It was a bright, crisp morning, the kind that evoked the "birds were singing, the sun was shining" sort of mood. She walked briskly across the street to her favorite place. As soon as she neared the lane, she could smell the various hints of cocoa, milk and vanilla coming from the chocolaterie that stood in the corner. That was where most people were drawn to, but she walked past it, into the tiny, dark flower shop.

But before she could enter, she was tackled by two women clamoring to get out.

"Eek! He was so scary!"

"Did you see his eyes? They looked so evil!"

"Is this a front for the mafia or something?"

She found herself being dragged alongside them, till they realized their mistake and apologized to her.

"We're so sorry!" One of them said.

"Don't go in there." The other warned, "The guy running the store is some gangster or something."

"Yeah, he's so weird. He's got all these spikes on him and these piercings—"

"And he just stares at you without saying anything." The woman shuddered.

"He's actually not that bad." She defended, having learned her lesson the hard way when she had been harassed by those seemingly harmless boys. "He's actually really talented. You should see hi—"

"As if! Are you working with him?!" One of the women shouted. The other grabbed her by the arm and led her away.

"What a werido." She heard them say.

Sighing, she entered the store, the small tinkle of the bell sounding her arrival. The familiar floral fragrance making her feel warm and fuzzy inside.

She saw him putting away some flowers on the shelves.

"Seojun-si! Annyeong!" She greeted him with her wide smile. He greeted back with a small acknowledging nod and a hint of a smile. Rather in his case, it was a lack of scowl that let her know he was happy to see her.

He put up two fingers. She knew by now that this meant he had some work in the back and that she should sit and wait for him. She took a seat on the tall stool he kept especially for her by the counter. She knew it was for her because he only brought it out after she started visiting often.

She had become a regular patron of the flower shop, having discovered that not only was the man running it very misunderstood, but he was also talented. He had a way with flowers, understanding which colors and textures looked best together, while also arranging them in a way that gave them special meaning.

Her initial purchase had been pure chance and the result of some carelessness on her part.

"Please! You have to help me! You're the nearest flower shop and I was told to get flowers for our CEO but I forgot his birthday was today and I really need something special otherwise my co-workers will hate me and I've only started working here a month ago please, please, please help. Can you help?" She had explained it all in one breath, pleading to him with her hands clasped.

With just the barest of nods, he set her at ease and went to work, producing a beautiful bouquet, worthy of any company chief. An arrangement of gladiolus—to represent strength and integrity, pink roses—to wish happiness and hollyhocks—to symbolize ambition.

"This is perfect." She had beamed at him. His lips pressed together, almost like a smile. Her smile grew wider when she read the meanings of the flowers on the special card he attached with every purchase. "He will really like this," she held up the card. "Thank you!"

From then on she always got get flowers from him; an arrangement of lilies and daisies for her mother's birthday, a bouquet of daffodils and tulips for her parents' anniversary, and a bunch of peonies and roses for her best friend on her engagement.

For days she had no events to celebrate, she bought flowers for just her desk, something to brighten up her day when the work got too much for her.

She wondered about the two women she had just encountered now, sighing at their reaction. They had no idea how talented Han Seojun was. But a part of her could understand their hesitance.

Han Seojun didn't exactly fit in. And it wasn't just his style either. His eyes always seemed to be glaring. His arms always crossed, feet always facing away from whoever was trying to talk to him.

And he was always silent, only using the gestures of his hands and the barest of facial expressions to respond to any query, when and if he chose to respond at all. His silence was by no means empty or meaningless. It was dark and heavy and carried within it some thinly veiled rage that made everyone uncomfortable.

This discomfort prompted everyone to try and fill in that silence with talk of their own. She would often overhear customers oversharing in his company to keep the conversation going.

She herself had been guilty of this. Finding herself babbling to him about all sorts of things; her mother's constant nagging, her worries about fitting in at her new job, the reason behind her obsession with makeup. The silence that had initially unnerved her now provided a comfort to her worries. Because while he never said anything, his face, and the flowers he shared with her, always let her know that he was rooting for her.

Han Seojun emerged from the back, carrying a giant potted plant in his skinny—and sinewy—arms. She sat up straight, ready to vent about the latest tiff at work.

"You remember how I told you that the CEO might be bullying me?" She went right into it. Babbling without a pause. "Especially since he makes me run around doing useless errands for him? Well, it turns out all of those errands I've been doing were part of a secret project he's been working on. And he only shared it with me. Me! Not even the COO knew. She was soooo surprised. You should have seen her! The CEO even took me out to lunch today to celebrate. Just the two of us. So that's why I was late. I just wanted to let you know in case you got worried."

He listened intently while continuing his chores; sweeping the floor, spraying the flowers with water to keep them fresh, wiping the counter clean. All the while hearing her go on and on about how amazing her CEO was.

She had told him all about Move Consulting, one of the top three consulting agencies in the country. She worked as a market analyst, working to provide data on how companies could improve their businesses and keep themselves from bankrupting.

It was these skills that made it evident that Han Seojun's little flower shop wasn't doing very well. His unique style did play a role in why customers shied away. But it was more than that. The store needed revamping, he needed to put in some marketing strategies and also needed to work on his brand which was nonexistent at this point. She would have liked to suggest all of this and more, but from the impression she had of him, she knew he would hate anything akin to pity or charity.

She had tried suggesting he come over to her office—which was just across the street—and avail a free consulting session. But he politely turned that down with a gentle shake of his head.

"You know I have a feeling you and our CEO have a lot in common. You both run your own business and you're both very quiet, contemplative people. You somehow have the same aura about you."

Seojun lifted a quizzical brow.

"You'll understand when you meet him. It's a sort of survivor aura. Like you two know how to make it in this world."

He seemed skeptical at this. A small flower shop owner and a large company chief didn't exactly compare easily.

"Did I ever tell you how Move Consulting started?"

She had, but he let her tell him again. The famous story of how two friends fresh out of high school had decided to begin their own start-up using funding from their parents. Their company was small, mainly just the founders and a couple of friends. But they all worked together to help local businesses in their area become profitable and soon the small company became a coveted consulting agency. Eventually they were bought by Move Consulting, but the original owners still retained their positions as CEO and COO. The company was still relatively small, with only fifty or so employees.

"They still help out small businesses as part of their community building efforts. Its totally free. You could—"

Han Seojun put his hand on the counter, tilting his head to one side. This was his way of letting her know he wasn't interested.

"Well... okay." She said, deflated. But have any of my friends shown up? I keep recommending you to everyone I need."

Seojun nodded with a tranquil smile.

"Good." She said.

This was when their conversations usually lulled. It was when she had nothing more to share and the only progression was to say good bye.

"Well, Seojun-si. I better get back to work. Our COO would be looking for me." She got to her feet, picking up her purse. "I'll see you sometime next week?" She always asked, as if he would answer beyond the small nod. But he never did.

No, Han Seojun always kept his silence.

Even when he was watching her leave, cross the street and enter the giant, chrome building where Move Conglomerate's subsidiaries resided.

Oh how he would have liked to talk, to say hello to her like she said to him, to tell her things about himself. And then with this thought, Han Seojun would blush, furious at himself for forming such an attachment with someone who clearly didn't see him that way.

No, I don't feel anything. This is nothing. He would tell himself. This is nothing.