The Ninth Life of Min Yoon Gi

10.

"What do I do with this?" Yoon Gi was sitting on the floor in front of his new plant.

Ji Min squatted down next to him. "Try taking care of it."

"How? What does a plant need?"

"Think about it. I can't give you all the answers. You have to make the effort."

Yoon Gi rolled his eyes. "I think I liked reading the books more," he grumbled.

He stared at the plant. He moved it to a sunnier patch in front of the window. He looked at its leaves. He smelled its flowers. He gave it some water. He stared at the plant.

There was a knock on the door, causing Yoon Gi to jump and Ji Min to laugh at him.

"What? Why are you laughing?" He demanded, mock hurting, as he opened the door.

"Hi." She was standing there, holding a small pot with a purple flowered plant.

"Hi." Yoon Gi was completely surprised at seeing Jimin on his doorstep. Hadn't he just left her shop? What time was it?

"You forgot this." Jimin handed him his wallet. "I'm sorry I couldn't get it back to you sooner."

"Oh. How did you know where to find me?"

"Your ID?" Jimin chuckled.

"Oh, right. Well, er, thanks, I guess."

"And I wanted to give you a house warming gift... to apologize for my rudeness earlier." She extended the plant to him.

He took it with thanks, and caught the heavenly scent from earlier. She brought him the catnip plant.

"Invite her in!" Ji Min called from the table where he was sitting.

"Would you like to come in?" Yoon Gi asked.

"Oh, I don't want to disturb you and your family. I just wanted to return your wallet."

"I don't have a family."

"Oh. Umm..." Jimin tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. "Okay, sure," she smiled shyly.

Yoon Gi closed the door behind Jimin as she removed her shoes and coat before following him into the sitting area.

"Oh, that's a great place for it," Jimin smiled, seeing the Korean Mint plant by the large windows where the night sky was now glowing.

"You said it needs sunlight." Yoon Gi shrugged, still holding the catnip.

Jimin went over to the window and knelt down next to the plant.

"If you see any dead leaves, you can remove them. It alleviates stress on the plant's system..."

He sat on the piano bench, putting the cat nip on top of the piano, and watched her tend to the plant. He listened as she explained how to determine when to water it, when to add fertilizer, when it would be time to transplant it into a larger pot, and so on.

"Where did you learn all this?" He asked curiously.

"My family has always had an affinity for plants. I learned a lot from watching my mother. What about you? How long have you been making music?"

"Oh, pretty much for as long as I can remember." This wasn't a lie. He couldn't remember everything from his previous lives, but at least since this one has started, even tho it had only been little more than a day, his life was to include making music.

"The piano is beautiful, by the way," Jimin said, standing and moving next to him.

Yoon Gi absentmindedly ran his fingers across the keys, plucking out a sad melody with one hand. Even with the lid closed, the sound filled the room in a hypnotic way.