Flower Fiancé Chapter 12

[….]

“You have to be honest with me.”

A few seconds of silence passed. Over the phone, where he was anxiously waiting for his answer, a voice tinged with laughter was heard.

[ Take a guess. How many do you think? ]

“…Uh, are you serious?”

Ji Yeonwoo’s eyes snapped wide open.

[ Why? Do you dislike playboys? ]

“Of course I do. No one in the world likes a playboy.”

An emotional voice burst out. Standing in the soft lighting, Ji Yeonwoo’s face was tinged with complicated emotions.

[ That’s a relief. I’m not someone with the talent to date multiple people at once. ]

The voice coming from the phone was still completely at ease. Ji Yeonwoo, who felt like he’d had cold water thrown on him, became sullen. The more they talked, the more Choi Moohyuk sparkled, while Ji Yeonwoo felt himself sinking shabbily.

[ Mr. Ji Yeonwoo, tomorrow… ]

It was the moment Choi Moohyuk was about to say something. The sound of a door opening came from the other end of the phone.

‘What are you doing, hyung? Oh, were you on the phone?’

Someone seemed to have arrived. It seemed like he had held the phone away from his body, but since both Choi Moohyuk’s place and Ji Yeonwoo’s place were quiet, he could faintly hear their conversation.

‘What is it.’

‘I sent a message but it seemed like you didn’t check it.’

‘Did you? What’s up.’

‘I found out the identity of the Omega hyung went on a blind date with. If your call is going to be long, should I come back next time?’

Ji Yeonwoo, who was standing with the phone to his ear, opened his eyes wide.

I think he said blind date… did I mishear?

[ Mr. Yeonwoo, by any chance, do you open tomorrow? ]

“….”

[ Mr. Ji Yeonwoo? ]

“…Yes?”

Ji Yeonwoo, standing blankly, flinched and came to his senses only after hearing the voice calling him again.

[ What kind of coffee do you like, Mr. Ji Yeonwoo? ]

“Me? I like vanilla lattes…. But why do you ask?”

[ I’ll come to the shop tomorrow in time for opening. ]

“Tomorrow?”

[ Do you have plans? ]

“No. Not that.”

[ Then I’ll come to the shop tomorrow. ]

“Ah…. Okay.”

[ Sleep well, see you tomorrow. ]

“Good night.”

[ Yes. You too, Mr. Yeonwoo. ]

Perhaps because a guest had arrived, Choi Moohyuk’s relaxed and gentle tone reverted back to how it was before. It was cynical and blunt.

Ji Yeonwoo stared at the phone screen as its light flickered and then turned black. He had absentmindedly ended the call and ended up making plans. Would it actually happen this time? Doubt crept in, but somehow it didn’t feel like empty words.

“…So he went on blind dates.”

Somehow, he felt like he’d heard something he shouldn’t have. It hadn’t made sense that he had been busy all week, and now he wondered— could the reason possibly be that he was busy going on blind dates? But he said he had gone somewhere far away.

He tried hard to piece together his fragmented thoughts, but they ended up tangled like a skein of thread.

Standing alone in the darkness, Ji Yeonwoo let out a small sigh.

∞ ∞ ∞

From the morning, his luck was bad.

As soon as he arrived at work, he broke a flower pot. It was a mistake. It was a small pot placed on the desk, but he bumped into it while passing through the narrow space.

“What a waste. This was an expensive pot.”

Without even taking off his coat, Ji Yeonwoo crouched on the floor and cleaned up the broken pot with his bare hands. His head ached and felt hazy. It wasn’t that he hadn’t slept, but perhaps because he had drunk alcohol for the first time in a while, he seemed to have a hangover.

He was wondering whether he should go to the pharmacy when he heard the door open.

“Did a pot break?”

Dressed in a full suit with a vest and wearing a gray coat, Choi Moohyuk entered the shop.

“Yes. I broke it by mistake. Just a moment. I’m almost done cleaning up.”

Ji Yeonwoo brought a broom and swept up the scattered soil neatly. Choi Moohyuk, who was standing to the side, quietly watched him.

“Is your hangover okay?”

When he was almost done cleaning up, Choi Moohyuk spoke. Ji Yeonwoo, who had been dumping the soil into the trash can, flinched and turned around. Meeting his eyes, Choi Moohyuk approached and placed a hangover relief drink and a pill on the table.

“I thought your stomach might not be feeling well, so I didn’t buy coffee.”

“Tha, thank you.”

He thought he hadn’t shown it, so it was simply amazing that Choi Moohyuk knew. Had his speech been different than usual? Recalling last night’s phone call, Ji Yeonwoo felt somehow embarrassed.

“You do remember our call yesterday, right?”

“I didn’t drink that much.”

Ji Yeonwoo said with a reddened face, and Choi Moohyuk laughed silently.

Choi Moohyuk’s gaze lingered on Ji Yeonwoo’s face. His dark brown eyes moved minutely as they scanned his face.

“But….”

Just as he thought that gaze felt strange, a hand approached his face. He flinched and pulled his body back, but Choi Moohyuk’s hand brushed Ji Yeonwoo’s cheek.

“Are you always this careless? The first day I saw you, you had soil on you, and you’re the same today.”

Choi Moohyuk showed him the soil on his hand. Only then did Ji Yeonwoo realize that there had been soil on his cheek.

“When repotting or handling soil, if I touch my face, it sometimes gets on me. But, when did this get on me?”

Feeling embarrassed for no reason, Ji Yeonwoo turned to the side and rubbed his cheek with his sleeve.

Choi Moohyuk, who had come to Flower Fiancé, engaged in small talk. They chatted about everyday things—whether he had eaten breakfast, how his condition was today—and only before he left did he get to the point.

“Are you free this evening?”

Since he was someone who had asked if it was possible to eat a meal and have a drink from the very first day they met, Ji Yeonwoo wasn’t particularly surprised by his comment.

“I’m sorry. I have a prior engagement today.”

Actually, whether on weekdays or weekends, his time after work was wide open, but he deliberately pretended to have plans. Considering his previous actions, he simply didn’t want to accept right away.

“I see. Then how about tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow?”

“Do you have a prior engagement tomorrow too?”

“Oh, no. Tomorrow is fine.”

Having made up a nonexistent plan on the spot, Ji Yeonwoo gauged Choi Moohyuk’s reaction. He had been someone who could tell over the phone that he was lying—wouldn’t he see through it immediately in person? He couldn’t bear to meet Choi Moohyuk’s gaze as he stood there looking at him. When facing those eyes that didn’t waver for a second, he felt like everything would be found out in an instant.

“Then let’s meet tomorrow evening.”

After watching him for a long moment, Choi Moohyuk pulled back his sleeve to check the time.

“What kind of food do you like?”

“I eat anything well.”

“Hmm, then I’ll send a driver tomorrow around dinner time.”

“No. You really don’t have to go that far.”

Ji Yeonwoo waved both hands, dissuading Choi Moohyuk’s kind offer.

“If you just tell me the restaurant name and address, I’ll find my way there.”

The kindness from someone in a relationship that hadn’t even properly started yet felt overwhelming to him.

He had already been guessing based on Choi Moohyuk’s social standing, but he had realized it clearly through his behavior over the past week, which was almost like disappearing.

In this one-sided relationship where he might never see him again if Choi Moohyuk cut off contact, the moment he believed that the kindness offered was sincere, it would all be over. So he didn’t want to be swept away for no reason by what might just be a trivial, casual interest.

Choi Moohyuk, who was leaning against the counter and facing him, looked at Ji Yeonwoo quietly.

“Then let’s do this. Just eating a meal feels a bit lackluster, so how about watching a movie?”

“A movie?”

“Let’s watch the movie first and then have dinner. I’ll make a reservation at an atmospheric hotel lounge.”

“A hotel lounge—isn’t that a place you can only use if you’re a guest in a room?”

“I know the hotel owner well, so I occasionally use it without booking a room.”

Up to the movie was okay, but he thought dinner at a hotel lounge for a first date was a bit too much. Still, he wasn’t in a position to refuse again, so in the end, he accepted Choi Moohyuk’s date invitation.

After closing the shop a little earlier than usual and going home, Ji Yeonwoo washed up and stood in front of the mirror. Time was pressing, but today, of all days, none of the clothes in his closet pleased him.