Chapter Text
This can’t be happening again!
That is the only thought in Yongsun’s head as she watches the all too familiar scene unfold.
****
Yongsun had hoped it would be different this time. If not different, then at least marginally peaceful or peaceful for the first couple of months. Again Irene loses no time in showing that peaceful is NOT her default setting.
Irene and Yongsun opened a vintage clothing shop on Sanmul-gil Street. They had been saving for this location for years now, taking part time jobs on top of their full time gigs to get the money together and finally, the shop was a reality. This was going to be their fresh start. Their history was a long and storied one; they met when they were 13 and have been friends ever since. Irene is a stunning beauty whose beauty is matched only by her intense attitude. She’s one of those people who are beautiful in an ‘I’ve always known it and used it as an advantage’ kind of way. Yongsun, while still very pretty, has more demure mannerisms about her. She’s conventionally pretty by any standard but frustratingly unaware of it.
****
On the third day of operating their business, Yongsun had come in early and noticed an unbloomed hyacinth in what looked to be a homemade vase placed in front of the door to the shop. She looked around to see if the person who had left it was still around but saw no one of note. She did, however, notice that similar vases were placed in front of three other shops at the intersection. In the door of the shop next to hers, she noticed that the vase with a dead plant was placed just out of the way of the entrance - as it to signal that this was a regular occurrence that other owners on the street paid no mind. She gave it no further thought as she inserted the ket into the lock, opened the door and set about opening the shop for the day.
Yongsun is cleaning a window upstairs when she hears a familiar shrill voice from downstairs curse. “What the f***??!!” She recognises that Irene has arrived at the shop. She waits for the inevitable sounds of the door opening and “Good morning Sunshine” to come downstairs but is surprised to not hear that. Instead, from where she is perched, she sees her friend Irene charging towards the flower shop - vase and hyacinth in hand. Yongsun realised what was about to happen and rushes to get to the flower shop before Irene says anything to the unsuspecting victim she will find there.
Lee Dahee had just arrived at her flower shop and was setting up arrangements for the display when the door is flung open and a very beautiful young woman dressed in a combination of grunge & vintage storms in. The young woman shouts into the door “Look, I don't know what you’re into or whatever but if you put these ugly-ass things in front of my shop again, I won't let it slide!”. Irene takes the vase and throws it down on the paveway in front of the flower shop where it promptly smashes into pieces. Irene lets the door slam behind her and storms back to the vintage clothing shop in a huff. Dahee doesn't even get a word in edgewise but she is utterly confused and flustered by what has just happened.
As she is approaching the scene that Irene is storming away from, Yongsun is mortified by what she has just witnessed. She rushes to the flower shop, encounters Dahee and begins apologising “I’m so so so so sorry about her and about that” she stutters apologetically as she points at the mess left by Irene. “She’s not always like that, I promise. Please let me clean this up”. Dahee, having no reason to believe this is not an act simply shrugs and says, “Go ahead and clean it then.” With that, she walks away from Yongsun and into the back of her shop. Youngsun runs quickly back to her shop and grabs a broom and sets about cleaning the pavement.
As Yongsun cleans up all the shattered bits of porcelain and glass in front of the flower shop - she begins to think about her friend’s anger issues. Yongsun rightly reasons that Irene had wrongly assumed that the flower shop lady is the person who placed the vase in front of the shop and that is why she stormed in that direction the way she did. She couldn't put her finger on what could have possibly offended Irene so much that she reacted like that but she did admit to herself that the behaviour was unacceptable and that she’d need to sit down with her friend later in the day to get to the bottom of it. She finishes sweeping up the mess and throws it in the recycle bins. Just as she is about to walk away, she feels a pang of guilt - as if it wasn't enough to clean the mess, she also had to offer a sincere apology to the flower shop lady. She notices the bakery across the street, next to a Mo dry cleaners and walks towards it. She buys an assorted muffin box and proceeds back to the flower shop to deliver them, and a heartfelt apology, to her now-neighbour as a gesture of goodwill.
She arrives at the flower shop door a few minutes after she had first left to go to the bakery. She enters the shop and the doorbell makes a sound but no one comes out.
“Umm… H-h-hello??” she says nervously. Still, no one answers. She walks deeper into the shop and stops at the counter and says again ‘H-hi - is anyone here?” Still, no response. She rounds the counter and sees a sign that says “NO ENTRY - STAFF ONLY.” She ponders leaving the box on the counter with a note but realises this may be a problem somehow as well - she needed to show her sincerity to smooth things over.
As she stands by that sign deliberating on what to do next, she hears a voice say “It’s alright, leave the box on the counter.” She quickly turns around but sees no one behind her and no one even in the shop. “H-h-hello, where are you? Is the owner here? I just wanted to apologise for__” she’s cut short as the voice says again, “Leave it on the counter.”
“Why are you being weird? Can you come out so I can at least see who I am talking to?” At that point Dahee rushes in, sees her and exclaims, “Oh I’m sorry, have you been waiting long? I had a quick delivery so I’d just popped out.” Yongsun quickly says, “N-no. I haven’t been waiting long at all.”
Yongsun stands there a few more seconds trying to process the conversation she had just been a part of. Dahee looks at her face searchingly and clears her throat, “Ahem.” Youngsun is snapped out of her thoughts and that’s when she remembers the apology and box in her hands.
“Here!” she half shouts as she stretches her hands out to Dahee.
“This is for you. I'm really very sorry about earlier, there is no excuse I know, it’s just sometimes Yongsun gets upset and ....”
Dahee interrupts Yongsun’s rambling speech by saying, “Maybe let’s start with something simpler love, my name is Lee Dahee, what's yours?”
Yongsun smiles shyly and says, “Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t introduce myself, my name is Yongsun, Kim Youngsun.”
“Yongsun-ssi, I was starting to think your name is sorry - I’ve only known you for barely an hour and I have lost count of the number of times you’ve apologised to me” Dahee said in a thick country accent while laughing. “You don't mind if I drop the honorifics do you?”
Yongsun replies flustered at this request by a person who was clearly older than her and by rights, could be as informal as she wanted, “That’s completely okay, please call me by my name.”
“Good. Now that we’ve sorted that out, what do you have there?” Dahee asked, gesturing at the box in Yongsun’s hands.
Yongsun walks closer to her and places the box in her hands,” I just really want to say how sorry I am about my friend’s behaviour. I hope you won’t think too badly of our shop.”
“Another sorry!” Dahee exclaims “Are you going for a Guinness World Record?” and she laughs.
Regaining her composure, Dahee looks earnestly at Yongsun and says, “This is such a humble gesture and I can see your sincerity. Of course, I will forgive you. Thank you for cleaning up.”
“Oh no, please don't mention it, it's the very least I could do”.
“Can’t argue with you there love.” Dahee says chuckling
“I was going to leave it with your assistant but she wouldn't come out and was speaking to me through the door. I'm glad I was able to see you in person so I could apologise as well.”
“Assistant?” Dahee says with a baffled look on her face “What assistant?”
“Ummm, the girl. You-you know” Yongsun starts nervously, “The girl who works here with you. He told me to leave it on the counter”
“Love, if I had any help in here do you think I’d do my own deliveries? I work all by my lonesome, have done since my husband passed”.
“Then who was that that was speaking to me”
Dahee looks at her with a completely unaware look on her face and says “ Are you alright love, sounds like you might be hearing things. Do you want to sit down? I can get you a glass of water”
Yongsun looks around the shop - confused. She was so sure she heard someone talk to her and yet here was the owner telling her it cannot be possible. She wanted to ask more questions but she caught herself though, she realised that she was already here cleaning up after that crazy person she calls a friend and business partner, she doesn’t want it going around that she’s also mental.
“Umm- I must have gotten confused.”
“No problem love, happens to the best of us”
“I-I g-guess I’ll get going then”
“Alrighty, thank you for the muffin. Do pop in again for some tea when you have a chance - I’ll introduce you around the neighbourhood if you like.”
“Oh, I’d love that. Thank you. I’ll see you soon!”
With that, Yongsun walks out of the shop and heads to her shop.
Meanwhile.. as Yongsun walks away from the flower shop, she feels someone watching her. She turns around and her eye catches a curtain above the flower shop closing abruptly. She looks onto that window for a few more seconds, shrugs, turns back and continues in the direction of the shop.
*****
As soon as Yongsun is out of earshot, Dahee shouts up the stairs but seemingly to herself, “You couldn’t behave yourself could you?” Looking down at the street through the lightly drawn curtain, a pair of smouldering dark brown eyes watches Yongsun walking away from the flower shop and Byul chuckles, “You’re right, couldn’t help myself at all.”