To Find Something True

※ fifty-one

A/N: i googled and found out that there are florists in MBS, but i decided not to use the florist to make things challenging (and ofc ☺️ complicated ☺️). Using fictional florist instead skskskskskssk (burnt my braincells TvT)

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Not far away from Marina Bay Sands, there was the Art Science Museum. The younger children "wow-ed" a lot at the exhibits.

The teens took many aesthetic photos when they were at the platform with mirrors at the bottom on both sides. LED lights dangled from the ceiling to the ground, changing colors from time to time. It caught Wheein's attention the most. She asked Jisoo to take photos of her, saying that the vibe suited her style.

Hoseok could not bring himself to enter the exhibition, finding it scary. He used Taehyun sleeping in his arm as an excuse to avoid it. Hence, he went to the other exhibitions that did not require direct interactions. However, his focus was not mainly on the exhibits.

That day was their fourth day. Yoongi had informed him that Amber would join them the next day. For some reason, he wished Amber would stay in the States longer - if Amber returned, it would mean that Jiah's contract ended, and there would be no more business relationship between them. Then, he and Seokjin would have chances to tell Jiah their feelings.

It also meant he needed to confess before Seokjin. Knowing Seokjin, he had assumed he already had a plan. On the other hand, he hadn't, and that scared him.

The thought of confessing to Jiah made his heart thump fast and loud. He hoped the baby sleeping on his chest didn't hear or feel that.

Would it be bad if he confessed without planning? Furthermore, he stuttered a lot when he got nervous or scared.

Then, he remembered that they were going to the Helix Bridge in the evening. He thought of an idea.

**********

Wheein was too tired to join them on the Helix Bridge. Upon hearing she was staying back at the hotel, many children, including Joohee, decided to stay with her. Taehyun fell asleep again after eating, so Hoseok passed the baby to her.

Hoseok told the rest that he would be joining them at the bridge later, lying to them that he had something to ask the receptionist. Jiah - of course - asked him if he could ask them alone, knowing that he was not good with strangers. Nonetheless, he assured her that he would be doing fine.

Around seven in the evening, after dinner at the hawker center, they walked to the Helix Bridge. Hoseok was left behind with a tourist driver. Thanks to his practice with the translator app, he managed to ask smoothly in English, "Can we find a florist nearby?"

The driver, who looked around his age, asked back, "You want to buy flowers?"

"Yes," he said.

"There's a mini flower shop. But it will take around... twenty to thirty minutes to arrive. Is that okay?"

Hoseok took a pause to think before saying, "Yes, that's okay."

The driver did not lie; it took them that long. They entered a housing estate and then parked outside a bungalow. In front of the door, a few buckets of flowers dunked in water were neatly lined. A wooden plank attached to the door, engraving the name of the flower shop.

Just as he hopped off the van, the Chinese woman he saw at the hawker center before came out of the house with a basket in her grip. She squinted her eyes at him but relaxed when he got nearer. "Hello," Hoseok greeted awkwardly, and the woman nodded. "Are you open?" he asked.

"No. I'm going out," the lady said in a thick accent.

"Ah..." Hoseok muttered, rubbing his nape.

The woman seemed to sense his distress. She creased her eyebrows. "Urgent?" she asked.

With no hesitancy, Hoseok said, "Yes."

She nodded her head and asked, "What flower do you want?"

"I want red roses."

"How many?"

He never thought of that. If he pondered at this moment, that meant he was dragging time and opening a path for Seokjin. He did not know Jiah's favorite number, but if he had to choose, the day of her birthday seemed to be fine. "I want twelve," he said.

As the lady put down her basket, she stepped into the house, slightly limping due to her weak limbs. The woman bent down to fetch roses from a bucket before going to a drawer for some wrapping papers. Hoseok added, "I'm giving it to someone I like."

In the process of wrapping the flowers, the lady let out a breathy laugh and said, "You chose the right number. I will make it pretty."

It was satisfying to watch her wrapping them into a bouquet. Baby's Breath surrounded the roses. Shiny purple wrapping and several folds of chiffon, squared, pink fabric wrapped around. A brown rope encircled the bouquet, finalizing it with a bow tie.

The final product was then brought to him. He showed her a wide smile after a satisfied breath.

**********

At nine in the evening, he returned to the hotel and walked to the Helix Bridge.

According to what he had learned, the bridge was two hundred and eighty meters long. Its name was derived from the distinctive spiral shape that resembled the structure of DNA. The framework was constructed primarily from stainless steel, adding durability and resistance to corrosion in contrast to the country's tropical climate. Just below the bridge was the Bayfront Bridge.

There were four pods along the bridge, allowing visitors to take a pause for a panoramic view of the area. He recognized some of his friends in one of the pods, passing by them as he continued to look for Jiah. LED lights along the bridge in a helix pattern lit his path on the glass flooring.

With a bouquet in his grip behind him, he felt relieved that his staff did not see him. It had saved him from getting his face all red.

He was almost at the end of the platform when he finally saw Jiah at one of the pods through the gap in the helix. But she wasn't alone. Seokjin was there too.

The lack of background sounds around made it clear enough for Hoseok to hear what Seokjin was going to say. Swiftly, he turned around and pulled the hoodie over his redhead. Upset, his mouth opened ajar, letting out an exasperated breath before slumping a shoulder. The bouquet fell on his side.

"I don't think I can see us as friends anymore," Seokjin said. Hoseok could picture Jiah looking bewildered. "I can't stop thinking about you. Funny, isn't it? All I've been wanting was more of you. You make me want to come to work every day even with these monkey asses."

Jiah spoke, "Seokjin, I–"

"Look, I know this is kind of sudden. You don't need to give me the answer now. I can–"

"I have the answer!" Jiah emphasized. Then, there was silence.

Hoseok did not want to know, he did not want to continue to hear.

Jiah and Seokjin had always been close. Seokjin had always been taking care of her. Since day one! Jiah was a caring person. With Seokjin always doing the same for her, so, no doubt that Jiah was going to accept him.

He did not want to give up, but with the assumption in his mind, he walked away. His jaws clenched and unclenched. When he found a trash can on his way to the hotel, he tossed it inside.