Weed ~The One’s Gardener~ - Chapter 87

‘What do I do? What should I do? There’s no time. I can’t keep going like this. Think. Think. Think!’

Just before her mind could go blank again from the overwhelming pleasure, a sudden thought struck Hana like a bolt of lightning.

“Weed.”

Her voice was serious.

Sensing the shift, Weed immediately paused.

“Yes, Hana?”

“Haha…”

Hana let out a hollow laugh.

Of course. That was all she needed to do. It was so simple, yet she hadn’t thought of it. How stupid of her not to realize. These things really do turn people into fools.

“I love you.”

At those words, everything stopped.

26. If You Love

The rustling of the vines, the soft caress of leaves, and the gentle tendrils that had been teasing her skin—all of it suddenly stopped. The once breathless forest, filled with heated gasps and moans, fell silent. Only the sound of insects remained.

Weed froze, and Hana gasped for air in the brief moment of rest. There was no response from him—no movement, no sound. The entire forest stood still; even the wind had ceased.

“…What?”

His eyes were wide, his hands trembling. His expression was extreme confusion. It seemed her words had finally reached him. Hana looked him straight in the eyes and repeated herself.

“I love you.”

Weed took a step back.

“What, are you… saying… you don’t… I…”

He was stumbling over his words, unable to focus his gaze on anything.

“Let me go, okay?”

“You’re, try, trying to run away… because you ha, hate me…”

Hana shook her head. She didn’t hate him. She wasn’t trying to escape. Surely, by now, he understood that.

“Please let me go.”

“Hana… I…”

Weed’s face flushed a deep red.

After everything he had just done, this was what embarrassed him. How ridiculous. The leaves that still brushed against Hana’s cheek trembled as if echoing Weed’s pounding heart. He opened and closed his mouth, his hands moving to cover his face as if he couldn’t bear it.

Finally, he managed to ask softly:

“A, again…”

“If you let me go.”

She offered him a deal. If he released her, she would say it again.

Without hesitation, he agreed.

The vines, which had seemed impossible to escape, slowly unraveled. The tendrils that had bound her arms and legs withdrew, leaving a space for Hana to sit. She couldn’t help but chuckle inside. Even in his confusion, Weed was careful not to let her bare skin touch the cold ground.

Hana stood up with her legs trembling and walked toward him.

“Weed, I love you.”

Weed fell to his knees. His face showed a dazed expression.

Now, he must understand everything. It wasn’t hate. It wasn’t abandonment. She liked him. She loved him.

As he accepted Hana’s confession, he would have to confront his own feelings. He would finally understand why she was making this decision, why she wanted to leave. He would realize what they both truly desired and the inevitable outcome that awaited them.

He must have realized it all at once, which was why tears were streaming down his face. Even though he had finally heard the words he had longed for, he couldn’t allow himself to feel joy.

“This can’t be. Then… It can’t be. Hana, it can’t…”

Hana knelt beside him and wrapped her arms around his trembling shoulders as she gently patted him.

“Weed. I love you. Do you understand now?”

“This, this can’t be… it can’t… Hana… ugh, huh… Hana… it, it can’t… ugh… huaahh…”

Weed mumbled incoherently before breaking down into sobs, crying like a child. Hana held him close, comforting him as she cried with him.

He had two choices before him. One was to ignore the truth, to blind himself and keep her by his side, convincing himself over and over that she was running away because she hated him. The other was to accept her love, to acknowledge the truth.

But if he chose that, he would have to let her go.

In the end, he had to decide. Would he cling to the delusion of being unloved and forcefully keep her with him? Or would he accept her love and…

For him to truly accept her love, he had no choice but to let her go.

“How can you be so cruel to me? Hana… this can’t be… this can’t…”

Hana held Weed tightly as he cried, gently patting his back and kissing his forehead and hair, trying to console him. She couldn’t just leave him like this, not when he was crying so desperately right in front of her, even if she wished she could erase his memory.

It was just like the vision she’d seen in her dreams.

Though he had committed no crime, Weed always cried so painfully whenever a sacrifice was made. Seeing him like this was one of the reasons she’d decided to leave. Watching him in such sorrow was unbearable.

No matter how much she tried to comfort him, he continued to sob uncontrollably.

She suddenly remembered the first time she had seen him cry.

It was the day they fought when she first declared that she would offer herself as a sacrifice. He had wept, begging her not to make such a decision for his sake. He had told her that if she had chosen that path because she no longer wished to live, he would do everything in his power to help her realize that living and breathing was a blessing—and that one day, she would be glad she hadn’t died then.

Every time a sacrifice was made, Weed had crumbled.

She knew better than anyone how deeply he would be hurt when that moment finally came. She feared how his emotions would collapse, and she was terrified of it all.

‘If your decision is firm, I have no right to stop you. But Hana… please, just think about it a little more.’