Their story started from a single blue rose.

In a garden full of the most colorful of flowers and the most fascinating, 
what captured her heart was that of the blue rose. 
Perhaps,
it was not even the blue rose that eased her heart,
but rather the meek boy who offered it to her.

He appeared before her with messy orange hair and deep brown eyes that laid many mysteries before her.
Though she knew not of his name,
she found herself pulled towards him as if gravity had shifted its center.

Lugubrious,
the young female had sought his comfort,
letting out all her worries into the hands of the man she had just met.
Whether he would crush her or not was entirely up to him,
but he had taken all her worries,
every single word and every single syllable that she had entrusted to him,
and he blew them away
—as if they were mere specks of nothingness.

Afterwards,
she fiddled with the blue rose he had given her and had found dawn approaching fast.
Though she knew not of how he had found the garden,
nor did she know who he really was,
she found herself yearning to meet with him again.

A frown etched the corners of her lips and it was only when he took the blue rose in her hands
and gently placed it in her hair
that she began to smile.

He told her he would see her again,
one day,
very soon,
and thus sparked a flame of determination
—an unspoken promise.

Eight Blue Roses

When morning approached, her thoughts on the young boy she had met did not waver.
Constantly,
she would recall the way he smiled at her.
It was unlike the way all the other men smiled.
Theirs were filthy,
full of lust for money and power.
But his, his was gentle.
Almost like the sunrise,
it was a type of smile she had rarely ever seen.

It kept her dazed throughout the whole day.

One by one,
questions began to hinder her thoughts,
distracting her from every which way.
She didn't even take notice of the many times she had bumped into a few of her maids or butlers,
she just waved off her clumsiness and continued on with her thoughts.
It was as if she had been charmed.
She had to see him again.

So, as soon as it was dark out,
she snuck outside,
into the gardens.
Though her parents often told her not to go out when it was dark, 
she chose not to listen to them.
If she could meet him again,
then it was worth the risk.

However, when she approached the terrace,
the place she had met him last night,
she had found no sign of him,
only a single blue rose that was left on the patio table.
She picked it up gently,
afraid that her touch would wilt its beautiful form,
and pressed it to her chest as if hoping that it would form some bond
with the male she had become so interested in.

A light smile danced across her lips as she picked up the object that was placed so neatly beside the rose.
A note.

'A rose for you, My Lady. I hope that it may bring a smile to your face once more.'

And if the rose had not made her smile,
the note definitely did.

"I wonder if we'll be able to meet again,"
she whispered as she gazed at the delicate rose.
If only flowers were eternal,
then she could admire their beauty forever.
Then, her memories of him would last forever.

Day 3

She spent her day wandering around the garden,
hoping that by some chance,
she would find him lurking around the corner somewhere.
She wondered why she was so obsessed but she figured it was some sort of "phase".
It was a new thing for her and she thought she'd get over it soon...
But, honestly,
that was not the case.

Whenever she was with him, she felt alive.
Rather than spending her days repeating the same old routine,
she found something she liked
—or rather,
someone who could make her feel something more than just the pressure of a high-class, rich family.

Maybe that's why she wanted to find him so badly...

And that's why,
when she found him sitting quietly on the terrace,
reading a book,
she thought her heart was about to stop.
She opened to say something,
but no words left her lips.
When she tried to approach him,
her legs would not move.
It was if she was standing still in time,
watching him from afar,
admiring.

But alas,
time continued on and eventually,
the boy took notice of the girl.
"You came again, My Lady."
He originally intended it as a question but when the words left his mouth,
it was posed more as a statement.
"But it's getting rather dark, is it not?"
He smiled slightly,
albeit awkwardly.
But, for some reason,
she liked the way he smiled uncertainly.
It was the clumsy awkwardness that she liked best about him.

"I did and it is,"
she stated, finally able to take her seat beside the young man.
"I wanted to see you again."

"And I you,"
he said softly before he placed the book down upon the table.
His toes curled in his shoes as he anticipated what to say.
He had rehearsed several topics by himself in his spare time,
but when push comes to shove, he couldn't think of anything to bring up.
"U-uhm..."
His voice cracked slightly and the brightest red dusted across his cheeks.

A small silence and then a giggle.
"You're so cute~"
She mused as she watched the red hue flare into darker shades.
There was just something about him that made her want to pinch his cheeks,
even if he happened to be someone older,
and probably much wiser,
than her.

He gripped his stomach, hunched over to ease the pain that stormed his nerves.
If only the raging tempest of butterflies wouldn't constantly hurtle the walls of his abdomen,
he'd be able to say something charming or witty and be able to capture her attention somehow,
some way.

Sweat began to claw at the palms of his hands and he swallowed thickly,
hoping that she wouldn't notice his obvious discomfort.
However, when he peeled his eyes open to stare into her curious honey-brown ones,
he struggled to keep calm.

"You're so much different from all the other boys I know,"
It was a fact he was well aware of
"but I..."
she gave him a shy smile
—a smile that took his breath away,
"I don't know, you're... so much better than them."
She sighed and stretched out her arms.
"Speaking of which, I never did quite catch your name."

Her attention was fully on him.
So much so it made the moisture on the palms of his hands return once more.
"I... Uhm, my name is Bang CheolYong or Mir, My Lady," he said,
voice low as it was hushed against the wind.

A sparkle gleamed in her eyes as she reached out to take his hand
—his sweaty hand.
"My name is—"

"I know,"
he smiled.
"I know your name."
He tried to keep the burning blush from exploding across his cheeks
he tried to withdraw his hand from hers.
But alas,
to no avail.
He found the grip on her hand tighten around his before she got up from her seat and pulled him along.
"My Lady?" He asked with hesitancy as he followed her.

A playful smile floated on her lips before she pulled him deeper into the garden.
"I want to keep this a secret between you and me,"
she whispered quietly into the still night.
"Who knows what my parents would do If they found you lurking in the garden,"
she stopped somewhere along the lightly lit up path of glowing flowers.

"Let's meet here tomorrow night, Okay?" She smiled and slowly let go of his hand,
waiting for his confirmation before she started heading back towards her mansion.
However, the two of them did not want to say good-bye,
not yet.

"W-wait..." The young man reached out for her hand, bracing his heart when his skin brushed against her softly,
gently.
"I..." He hesitated before he reached into his back pocket to pull out another blue rose.
"For you," he whispered before he gently slipped it into her hands.

There was a moment of stillness when his hand would not leave hers,
lingering,
savoring the feel of her hand in his.
And for a moment, he thought he felt her fingers reach out for his,
but pushed away any hope he had of her having any sort of feelings for him.
His heart thundered fiercely,
begging the boy to make a move,
but his fear got the better of him and he slowly pulled away.
"I'll... see you tomorrow."

And he waits until she smiles.
Waits until she leaves.
Waits until dawn approached before he headed back home,
his heart and mind completely painted with her color.

Day 4

The following night,
Mir found himself waiting by the pathway of glowing flowers,
heart thumping fiercely against his chest.
His stomach lurched,
battling off the butterflies that threatened to consume every inch of his nerves.
He shifted and wondered why he had come so early;
after all, she wouldn't be arriving until much later that night
—her usual routine was forced upon her and there was no getting out of it.

He sighed deeply,
wondering when would be the best time to tell her the truth.
He must have been ashamed,
so he hadn't told her sooner.
Or maybe he was afraid that she would judge him
—after all, he was only some lowly butler.

He was the lowly butler of her family.

Meeting her, getting close to her... it was forbidden.
Who knew what would happen if the family
—if her father—
knew about their secret meetings.
He would never be able to see her again.
Never be able to talk to her or see her smile.

He scratched the back of his head.
She was not that sort of person, he convinced himself.
But he could only know so much from watching her from afar.
Unable to approach her,
unable to talk to her,
he was the butler who took care of her from the shadows.

And it was only so much more painful when he was finally able to talk to her.
He thought he could be happy being able to make her smile, but he wanted more.
To be the only one to make her smile or laugh
—he wanted somehow capture her heart, 
the same way that she had captured his.

But that was just a mere dream.
There was no way she'd fall for him.
No way on earth... But, that didn't mean he couldn't stop hoping for a day when she'd look his way.

"Mir~"

His heart jumped right out of his chest when he felt her arms wrap around his side.
"Did you wait long?"
He vaguely heard her ask.

He shook his head, side-shuffling away from her grasp.
"I just got here," he said, smiling nervously through his embarrassment.
And when he looks up into her eyes, there's something that makes him stop talking.
He wonders if he's imagining it and he probably was, but... he thought he saw some sort of affection in her expression
—a sort of spark that gave him hope for the future.

"That's good to hear, but your skin is cold," she teased. "You've been waiting for awhile, haven't you?"
She dug around her bag—something Irie had not seen before—and fished for her blanket.
"I thought the two of us could spend the night together?"
Her voice wavered slightly as if she were suggesting something naughtier than she should have and she immediately flushed.
"F-Forget that I said that," she sputtered.

She wondered why she had let something like that out of her lips—she was normally cautious around boys.
But, were there any other ways to phrase that particular sentence? 'I thought we could talk for a bit?'
Perhaps that would have been better.

And as she mentally beat herself up at the sheer clumsiness,
the young man beside her found his hands moistening once more.
He shoved them into the pocket of his pants and ignored the way his heart throbbed when he saw her flushed face.
It had been the first time he had ever seen her blush and it was directed towards him.

"My Lady?"

She squeaked and glanced up at him. "S-Sorry, Mir, I was just embarrassed. Forget what I said.
Would you like to sit down for some snacks? I made some of these earlier today, if you would like to try some...?"
She was hesitant to bring out the box of pastries she had made.
She was still a girl but her skills in baking were only about average.

"I'd love to try some," he smiled, genuinely.

It was a smile that gave her the reassurance she needed. "O-Okay," she mumbled,
reaching over to give him the assortments of cakes and pastries.
"They might not taste good but I..." she trailed off.

A small smile curled the corner of his lips as the substance melted into his mouth.
He hummed a bit, the taste of bitter raspberries mixing weirdly with the cake.
He didn't mind too much, it was something that she had made—and he'd be willing to eat anything she made.
"It's good, I like it." And he wasn't lying. He honestly really liked it.

And he couldn't forget the way her lips stretched across her face as if she had seen the biggest stuffed animal in the world.
It was moments like these that made the young man wish he could stop time.
Stop time and live forever in this dream.
This beautiful dream where their social standings would do nothing to hinder the progress of the flickering flame of their love.

Then the two of them could spend the time talking about nothing in particular.

"Thank you for staying up with me."

He nodded and gripped the flower in his hands before he gave it to her.
"I hope you're not starting to expect these," he joked, flashing off his lopsided smile.
"I don't know what I'd do if I ran out of these..."

She smiled. "Maybe. It sure would be nice but, seeing you is enough for me."
Though it was cheesy, she meant it. She wasn't sneaking out at night for a single blue rose.
What she wanted to see most was him: Bang Mir.

The words alone made his heart jump, but the way she smiled at him made him the happiest man in the world.
"I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked quietly,
hoping, praying that tonight would not be the last night the two would spend together.

"Yes, of course."

Day 5

After he had counted to thirty, he sought for the young girl.
He heard the faint sound of laughter and cocked a smile as he wandered around the area, "looking" for the young heiress.
"I wonder where she could be~" he mused.

A giggle.

"Could she be by the pond~?" He chuckled before he snuck over to her side. "I think I found you."

She jumped at the sound of his voice and pouted. "Hey, I thought you were going towards the pond," she huffed.
"No fair, you're too good at this game."

He smiled and ruffled her hair affectionately. "Well, maybe if you didn't giggle so much, I wouldn't find you that easily."
He slipped into silence as he watched her face turn from joy to affection, heart aching.

He reached out and pushed a few strands behind her ear, wishing that he could savor the moment of being by her side.
He didn't want her to leave but... "I think we should retire for tonight," he whispered,
slipping a blue rose into her hair.
"It's late."

She blinked and nodded, words she wanted to say hushed against her lips. "Yeah..."
She stretched her arm out to touch his hair, smiling softly when she saw the familiar shades of red dust across his cheeks.
"I'll see you tomorrow, right, Mir?" she asked, afraid that the days she could spend with him would end.

"Of course," he murmured, taking her hand gently in his before squeezing it reassuringly.
"I'll be sure to come back tomorrow." He slowly pulled away and sighed, his heart throbbing.
"But there's something I have to tell you."

She tilted her head to the side before she inched closer to him.
"What's wrong, Mir?"
She had rarely ever seen him looked so troubled. Normally, it was her who would spill out all her worries.
"You know you can trust me, I won't tell anyone else."

He bit his lip and took a deep breath, pushing a sob back down his throat. 
"I... I'm not... who you think I am..." 
He was trembling. Scared of what she would do or say if she knew who he was.
"I... I'm just a lowly butler," he whispered. "I'm not... you shouldn't be... with me..."
his voice was so quiet that she wondered if she could really hear him.
"Seeing me... meeting with me... y-you really... 
shouldn't."

He didn't want to push her away. But what choice would he have? At some point, she would find out.
At some point, others would find out as well. It was...
it was just better this way.
But, he hoped that he could find acceptance somewhere, even if it was asking for too much.

"Why...?" she asked.
"Why shouldn't I?"

He blinked and stared at her, bark brown eyes wide with confusion. "Isn't it obvious? You and I are..."

"We're different?"
she asked, voice wavering.
Was that really why he was pushing her away?

She breathed in, pushing the tears away as her heart throbbed painfully in her chest.
"It doesn't matter who you are, CheolYong.
I... care about you.
And, I don't care who you are or where you come from,
I just want to... I want to be with you."
She used the sleeve of her dress to wipe away her tears that threatened to fall before she swiftly her heels.

"It's fine if you don't want to meet but I... will be waiting for you here."

And she quickly returned to her room, 
praying that he would meet with her once more.

Day 6

Time passed by slowly.

No matter how many tasks she was faced with,
no matter what lessons she took,
it was not even dark out yet.
She sighed and tapped the end of her fork against the plate,
gathering the attention of her father who had been dining with her that night.

"Is something the matter, dear?" He asked, voice strong, throaty and deep.
"You seem to be distracted lately... Has a man caught your fancy?"

She silently shook her head.
"Nothing of that sort, father," she lied pleasantly.
But if her father knew that it was a boy who occupied her frequent thoughts,
he (her father) would find that man and rip him to shreds.
"I'm just worried about how mother is fairing. It's been a week since she left for Europe..."

A deep chuckle.
"You know your mother, always handling foreign affairs alone. You need not worry, my daughter."
He dropped a piece of ham into his mouth and properly swallowed before saying,
"speaking of men, however. You're about the age where it's best for a young woman to marry.
You should be preparing for an arranged marriage."

She stopped poking at her food with her fork, staring at her father with wide-eyes.
"An arranged marriage? Father, I'm not ready-..." she knew her argument was futile;
after all, whatever he said was the final word. And not her nor her mother could change that.

"You'll be fine, my daughter." He stated before he finished his meal and left.

The young female drowned in her misery, wishing for Mir to come and save her.
Would she be able to see him tonight? She doubted it.
She bit her lip and felt tears slip down her cheeks.

If she had to marry someone,
why couldn't it be with him?

She cleaned up her dished and set off towards the garden. She wondered if she should even be there;
after all, he told her that she shouldn't have been meeting up with him.
But... would he still tell her that if she said that he was the only thing that made her happy?
The only one who could paint colors over her black and white world?
The only one who will ever see her for her and not some sort of rich heiress?

She stopped when she noticed a thin red thread on the floor,
leading down the winding pathway towards the glowing flowers.
"What's this?" she asked as she picked it off her floor.
And against her better judgment, she followed it.

Down the winding pathway,
past the glowing flowers and the pond,
deep into the garden where she barely ever visited.
It was the most beautiful part of the garden but frankly too far away for her to bear.
Occasionally, she thought of giving up,
but her curiosity got the best out of her and she followed the string.

Finally, she found her way to the center.
Though it was dark out, lanterns lit up the place, sparking the scenery with the most magical touch.
Then there were the beautiful flowers,
the pond at a distance,
the grasses and the landscape
—and then, there was him. CheolYong, Mir.

In the midst of it all,
surrounded by picnic baskets, blankets,
and all these little treats that he knew she liked, he stood.
Sheepish, he took a step towards her, the end of the red string tied around his little pinky.
"You came..." he breathed out, relief filtering out his words. "I thought..." he didn't want to finish his sentence,
he was too afraid to.

"Of course I'd come." She gave him a sheepish smile before stepping closer to him.
"I told you that I would..." And when she looked him in the eyes,
her worries seemed to disappear.
Her heart fluttered lightly and she took finally tied the red string around her own pinky.

A red hue dashed across his cheeks as he walked over to her and gently helped her with the string.
When they made contact,
the light buzz of sparks showered his skin,
lingering until their hands parted.

He scratched the back of his head, shy. "I made a few snacks... as an apology,"
he took a step back and gestured towards the assortment of cakes laid out.
"Take your pick, you can have all of them if you'd like..."
He gave her a sweet smile before taking his seat on the picnic blanket.
"Also..." he took out another blue rose and gently placed it in her hair. "For you, My Lady..."

A light blush scattered across her cheeks and she smiled.
"Thank you, Mir."

And as the two of them mended their friendship, they knew it was a bond that couldn't break.

Day 7

The next night, the two of them had decided to spend the entire night asking each other questions.
Stuff like "where do you come from" or "what is your favorite color"
—random questions that would allow the two of them to get to know each other better.

Stars sparkled across the sky, glimmering here and there to keep the two entertained.
However, neither were fully focused on the dance the stars performed.
Instead, they laid side by side, pinkies linked as random conversation bubbled the night.

They shared the blankets, the hot chocolate, and the little treats and continued to talk until dawn:
sharing secrets, concerns, and random facts.
It was just something so natural for the two of them to do,
even if they were two beings from completely two separate social classes.

"So, father told me I was the right age to marry but I don't want to meet any other man..." she huffed,
turning towards her side as she explained the whole story to Mir.
"What do you think?" Though she asked for his opinion,
she secretly wished that he would blurt that he would rather have her be with him
—wishful thinking,
or so she assumed.

His hand gently shifted over hers and he squeezed it lightly, almost protectively.
"I rather... we switch topics," he whispered,
avoiding her gaze under the near dawn light.
He shifted hesitantly, his hands moistening under her curious gaze.
"Because I... rather... you stay with me..." He fidgeted away from her hand,
giving her the space she probably wanted.
But the minute he pulled his hand away,
he found hers gripping his desperately.

"Me too..." she whispered, slowly linking their pinkies.
She gave him a shy smile and the two of them sat in comfortable silence,
enjoying the stars and the warmth of the person beside them.
If only this moment could last a lifetime,
then they would be happy forever.

"It's almost dawn, you should head back," Mir stated as he sat up.
His cheeks were still covered with his tomato blush and his gaze was elsewhere,
but the second he felt her hand on his cheek, his attention was completely on her. "...?"

She smiled softly and leaned in, kissing his cheek gently before she got up to leave.
"See you tonight, Mir," she smiled and got up to leave before he gently took her hand in his.
She inhaled sharply, her mind swimming through the hazy fog.

He gave her a sheepish smile, lacing their fingers together shyly before he gently placed the blue rose in her other hand.
"Until later tonight, I bid you a farewell," he breathed,
his cheeks flaring with color the moment their skin touched.

And it was that moment that she knew that, 
she was in love.

Day 8

"Mir's awfully late today..."

She had been waiting for the young man for roughly two hours, pacing around the pathway of glowing flowers.
It wasn't like him to arrive this late
—he was normally earlier than she was.
But she continued to wait, since she knew he must have spent more hours waiting for her than she did him.

She heard distant footsteps and immediately approached the direction in which they came.
"Mir?" She called out to the darkness, waiting for some sort of sign that it was him.
The moment his face appeared, she sighed with relief.
"I thought you weren't going to show." She rummaged through her stuff.
"I brought your favorite snack this time, I figured we could switch off every other day." She gave him a sweet smile.

He smiled uneasily before fidgeting in his spot, hesitant to say what was on his mind.

"...CheolYong?"

He looked up into her eyes, lost in her pools of honey-brown.
But this time, the feeling was different.
He was consumed by the news from earlier that day and could not feel anything but utter heartache.
The feeling was nauseating.

Tears formed in the corner of his eyes as he bit down on his bottom lip.
"I... I can't see you anymore," he whispered, though his voice was hoarse.
His gaze fell and he stared at the floor, unable to bring himself to look at her heartbroken expression.

"W-What are you talking about?" He could hear the quiver in her voice.

Irie squeezed his eyes shut and bit back the overflowing tears that would soon spill.
"I... I can't see you anymore... no-not anymore..." his fingers were trembling as he reached out for hers,
wanting to hold them one last time...
One last time
before he had to leave.

"I thought we... I thought we went over this the other day," she murmured,
using a sleeve to wipe her tears.
"I want to be by your side." She was scared.
She didn't want to be with anyone but him, so why—why was he...?
It didn't make sense.

He swallowed thickly and gently kissed her knuckles.
"You have to understand that I just can't." He didn't want to say good-bye.
If only... he didn't get so close to her... if only he didn't give her that first blue rose,
then saying goodbye wouldn't be this painful.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"I'm sorry."

She desperately held onto his hands.
"P-please tell me why..."

But he couldn't give her an answer.
All he could tell her was goodbye.

And when he placed the last blue rose into her hands, kissed her forehead and gazed at her weeping face, he told her,
"look at each flower carefully" and then he left,
leaving the girl he loved behind in the middle of the night.

Days-

Though he said they would never meet again, she would go to that spot, day after day, waiting for him, praying that one day,
he would return.

But he never did...

Not even after the countless nights she spent, waiting by the terrace or the path of glowing flowers.
She even checked deep inside the garden to see if he had planned something new.
But no matter what day it was, no matter how many times she checked, he was never there.
And after waiting for him for a month, she finally realized that she wouldn't see him anymore.

But she didn't want to stop trying. She mustered up the courage to ask where he had gone and her father's response:
"The two of you have been getting awfully friendly; therefore, I removed him from your life.
You'll no longer be seeing him,
not now, not ever. Don't even try to find him in the streets, you won't find that good-for-nothing boy anywhere."

Then she knew what had happened. But there wasn't anything she could do. Her father had a great deal of influence
and if he wanted someone to disappear,
he could make them do exactly that.

The truth was out on the table. Where he had gone, she would never know.
Albeit their time together was short,
she truly loved him,
though she refused to say the words out loud.
And perhaps,
that was why she had lost the one thing that had given meaning to her life,
the one thing that could paint colors over her black and white world.
If she had fought for their love,
would he be by her side even now?

She closed her eyes and let the tears fall.
The only thing she had left were the memories of the time they shared together
and the eight blue roses he had given her.

A rose for each day she had known him.

A rose for each day she had been happy.

A rose for each letter he had wanted to tell her.

I

L

O

V

E

Y

O

U