Episode 2: Dance of Green Leaves, Promise of the Yellow Star Flower

Around the time when the brilliant greenery of May began to color the city center of Seoul in a refreshing way. A wonderful green miracle was unfolding every day in a small terracotta flower pot placed by the window of Eunseo's rooftop room. April's cute sprout pawpaw was now well over 30 centimeters tall, showing off the appearance of a rather majestic and lush young cherry tomato tree. The dark green leaves had their delicate, gear-shaped veins wide open, catching the sunlight with their entire bodies, and silvery downy hairs were sprouting densely on the surface of the thick stems, shining brightly with morning dew.

Just by brushing my fingertips, the refreshing, tangy smell of tomatoes, unique to my nose, spread throughout the room, creating the illusion that I was in a refreshing Mediterranean summer garden. “Popo, you’ve grown so tall already! It looks like the stem is going to bend.”

Eunseo came running after school in her school uniform and came to the flower pot as soon as she put down her bag. Due to the weight of the lush leaves and stems, Popo's delicate waist was slightly tilted toward the window. Plants had the ability to extend toward the light, but without support, there was a risk of their stems breaking or falling to the ground. From her bag, Eunseo took out a thin green bamboo stick and a bundle of soft yellow yarn that she had just bought at the flower garden alley. “Wait just a moment, Popo. Let me build a strong backbone for you.”

Eunseo carefully inserted the bamboo pole deep into the soil edge of the pot so as not to damage the roots. Then, two layers of soft yellow yarn were layered and tied with a loose '8-knot' between the stem and the support pole. It was the hand of an experienced gardener who left some space to prevent the wool from digging into the flesh as the stem grew thicker. Inside Popo's body, a truly gigantic organic chemical factory was operating ceaselessly. In the chloroplasts of leaves, photosynthesis took place actively by absorbing photon energy from sunlight, splitting water molecules into oxygen and hydrogen, and combining carbon dioxide inhaled through stomata to synthesize glucose.

The xylem inside the stem pumped out cool moisture from the roots and nutrients from the earth, such as nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, at a speed of several centimeters per second, up to the tips of the leaves, and the phloem diligently carried the sweet nutrients synthesized in the leaves to the stem and growth points. In the soil on the surface of the flower pot was a small sign that Eunseo had carefully carved with an iron on an ice cream stick. [♥ Little Tomato Popo's happy home - I love you every day! ♥]

"The sight of a small ant waving its antennae as it passed under that cute sign was a peaceful scene from a miniature diorama kingdom straight out of a fairy tale." In addition, Eunseo carefully made homemade natural fertilizer to prevent calcium deficiency (belly rot), which commonly occurs when tomatoes are ripening. I washed the egg shells I ate for breakfast, dried them thoroughly, ground them finely in a mortar, and fried them until golden brown in a frying pan. Then, I poured brown rice vinegar into them and made my own 'water-soluble egg shell calcium' that bubbled up.

Every time a ladleful of eggshell calcium liquid diluted in water was poured into the soil, the pawpaw roots gulped down the nutrients as if they were drinking a cool mineral drink. The high school girl's extreme sincerity and consideration in caring for a small flower pot was as detailed and warm as that of any professional farmer.

'Wow... Eunseo's hands are really warm. 'When I lean on the support pole, my body doesn't hurt at all and I can stand up straight!'

Popo trembled with relief running through the veins of his entire body. The bamboo pole became a strong friend and support, and the sweet warmth from Eunseo's fingertips breathed new life into the popo's stem. After setting up the support pole, Eunseo looked around at the flower pot and frowned slightly. This was because several pointed new shoots—so-called ‘Suckers’—were growing between the main stem and the petioles.

“Grandma said that. If you don’t pick the side shoots in time, the nutrients will be dispersed in all directions and the flowers won’t bloom properly and the fruits will be small. Popo, even if it stings a little, you have to endure it. Understand?” Eunseo carefully twisted and broke off the tender side shoots that sprouted from the armpits of the stem with the tips of her thumb and index finger, making a popping sound. Pop. Refreshing, bittersweet grass water seeped out, staining Eunseo’s white fingertips a light green color. Popo felt a sharp pain for a moment, but soon felt the energy of his entire body gathering clearly into the main stem and the growth point at the top.

It was the pain of ‘selection and concentration’ that plants must go through in order to bloom beautiful flowers and bear sweet fruits. The small flower pot and the high school girl were learning together Mother Nature's sacred teaching that only by cutting out unnecessary greed and twigs can a truly brilliant life be completed. Eunseo smiled brightly as she smelled the scent of the pieces of side shoots she had cut off.

“It smells really good. Popo, now you have to do your best to make pretty flowers bloom!” As she removed the side shoots, Eunseo was deeply reflecting on her past school life. Until my second year of high school, I wanted to do well, so I was overly greedy and poured my energy into everything, including student council, club activities, various essay competitions, and volunteer work, which led to burnout. Because of the twigs sticking out in all directions, he had lost his most important balance.

“Thank you, Popo. I think I understand why I have been so tired and tired while taking care of you. There was no need to be greedy to do everything well. In order to fully bloom my one truly precious dream, my own light... I had to courageously cut off the side shoots of unnecessary greed and the gaze of others.”

The eyes of the girl who realized the true wisdom of life through plants began to take on a more mature and clear depth. As we entered June, the sky in Seoul began to heat up with the heat of summer. Eunseo, exhausted from studying for the test, would lie down on her desk and fall asleep, but Popo at the window was breathing in the dazzling sunlight every day, finally preparing for the greatest miracle of his life. At the ninth node of the stem, under the shade of the lush leaves, small light green flower buds began to form like clusters of grapes. The flower buds, which were smaller than grains of rice, swelled little by little every morning, and a soft yellow light began to shine from the tips.

Popo's heart was pounding. 'I think a flower is about to bloom... The golden stars hidden inside me are awakening!' 'The dew dances on the small leaves, and the wind gently whispers. Follow the sunlight, learn about the sky, and feel the light hidden within me. Even small tomatoes shine like stars, my story dancing in the sunlight.' As the song goes, Popo danced with the wind and sunlight hitting the window every morning. The early summer morning air was sweet, and the singing of sparrows flying beyond the rooftop window frame was like an orchestra cheering the growth of small plants.

However, the seasons in nature were not always friendly and peaceful. In order for life to grow, it sometimes had to overcome the trials of strong rain, wind and darkness. Inflorescence was an elaborate comb-shaped raceme that spread out zigzagly along the stem. Starting with the first flower that bloomed first, the second and third flower buds were preparing to raise their heads in order. The five thin green sepals (Sepals) surrounding each flower bud were tightly holding and protecting the golden petals, like the warm hands of a mother holding her young baby in her arms.

Mother Nature's order and patience, which are necessary for a single flower to bloom, gave Eun-seo, who had always lived as if she was being chased in the city's impatient competitive society, a feeling of silence. One afternoon in mid-June. The sky suddenly became covered with dark clouds, and even though it was midday, it started to get as dark as midnight. Rumbling—stomping! A sudden summer shower accompanied by murderous gusts hit the Seoul sky, accompanied by a huge thunder that shook the earth. A strong downpour pounded the tin roof of the rooftop as if it was going to break, and a fierce wind and rain began to blow through the cracks in the windows.

The wind was so strong that the window rattled and shattered, and the small succulent pots on the window sill fell to the floor and broke. Popo, which was firmly rooted in the terracotta pot, was also overcome with great fear. The stems swayed mercilessly in the howling rain and wind, and the precious yellow flower buds that were just about to bloom were in danger of falling off.

'Help... Eunseo... save me...!'

Popo supported the bending stem that seemed as if it might break, and desperately called Eunseo's name in his heart. But Eunseo was still in the school study room. Just as the merciless hand of the storm was about to push Popo's flower pot to the cliff outside the window frame, at that desperate moment, boom—! The iron door of the rooftop was thrown open as if it were about to break apart, and a girl with short hair, her entire body soaked in the rain, ran into the room, out of breath. It was Eunseo! As soon as the girl heard the thunder at school, she ran three kilometers in the rain without even taking an umbrella.

“Popo—!” The cumulonimbus clouds covering the sky above Seoul were roaring as if they were about to devour the rooftop, like the maw of a huge monster. The sky was twisted into an eerie blue-green and gray color, and flashing bolts of lightning struck in all directions over the forest of buildings in Gwanghwamun and Jongno. The moment she saw the fierce dark clouds through the school study room window, Eunseo's mind was filled with only the image of Popo standing alone at the rooftop window.

“Teacher! There’s a flower pot in the house… I think it’s going to fall!”

Eunseo rushed out of the school gate without even packing her bag. As soon as the umbrella was opened, it was overturned by a gust of wind and the stem broke and flew away, but the girl ran down the steep hill while being hit by rain pouring down so hard that she could not open her eyes. Even as her shoes became wet with rainwater, slipping and scraping her knees, only the desperate love of saving small lives made the girl's heart beat. Eunseo jumped to the window without even having time to take care of her wet school uniform. I used my whole body to block the rain and wind blowing through the broken window, and I hugged the terracotta flower pot that was on the verge of falling over with my arms. The cold rain hit Eunseo's cheeks and nape without mercy, but the girl closed her eyes tightly and held the flower pot tightly in her arms. “Thank goodness... it’s not too late... Popo, are you okay? Are you hurt?”

Eunseo’s tears and the rain mixed together and dripped down onto Popo’s green leaves. The sublime love of a girl who gave up her whole body to protect a small plant, regardless of how wet her body got. Popo heard Eunseo's heart pounding through her wet shirt. Even in the cold storm, Eunseo's heart was a warmer and more sacred cradle than any other hearth in the world. 'Eunseo... thank you... I wasn't hurt at all. You protected me...'

Popo gently placed his leaf on the tip of Eunseo's chin. The girl and the small plant, who shared each other's body heat, became one in perfect unity in the darkness of a rough storm and endured the fear. An hour later, the dark clouds finally cleared and the showers subsided. As if a storm had just struck, the western sky cleared and a huge, brilliant, seven-colored double rainbow crossed the sky of Seoul. The dazzling afternoon sunlight pouring down over the rainbow illuminated the window of Eunseo’s room. After the storm passed, Eunseo carefully took a cotton pad and carefully wiped away the rainwater that had accumulated on the armpits of the leaves and the surface of the soil.

He remembered the advice from a gardening book that if exposed to excessive moisture for a long time in a poorly ventilated condition, fatal diseases such as gray mold or late blight can develop on the delicate stems. I opened the window about halfway to let in the soft evening breeze, and lit a warm lavender scented candle on the corner of the desk to gently blow away the moisture in the room. Under the girl's sincere care and love, the stem of the pawpaw tree, which had been wet and shaking from wind and rain, quickly regained its vitality and was finally able to proudly spread its green leaf veins.

“Oh my...! Popo, look at that!”

Eunseo stopped drying her hair with a towel and shouted with wide eyes. At the top of the sun-drenched pawpaw stem, a miracle was finally blooming. The flower bud, which had endured the ordeal of wind and rain with its entire body, slowly unfolded its petals and finally bloomed. A clear and bright yellow star flower with five pointed branches! It was the smallest and most beautiful golden star on earth that landed on the window of a gray rooftop in the city. In the middle of the petals, a light green pistil rose elegantly, and the dense pollen was shining like gold dust in the sunlight. “It’s blooming…yellow starflowers have bloomed!”

Eunseo was overcome with emotion and placed her hands on her cheeks. It was a brilliant victory of life created by the girl and the plant, who protected each other despite all the anxiety and loneliness of studying. Popo exuded a sweet flowery scent all over his body. ‘Eunseo, can you see? This is the light hidden within me! Without your warm touch and love, I would never have made this flower bloom!' At that time, a light and dull sound of wings was heard through the open window. A baby bumble bee covered in fluffy golden fur had caught the scent and flew in.

The bee circled a few times in the air and landed gently in the yellow chickweed of the pawpaw. Tickle! While bumblebees were dusting their legs, drinking sweet nectar, and covering themselves with pollen, nature's mysterious pollination process was being completed. It was the moment when the seeds of new life were conceived in the heart of a flower. This bumble bee's visit was not just a coincidence. Tomato flowers, unlike other flowers, do not have deep nectar glands, so they were mysterious flowers that required 'buzz pollination', in which pollen in the anthers explodes only when there is a specific vibration from the wind or insects.

The bumble bee gripped the popo's yellow petals tightly with its legs and violently vibrated its wing muscles at a rate of four hundred times per second. Weeeeeee—! In response to the wondrous sound wave vibration, thousands of fine golden pollen grains trapped in the anthers erupted like a volcano and adhered perfectly to the stigma. The most exquisite and beautiful symphony of love that nature and life had perfected through hundreds of millions of years of evolution, was played perfectly in the small yellow star flower by the rooftop window. As the sunset went down, the rooftop window began to turn romantic pink and purple.

Eunseo sat at her desk and carefully drew a flowerpot with a yellow star flower in her sketchbook. Each petal was painted with yellow colored pencil, and the leaves were painted with a refreshing olive green. Next to the picture, the following diary was written in Eunseo's beautiful handwriting. [June 22: After the rain showers, Popo's first yellow starflowers bloomed. I am so proud and thankful for Popo, which survived the strong rain and wind without breaking. I, too, will never waver in the face of the storm of CSAT and numerous tests that will come in the future.

Like that little star flower that Popo has bloomed, I will proudly unfold the most dazzling light within me to the whole world.] ‘Feel the light hidden within me, even a small tomato shines like a star. My story dancing in the sunlight, little cherry tomatoes dreaming. 'My little heart in a green sprout, fly away as a little cherry tomato.' Under the night sky, where stars were sprouting one by one, the small yellow petals were shining brightly like the North Star that had landed on the ground. The promise of life that blooms in the place of overcoming trials. Now, when the petals fall, the sweetest, reddish, ruby-colored fruits in the world will take their place.

That evening, Eunseo had a friendly video call with her mother, who was working in the countryside. When I saw a flowerpot of yellow chickweed in full bloom beyond the screen of my cell phone, a bright smile spread across my mother's tired face. “Oh my! Eunseo, it has bloomed so beautifully! It’s amazing that you raised her with so much care. My daughter has such a kind heart that the flowers seem to sparkle like stars like that.”

“Mom, when it rained today, I protected her from all the rain. I think Popo gave her flowers as a gift to express her gratitude.”

“Yes, Eunseo. You’ve had a hard time. It’s been a difficult time for you to take the exam, but Mom is really proud of you for not losing your composure while taking care of a small flower pot.” "After finishing the call, Eunseo stood at the window and looked up at the night sky. The night sky after the rain was as clear and transparent as glass, and Cassiopeia and the Big Dipper were shining clearly even in the city lights. It was the warmest and most cozy summer night in the world, with the yellow starflowers in the flower pot and the stars in the night sky looking at each other and exchanging friendly eye greetings.

"Under the light from the stand, Eunseo placed the old acoustic guitar that was standing in the corner of the room on her lap. As I gently plucked the string with my finger, a clear and transparent arpeggio melody spread through the calm night wind to the rooftop window. 'The light of time passing by my body, the light of time passing by my body. My little heart in a green sprout, flying away as a little cherry tomato. The bright red fruit ripens and fills the world with small hands. Gathering all the love we all have, even with little bells, we shine.' Eunseo's voice, humming quietly to the melody of the guitar, was as clear and beautiful as the starlight decorating the night sky of the rooftop.

On the rain-soaked asphalt of downtown Seoul, streetlights and red taillights of cars were fluttering, creating a bokeh as brilliant as a jewel. Popo listened to the beautiful melody as a lullaby and began to quietly divide the cells of the baby fruit inside the small yellow chickweed. The night of two souls holding each other's hands even in a cold world was deepening into an unforgettable fairy tale. The small yellow star flower placed by the window gave off its own clear scent even in the dark, filling Eunseo's rooftop room with warmth.

All the great trees in the world started from small seeds curled up in a handful of soil, and the most dazzling golden fruit also comes from the simple devotion of one small petal. Eunseo rested her chin on the window frame and looked up at the night sky, quietly touching the seed of hope for the future that was quietly sprouting in her heart. Even though you may be shaking now in the strong wind and rain of mock exams and entrance exams, if you firmly root like Popo and stretch out your hands toward the sunlight, one day you will surely be able to proudly bear your own most brilliant and sweet fruit in front of the whole world.

When the yellow chickweed was successfully pollinated, the ovary behind the petals began to swell very slightly. It was the promise of life conceived for the next season, and the prelude to the red and desirable ruby-colored festival that would come soon. The night wind blew past the window and sang a sweet lullaby, and the girl and the little plant shared each other's breath and fell into a deep sleep, heading towards the most cozy and dazzling tomorrow in the world. The miracle of midsummer was quietly ripening by the window of the rooftop room where love resided. Even in the darkness of a summer night, the green leaves sparkled without losing any of their light.

Like the most holy and pure laurel wreath of victory that only those who have overcome the trials of wind and rain can bloom, the yellow starflowers of the little cherry tomatoes were filling Eunseo's room with the warmth of eternal hope. The stars in the sky also came down to the window and twinkled as if to bless the beautiful promise between the boy and the girl. Tomorrow morning, an even more dazzling sun would shine brightly on their path. In the light of eternal life and the blessings of love. Their growth would not stop. Eunseo's rooftop window has now become the warmest miracle cradle in the world.

In the miracle of love that will shine forever. The memories and emotions of all those moments remained forever as a brilliant light deep in my heart, giving me calm comfort.