The Growing '꽃'

Hope | 2

Jake scoffed, Heeseung look at him blankly before saying

"If you think all flower is pretty, think again"

Sunghoon frowned, "I'm just stating the fact, why are you guys angry about it"

"Let's go, we already arrived", Jun said while looking at them. "Jay, can you walk first with Sunghoon to the front?", Jay nodded his head before pulling Sunghoon's hand away from them.

Jun let his both arms on their shoulders before starting to walk while watching a grumpy Sunghoon with Jay at his front.

After a few minutes of walking and when they were about to arrive at the car Jun parked near the street, Jun started to talk.

"Is there anything that you guys want to tell me?"

"Hyung", Jun hummed in response

"Do you remember Byul Min?"

"She's the one that Heeseung always talks about, right?"

"Yeah she is Heeseung hyung close friend"

"Yeah I remember but what's wrong with her?"

"But do you remember M?", Jun stopped his track, making both of them stop too before looking at Jake.

"Of course I remember, people like to call M's long name as Minnie Mouse and M the one who was supposed to send the lyrics for my mixtape too but suddenly went missing; why are you talking about M?"

"It's her", Heeseung butt in

"The one who was supposed to be the composer for your mixtape is her, Kang Byulmin", Jun eyebrows over looking at Heeseung. He was looking at him with his eyebrows raised questioningly.

"But what happened to her? I never heard you talk about her anymore and why does the company label say she suddenly went missing?"

"She passed away", Jun's eyes widened in shock.

"What?!", Jay and Sunghoon stopped their track and turned around to look at them after hearing Jun scream in shock.

"Noona passed away, because of the black flower"

❀-

Youngbin continue to walk until he bump into someone

"This is why no one want to be friends with you"

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Did I hurt you a lot?"

He heard the conversation of a person with their mother. "No it's okay, I'm fine", smiling at them.

He continued to walk until his mind started to create a negative scene. "This is why no one likes you". He imagined his own parents saying this to him.

He started to hit his own head a lot of times. A hand hold his arm, "stop, you going to hurt yourself"

"I thought you were on your way to Woollim?"

"I am, but how can you just leave me behind without saying anything and why do you keep hurting yourself?"

"What kind of question is that, of course I need to be quick since I'm the leader? You know it's hard right as a leader?"

"I know but you still haven't answered the second question that I keep asking you? You're having a hard time right? Why do you keep hurting yourself?"

"I don't even hurt myself and why do you care when you don't even care at all?"

"No, I care, don't lie to me", Youngbin yanked his arm away before quickly walk his step to the front, not wanting to be with Daeyeol

"If you care then you not supposed to tell every single each thing that I do to my parents", Youngbin muttered under his breath

One tiny spot of Youngbin veins on his back are slowly turning from green into black colour and it started to grow scar on it.

Daeyeol heard him. He ran towards Youngbin before hugging him from behind.

"It's not that I'm telling all the things you know? I'm just saying what your exam results are to them, that's all. You're not even telling anything to your parents, how are you at school, who you become friends with and you don't even tell them when you want to go out and walk around the neighbourhood alone. Plus it's not my fault, your mom is the one who keeps coming to me to ask about you. Cut me the slack, will you?"

Both of them stop walking before Daeyeol continue, "it's hard for to reject a request from someone older especially she's a mother of a person who I know"

Youngbin continues to walk without saying anything before he speaks while he's walking, not looking back at all , "go away. I will text you when I finished my practice"

Daeyeol smiled in victory, turning around to change his direction before walking away.

Youngbin neck veins are slowly turning from black into the original colour back but still it leaves a tiny spot scar on it and a flower grows on his back.

❀-

"So...", Sunghoon started

"So that's why you guys are mad with him earlier", Jay finished his sentence

Since Sunghoon and Jay don't know anything, Heeseung tells them starting from when he first met Byulmin and how he became close with her and Jake. He also tells them how Jun also knows about her.

Both Jake and Heeseung are sitting in front of them at the cafe. Luckily both groups don't have any schedule that day. Jun and Jay walked toward the counter to get the tray of drinks.

Jun, who stayed silent from earlier, opened his mouth, "then, who is the person that you guys were talking about when we were in the train?"

"Sf9 Youngbin"

"Should we help him then since we all know the story already? Especially Jake and Heeseung"

Jay raised his eyebrow while listen to the conversation, "wait"

"Did he even know his own condition?"

Heeseung shakes his head as the meaning of no. "He will soon grow to know that the petals are actually referring to his condition, his mental state and if he doesn't find the solution, he'll die before he knows it. But the thing is, he never can get to know about this. Maybe he can, if someone realised about his health condition"

Jun looked at them while smiling, "he can save himself then, two people already realised about his health condition before he even did on his own"

Heeseung frown, "hyung..you already know that Byulmin not survive from the black flower and we never close with Youngbin"

"Don't you guys want to save him too?"

Heeseung looked down as Jake looked at him before patting his shoulder.

I try to remember that I do have hope. I hope that I can win this battle. I hope that I will have many more good days than bad days. I hope that everyone struggling knows they're not alone. I hope that in their darkest hours, people can fight their way through. I hope for understanding and some people who care for them will be there for them. I hope for compassion. I hope people will notice that I'm struggling and it's not that I'm lazy. Lastly, I hope for happiness but I think I want to give up hope for it. I'm tired already. It's about time for me to go

That was her last word to him and Heeseung still remembered it clearly.