There are Many Flowers in Seoul

Chapter Eleven

Despite all their plans to be sensible that evening, Rose and Hitomi didn't shower or prepare their outfits the night before. Instead, the girls fell asleep beside one another, holding hands and spooning a pile of snacks. Rose was the first to wake up and found that by some small miracle, the chocolate hadn't melted all over the sheets. She thought this might be a good omen for the rest of the day and took it as a sign that she should get out of bed and try to put in a little effort after the argument the previous night, if only to prove to Yuta that she was capable of being a mature adult.

The shower had to be brief to allow her time to dry her poker-straight black hair, and Hitomi didn't appreciate the fierce whir of the hairdryer which served as her alarm. With less grace than her friend, Hitomi dragged her feet along the wooden floor and staggered into the shower, loudly yawning and complaining until the hot water roused her into a more conscious state. Rose took charge of drying and styling her hair once she'd finished getting herself ready – wearing a pair of high-rise jeans and a Silver Lilies top with flared sleeves in a Japanese exclusive sakura pattern – only because she didn't trust Hitomi to do a good job when she so resented being stirred from her sleep so early in the morning.

Rose had never been much of a one for makeup. It was an expensive indulgence and when she did buy a product she found that it would dry out or get lost before she'd had a chance to make good use of it. It was only at Hitomi's insistence that she applied mascara. The lip gloss had seemed a step too far, and she knew that her hair would just stick to her mouth if they found themselves caught in a breeze. While Hitomi perfected her face with an array of products she'd tipped onto the bed from her vanity case, Rose peered through the bedroom door into the living area. With no sign of Yuta, she deemed it safe to cross into the kitchen to seek out something for breakfast.

As soon as she opened a cupboard, an avalanche of poorly stacked packets of ramyun fell onto her head. Rose staggered back against the counter and swore softly under her breath.

It was karma.

Noodle-y karma.

This was what happened when you got into childish arguments with the designated guardian of a vacation; you were buried alive under packets of freeze-dried ramyun noodles.

Yuta emerged from his bedroom as pristinely turned out as always; his hair was neatly combed, his suit was sharp and tailored to hug his lean, toned frame, and there wasn't a hint of exhaustion to be found on his face. The man watched Rose scrabble to pick up the noodle packets and told her, 'That's not exactly a decent breakfast food.'

'Funny,' she retorted as she hurled them back into the cupboard. 'Pretty sure we don't have anything other than noodles.'

Yuta opened the refrigerator and had little joy in finding something remotely nutritious to start the day. The vegetables hardly seemed appropriate and there was no time to prepare a rice and side dishes. Instead, he grabbed a bottle of water and said, 'We'll stop by a coffee shop on the way.'

'Are we driving? Walking?'

'It's a lot harder to walk across Seoul than Tokyo. A driver's going to pick us up in about fifteen minutes. Is Hitomi ready?'

From the bedroom, Hitomi shouted, 'Almost!'

'Makeup,' Rose said.

'I figured.'

'Listen, about last night...'

'You're sorry?'

'I don't know,' she said stubbornly. 'Are you?'

'Yes.'

'Me too.'

'I know I'm not your father. Or your brother.'

'Can you try to remember that the next time you treat me like a child?' Rose requested. 'And I'll try not to live up to your expectations with door slamming. Sound fair?'

'It's just difficult sometimes,' he confessed. 'I watched you grow up. It's hard to shake that image out of my head. You, running around with scraped knees and pigtails...'

'And then I became an adult,' Rose said. 'With breasts and everything.'

Yuta choked on his water.

Rose smirked, 'Which one of us is childish, again?'

'The one talking about breasts first thing in the morning.'

'I can keep saying it.'

'No.'

'Breasts.'

'Rose, enough.'

'Breasts, breasts, breasts!'

Yuta's face was burning. He snatched a dish towel from the counter and threw it into her face. The man laughed, 'I get it! You're not a child. I'm sorry. If you stop talking about that, then I'll treat you like an adult. Are we okay, now?'

'Breasts.'

'Rose!'

She grinned triumphantly. 'We're good.'

'Good, because I don't think my heart could take much more of that. Hitomi!' he called toward the bedroom door, 'speed it up! I need to get out of this insane apartment!'

'And then you'll be trapped in a car with me,' Rose reminded him.

'Maybe I should call for a separate car...'

'And then at a studio all day.'

'I might tell them to take you to the Han river.'

'Aren't you just so happy that you get to spend so much time with us?' Rose pressed.

'What are you saying?'

'We want free time,' she said. 'Time for you to breathe. Time for us to explore. Free time.'

'You promised Lily –'

'One day at the studio, three days of freedom, rinse and repeat.'

'Do you promise never to mention breasts again?' Yuta asked warily.

'I promise never to intentionally mention them again.'

'Fine. But, if you get into anymore trouble, then that'll change.'

'Oh, please,' Rose laughed despite her own concerns that she might do just that. 'What trouble could we possibly get into today?'

'Didn't you say words to that effect before you went to buy groceries last night?'

'Lightning doesn't strike twice,' Rose replied.

'God, I hope you're right,' the man groaned.

So do I, Rose couldn't help but think to herself.