SHADES OF SUMMER | jjk

03 | SUNFLOWER YELLOW

JEONGGUK TRAILED BEHIND summer, listening to her talk about each flower as though they were old friends. he smiled small, enjoying how different her point of view on life was so different from everyone else's.

her hair moved wildly, the yellow sundress she wore billowing in the breeze like a frail kite. sandaled feet moved slowly and with purpose ahead of him. jeongguk listened to her talk, putting in his own tuppence worth where he could.

she stopped moving altogether as they got to the chrysanthemums. he watched as she leaned down, bending at the knees to regard the vibrant flowers. one hand reached out to touch them, fingers trailing over dainty petals.

"are they your favourite?" he asked softly, noting her interaction with the flowers. "no, but they definitely fascinate me the most." she answered, still fixated on the bright flowers. jeongguk crouched down next to her, eyes now on the florets. "why is that?"

"they come with different meanings. and their significance in different occasions is a sort of ironic contradiction." she seemed almost bewitched by the flowers as she continued to stare at them, fingers brushing gently over them. "like?" he looked to her curiously.

she caressed one yellow blossom. "unrequited love, sadness." her gaze moved down, where the red chrysanthemums bloomed. "passion, love."

she glanced behind them where white and violet chrysanthemums stood out. "loyalty, honesty. a wish for better health." summer's expression seemed to be a mix of pain and amusement at her last statement. "they're meant to signify longevity of life but they're also memorial flowers."

her eyes met his and she smiled, the corners of her eyes creasing, all evidence of her earlier seriousness gone. "i can't decide if i like them or not. they confuse me so much." she chirped.

jeongguk straightened, reaching out a hand to help her up. he felt the same way about her that she did the flowers. one moment, jeongguk thought he had summer figured out and the next, he didn't know what to make of her.

she didn't let go of his hand when she was standing straight, her smile becoming bigger. "do you want to see my favourite flowers?" she sounded so excited. it was infectious and his smile came without him realising. "sure."

and with her hand still in his, she took off down the maze path lined with flowers of every form and colour. a place that made jeongguk think nature's artist had decided to have fun and splash colours in haphazard yet premeditated patterns.

her hand felt cold against his. he found it so very strange. how could such a warm person have such cold hands?

suddenly, she stopped and he barely stopped himself from running into her. he was about to ask her which ones were her favourite when he heard it.

wheezing.

summer tried to hide and jeongguk could tell but he'd heard it. clear as day. in worry, he moved around to face her. "summer, are you okay?" his eyes widened when he saw how much she seemed to struggle with breathing. his hands reached out to touch her face, brush her hair back, panic written all over his.

"i'm taking you back." he told her, moving to lift her up. summer shook her head frantically, fingers grabbing at the sleeves of his t-shirt. "but summer!" jeongguk's voice was a mix of concern and desperation. "do you have an inhaler?"

she nodded and pointed at the small backpack he carried on his shoulders for her. hurriedly, he moved it off his shoulders, searching through the bright yellow kanken bag. breathing heavily when he grabbed the dark blue object, he helped her keep a steady hold on it.

sighing in relief when her breathing returned to normal, jeongguk pulled summer into his arms in a hug. "you should really think about your health before you do things." he muttered. he'd had no idea she was asthmatic until that moment.

her hands slowly moved up to his back. "i'm sorry." her voice was muffled in his embrace. jeongguk could feel her hands form fists around his t-shirt. "but i still want to show you the flowers." she let out after a while, reminding him he had been holding her for far too long.

he smiled, pulling away slowly. "okay, but no more running." he warned and she chuckled. "i'm older than you, boy." she chastised, though her tone was anything but warning. "whatever," he mumbled, taking her hand as they walked the rest of the way.

"here," summer informed quietly, gently tapping his upper arm. jeongguk's eyes took in the sight before him and he honestly shouldn't have been surprised.

it was befitting really. bright and beautiful, tall as though they were proud of what they were, facing the sun like they were soaking in all the positive energy they could. just like summer. her favourite flowers perfectly translated who she seemed to be. he grinned as he stared at the field of yellow that she fit into beautifully.

everything made sense. and in that moment, he decided that no matter how much of an enigma she appeared to be at certain points in time, there was one thing that would remain constant in jeongguk's mind.

summer was like a field of sunflowers.