Heart and Seoul (The Seoul Series Book 1)

by Erin Kinsella

  In the morning sunlight streamed across her face and made sleeping impossible. Sung Soo was still knocked out under his pillows, but Tessa was painfully awake. She stretched and basked in the pristine silence for a few moments, taking the opportunity to get washed up before anyone else was awake.

  When she emerged she was ravenous, but didn’t want to wake Sung Soo by rustling around in an unfamiliar kitchen. She was tired, and quietly dreaded having to think and speak in Korean so early, but only two of the four men could speak English so there wasn’t much choice. Consistent exposure would probably prod her memory enough that it wouldn’t bother her after a while. She hoped.

  Settling in to wait, she unlocked her phone intent on popping a book open, but noticed an email from Muriel Brown Esq. with an invitation for a video call. Tessa replied and waited for it to be seen. She disappeared into the bathroom when her phone rang.

  “Ms. Hale. Are you doing well?”

  “Mostly. Have you had a chance to look over the paperwork?”

  Muriel nodded. “It’s a standard non-disclosure agreement, and the prenuptial agreement is remarkably well thought out. Both of your assets are entirely secure, which will make any potential separation an easy process. All assets gained after the marriage by either of you remain the sole property of the earning party. I do still urge you to review the documents yourself again before signing, but in terms of my professional view, there are no issues.”

  Relief melted through her body, and Tessa sat down on the edge of the bath. “Thank you.”

  “Congratulations on your engagement. Will you be needing any assistance navigating immigration? It’s not my personal specialty, but I can recommend some individuals.”

  “That’s okay. My—” she forced the word out, “—fiancé’s company will handle the initial visa requirements, and I suppose I’ll deal with it next year.”

  Not wanting to occupy any more billable hours, Tessa bid the lawyer goodbye and dove into a book to distract herself. She read for almost an hour before Hwan emerged from his room.

  His hair stuck out in every direction, and he wore nothing but a pair of boxers as he shuffled blindly across the living room to the kitchen. Somehow, he managed to go through the motions of preparing coffee without actually opening his eyes. The scent of the brew percolating filled the apartment, and Hwan gave a pleased sigh as he poured himself a cup and sniffed the fragrant steam.

  Tessa gaped, unable to look away. When he turned back to the living room with coffee in hand, he froze dead in his tracks. Their twinned panicked gazes met across the room, and Tessa swore she could see his soul shrivel and leave his body entirely.

  “I forgot you were here,” he said, still rooted to the floor.

  Breaking from her trance, Tessa grabbed a pillow and shoved her face into it, giving Hwan a few precious seconds to bolt back into his bedroom.

  The slamming door jolted Sung Soo awake. “W-what? What’s happening?”

  Tessa peeked out from behind the pillow. “Nothing, it’s fine. Go back to sleep.”

  Idols with bedhead shouldn’t have been as cute as it was. She hid her grin behind the pillow.

  He rubbed his hands over his face and sat up. “Too late, I’m awake. Good morning, Tessa-ssi. Are you hungry?”

  “Starving.”

  Hwan poked his head out of his room. He was considerably more awake and a lot more dressed. Sung Soo gave him an odd look when his cheeks flared pink under Tessa’s scrutiny.

  “I’m going to go get a few ingredients from our apartment. Tessa-ssi, could you wake up the others?” Sung Soo asked.

  After crossing the room, she knocked lightly, but there was no response. She cracked the door open and peered inside. The only illumination was bits of sunlight breaking through the edges of the curtains and the beam of light from the door. UpBeat was fast asleep with Jaybird draped over his chest, a puddle of drool under his cheek.

  I guess I should start using their names if I’m staying here.

  She soaked in the scene, and although she didn’t want to disturb them, she was also hungry. The heat of Hwan’s body appearing next to her made her jump out of her skin.

  “Sorry,” he whispered. “Min Jae gets lonely easily and likes sleeping next to someone. Eun Gi is the same, but he thinks he’s better at covering it up.”

  “Will it be weird living in separate homes now?”

  Hwan shrugged. “Yeah, but we’re together a lot anyway. I miss the dorm days sometimes, when every night was a sleepover, but I miss it more with Yoon, Ju Won, and Jin in the military now.”

  “We don’t have compulsory service at home,” Tessa said.

  “Your country has also not been on the brink of war for almost seventy years,” Hwan pointed out. “I wish we had a more peaceful history, that it was all different, but it’s not.”

  Tessa’s phone rang in the living room. “I’m so sorry. I should get that.”

  She was expecting Kelly, but it was her mother’s number that flashed on the screen.

  “Hi, Mamãe!”

  “I have to find out from Kelly that you’re an engaged woman?”

  Guilt slammed into her. She couldn’t tell if her mother was upset or amused. Probably both.

  “I’m sorry. I meant to call earlier.”

  “Don’t worry, meu amor. She explained everything. Is this the boy you had the poster of in your room?”

  Tessa cringed. “There was more than just him on there, but yes.”

  Her mother laughed on the other end of the line. “So, will you try to win him over while this is all going on?”

  “Mamãe, that would we weird. I’m only doing this to help.”

  “Mhmm. Well, you’ll have to forgive your mamãe if she doesn’t believe one word of that. I never understood it, but I know they all meant a lot more to you than you ever said. If it turns out he’s a genuinely good person, then what would the harm be?”

  “Mamãe, please.”

  “I’m just saying! I give you my motherly approval if you like him. Appa wouldn’t say anything, but I’m pretty sure he’d be secretly thrilled if you got together with someone Korean.”

  “Mamãe, why—”

  “You’re no fun.” The pout in her voice was obvious, and Tessa couldn’t help but smile.

  “I’m not obligated to be fun about this topic. In fact, I’m calling for an end to it right now.”

  “Why don’t you let Mamãe have her fun? When was the last time you dated? I never get to be entertained over your love life. Don’t steal my joy!”

  “Too late, joy stolen. I’ve got to go wake up my fake fiancé.”

  “If you insist. Does that mean you don’t want to talk to Appa?”

  “You’re a guilt monster. Put him on.”

  “I love you, meu amor.”

  “I love you too, Mamãe.”

  Her father came onto the phone. “How’s married life, Peanut?”

  Tessa was relieved when she heard the smile in his voice. Worry over him was a constant, quiet whisper in the back of her mind, but today sounded like a good day for him. She was grateful for that since she wasn’t home to help.

  “Appa, it’s a fake engagement. I’m not married.”

  “Well, you update us when that changes. I’ll need to make sure I don’t take any substitute shifts at the school.”

  “Why are you both like this?”

  “I’ve spent thirty-one years married to your mother. It rubs off. She started crying when Kelly called.”

  “Oh God.”

  “Good tears. She was so excited. Oh, wait, you’re going to hate this. She’s sending you a picture in a minute. Anyway, we’re heading out for dinner with the neighbors right away. I just wanted to hear your voice. Love you.”

  “Love you too, Appa.”

  After she hung up the phone beeped. Tessa groaned and opened up the picture her mother had sent. She’d dug out the old 24/7 poster Tessa had had on her walls in early university. She held up a peace sign an
d grinned brightly.

  Mamãe:

  Can’t wait to meet my future son!

  “Is that your eomma?”

  Tessa jumped and hastily covered the phone so Hwan couldn’t see.

  Why is he so damn stealthy?

  “Yeah, that’s her.”

  He smirked. “Is that us next to her?”

  “…Maybe.”

  “Don’t be embarrassed. The posters are made to be purchased. Let me see.” He wiggled his hand at her.

  Tessa frowned and passed the phone over.

  “Wow! This is our debut poster. We’re so small.” He laughed. “I haven’t seen this in so long. So, you’ve been a fan for a while?”

  “Is that bad? I feel like it’s weird that I’m a fan.”

  Hwan shrugged. “I’m happy to meet people who like what we do. That’s kind of the whole point. And honestly, I’d rather you felt weird and embarrassed by it instead of being completely calm and calculating. Those are the people I worry about, but you seem reasonably chill.”

  Chill wasn’t exactly how Tessa would describe herself, but she was thankful her internal panics weren’t entirely visible to everyone.

  “You look a lot like your eomma. She’s cute.”

  “Don’t tell her that, her ego will inflate, but thank you.”

  Hwan tilted his head. “Just because you’re a fan I’m compelled to say this, though I’m sure you’ve already realized. Eun Gi is not UpBeat. The same goes for the rest of us. What you see in videos and on stage is cultivated. It’s not that it’s necessarily inaccurate, but you have to remember there’s no room for any unpleasant realities in a stage persona.”

  “I know.”

  She did. The difficulty was understanding where the differences were. She didn’t know any of them well enough to properly separate, but she didn’t want to put unreasonable expectations on them because of that.

  “Good. Keep it in mind?”

  Tessa nodded.

  “I like you so far, and I’m hoping that continues. I’m going to make sure Sung Soo doesn’t need help. You get back in there and wake them up.” Hwan pushed her towards the bedroom and slipped away.

  She popped back over to Eun Gi’s room and tried to figure out the best way to wake them. She set a hand on his shoulder and he jolted upright, flinging Min Jae off the edge, who promptly yanked Eun Gi down with him. Tessa caught them both enough to save their heads from hitting the nightstand, but the combined weight pulled her to the floor.

  Eun Gi hefted himself off and helped her up as well.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah.” She gave herself a little shake to clear her head. “Just a bit squished.”

  His eyebrows pinched together. “What is squished?”

  Tessa lifted his hand and pressed it between both of hers.

  “Ah.”

  Min Jae looked at them from his spot on the floor. “Why are we on the floor? Did you have another nightmare?”

  Eun Gi shook his head and checked his phone. “Come on, let’s go get breakfast. Tessa-ssi and I have a meeting to get to.”

  Eun Gi

  “We’re in luck!” Ha Yun’s eyes were bright with excitement. “The fan forums have been exploding, and it’s generating a lot of buzz for the drama now that people know it’s based off Tessa-ssi’s book. We wanted to discuss some covert promotion. It would be more interesting for the fans if you were involved with Brooks Lily, but she’s married, and this is almost as good.”

  Eun Gi’s lips pulled back in disgust, but he tucked it away and put a smile back on his face. “My involvements are not their concern.”

  He kept his voice placid, but there were several choice words poised on the tip of his tongue for everyone involved in this fiasco.

  “Perhaps you’ve forgotten, Baek Eun Gi, but they definitely are. Your career is dependent upon the good will of the fans.”

  “Ha Yun-ssi, what do you mean by covert promotion?” Tessa asked.

  “Releasing curated images. It helps give the best impression toward our goals. We’d like you to be seen together where we have cameras available. Tessa-ssi, you’re not required on set every day, but those days you are here, we’d prefer if you spent Eun Gi-ssi’s breaks with him. Be close. Be cute. For the photographs.”

  “We’ve agreed to this charade,” Eun Gi snapped. “Why don’t you all let us get comfortable with each other before you start making demands?”

  Oh Jung Do, who had signed Eun Gi to the project, stood up from the table. “Baek Eun Gi, you are quickly proving to be a disappointment. Your company assured us you were quite capable of maintaining an appropriate façade, yet you resist these simple measures.”

  “It’s fine,” Tessa said, laying a hand on Eun Gi’s forearm. “We’ll do it and anything else you need.”

  He opened his mouth to protest. Her fingers squeezed gently, and he pressed his lips together.

  “I’m sorry. This is all new, and we’re still figuring out how to deal with it. I promise we’ll be more cooperative.”

  Oh Jung Do nodded, apparently satisfied with Tessa’s response.

  Eun Gi rolled his eyes. Jung Do was always happy when you were doing exactly what he wanted.

  “I’m glad to see at least one of you has some sense.” Oh Jung Do clasped his hands together. “Now, Baek Eun Gi, report to makeup. Hale Tessa, stay close by.”

  “Of course, Oh Jung Do-nim,” she said with a nod.

  When they were dismissed, they rode the elevator down and Eun Gi tugged her into a quiet corner. “What was that?”

  “I don’t want you to get in trouble with the studio.”

  Eun Gi pinched the bridge of his nose. “You don’t have to worry about that.”

  He hated seeing them try to turn her into a trained monkey for their benefit. She didn’t deserve to have them meddling in her life like this.

  “Um, yes I do? I agreed to this to protect you, and I’m not about to let you ruin it over a bad mood.”

  “I hate this.”

  “Well, being difficult won’t make it any more enjoyable.” She crossed her arms. “I am massively freaked out by this whole ordeal, and you promised you’d have my back and be my ally in this. I want to help, but you need to step up and do your part.”

  “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m just… It’s exhausting.” Eun Gi leaned against the wall, curling into himself. “They’re never happy with how much you give. They always look for the next opportunity to take a little more. You lose so much of yourself in this industry that you start to wonder who you really are, whether you’re you or your persona or whatever role they want you to play. I don’t want you to end up feeling like I do. I don’t want you to let them pick you apart and cut away the pieces they don’t like until they’re satisfied.”

  Tessa turned towards him. “I’m not going to let that happen.”

  It wasn’t the first time he’d heard those words, and he wasn’t able to tell if she genuinely meant it, or if it was an automatic reaction. He swallowed down his distress.

  “Permission to hug?”

  He startled. “What?”

  “Can I hug you?” she asked. “I always feel like I need to hug people when they’re upset, but it’s not a thing here between people you’re not close with, so I thought I’d ask.”

  Physical comfort tended to come from one of the other members since they were usually together, but here was this woman, a stranger, potentially his future wife, offering the same without even knowing how much it meant to him.

  He opened his arms, and she slipped into them. She cupped the back of his head, and he let his cheek rest on her collarbone.

  “This is all so weird, and you don’t know me yet, but I’m here.”

  “Thank you.” His whole body settled into her embrace. “I’m here too.”

  He rarely felt small around women, but she was a bit taller than him, and his hunching down had him easily nestling under her chin. Her fingers were gentle against him,
and the sound of her heartbeat thrummed in his ear.

  She was so soft.

  “Eun Gi.”

  He liked how she said his name, with the slightest accent. “Hmm?”

  “Do you feel like you have to perform for people? Off the stage I mean.”

  “Every day.”

  “You don’t have to with me.” She paused, and her heartbeat picked up beneath his cheek. “If the company gets their way, I’ll be around a lot, and I want you to feel like you can be yourself.”

  The elevator pinged, and footsteps came closer to where they were tucked away. Tessa stepped back, and he nodded, both to acknowledge her words and his own desire to accept them.

  Tessa slipped her hand into his as some of the staff with cameras came into view. He squeezed back gently when her hand trembled in his.

  “Don’t let them intimidate you,” he said softly.

  “I’m trying not to.”

  “Anything that gets published will have you looking amazing. It doesn’t take off the pressure of having a lens in your face, but it’s one less thing to worry about.”

  She puffed out a breath. “This is going to take some getting used to.”

  “You’ll get the hang of it. I have no doubt of that. Want to grab dinner on the way home?”

  “That sounds lovely.”

  The warmth of her hand disappeared as they diverted him to makeup. He let Hye Jin paint his face while he tried not to think about what the future might bring.

  Chapter 8

  Tessa

  Tessa bit down a curse as she was forced into another sit-up. Joining the boys for their morning workout was a horrendous idea, but at least it left her little time to be awkward.

  “How do you guys do this?”

  She collapsed onto the mat, chest heaving, as Min Jae, Hwan, and Eun Gi hoisted their bodies next to her in rapid succession.

  “Practice,” Hwan said, puffing hard.

  “I’m dying.” Tessa whined and tried to wriggle away, but Sung Soo held fast to her ankles.

  “Three more.”

  “Noooooo.”

  “Yes.”

  Tessa groaned and heaved herself upwards, once, twice, thrice, and collapsed again, holding her stomach. “Why do you hate me?”