CHAPTER 2

As the plane touched down at Incheon International Airport, Tj could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She was finally in South Korea! She was about to experience everything she had only ever seen on TV or read about in books. She felt like a child on Christmas morning, full of anticipation and excitement.

She grabbed her bag from the overhead bin and made her way down the aisle of the plane, her steps light and airy. As she stepped into the airport terminal, she felt a rush of adrenaline. She was finally here!

Tj’s boss, Mr. Bouche, hailed her over to him as soon as she entered the terminal. “Come on, Tj!” he said, a smile on his face. “We need to get going. We have a tight schedule.”

Tj hurried over to him, a little breathless. “I’m here, I’m here,” she said, trying to catch her breath.

Mr. Bouche laughed. “Good, let’s go.” He led the way to the black town car that was waiting for them outside. Tj followed, her excitement mounting with every step.

As the car pulled away from the airport and made its way towards Seoul, Tj couldn’t help but stare out the window in wonder. The city was beautiful, with its tall, sleek buildings and bustling streets. She could already feel the energy of the city, and she knew she was going to love it here.

When they arrived at their hotel, Tj’s jaw dropped. The building was massive, towering over the surrounding buildings. It was sleek and modern, with a beautiful lobby that was decorated with traditional Korean art. Tj felt like she had stepped into a whole new world.

The  Four Seasons hotel was immaculate and the service was excellent, within minutes they were checked in.As they entered their room, Tj was even more impressed. The room was spacious and luxurious, with floor-to-ceiling windows that overlooked the city. The bed was enormous, with soft, fluffy pillows and crisp white sheets. Tj felt like she could sleep for a week.

But there was no time for that. They had a busy day ahead of them. They agreed to meet for breakfast the next morning, and Tj went to bed, dreaming of all the adventures that awaited her in this new city.

Tj’s alarm went off at 7 am, and she woke up with a start. She had set her alarm to a song in Hangul, the Korean alphabet, as a way to practice her language skills. She stumbled out of bed and made her way to the bathroom, still groggy from sleep.

As she brushed her teeth and got ready for the day, she mumbled Hangul phrases to herself, trying to get them to stick in her mind. She had been studying the language for a while now, and she was determined to make the most of her trip to Korea by speaking as much as possible.

After getting ready, Tj stood in front of the mirror, taking in her outfit. She had chosen a pair of highwaisted jeans, a white cropped sweater, and a pair of white sneakers. She had accessorized with a simple gold necklace and a pair of pearl earrings. She felt stylish and comfortable, ready to take on the day.

She grabbed her purse and headed out of the room, making her way to the hotel restaurant for breakfast.

Tj was so focused on practicing her Hangul that she didn’t see the person in front of her until it was too late. She ran into them with a thud, nearly knocking herself over.

She looked up, mortified, to see a tall, dark-haired man looking down at her with amusement in his eyes. “Sorry,” she said in English, her cheeks burning with embarrassment. “I wasn’t paying attention.”

The man’s smile widened. “It’s okay,” he said, his voice deep and smooth.Tj’s cheeks were still burning as she hurried off, embarrassed by her clumsiness. But she couldn’t help but feel like she had seen the man somewhere before. He was very handsome, with striking features and an air of confidence about him. She shook her head, trying to forget about him and focus on her day ahead.

She made her way to the restaurant, still feeling flustered from her encounter. She took a seat at a table near the window and looked around, taking in the sights of the busy city outside. With the view of the city she ate her English breakfast and went for alight walk around before she had to go meet her boss.

Dae-Hyun watched Tj as she walked away, unable to look away. He couldn’t help but admire her curves and her poise. She had a certain grace about her that he found intriguing. He couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was about her that drew him in, but he knew he wanted to see her again.

He sighed and turned away, knowing it was unlikely that he would ever see her again in a city as big as Seoul. But he couldn’t help but hope.

♤♤♤♤♤♤♤

As Tj approached the table where her boss was waiting, she took a deep breath and tried to put the incident with the handsome stranger out of her mind.

“Good morning, Mr. Bouche,” she said, trying to sound composed and professional.

“Good morning, Tj,” her boss replied, looking up from hisphone. “Ready for a busy day?”

Tj nodded and pulled out her notebook, trying to focus on the task at hand. “Let’s get started,” she said, her voice more confident than she felt.As the last item on the schedule was written down, Mr. Bouche put down his pen and looked at Tjwith a grin. “I have a surprise for you,” he said, his voice full of anticipation.

Tj raised her eyebrows, curious about what he had planned. “A surprise?” she asked, her curiosity piqued. “What is it?”

Mr. Bouche just smiled and shook his head. “You’ll find out later.

As Tj and her boss left the restaurant and went to their first meeting of the day, she couldn’t help but wonder what the surprise could be. Was it a gift? A special event? Or something else entirely? She tried to push the thoughts out of her mind and focus on her work, but she couldn’t help but feel a little thrill of anticipation.

After a few hours of meetings, Tj and Mr. Bouche were back in the car, on their way to the next stop on their busy schedule.

As the car pulled up to the National Museum of Korea, Mr. Bouche turned to Tj with a grin. “Ready for your surprise?” he asked, looking excited.

Tj’s heart started to race. “Yes!” she said, trying to sound calm and collected.

Mr. Bouche got out of the car and held the door open for Tj. “After you,” he said, his smile widening.

Tj stepped out of the car and felt the sun on her face. She blinked, trying to adjust to the bright light, and that’s when she saw them. Paparazzi, with their cameras flashing, and a crowd of screaming fans.

She turned to Mr. Bouche, her eyes wide. “What’s going on?” she asked, her voice shaking.

Mr. Bouche just smiled. “Let’s go inside and find out,” he said, leading the way through the crowd.

As Tj followed Mr. Bouche into the museum, she tried to wrap her head around what was happening. Mr. Bouche had always been a good boss, but they had never been friends outside of work. And now he was leading her through a crowd of paparazzi and fans? It didn’t make any sense.

As they made their way through the museum, Tj noticed that the fans were calling out someone’s name. “Jiho!” they shouted, waving signs and pictures.

Tj stopped in her tracks. Jiho?

Tj’s heart was beating wildly as she followed Mr. Bouche into the museum. She couldn’t believe what was happening. Park Ji-hoon was one of the biggest K-pop stars in the world. And now she was going to meet him? It was like a dream come true.

She followed Mr. Bouche through the museum, and then down a long corridor, until they reached a door that said “Staff Only.” Mr. Bouche opened the door and gestured for Tj to go inside.

Tj’s eyes widened as she stepped into the room and saw Park Ji-hoon standing there, a huge smile on his face. He was even more handsome in person than he was in pictures.

“Hi, Tj,” he said, walking over to her. “It’s so nice to finally meet you.”

Tj could feel her cheeks turning red as she stammered out a reply. “I-it’s nice to meet you too,” she said.

Park Ji-hoon smiled. “I hope you’re ready for a tour of the museum,” he said.

As the tour went on, Tj kept glancing at Mr. Bouche, wondering what was going on. Why had he brought her here? Why was Park Ji-hoon giving her a personal tour of the museum? And why did it feel like there was something more going on?

Finally, when the tour was over, Tj couldn’t take it anymore. She pulled Mr. Bouche aside. “What’s going on?” she asked, her voice shaking. “Why did you bring me here?”

Mr. Bouche smiled. “I have a confession to make,” he said.

And he goes on to say it wasn’t he that planned all of this but it was the Ceo of HYUN-TECH, Hyun Byung-ho

Tj’s eyes widened. “What?” she said, her voice full of disbelief. “But... why?”

Mr. Bouche shrugged. “Hyun Byung-ho wanted to apologise for causing you embarrassment the other day". He said

Tj was still in shock. “But... why?” she asked again.

Mr Bouche shrugged again stating that she should ask him at the next meeting.