Chapter 3
A month had passed, but Jaeyel still hadn’t recovered from the sheer humiliation of that night.
The memory haunted him at the most random moments, how he had shoved Bo away, yelled pervert at him, and even kicked him before running out like some dramatic lead in a bad rom-com.
He groaned, covering his face with his hands. Why did I do that?
No matter how he tried to justify it, the guilt gnawed at him.
Bo hadn’t even done anything wrong.
I was the one who kissed him first… and then I acted like he was some kind of creep.
Jaeyel sighed.
He surely hates me now.
Then again, Bo had probably already forgotten about it. They only met that night.
There was no reason for him to still think about it… right?
Lost in thought, Jaeyel didn’t even notice the sharp smack to the back of his head until it was too late.
“Yah! What are you doing?”
Jaeyel yelped, rubbing the sore spot on his head as he turned to glare at his mother. “What was that for?!”
“You were cutting the rose too short! Look at this poor thing.” She snatched the flower from his hand, clicking her tongue in disapproval.
Jaeyel sighed, realizing his mistake.
His parents owned a flower shop, and since he wasn’t too busy with his work as a business writer, he helped out from time to time.
Usually, he enjoyed arranging flowers—it was calming.
But lately, his mind had been… elsewhere.
His mother gave him a knowing look. “You’ve been like this for a while now. What’s going on with you?”
“Nothing,” Jaeyel dismissed quickly, forcing a laugh as he placed the scissors down.
She didn’t look convinced but let it go with a shake of her head.
Still, even as he tried to focus on his work, his thoughts drifted back to him. Bo.
Later that afternoon, around 5 PM, Jaeyel was alone in the shop, preparing to close up. He hummed a tune to himself, wiping his hands on his apron. His parents had gone out for something, leaving him in charge.
Just as Jaeyel reached for the shop’s door, hurried footsteps and a rushed voice cut through the quiet evening.
“Wait—! Are you still open? I need flowers. Badly.”
Jaeyel paused, his hand hovering over the lock. He let out a small sigh, thinking it was just another last-minute customer.
Still, he turned around and replied absentmindedly.
“Yeah, yeah, give me a sec—”
His breath caught in his throat.
Standing in front of him, looking just as stunned, was Bo.
Jaeyel’s mind went blank.
Bo was here.
Bo was standing right in front of him.
…
Jaeyel didn’t even think—his legs just moved.
“Bo! Wait—hold on!” he called out, trying to catch up.
Bo, of course, did not wait. In fact, he seemed to be walking even faster. His long legs covered twice the distance Jaeyel could manage, and within seconds, he was already halfway down the street.
“Damn it, why are tall people like this?” Jaeyel huffed, practically jogging now.
Bo kept going, hands tucked in his pockets like he had all the time in the world. Meanwhile, Jaeyel was struggling, nearly tripping over his own feet.
“Bo! I just—I just want to say sorry!” he tried again. “Can you just—ugh, stop walking so fast!”
Still nothing.
Jaeyel gritted his teeth. Fine. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
“I’LL GIVE YOU FREE FLOWERS AS AN APOLOGY!”
Bo stopped.
Jaeyel skidded to a halt, panting. “Oh. That… worked.”
Slowly, Bo turned around and started walking back toward him. His face was unreadable, and for some reason, that made Jaeyel nervous.
Jaeyel instinctively took a step back. “Uh—”
“I need a lot,” Bo said simply.
“…Oh.”
And just like that, they were walking back to the flower shop.
Awkwardly.
In silence.
Jaeyel glanced at Bo, then hesitantly asked, “So… what are you doing here?”
Bo didn’t even look at him. “Work.”
“…Work?”
Bo sighed, already sounding exhausted. “Like I told you before you got drunk—”
“Uh,” Jaeyel muttered, thinking, Wow, this guy really holds a grudge.
Bo ignored him. “I’m a photographer. We’re shooting a wedding commercial.”
Jaeyel blinked. “Wait, like a celebrity wedding commercial?”
Bo gave him a pointed look.
“…Right.”
Silence again.
The air felt thick. Jaeyel cleared his throat. Time to just rip off the band-aid.
“So… about that night—”
Bo’s gaze flicked to him.
Jaeyel immediately felt like he’d made a mistake. But he was already in too deep now.
“I was drunk, okay? And I—I don’t really remember everything from that night,” he admitted. “But I do remember the day after. And, uh… yeah.” He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. “I called you a pervert. Which was… bad. And wrong. And I’m really, really sorry about that.”
Bo just stared at him.
Jaeyel gulped.
Then, finally, Bo spoke. “It’s the first time I’ve ever been called a pervert.” His voice was calm, but there was something about the way he said it that made Jaeyel flinch.
Jaeyel winced. “Yeah… Sorry—”
“I’ve been thinking about it until now.”
Jaeyel practically folded in on himself. “I am so, so sorry—”
Bo just exhaled through his nose and said, once again, “I need a lot of flowers.”
“…Right.”
…
Jaeyel flopped onto his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
The day had been… something.
A deep groan escaped him as he threw a pillow over his face. “Why? Why did I have to see him again?” he mumbled against the fabric. He had been so sure that time would do its thing—that the whole mess would just fade away.
But nope.
Fate had other plans.
At least he apologized. That was something, right? He cringed, remembering how Bo just stared at him, all quiet and brooding.
That man really knew how to make a guy sweat.
Jaeyel rolled over and groaned again. “But did he really have to buy that many flowers?”
He winced at the memory of Bo’s deadpan expression as he casually listed an absurd number of bouquets, like some kind of floral revenge plot. “He totally did that on purpose,” Jaeyel muttered. “And now I have to explain to my parents why half the shop’s inventory is gone.”
Silence filled the room for a moment before he sighed, rubbing his temples.
“I’ll just get a son discount…”
Jaeyel let out a tired chuckle, shaking his head.
Whatever.
It was over now.
At least, that’s what he told himself.