MINSUNG ONESHOTS

love at first sight

people told me that i would hear music when it mattered, or was the right time. so, when he looked at me, the silence turned into a melody that was soft and flowing. it was like the simple pluck or strum of a delicate guzheng, each string vibrating like a secret whispered on the wind.

i've seen this happen before but not in reality, thus in books.

only in fiction.

in books, mangas, dramas, anywhere romance was the central theme, "love at first sight" was treated like a sacred turning point. it was always the beginning of something grand, something fated.

it always followed the same formula, no matter the story's setting, tone, or even genre. the world would slow to a stop. the crowd would blur into the background.

two people would make eye contact for the first time, and something invisible; something cosmic, would pass between them, like a thread quietly snapping into place. it was always that dramatic. always that romantic.

in mangas, it's exaggerated to the point of absurdity— and yet it works, because the audience knows what to expect. the female lead would be drawn with wide, sparkling eyes that practically reflected the stars themselves. the male lead might be tall and aloof, glancing down at her from under messy bangs, with a slight flush drawn onto his cheeks even if he didn't fully understand why.

petals— yes, petals— would somehow float into the frame, carried by a wind that had absolutely no business being there. their hair would shift with it, their clothes too. everything would be in motion except them. they would just stand there, frozen in place like they'd walked into each other's dreams.

and always, every single time, there'd be a subtle overlay of music, even if it wasn't actually playing. maybe the author would draw a tiny treble clef or some stylized notes weaving around the panel's border, just to let you know this moment had a soundtrack.

it was, in many ways, the epitome of romantic idealism. an instant connection. no need for conversation, backstory, or context. the eyes met, the music started, the petals danced, and suddenly, they just knew. soulmates. fate. destiny. however you wanted to label it.

and while it was beautiful— soft and warm and glowing in its own manufactured light— it was also wildly unrealistic. at least, that's what i used to think.

no one falls in love from a single glance. not real love, anyway. love, as i understood it, was built. it took time and effort, conversations and shared silences, vulnerability and awkwardness. it wasn't something that just happened. not something that bloomed in the span of one heartbeat and one perfectly timed breeze.

it was ridiculous to just look at someone and think : oh, mother! i'm in love!

still, there was something irresistible about the idea. it was clean. cinematic. immediate. it skipped all the messiness of uncertainty and offered something clear and powerful in return. it wasn't logical—but it was magical. and sometimes, stories didn't need to be logical.

sometimes, they just needed to make you feel like the world could pause for you. like you were the main character. like someone could look at you and know—right then and there. or like an escape from the real world, where everything had to be earned slowly, step by step.

love at first sight was a cliché, yes. but it was the kind that never quite went out of style. because no matter how often it appeared, it still delivered that snap—that sudden, unmistakable jolt that knocked the character (and the reader) out of a daze.

it didn't rely on hope or longing, because there was no time for either. it wasn't about waiting or wondering if someone might feel the same. it was about a moment hitting you so hard, so fast, that the rest of the world blurred. it was raw. direct. instinctual. and it didn't ask for permission.

so imagine my surprise when it fell on me.

i, of all people. the one who rolled his eyes at love montages and cringed when characters declared their feelings in under five minutes of screentime. the one who skimmed past romantic subplots and muttered under my breath about how unrealistic it all was. i used to think people who talked about "just knowing" were exaggerating—or lying to themselves. trying to romanticize something more ordinary, something that probably needed more work than they were willing to admit.

but there i was, standing in a room that was completely unremarkable—white walls, low chatter, cheap lighting—and suddenly, the air shifted.

it was subtle. no petals. no slow-motion hair. no music playing from unseen speakers.

yet somehow, it still felt exactly like the stories i used to mock.

he turned toward me, and before i even registered the movement, my brain had already made the decision. it wasn't a question. it wasn't an idea i entertained or a crush i quietly considered. it was just—him. something about the way his eyes met mine, like he'd been expecting me even if we'd never met before. something in his posture, relaxed but open, like he had nothing to hide. and maybe i'm reaching, maybe i'm rewriting the memory already, but in that moment, i swear the air thickened, and the quiet that followed was a kind i hadn't felt before. not empty—but full. full of something.

and i hated how cliché it was. how immediate. how fast my heart made that decision without consulting me. all those books, mangas, and dramas had suddenly reached through the page and said, "see? we told you so."

it wasn't fair. because i wasn't ready for it. and i definitely wasn't the kind of person who believed in things like this.

but it didn't matter.

because the moment was already here and i had already fallen.

it was something in his eyes that made me drawn— it spoke something gentle and sweet, erasing any present concerns i previously had in my brain.

they carried a softness that didn't belong in this world, or at least not in mine.

when those pair of brown eyes met mine, they didn't pierce— they invited. they spoke in quiet tones, warm and wordless, like an unspoken lullaby meant only for me. all at once, the noise in my head dulled.

the self-doubt, the restlessness, the usual constant ticking of my thoughts were all gone. there was no room for it anymore. only him. only the feeling of something warm and unfamiliar but thus, familiar and welcoming at the same time.

though, it scared me. it scared me how quickly everything else had faded.

i didn't even know his name. but somehow, i knew i'd never forget his face.

a.n : a short, sweet and emotionally-filled oneshot from minho's perspective! <33