Flower Fiancé Chapter 19

Ji Yeonwoo pointed to one pot that had been pushed to the end of the 1-ton truck. It was a Sansevieria, famous as an air-purifying plant. The farm Boss, who had been organizing pots for the next delivery location inside the truck, glanced back over his shoulder and responded, “Uh, yeah.”

“I’ll carry this one in myself.”

“Let’s do it together. I’ll help you as soon as I finish sorting these.”

“It’s fine. I can carry it alone.”

“It must be heavy.”

“Hey, this much is nothing.”

The Mister who had been arranging pots on the truck tried to dissuade him, but Ji Yeonwoo stubbornly lifted the pot with both hands and carried it into the shop.

After setting it down roughly near the door, he looked around for a spot to place it. Fortunately, a few large pots had been moved out, so several suitable spots inside caught his eye. It was only after Ji Yeonwoo set the large Sansevieria pot down in a spot he had scoped out beforehand that he straightened his hunched back and stretched. A dull ache rose from around his hip joint. Everything else was fine, but carrying large pots alone was indeed a bit too much. Or was it because he hadn’t slept a wink?

The hand that had been tapping his lower back with a balled fist slowly came to a stop. Once again, the events of yesterday—no, just a few hours ago in the early morning—came to mind.

Where in the world was there a person who said he wouldn’t pounce on a sleeping person and then kissed him until his soul nearly drained out, honestly.

It was a situation where he couldn’t say anything even if he got angry, but the truth was he couldn’t even open his mouth to do so. Rather, he had been swept up in the mood and enjoyed it together, so he wasn’t even in a position to say anything about it.

Ji Yeonwoo realized anew that he was a simple person. Just from one instance of physical contact, he felt as if the wall that had been there, previously invisible, had crumbled. He still knew less about the person named Choi Moohyuk than what he didn’t know, but there was no way he could not be drawn to Choi Moohyuk, who was kind down to every word and action.

“No, Mr. Ji Yeonwoo, where does that strength come from? Looking at you, you don’t seem to have any strength at all.”

The Boss, who had entered the shop, handed over the transaction statement and spoke. At first glance, it sounded like something that could be offensive, but Ji Yeonwoo answered with a smiling face instead.

“What do you mean. I’m a man too. Don’t you see the muscles here?”

And with that, he flexed his forearm, tensing hard, and squeezed out a non-existent bicep. Seeing that action, the Boss laughed heartily in a good-natured way.

Not many people thought of Ji Yeonwoo, who had no pheromones, as an Omega. Even Choi Moohyuk, who had noticed Ji Yeonwoo’s trait, had only recognized it because he was a dominant Alpha belonging to only one percent; most people regarded him as a male Beta.

It was something you could tell just from the fact that 90% of the regulars who visited Flower Fiancé were female Betas.

“Wait, how old did you say you were this year, Mr. Ji Yeonwoo?”

The Mister, who had accepted the drink Ji Yeonwoo handed him, stopped mid-action of opening the lid with a cheerful sound and asked.

“I turned twenty-six.”

The Mister turned to look at Ji Yeonwoo in surprise.

“You’re that young? No, aren’t you too young to be buried in flowers and living like this? And from what I can see, you don’t seem to have any days off either.”

Only then grasping the intent of the question, Ji Yeonwoo laughed awkwardly.

“When you’re running a business, what days off are there. I’ve got to earn money.”

“That’s true enough. You should earn money while you’re at least a year younger. But still….”

“I want to live without having to ask my parents for money. It’s too embarrassing to ask for money as a grown adult, you know. To do that, I have to live diligently.”

“Then, when you’re thinking about it, contact me. There’s someone I really want to introduce you to, that’s why.”

“An introduction?”

“Yeah. Actually….”

The Boss stopped speaking and his gaze shifted to Ji Yeonwoo’s phone. The phone placed on the desk was vibrating. It was a call from Choi Moohyuk.

“I’m sorry. I’ll just take this call.”

Ji Yeonwoo sought the Boss’s understanding and lightly swiped the screen with his thumb to answer the call.

“Yes, Managing Director. Did you get to work alright?”

[ It’s nice to hear your voice so bright. Did Mr. Ji Yeonwoo get to work alright? ]

A low, deep voice came through the phone. As the memory of the kiss they had shared in the car brushed through his mind, his face heated up for no reason. Afraid the Boss would notice, he turned his back and continued the call.

“On the day flowers arrive, I have to come out early, but I almost ended up late.”

[ Because you couldn’t sleep? ]

“The Managing Director kept me from sleeping.”

[ You’re acting like this over just a kiss? ]

“Just a kiss? That was….”

It was my first kiss in a full two years, you know.

Swallowing the words he couldn’t bring himself to say out loud, Ji Yeonwoo glared at the innocent phone with narrowed eyes. Through the brief silence that followed, a low laugh was heard from the other end.

[ I feel wronged. If I had known it would be like this, I shouldn’t have held back. ]

Not hold back? Ji Yeonwoo, who was mulling over Choi Moohyuk’s words, felt his face burn hot without realizing it. I must be crazy, what on earth am I imagining. Ji Yeonwoo muttered to himself for no reason and lightly slapped his cheeks, smack smack.

[ You were following along well, so I thought it was okay. If you had disliked it, you should have slapped my cheek or something. ]

“Rather than dislike… it was more that my mind was unsettled.”

[ Why was your mind unsettled? Because I kissed you on my own? ]

Ji Yeonwoo pouted his lips.

“You know very well, so why do you ask.”

[ Alright. From now on, I’ll get permission first before any physical contact. Is that acceptable? ]

At the words that suddenly came through, Ji Yeonwoo froze on the spot. His pounding heart was racing so hard it felt like it was reverberating up to his head. It had always been like this. Choi Moohyuk would fluster him with unexpected words and actions. It would be fortunate if it stopped there, but at the end of it all, excitement always coexisted.

“Hmm, I’ll be watching to see if you really get permission first.”

Steadying his voice, Ji Yeonwoo answered primly with a reddened face. Since it wasn’t a video call, Choi Moohyuk wouldn’t be able to notice that he felt flustered, that his heart was racing hard, or that his face had turned red.

Continuing the call, Ji Yeonwoo heard a presence behind him and turned around. The floriculture farm Boss was looking at Ji Yeonwoo on the phone. Only then realizing that he wasn’t alone here, Ji Yeonwoo readjusted his hold on the phone with both hands and spoke in a lowered voice.

“I, I think I have to hang up now, Managing Director.”

[ Alright. ]

Perhaps he had noticed Ji Yeonwoo’s voice, which had dropped considerably and even sounded urgent, because Choi Moohyuk didn’t ask for a reason.

“I’ll call you again later.”

After speaking rapidly in a staccato, Ji Yeonwoo hung up and turned back toward the farm Boss.

“Ah, haha. I’m sorry. The call went on, long.”

“I’m the one who’s sorry. I almost made a fool of myself without even knowing what was going on.”

The farm Boss laughed heartily in a good-natured way. So he did hear everything. Indeed, since he had talked without a care in a small, quiet space, there was no way it couldn’t be heard. Ji Yeonwoo, not knowing how to respond, just laughed awkwardly.

“Good, you thought well. You’re young, so even if you don’t get married, you should live while dating. What is life, anyway? It’s about enjoying it as you go.”

“I think you’re right, Boss. If a good connection comes, I should meet them.”

Ji Yeonwoo smiled as he received the rough pats on the shoulder from the Boss, as if he was cheering him on.

After the farm Boss left, Ji Yeonwoo immediately tidied up the newly arrived pots. Only after finishing conditioning work over the span of a full hour could he finally sit in a chair and catch his breath.

But the leisure was short-lived. As soon as the afternoon arrived, customers began to stream in one after another. They were all regulars of Flower Fiancé. His body was exhausted, but Ji Yeonwoo, who couldn’t treat his regulars carelessly, had to spend the day in a frenzy, attentively serving each and every one.

As Ji Yeonwoo was seeing off the last customer, his gaze lingered beyond the glass window. Rain was pouring outside the glass.

It’s already evening. Only then did Ji Yeonwoo realize that he hadn’t eaten anything all day. Perhaps because he had been busily moving since morning, the day had been exceptionally hectic, and he hadn’t particularly felt hungry.

The image of Choi Moohyuk that he had seen the night before came to mind. Choi Moohyuk, leaning one arm on the steering wheel, had been quite dashing. The sight of him meeting his eyes with the rain pouring beyond the car window behind him was exactly like a finely sculpted statue. It was a face that seemed as though you would never get bored admiring it along with the falling rain.