garden of fools. | 범규 √

EXPLANATION CHAPTER

briefly, before I get into it, please keep this in mind!
I highly, highly, HIGHLY suggest reading the plot before digging into spoilers.
this is for people who have read the story, and it'll ruin all the hard work I put into this story
if you decide to skip it all! please read at your own risk.

EXPLANATION CHAPTER — GARDEN OF FOOLS

♡ Yes, where we left off, there will be no epilogue. Taking Yeonjun's hand, Yihwa is giving him a chance—not only as a friend but as someone she sees as a man.

She said it before she took his hand, that it either means a mistake or a new opportunity and as far as I know (as the author), it's a new opportunity. (I rooted for them anyway.)

♡ Each TXT member represented a stage of grief in which Yihwa learned through falling in love.

Huening Kai, denial — Yihwa continues to deny that the love she was brought/found was going to be toxic.

Kang Taehyun, anger — Yihwa finds anger within herself because of the love she's created and what she did to Beomgyu, it is also seen through Taehyun.

Choi Yeonjun, bargaining — the "higher-up" (in both seniority and age) that she bargains with in hopes to make the suffering and love stop. It fails though (because the devil who bargained voided the contract.

Choi Soobin, depression — Yihwa constantly pressures herself to find answers and believes she is stuck in one spot. When Soobin leaves, he realizes she is finally becoming more independent and is the signal that she is moving on.

Finally, Choi Beomgyu, acceptance — Both Beomgyu and Yihwa accept the ultimatum that is their breakup, and in Yihwa's perspective, she becomes more independent in the past and the present. She accepts her fate and her new opportunities instead of dwelling upon them.

♡ Again, a disclaimer now that it's ended!

I do NOT glorify toxic and abusive (in any way) relationships. This book was to show my readers red flags and when it's time to walk away. Please keep in mind both Yihwa AND Beomgyu were in the wrong, not only Beomgyu. Garden of Fools is a book where both characters reminisce on their mistakes, even when we only see one perspective.

♡ Symbols of Chaos:

— In chapter one, the two butterflies that collided were supposedly Beomgyu and Yihwa. Yihwa was the one that died while Beomgyu was the one that watched. It shows the beginning of the toxic relationship between the two as Beomgyu would sit back and watch how Yihwa felt helpless.

— In chapter thirty-nine, we see two new butterflies. They don't collide, and instead, they pass. Beomgyu is the one that stays in the garden while Yihwa is the one that escapes it, which foreshadows the finale where they meet again.

— Yihwa smoking was a validation, a validation to prove that she had moved on. Same with the lighter, her clinginess towards it was to show that she still had love left for him, but not anymore. Her hair, cutting down on smoking, and throwing away the lighter were to truly show she did move on.

— Sanha is one of my favorite characters, considering that he is the prelude to the wall that tries to separate Beomgyu and Yihwa. Sanha falls in love with her, but it is not on purpose. With that in mind, that's also the same thing with Yeonjun. He just wants Beomgyu to stop treating Yihwa like crap, but falls in love with her in the process. (Overall, Sanha deserves the world, now that he's more of Yihwa's parallel than Yeonjun's.)

— When Beomgyu walks away from her in the finale, it symbolizes that he's grown up and matured. While still holding the bracelet and the ring as a remembrance, he is still learning to cope with the loss of his girlfriend.

♡ Overall, I hope you've enjoyed Garden of Fools. It's a pleasure to be writing this and showing what it's like to be in this situation, and what it feels like. I apologize if it's brought confusion, but this is one of my favorite books and I worked on it for a while!

Thank you for following Yihwa through the temptations of love, all while falling out of it with Beomgyu—and for letting Yihwa truly have that "third time's the charm" luck with Yeonjun.

Thank you for emitting chaos with me and flying with me through this book! May we continue with happier books, after such a sad one :) Bye!