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“once a bud has blossomed from love, it creates life to form a flower that will forever be cherished.” — yours.
"yok, come here for a second," that was gumpa's loud voice ringing throughout the entire place.
"you scared the shit out of me, hia." gumpa rolled his eyes when yok had approached him with a mischievous grin plastered right on his face while removing the dirt that was in his arms, courtesy by fixing sean's broken motorcycle.
"so i was told that a village needs a volunteer art teacher," gumpa eyed yok who just stared back, eyebrows raised with confusion. "and i immediately thought of you."
"what?" yok almost shouted but gumpa put his hand on his shoulder. "come on now, i saw you struggling in your art recently and i thought that this could be your break. maybe you can find inspiration in the village, you know? and i know that you worry about your mom, i promise that we'll check up on her every day. how's that sound?" gumpa added.
yok had thought about gumpa's words carefully. his hia wasn't kidding when he said he lost inspiration for his art. the textures, images, and lines he had imagine wasn't coming to life as he expected. maybe the root of the problem started during his and dan's break up. when dan had betrayed them, his heart shattered and shards of broken pieces fell off. but yok chose to heal instead, picking up the shards and putting them back together by creating art. however, this wasn't so easy and this was evident to his friends' eyes especially gumpa's.
gumpa views yok as an artist who was joyous – full of life even. but now, all he can see is an artist who was silenced by an empty void who swallowed him whole with no inspiration and no motivation. so gumpa asked around of a place where an artist can breathe and after days of searching, he finally found a village needing a volunteer art teacher. immediately, he told yok about it.
yok who was hesitant at first, agreed to gumpa's suggestion.
。*♡･* ✿ *･♡* 。
"excuse me? are you yok?" a man in a military uniform has entered yok's line of eyesight asked in a chirpy voice in the middle of an empty road.
"how do you know my name?" yok asked skeptically which he dismissed in a second when the man replied back, "you're the new volunteer art teacher in my village right? i'm yod, a forest ranger who's here to pick you up!"
yok smiled and thanked the latter. along the way, yod and yok had conversed their way to phu pan dao where yod telling yok about how beautiful the place is and how he will love the village. he thanked yok because he chose to be a volunteer in a small village where no one would mostly pick. yok, in return, gratefully thanked yod for picking him up and that he can't wait to see the village.
"welcome to pha pun dao, yok!" it was as lovely and beautiful as yod had said, thought yok. the mountains had stretched from left to right, the acres of green land, and the small houses on it, it makes a perfect painting. yok breathed the fresh air while closing his eyes, taking in the beauty of phu pan diao.
"thank you na phi, this is surreal." yod smiled at yok's words and carried yok's bags to a tiny house in front of them, "this is where you will stay na, yok," yok thanked yod again for the kindness he showed.
yod waved his hand dismissively, as if to say it's no big deal. "once you're done putting the bags inside, i'll be showing you around!"
"yod, over, where are you? chief phupha needs you right now." a voice coming from yod's walkie-talkie interrupted two of them. yod then scratched his head as he stared at yok.
"sorry, i think i won't be able to show you around today,"
"that's totally fine, phi. no worries at all."
yod hummed and said, "i can't show you around but maybe someone can! this time, you need to rest first. i'll send someone to your way."
"phi, it's okay, i don't want to be a bother." yok said and yod replied, "nonsense. i'll go now, our chief needs us. hope you will enjoy your stay here na, yok."
yod bids goodbye as he stepped into the truck, leaving yok all to himself to unpack his belongings. he looked around inside the hut and found himself smiling.
i think i really need this.
he arranges his things neatly and laid onto a small mattress that the villagers prepared for him. in his peripheral vision, a red color popped up and opened it as soon as his hand reached for it. it was one of the sketch books he bought, full of raw artworks that he himself created. page by page, colors and neutrals alike, patterns and lines married one another. he stopped scanning the pages when a particular page shows up - it was dan's eyes that he himself drew using charcoal pencils. yok huffed and closed the sketch book, deciding that he will take a quick nap, instead of reminiscing the past that's no longer embraced.
in the late afternoon, yok woke up to the sound of a voice outside of the house.
"yok?" he quickly got up and went outside to see an old man who was shorter than him. yok put his hands together to greet the man, as a sign of formalities and respect.
"that's me," yok smiled and the man opened his mouth again to introduce himself, "my name is khama, i'm the village chief,"
yok stiffened and greeted him again. "it's nice to meet you. my name is yok and i'm an art student,"
"it's finally nice to meet you, yok. thank you for choosing pha pun dao," the village chief noted as he put out his hand for a handshake. yok gladly took it and bowed to the elder.
"i'm going to be the one who shows you around today. since my son, who was assigned to show you around still have things to do."
khama smiled at yok and both of them walked together as he showed the latter around the pha pun dao village, not missing the beautiful landscapes and the place that he will be teaching kids the art to.
"so that's pretty much it for today, yok. if you need help, you can just ask my son or any of us. we're glad to always help na," the village chief looked at yok who was still in awe of the village. they were now standing in front of the classroom where yok would teach the children.
upon seeing yok's reaction, the chief laughed and patted his arm. he then saw a figure in his line of vision. "speaking of my son,"
"dad!" a guy was running to where the two of them at, beads of sweat running down his face but smiled nonetheless.
"longtae, son, you're here!" the village chief said as he wiped the sweat on his son's face. "by the way, this is yok, the new volunteer art teacher."
to say that a flower has blossomed under longtae's gaze would be an understatement. it feels like he was looking at a painting that should've been in a museum. the beautiful landscapes and places he came across today couldn't compare to longtae. he found himself flushed at the mere thought of making longtae as his muse for his artworks. yok shook his head and focused on what was in front of him.
"hi, nice to meet you, i'm yok." yok smiled at smaller man who in return smiled back with crescent eyes planted on his face. and yok, may or may not, feel his heart skip a beat.
"my name is longtae. nice to meet you too, yok." the way yok's name has seeped out right in longtae's mouth had yok take in a breath.
"now that you're here son, please take care of yok, na." longtae turned to his dad and nodded. "yok, i'll leave you with my son." the village chief announced and left longtae and yok alone together.
longtae then looked at yok who was already looking at him. he hovered his eyes onto yok's appearance that exudes coolness. he was wearing a shirt with no shoulder sleeves and it was cut in the sides, tattoos evident on his arms. longtae blushed. he shouldn't be thinking like this about the new volunteer art teacher, right? longtae's thoughts were interrupted by yok who called out his name, which by the way, sounds like honey to longtae's ears.
"longtae, can you please show me around more of this place?" to that, longtae agreed and had led the way.
longtae had introduced yok to few places like the place where they picked tea leaves, the forest, and especially the waterfalls which was yok's favorite. they chatted more together, learning about each other as the sky went dark where it's finally time for them to get home.
they both reached yok's house, stopping as they looked at one another.
"thank you so much for today, longtae. i really appreciate it." yok grins at longtae who in return smiled back. "you're welcome, yok. if you need help, don't hesitate to ask! i'll get going now,"
for a moment, yok had panicked, thinking he just lost his chance to talk to longtae again and reached out to the latter's arm. longtae who was surprised, asked yok, "what is it?"
"ah sorry for grabbing your arm like that," yok apologized with a sheer embarrassment.
"it's okay, what is it?" longtae wondered.
"can i see you again tomorrow?" yok grinned and longtae couldn't help but to feel shy. it was clear to him when they spent the day together, that this friend is not just a normal friend of his. not as similar as what he feels towards tian and phupha.
"of course na, phi. see you!" longtae gave yok one last smile and wave before heading out – away from yok's presence. longtae held his heart with his hand once he arrived at home and covering his blushing face with his hands. he couldn't believe how he was already feeling like this even though he and yok just met. he then proceeds to drape himself with a blanket, hoping this feeling won't intensify as yok wouldn't share the same feeling.
unbeknownst to longtae, yok is in a similar state.
morning came in phu pan dao. birds were chirping and roosters were crowing – the village's alarm clock to know it's time to get up and be productive for the day. yok stretched his arms above his head and headed to left side of the house to shower. during this, yok had thought about what he thinks of longtae. was he a friend? or was he more? he got his answer when the second thought slightly shook his core. he immediately shook his head and finished up getting ready for the day before heading to the classroom.
when yok had stepped in to the room, he was called by an unfamiliar looking man who just smiled at him, motioning his hand to yok and to himself, indicating he should approach him. yok did, and the man introduced himself.
"it's nice to see another volunteer teacher. hi yok, my name is tian," tian who waved at him, smiled when yok introduced himself back.
"you're a volunteer teacher too?" yok eyes sparkled as those words uttered in tian's lips. he wasn't expecting to meet another volunteer teacher.
"yes, i've been a volunteer teacher for years now and i stayed here ever since,"
"that's so cool," tian laughed and explained more on what to focus when teaching to children. yok understood and thanked tian for the advice.
when the kids came inside the room, yok was filled with nervousness. it was one thing to teach grown adults how to draw, but teaching kids to draw the basics? it will be a challenge indeed. his eyes went to the further corner of the room to see tian and a boy beside him, which was longtae. yok's heart skipped a beat again and passed a wide smile to longtae's direction. he continued on teaching the kids, laughing as how some of their questions were absurd but nevertheless, replied to them.
"teacher yok, will you let draw something for us?" a kid named neung raised his hand. yok smiled and nodded. he picked up a nearby chalk and proceeded to draw a basket of tea leaves which got loud compliments from the kids.
"wow! that's cool!"
"so beautiful!"
"please teach us!"
yok laughed, "sure sure, come here!" the kids surrounded yok as he teach them how to draw lines and patterns.
in the corner of the room, longtae sighed loudly which caught tian's attention. "what is it, tae?"
"isn't he good with kids?" this answer makes tian wonder. but when he looked into his best friend's eyes, he is hit with a wave of realization.
"you just met yesterday and you already like him romantically, tae?" longtae froze and looked at tian who was amused. "tian! no, i don't like him that way," he pushed tian gently who was laughing at his best friend's obvious pink cheeks.
yok who was teaching the kids, heard a laugh and his eyes went directly where longtae was at. he saw how he playfully pushed tian with a blush on his face and yok's heart was suddenly beaten into a pulp. he swallowed it down and focused on the kids. his actions were different but his mind was focused on the image of tian and longtae.
。*♡･* ✿ *･♡* 。
class was over and yok had begin to pack the teaching materials inside his bag.
"phi," a familiar voice called and waved to longtae when he placed his eyes upon him. "hi! how are you?" yok smiled.
"i'm good na phi. you did so well on your first day," longtae complimented him. yok couldn't help but to widely grin.
"thanks longtae. you encouraged me," yok realized too late before saying the words to longtae. the latter was stunned but quickly gained his senses. "oh, thank you phi. i'm glad i encouraged you then. come on now!" longtae hurriedly went outside and yok just laughed.
cute.
"so where are you taking me today?" yok asked longtae who just walked towards the familiar place which yok liked.
the sound of water entered both yok and longtae's ears as they approached the place. the waterfall is just as beautiful the first time yok saw it. he was immediately blown away of the clear blue waters that were surrounded by muted rocks and lively trees. he wanted to take a picture but no cameras would even capture the serenity of it.
"phi, come here!" longtae shouted at yok on top of the big rock where he was sitting. he was looking down at yok who in return looked back at him. they both stared at each other to consume the image in front of them.
to longtae, the breathtaking waterfall and trees accentuated yok's beauty more. amidst of these, yok had managed to stand out in longtae's eyes – like a moonflower that's surrounded by a field of red roses. he cursed himself for not bringing his camera to capture yok, the man who longtae was drawn into.
to yok, longtae is a painting that he could never look away from. longtae was just sitting on the big rock yet managed to create a beautiful art. a surge of inspiration suddenly hit, wanting more of longtae.
both of them continued to study each other until yok approached longtae who was now shyly looking away from yok. this didn't go unnoticed as yok whispered,
"tae, will you watch me draw?" yok grabbed longtae's chin gently with his fingers and longtae took a breath. their faces were close, but not close enough. they both think.
the nickname slid out of yok's mouth so easily that longtae couldn't help but to feel thousands of butterflies flying in his stomach.
"of course, phi." longtae replied in a small voice, closing their distance with no space between their arms. the two of them immediately felt each other's heat, smiling to themselves.
"what are you sketching?" longtae watched as yok concentratingly took a hold of a yellow oil pastel and sketched lines that resembled a flower.
"a sunflower," yok turned to longtae who was amused by his talent. "wow, you're talented, phi,"
"i'm not really, i just keep on practicing to make it perfect."
"talented and humble as well," they both laughed and yok found the opportunity to smear the yellow oil pastel residue in longtae's face. "phi!"
yok grinned as he went back to his sketch. "thank you na, for bringing me here. i've been so uninsipired lately that my artworks no longer has life in it,"
longtae watched as yok's smile fell down but asked, "may i ask why phi? it's fine if you don't want to say,"
yok sighed and poured out the feelings that were hidden inside of him. longtae exudes the personification of the phrase, "a breath of fresh air" and yok felt like he can trust longtae.
"i'm sorry na phi, you don't deserve that." sweet sweet longtae.
"it's okay, i'm over it. but ever since i came to phu pan dao, i feel light. but when i met you, i feel lighter. and this flower, reminds me of you," yok pointed at his sketch of a sunflower while looking at longtae with sincerity, never leaving his eyes from his. longtae in return flashes him a wide smile, a clear shyness that comes with it
“why, phi?” yok carefully caresses the latter's cheeks, touch of longing slightly buried underneath.
“because you make life more beautiful, longtae.”
"you're too much, phi." longtae shoved yok lightly and overcame with confidence, longtae laid his head on yok's shoulder who in return, profoundly laid his head on top of longtae's.
time passed by and so does the relationship between yok and longtae. they became more close and became more open with one another. the more they get closer, what they feel towards each other gets more intense. to the villagers' eyes, they knew something more was brewing between yok and longtae than meets the eye.
evening came in phu pan dao. the villagers were preparing a big meal to officially welcome yok in the village. yok was led by a line of lights that was stretched to the village chief's place where everyone, including longtae, was waiting for him.
the village chief stepped in front of yok when he reached at the end and gave him a flower necklace to welcome him as the new member of the village. people cheered and the village chief announced to celebrate. yok bowed to the chief and thanked him. when the chief ushered him to celebrate, he was stopped by longtae who congratulated him. he hugged longtae and thanked him as well.
"i have a surprise for you later, na. meet me in our place?" yok still couldn't get over the fact that longtae had called their usual place of hangout (the waterfall) "their" place. it makes yok hopeful that maybe, just maybe, longtae will return back his feelings. yok nodded and longtae gave him a pat before he went to the back of his house where the party started.
"yok! nice to see you again!" tian approached yok who looked at the other male beside tian. when yok had met chief phupha, he was suddenly intimated. the latter had stronger build and scary aura that can crush you. but once he knew more about phupha, he's like a doberman. intimidating when you look at him, but when you get know him, he's just soft especially when he's with his boyfriend, tian. remembering the time he was ever jealous at tian and longtae, yok was filled with embarrassment.
"hi tian and chief!" yok waved his hand to the two males in front of him. phupha nodded, acknowledging yok's presence.
"come here, let's celebrate!" tian grabbed yok's hand and pushed him to where longtae was at.
。*♡･* ✿ *･♡* 。
"tae?" yok called out longtae's name in the dark, the water ringing in his ears. yok was now in their place after the party.
what was in front of him, to say, is an understatement. fairy lights were hanging around the rocks and longtae whom he had searched for, found him sitting on top of the rock as the light and moon illuminating his unparalleled beauty. he was smiling at yok who smiled back.
"i love your surprise, tae. thank you," yok said gratefully to longtae who just shook his head with a smile. "this is my real gift to you," longtae hands a white flower to yok who looked at him with stars hung in his eyes.
"this is called the moonflower. this flower blossoms in the dark and it reminds me of you. you bloom and shine amidst of the darkness you experienced in your life."
yok was breathless. feelings came rushing in as he saw the figure of the man who captured his heart in a span of days, who reminds him of a sunflower, and who is his muse.
"can i kiss you, longtae?" one question all it takes for longtae to grab yok and meet his lips. the taste of each other's lips were sweet since they had dessert but nothing could ever top the sweetness found within each other.
"you taste so sweet, tae." yok said when they pulled away from another and longtae coming into his senses, blushed at yok's words and also for initiating the kiss. "phi!"
"oh now you're shy? you weren't shy when you—" longtae covered yok's mouth with his hand, face red. yok just laughed and pecked longtae's lips again.
"phi! you're so bold!"
"but you like it anyways," longtae giggled.
"so does that mean you like me too, longtae?" the latter nodded as he buried his head on yok's torso.
"i like you a lot, tae." yok raised longtae's face, pecked him again and again to the point both of their inner selves felt an infinite flower buds bloomed within.
"will you be my boyfriend?" yok added and without hesitation, longtae hugged yok and said yes. hugging in return, yok finally sighed triumphantly.
"i like you so much, my sunflower."
"i like you so much too, my moonflower."
longtae and yok shared a passionate kiss as the sun and moon above watched their love below, illuminating their light as a witness to the two lovers who find each other in every universe.