When Woohyun thought about how “Namu” was his nickname growing up, he’d never envisioned himself actually working with plants, let alone running a flower shop together with Dongwoo. And yet, here he was. 

It had started off just as a favour. Dongwoo’s parents had run the flower shop for a number of years, with Dongwoo always there to assist when he could. But when his father fell ill and his mother took time out to be with him, Dongwoo asked Woohyun if he could help out. In between jobs at the time and uncertain of his next step, Woohyun had agreed readily, and he stayed on after Dongwoo’s father passed away. 

It had never been a hardship. Dongwoo was a dear friend, and his parents had practically been family to him. But the two men had also been pleasantly surprised by how well they worked together. Woohyun had quickly realised that Dongwoo could sometimes be a bit of a soft touch and susceptible to scams, and he provided some much needed level-headedness when dealing with suppliers and customers. At the same time, Dongwoo’s enthusiasm for the floral arts rubbed off on Woohyun, and he picked everything up quickly with finesse. 

It helped that the fun they had in their friendship spilled into their work, and the shop developed a reputation for its sense of playfulness and humour, in both the flower arrangements and the interactions of the two florists. 

“Bee mine!” proclaimed a sign on one of their little baskets once, with a sunny mix of pink, yellow and orange roses, topped off with little bee figurines. Another time, during Halloween, they carved jack-o-lantern pumpkins as makeshift flower pots, with faces that appeared comically cute rather than scary. They didn’t stop at the flowers though, and once sent out promo flyers with the question “Need help 2 woo someone?”, shamelessly proud of their in-joke.

All this could have been off-putting in the hands of others, but the duo were so likeable and so sincere, that these things came off as disarmingly sweet rather than annoying. 

Today though, Woohyun was on his own, as Dongwoo was out setting up the decorations for a wedding. The peace was more welcome than usual. Dongwoo was often a whirl of cheery kineticism, and this was energising during busy times, but it had been an exhausting few weeks. Now that Christmas had passed and the festive period drawing to a close, Woohyun was grateful to have some quiet, with just a few walk-ins while he got on with some orders and paperwork. 

It was coming to the end of the day, but Woohyun found himself craving a caffeine fix. He considered popping out briefly to grab one, when his phone beeped with a text. He smiled when he read it - turns out he wouldn’t have to step out after all. 

Sunggyu walked into the flower shop, paper cups of hot coffee in hand, feeling his body relax in the lush dampness. It was always a welcome breath of fresh air, especially after a few hours of being cooped up at work. The tattoo shop was as comfortable as his boss could make it, with plants and cushions and modern wooden furniture, but there was no masking that distinctive, clinical smell of antiseptic and the buzzing whirs of the rotary machines. 

The flower shop on the other hand, was all organic green softness and vibrant florals. It seemed almost jungle-like at times, wild and free, with vines that tumbled from the planters hanging from the ceiling beams. And at this time of year, the heady scent of pine filled the air, and there were twines of winterberries and eucalyptus studded with slices of dried citrus in wreaths. Fairy lights draped across the brick walls, their reflections twinkling in glass vases. 

Woohyun hadn’t known what to make of Sunggyu when they first met. He and Dongwoo had gone over to the tattoo shop when it opened across the road about a year ago to say a neighbourly hello. Everyone else had been friendly, but Sunggyu had kept mostly to himself. It was only when he was introduced as part of the team, did they realise that he was actually a tattoo artist there as well. Woohyun had found him cold and prickly, “like a cactus”, he had thought at the time. 

Sunggyu also did not fit any image one would normally have of a tattoo artist, even less so than the way neither Woohyun nor Dongwoo’s muscular physiques gave any hints that they would be at home with t delicate flowers or fussing over ribbons. With his glasses, thin pale face and long fingers, Sunggyu was the kind of person one pictured with ink in pens, rather than ink in needles. It didn’t help that he had no visible tattoos at the time, unlike his colleagues whose tattoos could be seen on their necks or arms, peeking out from under their sweaters.

“They’re all under my clothes.”

“Well show us something then!” Dongwoo ribbed him, as he pretended to try to peek under Sunggyu's top.

“Hey! I don’t like showing my body,” Sunggyu had protested, more than a little defensively. 

Even more surprising was the fact that Sunggyu was actually really afraid of needles, or rather, injections. His first tattoo had been the result of a failed bet with friends who ostensibly wanted to help him get over this fear. Woohyun remembered staring at Sunggyu incredulously when he heard this. Sungyeol, who was also a tattoo artist at the shop, and one of the said friends, had gleefully taken the opportunity to show off a photo he had on his phone that he had taken of Sunggyu getting his vaccinations done. Sunggyu had lunged at Sungyeol then, cursing and swearing, but Sungyeol’s long limbs kept Sunggyu at arm’s length, and there was no hiding the hilarious picture of Sunggyu with his eyes closed in terror, and turning away from the doctor, clearly trying to disassociate himself from the whole situation. Any semblance of cool or aloofness that Sunggyu had till then disintegrated in the face of the collective peals of laughter that ensued. 

Perhaps it was all meant to be, because it turned out that Sunggyu was ok with tattoos, and he turned his love for design and illustration into a career in tattooing. For some reason though, he was still afraid of injections ("it's completely different!" he had claimed) - something which Woohyun found oddly endearing.

The change really started though, when Woohyun accompanied Dongwoo for his appointment with Sunggyu. Dongwoo had wanted to get an oak tree on his back in memory of his father, “because he will always have my back”. 

(Woohyun hadn’t known whether to laugh or cry at this, though knowing Dongwoo and his dad, they would have been totally fine with him doing both.)

It had taken a few sittings, and each time, as Woohyun listened to the verbal stream of consciousness pouring out of Dongwoo, or just held his hand comfortingly when things got a little intense and Dongwoo struggled to stay still, he had found it hard to keep his eyes from straying over to Sunggyu. His eyes followed Sunggyu’s hands as he worked on Dongwoo’s back, and as he wiped Dongwoo down with a cloth, and he also couldn’t help noticing just how handsome Sunggyu was, with his face focused and locked in concentration. 

When Sunggyu was finally done, Woohyun admired the lines of the tree trunk and the way the verdant oak branches spread and hugged Dongwoo’s skin, solid and steadfast. Just like how Dongwoo’s father must have been for him.

Woohyun was busy with a walk-in, so Sunggyu settled down with the cups of coffee at the wooden table which Woohyun and Dongwoo used to speak with customers, or to sometimes conduct workshops. 

Sunggyu watched Woohyun as he attended to the customer. It was a familiar scene to him by now, Woohyun charming people young and old with his winning smile and crinkly eyes, while listening attentively to what they said. He often marvelled at the ease with which Woohyun would pick out flowers, explaining the meanings behind them and how the colour combinations and arrangements would work with differing containers and accessories. It almost seemed as though he was composing a piece of music rather than putting a bunch of flowers together. 

Sunggyu's visits to the flower shop had started innocuously enough, when he had dropped by once to check on how Dongwoo’s tattoo was healing. Eventually, he started coming by just to have a chat with Woohyun and Dongwoo, or even just to sit at the table for awhile, amused by Woohyun's nagging at Dongwoo for his terrible handwriting, or how Dongwoo and Woohyun would sometimes launch into a random dance session when a favourite song came on the radio.

And then sometimes, only Woohyun would be there, and they chatted over cups of coffee, which eventually expanded into meeting for coffee outside, and then dinner at the local BBQ place, or chicken and beer by the river.  

They spoke about everything and nothing, talking about the customers they had each encountered that day, or movies they had watched, or games that they were playing. They chatted about the stories that lay behind the requests they received, and then slowly but surely, started sharing their own pasts and hopes and dreams, their joys and their pains. 

As the year passed, their chats and meet-ups, texts and calls, formed a warm circle that pulled them ever closer towards one other. 

Sunggyu was gazing around the shop when he looked up, only to be greeted by the sight of a large bunch of mistletoe hanging above him. 

“Isn’t the time for mistletoe over?” he asked, after Woohyun walked the last customer out of the shop, bidding his goodbyes and then turning the shop sign over to “closed”.

Woohyun shrugged. “We need to use up the excess mistletoe and Dongwoo says he wants to encourage peace and love at the end of the year, so…” Woohyun had remembered scoffing when Dongwoo waxed lyrical about how mistletoe was not just meant for kissing under, but was also traditionally a place where enemies reconciled. “According to the Romans!” Dongwoo had added, helpfully. 

Sunggyu stared up at the mistletoe. “Has there been lots of kissing and making up in here then?”

Woohyun laughed. “Not as much as there should be,” he said, walking over to Sunggyu. There was an unmistakable twinkle in Woohyun’s eyes. Sunggyu suddenly felt very warm under his sweater, and as Woohyun’s strong arms slipped under his coat to wrap around his waist, Sunggyu couldn’t stop the smile spreading across his face.

"Don't you want some coffee?" Sunggyu teased.

"Later, it can wait." Sunggyu's eyes fluttered closed as he felt Woohyun's soft, full lips against his. And as he kissed Woohyun back, he breathed him in, letting his own arms wrap around Woohyun. 

Just then, the door slammed open, as Dongwoo kicked it aside with his foot and strode in from the cold outside, all blustery with his arms laden with bags of tools and supplies. 

“Hey!! Go get a room!” But Dongwoo’s attempt at being stern was completely undermined by the way he couldn’t stop beaming at them. 

“Excuse me?! You were the one who put all this mistletoe up!”

“Fine, fine, go make out with your boyfriend, the shop’s closed anyway,” and he retreated to the storeroom. 

Woohyun turned back to Sunggyu, whose cheeks were suffused with pink. They leaned into each other again and sighed into their embrace, and Woohyun pressed a gentle kiss against Sunggyu's hair.

I love you, Gyu.

I love you too, Hyun.