A fashion house?
The week that followed consisted of more check-ups and prodding and fussing. A steady stream of doctors and nurses flitted in and out of her room daily. Satisfied with her progress so far, the doctors' had started talking about physiotherapy and therapy.
Iseul had depression, she learnt. She'd had multiple suicide attempts as a teen but hadn't been allowed to seek professional help in order to keep up appearances.
Iseul sighed aggravated. The more she learnt about the old Iseul's family, the more she wanted to hurt them.
Badly.
And she'd gotten to meet Yang Wu-jin and Jeong Na-yeon, the real Iseul's old best friends. The two people who'd basically lived in her hospital room throughout the time she'd been in a coma. Actually, they had been her only friends but they'd left unable to handle her depression which had gotten progressively worse.
The beautiful Yang Wu-jin was the heiress of Yang Group. They'd met as children at a party Wu-jin's parents had hosted.
"If you ever do that again, I'll kill you myself" Had been the heiress first words to her then she'd broken down, crying and apologizing for abandoning her. After, she sat beside her patiently pushing cut fruits through her lips like nothing had happened. The rebellious heiress had taken an instant liking to the quiet, reserved Iseul as a kid and never parted from her.
Both parents had actively supported the friendship, eager to maintain the bonds between their companies. Wu-jin became less vain and more empathetic to accommodate her new friend who'd needed more TLC than she'd have liked. She'd also been the only member of their society who'd accepted Iseul.
Jeong Na-yeon, like Wu-jin, was quite the rebel. She wasn't from a rich family like Wu-jin and was just as quiet and reserved as Iseul was, but with a fire Iseul had lacked. They'd all met in an elitist high school where Na-yeon had gotten a scholarship to study in. Jeong Na-yeon had made friends with Iseul first, standing up for her when she was bullied in a class they both shared.
Her friendship with Wu-jin came much later, both girls hating each other at first. After Iseul'd convinced Na-yeon to look past Wu-jin's brash and snubby exterior, they'd gotten along well.
Too well - like a house on fire.
The cause of the irate yelling that had caused her head to ache was Lee Hui-jun - Iseul's ex-fiancé, the one she'd been basically sold to in high school. She'd learnt this by mistake, of course, both girls electing to keep it from her to avoid triggering her.
They'd never been too fond of Hui-jun to begin with. The asshole had cheated on Iseul with a stupid, noob model - the whole affair had made the front pages of every gossip column known to Seoul. Iseul's accident happened on her way back from confronting him.
Few of her family members had shown up more than once, though, she'd learnt that her 'father' had handled her hospital bills. The cheating fiancee had shown up while Iseul was unconscious and had left promptly after a punch to the nose by Wu-jin and a severe dressing down by Na-yeon - the cause of the irate yelling she'd heard while unconscious.
Iseul grinned at the thought as Wu-jin dabbed at her lips with an embroidered napkin.
"So," Na-yeon started carefully, "what're you going to do about this ..... situation"
Wu-jin whipped around to glare at her, coughing pointedly. "She's recovering"
"I can see that but we can't just wish this away" Na-yeon insisted, always the practical one.
"It can wait until...." Wu-jin started.
"How long do you think it takes to grow a fashion house?" Iseul interrupted, humming contemplatively as she popped a piece of grape between her lips.
"What?"
"A fashion house, how long do you think it takes to grow one?" She repeated, grimacing at the ugly, plain pattern of the hospital gown. She'd have to ask Wu-jin to get her something more fashionable.
"A fashion house?" Wu-jin repeated slowly.
"Yup"