Chaser | Hyunjin Fanfiction

Prologue

SeungHee had her gaze focused down. Next to her elbow, a row of four empty glasses of Margarita were placed. One of them still had the lemon sitting on its centre. But the brown-haired girl couldn't bother herself with it, her attention fully on her cards. A migraine was crawling its way into her head and she knew she had to finish this round as soon as possible.

She bit her bottom lip hard, ignoring the stinging sensation. Her eyes went to the Jack of Spades, resting in front of the dealer's hands and then back to her own game.

Things weren't looking good. She had a fifteen on her hands but the dealer had a critical number.

A thirty-year-old man to her right was loosening his tie, sweat running down his face in thick beads. His gaze was directed to his own cards and SeungHee couldn't help but sneak a glance.

His cards had a hard total of fourteen, but the man had previously ordered a double down.

Wrong decision, SeungHee wanted to tell him, but didn't. The man realised it on his own when the dealer pushed down a harsh Jack of Hearts. SeungHee couldn't help but grimace.

Next to her, the man began pulling on his hair with frustration, punching the edge of the table.

"Hit." The word left her lips before she could even stop it. Chances were she could bust herself, but the dealer would easily topple her with his second card so she had to take that risk.

The man's mouth tugged up slightly in the corner and he slammed another card on the table.

The girl's breath hitched on her throat but soon relief filled her when she saw a perfect Five of Clubs in front of her.

"Thank the skies," SeungHee muttered to herself, tugging up the sleeves of her shirt to her elbows. A good player wasn't supposed to be so open about their reactions but that was beyond the point tonight. She didn't have the nerve to worry about professionalism. She hadn't even bothered to keep track of the cards and was now dying to go home.

A well-dressed waiter rounding the tables approached her tensed up figure, a steel tray in hand. "Another drink, miss?"

SeungHee didn't do so much as nod in his direction, never taking her eyes off the cards. The dealer waited patiently until her Margarita glass was refilled.

How nice. She wanted to scoff.

She touched the table, signalling a stand.

Right. She had a safe 20 now, it would be alright. The dealer may have a ten but the chances of him getting a straight twenty-one were scarce. She should be okay for now.

The dealer happily flipped back his covered card and that was enough for SeungHee to stiffen her shoulders.

A five.

He's going to bust.

The man noticed her awkward stance and smirked. His tanned hand went to pick another one from the shoe. The card shined under the lights of the casino, making the blue of its back look like a total gemstone. These cards were special, they were manually painted and the traces were soft and delicate. Whoever made these must have been a really good artist, SeungHee thought. She had always wanted to make a deck of cards just for herself. A deck that couldn't be found anywhere else in the world.

Please don't be a six, please don't be a six.

Her fingers curled around the neck of her glass, the drink almost spilling from the edges. Her eyes were red from lack of sleep, thin veins showing in the corners as her pupil dilated. The whole place seemed to be engulfed into silence as she traced the man's movements with her eyes, the punching sensation of a headache hitting the inner walls of her skull.

A delicious Nine of Clubs appeared under the lights and SeungHee immediately downed the entire drink, shoving back her head as she gulped it in ecstasy. The glass was slammed promptly beside the four others and she beamed at the now-frowning man, suddenly full of energy.

The other player jumped in surprise by her actions and nearly fell off his chair.

"Do you want to color up?" The dealer asked grumpily, harshly collecting the cards.

"Yes."

The man wiped his hands on his vest and pushed her chips towards her, giving her the payment, which she gladly gathered in her hands and proceeded to throw them into the duffel bag before rushing out to the front area.

Little did she know that a certain blond boy was staring at her from one of the corners of the casino, his side resting against a column as his white hat covered his eyes. The minute SeungHee changed her chips and left the establishment, Bangchan smirked, shoving his hands into the low pockets of his grey coat and turning back, disappearing down one of the many halls of Chaser Casino.

The only thought in his mind being: I finally found her.