The Rosebud by Dongwoo Kim

Mars was shocked. He dropped the vase. It was broken and the fragments were everywhere. His heart, and his love, are also scattered everywhere. People stepped on the flowers that Mars made for three days. What happened to him?

It was a cold snowy day in December. A good-looking boy who was in a high school uniform was walking down the street. He looked nervous but there was a smile on his face at the same time. He got on a bus. It was a blue PNU shuttle bus.

His name is Mars Kim. He is a smart boy and likes English. He likes to be an English teacher, so he applied PNU as English Education major. It was his interview day.

Although he was a little bit anxious about the interview, he was confident. He was a prepared student. He got really good scores on his test in his high school, and he could speak English very fluently. There seems no reason for him to be failed. ‘Hey, Mars! You can do it. Believe in yourself. You are the one who will make it,’ Mars said to himself.

He was looking outside on the bus. Everything that caught his eyes made him excited and happy. He was dreaming about his fantastic campus life. He was very happy. The bus announcement told him he got there, so he took off the bus.

Then, something happened. While climbing the hill to the building, he passed by a girl. He could not believe what he saw. He couldn’t breathe. I could not stand still. The image of the unknown girl struck Mars. She was just perfect to him. He fell in love with her at his first sight. He could not help thinking of her even during the interview. Her beautiful, white, and sexy face did not leave Mars alone for weeks. He met her in his dreams almost every day.

Mars was a bookworm. He did not show any interest in girls. He had never dated with a girl. A lot of girls liked him because of his good looking appearance and suave personality, but these girls could not interest him. He liked studying more than dating girls.

Mars felt this kind of feeling for the first time. Her face was always around his head. He really wanted to see her and talk to her, but he did not know how. He could not eat well. His mom, worried, asked Mars what is going on.

“Hey, honey. What troubles you? You look not good these days.”

“Nothing, mom,” said Mars. “I’m just a little bit tired these days preparing for university entrance. I’m just fine.”

“Honey, I really worry about your health. You have to eat well, or you might come down with the swine flu.”

“Okay, mom. Don’t worry. I’ll follow your advice.”

Mars did not like to disappoint his mom. He was such a good boy.

As time goes by, Mars started to forget about her. He focused on study and finally he entered PNU with full scholarship for four years. His family and teachers are really proud of him. Like this, it seemed that he forgot the girl of dream.

It was a sunny day in late February. Mars was quickening his pace. He was fully dressed up and looking good. There was a greeting party for all freshmen in English education major, so he was going there. Mars said to himself,

‘It’s going to be really exciting. Who am I going to meet tonight? I really want to see my classmates. I hope they are good.’

He finally got there. Lots of people were already there. The party was held in a classroom. It was decorated with balloons and pictures, and greeting messages from senior students filled the blackboard. Many seniors talked to Mars nicely and warmly. Mars didn’t expect this hospitality. He thought he made a right choice. People inside the room, freshmen and senior students, had a great time. Seniors gave freshmen useful information on university life. Freshmen asked lots of questions and seniors answered. They played games together and got close to one other.

Suddenly, the door opened. A girl came inside of the classroom. Everyone in that room lost their words. Her long brown hairs looked smooth and silky, as if anything on it would slide. Her big eyes would reflect the world like a mirror. Her skin was as white as snow and her lips were as red as a cherry. Her ivory cashmere coat was elegant, and her skirts were short but not loud. She had aura around her. She was so beautiful. Again, Mars could not breathe. He could not say anything. Yes. She was the girl Mars met the other day!

“Hi, everyone. Sorry for being late. It is great to see you guys here. Welcome to English Education Department. My name is Choi Hyosun, also known as Rosebud. I am the student reader of this department of this year, so please feel free to ask anything you want to know about our department. Have a great time tonight. Thank you!”

Mars felt dizziness because of her sweet voice. His heart beat so fast that he could not calm down. As she approached Mars, his heart beat faster and faster. She seated next to Mars. Mars was about to pass out.

“Hi, what’s your name?” said she,

“My… n…n…name is Mars. Mars Kim.”

“You are so cute. Welcome. Whenever you have something to ask me, call me!”

“Ye…yes. Thank you very much.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

This short conversation made him frozen. When he came home and went to bed, he could not sleep. He thought about nothing but her. ‘Is this love? I’ve never had this kind of feeling. I cannot do anything but thinking of her. Oh… What should I do?’ he sighed.

Two weeks left before the new semester. Just two weeks were like a year to Mars. For these 2 weeks, he dreamed about her everyday. He wanted to see her again. He wanted to talk to Hyosun again. He wanted to be her boyfriend. So, he made plans.

He decided to write a letter to Hyosun. He thought about what to write over and over again. After throwing away tens of letter papers, he wrote the lyrics of the song that could reflect his state of mind.

Why do birds suddenly appear every time you are near
Just like me, they long to be close to you
Why do stars fall down from the sky every time you walk by
Just like me, they long to be close to you

On the day that you were born
And the angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moon dust In your hair of gold
And starlight in your eyes of blue

That is why all the girls in town follow you all around
Just like me, they long to be close to you

He elaborated. He did his best to decorate the letter beautifully. He wrote sincerely with his true heart. It was true love.

He slept on the way to give this letter to her. Next day, he put the letter into her book cabinet. He waited until Hyosun came. He waited for about an hour. Finally she came. Mars pretended that he was looking for his books. Hyosun opened the cabinet.

“Wow. A beautiful letter,” said Hyosun.

“Who gave it to you? I envy you,” her friend asked.

“I don’t know. There’s no name on it. Wow, look at this. It’s a love song. HAHAHA.”

“How do you feel? Surprised? Are you curious about who sent this?”

“Not really,” Hyosun replied. “There’s nothing to be surprised. It happens all the time. HAHAHA. Look at this song. I think he is a novice. Using a 1980s pop song on a letter!! It’s so childish! HAHAHA.”

Mars, listening to this conversation, was a little bit disappointed at her. He thought she is a very kind and nice girl who cares about other people’s feeling. However, his love towards her had not changed at all.

This time, he made his mind to make paper roses for her because her nickname was a rose bud. A rose bud, a rose bloomed yet. It must be a symbol of unstained, pure, immaculate innocence. For three days, he made 100 roses in full bloom. Even though it was not an easy process, he did that happily thinking of her. After done with roses, he went out to buy a glass vase to put the flowers. Thinking of Hyosun’s beautiful smile, he smiled. He went to the store. He took the flowers to the store with him to find out the right vase. He put the flowers to several vases and chose a great transparent glass vase. He was coming back home holding the vase containing the paper flowers in his hands. He could not help smiling. He was so happy.

On the half way home, Mars saw Hyosun walking down the street. Tonight she looked different from normal days. She was in a strange dress. It was so loud. Her skirt was so short that someone could see her underwear. Her makeup was something like that of a street girl. Mars had never expected that moment.

Mars followed Hyosun. Hyosun stubbed her toes. She looked drunk already, but she entered a night club. Mars followed.

It was a totally dark place. He could hardly see someone right in front of him. The place was so crowded. Only thing he could hear was the loud music. Everybody was dancing. Some were rubbing each other. Some were kissing each other. Mars did not feel well in the place. He wanted to get out right that moment, but he soon stated search for Hyosun.

Mars kept his eyes on Hyosun as he hold the vase with flowers in his hand. His hands were shaking. He didn’t know why. He felt something inside of his heart. Fear, or anger? He didn’t know what it was. He was looking down from the second floor. Hyosun was dancing on the stage. Her moves were sexy. Mars could not believe that woman on the stage was Hyosun, the rosebud. He kept looking at her. Out of nowhere, a guy came near to her and danced together. After a while, the guy started to feel up her body, but she showed no sign of resistance. Suddenly, Hyosun grabbed the guy’s hand and they got out of the stage. They went to the corner where no one could see them clearly. There, they started deep kisses.

Mars was shocked. He dropped the vase. It was broken and the fragments were everywhere. His heart, and his love, are also scattered everywhere. People stepped on the flowers that Mars made for three days. She is a rose bud, the symbol of innocence. She is not supposed to do that! Mars started to run. Tears ran down on his face. He kept running and running until his heart was about to explode. He was crying. His body was shaking with agony. He remembered the first day he saw her. He recalled the conversation he had with her. He looked back on the letter he wrote for her. He thought of the roses. He cried.

He cried for an hour. Suddenly, he felt some strange feelings. He stood up and walked along the street. He could not feel any anger any more. He felt his heart purified. It looked like he realized something.

“Love is…,” said Mars.