J a n u a r y 18, 2010

She wanted to run away and start a new life – a life away from the province where her heart had broken several times. Towards the place where she dreamt of living in – the city of Seoul. Song Joohee had now started her life as an adult. Joohee was someone with long jet black hair and loves to wear floral dresses. She now owns a flower shop, where she hangs out most of the times with her reliable bestfriend – Park Chorong.

And next door was a coffee shop, where mostly girls their age hang out. Why? Well, two flower boys named Nam Woohyun and Lee Minhyuk own the shop. They were like epitome of perfection for those girls. Joohee finds them troublesome, so ever since she arrived in Seoul – she tried to avoid these two. Meanwhile Chorong has been denying that she has a crush on Woohyun but Joohee can easily tell she’s lying. Her eyes seem to observe everything – from ants to human beings. And with one look – she can tell you things that might give you Goosebumps as long as you’re alive.

“Joohee!” A girl with long brown hair – probably Chorong –  entered the flower shop and made herself comfortable on one of the couches. She scanned the shop only to see that Joohee wasn’t there. “Well that’s new…” She mumbled to herself as she reached for her phone with the intentions of calling her to check whether she is safe and such.

“Chorong. It’s so early in the morning for you to be in here.” Joohee suddenly came out from the back of her shop – with different kinds of flower pots on her right hand and coffee on the left. She immediately fixes the pots and sits right beside Chorong.

Chorong quietly made a face as she snatched the coffee from Joohee. It’s been three months since Joohee had moved to Seoul – but she hasn’t even roamed around. The only place she has gone to is the supermarket. “Let’s go play.”

She lets out a giggle, pinching Chorong’s cheek in the process. “I don’t have time to play, missy. How about you go play with Nam Woohyun-ssi? Is that his name?”

“You can just call me Woohyun though.” That mere voice made Chorong stand up – well, that’s the voice of her crush. She turned her head towards the door and saw Woohyun and Minhyuk waving happily towards them.

Woohyun slowly approached Chorong with his usual aura. While little Chorong was standing there like a lost puppy. “Chorong-ah! How about we go play together hm?”

She blinked her eyes for a few times before tilting her head towards Joohee who was sipping her coffee. A few seconds later, Joohee finds herself nodding as a go sign for Chorong to go. Chorong’s lips formed a smile. “Let’s go, Woohyun-ah?”

Joohee was still drinking her coffee a few minutes after Woohyun and Chorong left. She knew Woohyun seems to like Chorong too but probably he was a bit shy to approach her. Meanwhile, Minhyuk was there in her shop – adoring the lovely flowers. He had always loved flowers but he has never ever bought flowers for a girl, not even for his mother to be honest.

When Joohee finally finishes her drink, she notices Minhyuk in the corner – still adoring the flowers. She stands up and pokes his shoulder – making him a bit startled. “Lee Minhyuk-ssi. Ah, is that your name? Why are you still here?”

His lips formed a crooked smile, his hands at his pockets. “Uhh, I was…looking at the flowers! And was waiting for you to finish your drink…”

“To finish my drink? What for?”

“I wanted to get to know you. You’ve been here for three months but we only talked once. I don’t even consider that as talk but introduction.”

She nods slowly before placing herself towards the back of the counter. She wondered for a bit why he was acting a bit stranger than usual but chose not to notice more. “Don’t you need to open your coffee shop? I’m pretty sure lots of girls will be upset if you kept it close.”

He finds himself laughing with her remarks. He had always found her adorable but was too intimidated with her. “It’s our rest day. Woohyun kept bugging me to do so; he wanted to get to know Chorong-ssi better. That idiot.” He mumbled that idiot in a low voice so Joohee won’t be able to hear it.

“I guess they have mutual feelings for one another huh. Well, it looks like both of them are really the troublesome ones – they suit each other perfectly then.”

“How did you know Woohyun is a troublemaker, Joohee-ssi?”

“I can tell.”

“…Do you have magic powers or something?”

Joohee stared at Minhyuk, as if judging him for what he just said. He doesn’t even look like someone who mentions magic so easily, and she finds it amusing. “Maybe...What do you think, Minhyuk-ssi?”

He sat on one of the couches and smiled, “You look like someone magical. Like from a fantasy novel.”

“I do?”

“You do. You’re really pretty.”

“Thank you. I wonder how many girls have heard that line from you.”

Minhyuk bit his lower lip in embarrassment. That was true. He’s really good in complimenting and making girls blush, but he finds himself much more sincere with Joohee. Why? He doesn’t know exactly too.

He sits on one of the couches as he lowered his head. He can’t deny how straightforward Joohee is but somehow that trait urges him to get to know her better. “Where did you come from? You’re really not from Seoul aren’t you?”

“Gangwondo, Wonju.”

“Your name sounds familiar. What’s your surname? Is it Song?”

She glanced at him for a bit then continued with what she was doing. “Yeah…Song Joohee.”

He placed his hands under his chin, as if he was trying hard to think.

“I’m pretty sure I’ve heard your name before… Where you an ulzzang?”

Joohee blinked her eyes for a few times, biting her lower lip. “How…how did you know?”

“You were that school announcer right?!”

She continued to lower her head due to embarrassment. Those were one of the few things she wanted to forget. Things she wanted to bury in the ground for the rest of her life. But unexpectedly, she remembers them with the help of someone she wanted to avoid. And now, she finds another reason to avoid Lee Minhyuk.