Ik, ik... totally following the list I made for myself last time. XD this is totally random but I felt like it, so enjoy :D
*
Chaewon felt it. The stirring in her stomach, the bile coating her throat, tasting sour and making the stirring worse. Damn it, not now. Chaewon quietly excused herself from the table and as soon as she was out of sight of the "motherly members", i.e. Eunbi, Chaeyeon, and essentially the rest of the unnie line, she sprinted, practically flying, up the stairs to her personal apartment.
Rushing into the bathroom, Chaewon threw up. No, it wasn't the gross kind that tasted bad and made other people want to puke. No, Chaewon coughed out blood and roses. It was a weird sensation - she wasn't vomiting completely solid mass, but rather, her lungs didn't have space for rose bushes and air. Every time she made a big move, she could feel the thorns piercing the only thing that could help her breathe. This meant no hugging. But it was worse every time she had to come and spit this stuff out. The thorns scratched against her. She couldn't stop coughing, no matter how hard she tried.
A drop of blood trailed from the corner of her mouth down her chin.
After sitting and catching her breath for a few minutes, Chaewon lifted her eyelids. She eyed the rose petals distastefully. Unfortunately, she needed to remove the evidence. Using her bare hands, Chaewon gathered the rose petals and flushed them down the toilet. The blood was still wet on the floor.
Jeez, it looked like someone was murdered in here, Chaewon thought, ferociously scrubbing blood off of her fingers.
And toweling her hands, Chaewon made her way silently and tranquilly down the stairs, as though nothing had happened. Like her one week left to live meant nothing. Like her love meant nothing.
*
Hanahaki is an infection, or infestation rather, of roses that can grow in the lungs if one is completely and fully in love with someone. This love has to have lasted consistently and completely secretly for four years. After the four years, the 'seed of love' is prepared to sprout. Once developed, this gives the subject of the disease four years to lift the burden of love from their own shoulders - to either confess or get the rose bush removed and given to special sanctuaries for these seemingly harmless plants. Having the bush removed is instant loss of any romantic love for the patient. However, if the patient fails to remove the burden of love, after eight years of long suffering, the patient will die.
Researchers speculate that this is what the rose plant represents. A rose, bright, red and fragrant has the consequence of a thorn - grasp it too firmly, and you'll prick yourself. Feeding it only makes it grow larger and more dangerous, but the larger it is, the the richer the smell is. Sharing its existence with another puts that person in danger of being hurt, but it also gives them the joy of smelling the sweet perfume of the rose. Pulling up the innocent roots of this rose and discarding it like nothing takes away the danger but relieves the grower of the aroma forever. But just letting the rose sit there in the sun with lots of water allows it to weave itself deeply into the soil and to the plants around it. The rose's thorns are sharp enough to pierce like a knife and the scent is simply too strong to be pleasant anymore.
The danger is clear, but some find the sweet fragrance worth it.
*
"What was that about earlier?"
Chaewon groaned. This was the sixteenth random question Yena had asked her and this would be the sixteenth time Chaewon told her to shut the frick up and let her read in peace.
"Yena unnie. I have a Swiss Army knife in my pocket. Leave. Me. Alone."
"Seriously, this time." Now Chaewon had to look up. Yena's eyes looked sincere, and Yena was never serious. Chaewon sighed and marked a page in her book.
"Repeat the question."
"What happened? Earlier?"
"Nothing. I went to the bathroom. I came back. What of it?"
"Why was there blood on the floor? Look, Chaewon, I have said that I'd help you get away with murder, but I'm not sure I'll be able to sleep at night if I know my best friend and my neighbor would actually use that Swiss Army knife of hers-"
Chaewon laughed bitterly. "No, it's nothing like that."
"Then what was it?"
Chaewon took a deep breath in. She was shaking. Calming herself down, she reminded herself that this was Yena, and Yena could help.
"I have Hanahaki."
There was a moment of silence.
"Oh no, this isn't-"
"It is."
Yena covered her hand with her mouth, remembering Chaewon's childhood crush. Chaewon looked down.
"How many years?"
"Seven, eight next week."
Yena's eyes widened. "Chaewon, why didn't you tell us?"
Chaewon snorted. "Because one of you idiots would have told her."
"We wouldn't have."
"You would have and you know it, Choi Yena."
Another awkward silence sucked up all sound. Almost like a blast of quiet.
"YOU need to tell her."
"I can't."
"You know you can."
"I can't."
"Why?"
Chaewon huffed and blew her bangs from her eyes. "She's too pretty. And she'd hate me. She... Yena, I'm not going to destroy years of friendship for this. You know how hard it is - WE set you and Yuri up. You literally needed us to push you into her face and shout 'CONFESS MORON!'"
Yena's face caught fire and her words seemed to has well as she immediately answered. "Chaewon, I know it's hard, but you're literally going to die in seven days."
She sat up. "Look, if you need me, Yuri and I are right next door. Okay?"
"Yeah."
*
Chaewon shifted uncomfortably on her pillow. No. No, please not... damn it. Her throat was parched and already burned like someone had pressed a hot poker to it. She shivered and shuffled over to the bathroom, feet knocking against her bookshelf and sending things spilling onto the floor. Chaewon flinched with every loud thump.
Needing to cough badly, Chaewon couldn't stop, but she also kind of just sat there, heaving and half heartedly trying to get it out of her system. The hot, murky taste of her own blood filled her mouth and made her feel even more sick to her stomach. Tears and blood dripped off her cheeks.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Chaewon tried the 'ignorance' tactic. Didn't work.
She weakly coughed out a, "Not right now!"
Of course, this meant that the person used a key to get in. Lovely. Now two people would know of Chaewon's illness.
Half asleep, mind fogged, Chaewon could barely bring herself to care.
Until an angelic voice sounded from behind the door.
"Chaewon?" The soft padding of Kim Minju's steps barely made a sound. "Chaewon? I thought I heard-" Chaewon sprang up and slammed her back against the door, heart pounding, breathing hard.
"Chae! I know you're in there!"
"You can't come in."
"I can and I will."
The two girls fought viciously against each other, pressing the whole of their body weights against the door. Chaewon struggled and sweated and almost held up. But she was weak and frail and wouldn't have lasted long either way.
So the door flew open as Chaewon's legs gave out and she crumbled to the ground.
Minju took a minute to asses the situation. She gasped.
Quickly wetting a towel with cool water from the sink, she bent over and wiped the blood off of Chaewon's face. Chaewon was too out of it to care - she could barely feel the floor under her body at this point. Gently brushing Chaewon's hair out of her face, Minju continued to clean Chaewon's chin of the blood. She didn't notice the salty tears.
"W-why didn't you tell me?"
Chaewon tried to answer. She really did. But she could barely open her eyes without feeling nauseated. She groaned and fell on the hard, cool floor grabbing her stomach. She shifted around, trying to find a spot that hadn't been warmed from her body heat already.
Minju hesitantly reached out and retracted her arms a few times before finally deciding to pick up Chaewon and gently roll her into bed. Worriedly, she waited as Chaewon turned to face her savior.
Her throat was as dry as sandpaper. "You... can't tell... anyone," she croaked.
"I-I won't."
"I'll... explain later."
With that, Minju pursed her lips and made her way out of the apartment. Chaewon silently cried as thorns pierced her lungs and with every sob that racked her body, they pierced through more.
*
Chaewon did her best to avoid Minju all day. She succeeded. Clearly people thought highly enough of her to not be surprised when she said, "I have dance," or "I have choir," or "Sorry guys, studying for this test..." Minju knew she was being ignored, and although she tried, she failed to capture Chaewon as hour after hour without explanation slipped through her fingers, more evasive than water.
Chaewon hoped it would stay this way. Only four more days left of this suffering.
Chaewon found herself visiting the bathroom in her apartment every hour on the hour, and it only got worse and worse. At the two day mark, she reached a high of fifteen. Fifteen piles of rose petals and blood drying up on the bathroom floor.
That evening, the day before the last day, Minju caught up with Chaewon.
"Explain." Chaewon sighed a tired sigh. She was weak and frail. Maybe she could make up a lie.
No, Minju knew when she was lying. She'd have to stick mostly to the truth.
"So... you know Hanahaki."
"Yes, evidently Chaewon."
"I have it. I've had it for a while now, six years," this was true, "so I have two years left." That was a lie. Partially. She did have two of something, it's just that she only had two days instead of two years.
Chaewon didn't elaborate.
"You have to tell the person, Chae." Minju sounded somewhat disappointed. Maybe it was because Chaewon hadn't told her? Or something else...
Chaewon's brain rejected anything that would take a significant amount of thought.
"I can't."
"You can."
"Minju, you don't understand, I-"
"Chaewon, you have to. If not for your sake, for mine. For our friends'."
Minju grabbed Chaewon's hand. A light pink sprinkled Chaewon's cheeks. How could she tell this Minju that the reason behind the Hanahaki was Minju herself?
"Promise me you'll tell tomorrow."
"Fine."
*
Chaewon spent almost all of her last day writing. Writing letters. One to Eunbi, Chaeyeon, Yena, Hitomi, everyone. Including Minju. Of course, every half an hour she was interrupted by her rose plant.
She wrote to Eunbi how Eunbi had been more of a mom to her than her own mother. How she loved her dearly and she would miss her so much.
She wrote to Chaeyeon how she had been the perfect teacher, motherly figure, and friend. How Chaeyeon had been her constant helper.
She wrote to Yena, thanking her for the advice and the second home. She wrote of how she'd miss that guidance.
She wrote to Hitomi, thanking her for being that lovely, cute, feisty friend. The fairy she could rely on for sparkles and glitters of hope.
She wrote to Nako about how she had been a happy pill. Sakura, how she had been the cool, single aunt that wasn't actually single. Hyewon, how she could lighten the mood with pessimism and constant love for food. Yujin, how she could always make Chaewon laugh. Wonyoung, how she made Chaewon feel like a really short babysitter in the best way possible. Yuri, how she'd miss their singing together and her constant clinginess.
She wrote to Minju. About how heartbreaking it was to know she'd never see her again, about how bitter she felt about all this. About how lovely she was, about how soft her face was when she held it in her hands. About how sad she'd be to die without knowing if her love was mutual. About how heart-wrenchingly pretty she was.
And just after signing them all and addressing them to the right places, she felt it. The rose petals were taking up a huge part of her lungs now. She could barely breathe - certainly not enough to keep her upright in her chair. She fell to the side, hair splayed out on the floor.
She heard footsteps. It didn't matter. She was already gone now.
"Chaewon? Chae? CHAEWON!"
The screaming voice sounded like a faint echo in her head.
"Who was it? Say it now! Chaewon I need you please tell me!"
Looking up, vision blurry and unclear, Chaewon could make out Minju flailing around and sobbing.
"I-I-It w-was y-y-you..."
With that, Chaewon passed out.
*
Beep. Beep. Beep. Light flooded her eyesight as the white drapes were opened.
First analysis - this wasn't her room.
Second analysis - she didn't feel sick.
Third analysis - rose bush was gone.
Fourth analysis - Minju was holding her hand and she was blushing, meaning she hadn't lost ability to love.
"M-M-Min Min?"
"CHAE!"
Minju sobbed as she flung herself on to Chaewon. For the first time in years, Chaewon could properly squeeze her back. Minju smelled like jasmine - a fresh, new scent. Not rose. A miracle.
When they pulled away, Minju left her face only four inches from Chaewon's.
"You IDIOT! YOU STUPID HALFWITTED DOLT! YOU ALMOST DIED! YOU COULD HAVE DIED AND I-" Chaewon cut off Minju's whisper yelling by pulling her in again, this time for a kiss. Minju melted into Chaewon's arms.
"Feeling better now?"
Minju blushed. "I-I should be asking YOU that. You're the one on the hospital bed."
But Chaewon was smiling from ear to ear. "I'm fine. You're here. I couldn't be better."
And this time Minju grabbed Chaewon's chin to kiss her.
*
Okay this is the singular randomest grammar thing, but I just wanted to say that if one is 'nauseated', this means that they are feeling sick to their stomach, etc. However, is nauseous, this means they make other people nauseous. You're welcome Mom, I'm teaching English as though I actually knew how to speak anything other than problematic American with a bunch of grammar issues.
I need sleep.
Hahah, I did not follow the update schedule I made last time at ALL, did I? Spy AU my foot. I'm really good at not following directions. You can ask my English teacher.
Anyways, just wanted to say thx. For the katrillionth time. Cuz y'all are amazing.
Luv u all and I will always take requests :)
Currently writing:
- Spy AU (hiinak)
- Royalty/Cinderella AU (kangbi)
- Werewolf AU (ssamyen or 2kimz)
- Vampire AU (kangbi or chaekura)
- Mental asylum (annyeongz)
Help me. Also sorry for not updating for like a week. Luv u <3