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Once and FloralMingyu’s interest in flowers is not something he got voluntarily.
It’s started back then when Mingyu was ten years old, when his mother brought a bucket of white lilies to his grandparents’ house, and ended up laying it off on top of their grave stones.
His little child inner back then was full of curiosity, asking anything that looked unusual in his range of visions, as he tugged his mother’s hand and asked, “Mom? What’s that flower?”
“This?” His mother softly crouched to meet Mingyu’s gaze, eyes smiling, as she replied, “These flowers? It’s called lilies, white lilies.”
“Lilies?” Mingyu repeated, curiosity in him wasn’t satisfied yet with the answer, “Why do we bring lilies to grandparents’ graves? Do they eat them in heaven?”
Soft chuckles can be heard from his mother, soon followed by his father, before they shook their head, patting Mingyu’s head instead. “Of course not, Darling.” She replied, other hand of hers pointing to the sky. “Let’s say… this is like us giving them messages that we’re okay here, so they don’t have to worry much about us being left here? Since lilies mean peace, after all.”
“Then what will they do about the flowers after that?” Mingyu still asked. Just a little bit more, a little bit more to fulfill the curiosity glass inside his mind. “Do they have vases there to display these?”
His father took in, put his hands around Mingyu’s sides to lift him up, before put him on his board shoulders, and added, “Well, let’s hope they have it so they can see it every day.”
Ever since that scene, Mingyu’s mind automatically connects flowers as symbol of positiveness, faithfulness, happiness, and got interested in flowers language after, and got himself a job that related to it in the future.
Yet, in the age of twenty-five, with Mingyu’s experience as a florist for two years after he graduated from his botanical degree, this customer’s request, who steadily standing in front of him with his fierce eyes and police uniform, was the most shocking one for him.
Or even, it’s not something that Mingyu would expect will come out of a police officer’s mouth.
“Uh… sorry, Sir, what did you just say?”
“I said,” a light scoff can be heard from the smaller man in front of Mingyu, with his pretty finger—did this officer put some clear coating on his nails by himself? It looks good on him—as he points to flowers around the shop, before he exclaims, “Can you make a bucket of flowers that sends hateful message in a pretty way?”
“H-hateful message?” a sharp nod replied Mingyu, which, makes Mingyu’s eyes reflexively examines the customer from the head to the toe, throat slightly scratchy as he slowly realizes that the man in front of him really meant what he said. “Uh… we… can… but—” he stops himself, mentally shaking his own head, before he nods, although hesitantly, “We can make it if you want, Sir.” He gently shows the officer the lists of their services by sliding off the brochure in front of him, his finger pointing from the cheapest to the most expensive one, before he explains, “Here’s some of the services we can offer—”
The officer points out to the most expensive one as he speaks up, “I’d like to have a greeting card along with it, with ‘congratulation for your promotion, Mr. Park Minjoon. – Lee Jihoon’ written on it.”
“Alright, Sir—”
“Does this store have red greeting cards, by the way?”
Wow, this officer must be really despising this Park Minjoon to the point he made an order like this in a thoroughly passive-aggressive manner. “We do, Sir. We have some choices of the shade—”
“Do you have the darkest shade of red here?”
Yup, this officer totally hated this Park Minjoon’s gut.
Mingyu’s nod responded to him, as he carefully opens the table’s drawers in front of him before he takes the darkest red greeting card he can find and showing it in front of the officer. “Would this do, Sir?”
Both of the chocolate irises of the officer’s intently staring on the red card, looks like examining the shade, before nodding rather satisfied. “Okay, when can I take it?”
“Depends on when do you need it, Sir.”
“Alright,” the smaller man in front of Mingyu sighing, rather triumphant, as he continues, “Can it be done on tomorrow’s lunch time?”
“Sure, Sir. About the payment—”
Mingyu’s question got cut off by the officer’s hand that slides the table with a debit card. “I’ll pay with this.”
“For the flower—”
“Your pick, okay? I don’t care, just, make it as resentful as possible but in a pretty manner.”
Okay, that’s Mingyu’s cue to shut up and proceed with the payment.
After the officer’s done with his business by Mingyu returning his card, he sighs, before he looks up to meet Mingyu’s eyes and says, “Right now, in your mind, you must be wondering on why, me, a police officer to boot, came here and ask for a bucketful flower of resentment messages, with full uniform on top of that.” Mingyu’s lips tighten, rather bashful and guilty, but he chooses to not respond. “But you know, I have my own reasons.”
Mingyu knew that much, really—by knew he means there must be reasons behind it, as him trying to rationalize about the shorter man’s action—but as a human he is, he can’t help but being curious although his lips says nothing about it. He hesitantly nods, though, doesn’t want to pry the officer’s business even further (and doesn’t want to get involved, at all), as he says, “I’m… not, so, uh, don’t worry about it.”
The look on the officer’s face become soften, yet he sighs again, before he extends his hands to Mingyu, “I’m Jihoon, Lee Jihoon.”
Hesitantly, Mingyu reaches out Jihoon’s hand for a hand shake, grip the latter’s hand rather loosely, as he introduces himself, too, “I’m… Mingyu? Kim Mingyu?”
“Alright,” Jihoon shakes their hand one more time before he let go, retracting his hand to his trousers’ pockets. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He exclaims after, and excused himself out of the store.
Mingyu’s still fall stoned, doesn’t know how to react to the interaction he just had ten minutes ago, before both of his eyes fall to his own hand, which is still hanging on the air.
What…
What the heck just happened?
Min9yu_K 16.54 : bro
KwanBoo 16.55 : what bro
Min9yu_K 16.56 : if someone ordered a bucketful hate of flower, what does that mean?
KwanBoo 16.58 : probably
KwanBoo 16.58 : it’s because they just hate that person so much
KwanBoo 16.58 : but they don’t wanna lose their face? especially if it’s their superior
Min9yu_K 17.01 : oh
Min9yu_K 17.01 : rght
Min9yu_K 17.01 : *right
Min9yu_K 17.01 : that makes sense
KwanBoo 17.03 : why, did you get that kind of customer today?
Min9yu_K 17.05 : yeah
Min9yu_K 17.05 : but he bought the most expensive one so I don’t really mind
Min9yu_K 17.06 : business is still business after all
KwanBoo 17.08 : capitalism is scary huh
Min9yu_K 17.09 : wdym capitalism!! I was just trying to survive in this industry!!
Turns out, it’s not the last time Mr. Lee Jihoon, the police officer, order the buckets of flower that full of resentment.
(And since then, Mingyu starts to learn about flower languages all over again, stocking his vocabularies of flower, especially the one with negative meanings—or just, anything that the polar opposites of what he already knows, just in case that Lee Jihoon, or other customers that have the same-minded as that officer, will come to the store, again.
Which, surprisingly, he is.)
It’s already Jihoon’s fourth order, and with different names again, and different messages on top of that—the second one was about a farewell one, that delivered to someone named Yoon Jeonghan; the third one was about giving two s like you and thank you, which, delivered to someone named Kim Jooah; and the fourth one, which is today, was about wishing this poor recipient bad luck and manifested in an anger-yet-pretty manner, again.
Really, Mingyu just want to do his job properly, but he can’t help wondering on what kind of world this small man named Lee Jihoon is living in; and wondering, just, what did he do in this life to make him have this much people to be resentful on?
And why, for all of the things that can be used for presenting his overflowing resentment from his body, this man chooses flowers, that mostly symbolizes mostly peaceful and healing manner?
Jihoon is here again, but in casual clothes, which is understandable to Mingyu since it’s weekend, before he greets the latter rather excited, and it shows on his face when he noticed the (poor) bucket of flowers he ordered already nicely wrapped on the counter as he requested.
(God, bless the poor souls that got falsely happy for accepting these flowers without knowing its meaning.)
“So, what do you have for me today?” Jihoon asks as soon as Mingyu hands the flowers, glints on his eyes show how interested he is on the taller man’s flower arrangements, as he adds, “Oh? The combination of white and orange looks pretty good today. What flowers did you use this time?”
(And Jihoon always, always asked what flower he used, and its meaning, before giving him an approval nod and light steps as he got out of the store, totally satisfied with his service.
Mingyu really doesn’t know whether he should be happy that his flower arrangement got praised or pity the one who received it.)
“So, uh,” Mingyu’s finger carefully points out to the white flower. “This is anemone flowers; it means bad luck or bad omen,” his finger moves to the orange flowers, sighing under his breath, before he continues, “And this is orange lilies, which means hatred, or pride, or disdain.”
Again, Jihoon giving him approval nods as he examines the flowers on his arms, before he nods again, rather satisfied, as he says, “You know, aside of its meaning, the way you arranged the flowers and the color combination is really good.”
And again, Mingyu really doesn’t know how to react Jihoon’s compliments, so he only bashfully nods in reply.
Jihoon grins, fishing something out of his pocket, before he asks, “As a thank you, can I ask your number and ask you out on the next weekend?”
Blinking, Mingyu’s brain fails to register with the sudden turn of event, as he exclaims, rather high-pitched and croaky, “My what now?”
“Your number,” Jihoon repeats, louder this time, “And your time next weekend. If you’re okay with it, though.”
“I’m sorry?? My what??”
As Jihoon seems noticing on how flustered Mingyu is at the moment, he cuts the latter off by says, “Oh, no pressure, though.” he rustles through his own pockets, seeking for papers, takes the nearest pen he can reach, before write his own number and his name after that. “This is only for a thank you, really, for keeping up with my ridiculous orders, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
Mingyu blinks, again, grown confused. “Can I ask you something?”
Jihoon hums in reply, eyes still focusing on the paper where he’s writing hus number down there. “Sure, be my guest.”
“Why?”
Jihoon frowns instead, repeats, rather confused, “Why?” Mingyu’s rapid nods replies him. “I know we just met in a short time, but to be honest, I’m interested in you.”
Interested… on him? Someone who named Kim Mingyu and is in his second year of being a florist in the age of twenty-five? “Does… does a police officer being interested in me supposed to be a good thing?”
A sharp, loud cackle from Jihoon responded Mingyu’s pure confusion, seems like trying to hold himself to not laugh over it. “I don’t know.” He’s still trying to hold his laugh, however, as Jihoon scoffs after that, seems no offense taken from Mingyu’s bold statement, before he slides his own number in front of Mingyu, both of his corner lips risen in triumphant, “But that’s why I found you surreally interesting in my eyes.”
+ 82 – 221 – 1986 – xxx
The paper loosely hanging on Mingyu’s hand.
Mingyu sighs, puts aside the paper on the coffee table, before thrown himself away; his back meeting the sofa’s cushion, as his eyes loosely pondering on his apartment’s ceilings.
Why?
Just why him, from all of people?
He throws another sigh, grabbing the closest cushion he can reach, before he buries his own face on it, ignoring his own head-numbing deductions about the tiny police officer for now, as his mouth reflexively screams out the frustration he already pent up for weeks directly to the cushion.
Probably it’s a bad decision of Mingyu’s, but what’s done is done anyway, and Mingyu ended up just following the flow for now, as he saves Jihoon’s number as Petty Police Officer I met at the Store before he messages him, telling him that it’s Kim Mingyu from Buncha Flowers—his own flower shop, the place they met for the first time—before turning off the phone and throw it on the sofa.
He will regret this, really, Mingyu’s sure of it.
(Especially when it’s something that actually he can avoid easily, but he chooses himself to falls anyway, seeing what kind of prey he will be in front of Jihoon’s eyes later.
He’s either risk taker or just stupid in general; really, Mingyu both doesn’t know and doesn’t care anymore.
Whatever goes, goes.)
Jihoon replied by oh, hello, didn’t think you’ll reply, but if you’re down for it, let’s have breakfast tomorrow at 8 on diner near your shop, three hours later and Mingyu didn’t read it until the next day at six in the morning.
You’ve put me in an orchid position, no?, Mingyu replied, already brewing his morning coffee, dark, eye-opening, and making him ready to face the another day once again, although I’m bouquet with it, though.
Jihoon didn’t reply after that, yet Mingyu still going to the diner later, only to find that what makes him late replying the taller man was because he was trying to understand his floral puns, and ended up going it, let’s just ask him when he arrived on diner later.
And no, Mingyu’s in the upper hand to not answer and tell Jihoon to look for it himself because if he’s interested in him, that’s how much efforts he needs to put for knowing him better.
(He got his shins kicked under the table by Jihoon, but an embarrassed Jihoon is cute too, so he lets him, although yeah, a police officer’s attack sure hurts as .)
One week later, Jihoon requested another, this time is a bouquet of flowers, yet still as hateful as usual, before he adds on his requests, “But make sure you choose light-colored flowers and with a sky blue greeting cards, with ‘Hope you’ll see sky clear-situation type as soon as you age even harder’ kind of message but sugar-coated it as sweet as you can.”
And now, Mingyu’s brave enough to sighs in front of him, but keep making notes of Jihoon’s order anyway—business is still a business, so, yeah—as he says, “Hateful as usual.”
“You know me.”
No, I don’t, but I’ll try get along with you for now since you’re a customer at the moment. “Uh-huh,” Mingyu responds, neither confirming or denying, finally done with noting down Jihoon’s order, before he says, “What kind of message do you want me to write on your greeting cards, Sir?”
“Just write it as ‘Thank you for your guidance all of these years. – Lee Jihoon’.”
Wow, so many sugars involved it might induce diabetes as usual. “Noted. What day you’ll pick this up?”
“Tomorrow after lunch time, I think? The person I need to give this was still in the hospital after all, so that’s the only time I can come to visit too.” Hospital. This tiny man ing sent a bouquet of death wish disguised in wellness and cheeriness. “That’s why I ask you to change the cards in lighter color instead of the darkish one.”
“That’s—that’s not how it works, though…”
Jihoon waves his hands, shrugging off Mingyu’s comments, as he remarks, “Oh, shush, they’ll either just take it or leave it, it’s flowers, what will go wrong?”
“Do you mean they’ll either take it or leaf it?” Mingyu unconsciously tries, attempting to throw another pun, and goes triumphant as he notices Jihoon groaned under his breath in response.
As Jihoon still groans, he adds, rather looks dizzy. “Do you even have friends with your puns by the way?”
“Oh, lots! It’s gardening variety too!” Mingyu’s grins grows even wider, feeling the victory on his hands, before he adds for the last attack, “Don’t pollen your leg, Sir, I’m sure you can’t catch these long legs of mine with yours.”
And that’s the final before Jihoon literally pulled Mingyu’s legs so he’ll fall to the floor along with the watering can he brings at the moment.
(No, he didn’t fall, thankfully for his fast reflexes and him screaming “Excuse you?? How dare you using violence to a mere innocent citizen like me??” straight to Jihoon, who only cackled rather satisfied instead in response.)
His relationship with Jihoon… can be called complicated, or rather, ridiculous by on how it started and on how it’s going at the moment.
The invitation’s frequency of Jihoon asking him to have breakfast together has risen rather rapid, from only once a week to once in two days, and from the basic breakfast like pancakes and waffles, to food stalls around the park, and getting adventurous and more open about their own lives too.
Apparently, Jihoon is a year older than Mingyu, has taken police academy right after he graduated from high school, and as mentally immature for the age of eighteen he was back then, let’s say that he holds grudges for some people that underestimated him back then.
After he finally can prove his own worth, getting himself a fast promotion(s) and all, as he made his own standing, he’s finally able to repay of what the elderlies did to him, but make it subtle so they won’t know, but the satisfaction holds still for Jihoon, and for the way to reply them back in a pretty passive-aggressive manner? Flowers, of course! Especially for the elderly; they’re easier to soften with a little sign of sympathy.
“Since, you know,” Jihoon hums, getting himself a cold can of cola by the nearby vending machine, before he adds, “Almost little cared about them, so if there’s someone who’s outside of the family actually pay a visit and gave them flowers, wouldn’t it make them more vulnerable to us since they thought us as rather sympathetic and cared about them?”
“Evil.” Mingyu replies, rather horrid, and Jihoon only chuckles in response, getting himself a korean toast that is piping hot on his hand at the moment. “You gave them false sense of comfort.”
Jihoon shrugs, however, before replies with “Take it or leaf it works on this.” and take a big bite of his toast after.
“No, it’s not?? That’s not how it works??”
After that, based on his friends’ recommendation of the flower shop that could do personal requests, Jihoon gambled his luck on this, which making him ended up in Buncha Flowers, and met Mingyu there; hence why they ended up being like they are at the moment, with Jihoon strangely got interested in Mingyu this way, and them having breakfast together too.
“Oh, right.” Jihoon speaks up, holding a cold can of cola on his hand, and Mingyu won’t ask why, a police officer, showing an example of drinking cola in a freaking seven a.m. in the middle of the park. “What daisies it is since we first met?”
And to be honest, Mingyu really wants to give him Jihoon a credit for his effort to learn floral puns he often uses when the times fit, which coincidentally it came out when they’re together like they are at the moment. “Around three months or so, I guess? Why?”
“Hmm,” Jihoon’s been eyeing Mingyu’s face for a while, seems been pondering for something, before he asks, “Do you think three months is too fast for our tulips to meet each other’s?”
“Tulips—” Mingyu’s words falls down, sudden realization hits him, before both of his big eyes enlarge in disbelief, “Tulips??”
Rather nonchalant, Jihoon responds, “What, you forgot your own dictions of flower pun or something?” Mingyu strongly shakes his head, words still failed to form in his head, still blanked by Jihoon’s sudden remark. “Then, do you think it’s too fast?”
“I—” Mingyu gasps, rather dramatic, as he exclaims, “Wait, what? Really? You’ve been seeing me that way? Really??”
Instead of being bashful, Jihoon looks rather in disbelief and looks wronged, frowns hanging on his forehead, as he exclaims, “Does me giving you my own number wasn’t enough for you to take the hint??”
“Of course not? People gave me their number all the time for the flower orders?! How am I supposed to know that?!” which, in Mingyu’s defense, it’s true; people either asks for his number or give their number to him for business purpose. “You should’ve said it clearly!”
“But I clearly said I’m interested in you??”
“Did you—oh, riiiiight, yeah, yeah, yeah, you did, you did, yeah, I remembered, you already did, huh.” Mingyu frowns, however, before he asks, tone in a teasing manner, “Huh, I see, so you wanna kiss me so bad, huh, Mr. Officer? Can’t resist these lips of mine?”
Jihoon rolls his eyes in response, but sighing after he said “Well, kinda.” in a rather quiet voice as he faces away from Mingyu.
Which, for some reason, Mingyu can’t help but falls silent after that, too shocked to response Jihoon’s soft murmur he did a while ago, and doesn’t know how to respond to it.
(And they ended up going home in a long, long silence after that.)
They stopped in front of the railway station where they usually departed, which the station is the one Jihoon usually took when he returns home. Both of them still didn’t say anything, however, before a long sigh can be heard from Jihoon, and the older man finally speaks up, “You know what, if it’s too uncomfortable for you, we can forget what happened this morning, it’s okay, really.”
Mingyu blinks, totally didn’t see it coming, before spontaneously exclaims, voice rather croaky, “… but why?”
“I mean, I won’t force you to be equally interested in me too since it’s not my place to talk—”
“But Jihoon-ssi, I don’t mind, you know.”
Jihoon frowns in reply, “What is?”
“I said, I don’t mind, I wanna kiss you too,” Mingyu’s hand reached Jihoon’s, loosely hanging, hoping he doesn’t push the latter’s comfort zone more than he hoped for. “Not… now, or, I mean, right now it’s fine, but I… uh… I wanna have a proper date first before the kiss?”
“And why is that?”
“Just… to me, it feels more right, I guess?”
“You know that a kiss doesn’t have to be on the lips, right?”
“But weren’t you the one who asked whether our tulips could meet, like, twenty minutes ago??”
Jihoon cackles in response, indirectly admitting he was the one, as he exclaims, “Alright, flower boy, I believe we already have lots of date done already with our morning routine, but sure, let’s have a real date as you want.” He gently pulls Mingyu closer, dragging him to places with less people to be around, before he tugs Mingyu’s hand, asking him to crouch down to match his height.
Mingyu obediently crouches, matching their heights, before Jihoon cups his hand on the taller man’s jaw, pulling him for a peck on the right cheeks, before he whispers, “Let me settle first with this, and let’s have proper date later on?” both of Mingyu’s eyes rapidly blinks, rather surprised with the sudden attack that the older man launched, before Jihoon adds, “What do you think?” Now, what goes rapid is Mingyu’s nods instead, and Jihoon can’t help but plant another one on his cheeks, again. “Good, let me know when you’re free later through chat, then we can plan for our date after that.”
Date. It has a nice ring in Mingyu’s ears. “Uhh, Jihoon-ssi?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I kiss your cheek too? But, uh, if you don’t mind, though!!”
Scoffing, Jihoon lets go of his hands, offering his left cheek for Mingyu to kiss on, and without hesitation, the latter softly plants some gentle, soundless kiss on all over older man’s cheek’s surfaces.
Both of them chuckling afterwards, realizing that they’re still in public, as the public clock shows that it’s almost ten in the morning, before Mingyu gives Jihoon a last peck on top of the older man’s head and asks, “Do you have any plan to visit the store today?” Jihoon responds with a light head shake, “Alright then, let me know when you’re home, okay?”
Jihoon hums in reply, giving Mingyu a small hand wave as he bids bye, before he enters the station, leave Mingyu on the gate by himself, and by the latter immediately feels himself almost melts on the floor like a puddle of gooey.
Can’t.
Mingyu can’t wait for their real date to happen and bloom soon.
From his parents, Mingyu learns that flowers language is beautiful and full of positivity, wellness, and wholesomeness.
From Jihoon, he learns that flowers may act as double-edged swords; it might look harmless at first, but if you know its meaning later on, it would took a whole different level and different interpretation, just like a human relation and human’s defense layers work, which is why an extra precaution is needed in order to not hurt the parties involved.
Which, to Mingyu, works the same when it comes to Jihoon, and he can’t wait for him to discover what lies ahead in the future of their relationship, and on how their relationship will blossom and develop to its full bloom later on.
They still have lots of daisies ahead to spend together, after all.
thanks for reading! hope you enjoyed the ride!!
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