"Mr Chu, I'm curious, you clearly like this job very much. So why don't you work more than two days a week?"
A young man with a refreshing yet subdued appearance smiles at his boss. "Maybe I just look forward to it more when I don't come as often." He replies with a faint smile.
His boss clicks his tongue, "You occasionally say such sweet words, ah." The older man chortles before giving the other an earnest look, "I'm serious though. Chu Tiankuo, you do amazing work with your bouquets and flower arrangements, my little shop honestly doesn't deserve you. I would like you to work more days if possible, and naturally you'll be paid well for it."
Chu Tiankuo's hand idly reaches out to grasp a nearby flower and rubs the petals between his fingers. After a moment he lightly shakes his head, "Boss, I am flattered, really, but I think two days is enough for me. I'm still young and want to pursue my dreams after all. Besides I'm happy to do occasional commissions as well."
"Dreams are fine but-" Suddenly, the shop owner swallows his words as his eyes met a cold, indifferent gaze staring back at him.
The flower in the other's hands had now been plucked off. The owner couldn't help but absentmindedly think if the plant would cause the breakage to scar over or will it grow back. Usually when the plant grows back from an injury like this, two more shoots will come out in its place.
Of course sometimes the plant just chooses to cut it off and let it wither as well.
"You're right." Chu Tiankuo's face which had been expressionless for a moment, quickly changed into a sweet smile. His usually subdued and restrained politeness had now bloomed, giving the other a more assertive and reassured demeanour. "Dreams are indeed fine ah. And it's important to work on them when we can afford it. Fortunately I have someone as supportive as you boss! And for that I'm ever grateful for your constant understanding."
Suddenly the young man's brows raise as if noticing something and pulls out his phone. "Oh.." With a frown, Chu Tiankuo sighs regretfully. "It seems work hours is almost over. Sorry boss, but I have an appointment with a friend I haven't seen since grade school. I really wanted to help sweep up the shop before leaving but…"
"No, no," The boss quickly waves him off hurriedly, "It was my fault keeping you with my nagging. Besides, it's not your responsibility today to clean up. If it wasn't for that lazybones nephew of mine calling in sick last minute-"
"Haha, no need to say more boss. I'm always happy to help when I can. I appreciate this store a lot after all." Chu Tiankuo laughs brightly, it was the perfect blend of not too soft and slow to feel reluctant but not overly loud to feel raucous or forced, making the shop owner very comfortable. "See you next week!"
"Yes, see you then!" The shop owner smiles as he goes to grab the broom.
As he glances back he can see the jaunty stroll of Chu Tiankuo seem to relax into a more familiar, measured gait. He was like a stick of slender, young bamboo, gently swaying in the wind like a hypnotic metronome. Quiet, a little plain, but pleasant all the same.
The owner had often felt a little impressed by how proportioned the young man's steps were when he had first noticed, as a florist he had a bit of an eye for detail and lengths. it took a bit to realise and it was unknown if the younger man realised himself but the other often would take the same identical strides yet the process was smooth and not robotic at all, giving him a bit of a noble air. While he didn't know too much about the other's background but from his mannerisms he must have come from a fairly rich household, after all generally the rich are the ones with all sorts of strange rigid etiquette and rules.
The shop owner, who had begun sweeping the store floor began to hum as he looks around and see the beautiful floral arrangements on display that seemed to better belong in an art gallery, museum or the lobby of a high-class hotel. "it's really a pity.." Before he can continue he remembers the cold gaze from before and doesn't continue.
Instead he sighs a little wearily. He doesn't know why, maybe it's his eyes getting old, but, even though the young man is nice enough, talented enough, and sincere enough- he can't help but feel that sometimes… Chu Tiankuo is a little strange.
Like he can suddenly just become a completely different person.
…
"Moyun… We forgot my backpack." Chu Tiankuo mutters. Now that he doesn't have a faint smile on his face, his aura had become a little gloomy, suppressing the refreshing feeling he showed beforehand.
Moyun: {Well, then just turn around, and go get it back.}
"I can't do that." Chu Tiankuo rejects immediately. "That's too awkward."
[Why not?] A cold voice speaks up. [There's no need to feel embarrassed, it's more important to reclaim your bag. If not you'll have to wait a week and the half eaten sandwich you have in there would have grown three colours of mould by then.]
{Xuefeng is right~} The first voice, Moyun agrees with a charming lilt to his voice that makes him sound a little more flirty and coquettish. {Just use my excuse of being so excited to meet your friend that you forgot. Quick, quick, the faster you do it the more credible the excuse is.}
Xuefeng hums softly in agreement.
Chu Tiankuo was still a bit embarrassed, twisting his dark hair that swayed just past his shoulders, around his fingers anxiously. However after a moment he took a deep breath and turned around to go back and awkwardly get back his backpack.
The shopkeeper laughed and waved it off without much thought, but Chu Tiankuo could feel his heart beating and palms sweating as he smiled and laughed back. Stepping out he felt the blood pumping around his veins still not subsiding. His body felt jittery and uncomfortable.
{Ah, Muyang is waking up.}
[Tsk, noisy.]
Unlike the first two voices that were relatively lazy and subdued, this third voice was full of enthusiastic and upbeat energy. Every word felt like it was full of vibrant liveliness.
"Good afternoon Muyang." Chu Tiankuo whispers.
Looking at his shaking hands, the young man felt them slowly still, as warmth seemed to surge into them like they were being tightly held. Moving upwards the cold sweat from nervousness seemed to stop temporarily and he straightened his back, lifting up his head, he looks upward to the sky, revealing his bright and sparkling eyes and large grin.
"Wahoo! The temperature is so nice, I knew it would be a great time for a run."
[…Damn brat, you didn't even get his permission.]
Chu Tiankuo softly whispers in the background of his own mind, 'It's fine. I was going to say yes anyway.'
[Tsk.]
{Ugh, please don't overdo it at least, Muyang. It's my turn to play tomorrow and I don't want to spend the entire day at home full of muscle ache!} Moyun complains aggrievedly. No one liked going out after Muyang, who enjoyed pushing Chu Tiankuo's body to his physical limits and more. It was practically giving up their hard won day of freedom to experience the life of a sick patient.
"It's okay!" Muyang smiles as he assures loudly while smacking his chest in a 'leave it to me' attitude. A few passing strangers give him a strange look before walking past but fortunately this was not a personality who would notice such things. "I'll only do three laps around the park before running home."
Moyun exhaled a deep, pained sigh as the other two personalities fell into silence. After a moment though, Moyun who is used to using his mouth to get out of situations quickly found a solution to his problems.
{Ah~ but if you do all that, then Chun will be too tired to cook dinner tonight when he wakes up. And you know the fridge only has raw ingredients today because he wanted to make a new dish. Therefore, if Chun doesn't cook…}
Muyang frowns, his expression extremely conflicted. There wasn't much that could restrain him but the threat of no food and an unhappy Chun… "Okay, okay, only one lap then." He finally nods to himself, pleased by his amazing compromising ability.
All three personalities in his head quietly let out small sighs in relief. Even if they don't take over the body they do have some awareness of it as well. While the sensation its not as visceral as whoever takes over when the muscles ache and scream, to some extent, they will still feel it. Fortunately the body has been long used to undergoing the occasional burst of borderline abusive exercise and the physical form is now pretty good, so one lap around the large park should still be fine.
….
Arriving back to their apartment, Muyang wipes the sweat pouring out of his forehead with a laugh. Feeling the last personality stir inside his mind, he happily takes a mental backseat.
For a moment the young man's expression slackens, going blank as if in a daydream, before he blinks and the dazed look disappears. In its place is someone who touches the back of his neck with a faint look of confusion, which then transitions into a helpless sigh as he feels his hand wet with sweat.
"Hey… wasn't it Tiankuo's day today? Why do I wake up to Muyang using this body?" A soft, light voice asks with faint bemusement. This personality's voice was probably the closest to Chu Tiankuo's soft spoken and gentle, but there was always a hint of warmth and indulgence, a bit like what one would imagine in their ideal mother.
With a bit of force, the new personality expertly squeezes his neck, using his fingers to massage the stiffness as he slowly stretches from the left to the right. "Ah, I really want to soak in a hot bath now." Chun complains half-heartedly, but his quick trot to the kitchen betrays his true intentions.
Muyang defended.
Chun waves off the other's words, "Yes, yes, I can tell." He gently agrees, "After all if you really went all out I would barely be able to walk so smoothly. Still, if it was any of the others they really might not be able to stand up."
Moyun, Xuefeng and Chu Tiankuo: '…' Sorry we're more sensitive!
Opening the fridge door, the young man hums with delight as he begins to pull out various ingredients for prepping. "Today I want to try making Japchae*. It looks fairly simple and healthy. We'll probably have some excess beef strips so I'll steam rice for tomorrow too- Tiankuo, what do you feel like having for dessert?"
*A colourful Korean sweet potato noodles made with an abundance of vegetables, juicy marinated beef strips and a sesame dressing.
Moyang:
Moyun: {I'm really craving something decadent- imagine a moist, Belgium chocolate cake with a thin layer of frosting paired with a cup of milk tea. It'll be simply delightful.}
Xuefeng: [Apple crumble. Or lemon poppyseed cake. Something a bit more refreshing.]
Moyang:
Moyun: {…But what about me?}
"Can I.. have pudding?" A soft, slightly timid voice speaks out tentatively from the young man's mouth as he was chopping vegetables. Then from the same mouth that was now curled up in an indulgent smile, a light laugh bubbles forth, "Of course Tiankuo. I'll make some vanilla pudding first then, and it should be set by the time we finish dinner."
Moyang:
Xuefeng: [Can it be lemon flavoured at least?]
Moyun: {We have some leftover cookies in the freezer, could we-?}
"No more than one dessert." Chun immediately states firmly, the knife in his hand making a loud bang as it violently chops some peppers on the wooden board. As the knife lifts, there is a deep cut left behind on the chopping board.
Moyun: {…}
With confident, smooth movements that only an expert in the kitchen can accomplish, the young man begins to work hard in the kitchen while a lively conversation rattles on in his head. Comments about the spice level, the amount of salt, chatting about the customers, what interesting things happened at the park, slowly the gaps of memory missed by the some personalities are quickly filled with the stories from others.
Chun was soft spoken but an attentive and active listener as he cooked, humming attentively even when busy to show he was still present.
Even though to anyone else, the room is empty, he is not lonely at all.
They will never be lonely.
But then, on this normal day, someone knocked on the door.
"Hello, I'm ■̵̫̩͖̳̲̗̲̖̱͔̂͐̈́͘■̵̨͙̮̙̟͖̻̫͕͓͖͛̈́̀̆̓͑̕͜͝■̷͎̜̺̲͔̭̗͖̦͓̗̟̎̒̓̚ ̵̦͍͚̀̽̈͆̆̽͝■̸͉̜̻̻͕̉́͊̇̓̈́͘͜■̴̡̣͈̏̋͊͛͆͊̔̓͘͝■̷̗̫͘■̸̢͇̖̟̩̖͈̋, your new neighbour."