#024
I was staring blankly when Woo Dohwan suddenly turned around and met my eyes. Holding a parking violation ticket in one hand, he flashed his characteristic smile and wiggled his fingers in a wave.
Those well-shaped lips that had been spitting out crude curses parted slightly, forming the words ‘See you again.’ Now I could understand the lip movements even without hearing them. When I stood there with a sullen face, giving no response, his eyebrows rose upward before settling back into place.
Woo Dohwan’s car rumbled as it rounded the hood and he climbed into the driver’s seat, the sound echoing off the ground as it drove away. I stared blankly at the shrinking rear end of the car until Ju Isin’s voice calling me brought me back to my senses.
“Hyung.”
“Yes.”
“That hyung is really handsome.”
It seemed Ju Isin had been watching Woo Dohwan too. Both the drunkard’s and my gaze lingered on the spot where the car had disappeared. But wait, wasn’t that car in front of yours…? I remembered the drunkard’s car. Even while drunk, I had gotten angry saying I should rip out the steering wheel if he drove like that.
Really, he drove terribly. But more than that, if Woo Dohwan’s car got a ticket, then Ju Isin’s car should have too, so why is he acting so nonchalant? Maybe he doesn’t know what it is.
“Parking violation ticket—”
“Are you close with that hyung?”
“How could we be?”
I answered without even thinking about it. How could we possibly be close? Anyone could see we’re just a flower shop owner and customer.
“But that hyung, I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere… Where was it?”
“……”
“Ah… I can’t remember.”
Ju Isin pondered deeply for a while, but when nothing came to mind, he shook his head vigorously.
“But what do you do for work?”
“Me?”
“Are you like an entertainer or something?”
“No. I’m just a college student.”
“What college student has that much money? Bouquets aren’t cheap either…”
I muttered while poking at the bouquet cradled in Ju Isin’s arms. Unlike the clear sky, the wind blowing was utterly desolate.
“My grandfather is rich.”
“Ah.”
I understood immediately.
“That’s nice.”
They say wealth is inherited after all. I nodded, thinking that Ju Isin was also born with a golden spoon. Here was a man with a handsome face and lots of money, lacking nothing.
“I don’t have parents, and my grandfather doesn’t have children.”
“…?”
“I guess you could say we only have each other. That’s why I grew up without lacking anything. Since grandfather said I was his only blood relative, he… raised me very dotingly.”
The moment I heard his calm voice, I wondered if I was close enough to Ju Isin to be hearing about his personal life. Why did I ask what he did for work? He pays for flowers properly anyway. Why did I ask something I had no business knowing, making things unnecessarily uncomfortable…
I didn’t know what to do with my hands. I clasped them together, then let go, made fists, put them in my pockets.
“Ah… I, I see.”
“The flowers I buy here are mostly… for my parents.”
“……”
Ah.
Hearing this personal story for the first time, unexpected guilt washed over me like a tide. I disabled the security settings I had put up and opened the door again.
“Hyung? Didn’t you say you were closing the shop?”
“…Did your parents pass away?”
“Yes. In an accident.”
“When?”
“I was eight, I think.”
Ju Isin held up his fingers to show his age. Watching those eight fingers spread out with that boyish smile on his face made a sharp pain spread through my chest. That gesture made Ju Isin, who looked particularly innocent and foolish, seem pitiful.
“Where do you take all the flowers?”
“It’s close. About an hour by car.”
Even though he can’t drive well.
I turned the lights back on with a click and moved decisively toward the inside. I took down the globe amaranth, statice, and golden ball that had been hanging from the ceiling to dry and placed them on the table. I put the globe amaranth as the main flower and added plenty of statice. Thinking the colors might be too dark, I inserted the golden ball I had set aside, which brightened it up a little.
After carefully wrapping the stems, I packaged it with overlapping white cloth paper and kraft paper. For this bouquet, I used hemp string instead of ribbon to finish it.
“This will last longer and stay pretty compared to fresh flowers.”
“It’s pretty. This…”
“Globe amaranth.”
“They’ll like it. Bringing something pretty.”
Ju Isin cradled the bouquet I handed him and muttered with a smile.
“Ju Isin-ssi is prettier than the flowers, so I think they’ll like that.”
I meant it. Looking at Ju Isin, who was prettier than flowers, made me think that. If even I think he’s that pretty, how much more so would his parents have thought?
Ju Isin’s face, quietly holding the flowers, flushed bright red. Why…? Are dried flowers prettier than fresh ones?
I watched Ju Isin, who couldn’t even make proper eye contact with me and had turned bright red, then cleaned up the table. Now that I had somewhat repaid my guilt over the eye incident with flowers, it was really time to close. Though not as much as Ju Isin, heat was already spreading through my body too. Perhaps because the tension had suddenly released, a tingling pain spread from my toes.
This is all because of Gangmin. Of all people, the person who came with a resume wanting to work part-time had to be Gangmin. My head was already throbbing thinking about what words I should use to refuse him. I roughly threw the dried twigs into the trash and gathered my belongings.
Just as I was walking forward while putting on my cardigan, there was a sound from outside that made Ju Isin’s eyes turn toward the entrance. My gaze naturally followed, and at the end of my line of sight was a familiar face.
The clear sound of wind chimes rang out, along with the rustle of crumpled paper, and the smell of coffee carried on the wind instantly brushed past my nose.
“Ranho-ssi, why are the shop lights off?”
It’s Ban Hajoon.
True to his words about having heavy hands, he stood awkwardly after pushing the door open with his shoulder. His gentle, round eyes immediately landed on me.
“I was going to go home early and rest today.”
“Your back still hurts.”
His quietly muttered voice and wistful gaze brushed over my back. Well, it’s true that this happened because of him… but whenever he showed such a burdensome level of concern, I was reminded that this bastard had injured my back deliberately, which wasn’t entirely pleasant.
“What should I do? It’s still not better.”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
I replied dryly with a face that said ‘it’s because of you.’ Ban Hajoon, who had been standing still, moved inside and set down a paper bag containing coffee and dessert on the table. Then he naturally came to my side and gently patted my lower back, which was all too natural.
“Did you go to the hospital?”
“I was too busy to go.”
Ju Isin’s eyes widened at our conversation conducted in lackluster voices.
“Wait. Hyung, is that person your friend’s friend by any chance?”
“Huh?”
“No, then… the accident… I…?”
Ju Isin’s horrified gaze stopped right on Ban Hajoon’s hand patting my back. Ha, shit… The sigh I let out while chewing and spitting out curses was clearly audible, making me frown involuntarily.
I couldn’t understand why the drunkard was reacting like that. I naturally avoided Ban Hajoon’s touch and moved my body. As I put my arms through the cardigan I was half-wearing, Ban Hajoon’s gaze turned to Ju Isin, who had dropped his head. But his interest seemed to fade quickly as he turned back to me. As if he understood what I was trying to do, he smiled pleasantly and picked up the coffee carrier and dessert bag he had just put down. It was fortunate that Ban Hajoon was at least quick to read the room at times like this.
“I’m really closing now, so everyone get out.”
I shooed them both out, waving my hands dismissively. Ju Isin was pushed out with a sullen face, cradling two bouquets in his arms, while Ban Hajoon headed outside with a carefree expression, as if being kicked out wasn’t his first or second time.
“That’s what Ranho-ssi was drying. Are all the flowers dried?”
“Not yet. They’re still not fully dried. They need to dry more.”
“I want to buy some too. That’s really pretty.”
When I reflexively followed his outstretched finger, what I saw was the globe amaranth that Ju Isin was carefully cradling. Please shut up… When I cursed with my eyes, Ban Hajoon laughed. I shouldn’t be fooled by that face. I carefully locked the door, reset the security system I had disabled, and even grabbed the handle and shook it twice to make sure it was properly locked.
Ah. I’m exhausted to death. They say there’s a building owner above God. Even though I’m a building owner, I’m living like a worker ant. On top of that, maybe my work luck exploded because I have to go to the flower market tomorrow morning too…
“Haah…”
“What’s wrong?”
“Hyung?”
Four round eyes turned toward me.
“Bouquets…”
As if the theory that everyone except me is part of a couple was correct, bouquet orders kept coming in without rest. One of the bouquets scheduled for this week had a bride who wanted blue, so I remembered pleading several times when ordering from the flower market for well-colored flowers.
“Haah…”
I sighed so deeply the ground might cave in. With my physical condition at rock bottom, I have to work like today again tomorrow. It’s not like I’m running a company—I’m just operating one flower shop in my own building, but is that really such busy work?
“I’m really busy tomorrow, so don’t come.”
I had to at least reduce the number of customers who came. It would be one thing if they just came and went, but they always buy flowers and create work, so of course it’s unwelcome.
When I spoke firmly while looking at Ban Hajoon and Ju Isin side by side, both nodded as if making a promise. Yes, please keep your word. When I waved my clearly tired hand weakly, Ban Hajoon reached out his arm as if he had forgotten something.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
