Falling Petals (songkim; completed)

c h a p t e r f o u r .

"Rose Tattoos? What an interesting title... But why Rose Tattoos?"

Mino and Jinwoo were in a cafe. Mino has just shown his boyfriend the final draft of his novel. "I was thinking Tattoo from the beginning, something that stands for 'mark', something that isn't disappearing, something that's lasting."

Jinwoo smiled at his answer. "That's nice."

"You will never leave me, right?" Mino suddenly pondered.

"What kind of question is that?"

Mino held Jinwoo's hand. "I just wanna make sure. I don't want to read this book one day thinking that it was all good while it lasted. I don't want us to be just memories. I want us to be a forever thing. I want to be with you forever, love."

Jinwoo placed his free hand on top of Mino's and pet it lightly. "I'll be here as long as you want me to. I've been here for three years already because of you, I've no reason to leave."

"You know that I love you so much, right?"

Jinwoo nodded. "Of course."

"Of course." That's what Jinwoo was expecting Mino to answer. He didn't think he'll be shocked at his request. Saying yes to him is the least thing his ex-boyfriend - ex-fiancé - can do for him.

It took him guts, tons of willpower, great amounts of prayer to muster up standing before Mino. If it was all up to him, he wouldn't. Honestly, he couldn't even take the sight of him. Something inside of him felt like wrenching.

Of course, it was his heart. Three years didn't change anything.

Mino was his life.

His life revolved around Mino for more than five years.

Mino taught him how to live beyond the stages of the theatre, beyond his roles in a play, beyond the story of the plays. Mino taught him how to love, love someone so deeply he was so willing to leave everything behind to be with him.

Mino was his first everything in real life. It was so real and surreal. He should've known how too good to be true it was.

Many, many times after he left Mino, Jinwoo had thought of returning and coming back to him. Many, many times, he fought with himself. It was his love for Mino versus his love for himself. Fortunately, the latter prevailed and still prevails.

But because of his dearest mother, he had to talk to him. And now there was he, inside Mino's house.

And if Mino wasn't being sadistic, then he didn't know what he was being because why of all places, he would have him sit at that very particular sofa.

Jinwoo almost cringed, well he cringed inside having to sit there. He knew three years passed by not just for them, but for the nonliving thing, yet he couldn't take the fact on his mind that it was there, right there where all his dreams had been crushed down.

"Can I see your hand?"

For a while, Jinwoo's mind buffered but when he realized what Mino was trying to do, he grinned to himself. "Which one?" He played innocent before showing Mino both of his hands, making sure he could see between his fingers.

The look on Mino's face was very satisfying to him. He was proud to let him know that the mark he thought would be lasting, not disappearing and forever was gone.

"Why?" Again, he was playing innocent.

"I..."

He was getting scared, but at the same time anticipating.