𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐍 𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝘭. 𝘫𝘦𝘯𝘰 ✔

01

To say that Lee Jeno's life is normal is an understatement. It is beyond normal, well, at least for now. He squinted his eyes clad in glasses and looks around in confusion. Everywhere he looked is swarming with red strings. Is it the new trend nowadays? He didn't know, but he knew for a fact that it's starting to make him annoyed.

"I must be dreaming.."

It all started yesterday when he, surprisingly, found himself lounging inside the library that no one apparently uses except when finals are coming up, or when one simply wants to sleep. He situated himself at the very back of the library where the books and even tables and chairs are covered in dust.

He sneezes once, twice, thrice, and then he decides to leave. How did he end up there anyway? Well, he has no idea at all. But before he drags his feet away from the dust-covered area of the library, a moldy old book resting just parallel to the shelf that reached his eyesight catches his attention.

Jeno reaches for it and decides to give it a read. He snorts a laugh when he finds out that it was all about Red Strings of Fate. "As the legend says, all people has a red string tied on their pinky finger," he reads, and then scoffs, shutting the book close. "As if I'll believe that bullshit," he murmured to himself before placing it back.

The book itself was ancient in his eyes. It stood out among the thick spines of several colored books that were placed neatly on the shelves. Jeno stares at it for a minute or two, before finally leaving the library once and for all.

So everything comes to the present where Jeno stood still outside of the campus where he watches his schoolmates with red strings tied around their pinky fingers. It was everywhere, and he was confused why no one seem to be bothered with it.

Don't they see those strings? What if someone trips over it?

"Jeno!" a familiar boyish voice makes him slightly startled. He whips his head to the side to see his Canadian friend, Mark Lee, jogging to his direction. "What're you standing there for?" he questioned. Jeno felt a sense of cluelessness from the question and didn't speak briefly.

"Uh.. am I missing something?" he asks back when Mark was already beside him.

"Nothing at all," the older boy answered with a chuckle. "Anyway, why are you staring at everyone like that?"

"I'm not staring," he deadpans. "Don't you see anything strange?"

Mark only looks at him quizzically with a raised brow. "Dude, the only thing that's strange right now is you. You normally go straight to your classroom. What's with the hold up?"

Jeno takes a look around again, this time with a neutral expression as if he's trying to make himself believe that he's still dreaming right now. He's convinced that his head is still in the clouds not until, his eyes moves down on Mark's hand where he sees a red string tied around his pinky finger. "You have it too!" he said in surprise.

"What do I have?" Mark asked with wide eyes.

Jeno holds himself back from answering and shakes his head instead. "Nothing," he whispered and then his eyes landed on his own pinky finger and he almost yell in shock, but jumps in surprise instead. 

He raises his hand to the sky and stared at his pinky finger with wide eyes, confusing Mark. There's a red string tied around his pinky finger, and surprisingly it was stretching short unlike everyone else that he has seen so far. He furrowed his eyebrows and follows it to the end, only to find out the end was tied around..

Mark.

Surprised, shocked, and confused, Jeno opens his mouth and closes it like a fish out of water. He blinks once and then twice, before bringing down his hand to his side. "Seriously, what's gotten into you?" Mark questions with a humored chuckle, just as the bell rings. He taps Jeno's shoulder, "Come on. We'll be late if you continue to act strange like that."

•••

Jeno's day continue as usual; but he couldn't take off his eyes away from his pinky finger. Does this mean Mark's my soulmate? he asks himself before shaking off the idea. That's bullshit. He knew for a fact that his friend is attracted to someone else, and he, himself, is too.

This makes no sense.

That night, he readies for his night shift to the nearby convenience store, prompting to bid his farewell to his parents; but he stops midway and opted to leave unnoticed instead as always. As he closes the front door to his house, a glass shattering inside made him wince. Jeno ignores it like usual and made his way to his work.

The familiar jingle of the door somehow soothe him just a little. He was greeted by the store manager, in which he nods with a polite smile. Just as he was going to sigh in relief, his eyes catches the familiar glimmer of the red string. Jeno internally groans and shakes his head.

He wasn't the type to believe into supernaturals. Jeno questions himself if he's still dreaming and did the old fashioned 'pinch me if I'm dreaming' to himself, and surprisingly he wasn't dreaming at all. "Fuck.." he hisses, before ignoring the strings that passed right through him.

When morning came, his head is throbbing. Unfortunately, he worked overtime and stayed up late to review for his upcoming quiz. As usual, the red strings are still visible to him, but he made no effort to convince himself he's still dreaming considering his headache. He's convinced he's gone crazy instead.

Mark jogs toward him that morning as usual, patting him on the shoulder to get his attention. "Woah, you look.. uh, you worked overtime?" by this time, Mark isn't expecting another answer from his friend anymore. "Well, are you going to the party this weekend?" he asked instead.

Jeno shakes his head to answer, only to worsen his throbbing headache and he makes a groan of displease. "Party? But exams are next week," he answered.

"Well.. yeah, so?" Mark shrugs. 

"I have to pass on that one, Mark, but thanks." He opens his mouth to add something along the lines of 'Maybe I'll drop there when I have the time' but his words did not leave his mouth, and his eyes focuses on the figures walking on the opposite direction behind Mark.

His eyes constricted and dilated when the familiar pink haired boy passed by, unaware of his stare. There's a familiar flutter in the pit of his stomach that made him swallow a lump in his throat. If there is something more breathtaking than a god, it was Na Jaemin.

Jeno had known him a long time ago, but he didn't really paid much attention to him until he found out he was the number one student from their year.

What is he lacking? He didn't really know for sure. He knew for himself that he is devoted in studying his lessons until his brain can't take it anymore, but everytime the results comes out he was always on the place below the top rank.

He hates how the pink haired boy looks nonchalant with everything. He couldn't even see him visit the library to get some reference books and he would just hang out with his friends. At first Jeno was curious how the smartest boy in his year manages his day, until it became a habit where his eyes would just unconsciously follow him whenever he's in his sight.

Back then, Jaemin didn't have pink hair. He stood confidently on stage delivering his welcome address to his fellow first years. His voice was low and careful, there was a charm to it that made the boys and girls swoon over him. Jaemin's long fluttering eyelashes were still visible even if he was standing meters away from him.

Jeno hates to admit it, but he's infatuated to the pink haired fairy.

"Jeno? Hey?" Mark snaps his fingers in front of his face, and then that's the only time he had snapped out of his trance. Fuck, I must've looked stupid. "You zoned out on me there," Mark chuckles.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that. I was thinking," he nonchalantly replied and turns his back to his friend to continue walking to the direction of his class for the morning. 

I need to get my hands on that book again.