resurfaced | vsoo

s i x

"welcome!" a voice happily chirped as soon as the male entered the small store.

peering into the building, he was met by a smiling figure standing behind a bouquet of sunflowers, adjusting each individual flower with care.

without uttering a reply, jaeho continued walking towards the back of the store, spotting a collection of roses to pick for his mother.

"looking for something for your girlfriend?" he heard the cheery voice emerge from behind him, breaking him from his concentrated state and making him jump in the process.

he swore the brunette was behind the counter just seconds before.

"ah no," he nervously chuckled, concealing his obvious shock from the female and concentrating his gaze on the flowers to avoid her gaze. "i want to surprise my mom with flowers."

jaeho pointed towards the flowers and turned towards the female, accidentally meeting her eyes.

with a barely audible gasp, the female was almost frozen. the pair caught in a staring contest.

"are... you okay?" he managed to ask under his breath, his voice a little deeper than intended.

"yeah.. yeah!" she shook her head as if returning back to reality. "i, uh, recommend sunflowers– they're my favorite since they're so... happy. i just arranged a new bouquet," she announced as she gestured to the arrangement she was working on as the male entered the store.

amidst her recommendation, jaeho felt lightheaded, feeling all too hot but cold at the same time. he gulped nervously, wanting to reply but his mouth felt as if it was sandpaper.

"sir?"

"oh, sorry!" jaeho was finally able to escape from his muddled state and formed a half-assed response. "they're beautiful, i'll take them."

he didn't want to make the situation any more awkward, as they both were trapped in each other's gaze. the air felt tense between them with no apparent explanation.

following the female to the counter, he dug through his pockets in search of his card, finally grasping his wallet and handing the other his payment.

he was lost in the quiet drumming of the worker's fingers against the countertop, waiting anxiously for the receipt to print. almost subconsciously, jaeho stared at the female, examining her facial features and feeling as if something was missing.

before he could look at her any longer, a slip of paper emerged from the register. the female went to retrieve the receipt, handing the bouquet to jaeho with a smile and allowing their fingers to brush during the transaction.

in the blink of an eye, memories flooded back into him.

memories of dances, of back hugs, of sweet kisses.

memories of wiping the tears from the female's pale cheeks, of whispering sweet nothings into her ear, of soft comforting kisses to her forehead.

memories of the tragedy that tore his soulmate apart for his grasp.

she looked up, finally meeting his eyes.

"why do i feel like i've known you before?"

he was frozen in time, tears threatening to form in his eyes.

she was here, she was alive, she was real.

he had always waited for this moment when they could finally meet, when he didn't have to rely on the world of the brunette's dreams to even see her.

when he could actually have the chance to touch her– the real her.

"never mind, have a nice day," the female grimaced at the male's intense gaze and the silence that had inevitably fallen between them.

"jisoo... it's you," he choked out painfully.

a moment of resounding silence followed as jisoo awkwardly shuffled from foot to foot, refusing to look at the obviously distressed man.

"i'm- i'm sorry,

i think you have the wrong person."