“Morning boss!”

Startled, Jihoon turned around to find a brown-haired boy nicely wrapped up in a tan coat walking down the sidewalk. He was so busy polishing the front door, he wasn’t expecting anyone to come by. But for some reason, it was impossible for Jihoon to ever be prepared for Jeonghan’s presence. “I told you, you really don’t have to call me that.”

With a flashy smile, Jeonghan joined him at the storefront. “Ahh, but it’s just so fun, boss,” he said playfully.

Jihoon rolled his eyes but managed to grin. “Morning to you too. Thanks for coming so early.”

“Are you kidding me?” Jeonghan said as he opened the door to go inside. A faint ding! went off as he walked in. “I love the morning shift. Happy things happen in the morning. It’s evenings that you start to get scared.”

Propping the door open with his foot, Jihoon lightly laughed. Standing there, he glanced around at all the flowers that didn’t know it was almost time to wake up. The world was still grey at 6am in the spring, but it was a nice grey. A damp grey that kept all the flowers fresh and bright, adding an appropriate hint of color. Jihoon smiled to himself before following Jeonghan inside. “Yeah, mornings are definitely the best.”

Lee Jihoon’s family was the proud owner of Love & Letter Flower Shop, located at 1331 Sebeuntin Lane. It had been Jihoon’s parents’ dream to open a floristry even before he was born, so they left Busan to find business in Seoul, somewhere they thought really needed more flowers. Jihoon grew up in Love & Letter, helping prune the carnations and trim the roses. The store was always bursting with lilies and chrysanthemums and tulips and hydrangeas and sunflowers and cherry blossoms. Jihoon had always loved being surrounded by such beautiful things, such beautiful smells and colors and shapes. As he got older, he learned more skills involved with the business, like creating arrangements or handling seed orders. Eventually, Jihoon knew everything there was to know about the store, and he loved it. For years, he and his parents shared such happy memories together in that store.

After some unexpected turns in life, Jihoon began to run the shop by himself. But one thing always stayed the same: he loved what he did.

Early on, Jihoon realized that being a florist wasn’t simply about bringing people flowers. Jihoon found that it meant creating a part of someone’s story. Everyone who ever walked into Love & Letter Flower Shop had a clear purpose: an anniversary, a graduation, a birthday. People came in to buy gifts and tokens of their appreciation, something beautiful that would represent how they felt towards the person they were giving the flowers to. Flowers were joyful and inviting; everybody knew that. But they weren’t just for the happy days. Jihoon always felt his heart crack a little when a family came in with a large order for standing wreath or spray arrangements, the flowers you get for funerals. He had so many customers who came frequently with tales of loved ones in the hospital. They would come by every few days for a new bouquet, but it was the saddest when they stopped coming altogether. Flowers marked graves and tried to offer peace for those who could still see them. They were a symbol of life that were always around death.

And Jihoon knew all of this. Every day he came to work, he wasn’t sure how many of each story would walk through his shop. Some nights he left smiling bigger than others. But what Jeonghan said was true: happier reasons to get flowers always came in the morning.

Jihoon spread his arms out on the counter as he watched Jeonghan put on his apron. Jihoon was already in uniform, a white button up with a green apron on top. He always liked to have the top few buttons undone and his sleeves rolled up past his elbows. “We got a fresh order of sunflowers in the back. Can you get those ready and bring them to the front?”

“Sure thing,” he replied. “Hey what time is Junhui getting in?”

“He’ll be here at opening.”

Jeonghan nodded as he headed for the backroom. “Cool, 9 o’clock. Gives me plenty of time to finish the arrangement I told him I’d make for his sister.”

Jihoon chuckled. “You still didn’t do that? You promised him weeks ago.”

“I know, I know!” Jeonghan shouted back. “But we’ve been low on petunias and those are her favorites.”

“She likes calla lilies!” Jihoon corrected.

Jeonghan snapped his fingers before disappearing through the backroom door. “Right!”

Laughing, Jihoon just shook his head. Jeonghan and Junhui were among his most charming employees. Well, that was a lie. They were all charming. Jihoon made sure to hire people with a certain charisma, the type of personality that was good with people and expressing the type of feelings that the customer needed. So basically Jihoon wouldn’t have hired himself.

For the next few hours, Jihoon and Jeonghan prepped the store. Jihoon went around and spritzed all the flowers, even the ones in the fridge cases. He always frowned when he had to collect the ones who didn’t survive the night. He had a whole pile of wilted flowers in the back. Typically, people would throw them away, but Jihoon couldn’t pull himself to do that. He had other plans.

Finally, 9am was close to rolling around when Junhui came through the front door. “Good morning guys!” he shouted to whoever was already there.

Jihoon shot his head up from behind the counter. He was straightening out the special wrapping paper they used for each bouquet. With a smile, he said, “Morning Jun.”

With a glowing grin, Junhui peeled off his jacket and let out a deep breath. He was already wearing his apron. “Ahhhh, isn’t it a beautiful day?”

Jihoon furrowed his eyebrows and just stared up at him. “What?”

“Look out there!” Junhui exclaimed, pointing out past the storefront’s clear window panes. “It’s gorgeous!”

Jihoon had to admit, it was quite picturesque. The sun had come out and the sky was a stunning blue. Not even the smog from the city could cover up the perfect elements of spring. Still, Junhui was being weird. “What’s gotten into you?” Jihoon nervously laughed.

He let out a pleasant sigh. “I don’t know, Jihoonie. I just have a really good feeling about today.”

Coming around to change the store’s sign to “open,” Jihoon said, “Please don’t call me that.”

Junhui opened his mouth to respond, but Jeonghan walked out from the back and interjected, “No boss. No Jihoonie. Man, you just really hate nicknames.”

Junhui chuckled as Jihoon looked over his shoulder at the two of them. “Just the ones you guys give me,” he replied.

“Ahh!” Jeonghan shouted, pretending to stab himself in the heart with an imaginary knife. “That cuts deep, Jihoonie!”

“I really need to fire you guys one day,” Jihoon said.

But the two had been working there long enough to know that was never going to happen. “We’re just lucky we have better people skills than you,” Junhui teased.

“I would argue,” Jihoon said, coming back to join them, “but that’s accurate.”

As much as Jihoon loved what he did and knew how much it meant to customers, he wasn’t so great at that middle part: talking. There was a certain emotional capacity required that he just didn’t have. He loved all of the stories that came through Love & Letter, but he preferred to hear them from one of the employees than the person buying the flowers. It’s not like he didn’t care; he just cared enough to know that he was no good at it. He came off as a bit cold, somewhat separated from others. He could ring up purchases. He could call the delivery people. He could point to where the roses were. But anything more, he’d rather let someone else do a better job of helping.

Jeonghan smiled as he re-tied his hair into a ponytail. “Do you think we’re gonna be busy today?”

Leaning on the counter, Jihoon pursed his lips and looked around the shop. Everything looked so alive. The colors were perfect. They were ready for a big crowd, but he knew…

“No, it’s supposed to be slow,” he replied. “I would’ve asked another one of you guys to come in if it was supposed to get busy.”

“Busy or not,” Junhui said with a knowing smile, “it’s gonna be a good one.”

Jihoon looked at him questioningly and just shook his head. “You are so strange.”

Junhui and Jeonghan laughed, but before either could say anything else…

Ding!

They all turned to the front door to see a little old woman with rosy cheeks come in. Jihoon quickly gave Jeonghan a glance. “This one’s all you,” he whispered.

Immediately, Jeonghan got a huge smile as he exclaimed, “Hi, welcome to Love & Letter!”

The woman smiled even bigger as she replied, “Hello!”

“What can I help you with today?” Jeonghan asked as he walked over, stopping to lead her through the shop.

Without even a thought, the old woman gladly took Jeonghan’s strong arm as she walked along. Pulling him down slightly because of her height, she giddily said, “Oh young man, I need your help! My husband and I are celebrating our 40th wedding anniversary!”

“Wah!” Jeonghan laughed, already amused by the woman’s lively personality. “Congratulations!”

“Thank you, thank you! Yes, we’ve been together since we were young. Actually, he used to be just as handsome as you…”

The two of them laughed together as they ventured into the store. Vaguely listening in on their conversation, Jihoon was thoroughly impressed. “I don’t know how you guys do it,” he commented to Junhui. “People just fall in love with you guys. It takes literally two seconds.”

Junhui smiled and came around the counter. He bent down to get a rag and a spray bottle. Standing back up he said, “I guess it’s just something about guys with names that start with J.”

Jihoon glared up at him. “My name starts with a J.”

Thinking it over, Junhui pointed at him. “Right.” Giving it another second, Junhui shrugged. “I guess it’s just our rugged good looks,” he teased.

“Oh, ha ha, very funny,” Jihoon flatly replied.

“You just get to know the customer a bit,” he explained with a laugh. “Ask their name, what they’re there for, what kinda flowers are they looking for, what color. Really easy stuff.”

“Easy for you,” Jihoon grumbled.

Junhui smiled and pat him on the shoulder before heading out to the front of the store. “Talking to people just comes a little more naturally to others. That’s why you have us. Just keep doing what you do best. Don’t worry, boss.”

Rolling his eyes as Junhui stepped out, Jihoon called after him, “I’m seriously gonna fire you guys!” But even if they weren’t listening to his request, he couldn’t help but giggle. He was glad to have employees who he’d become so close with. It reminded him of how warm the shop had been.

From inside, Jihoon watched as Junhui maintained the storefront. Not too long after he got out there, a man and a little boy, who appeared to be his son, walked up to him. They were both smiling, cheerfully talking about something Jihoon couldn’t hear from the other side of the glass. He assumed they were looking for something for the mother. Jihoon watched as Junhui eagerly bent down and gave the boy a high five, continuing the conversation at his eye level.

Shaking himself back into focus, Jihoon went over to the bouquets he’d marked earlier as needing to be re-cut. He took an arrangement of pink tulips, yellow daisies, and other gorgeously golden flowers over to the front counter to work on. That’s where he usually put together online orders and made arrangements throughout the day. He liked working there better than the back room because he had the perfect view of everything.

As Jihoon was cutting the bottom of each stem, a method to keep the flowers fresh longer as they were staying in water, he felt at ease. This was life for him, and it was beautiful. As Jihoon finished that one, then a soft blue bouquet, then a crisp white one, Jeonghan and Junhui were doing a great job of helping the customers, ringing up their purchase alongside Jihoon’s work so he could get a glimpse of their stories.

As the day went on, Jihoon saw the old woman buy a dozen deep red roses for her husband to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary, the father and son pick out a bouquet with pink stargazer lilies and blue irises and purple carnations for the mother’s birthday, a young couple choose a simple vase of orange tulips to congratulate their friends on their pregnancy, a gentleman in a suit purchase a display of white and yellow gerberas to impress his boss, and a handful of other happy stories. And as he stood at his work station listening in, Jihoon couldn’t help but think that maybe Junhui was right. It was going to be a good day.

With that thought in mind and a spray bottle in hand, Jihoon left his spot at the counter to put back a finished bouquet and look for any others that needed some help. While he was roaming his own store, taking in all the pleasant aromas, he heard the front door.

Ding!

Since Jihoon wasn’t too tall, he couldn’t see over the displays to see who had walked in. But that was just more for his curiosity; he knew Jeonghan or Junhui would handle the customer.

So he went to tending to the cherry blossoms in front of him. The store kept a decently sized tree in the back corner of the room. It pushed up against the ceiling and branched out over the other flowers. So many customers had asked if it was a fake display, but it was real. It made absolutely no sense why it grew so beautifully in that tiny little store, but Jihoon’s father had made it work and Jihoon always promised to keep it alive.

But as he was admiring all the little buds that had yet to blossom, he was startled by a gentle voice that said, “Excuse me?”

Jihoon turned around in a jolt. His surprise was written all over his face as he turned around to find a girl standing there. She had soft, dark brown eyes that sat just above her pleasant chubby cheeks. Her lips were pink and propped slightly open. It wasn’t until staring at her for about five seconds did Jihoon realize she looked just as surprised.

“I’m so sorry!” she quickly said, holding one hand out and the other to her heart. “I didn’t mean to scare you like that!”

Letting out a deep breath, Jihoon shook his head. “No, uh, don’t worry! That wasn’t your fault.” Quickly taking in her image, Jihoon could see that she was about his age. She was slightly shorter than him with silky brown hair flowing past her shoulders. She wore a red sweatshirt and distressed denim jeans. Jihoon didn’t have a thought in his head as he stood there.

With a nervous nod, she said, “Sorry again. Uhhh, I was just gonna ask you where I could find the sunflowers?”

Still a bit shaken, Jihoon was glad that that was a rather simple question. “Yeah,” he said, shifting his body to look where he knew they were. “If you go down that aisle on the right, you’ll see a bunch of bouquets with sunflowers. Or if you want them individually, we have them in the front of the store.”

Relieved, she smiled. “Thanks,” she said as she disappeared in that direction.

Jihoon took a moment to make sure she was gone before letting out a sigh. His heart was racing. He knew he wasn’t good at talking to people, but sometimes he even forgot how bad he was. After a few seconds, he calmed himself down and realized that she might actually need some more help, so he made his way back to the front counter to find Jeonghan or Junhui.

But as he headed that way, he already saw Junhui with a woman carrying a baby. And once he got to the front, he found Jeonghan putting together an arrangement for a boy in a school uniform. All of a sudden, Jihoon felt his heart race again. This meant he was the only free employee. This meant...he had to help her.

Quickly Jihoon reasoned with himself that she probably didn’t need any help. She’d already asked for what she needed. She knew where the sunflowers were. But the manager inside of Jihoon knew he had to check to make sure.

Walking over to where he had directed her, Jihoon realized that this was his worst nightmare. She clearly had no idea what she was looking for. Jihoon watched her stare confusedly back and forth from about five different displays, while already holding a nice orange/yellow bouquet. He knew he had to at least try and help.

Timidly walking over, he tried not to scare her like she’d done to him. “Can I help you with anything?” he asked, clearly lacking any confidence.

But she couldn’t tell. Turning around, she smiled when she saw Jihoon standing beside her. “Thank you, but I think I’m okay.”

Relieved, Jihoon smiled back and quickly nodded. He turned to leave as fast as he could, but that clearly wasn’t fast enough. Before he could even step away, she asked, “Is it pathetic to buy flowers for yourself?”

Jihoon stopped. So surprised by that question, Jihoon wasn’t even nervous as he turned around to face her again. She had this look of anxious concern, almost embarrassed. But Jihoon was just a little confused. “What?” he softly asked.

With a chuckle, she awkwardly scratched her head. “I guess that’s not a very good question to ask.”

“No, no,” Jihoon said, trying to find the right way to describe it. “It’s just...not one you get often.”

She pursed her lips and nodded. Staring into the bouquet she was holding, she said under her breath, “Right.”

Jihoon blinked a few times as he watched her. Working in this shop, he’d seen his fair share of individuals come through. But no one was quite like her. Just based on the way she was acting, she seemed out of place. Most people came in with a purpose, a person or an occasion in mind. They often knew, to some degree, what they were there for. But she didn’t look like she knew that. And for some reason, that made Jihoon feel better, like he wasn’t alone in this situation that typically would make him hopelessly uncomfortable.

But as he just stood there, he suddenly remembered that she was a customer, which meant he had to continue to talk to her. He tried to think back to what Junhui said earlier.

“Well, um,” he stammered, getting her attention again. “I—I can still help you. I’m Jihoon.”

She gave a small smile. “I’m Soojin.” Gently twirling the bouquet, she said, “Guess you could tell I was a little lost here.”

“Yeah, that’s okay,” he said, smiling a bit himself. He stepped closer to take a look at the selection before her. “Did you say you were looking for something for yourself?”

“Kinda weird, right?”

It was. Flowers were often gifts for others, not something you would just buy for yourself because you wanted to. But Jihoon didn’t want to be rude about it.

“A little,” he admitted. “But I see nothing wrong with it.”

And hearing that, Soojin smiled a bit bigger. She put back the bouquet in her hand and took out a different one, one with two large sunflowers and a bunch of pink and yellow carnations. “I’ve just always walked past this store on my way back from work,” she said, taking in a good whiff. “I grow flowers in my tiny garden at my apartment but there’s something different about having them in a bouquet.”

Jihoon nodded. “I know what you mean. It’s something special.”

“Yeah,” she said through her breath.

Jihoon waited for her to say more, but she didn’t. As he glanced over at her, it wasn’t until now did he notice how soft her features were. “Well, do you remember what you’ve gotten before that made you feel special?” he asked, “Maybe we can get an idea of what you like.”

She chuckled, letting her chin come down to her chest. Shyly, she turned her eyes to Jihoon. “Yeahhhh, about that…” Jihoon blinked a few times as she stood up straight again. “No one’s ever gotten me flowers before.”

Jihoon paused, suddenly feeling guilty for having asked. “Oh, I—sorry I just—um—”

But Soojin just laughed. Batting the air, she replied, “No, it’s okay. I’ve just...never gotten them before.”

Jihoon took a second to gaze at Soojin. From their brief encounter already, she seemed perfectly charming. She spoke easily and made Jihoon feel more comfortable, something he didn’t think was possible for a customer to do. She was bright and...cute. He found it hard to believe that no one would gift her with something as nice as her.

“Really?” he asked, unable to control himself.

“I’ll save you the pitiful backstory,” she said jokingly, but with a subtle hint of truth, “but I’ve never really had big celebrations for people to bring flowers. When I graduated, my brother bought a cake, so that was fun. For birthdays, I’ll go out to dinner. The few times I’ve ever been in relationships, the guys I dated weren’t the type to do gifts. So yeah…” She shrugged. “No flowers.”

As she spoke, Jihoon watched her gently play with the flowers in front of her. Her fingers skimmed over the petals and didn’t pluck a single one. Jihoon was mesmerized not only by what she said, but how she spoke, so faintly but with such certainty. It reminded him of the sunflowers she was looking for, tall and strong but still delicate and whimsical.

Suddenly snapping back to reality, Soojin looked over at Jihoon. “Sorry!” she abruptly said, “I didn’t mean to drench you with so much sadness!”

Coming to as well, Jihoon quickly said, “What, no! Uh, no, that wasn’t…” He tried to find the words. He took a second to just look into her eyes before he smiled. “You’re fine. I get what you mean.”

Seeing his soft grin, Soojin appreciated Jihoon’s sympathy. She took a moment to really notice his gentle smile. It was subtle, which she liked. His eyes were small, but went up oh so slightly with the corners of his mouth. He had bleach blonde hair that oddly went well with his whole demeanor. He wasn’t too tall, but he seemed strong. Something about the way he stood there in his nice little apron was comforting.

She chuckled and gestured towards him. “Are you sure you do? Because I bet you get flowers all the time.”

Jihoon scoffed and turned back to play with the flower petals, not even realizing he was imitating Soojin’s movements. “Yeah,” he said under his breath, “when the cherry blossoms fade.”

She furrowed her eyebrows. “What?”

Realizing that he’d said that outloud, Jihoon looked at her and said, “Oh, that’s just something my dad would say.”

She tilted her head. “But I’m confused. Don’t they fade every year?”

Jihoon chuckled, understanding her confusion. He stepped back and twisted his body so she could see where he was pointing. “See that tree in the back?”

Obviously she had. It was the biggest thing in the whole store, and the most beautiful. “How could I not.”

Jihoon explained, “My dad brought that thing in here when he and my mom first opened this store. It gets nearly zero direct sunlight and surely does not have enough soil.” He dropped his arm and looked back at her. “But for some reason, it lives. And it never fades.”

“Really?” Soojin asked, amazed as she admired its soft pink blossoms.

He smiled. “So whenever my mom got sappy or something and she would say, ‘When are you gonna stop loving me?’ my dad would just reply…”

“When the cherry blossoms fade,” Soojin said, a pleased grin on her face.

“Yeah,” Jihoon chuckled, blushing at his own parents’ cheesiness.

But Soojin found it adorable. “That’s really sweet.”

With a nod, Jihon let out a sigh. “Yep. So it basically means never.”

Still bubbling over that cute memory he shared, Soojin slowly remembered what they were talking about to get there. “So, wait. You’re saying you don’t get flowers?”

Reaching for one up higher, Jihoon pulled down a purple arrangement. “I provide flowers. I don’t receive them.”

“Well isn’t that a sad irony,” Soojin teased.

“Ehh,” he replied with a shrug. “There’s nothing wrong with a bit of sadness.”

And something about how he so easily said that, as if he’d thought it plenty of times before they ever spoke, made Soojin smile. It was nice to know she wasn’t the only one to believe that. “I agree.”

There was a flow of silence that took over for a moment. It was strange how Jihoon could have a conversation seemingly so somber surrounded by the brightest flowers in the city. But at the same time, even if the topic was rather sad, the two of them spoke with simple ease. There was a certain warmth to it all. It was odd, and Jihoon had never spoken to someone like this before. But he’d be lying if he said it wasn’t enjoyable.

“So, flowers for yourself, huh?” Jihoon said, finally bringing it back to why she was even there.

Soojin nodded. “Yep. That’s right.”

He smiled. “So are you looking for something with sunflowers…”

“Yeah,” she said, gazing at all of them in front of her. “I really like sunflowers.”

“Then you’ve come to the right place.”

“All thanks to you,” she said, hinting back to when she asked him about where to find them earlier.

He smiled. “Any of these here stand out?”

Raising an eyebrow, she had to admit, “I don’t really know what I’m looking for. It’s for me, but I don’t even know what I want. They’re all so beautiful.”

Jihoon couldn’t argue with that. But he knew for a fact there had to be one that was perfect for her. “Well yeah, but for different reasons,” he explained. “Each one tells a different story.”

Soojin looked over at him questioningly. “Oh really?”

He smiled.

Almost taking that like a challenge, Soojin stepped back. Her finger to her chin, she examined across the tens of bouquets displayed before her. Squinting at the first one that caught her eye, she pointed to the one on the far right. “What story does that one tell?”

Jihoon stepped over to where she was pointing. Following her gaze, he reached out and grabbed a set with three sunflowers surrounded by purple-pinkish roses. Accented with light green hydrangeas, it was soft and elegant. He smiled and held them in front of her.

“This is one that a boyfriend would bring over to his girlfriend’s house the first time he was meeting her parents,” he explained. “It tells them that he cares enough to bring a gift and that he knows they appreciate a certain sophistication. They’ll place it in the center of the dinner table so everyone can admire it while they eat and get to know each other better. The girlfriend will look at it fondly as her boyfriend chats with her dad, so proud that he made the right first impression.”

Impressed by Jihoon’s story, Soojin almost forgot that he was making it up on the spot. hung slightly open in amazement. She slowly looked up from the flowers to admire his gentle face, almost scared that a sudden move would break his imagination. Wanting to hear more, she nodded her head towards another. “What about that one?”

Jihoon turned around and found which one she meant. “That one…,” he said as he put back the boyfriend’s gifts and pulled out a bouquet that was far more vibrant. It also had four sunflowers, but was buried with hot pink tulips, red lilies, and green poms. It was obnoxiously gorgeous.

Jihoon chuckled as he held it out firmly in one hand. “This one would get picked out by a couple of kids,” he said cheerfully. “A brother and sister on their way home from school would realize it’s their mom’s birthday and they don’t have a present for her. They run in here looking for something they think she’ll like, so they go and get the loudest, brightest bouquet they can find. To an adult, it might be a bit too much, but to them it just screamed how much they loved their mom.” Describing everything with such fervor, Jihoon said, “They’d pull their money together and rush home to give it to her, nearly out of breath from their excitement. And the moment she saw it, she’d get this huge smile on her face, because she would know exactly why they chose this one.”

As Jihoon painted out these scenarios, Soojin couldn’t contain her own smile. He was so captivating. The stories were so detailed, so real. She had to hear more. “That one,” she said, eagerly pointing to another.

And Jihoon was just as eager. With a hop in his step, he reached up to pull down a bouquet with only plum and yellow flowers. Roses and dahlias bundled together with the sunflowers gave off a more romantic vibe. “Oooh, these,” Jihoon said, a giant grin on his face as he took in a huge whiff. “These are for a couple. One that’s been together for a while now. But it’s the girl who buys them, because she knows her boyfriend’s too embarrassed to admit that he loves flowers.” Doing what he narrated, Jihoon said, “She’d hide them behind her back as she walked up to him in front of the restaurant. Then, she’d jump out with them in front of her. He’d be so flustered by how cute she was being that he’d forget to be embarrassed about receiving them. They’d laugh and kiss and…” Getting a bit lost himself, he let out a dreamy sigh. “...and it would all be perfect.”

Enchanted by Jihoon’s storytelling, Soojin got lost with him. All of his details let each tale play out so vividly in her head. But as she looked at all of the flowers, she tilted her head and asked, “Are they all happy stories?”

Jihoon took a second and turned back around. He returned the romantic set as he skimmed the rows for the arrangement he already had in mind. His heart sunk a little when his eyes caught the bouquet with only sunflowers and white daisies. With a weak grin, he took it out and stepped back to stand beside Soojin.

“A son gets this one for his mom in the hospital,” he said, gently moving around the petals so she could see the flowers’ full beauty. “She’s been there for months now, but the hospital room is just so dinky. All the monitors constantly beeping don’t really help either. It needs some livening up, and she absolutely adores daisies. They’re her favorite. The sunflowers are her husband’s favorite, the son’s dad. But he passed away about a year before that.” His fingers crinkled the plastic holding them all together. “But the mom...still likes to think he would’ve enjoyed them. So the son brings them every week.” He raised his eyebrows slightly as he let out a breath and looked at Soojin. “Until she doesn’t need them anymore.”

Jihoon didn’t even realize he could tell these stories, but Soojin listened so well, he just let them flow out. So much of his heart and soul went into these flowers, it was nice to tell someone where he imagined they would end up. Or where he knew they went.

Soojin could feel her eyebrows furrow in sadness. The weight of Jihoon’s words was tugging at her heartstrings. There was something so real in Jihoon’s gaze that she almost wanted to hug him. But she had to remind herself that it was all pretend.

“You really have a strong grasp on who needs what flowers,” she complimented.

“And those are just the ones with sunflowers,” he replied.

Letting a smile creep out of her lips, she pulled her hands to hold them behind her back. Bouncing on the balls of her feet, she playfully asked, “Which one would go to a girl who doesn’t have anybody to buy them for her? A girl who just really needs something to brighten up her life right now, so much so that she’s willing to go buy that something for herself?”

Knowing exactly who she was talking about, Jihoon couldn’t help but smile. “Ahh,” he said, placing the sorrow-filled bouquet back where it came from. “That would be over here.”

He lead the way out of the aisle and through the rest of the store. It was impossible for Soojin not to watch Jihoon as she followed. His whole being was...she couldn’t quite find the words for it. Whatever it was about him, she was charmed. And she was really glad she’d finally come in the store.

As Jihoon held the door open for her to walk out with him, Junhui caught a glimpse of his boss actually interacting with a customer. Standing next to Jeonghan, he jabbed him in the ribs.

“Ow, what?” he immediately replied.

Junhui smiled and pointed out the storefront window. When Jeonghan saw what he was looking at, he smiled too.

Jihoon walked over to the bucket that held individual sunflowers, each one wrapped on their own. He reached in and pulled out the one he knew for a fact was the most beautiful. With a smile, he presented it to her. “This one is for…” He took a second to just gaze at Soojin’s cute expression before saying anything else. He couldn’t help but blush. His heart was beating so hard in his chest, but he felt like she deserved to hear what he believed her story was. “This one’s for a girl...who’s really easy to talk to. She speaks with ease and is pretty funny. A girl who isn’t pathetic for going out there and getting what she wants. A girl...who deserves to have her day brightened…” Moving it just a little closer to her, he said, “...before the cherry blossoms fade.”

Unable to keep Jihoon’s sweet gaze, Soojin looked down at the flower and shook her head as she laughed. “I guess that’s the one for me,” she said behind her grin.”

Jihoon couldn’t agree more. “Here,” he said, as she finally took it from him. “This one’s on me.”

“What?” she uttered, lifting her eyes to meet his. “I can’t just take this.”

“It’s okay,” Jihoon told her, putting his hands in his back pockets. Suddenly, Soojin made him all nervous. His palms were sweating. “I know you came for yourself, but...you can do that whenever.” He meekly smiled. “You can only receive flowers for the first time...once.”

Taking a second to just register what that meant, Soojin tried her best to contain herself. But it felt like her heart was going to leap out of her chest. Admiring her sunflower, she asked, “So this is a gift from you?”

Jihoon scoffed. “Do I have to spell it out for you?”

Soojin laughed and quickly nodded. “No, no I get it.”

With a chuckle, Jihoon his lips. As if he had used them all up earlier, he was out of words.

But that was okay, because Soojin stood there and said, “Well, thank you. It’s...it’s really special.”

Satisfied, Jihoon replied, “Then the next time you come looking for something for yourself, I can help you all over again.” He was so entranced with Soojin that he almost forgot she was a customer.

“Actually,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “Maybe next time you can help me look for someone else.”

Jihoon tilted his head. “Do you have someone in mind?”

Soojin chuckled and used her flower to lightly poke Jihoon’s chest. “You.”

“Me?” he uttered, his eyes growing wide in shock.

Laughing a little louder, she blushed and replied, “Yes, you!”

“Why?” Jihoon asked through his own laughter.

“Like you just said,” she explained, “you can only receive flowers for the first time once.” Her eyes shined so brightly as she shrugged. “I want to return the favor before it’s too late.”

Hearing that made Jihoon’s heart race even faster.

For a moment, the two of the just stood there gazing into each other’s happy eyes. The sounds of the city filled the background as they enjoyed the other’s company and that of a million flowers. Neither of them felt any desire to leave this oddly comfortable moment in time, one that both were strangers to. Jihoon especially never knew such pleasantry existed. For a second, it made him rethink not being able to talk to customers. But then he realized that that wasn’t it. It was Soojin. She was special.

But finally, Soojin cracked into a faint laugh as she shook herself back to reality. “Uhh,” she said, blinking into the present. She flicked her eyes back up at Jihoon and pointed out at the street. “I should probably get going.”

Jolting to himself, Jihoon realized, with much regret, that she was right. “Oh, yeah, sure thing.”

But even though she said that, she couldn’t yet pull her feet up to leave. So instead, she stuck out her free hand and said, “It was nice to meet you, Jihoon.”

For a second, Jihoon just nervously looked down. “Yeah,” he said. Timidly, but trying not to show his anxiousness, he reached out and held hers. There was a brief moment where it felt like a rush of feelings just surged through his body. He wasn’t sure if Soojin felt it, but it made him smile even bigger. “You too, Soojin.”

Soojin bit her lower lip to stop herself from squealing. Jihoon was really becoming too good to be true. Slowly, she let go of his soft hand and finally stepped back. She nodded as she walked out of the storefront and onto the sidewalk. “Don’t worry,” she said, pointing at him with her flower. “You’ll be getting your flowers soon!”

“Yeah?” he smiled. “Are you sure you won’t forget me?”

Walking away backwards, she scoffed and called back, “When the cherry blossoms fade!”

Jihoon laughed so his head fell and his eyes scrunched closed, showing the crinkles on his face. And seeing that image made Soojin smile even bigger. She waited until he opened his eyes and waved before she waved back and finally turned around. As she walked away, she stared down at her single sunflower and grinned into its petals. The image of the sweet florist with the beautiful stories wouldn’t soon leave her mind. And she couldn’t be happier to have received her first flower.

Jihoon stood there for a little longer until Soojin was far enough down the sidewalk that he could no longer see her. Slowly bringing himself to, he tried as best he could to memorize her face. Thankfully, it wasn’t too hard. She was something special.

With a dopey little smile on his face, Jihoon spun on his heels and walked back into the store.

Junhui smugly watched Jihoon walk up to the counter. “Did you actually just talk to a customer, boss?” he smirked.

Still in a trance, Jihoon looked up at him. “No,” he chuckled. “She wasn’t a customer.”

Junhui furrowed his eyebrows as he watched Jihoon walk towards an aisle of the store. “What?” he called after him, confused.

“She wasn’t a customer,” he said again, loud enough so Junhui could hear. Already thinking back to their conversation, he stopped at the sunflower section. He chuckled. He was so glad he could be the first to give her flowers. Under his smile, Jihoon said, “She didn’t buy anything.