『JenSoo Short Stories』

To Laugh in Flowers (is to bloom in the rain) (2/3)

She had originally anticipated stilted conversation and gaps of silence. It was only natural, after their awkward beginning. However Jennie, as she soon found out the girl's name was, was as vibrant as the sunflowers she had almost killed earlier.

Despite being one year younger, Jennie was surprisingly expressive and easy to talk to. Her bubbly personality made all her hesitation and discomfort evaporate. It was refreshing to meet someone who wasn't caught up in formalities.

Within a few minutes, she also discovered that Jennie was the complete opposite of her. For one, Jisoo was more or less used to having differences of opinion. Yet, Jennie was actively trying all ways and means to find something that they had in common. It was rather adorable.

The tea had long since finished but they were too absorbed in their conversation to notice. At some point, Jennie had nearly knocked over their tea in the midst of making one of her gestures to illustrate her story, so it was probably for the better that Jisoo hadn't made her another cup.

"I can't believe you don't like the rain!"

"Why not?"

"Well, for one, you work in a flower shop. Rain is necessary for flowers to grow beautifully. Shouldn't you be thankful for the rain?"

"Actually, too much water also kills the flowers and some plants need delicate conditions to flourish." Jisoo pointed out. Some flowers grew better when watered with rain water, due to the natural nutrients present in the water, but she didn't feel the need to offer that piece of information. "Nowadays, the rain has become more acidic due to pollution, so it's not always good."

"It's also inconvenient since I have to work..." She added thoughtfully. Their business was always affected one way or the other when it rained.

To make matters worse, the rain somehow made the people around her more sombre and thoughtful. She often caught Lisa lost in thought or scribbling endlessly in her notebook whenever it rained. People who didn't believe that the weather affected moods were in denial.

"Even so, it's peaceful and calming." The girl continued. "It gets way too hot when the sun is out and it's hard to concentrate on anything."

Jisoo had to disagree at that. At least when it was sunny, her friends were more upbeat and cheerful. They could go out for meals and carry out their daily activities without feeling the need to carry umbrellas or worry about the rain ruining their plans. The plants needed sunshine to grow as well.

"What about dogs or cats? You have to like at least one of them. Animals are universally everyone's soft spot." Jennie trailed off for a second and paused. "Unless, you're a psychopath."

"I hate to disappoint you," Jisoo had to bite back a smile as she responded. "but I'm allergic to their fur."

The girl's dumbfounded expression was one she wanted to remember. "You've got to be kidding me."

She shook her head as Jennie tried to reconcile her thoughts with reality.

It took a second of silence, where Jisoo could hear her own thoughts, for her to realize that she could no longer hear the sound of the rain falling against the ground outside.

Looking over, she was surprised to see the yellow rays of sunlight streaming in from the glass windows in the foyer. Despite such heavy rainfall earlier, she hadn't even noticed that the rain had finally stopped.

It was an afterthought but Lisa was probably on her way back too.

Her movement caught Jennie's attention. The younger girl seemed to take it as some form of cue because her expression fell slightly before she recovered with a question.