✓ 𝐉𝐀𝐂𝐎𝐁 𝐀𝐋𝐃𝐄𝐍 𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒.

Hanahaki Disease

𝐉𝐀𝐂𝐎𝐁 𝐇𝐀𝐒 been feeling strange as of late. But it wasn't one of those 'waking up in the middle of the night to throw up' type of moments. It all started when he was trying to relax after coming home from work by rewatching his favorite movie when he suddenly felt disoriented.

Holding a hand over his mouth and the other on his stomach, Jacob stumbled out from the couch and hobbled down the hall toward the bathroom. When he finally got to the restroom, he locked the door behind him and clutched the sink, trying to steady himself as dizziness washed over him. His heart is pounding in his chest, and he can feel the sweat trickling down his forehead. He takes a deep breath, trying to regain his composure, but it's no use. The disorientation only worsens, and he knows something is seriously wrong.

"Dammit..." he says through gritted teeth as he stood in front of the bathroom mirror, his reflection pale and drawn, beads of sweat dotting his forehead. He clutched the sink's edge, trying to steady himself as waves of nausea rolled through him.

Something felt terribly wrong.

Abruptly, a harsh cough tore through him, wrenching his body forward. He doubled over, his hand flying to his mouth. As he coughed, small buds, delicate and fragile, tumbled out of his lips and onto the tiled floor. Panic surged within him. Was he hallucinating? This can't be real.

Then, almost immediately after, he started to have another coughing fit. With each violent cough, cherry blossom petals and seeds mixed with blood spewed forth, splattering against the porcelain surface. "What the hell...?" Jacob wheezed before he, albeit slowly, grabbed his phone and started to look up his rare condition, but unfortunately for him, it took some time to find an answer after an array of questions—'Coughing up flowers, why?', 'Is it normal to cough up flower seeds and blood?', 'Flower disease'.

It was the third search that was a success. As soon as his eyes caught the first article titled "Hanahaki Disease: What is it?", Jacob clicked on it and started to read.

'Hanahaki Disease (花吐き病 (Japanese); 하나하키병 (Korean); 花吐病 (Chinese)) is a disease in which the victim coughs up flower petals when they suffer from one-sided love. It ends when the beloved returns their feelings (romantic love only; strong friendship is not enough), or when the victim dies. It can be cured through surgical removal, but when the infection is removed, the victim's romantic feelings for their love also disappear,' the text detailed.

As tears blurred his vision, Jacob watched helplessly as the crimson petals swirled down the sink, disappearing into the darkness of the drain. His heart pounded in his chest, each beat echoing the crushing weight of his realization. He could die from this? The thought sent a shiver down his spine. Even worse, it was all because he loved someone. The irony was not lost on him.

To ensure his survival, he would have to undergo surgery, removing the flowers and the ability to love. The mere thought was like a dagger to his soul. To never love again? It felt like a death sentence in itself. He tries to suppress the coughs, but they keep coming, leaving him weak and breathless. Feeling the heat engulfing him, he ripped off his flannel and proceeded to discard it on the floor.

"It can't be," he whispered hoarsely, his voice barely audible over the sound of his own ragged breaths. "This must be some sort of nightmare... a nightmare I have yet to wake up from." He thought out loud. But deep down, Jacob knew the truth. He was now in a race against time, his very existence hanging in the balance. His lower lip quivered as his mind drifted to the only person who could be responsible for giving him this curse—Y/n L/n, his neighbor.