W. 5 p.m.
19
Kim Namjoon's day was always the same: reports, schedules, phone calls. And today... there was one more thing added.
Flower shop.
He was quietly watching the store from his car. The engine was off, and the windows were half-rolled. Even amidst the crowd, he wouldn't be noticed. He'd chosen that spot deliberately. Yeoju opened the store a little later than usual. She yawned as she raised the shutter, then tucked her hair behind her ear and stepped inside. The sign lit up, and soon, the familiar routine began. Namjoon scribbled a few words on his notepad.
10:12 AM, normal business hours.
Around lunchtime, a middle-aged woman who seemed to be a regular stopped by, and a delivery arrived. Yeoju, moving a flower pot, knocked it over, covered her hands in dirt, and laughed as she wiped it off her apron. Nothing special happened. It was so ordinary... Perhaps it was a day that felt reassuring. Namjoon took a sip of his coffee. It was already cold. Around 3 p.m., Yeoju briefly left the flower shop and stopped by a nearby cafe. On her way back with a takeout cup, she caught a subtle smile on her face as she looked at her phone. Namjoon didn't look at her expression for long. Instead, he checked the time.
Estimated personal currency. No counterparty verification possible.
As the sun began to set, the shop fell silent again. Yeoju turned on some music, arranging the flowers, and muttered to herself. Namjoon couldn't hear her from inside the car, but he could tell from her expression that the day was going smoothly. 8:40 PM. Yeoju closed a little earlier than usual. Before closing the shutters, she took one more look around the shop and turned off the lights. Locking the door and turning around, she paused for a moment, looking toward the end of the alley. There was no one waiting. Yeoju briefly expressed regret before heading home.
Namjoon took one last look at the scene and started the car. There wasn't much to report. That was a relief, actually. He held the steering wheel and sorted out a short message.
No special circumstances. Normal day.
Before pressing the send button, Namjoon paused for a moment.
And he added very briefly:
… is peaceful.
The car quietly exited the alley. Yeoju's day was ending like that, uneventfully.
20
As she continued her surveillance as usual, closing time approached, Yeoju took out the box she'd kept under the counter. She planned to organize the flowers she'd received that day, water the remaining pots, and then close the shutters. Only soft music played inside the store, and darkness had already fallen outside. That was it.
The bell rang just before the store closed. Yeoju instinctively raised her head. The man standing at the door was a face she'd never seen before. His attire was neither neat nor unkempt. The problem was his gaze. His gaze scanned the store too slowly.
“We finished today.”
The heroine spoke as softly as possible.
“Tomorrow again—”
“Oh, just a moment.”
The man interrupted and took a step forward.
“I bought this here.”
What he held out was a small, wilting flowerpot. The soil was dry, and the leaves had turned yellow at the tips. Yeoju immediately assessed the situation.
“When did you buy it?”
“Is it a while?”
“Exchanges or refunds are only possible on the day of purchase.”
“No, the flower ended up like this?”
“I think I explained how to manage it.”
“Who remembers all that?”
Her voice rose slightly. The woman moved to the counter, keeping her distance. She unconsciously glanced at the door. It wasn't locked yet.
“Let me explain again. This is—”
“Are you saying I raised him wrong?”
The man's eyes weren't smiling, but the corners of his mouth were upturned. He had a sour expression. The woman took a deep breath and spoke as calmly as possible.
“That’s not what I meant. But in this state—”
“Oh, that’s okay.”
He slammed the flowerpot down on the counter. Then he looked the woman up and down and said.
“You’re finishing things alone these days.”
"yes....?"
“Why~ lately… you’ve been keeping a man next to you?”
The man, seeing the female protagonist's reaction, raised the corners of his mouth and added.
“I guess he’s not coming today?”
His tone was light, but his gaze was overly persistent.
As if I had seen this scene many times before.
21
His tone was light, but his gaze was unerringly persistent. His eyes never stopped on the woman's face. He lingered longer on her face, then her neckline, shoulders, and back, than on the flower pots and price tags on the counter. She put down the receipt in her hand. The paper crumpled slightly under her fingertips, as if trying to hide her discomfort.
“Oh, anyway, refunds are difficult. It’s closing time now—”
She took a step back and spoke. Before the heroine could finish speaking, the man approached. The sound of his shoes scraping against the tiles was unusually loud.
“Then why are you scratching me? Huh?”
The man laughed. It was a smile, with only the corners of his mouth turned up, his eyes still fixed. Then, as if nothing had happened, he grabbed the woman's wrist. His fingers wrapped precisely around the inside of her wrist, as if he were holding onto a rope. He continued to pull, applying pressure. The woman swallowed, as if suffocated.
"customer-!"
She instinctively tried to pull her hand away, but the man's grip dragged her helplessly. Her body swayed after half a beat. Her heels lifted slightly from the floor before sinking back down.
“Why are you so sensitive?”
“Put this aside—”
“When I was with that guy, I was so talkative and happy.”
At that moment—
The shop door opened and the bell rang. Soon, a short, sharp sound was heard.
“Please let go of this hand.”
The voice was calm but firm. The air shifted in an instant. Yes. The moment Namjoon acted, which he perceived as violent, he immediately left the car and headed straight for the flower shop. His gaze wasn't fixed on the woman, but on the man's wrist. Namjoon's hand grabbed the man's arm. The moment he grasped it, he changed direction. He pulled the hand that had been touching the woman away from him, as if pulling it outward.
“Ah!! You crazy... what are you!”
The man let go reflexively, hissing. As soon as the woman's arm was free, she immediately stepped back and went behind Namjoon.
“There is no way out of this situation.”
“What are you talking about?”
"Physical contact. CCTV is also running."
Namjoon stared straight down at the man. He didn't avert his eyes or raise his voice. In fact, he seemed to be looking down on him because of his height. The man rubbed his wrist and took a step back. His face showed a sudden realization that things weren't going his way.
The man glared at Namjoon for a moment. His eyes narrowed, and his lips moved in a twisted motion.
“Ha!...Why are there so many men around here?”
Just as he was about to flee the flower shop, he kicked a medium-sized flowerpot nearby. With a dull thud, the pot toppled over, sending dirt and debris flying across the floor. Yeoju instinctively shrugged.
“Tsk, what unlucky.”
The man glanced at the female lead and Namjoon, who were standing inside the store, for the last time, then headed toward the door. The door creaked open, the bell rang harshly, and the sound of it closing was unusually loud.
For a moment, the store was filled with broken flower pots, scattered dirt, and the sound of lingering breaths. Namjoon only turned his gaze after confirming the door was completely closed. He glanced down at the shards of the flower pot on the floor, then approached Yeoju.
“Are you okay?”
“…Yes. I was very surprised, but… thank you.”
Namjoon briefly examined her arm. The area around her wrist was slightly red.
“If you feel any pain, please let me know immediately.”
"ah"
“If necessary, even to the hospital..”
“No, I’m really okay. Thank you for helping me.”
Namjoon nodded briefly. Then, naturally, he helped her remove the flower pot from the trashcan next to her. Then, the woman looked at him again. His face seemed somehow familiar. She furrowed her brows, as if considering the situation, and then cautiously opened her mouth.
“I… but maybe…”
“Yes, please speak.”
“I think I’ve seen it in Seokjin’s car before… Am I right?”
“Oh, yes.”
“What are you doing here?”
22
Namjoon set the trashcan aside and looked at Yeoju for a moment. He seemed to have decided there was no need to beat around the bush. He took a deep breath and spoke calmly.
“To be honest.”
"yes."
“Kim Seok-jin asked me to do it.”
"yes?"
“Please report to me how your day is going, Miss Yeoju, and if anything is going on.”
The heroine's eyes widened slightly. She was surprised, but her expression was closer to confusion than displeasure.
“See…?”
"yes."
“Did Seokjin tell you to watch me?”
“It’s more like confirmation than surveillance.”
After a moment of silence, he continued.
"Seokjin has never truly learned how to love. Or how to handle human feelings."
“.....”
“At work, I learned how to calculate everything, but I’m still very awkward when it comes to personal feelings.”
The woman's expression changed subtly. Rather than wary, it was closer to understanding. Namjoon checked her once and didn't make excuses. He simply explained things as they were, calmly.
"So, I guess this is the only way I could have chosen. I know you must have been very surprised. If you felt uncomfortable, I sincerely apologize."
He didn't bow, but his words clearly conveyed an apology. Yeoju listened to Namjoon's words and fell silent for a moment, trying to understand her feelings: that she no longer hated or disliked him, but rather, that she had grown to like him. Soon, having finished her thoughts, she glanced at the broken flowerpot, the remaining dirt marks, and then looked up at Namjoon again.
“Hmm… well then.”
Namjoon looked at her.
"Seokjin. Please, call me. I've only seen you through text messages for a while, so I can't remember your face..."
Her tone was light, but her gaze was firm. She chose not to avoid or push away. Perhaps she was going straight ahead. Namjoon looked at her for a moment, then smiled faintly.
“Probably… he’ll ignore the traffic and come.”