46 Kanji's Rules of Love: Smooth Talker

Minho was at a loss. Gayoon was sneezing like crazy and backed off to the far end while he stood there, holding the bouquet.

"I'm deathly allergic to the pollen from roses!" she exclaimed. "Once a classmate of mine forced me to smell them and I ended up in the hospital for a week!"

"Uhhhh…"

Minho quickly threw the bouquet into a bin nearby and scrambled to the backseat of the car to see if there were any petals there. Fortunately, there were none left but the smell of the roses lingered in the car.

When he approached her, Gayoon was still clutching her nose, trying not to sniff any remaining scent by accident. 

"We'll take my other car," Minho informed her. "This one still smells of roses."

"Okay!" she replied, still blocking her nose. "I'm sorry for the trouble. I'll pay you back for those roses. I know they must have been very expensive. How much did the bouquet cost?"

She looked up at him, waiting for his reply. Under normal circumstances, Minho would have told her the cost but remembering Kanji's rules, he instead said, "Don't worry about it."

"No, I want to pay you back for them!" she insisted, taking out her purse. "I'd feel really bad if you don't accept the compensation. Besides, you didn't know I was allergic so it's fine. How much were they? A hundred dollars? They did look expensive!"

"Er…Yes," he nodded. He could not think of what else to reply. 

"Ahh, the florist ripped you off," Gayoon sighed. "I once caught a florist downtown. She was selling roses worth two dollars for fifty dollars! Can you believe it? I had to wear a full PPE suit to go and arrest her."

Gayoon laughed, remembering the incident as she took out a hundred dollar bill and handed it to him. Minho stared at it blankly. Those roses cost 100,000 dollars…

He would make sure that Kanji paid back each and every penny for that bouquet.

"Are we going?" she called out to him.

"Yes!" he said at once.

"Come on then! Let's get going!"

Minho was still confused by the turn of events. Why did it seem like she was the one taking him out instead of the other way around?

He led her to another car. Once both of them settled in, Gayoon asked, "Where are we going?"

"To an Italian restaurant," he replied. "Do you like Italian food?"

"I do!" she said excitedly. "Once ahjusshi brought us food from an Italian restaurant. It was after I passed my high school exams and he celebrated my success. After all, I had ranked first in the country!"

She beamed with pride while Minho frowned in amusement.

"You ranked number one in the national high school examination?" he asked as he revved the engine.

"Yes!" she replied. "I was a smart student. Always got top grades in all subjects. Except maths. That was the only subject I sucked at. If ahjusshi hadn't made me memorize the answers to the expected questions, I would have failed the subject."

"Who is this ahjusshi?" Minho queried. "Your uncle? Do you live with him?"

"I live with my grandma," Gayoon chatted. "Ahjusshi is my mother's old friend. After my father abandoned us, my mother came to live with my grandmother. She was still pregnant with me so I don't know how ahjusshi came to live at the apartment above ours. But he was friends with my mother and when she passed away while giving birth to me, he raised me along with my grandma. He's a really nice guy and worries about me a lot."

She sighed at the fight he had that morning with her grandma. It was hilarious to see him fussing over her as if she was still a child.

"He sounds like a good father," Minho said. He was looking ahead, his eyes a little glassy as if he was remembering something.

"He is the only father figure I have," Gayoon smiled. "What about you? I only met Jina from your family and she mentioned that you have a sister as well. What about your parents? Where are they?"

"My father killed my mother and ran away."

Gayoon gaped at his blunt answer, unsure of what to say. 

"I-I'm sorry," she mumbled. "I shouldn't have asked-"

"That's okay," Minho shrugged. "The man was a despicable scum and deserved to be punished. But instead, he chose to run away, leaving his kids behind."

There was a faint bitterness behind his seemingly nonchalant tone. Gayoon knew it too well. The loved ones of a victim always hold a grudge against the culprit. Whether the death is an accidental killing or a planned murder, nothing could replace the sense of loss of a loved one. 

To Minho's surprise, Gayoon lightly patted his head. His face went instantly red for some inexplicable reason.

"W-what was that for?" he asked, stiffening in embarrassment.

"You did well," she said, still patting him as if trying to comfort him. "You rose from those memories and did well for yourself by becoming a good father to Jina. So you did well."

She smiled at him and straightened up to look ahead. Minho also tried to concentrate on the way ahead but his mind was still lingering on her light touch. 

"Do it again!" he suddenly ordered. 

"Eh? "Gayoon blinked.

"That thing you did on my head," he said. "Do it again!"

Gayoon could only stare at him, giving him the 'are-you-serious- look. Is he a child? She wondered, almost laughing out loud.

"Alright," she said, trying to stifle her laughter and patted him again on the head. It was as if she was patting her pet puppy after it fetched the ball for her. 

He does look kinda cute when he's not being his usual self, she noted.

But soon, her amusement turned into slight annoyance as Minho kept on insisting her to continue stroking his head. 

"That's enough!" she protested. "We've nearly reached the restaurant!"

"Continue until we get there," he said in a serious tone while inwardly enjoying the head pat.

"My hand is tired!"

"Do it with your other hand!"

"Pat yourself!"

Damn this money lover! She cursed in her head.

"You look good," Minho said offhandedly. Gayoon froze and went red in the face. 

"Huh?"

"You look good," he repeated. He did not say anything else but Gayoon's heart skipped several beats. Even though he said it very casually, for some reason she was blushing hard.

Damn this money lover is a smooth talker, she thought only this time, a small smile was etched on her face.