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The morning sun is truly something unappreciated by humans. Sure, sunsets are pretty, but sunrises, particularly this breezy February morning, are breathtaking.
However, in a small, very cold, hospital room, screams were heard by woman. Soon, the sun rose and Jung Hoseok was born. A healthy baby boy was handed to his mother who broke into tears as she snuggled the infant.
Bringing Hoseok home only a couple of days later, the Jung’s neighbors decided to gift them with some baby clothes, since they had their own little baby boy less than a year prior.
The clothes were a little small since their neighbors’ son, Min Yoongi, was born small and sickly.
Still, the Jung’s took this gift and greatly expressed their appreciation to the Min’s.
In that small house grew up Hoseok along side his best friend, Yoongi.
Their personalities were very much the opposite but they had many similar interests and they both enjoyed each other’s company.
Yoongi always promised to look after Hoseok, even kissing him when he would hurt himself.
The two boys were very much inseparable and it always made their mothers smile.
Time flew by quickly for both families as both Hoseok and Yoongi were now off to middle school, hormones raging and body changing.
Hoseok grew within the first couple of months while Yoongi stayed about the same.
Many kids ridiculed Yoongi but Hoseok always stayed by his side and made him feel better.
But it wasn’t until high school that those small acts of kindness made Yoongi’s cheeks heat up.
Every little stare, every hug, every time he was near, Yoongi’s heart would race and his cheeks burned a deep scarlet.
Hoseok, however, didn’t notice. He just thought it was Yoongi’s shy and awkward personality, which still didn’t stop him from being affectionate towards the elder.
Yoongi was often one to be sick. He always caught colds and the flu and his body was quite weak so he’d miss school a lot and took a lot of medication. So it came to no surprise when he caught a sort of cold which made him cough and choke on breaths.
Soon, he began to cough up bloody petals. This terrified Yoongi so he kept it secret. He didn’t even tell Hoseok.
Months passed and Yoongi still wore a mask on his face to prevent anyone from seeing the bloody petals escape his body during coughing fits.
Hoseok became a little reluctant to invite Yoongi over, worried someone in his family would catch this cold or that Yoongi would feel worse, but Yoongi kept this cough and no one in the Min household caught it, so Hoseok let him stay over again.
It wasn’t until a warm July night, when Hoseok lay on Yoongi as they watched the stars that Hoseok saw what Yoongi coughed up.
Yoongi was explaining how the stars aligned to form the astrological signs when he began to cough violently. He tried to push off Hoseok and run to the bathroom, but it was too late.
He threw up bloody flower petals in Hoseok’s garden. Hoseok ran to him, tears in his eyes, as he rubbed Yoongi’s back.
‘What’s wrong with you?,’ He’d ask. Yoongi just chuckled darkly before crying into Hoseok’s shoulder.
‘I don’t know,’ He whimpered. ‘I don’t know.’
Soon, the cough got worse. Yoongi stayed home more often, he would throw up more often too. He also broke him leg, due to being on his roof with Hoseok, just talking and playing with his hair. He coughed and lost balance so he fell off. This led them to the hospital were Yoongi was taken into a separate room to discuss his abnormal cough.
‘You see,’ the doctor began. He sighed as he fixed his paper once more. ‘We think it’s Hanahaki.’
‘What’s that?’
‘Well, let’s just put it like this; you will continue with this until you die, get it surgically removed, or the person you love... Loves you back.’
Yoongi stared at the medical receipt from about ten years ago. He was in high school back then. Now, he was going to attend Hoseok’s wedding.
Hoseok fell in love with a girl in college and Yoongi secretly hoped he would get Hanahaki. He still feels guilty for wanting Hoseok to have to go through that, but thankfully, the girl was quick to respond and then eventually began dating. Recently, Hoseok proposed to her and then they settled to get married in April; the dawn of spring.
Yoongi slowly suited up for the wedding. He was Hoseok’s best man. He could do this. Everything was okay. Hoseok would be happy and he would live out his life with his wife and have children. Yoongi would get over this stupid crush soon and find himself a partner too.
But when Yoongi finished dressing, he couldn’t stop the tears that began pouring out of his eyes. He leaned back on his chair, sobbing quietly into his hands.
The wedding took place at a park with beautiful Greek architecture and pretty flowers adorning the temple and bushes.
Yoongi felt sick to his stomach when he watched the bride walk down the isle. He promised to not ruin it so he kept the petals down.
The wedding was over not soon enough, and Hoseok and Yoongi now returned for their last shared night together.
‘Yoongi?’ Hoseok whispered to him as the cuddled in bed.
‘Yeah?’
‘I really really love her Yoongi.’
Yoongi bit his lip as he nodded while forcing a smile. ‘I can tell,’ he croaked.
Hoseok sighed happily as he hugged Yoongi’s chest. Yoongi’s eyes became waterfalls, tears pouring out harder than they’d ever come out in his life. They were hot and heavy and just streaming down his face.
During Hoseok’s peaceful slumber, Yoongi had passed away.
The flower petals caught up to his throat, closing up his respiratory system.
Hoseok awoke and just got out of bed like he normally would, when he heard Yoongi’s mother scream her lungs out.
He ran to her and all she could repeat was, ‘He’s dead! He’s not breathing! What happened!’
Hoseok fell to his knees and cried, cried ever harder than Yoongi.
The funeral was quick and devastating. Hoseok returned to the Min’s home to help pack up Yoongi’s old belongings.
While carrying a box, a small notebook fell so he shoved it in his pocket to put away later.
Hoseok came home that night and sat down on his couch when he felt something prick his back. He took out to the notebook from his pocket, remembering he never gave it to Yoongi’s family.
He sighed, opening the cover, tears threatening to spill.
‘Dear Hoseok,
I will never have the guts to tell you, especially since you already found a girl to make you happy, but I love you Hoseok. I am in love with you. Head over heels. And all the petals I cough up and throw up is because of you. It is due to a one-sided love. Because you don’t love me back. And I have learned to accept that over the years, but being your best man was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. You’re sleeping here in my bed tonight so tomorrow you can move in with your wife, and honestly, my heart could not shatter anymore. I give or take 2 more weeks of life since this stupid flower disease can and will kill me. Yes I could’ve gotten it surgically removed, since you would never love me back, but the feelings would disappear. Somehow, I didn’t want the feeling to go away, I would sacrifice myself for, for nothing really. I am so sorry Hoseok. I love you so much. Please don’t get hung up on me, I was merely your best friend. You have many other friends and now you have a wife and soon you’ll have children. I wish you the best future and the happiest life Hoseok.
From your best friend, the one who truly loves you the most,
Min Yoongi.’