There are Many Flowers in Seoul

Chapter Sixty-Four

Rose tried to sleep beside her best friend that night but in her heart, she knew that their relationship was fractured and would remain so until they were back in Japan and safely removed from Tae-won and Jung-wook. Rather than bother Hitomi with her tossing and turning, Rose slept on the sofa beneath a blanket, the cat plush hugged tightly against her chest as she drifted into uneasy dreams in which she told Tae-won that she intended to stay in Korea with him only to have him tell her that she was nothing but a game and he wanted her to leave. It all felt so real to her that she woke the next morning with tears in her eyes and a lump in her throat. It was still dark outside, and the others hadn't stirred from their beds. Her only choices then were to sit and wait for them on the sofa in the dark, or to shower and pack her suitcase for Jeju.

The quickest way to Jeju was by plane. Given they were on a tight schedule, this made the most sense. The staff had left the previous evening to take a drive to the port so that they could get on a ferry early that morning and make the four-and-a-half hour crossing to meet them on the island. Unfortunately for Rose this meant being in the air with Tae-won while she travelled with the executive members of the team and the models. The last time they'd shared a flight she'd called him a weird pervert and he'd tried to drag her out of a bathroom which hadn't been the best start to their acquaintance. While Rose didn't see the same thing happening again, she was concerned about being cornered by him while her mind was full of questions about their future. Rather, it was full of doubts. As much as she wanted to believe that they could have their happily ever after like they were fresh out of a movie or drama show, there was some truth to what Yuta and Hitomi had said. Since she'd met him she'd lost sight of all the reasons she'd gone to Korea in the first place and now her head and heart were full of him. Had they met under normal circumstances – at school or after being introduced by friends – this might not have been such a bad thing. With a deadline on their relationship looming, however, it made Rose uneasy to think just how much of her had been consumed by Tae-won in such a short amount of time.

After she'd showered, Rose tied up her sodden hair and tried to pack her suitcase as quietly as possible until Hitomi's alarm rang and she too dragged herself across the room to get ready for a day of travelling. The girl hadn't even noticed that she'd had the bed to herself for the night, nor did she ask Rose why she'd taken to the sofa for the evening.

Honestly, Hitomi complained about being ignored, but Rose was the one who was starting to feel like the third wheel on the trip. The second bedroom in the apartment was supposed to be hers, yet Rose had slept on the sofa more often than Hitomi had. As much as she loved having her friend there with her, Rose wished Hitomi would keep in mind that she'd invited herself on the trip at the last minute.

If Rose had thought the ill feelings between her and Yuta might disappear overnight, she was wrong. Breakfast was rushed and painfully quiet, and Yuta didn't offer to help either of the girls with their cases as they headed downstairs to meet the car coming to collect them. During the drive she kept glancing in the driver's mirror, trying to catch Yuta's eye so that she could use the moment to apologise. That moment never came to pass. Instead, they were soon in line for a short haul flight and Rose found herself trapped between Yuta and Hitomi. Tae-won stood a few places ahead in line with Jin-hee hanging off his arm, batting her lashes up at him and jabbering away in rapid Korean. Rose's stomach clenched with painful pangs of jealousy and no matter how she tried to swallow them down by reminding herself that she had no right when she was going to leave him in a few weeks, she still glared daggers into Jin-hee's back and wished that they could switch places.

'Oppa,' Jin-hee whined loudly while pushing her suitcase handle into his hand and pouting at him. She stamped her feet quickly and made pathetic noises until he snapped at her and dragged her case along on her behalf.