Foreign Skies

Welcome to Europe

"Here is your key, Miss Yoon. Feel free to call for room service anytime you desire to; the fridge will be re-stocked daily, and the bathrobes are hanged in the closet." The hotel manager handed a small rectangular card to the woman in front of him.

"Thank you. I'll call the front desk if I need any help."

"I'll leave you to let you unpack now. Have a good night."

Seri slumped onto the newly-made bed. The sheets matched with the soft white pillows, leaning gently onto the wall and the top of the bed. The comforter was pulled tightly in, and Seri had to use some of her remaining energy into pulling it out. She took a quick shower, changed into a full set of Olivia von Halle silk pajamas, fluffed up the sheets and slipped into the bed.

As usual, she tossed and turned for hours.

She's tried everything she could - medication, yoga, lowering her caffeine intake - but nothing worked. She has the most expensive mattress and pillows on the market at home, but even with that, sleep never seemed to come when she most needed it; insomnia has never been kind to Seri since her teenage years.

At last, Seri finally felt her eyes feeling heavier when the room was starting to get bright. Her alarm woke her up within five seconds, and with only two hours of rest, she started her first day in this foreign land.

This was the first launching of Seri's Choice in London, and there wasn't a reason for Seri to excuse herself from it. Her mother had persuaded her to stay, but she didn't think the same, that's exactly like staying at home on your daughter's graduation day. She stuffed a few pieces of clothes, carried her Burberry coat in one hand and jetted off to England. The jet-lag was manageable, since all Seri could think about was how to fully promote her 2022 Winter Collection to the British people. There won't be anything else to distract her except for work.

With the launching a week later and her staying in London for almost two weeks, Seri didn't feel the need to dress up today. The weather was decent enough to leave the umbrella behind, so Seri decided to try out her newly- bought Prada fur jacket but never been worn once, paired with Gucci jeans, a gift sent to her from her sister-in-law last year. She was never really on good terms with her brothers, but they have all agreed to at least behave themselves in front of their parents. They had a family dinner once every two weeks, but it felt more like a commitment to Seri than a gathering with her brothers and parents. She was not a big fan of spending time with other people, especially all her brothers did was persuade their father to step down from the family buisness, Queen's Group. Early retirement my foot, Seri had muttered under her breath.

Walking onto the busy streets outside Grosvenor House Hotel, Seri took in a fresh breath of air. The trees were tall, stretching endlessly along the path, with birds perched on top of them, chirping away happily. Clutching her Valentino purse in one hand, she walked aimlessly towards left. A few feet ahead, a sign printed FLOWER MARKET AHEAD stood at the edge of the path, with the red paint was brand new and half wet. Seri glanced at the sign with curiosity. Who would hold a flower market in the middle of the road?

She turned to the nearest pedestrian and asked, "Excuse me, do you know wear this flower market is?"

The woman was old and plump, and did not seem to be in a hurry. "Oh, it is just down the road. Walk straight ahead and you will definitely see some blooming flowers along the way."

"Thank you."

Within minutes, Seri could see various colours of fresh flowers along the road. Various colours of flowers stretched endlessly down the road, and all Seri could see was patches and patches and daises, roses, tulips... It was surprisingly calming. Seri decided that she'd tell Secretary Kim to put a new vase of flowers by her desk every week.

She stopped in front one of the stores. The florist was behind the counter, cutting up some leaves and tidying the flowers into a vase. "Welcome. The daffodils are newly imported; feel free to check them out."

Seri smiled in response. She looked around and continued down the road, stopping by every few stores. The sun was going up higher and higher by the minute, and when Seri checked her wristwatch, it was already past noon.

Suddenly, a wave of panic washed over her. She had left her phone in her hotel room, and the only thing she had in her purse was a few coins and her room key. There wasn't a way to Google Map her way back to the hotel. Am I... lost? Seri thought, fighting back tears.

Get a grip, Yoon Seri, she scolded herself. There must be a way to get help. She was about to turn to the nearest person she could find and asked for directions when-

There was a light tap on her shoulder. "Excuse me, are you lost?"

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author's note: wow yejinsbaby redebuting as an author!! yes me and my broken english anyway hope u liked the first chapter it's very very short but.. chapters will get longer when the fic proceeds^.^