There are Many Flowers in Seoul

Chapter Twelve

There were far more cars on the road in Seoul than in Tokyo. People still walked, cycled, and stood on streets hailing cabs or waiting for buses, but the traffic was heavier, and the car crawled along the streets. The television shows Rose had watched with her mother as a high school student which featured thrilling car chases through deserted Korean cities were a fallacy, and Rose couldn't help but wonder if it would be faster to get out and walk.

Her lips against the plastic rim of the disposable cup, she sipped on her latte while Yuta spoke in Korean to their driver. The car was small – new and expensive – but modest. She and Hitomi had taken up the backseat and looked out of their respective windows, too in awe of everything they passed to indulge in frivolous conversation. Perhaps this was just as well, because Rose was mentally scolding herself for saying the word breasts over and over to the man she'd been in love with for as long as she could remember like she'd only just learned the word and wanted to show off how smart she was through repetition. No matter how many times she professed to him that she was an adult, she always managed to display her immaturity, acting like the little sister Yuta would forever imagine her to be.

'By the way,' he said in Japanese, so the driver wouldn't understand, 'if anyone asks, you're my cousins.'

'What happened to assistants?' Rose asked.

'One assistant they'd believe. I don't think they'd believe I have two. You can pass for sisters, so this is safer.'

'I guess it means we don't have to fake work,' Hitomi reasoned.

'True,' Rose agreed.

Her stomach clenched. Rose had never been a good liar, and she hated concealing anything from people because she knew she'd be easily found out. Lily's comment about omitting truths being a different matter didn't reassure her. It only made Rose wonder which parts of her life she was supposed to hide and which parts she could be forward about. Sure, her personality didn't change according to her name or her parents, but she still had to pretend to be someone she wasn't; namely, someone poor.

'So, I'm Hitomi Abe?' Hitomi asked. 'It's like we're married.'

'Well, you wanted to elope.' Rose forced a smile. If the lie was going to protect Hitomi's identity as well as her own, then she'd do her utmost to keep it. Already she knew it wouldn't be easy, and that she'd crack under the pressure if someone grilled her about every detail of her life, but she'd deal with that if and when it happened. For the time being, she was just Rose Abe, and that wasn't entirely untruthful.

The traffic was relentless and by the time they arrived in Media City, the coffee and croissants were little more than cold dregs in cups and pastry flakes in their laps which were dusted onto the ground when they stepped out of the car. Rose took responsibility for Hitomi's trash – trash which otherwise would find itself wedged into the door compartment until it overflowed – and dropped it into the nearest bin. Steeling her nerves, she followed Yuta into the new Silver Lilies enterprise in Seoul; the marketing studio.

Rose had anticipated offices with countless desks, computers, and meeting rooms – dull and official – and instead found herself in a bright, modern foyer with white tiled floors, white leather sofas, glass partition walls between the waiting area and reception desk, and enormous floor to ceiling windows. A mezzanine level overhead could be reached by a floating staircase with glass balustrades and displayed a glossy history of Silver Lilies and Silver Heart, including portraits of Rose's mother and grandmother, the founders of the two sides of the company. While she often said she hated how wealthy they were and her lack of anonymity, she felt a swell of pride knowing that she was related to two such impressive women.

'Mr. Suzuki,' a woman hurried out from behind the desk where she'd been consulting with a receptionist and bowed politely to him. Her English was flawless, and Rose was taken aback by the crisp American undertones to her accent. 'Welcome. I am Nam Eun-young. It is so nice to meet you in person.'

Yuta bowed respectfully. 'I should be saying that to you. And thanking you. The building is further along than I thought it would be. Is it fully staffed?'

'Yes. We have finished our hiring for now, but we have space for more when we next expand.'

'And the shoots?'

'Underway in our studio. We have one scheduled for today to test the outfit combinations on the models and then we will be on target for our location shoots.'

'Perfect.' Yuta smiled. Rose cleared her throat pointedly. Remembering at last that they were present, he introduced them to the woman. 'Ms. Nam, these are my cousins from Japan. My aunt insisted that they come along. This is Hitomi Abe, and Rose Abe. They just graduated high school, so they're interested in the working world. I thought this could be educational for them. They won't be here all the time, and I'll make sure they're not in the way.'

'They're both so cute,' Eun-young said. She noticed Rose's shirt and asked, 'Is this from the new line?'

'A gift,' Yuta said quickly. Lily liked to present Rose with the new products to test them out and see if a normal girl would wear them. Their aim was to provide fashion that women weren't afraid to wear outside, after all. Yuta hadn't thought anything of it before they'd left, but it might seem odd that a normal girl without a job would have one of their newest pieces before it had reached every store in Japan. 'I wanted her to have something for graduating.'

'I left mine at home,' Hitomi added, just in case they thought she was the neglected cousin. 'I didn't want it to wrinkle on the flight.'

'It is very pretty,' Eun-young gushed. 'I feel like I should go to Japan when the limited-edition clothes are released.'

'Trust me, the Korea lines will be just as beautiful. Maybe even more so,' he smiled.

Was he... flirting? Rose couldn't help but wonder as he flashed his most charming of grins at the operations manager.

Granted, the woman was beautiful, and genuinely sweet. There were people in life, Rose had found, who appeared fake the moment they smiled or opened their mouths, and there was no ignoring the sliminess one felt creeping through their bodies whenever they were in that person's company. Then there were people like Eun-young who had a knack for putting people at ease and making people like her only by being her true self in front of them.

On the one hand, Rose wanted to hate her for stealing Yuta's attention.

On the other hand, it would be an impossible task in the face of such perfection.

'Would you like a tour?' Eun-young offered. 'I'm happy to show you around. The café is finished, too, so if you would like any drinks or food then they're complementary to guests. Here,' she waved over the receptionist who hurried to her side with three lanyards bearing key-cards with GUEST stamped across them, 'these will give you full building access. Just show this in the café.'

'Thanks,' Hitomi and Rose said together, pulling the lanyards over their heads, wordlessly communicating with their eyes that they intended to fully exploit the privilege.

'Don't even think about it,' Yuta warned them. He knew them too well; they couldn't be trusted with such power as unlimited snacks. 'If you empty that kitchen, I'll know about it.'

Rose pouted. 'So mean.'

Eun-young laughed, 'You all get along so well! I'm jealous.'

'If you're so jealous, do you want these two for the next three months?' Yuta joked.

'I would be happy to have their company,' Eun-young said. 'They seem like very good girls.'

'They always do in the beginning,' Yuta muttered knowingly.