 

“Hey, hey … watch the language around the young lady,” his dad said, the cigar in his mouth bobbing while he talked.

 

“Butterfly, this is my dad, Kwon Hyun Suk. Dad, this is Butterfly.”

 

“Butterfly?” Hyun Suk asked, an amused expression on his face.

 

“Dara,” I said, shaking his hand.

 

Jiyong pointed to his brothers. “Jo, Kwangmin, Youngmin, and Jiro.”

 

They all nodded, and all but Jiro looked like older versions of Jiyong: buzz cuts, brown eyes, their T-shirts stretched over their muscles, and covered in tattoos. Jiro wore a dress shirt and loosened tie, his eyes were hazel green, and his dark blonde hair was longer by about an inch.

 

“Does Dara have a last name?” Hyun Suk asked.

 

“Park,” I nodded.

 

“It’s nice to meet you, Dara,” Jiro said, smiling.

 

“Really nice,” Jo said, giving me an impish once-over. Hyun Suk slapped the back of his head and he yelped. “What’d I say?” he said, rubbing the back of his head.

 

“Have a seat, Dara. Watch us take Jiyong’s money,” one of the twins said. I couldn’t tell which was which; they were carbon copies of each other, even their tattoos matched.

 

The room was peppered with vintage pictures of poker games, pictures of poker legends posing with Hyun Suk and someone I assumed to be Jiyong’s grandfather, and antique playing cards along the shelves.

 

“You knew Stu Ungar?” I asked, pointing to a dusty photo.

 

Hyun Suk’’s squinty eyes brightened. “You know who Stu Unger is?”

 

I nodded. “My dad’s a fan, too.”

 

He stood up, pointing to the picture beside it. “And that’s Doyle Brunson, there.”

 

I smiled. “My dad saw him play, once. He’s unbelievable.”

 

“Jiyong’s  granddaddy was a professional … we take poker very seriously around here,” Hyun Suk smiled.

 

I sat between Jiyong and one of the twins while Jo shuffled the deck with moderate skill. The boys put in their cash and Hyun Suk divvied out the chips.

 

Jo raised an eyebrow. “You wanna play, Dara?”

 

I smiled politely and shook my head. “I don’t think I should.”

 

“You don’t know how?” Hyun Suk asked.

 

I couldn’t hold back a smile. Hyun Suk looked so serious, almost paternal. I knew what answer he expected, and I hated to disappoint him.

 

Jiyong kissed my forehead. “Play … I’ll teach you.”

 

“You should just kiss your money goodbye, now, Dara,” Jiro laughed.

 

I pressed my lips together and dug into my purse, pulling out two fifties. I held them out to Hyun Suk and waited patiently as he traded them for chips. Jo’s mouth tightened into a smug smile, but I ignored him.

 

“I have faith in Jiyong’s teaching skills,” I said.

 

One of the twins clapped his hands together. “Hells yeah! I’m going to get rich tonight!”

 

“Let’s start small this time,” Hyun Suk said, throwing in a five-dollar chip.

 

Jo dealt, and Jiyong fanned out my hand for me. “Have you ever played cards?”

 

“It’s been a while,” I nodded.

 

“Go Fish doesn’t count, Pollyanna,” Jo said, looking at his cards.

 

“Shut your hole, Jo,” Jiyong said, glancing up at his brother before looking back down to my hand. “You’re shooting for higher cards, consecutive numbers, and if you’re really lucky, in the same suit.”

 

The first hand, Jiyong looked at my cards and I looked at his. I mainly nodded and smiled, playing when I was told. Both Jiyong and I lost, and my chips had dwindled by the end of the first round.

 

After Jiro dealt to begin the second round, I wouldn’t let Jiyong see my cards. “I think I’ve got this,” I said.

 

“You sure?” he asked.

 

“I’m sure, babe,” I said.

 

Three hands later, I had won back my chips and annihilated the stacked chips of the others with a pair of aces, a straight, and the high card.

 

“Bull!” Jo whined. “Beginner’s luck !”

 

“You’ve got a fast learner, Ji,” Hyun Suk said, moving his mouth around his cigar.

 

Jiyong swigged his beer. “You’re makin’ me proud, Buttefly!” His eyes were bright with excitement, and his smile was different than I’d ever seen before.

 

“Thanks.”

 

“Those that cannot do, teach,” Jiro said, smirking.

 

“Very funny, ,” Jiyong murmured.

 

Four hands later, I tipped back the last of my beer and narrowed my eyes at the only man at the table that hadn’t folded. “The action’