when it blooms | yunsan

Chapter 13

Mingi thanking Yunho profusely in between the chant of 'you're the best man' and 'I knew I could always count on you' and 'what would I do without you' is a common sound when Yunho does a favour. Yunho doesn't think much of it as those words slide past his left ear to right, because he knows that in a day or two (or worse, in a couple of hours), Mingi will forget all about it. Yunho knows better to put it down on a list of favours to draw it out whenever he needs something from Mingi.

Yunho doesn't ask but Mingi starts explaining his decision of going for a fancy hair salon and not his usual cheap barber around the corner.

He says he has a proper dinner date with the girl he was crushing on, and although Yunho is happy that his dating life is quite on a pleasant track, he isn't sure if the haircut was worth the expense. From what Yunho can see, he doesn't look much different, but he keeps that to himself. He knows better than to ruin someone's day when they're so confident and happy. Yunho compliments Mingi 'handsome', because he doesn't have to lie about that.

"Sorry for interrupting your date with San," Mingi says, walking towards a bus station where Mingi will ride back home and Yunho to the cafe.

Yunho looks at Mingi, but he doesn't see any sort of tease on his face. He furrows his eyebrows. "I wouldn't call it a date."

Mingi gives him a judgemental look. "Dude, you still on that page?"

"What page?"

"You don't hang out with me, Wooyoung or Yeosang like you do with San."

"I live with you, and I get to see Wooyoung and Yeosang in their cafe that I go to pretty much everyday. What's the difference?" Yunho realises his voice is coming out hostile.

Mingi throws his hands up and feigns surrender. "Look, I'm not trying to determine your feelings for you. I just like the way you look happy with San."

They don't go further into the conversation, and instead ramble about them running out of toilet papers at the apartment, that Mingi will get them and so on, until Mingi's bus arrives first and Yunho's left at the station for a while longer.

The moment Mingi leaves and Yunho quietly sits on the bench, is when the earlier conversation slips in his head.

"You look happy with San."

He doesn't doubt for a single second that he is happy when he's with San. Who wouldn't be, when you're spending your time with your friend? But Mingi mentioned that whatever he has with San was different from what he has with others. San's figure is easy to appear behind Yunho's closed eyes. His blonde hair bounces as he turns around with a bright smile, and he feels something kindle in his heart slowly.

Yunho loves seeing his friends smile. There was no doubt about that. He'd rather see Mingi foolishly grinning while he brags about the love of his life, rather than see him cry over his heartbreak.

And okay, perhaps Mingi is right. San is different for him. Although he loves seeing his friend smile all the same, he figures he prefers to be the reason for San's warm glow, prefers to be the one who draws out the jolly chuckle that rings in his heart merrily.

He wonders why. He is reminded of the moment a while back when Mingi had made a similar comment.

"I'd think you have a—"

Is it possible, that maybe, he—

The noise of the bus's engine disrupts his thoughts. Yunho quickly jumps up and heads to the bus before an impatient driver leaves him. He isn't sure. But he thinks he can find the answer when he meets San. He wants to see San a lot.

Yunho doesn't find San back at the cafe. He instead finds someone unexpected; a woman with long black hair at the counter talking to Wooyoung and Yeosang friendrily.

"Jiyoon?"

"Yunho!"

Jiyoon beams, noticing him, and although seven years have been long for a girl to turn into a woman, Yunho still recognises the familiarity of his childhood friend. Yunho has known Jiyoon was back in town from his mother, to hold her wedding here where her parents lived.

"Didn't think I'd ran into you here!" she comes around cheerfully.

"Me neither," Yunho blinks, because it truly caught him off guard, but he is bothered with something else. "Will you excuse me a second?" he tells Jiyoon before he turns his head to Yeosang at the counter.

"Where's San?"

Yeosang pauses brushing his treasured coffee maker. "He left a while ago."

"Did he leave a message to pass on?" Yunho asks further, and Yeosang replies with a shrug.

"Nope. He seemed to be in a hurry though."

The answer confuses Yunho. San can obviously leave the cafe, it's not like he swore he'd be here, especially if he had something to take care of. But he did tell Yunho that he would text him if he decided to, and forgetting that is unlike San.

"San? From the flower shop?" Jiyoon asks suddenly.

Yunho flips his head back to look at the person a head shorter than him. "Yeah, you know him?"

"Yeah, I was talking to him just before he left," she says. "When I was complaining about my wedding preparation earlier—goodness, it's so hectic—he offered me to help with the flower arrangements for my wedding! I was so desperately in need of that, so I'm so glad."

Yunho nods, because nothing sounds odd. Yeosang and Wooyoung were friends with Jiyoon, it was a small town after all, and she probably came to rant about her busy schedule. San happened to be there as she complained about not finding an ideal flower decoration and must have offered help.

"Did you guys talk about anything else?" Yunho prompts.

"Oh, about you? Yeah we did," she admits and Yunho unconsciously leans forward. "He said you're such a nice guy, and I agreed. You're awfully nice and that's practically the reason why we broke up." Yunho feels a jitter in his heart as Jiyoon continues. "It's like, you're always so nice to everyone and while that is the reason to like you, it also makes people feel lonely. I just felt like I was one of the others who you were good to, and that my feeling was one-sided."

Jiyoon accepts the cup Wooyoung offers, having it to-go. "Something like that. Just small talks. I assured you're nice!"

It's just a small talk, definitely. Yunho hasn't told San about his past relationships, but he isn't trying to keep it a secret. It's only natural she'd tell her side of the story with her and San's common knowledge being Yunho.

But Yunho finds himself answering her question of whether he is attending the wedding with a 'yes' absentmindedly, before she exits for her next wedding appointment.

Yunho hears a buzz in his ears. It starts low, but the bugs are growing in mass and they fill the air, and that's all he could hear.