There are Many Flowers in Seoul

Chapter Fifteen

The tension in the foyer was so heavy it could have been cut with a knife. Rose stood resolutely beside Si-woo, hoping she might be able to use him as a human shield if Tae-won got past Yuta and decided to exact a little revenge for the water. Sensing her distress, and knowing that the model had deserved his dousing, Si-woo pulled her behind him. It didn't escape Rose's notice that he didn't let go of her hand, and she found it strangely reassuring to know that there were two men present willing to put themselves in harm's way for her sake.

Before Yuta and Tae-won could indulge their caveman instincts and beat each other into pulps, Tae-won's manager pulled his client out of the way and bowed his head low to Yuta.

'Mr. Suzuki let me apologise. I am Go Deok-su. It is a pleasure to work with you.'

'Work with him?' Tae-won scoffed. 'We're leaving. I'm not working with these jerks!'

'We have a contract,' Go Deok-su hissed back at him.

Tae-won dropped his English to argue with the older man, and he wasn't shy about raising his voice and displaying his terrible personality despite all the witnesses to the argument. Rose couldn't help but think he was fortunate no one was filming him. It was the sort of show she'd wanted to put on the night Keiji had made her feel like a fool. If it hadn't been for their classmates with their phones she'd have slapped him into the next week for the insult.

'Si-woo,' Yuta caught the man's attention, 'take Rose and Hitomi out of here.'

'I have a shoot to finish,' Si-woo told him.

'Do you think you'll get anything done when this is who you have to work with?'

Yuta had a point. One model was gone, the other had been the star of the show all morning, and the last was arguing with his manager over the terms of the contract because he was a weird pervert covered in water. It was hardly a promising start to the day, and things weren't likely to improve unless Tae-won had a sudden personality transplant.

Si-woo looked back at Rose and his eyes softened with affection. To see her cowering behind him – small and frightened – he couldn't bring himself to argue with Yuta. He squeezed his fingers in a reassuring fashion, hoping to ease her panic, and said, 'Go and find Hitomi. We'll go to the café upstairs until he leaves.'

'Aish!' Tae-won cried furiously. Both Rose and his manager jumped. The celebrity raged at Yuta, 'I'll sue your cousin for assault!'

'What assault?' Yuta shot back. 'It was water!'

'Cancel my contract,' he ordered his manager.

'Go ahead,' Yuta replied. 'We'll sue for breach of contract and find someone more suitable for the campaign.'

Go Deok-su pleaded with Tae-won, 'Don't be like this, huh? We need this contract.'

'You mean they need it,' the star countered.

'No,' Yuta said smugly, 'he means you. We're an international company. Do you really think we can't find someone else?'

Tae-won breathed hard through his nose and balled his hands into fists at his sides. A silent battle raged in his head and Rose watched as flashes of anger, determination, and torment passed across his face. It was a war between his professional sensibilities – if indeed he had any – and his pride.

'I want her out,' he seethed.

'Fine,' Yuta agreed. 'After you apologise.'

'Me?' Tae-won laughed derisively. 'To her?'

'That's right.'

'Yuta,' Rose ventured tentatively, 'I don't need an apology. I just want to leave.'