A sharp, insistent growl from her stomach pulled Lara out of a deep, jet-lagged sleep. She blinked at the ceiling, momentarily disoriented by the floral sheets and the unfamiliar scent of the room, before her eyes drifted to the digital clock on the bedside table.
9:00 PM.
Wow 9:00pm how long was I sleeping """I'm so hungry she muttered to herself
She had slept for hours. The hunger was no longer a dull ache; it was a demand. She stood up, her legs feeling a bit like jelly, and adjusted her oversized joggers,she stepped out of the room and headed straight for the kitchen ,she opened the cabinets and fridge but found nothing """she frowned momentarily, blinking her eyes to make sure she wasn't sleeping,""""
How could they not stock this house with food ,what do they think we are ,a bunch of sticks walking around .
She stared into the cavernous, empty refrigerator, the bright LED light reflecting off the glass shelves. "Not even a piece of fruit?" she whispered, her voice tinged with a rare flash of frustration
She turned toward the dinning table , her eyes landing on the door to Sean's room. She took a few hesitant steps, her hand rising to knock. She wanted to ask him if he was hungry, But the gap under his door was pitch black. The silence from his room was heavy, the kind of silence that belonged to someone who had crashed into a deep, much-needed sleep.
I can't wake him, she thought, her protective instincts kicking in. He looked so drained. If he's finally resting, I shouldn't be the one to ruin it.
I'll just figure this out in my own ,I dont want to bother Sean so Lara decided to go out and find something to eat, I mean how hard could it be and it's a plus I could understand Korea so I'm good .
Lara went into her room She grabbed a handful of Korean Won from her purse—crisp, colorful notes she'd exchanged at Heathrow—and stuffed them into the pockets of her joggers.
I'm glad I thought of changing this back at London
Smart girl lara ,she praised herself.
Lara smiled and walked out of the apartment , The Mapo air was crisp, smelling of sea salt from the river , the street looked empty and neat ,She looked up at the sky; between the towering glass giants of the city, the moon looked small and pale, outshone by the vibrant neon red and blue of the skyscraper light, Mapo felt sharp and transparent. Everything was made of glass, steel, and light.
Free from the heavy atmosphere of the apartment, Lara felt a sudden, bubbly surge of freedom. As soon as she was a safe distance from the building, her walk changed. The "ghost" of the London office began to vanish, replaced by the little girl who used to dream of Seoul from her bedroom in Chelsea.
She began to walk playfully, her sneakers skipping slightly on the clean Mapo pavement. She swung her arms wide, her oversized trench coat fluttering around her like a cape. Under her breath, she started humming a soft, rhythmic tune—a nursery rhyme her mother used to sing to her when she was small.
In this neon-lit wonderland, where no one knew her name or her diagnosis, she felt light, as if the gravity of her illness had temporarily let go.
As she passed a small, manicured park tucked between two glass towers, she slowed down. On a wooden bench under the glow of a warm streetlamp, she noticed a couple sitting together. They weren't doing anything grand; they were just talking, the man leaning in to hear the woman's whisper and smiling , their shoulders occasionally brushing.
Lara stopped for a heartbeat, her humming trailing off. A sharp, sweet ache bloomed in her chest. '"""
I want that, she thought. Just once. To sit in a park in this city and have someone look at me like I'm the only light in the world. She thought of Sean sleeping back at the apartment and wondered if he would ever sit in a park with a girl like her.
Probably not she thought """""""
Shaking off the melancholy, she continued her stroll until the bright, white glow of a shopfront illuminated the sidewalk. She stopped in front of the glass doors and looked up at the sign. Her eyes widened, and a triumphant grin spread across her face.
CU," she read aloud, her voice small but full of triumph. Then, squinting at the stylized Hangul characters next to it, she whispered, "씨유."(Ssi-yu)
With a final, happy swing of her arms, she pushed open the door.