#003
Let’s stay calm. Calm down. So what I ripped off wasn’t actually Kang Min but Ban Hajoon, right? Well… it’s okay. I can make up for it. He’s someone who only has money anyway, so with just one or two hundred thousand won…
“Gyoyeon, that bouquet cost two hundred thousand won from Ranho-ssi today. Dry it well and make it into dried flowers to keep.”
Ah. It seems like making up for it is out of the question.
“Two hundred.”
“……”
“A solid two hundred.”
I’m screwed. I was holding a soju glass with a disgruntled face when Ban Hajoon cheerfully clinked his glass against mine with a clink, so I followed suit and emptied my drink.
“Maybe because it was so expensive. I originally had no interest in flowers or plants… but I developed an interest I never had before.”
Ah, that grudge-holding. It was even more annoying because he said it with a slyly smiling face.
Yeah, today’s was actually expensive, but it’s not like I completely ripped him off either. There were many types of flowers included and the bouquet was full. It was the kind of flowers that other places would have probably quoted around one hundred to one hundred thirty thousand won…
“No… that wasn’t that expensive—”
“Still, it’s not like the money was wasted. Thanks to Ranho-ssi, I can’t even go to other flower shops. Your skills have to be that good. You made it so pretty from the start that you really raised my standards.”
Ban Hajoon smiled with his eyes crinkled. My heart started racing to a gut rhythm again at his eye shape that folded thinly and curved like a crescent moon. Are you crazy? He’s the person who’s going to become Mo Gyoyeon’s boyfriend. Ranho, get a grip… Anyone is fine as long as it’s not Kang Min, but still, not him. If I get involved with him, the story will get twisted and all hell will break loose.
“Hey, Rano. But what wind blew for you to suddenly start a flower shop?”
Gyoyeon asked while putting chicken feet in her mouth and chewing. She skillfully deboned the very small, thin bones while holding the bouquet in her arms.
“When did you have this kind of talent? Huh? This is really pretty. What kind of flower is this?”
Fortunately, Gyoyeon didn’t ask any more about the flower shop. Rather, she was happy that Ranho had finally come to his senses and was living like a human being.
“Lisianthus.”
“Ranunculus.”
Gyoyeon tilted her head at the simultaneous answers.
“What kind of flower is it?”
Gyoyeon asked again. I looked back and forth between Gyoyeon and Ban Hajoon before slowly explaining.
“Ranunculus. The names are very similar. It’s easy to get confused.”
“That’s right. It happened earlier too.”
Looking at his sheepish smile, I also smiled faintly and carefully added an explanation.
“The lisianthus that Hajoon-ssi mentioned has a more fluttery feeling than ranunculus. Ranunculus has a more round feeling.”
“Aha…”
“When you see them in person, the petals have a drooping feel, I guess. If you come by later, I’ll show you. If you look at them side by side, it’ll be easier to distinguish them next time.”
When I explained while pointing to the ranunculus in Gyoyeon’s arms, Hajoon’s eyes sparkled.
“Wow… Ranho really seems like a professional. You know noona was really worried because you said you were going to live off rent income your whole life, right?”
Gyoyeon admired once more, saying our Ranho was finally living life properly, and smiled warmly.
“…I know.”
Of course I know. Low self-esteem aside, Seo Ranho was someone who struggled with just living due to lethargy and depression that came periodically. How warm Kang Min, who appeared to him like fate, must have been. Even in the early parts, I never dreamed that bastard would beat Seo Ranho like a drum.
Hit, soothe, brainwash with “I love you,” hit again, beg, cry.
He really made you think “even a bastard like that has a lover…” That was Seo Ranho’s boyfriend. The end of the violence that repeated like an infinite loop was ultimately Seo Ranho’s death, and as usual, the endings for bad guys aren’t that bad. Kang Min’s finale was just ending with him being questioned at the police station. The regret of dying without being able to confirm what happened after that overlapped, making it absolutely impossible to tolerate meeting Kang Min.
So I misunderstood Ban Hajoon’s words about trying to open a cafe in that spot and mistook him for Kang Min, causing this disaster… but it couldn’t be helped.
I don’t know the faces of the characters. I only know roughly what kind of feeling they have. The fortunate thing is that Seo Ranho’s relationships were extremely, extremely narrow—really incredibly narrow.
“Ranho. What are you thinking about so deeply? Are you drunk? Did you drink too much?”
Worry appeared in Gyoyeon’s eyes at my deepened gaze. Her pitch-black pupils examined every part of my face.
“…No. Just… I think the flower price was too expensive.”
“Ah, the flower price.”
The flower price was too expensive. I should have only charged one hundred fifty thousand won after all.
“If you’re sorry, give me some service later.”
Ban Hajoon, who had been quietly listening to my apologetic voice, said.
“I’ll make it as a service when you come later.”
“Oh.”
“One… two bouquets? Mini size.”
I held up two fingers in front of Ban Hajoon and shook them slightly. Then when Ban Hajoon made a disapproving “hmm” sound, I sneakily held up one more finger.
“But as you can see, if it’s this full, it does come to about that much. No… it doesn’t quite reach that much but… anyway, I’ll do it as a service…”
“Do you know I run a cafe?”
I know. I remembered belatedly. Gyoyeon’s boyfriend runs a large cafe like a gallery on Garosu-gil’s main street. I had read that the main street was also owned by Ban Hajoon’s father.
“No. I don’t know.”
I shook my head while feigning ignorance.
“It’s not far from Ranho-ssi’s flower shop. About… five minutes walk maybe. Please deliver flowers. Mix ranunculus and lisianthus.”
While saying this, Ban Hajoon casually held out his phone.
“If you give me your number, I’ll contact you on days when I want to receive flowers.”
“……”
Giving the number isn’t the problem… Hah… when am I supposed to go all the way there?
***
Ban Hajoon contacted me persistently from the very next day after getting my contact information. The content was always similar. “I really want to receive flowers today, please deliver today.” But as I said, the flower shop was damn busy. I didn’t want to go, but I really was too busy to go.
Ban Hajoon seemed unable to believe my words about being too busy every time. Since it took about 30 minutes to an hour for me to check messages, Ban Hajoon, who couldn’t stand it, called several times, but once again, the flower shop was too busy. So busy I couldn’t even answer calls properly. When I was packaging bouquets, customers would come to order more flowers and make reservations to pick them up at certain times. And I seemed to be making all the wedding bouquets in this neighborhood—I had over six bouquet orders.
I always sincerely told them to go look at other places too, but they all replied that they would do it here.
It was when I was writing the seventh bouquet order form. The vibration going buzz- buzz- was obviously from someone I knew without checking.
“Yes.”
– Ranho-ssi.
“I’m a bit busy right now,”
– Ranho-ssi, my cafe is really busy too. The customers are really swarming.
If you’re that busy, stop sending messages and work.
“…Ah.”
– I want to receive flowers. Today. Really today.
“I was really too busy today, so it’s difficult…”
– Our cafe’s coffee is rumored to be delicious. I’ll make you really delicious coffee. I’ll buy you dinner too.
No… I can take care of dinner myself, and I don’t even like coffee. Besides, that’s not the problem. I’ve caught a disease where I die if I walk more than five steps. Why do you think I opened a flower shop in my own building?
“…Ah…”
– Ranho-ssi.
I couldn’t refuse and let out deep sighs. But Ban Hajoon, who didn’t care about my sighs at all, said something like driving in the final nail that moved my heart.
– Ranho-ssi, you swore that you were drunk that day and ripped me off with the flower price, and that you’d pay it back with flower delivery.
“I… swore?”
Isn’t calling it a “swear” too grand? In my memory, I just drunkenly said I was sorry. I said I was sorry for ripping you off… I said I’d try my best with flower delivery, but why did that become a swear?
Haah… another long sigh escaped. From the other end of the receiver, Ban Hajoon called my name again. Again.
– Ranho-ssi.
“…Since it’s closing time anyway… I’ll go.”
I had no choice but to say I’d go and ended the call. I carefully inserted the seventh bouquet order form into the binder. Then I made a small bouquet to give to the bride who was looking at flowers with an excited face and told her I’d make the bouquet beautifully and deliver it. After seeing her off to the door, I turned off the sign lights as if I’d been waiting.
I quickly looked around the empty store and took out the mustache kit I had ordered during my busy time from the drawer.
“Do I do this… like this?”
I checked the pictures and simple text in the instructions and very carefully attached a mustache under my nose. I have to hide my beauty like this.
That day when Ban Hajoon was drunk, he looked at my face and admired, saying “Ranho-ssi is really handsome.” Remembering Ban Hajoon who made dad jokes saying “What’s Ranho-ssi’s blood type? My ideal type!” and laughed until his face turned bright red made my spine chill for no reason. I shouldn’t get close to him.
I pressed the rough mustache with my fingertips to increase adhesion and lifted my chin to twist it this way and that to check. Yeah. Good. I look less handsome. I like it.
After looking at my face in the mirror several times, I opened the showcase and rustled around taking out flowers. I said I’d make mini bouquets, but I changed my mind and decided to make about two bouquets similar in size to what Ban Hajoon had bought.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
