daffodils ❀ *! nomin ✔

epilogue

* ❞epilogue ↺ *

there wasn't a day that went by that jeno didn't visit jaemin's grave. day after day, he would kneel before his tombstone with a bundle of peach roses.

silent tears would stream down his face as he whispered apologies into the air and fought the guilt that clutched at his heart.

however, he thought. nothing i feel could amount to the pain jaemin must've felt.

what made him want to leave such a perfect relationship? what pushed him to toss jaemin aside for someone he had only just met? he already had a treasure in his hands, so why did he have to go try and dig up some more? whether it was greed, desire for novelty, or simply having taken jaemin's love for granted, it was what tore their love to pieces and ended one's life.

so, that was why jeno decided he wanted to leave the world the same way jaemin did. he thought he should suffer just like him, because he deserved it. it would be the least he could do after killing the love of his life. jaemin threw his life away for his love for jeno, so jeno would do the same for someone else.

for years, he searched for someone he loved but couldn't be with. and for years, he was unsuccessful. with every relationship he entered, he was only able to offer half-hearted love and weak feelings. he could not fool himself into loving someone other than na jaemin.

he had hoped that his love for jaemin would give him the disease, as jaemin was dead and shouldn't be able to return his feelings. however, jaemin had carried on his love for jeno even in death.

he would love him until the end of time.

seventy years later, jeno laid on his death bed. he had pursued hanahaki disease all these years, and it had evaded him. perhaps this was his punishment for being the cause of jaemin's death.

as he took his final breaths, he felt someone's hand cover his own. wearily opening his eyes, jeno saw a young jaemin beaming down at him.

"jaemin-ah...is that you?"

"yes. i'm here, jeno."

"are we going somewhere, jaemin?"

"yes, we're going together."

tears flowed freely from jeno's eyes. oh how he had missed these moments.

jaemin used his other hand to wipe away jeno's
tears.

"it's time to go," he said with a gentle smile, lacing their fingers together. "i love you, lee jeno."

"i love you too, na jaemin."

* ❞the end ↺ *