JUNKYU'S GUIDE TO PLANT CARE || TREASURE AU

Chapter 1

Junkyu walked himself home, letting out a big sigh. He didn’t feel like taking the bus, hoping to save money and avoid any weird interactions with people on the bus. He looked upward, noticing the night sky, blank and empty without stars. 

Junkyu couldn’t help but feel a sense of disappointment in his life. He had recently graduated from college, holding a bachelor's degree in social service but yet he’s been working at a fast-food chain restaurant for the past year.

He’s grateful his parents left him some money to make sure he doesn’t end up on the street but he does know that at this rate, he won’t be able to sustain this way. He gulped, a sense of dread overwhelming him once again. 
He hoped that seeing the stars would be a nice way to destress but he had seen none and now it only made him feel worse. 

“Ahh, why can’t things go right for me or something?” Junkyu thought, suddenly remembering the previous mistakes he made today at work. 

He had to deal with two angry customers today, demanding ridiculous things like free meals for claiming they didn’t want cheese in their burgers despite Junkyu swearing he heard them say they want a cheeseburger. It had boiled his blood to a point where he screamed in the freezer, scaring a coworker. 

Then he proceeded to drop a meal for a customer, and he had to clean it up and pay for it, wasting food. Another reason why he decided to avoid the bus today. It had been a long day for Junkyu, his back aching a bit, his feet sore and a headache he had since the customers, still pounding relentlessly inside of him.

He just wishes he could have a bit more fun or excitement in his life at the very least since he knew it wasn’t very fun nor exciting.

He took a step forward, walking as normal before he immediately regretted the step as his right foot was cramped and sent a shock of pain up his leg. 

“AH!” He cried out, lifting his right foot to avoid causing more agony. It’d continued to cramp, pounding a stinging pain in his foot as he could feel the blood flow in his foot constrict. He spotted a nearby bench in front of a store, deciding to go sit there for a bit while he waited for his right foot to unclamp. 

“Ugh, this sucks,” Junkyu said, speaking out loud despite talking to no one. He pouted a bit, a habit of his he developed since he was a young child. “I do wish something would improve, honestly anything at this point,” Junkyu said, ranting and complaining once again to no one. 

Then a bright light appeared, flashing behind him. 

“Ugh what's that?” he said out loud, wincing at the sudden flashing light. It was a green neon light that said

“PLANTS” blinking off and on. 

“Oh?” he responded, confused by the sudden appearance of a plant shop. He never knew of the existence of a plant shop, especially around his work area so it came to him with great surprise.

He gulped, seeing that it was a bit late but he had been recently wanting something interesting to make his life less mundane and depressing. And a plant would do wonders for that, able to bring in a sense of homeliness to his apartment. 

With all that in mind, Junkyu stood up, his foot cramp suddenly gone, and determined to get a plant despite his plans to save money. 

He entered the plant shop, seeing a few aisles of basic green-looking plants all being covered by a sunlight lamp. He looked over them, touching a plant now and then only to be surprised by their softness. It brought a sense of joy in his heart oddly enough, seeing such vulnerable plants. 

“Lol, I should be a plant mom,” Junkyu thought jokingly, amused at the desire to care for a plant. He reached the counter where there was a cashier who seemed to be sweating a bit, his eyes darting or shifting elsewhere at times, never at Junkyu though. 

“Um, what plant would you suggest for me?” Junkyu asked, unsure of what plant to get, seeing the varying kinds with different needs and benefits. He thought of getting a cactus since it would be easy to care for but he was worried he would end up going to the ER after accidentally dropping it on himself. He noticed a cute-looking flower but he knew that it would die instantly the moment it reached his house. 

“W-well what kind of plant are you looking for anyway?” the cashier asked, their fingers vigorously tapping the counter. 

“I guess something to bring a bit more spice and interest in my life, it has been feeling rather mundane right now,” Junkyu said, replacing certain adjectives for the fun of it. It’s not like it was going to get misinterpreted. 

“Oh I have the perfect plant for you!” the cashier exclaimed, a sense of joy seeping into their eyes. Only for it to be replaced with worry and concern as they got very quiet once more. Junkyu ignored it, assuming they feared they were being too loud due to the time of night it was. 

“Give me a moment to grab it out of the back,” the cashier said, hurrying to a back door, leaving Junkyu alone at the counter. Junkyu tapped his fingers on the counter, creating a small beat while he bobs his head along to it. He hears a whooshing sound pass by outside the shop, a car driving alone in the night.

Suddenly the cashier arrives with the plant, a big smile beaming on their face. 

“Here is your plant!” the cashier said, handing Junkyu a pot with a peculiar-looking plant. It held a tree-like shape, being made of a special vine-like plant, standing upright while smaller vines branched out from a thick center base vine. 

“Oh cool, what is it called?” Junkyu asked, curious to know. The cashier gave a dumbfounded look, a beat passed by before they responded.

“It didn’t have a label, I apologize,” the cashier says, whistling a bit to ease the tension. Junkyu felt a sense of hesitation as if this was suddenly a bad idea. 

“What if this is a bad idea?” Junkyu thought, realizing it might not be a good idea to take an unnamed plant. 

“But don’t worry, just water it and give it good soil and it will do well, that's what I’ve done when it's been here,” the cashier said, hoping to ease Junkyu’s hesitation. 

“Well I did want some more fun in my life, might as well,” Junkyu thought, reflecting on his previous thoughts. He smiled, and took out his wallet, deciding to pay for the plant. The cashier smiled and told him the price. 

“Oh, that's a steal,” Junkyu thought, realizing that it wasn’t too expensive or anything, gladly willing to take the plant in. he handed the money and was able to get a free pot to go with the plant. He smiled, glad to have a new being in his life. 

“Well, it's not like it's a human being or anything,” Junkyu thought, heading out of the plant shop and on his way back to his apartment.