countdown | huang renjun

❥ 1

5

That number was engraved into her head, burning into her vision as she fell asleep, staring at the number that was a black blob of tattoo-like shape on her wrist.

In place of the 6 that had been there seconds ago stood the 5 that signified so much for any person that lived in this world where soulmates existed.

5 days until she was destined to touch her soulmate, to have that black blob blossom into an array of colors, to have that warmth that she had heard of spread through her body, to have that love that her heart ached for so badly to bless her.

The soulmate timer crept through her dreams that night, the day so close, yet it felt so far, like a mountain in the distance.

The stories she had been told had made her heart want that day to come, the number going from the thousands to the two-digit number it was that night.

>>><<<

Meeting your soulmate was the goal of your life, euphoria blessing your body, your mind, and most importantly, your heart as you touched them for the first time.

Sooyun flipped over a book about soulmates, one she had read many times, her fingers still lingering on every page.

She had wished to meet the one sooner, but now it was so soon, all she could wish for was for an extension, just a few days.

Even though she loved the idea have having someone she could trust, worries still drowned her head. What if her soulmate didn't like her as a person? What if her soulmate wasn't a normal person who she could date?

The tales from her parents has told her that meeting your soulmate was the purpose of your life, yet it still bothered her how the concept made it impossible to date others.

Shaking the thought, Sooyun closed the book, slipping it back into the brown wooden shelves of the library, her self-appointed break over.

Returning to her white table at the café within the library, she opened her laptop once again, sighing. She saw the white background once again, the words on the document burning into her eyes as she took another sip of strong caffeine. It was unhealthy, insanely unhealthy, but if she wanted to finish the four years of hell at college to get that degree in fashion that she needed so bad, she had to get through this.

One day, just one day.

The hours ticked by, lunch reaching far faster than she expected. Looking at the results of the morning, Sooyun was satisfied, shutting down her computer.

She was exhausted, the assignment was due tomorrow and it was too much, way too much for her procrastinating mind. All she wanted to do was sleep, chill, and watch NCT content.

Packing up, she caught sight of the number 5 on her wrist once more, reminding her that she had something to look forward to.

Sooyun entered the restaurant that she considered a place of peace to get away from the stress of life in general.

Attempting a weak smile, she waved to the waitress, setting her bag down on the back of her chair as she rested her eyes.

>>><<<

Renjun was tired, too tired as he pulled his bedsheets over himself, unable to sleep. Everything that was going on in his life drained the energy out of him, like everything was hating him at the moment.

He pulled his shirt down to see the number on his wrist.

5.

Renjun was completely aware that the number would soon become a 4.

He had gotten increasingly nervous as the number became smaller by every day. His number was the smallest, in NCT Dream, that was. All it meant was that he would meet the girl faster than any of his friends.

Some of the older members had met their soulmates, keeping in consistent contact but none of them had active relationships with each other, although that could be considered a lie from many of them.

It was questionable how they managed to meet their soulmates even though they had a career that took so much of their time.

It's destiny, it's like the universe is forcing every one of them to meet.

Renjun's thoughts towards the concept of soulmates were leaning towards the negative. He found it stupid that if you had a soulmate, you would be forced to be with them, and if you rejected them, you would never feel love for anybody else, the genuine love that made you want to kiss somebody.

He looked at the time. It was a minute before midnight, causing the boy to sweat with nervousness. Renjun had no idea why he was so nervous but every night had been like this since the number hit 25.

He opened his eyes just in time to see the 5 fade into his skin, the 4 magically spreading across the same spot where the 5 once stood seconds ago.

—————

I have no idea what I'm doing-