You're my first and last love.
You're my best friend.
Thank you for being with me until the end.
PART OF THE HANAHAKI SERIES 1 out of 7
#9 in HoseokFanfics
He delicately wipes his hands on the apron that covered his waist, as he maneuvers around the pots and patches of greenery and vibrant petals.
He greets the incoming guests as they stare at awe of the beauty swarming the garden. The butterflies fluttering by cause the children to giggle. The bees buzzing cause adults to laugh. The atmosphere of the garden was simply serene and uplifting, and it all reminded him of the way you would twirl around in his presence during his youth. No, he wasn't old, unless you consider your early thirties ancient, but he definitely wasn't as young as he used to be. Not as young as he was when you were around.
He nodded politely at the passing guests, who complimented him and bid him their greetings. His eyes catch a lingering figure in his favorite part of the garden. The figure looked so familiar that his heart clenched. She was in a high school uniform, that brought him back to his youth, to moments when his mother had to personally tailor your outfit for it to fit comfortably. His curiosity pushes him to see what this girl found so intriguing. He knew it wasn't you, but it didn't hurt for him to approach.
So he did.
"Peruvian lilies," he spoke up.
The young girl spun around rather quickly, and he could not stop his heart from dropping in disappointment. Of course it wasn't you, but a part of him hoped he could at least glimpse at you once more.
"I'm sorry?"
He smiles at her confusion, "alstroemerias, also known as Peruvian lilies. Native in South America." She nods, unsure of how to respond. She wasn't necessarily expecting someone to approach her, she simply needed to find a flower to study for an upcoming Botany project.
Her eyes cast to the painted mural behind the patch of alstroemerias, a smiling girl with closed eyes, surrounded by painted flowers, but primarily the Peruvian lilies that were planted in front of her.
"Do you think it's true?" She suddenly turns to him, and Hoseok raises a brow at the teen. She shrugs, "you know, the story of the owner of the garden."
He hums, but feigns ignorance, he wasn't all too sure what kids were saying about his garden these days, "what's the story?"
She turns her attention back to the mural, "well, a friend of mine explained to me that the garden is in honor of a girl who was in love with the owner when they were in high school. However, she was born with the HKa1 gene, you know...the gene that causes Hanahaki disease?"
She checks to see if he's listening, he is.
"I heard that the gardener felt so sorry for the girl, because he couldn't return her feelings. Out of guilt, ten years after her death, he was finally able to gather enough savings to create a large garden, of which contains every flower the girl ever coughed," she finished on a solemn tone, obviously feeling sympathy for the man. It surely was not his fault, but she was sure he blamed himself for the girl's death. Little did she know, the man in question was standing next to her.
"She was my best friend,"
he started, causing the girl to look up at him. It then clicked. She realized who this man was, and she should've recognized the signature rumored look of the dirt covered clothing, paired with a lily sitting peacefully in the chest pocket of his dress shirt. He wanted to laugh at her look of realization, it was a look only a teenager had when they realized how much they potentially screwed up. And once again he was reminded of his teenage days with you.
"I'm so sorry-"
"It's alright," he chuckles. He bends down to one of the growing alstroemerias as he reaches in his pocket for his shears. He delicately cuts the stem and raises the flower to his eye level. "She coughed these the most, but the thing about her was that despite how suffocating these flowers were, she always found beauty in them," he says. He gently pets the petals, just as he once did your hair.
"You're right, I did feel guilty, but that wasn't why I made the garden," he pauses. It was his turn to see if the stranger was listening, she was.
"I made the garden so that I could always be with her," he smiled sadly as more memories of you filter through his head. "Every flower that has taken her away from me is housed in the greenhouse and I take the time to care for them to ensure they don't grow to wildly as they did in her lungs."
He continues, "I tend to them with all my love and care, as if that would make up for my inability to do the same for her." He chuckles as he realizes his foolishness in unloading his baggage to this random school girl, who simply wanted to enjoy the garden.
He's about to apologize to her, but she suddenly wraps a hug around his torso. She pulls away after several moments, "My mom always tells me that everyone needs a hug once in a while. I think it's beautiful. Not just the garden, but the reasoning behind it. I'm sure you're making her proud."
She smiles at him, and it remind him of you. He appreciates the reminder, and returns her smile. "Thank you," he says. He leans forward, only to hand her the cut lily. Her eyes widens, but she gladly takes the flower and beams at him.
"Take care Mr.Gardener," she says softly.
He gives her a nod and returns his eyes to your mural.
In a hushed tone that was more to himself he sighs,"I hope she's right about you being proud of me."
A sudden breeze whips pass him and his shoulders tense for a moment, before they sink in comfort. A butterfly delicately takes it's time to flutter around him before landing on the lily in his dress pocket, and he smiles, knowing your answer.
"Good to know."
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A/N: I noticed this story was getting more popular, so in tribute I wanted to offer a happier ending of which the story ends. Thank you for reading!
