There are Many Flowers in Seoul

Chapter Twenty-Eight

The sofa hadn't been the most comfortable place for Rose to spend the night, but she managed to doze off for a few hours before she heard the first chime of the alarm on Yuta's phone from the next room. Exhausted, she dragged herself off the cushions and staggered to her feet. There was no need for a shower, and she dressed once more in comfortable clothes, so she wouldn't have trouble changing in and out of them if there was more fitting to be done. Unlike the previous day, Rose put a little more thought into her outfit, and did her best to cover the speckles of bruising on her cheek with makeup. She couldn't do a lot about her lip, but it wasn't as painful as the previous evening and she hoped they could hide it at the studio. The jeans were back on, but she paired them with a cute white off the shoulder top with blue embroidery around the neckline and small red flowers. Despite its vintage seventies appearance, it was a brand-new item, and gave the look a summery feel. Satisfied that her clothes hid her tiredness – the impression being that she was as fresh and bright as her shirt – Rose scribbled out a quick note to Yuta, telling him that she was heading out to the nearby store before they left for work.

It was too early to be busy, and the morning staff were still stocking some of the shelves with fresh deliveries of prepared lunches and baked goods. Rose smiled and bowed her head lightly in greeting as she passed the staff, not knowing enough Korean to say good morning but wanting to be polite. She browsed the aisles slowly, picking up medicines and searching for translations on the labels so that she could make educated guesses at what might be inside. She had a small headache coming on, but Rose knew it would be nothing compared to Si-woo's.

'Um, excuse me?' she asked a younger member of staff in English. The woman looked like a university student, and Rose knew they taught English as part of the curriculum in Korea. It was her hope that she might know enough to give her a rough idea of what she was looking for. Rose pointed her finger at one of the bottles on the shelf and asked, 'Hangover? This helps?'

'Drinking?' the girl asked, and then tapped her head to indicate where the pain might reside. 'Next morning?'

'Yes,' Rose said, beaming. She'd never travelled outside of Japan and wasn't used to language barriers. Any manner of understanding between her and someone who only spoke Korean felt like a triumph. 'Does this help? Energy? No pain?'

Through their broken English, the pair managed to find tablets, energy drinks, and other items which might soothe the effects of the night before. It might have seemed a generous act for Rose to perform given the fact that Si-woo was still a relative stranger, but she'd abandoned him in the bar when he was in need to help and support, and Rose couldn't help feeling guilty about it. While she'd been dragged around Myeongdong by Tae-won, Si-woo had probably been acquainting himself with an obliging toilet while he purged his system of everything he'd had to eat and drink that night.

Before she made it to the checkout, Rose spotted a display of sweet milks and grabbed a banana bottle for Tae-won. They were never going to be friends, that much was obvious, but without his intervention something terrible might have become of her the previous evening and she wanted to show her gratitude. After finding out he had a sweet tooth, she had a sneaking suspicion he'd appreciate anything with sugar in it.

It wasn't long before Rose was standing outside of the apartment building waiting for Hitomi and Yuta. She didn't mind sitting outside; the streets were bustling but there was a certain familiarity in the bustle of people hurrying to get to school and work, and she was strongly reminded of early mornings in Tokyo when she and Hitomi would walk at a leisurely pace through the crowds in their uniforms, knowing they'd left early enough that they could take their time and breathe in the crisp, fresh dawn air.

Rose never thought she'd feel nostalgic for her dreaded high school days, but now she was faced with the prospect of being a model, she was starting to realise how good they'd had it.