𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯'𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 ♡ seongjoong

𝜗𝜚 001

The entrance door to the flower shop creaked open as usual, and Hongjoong was immediately hit with a scent he'd grown accustomed to over some four years ago. There was absolutely nothing that could compare to this: sweet aromas of blending flowers, fresh soil that had been recently watered with the air after a thunderstorm. It made him feel as though he was home, like he belonged here. Just as he always did.

The shopkeeper, Jeong Yunho—who also happened to be one of Hongjoong's closest friends—turned around from where he was and smiled softly upon watching the other enter the establishment.

"Do you need something more for your ferns?" he asked, chuckling softly.

Hongjoong shot a smile back at him. "Ah, no. I'm just here to waste time and look around for a bit. Nothing too important."

Yunho nodded his head. "Fair enough." He turned back to what he was doing, taking care of the vines behind the checkout counter. "Don't forget to come to me if you need anything."

Hongjoong walked away from the counter, the brevity of their conversation making him more comfortable. It's not that he didn't enjoy talking to Yunho—if that was the case, they probably wouldn't be friends—but he was here for something specific.

Recently, he'd seen photos online of orchids—white orchids, to be specific. He learned that the flower symbolizes eternal love and serenity, and they were strikingly beautiful. He knew he had to get some (as if he didn't have enough plants already) so that was the cause of his venture to the flower shop today.

As Hongjoong headed towards the back, where he knew most of the flowering plants were, he spotted several species: roses, tulips, lantanas, moonflowers and hydrangeas. As beautiful as they were in his mind, knowing he'd have to come back to get some later, they weren't his focus. He needed to find those orchids. They were some of the most beautiful plants he had ever seen.

Farther to the east, he finally located the orchids. Several colors were present—yellow, purple, red. He only needed white.
His pace picked up slightly as he walked towards them, eager to finally see them in person. He figured he shouldn't be getting this excited over a few plants, but who was going to stop him? It's his life, after all.

His last life, that is.

In the world he lives in, everyone has eight lives. His brother was on his third, his mother on her fifth, Yunho on his first. You were expected to do something significant in each life, because life's not worth living if you're not doing anything interesting. At least, that's how Hongjoong always saw it.

Despite the fact that he was in his eighth life, he felt as though he never did anything drastic for himself or the world. He always believed that he would do that in the next life, but he's on his final one—so now's the time for him to finally feel self-fulfilled.

There was something of a gap in his heart, though. A gap that could only be filled by the love of another person. Was he expecting to fall in love in this life? No. He didn't think any living thing would ever truly love him.

That's what he was thinking about in depth as he approached the orchids, not even realizing he was standing far too close to a stranger.

The stranger was taller than him by about two inches, give or take. He glanced down at Hongjoong for a second, seemingly a bit surprised at the abrupt contact. He opened his mouth to speak, however nothing came out. He didn't want to interrupt Hongjoong, regardless of whatever he was thinking about.

Hongjoong was far too enamored by the orchids presented before him. They were stunning, a sacred thing of beauty; something he figured he would never possess. Right as he reached out to lift a pot, he turned to his side and realized someone was standing there. His face became a little red, feeling a bit embarrassed at the fact that he hadn't seen the person standing beside him the entire time he'd been gazing at the flowers...