Chapter 11 – Gambling with Love

TOP is sitting behind his desk, He was in his office. Last night, sleep didn’t come to him until 4 AM that morning. He keeps on thinking of Dara. It’s been like that since yesterday but he doesn’t do anything about it. It’s clearly over between him and Dara.  He leans on his chair; He was pinching the bridge of his nose.

He thinks he’s going to be crazy because of her. He misses calling her babe. He keeps on dreaming that they were back on his island. Sure she did something wrong, He fooled him and it hurts TOP so deeply. He can live without her; she’s not the kind of girl who will fall for someone like TOP, that’s what he keeps on repeating like mantra in his mind.

The last time He saw her is when she was talking with the models, it’s then that He flipped. Why the hell he would care if she talks to those males but then TOP was angry. He hates seeing Dara with other guys. He was jealous and he keeps on denying his feelings.

Suddenly his door burst open. A familiar lady went charging in, my secretary trailing behind her.

“Ms. Gong, please! You have to have an appointment” my secretary said dragging her out. “Mr. Choi I’m so sorry”

“No, its okay let her in” TOP told her secretary and She went out closing the door behind her. A wicked smile was on Minzy’s face.

“What do you need? If it’s an interview for your show my answer is no. Get out” TOP said.

“Do you love my friend?” Minzy suddenly asked, TOP was stunned for a second or seven. Minzy smirked.

“Excuse me?”

“I know you heard and understood what I said”

“I don’t talk to reporters”

“Well I’m not here as one. I’m here for my friend”

“What do you need Ms. Minzy Gong?

“I’m here to find out the truth. Do you love my friend?”

“You’re not the right person for me to divulge whatever I feel. I don’t trust your kind. Do you have anything to say please just leave my office; I have a lot of work to do”

“Well you seemed to need an advice Mr. Seung Hyun Choi”

“If you don’t love my friend, well maybe it’s a good thing that Dara is leaving and not coming back” Minzy said and started to walk out the door.

“Wait!” TOP shouted for her to hold up. Minzy hid her smile before facing TOP again.

“What?” Minzy asked innocently.

“She’s leaving? Where? When?”  TOP stood up after asking those things. Minzy just shrugged. If She wasn’t a female, TOP would have grabbed her by her collar and shake her for answers, but instead he go for a perfect gentleman and waited for her to say something.

“I don’t trust your kind Mr. Seung Hyun Choi. You need to earn it.” She said

“How?” He would do anything to get the information. She can’t leave me.  TOP thought.

“Do you happen to know how to play poker?” She asked.

---

Dara propped her elbows on the black countertop of Bistro Bar while staring blankly at the clear liquid, that’s her drink. She gulps her drink in one shot and ordered another round of her beer. She roamed her eyes around the bar, to the people inside wondering what problems they are having, or are they just enjoying a weeknight.

The bar wasn’t crowded because there’s work tomorrow and She noticed she was the only female without a partner in the bar area, She was noticeable. Almost all the people that came inside the bar have someone they have with. She smiled bitterly.

“And so what? I don’t need someone! There’s nothing wrong being single” She tilt her glass and poured the beer in again, the glass was full and when she put the glass down it’s now half empty.

“Bartender! Re-fill” She muttered to the bartender.

“Dara! You’re drunk. That’s enough”

She turned towards where the voice came from. Her eyes sight is foggy because of the dim bar added with her generous amount consumption of beer and also she’s a little bit sleepy.

“Hey! Hayyy Knowsh youuuu! You’re Lee Minho right?” She remembered one of the models back at The League modelling agency, she was confused because something was not right, and something has change in his face, something off about it.

“Hu-wait! Did you getsh a make hover? You look diffwent!”

“No, and I’m not Lee Minho!”

“Huh? Whooo you?”

“It doesn’t matter. Let’s go” He grabbed the glass of beer from her hand. Dara didn’t allow him to get it.

“Jush leave me ha-alone hokay? Hayy can handle myshelf” She said and drinks the remaining of her beer in one movement. “Refill!” She barked out to the bartender that looks at Dara and Lee Minho.

“Dara-”

“Yah!” She shouted at the bartender because He was taking so long to get her refill. “Where ish my refill?” She said and the bartender immediately refilled her glass. “Thanksh!”

“You knowsh, you remind me of shamone.” She said to the guy he thought of as Lee Minho. She moves closer to him and stared at his face. “Yeah! You looks like him! Thatsh weird you knowsh?” She said and laughed.

“Who?” He asked.

“The man I wash jusht shoooo inlove with but ish sho shad becaush he doeshn’t ing love meh!” She said, suddenly confessed her true feelings for TOP to someone she barely know. It doesn’t matter for her now because soon she’ll leave and no one will see her again. Lee Minho was suddenly quiet beside her.

She suddenly felt dizzy. Dara leaned on the counter top of the bar with her arms folded under her head. She felt like the whole world was spinning around and around. Dara just felt that she was falling from her stool luckily the guy she was talking to was fast and catches her before she falls.

“Oops, Shorry… Shorry” She leaned on the bar counter again. She stared at her empty glass of beer at she suddenly smiled because she saw TOP’s image on the glass, He was smiling at her. “I feel so free! I really love TOP”

“What did you say?”

“I shaid I love TOP! Are you deaf?”

“You know in the island where we shtayed, I just realized that I love him but I can’t loshe to my friends and I made the wrong decishion! I always messh thingsh up. You know? Now I can’t have him anymore”

She played with her glass rolling them on the counter from hand to hand. She laughed bitterly before gulping all the beer that was left on her glass. “I didn’t mean to hurt him. I didn’t mean to love him” She muttered under her breath, not sure if she was heard by the guy she was talking with.

She leaned on the bar counter and closed her eyes. She gave up and let her stupor to reign in. She fell asleep. The last thing she felt was hand scooping her up from where she was seated. She didn’t have the energy to argue because the familiar scent of TOP was around her and made her relax and to dive deep to sleep.