Heart & Seoul (5 page)

We only separated from each other because
Han opened the car door. He apologized profusely for intruding, but
we assured him it was okay. He told us Jason was already here. We
just had to mention his alias to the hostess. Han told us he used a
fake name since he had a fan base on this side of the world. After
he said that, I remembered Jason once told me he did some
television shows in East Asia. Jason Harrison really was an
international celebrity. He may have been an Englishman, but he had
fans all around the world.

I was so excited to see him again and get
updates on the show. I wanted to know how everyone was doing since
I left. I decided to leave the Parisian opera after suffering from
homesickness and having a change in career path. I didn’t regret
it, but I did miss everyone. All my thoughts left the moment Drake
and I crossed the threshold of the restaurant.

It was so extravagant. The room was dark
with sparkling fountains and had shimmering silk draping the walls.
The easy listening music only added to the ambience.

I tugged on my skirt, flattening it out.
“I’m glad I decided to dress up.”

I said this more to myself, but Drake heard
and pulled me close. “You always look gorgeous. You never have to
try.”

He always did know how to make the heat
flood my cheeks. He didn’t look so bad himself in all black with
his shirt collar open. I told him that and he smiled.

The hostess led us away, but not into the
main dining room. We went behind a wall and into a small version of
the main room with high tables. Water cascaded down the walls and
the handsome Jason Harrison stood from his seat at the table when
we entered.

“
Lacey,” he said, my name
sounding so proper in his English accent. “It’s so good to see
you.” That deep dimple of his showed on his face before he brought
me tight into his arms.

I couldn’t stop smiling. “Hi, Jason.” I
pulled back, taking him all in. “You look so good. What are you
even doing in town? You’re supposed to be in Paris.”

“
It’s our week off.
Unfortunately, time off is never actually time off for me. I do
believe it’s
Fubu
and
Nike
print adds tomorrow. Commercials in China the next. Then I
hit Japan for more print. My publicist wanted me to get some
exposure here before Red Thief’s theatrical release in the States
at the end of the year. It goes worldwide shortly after, and since
I already have a fan base here, I needed to get some buzz
going.”

My mind was a whirl. I guess time off really
wasn’t time off for him. He didn’t look saddened by the information
though. This was his life, and he genuinely enjoyed it.

He glanced over my head to Drake. “Is this
your boyfriend?” he asked, reaching for his hand.

“
Oh.” I giggled, lifting
mine. I flashed my jade ring, surrounded by sparkling diamonds.
“It’s fiancé now.”

His eyes widened in delight as he shook
Drake’s hand. “Congratulations to you both. It’s so nice to meet
the man that holds her heart.”

My face radiated in heat. He was just so
nice.

The smile Drake had on his face only
widened. “The honor is mine. You looked after my girl while she was
in Paris. I couldn’t be more grateful.”

Drake tugged me to him, and Jason stared
warmly at the pair of us.

“
Lacey is very special.
Though we all miss her terribly at the show, I think she is just
where she needs to be.” He winked at me, then gestured to our
table. “I hope you don’t mind being out of the main restaurant, but
people know me because of my previous work so this can’t be helped.
I’ve booked the VIP room for us to dine.”

I could definitely say I didn’t mind. This
place was fabulous. We were about to take our seats, but another
person was led into the room by the hostess. He could only be
described as tall, dark, and handsome. With a set of perfect teeth,
he exuded the confidence and swagger of a brother. He immediately
saw Jason and the pair gave each other a hug that felt so intimate,
I just about told Drake we should give them some privacy. If there
was ever a question that this man was Jason’s significant other,
that was answered now. Back in Paris, Jason showed me a picture of
him, but it was a small shot as he performed behind shades. His
partner was a DJ.

Pulling Drake’s arm, I let him know who the
man with Jason was, and he lifted his head in recognition. His lips
tipped up, smiling at the two as I was.

As if they both remembered we were here,
Jason introduced us. “Lacey. Drake, this is my boyfriend, Trent. He
is spending my week long ‘time off’ with me.” He laughed, referring
to his break time from the opera. “I invited him to join us. I hope
you don’t mind. I had to rush over from my shoot so I had him meet
us here.”

I waved him off. “Of course. The more the
merrier.”

The four of us quickly settled into the
semicircle booth. Drake was on my left with Jason and Trent on my
right. I suddenly felt very lucky to be surrounded by so many fine
men. If Margot were here she’d flip. She would be feasting on both
Jason and Trent. It didn’t matter what team they played for.

Jason’s attention went to my camera when I
set it on the table.

I laughed. “Oh. Drake and I decided to
record our time in Seoul for memories. I don’t have to record this,
though. It’s okay.”

He lifted his hands, protesting. “It’s fine.
Shoot all you want. I trust it won’t end up on a celebrity gossip
site tomorrow morning.”

His reference had me smiling now, but that
would have been another story back in Paris. The two of us being
attacked by paparazzi was my reality check that I enjoyed my simple
life. The situation was definitely something I could laugh about
now, though. I opened my camera and hit record.

The waitress came in and took our order.
Drake actually took the lead with mine, ordering in Korean, while
Jason and Trent ordered separately in English. The waitress didn’t
seem to mind.

Jason took a sip from a
small glass of a clear, alcoholic liquid he called
soju.
“So are you both
here on vacation? A short holiday before your wedding?”

He’d explained we were getting married to
Trent, so he was awaiting our response as well. I didn’t know if I
should tell them all the details of our business here since it
wasn’t really my place to tell. But when I looked to Drake for
reference on how to answer the question, he gave me the okay with a
nod.

“
Something like that,” I
said. “Drake’s actually adopted from Korea. We’re here to see about
seeking out his birth family.”

“
Wow, that’s a big step,”
Trent said.

Jason set down his glass. “Very. Do you mind
me asking how the process has been so far, Drake?”

His expression told he didn’t. “Just started
it actually. I meet with the adoption agency tomorrow.”

“
Well, I wish you luck.
Couldn’t have been an easy decision to make. Is it your first time
in Korea?”

With a nod, he let him know it was.

“
How are you liking it so
far?”

I paid close attention to Drake’s reaction
to the question in that moment. If he was displeased with his time
spent here so far he gave no read of it. “It’s been interesting. I
know I’m from here, but I’m still waiting for that feeling of
‘home.’ If that makes sense.” He gave a short laugh.

“
I would give it some
time. You just got here. Things could change.”

I slipped my hand into Drake’s under the
table. I hoped Jason was right.

Chapter Seven

After dinner, Jason invited Drake and me to
go to a dance club with Trent and himself. With our jetlag, the two
of us had to decline, but I promised Jason we’d see him again soon.
I made sure of that when I asked him for an address to send our
wedding invitation. I wanted him and his boyfriend both to attend
the wedding if they could.

Drake and I thanked Jason graciously for the
use of his car and driver, and the pair wished Drake well on his
journey tomorrow.

The night saw sleep for Drake and me, and I
woke up in the extremely fluffy bed with a set of warm eyes gazing
upon me.

His golden chest bare, Drake ran his fingers
down my side, calling me his gorgeous girl before he placed a kiss
on my lips. Wrapping my arms around him, I held him there. Our good
morning kiss lasted longer that day, mostly because I think we both
knew that things would change once we left the warmth of the bed.
His life would change. Reality for us both would change, as I’d
also be affected by anything he went through. We were both denying
the evitable until the ringing phone let us know it was time to get
up. The caller was Han, checking in for the time he needed to be at
our hotel to pick us up.

We both decided business casual would be
best for the meeting at the agency. Drake took the adoption papers
his mom had provided him with, and we walked hand in hand into the
downtown establishment after Han dropped us off. A tiny woman sat
at the front desk. She spoke to us, but didn’t speak any English,
so the exchange was limited. She raised her hands, and when she
returned, she brought a male translator with her. Drake stated our
business to him, and we were told to wait in the lobby for our
appointment to begin.

The camera rolled the whole time. Drake
wouldn’t have it any other way. The translator returned and didn’t
seem to have a problem with us recording, so I kept it on while we
were guided into a small room. It was empty of anyone and held a
desk with a couple chairs in front of it.

“Your social worker will be here soon, Mr.
Drake,” the translator said. “I’ll be nearby if you need me, but
the social worker, Choi Hana, is quite fluent in English. She
should be able to assist you just fine.”

The translator left us and I held Drake’s
hand. It was definitely clammy under mine. He was nervous, and that
only made sense. I held his hand tighter.

A small woman came in, and we both released
a breath. We must have been holding it in.

She bowed to us. “Mr. Drake, I’m Hana,” she
said, her voice heavily accented. “I’ll be the social worker
handling your case.”

He stood and shook her hand, bowing. “Nice
to meet you. This is my fiancée, Lacey.”

After I exchanged
greetings with her, she sat at her desk. I was told once again
recording was okay, then Drake and I both watched as she opened a
briefcase. The breath was held again when she retrieved a bulky,
expanding folder out of it and dropped it on her desk. The folder
was labeled with his parent’s names along with one other, and it
wasn’t Truman Drake. It said: Kang
Seung-Tae.

Drake saw the name just as clearly as I had.
He pointed to the folder. “Is this my birth name? My parents said I
wasn’t given one.”

She nodded. “That’s
correct. Your birth mother left that area blank when she filled out
the paper work, but according to the notes from that day, she kept
calling you Seung-Tae. Since her last name is Kang, the agency
labeled ‘Kang
Seung-Tae’
as your birth name. The name was never legalized,
though. That’s most likely the reason your parents didn’t share it
with you.”

“
What’s her name? My birth
mother’s?” Drake said, his voice sounding on autopilot.

Hana smiled. “Her name
is
Mi Hi
. Kang Mi
Hi.”

I could tell so many thoughts were flashing
behind Drake’s dark eyes at the moment, but he didn’t look unhappy
about any of them. He seemed more awed, stunned by the new
information. I squeezed his hand, smiling at him. Slowly, he was
opening the doors to his past, and this had to be the start of some
closure for him.

The woman pulled out a couple photos from
the folder and Drake’s shell-shocked expression only lingered
longer. There were photos of that same child from the video we both
saw, only younger. He really was a baby here. In the home video,
he’d been a little older.

“How old was I here?” He asked my internal
question, staring at the photos.

The woman quickly answered. “You were a few
months old when your mother brought you in. Your adoption was
finalized when you were two.”

I didn’t realize the process of adoption
took this long, but that made sense. There were a lot of necessary
steps to take in order to make sure a child received a good, loving
home.

Drake gazed up from the photo and finally
spoke. “Do you have any pictures of my birth mother?”

She placed her hands on her desk, shaking
her head. “Unfortunately, we don’t, and we don’t have much
information we can give you about her. Many times birth mothers
don’t leave much information. They’re usually alone when they come
in, scared sometimes, so we don’t pressure them. I can provide you
with what I have though. That folder is yours to keep. It’s a copy
of everything we have here at the agency. It’s all been translated
for you.”