Outside Incheon Airport, the autumn chill met us with a dry, crisp edge, carrying faint traces of exhaust and roasted snacks from a nearby vendor. The trees along the road stood bare in parts, their remaining leaves clinging to the branches in shades of rust and orange. I was getting the K-drama vibes from the autumn air; all it was missing was a cute guy for me to bump into. And then there was Aunt Holly.
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“OHMAIGAD! MY LITTLE PEANUTS!!” A petite woman in her early fifties squealed in excitement as we walked out of the airport.
“Oh god…” Damian covered his face, which was turning bright red, and he wasn’t the only one. I was more than ready to say goodbye to Korea and buy a ticket to any country just to save my dignity.
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Don’t get me wrong, with her petite figure and ash brown hair tied in a bun, along with big, round eyes which were…sparkling? She looked like the cute aunt who would let you get away with anything and everything.
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But calling two adults in their twenties ‘little peanuts’ in public?
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I don’t think digging a hole to the centre of the earth is enough for us to hide from the world.
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“Hey, Aunt Holly,” Damian let out a dry chuckle. “Just to let you know, I’m more than happy if you could call us by our names.”
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“But little peanut is cute… besides, your mom used to call you guys that.” Aunt Holly pouted as she wrapped me in a hug.
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“That was years ago, Aunt Holly.” I laughed as she slapped Damian on the arm as he dodged her hug. A week ago, he would’ve hugged her back with that smug grin. Now, he looked like he’d rather disappear.
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“Ain’t gonna change the fact that you’re still peanuts to me.” Her eyes glinted with a hint of cheekiness. In the past, we seldom saw Aunt Holly since she was based in Korea. But when she was around, she’d take us to the movies or theme parks. Even better, we would always go to a fast-food restaurant for dinner. It was a nice break from the hell we were going through at the time.
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“So, how was the flight?” she asked while Damian loaded the trunk with our luggage. The moment the question popped out, Damian and I froze. The air between us suddenly felt colder than the autumn breeze. Ever since the washroom incident and our talk on the plane, things between us have felt… off.
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Aunt Holly looked back and forth between Damian and me while her question still hung in the air. “You know, at some point one of you has got to answer me.”
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“Uh, it was great. There was a little turbulence, but I barely felt it.” Damian cleared his throat and tried to make himself sound casual.
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“Probably because you slept like a pig,” I mumbled. Damian gave me a side-eye and laughed dryly.
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“Yeah, I did. Heh. Anyway, the flight was fine. Shall we?” he motioned to the car.
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“Sure…” Aunt Holly narrowed her eyes as she slowly walked to the driver’s seat.
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At the corner of my eye, I could see that Aunt Holly wasn’t convinced that it was a good flight. Even so, she didn’t press further. To be honest, I was relieved that she didn’t. I don’t think I would be able to answer her with a straight face, not even with Dad’s training.
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*
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“The apartment needs a little cleaning. No one’s been there since your grandmother passed away. The florist, on the other hand…it’s gonna need some work.” Aunt Holly began to explain the situation to us as we headed to the condominium to get settled.
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“Didn’t Grandpa and Grandma hire any staff to manage the florist?” I asked slowly, noticing Aunt Holly had tensed up at my question.
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“W-Well, yeah. It’s just that the staff are a little incompetent in their job,” she gave a strained, awkward laugh and scratched the back of her neck. “Okay, fine—they’re super incompetent. Like, impressively so.”
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I glanced back—Damian’s eyebrows kept climbing higher with every new detail Aunt Holly added. Guess I wasn’t the only one who found the florist strange. If the staff were so incompetent, then how is the florist still standing?
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“Before your grandfather passed away, he asked one of his long-time staff to manage the florist after he was gone.” It was as if she had read my mind—answering the question I hadn’t even voiced yet, the one that had been quietly gnawing at me since we landed: What were we really doing here?
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“And this long-time staff didn’t do a good job?” Damian’s eyebrows were now furrowed together. I could tell that he was getting increasingly confused in this conversation.
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“Oh no, he did wonderfully! He had to put the florist on hold due to family matters.”
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“So, the rest of the staff failed to manage it.”
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“Yes. I mean—” Aunt Holly paused as if she was trying to find the right words. “They’re not full-time staff there.”
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“So, they’re part-timers.” My mind was riddled with hundreds of questions right now. I wanted to grab Aunt Holly by the shoulders and demand the truth and only the truth from her regarding the florist.
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“Not exactly—”
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“Then…what are they then?” I pressed another question to her.
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“If they’re so incompetent, how about we fire them?” Damian rubbed his temples, clearly getting annoyed with the lack of direction in the conversation.
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“You can’t do that.” Aunt Holly immediately rebuked. “How about we listen to the radio?” she fiddled with the radio, trying to change the topic.
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“Why not? You said so yourself that they suck at their job.”
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“I didn’t say that, I just said that they were incompetent. Radio? Anyone?”
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“You said that they were impressively incompetent in their job.” I crossed my arms and turned to stare at Aunt Holly.
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“Yeah, I remember that—” Damian tilted his head as he agreed with me.
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“Alright! Let’s just say, they weren’t hired for their floral expertise.” Aunt Holly snapped; she had reached her limit trying to answer our never-ending questions.
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Her words hung heavily in the air. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. The feeling of knowing that there might be dangerous settings that await us behind managing a florist made my throat dry. All of a sudden, I felt like I was back on the plane having a similar conversation with Damian. Only this time it was with Aunt Holly.
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“Oh.” That was the only word that Damian blurted out after a moment of silence. He turned his sight to the city of Seoul outside the car window, expressionless.
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No one spoke for the rest of the trip until we arrived at the condominium.
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*
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After Aunt Holly parked her car in the basement parking, Damian and I prepared to get out of the car.
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“Not so fast.” Aunt Holly hit the lock button, and the car doors clicked shut before we could open them. “Before you two go charging in, there’s something I need to make clear. Yes, the florist sells flowers and makes bouquets—yada yada—but that’s just the front. The real business is something else entirely.”
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“Let me guess, you can’t tell us because you were told not to.” I crossed my arms and said flatly.
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“Actually, I’m allowed to,” My eyes sparkled with enthusiasm the moment I heard her say those words. Finally, something that wasn’t a secret! “But I prefer to let both of you find out for yourselves.” Aunt Holly smiled mischievously.
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“You’ve got to be kidding me,” I swore under my breath. I was getting tired of all the secrets. I wanted answers. And when I finally have a chance of knowing something, the chance slips through my fingers like freaking water.
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Damian gently patted my back in comfort. I turned to him and gave a weak smile. Things may have gotten awkward between both of us, but I was grateful that he had my back no matter what. “We’ll take your word for it and unravel whatever secret you’re hiding. It better not bite us in the ass, Aunt Holly.”
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“Trust me, it’ll be like an adventure.” Aunt Holly said as she took off her coat. My eyes widened when I saw what was underneath. I thought she was wearing a blouse with slacks. Turns out, she was wearing a men’s white collared shirt that seemed oversized on her, and black slacks.
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“Aunt Holly, why are you wearing men’s wear?” Damian's face was all twisted up with confusion as he watched her change her shoes to sneakers.
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“There’s this guy who’s interested in me, but I don’t feel the same way. So, uh, I’m avoiding him. Alright, time to work my magic,” she cracked her neck, rolled her shoulders and closed her eyes. “There’s one thing you need to know about Aunt Holly—she’s a shapeshifter. And not the kind that needs potions or moonlight—just concentration and a clear image.
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She could change into any living thing she’s seen before, whether it was on the streets or in a magazine. As long as it breathes, she could morph herself to look like that in less than ten seconds. 7Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFlfUDbuqD0
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A couple of seconds later, I was staring into the eyes of a middle-aged man who seemed like he had been working overtime since yesterday. His eyes were gaunt, and his face was unshaven. Pretty damn good cover from a stalker.
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“How do I look?” ‘Aunt Holly’ now had a raspy, old voice that matched her appearance.
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“You look great,” Damian and I gave her a thumbs-up, much to her delight.
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“Let’s go to your apartment then!” ‘Aunt Holly’ smiled, which revealed a mouthful of yellow teeth. It gave me the creeps, but I managed to force a grin in return.
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If this was our welcome party, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what the florist had in store.
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and then Add to home screen.