Park Hyo Shin - Wild Flower

»  At some point Xiu Min felt a strong urge to kneel down and cry endlessly in front of Se Kyung. He wanted to pull her into a tight embrace so badly, he wanted to at least hold her close and never let go.

But he can’t.

Even when Xiu Min had just reached out his arm towards Se Kyung, the girl has flinched away and sent him a cold stare which he never thought he would see anywhere near her beautiful features. “Se Kyung, please…” As expected, his voice cracked with the hint of tears. His brown orbs searched for hers, pleading for Se Kyung to come back.

But her only reply was a pair of furrowed eyebrows and a shaking head says 'no', as she gazed sadly up towards Xiu Min. “Don’t do this, Xiu Min-ssi. Maybe we were just a mistake.” Her brown orbs were now wet with tears forming at the corner of her eyes, staring down at Xiu Min who dropped himself onto the ground, literally begging her with head hanging low. “I wouldn’t have fallen for you if I knew that you were the one who was responsible for my sister’s death.” Slowly, her tone raised when the memories of the past recalled at the very tip of her mind. “She was doing fine until she started talking about this new guy in her life—saying how ‘unnie really trusts him’ and that she wanted to escape from our parents’ grip.” The pan in her hand tightened, tears began to slip down her cheeks as her tone appeared shaky though sharp.

The front door creaked open with fog invading the space before the concerned images of Kai, Lay, Sehun, and Luhan greeted Se Kyung’s view. She sniffed lightly when Kai dashed forward and spared her a quick glare, before he pulled Xiu Min up to his feet again. A groan left his thick lips upon supporting Xiu Min’s dead weigh and the others rushed to help the doctor. “Miss Baek Se Kyung, you shouldn’t be so hard on him. You didn’t know what he had been through.”

Taken aback by the blame that Kai had freely thrown to her, Se Kyung pressed her lips together, forming a firm line before she speak up, “And you didn’t know what I’ve been through. It was my own sister that he has murdered! How do you expect me to cope with—”

“He did not murder anyone!” With a low growl, Kai exclaimed as his grasps on Xiu Min tightened, encouraging him to stay strong. A gaze was thrown towards Luhan, gesturing him to hold Xiu Min as his professional side was trying hard to observe the drastic change in Se Kyung, who appeared more depressed than the last time he had seen her. “Se Kyung-ssi, you knew that your sister was depressed even when she was still alive. And it surely was not her fault—or anyone else’s fault in this.” His eyes were trying to find the cherry Se Kyung from the past, the one whom he used to know before. The one who listened to his problems when there was no one else who would, and the one who was willing to spend a time to talk over a cup of coffee even when she knew it herself that she had bigger problems to deal with back at home.

That innocent Se Kyung was nowhere to be found.

Throwing her gaze elsewhere, Se Kyung then placed the pan onto a table beside her, and let the silence pass by. It was when her fingers wiped away the tears that she turned her attention back to Kai, who stood still in front of her with hardened expression. “I can’t live with a supernatural who had caused so many pain in my sister when she was alive before.” This time, her voice came out softly, as if she was hurting herself to even speak it out.

Kai placed his fingers on his temple before he shook his head in disagreement. “Xiu Min hyung was not the reason behind your sister’s pain.” A pause. “Sehun and I were both with her when she first got into a relationship with Xiu Min.” That one statement had grabbed Se Kyung’s full attention as she snapped her head up to stare straight into his dark orbs. “I believe that you were still young. But Min Yun… she was emotionally unstable because of the way your parents treated her.” His eyes were focused at the hint of realisation on Se Kyung’s face. “I suppose you could remember that your parents used to hit her before?”

Seeing how the lady was at lost of words, Sehun decided to add in, upon noticing how it could help Se Kyung to think straight again. “We really shouldn’t be saying this—since your sister was really close to us back there in the high school and since we have promised not to talk about it—but we all know that she felt unloved since your parents changed into someone better after you were born. And maybe Min Yun… noona felt unfair on how your parents have treated her before, compared to the way they've treated you.” His breath was ragged slightly with Xiu Min leaning against his arm and Luhan’s; unable to support himself from the heart wrench.

Just when guilt began to creep into Se Kyung and when she had an urge to run into Xiu Min’s arms, who was gazing at her weakly, a rather playful voice appeared from behind, causing her to jump in surprise.

“Oh could you please just cut the melodrama?” Leaning against a wall, the mysterious person sighed out loud.

With eyes widened, Lay exclaimed in disbelief, “Tao! What are you doing here?”

The time traveller squinted his eyes as frown formed on his forehead. “Am I in the future or in the present?”

“Present.” As if scripted, all of them answered in unison.

Tao dragged his face with his palm in embarrassment before he stared back at them. “Sorry, I was still confused with the use of my power.”

“Tao did you ran away from your psychologist?” In a rather concern tone, Kai asked as he shifted closer towards the younger man, dismissing the intense vibe behind.

Cocking up his eyebrows, Tao casually trailed after the doctor’s move with arms across his broad chest. “You mean that asylum? Thank you for sending me there, Dr Kim, but I am not yet insane.”

“You sent Tao into an asylum, Jongin?” Holding in an urge to laugh, Sehun blurted out when Xiu Min straightened up and focused on the time traveller instead. He let his grip to slide away from Xiu Min as he has shifted to the side, slowly walking towards Se Kyung.

Shooting Sehun a look, Kai corrected, “It was not an asylum! It was just a mental hospital—”

“—which is also an asylum.”

“Tao! It was not, okay!”

Letting a small grin to lift up the corner of his lips, Tao patted Kai’s shoulder brotherly, amused with his reaction. “I know. Thanks, for your little treatment, even though I am more than confused to control my own powers, now that I’ve discovered more about it.” Tao had taken notice of the shock that was evident on his friends' faces - perhaps upon realising the fact that he actually started talking like a grown-up instead of like his depressed immature-self before.

“That doesn’t mean that you could just disappear from the hospital and come here; ruining our process to bring back Se Kyung and Xiu Min together and stole their spotlight.” Kai searched for the mentioned couple as the words left his lips, but somehow both of them had magically left the scene. “Which… are not here?”

»  Nothing had been forced at the moment Xiu Min gestured for Se Kyung to follow him from behind, escaping the act of Tao who took away their moment. It wasn’t that far from the house, and Xiu Min has decided to stop in front of a small river where EXO M used to practise their powers before. “Se Kyung…” Slowly turning around to face the girl, Xiu Min croaked out. “I’m sorry.”

Her chest tighten at his honest apology as she gazed up at him, nodding, before she slowly wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned onto his chest. “I’m sorry too.” Her ears listened to the sound of his heartbeat that matched with hers, and she couldn’t find any other tranquil moment than being with him like that.

Minutes passed by with Xiu Min her hair softly, and Se Kyung burying herself in his broad chest. Words of regret and longing were left unspoken in the peaceful atmosphere as they were letting go of the worst that had ever happened in their lives.

»  “You guys are freaking me out.” Sehun made a disgusted face towards both Xiu Min and Se Kyung, who were currently cuddling on the wide couch of Kai’s luxurious apartment. On the back of his mind, Sehun knew that even Kai would probably puke out upon seeing the couple’s lovey-dovey act. Lucky enough that the doctor was too busy working to even spend the Friday night with them.

Xiu Min threw Sehun a look as he wrapped an arm around Se Kyung’s shoulder, who was gazing contently towards the opposite couple. “You say that to Luhan.” His eyes travelled after the mentioned man, who was laying comfortably on his laps with attention towards the television.

The front door produced a beeping sound – signalling someone who had just entered the apartment. And before any of them could start another round of childish argument again, Lay interrupted as he had overheard their conversation even from the outside, “Why don’t both of you just get your own apartment instead of hanging around Jongin’s house?” His fingers curled around the hot chocolate which he had just purchased straight from Starbucks. Trailing silently behind him was Kai, it seemed like the doctor had just finished his work for the day.

“What the heck? You guys are still here? It has already been a couple of days since Min Seok hyung and Se Kyung noona got back together, and even you Sehun—go and get a room back there at your own house! It’s just next door for ’s sake.” Kai observed his friends' expression which clearly were holding back their laugh, upon seeing how the almighty Doctor Kim had just ranted on them. Yet in the back of their minds, they knew that Kai was actually more than happy to have them here – it was just the tiring day that he had which caused his annoyance to slip out.

“Gee… Kai, bring back Jongin to us, will you?” Brushing off the doctor’s rant away, Sehun teased with the mention of his nickname during their high school days, where Kai had always been that typical ‘I don’t care what you’re up to just get out of my way’ boy.

The bronzed man loosened his tie slightly as he walked towards the kitchen’s counter, pouring himself a glass of cold water. “Honestly, guys. Don’t you need some privacy?”

“And leave you here all alone with Yixing hyung? Like, you could go gay because of his charm, you know?”

“Sehun. You know that I am straight.”

Nodding in agreement, Lay pulled out a lilac stool from beneath the kitchen’s counter as he sat beside Kai. “Yes. I will move out as soon as I get a job. So that I won’t bother Jongin anymore.”

“You’re not bothering me, hyung.” Kai threw his gaze over his shoulder as a rather serious expression plastered on his face.

“Are you trying to say that we are bothering you except Yixing hyung?” Faking up an offensive tone, Sehun butted in when Luhan shifted up into a sitting position, facing Kai before he turned to Sehun to shake his head ‘no’.

“Luhan hyung, stop reading my thoughts—” Just before Kai could finish off his sentences, Se Kyung let out a groan in frustration, standing up on her feet with furrowed eyebrows.

Sighing out softly at the childish behaviour of the close friends, Se Kyung eventually speak out a second after everyone had went silent. “Look. Me and Xiu Min oppa will move out tomorrow after my sister’s official funeral, and Sehun-ah!” The corner of her eyes caught the surprised reaction of Sehun as his name escaped her lips. “We all know that you live next door. You could just come and drop by Jongin’s house during the weekends and the holiday.” She paused upon seeing a winning smirk across Kai’s face and Sehun stuck out his tongue in return.

“Well, I guess that’s settled then.”

»  As the time passes, everything seemed to be happier with both Se Kyung back at her own house, and Xiu Min stayed in the villa of their neighbourhood along with Lay and Tao - who was slowly getting better with his mental health.

Se Kyung has now noticed the regret on her parents’ faces on the day of Min Yun’s funeral, which couldn’t be turned back to how they should have treated her before, when she was still alive. It turned out that Min Yun arrived from an unplanned pregnancy, which leaded them to neglect her even until the day Se Kyung was born.

Only after Min Yun was reported dead, that their parents eventually realised of what they had done.

Despite that, Se Kyung had no reason in blaming everything to her parents—or to anyone. Because she knew that once a person have regretted the mistake and was trying so hard to make things better, then there really was nothing to blame on.

The world was full of second chances, after all.

So there she was, at the back of her garden, swinging merrily with a man who had fallen for her at the first sight. The man intertwined their fingers together, fitting perfectly as if they were made for each other.

“I love you, Kyungie~”

Grinning up at him, Se Kyung planted a kiss on his cheek as the latter chuckled.

“I love you too… Luhan oppa.”

“Don’t tell Sehun about this, okay?” Ruffling her brunette lovingly, Luhan whispered as his delicate orbs stared down at Se Kyung.

Leaning in with a small giggle, Se Kyung then nodded obediently. “As long as Xiu Min oppa is clueless about our hidden relationship too.” And just like that, they both shared a kiss under the cherry blossom tree that was blooming brightly... beneath Luhan’s telekinetic power over Se Kyung's mind.

Which will stay forever like that.

Well that was, until Kai teleported from nowhere and punched Luhan straight on the jaw.

Ouch.

 THE END