Night Sky Bloom

4- Eucalyptus

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He was overwhelmed. Everyone just watched. Seungmin said they were probably just shocked and confused.

Jisung wouldn't speak. It took three days for his body to fully recover from the anaphylactic shock of the pomegranate-liquid covering his body. When he was finally back to full health, his mother called him into her room and opened her arms, letting him crawl into bed and just cry.

She carded her fingers through his hair and hummed a sweet, low melody against his forehead where she'd kept her lips. She didn't ask questions- not because she didn't care, but she knew he wouldn't talk about it.

He slipped out of bed on the fourth day, readying himself to go back to school.

"Jisungie!" Her voice rang out upstairs as he was finishing preparation of their breakfast. Rice, eggs from Mr. Yang's chicken coops, cooked carrots and spinach from the market, softened with broth to make a savory soup. Simple, but easy to eat. He quickly put her portion in a bowl and trudged upstairs with her food in one hand, and a handheld carrier with her current influx of herbal medication in the other.

"Sweetie, you don't have to go to school if you're not ready. If you need to take more time, that's okay." She said with sad, down-turned eyes as he walked into her room. He shook his head in continued silence and placed the bowl on her nightstand before sitting on her bed, laying out the tablets he'd recently baked for her. He had been trying to turn all of her medications into baked tablets so they would be easier and faster for her to get down, instead of mixing powders into her drinks or having her chew on the weird herb-jerky she used to make for herself.

It seemed to be easier for her, and she appreciated his effort.

"Jisung, you're a blessing, you know that?" His mother smiled weakly, her voice barely above a whisper. He continued to lay everything out without comment, his brow furrowed in concentration. Once he was done, he gently helped her sit up and swallow the tablets with the soup and water waiting on her nightstand..

"Try to rest, Mom," Jisung finally whispered back, smoothing back her hair. He stood up to leave, but her frail hand held firmly onto his wrist.

"Promise me... you'll take care of yourself too."

"I promise," Jisung replied quietly as he moved away from the bed, leaving the room with a heavy heart.

School was an expectedly turbulent affair. His arrival at the building was met with hushed whispers and smirking faces as he walked the hallways, Seungmin nowhere in sight. Everyone seemed to know about the incident.

Jisung kept his face impassive throughout the day, focusing on taking down notes with meticulous precision and ignoring the snickers behind him, the empty seat next to him making him feel uncomfortable. Vulnerable.

Eventually, it became too much. Leaving early from school was not something Jisung liked doing, but that day, it felt necessary. It wasn't cowardice, just self-preservation perhaps- he told himself as he rushed out swiftly. Upon reaching home, Jisung threw off his bag and headed straight for the backyard- his sanctuary. His hands worked on autopilot amongst the eucalyptus' oval leaves and the blooming chrysanthemums; nurturing them gave him comfort in a way nothing else could.

Night arrived sooner than expected- time seemed to be irrelevant when immersed in his garden. As he looked at his dirt-caked hands under the glow of the moon, a sense of sadness washed over him.

It was astounding how something as trivial as a single incident between strangers could cause such a ripple in his life. His emotions felt raw and exposed - like a flower bud forced open before its time. But amidst the whispered mockery and the image of that boy's sneer cemented in his memories, Jisung found something else.