#032
I let out long, deep sighs as I turned around. There was one more bouquet left.
I closed the door, went inside, and stood in front of the showcase again. I took out apricot Juliet roses and pink astilbe. These were flowers I’d spent a long time choosing with the bride who said she wanted to hold a bouquet that would make people think “Oh, she’s getting married!” just from a glance. We looked at various roses and peonies, showed several types of flowers commonly used in bouquets, and selected them again and again, choosing the most lovely flowers that would suit her small, petite figure best.
When I explained that the tightly packed petals inside the round outer petals had a somewhat unique shape, but were much prettier and more lovely when seen in person rather than in photos, the bride chose the Juliet roses without further hesitation. Personally, I thought they were prettier now with unopened buds rather than in full bloom. Like the irises, the roses were also well-hydrated and in good condition. The only thing in poor condition here was me.
I made the corsage and boutonniere for the wedding party in turn. Since they were large-faced flowers, they looked really cute when made into boutonnieres. I carefully placed them in the flower box without overlapping and trimmed the stems to make the bouquet. I arranged them to match the height. Since these flowers could look flat if done wrong, it was important to match the heights well. I arranged them in a round shape and inserted light pink astilbe that was almost white between them.
I secured the stems firmly and thickly wrapped the stem portion with white lace ribbon, then finished with pearl decorations. I took photos from various angles and sent them to the bride’s side, then filled the flower box with white lisianthus. I fixed it well in the center of the box so the flower shape wouldn’t get distorted and put it straight into the showcase. Then I made mini bouquets with phalaenopsis orchids, yellow pompom chrysanthemums, and carnations, set them aside separately, and looked to see if there was anything suitable to make instead of a bridal crown.
Juliet roses were large-faced flowers that weren’t good for making into crowns. As I was thinking about what would be appropriate, I remembered that two children were going to be flower girls, so I decided to make crowns for those two.
I opened the showcase and took out baby’s breath. Half white and half light pink mixed together. If I only put baby’s breath, the crowns might look a bit plain, so I also took out plenty of spray roses. I wove baby’s breath onto round frames and inserted roses densely between them. I made two in cute sizes, placed them on top of the flower boxes in the showcase, and closed the glass door. How much time was left? It was just past 9 o’clock now. I was a little later than expected because I was deliberating over which flowers to use for the crowns.
Still, it was fortunate since it was before pickup time. I organized the messy table and gathered the removed petals and cut stems to throw in the trash. Even after clearing the cluttered table, there was no sign of anyone coming to pick up flowers, so I thought I should go to the convenience store for a moment. I untied the apron I was wearing and put on the cardigan I’d taken off. The weather was getting colder day by day.
Even as I opened the door and went out, I looked around to see if anyone was coming urgently. As I looked around in all directions and breathed in the cold air, I coughed involuntarily. The weather was very chilly. It had gotten even colder as the month passed. I could feel winter approaching. Cough cough— I walked while dry coughing. I bought a few canned coffees and also bought a jeweled ring that I was supposed to return to Ju Isin but couldn’t find.
After finishing the payment and returning to the shop with the plastic bag dangling from my wrist, a customer who must have arrived sometime while I was gone was waiting for me in front, dressed in a neat suit.
“Oh? Hello, um… I’m sorry. You came to pick up the bouquet, right?”
“Yes, hello. My noona said I could come now….”
He rolled up his left wrist sleeve to check the time. It wasn’t far from the time he said he’d come to pick it up, and the man didn’t seem in a hurry either, which was fortunate.
“I heard you told noona not to come pick up the bouquet early.”
I quickly passed by the man who hadn’t quite shed his youthful appearance and gave him an answer to his question.
“Ah… that’s right. If the flowers bloom too much from being at room temperature for too long, it’s not good.”
“Aren’t flowers supposed to be pretty when they’re in full bloom….”
“They have bloomed, but the buds haven’t opened much. The flowers the bride ordered are especially pretty before the buds open. Since the weather is chilly, it’s better to keep them outdoors rather than indoors, but if the situation doesn’t allow it, then keep them in the coolest place possible. I put ice packs in there.”
There was a rustling sound from the bag I put down on the table. When I took out a canned coffee and offered it to him, he politely declined. I awkwardly withdrew my extended hand and opened the showcase to give him the prepared flowers, and the man turned around without delay, saying thank you. I followed him at a slight distance and told him that I’d made and included crowns for the children to use.
“Thank you. My nieces will love them.”
“Please tell them congratulations on the wedding. Have a safe trip.”
“Yes, thank you.”
He simply turned his head slightly to bow silently, then quickly walked away with light steps. After watching his back as he got into a car that was waiting with hazard lights on, I also closed the door and walked into the shop. I planned to rest for the remaining morning hours and dry some flowers when I felt better. Since I’d brought in many types of roses, it seemed like it would be fun.
I sat on the sofa, took out a canned coffee, and turned on the mini heater placed at my feet. Ugh, it’s cold. I unfolded the neatly folded blanket and covered my legs. Was it because the weather was cold, or because I wasn’t feeling well, or both? I shook my head and closed my eyes. Ah, I hope no more customers come today.
Blink blink, my eyelids heavily descended.
***
I could hear murmuring conversation sounds from somewhere. This isn’t such a noisy place. The voices reaching my ears were divided into very familiar ones and unfamiliar ones. Trembling, my fluttering eyelids slowly rose. I must have fallen quite deeply asleep because even though I opened my eyes, my vision was blurry. It took a while to bring my sight into focus. Someone’s outer garment was covering my body as I leaned against the sofa.
“What the.”
And at my stirring, a delighted voice rang out.
“Rano! Are you awake?”
Gyoyeon, sitting lightly on the sofa armrest, reached her hand toward my face. She gently smoothed out the wrinkles between my deeply furrowed brows and smiled brightly. She was holding one of the canned coffees I’d bought.
“When did, ahem, when did you come? You should have woken me.”
“I haven’t been here long. But who’s that? Over there, that cute kid.”
Gyoyeon suddenly bent her upper body forward and put her lips to my ear.
“I came with Dongju-ssi to have lunch with you, but there was something black crouched there, so I thought it was a dog, but it turned out to be a person. So I was surprised, but when I looked closely, he was totally cute. When I was about to scream, he held up his finger telling me to be quiet, and why is he so cute?”
I slightly averted my gaze from her lips that were liberally using the word “cute” and turned my head to check behind me. So Yeo Dongju didn’t listen to a word I said. What I was looking at wasn’t the person Gyoyeon kept praising as cute, but Yeo Dongju, who was showing his back and responding in a refined tone.
“Oh, hyung.”
The first to react to my cool gaze was Ju Isin.
“What brings you here, calling me hyung. This is driving me crazy.”
Gyoyeon laughed while repeating the strange sound of her heart going thump, and Ju Isin smiled cheerfully without understanding why. He seemed to be having some conversation with Yeo Dongju, but he turned around without hesitation, approached me, took the position Gyoyeon had mentioned, and met my eyes.
“Are you sick somewhere?”
“I’m not.”
“But you were groaning in pain.”
Ju Isin’s hand reached out and touched my forehead before falling away. You have a fever. Rather than his voice full of worry, the jeweled ring on his pinky finger, still in its unopened package, caught my attention.
“Ah, this. This is mine, right?”
“……”
“I really lost mine, didn’t I?”
“…Yeah. But I lost it at home. It’ll probably turn up when I clean.”
“Then give me that one too when you find it. Until then, this one is… collateral.”
When Ju Isin smiled with his eyes crinkling, Gyoyeon, who was still in the same spot, made an “oh my” sound and straightened her body.
“But how do you know our Ranho, Isin-ssi?”
They must have introduced themselves while I was sleeping. What a uselessly sociable drunkard. Gyoyeon crossed her arms and asked with a face like a sister-in-law, quite different from her lively voice.
“Um… Gyoyeon?”
“You stay still. He really is cute, but… you don’t have good judgment when it comes to people.”
At Gyoyeon’s words, Ju Isin straightened his body. With the suddenly elevated view, his round eyes also turned upward. With very sharp eyes, she busily scanned Ju Isin’s entire body and spat out meaningless interjections like “hmm,” “mm,” “hmm” in succession.
“How old are you?”
“Twenty-three.”
“Do you know how old our Ranho is?”
“I only know he’s my hyung.”
“Did you approach Ranho because you saw he has money?”
“Oh… that was really rude just now. You know that, right? But since you seem close to Ranho hyung, I’ll just answer. I probably have more money.”
Even as Ju Isin said this, he answered in a tone that showed he wasn’t offended at all. While doing so, he moved his head slightly and winked at me.
“But hyung. Did any strange people approach you and extort money?”
“…Ah… no?”
Since I said no with a face that didn’t look like “no,” it was quite unconvincing. The old Seo Ranho did get money extorted on a daily basis, but the current Seo Ranho would never let that happen, so anyway it really was no.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
