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“What is up with him, anyway?” I ask. “Apparently he hired Minjee the same week that Bryan and I went on our first ‘date’!”
Sophia lets out a quick breath. “He’s definitely a wild card. The way he does things isn’t orthodox, but I think he just wanted to have multiple things going on in case one of them didn’t pan out. Which makes sense from a business perspective.”
“All right,” I finally say. “When and where should I meet Bryan?”
“I’ll touch base with his team and text you the information. Just warning you, it’ll probably be somewhere very public again. More so than last time. They’re trying to get as much press and attention as possible.”
“Can we make sure that Bryan and I will be safe this time?” I ask. “Not that I felt threatened or anything at Lotte World, but Bryan’s one security guard seemed to be really struggling. Plus, we had to spend a lot of time running away from fans.”
“Yup. That’s definitely something Bryan’s team and I have been talking about as well. We’ll assign more security personnel. The last thing I want is for you to feel unsafe.”
“Okay, thanks, Sophia.”
“No problem,” she says. “Get some rest, kiddo.”
Later that night, I’ve just posted the cute Christmas pictures of Minjee and me on Instagram when Sophia messages me.
The text readsNamsan Tower, 1 PM. Saturday, 12/31.
I groan into a pillow. Namsan Tower is one of the most heavily frequented tourist attractions in Seoul, a spot that’s so famous that it’s on almost every “Travel to Korea” brochure because of how often it appears in romantic Korean dramas. Couples from all over the world go up to the tower to put a lock on the surrounding fence in hope that securing a lock there will make a relationship last forever.
And then there’s Bryan and me. Since it’s the tradition, we’llprobably be expected to do the lock thing, too. But unlike the other couples, our lock will be nothing but a big fat lie, a memento of a fake relationship that we’re putting on just for the press.
I always wondered what the couples who put up the locks do when they break up. Do they come back up to cut them off the fence? Or do they not bother? How many of the locks on the fence are actually painful or forgotten reminders of broken relationships? Just thinking about all the locks on the fence depresses me, so I reopen Instagram.
The first post I see is Minjee’s, which has the same photos I just posted myself. I like her post and then flip through the pictures again.
We both look so happy. It feels like they were taken weeks before and not just a few hours ago.
If only I could go up to the tower with Minjee, I find myself thinking.Then I’d actually have fun instead of feeling like I’m trapped.
The worst part of all this is that Namsan Tower is on top of a mountain. A quick escape would be impossible, and Bryan and I won’t be able to run away. Even if security guards manage to keep the fans and paparazzi at bay, we’ll still be stuck up there with all those locks.
Trying not to think any more about the upcoming date with Bryan, I comment on Minjee’s post with the eyes emoji, a fire emoji, and a kissy face emoji.
Minjee has over a million followers, and it doesn’t take longfor several people to like and reply to my comment. Most of them just say something about how we’re both really cute, but a few that have also seen my post somehow manage to correctly guess that Minjee’s going to come on the show.
I don’t confirm their speculations, of course. But I smile.
If they only knew what we have in store for them.
