Your POV I hate flowers what a vile thing to see everyday as i wake up and walk in my family's shop.
Like any other day i make what i distaste the most a bouquet of roses.I sigh as about every customer that walks through those doors ask for a rose bouquet making me sick to my stomach. They don't just ask for roses but for me to make it for their miserable soul.
I flip the sign to open as I unlock the door and look up yo see the first customer. He looks beyond handsome with a cute bun look face. the guy looks vaguely familiar like I’ve seen him before. I notice he has flowers on his shirt and he has a brown canvas jacket hanging over his shoulder blowing a bubble with his gum.
"Hello how may i help you?"
He looks up to see me and smile, “I'm looking for some flowers for my mother. Do you have any ideas if what i can get her?"
I look at him and shrug, "I'm not sure what does she like."
"Truthfully she doesn't like flowers but i want to change her mind about them."
What a surprising person. He wants to buy flowers for his mother for she can change her mind about them.
"Why do that?"
He looks at me surprised and simple answers, "To see her smile again."
"Then why flowers?"
"Because that's what my dad always bought her."
For once i smile remembering even though as a child i disliked flowers, but for my grandmother I'd deal with it happily.
I smile slightly as I look around the shop, “Maybe forget-me-nots. I mean it might be a bit sad to get them, but it’s also a strong meaning behind them. It can be a way to tell your mother not to forget to be happy.”
He looks at me shocked confusing me. I look at him lifting my eyebrow causing him to stutter and I end up laughing.
He smiles at me, “I’ve never heard you laugh before. I mean I had come here a few times with my father when he was alive but you always looked annoyed. “
I look at him studying him then I remember the boy who looked like a bun. My grandmother always called him Baozi cause he’d always puff his cheeks when his dad wouldn’t listen to him.
“Oh you’re Baozi,” I point to him turning away from the flowers, “You’ve lost a lot of weight.”
He chuckles, ‘It has been a while, hasn’t it?”
I nod my head slightly remembering the chubby shy boy that never really spoke to me.
He simply smiles at me before i turn around to pick up some forget-me-nots and other flowers i remember from his father's orders. I slowly design a magical looking bouquet perfect for his mother. He watches my every movement and for once I don't’ feel annoyed by this fact. Instead I feel happy and excited.
Still he seems to notice what he’s doing, “Oh I forgot you don't’ like people watching you, do you?”
I smile as I look back at him placing the final flower in place, “Today I made an exception.”
I place the flowers in a beautiful vase to show off the beauty that is them.
I give him the price and he gladly hands me more than what the price I had asked for for the bouquet and the vase.
“Wait don't’ you want change?”
“No, you keep it.”
“This is far too much even for a tip,” I tell him.
He turns at the door carefully and slowly opening it, “Then keep it as a deposit for the next set I buy flowers.”
I laugh as I walk over to where I had set cattails for some bouquets and even little kids will ask for one to give to a friend or a family member.
I still have a group of 4 boys that come in once a week to ask for cattails for their friend who is a girl their best friend. She gets sick all the time and they bring her a cattail each. It reminds me of that 2am song... Maybe they stole it from that song. I smile softly at the memory of the cute song and it’s music video.
I watch as my family starts to pour into the flower shop and how my younger siblings file out of the shop, our home, like it was on fire. I guess I’m not the only one that wants to get out of here.
“___,” I look up at my mother, “smile we’re open. No need to scare the customers.”
Even though I’m probably the reason why we have so many and the most recognized flower shop in Seoul.
I watch as customers start to pile in and I turn my face to a neutral look one that I’ve kept on my face in the shop since my grandmother died.
I still have guys buying flowers for their lover and listen to them hit on me. I’m not sure why people use to think I was a boy what has changed besides I’ve grown my hair out.
It’s been a week since I saw Baozi, but I just tell myself that I need to calm down and wait for him to come to the shop he said the next time.
I sigh when it’s almost closing time and I’m wiping up the counter and the rest of the store.
I hear the door open and I sigh thinking to myself, ‘I really should learn to put the close sign up at this time of night.’
I turn around to see Baozi walking inside the shop making my heart ache.
“Hi,” he says with a lightly dusted pink cheeks.
“Hello, how may I help you tonight?”
“Can I get two white lilies?”
I nod my head picking up to white lilies thinking how plain compared to before.
“Tomorrow I’m visiting my father’s grave and I thought flowers sounded nice to bring him. He always said that even though a white lily meant death it was a beautiful flower. He told my the story when i was a kid when he tried to give my mother a white lily the first time and how she was mad at him.”
I chuckle as I smile slightly at him, “That sounds like a nice family. I wish my family was like that... My dad just sits in his chair upstairs drinking until he passes out. I think one of these days we’re going to find him dead in that chair and personally I can’t wait until that day. He cares more about his alcohol and at times drugs more than his family. What kind of person would do that?”
“The kind of person who just wants to escape life and lost control of what he believed is his reality.”
I smile, “That’d be easy to say, but he’s mentally abusive to my siblings.”
“Then take them away from it or fight against the damage that he does on them.”
I look up at him and ask, “Do you want to go get some ice cream with me?”
“You know what I’d love that,” he says as he hold sit hand out to me.
I pick up my small shoulder bag that has my keys, wallet, and phone inside of it.
We’re walking around city with our ice cream heading toward my shop when we reach a park.
I take Baozi’s hand, “Come on Baozi.”
We reach a pair of swing sets and he says, “My name is Kim Min Seok, but all of my friends call me Xuimin.”
I nod my head smiling, “Alright. Then Xuimin.”
He smiles at me, “So you spend how much time comforting your siblings trying to undo the abuse?”
“I’m not sure it changes daily, but lately my dad has been stuck in his chair and soon I think he’ll die from alcohol poisoning.”
He nods his head and hugs me causing me to gasp.
I pull back looking him in the eyes as he takes another bit of his ice cream, “Why did you do that?”
“You’re very huggable you know that ____.”
I blush hoping it’s still dark enough around us that he won’t notice.
“Why do you say that? I’m nothing like other girls. I stick to wearing boy clothing and baggy pants.”
"So why should it matter.? You are a very caring, smart, and beyond kind girl."
I look down as i sit on a swing humming a small song.
"No I'm not. I can barely protect my siblings plus i hate everything about my Grandmother.even though I loved her very much."
Xuimin starts laughing, "That can happen. That’s how I felt about my father’s job, but I learned to love it again when there was a reason to.”
I look at the flowers feeling a slight warmth inside my heart.
We walk back to my house where we say our goodbyes.
Xuimin stops and hands me a piece of paper, “Here’s my number just incase you need someone to talk to.”
I smile as I lean over to give him a hug.
It’s been a few weeks since Xuimin and I had our walk in the middle of the night and it seems we do that twice a week.
Today I came home from an errand to hear that my father had died around the time I was gone of alcohol poisoning, but I’m not happy about it.
I call Xuimin and tell him about it and he tells me that he’d be right there to see me. I was happy when i see him run up to me through the doors wrapping me into his arms making me feel better.
Soon we find ourselves at the park sitting on the swings eating some ice cream.
Xuimin has told me exactly what I needed to hear.
“Xuimin why are you so nice to me?”
I watch as he stops pushing his sing and turns towards me. Slowly I watch as his hand reached over grabbing my swing pulling me closer to him.
I’m staring into his eyes when he says, “Because I love you.”
He then kisses me lightly on the lips causing me to gasp in surprise.
He looks away from me as i reach up touching my lips surprised no one had ever confessed to me not caring what could happen. Most of the time they just give me a letter or something running away from me.
I smile slightly and glad that the swings are close enough i can still lean over resting my head on his arm. I feel warmer inside than I ever have in so long.
“Why me? Why love me?”
“I’m not sure ever since I can remember from when I first met you i have felt this strong feeling. It wasn’t until I talked to my father when he was dying on his hospital bed that he had me realize my feelings. I was just scared to see you again well i was still a mess from his death.”
I look at him and smile, “I think I love you as well. When you walked into the shop those few months ago I found it inside myself wanting to spend more and more time with you. Does that mean I love you as well?”
He shrugs his shoulders, “I’m not sure do you?”
He takes my hands in his placing them near his chest where I can feel his heart beating frantically just like mine.
I smile as I move our hands near my heart on my chest where he can feel my heartbeat.
“Our hearts our the same and I spend almost every minute of the day thinking of you and hoping that I’ll hear from you or see you.”
He leans over and kisses my forehead, “What do you think you feel?”
“I think I love you.”
He smiles at me well holding my face between his hands, “Can I kiss you again?”
I smile as I lean forward until our lips meet.
When we pull away he asks me, “Will you go out with me ____?”
I nod my head, “I believe I’ll love that.”
He chuckles as he kisses my lips then my forehead.
I smile at him, “You know what I don’t think I hate flowers anymore since they brought us together.”
He chuckles as he takes my hand in his well he stands up from the swing, “Let’s go out on our first date.”