spectrum | kth

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— flashback

"is it good, birthday boy?" mother smiled cheerfully, her lovingly eyes gazing into mine.

"yes, mother. you make the best kimchi fried rice," i inhaled the food she had cooked for me. "do you want some?"

"no thanks sweetie. seeing you eat happily makes me full." she kissed my forehead. my eyes made its way to her chest that was screaming blue. i've been seeing this color since last year, but i decided to shrug it off.

"i-i love you mother. i don't know why i said it.. regret will haunt me later if i just kept it to myself," i confessed.

"aw, i love you too taetae. oh, and before you leave for school, can you give mother a tight hug?"

"sure mother. i'm going to drown you with my kisses!" i chuckled. it was unusual for her to ask such a thing, but i'm not complaining.

"thank you honey."

after eating, i grabbed my bag that was on the floor and looked around to see a heartbreaking sight: it was my mother, crying. her chest had an intense saturation too, it was much more intense than a few minutes ago.

"mom, is there something wrong?"

"n-no sweetheart. i'm okay. i just can't believe how time flies. you're sixteen now."

"sixteen or sixty, i'll always be your honeycakes even if that nickname cringes the fu-- hell out of me." i joked. she pulled me into a hug and hugged me tightly. i gladly accepted it. the hug was unusually tight. her tears were making my shirt wet, but i don't mind at all.

"mom, i'm still in highschool. i'm not going to college or anything." i let out an awkward laugh.

"i-i'm sorry." she broke the hug and wiped away her tears.

"don't be sorry mom. do me a favor and stop crying okay? it breaks my heart to see you cry."

she nodded, "don't worry. you won't see me cry anymore, honeycakes." she giggled.

"okay, mother. i need to go to school now. you don't want for the birthday boy to be late, yeah?"

"okay, son. thank you for everything. i love you."

"i love you too mother.. but are you sure you're okay? if you're not feeling well, i can--"

"mother's okay son. i'm perfectly fine." she assured me.

"okay mom, bye!" i was about to leave when she called my name.

"and taehyung,"

"yes?"

"happy sixteenth birthday."