(Set three months after the couple's public reveal, during the annual Seoul Night‑Bloom Festival—a one‑night event where thousands of luminescent flowers fill the Han River Park.)
Aria had heard the legends—rare blossoms that glowed like fallen constellations, petals that flickered with bio‑luminescent dye under black‑light lanterns—but she'd never managed to attend. Spring was always her busiest season; weddings, graduations, apology bouquets. This year, though, she'd closed Petal & Stem early and hung a handwritten sign on the door:
Gone to watch flowers chase the moon. Back tomorrow. 🌙🌼
Kaelira had insisted.
"It's basically a florist's Coachella," she'd said, eyes bright with mischief as she waved two VIP bracelets she'd snagged from a sponsor. "And there's a Ferris wheel. And churros bigger than Ryu's ego."
Aria laughed, tugging her girlfriend's hoodie strings. "You had me at churros."
⤹ ❀
Han River Park pulsed with music and color. Floating stages drifted downstream, carrying acoustic bands who played lullaby covers of K‑pop hits. Food stalls scented the air with cinnamon sugar and tteokbokki spice. Lanterns—tens of thousands—bobbed on the water, each with a single neon marigold inside.
Aria and Kaelira slipped through the crowd, disguised in matching pastel bucket hats (gift from fans)—but honestly, nobody cared anymore. The date reveal had mellowed into supportive cheers and memes. Tonight, the city seemed determined to love out loud. Strangers waved. Elderly couples offered festival maps. A little boy handed Winter a glowing origami crane "for luck."
Kaelira laced their fingers. "See? Peace does exist."
Aria smiled, squeezing back. "It's here because you are."
Kaelira's cheeks pinked under the lantern glow.
⤹ ❀
They started at the vintage carousel, its mirrors rimmed in lavender garlands. Kaelira chose a golden swan; Aria chose a silver fox. The ride was slow, dreamy—the park spinning in soft focus. Halfway through, Aria leaned sideways across the pole.
"Hey, starshine."
Kaelira turned. "Yes, flower girl?"
Aria produced a tiny velvet pouch from her pocket. "I—um—made something."
Inside was a lapel pin: a miniature ranunculus sculpted from pale resin, shading into white tulip petals at the edges—two flowers woven as one.
Kaelira's breath caught. "You combined them."
"So you don't have to pick," Aria whispered. "It's… us."
Kaelira slid off the swan as the carousel slowed, pulled Aria into the middle platform, and kissed her soundly while the calliope music trilled around them. Applause rose from random riders. One elderly woman even whistled.
Kaelira laughed against Aria's lips. "Petal thief, you've stolen my cool."
Aria's voice trembled, dizzy with joy. "You never needed it."
⤹ ❀
Next came the highlight: the Night‑Bloom Maze. Tall hedges wove a labyrinth lit only by pocket‑sized UV lanterns. Every few steps, clusters of engineered marigolds flared electric blue, lilac, or gold. The path glittered like a starfield underfoot.
Kaelira clasped Aria's hand. "Legend says if two people reach the center together, their bond glows forever."
Aria raised a brow. "Convenient myth."
"Welcome to my foreshadowing," Kaelira quipped, tugging her in.
They navigated dead ends, giggling whenever Kaelira's directional confidence failed spectacularly. At one turn, Aria slipped on damp grass; Kaelira caught her, bracing an arm around her waist.
"Got you," she murmured.
Aria's reply was breathless: "Always."
In the center clearing, the largest bloom awaited—a giant mechanical lotus whose petals opened each hour, releasing a mist of harmless glowing spores. Couples stood in quiet awe.
Kaelira faced Aria beneath the radiant petals. "Close your eyes."
Aria obeyed, heart thunderous.
Something cool settled around her neck: a fine silver chain, holding a tiny charm—a star nested inside a daisy.
Kaelira whispered, "My manager nearly fainted when I asked to order this custom. Worth it."
Aria opened her eyes, tears pricking. The charm shimmered turquoise under the lotus glow.
"It's beautiful," she breathed.
"So are you." Kaelira leaned in, pressing their foreheads together as the spores drifted like neon snow. "Can we promise something?"
"Anything."
"No matter how loud the world gets, let's keep choosing this." Kaelira gestured to the silent, glowing circle around them. "Choosing us."
Aria didn't trust her voice, so she answered with a kiss—soft, sure, luminous.
When they finally pulled apart, the lotus petals closed, and the path lamps winked back on, guiding them out together.
⤹ ❀
They ended the night at the towering Ferris wheel overlooking the river. A helpful attendant grinned. "Couples' car for the Tulip Queens?"
Kaelira gave a mock bow. "Yes, please."
The gondola rose, city shrinking into a tapestry of twinkling lights and lanterns. Halfway up, rain began—a gentle, tapping curtain against the glass. The world below blurred into watercolor.
Aria rested her head on Kaelira's shoulder. "Remember our first rain?"
"You hid me behind roses."
Winter laughed softly.
Kaelira offered a churro they'd smuggled on board. "Circle moment?"
Aria took a bite, sugar dusting her lips. Kaelira kissed the sugar away. Outside, lightning flickered distant violet, reflecting off the river like a second sky.
Kaelira exhaled, nervous energy returning. "I have another surprise."
Aria raised an eyebrow, chewing. "Another?"
Kaelira pulled out her phone, thumb hovering. "I scheduled a post for midnight. Goes up in ten minutes."
Aria's stomach flipped. "What is it?"
"A video—just me, talking about loving a florist who saves my soul daily." Kaelira's eyes searched hers. "If you're okay with it."
Aria swallowed, tears rising again—happy ones. "I'm more than okay."
Kaelira hit cancel on the scheduler. "Then we'll upload together."
They framed a selfie—rain‑speckled glass, glowing lotus far below, matching pins shining on their jackets—and tapped post at 00:00.
Caption: "Found my forever in a shop full of flowers. 🌙🌼 #TulipCouple"
Within seconds, likes exploded. Comments flooded with petals, stars, and blessings.
Aria tucked herself under Kaelira's arm as the gondola reached the peak, city lights stretching infinite.
Hope sparkled between them—brighter than engineered blossoms, louder than any headline.
Kaelira whispered, "Next year, same festival?"
Aria kissed her knuckles. "Next year. The year after. Always."
The Ferris wheel began its gentle descent, carrying two girls wrapped together in a blanket of starlight and marigold dreams—into a future they'd vowed to choose, night after night, bloom after bloom.