Jongdae had already gone up to his room by the time Yixing and Jongin arrived home from Kyungsoo’s house. They were also exhausted from the day’s events, so they quietly said, “Good night,” to each other before splitting off to their respective bedrooms to go to sleep.

As his head hit the pillow, Jongin internally thanked the ophthalmologist for giving him tea that wasn’t caffeinated. He didn’t think he could survive staying awake for several more hours. Not in this state.

--

Both Yixing and Jongdae had left the house by the time Jongin woke up. The manager had left a note on the dining table, saying they were out getting American-style brunch and would bring back something for him to eat. Yixing also made a point to emphasize that Jongin was to immediately text the manager as soon as he read the note.

After using one hand to crumple the note and toss it in the trash bin while his other hand speedily sent a short message to Yixing, the artist made his way to the living room and flopped onto the couch. He didn’t know how long the other two would be gone, so he wanted to enjoy the alone time while he could. Without warning, his thoughts drifted back to the previous day, which had been a roller coaster of emotions.

And Do Kyungsoo had helped him through it all.

Jongin didn’t like feeling indebted to anyone, so he soon came to the conclusion that he should buy the ophthalmologist a thank you gift for giving him shelter from the rain, letting him take a hot shower, lending him dry clothes, making him tea, and listening to him rant about his problems. Kyungsoo hadn’t been obligated to do any of that, especially after dealing with the artist’s bratty attitude for several months, yet he still did and without a single complaint. He deserved to be rewarded for his kindness, especially for going above and beyond for a troublesome guy like Jongin.

So when Yixing and Jongdae arrived home with a box of pancakes and bacon for the artist to eat, Jongin asked his manager if he could drive him to the nearest shopping center. He then explained why, knowing it would delay the inevitable conversation he would have to have with Yixing about how Jongin had run away the day before.

The manager agreed, glad that the younger male was being responsible for once, and waited for Jongin to finish eating. Before they left, the artist quickly placed the borrowed clothing on top of the washing machine so that he wouldn’t accidentally forget about doing it later. About fifteen minutes later, Yixing dropped him off at the shopping center, saying he would be nearby and would pick up the artist as soon as he finished buying a gift for Kyungsoo.

Jongin thanked him and made his way into the shopping center, wondering what he could buy for the ophthalmologist. However, he soon realized how crowded and busy it was inside the mall, since it was currently a weekend afternoon, so Jongin hurriedly left and decided to find something from a small store instead.

However, since he didn’t know Kyungsoo very well, the artist was at a loss on what to buy. Jongin didn’t want to accidentally buy something that the other male would hate or would already have, but given that he knew virtually nothing about Kyungsoo’s likes and dislikes, the probability of it happening was comparatively high.

He walked for a long time, frequently glancing through storefronts and observing window displays to see if anything on sale seemed appropriate for the ophthalmologist. However, nothing in particular jumped out at him and Jongin sighed loudly as he crossed the street to the next block.

Around ten steps in, he passed a bright flower shop that was built to his left and he would have glanced over it completely if it hadn’t been for the strong smell of chocolate drifting from the place. Jongin suddenly paused, wildly looking around for the source of the sweet smell, since it didn’t seem possible to be coming from the flower shop. But when he stepped forward and stepped backward, testing if the smell increased or decreased in strength, the artist realized that the chocolate scent was most definitely coming from inside the flower shop.

Which made no sense at all to him.

Knowing that it would bother him until he figured out where the chocolate aroma was truly coming from, Jongin decided to make a short detour and turned to grab the glass door’s metal handle to let himself in.

“Hello, are you looking for anything in particular today, sir?” a short woman with long, sienna brown hair tied up in a ponytail cheerily greeted Jongin from behind the counter as he stepped through the door and into the flower shop, a bell ringing overhead to signal his arrival.

His eyes traveled around, trying to pinpoint where the chocolate smell was wafting from, but all he could see around the small store was hundreds of flowers. It didn’t seem plausible that such a strong and delectable scent of chocolate could exist in a flower shop, but that was currently the case and Jongin was determined to solve this mystery. He finally turned to the petite woman, who was patiently waiting for his response, and asked her, “You wouldn’t happen to also sell sugar confectionery by any chance, would you?”

“No sir, unfortunately, we do not,” the woman said with an apologetic smile. She then pointed at the glass storefront, to the left, and added, “There should be a candy shop a few stores down that you can try, if that’s what you’re looking for.”

“That can’t be right though,” he muttered as he blatantly sniffed the air again. Without fail, there was the familiar fragrance of chocolate entering his nostrils and he knew that it was coming from inside this flower shop. “Why does this place smell so strongly of chocolate then?”

A look of realization dawned on the woman’s face as she clapped her hands together and let out a hardy laugh. “Ah, that’s what you were looking for?”

Jongin nodded, wondering what was so funny.

Still giggling, the small woman walked around the counter and motioned for the artist to follow her. She then led him to the back of the shop where there was a fuchsia-colored, lantern-shaped container. The smell of chocolate was much more prominent here and Jongin found himself slightly reeling back, not used to the scent being so concentrated in one area before. “This is my chocolate cosmos aroma,” she proudly showcased while tenderly patting the side of the container. “This isn’t real chocolate, in case you were wondering. It’s actually a perfume I made from one of my favorite flowers.”

“A flower?” Jongin couldn’t help but furrow his eyebrows in bewilderment. He had never heard of a flower smelling like chocolate before.

“Yup! It’s in its name: chocolate cosmos,” the woman said, tapping the container again. “You’ve probably never heard of it, since it’s a very rare flower.”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Well, no worries! I can tell you all about it if you have time,” she offered, smiling widely.

“Uh, sure,” the artist awkwardly replied, shuffling his hands in his coat pockets. Even though he hadn’t expected this, Jongin supposed he could spare a few minutes to learn about the chocolate cosmos flower. Honestly, he was quite intrigued by how similar its fragrance was to actual chocolate and he still had the entire afternoon left to find a thank you gift for Kyungsoo. Since he was still at a loss on what to get the ophthalmologist, Jongin figured he could brainstorm some more while at the flower shop.

“By the way, my name is Kim Taeyeon,” the woman introduced warmly as she led Jongin back to the front of the store. “I’m the owner of this humble little flower shop, Floral Splendor. What’s your name?”

“I’m Kim Jongin.”

“Nice to meet you, Jongin,” Taeyeon answered with a beaming smile. “If you ever need a flower for any occasion whatsoever, I’m your girl!”

He nodded weakly, sending the petite flower shop owner a half-smile. “So, uh, what is this chocolate cosmos flower?” he asked, hastily redirecting the conversation back to its original topic.

“Oh, right! Hold on, let me find a photo of some bouquets I had last summer,” she said as she reached for her phone, which was sitting on the counter. “They only bloom in the summer, which is why I created a perfume from its fragrance oils that I could use year-round when they’re not in season. I like having the shop smell like chocolate, since I also have a big sweet tooth.” Taeyeon laughed brightly again, the sound ringing throughout the small shop.

“But isn’t that…kind of weird?” Jongin couldn’t help commenting while scrunching his nose. “Doesn’t the chocolate scent clash with the floral fragrances?”

“Does it?” she asked, her eyes widening in curiosity. Taeyeon took in a big whiff of air before commenting, “Maybe I’m just too used to it, but I feel like it’s not that weird. I’ve never had anyone complain before and I’ve been scenting the shop with this perfume for about two years now.”

“I guess, for me, it’s just visually weird to see all of these flowers but smell chocolate instead,” the artist said, peering at the racks of bouquets and flowerpots that covered the store’s walls.

“Well, when you put it like that, I can understand why it might be a bit off-putting to some people,” she agreed with a slight nod. However, Taeyeon then shoved her phone screen in Jongin’s face—the artist let out an involuntary yelp when his eyes were suddenly blasted with bright light—and exclaimed, “But just look at how pretty the chocolate cosmos is! You can’t argue that this would match perfectly with the flower shop, right?”

“Uh, yeah, but that’s the point; it’s a flower. We’re in a flower shop. Of course this belongs here,” Jongin said as he gently pushed Taeyeon’s arm back. Her phone screen had been too close for him to actually discern anything, but now that it was about half a foot away from his face, the artist could see what this rare flower looked like.

Its eight petals were rounded oval-like shapes, bordering tiny florets that were clustered together in the center. Both the petals and the center were colored in maroon with some relatively lighter streaks of carmine and mulberry. The petals were also slightly curved upwards, similar to the shape of a cup, and the flower head was symmetrical, which was aesthetically pleasing.

“It is very pretty,” the artist finally agreed, causing Taeyeon to retract her phone and place it back on the counter. “I’m assuming it isn’t a native plant, otherwise I probably would have heard of it.”

“Bingo!” The flower shop owner playfully aimed finger guns at Jongin, her eyes sparkling like stars. “They’re actually from Mexico. I had the seeds shipped here a few years ago when I first discovered their existence through a vendor I met at the annual Hong Kong Flower Show.” She then gestured behind her and Jongin looked past her to see a wall plastered with about a dozen framed photos of Taeyeon posing in front of the flower show’s main entrance every year. “It cost me quite a bit and I had to jump through a bunch of hoops to even be given the paperwork that would allow me to grow these here, since they’re technically an alien species,” she added with a rueful smile.

“Is it really that hard to get flowers shipped overseas?” Jongin asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.

“Oh, yes, there are several regulations in place to prevent the spread of agricultural pests and diseases. Not to mention, foreign plant species can destroy ecosystems if introduced and left unchecked. But despite everything,” Taeyeon smiled triumphantly, “I managed to get a hold of several seed packets and eventually bred the flowers. I think mine is the only flower shop in the entire country that carries chocolate cosmos flowers, but then again, I could be wrong.” She laughed again, her small body shaking from the sheer force of her boisterous laughter.

“Wow, I guess I never really thought about that.” Jongin barely knew anything about flowers or plants or horticulture, in general. They were less interesting to draw than animals and people were, since they were usually stationary. Of course, there was the odd exception here and there, especially when it came to extremely eye-catching flowers.

“They’re so beautiful in person,” she sighed, unlocking her phone again so that she could stare longingly at the pictures of the reddish-brown flower. “Jongin, you have got to come back when they bloom this summer to see them yourself!”

“Er, when exactly would that be?” the artist asked, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. He honestly didn’t plan on coming back, since he had only walked in to solve the mystery of the chocolate smell and that had been duly accomplished. But it seemed rude to directly say that, since Taeyeon had been kind enough to entertain him without pressuring him to buy anything.

A thoughtful expression appeared on the petite woman’s face as she slightly tilted her head to the left and rested her chin against her right palm while her left hand cupped her right elbow. “Hmm, I’ll probably get a couple of early bloomers in July, but I’d say my best ones will probably blossom in August and early September.”

That was still four months away. Jongin nodded and smiled weakly at the enthusiastic flower shop owner, since she would most likely forget him by that time. A little white lie never hurt anyone. “Yeah, sounds good.”

Taeyeon beamed at him again before asking, “Is there anything else I can help you with, Jongin?”

The artist was about to shake his head and leave the shop when he realized he still had no idea what to get for Kyungsoo as a thank you gift. Seeing how there were currently no other customers in the flower shop, so there was no one else who could possibly need her assistance, he decided that it wouldn’t hurt to ask Taeyeon for her opinion. With that, the artist nodded instead and answered, “Actually, I do have another question. Hypothetically speaking, what would you give as a gift to someone who helped you out when you really needed it?”

“Well, I suppose it would depend on what they hypothetically helped me with,” she answered, the thoughtful expression returning to her face. “It would definitely be related to flowers though. In fact,” Taeyeon eagerly leaned forward with a wide grin, “did you know that sending certain flowers to someone can convey a specific sentiment?”

“Huh?”

She reached behind the cash register that sat on the right side of the counter to grab a thin notebook with pastel floral prints on the cover. “It’s called the language of flowers,” she explained while lightly tapping the notebook’s front cover. “In some shape or form, the language itself has existed for thousands of years, but the flower dictionary that most people use nowadays originated from the Victorian era.”

“Victorian England?”

Taeyeon nodded. “Not just England though. I would say it was quite popular throughout most of Europe, especially in big countries like France, Sweden, and Germany. And I believe it gained recognition in the United States in the nineteenth century as well.”

“I’m surprised you know so much about the language’s history,” Jongin commented with a lopsided smile.

“Of course I do!” Her sunny smile returned as she stood up a bit straighter, feeling quite proud of herself. “I use the language of flowers all of the time as a florist and the history is quite interesting when you delve more into it.”

“So you have every flower’s meaning logged in that book?” The artist pointed at the notebook, looking somewhat skeptical. There had to be thousands of flower species that existed and had no meaning. An abundance of flora existed all over the planet; it was theoretically impossible for every single flower to signify something.

“Any flower species that has been given a definition is logged in this book,” Taeyeon confirmed. “I sell most of the flowers that are in season and some related alternatives of those that aren’t, like my chocolate cosmos perfume.”

“What's the chocolate cosmos flower’s definition?” Jongin curiously asked. Remembering how rare and contained it was, he wasn’t sure it would have a universally known definition.

A devilish grin immediately appeared on the flower shop owner’s face as she leaned forward to answer his question. “Ah, this is a fun one. The chocolate cosmos means, ‘I love you more than anybody can,’” she recited dramatically. “I usually recommend it for second wedding anniversaries. Why? Is there someone you’d like to send this flower to?” Taeyeon teased. Laughter bubbled from her lips when she noticed how red the tips of Jongin’s ears became.

“No,” he immediately insisted, cursing himself for blushing so easily. “I’m looking for a thank you gift, not a declaration of love.”

Although it took a few moments, the flower shop owner’s giggles eventually subsided and her composure returned. “If you could explain more specifically why you’re thanking this person, I can help you find a flower that matches,” she offered. Seeing the look of hesitance on the artist’s face, Taeyeon quickly added, “You don’t need to give me every little detail if you’re uncomfortable with sharing that much. All I need is the gist of the situation, since ‘Thank you’ by itself is a bit too general for me to work with.”

It took a few seconds for Jongin to organize his thoughts into a condensed, relatively vague version of what had transpired the previous night. “I basically want to say, ‘Thank you for understanding me,’ or something like that,” he ended, nervously wringing his hands behind his back.

“I see. ‘Thank you for understanding,’ eh?” The flower shop owner flipped through the notebook, knowing she had seen that definition somewhere but not remembering which flower it was paired with. Her eyes then alighted on the right page, causing her to jump in excitement and drop the book on the counter. “Follow me, Jongin! I have just the flower for you!”

The pair navigated to the northwest section of the store where there were masses of pink, blue, white, and purple flowers. “Uh, which flower are we looking at?” the artist asked, his gaze darting from section to section.

“These are hydrangeas!” Taeyeon threw her arms to the left, motioning to all four batches. “Now bear with me, since this is going to get a bit complicated.”

“Okay…”

“So hydrangeas are kind of a mixed bag,” she began as she lowered her arms to her sides. “Depending on the color, the flower will have a different meaning, which is the case for quite a few species. Hydrangeas also have varying connotations across different cultures. They have a negative connotation in the West, especially the blue and white ones. Pink ones are especially favored in Japan, because of a historical legend, and these are usually linked to romance and heartfelt emotions.” The flower shop owner couldn’t resist wiggling her eyebrows as she asked, “You wouldn’t happen to want these, would you?”

“No.”

“I kid, I kid. Anyway, the one you’re looking for is the purple hydrangea.” Taeyeon pointed to the batch of lavender-colored flowers that were nestled at the far right. “This one symbolizes deep understanding between two people and has a more platonic connotation than the pink hydrangea does. And there you have it!” she finished with a satisfied grin. “These have been blooming since the beginning of April, so they’re very fresh!”

Jongin nodded as he scrutinized the mass of purple hydrangea flowers. They were admittedly quite pretty, although a bit dull to his eyes, but that wasn’t new. However, the more pressing problem that had just unfolded was that the artist couldn’t imagine himself sending a bouquet of flowers to Kyungsoo, even though it seemed to be a very nice gift after everything Taeyeon had told him. He didn’t even know if the ophthalmologist liked flowers, despite having seen a vase of magnolias sitting on the living room table the previous evening. It seemed a bit overzealous and too easily misunderstood as a gift, which was the last thing Jongin wanted.

“So…what do you think?”

“They’re…nice,” he acknowledged. “But, uh, do you happen to have something less showy that I can send instead?”

“Yes, I do!” Taeyeon quickly shuttled the artist back to the front of the store and led him to an aisle that was stacked with cylindrical boxes of tea. “I don’t know if you’ve ever had sugukcha, but it’s an herbal tea that’s made from the mountain hydrangea, which is native to our country,” she informed Jongin while grabbing a box that was splashed with a deep amethyst shade. “It’s also known as the tea of heaven and it has a naturally sweet taste, which is great for people like me,” the flower shop owner added with a grin.

Now this was something he could send to the ophthalmologist with confidence. Kyungsoo liked healthy, naturally sweet teas, as evidenced by how much he had praised his olive leaf tea the night before. Not to mention, it would last much longer than a bouquet of flowers would.

“Alright, I’ll take it,” Jongin decided, causing Taeyeon to clap ecstatically.

“Perfect! I’ll ring you up right now.”

A minute later, as she scanned the box’s barcode, Jongin asked, “Um, you wouldn’t happen to also do deliveries, would you?”

The flower shop owner placed the box onto the counter while replying, “Yup, I have a part-timer who does bouquet deliveries for me during the day. Why?”

“Does it only extend to flower deliveries or can I also get this delivered?” he asked sheepishly, lightly pushing the box of hydrangea tea towards Taeyeon.

A brief look of surprise appeared on her face, but it was replaced by an understanding grin a second later. “Sure, I can do that for you. It’ll cost a few extra dollars though, if you’re okay with that.”

“Yeah, that’s fine.” There was a slight pause before Jongin continued, “Uh, could you also wrap it and send it anonymously, please? I’ll cover those costs as well.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it. I’ll do the rest as a free service to you,” Taeyeon answered as she swiped a delivery charge barcode under the scanner.

“Are you sure? I can pay for it. That’s not a problem,” the artist said, waving his black credit card for emphasis.

But the flower shop owner just shook her head as she took the credit card and slid it through the card reader. “It’s no big deal. Wrapping paper barely costs anything, especially since I buy it in bulk. But in return,” her dazzling smile appeared again, “all I ask is that you tell your friends how amazing my shop is and that you come back in the future! Does that sound like a good deal?”

At this point, Jongin had to admit that Taeyeon had been extremely helpful the entire afternoon. She had been nothing but friendly and enthusiastic, even though she had been a bit overwhelming at times. Regardless, the flower shop owner was clearly a good person who was passionate about her work. Even though he hadn’t been in Floral Splendor for long, Jongin gained a newfound appreciation for flowers this afternoon, which wouldn’t have happened without Taeyeon.

So he grinned back at her and replied, “Sure thing. I’m excited to see those chocolate cosmos flowers in person.”

And this time, it wasn’t a lie.

♈♈♈