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Maybe working at a small store that only sold plants wasn’t the best decision, it certainly wasn’t the most ideal job, but hey, as a college student, Mark had to pay for his food somehow. Plus, the seemingly endless amount of time between customers leaves for plenty of time to work on school work. Or procrastinate said schoolwork. Yep, work here was a real roller coaster. But at least it had a good environment? There were worse places to be than surrounded by plants. For example, his last job at a coffee shop, which had not ended well. But who could predict an old woman’s ability to yell over coffee at seven in the morning would be so advanced?
Needless to say, it was a welcome surprise when the bell above the door of the small shop chimed, signalling the arrival of a new customer. Mark looked up from the textbook that had previously been the focus of his attention. Peeking around one particularly tall plant, he caught sight of the new customer. Or rather, old customer. It was the same person who came almost twice a week for a couple months now. Being particularly bored today (physics wasn’t exactly the most interesting subject), Mark set down his still-sharp-from-disuse pencil and began walking cautiously towards the customer.
Technically, it was part of his job to talk to the customers, although Mark didn’t tend to actually do that part often. He wasn’t what you would call a “person capable of social interactions”, and talking to people generally made him incredibly uncomfortable. To be fair, Mark had only recently moved to Korea for college and wasn’t completely comfortable with the language. He’d lived in LA for a good portion of his teenage life and was only really comfortable speaking english.
It also didn’t help that the customer looked like he came straight out of a popular Korean boy group. His hair was platinum blond, currently hidden by a black snapback but it was always styled fashionably. As if that wasn’t enough, he also looked incredibly fit, especially today with his arms showcasing his muscular arms that Mark may have looked at for a little longer than was acceptable.
Despite Mark’s normal refusal to talk to customers, he felt like this was a worthy exception. Taking a moment to observe him, Mark noticed he seemed deep in thought, reading the label containing the care instructions of a cactus pot. Mark hoped that wasn’t a reflection of their skill as a plant owner. Other than his freakishly good looks, the other boy seemed pretty normal. He was about Mark’s age, probably a college student himself, which made him seem fairly out of place in the store that was normally filled with old ladies (which for the record were much nicer than those at the coffee shop).
“Can I help you?” Mark asked abruptly, hoping that it didn’t sound as condescending as it had seemed. The customer practically jumped out of their expensive looking shoes, gently placing the cactus back on the shelf, most likely for fear of dropping it. After that, he turned around quickly, looking like he had just been caught at the scene of a crime, but not sure if he’d committed it.
“Oh um, yes, I think? Maybe? Probably. Sorry, thank you,” he mumbled quickly, instantly shattering the cool and careless vibe he’d had around him. He seemed vastly unsure of his words and Mark watched with amusement as the boy’s wide range of emotions was projected easily on his face. The boy was an open book, and Mark didn’t know he liked that until he saw it in front of him. “I’m uh… looking for a plant. Obviously I guess. Preferably one that’s easy to care for,” he continued awkwardly. Mark held back a laugh, reminding himself to remain professional.
“I would assume so,” Mark mumbled teasingly. “No offense, but you’re quite a frequent customer. So unless you have like thirty plants sitting around your house, I’d guess you don’t exactly have a green thumb.” Mark found himself barely holding back a laugh for the second time as he watched a vague look of horror flash across the other’s face. “Anyway, you’re on the right track with cacti. You can’t find many plants easier to care for than them. Anything in particular you’re looking for?”
The boy seemed relieved that the topic had shifted from his murder of innocent plants to a much more professional topic, although not by much. “Oh, I guess maybe one with flowers? Do cacti even grow flowers? I think so right? If not then whichever one is the easiest, I’m not really picky at this point,” he sighed. At least he seemed apologetic towards his murderous ways.
“Yeah, they have flowers,” Mark giggled, unable to remain straight-faced. He slowly directed the customer to where they kept the flowering plants, ignoring his mild embarrassment out of courtesy. “I’d probably have to say that out of all the flowering cacti we have, this is the easiest to care for. Just spray some water on it every couple of weeks and leave it in an area where it can get plenty of sun.” The other boy still looked wary, grabbing the potted plant carefully as if it were a baby. Mark couldn’t help but think it was kind of cute, not that he would say that out loud. Now that would be unprofessional.
“Thanks,” he blushed, and Mark definitely not regret thinking he was cute, briefly wondering if he was single. “My name’s Jackson by the way. Thank you for not being incredibly judgmental,” he muttered, implying that Mark had been somewhat judgmental, which to be fair, could not be denied. Although who could kill thirty plants and still come to buy for more? Jackson apparently.
“No problem, it’s my job,” Mark said simply, smiling without meaning to. Snapping out of it, Mark led Jackson back to the cash register, pushing aside the textbook to make room for the cactus. “That’ll be fifteen thousand won please,” he said routinely, sad to see the brief but amusing interaction coming to an end. Jackson fumbled with a simple leather wallet for a moment before handing over a few bills which Mark quickly tucked into the cash register.
As he watched Jackson’s receipt print, he was sparked with an idea. A stupid idea, but an idea nonetheless. Mark grabbed the freshly printed receipt and the still sharp pencil from his textbook off to the side and quickly scribbled something down on the receipt before handing it off to Jackson, hoping his face didn’t look as hot as it felt. Jackson glanced at the paper briefly before his face blushed bright red and he rushed from the store
Mark received a phone call later that night
A few months later left them cuddling next to each other on a couch, their attention partially on the American movie playing on the TV ahead of them, but mostly on each other, enjoying each other’s company when Jackson suddenly reached up and flicked Mark’s forehead, making the older boy pout and glare at him accusingly.
“Ow, what was that for?” he whined, very maturely as he lifted his head from where it rested on Jackson’s chest.
“I can’t believe you asked me out using a damn receipt you dork.”
“I can’t believe you killed thirty plants,” Mark retorted, receiving another flick to the forehead. He looked back up at Jackson to protest only to find the other boy’s lips on his, and he wasn’t complaining. Even if it took thirty dead plants for them to meet, it was worth it.