The car bumped along for another forty five minutes before they arrived at Hibiscus Valley. It was narrow, wider in the center and flanked on either side by tall, stone cliff faces. Jinyoung parked the truck next to Yugyeom and Bambam’s car.

The rest of the valley had already been cleared of trees and embedded stones. Out the window, Jisoo saw nothing but flat dirt. But when she looked up at the tops of the cliffs, she was greeted by hundreds of hibiscus bushes gently swaying their blooms in the breeze. The valley looked like an otherworldly wonderland b with bright crimson blooms. Petals dotted with dew transformed the gray haze of the morning into light. She’d never seen anything like it.

Jinyoung noticed Mr. Kim’s daughter staring upwards. He followed her gaze to the hibiscus bushes above and supposed that, yes, they were a beautiful sight to behold. He’d been to Hibiscus Valley before, several times for surveying purposes, but it felt like this was his first time noticing the flowers.

“You getting out?” he asked Jisoo. Her eyes fell on him and they lost their wonder. She grimaced as she opened the car door and stepped out.

Jisoo jogged over to the van to help her father step out. The ground was rocky, and she didn’t want him tripping over it. The rest of the staff got to work setting up work stations for cleaning, cataloging, storage, an on-site laboratory, a resting area, and then tents for sleeping and eating. The resting area was set up first, so that Jisoo and her father could sit in it while the rest of the team got to work.

“So, how was the car ride?” Jisoo’s father asked as she helped him lower himself into a deck chair. 

“I think if you stuck me in the car with a bag of rocks, there would have been more chemistry,” Jisoo said. “I’ve confirmed that he hates me.”

“I’m sure you’re exaggerating,” Mr. Kim said. “Jinyoung doesn’t hate anyone. He’s harmless. He was homeschooled.”

“He thinks I’m in the way,” Jisoo said. “Though I’m not sure what I did to give him that impression. No one wants to be here even less than me.”

“Are you really that unhappy, Chu?” her father said, his voice suddenly tinged with sadness. “Just tell me the truth. If you really are this miserable about the trip, we could pack it all up and go home this instant.”

Jisoo blushed. She had let her words run away with her. Sure, she wasn’t fond of her father’s new field manager, but she was above whining for her father to pack everything up and take them back home over a minor inconvenience.

“No,” she said softly and sighed. “Just ignore me. I say a lot of garbage when I’m rambling. I’m an adult, I can get along with anyone, no matter how disagreeable.”

“So, what do you think of the site?” Mr. Kim said. “Nice, isn’t it?”

Jisoo looked back at the hibiscus blooms swaying in the wind and smiled. She was reminded of the magnolias that her mother had planted in their yard at home. They bloomed in the early summer and swayed in the wind just as the hibiscus flowers did. Once again, she was taken out of her daydream when Park Jinyoung approached. He was holding her suitcase in one hand. 

“This is a very scenic place, Jinyoung,” said Mr. Kim. “If we weren’t here to dig the whole place up, it might have been a nice site for someone’s vacation home.”

Jinyoung looked around the place. It was true, this was a very beautiful part of the mountain range. 

“Our location manager should be here, soon,” Jinyoung said. “He’ll be able to tell you more about the place.”

“I think my daughter is drawn to the flowers up there,” Mr. Kim said, nudging Jisoo’s elbow. 

“Is there a way she could take a closer look?” Mr. Kim asked. 

Jinyoung met her eyes, and she hated that she blushed at the contact. Jinyoung cleared his throat, then turned to examine the valley. He pointed at a gentle slope on the far side of the cliff face. 

“The location manager will be able to tell you more, but it looks like that slope leads up to the top of the cliff,” Jinyoung said. He turned back to Jisoo and looked down at her feet. “It’ll probably be easier now that you aren’t wearing heels.”

Jisoo smiled, for her father’s sake. 

“Thank you,” she forced herself to say.

“So, are we going to start digging?” said Mr. Kim.

“Not quite yet,” said Jinyoung. “We’re still waiting on—,”

At that precise moment, another vehicle entered the valley. The car was carrying more supplies, but more importantly two more team members. The truck pulled up to the resting area, and Jinyoung walked up to greet the two men who came ambling out. The first was Mark Tuan, their location manager and mountain guide, whom Jinyoung greeted with a handshake. Mark introduced himself to Jisoo and her father. He was a slim, handsome man with soft features. His greetings were friendly enough, and he wore sturdy clothing.

The second man to step out of the vehicle was dressed in a brown suit that was no made for running around the mountains. When he stepped out of the car and into the muggy mountain air, his hand flew up to his nose.

“Good god, what is that smell