Jongin found himself standing at the entrance of Floral Splendor once more, spurred on by an inexplicable force and feeling.

When Yixing had asked the artist earlier that morning if he had any plans for the day, the modest flower shop had been the first thing to pop into his head. Although Jongin had no idea why he had suddenly thought about Floral Splendor more than a month after he had visited it, the artist had asked his manager to drive him there after lunch.

“Do you need me to stay with you?” Yixing asked as they pulled up in front of the store.

“Nah.” Jongin shook his head as he pushed open the passenger door and swung his long legs out of the vehicle. “You can go run errands or do whatever you want for about an hour. I’ll call you when I’m done.”

Yixing slowly nodded, curiosity burning within his chest despite knowing that the artist would refuse to tell him what he was up to if he asked, as the Chinese male watched Jongin leave the car and slam the passenger door shut.

The ends of Jongin’s lips slightly quirked up as the familiar smell of chocolate wafted around him again. He hadn’t planned on coming back, especially so soon after his first visit.

But here he was.

The artist didn’t know whether or not he wanted Taeyeon, the flower shop owner, to be inside when he walked in. From what he remembered, she would talk his ears off about flowers and other horticulture if given the opportunity. Not unlike Park Chanyeol and his deep passion for music.

While he personally thought that such never-ending chatter was rather superfluous, Jongin also had to admit that his conversation with Taeyeon the previous month had been quite informative, even if he didn’t quite remember everything that she had told him last time. Amidst all of the overwhelming enthusiasm were tiny nuggets of knowledge that the artist could appreciate, even if he couldn’t necessarily utilize them in his own craft. Certainly not at this time.

Seeing as how he was already at the flower shop and how he had already sent away Yixing for at least an hour, Jongin decided that it couldn’t hurt to see what the store had to offer at the moment. The artist took a moment to briefly straighten out his shirt and then pushed open the door to enter Floral Splendor.

“Hello, are you looking for anything—oh, wait! I remember you!” The petite, brown-haired store owner who was stationed behind the front counter lit up at once and clasped her hands together in excitement. “Your name is Jongin, right? You bought a box of sugukcha as a gift when you were here last month!”

“I’m surprised you remember me,” the artist commented with a lopsided smile as he drew closer to her.

“I’ve got great memory,” Taeyeon boasted as she stepped around the counter to stand next to the tall male. “And I had so much fun talking to you last time and teaching you about the language of flowers. There’s no way I’d ever forget someone like you!”

“Is…that a good thing?”

Taeyeon laughed brightly before replying, “Don’t worry. It most definitely is!” Once her giggles subsided, the flower shop owner continued, “I’m surprised you’re here today though. I honestly wasn’t expecting you to come back until August, since that’s when my chocolate cosmos flowers are going to bloom.”

“Right.” Jongin nodded, remembering how the strangely scented flowers had led him to Floral Splendor in the first place. The delectable fragrance of chocolate continued to wreathe around him, mixing gently with the fresh aromas produced by the masses of flowers that covered almost every inch of the store’s interior.

“What brings you back here today?” Taeyeon asked while curiously staring up at the artist. “Did your friend like the sugukcha you sent last time?”

“Uh…” Jongin shifted his weight from one foot to the other and back again while keeping his head down. A few seconds later, he finally raised his head again and awkwardly answered, “To be honest, I don’t know. I never asked.”

“Oh, well, I’m sure your friend enjoyed it!” Taeyeon said with an optimistic grin. “After all, no news is good news, right?”

“I…don’t really think that proverb necessarily applies to this situation…”

“I’m sure it’s fine,” Taeyeon cheerfully replied while carelessly flapping her hand in the air, as if waving away Jongin’s unnecessary correction. “At the very least, your friend didn’t say he—or she? I just realized that you never specified—”

“He,” the artist quickly supplied.

“Got it. Well, he never said he hated it or anything like that, right?”

Jongin shook his head.

“Then it’s all good!” Taeyeon reiterated while clapping her hands together. “Absolutely nothing to worry about!”

“I guess…”

“Trust me on this, Jongin! I’ve never been wrong before,” the flower shop owner smugly claimed. “A woman’s intuition is a very powerful tool.”

Jongin couldn’t help but let out a snort upon hearing her grandiose statement, but decided that this topic had overstayed its welcome and held his tongue.

“So what are you looking for today?” Taeyeon asked again. “Are you planning on sending another gift?”

Upon hearing the suggestion, something clicked in Jongin’s mind and the artist nodded very slowly, drawing out his words as he replied, “Uh, I think I’m looking for something that means…‘I’m impressed by how talented you are,’ or something along those lines, I guess.” The memory of Kyungsoo’s smooth, rich vocals from the previous night resurfaced and Jongin felt a slight shiver run down his spine.

Now that he thought about it, Kyungsoo should be acknowledged for his stellar performance at the Chat-shire.

It was such a shame that the ophthalmologist chose not to share his impressive talents with others, only the strangers that stopped by the wine bar for a drink or two. While Jongin didn’t deny that there were probably some patrons who came specifically to watch Kyungsoo sing, since the artist recalled Chanyeol saying that the performances were a regular occurrence, those were just nameless faces to the ophthalmologist. They had probably never even spoken a single word to Kyungsoo, never letting him know how much they enjoyed listening to him sing so soulfully.

At the very least, the gifted vocalist deserved to receive some form of praise that wasn’t coming from his overly enthusiastic best friend, who probably complimented Kyungsoo so much that his words sounded like empty platitudes at this point. In any case, Chanyeol didn’t seem like the type of person who knew what moderation meant.

Even though Jongin wasn’t sure if another floral gift would mean anything to the ophthalmologist, it probably wouldn’t hurt to send him something small and brighten up his day.

Right?

Taeyeon let out a melodic hum as she mentally combed through the entire store’s current inventory for a suitable answer to Jongin’s request. “I think you’ve got a couple of options that we can work with,” she finally said as she began leading him around the shop by the arm, her steps filled with pep. “First off, we have some orange roses,” Taeyeon suggested once they stopped in front of a wall covered in dozens of roses in dozens of different colors. She pointed to the batch of orange flowers that adorned the top left corner of the wall. “Their definition in the language of flowers is fascination and I think that’s the general sentiment you’re trying to convey, right?”

“I guess so…”

“They also have a connotation of desire and romance, although not as strong as red roses do,” Taeyeon continued with a dreamy sigh.

Jongin cleared this throat and stared pointedly at the flower shop owner, who only laughed in response. “What other options do you have?”

Still laughing, Taeyeon pulled the artist away from the wall of roses and brought him to an aisle filled with hundreds of pink-and-white flowers of various species. “Over here, we have some godetias and satin flowers. Both of them share the same meaning of fascination with the orange roses while also representing sincerity as well.”

“They don’t have any other meanings besides those, do they?” Jongin asked with narrowed eyes. For some bizarre reason, the flower shop owner seemed to have an obsession with romantic love and Jongin knew that he needed to tread carefully, lest he accidentally send a flower with underlying sentiments that he had no intention of expressing.

The ends of her eyes crinkled up a bit as she smiled sheepishly at him. “Aw man, you caught me. Guilty as charged.” Taeyeon gently touched the soft pink-and-white flowers while adding, “Godetias and satin flowers are also known as love symbols in the language of flowers. So they’re usually exchanged between people who are in a romantic relationship with each other.”

The artist let out a deep sigh as he rubbed his temples before asking, “Does everything in this store have a romantic connotation?”

“Perhaps,” Taeyeon admitted. “But that doesn’t affect anything! You can still send them as platonic gifts!” she hurriedly added. “Flowers are for everyone, not just lovers!”

Jongin grimaced at the thought of sending any of these flowers to Kyungsoo and immediately shook his head. “No thanks, I’d rather not. And even if they didn’t symbolize love, they still look a bit too…extravagant for the occasion,” he explained to Taeyeon. “Do you have anything that’s more…subtle instead?”

The flower shop owner slightly tilted her head to the right as she thought for a moment before excitedly jumping in place and tugging Jongin’s arm again. “I have just the thing! This way!”

She brought him to the back of the store, which was less colorful than the rest of the place. The shelves and walls were filled with various types of flowerless plants, covering the area in a sea of green.

“I keep all of the non-flowering plants back here, since they aren’t as eye-catching,” Taeyeon told Jongin upon seeing his look of confusion at their surroundings.

“Why do you even sell them if they don’t have flowers?” the artist asked. “Doesn’t that defeat the purpose of this being a flower shop?”

“It gives more variety for people to choose from. Some customers are quite picky, you know,” she easily quipped.

“Alright, I’ll give you that,” Jongin replied with a short laugh. “Anyway, what’s your next recommendation?”

“Right over here.” Taeyeon walked a few more steps until she stopped in front of over a dozen potted ferns that were arranged on the floor. “Like all of the other flowers that I showed you earlier, ferns symbolize fascination. However, unlike the other flowers, ferns generally don’t have a romantic connotation. Instead, they also stand for sincerity and magic.”

Well, Kyungsoo’s vocals had most certainly been magical during his show at the Chat-shire. So that was a double meaning that Jongin was willing to accept this time around.

“Ferns are also quite practical as well,” Taeyeon continued. “They’re capable of removing airborne pollutants through phytoremediation and the Boston fern, in particular, is one of the best plants to use for indoor air purification.

“Okay, I’ll take one,” the artist said, nodding in satisfaction.

“Awesome! You definitely won’t regret it. And…” Taeyeon grinned devilishly as she gestured to a bright green fern that was sitting near the front of the bunch. “It just so happens that I have this beautiful maidenhair fern that you can send.”

Suspicion laced his tone as Jongin warily asked, “What’s the meaning behind that one?”

“Oh, you know, nothing important,” Taeyeon breezily answered while clasping her hands behind her back. “It just specifically symbolizes a secret bond of love.”

“…If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be taking my leave now.”

“Wait, Jongin, I’m kidding, I’m kidding!” Taeyeon hastily cut in before he could step away. “Well, I’m actually not kidding about the maidenhair fern’s meaning, but I just thought that it’d be funny to bring up!”

“Then it’s a good thing you never pursued a career in stand-up,” the artist dryly commented.

“You just take things too seriously,” Taeyeon easily shot back, still grinning widely. She then bent down to pick up the potted maidenhair fern and cast a loving glance at the bright green plant. “Even though it isn’t as showy as asters or gloxinias are, I still think the maidenhair fern is one of the most heartfelt declarations of love that a person can receive. And the covertness of this particular statement makes it even more exciting while still staying meaningful when you think about what the general fern stands for.”

Jongin still didn’t look impressed, only raising an eyebrow in response.

“Alright, fine,” the flower shop owner sighed dramatically as she placed the pot back down on the floor. “But just so you know, you’re missing out!”

“I think I’m quite alright,” the artist wryly replied.

“So which one do you want to send then?” Taeyeon asked, gesturing to all of the ferns that the artist could choose from.

Jongin carefully surveyed the variety of potted ferns, pointedly ignoring the maidenhair fern that sat in the front. However, if he were being honest with himself, they all looked the same to him.

Same curvy fronds, same thin leaflets, same shades of green.

Nothing too special about any of them.

The artist turned to Taeyeon and asked, “Which one do you think looks the nicest?”

She hummed as her eyes scanned over the plants before landing on a relatively large fern that was sitting behind several smaller ones that were about half of its size. Its thick, healthy fronds were sticking out in all directions and dynamically layered over each other. “This is a good one,” Taeyeon confidently said. “Well, to be fair, all of them are actually good ones and they’d all be great choices to choose from. And—”

“Okay, I’ll take that one then,” Jongin decided before the flower shop owner could ramble any longer.

“Great!” With that, Taeyeon reached over and wrapped both arms around the terracotta pot to pick up the leafy plant. She brought it to the front counter and carefully set it down while Jongin followed her, his wallet already out to pay for the gift. “Do you want this delivered again?” the flower shop owner asked as she scanned the item.

“Yes, please,” he answered while handing over his black credit card.

Taeyeon quickly added a delivery surcharge to the transaction before swiping the credit card through the card reader.

“Oh, and can I also send this anonymously again, please?” the artist requested as Taeyeon handed his credit card back to him.

“Consider it done!” The flower shop owner beamed brightly as she made a note on her copy of the receipt. She then mimed zipping up while playfully adding, “My lips are sealed!”

The artist sent her a small smile. “Thanks. I really appreciate it.”

“You're very welcome! My part-timer can get this delivered by tomorrow at the latest,” Taeyeon said as she tagged the potted fern before setting it with several other flower bouquets that had been prepared earlier that morning. “He’s currently out right now on a few delivery runs and I’m not sure when he’ll be back. But I can guarantee that this fern will get to its new owner as soon as possible!”

“Thanks for being so accommodating,” Jongin answered with a slight nod. “There’s no rush though. Whenever it’s convenient for you. Or him, I suppose.”

“No worries! Here at Floral Splendor, we pride ourselves on speedy yet safe deliveries! Every flower gets to where it needs to be with every leaf and petal still attached to it, one hundred percent guaranteed.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the back door of the store suddenly opened and revealed a young black-haired male who looked to be in his early twenties. He held a clipboard in one hand and a pair of black gardening gloves in the other.

“Speak of the devil! Jaehyun, come here!” Taeyeon eagerly waved the young man over to the front counter.

“What’s up?”

“Jongin, meet Jaehyun, my right-hand man at Floral Splendor!” Taeyeon introduced while gesturing grandly to the young man, who flashed a million-watt smile at the taller male. “And Jaehyun, meet Jongin, one of my favorite customers!”

“I’ve only been here twice. How can I already be one of your favorite customers?” Jongin pointed out with a dry chuckle. “Have you never gotten a repeat customer before me?” Before Taeyeon could make a rebuttal, Jongin turned to the other male and extended a hand. “Anyway, it’s nice to meet you, Jaehyun,” the artist greeted while wearing a lopsided smile.

“Nice to meet you too, Jongin. And Taeyeon’s always like that,” Jaehyun laughed as he firmly shook the artist’s proffered hand. “She’s just too friendly for her own good.”

The flower shop owner crossed her arms over her chest and pouted as she looked up at both males. “And look at you two being all buddy-buddy already and ganging up on me!”

Jongin nonchalantly shrugged while Jaehyun snickered loudly.

“Anyhow, we’re not here to discuss the semantics of friendship and favoritism,” Taeyeon speedily pivoted while placing the potted fern on the front counter in front of Jaehyun, who looked curiously between the leafy plant and the flower shop owner. “Do you have time to do another round of deliveries today, Jaehyun?”

“Depends on how many and where I’m going,” the younger male answered as he set the clipboard down on the counter and removed several signed forms to hand to his boss. “I can probably squeeze in a few more today though. It’s still pretty early and traffic hasn’t been that bad.”

“Perfect! Can you deliver this for Jongin, please?” Taeyeon asked as she delicately pushed the fern in Jaehyun’s direction. “It’s a gift for a friend of his.”

“Sure! No problem at all.” The part-timer grinned widely while sending Jongin a thumbs-up. “I’ll get this delivered for you as soon as possible, sir.”

“Thank you, Jaehyun. I really appreciate your help. And yours as well, Taeyeon,” the artist said once again with a small smile.

“Always happy to help!” Taeyeon cheerfully answered while Jaehyun nodded in agreement. “And I’m very flattered that you came back to us to purchase another gift. I honestly wasn’t expecting to see you so soon after your first visit.”

“It just kind of happened,” the artist said with another casual shrug. “I guess your store really left an impression on me last time.”

The beam on Taeyeon’s youthful face grew even brighter and her eyes sparkled like stars when she earnestly replied, “That’s the highest praise you could ever give me! Well, other than saying that my flowers make you and your loved ones smile.” She giggled happily, looking extremely pleased with herself.

“Well, thanks again and keep up the good work. I’ll be heading out now.” Jongin turned away from the counter and held up a hand, waving goodbye to the other two.

“Bye, Jongin! Come back soon!” Taeyeon called after him.

“And don’t worry about your fern, sir! It’s in safe hands!” Jaehyun added right after.

Jongin had no doubt that the leafy plant would arrive on Kyungsoo’s doorstep later that day without a single scratch. It was clear to him that both Taeyeon and Jaehyun took great pride in their work, which he could respect as someone who did the same. Or used to do the same.

Before the dark tendrils could take root within the artist’s mind for the umpteenth time, Jongin stubbornly chased the invasive thoughts from his head.

All that mattered right now was that Jongin had successfully found a meaningful gift at Floral Splendor with Taeyeon’s expert assistance.

And Kyungsoo’s day was going to be much more radiant today upon receiving the small gift.

Hopefully.

♈♈♈

A/N: I was planning on posting another update tomorrow (Kaisoo Day), but I will be pushing back the release date of the next chapter to January 25 because it makes more sense content-wise. Anyway, thank you so much for reading! Subscribe, comment, and/or upvote if you're enjoying this story so far! And if you'd like to join my crowdfund, I'd really appreciate the support! Have a lovely day and see you next time with a brand new chapter!