There are Many Flowers in Seoul

Chapter Nine

Convenience stores in Korea were similar to those in Japan. While Rose and Hitomi couldn't read the labels or signs, it was easy enough for them to understand where the instant noodles were, and which snacks had chocolate in them or bean paste. Rose took responsibility for the grocery basket while Hitomi threw in everything she thought looked even slightly appealing, apparently planning to buy one of everything so she'd know what they should stock up on before their flight back. Rose had visions of them boarding the plane with two extra cases each to accommodate all the shopping they wanted to do over the next couple of months – visions which were compounded when Hitomi ran off to get a second basket because theirs was almost full already.

While she waited for her friend to return, Rose lingered by the magazines. Celebrities grinned out from the glossy covers or struck brooding poses with their arms folded and their hair gelled. The headlines were all gibberish to her without a phrase book or a single Korean language lesson to her name, and she had to wonder how she was supposed to get by for so long without either. As she pondered on the possibility of enrolling in a local class to pick up a few bits and pieces which might help her to survive, a gaggle of teenage girls swarmed around the rack and grabbed a fashion magazine.

Rose didn't mean to listen, but there were two words she couldn't help hearing.

'Silver Lilies.'

She edged back towards the stand and picked up the last copy of the magazine, smiling nervously at the girls when they looked her up and down with confusion and disapproval. They probably didn't know why this crazy foreign lady with her airplane-comfort clothes would be interested in a magazine she couldn't read full of clothes that she probably couldn't afford to own.

At least, that's the sort of thing Rose would have thought at their age and in their position. It was entirely possible the girls were thinking something totally different but, having been a thirteen-year old girl once, she suspected she was right.

Inside of the magazine was a huge feature on the brand. Their arrival in Korea had been long anticipated, and it was understandable that people were excited to see them. Not only would they be hiring talented Korean designers to give their country's work, styles, and traditions a global platform, but they were creating jobs in the area and investing heavily in the local economy. They were hardly there to play the white knights and save a country that already had a foothold in global industries, but they were happy to welcome them into an established brand and to give otherwise unknown fashion designers a platform to showcase their pieces for a wider audience. For anyone looking to get a step up in the industry, it was a huge opportunity.

The designers were already hired, and production was in full swing. The article was an interview with the Korean men and women who'd secured positions after rigorous interviews and exams and were gearing up for the marketing campaigns. One of the pages was an enormous advertisement for the brand's jewellery line. A beautiful Japanese girl adorned the page. With her natural make-up and white wedding dress, she looked every bit the pure princess she was trying to portray in a bid to sell the silver floral necklace draped around her swan-like neck.

It was too bad that Rose knew the woman was about as sweet and innocent as a piranha during a feeding frenzy.

'Ew.' Hitomi peered over Rose's shoulder at the advertisement. 'What's Mariko doing in there?'

'They're still hiring her, apparently,' Rose closed the magazine and put it back in the rack. 'I guess there are no other models in Japan.'

'Good thing she's not here,' Hitomi commented.

'Are you trying to jinx us? She'll probably walk through that door, now.'

The girls turned and watched the door. They held their breath in anticipation when it slid open and there, as if by magic, appeared – an elderly gentleman and his wife.