by Leigh Ban
Chapter Thirteen
I woke up at Ariari Hotel Seoul feeling like I had dozed off to the sound of waves on a tropical beach. For a moment, I forgot about the hectic situation at International House. Wrapped in crisp white sheets, I rolled around the soft, large mattress and reveled in my peaceful surroundings. Since the penthouse suite was so quiet, I expected Taehyun to be asleep and spent ten minutes gazing out the window once I noticed the spectacular view of the Han River. However, when I walked out of the master bedroom, I saw him reading a pocket-sized book in an armchair by the entrance. While his eyes were fixed on the pages of The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, I swooned over his effortlessly tousled hair.
“Hey there,” I purred as I made my way over to him.
“You look beautiful today,” Taehyun muttered, although I hadn’t even washed my face.
When I bent down to kiss his forehead, he lifted me onto his lap, and we locked lips for the second time. As our tongues danced sensuously, there was a growing bulge rubbing against the back of my thigh. If he wanted to undo his pants and throw me onto the nearest bed, I would’ve let him, but his fingers stayed wrapped around my hair.
After we stopped kissing, he said, beaming, “Should we go out for lunch? I think we missed breakfast.”
We spent ten minutes getting ready to go out, then made our way down to the buffet inside the hotel. The servers guided us to a private room. My stomach rumbled as we walked past the lavish display of gourmet food.
Taehyun said, “I woke up at seven, so I’m famished. Are you hungry?”
I nodded coyly.
Once I left my duffel bag at our table, we went over to the food. While Taehyun was over by the fresh oysters, and I was filling my plate with lobster tail and sashimi, my phone started ringing. When I pulled my phone out of my pocket, I gasped. Phil’s name showed up on the screen. I silenced my phone and attempted to ignore what happened by hastily following Taehyun to the private room where we were eating. Although I couldn’t stop wondering why Phil decided to call me, I tried to focus on talking to Taehyun.
“Did you recognize someone while we were over by the food?” Taehyun asked as he cut up his grilled salmon.
When I heard him, I nearly spurted out the grape juice in my mouth.
Once I swallowed my drink, I replied, “No, I didn’t see anyone.”
He laughed. “You were in such a hurry when we made our way back here. I thought you might be hiding from an old fling.”
My cheeks were burning up as I shook my head.
“I’m kidding, Stella. Besides, I don’t care who you might’ve seen over there. I wanted to help you out if you were uncomfortable.”
“Thanks, Taehyun. You don’t need to worry about me. I didn’t see anyone.”
A few minutes later, while Taehyun was filling up another plate of food, I dropped by the bathroom. Once I came out of the toilet stall and washed my hands, I automatically checked my phone. There were three missed calls from Phil. Then I opened our JoaJoa chatroom. When I didn’t pick up, he proceeded to send me a long message. Phil apologized to me and said he shouldn’t have shut me out, claiming he’d recently gone through the most difficult and unexpected tragedy in his life. He didn’t specify what the problem was, which was typical of him, but he told me he was prepared to share now.
The last line of his message said, “Please, please give me one last chance.”
For a moment, I stood by the mirror and stared at my phone screen. I contemplated what to send him in response. However, as I left the bathroom, I was reminded of how desperately I had wanted Taehyun to comfort me last night. Although I called him out of the blue, he went above and beyond to take care of me. Without a second thought, I blocked Phil’s number.
When I returned to our seat, Taehyun peered deep into my eyes and I knew I made the right decision.
“I really like you, Stella. I’d like to make our relationship official. How do you feel?”
“You do?” I squeaked.
He nodded. “I want to be your boyfriend. I meant to ask you yesterday, but I didn’t want you to think I was saying it because I might be tipsy.”
Although the spring semester ended in June and it was only May, Dana and I qualified for the emergency circumstances that allowed us to move into another room within International House. As soon as I returned from the hotel, I spent the rest of the weekend packing up and taking my belongings to my new room. Lucky for Dana and me, we were given a special three-person suite on the fifteenth floor of the building. While we were no longer technically roommates since we had separate bedrooms, there was a small kitchen and lounge area for us to share with our suitemate.
“I wonder who’s been living here,” Dana said.
“Well, once we meet our suitemate, we’ll have plenty of opportunities to get to know her,” I replied. “I hope we get along well with her.”
“Oh, I can’t wait. Maybe she’ll join us on our nights out.”
When we returned to Room 901 to finish up with clearing out the remaining clutter, I found the dried roses from Phil tucked away at the back of my closet. Memories flooded my mind. From my dates with Phil to the night he arrived with the bouquet, I wanted to allow myself to remember the rush of excitement and reflect on my mistakes, but I knew the flowers still had to go. I dumped the bouquet next to the other items I was getting rid of. My dingy white Converse sneakers, which I’d put off throwing out since the night at Seo Woo Center for Performing Arts, were at the top of the pile.
“I don’t know why I kept all this,” Dana said as she dropped a bunch of paper wristbands from bars and clubs into a rubbish bag.
“At least those things don’t take up much space,” I said with a sigh. “I filled my tiny closet up with a bouquet from Phil even though we’d broken up.”
Dana nodded slowly, trying to make sense of what was going on. “Does that mean you definitely aren’t dating Phil anymore?”
“I haven’t contacted him since the night he came to our dorm, though we were basically over by then.”
“I see. Stella, please don’t take this the wrong way… You weren’t two-timing Phil and Taehyun were you?”
“No way.” I laughed. “I mean, my feelings got confusing along the way, but I didn’t spend time with Taehyun until Phil had been ghosting me for a while.”
Dana replied, “Thanks for explaining. I think I got the wrong idea and felt uncomfortable with the situation.”
“Was it because you walked in on me with Phil?” I said, blushing.
“Yeah, kind of. The week after I walked in on you with Phil, I saw you arrive back at International House with Taehyun. I didn’t know whether you’d broken up with Phil or were secretly dating both guys at once. Stella, I’m not sure how drunk you were that night. I saw your underwear in Taehyun’s pocket and assumed you guys had hooked up.”
“Dana, I got sloppy drunk. Taehyun and I haven’t… gone all the way yet. I haven’t even seen him without his shirt on. We’ve only kissed.”
“Yet? Does that mean you think you’re going to soon?” Dana nudged me.
As I shrugged, she burst into laughter.
“I hope so. He’s an amazing kisser.”
She reached out to give me a hug. “I’m really happy for you. Taehyun better not let you down.”
“Dana, I know Taehyun and I are in the early days of our relationship, but I honestly think he’s the one.”
“What’s different about him?”
“The way he listens to me and opens up to me. I trust him.”
Once Dana and I were done with moving our belongings to the new suite, she suggested we have a farewell ceremony before leaving Room 901. I thought her idea was bizarre. However, I complied, seeing as she just wanted us to let go of any unpleasant memories and bottled-up emotions. We sat on the floor with our legs folded.
“What would you like to leave behind?” Dana asked as she held my hands.
“Well, of course I would like to leave the incident with
Hongsik behind. In fact, I’d like to completely erase him from my thoughts. At least, once the restraining order is sorted out.”
“He’s going to jail, right? The police need to lock him up for the rest of his life.”
“Dana, I don’t think Hongsik would be considered violent or dangerous enough. He wasn’t armed. A forced hug isn’t a sex crime. Whatever. Let’s stop talking about him. Now, you’ve got to tell me what you want to leave behind.”
Dana cleared her throat. “Okay, I have to be upfront with you. I’d like to end things with Joon. Once we leave this room, I’m going to stop replying to his messages.”
“What? Why?”
“Stella, I’ve been mad at Joon since the party at Lil Bottle. He introduced me to his friends after you left. They told him we look good together. Do you know what he said?”
I shook my head.
Dana groaned. “He could’ve been decent by thanking them, but no, he insisted to them that he and I are strictly friends. I was flabbergasted. It wasn’t as if they were asking him to choose between me suddenly being his official girlfriend and me just being his friend, yet he droned on about how I was only a good pal.”
I replied, “What a jerk. If that’s the case, why does Joon snuggle up next to you when he’s drunk? I never would’ve expected him to deny being interested in you. Did he explain himself later?”
“No! He didn’t bother. Stella, I was clearly upset for the rest of the night, but Joon didn’t even notice. Some rappers and producers at the party took an interest in Joon, so he was over the moon until we left. Apparently, Joon used to reach out to them about joining their stupid rap crew or something. Ugh, I can’t believe I’ve replied to a couple of his messages since then. I tried to ignore him, but I wasn’t able to let go.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Do you want to go to Bubble Bomb tonight?” I asked.
“Tonight?” Taehyun said, putting down an empty lowball glass. “Aren’t we supposed to be planning for our trip next weekend?”
“You already booked the hotel, right? We can prepare the rest another time. My friends just messaged me to say they’re heading to Bubble Bomb later and I want you to meet them. Plus, if we get there early, we can discuss the details of our trip before the bar starts to get rowdy and everyone’s grinding against each other.”
Taehyun peered at me with gleaming eyes. “And who will you be grinding against? Do I get to find out if I come with you?”
“Maybe,” I said and took a long last swig of my Long Island Iced Tea.
My head started spinning as soon as I stood up. Taehyun put his arm around my shoulder to steady me. We whispered jokes while we made our way to Bubble Bomb.
“Even though you love salsa dancing, I’m not going to practice our routine with you at Bubble Bomb,” I teased.
“Stella, I might be a grandpa when it comes to nightlife—sitting with a glass of Old Fashioned is my idea of a great night—but I know Bubble Bomb plays pop songs, stuff by boy bands like Undone. I won’t embarrass you. I know how red your cheeks can get,” Taehyun said with a wink.
My heart fluttered as I looked up at his chiseled jawline. “I’m going to be honest with you. I get embarrassed when we go out because there’s always people ogling you. I swear, every time I return from the bathroom, I see people admiring your face from afar.”
Taehyun gave me a peck on the forehead. “Believe me, they were just wondering how I lucked into dating the most beautiful girl in the world.”
When we arrived at the building and headed up the stairs to the second floor, Taehyun stopped to kiss me. As our mouths met, he wrapped his strong, firm hands around my waist, and I couldn’t stop myself from moaning. I wanted more of him, I wanted to bring our bodies closer together, but I knew I had to wait. Once I heard a group of guys talking, I pulled away from him and hurried inside.
“You have your ID, right?” I asked Taehyun as he opened the door for me.
“Of course, I’ll get it out,” Taehyun said.
When the employee checked our ID, he gasped. “Taehyun Seo? Are you an heir to the S&F Group? You go to West Seoul University, don’t you?”
Taehyun chuckled. “No way. Do I have the same name as one of them?”
“You’re not him? Sorry, I’ve been reading a fascinating blog series on the secret history of the Seo family.”
A big guy standing behind us shouted out, “Did someone say S&F Group? Didn’t that corrupt family turn one of their sons into a retarded lunatic? You won’t hear it on the news because they control the national media, but they’re pure evil. There’s plenty of evidence online.”
The skinny guy next to him said, “Dude, why would they hurt their own kid?”
“Beats me. Maybe Taehyun Seo was fighting his older brother for power within the family and tried to kill him,” said the big guy. Then he tapped Taehyun on the shoulder. “No offense to you. I’m talking about the other Taehyun Seo, the billionaire Taehyun Seo who might have turned his older brother into a retarded lunatic.”
For a moment, I expected Taehyun to get angry. The guys behind us reeked of soju and pork belly while we were also tipsy from spending the last two hours drinking cocktails. I was surprised to see Taehyun stay quiet with a complete poker face. Even though I knew he was making the right choice by ignoring a stranger’s drunken stupor, I was fuming.
I turned toward the big guy and blurted out, “Stop calling Taehyun Seo’s older sister a retarded lunatic. Which stupid conspiracy theory have you been reading online?”
As Taehyun and I went over to our table, the skinny guy said, “Is there an older sister?”
Once we sat down, Taehyun stared at me blankly. My throat felt so dry I had to guzzle down two cups of water before I could manage to speak.
“I’m sorry Taehyun.”
He murmured, “Okay, should we order two soju bomb sets? Apparently, it’s what everybody’s drinking.”
“Please, I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to shout out stuff about your family. I do my best not to reveal any of the personal details people have entrusted me with. I’ve never spread gossip about you and your family. You’re so important to me. I should’ve been more cautious.”
Taehyun nodded, went up to the server to place our order, and headed to the bathroom. While I waited for him, I checked my phone and read a message from Dana. She informed me that she would soon be arriving with Yumi and two of their guy friends. As I replied by telling her Taehyun and I had ordered two soju bomb sets, my chest tightened. I was reminded of the party at Lil Bottle, the night Phil disappeared without an explanation. Then the possibility of Taehyun leaving me alone ran through my mind. When he finally came over to our table, I almost burst into tears, overwhelmed with relief. I bit the inside of my mouth and clenched my fist; I didn’t want to manipulate Taehyun into comforting me.
He looked into my eyes and smiled softly. “Don’t worry, Stella. I love you and I trust you.”
A single tear rolled down my cheek as I nodded.
Taehyun continued. “My older sister’s name is Jihyun Seo. She shares one syllable in her name with my brother and me. Sure, my parents were weird in a lot of ways the public won’t ever find out about, but they always wanted me to support and love my siblings. There was never any competition among the children in my family. So really, I should’ve been closer to my sister. I don’t know why we grew apart after I started middle school.”
The server arrived at our table and scurried off once he put down the drinks, sensing the serious atmosphere.
When Taehyun resumed speaking, he lowered his voice. “At the end of the day, nobody was there for my sister. She didn’t leave a long suicide note. She wrote out one line: ‘I want freedom.’ Sometimes I feel guilty knowing my parents are more lenient now because she’s suffering. I know the reason they won’t stop me from going to grad school or marrying whoever I want is because of what happened to her.”
“Please don’t feel guilty, Taehyun.”
“Stella, the worst part is, most of the people in my family don’t visit her. They act like she’s never existed. Meanwhile, I know I should go and see her again, but I couldn’t sleep for a month the last time I visited her. I couldn’t get over how drastically she changed from being healthy and energetic. How hypocritical am I?”
When Dana and Yumi arrived with two of their guy friends, Taehyun put his arm around me and flashed them a brilliant smile as if we had just been enjoying the music. As Yumi and I opened the soju bottles and energy drink cans, everybody briefly introduced themselves. The guys were both chemical engineering majors. Baekman was a lanky, spectacled guy in a flannel shirt while Kisoo wore a fitted black T-shirt that showed off his tattooed arms.
Once the introductions were over, Taehyun said to Dana and Yumi, “It’s so nice to meet the people Stella is closest to.”
Dana giggled and Yumi gave me a nod of approval.
I told everybody at our table, “Taehyun might be a senior but today’s his first time at Bubble Bomb. Since he’s practically a freshman when it comes to soju bombs, we have to teach him how we like to mix our drinks.”
“You’re sitting with the right people, man,” Kisoo called out to Taehyun. “Dana is the soju bomb queen.”
“What a generous compliment,” Dana said as she nudged Kisoo.
Even though Taehyun didn’t seem to be fond of the drink, he was a good sport for the rest of the night. He joked with the other guys and reminded me to stay hydrated by filling up my cup of water.
An hour or two later, Taehyun whispered in my ear, “When do we head to the dance floor and start grinding?”
“I’m not drunk enough yet,” I replied before I knocked back another shot of soju.
“Hey, don’t drink on your own!” Dana called out as she poured herself a drink. “Have we run out of energy drinks?”
“I think so. We can drink the rest of the soju as straight shots,” I said.
Kisoo turned to Dana and lifted his empty shot glass. “I want to drink with you.”
