Chapter 19 - Jeonju

Highway to Jeonju - 9:25AM

Jiyong hummed quietly as he drummed his fingers lightly against the steering wheel. He had been driving for about an hour now, and looked out of the window to see the soft glow of the sun illuminating the grass fields and rice paddies beside the road. He went off to the side to enter a small rest stop. After parking the car he took off his seat belt and looked to his side.

In the passenger seat there was a dainty woman, splayed across the chair as she was dozing off. Her soft breathing could be heard, perfectly in sync with her chest as it rose and fell.

“Wake up sunshine,” called Jiyong, gently shaking her. Upon seeing no reaction from the woman, he decided to shake her a bit more vigorously. “Taeyeon.”

This morning before they set off she mentioned that she had an extremely tiring week from working on the wall mural project. Working with children on a project was way more stressful than she thought was what Jiyong recalled her saying. She had to try to get them to focus on the task and resolve the numerous squabbles that took place between the children. After they got in the car and began the drive Jiyong encouraged her to get some rest, which she gladly took.

She groaned as she awoke, and combed her blonde hair backwards. She opened one eye slowly as she looked around to get a grasp of their surroundings.

“We’re at a rest stop,” informed Jiyong, reaching over to help undo Taeyeon’s seatbelt. He leaned over to press the eject button, but was slow to withdraw as he took in as much of her presence as he could. The flowery scent emitting from her nape awoken his senses and excited him.

Calm down Jiyong, he reminded himself as he quickly returned to his own seat after helping her. He then exited the car, hoping the cold wind would numb him.  

“Come on, I think we both need a coffee to kickstart our day,” he advised, walking around to Taeyeon’s door and opening it for her.

She blindly nodded as she crawled out the car, with Jiyong supporting her left arm. The sunlight hit her as she stepped out onto the gravel and she winced.

“It’s not that bad,” chuckled Jiyong, watching her adverse reaction as she stood up.

“Let’s just go get our coffee,” she grumbled.

Jiyong simply laughed in response as the two made their way over to the seating area.

*

Jiyong placed the two lattes on the table, pushing one to the woman before him.

“Here’s your coffee,” Jiyong said. He sat himself down and turned himself away from Taeyeon, hoping that his blushing face was not evident to her.

“Thanks,” replied Taeyeon gleefully. She looked happy to finally be able to revitalize herself after her tough week.

He continued to watch her and be mesmerized as she took a sip from the coffee mug. The way her sensuous pink lips graced the edge as she tilted the mug was enthrilling. Her supple and soft cheeks puffed outwards as the coffee entered into , and then she placed the white mug gently back onto its coaster. A look of contentment showered her angelic face afterwards, satisfied with the beverage.

He had to shake his head to get rid of those thoughts, and lifted his cup to drink his own bitter brew. After all he was adamant that this was only a fake relationship, but what were these sensations growing inside of him?

As he dawdled on his conflicted feelings he recalled another coffee date he had last weekend.

*

Dolce Vita Seoul Hotel, Lounge - 3:04PM

“It seems like you’ve done a good job here.”

Jiyong sipped the black coffee as the woman before him commented on his hotel. She was beautiful in every sense of the word. Her black hair was cut short and parted to one side. She had deep black eyes with an alluring quality, matched with her luscious lips. Her attire was made up of a simple navy fabric dress, yet she seemed to exude an aura of refinement. Every one of her movements was graceful and simple - from the way her slim fingers wrapped around the handle of the coffee mug to the way her eyes moved to observe her surroundings.

She truly was Kiko Mizuhara, the heiress of the famous Imperial Hotel chain. She was famous - not only amongst his business circles but in the fashion world. She had worked as model for several fashion magazines and was known to be quite prominent in that field.

“It is thanks to the work of all the staff here,” Jiyong replied humbly. He eyed her carefully. What were her intentions?

The woman had just landed in Korea about two hours ago and Jiyong unfortunately had to go pick her up at Incheon airport at the ‘request’ of his mother. After he had made sure she had settled into her hotel room she had requested a tour of the Dolce Vita hotels, citing that it would be good learning experience for both of them as they could compare what they did differently.

“The growth Dolce Vita hotels has undergone in the last few years is really unbelievable,” she said. “I remember coming into Korea two years ago, and the brand wasn’t nearly as prevalent as it is now.”

Jiyong simply nodded in response, before he decided to tackle the real reason why he came here.

“As you can see, we can clearly do a good job,” Jiyong started. “So if you don’t mind, would you like to relinquish the Korean Tourism Organisation bid to us?” He couldn’t help but add a rather snide tone to his question - he was rather bitter about the whole ordeal.

“Do you really want it?” she replied.

“It makes more sense for a Korean company to build a traditional-style hotel rather than a Japanese one,” scoffed Jiyong sourly. “We’d be a laughing stock otherwise.”

“How about I offer another proposal,” she said. “How about we both work on it together?”

Confused, Jiyong simply answered, “how do you suppose we go about that?”

“Hasn’t your mother mentioned it you?” she asked, seemingly perplexed as his confusion.

He remained mute, waiting for her to answer his question.

“We’ll get married,” she finally answered. “It’ll be good for our businesses. Imperial Hotels and Dolce Vita Hotels can form a merger, and you can use our name to improve your recognition in the west, whilst we can use yours to expand over Asia.”

“The hotel bid isn’t important enough for me to merge my business with yours,” refuted Jiyong coldly.

She simply shrugged indifferently.

“I would like to remind you Dolce Vita Hotels wasn’t exactly flourishing like it is now a few years ago. Maybe a bit of security for your business will be good for you. Having us two married would give us both a lot more influence and stability.”

“Why does it have to be through marriage?” This was the biggest issue he had with the whole proposal. He didn’t like the idea of merging the two companies-  he was proud of what Dolce Vita had achieved and didn’t want to ruin its independance. Merging with her company would make him subject to their desires and whims too.

“Marriage is way we do things in Japan,” Kiko simply stated. “My father is adamant on seeing me married to a good man, and he’s absolutely fascinated by you - the man who managed to transform Dolce Vita Hotels to such a lucrative business.”

“It’s only because my father was getting ill that the business had a few down years,” Jiyong explained humbly. “I only managed to turn that around - I’m not anything special.”

“Tell that to my father,” she said, chuckling lightly. “He thinks that you’ll be amazing to take over Imperial Hotels.”

“Can’t he just leave it to you?”

She shrugged nonchalantly. “I love the family business, but sadly I don’t have the skill for it. This is why I want to get married to you - it’s a vow to each other and I know I could trust you with it.”

Her smile was gentle, but coaxing. It was clear she was determined to continue her family’s business with success.

“Isn’t there anyone else appropriate for the position?”

“You’re the ideal candidate,” she answered happily. “It seems like you’re quite apprehensive about it though - is there any particular reason?”

Jiyong bit his lip - this is why he had been preparing for last two months for.

“I’m in love with another woman, and we’re already engaged.”

He thought he saw a glimpse of shock on the Kiko’s face, but she quickly composed herself as she replied.

“Who is she?” she asked coldly.

“It’s no one you would know,” he simply responded.

“What's she like?” Kiko pressed persistently.

“What’s she like?” repeated Jiyong. He thought back to the charming woman - what was so special and pleasantly unique about her?

Her passion for art was the first thing that came to Jiyong’s mind. The way her eyes were suspended in wonder when he had taken her to Seunghyun’s gallery for their first date. Her innocent and adorable nature, like when they played games together in her apartment and her thoughts she was trying to hide were so evident to him. Yet she was also mature, and one of the most caring woman he had ever knew. She had already taken care of him countless times in their short period together.

“She’s perfect,” Jiyong stated. “She’s sweet, kind and beautiful, from the inside and from the outside.”

“Wow,” replied Kiko, slightly stunned. “You must really be in love with her...”

“I…” Jiyong started. He was about to object, but recalled the circumstances. It wouldn’t be wise to object now, despite the uneasy feeling that was growing within him.

“Yeah, I guess I do,” Jiyong agreed.

The two looked away from each other as the conversation drifted off. Unbeknownst to the other there was  a look of uncertainty and discomfort on both of their faces.

*

Rest Stop on the way to Jeonju - 11:42AM

“Jiyong!”

The sudden call from Taeyeon awoke Jiyong from his thoughts and he could see her giving him a strange look.

“Is something the matter?” she asked, staring at him worriedly. “You’ve been quiet for too long.”

“No no, I’m fine,” reassured Jiyong, shaking his head adamantly. He looked down the table to see the half-empty cup of coffee. “How are you feeling now?”

“Better,” she said, shooting a cheerful smile towards Jiyong. “Still a bit tired, but I’ll make it through the day thanks to this.” She took another sip of coffee and let out a contented sigh.

He chuckled. “Shouldn’t you be more excited about visiting your parents?” Jiyong asked teasingly.

“I am!” she cried in protest. She took a second to calm down before she continued. “It’s been a tough week for me, and although I love my parents, they can be very overbearing. It’s going to be troublesome bringing a guy home.”

“Don’t worry, I’ve met your mother,” Jiyong laughed, fondly recalling the memories. “She really likes to dote on you doesn’t she?”

“A bit too much. I’m an adult now,” retorted Taeyeon, rolling her eyes. She took a quick glance at her phone before returning her eyes to Jiyong. “How much longer do we have to drive for?”

“About an hour,” Jiyong answered. “Don’t worry, we have plenty of time. Your mother only said to arrive before noon. I can’t believe you made me leave this early and lose valuable sleeping time.0”

“It’s not like you had anything better to do this morning,” she argued. “You were the one who kept pestering me late last night for information on my family.”

“I just wanted to make a good impression!” Jiyong protested.

“Don’t worry,” laughed Taeyeon at the flustered man. “I’m sure they’ll love you. Well, my mother already does at least. I’m sure she’ll butter you up to my father.”

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