Why didn't she tell him about the salon? This question had plagued him ever since. And yet, didn't it make sense that Jiyeon hadn't said a word? For months, their relationship had revolved around Eunjae's problems, Eunjae’s career, Eunjae's family appearing from the ether and imposing themselves on his life. When would she have had a chance to confide in him? Maybe if he'd been close by instead of thousands of miles away. Maybe if they hadn't spent more time apart than they were ever physically together, she would've told him the second it happened.
He should’ve asked her about it. What was wrong with him?
Eunjae got up, typing as he went. Just one word:wait. He knew there was a side door that led directly into the rose garden, and he could reach Jiyeon from there. If he hurried, if she saw his message and delayed leaving for a few minutes more, Eunjae could apologize. He just needed to make it outside without being detected, and his attempt was almost successful. But the conservatory wasn't empty, for a change; Kazu flagged him down, asking if he might lend a hand.
“That dummy Hong Namgyu went and did it again,” he grumbled, gesturing at crate after crate of fresh flowers. “I’m done with this kid. I mean, what are we supposed to do with these? I sent him to help pick up dinner, not buy a whole farm stand.” Kazu rubbed at the back of his neck, at a loss. “Kept saying Jiyeon loves flowers.”
“She does,” said Eunjae.
“Good, because there's more in the van. Got a minute? It'll be faster if we're both bringing them in.”
Eunjae scanned the makeshift parking lot, just visible over the rose garden’s ornate fence. Jiyeon's car wasn't there. He'd sent his message too late.
He’d hesitated too long. Now she'd be gone until Wednesday night, and even talking on the phone was difficult to manage. At almost every hour of the day, Eunjae was surrounded by cameras, brothers, or a combination of the two.
Well, so much for that. Stifling a sigh, he said, “Yeah, no problem. I'll help.”
Kazu led him to the van, complaining every step of the way. “He just really, really wanted to go. But I didn't even give him money, Ari. I thought, what would Hwannie do? Step one, he wouldn't send Gyu with the credit card. So I gave it to the intern, right? And how do you think that went?”
“The intern had your card,” Eunjae guessed, “but hyung remembered his wallet this time.”
“Yeah! And why does he even have a wallet? You know his bank balance is usually zero. I swear he wouldn’t know a budget if it punched him in the eye.”
They trekked in and out, the stars cold and bright overhead. Midway through, Eunjae’s phone went off, rattling with a barrage of new messages. These weren’t from Jiyeon, but from Arthur.
>> Hey! This is so crazy but I met your mom and dad just now!
>> We’re all at the same hotel!
>> And I met your little bro at the diner
>> Great kid
>> Had tons of questions about my job
>> College and the bar exam and stuff
>> Maybe he wants to be a lawyer!
>> He can be my apprentice
Eunjae locked the screen. “We should get these in water.” The flowers were in galvanized buckets or bundled into paper-wrapped bouquets. He knew they’d fade quickly without tending.
Langley House had two kitchens, one older and one newer. They hauled everything into the nearest, drawing the cameras’ attention in the process. Kazu ranted about extravagant spending habits and the folly of purchasing products that weren’t even on sale. When interviewed about his latest impulse buy, Namgyu stated simply that money should be spent on whatever gave you the most joy. Why would you hold on to it and be miserable? So silly. Haha!
“Lay off him, Ueda,” Denny boomed from across the hall. “He’s stimulating the local economy. Shopping small and all that.”
“Yeah, leave hyung alone. He’s my nicest brother and he’s allowed to never have any money if that’s what he wants.”
“That’s right,” Nicky drawled, ambling by with his phone on a selfie stick. “Stay broke, Hong Namgyu!”
“Awwww!”
“Oh my gosh. Nicky’s on Star-Connect! He’s doing a livestream!”
“Idiot. We’re not supposed to do that without asking Prism first.” Kei stomped out. “I’m telling the Captain.”
“Hey, keep it down. I’m trying to see how long it takes for Eric to figure out what I’m doing. Don’t you guys want to know if he’s worth the money? I’m doing us a favor.” Nicky went back to grinning at the thousands and thousands of fans watching his broadcast. “PR hasn’t caught me yet. Isn’t that so funny?”
