Petals of Success

Ch. 16: Qingdao

"We are now arriving in Qingdao Liuting International Airport. Please fasten your seatbelts and prepare for landing." announced the stewardesses, one in Mandarin and one in English. "Thank you for choosing Air China and I hope you enjoy your visit."

Logan looked up from her IPad and took out her earbuds, once she knew what was going on.  She made sure her seat belt was buckled and sighed. She finally made it. After flying nearly 15 hours, including a 3 hour flight delay and the actual 12 hour flight, she finally made it to Qingdao. It wasn’t so bad but she's never really flown such a long flight by herself, especially when she was nervous. She didn't have Nadia or Miko to talk about anything and everything with so sometimes her nervous thoughts consumed her mind. She did everything she could to not be focused on such, like sleeping for three hours and catching up on all the Season 2 episodes of Scandal she downloaded beforehand (which was amazing). It really helped pass the time and now her nervousness was overshadowed by the extreme feeling of exhaustion.

Soon the plane landed and the passengers passed through the terminal and into the airport. Logan wandered a little before she found the baggage claim and also a familiar yet nostalgic face, a young woman with fair skin and warm dark brown eyes that formed an eye smile as they stared at her.

"Konichiwa!"

Logan snorted. "Wrong country, sweetie." she informed before walking over to hug the girl. "It's so great to see you again, Linghua.” she greeted.

“It’s good to see you, too, Logey.” Linghua responded. Feng Linghua wasn’t just an ordinary friend of Logan’s. She was also gifted and attended the Juilliard Kids Program for her prowess at playing the cello from the age of 3. She moved from her hometown of Chóngqìng to New York and garnered American citizenship before attending the Juilliard program a couple years later. They became best friends over the years and actively kept up with each other over the years. After graduating, Linghua joined a music company that traveled around to play in various countries. Her current stop was to stay in Qingdao for 4 months, 3 of which she already completed. "You look beautiful as always."

"You look so different. Your hair is so long now, I love it!" Logan gasped touching the black tresses. "You look like doll."

Linghua chuckled. "Well, I'm giving this simple femininity a try." she responded before turning to look at her companion that accompanied her to the airport, an Asian male with long black hair, light skin, and an overall edgy appearance. "Logan, I want you to meet my band brother, Shin Li. He’s from Guangzhou but raised in England and plays the flute.”

“So, you’re from the same place as my friend Kris. It’s nice to meet you.” Logan greeted with her charming smile.

“The pleasure is all mine! It’s not everyday that you see a person who holds both undeniable talent and beauty.” Shin replied with a smirk and an English accent. That would’ve been an all kill for most women, though not Logan. Linghua punched Shin in the shoulder.

“Stop trying to flirt with my friend. She already has a beau, a cute one at that, and he knows martial arts.” Linghua warned and Shin rolled his eyes. Logan laughed at the duo. While Shin was an attractive guy, all she could really think of was the soft voice and unique charm that belonged to her aegyo-master boyfriend. “Go get her luggage instead.”

“You sure are bossy today, even more than usual.” Shin retorted but did go to gather Logan’s suitcase from the baggage claim while Linghua snickered. Once Shin retrieved her luggage, the three went off to Linghua’s car before driving to Logan’s hotel. They drove about half an hour to the Qingdao Hyatt Regency and unloaded all of her luggage out of the car. After they walked in Logan went to the concierge and checked in. They rode up to the tenth floor on the elevator and found her room down the hall and almost directly across from the ice vendor. Logan sighed twice, once outside the door and once when she walked into the room. She was booked into the presidential suite which was, not gonna lie, very beautiful but not what she would've booked for a short trip. It was all her mother's doing. She removed the duffle bag from around her and Shin rolled her suitcase against the wall. He whistled once he saw the inside.

"Are you a princess of a country I don’t know about? Is Logan just a cover-up name for something confusing and elegant sounding?” Shin began to question. “More importantly...are you arranged to be married yet?”

“Your pathetic.” Linghua sighed.

“No, Logan is my given name but I also have a ridiculous mogul mother who goes overboard when doing stuff for me.” Logan explained. “I’m only staying for a week and she’s acting as if I’ll die staying in a normal room. That woman, I tell you. I know this sounds like rich people problems but this is really unnecessary.” she sighed.

“Can she adopt me?” Shin asked before Linghua punched him in shoulder.

“So what did you plan on accomplishing today?” Linghua asked.

“Honestly, all I wanted to do was sleep and relax a bit for today atleast before I experienced this city. I only got a total of three hours worth of sleep on my entire journey over here.” Logan answered. “Though unnecessarily extravagant, that bed looks so heavenly right about now.”

Linghua chuckled. “Okay, I’ll let you rest but you will be mine atleast for two days out of the week. Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Logan snickered as the music troupe members left her hotel room. She sat on the bed before pulling out her phone to see she had quite a few messages.

From: Mimi Lang |To: Logey-bear

Logey!!! My baby!!!! How could you leave me while I’m in emotional turmoil! I need you to eat ice cream with me while watching depressing movies. Not have fun with a boyfriend and childhood friend in a beautiful city with great seafood!!! Not cool!!! T.T

Logan couldn’t even contain the huge eye roll she did after reading the message.

To: Logey-bear |To: Mimi Lang

Child, hush. You will see me next week and I thought you and Dee would’ve made up by now? Seriously, what is taking so long??? You guys need to get it together and talk to each other but if you’re too stubborn to do that then go do something productive like a mani-pedi or makeover. Just let me live in my moment of sanity. Please. I love you but don’t stress me out!!! >_<

The composer then went on to open the message from her cousin.

From: Nadia |To: Lolo

Why did you leave me here?! Aunt Hady keeps going on and on about how she misses you and blah-blah-blah. Omg, she’s stressing me out! Save me!

Logan chuckled at the comment. Her mother was a worry wort when she traveled to places by herself. It was like crossing the street; Hadya always wanted her to go with a buddy. Logan could use the "If I'm old enough to buy my own house, then I should be able to ride an airplane alone" type of explanation, but it wouldn't change anything really.

From: Lolo |To: Nadia
Hehe, sorry cuzzo. I'll call her to tell her I made it but stay strong. Countdown to super fantastic spring vacation getaway!

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From: Nadia |To: Lolo

Yes yes yes!!!!!!! I can't wait! Stay safe and have fun! I want plenty of videos and pictures!

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From: Lolo |To: Nadia

I promise!!!

Logan smiled as she sent her reply. She then scrolled to see messages from Jongdae, Jongin, Sehun, Minji, Erika, Dara, Luhan, Yixing, Cece, Yeonji, Chanyeol, Chaerin, Ashleigh and Youngbae. She felt so loved but the message she received from Kris had her floored.

From: Dumb Fanfan |To: Precious Munchkin

I hope you made it safe but please don't taint my son's gullible innocence. Its precious.

Logan gasped at the Exo leader's implications. What type of girl did he take her for?!

From: Precious Munchkin |To: Dumb Fanfan

Shut up! What am I going to do?! Your maknae ain't that innocent, bro...but yeah I made it safe. Be ready for operation get Ashleigh to fall in love with your dorky next week! Xoxo

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From: Dumb Fanfan |To: Precious Munchkin

Shut it, hobbit!

Logan laughed out loud before calling her worrisome mother, clarifying that she was safe and unscathed. She then went on to scold the woman for going overboard but Hadya acted like she had no idea what Logan was talking about but proceeded to tell her that she deserved the best things in life. Her mom was so too much, sometimes. Once she finished talking to her mom, Logan went on to explore the suite thoroughly impressed with the technology put into it, like heat sensing toilets and motion detecting showers with a sauna function. It was all kinds of dope and really nice to see the RM investments weren’t put to waste. She then took off her shoes and changed into her lounging attire, her favorite pink and white Ilthy sweat shirt and black leggings, before she buried herself under the covers, drifting off to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

Cece walked into through the back doors of the SM building, looking like a freshman on the first day of school. She hasn’t been in the building since the company meeting a few months ago and she is way too “Jellyfish”-y to be there. But she was summoned by her ultimate boss, Hadya, to come have a meeting with her, one on one. She was really curious about what the meeting called for.

She wandered around for a bit trying to find the elevator when she spotted a familiar face. “Jongdae-ah!” she greeted gaining the male’s attention.

“Cece-yah, annyeonghaseyo!” the Exo main vocal greeted as he walked over to her.

“I’m shocked you’re still here. I thought all of Exo were on vacation right now so shouldn’t you be as far away from this company as humanly possible?” she asked with a smirk and raised brow.

Jongdae chuckled. “I can’t stay away for long, I suppose. I got an early start on our Christmas album and finished most of my parts.” he told her and she gasped.

“Dude, it’s barely spring!”

“I know, I know. But I’m in a very snowy mood.” he laughed.

“Ah, that’s right. Someone is going on a little getaway next week.” Cece nodded. “Logan told me that a lot of kissing was done to you.” His Exo members had to beg him to choose either going to Costa Rica or to the Morino Lounge, he was pampered and treated so well. His hyungs and dongsaengs even offered to feed him and do his chores, he was living the dream. But, being the troll that he is, he ended up asking Logan where she wanted to go and he sided with her (he had a huge soft spot for the girl) so they would be vacationing in the cold, snowy regions of Japan.

“Yes, I am! I can’t wait, I’ve never been to that part of Japan...or any part really.”

“Well, have fun. This poor unfortunate soul is going to be swamped with documents and phone calls.” Cece sighed. Jongdae placed a hand hand on her shoulder.

“I wish you well.” he empathized which made the Latina chortled at his pity. “So what brings you here, little Jellyfish?”

Cece smiled. “Ultimate boss lady asked me to come in.”

“Oh, dun dun dun~!”

“No “dun dun dun”, none of that!” she laughed. “But I should head on up to her office. I don’t want to be too late.”

Jongdae nodded. “I’ll see you around, Cece-yah!” he said in parting and she waved at him before heading over to the elevator that she finally spotted. She rode up the few floors and came to the one where all the people in charge were located. She went up to the receptionist and smiled politely towards her.

“Annyeonghaseyo, I'm here to see Mrs. Rousseau.”

“Ah, she's in her office. It's right at the end of the hall.”

“Kamsamnida!” Cece bowed slightly before following those directions. As she walked down the hall she suddenly felt a rush of nervousness, not completely sure as to why she was. Even though Hadya was her boss, the one who blessed her with an internship at RM, and the one who set her up with Jellyfish for actual work experience, she still viewed the woman like she was her apart of her family. Nervousness was never something she wanted to feel, it was never what Hadya wanted her employees to feel when talking to her, so maybe nervous wasn’t the right description...anxious seemed to fit a bit better. She had no idea what she was in for and that left her slightly on edge. The girl stood in front of the door before she raised her fist, positioned so she could knock on the door.

“Come in.” she heard Hadya from behind the door. Cece turned the knob and slowly oked her head into the office, meeting the older woman’s gaze. “Ah, Cece, you made it.” she said with a smile and Cece responded with one as she walked over to sit in the chair in front of the desk. “Adrian, Cece made it so I have to go.” Hadya added and that signaled to Cece that she was talking to her husband. “A gente se fala. Eu te amo, querida! We’ll talk later. Love you, honey!” the woman ended before hanging up the phone. After putting her phone down, Hadya put all of her focus on the young Latina in front of her. “Sorry about that, C.”

“Oh, it’s fine!” Cece assured.

Hadya smiled at the girl. “Sooo, how’s my top intern doing at Jelpi? I’m hearing great things from Sejun.”

“Everything’s been fine. I’ve slowly been giving more responsibilities over the financing aspect of the agency. I think they’re doing that since I’m still young, they try to distract me with various odd jobs like hair, makeup, wardrobe, editing, and the like.” Cece said with a brief sigh, Hadya chuckling slightly. “All in all, I really like working at Jelpi. The staff is great, I’ve grown quite close to the members of Vixx, I have Milan as my new partner in crime, and overall it’s a small but prospering company.”

“Wow that’s nice to hear.” Hadya nodded before raising a brow. “Is there anything else you want to tell me about the company?” she asked calmly and Cece raised a brow from being slightly confused before it hit her.

“You know about the Sunjin mess, huh?”

Hadya nodded. “Of course Talia kept me informed about everything Rampant invests in and what type of working environment I send my interns to. But I just want to tell you...that I’m proud of you.” she smiled to the Latina. “I love the way you stand up for yourself and for everyone else who can’t. Even though it can go far left like your hilarious arrest story, your stubbornness and spunk are redeeming qualities in my eyes.”

“My mom still talks about how shocked she was by the experience to this day.” Cece chuckled slightly embarrassed.

“The one you tried to help...her name’s Sanna right?” Hadya asked and Cece nodded. “I’ll make sure she’ll be taken care off in the future. I hear she’s such a sweet girl and she shouldn’t feel like she has no choice but to take such treatment.”

“Thank you so much!” Cece exclaimed to the woman, thankful and relieved. Her friend wouldn’t be forced to stay in that type of predicament any longer.

“You’re welcome but that isn’t all I want to talk about with you.” the CEO told her. “Since I’ve been told many, many good things about your character and work ethic, I’ve decided to make some decisions.” she started and Cece was kind of on edge about what was going on. “The other big wigs and I have talked this over and...we want to promote you to a junior financial analyst in Rampant.”

Cece’s mouth dropped and her eyes widened. “A-Are you serious?” she stammered, completely at a loss of what to say. This promotion was a huge step towards her career goal, it meant that she would be right underneath “the great” Siva Agni as a member of his team.

“You more than deserve this position, Cece. Siva was more than happy to bat for you, even though he didn’t need to try so hard.” Hadya chuckled. “This might not change your odd job situation in Jellyfish just yet but it will here.”

“I just...I’m at a complete loss of what to say.” Cece said the biggest smile on her face. “Thank you!”

The older woman smiled. “Next week we’re holding a party for inductees, you and Milan will be attending.”

“Milan, too?!” Cece asked, super excited for her friend.

“Yeah, but don’t tell her. She’s my 3pm meeting tomorrow.” Hadya informed her and Cece made a zipping motion over her lips which made the CEO chuckle out. “Now, there’s something else I need to talk to you about…”

“Sure, anything!”

Hadya propped her elbows on her desk and rested her head in her hands. “I hear you’re dating someone...a Mr. Jung Taekwoon, am I correct?” she asked.

“Yes.” Cece said awkwardly. “We’ve been dating for almost 3 months now.”

“I’ve see him and he is tall and kind of a stunner who’s popular with the ladies, I believe he’s the most popular in Vixx, yet he’s so quiet! I would’ve never thought you would go for such a shy guy.”

“I mean, I guess the whole opposites attract thing comes into play for this. He’s a really good listener and someone I can talk and vent to, though. He’s very comforting in a way.” Cece admitted, the awkwardness increasing. “Can we not talk about this? I feel really weird.”

“Boo! You’re no fun.” Hadya pouted, sounding very much like her eldest daughter. “Why are you and Logey-bear so hush-hush about the relationship details. The only one talking to me about relationships is Miko and her love life is soooo depressing right now.” she sighed and Cece cracked up. A moment after an audible buzz was heard from a device, Hadya’s Galaxy Note 3. The woman scrolled and saw she had a notification. “You’re lucky, I have some business to take care of. I’m going to have to drill you about relationship stuff later on. I’m going to need to know more about the young men dating my girls, you never know if a dating scandal might happen or what not.”

“Hopefully that doesn’t happen anytime soon.” Cece sighed, standing up from her seat. Hadya stood and walked to the other side of her desk, opening her arms to embrace the girl.

“I’m so proud of you.” Hadya squeezed before pulling away, the two smiling face to face. “The inductee meeting is business casual so...the flannels should be left at home, my little tomboy.” she said, fixing the Latina’s collar of her blue flannel shirt.

Cece pouted. “Boo!” she said and Hadya snickered.

“I’ll see you around, sweetheart~!” Hadya told her as she went back to sit at her desk and Cece nodded, waving goodbye as she headed to the door. The first thing on her mind was to text Milan and schedule a shopping date. She didn’t want to ask the fashion dictating leader of Pratt Group and while Milan was a tad bit on the eccentric side, atleast she’d consider her personal comfort style compared Erika. The Latina walked down the hall only to run into someone she hasn’t talked to in a while.

“Ah, Cece, you finished your meeting with Hadya!” Yun told her as he was about to enter his office. “I’m guessing everything went well?” he asked, though he knew the answer.

“Yeah, everything is good.” she nodded, kind of stiff since they haven’t really talked at all, even after she found out about her aunt being pregnant...with his kid.

“Before you go, can we talk for a moment?” he asked.

“Umm, sure.” Cece told him. Yun held the door open for her and she stepped in. The man walked over to his desk as Cece sat at the small lounge area of his office. He opened a drawer and put some files away before he turned around, facing the girl.

“Cece, I know we haven’t really talked to each other in a while and I know how…” he trailed off, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Awkward? Weird?” she added, helping him fill in the missing blanks.

“Yeah, all of the above. Not really the most conventional way to announce having a baby, huh?”

“Not in the slightest.” she added quickly but her face softened, empathetically. “But life happens. Regardless of such, congratulations.”

Yun smiled. “Thank you. But that’s not all I wanted to discuss with you.” he said walking over and sitting in the chair next to Cece’s. He rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a small box. Cece’s eyes widened.

“Oh my Gosh!” she gasped, clasping a hand over as he opened the box to reveal a ring - a marquise cut engagement ring with diamond and sapphire, the latter of which was her aunt’s birthstone.

“Nothing’s happening in the right order but I know this is a good decision to make.” Yun smiled, happy with the girl’s reaction. “Do you think she’ll like it?”

“She’ll love it!” Cece assured him as she examined the ring. “It’s slightly too big though.”

Yun’s face fell in an instant. “W-What?!”

“D-Don’t fret! Adjustments to sizes can easily be fixed whenever and I know she’ll absolutely love the ring!” Cece exclaimed. “Omg, Uncle Yun!” she squealed, shaking his arm which made him laugh out.

“I’m relieved that you approve of it.” Yun smiled.

“When are you going to tell her because this secret is going to kill me.” Cece told him honestly.

Yun chuckled. “I have a plan to tell her tomorrow so don’t worry. You just have to make it through one day.”

Cece exhaled. “Okay, one day. I can handle that.” she assured him. “Any longer would’ve been overkill, complete torture!” she added dramatically and Yun released a hearty laugh. “I’m so happy for you.”

“If she says yes -”

“Which I’m pretty sure she will.” Cece chimed in.

The man chuckled. “We’ll need some extra help with the wedding, maybe some budgeting expertise from our new junior financial analyst.” he nudged.

Cece smiled. “I’d be happy to! Though, I might argue more with my aunt. Her dreamlike imagination and stubbornness paired with her carrying a child will be such a headache versus my own stubbornness and rationality. I can see it now.” she explained. “The only thing that will keep me hanging on is the power of love.”

Yun patted her shoulder. “I wish the best.” he told her. “I haven’t even proposed yet but I can just imagine all of this.” he exhaled which made the younger laugh.

~~~~~~~~~~

Logan’s eyes fluttered open and she stared at the ceiling of her room. She just finished having a seriously bizarre dream. It was about Tao who was on his quest to be the world's greatest ramen chef but no one would hire him due to his birth defect - him having a pair of panda ears on his head with no human ears. She then entered the dream as someone like Tao, someone born with bear ears who flaunts them proudly and gives Tao the confidence to flaunt his ears and not stop himself from achieving his dream. They embarked on a journey towards his destiny of ramen royalty; the journey being called the Panda Express. It was so random she let out a groggy laugh at the mere thought of it, especially since Tao was not chef material in the slightest sense. But now she was hungry and had a taste for noodles. Looking through the window of her room, she saw that it was basically nighttime in the city making her realize she drifted off for much longer than intended. She would probably have to order room service since she knew nothing about where to find food at in this city. She sat up in her bed when her phone started ringing, chiming an all too familiar ringtone before she picked up to answer it.

Logan answered the phone. “Hello?” she said, in her soft and very sleep-filled voice.

“Ah, why do you sound so cute?!” Tao asked before sighing. “This confirms that you were sleep and I was worried over nothing.”

“You were worried?” Logan asked.

“Yeah, because I thought you would call or text me when your plane landed. So I texted and called you a few times before I called everyone else and Kris told me you were most likely sleep. I felt kinda silly afterwards.”

“I’m sorry! I completely forgot about that.”

“It’s fine. I hear your voice now so all is good.” Tao responded, she could sense the smile on his face. “Are you hungry? I’ve bought stuff.”

“Yes, I'm starving~! It would be really awesome and kinda strange if you brought noodles.” Logan answered while sitting up in her bed. “After the dream I had about you, I’m really craving some.”

“So my baby was dreaming about me, huh?” Tao asked and Logan could just imagine the cocky smirk on his face which made her sigh and shake her head. “What floor are you on?”

“The tenth floor, room 1034. You can’t miss it, it's the unnecessarily luxurious presidential suite.” Logan sighed.

“Sweet! Boss lady’s always looking out.” Tao joked. “I’m in the lobby right now so I’ll be up shortly.”

“Okay.” Logan replied before the call ended. She then grabbed a scrunchie to tie up her newly straightened tresses into a messy bun. Not too long after, she heard a knock on her door. She smiled as she went over to it. “Who is it?” she asked playfully.

“Room service.” Tao replied in accented English which made Logan chuckle before opening the door. He was dressed in a black zip up hoodie with matching jeans and black Nike shoes with a black beanie cap. He even had a face mask and black shade to cover half of his face so his identity could be concealed for the most part. He looked like a complete ninja! Tao was playing no games, he was one with the night. “Wow, this is a nice room.” he added while walking in and setting the food bags he was carrying on the table.

“Yeah, it is a pretty dope room. Still kinda unnecessary, though.” Logan replied while shutting the door. When she turned around she bumped into Tao’s chest but before she could react he lifted her up into a hug with his arms tightly wrapped around her waist and started spinning around. Logan squealed while wrapping her arms around his neck. Once he stopped, Logan pulled away to look down at his face. “You can put me down now.”

“What? I don’t get a kiss?”

“What am I kissing?! I can’t even see your face with all of your ninja gear on!” Logan laughed as she wiggled in his hold before he reluctantly let her down. Logan walked over to the table to see what type of food Tao bought as the Exo member undisguised himself. She mentally cheered at the fact that he bought spicy noodles, fate was truly on her side. Logan turned slightly to see the normal Tao with his face mask, shades and shoes removed, his hoodie draped over a chair to reveal the simple gray T-shirt he adorned, and the beanie was also missing as he smoothed down his red hair. “Now there’s my cute boyfriend.” Logan smiled.

“Okay, do I get my kiss now?” Tao asked, bending down to Logan level while pointing to his cheek. Logan sighed as if she was really struggling to do so before she walked over to him, ready to peck his cheek...only to have him turn his head so their lips met. Logan made a face at him which made Tao grin cheekily.

“So greasy.” Logan told him.

“Oh, but you love it~!” he hummed, wrapping his arm around her so he could pull her close and kiss her forehead. The two grabbed the food and took it into her room. They decided to watch a random drama on television but it ended up watching them as they talked and ate.

"Sooo...your grandma thinks I’m cute, huh? " Tao announced. "I love her already."

Logan smiled. "I told you, I’ve always gone to my grandma when I needed spazz about Kpop. She’s super open to it and even has her own biases in groups. She’s always said you and Kai were the most handsome in Exo, that you’re the best rapper, no complaints from me on that, while she felt Jongdae was the best singer even though she loves Kyungsoo’s vocal color." Logan replied as she ate a dumpling. “She also goes on and on about how she met a handsome Chinese-American soldier back in her day and how they shared some wild nights. Then I'm like “Woah, grandma, I don't need to hear all of this!” like seriously, she has grandpa so keep the 60s in the 60s.” she sighed to Tao and he laughed in response. “But I love visiting Mombasa, the family house is really close to the beach so I had my dosage of warmth for my vacation. I’m good now.” she admitted.

“Well that’s good. That makes the both of us.” Tao responded.

“Tell me how your vacation has been going?”

“Well, I caught up on some much needed sleep. It was pretty awesome.” Tao told her and she giggled. “I hung out with Chen and Zhimei for a little but that was it so far. The rest of it has been spending time with my parents, mostly my mom.” Tao told her as he finished his food, mentioning 2 of his closest and dearest friends. “They’re excited about meeting you.”

Logan sighed while looking at the bed. “Great.”

“Hey.” he said, reaching to cup her chin and lift her head up so she can look at him. “Don’t worry so much. Just be yourself.”

“I’ll try, I will try.” she replied before yawning slightly. “I’m sorry.”

“Tired?” Tao asked.

“Kind of. The nap helped but I’m still pretty jet lagged.”

“Say no more~!” Tao exclaimed, gathering their trash to throw it away in the kitchenette before jogging back into the bedroom and plopping down on the bed. “Lay right here, I will be your pillow.” he said while patting his shoulder. Logan let out a soft laugh before accepting his invitation to cuddle. She sprawled her arm across his stomach as he wrapped his arm at her waist while his other hand brushed her hair behind her ear as he stared into her beautiful gray eyes.

“Don’t stress about tomorrow, okay?” Tao told her softly before kissing her nose and making her smile.

“You have my back so that’s enough for me.” she told him with a sleep-filled voice.

“That’s right, I have your back so everything will be fine!” he assured. “My mom is even making Hǎixiān lǔ miàn (Shandong styled seafood noodles) which you’ve been wanting to try along with a bunch of other…” he trailed off when he looked down to see Logan peacefully sleeping, her breaths light and even. “Aww, you really were tired.” he chuckled, holding her tighter while resting his cheek against her head, trying to pay attention to the drama that they previously ignored for the last hour or so.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Okay, how about this?” Yeonji asked, holding up a red bubble coat.

“Its cute but...red isn't your strongest color. You're totally a navy blue!” Dana said holding up the same exact coat in said color. The two Inoni sisters were asked to come help Yeonji pick out some new things for the vacation she was going on.

Yeonji sighed. “Fine, you're the fashion expert in training.” she said while putting the coat back.

“Way to crush her red colored dreams, Daners.” Milan chuckled while looking through the racks.

“What? She's gotta look her best being around models and Exo members for the next two weeks.” Dana explained. “Plus I'm tryna get her to find a hot Japanese boyfriend.” she added in and Yeonji gasped.

“Erika's turning you into a little monster.” said a voice gaining their attention, one that belonged to Miko who strutted her way into the store. Yeonji that it was a good idea to do so since she liked her style and wanted to get her mind off of feeling sad about her relationship with troubles with Derek. “I like the navy blue better though, it has a better design.”

“See!” Dana smiled before patting her friends shoulder. “Trust me, my friend.”

Milan chuckled. “Hey, Miko, you finally made it.” she said as the two youngest went over to pay for the items including the coat that was picked out.

“Yeah, I finished up my fitting with Erika for Seoul Fashion Week.” Miko explained. “Soon they’re going to be coming around to the other companies, first on her list is to head to Jellyfish before SM. She also said that she might use Wonshik and Jaehwan as backups since she might have some idol models who can’t do her show.”

“Oh, I will let them know.” Milan nodded just as her phone buzzed. She pulled out the device and opened it to see her messages.

From: Jae | To: Milannie <3

Do you like cotton candy and funnel cakes? Waffles?

Milan raised a brow.

From: Milannie <3 | To: Jae

Yeah, I like all. Why?

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From: Jae | To: Milannie <3

I’m just wondering if amusement parks would be a good idea to go to when we go out.

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From: Milannie <3 | To: Jae

Why are you being so cocky? It’s not a cute look, Lee Jaehwan, not cute at all.

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From: Jae | To: Milannie <3

I wouldn’t call it being cocky since I’m just speaking the truth. You like me. I like you. You’re just trying to convince yourself that you don’t because you’re trying to be a “””professional businesswoman””” and don’t want my Starlight babies to be upset but I only want you. You can’t fight it. ;D
Chu~ <3<3<3

Milan couldn’t stop the slight blush rising on her cheeks. He was so forward with everything, it was too much at times.

From: Jae | To: Milannie <3

You're blushing, aren't you? So cute! ;)

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From: Milannie <3 | To: Jae

I am not!

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From: Jae | To: Milannie

You are~! My Milannie is so cute~! ;)

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From: Milannie | To: Jae

You’re incredibly annoying!

She responded before shoving the phone back into her pocket.

“You had some very interesting faces, my friend.” Miko told the girl. “Who were you texting?”

“Noone.” Milan answered quickly.

“Lies. I'm pretty sure it was Lee Jaehwan.” answered Dana, ruining her sisters lying scheme as she and Yeonji finished paying for the jacket. “She answers like this every time he's involved.” she said and Milan glared at him.

“You guys still aren't a thing yet?” Miko raised a brow. “Geez, even Cece managed to date the quietest, shyest, and most reserved member of that group, hell of that company, and has been at it for almost three months. What is your excuse for not dating loud and proud and don't say because you don't like him because that's a straight up lie.”

Milan looked nervous. “I-I…” she stuttered at being interrogated.

“I propose a challenge.” Dana said as they left the store. Hopping in front of her sister, the younger had a smirk on her face. “Do you accept it?”

“I would need to know what I’m getting myself into first...” Milan arched a brow at her younger sister.

“Okay! Since we’re in Myeongdong, let’s see who can find the best outfit for the most reasonable pricing for our dear friend Yeonji.” Dana explained. “The person who can come back with 3 different ensembles while spending the least amount of money in the next hour will win. If I lose, I’ll continue to play along with you not liking Jaehwan BUT if you lose, I’m going to need you to take this big fat L and just go out with him, humanity will thank you.”

“Alright...these terms seem fair. I guess I’ll uphold the deal.” Milan nodded, determined. Dana was immersed in the world of fashion and new style but Milan majored in “stylish frugality” so this battle of the Inoni siblings wouldn’t be such an easy thing to decide who’d be the winner.

“It is 15 seconds until 2pm. So on your mark…” Miko announced looking at her phone, holding up her hand. “Get set...GO!” she exclaimed. The Inoni were off and out of the store leaving Miko and Yeonji, the latter chuckling ever so slightly. “I hope this settles something, though Milan seems confident in her abilities.”

“Or Milan is trying to make it seem like she had absolutely no choice but to break her promise to herself.” Yeonji said giving her own perspective on things.

Miko snorted. “Your theory makes way more sense.” she told the girl before sighing. “Milan is so extra.” she added which made Yeonji laugh out, the two walking out of the store to do some like shopping and even grab some snacks from local vendors.

~~~~~~~~~~

Tao couldn't really handle the tension in the car. Logan had been silently staring out the window during the whole ride, only uttering a word every so often. It was making him nervous...and these are his parents for crying out loud! But he couldn't say anything because if he was put in a position where he was the one meeting her dad or whatever, he would feel pretty nervous himself. So he endured the kind of awkward half an hour drive and when he pulled up into the driveway, the shocked expression on her face could not be ignored.

“This is your parents’ house?” Logan asked her boyfriend. They pulled into a private gated home and when they drove up, she ended up staring at a very large Western styled villa that had a really beautiful brick walkway surrounded by flowers along the entrance.

“Yes, it is. Well, it’s one of five.” Tao explain as he parked the car. Logan turned to stare at him with raised brows.

“One of five?!”

“My dad's a businessman and I guess its successful. The company is worth about 3 billion...USD?” Tao explained trying to recall the facts about his father while continuing to shock Logan. His company was almost as big as her mom’s! “He was once regarded as the richest man in Qingdao but now he only owns like 20 or 25% of the company, I think. I'm not completely sure.”

“So you conveniently forgot to tell me that your dad’s a millionaire? It’s not like I would’ve cared but when you said you had a rather comfortable life, I didn’t think this comfortable. And when you said your dad owned a business, I thought something along the lines of a local restaurant not this upscale, billion dollar empire.” Logan told him honestly. She had no idea he was that well off, he never gave off that vibe. Now that she thought about it, he never really mentioned anything about his family outside of their personalities and some of the stories he’s shared about growing up. “Not what I expected at all, you’re way more normal than I thought. I still don’t know why you didn’t tell me.”

“Not like it’s my money, it’s my parents’ money. Personally, I’m not wealthy...yet, it’s the goal for the future.” Tao told her.

“Well, true.” she said. “I guess we have more in common than imagined.” Logan added and Tao nodded with a smile. The two exited the car and walked towards the door. Tao grabbed her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze but she suddenly stopped walking. “Can I just wait right here for a minute?” she asked nervously.

“No, no you may not.” he told her before walking behind her and pushing her forward. He soon knocked on the door and after hearing a rustle of footsteps, the door opened to reveal the patriarch of the Huang household, Huang Zhongdong. Logan had no idea what to expect but the wide goofy smile on the man’s face really comforted her, she could even tell that his vibe was super laid back (and made her realize who Tao inherited both from).

“You both made it.” Zhongdong greeted, smiling towards Logan. “You must be the infamous Logan. Its nice to finally meet you.” he said holding out his hand for her to shake while bowing slightly. Logan mirrored his action.

“Its nice to meet you too, Mr. Huang.” she said rising from the bow with a kind smile.

“Come in!” said the patriarch as he walked on inside. Tao continued to drag Logan along since she was still very hesitant.

“You got this.” he encouraged and Logan sighed, steeling her nerves for the rest of this evening.

This would be an interesting experience, that’s for sure.