Living in the countryside might be one of the most peaceful things in the planet. The sounds of engines on the road and the bustling streets are replaced with the sounds of birds chirping, trees shaking and the sounds of waves crashing by the town of Gyeokpo-ri.
Wouldn’t it be nice to stare at a beach or a forest once you wake up?
Even though the capital was the heart of the country, small towns such as these are just as thriving as ever. They may not have the lively streets and highrise buildings but towns such as this one make up for it in their own unique ways.
Living in smaller sized towns meant you could be living in a tight knit neighborhood. One that have people who know each other and much closer than it would have in a city. From a neighbor, to their neighbor and even the family down the street, you had the chance to know them.
“Good morning, Mrs.Kang!”
A man strolled down the tight road with a smile and with a clear spring in his step. With each step he took, the umbrella in his hands tapped the ground with a soft rhythm. It was a pleasant sound to hear during the cold morning.
“Oh it’s (YN)! What brings you in this part of town? Isn’t it too early to open up shop?” An elderly lady replied as she stood upon her house’s porch.
“It’s never too early to open up the shop, Mrs.Kang! By any chance, are you off to your morning jog?”
“No, dear. I would prefer sitting inside and enjoying a hot cup of tea this morning.” The elderly lady responded with a smile towards the man.
“I see. I should get going now to set up shop. Have a good day, Mrs.Kang!” The man raised his hand and waved at the elderly lady which she returned solemnly.
(YN) continued his way down the road that he has known ever since he was a small boy. With each step down the road, he could almost remember the times when he used to walk home from a long day at school.
His memories replayed in his mind yet somethiny felt missing, something that he didn’t know.
“Yah, wait up!”
Their backpacks jumped on their backs repeatedly as they jogged on the other side of the road. Once again and with a smile, the man’s memories played in his mind, ones from when he was doing the same.
After walking and then turning at the corner of the road, he could see a middle-aged woman further down. She was pushing a cart of fruits but she looked like she had trouble pushing from the stones that made up the road.
(YN) quickly approached them, eager to help them as he always did with the rest of the community. He stood by the woman’s side and placed his umbrella under his arm before carrying the weight of the fruit cart.
“Let me do that, Mrs.Yoo.” He told the woman as he held the cart up.
“Oh my, (YN)! You almost scared me there and thank you, dear. You have no idea how hard it is to push this thing around early in the morning.” Mrs.Yoo said, wiping the sweat off her forehead and off her silver hair.
“Didn’t I tell you to ask Mr.Youngjae to help push this before going to work?” (YN) turned his head towards the shorter lady beside him.
“Ahh you know him. He wakes up later than me and I need to head to the market before there isn’t any space left for my fruits.” The elderly lady explained, her hands crossed behind her back.
“If that’s the case, you can always call me for help. Just call our landline, you do know our number, right?”
“Aish, there’s no need. You already have a lot to tend to already, I don’t want to add onto your chores. It would be a hassle for you.” Mrs.Yoo shook her hand at the man, declining him.
“I wouldn’t call it a hassle if I want to help.” (YN) replied with a nod at the lady.
“Oh just don’t worry about it. Anyways, how are you? Has Yujin come back in town for a visit? Don’t I just miss the time when you two would always stop by and buy some apples for snacks.”
It was crazy to think about how a name could have such an effect on a person. Some could strike people with fear and some could provide comfort and assurance but for (YN), her name could only make him freeze.
“U-um no, she hasn’t. I won’t even consider it a possibility for her to come back, she’s living her best life somewhere else.” The man’s happy tone turned soft.
“Huh? I thought you two were inseparable. Wherever one of you were, the other was always there. It was rare seeing one of you alone back then.” The lady said as (YN) could only smile silently at her.
“How about we make our way to the market, hm?” (YN) slowly began pushing the cart forward.
“But hasn’t she called at least once? How about a letter? Aigoo~ I’m starting to miss her even more now, don’t you?” Mrs.Yoo continued.
“Ajumeoni, should we head to the market now?” The young man fired back with a question of his own.
“Oh you don’t need to do that. Just push it until the end of the road, it’ll be fine.”
“I can push it until we reach the market, I won’t mind.” (YN) insisted, pushing cart further down the road.
“I told you there’s no need to do that, I can push it the rest of the way there.” Mrs.Yoo replied with (YN) deciding not to insist further.
As he pushed the cart, he couldn’t help but feel a stinging feeling in his chest after speaking with the woman. It wasn’t anything to worry about but he has always hated it when he was reminded of someone who was never going back.
(YN) was quick to get back on his way after pushing the cart towards the end of the street and waving goodbye at the woman he had helped.
Living in the town of Gyeokpo-ri for all of his life, he basically knew everybody in this side of town. Living here all of his life also meant that everybody knew the person whose name should not be said, at least if he was in the vicinity.
Her name was almost like a taboo to him, one that details the existance of a girl that was once a resident of the town and whose energy spilled throughout wherever she went.
He didn’t want to think about her now or at any other time rather. (YN) sighed into the cold air as a more buildings lined up before his side of the side walk. He continued to walk as his eyes were set at a sign hanging off one of the buildings.
He approached the door that was under the sign. After picking out the keys out of his pocket, he inserted them inside the doorknob and pushed the door open. What met him inside were empty shelves and even more emptier set of vases on a table.
(YN) walked towards the counter at the back end of the store and placed his umbrella down before removing the coat he had over his shoulders. He pulled open a drawer and picked up a green apron.
He wrapped the straps around his own waist and tied it to his behind. With a fresh breath of the wooden aroma inside of the building, an optimistic smile placed itself on his lips.
He opened the door behind him and saw the crown jewels of this humble establishment.
Flowers, a lots and lots of flowers with different colors, sizes and petals.
“I guess it’s time to set up shop.”
Running a flower shop was just like running a convenience store. Filling up the shelves with food, replacing the expired ones with fresh ones and packing items into a bag was just like filling up the shelves with vases of flowers, replacing the dead ones with ones that have just bloomed and packing flowers into a bouqet.
It wasn’t the best of jobs in the worlds but it was one he enjoyed so much and that’s what mattered.
(YN) finally sat down behind the counter and looked at the job he did around the store. The bland empty shelves were know filled with the colors of roses, daisies and yellow asters. He even pulled out wooden ones to display even more flowers outside of the shop.
He wiped the sweat off his brow, proud of the job he has done. All that was left to do was to wait for a customer to come in, which he would help with all of their floral needs.
*KRING!~*
The bell on top of the door of the shop soon rang aloud making (YN) raise his head from the notebook he had on the counter.
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