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"Your Hanahaki Love Service provider is here!" Seokmin happily skidded to a standing Joshua, who was waiting for him. "This would be officially day one!"
"Where are we going?" Joshua asks.
"To the places that don't remind you of Jeonghan of course!" Seokmin gleefully exclaims. "Mind to tell me what those places are?"
Joshua looked up for a whole minute, then settled his eyes back to Seokmin. "Anywhere but parks."
Seokmin's eyes widened. "Oh, you guys must have many memories there huh? I know a nice crepe place! Let's go there instead okay?"
With that, he held Joshua's wrists and ran away with him. The two found themselves in front of a crepe stall studded with cute designs and pink colors. Seokmin ordered two strawberry cream crepes, gave the other, then they proceeded to seat in a nearby bench.
"So how long have you been liking Jeonghan?" Seokmins asks, munching on his crepe.
"Well, I mentioned parks right?" Joshua says. "I met him when I was an elementary student, in a park. Turns out we live near each other, I started liking him slowly until I became a high school student. On my first year, that's when the Hanahaki disease acted up."
"Sorry to hear that. It must be hard liking someone for years, then end up being unrequited huh?" Seokmin responds as he lightly pats Joshua's head. "Then for the last year of high school you thought by confessing to him, your disease would go away?"
Joshua nodded sadly, proceeding to eat his crepe silently. He was feeling quite sad, but the crepe made him feel better. It had the right touch of sweetness, to which he loved.
"How did you cope up with the pain then?" Seokmin continues. "You must've done something."
With that, Joshua rummages through his bag and handed the other a journal. "I wrote every day, to keep myself occupied. And to express my feelings too. You can read it, you're my kitsune helper after all."
Seokmin opened the plain-looking brown journal, only to see how colorful the inside of it was. At the first pages, polaroids of Joshua and Jeonghan was taped into the canvas. It starts when they were small kids, Seokmin noticed most of the photos were taken in a park, in the autumn season. As he flicks through the pages he was welcomed by more pictures of the two, which shocked him because they looked like a couple. Joshua decorated the pages with colorful and cute washi tapes, to which Seokmin found amusing.
"It's bittersweet, that journal," Joshua speaks up. "Flip it more."
Seokmin did as told and he noticed the pictures were slowly disappearing. What greeted him were several journal entries, the pages were still colorful, but the words were tinted in hues of black and white.
I hope Seungcheol makes you happy, Jeonghannie.
My stomach hurts, I think I should get a checkup.
Why couldn't it be me? I've been by your side for so long.
I wished I was him, I wished I was the one making you smile like that.
Seokmin frowned. He felt Joshua's pain through reading more of the journal entries the sad boy wrote. Never once did Joshua hated Jeonghan for it, he was even wishing for him to have a happy life with Seungcheol.
"You need some intense Hanahaki Love Service then!" Sekomin closed the book and smiled at Joshua. "You can continue this journal, but I want you to add something else to it!"
Joshua raised one of his eyebrows. "W-what do I put?"
"Something to be thankful for, every day," Seokmin says. "You've been writing pretty sad stuff, maybe you can make it a bit lighter. For example, I'm thankful because I hang out with my friends today! Or, I'm thankful because I ate delicious crepes!"
Joshua actually liked the idea. Seokmin had a point, maybe it would make him feel better. "Well? you could start now." Seokmin says.
Joshua smiled, for the first time in forever, he actually felt okay. "I'm thankful," He started then looked at his companion after. "Thankful because I got to meet you, Seokmin."
✧
"Babe, what you looking at?" A confused Seungcheol nudged his significant other.
Jeonghan who was staring at a distance, saw Joshua with someone rather unfamiliar. He didn't remember Joshua introducing such a guy to him. Joshua was very open who he meets, yet he didn't even answer his calls.
"It's nothing babe, let's go?" He responded and Seungcheol grabbed his hand right after.
Ah, so you might've found someone? Jeonghan thought, his eyes not averting from the two who were seating in a bench, not too far away from the cafe he and Seungcheol just ate in. I never knew you liked me, Joshua. I guess you'll be avoiding me now? Ah, it's primarily my fault.
