The parents seemed satisfied with his explanations, though they asked him a few more questions. The whole time, he could feel the weight of the man's gaze on him, even though he was still unconscious. And the whole time, he was having a mental war, with one part of him desperately wanting to look at the man—his mind, for some reason, kept replaying their college trysts—while the other half was very forcefully convincing him to look elsewhere.

After what felt like an eternity, they were finally satisfied and let him go. Elias walked out of the private room, leaning against the sterile walls of the corridor, a tired sigh leaving his lips. His hair fell into his face, and he blew a lock off his nose.

A nurse approached him, holding a paper bag. The bag itself had a little 'For Elias Kang' written in silver calligraphy. Ah, that. Every year, some mysterious stranger sent him flowers and a card on his birthday. It never held any name or personal information, yet the wishes seemed very heartfelt.

He glanced at the paper bag, a tired smile on his face. "The same one this year too?"

The nurse smiled and nodded. "Of course, sir. It arrived like usual. Someone dropped it off at the reception."

She extended her hand forward, holding the paper bag out to him. It was regular hospital gossip that Dr. Kang, who was always so serious, almost always had a soft expression whenever he received the packages from the 'mysterious flower sender.'

"Well, thanks for delivering it." He took the bag and walked away to his office.

The nurse smiled as he walked away. It was nice to see the always-serious doctor relax and smile for a change.

Meanwhile, Elias made his way into his office. He placed the bag on his desk, taking the items out of it.

The bag, as usual, held a bouquet of white roses, along with pink camellias and white lilies, and blue hyacinths, too, as well as a bundle of ivy. The white roses were at the center, with the blue hyacinths, white lilies, and pink camellias surrounding them, making a halo of pink, white, and blue. A few strands of ivy cascaded, giving it a fuller, more rounded look. The long, thick stems of the lilies rested perfectly next to the shorter and more delicate-looking white roses. The ivy and hyacinths wrapped around the flowers, filling in the gaps, and adding some green to the snowy petals. The deep blue hydrangea petals were just the right touch to the whole arrangement, not too much, not too little. It was beautiful. Along with them was a box of expensive Swiss chocolates and a plain white envelope.

The chocolates were...special. They were always the same kind, from a certain Swiss shop. It was always the same and had a signature taste and style. Elias couldn't help the nostalgic feeling he got from looking at them, like he knew them from somewhere. But he couldn't quite place it. His eyes closed as a distant memory flashed across his mind. He could remember...a vacation, and how he'd seen this little chocolate shop in the Swiss countryside. He'd really liked them but never been able to find a replica or anything even similar in taste. But these chocolates...were exactly the same ones.

Sometimes, he couldn't help but think that the flowers had some special meaning. He remembered the first time he'd received them. He'd spent hours on Google, trying to derive a meaning from the bouquet. He practically had it memorized by now.

White roses- innocence and purity, hope and new beginnings. Blue hyacinth- constancy and resilience, and deep regret. White lilies- purity, majesty, modesty, and funerals. Pink camellias- longing for you, love. Ivy- friendship and fidelity.

He put the flowers to one side, careful not to crush them, and took out the card. It was a simple black paper card, but one could tell it was expensive. The paper was thick, and held a slight scent of something...nostalgic. He glanced at the note. It was a handwritten message. The familiar script always had him looking forward to it.

The front had 'To Dr. Elias' written in golden calligraphy. He couldn't help but sigh as he remembered. He'd been getting these bouquets since...a long time. When he was a med student, it held the words 'To future Dr. Elias.' He couldn't help but feel flattered and touched that someone cared enough about him. And much more than that, he felt intrigued and curious. Who was it? He had a faint guess, but...no. That can't be. He opened the card.

Inside the card, there was a personalized message. It was different each year, always sincere and hopeful. This year, it read: 'Happy birthday, Elias. May your heart always be filled with love, and your days be filled with happiness and fulfilment. I'm glad you exist. Always.' It was written elegantly in a thin pen, with all the curves and loops in proper shape and angle. There was no signature, as usual, but he still...dared to guess who it was from. He shook his head again. No, stop thinking about useless things. It's probably just wishful thinking. That man hates him. Even if the handwriting looks similar- it can't be him.

"Happy birthday to me, I guess," he let out a tired chuckle, toasting with a piece of chocolate before popping it into his mouth. Leaning back against the swivel chair in his dimly lit office, he let out a tired sigh. Even if his life went through so many surprises today...at least one thing was the same.