There are Many Flowers in Seoul

Chapter Fifty-Seven

'You surprised me,' Eun-young told Rose in the wardrobe trailer as she changed back into her street clothes. They were surrounded by clear plastic bags which protected the elegant clothes within, all of them unique and precious, their every thread woven with the tender love and care of their creators. It was a forest of creativity, and made Rose remember being a child and playing at her mother's company, hiding beneath rows of clothes and eating cookies she'd pilfered from the staff room, hoping no one would find her.

It had been a long day and shooting had lasted far later than they'd planned. Jin-hee had insisted on having more shots with Tae-won and was diligent in reminding everyone that she was the celebrity, not Rose. Whenever they were done she'd run to look at the shots and if she thought Tae-won didn't seem in love with her, she'd demand that Si-woo take them again. The man had the patience of a saint; Rose would've knocked her out after the third time she'd stamped her feet and complained about his skills.

Rose pulled her t-shirt over her head and freed her long black hair from the collar, letting it fall loose down her back. Normally she'd tie it up out of the way, but she was becoming more conscious of her appearance in a bid to please Tae-won which wasn't like her at all. At home she never bothered with make-up or excessive products. Aside from taking care of her skin and practicing good hygiene, Rose didn't invest a great deal of time in herself. This was, at least in part, because she knew she looked pretty enough without it. It was also because she didn't have the confidence to turn herself into a canvas of self-expression, preferring instead to be demure but average, popular but invisible, the kind of girl everyone wanted to know in the moment but would forget when she left the room.

Now she was afraid to smudge the delicate makeup the artists had painted her with, or to let her hair become tangled or windswept because she hadn't thought to pull up the hood on her jacket or to thoroughly brush and dry it after she showered. Tae-won had never asked her to change the way she looked, nor had he suggested that there was something wrong with the casual way she dressed, but he seemed to be on a level of celebrity far away from the one Rose fell into because her fame was only inherited rather than earned, and she desperately wanted to fit in with his lifestyle.

Maybe, just maybe, their relationship might last if she was more like Tae-won.

'Surprised you how?' Rose asked.

'You're a great actress,' she said. Eun-young laughed, 'That, or you're really in love with Ji Tae-won. You should study drama at university. I'm sure you'd get into some television shows.'

Rose smiled nervously. 'Doesn't everyone want to be a celebrity these days? I'd rather find something quiet to do.'

'Quiet can be nice, but isn't this fun?'

'Working with you is fun,' Rose confessed. 'And with my cousin.'

A blush kissed Eun-young's pale skin. 'I have enjoyed working with Mr. Suzuki.'

'Why don't you invite him for a drink?'

'How could I do that?' Eun-young asked. 'Didn't Si-woo tell you that we're all headed for dinner together?'

'Dinner? Not drinking?'

'After last time at the bar?'

Rose laughed softly. 'True. I don't want to have to babysit him again.'

Not that she'd stayed to look after Si-woo for long. After he'd thrown up on Tae-won's shoes she'd been abducted for their first date. It'd been a memorable night for all the wrong reasons, but she couldn't forget the way Tae-won had leapt to her defence when she'd been accosted by the foreign men. She'd never seen such ferocity and protectiveness from a man before, and it had taken her by surprise. Just remembering it made her heart thrum in her chest like a trapped hummingbird.