Work Text:
chaeyoung doesn’t get angry a lot.
as a child, she figured out there’s no use in holding grudges or scolding another person. sure she’ll be blue if something bad happens, but there’s never anything blaringly red that makes her want to rip her hair out.
however, one thing is slightly pushing her to the edge. it’s her small little garden, and the messy leftover soil of stolen flowers.
she didn’t think much of it because animals exist and they do these types of things. it’s only now she realizes it happens on the same exact day, every month, without fail. by the time she wakes up in the morning, another flower is plucked and gone and she’s grumpy about cleaning the mess.
so here she is, strategically hidden, so she can catch the thief.
chaeyoung is about to lose hope and give in to maybe that it is actually an animal and she’s trying too hard, until she hears footsteps. she holds her breath and its still dark outside, but she’s determined. the colors in the sky is slowly but surely mixing into morning.
she peeks closer, and when her vision clears, her jaw drops.
her neighbor is cautiously kneeling to her garden, hands outstretched with the intent of taking her flowers.
chaeyoung is numb for a few seconds. then, all anger dissipates off her, because now she’s just purely amused. she slowly untangles herself, unable to keep her smile off her face. she thinks no one can ever be angry at momo, especially her.
“so you’re the flower thief!” chaeyoung yells, pointing her finger at the kneeling momo. she’s walking slow and at ease, while momo immediately freezes.
momo and chaeyoung have only been neighbors for a few months, but their friendship is as solid as someone who knew each other for years. momo made sure chaeyoung felt welcomed when she first came, and the rest became history.
she has done so much for chaeyoung, so taking a few flowers certainly doesn’t do enough damage for her to feel angry.
“chaengie,” momo says weakly, a small smile on her face. “what a coincidence to see you here.”
she laughs, loudly, and momo sheepishly joins in too. chaeyoung can’t help but notice her half dug out garden and momo’s dirty hands.
“what’s the occasion?” chaeyoung asks, crossing her arms playfully. “you going on a date?”
momo shuffles her feet, chuckling. her head is ducked down, unable to meet her eyes. it’s easy to see her rosy cheeks, however.
“i guess,” momo replies, quieter. “i’m sorry i’ve been stealing your flowers. i’ve been trying to find some but i can’t find any, and it’s her favorite-“
“relax,” chaeyoung assures. “i forgive you. i was just scared that it was a scary random person but it’s only you.”
“yeah,” she murmurs, smiling. “only me.” if chaeyoung found any sadness in her voice, she didn’t say anything.
chaeyoung goes to her garden, and plucks the best and the brightest camllias. the sun is finally rising, and she gives it to momo.
“here,” she says proudly to the shocked momo. “flowers grow back. seeing the look on her face when you give the flowers to her... it’s one in a million.”
momo glows. it’s the happiest she’s seen her ever be. she looks reminiscent, her doe brown eyes tranced deep into memories.
“i’ll give them to you,” chaeyoung says, a mischievous glint in her eye. “but i want to see the girl who got you into flower theft.”
momo’s eyes widen, immediately shaking her head. the blush is fully on her face, and its highlighted by the morning sun.
“no,” momo says quickly. “i think that’ll be a terrible idea.”
“come on!” chaeyoung persuades, using her charm that momo always falls for. “i swear it’ll just be a glimpse. i just want to see her.”
momo smiles, and looks down to the flowers in her hands. it’s her favorite, and momo would steal them anywhere if it meant giving it to her.
“okay,” momo finally says. chaeyoung grins brightly, and dusts the dirt off the both of them.
the two of them get into momo’s car, and the smell of perfume hits chaeyoung. it’s her first time being inside it, and immediately she can see the little ways momo has uniquely springkled herself in it.
“i’ll show you a picture of her,” momo says, blushing slightly and right before she starts the engine. she fishes it out of her wallet, and when she takes it out, her smile radiates brighter than anything chaeyoung has ever seen.
they’re both entangled together, smiling brightly and happily. momo has her arms wrapped around her tightly, the same being said for her. the girl is drop dead gorgeous, and her eyes are the prettiest. it shines as bright as the ring on both their fingers.
“engaged?!” chaeyoung nearly screams out, surprised and shocked. momo blushes again, looking straight ahead at the road.
chaeyoung wonders why she never noticed it before, but it’s like momo read her mind.
“i don’t wear it,” momo says, tapping her finger on the steering wheel. “i’m clumsy. i think about her everytime i see it.” she laughs, adding, “she lost her’s once, and we were both losing our minds trying to find it.”
“did you find it?”
momo hums, shaking her head. “i gave mine to her.”
chaeyoung nods, and she keeps looking at the picture. it seems old, but she understands the sentimentality. out of everyone, she thinks she knows it the most.
her eyes start to close unconsciously, and it gets worse when momo switches the music on. she knows it isn’t momo’s taste. chaeyoung has went to momo’s dance recitals, and none of the songs played were as calm as the ones playing now.
but momo sings along. and chaeyoung sleeps. the flowers lay in her lap, and the picture is burned into her memory.
when chaeyoung wakes up, she thinks everything has turned blue.
“we’re here,” momo says, cheerfully but sounding nothing like it. the flowers are now in her hands, but chaeyoung still holds the photo.
her entire world spins. she thinks it shouldn’t be like this. she thinks that maybe momo is playing a sick trick on her, some sort of cruel joke that she didn’t know momo was capable of doing.
but it’s everything serious.
and she shouldn’t be at a graveyard, but she already sees momo walking towards it, like she was returning home after a tired day.
chaeyoung shakily gets out, her grip on the photo getting tighter with each step. her chest is getting heavier, as if water is being filled inside her lungs and she’s drowning. she can’t breathe when she see’s momo kneeling against a grave, something parallel to this morning when she was kneeling for the flowers.
“chaeyoung, meet sana,” momo says, a fond smile spreading on her face. just saying her name seemed to ease momo’s shoulders, just a bit. “sana, i would like you to meet our neighbor, chaeyoung.”
she takes small steps forward, unable to fully grasp the situation. she sees the flowers laying next to her gravestone and suddenly everything feels very, very real.
“it’s nice to meet you,” chaeyoung tries to say, but it sounds bubbled and barely above a whisper.
momo still kneels, looking at the gravestone with such love and care. the earth still looks new among the many surrounding them. there’s also flowers and candles and letters, so many that it doesn’t look like a grave, but a small shrine. it looks loved.
“sana would love you,” momo says confidently, breathing easily. her eyes are shining now, and it makes chaeyoung feel small. after a pause, “i think she did.”
her entire world seemed to stop as momo speaks.
“yeah she did,” momo said after quickly diving through memories. “she was still alive when you moved in. she saw you planting your flowers and immediately fell in love with them. i didn’t even know she liked flowers until you came.”
the way momo spoke about her felt like there was nothing wrong. it felt like the world was perfect. it felt like she was still alive.
“i’m sorry for stealing your flowers,” momo repeats sheepishly, turning to chaeyoung. “i’m also sorry that you didn’t get to meet her.” there’s tears brimming momo’s eyes, but it doesn’t fall. chaeyoung is reminded that the world is not perfect after all.
“please,” she replies. “keep stealing them.” chaeyoung’s words no longer sound gurgled, and it brings some lightness to momo. she can breathe a little bit easier now as she brings the picture to her eyes. sana’s face is frozen in contentment, and chaeyoung is grateful that this is what she first sees her as by. “i think i would have loved her too.”
the picture is comfortable to look at, just like the way it is now. sana’s smiling face is full of life, and she can understand why momo does the things she do. she would have loved to sprinkle sana all over her life.
“she’s really beautiful,” chaeyoung murmurs, unable to take her eyes off of her. she kneels next to momo, and her eyes glance at the words engraved on her stone. maybe in another world, chaeyoung could feel the love sana offered. maybe in the next million, she could see sana’s face after giving her flowers. she thinks it wouldn’t be that different from the picture, and that assures her.
“don’t steal my fiancé,” momo pouts.
“don’t steal my flowers,” chaeyoung replies, her gaze never leaving sana.
“you just said to keep stealing them!” momo whines, lifting an arm on to chaeyoung’s shoulder, pulling her closer. she can feel momo’s tired eyes close against her skin, and the wind around them is gentle. it feels like laughter, or a tight embrace after meeting someone.
the sun will continue to rise and songs will continue to be sung. the world is not just blue or red, because colors are all around them and they’re alive, pulsing and bright.
sana will be continued to be loved, because flowers grow back.