The Tulips I Grew, In The Name Of You.

just like the flower. — to: mark lee.

Leen Van Der Mark,

also known as the Triumph Tulip.

This tulip is known and famous because it is very eye-catching and mesmerizing to see, as it is bright enough to lighten your mood, tall enough to appear dazzling in a field filled with other flowers.

Leen Van Der Mark has a very bold bright red colour and large petals with soft subtle white edges that can easily capture the eye of the viewer. It often stands out in an area full of flowers, even among the other species of tulips, itself.

Florist, or flower specialist, often says that the Leen Van Der Mark is suitable for landscaping in one’s area, as it is known to be one of the most recommended tulip. You could place it in any space in your house, your bedroom, living room, kitchen, or anywhere you’re comfortable with, as the tulip can easily catches the attention of others for the bright & beautiful colour that it owns.

Aside from being such a gorgeous triumph tulip, it is also known to be the best among the rest because it has such an exceptional resilience against harsh weather conditions. Leen Van Der Mark is strong enough to withstand any type of weather changes, as long as you take care of it properly. It will shine long enough as long as you care for it.

Now, you must be wondering, why am I talking so fondly of this specific flower? Why do I have knowledge about it?

But first, speaking of flowers, I have to admit, although I really love flowers, tulips aren’t my thing. I admit it is very pretty and all that, but tulips is just not in my preferences of flowers.

Despite not being a big fan of tulips, when I first discovered about Leen Van Der Mark, I instantly fell in love with this flower. No, not because I want people to give me this flower for special occasions because it’s gorgeous, but because it reminds me of a special someone, someone that have continuously become the reason for me to keep on breathing, someone who I discovered in one of the lowest point of my life.

Mark Lee, of NCT.

Yes, Mark’s name is in the name of the flower itself. Leen Van Der Mark.

I was in a slump. A really bad, depressive one, that time. It was COVID-19 season where I had to shift back to back from online to offline school, that it messed up by mental health which eventually leads me to not find the right way to study properly. I became very toxic to myself in the way of me studying, I switched in betweens method of studying I saw on Tiktok and Youtube, but it just didn’t work on me. I couldn’t bring myself to sit even just for 5 minutes, solely to focus on studying. I just went through my daily life, entering and skipping certain classes, doing the bare minimum of my homeworks, and couldn’t care less about revising my subjects. It really affected me because I desperately needed to force myself to get a grip in studying because I know I will sit for one of the biggest turning exam at that time, which is SPM. If I don’t find a way to fix me, I would ended up ruining not only my own expectations but also my family’s pride.

I am a Catholic myself, hence I always believe in praying to God, whenever life gets stuck in a phase, I truly not enjoy. At that moment, I truly felt like God isn’t doing His best in hearing me. I was thinking, why do I have to be the only one suffering, alone, when the rest of my friends are doing just fine on their own? They can keep up with the pace, they can manage well, they don’t sit in one place and dwell in sadness in everything. I started to think that maybe my prayers aren’t worthy enough for God to hear.

Then, God made me and NCT crossed path. As cliché as it going to sound, but NCT saved me. That’s a story for later, on how they did it. This time around, I am going to tell you the impact of a certain multitalented boy in that group, in changing me for the better.

Mark Lee, is not the first one in the group that caught my attention, also not in my bias list at that moment, but somehow in every content or videos I consumed of NCT, I felt a tingling sense of comfort by him. He was like a reassurance in the form of human. All the words he speak, he somehow heal a part of me that I didn’t know needed healing.

In a way, I think that God helped me, by sending me Mark Lee. Just like the tulip itself, Mark Lee somehow managed to catch my attention despite being in a group of other amazing people. All due to his characteristics, both from his charming looks and his wonderful soul.

Mark Lee has a unique way in writing and expressing his thoughts, that’s what makes him special. He like to write and used to want to become an author, yet he chose to be a superstar now. Well, in both aspects, he still managed to ace now. He’s known to be a multitalented idol, who can sing, produce, rap and dance with his cool unique ways while at the same time, pouring his heart through his beautiful writings.

Mark Lee is very hardworking, he seems to not know what rest is. Who else could be as excellent as him? The Canadian boy who debuted four times? Insane. Mark Lee is also most of the times, misunderstood by people around him. He might laugh it off, but I’m sure he feel some sort of bad ways about himself when people constantly make jokes about the way he sees the world. Mark Lee is known to be very loving, he loves everyone around him that’s why everyone loves him, just the same. He has so much love for his parents, for his members, for his fans, for the world. Mark Lee appreciate even the smallest and simplest thing in this world. He adore the skies, appreciatie that he’s still able to drink coffee, shares quotes and lessons from movies he finished watchingor books he currently read. Mark Lee who loves music, spiderman, the colour ocean blue. But most of all, Mark Lee, is someone who’s never afraid to show that afterall, despite being known and famous, he’s just a human. A normal human being with emotions. He’s never afraid to show that he is also vulnerable to emotions. He also experiences mental breakdowns here and there, stop in the middle to rethink his life decisions. He also said he has this inner child in him that he believe will always be there. Despite being known for his positivity, he always show everyone that it’s okay to not always be okay.

And because of that, I was able to endure it all. Part of me will always, always, thank him, for he is such an inspiration, someone I will always look up to. As time goes by, my love for him just grow bigger and bigger. It feels like I have a garden in my heart and each time, a tulip grows, as my love for him grows, too.

Mark Lee, just like the tulips, has this bright aura that brings me so much motivation and joy, to my home, to my comfort zone. He’s able to endure everything despite being in bad conditions through life, just like the tulips able to stand through harsh weather changes. Mark Lee teaches me that yes, life could be shitty to you, but there’s always a way out of it. Maybe I couldn’t figure it out at this exact moment, but someday, somehow, I will end up where I want to be. While reaching to my destination, I should just let life flows on it own, and continue showering love to myself while being surrounded with beautiful souls.

To end this dedicated writing for him I would like to say,

Our dearest Mark Lee, you are always in my prayers. Just like how you always thank God for having us, I also thank Him for creating you.

May God bless you, always and forever, Mark Lee. I love you.

Written messily yet sincerely from a soul you have saved multiple times.

01082023,

written by C.

Below is list of words by Mark Lee, that helps me a lot during my rough times, as someone with words of affirmation as their #1 love language, I really love it. Hope you find them as useful as it is to me. :]

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NXUYcJPIcBgJNlOxELtCwl42sYgKXKuLlndBk7rJhrM/edit?usp=drivesdk