growth

thorns

 

 

After the endless hours of nonstop rain from the nimbus clouds that terrorized the sky, a familiar shade of light gleamed across the dark cottons. The sunlight pierced through until it finally glistened in all its glory. The people had finally broke free from their lifeless trance, with each and every one of them gleefully treading along the streets of the once gloomy city. Animals left their shelters to finally enjoy the heat. Birds could now be seen flying in flocks, but this caused other people to run away, thinking that they'd be attacked by the harmless bunch. Everything was back to normal.

Amidst the cheerful streets was one restaurant which was exceptionally noisy. Tables in every corner were busy, leaving no vacancy for new customers. There were groups of young women, which were in their mid-twenties enjoying their booze as if they were having the time of their lives. Couples and their children enjoyed different cuisines served to them whilst sharing their personal experiences. Entrepreneurs and businessmen chattered with one another, talking about different deals that could otherwise gain profit.

Then there were two young girls, one with dirty blonde, and another with pitch black hair. The former, who was known as Park Chaewon had been completely devoured by her anxiety. After so many years, she had finally expressed what she had been keeping deep within herself. But now, she was scared—afraid of how the taller girl would reply to her sudden outburst of emotions. The latter barely knew her, yet here she was, in front of the girl she dreamed of loving whilst cautiously waiting for her reply.

"Y-You, what?" Hyejoo dropped the fork she was holding, with her eyes widened in shock due to the sudden revelation. Why would someone as beautiful and famous as Chaewon, suddenly confess to a girl who was nothing but a shadow? She didn't know.

She shouldn't assume.

Her emotions were completely messed up that she couldn't even come up with the right words to say. She'd be lying if she said she never found the blonde girl attractive, but that was before she and Sooyoung became a thing. Now, she had no idea whether to believe the girl who was about to breakdown, or to just completely shut her off and move on with her miserable life. Everything was happening so fast, and she couldn't catch up with it.

"Y-Yes, H-Hyejoo. I've loved you for so long." Chaewon voiced gently, her head hung low, and her eyes completely shut in fear of rejection.

"I-I don't know what to say..." The sensitive wolf mumbled inaudibly, but it was enough for the shorter girl to hear. "I'm an entire mess right now, and I don't know how I should react to your confession. I'm still emotionally scarred by the events that happened today, and I'm not sure if I could trust everything that you've confessed. Don't get me wrong though, I know you're a great person." She painted a small sad smile on her lips.

Somehow, the butterfly suddenly felt a gush of confidence engulf her entire body. Her visage lit up to face the wolf. "It's okay, I understand. You don't have to give your answer now, I'm not rushing you. I'll wait for your response, even until my hair grows white." A cheeky smile was now evident on her face. "I'll do everything I can to make you realize how sincere I am to you, and I've done it discreetly in the past, so this time, I'll do even better!"

The words uttered by the shorter girl somehow made Hyejoo feel safe and secure. But something piqued her attention. "What do you mean you've done it in the past?" She gave a scrutinizing look to the poor butterfly, as if she was a wolf ready to pounce on the latter.

"Uhm... I may have done things that helped you in your everyday life. I always puts snacks on your locker because I knew how much you hated the cafeteria, where bullies would often mess with you. I'm the one who always left a water bottle for you after P.E. because I didn't want you to get dehydrated after the tiring class." This time, Chaewon's face turned beet red due to the embarrassment from everything she had confessed. It made her feel like she was a creepy stalker, and she was—sort of.

But someone else was in a much worse condition. Hyejoo was completely frozen in place. She couldn't comprehend what the smaller girl had just said. All this time, she'd been wanting to know who kept sending her food on a daily basis, without missing a single day. Even after her class at the gym, where she'd always get a mysterious water bottle out of nowhere. She was skeptical about the goods at first, but soon accepted them nonetheless.

At one point she even asked if Sooyoung was the one who kept giving her food, only to be denied by her ex-lover. But the swan told her to just accept them, because it would be rude to throw them away. So she did, and she admit that she was very thankful for the efforts done by her mysterious sender, who turned out to be Chaewon.

"I-I can't believe it." A single drop of tear trickled down from her right eye, as was left agape. "You don't know how grateful I am for everything that you've done for me. You were able to curve a smile on my lips whenever I had a horrible day, all thanks to your efforts." She stood up from where she was sitting and quickly tackled the smaller girl in a tight embrace. "Thank you very much, Chaewon."

"You're welcome, Hyejoo." The butterfly replied, whilst responding to the latter's hug. "I'd do anything to make you happy."

The taller girl gently pulled away, as she wiped the small tears from her face. "Tell me, were you the one who placed a water bucket trap on the bullies who were planning to attack me? That one time when I almost tripped, were you also the one who stopped me from falling?"

"Y-Yeah." Chaewon scratched her head out of shyness.

"Oh my god, thank you so much! You're like a guardian angel that I never deserved!" Another genuine smile crept along the lips of the now-blissful wolf.

"I-It's nothing, really!"

"What do you mean it's nothing? You've done so many things for me that I don't even know if I could repay them- achoo!" Hyejoo's nonstop blabbering ended when a sudden sneeze escaped from .

"Aish you caught a cold." The smaller girl sighed. "I told you to quickly change to the clothes I brought for you, but noooooo, you decided to embrace the coldness instead." She had a visage of both worry and annoyance on her face. If anything, she already knew how the girl could easily catch a cold. She also knew how the other girl lived alone, and practically had no one who could take care of her. That wasn't the case before, when she and Sooyoung were still dating.

"Ehehehehe." The baby wolf giggled in embarrassment.

"Whatever, come on. Let's get you home so you can rest up before it gets any worse." Chaewon stood up and offered her hand to help the other girl, which the latter gladly accepted. She left the payment for their food at the table and walked away to exit the ever so busy restaurant. Both of their faces lit up when they saw the sun radiating above.

"Oh, it already stopped raining." Mumbled by Hyejoo who was staring at the white cottons hanged on the blue canvas.

"Yes, that's because a certain goddess..."The blonde girl paused for a second, and curved a sly smirk on her lips. "Had finally ceased from crying." She moved her head to gaze on the latter, whilst giving her a playful wink.

The butterfly's action resulted to a Hyejoo who was a blushing mess. To think that she couldn't get any redder was a mistake even though her face was already crimson in color. She remained completely flustered for the entire duration of their travel until they reached her apartment door. She couldn't escape the smoothness, and the countless sweet yet cringey attempts of the shorter girl. Most of them were actually lame, but she didn't knew why they had a huge effect on her.

"Thank you for comforting me, Chaewon. I really needed it." Smiled by the girl who was about to enter her apartment. "About your confession... I need more time to heal, so I hope you can still wait."

"You're welcome Hyejoo. I'd do anything to see a smile on your beautiful face." The butterfly beamed a blinding smile. "I will, and I'll never get tired of waiting for you."

"Ehehehe... So this is good bye for now, I'll see you soon!" Hyejoo gave her final regard before closing the door to her supposed 'home,' which wasn't anything special since she barely had any furniture, and everything else was a complete mess.

The place wasn't that spacious unlike the other houses on the block, and it felt very cramped inside. The living room, the dining area, and the kitchen were all connected, leaving no spot for any type of division to separate the three mentioned spaces. The bedroom was the only area divided by walls, but even so, the room was narrow compared to the usual standards. Only a small couch and a table could be visioned at the living room, followed by a mini dining table located a few centimeters away. The kitchen only had a gas stove, a few utensils, and a faucet displayed. The shower room was too compacted to even be considered one. But she didn't complain, and lived with it for her entire high school life.

The door's swinging movement was stopped by the butterfly's small foot. She gently pushed the taller girl aside and made her way inside the apartment. She scrutinized the entire interior of the place, unable to absorb the fact that the younger girl stayed at such a small space. But nonetheless, she made herself feel at home and removed the shoes she had been dying to unequip. She sat on the small couch, and brought both of her feet up.

The sight in front of Hyejoo made her completely dumbfounded. Why was she seeing a gorgeous girl sitting comfortably at her pathetic excuse of a couch? She didn't know.

"E-Excuse me, but what are you doing inside of my uhm... appartment?" She asked as politey as she could.

"Hm? Isn't it obvious? You're sick and you practically live alone, so I'll stay here and take care of you until you're all better!" Chaewon enthusiastically declared.

"Whaaaaaa?!"

 

"Good Night, my baby wolf." Chaewon gently tugged the now-sleeping girl. She couldn't stop staring at the beautifully carved face of the latter, as if she was completely lost in an astonishing paradise. That very moment, she swore to herself to protect the angel in front of her, no matter what the cost was. An inward curve made its way on her lips, as she slowly leaned forward to place a soft kiss on the resting wolf's forehead. "I love you, so much." She whispered before proceeding to the couch at the living room.

Little did she know, a smile slowly crept on the girl who was supposed to be asleep. She remained the gesture as she finally visited dreamland.

 

The faint moonlight shone through the curtains, giving a graceful accent to the furniture around the small bedroom. The window was gently opened, revealing the gorgeous stars that were twinkling in delight. The moon had fully succumbed into the night, glimmering to share its gentle light to the evening creatures. It was a night where two girls decided to admire the black canvas filled with white dots.

"Listen, Chaewon..." Hyejoo, who was now fully healed mumbled silently. It had been seven days since the time Chaewon announced her decision to mooch at the cramped apartment, but the wolf did not protest.

During the mentioned period, she couldn't help but silently admire the little efforts done by the smaller girl in taking care of her. Honestly, she did not expect for the butterfly to have a side like this, especially since she came from a rich descent. She thought the girl was elegant, ignorant, and pompous—but she was wrong. The smaller girl was nothing but a cute and playful midget, who can get a bit narcissistic at times, but she adored her nonetheless.

She awkwardly fiddled with her fingers, in attempt to speak out the words she'd been wanting to say. "Y-You've only been here for several days, and I could only say thank you for taking good care of me. I already told you I could handle myself, but I could never beat your stubborn head." A chuckle managed to escape from her lips.

"You're the reason why I forgot about my breakup with Sooyoung." Her head slowly gazed up to meet the smaller girl's visage, who's face was so lost in the wolf's beautiful countenance. "I honestly feel like I'm completely in debt to you, and I don't think I could ever repay you."

"I-It's nothing Hyejoo..." Chaewon murmured.

"No, it's not nothing!" The wolf protested. "I should be hating you right now for making me feel these weird things again. The tingling feeling whenever you do something for me, the weird butterflies on my stomach whenever you're around, and the unstoppable palpitation of my heart when I see you smile—I can't stop them and I despise you so much for it!" She shot her head down, her face filled with darkish hue of red.

"Park Chaewon..." She whispered, immediately raising her head up to confess. "I think I love—"

"No scratch that, I do love you!"

 

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Stanloona17
#1
Chapter 3: i actually thought.. omg.. im a mess rn
joguri_cheek
#2
Chapter 3: omg that was a twist...
Lithium_Yeowoo
#3
Chapter 3: Waaaaaaaah, Thank you for this Fic Author-nim
love4hyewon
#4
Chapter 3: Wait...





WHAT!!!!
Min-yeon
#5
Chapter 3: holy … my heart…. good thing it was all just a dream... but a part of me actually somehow wanted it to be real for some reason….. that hyejoo really does die… cuz that would have been a great angsty story then...
joohwang
#6
Chapter 3: Don't play with my emotions like that!
Bikyaa #7
Chapter 3: Jsjdisia i was crying then uuuggghh.. at least they didn't broke up tho
Random_Kpop_Lover #8
well that is quite the twist