I have a question, 
It might seem strange —
How are your lungs?
Are they in pain?
‘Cause mine are aching,
Think I know why,
I kinda like it though,
You wanna try?

white daisies — purity, innocence 

You never understood the concept of butterflies fluttering around in a person’s stomach when they were in love until it happened when you least expected it to.

It happened on a random Saturday of your sophomore year — an overtly ty day when you were sick to the bone. Unable to breathe through your stuffy nose, you found yourself gasping for air out of your dried out lips while all wrapped up in a pile of mismatched blankets. You were nauseated, tired beyond belief, and you were left alone in the house while your mother and older brother Jongin minded your family’s flower shop.

The door to your bedroom opened slowly and thinking it was your brother coming in to film you while you were in complete utter misery, you blindly threw a variety of pillows and plushies at the door with a groan. “Go away, Nini! Don’t film me — I look like trash!” 

“Ack! Dude!” A familiar yelp reached your ears and instead of your brother, you found your best friend, Mark Lee, hiding behind a small bouquet of flowers and a stuffed plastic bag. “Stop that, bubs!”

“Oh ! Sorry, Marky,” you shrugged as he came into the room. “What are you doing here?” 

He pulled your desk chair to sit by your bedside. “I stopped by the flower shop to bug you during your shift and Jongin said you were sick, so I came to visit you.” 

“Damn, you look like ,” he said bluntly as he took in your appearance — greasy, messed up hair sticking to the sweat on your forehead, deep bags underneath your eyes, surrounded by an abundance of dirtied tissues. 

“No , Sherlock. Feel like it, too.”

“Figured as much so that’s why I brought you this,” he retorted, lifting up the plastic bag filled with takeout. “Your favorite beef pho from the Vietnamese place down the street!” 

“Oh my god, shut up. No, you didn’t!” You shot up from your position to lean against your hard bed rest. 

“But I did! You’re welcome, bubby,” he laughed, his funny little giggle slipping through his thin lips. You thanked him as you eyed the food he slowly brought out of the bag. 

“Oh, dude. I— uh, I also got you some flowers?” Mark added, his statement coming out more of a question than anything else. He shoved a small bouquet of flowers into your empty hands. You accepted them with a snort, spinning the bunch in your hand to take in the beautiful arrangement. It was a simple bouquet of your favorite flowers and white daisies with a tiny ‘get well soon’ card attached by a silky ribbon. 

“Nini arranged these, yeah?” you asked absentmindedly, still drinking in the arrangement.

“Yup.”

Feeling touched, you shot him a grateful smile and he returned it a bit nervously. Mark’s lips quirked up on one side, his eyes so wide and filled with innocence as he explained himself, “When Jongin said you were sick, I thought you would appreciate some flowers, you know? ‘Cause you love them and like, you always said you wanted to receive some when you were sick. So, uh, yeah.” 

“Thanks,” you replied, appreciation dripping from your words. 

“Yeah. No problem, dude.” He rubbed the back of his neck, a habit he always did when he felt awkward or shy. “I’ll get a vase for the flowers and one of your TV trays so you can eat in your bed. Be right back.” 

Your eyes followed the boy as he flitted in and out of your room, grabbing all the things he needed to get your food and flowers settled with a tiny grin. 

Mark knew your house like the back of his hand. Growing up side by side, the two of you spent so many days running through your hallways, playing tag and hide-and-seek with you while escaping the evil clutches of your older brother. The raven-haired teen was there for you through thick and thin, from the day you lost your first tooth to fending off bullies to you softly rejecting romantic advances made by classmates. He was the one to nudge you when you fell asleep during a church sermon but also the one who snuck you out of the service with the excuse of a youth bible study group.

Mark was the person who you vented to when things went bad. He was your very own personal cheerleader who never failed to lift your sorrowed spirit, just as he did in that very moment. As much as you were capable of making it on your own, you didn’t know how you would have made it through life without Mark attached to your hip.

Mark came back into your room to set your food on a foldable TV tray by your bedside, gesturing for you to eat it. He opened the blinds and you flinched at the sudden brightness filtering into your previously darkened room.

Gently setting the vase of flowers down on your nightstand, he leaned down to take a curious sniff. Wasting no time, you dug into the bowl of noodles and sighed in relief when the hot steam started to clear up your sinuses. Mark’s name was about to slip through your lips to offer him a bite but the words were caught in your throat as your eyes fell on him. 

His soft brown eyes were closed and hidden behind his huge round frames. The black stands of his hair were pressed down against his forehead by his oversized hoodie. White daisy petals brushed against the bottom of his round nose as he inhaled their scent. The bright colors of the flowers and the light seeping through the blinds highlighted his skin perfectly, making him seem like an immaculate piece of art. 

You drank in the sight of him, clad in his big jacket, tight soccer pants, and slides with socks —it was his usual look but something about him was different. This was the first time you really took notice of his handsome boyish features. 

You knew he was good-looking; many classmates asked you to set them up with him, somehow finding his awkwardness and overuse of slang extremely endearing. You always refused their requests, knowing he would reject their confessions. 

Mark’s eyes met yours and he called your name with knitted brows, activating this weird tickling sensation in your stomach. “Hey, you okay? Is the food not good or something?”

You felt your face growing hotter by the second as he stared at you when a confused look, the fluttering feeling increasing tenfold. “Uh, y-yeah. I’m fine.” 

“Are you sure?” Mark leaned over to press his hand against your forehead. Your heart raced at his touch, your breath hitching as you inhaled his scent of minty shampoo. His face was so close to yours, any closer and you could press a kiss to his cheek…or lips.

“Dude, you’re burning up!” 

Swatting his hand away, you tried to calm yourself down by diverting your attention back to the food. “I’ll be fine! Let’s just eat before everything gets cold. It’s not going to taste the same when we reheat this stuff!”

Agreeing with your words, Mark immediately dug into his bahn-mi sandwich. You couldn’t help but smile fondly as he munched on his food, scraps falling onto your makeshift table and sauce staining the sides of his cute mouth. 

You never knew why people described love as butterflies fluttering around in your stomach until you experienced it yourself. Watching him enjoy his meal with such happiness sent a warm, tingly feeling down your spine— a weird sensation but for some reason, you liked it. 

You were falling for your best friend, Mark Lee, and you found yourself not minding one bit. 

— ❀❁❀ —

daffodils — unequaled love

Two years had passed and as a senior in high school, your feelings on Mark developed into something deeper than just a raging crush. The sad thing was you were too scared to do anything about it. You had no girlfriends to speak to about falling in love; the only time girls talked to you was to get close with your hot friends or brother. The boys you spent time with, especially Donghyuk, teased you endlessly about your not-so-secret crush with playful words and poking jabs, just as he did now while you made your way around the flower shop after school. 

Your mother received a huge order for a wedding happening that weekend, leaving her and Jongin to trap themselves in the backroom while you managed the storefront. 

“Are you ever going to tell him?” Donghyuk asked, messing around with the ribbons and paper kept behind the register.

“Soon.”

“I call bull. When exactly is soon? It’s your last year of high school together.” He squinted his eyes as you stocked up the shelves. 

“When exactly are you going to shut up about this?” you retaliated, harshly shoving a handful of red roses into a container. 

“I’m just saying,” your younger friend sang arrogantly, leaving his spot behind the counter to help you with your load, “you might miss your chance. I’m tired of seeing you sit on your flat as you endlessly pine for that idiot.”

“I will,” you spat back. Sighing, you said, “Just, I don’t know, give me some time to figure it all out.”

Donghyuk unloaded a batch of oak-leaved geraniums and you laughed at the symbolism behind the flowers — true friendship. The boy shot you a weird look and you waved him off as you took the flowers from his grip. 

“Look at me, doing all this free labor for you,” he joked as he continued to help you stock up. 

“Shut up, I’ll treat you to food after this,” you rolled your eyes, pretending to be annoyed as Donghyuk passed some lilacs your way — the joy of youth. Again, you grinned at how the flowers he passed you seemed to fit your relationship perfectly. He might have been a pain in the at times but spending time with Donghyuk was never a bore.

The bell attached to the front door rang, causing both of you to turn your attention to the potential customer. There at the entrance stood a frazzled Mark, his cheeks painted with a flushing pink, and his glasses skewed from his sprint. 

You hadn’t seen him in a while with your extra shifts at the shop and his extracurricular activities at school but he still looked gorgeous in your eyes. He was dressed a little nicer than usual. There was a flannel added on top of his usual plain t-shirt that matched with his black skinny jeans that outlined his legs perfectly. His hair was styled nicely in with a side part, bangs slightly messed up from the autumn breeze. 

“Hi,” Mark breathed, hands on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. 

“Yo,” Donghyuk greeted, eyes judging his friend’s appearance. 

“Uh, hey?” you replied. “You look nice.” 

“Huh? Oh, yeah. I’m going to Mina’s dance recital today,” Mark said in between breaths. 

“Mina? As in the cute Mina Kang that’s in all the school musicals? Since when were you close with her?” Donghyuk questioned. You wondered the same very thing.

He glanced your way, chest still heaving, and you marveled at how striking he was even when out of breath. “We got kinda close when the drama department and band started rehearsals for the musical. She, uh, invited me to go watch her today.”

“And you’re here instead of there, why?” The ever-so-nosy Donghyuk probed.

“I was thinking of getting her some flowers,” Mark whispered, coughing to hide his embarrassment. 

“You like her or something?” 

“Something like that, yeah,” Mark answered a bit shyly. He called for you, “Can you help me make a bouquet for her, please? I’ll do anything you ask me to later.”

There was this bashful smile on his lips that you hadn’t seen his sport before. You knew that smile. You wore that smile. It was the smile of someone with a crush and god, how that hurt you.

“O-of course,” you stuttered back. “Is there a message behind the flowers?”

“Uh, congratulations? I like you? I don’t know, dude, you know I’m not good at this type of thing,” he whined, voice cracking. Mark made his way around the store, the tips of his fingers brushed against some daffodils set in the display window. 

There was an odd feeling that came out of nowhere — it formed in your stomach and slowly inching its way up to your throat. You felt a little disoriented and nauseous. You fisted your apron for a second as you took in a few deep breaths, desperate for some relief. Donghyuk shot you a worried look but you ignored him to focus on your best friend, who was panicking over the flower displays. 

You disregarded the increasing discomfort building inside you, pulling out a few pink ranunculuses along with some pink carnations and stems of baby’s breaths. You were quick to round the counter and stop in front of your work desk, hands working to form the perfect arrangement. Your two friends observed you closely as you worked your magic, creating a spellbinding concoction of gorgeous flowers. 

Nimble hands danced around the table as you encased the bouquet delicately with a pastel yellow wrap, finishing it off with a silky white ribbon. “There you go,” you said, carefully placing the flowers in Mark’s arms.

You felt as if something was lodged in your throat, threatening to come out as you began your explanation. “These ruffly flowers are carnations, they mean fascination and new love. The swirly buds are ranunculus and they’re usually associated with charm, radiance, and attraction. This whole bouquet is basically saying you’re dazzled by her charms.”

He inspected the gift and gave an enthusiastic nod of approval. “These are perfect, bubs!” 

Feeling weaker by the second, you leaned your body on the counter and gripped the tabletop as you told Mark the price — an action noticed by Donghyuk. He eyed you carefully, sensing something was off as you finished the transaction. Mark bubbled out a thank you before clumsily rushing out the door, hoping to make it in time for the recital’s opening number. 

As soon as the door closed shut, your knees gave out and Donghyuk was quick to push his way behind the register to provide you with extra support.

“Hey, are you okay?” Donghyuk asked, face void of teasing. He looked at you with concern and you weren’t able to reply — you were too busy struggling to catch your breath. Your body lurched forward as you gagged for the first time.

“Oh, ,” he panicked, hastily ushering you past your mother and brother and into the store’s restroom. Your body immediately fell to the floor as you retched again in front of the toilet. 

“Auntie! Jongin!” he shouted as he rubbed soothing circles down the expanse of your back. The tight feeling in your chest worsened with each gag. Your family members rushed into the bathroom, crowding around the door.

“Nini, go watch the shop. I’ll take care of this,” your mother’s calm voice commanded. “Sweet pea, what happened?” 

“I don’t really know, Auntie. She was fine one moment when she made Mark’s bouquet and then she just got really sick the next,” Donghyuk stated anxiously, answering for you. 

Your mother crouched down to your level, taking Donghyuk’s position. She whispered comforting words as you continued to dry-heave over the toilet. Another strong gag sent your body tottering forward and you finally vomited, missing the floor completely. 

You heard your mother and Donghyuk gasp and you groaned, just thinking about the mess you had to clean up later. Expecting to see a puddle of vomit on the floor, you were beyond surprised to see blue flower petals scattered on the tiles. You retched again, more petals pouring out of your mouth with a distasteful burn. 

“C-cornflower petals?” you coughed out. Being a florist, you were able to identify it with no problem but there was another reason you remembered it — it was Mark’s birth flower. His favorite flower. 

“What?” Donghyuk murmured, clearly as thrown off as you were.

Your mother, however, was at a loss with a heavy feeling taking over her heart. “Donghyuk, sweetie. Can you tell Jongin to close up the shop for a bit? It’s an emergency. And can you also grab some eucalyptus and lavender for me?” 

“Yeah, yeah. I can do that,” he replied, running out of the room to fetch your brother.

— ❀❁❀ —

geranium — true friendship 

Your mother and brother had an inkling of your feelings towards Mark so it pained them even more when they saw you throwing up flower petals, knowing there was nothing they could do to help you.

The disease was called Hanahaki and it developed when one experienced unrequited love. The rare condition ran in your family — it skipped over a couple of generations but somehow wiggled its way into your young life. 

The first stage went into effect when a person coughed up petals of their love’s favorite flower, signalizing flowers budding in their lungs. The second stage occurred when the victim excreted fully bloomed flowers from their mouth and the final stage kicked in when the pain grew in intensity, the stems and roots taking over the victim’s respiratory system. It was rarely deadly, easily curable when the victim’s feelings were returned but your family was terrified of when it was.

Donghyuk hugged you close when you found out the news and squished you tighter against his firm chest when your brother mentioned your deceased cousin, afraid of what the future might hold for you.

“Jungwoo,” his name slipped out of your brother’s lips. “His love was never returned and he kept his secret for so long. When he reached the final stage…” Jongin wasn’t able to finish his sentence, his voice fading into the silence as he choked up.

Jungwoo was like another brother to you. Only a year older in age, he was supposed to be starting university that very year. Your heart ached just thinking about the pain he must have been through, keeping an illness as serious as this to himself. 

“Is there a cure?” Donghyuk asked as you trembled in his arms. He ran his fingers through your hair, massaging your scalp to help calm your nerves. You took in deep, soothing breaths while inhaling the eucalyptus and lavender Donghyuk brought for you, their scents helping you relax as you absorbed all the information. 

“If the object of affection returns and admits their feelings to the victim, the flowers will dissipate. If the feelings aren’t mutual and they reach the final stage, there is always a procedure,” your mother stated with teary eyes. She hated seeing you in pain.

“Well, there we go! If anything, there’s the procedure!” Donghyuk yelled with some enthusiasm, beaming down at you to lift the sullen mood.  

“There is a cost, though,” Jongin interrupted. “If you were to get the flowers surgically removed, all the love you have for Mark will disappear as well. Familial love, romantic love, your memories with him. They’ll all be gone. You won’t be able to feel a thing towards him.”

Silence filled the room as you processed your brother’s words. 

How could something as beautiful as flowers and being in love cause someone so much pain? 

— ❀❁❀ —

blue violet — trustworthiness, faithfulness

Although he didn’t like it, you made Donghyuk swear to secrecy with linked pinky fingers. As much you wanted to keep your developing sickness hidden, the odds were not in your favor. It took a couple of months for your secret to spill, the rest of your friend group learning of your condition during a lunch period in the middle of the school year. 

It started off as a typical lunch with Jaemin trying to spoon-feed you a bit of his lunch and Chenle watching Stephen Curry highlight videos on his phone. Renjun was in his own world, sketching in his notebook. Jeno was trying to prevent Jaemin from being the embarrassing human being that he was, Donghyuk was online shopping for a new gaming chair, and Jisung had his AirPods in while going over choreography in his head. The only one missing from your chaotic excuse for a lunch table was Mark. 

From the corner of your eye, you spotted the raven-haired boy stumble into the cafeteria, squinting in an attempt to find a table. You shot up, waving your hand frantically amidst the bustling crowds. Mark did some sort of awkward finger gun in your table’s direction, leaving your friends to roar with laughter. He stayed at the entrance for another minute, his eyes still scanning the expanse of the cafeteria.

His face lit up like a lightbulb when he found what, or rather who, he was looking for. You followed his warm gaze to find him grinning dumbly at Mina Kang, who wiggled her dainty fingers back at him. He lifted a finger in her direction before heading to your table like a man on a mission. 

You felt your heart drop to the floor for the first time that day and you suddenly wanted to be anywhere but the school’s cafeteria. That overwhelmingly uncomfortable feeling was beginning to resurface and the walls were caving in on you. 

“Yo,” he greeted, his grin reaching the tips of his ears. Your group greeted back, most of them going back to what they were doing before Mark arrived. 

Noticing that he wasn’t taking a seat, Jaemin teasingly wiggled his brows, “Oh, are you going to ditch us for your girlfriend today?”

“C’mon, man. Shut up,” Mark said, his face turning red. “She’s not my girlfriend,” he denied.

“Yet,” Jeno jumped in.

“Yet.” Hearing your best friend echo Jeno’s words made you clutch onto Donghyuk’s wrist under the lunch table. He took your hand in his and you squeezed it firmly in return as if the action could will the ache away. You felt the petals tickling your sides of your throat and you did your best to force it back down. Tears built up in your eyes and you blinked them away, digging your face into Donghyuk’s shoulder. Jaemin watched you curiously as Donghyuk pet your hair to comfort you.

“I’ll see you guys later though, we’re still having the sleepover tonight, yeah?” Mark asked. Renjun nodded, reminding the eldest of what time he should get to the house before shoo-ing him away to Mina’s table. Mark took a seat next to her, timidly wrapping his arm around the pretty girl’s shoulder only for her to place a sweet kiss on his cheek. You heard his flustered giggle from across the booming room, having heard it your whole life, and the sound sent you gagging into your free hand. 

Without time to grab your belongings, you shot out of the cafeteria’s back door like a bullet to the nearest one person restroom without locking the door. Minutes later, you found yourself heaving blue cornflower petals into a toilet bowl while salty tears stained your cheeks.

The constant retching burned your throat, leaving you to grip the toilet bowl tight enough to lose all feeling in your hands. Soft fingers came in contact with your hair, pulling it back as petals spilled out of your mouth and dribbled down your chin. 

“Oh lovebug, what happened to you?” Jaemin’s gentle voice echoed in the tiled room. You raised your head to see the boys hovering over you with worried stares. 

“Are those flower petals?” Jisung whispered, gripping on Chenle’s sleeve.

Noting that Mark was the only one missing, you lurched over the bowl again, your body purging even more petals than before. You let out a tormented sob, wondering why you were cursed with such a condition.

“What’s wrong with her?” Jeno murmured, pulling out a handkerchief to wipe your endless tears. 

“Hanahaki Disease,” Donghyuk answered knowingly as he leaned against a wall. Being the first to know about this, he bore witness to many of your attacks. It got worse every single time with you throwing up more petals than before. Some came out not whole but still pieced together by the flower’s sepal. 

Someone as sweet as you didn’t deserve the agony you experienced with each passing day. Seeing you suffer like this on your own tugged on his heartstrings and Donghyuk wished he could take away the pain for you.

As Jaemin cleaned you up with Jeno’s handkerchief, Donghyuk thoroughly explained your condition. The faces of the five other boys dropped after finding out the state you were in and you gave them an exhausted smile in return. 

“Promise me you won’t tell him,” you begged, your voice hoarse from vomiting. You saw them hesitate, their eyes darting anywhere but your eyes. 

“Promise me,” you said with a bit more force. They all muttered their promises, not liking it one bit. Renjun handed you a water bottle that you accepted gratefully, downing the clear liquid in a matter of seconds. 

“You know,” Chenle started off, “I always thought you two would end up together.” A chorus of agreements circled around the restroom.

“I thought Mark liked you, too, but then Mina came out of nowhere,” Jisung squeaked.

“Whenever you weren’t around, he would talk about you like you put the stars in the sky,” Renjun, ever the artistic one, pointed out.

“He looked at you like that, too,” Jaemin added, pinching your tear-stained cheeks. A heartbreaking laugh escaped your mouth as you slumped into his side. They were your best friends and they would never lie to you, but you couldn’t believe what they were saying to be the truth.

“Well, you know what this means, right?” Jeno asked.

“What?”

“We just have to make him realize how much he loves you,” Jeno answered with a genuine smile, his eyes curling up into the soft crescents you loved so much.

— ❀❁❀ —

yellow tulip — there’s sunshine in your smile

One of your favorite things to do was to spend a lazy afternoon in Mark’s room with nothing to worry about — no school work, no orders from the shop, no shouting coming from the other boys. Just you and Mark, like your good old childhood days.

Both of you were on his messy excuse of a bed with him leaning against the wall with his guitar in hand and you laying down, your legs resting against his calves. Mark’s fingers picked at the six strings, his mellow voice filling up the room and your delicate heart. 

You propped your head against one palm to watch him play any song that came to mind while your other hand fiddled with the yellow tulips you brought to brighten up his room. His hair was still damp from the shower he just took, flattening his frizzy strands against his wide forehead. His round lenses had fingerprints on them and you fought the urge to yank them off his face to clean them yourself while reminding him to take better care of his belongings.

“Any song you want to hear?” He nudged you with his foot. “The Mark jukebox is taking song requests for the low price of twenty-five cents. Insert coins here,” he added cheekily, extending his hand with his palm out. He wiggled his fingers and you kicked him in the shin, giggling at his joke. 

“You’re so dumb,” you laughed into your hand.

“No, but seriously. Any song?” 

Thinking for a second, you asked him to sing your favorite song. Mark’s tuneful voice bounced off the walls as the guitar strings created the beautiful melody. You closed your eyes, taking it all in. Your voice joined in with his, unknowingly harmonizing with the melody he sang. He felt his heart skip a beat when your voices blended together and he sang a little louder, just for you.

Although he focused more on his guitar and flute playing, you loved his singing voice. He lacked confidence in carrying a tune but his sweet-sounding voice always embraced you with this never-ending warmth.

And that warmth was easily yanked away from you when Mark’s voice cracked like a boy hitting puberty. His fingers stopped strumming, hand hovering over the soundhole. He clutched his throat, face filled with shock and eyes blown out wide.

You tried to hold back your giggles but you couldn’t help it. Your whole body shook with laughter and he joined in, chuckling at first before he broke into a full fit. His eyes closed shut, nose scrunched cutely, and mouth open wide as weird but endearing giggles spilled out of his mouth. Mark laughed with his whole body, hands coming round to slap the closest things in reach — that being your shins.

You shrieked in pain as his hand came in contact with your skin and he howled even louder, his laughter sounding more like the noises a seal would make. His laugh alone caused the world to melt away and all you saw was him. Mark’s smile was so broad and bright, almost taking up half of his handsome face and you couldn’t help but look at him like a sunflower gazing up at the sun.

He was the sunshine to your pouring rain and you wouldn’t have it any other way. 

— ❀❁❀ —

coral rose — enthusiasm, friendship

You didn’t know how you ended up in a cafe, sitting across from Mina Kang, but there you were. The meeting place was a small hole-in-the-wall located in a bustling alleyway but it fit your taste perfectly. Books lined the walls and a small stage was positioned in the corner of the room. 

“Mark told me you liked finding different coffee shops to read in and this is my favorite one! I hope you like it!” she explained enthusiastically, orders arriving as she said so. 

“I can’t believe I’ve never noticed this place before,” you found yourself replying, eyes wandering around the room. “I’ll have to add this to my list.”

Mina gave you the sweetest smile in return, one that curled her up her eyes and rounded her cute, chubby cheeks. She was beautiful, you noted. No wonder Mark fell for her. You sipped your drink to distract yourself from the pain surfacing in your lungs and a silence fell between the two of you.

“Sorry, I know this was all sorts of random since we don’t really talk and I just started seeing your best friend,” Mina broke the awkward air. “Mark talks so highly of you — I just wanted to get to know his best friend! And maybe become your friend, too?” Her cheerful voice faded a bit towards the end, almost like her confidence was wavering.

“No, it’s okay! It’ll be nice to finally have another girl to talk to,” you reassured her. “If you need some of Mark’s deepest and darkest secrets, I’m your girl.”

The smile you gave her failed to reach your ears and if Mina noticed, she didn’t say a word. Her grin returned to her lips and her face shone brighter than a diamond held up to the sky.

“Thank god. I thought you were going to think I was weird or something,” she giggled behind her hand. 

Mina reached to take a sip of her drink but stopped as if she remembered something. “Oh, before I forget!” She reached below the table, her hand shuffling in her large purse, before pulling out a single coral rose. 

She bashfully handed you the flower and you accept it graciously. “Mark told me you love the language of flowers and that you helped him put that bouquet together for me some time ago.”

You stared at her in awe. “I’m excited to be your friend?” you asked, stating one of the flower’s meanings. 

She blushed, “Yeah. I wanted to do something nice for you.”

“Thank you, Mina. Really,” you answered back, twirling the rose in your hand. “This is really sweet of you.”

“It’s no problem,” she beamed. “I really hope we can become good friends!”

“Me too,” you forced yourself to answer. 

You wanted to hate Mina Kang. She was the one who was taking Mark away from you. She was the object of his affection while you were suffering from flowers growing in your lungs but then again, you couldn’t blame her or Mark for that matter. 

If you weren’t in love with Mark, you would’ve fallen for her, too. Mina was the embodiment of sunshine. 

You wanted to hate her, you really did but how could someone hate a person who was as sweet as honey?

— ❀❁❀ —

sweetpea — thank you for a lovely time, blissful pleasure

Yes, Mark barely made time to hang out with your group anymore and you missed his presence terribly but Jeno’s plan was all sorts of ridiculous. He came up with all different types of group hangouts and either made the boys flake last minute or ditch you with Mark while you were out and about, which is how you ended up here — in the local arcade your friends loved to frequent.

Jeno and the others made some sort of excuse to separate into pairs, mentioning that there was a deal for couple ticket cards. Donghyuk rolled his eyes at the dumb idea but went along with it while you begged him to not leave you alone with Mark. 

It was a little awkward at first, at least for you, being alone with him in a date-like setting but all was well once your best friend challenged you to a Guitar Hero battle. He claimed to be the king, seeing as how he played the instrument in real life and you laughed in his face when he missed every single point.

Unlike Donghyuk, Mark wasn’t all that great at any type of arcade game but that’s what made him so loveable.

“This is so unfair!” Mark screamed, shaking the claw machine. He was frustrated beyond words, styled hair now ruffled into a huge mess. 

“Marky, it’s fine. You don’t have to get it for me,” you tried to calm him down with a soothing voice. “You wasted so many of our points on the card already.”

“No, dude. You wanted that Rilakkuma plushie and I’m getting it for you!” He pouted, disappointment seeping through his features. There was no rhyme or reason why he was upset at not being able to get it for you — he just was. Maybe it was because he loved to see you smile that lop-sided grin of yours whenever you received a present, but who knew really? 

“I don’t need it, you’ve won me so many plushies already. My bed’s getting really crowded,” you said as he swiped his game card for another round.

“No can do, bubs. It’s a tradition that needs to live on. I’m getting you a plushie every time we come here,” Mark retorted, his tongue sticking out as he focused on maneuvering the claw. It took him a few more failed tries before a doll finally dropped into the prize box. He yelled victoriously as he retrieved the Rilakkuma and a girlish squeal left your mouth as Mark handed the boy to you. 

“Sorry it took so long,” he chuckled. “But I got it. You like it?”

You tugged him into an embrace with your face digging into the crook of his neck. His arms wrapped around your waist, giving you a quick squeeze, and you snuggled in more while inhaling his minty scent. 

“I love it, it’s adorable. Thanks, Marky,” you grinned up at him. “But don’t spend all our points like that again, please. I want to play Dance Dance Revolution and Pump It Up.” 

He patted your hair lovingly, eyes and nose scrunching down at you, “You got it, dude.”

A camera flashed from your peripheral vision and you tilted your head to see Jisung holding his phone up towards you. He gave you an awkward wave before Chenle rolled his eyes, shoving the youngest back into hiding. Your phone dinged with your text tone and you opened the message to see the photo Jisung just took. It was an extremely cute picture with the arcade lights casting a pretty neon glow as the two of you hugged with your new Rilakkuma peeking out of your arms. You secretly saved it on your phone before letting Mark go — you would have to thank Jisung later.

Appearing out of nowhere, Jaemin and Jeno urgently yanked you out of Mark’s hold. They fumbled a measly cover-up about needing your help at the prize booth, steering you towards the front of the arcade. As they dragged you away, you heard them complain about Mark inviting unwanted people to this group hangout. Wondering what was going on, you fought against their firm grips and that was when you saw her — the stunning Mina Kang sporting the cutest look, skipping her way towards Mark with Donghyuk tailing behind her with an apologetic smile. 

She easily linked her arm with his and Mark’s face shined as she pressed a glossy kiss on his cheek. He placed a short peck on her forehead, causing her to giggle cutely. They talked animatedly, the girl immediately gesturing to the different claw machines lining up the walls. Mark’s hand slid into hers and interlocked their fingers so smoothly like he had done it a million times before, just as Mina dragged him away from your friend group to win more stuffed animals.

Your friends watched as your beautiful smile was ripped away from your face, pain taking over your features. Jeno held your shoulders as you stumbled forward with a forceful gag. The familiar yet unwelcome nausea built up inside your stomach. A dull ache you hadn’t experienced before crept up your lungs and your fingernails dug deep into Jaemin’s sleeve as the boys led you to the nearest restroom. 

Your steps faltered just as you reached the door, leaving Jeno to swoop you up in his arms before kicking the door open. He gently placed you on the floor and you sank to your knees, the ache turning into something unbearable. Your airways were constructed as you retched out the cursed cornflower petals. They littered in and around the bowl, scattering around you in a mess. 

The room was getting too hot for you and you felt like you were drowning in a warm, dizzying haze. Cold sweat dripped down your forehead and you tugged at your sweater’s tight collar; Renjun got the hint, helping you strip down to just your tank top. He ordered someone to soak a paper towel to press against your head as you gagged again, crying over how you hated feeling this way.

Out your mouth came a full cornflower still intact. It was the first complete flower you had ever vomited, meaning that the second stage had taken into effect. Seeing the flower float around in the water, you almost fainted from shock and exhaustion. Jeno caught you in time, your back hitting his broad chest. He combed your stray hairs away from your face as you breathed heavily in his arms. 

“How can something so beautiful be so sad?” Chenle whispered. 

“I don’t know, Chenle,” Renjun muttered back, “I just don’t know.”

Donghyuk took you from Jeno’s hold, easily hoisting you upon his back. He had seen you go through this the longest and it hurt him to watch you suffer like this. There were so many instances where Donghyuk wanted to run up to Mark and inform him of what was happening but it was not his place.

“Someone text Mark that we’re heading out early. We have to take her to the hospital; she needs to get checked,” Donghyuk murmured, careful to not wake you up. “Call Jongin, too. it’s getting worse.”

“Why text? It’s not like he’ll notice anyways,” Jaemin grumbled as they all drag themselves out of the restroom.

You were able to score a last minute consultation with the Hanahaki Specialist, Dr. Junmyeon Kim, at the nearest hospital that day. Just as you expected, the x-ray taken of your chest showcased the roots growing in your lung sacs. Full flowers were beginning to bloom. Your mother a