Endemic Love

"You look better this morning," Emerald whispered into his ear while Le An was waiting for the next group of espers.

The truth was, after releasing such massive guiding energy yesterday, Le An's condition had improved rapidly. He had thought he might die then, struggling under Taras' weight. Even taking a shower afterward had left him completely exhausted. But when he opened his eyes in the morning, the result was just the opposite. Even the doctor that the GAC sent had looked surprised by how Le An's health could worsen so severely and then suddenly get better.

"I really do feel better," he said with a small smile. But whenever he thought back on last night, awkward feelings would gather inside him. His name was Taras- the man he saved. After the guiding last night, Taras must be in a better state now, Le An thought.

We'll talk about this, he had said, Le An recalled once again. The decision he made last night… if he had done the opposite and told Theo and the others about them, the consequences … He wondered what would happen if he did.

But he had actually chosen to save Taras. He had really… saved him.

Will he come again tonight, too? Le An didn't know; his heat would probably start tomorrow, so today was the only chance to bring it up. He was going to tell him that he didn't want to guide him during his heat days. But saying that out loud… would take courage. Le An knew that.

After dealing with more espers than usual today, Le An felt worn out again. On his way back home, he overheard a conversation among his staff.

"Did you see the news? They said there was an uprising in West Basthel, but the authority there hasn't made any official statement yet."

"Yeah, I saw people sharing live videos, but they got banned fast. Basthel has really strict rules about media when it comes to revolts."

"But why? They're just sharing their opinions."

"They only censor it when what's said might be a threat to the country's unity."

"I don't know… It's been happening so much lately. Every time I hear about these things, I feel like… well, something must be going on for some people, but for some reason, it seems like we're not even allowed to be curious about it."

"My brother loves conspiracy theories too," Emerald said to the manager, mockingly smiling. The manager laughed. "I don't know! He thinks the recent terrorist attacks on Aemon Island are also those people's doing, even though the government says it's an attack by outside forces."

Could those uprisings really be the doing of the outskirts people? Le An knew that West Basthel was really close to the country's border; one of the far-off cities, with large populations in the center but surrounded by small villages.

He remembered a documentary he'd once watched. There was a village called Sayubin, known for its endemic plants and a unique rose species. The documentary's name was Sayubin's Rose. At the time, when he saw it, he really wanted to have a pot of those roses in his garden. But when he'd reached out to people for information, they told him that with the capital's climate and the pollution, the rose wouldn't survive.

He grabbed his phone and searched for the documentary again. But there were barely any results. Nothing about a documentary, just one old website that talked about Sayubin's endemic rose, but the site looked abandoned, with only limited information. Le An thought about the name again. Had he remembered it wrong? But no; even with other keywords, something should have popped up.

His memory of that rose and Sayubin was clear. There was no mistake. And most importantly, plants were his greatest passion; he wouldn't make something like this up. He kept searching again and again. The top results about Sayubin were just a few short news pieces about how extreme dungeon occurrences had caused a population decline in some villages, including Sayubin.

But the truth could be something quite different, Le An knew that now.

He felt a chill run down his spine. Had the government really abandoned Sayubin, too? It was so close to the border, just a tiny village.

He remembered what Maxim had said the night before. Had the government abandoned Sayubin, too? A village so close to the border, maybe two hundred people, just… left to survive on their own?

His stomach turned. People here keep living their comfortable lives, never realizing that whole villages like this are left to rot. Maybe the government still exploited their agriculture, but gave nothing in return.

Then… What had happened to that greenhouse that grew those endemic roses in Sayubin? Le An remembered, back then, he'd managed with some difficulty to get in touch with a distributor who handled roses from Sayubin. He'd even talked to a man on the phone once.

Driven by a need to confirm what Maxim had said, he opened his contacts. He always saved people under weird names, like 'Green Apple Lady Gisele' for the woman who'd sold him organic marmalade. He hated burdening the people around him with things like that, so he liked doing these himself. So surely, years ago, he must have saved that man as something like 'Mister Sayubin Rose.'

They arrived home while he was still scrolling. The driver opened the car door for him as Le An stepped out, eyes still on his phone.

"I'll just get some fresh air. Tell the doctor to bring my medicine to the arbor, please." He murmured to the guards.

"Yes, Le An."

When two guards moved to follow, he turned back with a gentle smile.

"I'll just stroll and sit alone for a bit, please. And I need to make a private call."

"Yes, Le An. We'll be nearby."

He left the stone path and slipped into the greenhouse. The gardener greeted him but stepped out right away, sensing he wanted to be alone. Among the rows of pots, he found it, 'Adorable roses from Sayubin'. His thumb hovered over the name, Le An smiled despite the dread twisting in his chest. He pressed call.

It rang for a long time. Finally, someone answered.

"Maestra Plant and Seed Distribution, how can I help you?" Ah, it wasn't the greenhouse, but the distribution firm.

"Hello… I've had this number for maybe two, no… three years. I'd like to place an order for Sayubin roses."

 "…Sir, we don't handle that anymore." The tone was short, neutral, too neutral. Le An could sense they were about to hang up.

"Oh…" He forced himself to keep going. "But I was planning a large order. Could I maybe talk directly with the grower? Could you please pass on a message for me?"

Silence again. He could feel it; they were uneasy. Were the lines being listened to? If all ties between the people on the outskirts and the rest of the country were cut off, then reaching them would be impossible. This distribution company probably didn't want to be part of that risk either.

"We no longer work with Sayubin," the voice repeated, firmer now. "You should reach out to the grower directly." The voice added, "But you must already know that because of the uncontrollable dungeons in Sayubin, there has been so much migration. People don't really live there anymore, sir."

"I understand." He looked around the greenhouse as if he'd find an answer there. He made one last attempt. "Could you maybe share the grower's contact with me, if you still have it?"

"I'm sorry, sir. We don't have that on record." The answer came far too quickly. Even if they did give him something, would it be real?

"I see. Thank you for your time."

He ended the call and sat down between the pots, searching again. There was general information, population, climate… But it felt like so much was missing.

To keep people in the dark about the outskirts and the real conditions of these villages, they were cutting off all information. Sayubin was just one of them.

Le An was sure now. Everything they said was true. Taras was right.

Le An got up and went to the big seed cabinet, running his finger along the tiny drawers. There, Sayubin Rose. He opened the little drawer. Inside, in a tiny bag, were the rose seeds and an old business card.

Nam Sora, Sayubin Greenhouse Owner. And there was a note written on the business card.

"My daughter and I will always be grateful for your generous tip. You are always welcome at our greenhouse. Stay healthy, dear treasure."

He read the note, probably written when Sayubin hadn't yet been abandoned. And Sora… He had a daughter. Were there enough espers in Sayubin now to clear dungeons? Were Sora and his child… even still alive?

Le An slipped the business card back into his pocket. He could feel a slow warmth spreading into his lower abdomen, creeping up through his body, and flushing his cheeks, a sign that his heat was very close to starting. He lifted his hand to his face to check if he had a fever, his fingers lingering over his lips. It was as if last night's kiss had left a burning trace there; his lips still felt like they were on fire.

Le An took his medicine in the arbor. As that memory haunted him once again, he turned back home.