#060
“Phew…”
I opened the showcase door and reached in. I placed yellow Cataluna roses, freesias, and pompon chrysanthemums on the table. The flowers arranged by color were so bright that they resembled spring, enough to make one forget that winter had just begun. When I added white lisianthus and light purple Oxford scabiosa, the color palette became even more diverse.
“What’s with the sudden flowers?”
“I’ve been wanting to keep making them for you. But I haven’t been able to see you.”
“……”
“Don’t give this one to Yeo Dongju-ssi, you take it.”
Got it? I made eye contact with Gyoyeon while arranging the leaves and smiled playfully. I trimmed the stems and gathered the flowers together. I inserted lisianthus and scabiosa in between and shaped them into a round form. Thinking there might not be enough green, I added eucalyptus. When I wrapped it in ivory-colored Claude paper and tied it with a white lace ribbon before handing it over, Gyoyeon held the bouquet to her chest with a bewildered expression.
As I had thought, Gyoyeon and the yellow bouquet suited each other perfectly.
“It’s pretty.”
“…Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. If you thank me just for receiving flowers from a friend who runs a flower shop, I’d feel a bit hurt. I can give you things like this anytime. So let’s see each other more often, Gyoyeon.”
When I answered while untying my apron, Gyoyeon sniffled awkwardly. She’s been dressing lightly, so it seems she’s finally caught a cold. Before our relationship became this awkward, Gyoyeon’s voice seemed to echo in my ears – she had laughed and said she couldn’t give up her coat even if she froze to death when I nagged her to dress warmly.
“I keep telling you to dress warmly. Should we have dinner?”
“That… no, I actually…”
As I folded my apron and hung it on the chair, Gyoyeon tucked her fallen hair behind her ear as if troubled. She seemed reluctant to meet from the start… Could Yeo Dongju have come with her? Then this might be the only time I have to let her know that I don’t like her…
“Gyoyeon.”
I could feel that Gyoyeon, who had been closer to me than anyone, was very uncomfortable with me. How on earth can I fix this situation? Having not one but two villains isn’t enough. Can I really solve this? While making eye contact with Gyoyeon’s wavering pupils, I confessed my feelings about Woo Dohwan to clear up that misunderstanding about “Do you perhaps like me?”
“That person who left earlier isn’t just a customer. He’s someone I like.”
“Huh?”
“He’s not like those bad guys I met before who were desperate to leech off me, and he has more money than me. He seems to have many siblings and many friends too. While I only have you as a friend.”
A somewhat hollow laugh escaped because of my narrow social circle – I really only have Gyoyeon as a friend.
“Also… even when I act badly toward him, he’s consistently good to me and kind. He kept telling me he likes me, but I couldn’t give him an answer. As you saw, his face is so pretty. I wasn’t sure if I only liked that face.”
“What… you’re already head over heels. He was handsome though… I only saw him briefly so I’m not sure?”
Gyoyeon, who had been quietly listening to my soft words, frowned playfully as she answered. Then she moved her lips as if she wanted to say something. Seeing her hesitate, thinking she probably wanted to say sorry, I spoke first.
“You know that my liking you doesn’t mean that, right?”
“Ranho, that day-“
“Let me speak first. Gyoyeon, you’re really, truly a good friend to me. Of course, you’re the only friend I have, but still, you’re the most precious friend, one of a kind in the world. I’ve never thought of you as the opposite sex, not even for a moment.”
I shrugged lightly and continued speaking while organizing the table.
“I don’t know why you had such thoughts… If you said that knowing I wouldn’t be like that, I’m a bit hurt.”
Her clear eyes shook helplessly. Feeling sorry for the apologetic emotion clearly showing on her face, I smiled playfully, and Gyoyeon hung her head low.
“You misunderstood because I kept asking you to marry me, right? I actually thought about it seriously after hanging up the phone. Yeo Dongju-ssi had good reason to feel bad. If he doesn’t know my orientation, it’s perfect for misunderstanding. But I don’t think you would have talked about me to Yeo Dongju-ssi without consulting me… I was careless. I’ll be careful from now on.”
“Ranho.”
“So, contact me. I think I’ll really feel hurt. You know I don’t have friends, right? If I lose you too, I’ll really have to live my life alone…”
“I… Dongju-ssi kept saying… that you treat me too much like the opposite sex. Even though I knew, I… I’m sorry, Ranho. I like that person so much… I guess I thought everything he said was right.”
Gyoyeon’s eyes became moist. Even if she pretended otherwise, she couldn’t help but be concerned. Just as Mo Gyoyeon is Seo Ranho’s closest friend, Seo Ranho would be her closest friend too. I pulled out a tissue and handed it to Gyoyeon, comforting her that it was okay.
By the way, that bastard Yeo Dongju… what should I do about this?
“Why did you lose so much weight again? Where do you even have places to lose weight from?”
“…I’ve been working overtime and been busy lately. When I get home in the evening, I’m too tired to eat dinner. And… Dongju-ssi says I look good now, so I’m maintaining it.”
Gyoyeon, who wiped her moist eyes, blushed on her cheeks and nose tip and smiled shyly.
“Do you… li-like it that much? Enough to want to listen to all such things?”
I almost said that crazy bastard was talking bullshit. She didn’t have any fat on her body even before meeting Yeo Dongju, so what would happen if she got thinner? Really crazy bastard. I was furious inside but hid my crumpled expression and smiled.
“Yes, I like him so much. Dongju-ssi is really… a good person. Kind and sweet. He really thinks about me a lot. Mature.”
“…I see. If you’re happy… I’m happy too. I want to become close with Yeo Dongju-ssi, Gyoyeon.”
I quickly opened the showcase and took out plenty of blue delphiniums and white lisianthus.
“Is Yeo Dongju-ssi waiting outside?”
“Yes, I’m really sorry. Dongju-ssi and I finally had time this evening. So he said he wanted to have dinner together.”
“Don’t be sorry, that’s what dating is like. Then take this with you when you go. Tell him I’m sorry if I made any mistakes or made him feel bad, and ask him to forget about it.”
I endured the unpleasantness and smiled with difficulty while saying things I didn’t mean and arranging the flowers. While thinking the flowers were too precious to give to a bastard like Yeo Dongju, I inserted white lisianthus between the abundant delphiniums.
While I was making the bouquet, Gyoyeon chatted continuously without the awkward appearance she had shown just moments before. He was so excited because it was a date after two weeks since Yeo Dongju was so busy, and how all the team members were too busy to breathe as the year-end approached. Then, as if she suddenly remembered something, she clapped her palms together making a ‘clap!’ sound.
“What about that cute kid?”
“Cute kid?”
“You know, that one. The cute kid who put a candy ring on your finger.”
Gyoyeon’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. At the mention of a candy ring, I immediately thought of who the cute kid she was talking about was.
“Ju Isin-ssi?”
“Ah, right! Isin-ssi.”
“Ju Isin-ssi and I really have no relationship whatsoever?”
“Isn’t that just your opinion?”
What do you mean my opinion? Ju Isin really has no relationship with me whatsoever. The drunk is obviously a cute guy to anyone, so I too just find Ju Isin cute.
“He’s like a younger brother, cute.”
“Isin-ssi said his heart was pounding? Every time you touch flowers?”
“I’ve heard that from other people besides him a lot. It’s not that novel anymore.”
I secured the stems of the gathered flowers. A bouquet mixing blue flowers with white flowers was a combination that couldn’t help but be pretty, so Gyoyeon kept repeating that it was beautiful. I wrapped it in light sky-blue kraft paper and white Claude paper, and finished it by tying white and navy ribbons in layers. The completed bouquet was so pretty that it made my stomach hurt to give it to a bastard like Yeo Dongju.
“Give this to Yeo Dongju-ssi. Also tell him I’ll make something even prettier if he comes later.”
“Thank you, Dongju-ssi will really like it. He was actually disappointed that the flowers you gave last time, the roses, had all wilted.”
That’s the bouquet Ban Hajoon had petulantly asked why Gyoyeon’s was bigger than his. I had carefully made it with the prettiest Hazel roses among the flowers that came in that day… that bastard took it, right.
“If he likes roses, tell him to come once since I got some really pretty roses. Tell him I’ll give them as a gift.”
“Really? Dongju-ssi will like that. Thank you, Ranho. For being considerate.”
Don’t mention it. I’m sorry to Gyoyeon, but I didn’t have even an ounce of good intention. It’s just an action I took because I need to become close with her first in order to let her know what kind of bad guy Yeo Dongju is. I hoped that once she knew about his dirty private life, her overflowing love might cool down even a little.
“Let’s have dinner later. I’ll pay for dinner and drinks. Let’s invite Hajoon-ssi too that day. We couldn’t eat when the four of us met that time.”
“Ah… Dongju-ssi says Hajoon makes him uncomfortable too. Do you think Hajoon has feelings for me too?”
Ugh, what kind of bullshit is that crazy bastard… Gyoyeon hugged the bouquet to her chest and asked with an innocent face. I held back the curse that was about to burst out and shook my head vigorously.
“Ban Hajoon? No? Absolutely not?”
“Dongju-ssi says he’s worried there are too many men around me.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
