“Where’s my mom?” Kihyun barged in the room with a loud bang, he was panting really hard and was sweating a lot. He ran up the stairs because he couldn’t wait for the elevators to reached the ground floor. There were a couple of nurse and doctors surrounding his mom’s bed with smiles on their faces. Recognizing his voice, nurse Choi raced to him and gave him a motherly hug, her eyes lined with tears. “Oh, Kihyun. I’m so happy for you,” she whispered while rubbing his head. Kihyun couldn’t say anything when he saw his mother. He couldn’t believe the sight ahead of him. After a long time, his mom had her eyes opened again, blinking once in a while. She still had some apparatus on her but she looks human right now and her complexion wasn’t that pale anymore. She was slowly coming back to normal. She was alive.

When the observers left Kihyun never left his mother’s side all night and talked to her non-stop, even though she couldn’t speak yet and couldn’t give responses that lively yet, Kihyun could see her trying to respond from time to time. She squeezes his hand weakly making his heart tighten in joy. His mom was finally responding to him. She finally woke up. Kihyun never let go of her hand until they both fell asleep.

~

The next day the doctors came back and checked on his mother again, their smiles never left their faces and it was the same for Kihyun. When they left and Kihyun’s mom was asleep he decided to go out and meet with Jinah he was so excited to share this great miracle with her. He was sure that she would be so happy about it. When he arrived in front of her room he noticed that her name wasn’t on the plate anymore. He thought that maybe she was transferred to another room so he went to the nurse desk and asked about her.

“Excuse me, what room did Anh Jinah transferred too? I’m her friend and I want to visit her.”

Both of the nurses on duty looked at each other and swallowed hard, “Are you Yoo Kihyun?” The tall one asked as she moved closer to him. “Yes, I am,” the nurse reached for something on the table and handed it to Kihyun.

“I think Ms. Anh Jinah wanted to give this to you.”

Kihyun reached for it and scanned the folded paper, he noticed that the ink had passed through the back of the paper he wondered if it was caused by water. When he saw his name on it, he flipped it open and read each sentence carefully.

To Kihyun,

Kihyun I’m so sorry. I don’t deserve to be your friend anymore. Thank you for all the things you’ve done for me, thank you for looking out for me and for making me happy for the past month that we’ve been together. Thank you for asking me if I was cold when we met at the bus stop for the first time. I’m sorry for lying that I didn’t remember you, but I really did remember you. After a long time, someone asked me if I was again, someone who isn’t a doctor or a nurse. Thank you for asking if I was hurt when I spilled soup on myself at the cafeteria downstairs. I was the one who bumped into you but you still looked after me. Thank you for taking me back into the hospital when I collapsed outside. Thank you for finding me again. I didn’t think that you’d ever find me. Thank you for listening to my problems and cheering me up every time. Thank you for being there by my side almost every single day. I will never forget the day when we went to the arcade and you got me that penguin stuffed toy. I was so happy that day and thank you for that.

I can still remember every single thing you’ve done for me starting from the day we first met and it’s making me really happy, for the first time after my parents were gone someone actually looks out and cared for me. I’m really, really happy about it but I don’t deserve to be happy. I don’t deserve you making me happy. I’ve taken everything away from you. You must have suffered a lot because of us. I don’t know if I could face you ever again.

I went to visit your mother earlier and I found out that she was taken to this hospital last August 16, 2016, she was hit by a car last August. I haven’t told you the date when we run over someone, it was August 16, 2016, at the intersection near Yeongdam hospital. I believe it’s your mother whom we run into and she must have been brought to the nearest hospital after the accident. All this time I thought that that person was already dead but you were right. The person could still be alive, but I still couldn’t believe that she’s your mom. I’m so sorry that you had to witness the accident right in front of your eyes. I’m so sorry. The gods must have planned for us to meet to punish me for hurting you and your mom.

Kihyun I’m so sorry. I won’t ask for your forgiveness because we don’t deserve any of it. But there’s one thing I’d like to ask you. Please don’t spend your life hating the people who do you wrong, don’t waste your time on them. Please be happy and live your life free from negatives things. You’re a good guy Kihyun please don’t let those negative things corrupt you. Please continue being a good guy.

I’m really sorry Kihyun. I’m sorry because you have to experience all of it all by yourself because of us. I hope your mom wakes up soon so all your hardships will finally end. I pray for both of your happiness.

-Jinah

Kihyun was crying so hard when he finished the whole story, “No. No. No. Jinah this isn’t your fault. Please stop blaming yourself,” he mumbled as he crumpled the paper and banged his hands on the counter. “Where is she? Where is Jinah? What room is she in? Did she go home? What’s her address I need to see her!” Kihyun cried as her turn from the nurse to the other.

“I’m sorry, but she’s gone.”

“No! You’re lying! Where is she?!” Kihyun cried, he didn’t wait for them to respond and run back to her door. He tried to open it but it won’t budge he tried banging it, still crying. He only stopped hitting the door when the nurses came and held him back. All he could do was kneel down and cry while the nurse continued to hush him.

“Kihyun-sshi, here I think you can have this. Her relatives didn’t want any of her things with them and it’s such a waste to throw this away since it still looks new. I think it’s fine if you have this,” Kihyun looked up at her with puffy eyes and it landed on the penguin stuffed toy they got at the arcade. Kihyun started to sob again when he reached for it, he continued to wipe his tears away but they won’t stop from flowing. When he got his hands on the toy, he hugged it tightly and cried harder than before.

Months later.

Kihyun rode his bike to visit his mom at the hospital she only has a month left before she gets discharged from the hospital. She had improved a lot ever since she woke up. Every time Kihyun rides his bike there was a certain route he always takes, the route that makes sure to pass by the arcade across the convenience store and the children’s park that were all located behind the hospital.

When Kihyun passed by the children’s park he noticed that the flowers at the entrance had already started to bloom. Whenever Kihyun sees a flower all he could he remember was the girl he met at the bus stop, the pale girl who scared the sh*t out of him. The girl who had a pale complexion but was still pretty even though she lips were chapped and her hair was all tangled, she still looks beautiful to him. The girl he fell in love with, the girl named Ahn Jinah, but she wasn’t the only thing that reminds him of the colorful blossoms. He also remembers something from this park and it was the flower that bloomed last winter.

A/N:

Thank you so much for reading The Flower that Bloomed Last Winter. I hope you liked it. :') It's really short and sad but I hope it was able to move your hearts. 

-ltmyjhjshcsy & iamladymidnight