Dohyun woke with his head pounding and his mouth tasting like regret.
Light stabbed through the thin gap in the curtains, too bright, too honest. His body felt heavy, sluggish, like it had stayed up arguing with itself long after his mind checked out. The empty cans on the floor didn't help. Neither did the board on the wall, strings slack, photos crooked, judgmental in their silence.
He sat up slowly, elbows on his knees, staring at nothing.
Last night replayed in fragments. The window. The chain. The look. And then Sof. Not the fight. Not the words. Just Sof's face, startled and hurt in a way that hadn't been loud enough to defend itself.
Dohyun dragged a hand down his face.
"That wasn't fair," he muttered, voice hoarse.
Not to him. To Sof.
He stood, showered, dressed without thinking too hard about it. Plain clothes. Forgettable. Something that wouldn't draw questions. He didn't need to look like anything today. He just needed to show up.
The walk to the flower shop felt longer than usual. Each step gave his thoughts time to spiral, then recoil. Apologies practiced themselves in his head and fell apart just as quickly. There was no clean way to say I overreacted because I'm embarrassed and scared That you might not want me back in your shop.
The bell chimed when he opened the door.
The shop smelled like earth and water and something soft underneath. Calm. Too calm.
Sof stood behind the counter.
He looked… wrong. Not visibly. Not in any way someone could point out and name. Just slightly misaligned, like a painting hung a fraction too low. His posture was relaxed, hands busy, but his expression hadn't fully returned to neutral.
Longing still lingered there.
Dohyun stopped just inside the door.
It wasn't dramatic. No tears. No obvious sadness. Just an openness in Sof's face, eyes distant, lips parted like he was still listening for something that had already left. Like part of him was waiting to be claimed back.
Dohyun felt it hit him in the chest.
Sof hadn't noticed. He was still in that space. Still carrying the echo of whoever had stood there before.
"Good morning," Sof said, turning toward him with his usual warmth, the smile arriving a beat late. "Welcome in."
That smile didn't reach his eyes.
Dohyun swallowed. "Hey."
Silence stretched, thin but present. The shop hummed quietly around them.
"I, uh…" Dohyun shifted his weight. "About yesterday. I shouldn't have snapped. That was on me."
Sof blinked, surprised, then immediately shook his head. "No, it's okay. I think I was too intense too. I don't usually— I mean, I might've come on strong. I'm sorry."
There it was. Of course there it was.
Dohyun frowned slightly. "Sof."
He looked up.
"You didn't do anything wrong."
Sof hesitated, fingers tightening around the edge of the counter. "I still feel like it was my fault. You were already stressed and I just— I should've handled it better. You were a good customer. I didn't want to lose that."
Customer. That's what Sof called it.
Dohyun's gaze softened despite himself. "You didn't lose anything."
Sof searched his face, uncertain, then nodded slowly. The longing in his expression dimmed, just a little, replaced by something gentler. Relief, maybe. Or just familiarity settling back into place.
Dohyun glanced around the shop, eyes catching on the broken bathroom door leaning against the wall.
"That get fixed yet?" he asked quietly.
Sof followed his gaze and sighed. "Not yet. I keep meaning to."
"Figures," Dohyun said, then paused. "If you want help sometime… I'm around."
Sof smiled properly this time. "I'd like that."
For a moment, neither of them moved. The air felt charged in a way Dohyun didn't have a name for yet. Something unfinished. Something he'd walked into without warning.
"Anyway," Dohyun said finally, clearing his throat. "I won't keep you. Just wanted to say it."
Sof nodded. "I'm glad you came."
Dohyun turned toward the door, then hesitated, glancing back once more.
Sof was watching him go, expression calm again, unaware of what Dohyun had seen when he first walked in.
That lingering want. That quiet ache.
Dohyun left with it lodged in his chest, heavier than any file or clue.