#076
“What?”
“You’ve heard about it.”
Even at the sudden words, I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. In the midst of it all, I thought that maybe because he was older, even his choice of words seemed old. And he kept mixing informal and formal speech. Even more annoyingly.
“I judge people first. I do loosen up a bit with good people, but with people who aren’t… there’s no point. It’s tiring for both of us.”
If you misunderstand. At my added words, Yeo Dongju’s eyebrows rose upward. As I handed him the mug and our fingertips brushed, I got goosebumps. Ugh, I fucking hate this.
“Can I give you a gift of pretty flowers?”
“Why would Seo Ranho-ssi…”
“I have something to apologize for. I was hoping your heart might… soften a bit.”
“Ah.”
Yeo Dongju nodded with a fishy smile.
“I’ve forgotten everything. Like a man.”
“Wow, this must be why Gyoyeon likes you. Because you’re manly.”
“Back then, you got angry when I said I was giving flowers to another woman, right?”
Of course I got angry, did it look like I wouldn’t? My anger built up layer by layer again.
“Gyoyeon and I are closer than you think. Of course, I mean close as friends. Gyoyeon and I have never, not for a single moment, seen each other as anything other than friends.”
“Ah.”
“You don’t need to know, but it’s better if you do. Anyway, so back then I was a bit angry, but thinking about it, I thought that could happen. Like Dongju-ssi said, we’re not married. Sometimes you’re drawn to something light…”
“Exactly. Everyone has one or two people they meet casually. Now we’re finally understanding each other, Seo Ranho-ssi. When you have money and you’re young, you should enjoy it to the fullest. When you get older, you have to worry about what people think and can’t even do that.”
I nodded, but I didn’t think he was right. I just thought, so that garbage mindset is still there. Still, appreciating Yeo Dongju for directly telling me the important part, I opened the showcase and took out yellow tulips, freesias, and daisies. Yeo Dongju’s gaze moved from the Sweetness to the tulips.
“Tulips are pretty this season.”
“Really?”
“Yes. So I brought in a lot of tulips. Because they’re pretty.”
I cut the tulips to an appropriate length and trimmed them, then trimmed the stems of the freesias. After removing the messy leaves attached to the daisies, I gathered all the flowers together. After mixing the tulips and freesias well, I arranged the daisies in between. Being yellow, the bouquet was definitely bright.
After wrapping it with overlapping white tissue paper and kraft paper, I finished it by making a ribbon on one side with dark green ribbon string. Yeo Dongju’s gaze lingered on the dark-colored ribbon string.
“If the ribbon string is bright too, it looks tacky.”
When I handed it to him, his eyes lit up.
“Smells good, right?”
“It’s pretty. I actually thought roses looked prettier all along. But seeing it made up like this, this is definitely prettier.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
Yeo Dongju in a perfectly fitted suit with a bouquet in his arms was definitely a decent-looking man on the outside. With such an upright appearance, why does he live like that? I couldn’t understand it, nor did I want to. I just kept thinking about where that bouquet, which was too good to give to that bastard, would end up.
“The flowers are my gift. I’ll forget all about that incident from now on too.”
“I’ll arrange a get-together later. There’s nothing better than that kind of gathering for getting close.”
Getting close, that kind of gathering – is ‘that kind’ what I think it is? If I get to know his dirty behavior, wouldn’t I be able to help Gyoyeon sort things out more decisively then?
“Wow. I’ll look forward to it.”
When I clapped and let out a soulless cheer, Yeo Dongju, who had been shrugging his shoulders, snapped his thumb and middle finger together making a sharp sound.
“Oh right, I wasn’t here today.”
“I never gave you flowers as a gift.”
“That’s right! I like you, Seo Ranho-ssi.”
When I smiled while untying my apron, Yeo Dongju headed noisily toward the entrance with visibly excited steps. Following behind him, I explained how to keep flowers longer for the bouquet that might end up at that bastard’s house.
“Change the water frequently with cold water, and each time cut the stems diagonally. If you keep them in a cool place, you can see them fresh for longer.”
“I’ll pass that along.”
As expected, once a son of a bitch is always…
“Take care.”
“Let’s get together with Gyoyeon soon. She kept saying she hopes Ranho-ssi and I get along well.”
“Yes. I’ll call Gyoyeon.”
“Thanks for this. I’ll use it well.”
Yeo Dongju gently waved the bouquet in his hand. What is he going to use the bouquet for? He’s going to give it to someone, right? How did such an increasingly stupid man become a team leader?
“Come often. You can come alone or with Gyoyeon.”
At my words, Yeo Dongju smiled. With a face as bright as the flowers in his arms. Just as his act of lightly tapping my shoulder to show friendliness was becoming disgusting, Yeo Dongju turned around. He had parked conspicuously on the roadside in front of my shop. Idiot. They give parking violation tickets there.
Walking away in a good mood, Yeo Dongju discovered the paper stuck in his wiper and let out vulgar curses. His fiercely opened eyes turned straight toward me, so I pretended not to know and widened my eyes. When I asked with lip movements what was wrong, he burst into laughter as if dumbfounded. He stuck the paper between his fingers and waved it back and forth before getting into the driver’s seat.
I stood leaning against the door until Yeo Dongju’s car disappeared from view. Then I suddenly put my hand in my pocket and took out my phone. The voice memo time was over 30 minutes. I pressed the stop button and saved the file name as ‘Shitju1’.
I should go home and listen to it. I was planning to gather evidence bit by bit and deliver it to Gyoyeon. While doing so, it bothered me to agree with Yeo Dongju, but it couldn’t be helped if I wanted to gather evidence. Actually, this is also a cowardly excuse. Still, if I just recklessly told Gyoyeon that Yeo Dongju is garbage and to break up, that would backfire. If Gyoyeon, who’s head over heels for Yeo Dongju, believes my words, that would be fortunate, but if she doesn’t… the result would be terrible.
For now, the best I could do was gather evidence to show how bad Yeo Dongju is. If she still meets Yeo Dongju after confirming that, that would be Gyoyeon’s choice and I could just step back. My stomach might feel bitter, but if she says she likes him even knowing all that, what can I do?
I had a bitter taste in my mouth. I stood on my tiptoes and tapped the floor when familiar shoes caught my eye. The person who stepped up onto the terrace gave off a familiar scent.
“Hello.”
It’s Woo Dohwan. When I looked up, his beautifully drawn face immediately filled my vision.
“Welcome.”
“I came early, were you waiting?”
“I was waiting. Happily since 3 o’clock.”
“That doesn’t look like a happy face?”
He’s quick to notice too. I turned my head away for no reason and cleared my throat.
“But you were outside. Why?”
“I had a customer, and I was organizing the shop. Just a moment. I’ll be quick, do you want to come in?”
“No, I’ll stay outside.”
I nodded and turned around. I cleaned up the table that had become messy from making the bouquet for Yeo Dongju and cleared away the cup he had drunk from. If you’re not going to drink it, why ask for coffee? What a waste. Everything I gave him from beginning to end was a waste.
I rinsed the cup and turned it upside down, then turned off the lights when the Excellent Point caught my eye. How about taking some decorations and a potted plant up to the house? No, there’s still some left. I stroked the pot with my fingertips and turned around.
After finishing the security system setup, I jumped down from the terrace. With Woo Dohwan behind me, I selected and bagged beer at the convenience store.
“Is chicken okay?”
“It’s okay.”
I hung the bag with beer on my wrist and waited for the elevator. I usually thought it was slow, but today it was particularly slow. As I glanced at Woo Dohwan through the mirror-like door, the elevator I’d been waiting for arrived with a loud sound and opened.
“It’s the 8th floor.”
“I know. This is my second time here.”
I wanted to get home quickly, but the speed going up was also damn slow. Was it always this slow? No way. Doesn’t it usually go up one floor per second? Then if it’s the 8th floor, does it take 8 seconds? They say elevators need to be replaced only after buildings are over 20 years old… How many years old is this one? I arrived at the 8th floor while thinking thoughts with zero feasibility. It definitely didn’t take 8 seconds to arrive.
I washed my hands first and ordered chicken. After ordering half garlic and half original, I called Woo Dohwan, who was looking around the house like it was his first time even though he’d been here several times.
“But are you sick anywhere today?”
“I’m not sick.”
“Your face looks a bit off. Or did something happen?”
“You really do like me.”
Woo Dohwan muttered with a serious expression. What’s he saying, this weathervane? I snorted but didn’t give a negative answer.
“What happened?”
“I’m going to work starting next week, honey.”
“Wow…!”
“I’ll be busy for a while. But I’ll still come. Whenever I get a chance.”
“…Now I won’t even be able to tease Woo Dohwan-ssi for being unemployed.”
I trailed off as if disappointed while facing Woo Dohwan sitting across from me at the dining table.
“That’s why it would have been good if you let me work part-time.”
“Even if I let you do that, you were going to inherit it anyway.”
“……”
“I’m a little disappointed. Because it seems like we won’t be able to meet as freely as now, a little… really just a little, disappointed.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
