Work Text:
“Hey, have you heard? There’s a flower shop opening downstairs.”
Soyeon doesn’t even look up at Minnie as she drags the watercolor across her canvas. She dips her brush back into her dirty water cup, the dark blue of the paint mingling with the water and swirling around in the container.
“And?” Soyeon asks disinterestedly.
“And,” Minnie says. “We should totally check it out.”
Soyeon snorts. “What am I going to need flowers for? What are you going to need flowers for?”
“My broken hopes and dreams,” Minnie jokes, laughter dry, as she sinks into the sofa next to Soyeon’s workstation. “Seriously, though. We could use a touch of nature here. Everything’s so… artificial. You as an artist should see that.”
Soyeon rolls her eyes at her roommate. Without meaning to, she momentarily glances around the apartment, and she realizes that, yes, there wasn’t a single living thing around other than herself and Minnie. Soyeon mumbles something about plants being too high-maintenance before turning back to her artwork.
“High-maintenance? Do I have to remind you about the pissy pet cat you had last year? I swear, it took me weeks to get all the fur out of my comforters.” Minnie shakes her head, sinking further back into the worn-out leather couch.
“Why can’t we just get a dog? They’re much more fun, not to mention loyal. Plus, they don’t treat their owners as their slaves,” Minnie grouses.
“Dogs terrify me. Now, shut up, I’m trying to focus.” Soyeon dips her brush into a spot on her palette where a mixture of blue and black meet. She carefully brings the brush back up to the canvas, making sure the color doesn’t drip down.
“What’s gotten you so upset today? You know what? You need some human interaction. The constant isolation is turning you into a crabby old hermit.” Minnie punches Soyeon’s arm lightly, earning a groan from the latter.
“I get lots of human interaction. I mean, my boss over at the bookstore might be an asshole sometimes, but it’s better than nothing.” Soyeon shrugs. “And that Shuhua girl’s pretty tolerable.”
Minnie bursts out laughing, her lips pulling back to show two rows of perfect, white teeth. “Oh my god, I’ve never met anyone with a life as sad and miserable as yours.”
Soyeon sets her brush down and makes a move to grab Minnie’s wrist. Minnie struggles against Soyeon’s grip, still laughing and throwing remarks at Soyeon.
“I’m gonna make you drink all this water if you don’t take that back.” Soyeon threatens Minnie with the paint-filled water in the cup next to her.
“Careful, now. You don’t want to ruin your painting,” Minnie taunts. At that, Soyeon lets go of Minnie, her lips turned up in a sneer.
“Dummy,” Soyeon mutters under her breath.
All of a sudden, Minnie jumps up from the couch, arms held over her head as she stretches. “Come on, Soyeon-ah. You need some air.”
Soyeon sighs, rubbing her eyes under her round glasses. She takes a deep breath before deciding to finally give Minnie what she wants.
“Alright, fine. Let’s go.”
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The flower shop doesn’t look like any other flower shop Soyeon has been to (although, she admits she hasn’t been to many). As opposed to the tidy, bright, and cutesy ones she’s seen, this particular flower shop’s walls look like they were built using stacked red bricks, the floor with dark brown wood, and the plants on display were contained in faded flower pots, some of them even chipped near the top. Soyeon likes that the whole place gives off a rustic, vintage vibe. Already, she’s thinking that coming along with Minnie wasn’t such a bad idea, after all.
“Hey, welcome!” A voice suddenly calls out, and it takes Soyeon a moment to spot the girl standing near the corner, a broom in her hands. She has a beautiful face and brown hair that falls in a messy fringe over her forehead. She's wearing a smile that might be the only one that could actually contend with Minnie’s.
“She’s cute and pretty,” Minnie whispers in Soyeon's ear. A little louder she says, “I’m gonna go check out the flowers over there.” Minnie points in the general direction of the employee before giving Soyeon a knowing smile.
Soyeon nods, clapping Minnie on the shoulder. “Flirt responsibly,” she reminds.
After Minnie walks off, Soyeon is left standing there, wondering what the hell she should do next. She starts to walk around the shop, hands shoved into the pockets of her jeans. Soyeon stops by a display of camellias, admiring the way the shadows hit the petals. It would be nice to paint that, she absentmindedly thinks.
“Hi, welcome! How may I help you?”
Soyeon turns around at the sound of the deep voice, her eyes immediately meeting with the other person’s. Soyeon sees that the other girl’s standing behind the counter, a baby blue apron hanging from her neck and tied around her waist.
“Oh, I was just looking around,” Soyeon admits, smiling politely at the other girl. She notices that her hair is dyed pink and that her smile causes her eyes to completely disappear. Cute, Soyeon notes.
“Is there any arrangement you have in mind? Any specific type of flower?” The girl behind the counter leans forward, revealing arms that are exposed due to the sleeves of her knitted sweater being rolled up. Soyeon belatedly realizes that she’s staring and attempts to quickly avert her gaze elsewhere.
“Not really. Actually, I just came here with my friend. She really wanted to check the place out.” Soyeon’s eyes travel back up to the girl’s face and she sees that the other seems to be looking at her curiously. “We live upstairs,” Soyeon adds.
“Oh, really? Well, in that case,” the girl rummages behind the counter for a moment before pulling out a single camellia, much like the ones Soyeon was just admiring minutes ago. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt if I gave you this. Sort of like a ‘thank you’, you know?”
Soyeon gingerly takes the flower out of the clerk’s hand. “Why?”
“It’s been four hours since we opened. Not a single soul has come in. You and your friend are the first ones.” The other girl sighs, leaning her chin on her hand as she props her elbow on the counter. “It would really help if you’d tell people about our shop and how nice the staff is.” The girl smiles again, the apples of her cheeks growing rounder and more prominent. “Just don’t tell them about the free flowers. That’s exclusively for you.”
Soyeon stares at the flower in her hand. She’s about to say something when the clerk cuts her off.
“Oh, which reminds me…” The girl searches behind the counter again, sifting through what Soyeon could only imagine as flowerpots filled with different kinds of flowers. “Give this to your friend, so she doesn’t feel left out.”
The other girl holds out a bunch of daisies to Soyeon, and Soyeon slowly pulls them out of her hand. She holds the flowers in one hand as she stares in wonder. These are really pretty.
“I’m Yuqi, by the way.” The clerk reaches her hand out over the counter and Soyeon immediately takes it in hers. Soyeon’s surprised at how soft Yuqi’s palm felt against hers.
“Soyeon.”
Yuqi pulls her hand back, a mischievous glint in her eye. “You don’t talk much, do you?”
The corner of Soyeon’s mouth twitches up for a brief second. “It really depends on the person I’m talking to.”
“Oh? Am I not worthy of your words?” Yuqi shoots back. Soyeon thinks it’s endearing, the way Yuqi’s eyes seem to glimmer even in the dim lighting of the shop.
“No, it’s just—“ Soyeon pauses for a second. “I just met you, okay?”
Yuqi nods, making it seem like she understands.
“Do you own the shop?” Soyeon asks, trying to make some sort of small talk. And also, to prove that Yuqi is worthy of her words. With such a cute smile, why wouldn’t she be?
“Ah, no. The shop belongs to my boss, my aunt,” Yuqi explains. “Well, I guess she owns it with her best friend now.” Yuqi shrugs. “You see, the shop used to operate downtown, but after they got hitched a few months ago, they decided to buy a house around this area. Hence, the move.”
Soyeon nods, humming in acknowledgment. “Is this your full-time job?”
“No,” Yuqi shakes her head. “I teach dance to kids at a studio a few blocks away.”
“You dance?” Soyeon asks, mildly surprised.
“Yeah.” Yuqi grins. “How about you? What do you do?”
“Well,” Soyeon starts. “I work at a bookstore. And I paint when I have time. I sell my work, if anyone’s willing to buy them.”
“So, that explains the paint stain on your sweater.” Yuqi points at the front of Soyeon’s shirt. Soyeon peeks down; sure enough, there’s a bluish-violet patch near her abdomen.
“That’s okay.” Soyeon waves it off, clearly not surprised anymore. “That’s probably just watercolor. It’ll wash right off. I was working on something before I came down here.”
“Will you show me some of your work?” Yuqi asks, tilting her head to the side.
Soyeon purses her lips and shrugs. “I don’t know. Maybe.”
Yuqi narrows her eyes and nods slowly. “You’re a very intriguing person. I like you.”
Soyeon raises an eyebrow, but before she can reply, she hears Minnie’s voice from behind her. Soyeon turns around and sees Minnie clutching an assortment of flowers in her hands.
“Hey, there you are. Do we have a vase somewhere in the house? Because if we don’t, now might be a good time to buy one.”
Soyeon looks past her roommate and sees the other employee from earlier smiling sheepishly at Yuqi.
“Oh hey, you got flowers too,” Minnie points out. Soyeon looks back down at the flowers in her hand and catches sight of the daisies.
“Actually, these are for you,” Soyeon says, handing Minnie the daisies. “From Yuqi over here.”
Minnie’s face lights up but her expression quickly turns into one of embarrassment.
“I think Miyeon got a little excited with the ones she gave me…” Minnie turns back to the girl that Soyeon thinks is Miyeon. Miyeon bows her head as she fiddles with her apron.
“Never mind, at least you got a lot.” Soyeon gives Yuqi a look of mock hurt. Yuqi just shrugs.
“Sometimes, one is enough. It’s the thought that counts. Right, Miyeon-ah?”
“Yeah, totally.” Miyeon nods furiously, obviously embarrassed. “I won’t tell auntie if you won’t.”
Yuqi snickers. “Go tell her if you want. I’m not the one who gave away a whole bouquet of flowers. Besides, she likes me enough to let me off the hook if she ever finds out.”
Miyeon glares daggers at Yuqi before she walks off, grumbling to herself. Soyeon and Minnie share a look.
“Well, I guess we should be going,” Soyeon declares. “Thanks again for the flowers, Yuqi.”
Yuqi smiles brightly at Soyeon. “No problem. Come by again any time.”
“Oh, we will,” Minnie nods, elbowing Soyeon while wiggling her eyebrows. “Right, Soyeon-ah?”
Soyeon just rolls her eyes.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“She likes you,” Minnie says as they’re browsing through flower vases at the small hardware store down the street. “I can totally see it in the way she looks at you.”
“I’m sure you have no doubts if that Miyeon girl likes you too.” Soyeon casts Minnie a sideward glance before going back to eyeing the vases on the shelf.
“Shut up, she was just being nice.” Despite what Minnie says, Soyeon can see the deep red blossoming on her cheeks.
“Hmm,” Soyeon nods, completely unconvinced. “Okay, let’s take this one.” Soyeon lifts a transparent vase with ornaments engraved in the glass, carefully inspecting it from all sides.
“Looks good to me,” Minnie agrees.
They pay for the vase and leave, the two florists temporarily forgotten.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Hey, unnie. You okay?” Shuhua waves a hand in front of Soyeon’s face, and the latter flinches.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little sleepy, that’s all.” Soyeon goes back to arranging the books on the shelf, making sure she does it alphabetically.
“No sleeping on the job,” Soojin says sternly as she wheels a cart of new arrivals past the two of them. Shuhua immediately springs into action at the sight of Soojin.
“Hey, Jinjin, do you need any help with those? I can reach the higher shelves for you.”
Soyeon laughs quietly to herself as she hears Soojin go off about how she doesn’t need Shuhua’s help and that she can reach the higher shelves just fine. After some more yelling and a few painful-sounding thwacks of what could only be a book hitting Shuhua’s back, Soyeon is rejoined by Shuhua herself, a dejected look on her face.
“Tell me, am I gonna die single and alone?” Shuhua sighs, leaning against one of the shelves.
“You will, if you keep bothering Soojin like that.” Soyeon empties out her own cart, dusting off her hands after she’s done. “I bet she’ll come around on her own. If she wasn’t interested, she would’ve fired you ages ago.”
“Ha ha,” Shuhua says humorlessly. “She’s just really low on staff, that’s why she’s keeping me around.”
Soyeon rolls her eyes. “Suit yourself.” She walks away, intending to leave her cart in the back room, when an idea suddenly pops into Soyeon’s mind.
“Hey, Shuhua!” Soyeon calls out. “Can you bring this in the back for me? I need to check something out.”
Without waiting for a reply, Soyeon rushes off to the reference section, walking up and down between shelves until she comes across the books about plants and gardening. She browses through each of them, skipping the ones about plant care and troweling techniques, finally stopping when she sees the one she needs.
“The Language of Flowers,” Soyeon whispers. “Perfect.”
Soyeon flips through the book and sees that it’s just what she was looking for. She turns the pages over, skimming over flowers and their different meanings, until she comes to the ‘C’ section of the book. She thumbs through the remaining pages and immediately spots the word ‘Camellia’.
Soyeon blinks as she reads the short description under the picture of a bunch of camellias. She reads it over and over again, trying to make sure what she read was right. Convinced that her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her, she closes the book and stares at the wall opposite her.
“Camellias…” Soyeon sighs deeply. “Love at first sight, huh?”
Soyeon clutches the book in her hand and walks away, peeking through the bookshelves to look for Soojin. When she finally finds her, Soyeon approaches her carefully, trying to keep her voice as calm as possible.
“Hey, uhm, I’m gonna get this book right here. Would you mind taking it out of my next paycheck?”
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Holy shit, so all these flowers mean ‘admiration’?” Minnie asks in disbelief as she and Soyeon are sprawled out on the couch, the book laying open between them, while the TV drones on in the background. “Damn, I gotta get Miyeon something to let her know, ‘Yes! I admire you too! So much!’.”
Soyeon snorts, taking a sip out of her beer. “How exactly do I reply to ‘love at first sight’?”
“I told you she was into you,” Minnie practically squeals as she bounces in her seat. Soyeon hits her on the shoulder and tells her to shut up.
“What if I’m just overthinking this, though? What if the two of them actually have no idea what those flowers mean?”
Minnie pauses, eyebrows creasing as she thinks for a moment. After a while, she shrugs. “I don’t know. Miyeon seemed pretty shy when she was explaining what the flowers’ names were.”
“That doesn’t mean anything,” Soyeon points out. “Although, Yuqi was kind of coy about giving me that camellia. Not to mention the flower she gave you was totally different from mine.”
“True,” Minnie nods. “The principle of variety, maybe?”
“Maybe,” Soyeon agrees. “Well, either way, I’m going to ask Yuqi what that flower meant.”
“Really? Well then, I’ll ask Miyeon about it too.” Minnie pauses. “Do you think I should ask her out on a date?”
Soyeon closes the book and whacks Minnie’s shoulder with it.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
It’s been a few weeks since Soyeon purchased that book about floriography, and almost a month since her encounter with Yuqi. It’s hard to believe, but Soyeon hasn’t heard from Yuqi since. Soyeon promised that she’d come back, but Soojin’s been keeping her later than usual (maybe because she needs a constant buffer between her and Shuhua), and she hasn’t had any time to drop by the flower shop again.
Soyeon’s walking home from work one evening. She checks her watch to see that it’s already nearly ten in the evening. Soyeon sighs, picking up her pace. All she wants to do is open a bottle of beer and paint until she’s ready to pass out.
Soyeon reaches her apartment, keys ready in her hand, when she notices a hooded figure locking up at the flower shop. Strangely, Soyeon recognizes her posture, and she immediately knows it’s Yuqi.
“Yuqi?” Soyeon cautiously calls out. She’s also partly confused, because the shop usually closes at seven, and most of the employees leave by eight. (Not that she checks). The hooded figure flinches and immediately whips around, hands defensively held in front of her.
“Oh shit! Don’t do that,” Yuqi complains. “There are more acceptable places to die in, you know?”
“And in my arms isn’t one of those?” Soyeon smirks, walking over to where Yuqi is standing.
“Very funny,” Yuqi mocks. “I wasn’t even close enough to be in your arms.”
“You are now,” Soyeon points out. It’s true; Soyeon is standing directly in front of Yuqi, less than a meter away from the florist.
“Are you flirting with me?” Yuqi asks suspiciously. “Because if you are, then this has to be the worst kind of flirting I’ve ever seen in my life.”
“And sending secret messages through flowers is any better?” Soyeon scoffs, crossing her arms. Yuqi’s eyes go wide for a moment, but she seems to catch herself because a grin starts to spread on her lips.
“Hey, that’s a pretty clever way to get a message across, if I may say so myself.”
“You could’ve left me guessing forever.”
Now, it’s Yuqi’s turn to cross her arms. “I think the gesture alone would’ve been enough.”
“I thought you were just being nice,” Soyeon argues.
“Then, you’re probably the densest person to have ever been born,” Yuqi declares with a laugh.
“Okay, the language of flowers aside,” Turning serious, Yuqi looks Soyeon directly in the eye. “I was trying to ask you out. So, what do you say? Dinner’s on me.”
Soyeon’s mouth drops open, momentarily stunned at Yuqi’s sudden boldness. Then, Soyeon realizes that this is all she’s been waiting to hear since she ran into Yuqi.
“Sure, yeah, why not?”
Yuqi nods, obviously satisfied. “Okay, great.”
Before Soyeon can stop herself, she says, “We can go now, if you want.”
Yuqi looks relieved.
“I thought you’d never ask.”
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Did you kiss her?” Minnie asks like an overexcited schoolgirl after Soyeon reveals that she went out with Yuqi last night.
“No,” Soyeon answers simply before blowing softly on her canvas. Minnie’s shoulders visibly drop as she hears this.
“What did you even do?”
“We ate at a diner and talked. All that basic first date stuff.”
Soyeon glances up and sees Minnie approaching. “Hey, don’t stand there. You’re gonna mess up the lighting,” Soyeon complains. Minnie is confused for a moment, but then she sees the wilting camellia resting on a stool, obviously the subject of Soyeon’s current painting.
“Oh, so you’re painting flowers now?” Minnie giggles like a little kid, poking Soyeon on her side. Soyeon flinches away and flicks her paint-heavy brush at Minnie. Naturally, her roommate shrieks in horror.
“Hey! This is my favorite sweater!” Minnie practically whines, immediately pulling the stained clothing over her head, leaving her only with a bra and her toned abs exposed.
“Now you have something to remember me by, even years from now when we’ve both gone our separate ways.” Soyeon laughs, pulling her phone out of her pocket and aiming it at Minnie.
“Say, ‘Hi, Miyeon-ah!’.”
Minnie doesn’t even have time to react as Soyeon snaps a photo of her. Soyeon locks her phone and shoves it back in her pocket before pointing her brush back at Minnie.
“I’m sending that to Yuqi so she can show Miyeon.” Soyeon smiles up cheerily at Minnie.
“I can’t believe you,” Minnie groans, stomping off to her bedroom. She slams the door shut, the sound echoing through their whole apartment. Soyeon just laughs contentedly to herself.
After a few more minutes of painting, Soyeon hears a knock from the front door. She glances at the digital clock resting on the highest level of the shelf they have in the living room and sees that it’s 11:21 PM, way too late for any visitors. Still, Soyeon gets up and walks over to answer the door.
“Yuqi-ah?” Soyeon’s voice is a shocked whisper as she gapes at the other girl standing in front of her, holding a bouquet of orchids and some other red flower Soyeon doesn’t know the name of.
“They’re carnations and orchids,” Yuqi explains. She hands them over to Soyeon, who, in turn, takes them wordlessly.
“What do they mean?” Soyeon asks, but she doubts Yuqi would give her the answer.
Yuqi grins. “You can figure that out for yourself.”
“Oh, and,“ Yuqi continues. “You forgot this last night.”
Yuqi rests her hand on Soyeon's shoulder, lowering herself so they’re more or less on the same level. Yuqi leans forward and presses a kiss on the corner of Soyeon's mouth, barely missing her lips, before she pulls away, cheeks tinged with red.
“Good night, Soyeon-ah.” Yuqi smiles one last time before walking away and rushing down the stairs. Soyeon stands there, speechless and confused.
After a moment, Soyeon finally steps back into the apartment, the flowers bright against the dreary carpeted floor of her home. She walks over to the coffee table in the middle of the living room where the floriography book is placed. Soyeon flips through it for quite some time, trying to locate where the entries for carnation and orchid are.
A little while later, she closes the book.
Affection, she wonders. They mean affection.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Where are you taking me tonight?” Yuqi asks as Soyeon picks her up from the shop, their hands automatically finding each other. Soyeon likes the way Yuqi’s fingers slot between hers like they were meant to be there.
“To my place.” Soyeon tugs at Yuqi’s arm, pulling her towards the staircase that leads to the apartments. Yuqi raises an eyebrow and then snickers.
“Slow down, jagiya. We’ve only gone on a few dates.”
Soyeon rolls her eyes, hand still holding Yuqi’s as they try to fit themselves in the narrow passageway going upstairs.
“It’s not like that.”
Yuqi pouts, but Soyeon doesn’t see that. “Then what?”
They’re standing at the door of Soyeon and Minnie’s apartment, Soyeon’s keys in her hand. She pushes one into the lock and turns, briefly letting go of Yuqi’s hand to turn the knob and let themselves in.
“You said you wanted to see my paintings,” Soyeon reminds Yuqi. “I think I’ve got a few I’d like to show you.”
Soyeon made sure to lay them out neatly on the couch and on the coffee table after she kicked Minnie out for the day. She’s been working on a few paintings, mainly inspired by Yuqi and the countless flowers she brings Soyeon. Her latest work is a portrait of Yuqi; her bright, youthful face is bordered by flowers of all kinds. Soyeon worked really hard on that one, and her heart jumps in her chest when she realizes Yuqi’s staring right at it.
“Oh shit, t-that’s me,” Yuqi says, bewildered. “H-how did you do that?”
Soyeon's smile is shy as she scratches the back of her neck. “I may or may not have taken a picture of you without your knowledge.” Soyeon peers at Yuqi. “I’m bad at remembering facial features, so I really needed it.”
“Are you crazy? That’s okay. God, it’s more than okay. You can take as many pictures of me as you want.” Yuqi pauses. “It’s just… I didn’t expect your work to be this good.”
Yuqi turns to Soyeon, eyes misting over. “It’s beautiful. They’re all beautiful.”
Soyeon moves closer to gently dab Yuqi’s eyes with the sleeves of her sweater. “Jagiya,” Soyeon whispers. “Don’t cry.”
Yuqi laughs, but more tears spill out of her eyes. “I’m sorry. No one’s done anything like this for me before.”
Soyeon holds the sides of Yuqi’s face in her hands. “Well, it’s an honor to be the first one.” Soyeon leans forward to kiss Yuqi gently in hopes of calming her down. It seems to work, because Yuqi’s breath starts to slow down, and the tears seem to have stopped.
“I like you a lot, did you know that?” Yuqi asks after they’ve pulled away. “Like, it’s really hard for me to explain how much.”
“You made it pretty clear the first day we met.” Soyeon chuckles, pulling Yuqi into her shoulder for a hug.
“But, don’t worry.” Soyeon sighs. “I like you a lot too.”
And I might even love you.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Minnie!” Soyeon yells from the front door. “I’m going to work!”
“Okay!” Minnie calls out from her own room. Soyeon knows from the noisy thumps and additional voice from inside that Minnie brought Miyeon home last night. Soyeon thanks her lucky stars that she’s a deep sleeper.
Soyeon pulls the door to their apartment open, stopping abruptly when she sees the flowers on the other side of the threshold. She notices that they’re tied together with a pale blue ribbon. A piece of paper lies neatly on top of the flowers with Soyeon’s name scribbled in curly handwriting.
Soyeon picks up the note and flowers, unfolding the piece of paper as she does so.
take care at work today :)
call or text when you can! love you jagiya <3
p.s. they’re heliotrope flowers if you didn’t know
Soyeon eyes the bouquet in her hands, thinking about what they could possibly mean. Shrugging, she places the flowers and notes down on the couch before grabbing her floriography book and dashing out the door.
I guess I’ll just have to surprise myself with what it means, Soyeon decides and smiles.