There are Many Flowers in Seoul

Chapter Forty-Seven

'I feel like I should walk you all the way back upstairs,' Si-woo said as they sat together in his car outside of the apartment building. Rose had changed back into her normal clothes at the site while the rest of the staff had stayed behind to pack the equipment away. It had taken them hours to set everything up and all they had to show for it were a few photographs of one set of outfits, and now the male model was in hospital.

As soon as Eun-young had called Yuta, he'd hurried off to meet Tae-won's manager at the hospital in a bid to assess the situation so that they could make adjustments to their schedules and ensure Tae-won wouldn't sue them for endangerment. In all the panic and noise, Rose had been at a loss for what to do. Si-woo had taken her by the hand, walked her to his car, and told her to sit in the warmth and wait for him to finish so he could escort her home. With the doors and windows shut it was easier to ignore what was going on around her, but Rose couldn't help but let her mind fill with images of Tae-won's apparently lifeless body floating out in the water. If she'd walked just a little faster or had gone for a break with the others, she might not have been there to get him out. It made Rose shudder to imagine him lying in there alone with no one to know that he needed them.

The drive back to the building had been conducted in absolute silence. Rose stared out of the window with glassy eyes, watching the city pass in a dizzying dark blur. Si-woo watched her from the corner of his eye when he wasn't focused on the road, biting down on his lip like he had something to say but was afraid she might throw herself out of the car to avoid answering him. By the time they arrived the atmosphere was unbearable, and Si-woo waited anxiously to hear Rose's reply to his suggestion.

'Hitomi will be waiting for me,' she said quietly. 'I shouldn't invite anyone inside.'

'That's true,' Si-woo agreed, doing little to hide his disappointment. 'I'm just worried.'

'Me too,' Rose said. 'Tae-won didn't look good when –'

'About you, Rose. I'm worried about you.'

'Why?'

'You keep getting into dangerous situations. The rooftop, getting mixed up with Tae-won, and now jumping into a lake.'

'I walked into it, technically,' she corrected.

Si-woo smiled and reached out to squeeze her shoulder affectionately. 'You were brave, but you should look after yourself, too. If you're afraid to be in the apartment alone until your cousin gets home, then I can stay with you in another room. And if you were frightened earlier and you want to cry, then you can cry on my shoulder. What
I'm saying is... don't throw yourself away being caught up with Tae-won when there's someone here who cares about you.'

On any other night, it would have been the most romantic thing Rose had ever heard someone say to her. That night – a night when all she could think about was the horror that had seized her when she'd so desperately cried Tae-won's name – it sounded more like Si-woo was trying to work his way into her heart before another man could capture it.

'Thank you for driving me home,' Rose said. 'I don't have a phone right now, so call Yuta if there's anything I need to know.'

'Rose...'

'I'm sorry, Si-woo. I just can't talk like this tonight. Please try to understand?'

'You're right, sorry,' he apologised. 'I guess I was just scared after seeing you in the water like that. I thought about if something happened to you and... well, it doesn't matter. Go on upstairs and get some sleep. If I hear anything I'll find a way to let you know.'

'Thanks. Night, Si-woo.'