- Two Years Later -
KWON JIYONG
'Right here where we once dreamed about, where the lost boy finally got pulled into the shade by the Daisy girl. Sadly, that boy was not careful enough, hitting his head with a thin branch so hard. He hoaxed himself that it was not that painful. The girl asked him whether he was fine, he rose up with a forced grin before said it's alright and he kept tolerating it. Along the empty road, he called her to spin around and asked if he could join the journey. Seemingly, their goal quite looked alike, but they did not know that their route was different. The girl got him a nod blissfully as she already enjoyed being accompanied. Once they were stuck in the middle of the road, the boy's injuries had died along the way. He swayed around the sidewalk, dancing songs to songs himself until his moving hands hit the girl to a massive accident. The poor girl broke her own bony legs. I apologize, darling those words were the only thing his mouth spit out. I adore you those also the only language she could speak. And they kept pacing to the half of the road, although it felt nothing like the same. Two steps to a thousand, the girl finally accepted the pain and told him she could not go anymore. Lost tears came to them both, they did not expect to separate on this lonely roadway. Even the girl had told she was alright being on her own, the boy still managed to afford her his own legs and watched her go. It was sad, but either he or she had to reach the end of achievement. So they separated, the boy grew his legs so still and the girl moved away. Once she reached her destination, the madhouse which she used to build herself had already disappeared. She was homeless for ages, the twilights stayed long but the daylight barely arrived; she discovered. Her reflection was too cruel to admit. Too many sheds she loved to gather every violet time, now they all were collected in a bleached jar. Been staying in dark nights days by days, months and months. Her voice was rust. Her pinned-up hair was dusty. Out of the blue, she heard an echo from somewhere behind her invisible house. She was all ears and decided to follow the sound.
The same road and alleys had now been covered with new-grown flowers, but the sound kept calling her continuously. Where are you? the girl began to ask the sound. I'm where your heart is the sound replied quietly. Days flew by, she still chased for a ghost, all she could do was sitting with regrets and loneliness. Crying with a head low, she looked at her legs. They likely talked to her. She commanded them for a lead, and they started to do so. Pacing and leading through the road of flowers, finally, the boy and the girl met again. How was your journey? he asked. She confessed was such a guilty pleasure, my home that I built was gone. Hesitating in thoughts, he smiled up taking her hands.
Wherever you feel safe and free and comfortable with, that's where your home is located the boy told her. Oh, that almost became a sad story, the girl finally realized...even the destination or journey could not ever serve a true happiness like the company. Unlocking the windows of heart, she returned one of the legs to him, welcomed back home...'
"Oppa, watch out the branch."
"Ouch!"
That's hurt. I touch my forehead, my butt flopping down on the ground. Feeling hurtful like just being hit by a timber.
Running through the Daisy meadow, Peonies gets into me first. "Dada. Hurt?" Her voice cracks in panic, and I adore it.
I burst out laughing when she puts a small hand on my forehead for checking off, as if we're playing Doctor once again like we always enjoy. I stare at my one-year-old daughter, always seeing my two girls in her.
"No, it's not hurt at all, sweetie," I reassure her, kissing the back of her hand. An innocent smile grows on her face.
Behind Peonies's back, there're Daisies and Draco approaching excitedly towards us. I immediately rose up to not disappoint them.
"Oh, gosh. Are you alright, Oppa?" Daisies twists my face to examine the pain carefully.
"Is it bleeding? Do I need a plaster?" I can't help joking.
"No, but it just turns red," she answers, eyebrows knitted. Then she hits my forehead with a picnic basket in her hand. "I told you to watch out. What were you daydreaming about?"
I begin to mutter, suddenly Draco speaks up first.
"Mummy. Not...hurt dada."
"Haha. That's my son." I secretly stick out my bottom lip to Daisies and pick Draco up to my waist. Then, I gesture an air quote for her, 'Don't hurt dada, you heard that?'.
She shakes her head, though a little smile apparently arrives on her face. I carefully walk carrying Draco through the soft grass of the meadow, taking a lead to a big tree where we occupy picnicking.
"Come on, my girls."
And I put my one-year-old son on a white small rug which's covered onto the grass under a tree. This meadow is so aesthetic and marvelous, perfectly round, filled with a bunch of Daisy. There're some other types of flowers, but we'd rather be willingly surrounded by Daisy ones.
I don't even remember how we found this damn most beautiful place and enjoy picnicking here every weekend so far. Probably, it all started when we were driving past by unfamiliar meadows as Daisies was carrying the twins; Draco and Peonies Kwon. Our kids that we decided to accept the Science process after we failed to do it for our own too many times.
For the past two years, I might as well say a lot of things have changed—Changed for good forevermore. I still do music with the greatest bandmates and do my clothes design simultaneously. Also, Daisies's career is gradually back on track as well while she's spent many times during marriage's life with me. Honestly, it doesn't seem that easy to do so, but I have tried helping her many stuff as I could manage. We all mostly live in Korea, and at some point, we stay in America for processing Daisies's works. Apparently, both of us cannot do all those things so easily at the same time, as if sending a duck to water. But we have tried to take them easy—one day at a time.
Without our backstories, we couldn't come back together so far. Daisies and I were on the different pages that got stuck to each other for a long time. Now it's time to be written in the same paragraph, same page at the ending of happily ever after.
"Jo, Dada. Jo," calls Peonies, pointing her little fingers over my shoulder as she's sitting on my lap.
We turn around, and there're Jolie and Gaho running through the meadow towards us. Jolie instantly licks Peonies's knees as soon as it reaches us. Followed with Gaho—barking and tracing around Daisies and Draco.
This is such a marvelous portrait in action. Seeing life has been completed in the way we feel enough—there's no need to seek a journey if we are delighted with what we have already.
I flick a look backwards where Judy noona and Daisies's father, Dylan, wander around the other sidewalk amongst roses. Judy noona catches my glance while she's seemingly having a chitchat with him, out of the blue. She gives me a small nod, and I nod back with a happy beam.
"Mummy? more."
As if a gentle air tapping steals my attention back, I turn to my son whose mouth is obviously full of pancakes that Daisies just fed him a tiny piece few seconds ago.
"You've still got a plenty there in your mouth, Drac," Daisies scolds.
The way my son works on a grimace towards his mom, I can't bear chuckling. He literally reminds me of me. Many people have commented that he's likely Daisies's son. For me, I think he's certainly got so much from me—eyes, nature and even insane grumpiness.
"More, Mummy?" he keeps challenging, still chewing.
"Finish yours first, honey."
"Finit ya," Peonies childishly repeats, teasing her brother.
Daisies and I exchange a quick look before we burst out laughing. Watching these two growing and bounding each other every single day makes me feel strongly valuable—knowing where the ordinary goal of my life leads. Also, there's including the Daisy girl right in front of me who has been excessively influential to my life for a very since.
The memories of all our encounters are as strong, memorable and sore as ever. What we have been through is never easy to forget for our lifetimes. They brought us to where we have stood together—the higher place that always and forever is set in the stone. Without our pasts, we would not be able to arrive here. Reminding us so far, there is no limit of the sky that we could not fly to one another. No limit of suffering to tear us apart as long as we use our hearts to lead.
Importantly there's one of many lessons I've learned from being capable to love her. It is neither journey nor destination matters when it comes to having company. It isn't important about how many ones we have, either. Even there's just only one who makes us comfortable, selfless and lovable, that definitely matters.
"Oppa?" I perk up at my soulmate.
"Yes, Daisies?"
She hands over a wooden sign which's handwritten with our names in one quote. "Let's hang it on the tree, shall we?" she says with a beautiful grin.
"Sure." I take it and sneak a swift look reading the sign.
'GD Daisies Gaho Jolie Draco and Peonies were here!'
There's a little insanely beautiful drawing Band-Aids at the corner. I can tell at the first sight, it's my twin's little portrait of art. My voice cracks in a small lighthearted chuckle. I dig a pen up and write the name Gina behind Peonies's. And then, I hang it over a bleached nail onto the tree.
"Let's get home."
And I lead us all down the endless flower road to our home where the garden grows—where our love never dies of thirst or even not be pollinated.
Remember my butterflies always fly above her skies, pollinating her flowers with my endless love. Remember that I will love her...until we're pushing up the daisies.
— THE END —