There are Many Flowers in Seoul

Chapter Seventy

Anyone who knew Rose well ought to have known that she wouldn't have returned to her room as she'd claimed she would.

At least, not for long.

Instead, Rose waited a few minutes to ensure the others were in the dining hall, returned to her room to change and grab her purse, then slipped away from the hotel alone. A cab pulled up outside and unloaded a family who'd just arrived for their own vacation, and Rose was quick to flag down the driver and ask that he spirit her away from the building; she wanted to be as far from the hotel and the company employees as was possible without charting a plane back to Tokyo.

It was only a short drive to Hyeopjae Beach on the south-west side of Jeju. During the day, it would have been packed with tourists and locals basking in the warmth of the sun on a clear day, children clambering over the low mounds of black, brittle rock, or lovers splashing one another in the warm blue water while staring out to the horizon and admiring the tree-covered off-shore Biyangdo Island which envoked feelings of adventure and romantic seclusion. The famous stone carvings at the viewing spots were popular with tourists looking for the perfect selfie, and no one could leave without posing with a mermaid hewn from rock, lounging in paradise with a look of utter serenity. Palm trees towered nearby, their roots sunk deep beneath a carpet of emerald grass, their broad leaves fanning out beneath the silver glow of moonlight.

The driver left Rose alone with nary a thought to her wellbeing, eager to return home after a long day of work ready to begin again in the morning. The sea air blustered in from the calm water, the waves rolling slowly towards the shore and caressing the dark sand. The tide had risen and a shallow film of glittering ocean beckoned Rose forth, enticing her with promises of soothing cold and distractions from her woes.

It would take more than a walk on the beach to untangle the mess Rose was facing – both inside and out – but even if she could loosen the knot of anxiety inside of her, then her escape would be worth the risk of worrying her friends.

After slipping off her shoes and socks, Rose placed them carefully beside the mermaid rock and walked out across the beach barefoot, feeling the fine grains tickle her soles and slip easily between her toes. It was so peaceful and timeless that she could see why it was so popular a place with tourists. At night, when there was no one else around, she could believe that she was the only person left in the world and there was no one to deceive her or to break her heart.

Rose was sorry that she'd missed the sunset as she looked out towards the horizon beneath a blanket of stars. It must have been spectacular to watch the sky burn as the light dwindled like embers giving way to night, scorching the clouds and lighting golden fires on the cresting waves before they glittered white and silver under the moon, a mirror to the heavens above.

Despite the serenity and the feeling of water wrapping around her ankles as she waded slowly along the coastline, moving farther and farther from her abandoned shoes, Rose felt the pangs of loss and sadness in her chest constricting her heart with suffocating tightness. It was silly for her to mourn the photo shoot. It wasn't something she'd wanted to do, and it was as if she'd arrived in Seoul with the express desire to pick up her modelling career again. Besides, Yuta would still need to go to the compny and there was every chance that he'd bring both Rose and Hitomi with him should they need to attend a location shoot. In fact, Rose was certain he would when the only alternative was that she and Hitomi would be left alone in the apartment. Yuta had been charged with keeping an eye on them, and it wasn't a duty he was about to neglect. Therefore, she and Tae-won would be able to see one another just as much as they had before, and they could still sneak off for the dates that Yuta didn't approve of.

Rose came to a halt and sighed softly.

It would be a lie to say that none of it bothered her. She felt dejected and cast aside by Yuta and the company who'd decided she was as disposable as a used roll of camera film, and she was humiliated that the person to replace her was the one person she hated most in the world. But, on top of all that, she hated how much it hurt when she thought about not working with Tae-won.