There are Many Flowers in Seoul

Chapter Sixty-Five

There was a reason Jeju island was a popular tourist destination; it was beautiful. The volcanic island boasted vast beaches, famous walking trails, and the highest mountain in South Korea. Much of their income came from tourists. It had certainly been on the list of places Rose had wanted to visit when her mother suggested the trip to her in the first place. At the time, she'd imagined that she and Yuta would arrive alone and walk until it was dark, talking about their dreams and feelings and pretending they were the only two people in the entire world.

It was difficult to do anything so romantic when they were surrounded by models, photographers, and lighting crews.

Besides, Yuta wasn't the one she wanted to walk alone with anymore.

Tae-won and Jin-hee hadn't been apart since the airport and it was grating on Rose's nerves. She thought she was a strong and emotionally mature person, but since leaving high school she'd learned she was as irrational and immature as most teenagers. This was both a relief and a cause of great distress. It meant that she had at last found the balance of normality she'd craved all her life, but it also meant she wasn't grown up enough to figure out every facet of her life at nineteen-years-old, and that meant she may not immediately find her happily ever after with Tae-won at so young an age. Rose had seen a lot of Princess movies when she was a kid – mostly because her mother thought that was what children enjoyed watching – and the girls were always in their late teens when they found their Prince Charming and married them or rode off into the sunset with them. This, Rose guessed, was because decades ago women were expected to marry after they left school and stay at home to raise children. Time had moved on and some couples never got married even if they loved one another. They certainly didn't commit to forever when they'd only known each other for a few short weeks.

Hitomi looped her arm through Rose's as they walked and leaned her head against her shoulder. Rose smiled down at Hitomi fondly. This felt like forever – their friendship would outlast any love affair – even if they fought sometimes and didn't agree on the approach they each took to their boyfriends. Rose pressed her lips together and did everything in her power to avoid pouting as the glamorous pair walked ahead of them, Jin-hee's hips swaying and her criminally short skirt riding up over her flawless thighs. Tae-won was the perfect height for her, and not at all ruffled by the short flight. No one would be surprised if news broke that they were an official couple, or that they were about to tie the knot.

Rose had to wonder how Tae-won's fans might feel if it was announced he was about to marry a girl they'd never heard of instead of an idol.

'- such a great deal on this hotel,' Eun-young was saying to Yuta. He had his free hand in his pocket and the other on his suitcase handle. The man was clearly hanging on her every word – helplessly in love – but doing all he could to hide it by nodding and glancing around as they walked up to the hotel from the coach which had conveyed them there from the airport. 'It's a shame that it's not going to be family owned any more, but it's amazing that the new owner is letting the family stay on to manage it.'

'What's that?' Rose asked, grateful for any conversation which might distract her from her brooding over Tae-won and Jin-hee's new closeness. 'Is this hotel being sold?'

Eun-young nodded. 'Yes. It's a luxury hotel but there are a lot of short-term rentals on the island now and budget hotels, so they're struggling to get guests. The owners even got into debt.'

'I'm surprised anyone wanted to take it on. Seems like it would be a financial drain,' Yuta said.

'Ah, it's a chain company,' she explained. 'If they have loyal customers and they can afford to reduce the costs then it should help to balance things. And they can afford to clear off the debts. This is one of the best spots in Jeju and no one else can match the views. I'm glad they're saving us, even if they are a Japanese company. No offense,' she added.

'Japanese?' Rose asked. 'What's the chain? We might have heard of them before. Are they global?'

'I think so,' Eun-young said. 'I know they have a hotel in Seoul, too. The Belvedere, I think?'

Rose believed in coincidences – they were just a fact of life – but the idea that this hotel was about to be bought out by The Belvedere Hotel chain was insane! It was bad enough that she'd been dragged into working for her mother's company while overseas, but now they were staying in the hotel her grandfather and uncle owned? A hotel which would one day belong to her?

As the staff bowed and the manager offered his hand to shake Yuta's in the lobby, Rose wondered if there might come a day when she would be expected to make these greetings as the heir to the company and would have people bow low to her and call her Madam. The idea gave her chills and not in a positive way. Rose had never aspired to be anything more or less than the person she was at that moment which meant she'd never be comfortable with the idea of being the head of The Belvedere Hotel chain or Silver Heart.

'Is the new owner here?' Eun-young asked the manager conversationally.

'No,' he replied in crisp, clear English, 'the CEO is still in Japan.'

Rose let out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding. Abe was a common enough surname, but it wouldn't take much for someone to make the connection between her and Ikuto if he'd been present, especially if he hadn't known that they were meant to be keeping her identity a secret. Si-woo appeared at her side and Rose jumped. Either he didn't notice or he didn't want to call attention to how jumpy she was because he said casually, 'It seems like when you arrived you brought all of Japan with you.'

'Would you rather I'd stayed in Tokyo?' Rose asked playfully, her mind finally on someone other than Tae-won.

'Never,' Si-woo replied with a smile. 'If it was up to me, you'd never go back.'

'But how can you break your heart missing me if I stay?' Rose retorted.

He laughed. 'You're a devil disguised as an angel! Aigoo... Of course I'll break my heart when you go. I'll have to arrange to meet you by accident in Tokyo.'

'Yah!' Tae-won shouted back at the group. He stood by the elevators, a key card in his hand. Jin-hee stood nearby but had her own case at her side; clearly Tae-won had grown tired of being her servant. His eyes were pinched with frustration and his focus was squarely trained on Rose and Si-woo. 'Some of us need to rest before we get to work!'

Rose bristled. They were meant to keep their relationship a secret and she accepted that part of their concealment meant they had to give other people the impression that they hated each other, but she didn't think it was fair that he could hang around with Jin-hee and she just had to take it, while Rose wasn't allowed a conversation with Si-woo without Tae-won acting like a jealous child. Rather than yell in response, Rose detached herself from Hitomi and grasped Si-woo's hand instead. From the corner of her eye, she could see Tae-won stiffen and straighten his back as he watched. Rose pouted and batted her lashes, channeling her inner-Jin-hee. 'Oppa,' she said as she looked up at Si-woo in as adorable a manner as she was able, 'can you help me with my case?'

Si-woo was the only one outside of Rose's circle of close friends who knew she and Tae-won were an item – or, at the very least, in love – and there was no risk of him developing anything close to real feelings for her. He was the best person to play along in her plot to annoy her boyfriend and to give him a taste of his own medicine. After all, it wasn't fair that he could drive Rose to distraction if she couldn't do the same in turn.

Si-woo caught on quickly and took the suitcase handle on her behalf. 'How can I say no to such a cute girl?'

'Oppa, you're making me blush.'

'And you're both making me nauseous,' Yuta interjected. He fixed Rose with a hard stare. 'Take your key card from the desk and go to your room by yourself. No men in the women's rooms and no women in the men's rooms. This is a professional trip and we're going to keep it that way.'

Rose's eyes flitted to Eun-young before her gaze rested on Yuta again. 'Are we?'

'Yes. Even if it kills us.'