-: III :-
 

 

“There was news from the King’s Court today.” The woman said as she combed through her hair with a wide-toothed bamboo comb. The man behind her in the house sat on the floor, scribbling onto parchments of paper and he looked up.

“What about?”

“They’re looking for a scientist who specializes in the night sky.”

There was silence for a few moments before an evening breeze rustled everything in its path, raising a gentle murmur out of the leaves, branches and clothes. The man dropped his paper and walked out to the balcony, bending to sit.

“Are you… thinking of applying?”

“Yes.” She turned to look at him, her eyes questioning. He looked back at her, at her clothes and hair that were bathed in the dim glow of the sunset. He chewed his lip, worried.

“I do not think a woman scientist will be accepted in public.”

“I know, but I must try to-”

“There is the chance that you may be branded a liar by the court and imprisoned. I don’t want that to happen.”

“I must still try,” She sighs before tying a few locks of her hair up in a bun, letting the rest of it cascade down. “Perhaps the King will change his mind about the womenfolk advancing into fields such as these.”

“I doubt it. He is not an open minded man…” He continued worriedly. “I think you would be better off as a herbalist.”

“That’s your job!” She glared at him and he couldn’t help but chuckle. “Besides, I know nothing of herbs, spices and medicine. I only know what you have taught me and it is not much.”

“Very well then,” He pursed his lips. “You know I do not discriminate you for being what you are. In fact,” He walked toward her and tugged on a strand of hair. “Your determination for being a scientist of other life systems was what fascinated me at first. I’m only worried about your safety. What I might see in your passion – others may not.”

“I understand that but… this is a wonderful opportunity and I cannot let it go.” She said softly. She understood his concern.

Both of them stared at each other in disagreement for a while before the man sighed, his heel and walked back into the house. She watched him, with a frown on her face.

That night as both turned in for bed, she didn’t miss his quiet whisper before sleep lulled them both into darkness, “I only pray you be careful.”

Aya was so tired when she reached her class one morning that she just had to lean on the door frame for a while and heave a sigh. The lack of sleep was getting to her. Despite being a night owl and staying up until 12:30AM every night as a regular routine, her sleeping hours had dwindled to a mere 3 hours – with the ‘dreams’ she’d been having. She was beginning to wonder if she was just going insane.

“You’re late,” Han’s voice remarked and she turned and saw him standing behind her. “I called you twice a while ago but you didn’t pick up. Are you alright?” Nearly invisible worry lines creased his forehead. Aya shook her head.

“I think I left my phone back at home – I only realized it when I was halfway here.” She said, her voice lifeless. “Sorry. I’m okay though.” She took in a deep breath and puffed out her cheeks, frowning.

“You don’t look good.” Came his flat reply.

“But really.”

“You know, the infirmary? You should take a nap there, for a while at least.” He chewed on his lip and looked away. It was pretty damn clear to Aya that he was more than bothered by it. She could do nothing, not for a while at least. She hadn’t come up with any solid conclusion, two nights back.

“Yeah… that sounds like a good idea Han, thank you.” She said softly and he nodded with a thin smile. “I think I’ll do that.”

Only, as Aya walked toward the infirmary, she didn’t feel like taking a nap. The further she walked, the more her exhaustion ebbed away. And when her eyes caught sight of the floral gardens outside, she changed her direction.

She was walking through a maze garden. She hadn’t been to this part of the university grounds before, and she’d taken the opportunity to thoroughly explore the gardens since she’d only seen them from various places on campus. The gardens were extremely pretty, with rows and rows of flower beds, with a large garden maze in the center. Large hydrangea bushes cordoned off the gardens from the rest of the campus. Rows of potted plants with labels contained small green baby sprouts. There was a herb garden on the far right that she hadn’t gotten to yet, but she could smell the fresh, spicy fragrance emanating from them.

After walking around in the maze, she decided that apparently, she was lost in it. The maze walls were tall, and she couldn’t see over them to find an exit. For all she knew, she could’ve been walking in circles and have missed it. Aya bit her lip and sighed at her incapacity to even find her way out when a voice startled her from behind.

“Yo. What are you doing here?” She turned around and her heart skipped a few beats. Hoseok was standing there, looking slightly surprised, and sporting gardening gloves with a towel thrown around his shoulders. He pulled off his cap and smiled at her. “Oh, what? It’s Aya. Hey.”

“Hey. What were you doing here?” She tried keeping her voice normal but it was a struggle because of that smell she was inhaling – and it wasn’t the herbs.

“Gardening,” He chuckled and held up his hands. “It’s normal for people to come here but,” He threw a glance behind him, rubbing his neck. “I was watching you walk around in the same direction for a while so… I thought I’d come take a look.” He looked amused and Aya felt her face turn slightly red. How embarrassing.

“I think I’m lost,” She said helplessly, her shoulders slumping.

Hoseok threw his head back and laughed – Aya liked it; it was rich and full of life – before turning around. “Well, come on.”




“Ahhh, it’s nice weather today,” Hoseok sighed in satisfaction as he sat next to Aya on a wooden bench right behind the row of flower beds. It was an extremely pretty and secluded spot – it made Aya nearly nervous about being there with Hoseok, alone. “Need water?” He held out a bottle of water and when she said no, he shrugged and took a large gulp from it. “We haven’t really talked much, have we?” He observed, after wiping his mouth with the towel.

“True,” Aya chuckled. “We don’t really get to hang out much… you, the other guys and Han, Mari and me.”

“Mhmm, we’re all in too many different classes, so I’d blame it on that.” Hoseok turned to look at her, his deep, dark eyes studying her. “But Jin tells me about you three so it’s not like I don’t know anything,” He laughed lightly. “What I meant is that you and me, we haven’t really talked before this.”

“That’s true too…” She replied; the smell was stronger now than ever before. Was it him? Was it coming from Hoseok? “So, are you gardening as a hobby or…?”

“Ahh, no, I’ve been assigned.” He explained. “Each of us in the herbalism class have to take turns in pruning and maintaining the garden for a week. This week it’s my turn. It’s pretty fun.” He smiled; a wide, happy smile and some of the happiness in that smile wormed its way into Aya.

“Why herbalism?” She found herself asking – merely because she just hadn’t heard of such a course much and the other because she couldn’t help the strange, hungry curiosity growing in the pit of her stomach to know more about Hoseok.

“Oh well,” He was slightly surprised by the sudden question before he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I think my liking for it began in middle school. I used to be sent to my grandfather’s in Busan quite a lot – and he was a farmer. He had this herb garden that always used to fascinate me,” He laughed and Aya noted his calloused and dirty fingers – he had probably been digging around in the soil without wearing gloves. “Soon I used to wander off on my own and come back with various wild plants and leaves and ask him what they were. He taught me how to make jasmine tea.” He paused to take another swig of water. “Both my parents are doctors. Allopathic medicine. Sometimes after school I’d spend my time in the hospital they were working at. I saw people come in with sicknesses, people go home after being cured, people go home without being cured completely… but worst of all, there used to be people who couldn’t afford some treatment.” He trailed off, lost in thought. Aya watched him, her expression matching his like a mirror – one of sadness and helplessness.

“I think, somewhere in high school I thought it would be nice to help cure diseases with plants and herbs. Probably not serious and urgent cases but… things like colds, or fevers or headaches… they’d help right?” He looked at her again and she nodded. Hoseok sighed. “Besides, I like it. Gardening and taking care of plants that is. It’s relaxing and helps you lose yourself in the work you’re doing. And I like the smell of mint – it’s really fresh and… soothing. Mint tea works really well for stomach problems! Wait-” He paused and laughed, looking a bit sheepish. “Sorry, am I boring you?”

“No, of course not!” Aya said earnestly, turning slightly to face him more and surprising him. “It’s not boring at all. I liked listening to you.” She mumbled the last part and he grinned, shoulders sagging in relief.

“Ah, that’s good then. More often than not, I bore people with my endless rambling about plants.” They both laughed and sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes. He appeared to be quite relaxed while Aya was having an inner battle with herself. The familiar, yet unknown smell was enveloping her and her mind was a mess. She sneaked a glance at him out of the corner of her eye. He seemed relaxed, calm and happy, brushing off the soil on his jeans. Soothing rays of mild sunshine dappled his hair – making it look as if it shimmered. His eyes were downcast at the grass and he was humming softly to himself. There was a thumping in her chest and butterflies in her stomach and she didn’t know what to think. Her fingers tugged at the hem of her shirt. felt so heavy. This didn’t happen with anyone else. Why was she so tense? Was it really love at first sight? Did she like Hoseok?

“Oh!” He started in his seat. “If you don’t mind, you want to see the herb garden? I grew it.” He was grinning now, his face glowing, his eyes sparkling; Aya thought he almost looked like a child in a theme park and she couldn’t help but laugh – much to his surprise.

“Sure.”

“Okay, it’s in the back, over there, c’mon!” He took her hand and led her away in excitement. Only, for Aya, her hand was on fire.




“This is mint. Here, smell it.” He lifted a small pot, prodding it into the air and Aya took a whiff. Her eyes flew open and she declared “It smells so nice!”

“Doesn’t it?” He grinned, his face aglow with happiness. “Like I said earlier, mint tea is great for indigestion. And if you make a paste out of it with a few other ingredients, it makes a delicious dip for food.” They were both squatting down in a small greenhouse which had rows and rows of potted herbs. A few were freshly planted in a corner that Hoseok had claimed proudly to be his.

“This, is lemon grass. It smells wonderful.” He pointed at another, with long hairy leaves. “Lemon grass oil can treat high blood pressure, coughs, aches and vomiting spells.” Aya began to laugh.

“I suggest you buy a plaque that says ‘DOCTOR’ and fix it on your front door.” She laughed, earning a mock-hurt look from Hoseok.

“Oi.”

“I’m kidding, I’m kidding.” Her laughter subsided into small chuckles and giggles. “Actually… I’m quite fascinated with your passion,” She smiled at him, resting her chin on her knees. “I don’t know why but I’m fascinated.”

There was silence for a moment as Hoseok had been stunned speechless. Aya smiled at the herbs in front of her – suddenly for some reason, it was as though her exhaustion had been lifted away, like a veil. Hoseok was attracting her – with his personality. She was being pulled like a magnet and she felt so happy.

“Nobody has said that to me before. Not yet.” He said quietly, sitting down. “Thank you.”

“No, it’s because… what you feel for these plants, I feel for the sky,” She explained, looking up. All she could see was the glass ceiling of the greenhouse but in her head she saw millions upon millions of stars, blazing a milky, white hot trail across the sky. “Astronomy… and the night sky are my passion. Since I came here two months ago, I’ve been watching the sky, how beautiful it is here in this place. I could never see it when I was back in the city. I… learned to truly appreciate what it looked like. What I was missing back then, I see it now. And I realize we’ve been given so much beauty in this land, on this planet and we waste our lives bothering about stupid things, insignificant things… instead of spending some time looking at the small wonders around us.”

She looked at her feet, feeling slightly dreamy as she remembered her dusty, pollution filled days in her city. The night sky here was indeed more beautiful. It was dark, deep and yet bright with stars. Before the dreams began, she’d sneak down to the stream to watch the reflection of the dots in the sky. She was never able to do that before.

Hoseok watched her from the side, his eyes feeling slightly moist. Aya had hit the nail on the head. It was exactly how he too, felt about the trees, plants and grass.

“I understand what you mean.” He whispered softly as he patted her back. She turned to look at him – he was smiling warmly at her. “I feel the same.” He turned away, to the side and then upward, before meeting her eyes again, an unspoken emotion stirred within him.

“Whether it’s the sky or the earth, it’s important to treasure them and protect them.”*

He stood up, dusting his jeans and shirt as he looked at the time. “I think we better go back. It’s time for our next classes. What do you have?” He walked to the entrance of the greenhouse and stopped when he realized Aya wasn’t behind him. “Aya?”

He must have missed the horror-stricken expression on her face, because he didn’t say anything about it. He was too far away from where she was, still on her knees in front of his herbs. She was too shocked to speak.

That was it. Wheels began to whir in Aya’s brain and a few pieces started to fall in place. She knew – or she was beginning to know, what exactly was happening. It wasn’t just her. She wasn’t going insane like she’d begun to assume last night. She wasn’t alone on this. She looked sharply at Hoseok who was beginning to walk over to her again.

“Hoseok.”

“Yeah? You okay?”

“I have a beautiful garden in my house. It’s ancient. Do you wanna come over this evening?”

She had to confirm something.




“Mom! Dad! I brought a friend over!” Aya called as she opened the wooden gates, Hoseok following behind with his bicycle. “You can park it there,” She pointed at the large stone lantern on her left, which was covered in moss. She didn’t miss his awed expression as he leaned his bicycle against it and told her in a surprised tone, “You didn’t tell me you lived at Hana-do. I’ve heard this house is beautiful, but it was always locked up till now.”

“Yeah well, we moved in here. It is beautiful though. The lake’s right behind,” Aya chuckled, albeit slightly nervous when Hoseok’s jaw dropped. “Oh, mom, dad, this is Hoseok.” She introduced to her parents who were in their customary positions in the evening. Her mother was making tea on the kitchen balcony while her father was pruning the shrubs. They exchanged a glance before welcoming Hoseok warmly.

“Welcome. Would you like some tea? It’s cherry blossom tea.” Aya’s mother offered as Hoseok seated himself in front of her and accepted. “Thank you for looking after Aya.”

If Aya didn’t look apprehensive and nervous before this, then she did now.




“Good gracious, this place is extremely wonderful! I should’ve come earlier!” Hoseok yelled as he rolled up his jeans and stepped into the stream, barefoot. If he wasn’t a guy, he would’ve squealed at the iciness of the water. He seemed to have spotted something on his right because he squatted down and began to inspect a fern leaf. Aya sat on the stone footpath, knees drawn to her chin as she watched his antics. “This is maidenhair fern!” He called out and she sighed.

She was almost sure. The minute Hoseok had stepped into her house, the air had changed. She felt almost like she was sitting in a hazy cloud – her surroundings had become thick with something, she didn’t know what. Her ears had become sharper – each sound had ten times the clarity they had before. felt lumpy, her heart wouldn’t stop racing and her palms were sweaty. She was also beginning to have a headache.

“Is he your…?” Her father’s voice came from beside and she looked up to find him standing on her left with a garden rake. She shook her head.

“No, he’s just a-” She stopped.

What was he? What was Hoseok to her? Did she like him? Was it really love that was causing all these feelings? She had thought it wasn’t love, a few nights ago. She had been sure it was something else, on a different level altogether. But now she was beginning to question herself again.

“A friend.” She finished, her voice thick with some emotion she couldn’t describe. She was looking at Hoseok now; he was sitting near a tuft of forest grass. “He loves gardening and plants a lot. He studies Herbalism at my university.”

“Ah. That explains it.” Her father nodded as he watched Hoseok for a while before turning on his heel. “Well, call me if you need anything. And don’t go down to the banks of the lake today, I think there’s going to be a storm.” She nodded wordlessly. She was having a war inside herself.

“This tree is extremely old. It’s beautiful.” She heard him murmur and she watched him placing a palm on the ancient cherry tree.

Throb.

“Hey, Aya.” He was looking at her now, with an expression she couldn’t understand. It was soft. “I noticed something on this tree.”

Throb.

“What?” She croaked out.

“There’s something carved into it, here,” He placed his palm on a part of the trunk. “It looks like zero… three… three, nine. Three thirty nine?”

3:39.

3:39 AM.

Aya felt a pang of pain and sadness and longing shoot into her heart and without him realizing, allowed large, wet tears to roll down her cheeks. It wasn’t going to stop flowing, not anytime soon.

“I don’t know, Hoseok.”

She knew.



 

A/N:  *sighs*
3300 words. I'm never going to set limits to myself anymore because I feel terrible at my incompetence #_# You don't mind right?
Also, I'm pyschic XD
Anyways, I never intended for the story to take such a depressing turn. Honestly, I wanted to write it simply and beautifully =,= But I guess the sadness is not avoidable - there's beauty in sadness too, I feel. Ah, anyways. Oh, it won't be a tragedy though, rest assured :O~
Also, plenty of foreshadowing and hints and in this chapter. Can any of you guys guess what's going on? O_O
This chapter is so long because I wanted to focus on characterization really. Hoseok might seem a bit nuts but xD He just loves plants. Don't think too badly of him ._.

*The red asterisk is for those who didn't understand, if any. In case you've forgotten, or it's slipped your mind, Hoseok says exactly what Aya sees in her dream in the previous chapter.