Chapter Text
Jeongin had a strange dream last night.
In his dream, Jeongin woke up alone, in a foggy clearing. There were three paths branching off: the first led to a dark forest, the second to a place called the Deathly Flower Field, and the last one to a place called "Home."
Honestly, Jeongin was afraid of the dark, and he didn't know if the Deathly Flower Field was a safe place for an eight-year-old like him. His own mother had said that if anything bad happened, he should go straight home. Although he didn't know if the home in question was his own, at least he knew there was an adult living there who could help him get home.
"Seungmin-hyung?"
However, before Jeongin could choose the third path, he suddenly saw Seungmin on the path leading to the Deathly Flower Field. Although his friend looked a little different, Jeongin was certain it was his Seungmin standing at the end of the path.
Unconsciously, he had been following the path in the middle, but the further he walked, the further away Seungmin felt. He tried calling his friend's name again and began sprinting, hoping to catch up to him. But the more Jeongin he walked, the more it felt like he was running in place.
The gravel path turned into damp earth, and his fingers grazed against something soft. The figure of Seungmin, whom he had been chasing, was now right in front of him, standing with his back turned, surrounded by flowers with soft purple petals. They were standing right in the middle of a flower field.
"Seungmin-hyung?" Jeongin called again, but Seungmin didn't answer. Perhaps his voice was too soft, so he tried to move closer.
His hand gently patted Seungmin's shoulder, who was now twice as tall as he remembered. However, when his friend turned around, his body suddenly transformed into a giant flower, as did the flowers surrounding him. As everything around him turned giant, Jeongin felt himself shrink to the size of an ant. It was like what happened when Alice ate the magic cookie in Wonderland.
The difference was that these flowers had terrifying faces and vampire-like fangs. Their tendrils reached for Jeongin, who spontaneously screamed and tried to run, but one of them grabbed his right leg first, sending him plummeting to the ground. Jeongin, overwhelmed by the blow to his head, allowed himself to be lifted into the air.
The velvety floreys smiled viciously at him, delighted at having caught its prey. Then one of its tendrils struck him hard in the chest, piercing his lung. As Jeongin looked helpless, the purple-petaled flower dropped him from a great height. But instead of the ground, Jeongin sank into a pool of petals. He flailed his legs, trying to rise to the surface, but only sank deeper. Swallowed by the abyss.
“Then I died,” Jeongin said casually, concluding the story of his nightmare last night. His hand grabbed a handful of potato chips and stuffed them into his mouth. Seungmin woke up from his sleep on the beach sand and flicked his forehead hard.
"Awh! Whai dhid yhou hwit meh?"
“Because you never listen to me. I told you not to watch horror movies if you have fever, they will mess with your brain.”
Jeongin and Seungmin’s family decided to go to Busan for summer vacation, but as soon as they arrived, Jeongin suddenly came down with a fever. All planned visits were canceled, and they decided to organize activities around the inn so they wouldn’t have to leave their youngest child.
Jeongin, who missed out on lots of fun activities because he had to rest, became even more upset when they announced they were going to have a movie night together, and no one invited him.
After much compromise, Jeongin was finally allowed to join instead of being forced to go to bed early. He took a seat between Seungmin and the dads on the longest sofa. He shared his blanket with Seungmin, while his favorite fox doll, which needed washing, sat on his lap like a baby.
Unfortunately, Jeongin only watched the first half of the first movie. The medicine he took after dinner made him very sleepy. Before falling asleep, he took the time to adjust his position and use his best friend's thigh as a pillow. Seungmin's fingers playing in his hair soon lulled him to dreamland.
Then the dream happened.
At four in the morning, his mother woke him, delirious. Everyone was still gathered in the living room, surrounding him while looking astound.
“It’s okay, it was just a dream. Maybe it’s because of the fever,” said Jeongin’s father, who quickly carried him off the sofa. After confirming he was okay, the others dispersed to rest.
Jeongin, still half-conscious, hid under his father’s protection. Seungmin, who had initially been standing awkwardly beside him, quickly grabbed his blanket and his stuffed fox and followed him to where Jeongin had been taken, offering to keep him company. All night, Seungmin made sure Jeongin stayed warm and safe by holding his fingers under the bear-patterned blanket.
Miraculously, his fever was gone by morning. So they finally went to the beach, like they planned, that afternoon.
“But, hyung…”
“Hm?”
“Why do you think you were the only one there?” Jeongin asked again. But Seungmin just shrugged, equally puzzled. "I don't know, it was your dream."
Jeongin knew death was a tough topic for an eight-year-old. But seeing his best friend let him die alone, even if only in a dream, made him sad.
Seeing Jeongin suddenly become silent, lost in his own thoughts, Seungmin nudged him on the shoulder. He got up and extended his hand to Jeongin.
“Don’t worry, it’s just a dream. We should play with the others,” he said reassuringly, but Jeongin didn’t take his hand.
Seungmin sighed, crouched down in front of Jeongin, and offered his pinky this time. “Come on, pinky swear! I won’t let those flowers catch you again. If they come back, you can take all my toys and… and cut off my pinky!” he said enthusiastically.
“Really?”
“Yup!”
Jeongin chuckled, then intertwined their pinkies. It was a childish gesture popular among playmates. Although he didn’t know if he truly deserved Seungmin’s pinky, at least this version of Seungmin he knew wouldn’t leave him alone.
Jeongin had heard a story where, when someone dies, their brain will continue to work, replaying the owner’s most beautiful memories for seven minutes.
Seungmin looking radiant under the twilight sky. The sound of people’s laughter fusing with the crashing waves. The sweet scent of the sea and its heat waves that intoxicated him—though Jeongin wasn't sure if seven minutes would be enough, he wondered if this moment would be the first thing his mind would replay after he died.
"From now on, your pinky is mine, okay?"
"Yes, yes. Let's play now!" This time, Jeongin took his outstretched hand without hesitation.