Flowers of Despair || Haruto from TREASURE

seventeen

February 22, 2022

"Mom, where are you taking me on a Tuesday afternoon? Don't you have to be in the hospital today?" Eunhye asked as she hopped in the back of the car next to her mother.

They immediately left the dorm area once she entered. "Just wanted to go and take my daughter out on my day off." She sweetly smiled.

"You barely take day offs, is there something important we need to discuss?" Eunhye furrowed her eyebrows.

"No dear, don't worry. Is there any movie that you wanna watch in the cinema today?"

Eunhye parted her lips in surprise. "Uhm... no? I usually just watch on Netflix..."

"Are you hungry?"

"A little bit, I only ate a small portion of today's breakfast."

"You've lost a lot of weight since the last time I saw you but according to your manager, you've already gained weight at this point. Are you on a strict diet? Do you want me to tell them what diet plan your dietician has proposed for you?" Her mom put Eunhye's chin up using her finger and examined her sharp jaw.

"No... I just haven't been eating well these past few days. I'm resting as much as I can."

"Dear, resting means taking care of yourself as well not sleeping and skipping meals."

"I know, sorry." She looked down at her fingers and started fiddling with it.

"I'm taking you to a buffet, eat a lot and stuff yourself alright?" Eunhye nodded her head and looked out the window.

They arrived at the buffet restaurant located at a hotel and entered without any reservations for them. Eunhye felt a sense of guilt while passing by the long line of people waiting to enter. Instead, she avoided their gazes and just walked along with her mom. They entered the small private room where the manager of the restaurant directed them and settled themselves in.

"Enjoy your lunch, Your Royal Highnesses. Do ring the bell if you have any requests or if you decide to have your chosen food brought here." He gave them a small smile before leaving the room. Her mom gave him a quick nod.

"Anything you're craving for, Eunhye?" Her mom asked. "I'll start with an appetizer, home-cured gravlax sounds good as a starter."

She shifted uncomfortably. "Uhm, garden salad for me then."

Her mom stared at her weirdly. "Hey, I know you well enough to say that you aren't the type of person to order that. Change it, dear."

Eunhye chuckled. "Alright fine, I'm getting a hanwoo beef burger."

"That's more like it." Her mom rang the bell and ordered the food. When the waiter left they had another conversation. "How are you and your friends? The one with Hyunsuk and Inu?"

"CCT? Everyone's doing well, Jihoon's become a bit more protective over Hwayoung and his other cousins cause they're starting to grow up now." She laughed. "Junkyu and Kiaraa are still together." Eunhye started off with her mom's two favorite boys.

"Hm, did Kiaraa pass the board exams?" Her mom took a sip of water.

"She hasn't even taken the exam, Mom." They both laughed.

"How about you? How are you holding up with classes?"

Eunhye sighed. "I still hate royal academies but I guess I'm doing well with it. I hate research as well."