There are Many Flowers in Seoul

Chapter Forty-Four

The days between Tae-won's betrayal and the first location shoot were blissfully quiet. Rose did everything in her power to avoid thinking about him, but whenever Hitomi wasn't chattering in her ear about all the dates she had planned with Jung-wook, her mind drifted to that night. There was nothing special about sitting around drinking beer and watching television, but it was the most at-ease she'd felt around someone who wasn't her family in a long time. Rose had to wonder if Tae-won would have treated her differently if they hadn't met in the past as children, or if he'd have ever shown an interest if she was just another normal girl without money or influence.

It was while Rose lounged on the sofa, her legs covered in university brochures while Hitomi spread them out and flipped through each glossy page in turn, that Yuta hurried out of his bedroom. The weather had been so terrible for the past few days that location shooting was impossible and both girls had stayed home, unwilling to head out and be drenched while trying to squeeze in a few hours of sightseeing. At last the skies had cleared and Seoul came back to life under the sun's comforting glow. The early photographs from the advertising campaigns were appearing in papers, magazines, and on television. Rose had caught glimpses of herself on entertainment news programmes but had no idea what was being said about her. Fortunately, everyone was too interested in Jin-hee and Tae-won to give her much attention, and Rose guessed they were referring to her as a stand-in or unknown newcomer just there in the background.

Neither girl looked up at Yuta when he asked, 'What are you both still doing lying around?'

'Tired,' Rose replied.

'Research,' Hitomi added.

'Didn't you get a message from the studio?'

'Still don't have a phone,' Rose said. 'Did I not tell you that?'

'No.'

'Oh,' she shrugged. 'I don't have a phone. It died in the rain.'

'It'll be sorely missed,' Hitomi added.

Yuta groaned. 'We're shooting at the palace tonight. It's the first clear night we've had in days and we're behind schedule. Go take a shower and get dressed properly.'

Rose let out a long, exasperated sigh. She'd made peace with the idea that she'd have to continue working with Tae-won for Yuta's sake, but it didn't make the idea of seeing him any easier. There was no knowing what Tae-won might say or do when they saw each other again. He might want to shout at her for walking away from him or tell everything that she'd kissed him and that he'd succeeded in making her feel something for him. Worse, he might reveal the truth of Rose's heritage and land her, Yuta, and Hitomi in trouble. This would spell disaster for the future of the company and Rose couldn't let it happen, not when Yuta and her mother had worked so hard. If Tae-won wanted something in return for his silence, Rose would have no choice but to yield to his demands. Not for her sake, but for the sake of the people she cared about.