She's twisted. A very twisted human being. Seojun thought as he eyed the woman perusing his flower collection.

She was back again. That snarky "Kang Leader". Back for another strange order no doubt. It was always strange orders with her. After the Fuck You bouquet, she had returned with more curious requests.

"Can you give me something that says Congratulations, but you don't deserve this promotion? But in a very low-key manner? I hate that idiot but I still want to congratulate him."

"Alright, this time I want flowers that tell people they are not welcome in my house. Is that possible?"

"How do I say You're incredibly stupid and I cannot believe you have more authority than me, in flower? I remember Geraniums from last time. But what else?"

"Are there any flowers that can mean I hope great misfortune falls on you, you perverted asshole? Just... asking for a friend."

"Another Fuck You bouquet, please. Not passive aggressive this time. Just aggressive."

He hated serving her. Almost as much as he loved serving Jukyung. But while Jukyung often received free flowers, this woman always overpaid. Seojun wouldn't have completed any of her ridiculous—and often worrying—requests had she not been so generous with her money. It made him feel like a sell out but it was better than going broke.

Much to Seojun's disappointment, Jukyung had gotten busy with her special project and wasn't able to make much time to visit him in those weeks. Which made that crazy woman's visits all the more irksome.

Lim Jukyung's visits allowed Han Seojun a reprieve from his usual loneliness. Despite interacting with new people almost everyday, Seojun had always felt isolated. Even though he never spoke, her own stories kept him company, made him feel like if he chose to speak, there was someone to talk to.

It was in her recent absence that he realized how much he liked having her around. How much he needed her babbling to keep him going.

But instead of her, he got the snarky Kang Leader who seemed to think that her overpaying for her flowers meant she could dole out unwanted advice on his business. This was very much so an unwelcome and unpleasant intrusion.

"Your lighting is shit." She had declared one time, looking up with her chin resting on interlocked fingers. "It's all wrong. But I doubt you can afford any new installations so why not start by shifting things around? Take advantage of the natural light."

Seojun had given her, his meanest glare. It had made a boy cry once, back in his high school days.

But the woman was undeterred, staring back with an unimpressed sneer, as if he were a child throwing a tantrum and she was the adult forced to deal with him.

In another visit, she said, "Look there!" whilst pointing to the blue roses, trying to make her point. "You've got those poor babies stacked in the bottom corner where no one can see them properly. You need to bring those out in a better light so that customers see them. And that!" She pointed to the peonies, "Why is that all the way up there? The light is totally flushing out their color. And they get drowned by those other pink ones! You can't just stack them all according to color. You want your product's best features to shine, don't you? Otherwise why would people buy them?"

Seojun had let her know that he liked the setting of his shop just the way it was by way of simply shoving the woman's order in her face.

"At least clear out these plants from over here," she had remarked about the storefront as she was leaving. "They're blocking the view from outside. You need to give your customers something that makes them come in. You should really listen to me. I've been consulting businesses for ten years now. Hasn't Jukyung told yo—" She would always end her tirades with some brag about how talented she was and how Seojun should take her advice because her advice was like gold. But he always ignored her. Han Seojun cared not for self-important, spoiled princesses. He knew that people like her only got to the top because of their family connections.

Another time the snarky woman had needlessly commented on the shop's name.

"It's too basic." She mulled it over as he wrapped her flowers with a clenched jaw. "You need something that's memorable."

This time he put his foot down. Quite literally.

"Alright, alright," she held up her hands in defeat. "Sheesh. How do you attract customers with that attitude? If you must know, I have helped hundreds of clients—" Seojun drowned her out with thoughts of Lim Jukyung.

If Lim Jukyung was Glenda the Good Witch, with her bright sparkling aura and genuine kindness, then this snarky woman was the Wicked Witch of the Wallstreet, sans the green skin. Seojun wished that the snarky woman could take a lesson from Jukyung and keep her advice to herself. Or at least be more subtle about it the way Jukyung had been.

"Yah, do you actually want to shut this place down?" She said to him now. Seojun was starting to consider not humoring her.

"I'm only saying this because I don't want you to close. You're clearly desperate. Why not come over to my company? Lim Jukyung has told you what we do, right? We help businesses—hey!"

Hastily wrapping up her flowers—oddly a normal request this time, roses for her mother—Seojun shoved them in her hands and shuffled the woman out of his store.

"What the—I still haven't—you want money, don't you?—YAH!" he had slammed the door in her face, the little bell tinkling harshly as he did. "That is a terrible way to treat a person!" The woman had called from outside. Seojun glared at her through the storefront window till she went away.

As much as he hated hearing about how badly his business was doing, he couldn't deny it. Jukyung's recommendations may have helped him stay afloat last month. But it could only last so long. This week he had gotten only two customers, beyond the snarky woman. Once again, Han Seojun was faced with two options; close down or take out a loan.

"Um, excuse me..." A lady appeared in the store as he was spraying his flowers with water to keep them fresh. Seojun turned to bow to her in greeting.

"Can you tell me my flower?" The lady asked.

Seojun's brows furrowed in confusion.

"You know, like on the sign." She pointed her thumb behind her, outside.

Find Your Flower !! Our Florist can tell you which flower suits your personality!

The chalkboard outside the shop was merely there to display cute messages like 'Flower of the day' or to promote special bouquets. Not some silly game reminiscent of what teenage girls read in magazines.

Han Seojun had no doubt that this was the work of that snarky lady who just wouldn't leave him alone. He huffed in silence, not wanting to scare away his first real customer of the day. He would wash the stupid message away later.

Now, how exactly was he supposed to give this woman a flower for her personality? He didn't know her. He regarded her from head to toe; black and white hair tied in a bun, a sensible, flowy blouse and pants ensemble with a scarf around her neck, running shoes and a large tote bag that seemed a little warn.

He looked closer; to her worn face and worry lines, again to her black and white hair which she didn't color over as most women her age would have done, to her fingertips that were cracked and dry, signs that she worked with her hands a lot.

A doting mother no doubt, one that had to work to make ends meet. The lack of a wedding ring meant she was a single mother.

"Geh," the woman exclaimed unthinkingly, unnerved by Seojun's eyes that always seemed to be glaring. He backed away, turning to his shelf of thick stemmed flowers.

Mothers were symbols of strength and wisdom, as well as unwavering love. This woman had worked all her life for her kids. She was a personality of strength and discipline.

A purple columbine suited her best; representing resolution, intellect and reverence.

Seojun handed her the flower and she looked at him skeptically. From the small holders placed in front of each flower, he produced a card with the meaning. The woman looked at it thoughtfully.

She cleared her throat as if indifferent to what she had read, but then said, "I want a dozen of these."

Seojun bowed to her and prepared her flowers.

"It is highly unexpected to find a young man of your... style working in a flower shop. Where's the owner?"

Seojun gave her a meaningful look.

"You're the owner? Ah-nee, why would someone like you be interested in flowers?"

Seojun shrugged, tugging at an earring.

"Clean up your act, young man! You'll scare away people if you continue like this."

Seojun smiled. Most people said this to him with a hint of judgement. But this lady was scolding him just like his own mother; with concern and worry.

"My kids are the same. Always up to no good on those stupid phones! Its this technology that is corrupting our children. God knows what is going to happen with you youngsters. God help us." She grumbled on her way out. Seojun chuckled and wondered what the lady would think when she found out he barely used his phone, much less waste his time online.

Before Seojun had even sat back behind the counter, another customer appeared.

"Hi! Are you doing the personality test thing or is that over?"

Ah, right. I have to wash that away. He reminded himself as he tended to this customer. A flashy sort of man with dyed honey hair and an over-the-top checkered suit. From just one glance Seojun knew he was a materialistic man.

"You know, I have really exquisite taste so I will know if you're a phony if you recommend something wrong." He bragged as he pretended to check the time in an obvious effort to simply show off his big, shiny, watch.

This was someone that deserved a Geranium. But he knew the customer wouldn't appreciate the meaning and Seojun had to make a sale. So he gave him a flower he felt the customer would relate to. Lisianthus or Texas Bluebells; flowers that meant outgoing, flashy and charismatic. They were given to show appreciation.

The customer looked at the flower card with a grin, "Ah, so you picked up on my charisma did you?" He said proudly. It took all of Seojun's restraint to not roll his eyes. "And an American flower," he said, misunderstanding the name of Texas Bluebells, "This shop must be premium to have American flowers."

The flowers were available in many other countries, but Seojun didn't bother conveying that tidbit. If this flashy man wanted to believe his shop was special, why change his mind?

"I want three dozen of these. I want my entire house—I live in a mansion by the way—to have these."

Seojun was just gathering the flowers when another customer arrived, asking for flowers. And before he was done dealing with that customer, two more arrived.

By the time he was closing up, his cash register was full and he had made sixteen new sales.

He stood outside with a rag in his hand, staring at the chalkboard. All day long he had meaning to wash away the stupid sign. But the customers had kept him so busy that he eventually forgot. Many came in to find 'their' flower but others came in simply because they saw a crowd of people and wondered whether a new shop had opened.

A lot of them seemed disturbed by his appearance and general silence but all of them bought one thing or another. Seojun couldn't believe that such a stupid prank made him so much money.

But was it a prank? It had felt like that woman had been trying to get back at him, but now he wasn't so sure. On the one hand, he felt he had to remove the sign because it was a foolish offer. On the other hand, it was this foolish offer that earned him new customers.

"Ah, I see it worked."

There she stood, with a smug grin on her face, hands crossed behind her, her purse dangling from one arm.

Seojun clicked his tongue in annoyance but didn't give her his usual glare, which let her know he wasn't as irritated as he appeared.

"It worked didn't it? Didn't it?" She followed him in. "Of course it did. My ideas are always amazing. I thought that on the fly, you know. I thought, how can I let this idiot know that I can actually help him, and voila!" She snapped her fingers, "There it was."

He ignored her, going about putting things away and clearing up the counter.

"Yah, you could at least thank me."

Silence.

"You're still not going to talk?"

More silence.

She stared at him. "So were you able to do it? Did you give them flowers that matched their personality?"

Even more silence. This time with a side eye.

"I know it sounds gimmicky. But trust me, you need gimmicks these days." She said as-a-matter-of-factly as she leaned over his counter. "Every other industry is stagnated with the same type of companies. Trust me, I see it every day. You need something that helps you stand out."

This time he gave her a resigned look.

"You'll come around. I have a way of wearing people down."

That, you most certainly do. He thought.

"By the way, Seojun-si," she licked her lips, "do you think you can find a flower for me?" She batted her eye lashes at him exaggeratedly.

He gave her a careful glance before promptly giving her a Geranium, because she knew what it meant.

She looked at him blankly. "Come on, Seojun-si. Gimme something real."

He dramatically pretended to think harder. Then he plucked a yellow carnation from the shelf and gave her that, along with the card.

"Oooooh! This one's pretty." She looked in wonder. Then her face fell when she read the flower card. Disdain, disappointment and rejection.

She smacked him on the head with it. "Bastard." But she was laughing. His lips trembled too but he sucked them in between his teeth.

He thought about her for a minute. She was expensive looking, like the flashy man from before. But her style had taste. A restraint to it. Her dark toned suits with her simplistic purses and minimalist style carried a certain class to it. A certain regality.

A purple aster. It appeared simple and was often mistaken for a common flower. But it represented elegance and royalty. Along with wisdom. Her suggestion with the personality flower, as irksome as it was, had still proven to be effective. He handed over the flower to her but all she gave in return was a disappointed face.

"That's it?" He pushed the card towards her but she dismissed it. "I can tell what it means just by looking at it. You're calling me a weed aren't you? Forget it."

Seojun started to shake his head but stopped when the bell to his entrance rang. It was her. It was Jukyung. After a long absence she was finally here. Seojun lit up as she entered.

"Ho-ho. Just look at your face." The snarky woman commented quietly enough that only Seojun heard. He gave her a warning look.

"Kang Leader-nim." Jukyung's voice was shaking. Something was off. As if the sunshine in her had been clouded over. Seojun noted with worry that her eyes were watering.

"What's wrong, Jukyung-ah? Weren't you at lunch with Suho?" The woman asked kindly, taking Jukyung by the arms.

"Lee CEO... Lee Sahjang... his father..." she stammered, "His-his father collapsed. He had to rush away. They told me to come-come get you."

"What? When?"

"A few hours ago. I was with Lee CEO when he got the call."

The woman rushed out of the store, without so much as a glance at Seojun. He saw her running at full speed in her heels.

"Ah! She left her purse. Sorry Seojun-si! I will explain everything later. Kang Leader you left your purse!" Jukyung ran after the woman, leaving behind a bewildered Seojun.