House of Flowers

Chapter 18

They placed their bikes against a street lamp and went down the stairs that led to a river bank.

Eunrae guided him towards a pier that's located only a few centimetres away from them. The lake had rectangular-ish things coloured in black floating around—something that he had yet to find out due to the poor lighting.

They arrived at the pier. A few lanterns were put near it and Eunrae took two of them.

"What are those for?" Jimin asked while pointing the object.

Eunrae smiled as she lifted the objects in her hands so that Jimin could get a better view for it. "The villagers believe if we wrote our wishes, stick it on this lamp, and let it float on the water, our wish will come true. I want you to try this out, Jimin. This is actually one of the best tourist attractions in this village," Eunrae explained as she handed one of the lanterns to Jimin.

Then, Eunrae picked two papers and pencils from the box that the locals had prepared near the lake, so people could write whatever they wish.

"Let's start writing, shall we?" She asked and Jimin nodded at her offer.

They sat on the pier, eyes focused on a piece of paper. Once finished, Eunrae lit the lanterns and the two placed the papers above their respective lanterns. Eunrae also put a flower to accompany the paper.

"What is that flower? And what does it mean?" Jimin could vaguely remember that flower. He knew Eunrae once told him about it back then, but since he had encountered and learnt the meanings of many flowers now, he forgot that one.

Eunrae smirked as she placed her index finger against her lips entrance. "It's a secret!" She winked, which made time stopped for a while for him. She was adorable.

They stared back to the lanterns, as soon as it reached the middle of the lake, it dispatched into two different ways, looking lonely and all.

"Eunrae, I'm sorry but the light will eventually went out. What'll happen then? Does that mean our wishes won't come true?" He blurted. Jimin was in deep thought and slightly lost at that time. He got so attached to the village. Now, he could survive without a phone for days as long as Eunrae was with him.

"Jimin, we can always rekindle the flame. Besides, don't rely on rituals or tales to grant your wish; you're the only one who can make that happen, really." She smiled, gazing at Jimin and their eyes met.

They stayed like that for a while, having each other's reflections inside their eyes. Jimin was speechless at the beautiful figure standing before him. It became harder for him to leave, but he has to. He promised himself to visit Eunrae in the future once everything's settled down.

"You're right." Jimin gave a faint smile, heart was in pain at the thought of not seeing his friend for who knows how long it will be.

"Let's go back, shall we? It's getting super later and I'm really sleepy." Eunrae asked and they went back to grab their bikes.

'Gladiolus means remembrance. I want you to always remember me, Park Jimin.'

But it also has another meaning; infatuation.