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fursttimes · 3 years

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Pandemic trip to South Korea

10/22/20 - 11/22/20 If you haven’t yet been to South Korea, I highly recommend it.

Why South Korea?

I wanted to visit South Korea for over a year since I discovered K Pop (and especially K R&B) and started watching K Dramas. Here’s a gorgeous scene from the historical romance Mr. Sunshine.

My goal is to consume K content without subtitles. After studying on my own and hiring two different language teachers, I wasn’t improving much. In this situation, I rely on immersion.

I also listened to Miyoko Schinner’s Home Comforts where she cooks every Friday on a theme. That day, she was cooking Korean food inspired by her recent trip to South Korea. She said there was an entire vegan street in Seoul. Then she said she brought a rescue dog back to SFO as the volunteer courier and that it was really easy.

As a 1st world country, South Korea shouldn’t be as challenging to navigate as other places.

Why now?

Yes, it’s odd that I’d be traveling during a pandemic where there’s a deadly airborne virus spreading across the globe. Don’t get me wrong, there were a few bright spots during the year, Animal Run’s 1st Virtual Event being one, but combine the factors of

South Korea being a model for having one of the best containment strategies in the world (they never truly had a shut down)

Random lock downs in California

Weight gain from working from home

Working from home all by myself (with my cats)

I was buying useless things online

One cat passed away

Heat waves

Multiple forest fires

An extra-depressing day of being trapped underneath the dark smoky skies without sunlight

6 months left in a contract job that doesn’t require much brain power

Another crazy presidential election looming

I haven’t gone overseas since 2014

I’ve never been there before so my anticipation level was high

I wanted to bring a rescue dog back with me

My partner was OK with holding down the fort for a month without me

My job approved working remotely for two weeks and then taking two weeks off

10 days after getting approval from work, I boarded a plane to quarantine for two weeks and then explore the small but mighty country.

What’s the worst that could happen?

I could die. But when it’s time ...

I could catch the virus and spread it. But I was quarantining so bringing it back to the US was more likely than bringing it into South Korea.

My work laptop wouldn’t work.

Flight to Seoul

The direct flight was 12 hours and super easy. The plane was only 1/3 full so I was able to lie down and sleep for most of the trip. When I woke up, there was only 1.5 hours left before I landed at 4am.

Stuck 4 hours at Incheon Airport

I pride myself on my research. Sure, I only had 10 days to study but I’ll watch a few YouTube videos and do some Google searching of what quarantine would be like. Then once done with my quarantine work day, I’d plan how to navigate the country which I knew very little about.

Fact: When you don’t know what you don’t know, that’s just life testing you.

The plane landed smoothly and I turned on the airport wifi which was much stronger than SFO wifi. We walked over to immigration and they asked me why I was here. I’m a tourist. Do I know anyone in South Korea? No. I was able to pass to the next section.

Down the hall, there were several tables with young military people interviewing everyone who just landed. I sat down and they asked what I was doing here. I’m a tourist. Do I know anyone in South Korea? No. Do I know anyone with a South Korean phone number. No.

They explained they needed to call a South Korean phone number with someone on the other end who would pick up and say that they would be my “guardian” during my time in South Korea. I told them that I thought the procedure was to install a sim card in my phone so I could be tracked wherever I went. They said no, they didn’t know about that, but I still needed the Korean phone number.

I told them to call my hotel which I reserved for after quarantine. The hotel denied my request. Until I could come up with a phone number and guardian, I could not leave the airport.

This was the moment I became worried. I wracked my brain for someone I knew might have a contact or relative living in South Korea. I called Greg first to tell him the situation and to see if he had any patients who could help. He did not.

Next, I called a co-worker from several years back and several companies ago. She picked up and suspiciously said “Hello?” I explained my situation and it was a VERY awkward conversation. Ultimately, she was not able to help.

I decided to text a friend of a friend whom I’ve never met. A good runner friend FB introduced me to him a few days before my flight. He was kind enough to give me some recommendations of places to visit. I explained my situation in text. If I was lucky, maybe he would respond in the next hour or two.

After 3 strikes, I felt some panic and decided to sit down on the airport floor and take several deep relaxing breaths. After a few minutes of sitting quietly, it occurred to me to call the US Embassy. This thought came directly from my Peace Corps experience where I learned that embassies are there to bail out their citizens in trouble. So I requested a call to the US Embassy and he thought that was a great idea ... except that they are closed on Sundays. Sigh.

I knew they have an emergency number though. I hesitated in calling that number since my situation was not life or death, but I thought about sleeping overnight at the airport ... so I asked the guy to call the emergency number.

The woman on the other end was confused. She told me she had not heard of this requirement and thought that the procedure was to install a sim card on my phone. But she spoke to the guy and said she would straighten this out in 15 minutes.

WHEW!!!!!!

While we were waiting for her to call back, I learned that these full time military guys (not the 2-year mandatory military people) are rotated into the airport twice a week to do this interviewing job. I asked if there were other people like me who didn’t know about this requirement. He said yes. I asked him what those people did. They also panic dialed people they knew, but I was the first (that he knew about) to call my Embassy.

I made it it through that critical step. My next step was to go ahead and install the sim card anyway. Another nice English speaking guy said he would help me, which was great, because the sim card lady spoke no English. Everything was going well until she hit a screen on my phone asking for an unlock password.

UGH!!!

I had paid AT&T in full to own my phone so it could be unlocked for this trip. This was a big missed step. Oh well. The nice lady gave me my receipt, instructions on how to install my personal sim card back into my phone and a Customer Help number to call from my hotel during quarantine.

Just one more interview before I was allowed into baggage claim. This guy asked me what I was doing in South Korea. I’m a tourist. Did I understand that I’d be quarantined for 2 weeks and that I would be paying between $1,400-$2,100 USD and that these prices are set by the Korean authorities? Yes.

Finally I was allowed to get my bags. With my brain completely fried, I descended to baggage claim and promptly made a wrong turn. I wandered through the intimidatingly cavernous baggage claim section. It was a strange experience to be in a fully lit air hanger with no other soul around, with no sound and where nothing moved. I certainly got my steps in. After what felt like forever, I finally saw someone who pointed in the right direction. I picked up my bags and was told to board a bus headed to my quarantine hotel. My plane landed at 4am and I boarded the shuttle at 8am.

Quarantine

It took 30 minutes from Incheon Airport to Gimpo’s Ramada Encore Hotel. This is a random quarantine destination probably depending on the time of day each bus leaves from the airport.

I was excited. I officially entered South Korea ready to experience a two week quarantine in a new country. Hopefully, this was going to be the closest thing to prison that I will ever experience.

When we parked in front of the hotel waiting for our instructions to disembark, a Russian woman with an infant started to cry. She had an apartment in Seoul so the quarantine thing was a mistake. She didn't pack any diapers or formula for her baby. She decided to stay on the bus because she didn't want to implicitly agree to the quarantine. I hope it worked out for her. There were about 10 other people on the bus with me.

We disembarked and lined up in front of people in hazmat suits who told us to line up, leave our luggage, and enter the processing room. This was the hotel dining area or conference room which looked like a semi-organized mess. Tables and chairs were stacked on top of each other. The hotel was no longer a hotel but was a "processing center" so it looked like things were just shoved aside to make room for processing equipment. There is no hotel staff. These were employees of some agency.

The hazmat people taught us how to use the daily temperature check app (we need to take our temperatures 2x day) and assigned our rooms. I asked how many people were quarantining in the building? ~300. How many quarantine centers there were? 5-6 hotels. I told them I was vegetarian since vegan was not an option. They charged my card $1,450. I was lucky.

I got room 901. Once I went in, I cannot step outside of it for 14 days. As I took the elevator up and walked down the hall, I noticed orange bags filled up in front of the doors. Those were the orange garbage bags with the hazard sign on it so that it would all be disposed of like radioactive waste.

I entered my room and it was HOT. I looked at the temperature gauge and it was 28C (82F). I tried opening the window and it opened, but not enough to let cool air in. I tried the air conditioning setting but it was broken.

There was a sign on the inside of the door warning me not to leave the room but to call the command center for questions. I called that number and told them that my air conditioner was broken and they said they turned it off, because it was fall, but they'd send up a fan. Sigh.

There was a white plastic bag on the floor with my welcome kit. 2 bottles of water, a toothpaste tube, a toothbrush, several small hotel hand soaps, slippers, five small hand/face towels and what looked like a cigarette box but had 10 small servings of instant coffee.

I heard a knock on the door and it was food along with the fan, both wrapped in plastic bags. The food was AMAZING! It was in a plastic tray and the main item was cauliflower and two awesome banchan, chillied perilla leaves and sweet yellow pickled radish. So much flavor! Whatever I suspected containing egg or dairy was thrown out along with the rice. With three meals a day, I was never hungry and I even managed to lose 4 pounds during quarantine.

I started unpacking and took a shower because it was so hot. When I stepped out, the hotel PA system turned on and a woman's voice said in English "Sir on the 9th floor in a red shirt, please go back to your room immediately." Oh boy. I would find out later that my room has a hidden camera, because the PA system would go on reminding people not to smoke inside the room.

I checked if my laptop worked. It did! Whew!!! Then I heard a knock on the door. It was two guys in hazmat suits ready to give me my first covid test. I asked the first guy to help set up the TV screen as my 2nd monitor. BIG win since I didn't need to struggle with the Korean instructions.

Then the 2nd guy took my temperature, swabbed my throat (I gagged) then told me the last step was going to hurt and which nostril would I prefer? I said "suprise me" and he proceeded to invade my brain through my right nostril. It was HUGELY uncomfortable but not quite painful. It felt like that nostril was drowning while I was still able to breathe through the other nostril. Once it was over, I had a headache. I decided to call it a day and knocked out hard.

Quarantine Days 2-13

I woke up Bay Area time at 8 am which is midnight in Korea. The deal was to work during Bay Area hours then take 2 weeks off to explore. I arranged the room to make it a home for the next 13 days.

I pushed up the twin beds to give me more floor space. I set up my work station. Hung up my clothes. Placed all wastepaper baskets outside my door so that I wasn't collecting garbage inside my space.

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My biggest fear was that something would happen to my work Chromebook during the trip from my house to the hotel. I was SO pumped to know that it was working once I popped it open. The following morning though, I noticed the battery was really, really low. OMG!!! I only had an hour of charge left.

I checked the cord connections were firmly attached and looked up the voltage requirements. The US has 110V and South Korea has 220V. The plug said the laptop was fine to use in both. I verified online as well. Basically, I didn't need to have the cord plugged into the $50 voltage converter I bought specifically for this trip. I could plug it straight into the wall with an adapter.

My humidifier, my toothbrush and my monitor had appeared "broken" as well. I plugged in my humidifier directly into the wall and it started working straight away. Although I was VERY nervous about it, I did the same for my laptop. I listened for a “pop” sound in case the higher voltage fried the device, but I didn't hear one and saw that the laptop was charging normally. WHEW!!! That made me realize that most of our electronics are made in Asia and probably had to be modified for the US. I didn't need to spend over $100 on two voltage converters from Best Buy. Lesson learned.

I needed Greg's help with contacting AT&T to unlock my phone screen. That was a huge help. But then, I realized that I wasn't getting text notifications, required for some apps for identity verification. So I contacted Korea Telecom (KT) hotline to ask them how to fix it. They sent me an email with English instructions but the texting still didn't work. Ugh! They told me I needed to talk to tech support but but since they don’t speak English, I would need help from a Korean speaker. This ended up being very inconvenient but not terrible.

Lesson: Next time, I’ll just rent a phone from the airport with a separate data card installed.

Luckily the room was non-smoking so I didn't have to deal with a bad smell. Plus, there was ample shampoo/conditioner and body gel wash in the shower so I didn't have to use my supply. But what I saw in YouTube videos, I didn't get detergent and daily coffee. One YouTube video guy, who also quarantined at the Ramada, did mention that the floor was dirty, which I can confirm.

I asked for a vacuum, detergent and coffee from the command center. They gave me a sticky roller for the floor (I used two of them), an extra bar of soap for my clothes and told me they don't give more coffee. I can have as much water as I wanted though. I went through two sticky rolls, used the gel soap for my clothes and ordered coffee online from GMarket. Delivery takes 3 days so I had to ration my little mini sticks of instant. Rationing those sticks was my biggest challenge during the quarantine situation. Otherwise, it was fairly pleasant because I stayed busy working, exercising and vacation planning.

I strapped my phone onto my body to track my steps and tried to surpass it every day. The highest I got was just over 5k steps and averaged around 3.5k steps. I wrapped the 50-pound band to the door handle and did rows every time I threw something out on the other side of the door. I used the other 50 pound band for triceps and biceps.

The early morning wake ups are cold and that's the best time for me to cardio. Then once 8am hits, the sun hits my window and it gets warm very fast so I have to use my blackout curtains and turn on the fan. I wash my clothes while I'm in the shower and let them dry overnight.

I would also get infrequent Covid cell phone alerts (like Amber Alerts) related to the residents in Gimpo.

As I traveled around the country, I would get these alerts for the region I was in. When I returned to Seoul, I noticed the alerts were more frequent, but then again, 50% of all South Koreans live in Seoul.

Day 14 Covid-Free and Freedom

If I had someone to pick me up, I could’ve left at midnight on my last day. But I had to wait to take the shuttle at 8:30am to be dropped off at Seoul Station, which is the main hub to the rest of South Korea via KTX train or subway.

When I finally left my room to go back down that elevator to Floor 1, the wind hit me like a jump into Lake Michigan. My room had been so warm that the 45 F degree weather shocked me.

Once we were dropped off 30-minutes later, I took a taxi to the hotel, initially to the wrong hotel, but eventually landed at the Nine Tree Premier Hotel Myeongdong II on 28 Mareunnae-ro. There are three Nine Tree hotels so getting the address correct is important.

Check in was at 3pm, so I left my bags and hit the streets like a race horse out of the gate. I happily overdid it by getting lost on the subway and walking over 10 miles on Day 1. Four of those miles were pure stairway climbing because the subway system in Seoul is like navigating an underground mountain range. I continued to overdo it on Day 2-3.

My Itinarary

Some pics and videos from each place

Seoul 3 days

Jeju Island 2 days

Busan 2 days

Gyeongju 2 days

Seoraksan 1 day

Seoul 4 days

Seoul - Olympic Park

Seoul - Museum of Modern History - Picasso’s Massacre in Korea 1951

Seoul - teamLab at Dongdaemun Plaza

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Seoul - Royal Palace

Seoul - itseoulgood.com Mike Kim took me on a Vegan Food Tour

Jeju Island - Iho Tewoo Horse Lighthouses

Jeju Island - Haenyeo Female Divers

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Jeju Island - Hallasan

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Jeju Island - The best vegan yogurt @ Cafe 901

Busan - Landscape. The buildings look like fake cardboard cutouts

Busan - Steamy Cart

https://youtu.be/M9Sy3zvg17U

Busan - Seaside Temple

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Busan - Gamcheon Culture Village

Busan - Cinema Center (Skater kids enjoying the enormous public space)

https://youtu.be/NHoiDJoiMUY

Busan - Cinema Center (Busan International Film Festival)

Busan - Joung Eunsun and her three challenges (which I brought home)

Gyeongju - Incredible Photo of Korean Refugees at a Restaurant

Gyeongju - Tumuli Park Burial Mounds

https://youtu.be/6pnKCMYgnIY

Gyeongju - “Cheomseongdae is the oldest surviving astronomical observatory in Asia and possibly even the world. It was constructed in the 7th century in the kingdom of Silla. Cheomseongdae is mentioned in the popular Korean drama Queen Seondeok. In the 2009 drama, Cheomseongdae was constructed when Queen Seondeok was still a princess; this was her first decree as a princess. Cheomseongdae was meant to share the knowledge of astronomy with everyone, rather than letting one person (Lady Misil) abuse the knowledge of it. By doing so, she also abdicated her divine rights. Because this was uncommon at the time and unsupported by many conservatives, at the opening of Cheomseongdae, barely any nobles showed up.” - Wikipedia

Gyeongju - Wolji Pond

Travel Day! View from Gyeongju to Seoul on KTX

https://youtu.be/7LOpwQHFKpk

Travel Day! View from Seoul to Seoraksan on bus

https://youtu.be/XtUWWYcWjDE

Seoraksan - Giant screen at the park entrance

https://youtu.be/ZuTFW3acURg

Seoraksan - Yes, that is a guy riding down outside of the gondola

Seoraksan - Temple

Seoraksan - Reunification Buddha

https://youtu.be/HUo4IhzdWoU

Seoul - Insadong entrance mural of Royal Painting of Sun and Moon

Seoul - Art in Insadong

Seoul - Subway scene (this is far from crowded)

Seoul - Night Hike along 600 year old Seoul Wall

Drinks afterwards

Seoul - My first makgeolli. It was good!

Seoul - While waiting for the Secret Garden Tour to start

Seoul - Secret Garden

Lessons Learned

0 notes

alpxcamin · 7 years

Text

Love in Bloom

Requested?: Nah :3

Words: 6.1k

Group: NCT (127)

Member(s): Winwin

Ever since you were little, you had been surrounded by flowers. Both of your parents had worked in a flower shop and since you were too young for school, you stayed with them. Everything was going along merrily until your parents had gotten into an accident when you were at the age of seven.

At that time, you were obviously too young to run the store by yourself. So, when your aunt had taken you in, she decided to sell the flower shop. For the longest time, you had hated your aunt for selling the shop, but as time passed, you learned to understand that she only did that so that she could financially support you and make sure you had the money you needed for college.

Years later, when you were around seventeen, your aunt passed away. This time, you were old enough to take care of yourself, so you continued living in your aunt’s house and decided to take up a job at a nearby flower shop.

Now, three years later, you live comfortably by yourself in your aunt’s home. Since you also attend college, you have to start working part-time instead. The flower shop is the only place you can relax after all.

The store is owned by a small, old grandma named Sara, whom you have grown close to over time. She is a lovely woman and was the one who taught you everything you needed to know about flowers. You think of her as you own blood family.

“(Y/n),” a soft voice interrupts your thoughts.

“Oh, yes, Sara?” you ask.

“I will be heading out for a week or two to visit my brother. I know you have many things to do, so I have asked a kind young man to help around,” Sara kindly explains.

“Of course! When will you be leaving?” you tilt your head a little.

“I will be off tomorrow. I’m sorry about this short notice. You must forgive my old brain,” Sara chuckles a little.

“No, it’s fine...I’m curious about the boy though,” you hum.

“You two will get along just fine. He’s a little shy though...also he can be a little clueless at times. Since this is also last minute, he might not know much about arranging and just flowers in general.”

“It’s alright. I can teach him,” you offer.

“Thank you so much, deary,” Sara smiles at you, “I’d better head back now. Here, these are the keys. Take care!”

You give Sara a tight hug, causing the feeble woman to chuckle and she pats your back lightly. Sara gently drops the jingling keys into your palm and sets off. You wish her a fun time and smile as you watch her hobble towards the door and leave. You decide to stay a little longer before you head back home.

---

Since it is a Saturday, you decide to head to the shop a little earlier than you normally would. You have to open up anyways. You hum a cheery tune as you made your way down the familiar path, occasionally fixing your bag filled with textbooks and notes.

When you are just a few feet away, you stop in your tracks. There is someone standing in front of the door, looking a little lost. You take a step closer and notice that it is a slim male with cherry red hair. If you had to be honest, you’d say that he’s actually really cute. Even though his features are defined and fairly masculine, he still gives off a childish vibe.

You shuffle your way towards him before lightly tapping his shoulder. You hear a gasp before the frightened boy whips around to face you. He is a lot taller than he had seemed from far away so when he turned and stepped forwards a little, your face smacked straight into his well-built chest. You blush a little and step back.

“Oh, I-I’m...so sorry,” the poor boy stutters.

“Uh...it’s okay. Do you need something?” you fix your hair, “You kept staring inside the store.”

“Yeah, sorry. Sara told me to help out someone named…(y/n)?” the red-haired boy seems unsure.

“Ah, I’m (y/n). What’s your name?” you stick out a hand to shake his.

“I’m Sicheng, but my friends call me Winwin,” Sicheng lightly grips your hand and shakes it.

“Nice to meet you. I guess we’ll be working together for the next two weeks,” you smile.

“Yes…” Sicheng awkwardly scratches the back of his head.

You giggle a little before inserting the key to unlock the door. You open the door, letting Sicheng in first before stepping in yourself. You take a deep breath, the familiar smell of the sweet flowers calming you.

“There’s no need to be so formal,” you chuckle.

“Oh, sorry. I’m just...shy,” Sicheng mutters while looking around.

“Sara told me that, but it’s okay. I’m sure we’ll get along,” you reassure him.

You make your way to the back of the store and leave your bag on a stool. You toss on our worn, forest green apron before slipping back out front. You find Sicheng cutely looking around, clearly in awe of all the different flowers decorating the whole room.

You clear your throat to catch his attention. Sicheng turns around, a little shocked. He shuffles towards you then stopping with quite a bit of between the two of you. You motion him to come closer and he does so shyly.

“Here, this is your apron and your name tag. Seems like Sara has prepared it for you already,” you smile while reaching down in the shelves behind the counter, reaching for the apron Sara had told you about before she left.

“Ah, thanks,” Sicheng holds up the apron and admires it.

“Well...it’s about time to open up the shop soon, but I don’t know how much you know. So, I want you to tell me everything you know about flowers,” you glance at the clock. Just about ten minutes before opening hour.

That request seems to have left Sicheng speechless. You watch as he avoids eye contact with you and he shuffles around a bit. You sigh, you saw this coming anyways. It isn’t his fault though, he is called in last minute anyway.

“Well, that’s fine. I can teach you the basics for now, but maybe I should teach you more during break or after work,” you suggest.

“Yeah, I’m so sorry,” Sicheng apologizes, his puppy eyes seem to stare at you for forgiveness.

“That’s okay. Anyways…” you start to explain.

---

“Thank you, come back soon!” you happily wave to the last customer of the day.

“Whew, that was tiring, but really fun,” Sicheng giggles and takes off his apron.

“Right? This is why I chose to work here,” you laugh along, also slipping out of your apron.

You check the clock. It is around nine already. You swear it was only lunch break a few minutes ago. You glance over at Sicheng who comes out from the back with your bag and his. He makes eye contact with you and bounces towards you, handing you your bag.

“Oh, thank you!” you take your bag, fingers barely brushing against his.

“Hmm, no problem,” Sicheng shyly looks away.

“Ah, Sicheng. Do you have some time? I know it’s late, but I wanted to review some stuff with you so you remember for tomorrow,” you glance at the clock again.

“Yes...I mean y-yeah,” Sicheng’s words become more casual as he makes eye contact with you.

“Okay then! We can get something to eat and go over some things. Sound good?”

“Of course. I’m starving,” Sicheng laughs.

“Great. I’m starving too,” you laugh along.

On the way to a nearby cafe, you and Sicheng strike up a conversation. He mentions how he dances and apologizes in advance for if he comes late because of practice. He also said that he had only come from China recently, as in a year ago, so he might sound a little awkward. He also briskly mentions his friends and warns you about them if they ever come visit. You laugh and your conversation ends as you reach the cafe.

Sicheng jogs over and opens the door before you can. You nod in thanks and walk in, Sicheng trailing behind you. As you two stand in line, you give Sicheng some recommendations. When Sicheng finished deciding on what he wants, you tell him to go find a seat and you stay in line to order.

You stare at Sicheng’s broad shoulders as he bounds away. You are pulled out of your thoughts when a loud, slightly annoyed “next” was called at you. Quickly, you turn around and shuffle to the counter to order.

---

“So, do you have a favorite flower?” Sicheng asks as he munches away at his small slice of chocolate cake.

“Yeah, I do. My favorite is the Gladiolus,” you smile, looking away for a moment as you remember your parents, “they stand for remembrance.”

“Oh, that’s so cool. How come they’re your favorite though?”

“Well, my parents passed away when I was seven and I really miss them. They also used to run a flower shop and Sara’s shop really reminds me of my parents’,” you explain, your voice getting a little shaky at the end.

You feel yourself tear up a little and you sniffle. You look at your reflection from the cafe mirror, some memories of your childhood playing in your mind. You hear Sicheng shift a bit in his seat and turn back to him.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Sicheng begins, but you cut him off.

“No, that’s okay. I’m lucky enough to have been able to be with my parents for that long. Some kids grow up not even knowing who their parents are,” you sigh.

Sicheng nods in agreement, “Yeah. I hope you’ll feel better soon.”

“Thanks,” you grin at him, “So, do you have a favorite so far?”

“Well, I don’t know the meaning of many flowers, but I think daisies are really pretty.”

“Oh, that’s a good one and I think it’s meaning really fits you,” you chuckle, “Daisies mean innocence and purity.”

“You think it fits me? I suppose that’s a compliment, thanks,” Sicheng laughs shyly.

As the two of you review the flowers and occasionally go off track, the hours fly past you and before you knew, one of the staff asked the two of you to leave since it was closing time. You and Sicheng quickly apologize and you glance at the clock. Three hours have passed while you were with Sicheng, but it felt like only a few minutes. You really enjoyed the boy’s presence and he seemed to enjoy yours.

“I’m so sorry, Sicheng. I didn’t mean for it to take this long. It’s twelve already...ugh…” you groan.

“It’s okay. I had fun reviewing all the stuff with you. I think I got it now,” Sicheng attempts to comfort you.

“At least tomorrow is Sunday. We open later on Sundays,” you sigh.

“Yeah, I--” Sicheng is cut off by the sound of his phone ringing.

You look at Sicheng who scrunches his brows together when he sees the caller ID. He picks it up after taking a deep breath. It must be his guardian or his friend. You hear a muffled voice yell at Sicheng from his phone and you cringe a little.

“I’m sorry, hyung. I’m about to go home anyway. I’m sorry,” Sicheng apologizes.

Again, you hear the muffled voice and you shift around awkwardly, waiting for Sicheng’s call to end. You hear Sicheng mutter a “yes, hyung” quietly before hanging up. The tall boy looks at you apologetically.

“I got you in trouble, didn’t I. I’m sorry,” you sigh.

“No you didn’t, so don’t worry. Taeyong-hyung is just...overprotective,” Sicheng reasons with you.

“Hmm, if you say so,” you chuckle a little.

“Yeah...uh, I would walk you home, because Yuta-hyung says it’s polite, but I really need to get going,” Sicheng frowns, “I’ll see you tomorrow, bye!”

“It’s fine, I always go back by myself anyways. See you!” you wave and Sicheng takes off, cueing your departure.

---

A week has already passed since you had met the cherry red-haired boy and you are sad that after this week, you might not be able to see him anymore. You really bonded with Sicheng while working together. In fact, it is safe to say that Sicheng and yourself have become the best of friends. However, you find yourself falling for him more and more each day, but you don’t know how he will respond, so you contain your feelings to yourself.

“(Y/n)! Hey,” Sicheng rushes into the shop, breathing heavily.

“How was practice?” you ask, taking his bag from him, which Sicheng thankfully hands off.

“It was great…” he trails off.

“Oh, that’s good. Something wrong?” you ask.

“Well, I have a big performance coming up soon...in a few days actually. If I do well, I’ll be accepted into this top dance school...I want to invite you,” Sicheng shyly shuffles a little closer to you.

“Wow! That’s great, I’ll definitely be there,” you smile proudly at him.

Sicheng literally glows with happiness after you tell him that and he skips over and wraps his slender arms around you. You blush at the contact, but eagerly return the hug. Sicheng gives you a tight squeeze before letting you go and bounding towards the staff room to retrieve his apron.

While Sicheng is away, for the time being, you try to calm your quickened heart and fan your face. Only if Sicheng knew he had this kind of effect on you…

“I’m back. Let’s open up!” Sicheng smiles at you.

“Of course. I’m already on it,” you nod and flip the sign by the door.

After a few minutes of standing around, waiting for a customer, you notice that Sicheng had gained a nervous look on his face. You look at him, showing your confusion by cocking your head slightly to the side. Sicheng rubs his arm.

“Uh, I also might have told my friends they could...visit?” his statement sounded more like a question, “and they told me they wanted to come today...they’re kind of...uh, wild.”

“That’s completely fine though.”

“No, no...I would’ve told you earlier so you could prepare...they’re like...over the top…”

“I’m sure it’ll be fi--AAH!”

You let out a scream when the door is suddenly slammed open. Hopefully, the door didn’t crack or any of the plants fell. You cover your face, tears almost coming out from the sudden noise. You hear Sicheng apologize to you quickly before running off to greet the customers who are probably his friends.

You finally calm down a little and take a peek at Sicheng talking with a few guys...all very handsome, by the way. You must have been staring for a little too long because all the boys have their eyes on you now.

“Uh, welcome…” you manage to let out.

“Oooh, Winnie, you got lucky with this one,” the one with brown, wavy hair parted to the side smirked a little.

“Ah, hyung~” Sicheng shyly groans.

“Hey, Yuta...have some respect, will you?” the one with a cold face and pink hair shakes his head.

“Sorry, hyung,” Yuta smiles.

Sicheng looks at you, furrowing his brows a little. He leads his friends over to the counter to where you are. You look up as they are all basically a head or two taller than you.

“Guys, this is (y/n)...as you know, I work here with her,” Sicheng introduces, “(Y/n), this is Taeyong, Yuta, Johnny, and Mark.”

“Nice to meet you all,” you try for a smile while shaking their hands one by one.

“We’re so sorry for interrupting so suddenly, but we wanted to visit our cute Winnie,” Johnny squishes Sicheng’s cheeks.

“Aww, come one!” Sicheng groans as he tries to pry off Johnny’s long fingers.

“Really though, sorry,” Taeyong apologizes, even bowing a little.

Becoming flustered, you quickly shake your head and motion him to stop, causing him to chuckle a little. He looks around a little before leaning on the counter, his arm flexing a little. You avert your eyes a little, blushing.

“Hyung. Please get off the counter, I just cleaned that,” Sicheng’s voice breaks you out of your flustered state.

“No, it’s fine, really. Sicheng, there will be more people using this counter later,” you look over at Sicheng whose brows are slightly furrowed.

A slight pause disrupts the what used to be a playful atmosphere. You clear your throat and look at Mark. He hasn’t spoken yet.

“Mark, right? How old are you?” you ask, trying to break the silence.

“Oh, I just turned eighteen recently,” Mark gives you a cheeky smile.

“Wow, you’re so young~” you giggle, slightly surprised at his young age...he is tall after all.

“Not really, I’m sure we’re around the same age,” Mark looks over at Sicheng before looking back at you, “you’re the same age as Winwin-hyung, right?”

You nod. You are about to speak again before being interrupted by Sicheng. He waves his hand in front of you, causing you to jump back a little out of shock.

“Sorry, (y/n), but I think we have a customer,” Sicheng seems to be pouting.

You look by the door and someone walks in. Sicheng guides his friends to the side and you greet the customer who smiles back at you. While waiting for the customer to pick his flowers, you look over at Sicheng. He seems to be having a difficult time trying to keep his friends in one place. This causes you to laugh. He couldn’t have been cuter. Today is going to be a long day...you sigh a little.

As the hours pass, you slowly get to know Sicheng’s friends. They are wild indeed. You also learn that Sicheng actually has tons more friends, but the rest are currently busy, hence why the didn’t come visit.

Finally, lunch break arrives and Taeyong walks up to you just as you finish dusting off a few specks of dirt off the counter. You look up and smile a little, Taeyong smiling back. Once again, he leans against the counter, his arms buffing out a little.

“Since we’re here, why don’t we head out to lunch? I know this great place and the other guys love it,” Taeyong suggests.

“Sure!” you reply, enthusiastically.

“Hyung, we only have an hour and a half of lunch break though...wouldn’t that be too far? You guys can go eat there...I can stay back, with (y/n),” Sicheng blurts.

You look over at Sicheng whose face is slowly turning from his usual pale complexion to a more rosy one. You giggle at how cute Sicheng is, but quickly look away to prevent blushing. You clear your throat as the other guys hop over.

“Actually, I agree with Taeyong on this,” Yuta butts in, “Taeyong, you gotta control yourself, man, we go out way too often.”

“Hyung, actually we--” Mark begins, but is immediately cut off.

“Hush, young one. What Yuta is trying to say is that he thinks Winwin goes out too much. He’s quite a wild soul,” Johnny chuckles and ruffles Mark’s hair.

“What? You guys are crazy…” Mark mutters, pouting a little.

“Um, it’s alright, you guys can head on out. I usually stay back anyways...I feel safer here,” you laugh at the boys’ bickering.

“Okay, we’ll see you later then...if you and Winwin change your minds, you can always call me and join us,” Taeyong nods, preparing to leave.

You nod in thanks and wave to the boys, heading towards the door. You see Johnny whispering something to a pouty Mark. The youngest suddenly gasps and looks back at you before giggling and skipping off again. You hear Sicheng facepalm himself and you laugh.

“Wow, your friends are wild indeed,” you giggle.

“I told you, didn’t I?” Sicheng huffs a little.

“Yeah, yeah,” you roll your eyes, chuckling.

---

The end of the day comes sooner than you expected and you feel slightly disappointed. You had never really had as much fun before as you had with Sicheng and his friends today. You smile at them all, waving to them as they leave. You lift your apron off your body before neatly hanging it on the hook it belongs, Sicheng imitating your actions.

“It was really nice to meet your friends today,” you grin.

“Mhm…” Sicheng seems to frown a little.

“Hey, you okay? You’ve been a little grumpy since your friends came over,” you place a hand lightly on his thin shoulder.

“I’m just tired...they really drain the energy out of me, ya know?” Sicheng shrugs.

“Totally understandable. I feel pretty tired too,” you laugh.

“Anyways, you’ll be at my dance performance, right?”

“Of course I will, silly.”

“Okay, good. You’re basically my lucky charm,” Sicheng mutters.

You blush a little, pretending not to hear him in hopes of keeping the cozy atmosphere. You stand on your tiptoes and ruffle his soft, red hair. This causes Sicheng to blush, but you are too busy trying to mask your feelings to notice.

“(Y/n)~” Sicheng whines, fixing his hair, “My hair is messy enough at it is.”

“Whatever, you’re so cute…” you giggle, not realizing that the word ‘cute’ had slipped out of your mouth.

“I’m...cute?” Sicheng blushes.

You blush, but just nod along, hoping that you won’t blurt anything else out. The two of you just walk side by side in comfortable silence. When you reach your home, Sicheng hugs you goodbye before bouncing away.

---

The day of Sicheng’s performance came much sooner than you had thought it would. To say that you are excited is an understatement. You had woken up much earlier than you usually would, preparing a nice outfit...to perhaps...impress Sicheng.

Since Sicheng has to prepare for the whole day, you opened the shop for only half the day. Before locking up, you made a specific arrangement of flowers to give the dance you have fallen in love with. This is the only time you wish he didn’t know anything about flowers.

You are about to leave when you receive a text from Sicheng, saying to meet him backstage before his performance starts. You quickly reply with a “yeah, sure!” before speeding your way to the bus station. Luckily, your bouquet for Sicheng wasn’t too big, so you stuff it in your backpack along with a bottle of water, your wallet, and phone.

Finally arriving, you quickly shove your way through the crowd. While shielding yourself, you feel a hand pull at your wrist, guiding you out of the crowd. You look up, only to find Taeyong. You are a bit surprised, you never thought that he would be at the same dance academy as Sicheng.

“Ah, thank you so much, Taeyong,” you thank him as you finally escape the horde of people.

“No problem, actually Winwin told me to come find you...luckily you’re wearing this bright jacket,” Taeyong laughs.

You notice a red-haired figure make its way towards the two of you. You wave at Sicheng and as he approaches, you blush. Sicheng is topless, his lean body is more muscular than you thought. The only thing he is really “wearing” is the green skirt/shorts and the belt wrapped tightly around his thin waist. (You know that picture of pre-debut Sicheng I’m talking about, right?) A green headpiece compliments his red hair and his professionally done makeup brings out his delicate features.

Sicheng dives in for a hug, his long arms wrapping themselves around you naturally. You do the same, but add in a slightly awkward pat. Trying to take your mind off the fact that your face is squished against Sicheng’s bare chest, you laugh a bit.

“What do you think?” Sicheng beams at you after pulling away. He spreads his arms and poses.

“Well, there’s not much clothing, that’s all I have to say,” you laugh.

“Yeah...it’s much more comfortable to dance like this anyways.” “Hmm...sure.” “Winwin’s not wrong,” Taeyong lets out a laugh, resting a hand on his hip, “Anyways, I have to go prepare for my performance too. See you later!”

“Bye,” you and Sicheng wave in sync.

“So…” you start after a short pause.

“I’m so glad you came. Sit in the front so I can find you,” Sicheng grabs your arms and smiles.

“Of course. That way I can see you more clearly too,” you pat his muscular shoulders.

Giving you one last hug, Sicheng jogs back into the room he emerged out of. You sigh and pat your face, hoping to get your tomato red face to cool down. You manage to find a seat near the front. After scrolling on your phone for a bit, a man comes out from behind the curtains.

“Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. I am the head of this dance academy and I want to thank you all for taking your time to come watch our talented performers. Please sit back and enjoy the show!”

---

Throughout Sicheng’s whole performance, you couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous of the girl dancing alongside him. You shrug it off, trying to focus on the show. You are amazed by Sicheng’s flexibility and smooth, flowing movements. Mesmerized, you lean in closer and closer to the stage without knowing.

Once the whole show ends, all the dancers came out and bowed. You swear you saw Sicheng wink when his eyes made contact with yours. You clap along with the rest of the audience while fanning your face, trying to get the blush to go down.

You receive a text from Sicheng to wait for him by the backstage and that he will be out soon. As soon as you reach the door, a heavy weight is dropped on you and you lurch forwards a little. You are about to scold whoever jumped on you until you saw that it was Sicheng. He gives you a cute smile, before patting your head.

“Yah! You scared me,” you sigh, placing your hand on your quickening heart.

“Haha, sorry, sorry,” Sicheng sheepishly scratches the back of his head.

“It’s okay, but you’re going to get sick,” you take note of Sicheng’s now sweaty body gleaming under the dim moonlight.

“Hmm, I think I’ll be fine, you can keep me warm,” Sicheng clings on to you.

You blush profusely, not knowing what to do. You ruffle his damp hair and shake your head. You push him back, a bit confused at his sudden affection...not that you minded.

“No, really. Why are you being so affectionate suddenly?”

“Um, you know what. I’ll get changed real quick, see ya! Stay here, (y/n),” Sicheng dismisses your question before rushing back to the room.

Ignoring your confusion, you quietly wait for Sicheng to come back. The door opens and you spin around, thinking it is Sicheng. Instead, Taeyong comes out. You must have seemed a little disappointed because Taeyong simply laughs and adjusts his bag before walking towards you saying, “Sorry to disappoint, but Winwin will be out soon.”

“A-ah, no I didn’t mean that...I just thought...Sicheng said…” you stutter.

“Hey, it’s okay. I know you like him. I’ll see you soon?” Taeyong winks at you, smirking a little.

“Y-yeah...I’ll see you soon,” you shyly look down.

You blush, How did Taeyong find out? You scream internally at yourself. You hear footsteps coming towards you and find Sicheng approaching with a sullen expression.

“Hey, what’s wrong? What’s with that expression?” you tilt your head.

“Nothing, I’m just a bit tired,” Sicheng quickly hops off the topic, “Well, did you like my performance?”

“Hell yeah, I did! You did great, I’m sure you’ll get accepted into that dance school you mentioned,” you smile proudly at him.

“Haha, thanks. I hope I do,” Sicheng offers a smile.

“Oh, I have something to give you,” you unzip your bag, hesitating a little before pulling out the flowers.

“Sorry, they’re a little messed up. I didn’t really have anywhere else to put them,” you laugh shyly, holding out the semi-crushed flowers, avoiding his eyes.

When Sicheng didn’t say anything, you look up at Sicheng, feeling the blood rush to your face. You lower your arms a little, but Sicheng takes the flowers from you and sniffs it. He then gives you a big hug, resulting with your face smashed, once again, in his chest. Unfortunately, this time he has a T-shirt on…

“Uh, I hope you like it?” your statement comes out more like a question.

“Mhmm,” Sicheng contently hums.

“I just grabbed a few daisies because you said you like those. I also thought that the tulips, roses, and gardenias would compliment the daisies. I--” you begin rambling.

“(Y/n), are you...confessing to me?” Sicheng pulls away from the hug, looking at you.

“Pfft...what do you mean?” you laugh awkwardly.

“I know gardenias mean ‘secret love’, tulips mean ‘declaration of love’, and roses obviously are a symbol of love…” Sicheng giggles.

“Ah, I’ve taught you too much. Yeah, I am confessing,” you take a deep breath, “I really like you, Sicheng. Ever since we started working together, I’ve started to fall for you more and more.”

“(Y/n)...I feel the same,” Sicheng shyly looks down.

You notice his face slowly become more and redder and you are sure your face is doing the same. You hug Sicheng tightly and he uses his free hand to tilt your head up. The two of you stare into each other's eyes. Without thinking, you lean in, your lips getting closer and closer to Sicheng’s.

However, before your lips touched, you are interrupted by your ringing phone. Sicheng shyly pulls away while you answer the phone, feeling flustered. However, you are pulled out of your flustered state as soon as the other end speaks.

You look at Sicheng with teary eyes and he immediately knows what happened as if he had the power of telepathy. He grabs your hand, the two of you running out of the academy and towards the closest bus station.

“Ms. Sara is in critical condition and she is asking for you.”

---

By the time the two of you reach the hospital Sara is in, you have already cried so much that no more tears flowed down your face. Your hands shake, gripping tightly onto Sicheng who had also shed a few tears.

“Ms. Sara, please,” Sicheng speaks gently, as you couldn’t even find your voice.

“I’m so sorry, but she just passed away thirty minutes ago. She has a letter addressed to (y/n) though. Do you perhaps know her?” the receptionist asks kindly.

“That would be me,” you barely whisper.

“Shall I lead you to her room? You can see her one last time before we clean up,” the receptionist offers.

You nod slightly, before Sicheng pulls you into him, leading your way, following the receptionist. He squeezes your arms slightly and you wrap your arms around him, trudging along.

Once the receptionist leaves, you fall down to your knees beside the bed, holding Sara’s cold, lifeless hands. You start sobbing again, occasionally hiccuping or sniffling. You close your eyes, the tears overflowing. Resting your head against the bedside, you begin speaking. You know that she isn’t able to hear you, but you do it anyway.

“Sara, thank you so much for taking care of me. I don’t even know what happened, but I hope you will lead a better life now. I love you, Sara…” you could barely finish your sentence.

Sara had been your guardian ever since your aunt has died. She has taught you many things and supported your dreams. She was the kindest and most caring person you knew. Placing Sara’s hand back onto her lifeless torso, you run up to Sicheng and bury yourself in his arms and chest. You feel Sicheng comb his fingers through your hair. Just this simple action calms you.

“(Y/n)...the letter for you is on the table,” Sicheng speaks up after a few minutes.

“Thanks,” you wipe away your still flowing tears.

Grabbing the letter, you run your fingers lightly over your name in neat, cursive writing. You trudge back over to Sicheng and gently tear open the envelope. Sicheng wraps his arm around your shoulder as you pull out the floral paper inside.

Dear (y/n),

You have brought great joy into my life. Thank you for everything you have done for my shop and I. I know you will become a great, successful woman. I also apologize for not telling you about my condition earlier. Truthfully, I didn’t leave to visit my brother. I came for my last treatment that is supposed to cure me. If you are reading this, then I suppose the treatment didn’t work. I am so sorry. I was going to tell you after I came back. Please continue on living life to the fullest.

Much love, Sara

---

After returning back to your home, you sit at the table, staring at the wall, still in shock. After a while, you notice that Sicheng is gone, probably headed back to his dorm. You are about to call him just as he steps out of your kitchen with two cups of steaming tea.

“Sorry, I used your kitchen without your permission,” Sicheng apologizes as he sets a cup down in front of you, “Be careful. It’s hot.”

“O-oh, it’s fine...thanks,” you place your hands on the sides of the cup, letting the hot tea warm your hands.

“If you want, I can stay…” Sicheng suggests.

“I don’t want to seem greedy, but can you?” you look up at him with teary eyes.

“Of course,” Sicheng reaches for your hand and gives it a light squeeze.

“Thank you.”

As the weeks pass, you slowly come out of your sad state with the help of Sicheng and his friends. Currently, you run the shop with Sicheng, hoping to keep it as a memory of Sara. You finally graduate and work full-time at the shop. Sicheng enters his dream dance school, but still finds the time to work at the shop.

“Sicheng, you’re here!” you grin as Sicheng makes his way into the shop.

“Yeah, I still work here, remember,” he laughs.

“Whatever, come here,” you wave Sicheng over, “Here. Bend down a little, you tall being.”

Sicheng laughs as you place a crown of assorted flowers on his head. Sicheng pulls out his phone to admire your handwoven crown. You smile, watching Sicheng in complete awe of your masterpiece.

“You like it?” you laugh.

“Like it? I love it! Wait, let me guess the meanings,” Sicheng says while still admiring the flower crown.

“Go ahead,” you nod.

“Hmm, daisies mean ‘innocence and purity’, hydrangeas mean ‘thoughtful emotions’, asters mean ‘patience’, and lavender stands for ‘admiration, solitude, and beauty’,” Sicheng blushes slightly.

“Yeah, you’re getting really good at this,” you beam proudly, “I just really want to thank you for taking care of me and being so patient with me...you had really been my pillar, thank you.”

“(Y/n), this might be a little awkward to say at the moment,” Sicheng begins.

“I’m sure it won’t,” you stand a little straighter, slightly confused.

“Um...do you still...like me? I mean, I understand if you don’t anymore. It’s just that I still really like you and I really don’t know if I can hold myself back any longer,” Sicheng rambles, face turning as red as the roses behind him.

“Sicheng, I love you,” you giggle at his expression.

“I-I love you too, (y/n), mph--”

You cut Sicheng off by leaping onto him, pressing your lips to his. The two of you share a long, loving kiss and your fingers tangle themselves into his fluffy hair. You feel Sicheng place an arm under you and one around your waist to support you. You smile into the kiss, feeling Sicheng do the same.

As you two break away, Sicheng hugs you while reaching over to grab something. He pulls out an aster along with a few lilacs. He carefully places them behind your ear, brushing your hair out of the way.

“Thank you for being my first love,” Sicheng smiles, his face slightly flushed.

“Sicheng, oh my gosh…” you hide your blushing face in his chest. The two of you stand, hugging, for a few minutes before you pull away, suddenly remembering the time. You give him another kiss before skipping towards the entrance.

“Let’s open up for the day,” you smile.

~Admin Liz ♡

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