#004
For one bouquet, I put ranunculus and lisianthus as the main flowers as Ban Hajoon requested. I added a few pale purple scabiosa so the color wouldn’t be too plain, and generously added silene, which I now use so often it would be disappointing to leave out.
Instead of using wrapping paper, I gathered the stem parts and cut a long piece of twine.
“Ugh…! So annoying…!!!”
I held the flower stems and wrapped them several times around, then tied a ribbon and held it in my hand to check. Hmm… pretty. I’m going to bring it to the cafe anyway. If there’s a vase or something, it’ll be good to untie it and arrange it.
I held the bouquet up in the air and checked it from various angles before putting it down. Then I picked more flowers to make the next bouquet. It’s a flower I always bring in during this season, but people don’t know much about it, which always makes me feel regretful.
Stock. It’s a flower with the pretty name silk flower, and the fragrance is amazing. It’s exactly in season right now so I brought it in, but I’ve never been able to use it as a main flower, which was always disappointing. Today I decided to give this flower to Ban Hajoon.
I made a bouquet with only light pink stock and statice. Since stock itself is a flower with a very good fragrance, it’s better to use it alone or mix it with flowers that have almost no scent like statice rather than mixing it with other flowers.
I wrapped it with several layers of floral paper and finished it with ribbon. I also held this one and stretched it forward to check its shape from various angles. Pretty. Good. Then let’s take a taxi with this. I launched the taxi app.
I entered the destination and departure point and hurriedly put on my clothes. I put all my belongings in my pockets and waited about 5 more minutes, but no call came.
“Ah.”
It seems they won’t take the call because it’s too close. That’s too much. I waited 2 more minutes, then decided to go outside first in case the petals wilted. Ah, annoying. It felt like the wind was blowing my mustache, so I held the bouquet in my arms while raising my hand to check under my nose and moved my body slowly.
They say it’s five minutes, but it felt like twenty-five minutes. Plus, I made the bouquets too big for no reason and attracted people’s attention.
My breath rose up to my chin. This was the first time I’d come this far. As soon as I crossed the traffic light and entered Garosu-gil’s main street, I walked toward Ban Hajoon’s cafe that was visible, vowing to take a taxi home no matter how much it cost. When I stood in front of the door, the automatic door opened wide as if it had been waiting.
The cafe, which had an atmosphere like a relocated gallery, really had many customers as Ban Hajoon said. Every table was full with no empty seats. While looking around the interior from an awkward position, I found Ban Hajoon and walked straight toward him.
Ban Hajoon, who was cleaning a table, looked up at the sound. He saw me and flinched his shoulders as if startled.
“Wow… Ranho-ssi.”
“I came to deliver flowers. I didn’t make mini size but made them bigger than what Hajoon-ssi bought.”
“Wow… no, thank you. Thank you, but… Ranho-ssi. Did you walk here?”
Can’t you tell by looking? That I’m out of breath. Instead of answering, I casually handed the bouquet to Ban Hajoon and slumped into an empty chair to catch my ragged breath.
“Ranho-ssi, under your nose… no, that’s not it.”
“……?”
“Didn’t people stare at you while coming here?”
“They stared a lot.”
“…Right…? I thought they would.”
“I think it was because of the bouquet. Carrying something this big.”
When I habitually rubbed under my nose, the mustache that had lost its adhesion due to sweat fell off and got pushed along. With half still attached and half dangling, I grabbed the mustache and made a dumbfounded expression, causing Ban Hajoon to groan with a genuinely pitiful face.
I caught the murmured voice saying ‘What are you doing to such a handsome face…’ brushing past my ears.
Rip- The attached mustache fell off with a refreshing sound, and at the same time, a stinging pain spread. Soft, cool skin touched my philtrum, which was burning with heat, and gently pressed down.
“Ah.”
“It’s red. Does it hurt?”
No, more than it hurting, did you just remove my mustache? I furrowed my brow while feeling the pathetically crumpled mustache clump in Ban Hajoon’s fingers and the touch stroking my philtrum.
“Does it hurt?”
“No, it doesn’t hurt. But why did you remove someone else’s mustache without permission…?”
“More than half was already detached and dangling. The adhesion wasn’t good either.”
No, I have one more tape. I brought a spare just in case, but if you crumple it up like that…
“Look how soft it is. You don’t grow facial hair, do you?”
“I do.”
“Liar. What razor do you use?”
Ban Hajoon asked while still not removing his hand from my philtrum. Ah please remove your hand. We look close. I brushed away the hand that was gently rubbing where the mustache was removed and leaned my body back.
“I use Philips. Triple blade razor.”
“Pfft.”
What? I’m really annoyed now. Pfft? Pfft? I brushed the smooth skin where Ban Hajoon’s fingertips had been touching with the back of my hand and averted my gaze. I should implant nose hair or something—is this what they call the hair gap?
“If you have a vase, please give it to me. I’ll arrange the flowers and go.”
I spoke while clearly showing my bad mood.
“Wow, really?”
Whether it’s funny that I’m speaking with wide eyes, or that I don’t grow facial hair, or what’s funny, I have no idea, but Ban Hajoon smiled slyly. The thought of just leaving crept up. But I held back because it would be a waste of the bouquet shining in Ban Hajoon’s arms.
“I’m about to change my mind, so bring it quickly.”
“Wait, wait a moment. What coffee should I give you? It’s before dinner, right? I’ll bring it in a car. Is herbal tea okay?”
It’s not okay, but I nodded because it was bothersome, and Ban Hajoon carefully put the bouquet he was holding on the table. But why does he keep speaking informally? I crossed my arms and looked at the man who was still standing there without turning around.
Ban Hajoon raised his eyebrow as if asking what I had to say in response to my gaze.
“But why do you keep speaking informally?”
“Me?”
Yes, you. I couldn’t bring myself to say it out loud, so I nodded in response.
“You just did it again.”
“Ah. Then should we drop formalities? If you’re friends with Gyoyeon, then to me too—”
“No.”
I conveyed my refusal without even a second of consideration.
“…I’ll bring you tea.”
His long eye shape drooped down dejectedly. Does he want to get close to me? Maybe it’s because he’s the closest male friend of someone who’ll soon become his girlfriend? I don’t know. Anyway, I have no intention of getting close.
When I reached toward the bouquet I brought, Ban Hajoon turned around. I recalled the tickling sensation that spread when his soft, cool fingertips brushed my heated philtrum, then shuddered as if getting goosebumps. How disgusting.
“Ugh…”
I shook my head and first untied the ranunculus and lisianthus.
When he brings the vase, I’ll have to teach him how to distinguish these first. I divided the silene and flowers into groups of two or three and hummed. The interior is a bit warm, so I think I’ll need to ask for additional ice. Fortunately, I had already cut the ends of the stems diagonally at the shop.
While I was unhesitatingly dividing the flowers, Ban Hajoon returned with a cup of warm tea. Sitting across from me and watching me line up several vases, I asked for cold water with ice.
“Ice water? To drink?”
“No. To put in the flower vase. They stay fresh longer in cold water. The cafe is warm, so if the water temperature isn’t low, they’ll wilt quickly. It’s good to change the water frequently in warm places, but you’ll probably be busy…”
“Then what should I do? Will they wilt quickly?”
I spread all five fingers wide in front of Ban Hajoon’s face.
“Once every half day, with cold water, and every time you change the water, cut the ends like this diagonally. If you just do these three things, they should last 3-4 days… but it’s so warm I’m not sure.”
“…I’ll do it as Ranho-ssi told me. They’re so pretty, it would be sad if they wilted quickly.”
His large, neat hands stroked the flower heads lying neatly. He very firmly said ‘Lisianthus’ toward the ranunculus.
“You can get confused. That’s ranunculus.”
“……”
“This is lisianthus. See how the petals droop a bit more? This one is round and dense. Look.”
I pushed two flower heads of each type in front of Ban Hajoon.
“Which is prettier? You can remember the name of whichever looks prettier to you.”
“Hmm. I like this one.”
Very surprisingly, Ban Hajoon said he liked lisianthus better, the one he always gets the name wrong for.
“The flower must feel hurt. Because Hajoon-ssi always gets its name wrong.”
I giggled and put a lisianthus in Ban Hajoon’s hand, then divided the ice water a shop employee brought into the vases. When I arranged the pre-divided flowers, Ban Hajoon called an employee with a bright face to move the vases.
“This one needs a vase to be arranged too.”
“Can’t I take this one?”
Ban Hajoon picked up the stock that was on the table and pulled it into his arms.
“That’s pretty, right?”
“What is this? It smells really good too.”
I told Ban Hajoon, who was gently stroking the petals while asking, both the Korean and English names.
“I think I’ve heard of it before, but this is the first time I’ve seen the flower. So this is it. I thought it was some kind of wildflower.”
“Stock is most beautiful right now because it’s in season. It’s also the first flower I bring in during autumn.”
“Do you like it, Ranho-ssi?”
“I like it.”
I reached toward the flower in Ban Hajoon’s arms and stroked the soft, moist petals.
“That’s why I brought it. You seem to be just starting to get interested in flowers. When people receive stock as a gift or buy it on recommendation, they always come back for more.”
“……”
“Because it’s fragrant and pretty. But the stems are a bit weak. That’s why I brought this one wrapped. Carry it carefully when you go in.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
