W. 5pm
7
As the last flowerpot was placed back in its place, the store fell silent for a moment. Yeoju straightened her back and took a deep breath.
"end-."
He clapped his hands, trailing off his words. Only then did Seokjin brush the remaining dirt off his hands. A different kind of silence flowed between them than when they first met. It wasn't awkward, but it wasn't exactly comfortable either—it was the kind of distance shared between two people who had just learned each other's names. The woman looked at Seokjin for a moment, hesitated, and then spoke.
“It would be a bit much to just leave at this hour.”
After speaking, the heroine herself seemed slightly embarrassed, and the corners of her lips rose. As if she were trying to recapture something she'd just thrown out, she took off her gloves and set them aside, continuing her speech.
“Oh, it’s nothing special. Just… a cup of tea, if that’s okay.”
Seokjin briefly looked around the store. The space was much more organized than before, the flower pots in their proper places, and the air felt as if it had caught its breath.
It was a distinctly different scene from when I first arrived here yesterday. Seokjin nodded once without answering Yeoju's question.
“Then just wait a minute.”
The heroine, as if she had been waiting, went inside the counter. She opened the small refrigerator door, looked inside, and nodded.
“Strawberries and grapes! And orange juice too. What would you like?”
“I’ll have orange.”
“I knew it.”
As he spoke, he took out a bottle of orange juice and placed it on the counter with a thud. He took out another bottle for himself and twisted the cap on it, saying,
“There aren’t many days when there are customers in the store until this hour.”
“Then today is an exception.”
“Yes. A very rare case.”
The woman took a sip from the bottle and rested her elbows lightly on the counter. The posture felt familiar, as if it were work, but she felt a little relaxed in front of customers.
“Usually at this time, I clean up by myself and turn off the lights.”
“You haven’t closed it yet today.”
"I missed the timing because I was moving my luggage. It usually closes around 9:30."
“Then did I interrupt you?”
“No. If it was a nuisance, I wouldn’t have moved the flowerpot in the first place.”
At those words, Seokjin lifted his glass and took a sip of orange juice. A vague taste, neither sweet nor sour, lingered in his mouth.
“Do you come to this neighborhood often?”
“No. Yesterday and today were coincidences.”
“It’s a series of coincidences.”
“That’s right.”
The heroine smiled as if she liked the answer.
“Then… I’m the person who knows the most in this neighborhood.”
“I guess so.”
“If you get confused again.”
The heroine paused in her speech, then added as if nothing had happened.
“You can give me a call. I have the store number.”
“Then can I save one?”
“Oh, yes. Just a moment.”
Yeoju picked up her phone from the counter. She tapped the screen a few times and held it out to Seokjin.
“Here.”
“Im Yeo-ju… right?”
“Yes. I am Im Yeo-ju, the flower shop owner.”
“Other than the store name?”
“Why?”
The heroine said with a smile.
“You’ll know when you get a call.”
Seokjin didn't ask any more questions. He pressed the save button and put the phone down. With a brief vibration, Yeoju's phone screen flickered.
“Oh, you’re here, Seokjin.”
The pronunciation of the name was natural.
Even though I only called once.
“Now it’s okay to get really lost.”
“Right. I remember the rare cases.”
8
That night, returning home, Seokjin, as was his habit, turned on the living room lights first. The light grew brighter than during the day, revealing the potted plant by the windowsill. He hadn't given it much thought until he left in the morning, but as the day wore on, each leaf caught his eye. Seokjin pulled out his phone. There was a new name saved to his contacts list.
Lim Yeo-ju, flower shop owner.
I looked at the flower pot one more time for no reason, moved a little further away, adjusted the angle, and took a picture.
I took another picture because I thought the lighting was too bright, and ended up choosing the first one.
After a moment of hesitation, I sent the message.
Seokjin:
I arrived home safely.
I put it on the windowsill as you told me.
After a while,
I got a reply sooner than I expected.
Heroine:
Oh, it suits you well.
The seat is better than I thought 👍
Seokjin:
I haven't given it water yet.
Will you be okay today?
Heroine:
Yes, yes, just leave it alone today.
If the soil feels cool and moist when you touch it, it's good enough.
Seokjin held his phone in one hand and gently pressed the soil in the flowerpot with the other.
… it was cold and damp.
Seokjin:
I'm afraid I'll touch it again if I touch it for no reason.
A brief gap.
The read mark appeared, disappeared, and appeared again.
Heroine:
It's like that at first
Just look at it once in a while when you think of it
Seokjin:
All right.
Today I'll just look at it.
Heroine:
That's the best 😊
Please raise him well, Seokjin.
After the message ended, the house fell silent again. Seokjin put his phone down and looked at the flower pot again. Nothing had happened, and the flower was still there. And yet, tonight, it felt less empty than yesterday.
9
From that day on, Seokjin would drive down that alley two or three times a week, whenever his commute home felt uncertain. Some days he'd deliberately set aside time, while others he'd simply stop by by chance. At first, the reasons were clear: he wanted to make sure he was watering the plants properly, to check if the leaves were a good color.
“This one, the ends seem a little dried out.”
“Ah-“
“I turned on the heater yesterday.”
"…yes."
“Then we found the culprit.”
She said with a smile, and Seokjin nodded as if he had been caught for no reason. Then, at some point,
There were days when the story about the flower pot didn't come up first.
“Is there anything you want to move today?”
“No. I’m fine today.”
“Then did you come for nothing?”
"No. Why? I'm just watching."
The time spent sitting in the store, silently admiring the flowers, grew longer. Yeoju was behind the counter, wrapping flowers, watering them, or tilling the soil. They were each doing different things, but simply being in the same space made it feel like they were having a conversation.
“Is Seokjin’s company nearby?”
“There is a bit of a road.”
“Then you came here on purpose.”
Seokjin smiled slightly and slowly fixed his gaze on the female lead.
“Um… I guess it’s on purpose. I’m coming to see you, Yeoju.”
The woman's eyes widened for a moment. Her lips parted slightly, but she immediately exhaled as if catching her breath, lowering her head slightly. Her hands clenched and unclenched their gloves, seemingly at a loss. Seokjin watched her, his expression still calm, but his eyes gleaming with a hint of mischief. He uncrossed his arms, leaned forward slightly, one hand resting lightly on the counter. Meanwhile, the woman blushed briefly, her gaze shifted to the flowerpot, then back to him.
“That… Really?”
"sure."
Seokjin tilted his head slightly and smiled. It was a small smile, but it was subtle enough to make the female protagonist's heart beat a little faster.
"I spent all my time moving flowers today, but the truth is, the reason I always come here isn't because of the plants. I thought I made a show of it, though..."
The heroine turned her face away, feigning indifference, but her shoulders rose slightly and her fingers continued to play with the ends of her gloves. Her eyes wanted to look at him, but at the same time, they seemed to avert slightly, embarrassed. Seokjin swallowed a small laugh at her reaction.