JUNKYU'S GUIDE TO PLANT CARE || TREASURE AU

Chapter 2

Junkyu had brought the plant back to his studio apartment, placing it on top of the dresser that stands at the front of his bed. He smiled a bit, enjoying the sight of the lively plant while he lays in his bed. His eyes begin to close, sleepiness filling him after a long day at work. Eventually, he does off and goes to sleep.

"BEEP! BEEP!" His alarm rang, coursing his ears loudly.

"Mmm no," then he presses sleep on his alarm, without opening his eyes, and does back to sleep. 

"BEEP! BEEP!" the alarm rang again, a mere five minutes later. 

"Ughh fine, I should get going to work," Junkyu said out loud, stretching and getting out of bed. He turns his alarm off and begins to prepare his morning routine. 

Grabbing his phone and earbuds, he played some EDM music to get rid of his drowsiness while consuming jujube herbal tea. His friends always ask to consume it but always find it disgusting but Junkyu thinks it is good, especially for getting awake. 
He gulped it down, letting out a sigh and then he faced his plant. 

"Oh my!" Junkyu exclaimed, surprised to see the plant had grown a bit over the night. The roots were begging to sprout a bit out of the pot and branching vines had gotten longer, stretching to reach the surface. 

"Uhh, I'll just buy a new pot and some soil," Junkyu said, grabbing his phone to make a purchase online. It said it'll come by the time he returns from work. He felt an uneasy feeling in his stomach for the plant's growth but he still liked how it looked and was determined to keep it. 

He grabbed his uniforms and changed, heading out the door and on his way to work. 

He returned at night, grabbing his new larger pot and soil for the plant to change. 

A couple of days passed by and his plant once again grew too big for its pot. Junkyu gulped, nervous about the possible drain it could be for his wallet but he persisted, getting a new larger pot and soil.

Every time he touched the plant now, the vines would curl around his fingers and linger there. He would try to pull back but it would strengthen its grip.

He had also noticed a small oozing liquid emitting from some of the vines, feeling soft and warm, smooth like lube.
He had continued to get new pots and soil for the plant as it grew, reaching a point where he had to move the dresser it sat on or else it would've broken it.

Today he had a break and he decided to spend it hanging with friends, something he had been meaning to do but never got to because he never felt like it. 

His friends decided to meet him at his place and then they would leave to go somewhere else. Junkyu felt a sense of uneasiness, looking at his plant, its vines sprawling all over the front of his bed, some of the vines sneaking onto the bed and inside the covers. He could feel the vines, tickling his feet or even grabbing his toes firmly. He had to manually unwrap the vines from his toes at times. 

"KNOCK KNOCK!" 

"Let us in bro!" One of his friends hollered from outside. Junkyu recognized it as Jeongwoo, his more extroverted friend. 

"Dude not too loud or else we'll be disrespectful to the neighbors," his other friend said, Junghwan, who was more mild-mannered but still a fun person in general. 

"Oh, my bad" Jeongwoo said, lowering his voice.

"I can hear your entire conversation, you know," Junkyu said, opening the door to his two friends. 

"Not my fault your door is thin," Jeongwoo said, letting himself in. 

"W-wait holds on," Junkyu said, hoping to explain before they entered his studio apartment but Jeongwoo beat him to it. 

"Why the hell is there a jungle in your apartment!" Jeongwoo exclaimed,  lurching away from the plant.

Junghwan rushed in, wanting to see it for himself. His eyes go wide, too shocked to speak. 

"Uhh,'' Junkyu said, unsure of how to explain it. "I bought a plant at a shop and I wasn't aware it would grow" 

"It's a plant! They grow!" Jeongwoo exclaimed while pointing to the large vine plant. Junghwan got curious and leaned forward to touch it. One of the vines slowly moved towards Junghwan's finger, curling around it.

"Wow interesting, Jaehyuk would love this," Junghwan said, in awe of the plant. "Too bad he's busy with his FBI work" he added quietly. 

Jeongwoo only looked worried and fearful of the plant, wishing for more of an explanation from Junkyu.

"Brah what the hell," Jeongwoo said, in disbelief. "You need to get rid of it!" Jeongwoo said. Junkyu pouted, not really wanting to do so but he decided it was probably for the best. 

"Ugh fine, let's go find the place then do our scheduled activities afterward. Maybe they'll help me return it since it is quite heavy" Junkyu said. Jeongwko nodded, leaving the apartment, grabbing a curious Junghwan who was touching the slippery liquid.

Later on, they found the same street that Junkyu found the plant shop on. The two scanned the whole street, searching for a plant shop but all they found were a Cafe, clothing shops, and lawyer firms.

"I-i can't believe this, I could’ve sworn I found the ant shop in this shop," Junkyu said, creeped out by the mysterious disappearance of the plant shop. 

"Unbelievable" Junghwan said, confused Jeongwoo rolled his eyes. 

"You know what, as long as the plant doesn't kill you, I'm fine with it, let's just go and do what we planned to do today," Jeongwoo said, walking and turning a corner. 

"Whoo arcade!" Junghwan said, following Jeongwoo around the corner.

Junkyu stood for a few moments, confused about the state of the plant shop. He could’ve sworn that the plant shop existed and that it was right there. Yet his eyes deceive him. A nerve-wracking feeling grew in his stomach, making him worry.

"Junkyu, come!" Jeongwoo shouted, snapping Junkyu’s out of his worry, he then followed his friends and proceeded to forget about the plant shop, focusing on more important things, like video games and friendship.