#068
“Huh?”
“It’s nothing. More importantly, aren’t you really going to the police station?”
“He said he’d introduce me to a lawyer. He says it’s better to leave this kind of thing to a professional rather than me going myself.”
At my answer, Ju Isin nodded several times. Do whatever you want. His appropriately light voice rang out. Ju Isin, who had his upper body slumped askew against the sofa backrest, sent me an embarrassingly obvious stare. I placed the finished bouquet tied with ribbon at the edge of the table and let out a deep sigh.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“No, just. You looked handsome today so I was looking.”
“It’s not like I’ve been handsome for just a day or two, but you’re acting really surprised. Take this with you.”
I was being sincere, but Ju Isin opened his mouth as if dumbfounded, going “Huh.” Then he closed his open mouth and moved it several times before just spitting out strange interjections like “Um, uh, um” in succession. I wondered what he was trying to say, but when the words that followed came out, this time I was dumbfounded and swallowed my words, going “Huh, really.”
“But hyung, isn’t it that when you come out into society, people one or two years apart are friends?”
Ju Isin was strange. His words were short, and he was saying nonsensical things, so I thought I should send him away quickly.
“Twenty-three and twenty-five aren’t friends.”
“That’s petty.”
“What’s petty? If I were twenty-four born in December, maybe, but that’s not the case either. So call me hyung properly. I like hearing hyung.”
I gathered the plucked leaves and cut stems to throw in the trash and made another bouquet for Ban Hajoon. Even while trimming flowers and shaping them, Ju Isin’s mouth didn’t know how to rest. Starting with “Originally when you come out into society, one or two years difference is equal,” he eventually began calling my name, going “Ranho-.”
“Ranho, hmm. Ranho? Ranho, Ranho- Ranho,”
“Ju Isin-ssi.”
“Yeah, Ranho.”
“If you want to get kicked out, keep fooling around.”
At my firm words, Ju Isin stuck his lips out and pouted. Why is he really acting like that today? After I tied the ribbon and filled a vase with water to put the flowers in, Ju Isin complained unreasonably about why that one looked prettier even though it was the same flowers as his. Ah, déjà vu… I’d experienced this kind of situation once before. I gave Ju Isin flowers too, so I wish he’d just go now, but why isn’t he leaving?
“Aren’t you going?”
“Do I have to?”
“I don’t think there’s really a need for you to be here. You’re loud and keep trying to act equal.”
“No, hyung. I’m not trying to nitpick, but why is that bouquet bigger and prettier? The flowers seem more abundant too. Did you only put sincerity into that bouquet?”
Ju Isin, who opened his eyes sharply, had been moody since earlier. He’d be normal one moment, then growl like an angry Pomeranian the next. I burst into laughter as if experiencing déjà vu again at the vivid situation, then took the bouquet from the vase and handed it to Ju Isin while putting the bouquet he’d been holding into the vase.
“I didn’t put in less or more. Even with the same flowers, the shape, size, and degree of blooming are all different, and besides, it’s not made by a machine, so naturally the shapes can’t be completely identical.”
Ju Isin, who held the bouquet I handed him, made a sour expression and turned his head sharply. Ah, I really hate this. Why is he acting like that?
“…Hyung.”
“Yes.”
“But aren’t I handsome too?”
“Oh my…”
I let out a groan involuntarily. I habitually washed my hands with cold water and pulled out several hand towels to dry them. Behind me, Ju Isin kept calling me, “Hyung? Hyung?”
“Hyung, can’t you hear me by any chance?”
“……”
“Can you hear me? Aren’t I handsome?”
I don’t know what kind of concept that is again. I turned around toward Ju Isin, who was putting on various acts more than usual today, and laughed as if incredulous, and he too seemed embarrassed as he hung his head deeply and grumbled, “Ah, really!” The tips of his ears, which couldn’t be completely hidden, were red.
“Handsome Ju Isin-ssi. Stop fooling around and go home. You worked hard coming early in the morning.”
“Am I really handsome? You’re teasing me.”
“You’re really handsome. When I saw Ju Isin-ssi drunk, I just thought you were a drunkard and a playboy, but when I saw your proper appearance afterward, I thought you were an idol. I thought you were a celebrity that I didn’t recognize because I don’t watch TV much.”
When I joked around, Ju Isin smiled as if his mood had improved a bit. I don’t know why he was in a bad mood in the first place, but anyway, he’s fine now, so that’s fortunate.
“Hyung.”
“More than 10 times a day calling hyung is now banned.”
“Then should I call your name?”
“That’s banned too. I’m two whole years older, where do you get off acting equal?”
“Is hyung a conservative?”
“You just filled up ten times. Now it’s banned.”
At my words not to call me anymore, Ju Isin shook his slumped body and straightened his posture. He protested that there was no such thing, but when I said firmly that it wasn’t allowed, he slumped his large body down.
“Hyung.”
“Why do you keep calling me? Take the flowers and go home now.”
“I want to learn how to make bouquets.”
“Look into the cultural center at a big mart near your house. If there’s a flower arranging class hobby program among their programs, take that.”
I sat across from Ju Isin and opened the chocolate box that Woo Dohwan had bought me, placing it in the middle of the table. Looking at the chocolate box that had many empty spots from eating them whenever I had time, I was thinking that I should hurry up and finish them all and take out fresh ones from the showcase.
“I helped you yesterday.”
“I’m giving you flowers because I’m grateful.”
“Not this, teach me how to make bouquets.”
“I’m busy. There just happen to be no customers right now, but I’m so busy all day that I really can’t even talk, you know?”
“Ah, I don’t know, I don’t know. I’m also worried about leaving hyung here alone, so just open a flower arranging class. Come in the morning and learn bit by bit when hyung isn’t busy.”
Ju Isin threw a tantrum. I’m busy all day long… When I looked at Ju Isin with vacant eyes, he met my eyes with bright, sparkling ones. Actually, whenever annoying situations repeated, the thought that it might be better to just close the flower shop quietly raised its head. But as I worked, I’d grown attached to the flower shop, and I had the special day of Christmas ahead of me.
How pretty the flowers I’ll sell that day will be. It was a day to make flowers that were exactly like “Christmas.” Besides, since I was planning to make a wonderful confession to Woo Dohwan, I thought I should somehow endure it. I placed my elbows on the table and spread my palms. Then I pressed firmly on my tired eye area as if giving myself acupressure for not sleeping properly.
“Hyung. You know what? This is really like an unchanging law.”
“What is?”
“Handsome guys live up to their face value.”
“Oh.”
“That hyung is really too handsome. Think carefully.”
Ju Isin was serious. I couldn’t understand what he’d been saying since earlier, but it seems to roughly mean this. Really handsome Woo Dohwan will live up to his face value, so be careful, something like that?
“Ju Isin-ssi.”
“Yes.”
“To me, you’re also a handsome guy.”
“……”
His lips that had been softly curved instantly hardened. As if he’d found an error in his own words, he covered his mouth with the hand that had been gently caressing flower petals.
“Let’s pretend you didn’t hear that.”
“How can I pretend I didn’t hear what I heard?”
“Anyway, do that. And do flower arranging too.”
“Wow, what kind of unreasonable demand is this?”
While we were exchanging nonsensical words, ding- the wind chime sounded. I was thinking that Ban Hajoon had finally come as I turned around.
“Um… excuse me…”
A thin, high voice was heard. A female student wearing a roomy coat over her school uniform, with shoulder-length bobbed hair neatly tucked behind her ears, hesitantly entered the shop.
“Welcome.”
“Um… I came to buy flowers.”
“Yes, please come this way.”
I pushed the chocolate toward Ju Isin and straightened up. I habitually asked the student who approached with quick steps if there was a specific flower she was looking for.
“There is something I’m looking for… but everywhere else said they didn’t have it.”
“What kind? We’ve used up almost all our flowers here too…”
“Um… it’s called Ohio Blue, a purple flower…”
The student added that she’d been to several places expecting that this place wouldn’t have it either, but they all said they didn’t have it. But I like purple. Ohio Blue was purple, and it was one of the filler flowers I’d brought in a lot thoughtlessly because it was a color I liked.
“We have it.”
“You have it???”
“We have it. Ohio Blue.”
The student’s eyes widened. Finding that sight cute, I stood in front of the showcase without erasing my smile. I opened the showcase that was mainly filled with filler flowers and took out a handful of Ohio Blue to offer, and the student’s lips relaxed and curved into a smile.
“This is it! Amazing!”
“I’m glad we had what you were looking for.”
“Can you make a bouquet with this? I only want this in it.”
“Of course. It’s pretty with just this too. But did you know this flower can also be made into dried flowers?”
The student held the Ohio Blue in her hand and nodded vigorously. She answered “I know” while blushing red on her cheeks, then slightly turned her body and looked away. Unlike what she’d just said, that looked like she was contemplating whether to add other flowers or not.
“Will you add other flowers too?”
“Um… no. I do want just this… but would it be strange if I don’t add other flowers?”
“No. It’ll be pretty with just Ohio Blue. Since it’s a flower with small buds, it would probably be prettier to put in a lot.”
“…Just thirty thousand won’s worth.”
The student opened the small coin purse she’d been clutching tightly with her small hands and took out three ten-thousand-won bills to place on the table. Just this much. She met my eyes with an embarrassed smile.
“Thirty thousand won is a huge amount. Um… this much should be enough. Even if you buy just this much, it’ll really be abundant.”
“Really?”
“Really. Twenty thousand won is enough. Put the ten thousand won back.”
I took only twenty thousand won from the thirty thousand won placed on the table, put it in the register, and returned the ten thousand won. Then I opened the showcase and took out plenty of Ohio Blue. This didn’t need stem trimming. I just trimmed the length, arranged it in a fan shape, and secured the stems.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
