The Growing '꽃'

Hug | 11

Han River still flows through Seoul today, where the body of water is crossed by the Mapo Bridge.

She opened her gloves that showed her scars and touched the reassuring messages that were written on handrails and signs at intervals along the bridge.

"Have you been eating alright?"

"Let's walk together"

"A difficult moment will eventually flow like the river below."

Her parents hit her again with an alcohol bottle because of the mistake her younger siblings made.

People said that it sucks being the oldest child when the fact and the saddest part is more suck when you're the middle child.

Most of the time since she was in high school, she will come here to look at those words as it can calm her down. But today...

She felt nothing.

Her phone keeps ringing as it's the call coming from her friend, mostly Heeseung. She has been missing for almost a month now and all of her friends continue to keep in contact with her every day but failed.

They tried to go to her parent's house but got nothing. She climbed up the bridge.

She opened up her phone to look at it one last time as the message notification that popped up from Youngbin made her stop her track.

"How have you been?"

"Where are you, let's meet."

"I won't ask the details"

"Let me hug you tight once I meet you"

"You need that, don't you?"

Before she can do anything a hand reaches her wrist to pull her off the bridge, "Are you crazy?!"

"No matter how tired you are, you think this is the only way?!"

"What do you think you're doing, everyone through hard times too, not only you!"

She laughed bitterly while looking at him, "you know nothing about me".

He was shocked seeing her, "i-"

"I-i'm sorry"

Before he can reach her, she steps back, not wanting to be close. He pulled her wrist before he hugged her tight and caressed her back. Her hand hit his chest a lot of times before she broke down, crying in his chest.

"I'm sorry"

She kept crying to the point that she passed out in his arms. Rowoon who from the beginning was behind them with Hoshi and Sangyeon opened his jacket before he covered her body, "do you realize what you said earlier was very cruel?"

"Did you even know how hard her life is?"

"I, with the other Sf9 members even try our hardest not to make it harder for her anymore and why did you need to say like that??!!"

"Maybe Wonwoo just got carried away by his feelings, Rowoon-ah"

Sangyeon agreed with Hoshi's words. Rowoon ruffled his hair aggressively and he sighed loudly.

Rowoon reached for his phone before he dialed Lee Bong's number, the only person that he can call as he can't take her to her own home, which is her parent's house.

❀

Wonwoo woke up from his sleep after hearing the noise around him. He accidentally sleeps on the sofa at Lee Bong house. Sangyeon who saw him asked, "why not you wake up next week? You sleep for too long from yesterday"

Since Wonwoo accidentally sleeps at Lee Bong house, all of them sleep in that house too after Lee Bong's grandparents have asked them to. Now it's dinner time, many guests were present. Specifically, SF9 members and their parents as they all will eat together at Lee Bong mansion.

Hoshi looked at Rowoon, "you guys must be really close even having a big dinner like this"

Rowoon laughed, "Lee Bong is Hwiyoung's cousin. I don't know, maybe it's because our parents always accidentally meet? Plus Lee Bong is always working with us Sf9, I already meet his face every day anyway."

"But I always love it if I'm in his house. All of his family members are good people."

Lee Bong came over to Wonwoo before he patted his shoulder, "hyung, go and wash yourself first in that room before you eat dinner"

His brain still cannot function properly. He takes slow steps before going inside the guest room. Someone came out from the toilet as he waited for them to come out. His eyes widened in shock seeing her just finish washing her face. He hugged her so tight.

"Let me go, I can't breathe"

"I'm sorry, Byulmin ah I'm so sorry".

He was so glad when he heard her delighted laughing. He held her cheek and caressed it, looking at her brown moon-eyed eyes that he missed so much for years, "are you alright now?"

The feeling of giddiness comes back to her when he touches her cheek. Her cheeks started to fill with red roses with his warm hands on them. She nodded her head, "yeah, with the help of Youngbin and Lee Bong. At least I'm better than yesterday"

Hugs are actually so underrated, especially those hugs that are so tight you can literally feel the other person's heartbeat and for a moment everything feels so calm and safe like nothing can hurt you.

She rested her cheek on Wonwoo's shoulder, "thank you and I'm sorry too for what happened yesterday"

He caresses her back while giving a long kiss on her head, "it's fine. We all do have that feeling to come."

"But please give your mind a little rest, beautiful."

He held her hand before he kissed the scar on her hand for a long time before he held another hand while doing the same thing.

The sweet moment was totally ruined by Sangyeon who knocked on the door, "Jeon Wonwoo, don't continue to sleep in the room. Wake up and come out!!!!"

One question crossed their minds while looking at each other's eyes, 'what are we?'

❀

All parents of Sf9 members are currently sitting and chatting at the other side of the living room. Lee Bong's parents' house is so big that he has 2 big ass living rooms.

Youngbin leaned his body on the sofa while looking at the girl that he did recognize sitting beside Byulmin. But what is she doing here?

Rowoon snapped his finger in front of Youngbin's face so that he knew he had been looking at her for a long time already, "How can she be here?"

Lee Bong raised his eyebrows, "I thought you already know? She's my older sister, Lee Jieun"

"I know her but I didn't know that she's your sister, I'm sorry"

"Your sister is so famous but I didn't expect that I meet her through you"

"Have you met my sister before?"

Youngbin shook his head. Jieun sitting there smiling awkwardly looking and listening to their conversation, who is talking about her in front of her, "what should I call you, IU or Jieun?"

"Jieun is fine"

"How old are you?"

His members and even Lee Bong look at him strangely. Never once did they see him as the one who will continue the conversation.

"Oh you're the same age as me and Inseong"

Youngbin held out his hand asking her to give him the knife, "should you use the scissor instead of the knife to cut the flower stem easily? What are you going to do with this flower?"

"I want to make a flower crown for my new song performance outfit".