when it blooms | yunsan

Chapter 1

Jeong Yunho doesn't believe in love at first sight. Not when his parents divorced right after he blessed them with his existence—or maybe it was a curse. They fell in love the moment they met, married almost immediately after having found out about pregnancy, but those ten months of nurturing Yunho in her belly must have gone wrong.

Not when his high school friends gawked at people's looks, dated (or hooked up, if Yunho were to describe honestly) and broke up because they were only, well, looks.

It's not love but a momentary hallucination, his mother had said. It's like a drug effect, and the moment they are gone, you see the reality—only she was glad that they weren't addictive.

Yunho isn't being emotional or being a depressed teenager or anything, it was just a plain fact—for he lives with the simple rule; believe in what you see.

He supposes love exists—he isn't entirely sure though, because he has seen a few here and there and plenty on the media (of which you shouldn't trust) but doesn't think he has exactly experienced it—nonetheless, one shouldn't be considered with a mere sight.

But perhaps this isn't the case for dogs.

"Pepper, behave!"

Yunho pulls the leash that tugs the black fuzzy dog back, who is this close to launching at a passing Maltese. Not because he wants to prove his dominance, but because he wants to mate—and this probably shouldn't be called love but desire.

"I'm sorry," Yunho apologises to the owner of the white well-groomed pet dog, who replied with a bow as she walks past.

He squats down to the dog who is still looking at his gone love longingly.

"You sure have high standards, don't you, Pepper?"

He ruffles the dog, messing up his hair that wasn't well put to begin with—not anywhere close to that posh Maltese. He coos in his hands, squints his eyes as if to say he loves the cradling, which makes Yunho squint his in reflex. Pepper is a handful, but it is a moment like this that Yunho can't help but love him.

He hears a familiar ping. He stands up, fishing a phone out of his back pocket, as he spots a familiar name on his screen.

The Hong

In need of caffeine

Yunho

And?

The Hong

Get me an americano at Yeo's

Yunho chuckles at the unreserved remark of his senior. It is the shower day, and he knows how tumultuous that always gets. He types away 'roger, sir' before he tucks his phone.

"Time to head home, pepper," he prompts and glances down to his feet where he hopes to find the frizzy dog but he doesn't. He trails on the leash quickly and finds the dog in the middle of taking his wizz in front of a shop.

"Shit, pepper!" A glance away, and he causes another trouble.

Yunho tugs the leash, but alas, the deed has been done. He's only glad that the shop was closed—and it probably has been that way for a while. He notices a paper stuck on the glass door announcing a flower shop opening soon.

A flower shop? Yunho wonders.

There hadn't been a flower shop in this area, and maybe that accounts for a no rivalry safe area for running a unique business, but that could also mean perhaps there isn't a demand, and hence so.