"You're a natural at this!"
"You think so?" Cynthia asked.
"I know so." Ki-woo's fingers moved with delicacy as he wrapped flowers in tissue paper. The bright pink tulips were being rolled in a soft pink tissue paper. They'd make the perfect gift for someone special.
Across the way, Cynthia was doing the exact same thing with white tulips and baby blue tissue paper. Most of the morning and into the afternoon, the pair had been bundling flowers. Ki-woo taught her how to snip the stems properly and wrap them neatly.
These bouquets would be going up front in a discounted bucket. He kept a few on hand for the people that wanted to buy smaller floral arrangements that didn't want to spend a ton of money. The flowers he used were older and less popular. It didn't make them any less beautiful, but he wanted others to experience their beauty before they withered away.
Cynthia worked and worked and worked. Question after question was asked, but Ki-woo didn't seem to mind. In fact, he was thrilled that Cynthia was back. Every time she looked over, he had a smile on his face. She was at ease when she was with him.
There was some sort of safety that she felt with him. The beady eyes behind the golden glasses were full of nothing, but warmth. She appreciated it and she appreciated him. For hours, the two talked and she listened to everything he had to say.
He gushed about his wife and his own daughter. When he announced their deaths, she felt like she might burst into tears. Being so close to death herself, she truly pitied him and everything he went through. She couldn't imagine what it'd be like to lose the only people she cared about.
"What do you think?" She glanced up after tying a bow around the wrapping paper with a piece of twine. "Do they look good?"
"They look lovely. Have you smelled them yet? Every flower has its own unique and distinct scent. Fun fact: I can tell what a flower is just by their scent."
"I don't believe you."
"One day, we'll have to test it out and then I'll prove you wrong for the second time. You had your doubts when you first worked here too. I'll show you and you'll be forced to see the truth."
She laughed and shook her head. The pair headed over to the sink in the back and began to wash their hands. While using a paper towel to dry her hands, her eyes went back to the leather book that Ki-woo had given her when she first arrived.
The leather-backed journal was filled with multiple different kinds of flowers. Ki-woo had sketched out and doodled every kind of flower that was in his store. He added the meanings of them and what they were used for. Every different shade was highlighted with the faint inklings of colored pencil.
She'd treasure his knowledge and she promised that she'd study it when she could. It was a great way for her to learn more about the flowers. The whole thing was in alphabetical order, so she could pull it out when she needed to. He insisted that she could even use it to help out customers.
"Do you think you can hold down the fort for a few minutes? I've got a delivery of fresh flowers coming in and I need to place them in the cooler back here. Do you remember how to use the register?"
She nodded her head. "I think I remember, but if I need help, I'll come find you."
"Thatta girl! I'm not very busy this time of day anyway, so I-" Before he could finish, there was a knock on the back door of the back room. He sighed and gestured to the door. "I've got to get that, but if you need anything, just holler."
"I will."
She disappeared out of the back and slipped through the beaded curtain into the front. The fresh floral scent hit her and a smile began to stretch across her face. This really was one of the best things in the entire world.
She perched herself on the wooden stool in front of the register and began to flip through the journal that Ki-woo gave her. Every drawing was so realistic, she couldn't believe he spent this much time investing into it. There were so many flowers, it must have taken hours for him to complete it.
The doorbell chiming caused Cynthia to glance up after a few minutes of getting lost in the drawings. Ki-woo was still in the back and making a bunch of noise. She figured he was still unpacking the flowers. There was a walk-in cooler built into the back where he stored the fresh flowers.
"Welcome to Woo's Wisteria's," she smiled. "Feel free to take a look around and if you need anything, just let me know."
Across the way, the two young girls looked at each other in shock. A gap-toothed grin fell across one's face. She grabbed her friend and rushed towards Cynthia.
"Cynthia, we're so glad to see you!"
Cynthia's eyes scanned their faces. She blinked trying to place them, but she had no idea who the two girls were. They couldn't have been much older than fourteen and that was pushing it. Her eyes darted back and forth, but nothing stuck.
"I'm sorry, I don't mean to be rude, but do I know you?"
The one shook her head and the other smiled apologetically. "No, but we're fans of Seungmin and the rest of the band. We haven't seen you after the accident and we were praying that you'd be okay."
A shy smile lit up Cynthia's face. "I don't think I've ever met Seungmin's fans before. Thank you, that means a lot to me. Thankfully, I've been doing okay."
"Can we take a photo?"
"You...you want a photo?"
"Um..." The other girl's cheeks blushed. She reached a tanned hand back and rubbed the back of her neck. "If it's okay and if you don't mind."
"Are you sure you want a photo with me?"
"Of course! You're Seungmin's girlfriend and you're amazing!" The other one gushed. "He's written some songs about you and they're my favorite. I hope I get to date someone as beautiful as you one day."
Cynthia was absolutely smitten the more the two girls talked to her. One of them pulled out a handful of bills and admitted that they were hoping she could help her purchase some flowers for her mother. Cynthia got up and led them to the direction of the discounted bouquets that she helped put together.
When she pulled out the white tulips that she had previously wrapped up, she happily used her newfound knowledge to explain that tulips stood for love. The girls listened to her explanation and kept sharing huge grins with each other.
Cynthia was someone that they had always seen around Seungmin. A lot of fans knew she worked at the flower shop. In the very beginning, when fans found out where she worked, Seungmin personally addressed the situation. He promised that if someone caused issues, he wouldn't hesitate to take legal action for harassment or whatever charges were necessary.
Nobody wanted to mess with him and go against that. The fans who attended the flower shop out of curiosity were usually met with Cynthia's warmth. On the days she wasn't working, they met Ki-woo and were greeted with a smile and a similar warmth. The entire flower shop radiated nothing, but calm and loving energy.
Cynthia managed to remember how to use the register. After ringing the girls up and inserting the flowers in a vase full of water, she thought that'd be the end. They all took a selfie and she smiled brightly like she always did.
"Before we go, can we see your ring?"
"My ring?" Cynthia's eyebrows furrowed. "What ring?" Her eyes went to her bare fingers. She didn't know anything about a ring.
"Yeah, your engagement ring, silly. We all know that Seungmin proposed to you. He gushed about it on bubble months ago and-"
"It was super cute!" The other girl squealed.
When the first girl glanced down at Cynthia's bare fingers, she frowned. "Oh, you're not wearing it? Did you guys break up or something? He was really excited for the wedding and-"
Cynthia's face went pale. So many emotions were flooding her at once. Seungmin had proposed to her? Why hadn't he ever addressed it? How many things did the fans know that she didn't?
"I um-" Cynthia sucked in a deep breath and smiled. "I left it at home because I didn't want it to get lost. I work with a lot of flowers and I didn't want to risk losing it. I'm sorry, but I-"
"Oh, duh. That makes a lot of sense. I wouldn't want to lose the ring either. It was a lovely ring, so maybe some other time?"
Cynthia nodded as the two girls continued to talk. Her eyes glanced off in the distance at the analog clock on the wall. She attempted to direct her brain back onto the conversation in front of her, but she needed to talk to Seungmin. She needed to talk to him as soon as possible.
What else was she forgetting?