Chapter 96: 95 – Yoo Seonhwa, once more

Seonhwa stared at her phone and pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache coming on. "That guy..."

She had just gotten over him. Well, started to get over him.

Jihu made it clear. They were too different. And it seemed like he had given up on her already. After all, from how he treated Yuhui and had all those other girls around and yet excluded Seonhwa...

She accepted it. After all, she had been selfish in going overseas to study. She worked hard and remained loyal to Jihu, but she didn't consider his emotions and worry.

The long nights worrying if she was seeing someone else. The constant doubt if their love would hold true. How heartbreaking it would have been to see her with someone else.

Seonhwa thought it was ridiculous. But having experienced it first-hand now, she couldn't say that it was.

So it was her just desserts. Whether Jihu did it intentionally to spite her, or if it just ended up that way, Seonhwa experienced all that she did to him. No, she experienced worse considering that he actually had chosen someone else.

Yes. It was fine.

Except, now Jihu had called again and said they needed to talk. And then he actually said he loved her.

Seonhwa slipped her phone into her pocket and then leaned back on the countertop.

She was in her cafe. As usual, there weren't any customers around.

Though, that made sense. She had let her employees go and just came to the café to sit by herself these days, leaving the sign on closed.

It was a bad decision. And her funds were starting to run a bit low as a consequence. But after Jihu made it clear he wasn't interested and then hearing the way Jihu talked to Yuhui over the phone, Seonhwa just couldn't bring herself to run the café.

After all, it was her dream. No, 'their' dream before everything changed. But now it was just hers. Seonhwa's.

"My little Pipster..."

She glanced at the kitchen and tried imagining it. Jihu walking around cooking his unbelievably tasty ramen. Smiling and joking with her as he did in the past.

Seonhwa's heart throbbed. Pain, yearning. Happiness and sorrow. It was a mix of bitter and sweet.

She sighed and then went to make herself a cup of coffee.

And then she got a phone call.

Seonhwa paused.

Was it Jihu? Did he want to say something else?

Frowning, Seonhwa pulled out her phone and answered. "Hello?"

"Unni? Are you going to stay out all day again?"

"Ah."

It wasn't Jihu. Instead, it was Seonhwa's younger sister.

"I'm sorry, Seunghae. There's someone I have to meet today."

The same lie.

Seonhwa just didn't want to admit that she was wallowing in misery to her younger sister.

"Again?" Seunghae sighed and said, "Are you really going to give up on Oppa like this? If you keep seeing other guys, he probably won't take you back, you know? You didn't see it, but-"

"I know."

Silence. And then Seunghae sighed again. "Well. I'm going to hang out with Jinhee later. Don't stay out too long, Unni."

"I won't."

The call ended.

Seonhwa sighed and then leaned back on the counter. "...What a mess."

"I don't think you are."

Seonhwa jumped and looked around.

The cafe was empty. She was the only one there and she hadn't heard the door open at all.

...*Was* the only there. But there was someone else now.

A handsome man with a honed body framed by a tailored suit. Eyes that seemed to glimmer a beautiful rainbow hue, with light brown bangs covering them. A man who would immediately be accepted into any male idol group all over the world.

And one who Seonhwa wasn't expecting so soon.

"J-Jihu?"

Seonhwa blinked, wondering if she was having delusions.

Maybe the lack of sleep was catching up to her?

Jihu was standing there, holding a giant teddy bear with his right arm and holding out a bouquet of daffodils and red roses in his left hand. Smiling, he said, "What? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Seonhwa blinked again and then muttered, "I must be dreaming."

First Jihu called her and said that he still loved her. Then Seunghae called her and encouraged her to keep pursuing him. Now he showed up clearly apologetic with a bouquet asking forgiveness and declaring his love. Not only that, but with a giant teddy bear too.

Surreal. Enough that Seonhwa just wasn't sure what *was* real.

"Nope." Jihu walked forward and handed over the bouquet and the giant teddy bear. "This is reality."

Still confused, Seonhwa took the gifts without question. Smelling the flowers and feeling the soft stuffed animal... it definitely did seem a bit too realistic to be a dream. But-

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A loud thud.

Seonhwa jumped in shock at the noise. And then after that, her shock turned into bewilderment.

Jihu knelt on the ground, his head pressed against the floor. "Seonhwa! I'm sorry! I did nothing but hurt you and didn't think about your feelings! I should have made things clear from the start instead of hurting you like this!"

"Eh?"

Seonhwa blinked. Then she set the bouquet on the counter and pinched her left arm.

A sharp pain.

...It seemed like this wasn't a dream. Or if it was... She didn't want to wake up.

Silence. Jihu still kneeling on the ground with his head pressed against the floor.

Seeing that, Seonhwa set the teddy bear aside and quickly walked over. "D-Don't do that, Jihu. The floor's dirty. I haven't had the chance to clean it yet-"

"It's fine! I'm dirt, so it's only fitting!"

Seonhwa pursed her lips.

...It was true. That guy went around and broke his promise to her as well as started seeing other girls.

But even so, seeing him like that hurt Seonhwa's heart, so she reached down and pulled him up. "Don't be an idiot and just get up already."

Jihu resisted a bit at first. But when Seonhwa insisted, he finally stood up.

Seonhwa sighed and brushed the dirt off Jihu's suit. "Honestly... Ruining good clothes like this. What are your other girls going to think?"

Jihu winced. "That's..."

Seonhwa laughed, ignoring the prickle in her heart. "What? It's true, isn't it? Even I'd be mad if I knew you were going to see another girl and ruined your work clothes for her. But... Hm. It's not that bad."

It was visible against the black fabric, but it was still just dirt. A bit more and...

"There. All clean."

Jihu stared at Seonhwa and then sighed.

Seonhwa smiled and said, "What? Did you think I was just going to leave you that dirty, Jihu?"

"No. But you're too good to me." He paused and said, "...And also a lot different than I expected you to be."

Seonhwa's smile turned a bit strained and then she sighed. "Well, we're both different than how we used to be. Life tends to teach hard lessons- Wait." She blinked and then shook her head. After that, she pointed at Jihu and said, "Explain yourself."

Jihu let out a nervous laugh. "Ahaha... Yeah. There's a lot of that to do. But why don't we make ourselves comfortable first? It's going to be a very, very, very long story." He paused and said, "You've got time, right? Or should I come back later?" He frowned, taking a look around the cafe. "Come to think of it, this place should be packed at this time... Did something happen?"

'You did.'

That was what Seonhwa wanted to say. But she shook her head and just let out a soft smile. "I just needed a break to collect my thoughts, so I closed the café for a while."

Jihu frowned and said, "Are you okay with that? Food services typically run on a thin margin, don't they?"

Seonhwa poked Jihu in the chest and said, "Don't worry about it. Who's the one with the American university degree?"

"A Bachelor of Science in Engineering doesn't mean you're good at finances, Seonhwa. It's not like you have an MBA or anything."

She blinked and said, "How did you know that's what I graduated with? No, since when do you know that much about the American graduate level education system?"

Jihu coughed and then said, "Why don't you take it easy for a bit. It's been a while since I cooked some ramen for you, right? Have you eaten yet?"

"...No."

"Good. Then leave everything to me." After saying that, Jihu walked over to the kitchen and started rummaging around.

"A-Ah." Seonhwa just remembered that she didn't have any ramen. "Jihu, I don't- Huh?"

Jihu looked over at her, holding a pack of instant ramen in his hands. A pack that definitely wasn't there before. And that couldn't be there. "What?"

"...Never mind."

She decided to just wait. It would be simpler that way. If she tried asking questions now, she had a feeling that she'd be even more confused than she already was.

So with that in mind, Seonhwa grabbed the flowers and the stuffed bear and sat down at a table, waiting. As she did, she looked at the flowers and hummed.

"Red roses and daffodils, huh?"

They were an odd assortment of flowers. Especially to give as an apology gift. If it was any other guy, Seonhwa would have thought that he just put together a haphazard list of flowers.

But Jihu was smarter than that. And since he knew that she knew about what flowers meant... mostly because she talked his ear off about it when she got her first job as a florist back in high school, it had to be intentional.

And as to the meaning of the flowers...

Seonhwa gently brushed the roses and said, "Red roses mean love and romance." She moved her hands to the yellow daffodils and muttered, "Daffodils mean rebirth and new beginnings... but they also mean narcissism and vanity."

There were two messages. Two different interpretations to the flowers.

Since Jihu was giving it to her, the flowers represented his thoughts and emotions. And after their last talk...

Did he want to restart the love they shared?

...Or was he saying that he was being vain and still clung onto his love for her despite everything else?

Seonhwa pursed her lips and then sat there in silence, quietly waiting for Jihu to return.

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