YHP 18

Securing a prayer plants required far more than a bit of casual gardening.

Relying solely on childhood experience of growing a few small potted plants—though, in reality, he ended up killing those as well, was not going to be enough to take it lightly.

After some rough browsing on the internet, Jeong-in figured out that seed germination required pellets and water. After planting the seeds one by one and leaving them in a sunny spot for a few days, tiny cotyledons sprouted. However, transplanting them proved much harder than expected.

The biggest problem was the condition of the soil. The ground was riddled with hastily-covered holes where Jeong-in had uprooted trees. Even the seemingly intact areas were half gravel, half soil—hardly suitable for planting anything.

It took Jeong-in over two hours just to compact one large hole and move a few stones. Naturally, his plan to plant the new sprouts and rest in the shade was completely out of reach.

As Jeong-in sweated profusely with every step he took, the ground sank beneath him. He had made a huge mistake wearing sneakers, thinking it would be like walking on ordinary dry soil. The dirt flowing into his exposed ankles made the ground beneath his feet unbearably rough. Of course, his once-white sneakers had long lost their original color.

Struggling to keep his balance, he made his way to the edge of the garden—only for his foot to get caught in a shallow hole, throwing him off balance.

“Ugh…”

In the end, Jeong-in found himself kneeling helplessly on the dirt ground.

“Are you okay?” Hyo-jun asked nonchalantly.

Hyo-jun had been lying under the shade of a tree while fiddling with his phone. Fortunately, Jeong-in had already picked out the larger rocks and set them aside in a corner, so he didn’t break any bones, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

No matter how he looked at it, this was literally manual labor. Jeong-in sighed deeply as he brushed the dirt off his palms. Then, he started picking up the scattered plant pellets he had spilled earlier.

The pellets that had skillfully embedded themselves into the dirt were perfectly camouflaged, making them hard to spot. Even after searching diligently, a few were still missing, and most of the ones he managed to find had broken sprouts.

Looking at the ruined seedlings drained the last bit of energy from him. Jeong-in gave up, collapsing onto the dirt without caring about his clothes. The sun, now high in the sky, burned his eyes, but he no longer had the strength to crawl into the shade.

“Wow… At the rate you’re going, doing this for two hours a day isn’t going to cut it this semester for you,.”

Hyo-jun chuckled heartily, his face lit with pure amusement. His words were so on point that Jeong-in couldn’t argue, which only made him more frustrated.

“If you’re not going to help, just be quiet,” Jeong-in snapped.

“Hey, I’d love to help, but you know how stubborn the chairman is. He said we absolutely shouldn’t help you.”

That was a ridiculous excuse. If Hyun-wook had asked him for help, Hyo-jun would have made up all sorts of reasons to avoid it and wouldn’t have shown his face until everything was done.

“Look on the bright side. I think he’s doing this on purpose to make sure you get some sun. To be honest, even a sloth would be more active than you.”

“I know,” Jeong-in spat back irritably and lay down on the ground.

The fluffy clouds drifted lazily by, partially blocking the sun.

Jeong-in knew exactly why Hyun-wook insisted on making him do this. Six years ago, that incident had shaken Hyun-wook as much as anyone deeply involved in it.

Although Jeong-in had forgotten much of it, Hyun-wook still seemed to be concerned and worried about it. Jeong-in knew very well that all of this was an extension of that concern.

Somehow, this was all just a way to force him to get more sunlight and move his body, even if it was forced.

“Still, isn’t this a bit too much?” Jeong-in grumbled.

Hyo-jun clicked his tongue. “See? You should’ve just planted some flowers quietly. Why did you have to overdo it?”

“I didn’t think it would be this hard,” Jeong-in muttered.

“Of course you didn’t.

Hyo-jun approached Jeong-in without him noticing and extended his hand.

“Get up. I’ll take you back.”

Jeong-in took his hand and stood up.

Hyo-jun brushed off the dirt from Jeong-in’s head and back. Jeong-in quietly accepted the gesture while gathering a few still-intact sprouts. He also made sure to shake out the dirt that had accumulated between his socks and the soles of his shoes.

When he turned his shoes upside down, sand poured out in a cascade. As Jeong-in stared blankly at the falling sand, a sudden wave of dread washed over him.

“Hey, Cho Hyo-jun.”

“What?”

Still shaking out his shoes, Jeong-in asked, “Can plants even grow in sand?”

“Hmm… I’m not sure. Doesn’t seem likely, does it?”

At those words, Jeong-in slammed the tray he was holding on to the ground. Uncontrollable anger surged through him.

“Why didn’t you tell me something so important until now?”

“Come on, how could I tell you when I didn’t know either?”

Once again, Jeong-in couldn’t argue—it was the truth. His face twisted into a miserable expression.

“It’s all ruined… What do I do now?”

Hyo-jun glanced around the garden with a reluctant expression.

“What do you mean, what do you do? If plants really can’t grow in sand, you’ll have to dig all of that out and fill it with proper soil for planting.”

In other words, everything Jeong-in had done today had been a complete waste of effort.

“Fuck… This is seriously frustrating.”

Jeong-in sank back down onto the ground, covering his face with both hands as he took a deep breath.

The day felt unbearably long. He was so exhausted that he even considered just giving up. However, at the same time, a strange sense of determination began to rise within him. He couldn’t let a bit of dirt and a few plants make him give up on the island.

“Cho Hyo-jun. If you have time, let’s stop by Yangjae on the way back.”

Jeong-in forced himself to swallow his frustration and pushed himself up—this time without Hyo-jun’s help.

“I mean, I guess we can, but why Yangjae all of a sudden?”

Jeong-in was going to see this through, whether it worked out or not. Jeong-in had made up his mind—he was going to win this damn war with the garden.

“To buy a shovel.”

***

Hyojun’s car, fresh from a trip to the flower market, screeched to a stop at the entrance of Jeongin’s alleyway with a deafening roar.

It was a sports car he had swapped out for at his apartment—because, according to him, they needed to “set the mood.” When Jeong-in pleaded with him to drive something quieter, Hyo-jun responded with nothing more than a dismissive snort.

Even while parked, the engine continued to rumble loudly, drawing the attention of every passerby on the street. Sensing the stares, Jeong-in groaned and rubbed his forehead with his hand.

“Do you really have to drive something this obnoxious?”

“Well, well. Who would’ve thought there’d come a day when Choi Jeong-in dares to call something obnoxious? Especially when you drive like absolute shit.”

Hyo-jun laughed as if the idea was absurd. Then, without hesitation, he pressed the button to open the door.

“Besides, cars like this are all about the grand exit. Enjoy it.”.

The sleek black sports car’s door swung silently upward into the air. Startled, Jungin tried to close it again immediately, but his frozen figure in the passenger seat was fully exposed for all to see.

Curious gazes landed on him without hesitation. He wanted to die of embarrassment. He had already felt this way at the flower market, but at least while driving, no one could see inside the car. Getting in and out, however, was a whole different story. The attention was unbearable.

“Please… can’t you just drop me off in front of my building?”

Desperate to escape into the safety of his home, Jeong-in tried pleading once more. But Hyo-jun firmly shook his head.

“No can do.”

The alley had long since turned into an impromptu parking lot. This was precisely why Jeong-in rarely drove his own car. There wasn’t enough space for anything larger than a narrow sedan. Squeezing Hyo-jun’s sports car through was clearly impossible, so Jeong-in had no choice but to get out.

By now, the crowd had stopped in their tracks and took turns looking between the car and Jeong-in. Ignoring their gazes as best he could, he began unloading his items one by one: a shovel, a pickaxe, some mysterious stick-like object, and even a massive fork-like tool he had impulsively bought thanks to a very persuasive shopkeeper.

Gathering all these mismatched items into his arms—utterly incongruous with the sleek car—he finally managed to close the door. With a beastly roar of its exhaust, Hyo-jun’s car sped off, leaving no room for second thoughts.

“Sigh…”

Even with the car gone, the clanking of metal in his arms kept drawing attention. People continued to stare, making Jeong-in duck his head to avoid eye contact and walk as quickly as he could. He regretted everything. If he’d known it would be like this, he should’ve just driven his own car from the beginning.

The street had never seemed particularly long before, but now it felt endless with all the gardening tools weighing him down. The unexpected heaviness threw off his balance, but he pressed on, trying his best not to drop anything and kept walking diligently—until someone suddenly stepped in front of him.

Assuming it was just another passerby, Jeong-in stepped left to move around them—only for them to step left as well.

“…”

Thinking they had simply crossed paths awkwardly, Jeong-in moved right this time. Again, the person followed suit and blocked him once more. This time, it seemed intentional. Already at his wits’ end, Jeong-in raised his head, wondering who this crazy person might be.

“Give it to me.”

A refreshing scent brushed past him, and his arms suddenly felt lighter.

“You…”

Jeong-in couldn’t even manage to utter anything and simply stared at the person’s face. Statistically speaking, this shouldn’t be possible, yet somehow, the person standing before him once again was none other than Yoo Ho-jin.