There are Many Flowers in Seoul

Chapter Sixty

The room fell silent in Tae-won's immediate absence. Dramatic to the last, the slamming of the door and the thud of his escaping footfalls rendered the gathered party into a state of shock. Any enthusiasm they'd felt for karaoke faded fast, as did their delight upon hearing Rose and Hitomi sing. At first, Rose wondered if Jin-hee would chase after her oppa to reclaim his attention, keeping it selfishly and perhaps leaving with him. Torn between this course of action and proving how incredibly talented she was, Jin-hee snatched up the microphone instead and declared, 'I'll show you how a professional does it!'

But Rose didn't care how a professional would sing. All she cared about was the fact Tae-won was angry at her for some reason, and she was the only person who could put it right. And, if she didn't, he would storm out of the building and she'd have to suffer the long painful hours of uncertainty which would follow until they saw one another again and had the chance to talk.

'I'll get him,' Rose said although no one had asked. Before anyone could stop her – tell her that she'd be better off leaving him to sulk alone – she rushed out of the room with her bag and made sure the door closed behind her firmly; a declaration that she wasn't to be followed. Si-woo's company would only make the situation worse, Hitomi would make a snarky but hilarious comment, and no one else would understand why Rose had undertaken the task of soothing Tae-won's bruised ego.

As Tae-won passed small groups of businessmen and students staying out late against the wishes of their teachers and parents they paused to stare at him. There was always a moment of disbelief when a person spotted a celebrity out in public – the few seconds when they thought they must have imagined them because there was no way the person they idolised was really there – and then had to decide if they'd walk on or if they'd follow them to see if they'd seen correctly. Rose intended to stop Tae-won before anyone could follow him. She walked briskly, struggling to match his pace with his ridiculously long legs. Her arm outstretched, Rose grasped the back of Tae-won's jacket and tugged, bringing him to a halt. The man turned sharply and looked down at her, his expression one of impatience and frustration.

'Where are you going?' Rose hissed at him. After glancing back over her shoulder to ensure no one was listening in, she whispered, 'I know we're keeping this a secret, but don't you think you're going too far?'

'Too far?' he challenged, his voice far louder than it ought to have been. 'Me? What about you?'

'What about me?'

'Dinner. He fed you!'

Rose blushed. 'Well, it's not like you could do it.'

'Let go of my jacket. I'm leaving.'

'Tae-won,' she sighed, 'it's not like I can undo what happened. Can't you just forget about it and come back to the room?'

'I can't spend any more time with Jin-hee putting her hands on me, or watching that photographer whispering to you.'

In all honesty, Rose felt that Si-woo had gone a little too far. After he'd kissed her, she'd made it clear that she wasn't interested in pursuing a relationship with him whether real or fake. There was no reason for him to try to make a move on her now that he knew she was interested in Tae-won and that she'd made her final decision between the pair of them. It wasn't that Si-woo wasn't kind, attractive, successful, or a guy who didn't have tantrums and storm off for no reason. It was just that Rose wasn't capable of forcing her heart to feel something that it simply didn't. Logically, Si-woo was perfect for her. Unfortunately, her heart was craving the illogical, and Rose couldn't do anything to change that.

Not unless Tae-won continued to act like a spoiled child, then she'd make a concerted effort to alter her feelings for him.

'Fine,' she said stubbornly. 'If you're leaving, I'll leave too.'

Tae-won looked surprised by the declaration. 'What about your cousin?'

'He's with Eun-young.'

'And your friend?'

'With Jung-wook. They can take care of themselves. Besides, I already sang one song and that's more than I wanted to do.'

Yes, she had sung a song, and it had blown Tae-won away. Like Hitomi and Yuta, he knew about her parents and that any talent she had was probably inherited through them. While Lily stayed behind the scenes and was happiest when she was coming up with new fashion designs, Rose's father Takashi was an actor. Like many celebrities in Japan and Korea, he was expected to perfect his singing abilities as well as his acting skills, so it made sense in Tae-won's mind for Rose to have an aptitude for such things. That said, he'd not thought she'd be quite so good. It was only her desire to stay away from the celebrity lifestyle which kept her from becoming a star. If Rose really wanted to, she could use her father's influence and her skills to make waves in the entertainment world. In many ways, Tae-won was happy that she hadn't. It meant she was untarnished by a world ruled by ego and backstabbing. After spending most of his life immersed in such an untrustworthy society, he revelled in the chance to spend time with a woman who knew the pains of wealth, but who shared his disdain for it.

If he hadn't already made a career for himself, he'd have quit in a second if it meant they could be a normal couple.

But they weren't a normal couple; they were a couple who had to hide their regard for one another so that his fans wouldn't hunt Rose down, and so Yuta wouldn't ship her back to Japan to protect her from Tae-won's influence.

And if that meant he had to watch another man hit on her, then he was going to get jealous. 'And your other boyfriend?' he asked bitterly.

Rose narrowed her eyes pointedly. 'Do I have to slap you?'

'No.'

'I'll do it. I don't mind. People might find this whole fighting act more convincing if I do.'

Tae-won couldn't stay angry when Rose was showing him her adorable temper. And it was adorable; like a puppy trying to growl but yawning and falling down instead because it was too fluffy and cute to be aggressive. The best part of it was that she seldom showed it to anyone else. Her angry expressions were private and reserved only for him, and in the moments that she dropped the façade she wore for Yuta and Si-woo, he was more in love with her than ever.

Tae-won cleared his throat, struggling to hold onto his anger if only for the sake of having her pander to him a little longer. 'If you want to fight, then we should go to a game centre.'

'A game centre? Now?'

'What? Afraid you'll lose?' he challenged.

'To you? Please,' Rosescoffed, squaring up to him, determination etched into her features. 'Bring.It. On.'