seventeen one-shots

you were once in a lifetime

 After two hundred and forty-six days, I had almost finished writing my novel.

I'd be damned if I wasn't looking forward to the ending. After a bit more than eight months of hard work, I was eager to finally release my work to the public.

I had worked through hardship and exhaustion, sacrificing hours of sleep everyday just to get closer to my ultimate goal. And here I was, merely hours from finishing my last draft.

My thoughts were fogging, my head spinning and my stomach churning. Why did I have to catch the flu now, of all times?

Fighting the urge to lie down and catch up on my much-needed rest, I rushed through the chapter, straining to focus and give my wholehearted attention to the manuscript before me.

As my eyes threatened to give in, inch by inch, I felt the air around me shift slightly...

~~~~~~

"Yoon Jeonghan!" I startled as an unfamiliar voice called out my name. I opened my eyes, and... was I in a classroom? Where was I?

I must've voiced out my thoughts, for everyone around me erupted into giggles. The teacher at the front pointed his ruler at me. "Go stand outside the classroom! Now!" Blinking, I followed his instructions, my mind still in a daze. The last thing I remembered was typing in my manuscript furiously, and then... Was I dreaming? I pinched myself and startled when the pain shot up my arm. And... my flu had vanished, leaving behind my perfectly healthy self.

Examining my uniform, I frowned. Yeongmin High School? There was no such place in Korea, as far as I knew... But wasn't it the name I had used in my first manuscript?

I bolted down the corridor, hearing the shouts of my teacher behind me. How could I really be in the fictional Yeongmin High School? I needed to complete my manuscript and submit it to my editor...

As I ran for the entrance, a group of guys my age sauntered up the hallway, their laughter carrying down the corridor. The crowd parted for them, students staring in awe as they made their way to class, oblivious. It was giving Moses and the sea.

"Who are they?" I whispered to one of the students gazing in admiration. Her gaze snapped to me instantly, a scowl marring her face. "Don't you know? Those are the members of Seventeen! They're trainees at Pledis and basically rule the school. Everyone knows them!"

My jaw dropped, staring at their perfect figures. Seventeen? Pledis? Weren't those the characters from my manuscript...?

I frantically fumbled around for my watch. What time, what year, was I even in?

But my watch, disturbingly, was still stuck in 2024, the time standing still. What on earth was going on?

In my daze, I must've dropped my watch, because the next thing I knew, the prettiest face I had ever seen was gazing in front of me, my watch in his hand. "I'm Seungcheol," he said with a dimpled grin. I blinked, shock jarring into me. "O-oh, I'm Jeonghan."

He was hands-down the most beautiful man I'd ever seen, with wavy blonde hair, intense dark eyes and the cutest dimples ever. It was no wonder everyone in the hallway was now staring at us, looks of pure envy being pointed my way.

"It's nice to meet you," he offered, handing me back my watch. My eyes just couldn't move away. "Thank you," I mumbled, grabbing the watch a tad too aggressively and staring as he jogged off to join his group. What just happened?

I'd never expected the characters I'd written of to be so... captivating, and much less was I expecting to even meet them!

And that was how I skipped all the lessons of the day, taking a seat in the Starbucks nearby and dazedly recounting the encounter I'd had.

I probably sat there for hours, the clerk eyeing me from behind the counter.

The next thing I knew, the door was flung open and — speak of the devil — the Seventeen members walked in. The cafe was immediately overwhelmed by their voices, their laughter filling in the silence. Nobody seemed to care.

Seungcheol took a seat near me and looked over. "Hey," he called out. I muttered a small "hi", ungluing my tongue from the roof of my mouth. "Nice meeting you again," he grinned, oblivious to the heat now rising up my cheeks. "Skipping class?" Well, weren't we all?

I shrugged and averted my eyes, focusing on my muffin lest I become tongue-tied in front of him again. How embarrassing!

He slid a small piece of paper in front of me.

"You look new," he explained. "Text me if you have any questions."

I blinked up at those smiling eyes, trying to find my voice. "Oh, th-thanks. I'll definitely text you." Okay, that came out a bit wrong.

I could feel his eyes boring into the side of my head as I looked away. "No problem, and nice meeting you." I could hear the laughter evident in his voice.

As he walked off, I cursed myself. When was the last time I'd been this flustered over a boy? There was something about him that made my heart speed up and my throat go dry. But as for what it was, I couldn't pinpoint it. All of the members were eye candy, but it was Seungcheol who had caught my attention every single time.

Just as I saved his number into my phone, his text popped up on my screen.

Hey, it's Seungcheol. Text me if you ever need anything!

That was... cute of him. I subdued the blush rising up my neck, taking my coffee and leaving the cafe.

I looked down at my watch. While it had been unmoving the last time I had checked it, it was now ticking away. But instead of ticking with the time, it was ticking down, like... a countdown of sorts.

Three hours? Would I have to go back after three hours...?

My phone pinged with a message from — guess who — Seungcheol, asking what I was doing. I looked around. How could I say that I was actually strolling a park in the middle of nowhere, worrying about when I would have to return to the real world I came from?

Instead, I just replied with a "nothing", shooting the question back at him.

Walking slowly and chuckling at every text he sent, I realised I might just be content staying here. With him.

But nothing good lasts forever, and eventually, I would have to return.

I walked around the neighbourhood, etching every corner of the place into memory. When I returned, I didn't want to lose the memories of entering my book world for the first time.

The anxious countdown began, and some part of me hoped that the timer was set for something else. But then it showed ten seconds left, and all I could do was resign to the fact that this was a fictional world and I wasn't even meant to be here.

The timer ticked to zero, and I stared straight ahead, expecting to somehow be teleported into the real world again.

Then I blinked once, and when I opened my eyes again, I was slumped on my writing desk, my now-finished manuscript glaring at me through the bright screen.

Had it all been a dream? Had he been a dream? I swallowed, rereading my manuscript one more time. At least I had gotten the once-in-a-lifetime chance to meet my characters and experience the world I had carefully weaved with words...

And, maybe some part of me hoped that I would meet Seungcheol again in another life.