Daffodils only Bloom in Spring

1

Winter had stifled the planet with her harsh, icy breath, the sky suffocating at the hands of obsidian clouds. Distasteful tongues of ice glazed the ground and ferns of frost lingered on window panes. Some considered winter a frigid beauty, but Namjoon found it difficult to acknowledge it as such, what with the wheezing winds and dagger-like icicles.

Mr Kim sat huddled at the desk in his classroom, wanting more than anything to go back home and indulge in the warmth of his bed, despite it being first thing on a Monday morning. Although he was one to always exude positive energy and thoroughly enjoy his job, Namjoon had come into school dreading not only that day, but the rest of the week, fearing what lay ahead. It had been over 24 hours since word of the lockdown had surfaced, but the news anchor's announcement had secured itself the title of the sole focus of the scholar's being. He thought that his job would bring him comfort, and while the sounds of chatter and youthful banter had become mere background noise to the chemistry teacher throughout the development of his career, today the sounds were threatening him with an imposing headache.

The sound of light, consecutive knocks caused Namjoon to lift his head up from its resting position on top of a pile of books on his desk and muster out a weak "Come in".

The door creaked open slightly, and a head peeped out from behind it, letting out a timid "Good morning, Mr Kim".

"You can come in, Seokjin," Namjoon sighed, a small smile appearing on his face. "Make sure you lock the door though."

The student obliged, seating himself on a desk directly in front of Namjoon soon after. He let his legs swing slightly as his gaze landed on the troubled teacher, who was now holding his head in his hands. "What's wrong, Joonie?" Seokjin asked after a minute of silence. "I can go if you'd prefer to be alone. I don't want to intrude or anything."

"No, stay. Please." Namjoon lifted his head and locked gazes with Seokjin. "I'm sorry. I just can't stop thinking about yesterday's stupid news report. Something bad is going to happen. I can feel it."

Jin sighed. "Listen, I get that this is worrying you, but there's really nothing you can do. The government is the way it is, and I doubt anything about it is going to change anytime soon. The lockdown is going to start next week whether you like it or not, whether you know why or not. I know everyone sees you as this prodigy or whatever, but at the end of the day, you need to understand that you can't know the answer to everything. Our knowledge of the truth already far exceeds that of the rest of the Daegu population, so just accept what's going on. What is it that you're still striving for? We're nothing compared to the state."

"No, Jin. What do you expect me to do? Sit here obediently and accept what the government is doing? When we both know the truth?"

"It's not the whole truth."

"It's enough to at least attempt to free Daegu. Don't you feel guilty being aware of the fact that you have the knowledge enabling you to make a change and to create a better life for thousands of Koreans, but choosing not to do anything with it?"

"What are you going to do? Pull a coup d'état? Are you asking to get yourself killed?"

"That's not what I mean. I- we could make a plan, follow a trail that will lead us to the answer, the whole truth. We could set Daegu free, the whole of South Korea free."

"You're being irrational."

"I'm trying to find a way out. Why are you so against that? This could work."

Seokjin got up from where he sat and made his way over to Namjoon, deciding to now perch on a relatively paperwork-free area of the teacher's desk. He cupped the older's face in his palms, kissing his forehead. "I'm just trying to look out for you. I'm worried. You're always so reckless when you're passionate. You need to know your own limits."