CREATURE → JIGYU

seven

"look! look at this one!" mingyu calls.

jihoon looks up from where he's crouching beside a lush strawberry plant, picking a few berries and dropping them into a small basket.

mingyu is sitting on his butt in front of a corner of the garden, trying to grow different flowers for jihoon and becoming more and more excited with each one. he didn't have much else to do, he said, so he let jihoon pick as many berries as he wanted for them to eat.

"jihoon! come look!" mingyu whines. he turns and pouts at jihoon, pointing at his bundle of flowers.

"i'm coming, i'm coming," he placates.

once jihoon stands behind mingyu, he tugs his hand down so that he's draped over his shoulders, his own head tucked under his chin.

unused to random affection, jihoon is startled by the action. but when mingyu points to a sunflower that reaches his eye-level and murmurs, "is it not pretty?" he is ultimately endeared.

"it's very pretty, darling," jihoon assures him.

"dar...ling?" he parrots, smile never leaving his face.

precious. jihoon is beyond embarrassed to have let the name slip, but he's surprised that mingyu is unfamiliar with it.

"yes. it's something you call someone very dear to you, like 'sweetheart' or 'honey,'" jihoon explains.

"my mother used to call me those," mingyu muses. "am i very dear to you? you are very dear to me, jihoon."

then, without waiting for a reply, mingyu begins plucking the flowers he was growing out of the ground into a bouquet. his enthusiasm makes jihoon chuckle.

"yes, you are." jihoon detaches himself from mingyu and sits facing him. he places a hand on his thigh to get him to slow down. "you're very... interesting. and very, very sweet. i like you, visiting you."

mingyu flushes and sputters, "well. i like you as well. i'm not as alone anymore, and you teach me new things like names and 'darling' and lots of other things, i'm sure." he finishes gathering the flowers and holds them out for jihoon to take.

accepting them, jihoon continues, "there's lots of things i can teach you and places i could take you. is there anywhere you've wanted to go?"

much like a confused pup, mingyu tilts his head. "i don't think so. where is there to go? i've never been anywhere but here."

"you've never left this garden? haven't you ever been to the city?" jihoon asks. "seen it, at least?"

"the city?" mingyu chirps curiously. "what is that?"

jihoon huffs out an incredulous laugh. "well, it's a place where lots of people live, and there are buildings as tall as ten houses."

"wow! how many people?"

"many more than there are leaves in this garden." 

"wow!" mingyu looks around the garden in awe, trying to comprehend so many people living in one place. he turns back to jihoon. "and they are all very dear to one another?"

jihoon smiles sadly. mingyu really doesn't know much; so much so that jihoon worries about his naivity. "no, darling. many of them don't know each other at all."

the boy's face falls. "oh. that sounds sad."

"no, no," jihoon tries to stop him from feeling sad. "i mean, sometimes it is, but it can still be a beautiful place. it's somewhere where lots of people can meet."

mingyu's expression is hard to read. he seems almost disappointed, less excited to learn than before. jihoon feels bad. he never wanted to take away his wonder of the world.

"uhm. i think we should get these flowers into a vase. how does that sound?"

the boy brightens when looking at the flowers he grows for jihoon. "yes. that sounds good."