---
In the garden, there were buckets of soil, tools, gloves.
He wore light clothes.
A shirt the wind pressed against his body, moving as if it were alive.
—"Lara says the roses look sad.
As if they needed love to bloom."
I looked at the rose bushes.
They had bloomed, yes… but the petals fell too soon.
Sad. Tired.
Like Mom at the end.
—"Your mother grew them, didn't she?"
He leaned in and smelled a rose.
—"They carry her warmth. Just like you."
Something broke inside me.
I lowered my gaze.
—"Yes. They bloomed… but Mom isn't here anymore."
Jong-Suk knelt before me.
He took my hand.
Not like someone who wants to seduce.
Like someone who wants to stay.
—"It's strange…" I murmured, unable to stop myself.
He looked at me with patience, with that calm charm I still didn't understand.
—"What's strange?" he asked, tilting his head slightly.
I swallowed before answering:
—"We've known each other for so little… and yet it feels like we're close.
Right here, right now, you look so at ease.
It seems you know more about me than I know about you…
You even speak of my mother with a familiarity that unsettles me."
Jong-Suk let out a low, soft laugh that sent a shiver up my skin.
Then, with disarming ease, he held out his hand again, inviting me closer.
—"Let's bring them back to life. For her.
Let every flower be a tribute."
—"Yes."
I only nodded.
It was true: Mom's roses didn't deserve to die.
They were precious, a silent reminder of her presence in that house.
He, however, stayed quiet.
He didn't seem in a hurry.
He was waiting for something from me.
I stayed there, attentive, not knowing what else to say… though curiosity burned inside me.
—"You'll have to teach me. I've never done this."
—"What?" I was a little surprised.
He had brought everything needed, yet he didn't know how.
So, he was truly trying.
—"I never had a mother like yours… and I never had a garden.
Only one plant in a small pot, by the balcony, where I used to live."
I smiled without meaning to.
His effort felt a little tender.
—"And you never lived with Mrs. Kwan.
She shared this garden with my mom."
---
We put on gloves.
We loosened the soil.
—"I haven't seen Lara since I was eight," he said softly.
—"And your father?"
—"He died when I was twelve. Cirrhosis.
He never got over her leaving him."
He said it without tears.
But his tone hurt.
—"I'm sorry…"
—"Don't be. You were the one who kept me standing.
I used to dream about what you might have become."
—"We met before?"
—"Yes. It was the best day of my life."
He pulled out a small box.
The same wrapper as the candies from my childhood.
The candies? Did he leave me clues all this time… really?
I had forgotten.
I never saw other kids, but there was that boy…
the one who argued with my Nan-Yao over silly things, who never wanted to play with us.
He had always seemed strange, distant…
as if he belonged to another world despite being right there, so close.
—"That… was the last one I had.
You made me cry. I thought you hadn't valued it."
—"Hahaha! I valued it so much I still remember."
—"My dad only bought me candy when he felt guilty…"
—"Then I'll give them to you. Every day."
So that's why he acted this way.
Every time we were near, he seemed comfortable.
And somehow, it made me glad.
I liked that we had met before, even if I had forgotten.
And… the reason is that I like him.
I like him a lot.
I'm a fool, I know…
I should wait longer, but I feel my heart pounding hard, and it hurts too.
---
He looked at me seriously.
And I only gave what my heart needed to be freed.
—"I like you.
In a way I didn't know someone could be liked.
Like a slow fire that doesn't burn, but melts.
Do you understand?
You ignite me.
And then I tremble.
I won't pretend to be strong.
Even if my voice shakes, I'll tell you everything.
What you make me feel isn't normal.
My heart is tangled in knots.
I didn't dare to tell you…
Because who could bear so much without running away?"
And I felt fear… fear of his answer.
What was I doing, confessing to someone like him?
What if he only wanted to pass the time, while I felt something so… damn intense?
But he didn't need time.
He had already decided.
—"Then I'll confess something too.
I'll chase after you. Mark my territory. Shout that you're mine.
Even if it's unfair. Even if it's not healthy.
I'm crazy. I won't be able to stay away."
And contrary to what I expected, his answer made me tremble.
—"I've never kissed anyone…" I blurted.
How stupid! I said it.
But he just smiled. Nothing more.
He pulled my hand, and we fell onto the damp grass.
My wrists caught in his hands.
His face close to mine.
His lips brushed mine.
And then stopped.
Just for a second.
A bird cried in the distance.
A yellow leaf fell.
And then he kissed me.
Soft. Slow. Real.
And for the first time… I wasn't afraid of giving in.
I was afraid of not having done it sooner.
---
But it wasn't only her…
It was me too, drowning in my own emotions.
Her hesitation didn't surprise me.
She was scared too.
I had been before. I still am.
But some things, if left unsaid, rot in your chest.
That's why I came.
Not because it was safe…
but because it was necessary.
Lara covered for me. She always does.
Even when she plays dumb, she knows when to push.
When she came down the stairs, with that startled face, I knew she still wanted me close.
Shame flushed her cheeks.
She wanted to escape…
but she didn't.
She just needed someone to say:
"I'm here. I won't leave."
I didn't know how to tend roses.
But I knew what it felt like to need love to bloom.
I saw her laugh.
I saw her eyes shine.
And I felt it was all worth it.
Everything.
Even if tomorrow she sends me away.
Even if she says it was a mistake.
I had to stay.
---
And just when I thought we could finally breathe, I felt her hand reach for my hair, gently brushing a strand from my face.
Her eyes met mine—intense, almost trembling.
—"I don't know what I'll do with you now…" she whispered.
The wind stirred the leaves, the garden fell into silence, and I knew nothing would ever be the same again.