Butterfly [j.jk]

십팔

우정

"aren't you hungry or something? we've been here forever." the boy whines. the two have been at the garden for the past few hours. he took pictures and she sketched away. however there was not much to capture with his camera and he was growing bored. at this point guk pleaded to do something else, anything.

nari lead the way as she had the capability to navigate around the area as he had no clue where else to go other than the garden.

the two found themselves by a tiny café not too far from their previous location.

café camellia

was engraved on a wooden sign atop the entrance of the cozy place. the outside was decorated in overgrown vines that complemented its brick walls, and an array of flowers, like the ones he had seen in the garden. the establishment was small, but homey. it had its charms.

"what are you gonna get?" the girl asked as they take their seats.

"do they have soju?" the boy asked, eyes lingering around the room trying to find the menu.

"this is a café not a pub, dummy." she replies, leaving a sour look on the boy's face. "fine. i'll get an americano."

"alright, i'll get a mug of hot choco with marshmallows." she utters, bringing a jolly smile to her lips.

he teases, "hot chocolate, are you a kid?" he said, earning a scoff from the girl as she signaled him to shut up.

"nari!" a tall man with attractively wide shoulders and an apron approaches their table. "i haven't seen you all week!" the man playfully sulks upon seeing his friend and his eyes glisten at the sight of bubbly nari. his gaze then lays on the other seat and notices the unfamiliar face that sat across his friend. "who's this man you've got here? i don't think i've seen him around here."

"ah, him." she looks at the boy with a warm smile, "this is my friend, jeongguk."

the boy watches her as she continues to explain how they had met. seeing the twinkle she had in her copper eyes as she spoke, he had felt uneasy upon hearing the term friend out of her lips. this wasn't what he was aiming for.

"jeongguk-ssi, this is seokjin. he owns the café." the boy mutters a tiny ah and greets him with a bow and an awkward grin.

they were quick to take their orders and soon enough their drinks came. the aroma of sweet chocolate and a strong americano engulfed the two as they quietly sat.

however the silence grew cold as guk's stern demeanor strengthens. she was quick to notice the boy's shift in mood and an unsettling pit settles in her chest. she knew that jeongguk isn't the most cheerful, but this time she had a bad feeling about the grim clouds in his eyes.

the boy takes a sip of his americano, "look, i'll set things straight okay?" nari looks up and stares at him with her honey gaze. she was attentive, ready to listen at whatever he was about to say.

he takes a deep breath, "we're not friends. we're merely strangers who met a few days ago. you don't have to put on an that friendly act." he sternly says, looking away and taking a sip of his coffee once more.

she was taken aback by his sudden words that seemed to hit her like a truck. those words that she least expected from the boy. "i-i'm not putting on an act though." the poor girl replied in a low voice. her eyes now looking down at her mug, suddenly unable to look at him.

"you wouldn't want to be friends with a guy like me." he stared at her with a sombre expression. "why do you even want to be friends with me?" he snickers.

"because," she finally looks up, staring at the boy straight into his doe eyes. "you have a big heart, i can tell. you stayed by side, you kept me company,"

"and that's more than enough to convince me to be your friend."

10
camellia
- symbolizes love, affection, and admiration