Destined {𝕄𝕀ℕ𝕊𝕌ℕ𝔾}

Chapter Seven

Minho's eyes slowly cracked open, and he was met with a damaged white ceiling. It took him a moment to remember where he was; he blinked slowly, turning his head to the side. He stared at the figure beside his bed dazedly, until his vision gradually came back into focus.

"Changbin...?" he mumbled under his breath. As he sat up, he gasped, pressing a hand against his head. His temples throbbed, and he squeezed his eyes shut. A lump formed in his throat, and he took a deep breath.

Fragments of the previous night were returning to him, but above all else, he remembered a feeling, so blindingly clear that it was almost like he was still feeling it. Maybe he was. One of his hands fell from his temple and pressed against his chest.

He clutched the fabric over his heart, clenching it in his fist. He didn't know what that was about, but he wanted to figure it out. It was important – he knew that much, at least. It was very important for him to find...

His eyes flew wide open as he jolted, a blurry face entering his mind, clear as day. As though it hadn't been part of a dream, but rather a reality. I have to find... him?

He swallowed thickly, and the image slowly faded. He loosed a heavy breath and rubbed his eyes. Whatever that was, he never wanted to feel it again.

~#~#~#~#~#~

"You could call in sick today," Changbin offered, his forehead creased in worry that surprised Minho. He shook his head with a small smile.

"Nah, I feel better already. Don't want to overthink it." He hadn't told Changbin of his dream, but, really, he did not want to think about it anymore; so he'd keep it to himself. The shorter male sighed and nodded before waving, walking away into his own room.

Minho sighed but hitched his backpack strap higher on his shoulder as he headed out the apartment door. He never thought he'd be so happy to go to work, but there he was, rushing to get there. The coffeehouse was crowded that day, and he grumbled softly.

At least he'd be kept busy.

"Minho?" His coworker, Chanhee, blinked at him, her jaw dropped slightly. "You're early?" She teased, and he rolled his eyes with a tense smile, shrugging.

"Guess I am."

She frowned, tightening her ponytail, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. "Are you okay?" She reached for him, placing a hand on his shoulder, and despite himself, he flinched; he didn't know why.

"I... ye... yeah." All he knew was that he felt very uncomfortable with her hand on his arm. The boy from his dream popped into his head again, and he awkwardly shrugged out of her grasp. "I should get changed," he said, his voice tight.

Without waiting for her response, he walked into the back room and the employee lounge. Luckily, there was no one else in the room. He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead against the wall, allowing the chilliness to soothe him.

Why had he reacted that way?

He and Chanhee had always gotten along; they were pretty much friends at that point. He massaged the bridge of his nose, but still, the image of that faceless boy remained trapped in his mind, searing him, his thoughts. He shook his head, huffing a deep breath. He changed into his uniform, tying his green apron around him before he stepped back out into the coffeehouse.

It had gotten even busier during the time he'd been away. Pushing all thoughts of the dream-boy aside, he forced a smile on his lips and greeted his first customer.

~#~#~#~#~#~

Felix sat on a nearby bench, a hood propped over his head as he stared into the Starbucks, eyes trained on Minho. He looked normal – acted as he always did when he was at work, but Felix couldn't help but feel that something was off.

He knew Minho well – very well – but despite this, he still couldn't seem to figure it out. His hands balled into fists, and he closed his eyes. He hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, between his worry for Jisung and the theories about Minho keeping him awake.

He sighed softly and stood, pushing his hood off as he marched towards the door. He'd figure it all out today. Right now. He hadn't had the chance to speak with Grand Wizard Moonsoo about it – the man had practically disappeared – so he had to find out for himself.

Did Minho know Jisung more than he let on?

The line was long, tediously so, and he shifted from one foot to the other, his anticipation threatening to explode through his ears. By the time he finally reached Minho, he was just about ready to burst.

"Felix..." Minho's eyebrows furrowed. "You look like shit." Felix laughed, though it felt – and sounded – forced.

"Yeah, well... Jisung was in an accident last night," he said softly, and he watched Minho's reaction closely, almost as though he were scrutinizing every twitch of his face. The boy's eyes widened, and worry gleamed in his eyes. Felix forced his bitter smile down; he hadn't known Jisung was in trouble. That knocked that option off the table.

"What happened?" Felix shrugged in response.

"He was attacked by an animal. He's not doing so good." Minho frowned, shoulders slumping.

"I hope he gets better," he said, his voice soft before he met Felix's eyes again.

"Me too." After several moments of silence, he spoke again. "I'll have a Grande Nitro Cold Brew." Minho's eyebrows shot up before he nodded, typing it in. When Felix received his coffee, he walked back out the door, shoulders slumped.

He was back to square one. If Minho wasn't Jisung's mate... He shook his head; even that had seemed like a very far stretch. Jisung never would've broken the rules the way he had, and he never would've mated to a human. He looked up towards the cloudless sky.

There had to be at least some correlation between what had happened to Jisung, and what had happened with Minho.

A/N: I started editing my novel early because I thought I was ready, so updates might slow down just a tad depending on how quickly I reach my editing quota 

Also I finally got around to listening to Cle 2 -- DON'T THROW ROCKS AT ME-

Ngl I spent more time dancing in my seat than writing oop

Q: If you could have an all-expenses paid trip to see any famous world monument, which monument would you choose?

A: I'd have to say the Eiffel Tower. Not only because there's brie and baguette in France (some of my favourite foods, ngl), but also because I'm a romantic piece of trash and I love that shit XD

Lots of love,

~Junnie