One year later...

The young florist wrapped the different shades of pink roses carefully around it's long stems. She neatly tied the bouquet with a large bow and looked up at the guy observing the other flowers.

"Sir, it's ready," she called out.

He took his hands out of his trouser pockets and turned around. He smoothed down his slick navy suit before striding towards the cashier desk. There was a lightness to his steps, almost as if he was floating due to the sheer amount of happiness he was feeling.

"Thank you very much," he said, "They are absolutely breathtaking."

"I added a few extra roses so I hope it impresses her well," she smiled, giving him a sly wink.

Hoseok let out a hearty laugh as he handed her the money.

"I am certain she is going to love it," he replied, taking the bouquet from her hands.

They bowed their heads at one another before he walked towards the shop's exit.

"Wish her a happy birthday from me too!"

He gave her a large grin and nodded. The door's bell chimed as he opened it. Instantly, he squinted his eyes and lifted his hand before his face to prevent the sun from blinding him any further.

It was a beautifully sunny and warm day. Everyone had escaped out of their homes to take advantage of the rare weather that came rather unexpectedly in the middle of winter. Only just yesterday, it had been mercilessly pouring and he doubted whether or not the birthday celebration would be successful.

He walked through the familiar streets, smelling the sweet scent of the roses. Just then, he received a call. 

"I will meet you at the hot air balloon site, I will be leaving work in like ten minutes."

Hoseok chuckled and shook his head. Even on a special day like this, she still worked tirelessly, even though it had only been a mere year since her recovery. His admiration for her only became stronger each passing day.

The wind began to pick up ever so slightly, ruffling his neatly styled hair. He shifted his gaze upon a shop window to check if his hairstyle was still intact. She always commented on how she liked it when his hair was out of his face and so he combed it up from his forehead, just the way she liked it.

His heart was beating a happy rhythm, mirroring the excitement that was pulsing through his veins. He had returned from his American tour only the week before and they were going to see each other for the first time since then, on her birthday. They were going to fulfill one of her many dreams.

He was going to make a quick stop at the graveyard before going to the hot air balloon site. The streets began to get narrower and the area was desolate. He knew he was close by.

He walked through the large rusty gates which squeaked louder the more he opened it. Rows of tombstones stood in neat rows. Some were tall and large, the stones decorated elaborately. Some had crumbled after having withstood harsh conditions of the seasons for decades.

He walked straight past them all until he came upon a small, polished tombstone that glistened every time the sun spotlighted parts of the stone. Hoseok had to sink his teeth into his bottom to lip to physically restrain himself from breaking down. 

He looked around with wide eyes, not wanting to blink in fear that the tear might escape out of the pool that was beginning to blur his vision. He swiped the back of his palm across his eyes, feeling the wetness of his tears on his skin. A pained sob somehow escaped from his tightly shut lips. He had promised himself not to cry.

After composing himself, Hoseok took out a small white ball stitched with red stitches from his pocket and with a shaky hand, he placed it in front of the stone.

"I won our latest game," he chuckled, "Hope you are proud of me...Look at me all dressed up. I'm wearing a suit for God's sake. Isn't that a first? I feel as weird as you would be if you saw me. I feel like I might be overdoing it a little to be honest."

His laughter filled the empty graveyard. His phone rang again and he answered it.

"Are you still there?" she asked, "It's going to be one o'clock soon so you better hurry up. You can't chicken out this time like last year! We are doing this for her."

"I was just about to leave! Gosh, you need to chill." His playful tone darkened. "I would never bail out the second time, seriously. Not now."

He ended the call. He crouched down, squatting before the tombstone.

"I'm sorry we could never tick off this dream of yours with you. Me and Haneul will be going up into the skies in the hot-air balloon, closer to you. I hope you see us from wherever you may be."

He placed the bouquet of roses on the ground.

"Happy birthday, Jinah."

The End

A/N: Did y'all make correct predictions about the ending? I'm so happy to have finally finished this story, initially I was just going to keep it unpublished, for probably forever. However, I wanted to go back to this story and make myself work hard for all of us to see the end. I've highly enjoyed writing my first 'angst' story, I definitely want to write more in the future. Thanks y'all for reading! Hope you enjoyed it.
- Panda