Butterfly [j.jk]

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the trees seemed happy again, swaying to the wind's accompaniment, now dressed in red and orange rather than green. the carpet of leaves felt crisp on his feet with each step he took along the cemented path.

entering the garden his eyes lock with a familiar honey gaze, matched with her flower-like smile. the light of autumn day seemed to match with the feeling in the boy's chest, warm.

a soft smile graces his lips. a feeling unfamiliar to him nestles in his system. it felt snug; a cosy feeling.

he felt at ease. was it, perhaps, because of the flowers that encased him, or the warm embrace of autumn, or the comfort of bubbly nari's company? nevertheless, he enjoyed it. the feeling of being at peace.

"what are you drawing there?" the boy asks as he sat on their usual rusted bench by the bed of asters and daffodils. "a butterfly." she simply replies, making him chuckle. of course, he thought.

and with that, nari drifted into her world of sketches and he admired the view of orange and red in front of him. "it's autumn already." he quietly mutters to himself with a soft grin.

the two were not fazed by the silence that now engulfed them. rather, they were comforted by it. they've reached a point where awkwardness no longer lingered around them. in fact, their company was a source of solace they've grown accustomed to.

like a pair of rosebuds, their friendship was bound to flourish. an unexpected encounter that blossomed into something so lovely.

nari closes her notebook upon finishing her sketch. she looks at the boy who had yet to utter a word. he stayed silent. perhaps, there was something troubling his mind? she thought.

"what was jangmi like?" she looks at the boy with a soft gaze. he stays quiet for a while. but slowly, a tiny smile creeps its way to his lips. "she was my first love." he says.

"i loved her dearly— maybe too dearly." the boy giggles, "whenever i flunked a math test she'd bring these strawberry sandwiches with honey and we would eat them together on the field."

"she'd call me late at night saying she wanted to cut her bangs then end up hating them the day after."

"back then, she would wait outside my front door every morning and we'd ride our bicycles to school together. her hair was so flowy it would always go to my face whenever we walked together. it was quite annoying." he muttered a chuckle as he reminisced, remembering what seemed like golden memories that had lost its shine.

"but i loved her. and those little things that i admired her for, i took for granted. but what's done is done, right?" he said with a bitter laugh as his copper gaze locked with her's. "oh well."

out of the blue, nari speaks. "do you know why i like butterflies so much?" she asks. the boy raises a brow and hums in response. "you know, a butterfly can mean so many things. joy, longevity, transformation, love;"

"but my favorite symbol they hold is hope." her honey voice said and she smiles. "people used to whisper wishes to butterflies and they'd flutter to the heavens and their wishes come true."

just as nari said so, a butterfly had perched itself on the boy's fingertips. he looks at the pair of yellow wings then looks back at her with a surprised look on his face. she signals him to quickly make a wish, and he closes his eyes.

i wish to heal, to escape the misery in my heart.

as he flutters his eyes open, the butterfly too flutters away, first dancing around him and soon it flew to the sky.

"guk-ah," she spoke, "i know you're hurting, but i know you'll get the happiness you deserve soon. don't lose hope."

"i'll be here every step of the way."

13
rosebuds
- pure and lovely