the chocolate box | bts oneshots

05 ; 花吐病

Primroses mean being unable to live without your lover.

One petal.

Two petals.

Then another, and another fluttered down lightly onto the marble like counter, disappearing into the sink.

Finally, a whole flower emerges from the depths within his lips.

Yireum's eyes are fixed on the boy's hunched figure in horror.

It was by pure mistake that she came across the horrific scene in the boy's toilet. If she hadn't opened the wrong door, she would have never known that a classmate of hers had such a tragic disease.

"Holy shit, Hoseok are you okay?" she fumbles out, checking the area for any other males before rushing in once she confirms that it's all clear.

"I-I'm fine," he responds, equally as stunned as the panicking girl.

Yireum looks at the small bunch of flower petals gathered at the bottom of the sink. There were enough to fit into her palm. She looks back at Hoseok to see a small droplet of blood decorating the corner of his lips.

"No you're not, you should go to the nurse or something, go get yourself checked up." She raises her hand to her forehead in worry.

"Yireum, I'm good. I don't need to go to the nurse. I'll be fine." Hoseok wipes away the speck of blood with his finger so that it will no longer bother the beholder.

Her brows furrow slightly, but honestly, she's not all that close to Hoseok. She's nothing more than a classmate who's just concerned about the well-being of a fellow human being.

Afterall, the Hanahaki disease is not meant to be taken light.

Hanahaki.

Hana meaning flower, and haki meaning to throw up.

It's pretty self-explanatory what the symptoms of this disease entails.

It starts with a single petal. From a single petal, it multiplies until finally the patient's lungs are overgrown with flowers. It doesn't help that it gradually becomes more painful as the disease progresses into its final stage.

And what's the cause of such a terrible disease you might ask?

It's equally, if not, more horrifying than the sickness itself if you think about it. It eats you up from the inside, devouring you with promises of a sweet romance, instead fulfilled with a broken ending where love never grows to replace those taken spaces. Then, to fill in the void left by the love which never grew, pretty flowers bloom instead.

It is the human mind, or rather, it is the one-sided love created by the human mind. It's the frequent day dreaming of a future with the one you love most which breaks you the most. It's what exacerbates the illness.

"I'm assuming you're not getting it?" Yireum quietly murmurs.

Hoseok takes a sharp inhale, followed by a calmer, more relaxed exhale. Then a peaceful smile shifts onto his lips, and he nods.

For this terrible disease exists a terrible cure. To get rid of it, one can undergo a long surgery to remove every petal, every bud, and every trace of the flowers in their lungs. With the flowers, the feelings for the beloved will disappear too. Thus, quite literally nabbing the illness by its roots.

"Aren't you in pain?" Yireum speaks again, this time her voice slightly louder than before.

Hoseok shrugs nonchalantly. "Yeah, I am. But it's better than feeling numb, no?"