Chapter 1 –Failure to Bluff

“Hey! You are late Ms. Sandara Park!” CL exclaimed when she saw Dara jumped out of her car. CL was on the balcony of her house.

“As usual, some things never change” Minzy said with a slight shake of her head and laughed when they saw Dara appeared. She was out of breath with her camera still hanging on her neck.

“And because you are late you will have to give out the cards” Bom said and they all went in to set the table for their yearly poker game. They do this once a year so that they could all bond and of course to have the thrill of doing the consequences that they ruthlessly give the loser.

“I have a very valid excuse. I met with my new employer so my work comes first” Dara explained when they all have settled in their seats, She set her camera on the table, It’s her weapon and it’s her partner in work. The camera is her world and because she is happy capturing moments and preserve it.

“So who’s your new employer?” Asked Minzy, Her reporter friend and a news anchor and T.V. Host, She’s known in the Show business industry.

“Actually it’s with a travel magazine. I haven’t met the boss but I talked to his secretary” Dara said.

“That’s boring” Bom commented, Bom is a Model and she owns a magazine and a publication. Bom, most of the time uses Dara’s photos in her magazine and is her official even photographer if she has a fashion show.

“Agree” Says Minzy and CL just laughed.

“I love my work unlike you, you just report bad news every evening, that you know” Dara friend Minzy and CL just guffawed when Minzy stucked her tongue out and said.

“I love my work and I just deliver how the news is supposed to be delivered and I make sure that the people always know the truth!”

“Amen to that!” Bom said with her hand held up high. “Come on let’s get this over with I have a Fashion show tomorrow” As usual they are all busy but they promised themselves that whatever happens they will be here for each other and try to meet up with one another if time permits.

Dara grabbed the game cards from the center of the table and opened it form the package while her friends just waited impatiently and drinks wine. When Dara shuffled the cards her friends noticed something odd in her finger.

“What the hell are you wearing?!” CL bellowed at Dara. Dara seemed baffled and hid her left hand below the table. She forgot to remove the damn thing before she came here and now she will face the wrath of her friends.

“That’s a ring!” Minzy grabbed her hand from under the table; Minzy was the one sitting on Dara’s left.

“Yeah it is” Dara gave up on hiding it; She just needs to explain everything to him. Bom almost sprinkled them with wine, they were clearly shocked.

“You’re already married and we don’t know about it?” Bom yelled and every expression on her friends’ faces was clear, hurt and disappointment.

“Guys let me explain”

“OMGosh” Bom the over dramatic friend of theirs stood up and started pacing the room with her hands on her waist and the room instantly became a runway for her.

“Please don’t tell me it’s Taeyang!” CL said and held her hand from across the table. She wanted to laugh because of her friends’ over reaction; it only means they truly care for her. Taeyang was Dara’s first boyfriend, they been together for five years and it ended when Dara found out about a third party.

“Oh God! No! I’m not married! I’m just wearing this to ward off evil spirits aka men” Dara laughed but her friends were confused and didn’t see the topic as some kind of joke or funny at all.

“Of all the things you would shoo away why men?” said Bom, who finally sat down. Bom is the kind of girl who changes her boyfriends so fast that it seems that changing clothes are long enough as compared. She makes men fall on their feet and she doesn’t care. Sometimes Dara wanted to be like her, to be strong and not fall hard for a guy.

“I say why not? They will just give me a broken heart” Dara said.

“You are just afraid of commitments” Minzy said and her friends nodded in agreement

“No, I’m just being careful and I don’t want to end up with another guy like Taeyang” Dara defended herself.

“Hey please let’s not fight, we seldom see each other and I don’t want to spend this day with these lousy dialogues” CL said and gestured for the Dara to start shuffling the cards.“Let the cards decide”

You can see in all of their faces that they are intent on winning; they are concentrated in the game and with serious poker faces. Dara cannot lose this game with her friends; She can only imagine what they would want from her. It would mean a month long dating session with various douche bags.

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“You lose my friend” CL said and Minzy was Dara’s back. She still couldn’t believe it, she lose the game.

“I’m amazed at how you guys connive just to make me lose” She stared at them darkly. I knew this would happen.

“Dara, you play too nice. In this game you should learn to bluff once in a while and try not to give it away when you bluff” Minzy said and with a laugh after drinking up all her wine on the flute.

“Hey don’t teach her any techniques; I’m kind of enjoying winning every year” Bom was skipping all around with her five inches heels. Dara wonders how she can even stand with those shoe contraptions.

“She should learn to break some rules and know how to gamble right” Minzy stated with a shrug.

“Stop this, just tell me what you want for my consequence so I could do it and go on with my peaceful life and work my off” Dara said dejectedly.

“Work, work, work, always work and no fun? Can you for once put down your camera and enjoy life?” Bom said and slapped the table. Dara just rolled her eyes at her friend.

“Okay, me first. Find me a story that will boost the ratings of my shows and it should be sensational and it has to have an impact to my viewers” Minzy said in almost a dreamy stance while looking pass them. Dara wanted to throw her shoe at her.

“My turn, Give me a masterpiece, since you love your precious camera, produce me a picture that you haven’t published yet and I want to put it on my magazine and it should be a hit” Bom said and smiled wickedly.

CL thought deeply and finally said “I want you to introduce a boyfriend or a boyfriend to be to us, that’s all”

“I’m a photographer guys, remember? I’m not a miracle worker here! All your wishes are nuts!” Dara said which was true. All of her photos are already published, She doesn’t know anything that would be a hit in news that will have an impact to viewers, maybe if She was a gossiper it would be easy but she doesn’t care in anyone else’s life and of course how can you find a boyfriend in a month? Jeez.

“That’s not our problem anymore” Bom said while studying her fingernails, which was red hot.

“Are you guys really my friends?”

“Of course, we want you to be happy” CL said and the other nodded in agreement

“You only have two months to accomplish all of our consequences” Minzy said

“Two months?!”

“Yes. And if you don’t want to do it or failed you will have to date every guy we want you to date for a month”

“You guys are unfair!”

“That’s the name of the game Dara, deal or no deal?” Minzy responded.

“Fine, Deal” God help me. “I really can’t believe this”

“Think of it as thrill or spice in your life, you have nothing to lose here Dara” CL said but Dara didn’t believe it.

“Yeah right”