Here we go, speedrunning all the way to ep 11 to catch up in time for the finale!
Let's go back to ep 6 for a second, to set the stage. When Aran approaches the gang we get flowers behind Tattoo, a true sign of the romantic lens he is looking at Tattoo through. (Love the pink milk too, Hoy really being a Cupid here!)
Aran is looking for rescue here, so the pink of romance is surrounded by hopeful white, and he's probably hoping it will be Tattoo helping him; thus the yellow blooms as they are Tattoo's flowers. (There is a pattern of Tattoo saving Aran from Arans viewpoint, starting with the bag, then the jacket, then his part in recovering the necklace. So it's no wonder Aran imprints on him so strongly when Tattoo's the one saving Aran again here!)
And (reluctant) rescue is what Aran gets, though it comes with learning lessons. The little tan-grey flower towel Tattoo hands him offers safer surroundings (and soon a found family), but carries responsibilities with it; and Aran does not find these easy to take up. (Of course, he doesn't know that with every wipe of the towel that builds his resilience, he'll also be wiping away some worry or hurt; Aran's headspace was all over the place with the various flowers at the restaurant in ep 6, he needs the tan-and-grey now.)
As mentioned before, the flowers on the towel are visually in the same family as the ones on the tan sofa, shape- and vibewise as well as colourwise. Very homey. (He'll find his home here. "Can I stay just for one night" yep. sure, sure. Stay forever.)
In ep 7 we get Tattoo on the sofa, surrounded by flowers below, behind, and over him. Last time they both fell onto it and let the flowers be a base for the fall, this time Tattoo is seated there to show he is part of the safe base to take a fall into. These tan flowers and light-flowered window might not be what Aran thought he wanted (pink blooms for him, all the way), but they are essential for this situation. Tan is what he's getting, and what he needs to accept and take part of before any of Tattoo's flowers can bloom pink in return for his. But Aran's still sitting apart, more focused on his father.
Tattoo's flat is also again yellow-flowered; things are back to the usual, so instead of Aran bringing pink in, he'll need to adjust to the yellow, to Tattoo's space and life. We also get Mama Jeab arriving in tiny yellow-on-white blooms with tiny spots of gray mixed in; the white mirroring Aran's t-shirt and the yellow tying in Tattoo and his flat. A nice little connection!
Ep 8 does a lot of work for Tattoo and Aran's relationship development, especially the competition scene. In the product idea presentation game they were a seamless team without any practice (as it was supposed to be Mama Jeab helping Tattoo and not Aran), clearly more so compared to what we've seen from Aran before (during the live shop with Pharaoh in ep 2, for example). After that, Tattoo is ready to start considering Aran in a different light.
And indeed, at the hospital we see Tattoo in one of his dream tees with the bird and feather of free hopeful thoughts, and the rose. A deep pink rose showing its bloom towards Aran; with a pink ribbon ready to tie them together in the future.
I think Tattoo's been aware of Aran for a while, but hasn't had space for anything to develop; now he seems ready to start accepting the feelings he's seen shyly grow from Aran's side, and likewise start to consider his own. And Aran strengthens their forming connection by the simple action of verbally smacking Hoy on the back of his head, which would usually be Tattoo's action (only physically as well). Working as a pair again!
Ep 9 gives us this lovely (load-bearing) domestic scene.
We have the same pink-and-teal flowers we've had behind Joke twice before, but in this light the yellow flowers in there are showing up as well. They're sweet and sentimental, just like the background music we get - until Aran mentions his father, that is. (These flowers are in Tattoo's colours - yellow, teal and red/pink. And! So is the hat that Aran is crocheting. I realise the weight of this won't come through in this post (the Tattoo colour meta still being stuck in the drafts), but it is. enormous. to me.)
(The colors are also reminiscent of the ones we got during Arun's stormy-emotioned lunch, and there's a stray purple in there as well. Perhaps they are mirroring Aran's emotions still being all over the place, but at least these are homey flowers saying 'its safe to feel your feelings here, there's a sturdy base'. However, I realise now that showing us flowers in Tattoo's colours at the lunch was also a way to connect Aran to him, the next place he would go, the last place he had to go to. augh.)
(And though Tattoo spends most of the scene with his tools and wires and drawers, we of course end the scene with Tattoo sitting next to Aran and the flowers behind both of them. Sharing feelings, sharing space, getting ever closer.)
The rest of ep 9 shows no flowers around Aran, but does have the clear divide between the shots in RosĂŠ's house during the heist, absolutely full of rich flowers, and the shots of Aran on the bare rooftop in his borrowed clothes and handmade hat. He seems happier on this side, though. (If only he could let go of the idea of his father being able to love him.)
And eps 10 and 11 have no particular flowers for Aran. I hope he gets to be surrounded with the ones in his and Tattoo's home in the last episode.
Thank you for reading, this was a bit rushed but I absolutely wanted to get it done before the finale! One hour to go :u
