Fallen flower

Room No. 101 was unusually quiet.

Medical instruments surrounded the hospital bed—monitors, tubes, wires, and machines blinking silently in the dim room.

It was six in the morning.

Yet there was something strangely dark about the atmosphere.

As if the room itself carried the sadness of someone who had already given up on life.

A young man lay motionless on the bed.

His face was pale. His body was weak.

Slowly, his eyelids trembled.

He opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was the ceiling fan rotating above him.

For a few seconds, he simply stared at it.

Then memories began rushing back.

The office.

His friends.

His family.

That strange feeling he couldn't explain.

And finally…

The moment his body collapsed.

He closed his eyes again.

How did he end up here?

_________________________________________

Monday — 7:40 A.M.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

The alarm on Alex's phone had been ringing continuously.

"Ahh… stop it!"

Alex groaned and blindly reached for the phone.

Someone knocked on his bedroom door.

"Alex! If you're not going to wake up, you'll be late for the office!"

"Mmm… yes, Dad."

His father knocked again before opening the door.

But by then, Alex had already grabbed his phone.

Instead of getting out of bed, he immediately started scrolling.

His father stared at him in disbelief.

"Alex, look at the time before you start scrolling!"

Alex glanced at the screen.

7:44 A.M.

His eyes widened.

"Shit! Why didn't anyone wake me up?"

His father raised an eyebrow.

"You rascal! You're blaming us now?"

He pointed toward the window.

"Look outside. What a beautiful morning! The sunlight, the fresh air…"

Then he looked at Alex's messy room and his even messier hair.

"And now look at your room. And look at your face!"

Alex sighed.

"Why can't you wake up early and enjoy a beautiful, healthy morning before you start regretting it?"

Alex jumped out of bed.

Within seconds, he was running around the room, searching for his clothes while his father continued lecturing him.

"Where are my socks?"

"On the chair."

"My shirt?"

"On the bed."

"My watch?"

"Exactly where you threw it yesterday!"

Somehow, Alex managed to get ready.

He rushed toward the door, adjusting his shirt.

"Dad, I'll take your advice next time. I really will. But right now, I have to leave, or my senior will start nagging me."

"You little—"

"Mom! I'm leaving for the office!"

Alex quickly escaped toward the dining room.

His mother slammed her hand on the dining table.

Alex stopped and looked back.

"Every morning, I prepare breakfast so you'll stay healthy, both physically and mentally. And what do you do?"

She pointed toward the untouched breakfast.

"You skip it!"

"Mom…"

"You don't even understand how good it feels to sit down and eat with your family."

Alex gave her an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, Mom. Next time. I promise. I'm already late today."

His father folded his arms.

"And whose fault is that?"

Alex let out a long sigh.

"Fine. From tomorrow, I'll follow both of your advice."

He quickly grabbed his bag.

"Bye!"

And before his parents could say anything else, he rushed out of the house.

The moment Alex stepped outside, he stopped.

For some reason…

Something felt wrong.

A strange uneasiness settled inside his chest.

He looked back at his house.

His parents were still standing at the doorway.

For a brief moment, Alex felt as though he were seeing them for the last time.

He shook his head.

"What am I thinking?"

His parents watched him walk away and exchanged a worried glance.

Neither of them knew why.

On the way to the office, Alex met his childhood friend, Rian.

Rian's office was close to Alex's, so they usually travelled together.

Rian was the same age as Alex—twenty-five.

The moment he saw Alex, he raised an eyebrow.

"You finally decided to show up?"

Alex smiled awkwardly.

"Oh… sorry, Rian. I completely forgot about our game."

Rian stopped walking.

"You forgot?"

"Yeah."

"How could you forget?"

Rian shook his head.

"Since we started working, we barely get to meet our old friends. Everyone finally decided to meet after so long. We planned a reunion, played football together… and you didn't even show up!"

Alex scratched his head.

"Sorry."

Rian narrowed his eyes.

"Don't tell me you forgot because you were stuck to your phone all weekend."

"Not exactly."

"I knew it!"

Rian sighed.

"Alex, you're unbelievable."

"I didn't mean to spoil everything. It just… slipped my mind."

But the truth was different.

Alex hadn't forgotten.

He simply hadn't wanted to go.

He had spent the entire weekend lying around with his phone in his hand.

Going outside?

Meeting people?

Playing football?

It all felt like too much effort.

His phone was easier.

As the two friends continued walking, they began teasing and mocking each other.

Neither of them noticed when they reached their offices.

"See you later," Rian said.

"Yeah. Next time, we'll definitely play."

Rian smiled and nodded before heading toward his office.

Alex watched him walk away.

That strange feeling returned.

He felt as though…

He would never get another chance to play football with Rian.

Alex quickly dismissed the thought.

He waved.

"Next time!"

Rian waved back.

Alex smiled.

Then he turned toward his office.

When Alex entered the building, he stood in front of the elevator.

The doors opened.

Inside stood Alina, the CEO's assistant.

She was three years older than Alex and had been his senior during college.

She was also one of the people who had helped and supported Alex get his job at the company.

In her hand was a beautiful flower.

Alex immediately grinned.

"Wow, Senior."

Alina looked at him.

"What?"

"Even though your boyfriend is the CEO of this company, he only gives you a flower?"

He shook his head dramatically.

"That's not fair. I was expecting something much bigger."

Alina rolled her eyes.

"You really never get tired of teasing me, do you?"

"Never."

She looked at the flower and smiled.

"I like flowers."

Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"They make me feel calm."

For a moment, her expression softened.

"Whenever I look at a flower, I feel relaxed."

Alex stared at her.

Then he smirked.

"Do you want this flower? Since you've never gotten one from anyone." Alina asked.

Alina glared at him.

Alex immediately defended himself.

"Hey! Don't look at me like that. I've received plenty of flowers from girls."

He proudly adjusted his collar.

"But unlike you, Senior, I don't show off."

Before Alina could reply, the elevator doors opened.

They stepped out.

Both looked at each other with equally annoyed expressions.

Then they went their separate ways.

Alex finally reached his desk.

He dropped into his chair.

"Finally…"

Tap.

Someone tapped his shoulder.

Alex turned around.

Ren and Nova were standing behind him.

The three had been close friends since school. They had gone to the same college and, by coincidence, eventually ended up working in the same company.

Nova crossed her arms.

"Do you have an excuse?"

Alex blinked.

"For what?"

She stared at him.

"Don't tell me you've already forgotten."

Alex looked at Ren.

Ren simply shrugged.

"I already got mine. Now it's your turn."

Alex's face fell.

"Oh… the amusement park."

Nova nodded.

"Exactly!"

Alex sighed.

The truth was that he and Ren had no intention of going.

Nova had been the only one forcing them.

Alex leaned toward Ren and whispered,

"How long is she going to scold us?"

Ren whispered back,

"No idea."

"Then?"

"Just wait until she gets tired."

Nova immediately glared at them.

"I can hear both of you!"

The two boys froze.

After another round of scolding, the three finally returned to work.

_________________________________________

Hours passed.

A meeting was announced.

Everyone began making their way toward the conference room.

Alex finished arranging his files and stood up.

But the moment he stepped away from his desk…

That feeling returned.

The same strange uneasiness.

He looked back at his chair.

For some reason, he felt as though he would never sit there again.

Alex frowned.

"What is wrong with me today?"

He walked back.

Straightened the chair.

Adjusted everything on his desk.

Then, after one final glance, he walked toward the meeting room.

The meeting went on for quite some time.

Project updates.

Deadlines.

Targets.

Reports.

The usual office discussions.

Finally, the meeting ended.

Everyone was given a ten-minute break before returning to work.

Alex, Ren, and Nova went to grab coffee.

As usual, the three friends spent most of their break making fun of their colleagues.

"Did you see his presentation?"

"Don't remind me."

"And what about her?"

The three burst into laughter.

For those few minutes, everything felt normal.

Almost everyone eventually returned to their desks.

The three friends followed.

But as Alex took his first step…

He froze.

Images flashed before his eyes.

His parents.

Rian.

Alina.

Ren.

Nova.

People he loved.

People he cared about.

One after another.

Like memories from a life he had already lost.

Alex blinked rapidly.

The images disappeared.

Ren immediately noticed his pale face.

"Alex?"

Alex looked at him.

"What?"

"You look pale. Are you okay?"

Alex forced a smile.

"Yeah. Just a little headache."

Ren looked unconvinced.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry."

"If you need anything, tell me."

Alex nodded.

"Sure."

Ren returned to his desk.

Alex took another step.

His legs suddenly felt heavy.

Far too heavy.

His breathing became deeper.

His heart began pounding violently.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

He could actually feel his heartbeat inside his chest.

Alex swallowed.

"What's wrong with me?"

He tried to keep walking.

One step.

Then another.

Finally, he reached his desk.

He stretched his hand toward it.

But before his fingers could touch the table—

The entire world began spinning.

The lights blurred.

The walls twisted.

Voices around him became distant.

Then louder.

Then distorted.

"Alex!"

"Someone help him!"

"Call an ambulance!"

The voices echoed inside his head.

His breathing became heavier.

His vision began fading.

Alex tried to stand.

But his body no longer obeyed him.

His knees gave way.

THUD!

He collapsed onto the floor.

Everyone rushed toward him.

"Alex!"

"Move back!"

"Someone call the ambulance!"

Alex could hear them.

He could hear every voice.

He wanted to respond.

He wanted to open his eyes.

But he couldn't.

Slowly, he forced his eyelids apart.

All he could see were blurred faces surrounding him.

The ceiling lights became nothing more than white patches.

His breathing weakened.

His vision faded.

And finally…

Everything went black.