A/N:

Hi @mushroom_soup!

I updated earlier than I expected. Please enjoy! And sorry for the typos!

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Chapter 12:

Green Rose

Wedding flowers were Seungri and Chaerin’s next agenda. And as usual, Dara tagged along. She was seized with delight when she knew that Jiyong was unlikely to come with them because he needs to process something on that day too—for she was not willing to see him again after of what strange things that transpired between them on “The Experts” the other day.  Until now, she still can’t accept that he has a strange effect on her. But Jiyong changed his mind and decided to join them. A good way to burst her happy bubble.

While Chaerin and Seungri were preoccupied of choosing the flowers, she decided to amuse herself by savouring the eye-candy flower displays. She decided not to cause another trouble again because they might already find her out.

Dara stopped in front of a pail full of green roses. She smiled to herself. Her favourite color was green. Almost all of her things are in different shades of green.

She’s already twenty-four years old and of all the men who courted her, no one had given her a single green rose, even Seungri who knows her favourite color. It was always white roses that he gives her whenever there’s an occasion.

What if there’s a man who’s going to hand her a green rose? Her heart might melt like ice with the gesture.

‘It might be a sign already—that he’s the one for me. That can happen.’

Her smile only broadened.

After a few seconds of looking at the green roses, she moved to another spot where there are rows of different tulips. Dara was engrossed in looking at the pink tulips, when out of nowhere; a green rose emerged in her vision. She was surprised, took a step back and held her chest.

‘Is this some kind of a joke, God?’

The mysterious man who owns the hand that’s holding the rose was just by her side, but she can’t seem to turn her head towards his direction and acknowledge his presence. She’s nervous and afraid, at the same time. She was just kidding around when she said about the sign. She doesn’t know why, but whoever was giving her the rose, it really did made a great impact on her.

Suddenly, her heart started to beat irregularly normal. She’s hearing the loud beatings of her heart that she almost thought that her chest is going to break.

Dara inhaled a lungful of air and slowly, very slowly, turned her head towards mysterious man’s direction that fulfilled her playful wish. Everything happened in slow-motion, like what she had watched in movies. She felt that she took an hour just to turn her head.

She gasped when their eyes finally met. Her heart started to beat triple-time. She can’t believe what she’s seeing right now.

Dara didn’t know if she’ll feel tormented, because the mysterious man who was holding the green rose was none other than—Jiyong.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

“What’s that?” Dara asked Jiyong nervously after she got over her shock.

“Flowers?” he guessed, acting clueless.

“I know that that’s a flower. I’m not blind. What I mean is, why are you giving me… t-that?” she can’t even say the flower’s name properly.

He shrugged his shoulders. “Is it bad to give a woman a flower?”

“Yes, it’s bad, especially if it’s from you.”

He shrugged again his shoulders. “Can’t blame you for that.”

She was not in the mood to bicker with him. Her mind and heart are in for different concerns as of the moment. “Why green rose?”

“Why not?”

“You could have at least given me a red rose, white, yellow, or pink rose. Dahlias and carnations would have done their job since you’re not giving them voluntarily, right? I can accept anything, why that?” she explained, flustered.

“Hey, you okay?” She saw genuine concern on his face. The concern she was seeing on him touched her heart. And when Jiyong touched her elbow to comfort her, Dara felt the electricity.

She was astonished and hurriedly distanced herself away from him. She momentarily glanced towards the direction of the lovers. They were still on the counter, busy talking with the flower arranger, not even knowing what was happening between the two of them right now.

Something in her wanted to call Seungri and ask for his help. But she doubted if she really wanted Seungri to help her.

What was she going to say to him? Help her because she got electrocuted when Jiyong touched her arm and wanted to give her a green rose?

“You don’t like green roses?” He took a step closer to her again.

And she immediately stepped back. ‘That’s not the point!’ she wanted to shout to his face.

Why is fate playing with them? She shook her head, and then nodded again when she realized that he might think that she didn’t want the rose.

Isn’t you nodding would give the same impression to him?

Geez.

What was happening to her? She can’t think properly!

“So, you really don’t like it. I thought you would. That was what I saw in your face when you were looking at the green roses. I guess I took it in a wrong way.”

“W-why? W-what did you saw in me?” She almost can’t breathe.

“It’s not big deal, Dara.”

“Please?” Even simply saying her name had a strange effect on her—like she wanted Jiyong to say her name a hundred times, and record it so she can listen to his voice saying her name nonstop.

He sighed, surrendering. “Well… I saw that you were delighted while looking at this rose. It was actually the first time I’ve seen you with a happy face. Like you remembered something beautiful that only you knew of it. For the past weeks, you were always upset. I guess I wanted to see more of your good side that’s why I thought of giving you this. I’m hoping that even a single rose would make you smile for a whole day.”

“Why?” Dara just grew more confused with his answer.

Jiyong shook his head. “Unbelievable, right?”

She just nodded her head in agreement to not prolong the discussion and her agony. Maybe she should contain herself with his one question-one answer habit. She shouldn’t ask him anymore, coz when he’s prolonging his explanation, the systems of her heart and mind are distraught, like as of the moment.

Why did she felt electrocuted when he touched her arm? It was very close to the kind of spark her married girl friends had described—the one that troubles your mind and bewilders your heart. A long time ago, she settled on the idea that she won’t feel that same feeling with Seungri because they’ve been together since childhood. And that she can’t feel it with him because, unconsciously, she was immune to it. But why did she felt it now? And worse, why with Jiyong?

Kill me now.