Dahlia

09

"Haknyeon..."

The boy who was in the middle of arranging the flowers had his focus jerked up, his eyes widened as they roamed around. He gulped, for a moment scared to turn around to find the voice.

Nara used that tone a lot, he internally thought.

But then, a slap landed on his arm which made him groan. "Ouch!"

"I'm calling you like 100 times!" Dabin was enraged, and she cupped her tiny waist as she looked at the boy.

"Ah..." Haknyeon breathed out in relief.

Day by day, it just felt insane how he felt like he was associating with Nara instead of Dabin. Now he seemed to understand why Hyunjae was overwhelmed when he looked at this female. She was like a fresh copy of the deceased came out from a photocopy machine.

"Can I ask you some questions?" Dabin prompted, while lazily sweeping the floor.

"Some?" Haknyeon joked around, gasping as he glanced over at her. "How much curiosities do you have?"

"A lot!" She played along. "You need to answer them all before Hyunjae comes."

Haknyeon pondered with knitted brows and rapid blinks, trying to comprehend the situation. Dabin seemed to want to know a lot of things about Hyunjae and he wondered why.

Yesterday, as soon as Hyunjae left them at the ice cream shop which the older asked Dabin to take home some daisies, she had been pestering Haknyeon afterwards with queries. Though he understood why a query like 'Why he's acting like this all of a sudden' left her mouth and though he knew the answer, he wouldn't simply tell her. He won't.

A bit, he was anticipating the next queries this female had.

"What do you want to know?" Cockily, he asked, picking up dried leaves from the flowers. "Hyunjae will be here anytime soon. You better faster."

"Is he married?"

Haknyeon's body eventually stopped functioning at the question, his hand was stalling over a rose. When he said 'faster', he didn't know it would be this fast. Which meant, Dabin had had her curiosity prepared beforehand.

"Urm, yes..." He sounded unsure. "No?"

"Huh?" Dabin pondered, her face scrunched up funnily. "Which one is it? Yes or no? He's been wearing a specific ring all the time, I wonder if it is a wedding ring."

When she held the broomstick next to her as the other free hand cupped her waist, Haknyeon turned to face her with fear on his face. Like he just unveiled a mysterious murder case.

"You noticed even the smallest thing about him?" He gasped. "Creepy! Aren't you a stalker or something like that?"

"No!" She sternly retaliated, before she tucked her baby hair to the back of her ear. "I can't help noticing. That's all."

"Tch..." Haknyeon then chuckled, resuming his task. "I was kidding."

There was a faint grimace painted on Dabin's face at the boy's comment which made her think that he really, had to turn her into a creepy stalker and simply announce that it was a joke.

She was putting her life on the line.

It was then, that Dabin turned facing the glass wall of the shop, staring outside at the sidewalk. The image of Hyunjae every time they ran into each other was still fresh in her head. The gloom inside his eyes every time he looked at her made her wonder about many things.

One of them was: if Hyunjae was married or he did have someone in his heart, why must he look at another woman - at her like he wanted to court them?

"If he's not married, why does that matter to you?" Haknyeon questioned, watching her static back. "Do you like him?"

Dabin flinched, trying to comprehend what she just heard. The nonsense had brought a turn in her stomach that the bitterness couldn't be helped transferring to her face.

"That man is weird," Dabin said, a lump in her throat and ready to come out. "Seriously?"

Haknyeon shrugged, "He is weird. But, he is not that weird if you know him well."

The boy then saw white lilies firmly standing in the glass jar while he tried to resume his job. The pure and clear colour suddenly made him sigh the heaviest, a memory swiftly flew back into the space of his head.

A year ago, Haknyeon had chosen to make something different. While everyone was agreeing to bring the chrysanthemum to the wide lake for the tribute - since the body had never been discovered, he had brought a white lily instead to convey his condolence for Nara.

He cried a lot that day. Because he never knew that the day for him to mourn the death of the closest one would come this fast. And above all, it was Lee Nara.

What day is today? He thought as he checked the calendar on his phone. An unintentional sigh then escaped as he squeezed his eyes tight.

"Tomorrow, you don't have to come," he told Dabin who looked shocked, asking why. "We will be off tomorrow."

Because it was Nara's death anniversary, he intended to say that but he changed his mind. Dabin shouldn't have known, no, she shouldn't have known yet.

"Then, I don't have anything to do tomorrow," she whined. "Younghoon is not free as well."

A swift push of the door.

Hyunjae stepped in and eventually halted as his ear caught Younghoon's name. A scoff left his lips at the attempt of Dabin to smile at him afterwards.

"Are you cleaning or playing?" He asked rather sarcastically, a subtle move of his left brow rising was seen. "Dust is still everywhere."

Here he came - the weirdo.

Dabin couldn't help scoffing at the duality this person had. One time he could be so kind, sweet and convincing - if it was sane for her to say. But another time, he suddenly could be so cold specifically when Younghoon was involved.

"I'm doing it now," she started sweeping at his feet which made the guy move around a lot avoiding the broom. "You're blocking the way. Move!"

Shock appeared on his face, he glanced at Haknyeon who was just giggling over the grown-up childish fight. Hyunjae would be mad and start cursing if it were other people. But, he couldn't do anything because it was her.

She was a witch who had the magic to silence him.

"Be careful," Hyunjae said, walking toward the opaque door to the back compartment. "Excessive moves can make you trip."

As soon as the door closed, Dabin frowned. "Who would trip over nothing?"

Nara did, and Haknyeon thought alone.

But then, a bulb lit up above his head, the flicker of his eyes from the female to Hyunjae - who he assumed was standing behind the door watching at her, somehow had brought an idea.

So, Haknyeon scooted closer to the female - too sure by now Hyunjae was flinching at the proximity they had, and requested in a low tone.

"If you don't have any plans tomorrow, how about you come with me?"