My Summer in Seoul

It felt so right.

Not that Rae felt wrong, but the guilt was so heavy, I was having a hard time eating the pasta he’d bought. Italian really was my favorite food, and I’d never had it in another country, but I’d also never gone out on a date in another country that cost more than the outfit I was wearing.

The restaurant was extremely fancy. We were in a private corner, so people couldn’t see us after we were brought in on a separate elevator, which seemed a lot of work for Rae to go to, just to say thank you for doing my job.

“So, what’s this place called?” I asked, taking another bite of bread.

“Namsan Tower,” Rae replied with an easy smile that, had I not been with Lucas, would have any girl crushing hard. But Rae felt more friend than anything, more savior than boyfriend. “It’s really popular for couples celebrating anniversaries, obviously.” He nodded his head toward the incredible view of Seoul.

It reminded me a bit of the Space Needle, only a lot fancier and pretty looking, not to mention bigger.

Suddenly homesick, I pressed a hand to my stomach. I was wearing the only dress I had brought, a black cocktail number that had capped sleeves and showed a bit of cleavage but other than that hit me right at the knees and had a scoop back. It was cute and sexy at the same time—I never thought I’d be wearing it at dinner with one of SWT’s most popular members. On top of all that excitement, I still had to hide the hickey and had needed a lot of concealer to do so, which just made me shiver even more. He was… I had no words for him, not now, maybe not ever. I was in a weird situation between two guys. One that I wanted, one that was a friend, a true friend. Had someone told me my experience here in Korea would be like this, I would have laughed. But now? It wasn’t funny; it was like a TV show come to life, and how did I even begin to focus or navigate it?

Nope, I looked in the mirror and shook my head. Had anyone said that this would be my life or new job the day I got here, I would have laughed in their face and asked if they had a severe head wound.

“Oh.” I realized I hadn’t responded and was daydreaming like an idiot. “It kind of reminds me of home.” I reached for my red wine and took a sip. It was good because, of course it was. If they ever put a picture of someone next to the word “perfect” in a dictionary, it would probably be Rae.

He had insane talent, was gorgeous, and checked every box any girl who breathed could ever have.

He was around six foot one, had enough muscle that a girl would feel protected but not so much that he looked like he ate raw beef to keep said muscle and the small dimple at the corner of his mouth was both sexy and adorable.

His messy blond hair always looked like he’d either run his hands through it or had just gone through a marathon sex session. And his dancing, well, the man knew how to roll his hips in a very dangerous “hurry and look away” fashion.

I’m sure many girls would gladly push me off this tower and take my place. Then again, it wasn’t a date, it was a business dinner; at least that was sort of how I viewed it since Solia said it was okay to give me a break after the last few weeks.

When I asked why the other guys weren’t coming, Rae had said he didn’t want to make a big deal out of it; he wanted something more private since I’d dealt with all of them so much the last few weeks.

It made sense.

But there were candles.

And wine.

“Do you miss it?” He mimicked my movement, grabbing his glass and sipping his wine before setting it down and leaning in. His brown eyes flickered to my mouth briefly.

Did I have something on it?

I dabbed it with my napkin and shrugged. “I miss the rain, as dumb as that sounds. I love it when it rains. Right after, everything feels like a fresh start, the way the mountains and trees smell. Did you know it only rains on average a hundred fifty days a year in Seattle, mostly during the winter? Such a myth.” I smiled to myself.

“It’s more of a mist, right? When you wake up?” His eyebrows knit together like he was concentrating.

“Yeah.” I laughed awkwardly. “It is. How’d you know that?”

“I like Seattle too,” he said cryptically. “It’s one of my favorite cities to visit.”

“It’s the best.” My smile felt real. Even though I was thinking about Lucas, I was trying to be present. “Maybe one day you’ll visit?”