Chapter One

In the heart of Seoul, a small flower shop was nestled between the tall buildings that are forever bustling with people.

In white cursive lettering, the words "Hera's Flowers" were spelled out onto the front of the shop's windows. In front of those windows, there were multiple light brown baskets filled with different types and different colors of flowers that were in the current spring season. Customers were allowed to pick and make their bundles of bouquets at Hera's. Although it was a small store, it gained popularity from its beautiful rustic yet cottagecore aesthetic as well as the quality of the flowers that are grown locally by other florists. It was also thanks to the ever-growing influencers visiting the store and putting it on the map for their followers to visit. Their customers brought in a lot of revenue but the owner of the shop decided to keep the store small and manageable since it was only her and one other person, Hwang Chansung, her childhood friend that has always been by her side supporting her to his fullest, which was against his hard-headed father's wishes. 

The owner of Hera's Flowers was a young and beautiful woman who goes by the name Hye Ra. She was a very quiet woman who always warmly greeted anyone who came wandering into her store and offered them tea. She always took great care of her flowers no matter how long it took. 

One morning, Hye Ra was opening the shop by herself since Chansung wasn't feeling well that morning. She had on her usual light-washed skinny jeans along with a white v-next long sleeve shirt and her favorite pair of white flats. Over her clothes, she had on the shop's beige cloth apron to protect her clothes from any accidents. Her long chocolate brown hair was tied back into a low bun with some piece of her bangs left out to frame her small face. Hye Ra was sitting at one of the large square tables in the shop where she would help customers assemble their bouquets. All around the table were little baskets filled with many types of wrapping/cellophane paper, little plastic sticks with hearts and other shapes on them, and even a little slip of paper where the customers could write what they wanted before sticking it in with the flowers. 

"You are looking so pretty today, my Lilly!" Hye Ra smiled brightly as she continued misting the flower with water. The petals glisten in the morning sunlight like crystals. "Let's give you a couple more spritz before putting you back on the shelf with the others, hm?"

The bell on the door jiggled, indicating that someone had entered the flower shop.

"Welcome to Hera's—"

The young woman stopped in mid-sentence as she saw who was standing in the doorway of her shop. It was Taecyeon, her ex-husband from her previous marriage about three years ago — the man she still loved so much. Their eyes met and he closed the door behind him. He was wearing his usual black and white business outfit with his long bangs neatly gelled out of his face. Judging from the way he looked, Hye Ra could tell that he was taking a break from work since he probably have a ton of papers that he needs to look at.

Ok Taecyeon was the son of one of the wealthiest businessmen in all of Korea. His father owned more than half of all the estates in Korea as well as most of the shares to all the ever-popular entertainment groups. Taecyeon was in the process of taking over his father's businesses but it wasn't such an easy task. She knew how stressed he could be and did her best to support him quietly from afar but now, that was all in the past...

"What brings you in, mister?" Hye Ra finally spoke up, breaking the awkward silence between the two. 

"I was told that there is a successful flower shop just around the corner and I wanted to come to check it out," he replied, his gaze still on her. "It looks like they were right about this wonderful shop of yours."

Even after all these years, she still looked just as beautiful as she did when they were married but he couldn't deny that there was a different glow coming from within her. The awkward silence fell over the two again. Memories of their past with each other replayed in their heads as they both tried to come up with words in their heads to say. Hye Ra was the first to break the unfaltering gaze between the two. 

"Did you come to find flowers for someone?" She asked, looking at the plant on the table. "I can help you if you like me to."

Taecyeon, who was still standing at the entrance nodded at her invitation and finally stepped a bit deeper into the store. The whole shop was covered in flowers of all kinds and the floor glistened with water from the morning misting. It was indeed such a beautiful store. Now he understood as to how Hera's Flowers gained so much popularity within the past few months — it was like a hidden gem in all of these tall empire buildings in the busy streets of Seoul. The sweet scent of all the plants danced around in the room, welcoming everyone who steps through the door. 

"I would like a bouquet made from here," Taecyeon requested as he made his way over to the square table. 

Hye Ra's heart twinged at his words and memories from her past resurfaced again.

Never once had he given her flowers when they were married, even on their yearly anniversaries. What made him want to buy a bouquet now of all times? The obvious answer was that he found someone new, someone, that he truly love. After a year of being divorced, a successful businessman is indeed to find a perfect match for himself, at least someone who will be beneficial to them rather than a problem. She brushed off the sad memories and managed to give him a small smile while still hiding the fact that she was still hurting from their past together. Taecyeon was still oblivious to her feelings. 

"Of course, what kind of flowers would you like in your bouquet?" Hye Ra asked, getting up from the stool and walking over to the shelf next to her as the man followed behind. "We