Hamin's Flower : A Story of Grief, Loneliness and Love

13 Dec, 2024

18 September, 2022.
I was scrolling through YouTube when I came across a video. It was a trailer of an upcoming Korean drama named Seasons of Blossom. In the trailer, there was a scene that especially caught my sight- a girl was dragging a boy into rain and running together. The trailer piqued my interest. I looked at the comment section and people were saying that it is adapted from a webtoon of the same name and it was supposed to be heartbreaking. I am always more of a reader than watcher, so I decided to check the webtoon out first. I still remember coming from school and reading it first thing sitting on my bed. The first feeling as I read the very first chapters of the second season. It was a decision I will never regret.

It started with a dream. A dream on a sweltering summer day. A dream of a long-lost person whose face faded from her memory over six years. A dream of someone she, in fact, tried so hard to forget. On the same day, she bumped into someone. Someone who reminded her of that long-forgotten face.

Seasons of Blossom, Hamin's Flower tells a story of two timelines. The present timeline tells the story of those who left behind, those who are still chained to grief and longing. The past timeline tells the story of a secret relationship between a boy who is a model student on the outside but severely depressed on the inside and a loner girl who bond over their shared love for art. Why was he depressed or why was their relationship a secret, I won't tell you. You have to find it out yourself.
With each chapter, the story becomes heavier and in the end you are left with an immense amount of heaviness, wishing that things were different.
The writing is somewhat poetic down to the littlest details, so much so that it's almost disturbing. The story goes deep into how each character was affected - from Somang and Jaemin to Jaemin's parents to his childhood friend Seonhui, and even Somang's friend Gaeul. Those details make it even more heartbreaking.

After reading this story, I cannot look at the sky or rainy days the same way. It's been two years, but I can't bear to think about Hamin. I have reread the story who knows how many times but I always make sure to skip certain parts because I can't bear to look at them. I somewhat relate to Somang and I understand her choices. If I were in her place, I'd probably have made the same decisions. It is certainly not easy to being someone's only companion if that person is lonely and depressed. Then again, I understand Hamin's loneliness too, and that breaks my heart even more.