when it blooms | yunsan

Chapter 18

On the day blessed with bright sun and blue sky, Yunho finds his mother crying, and for once he doesn't mind. She looks pretty with tears of joy, and if he does mind, it's the fact that she'd break in tears too frequently she might dehydrate not only because of the sun.

"Eomeoni, you're crying too much!" Jiyoon rubs his mother's back, laughing brightly; a stark contrast of his mother.

"I can't stop it, Jiyoon-ah! You look so beautiful," she sobs, which makes Jiyoon laugh louder. Her smile is as bright as the sun glittering upon, as the white dress she's wearing, as it should be. It suits her so well, so much more than tears she wore under heavy snow.

Jiyoon has found her love and promised her forever on this fateful day. Choosing her hometown and an outdoor garden with a small gathering sounded much like the Jiyoon he remembers from seven years ago.

He sees Mingi stuffing his mouth with delicious food taking advantage of this rare occasion, his plump cheeks looking content. He sees Wooyoung and Yeosang chatting over fancy cocktails and he can imagine them admitting that alcohols aren't that bad over coffee, at times. He sees people chatting and laughing, all the while having a small or a big curve up on their faces.

What a great day it is, Yunho thinks. A day where everyone is happy for someone's happiness. A day where people cheer for someone's new beginning.

"It's a great wedding."

Yunho hears a voice from his side. He turns, and he sees San gazing at the crowd full of glee.

"You were a part of it," Yunho praises, knowing very well San's great effort to collect the most beautiful and vibrant flower decorations made of orchids and peonies. He knows the name of the white and pink flowers, because Yunho in fact did help him throughout this most important and intense work since San began his shop. The garden wedding would have been nothing without all these freshest flowers, and Jiyoon didn't hold back to show how eternally glad she was to have had San being part of her wedding.

San grins at Yunho, proudly.

Yunho narrows his eyes, with how his smile lights up the world, because San blooms in gold, pink and pearl. He still has a phantom image of San growing glittering wings, but he has made sure so many times that the boy has nothing mythic protruding from his smaller back. He doesn't need thunder for him to do that anymore.

When Yunho confirmed of his relationship with San, Mingi had cheered 'fucking finally', Wooyoung and Yeosang teased and gave him a free caramel macchiato (with a dose of rum in it, they didn't even warn), Hongjoong grinned like a proud elder brother, and Jongho threatened Yunho to not make San cry. Yunho carved that in his heart knowing very well the boy could end his life with his muscles.

"I'm proud of you, Sannie," Yunho leans down to kiss him on the cheek. They're standing at the edge of the party, and everyone is busy celebrating the one in the centre of the event to even be bothered with what's happening in the corner. Still, San blushes profusely and gives what's supposedly an intimidating glare, but Yunho isn't the least scared, if anything, he looks quite the opposite.

"I like you, Sannie. I really like you."

The fishbone in his throat was gone. The words float easily out of his mouth, and Yunho tries to recall when he started having that something-seems-to-be-stuck-in-my-throat issue.

"Love at first sight."

He can almost hear future Mingi cackling at him, with a follow up of 'I told you so.'

Yunho supposes love exists.

He's seen a couple of them living up to his age, and he's just witnessed Jiyoon vow 'I will love you and honour you all the days of my life.'

He's yet to experience it, but when he looks at the person standing next to him, he feels the vow nestle in the left of his chest. Because Yunho believes in what he sees, and he can almost see it on the curve of San's lips, on the dents of his cheeks, in the glitter of his eyes.

It's budding. And Yunho is no expert but he doesn't doubt for a second that it's a thread away, for it to bloom radiantly, in the colours he has never seen.

- End -