Mid Summer

one,

Soulmates are a common concept amongst people in South Korea.

On the night of your eighteenth birthday, at exactly 12:00am, a tattoo of the person you'd spend the rest of your life with inks itself into a designated spot on your body.

For high school seniors, it was a very hectic year.

It was their last year of the hell hole called high school. Universities will be scouting and everyone is sending in application letters or getting some back. Stress levels were high as these students wrote their final exams, as they stepped into the lonely adult life.

Handling your last year of high school was already stressful as it is, but the universe decided to add the fact that now, you were also antsy about finding out who your soulmate would be.

Life as a seventeen year old couldn't get any harder than this.

Lee Jeno was stressed. Not that it surprised him, not that it surprised anyone who saw him in his frazzled state to be honest.

He just felt that having to hand in his university letter by tomorrow, and taking his science exam a day before his eighteenth birthday was a bit too much for one week.

Couldn't they show mercy on Jeno? On sweet Lee Jeno who didn't understand that things could've been way worse, and that things were going to be fine?

No. They couldn't.

Because Jeno is convinced that the universe hates him, and that it's torturing him with having everything currently in his life eat him up, swallowing him whole until he couldn't do anything anymore.

Jeno was also kind of over-dramatic. He spent too much time with a theatre nerd for his own good, so he Jeno blames it on him.

His eyes hurt from how many times he's reread his university entrance letter, praying to God that he didn't miss any typos, or that his mom, who Jeno made read the letter six times, didn't miss any typos and that her suggestions were actually helpful and not bullshit.

Jeno takes several deep breaths in and out, which don't actually calm him, honestly he just starts to panic more.

Jeno really wants a set life. He really wants to give himself a good living and have a good income so that he could do the things he's dreamt about.

He also may or may not want to make a certain theatre nerd bounce up and down with contentement once he finds out that Jeno will be going to the same university as him.

Exhaling one final time because fuck it, he wasn't going to ruin his mind too much with this, Jeno sends his letter, gasping out in satisfaction and also worry because is he sure he didn't miss anything?

Jeno is broken out of his second thoughts once two small hands squeeze his shoulders, an ear piercing squeal cutting through what used to be his silent room.

Jeno finds it in himself to smile before turning around to face his theatre nerd in his spiny chair, letting out a breathy laugh. His arms snake around the other's waist, situating them exactly where he's convinced they belong.

"You did it Nono!" Jaemin squeals, hugging Jeno closer to him. The elder's head only lands on Jaemin's stomach because of their height difference caused by Jeno sitting down on his chair.

Jeno looks up from under his eyelashes at Jaemin, who's still smiling vibrantly at what he assumes is the 'sent!' notification coming from his laptop.

Jaemin's smile is so bright, so blinding and so beautiful that Jeno thinks that his left lung might collapse from how violently Jaemin takes his breath away with his beauty.