Loves Me Not

Endings are Just New Beginnings

Now that Lim Jukyung was back in his life again, Seojun felt like he could finally breathe. She would be there week after week to talk to him about her work troubles and her friend troubles and mother troubles. Seojun would quietly listen and nod and even smile occasionally and frown when it warranted.

"By the way, I noticed you and I were the same age. So, I can drop the banmal, can't I? Since we're friends." She had asked him once. He had nodded and smiled.

Friends, Seojun had wondered. He hadn't had one in a long time. It would be nice to have a friend again, he realized. Jukyung had even made him exchange phone numbers and now she often texted him with funny pictures she found online.

They had somewhat settled into a little routine now. Jukyung often stole away from work in the middle of her lunch break to update him about the latest happenings in her life—Suah and Taehoon's annoying little fights that delayed things at work, the COO refusing to celebrate his birthday because "work was more important", the CEO's teasing of Jukyung, Jukyung's mother still nagging her daughter.

"My father is the only one who takes my side." She complained. "Both my mother and brother are always against me."

Seojun often found himself fantasizing what it would be like to just come out and say that he liked her. But then he reminded himself who he was—just a small flower shop owner, and who she was—a customer who lived in a different world than him, a world full or words. After he had penned out his confession, Han Seojun had resigned himself to a life of unrequited pining. He had decided that the best course of action was no action at all. Besides, friendship was something equally valuable for him and he was happy to have her company in this capacity.

But then she would do something that would turn his insides to jelly and he would fall for her all over again. Sometimes it was the way she teased him when a customer ran away when they saw him in the shop.

"Yah! How exactly are people supposed to come in when you're dressed up like a Halloween character?" She said chuckling.

He would push his lower lip up in an indignant pout, but he really didn't mind that she saw him as a Halloween character. Better he be seen as someone funny rather than someone scary.

Sometimes it was just the way she talked. Seojun often would just stare at her, elbow resting on the counter, face resting on his fist, a dreamy twinkle in his eyes that Jukyung never seemed to notice. The air was cleaner when she talked. The sun brighter. The sky bluer. Everything was better when that little bell tinkled and she came in.

But everything was not better with his flower shop. Despite Jukyung's attempts at getting everyone she knew to visit his shop, he was still in the red. Every night he went over the numbers and every night he grew just a little bit more anxious. At this rate his shop would go out of business in three months. And then he would be out on the street.

He thought about his options, thought about trying to spruce up the place and make it more inviting like that Kang Leader had pointed out, but he didn't know how. It seemed fine to him. He thought about repeating the whole matching personalities with flowers campaign again, but he was afraid to. What if he messed up? He knew he needed help, but he didn't know how to ask for it. And deep down, he was too ashamed to. He didn't want Lim Jukyung thinking he wasn't capable on his own.

He was going over more options one day, chewing on his lip ring, when that man entered. If suave was a person, it would be him. He had the fairest and most symmetrical face that Seojun had ever seen. He moved with effortless grace as he came in through the door. Even the doorbell's tinkle took on an angelic sound. He wore a clean cut and well fitted pin striped suit. Very expensive. His hair was styled back in a professional look. He looked like one of those entrepreneurs that were featured in Time magazine. But he looked young. Too young to be as successful as he appeared. Around Seojun's age. Seojun immediately felt a little frumpy and homely in his presence. He smiled, revealing perfectly straight, pearly white teeth.