Flowers | Tale Of The Nine Tailed [Lee Rang]

Chapter 12: Black Roses

I was sitting on the couch of Lee Rang's apartment "watching over" Suho when a tear escaped my eye unexpectedly as I felt a connection seemed to disconnect from me. That was the moment I knew, it has been done.

Lee Yeon has sacrificed himself.

I closed my eyes and released a shaky breath for I have once again lost a master, someone I look up to. Before things led up to the event, I had always begged that his plan wouldn't work. That an alternative solution would work. Like a movie, where the main character had been planning something in secret as an alternative and in the end survives.

Then I remembered Jiah, the books I've read about the love story of a human and fox... always end this way; either one of them dies. From the beginning, they belonged in two different worlds. Using their love as a bridge.

Mr. Yeon's wish, which is to become human or his dream to spend his life with his love might never come true but perhaps his death will serve as a love letter sent to his first and last love.

The door opens ever so lightly that I wouldn't have noticed had I not been hyper-attentive towards everything. Rang emerges with a depressed look. We shared glances as I stood up and slowly walked my way toward him. Pulling him into an embrace that made him burst into tears made me do the same.

Lee Suho who was busy playing with his toys ran toward us. I can only look at him with sad eyes when he asked what was wrong. I felt Rang tighten his grip around my waist as he cried even harder.

━━━━━･❪ ❁ ❫ ･━━━━━

We were far from okay. The first few weeks for us had been a wreck as we all tried to move on from Mr. Yeon's death. Some of us even had the thought of looking for ways to bring him back even though we knew it was impossible and the only person capable of doing so was Hades. Granny has even tried contacting her brother a few times to bargain.

I have yet to give Lee Rang a scolding with the way he's coping with his heartbreak as I simply couldn't bring myself to. Most of the time, he demanded the others to leave him alone and begged me when I refused, few were the times he submitted and let us distract him but after that, he would be back to his state.

With our promises to Mr. Lee Yeon to move on, slowly, we're still trying to this day. Just as promised, Shinju and I took turns looking after Jiah.

"Are you okay?" I asked her. "The street lamps are on again. I called the local authority."

"You didn't have to do that." She smiled at me.

"If you get hurt, I'll get an earful from Mr. Lee." I joked.

"I just met the gatekeeper of the Samdo River," Jiah started. "She told me there's no way to save Yeon.

"Mr. Yeon knew this would happen from the very start," I told her. "But he still chose to sacrifice himself for the woman he loved."

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Just live your life like nothing ever happened," I answered truthfully. Despite knowing what I was about to tell her next is something impossible for her to do. "Forget having met Mr. Yeon and everything you saw regarding our world, and live a normal life. That's what he wants for you."

She could only nod at me sadly before reassuring me she was okay and that I could go. I rushed back to Rang's apartment to check on him.

"He won't even budge," Yuri informed me as Shinju took care of Suho by keeping the boy busy. "I'm worried he might collapse."

"Let me talk to him," I stated and walked towards his room and meeting his eye level.

"This won't bring your brother back." I started. Might not be the best way to start the conversation as he looked at me in disbelief.