Work Text:
there is a 0.00417% chance of two people meeting. the odds are against it, so why do i keep bumping into you?
-
"jisoo-yah!" a female voice called as 6-year-old jisoo ran down the stairs. he loved his mother to bits and would respond to her calls immediately.
"yes mommy?" jisoo called out, finally entering the room his dear mother was in. the kitchen counter had a plate freshly baked chocolae cupcakes. jisoo breathed in a big gulp of the sweet aroma before looking at his mother again.
"come help me greet our neighbours, dear" she said, picking up the plate of cupcakes and walked out the door with little jisoo trailing behind.
"nei-bors.." jisoo sounded out. "there is horses here??" jisoo exclaimed excitedly as he tugged his mother's dress.
jisoo's mother chuckled as she explained, stopping at the front door and squatting down. "no, dear. neighbours, people who move into the houses beside ours. you will get to meet new people."
jisoo stared at her with biwelderment, the explanation flying over his head. he tilted his head with confusion, staying silent to let his mother explain (again).
"just think of it as meeting new friends." his mother patted jisoo's head as she stood up, grabbing a cupcake from the plate she was holding and gave it to him. "here, be my little taste-tester, will you?"
jisoo took a bite of the cupcake as he followed his mother out of the house. the treat tasted amazing, as to be expected of his mum's baking. jisoo smiled to himself, the sweet taste of choclate filling his taste buds.
as the mother-son duo walked along the pavement, a car drove by, catching jisoo's attention. jisoo stopped in his tracks to observe the car. it looked like any other car, nothing special. the windows were rolled down as the backseat of the car had a boy poking his head out.
the boy had short black hair, like his, but a little longer. his eyes were curved downward, almost looking like he was sleepy if not for the smile evident of his face. the boy looked at his direction, their eyes suddenly locking.
jisoo could see the boy's smile widen as he waved at him, the car containing him fading into the distance. jisoo stared at the road, his brain trying to catch up with his eyes.
"jisoo, what are you looking at?" his mother said, snapping him out of his thoughts. he shook his head as he continued munching on his cupcake, trailing behind the tall woman. 'he is pretty, like a prince!', jisoo smiled as he bumped into his mum.
jisoo looked up and saw that they had reached a house, the horse-people's house. his mother rang the doorbell of the house as he took another bite out of his cupcake, surprised that it was not finished since usually he would be on his second cupcake by now.
the door was answered and people appeared. jisoo was disappointed that the peole were not horses like his mum mentioned, but he distracted himself by thinking about that boy in that car he saw earlier.
that boy looked like a prince on this way to save a princess! and the way he smiled? jisoo had never seen a smile so pretty. he wanted to meet that mysterious boy, maybe be his friend. the way the boy looked, jisoo would not mind being saved by him. he could be the prince and jisoo be the princess, and they could-
"jisoo, this is seokmin. he's two years younger than you but i hope you can still get along with him." jisoo saw the horse-people bring out a timid-looking boy.
jisoo stepped towards seokmin, a smile plastered on his face. the other boy seemed to relax, his face muscles easing up. jisoo held out his arm, half-finished cupcake in his hand, outstretched towards the younger. seokmin smiled, accepting the cupcake. jisoo mirrors his smile, happiness bubbling all over. it seemed like a start of a new friendship.
-
unfortunately for jisoo, he did not meet that mysterious boy again. it had been four whole years and not one sight of that pretty face. but a child can dream, right? like how other children dreams to be a doctor or a teacher, jisoo dreams of being the princess to that princely boy. and no jisoo is not obsessed. why would he be obsessed?
jisoo was daydreaming, doodling in his sketchbook, lying on his stomach on his bed with his feet kicked up, swinging mindlessly.
seokmin, popping up from nowhere, snatched his sketchbook and blew a raspberry on his face. "thanks, hyung!" he exclaimed before hurrying off.
"YAH! COME BACK WITH THAT!" jisoo shouted after the younger, jumping off his bed and chased after him. seokmin was staying for the weekend as his parents were busy. the boy turned around and made silly faces, as if challenging jisoo to catch him if he could.
jisoo chased seokmin down the stairs, with the younger screaming happily. they both ran into the kitchen, seokmin seeking refuge from jisoo's mother by hiding behind her.
"auntie hong, save me! your son is chasing me for no reason!" he said dramatically, dropping onto his knees and his free arm on his forehead.
"no reason!? you took my book!" jisoo pointed at the younger, his voice being louder than intended.
"settle down, boys." mrs. hong said, snatching the sketchbook from the boy. she was about to give back the book before one of the pages caught her eye. she flipped to that page and read the contents.
"maybe one day, i'll meet my prince"
"jisoo, what's this?" she questioned, her eyes still on the sentence. jisoo's face reddened with embarrassment as he mumbled.
"its nothing." he attempted to retrieve his book but his mother's grip was too strong. his mother looked at him, her eyes unreadable.
"is this about that boy? the one you mentioned when you were six? honestly, jisoo, you're too obsessed with this boy. how are you sure that he exists?" jisoo flinched as she questioned his prince's existance. his mother sighed again.
"listen, jisoo. i just want you to be happy. and i think forgetting about this boy is..." she hesitated, "good for you."
she gave back his book as jisoo snatched it, and soon after stormed up the stairs and back into his room. she sighed once again.
mrs. hong turned to seokmin, surprising him. "forget it. seokmin-ah, can you tell jisoo that i'm going to the mall later? check if he wants something."
"yes, auntie" he saluted her, making her laugh, before bolting up the stairs towards jisoo's room.
seokmin entered the older's room, finding him at his desk, staring at his sketchbook. "jisoo?" seokmin called out.
jisoo flinched and turned around, awkwardly greeting the younger. seokmin rolled his eyes and approached him, asking him what he was doing.
"i was thinking." jisoo sighed, turbing back to his desk. "maybe eomma is right. maybe he was just my imagination. i was 6, afterall."
seokmin looked at jisoo, the older's face laced with sadness. "well... i don't know about that, but auntie hong said to tell you that she is going to the mall later."
"WHAT?" jisoo exclaimed, his sad face twisted into excitement as he ran back downstairs. seokmin groaned, not wanting to go up and down the stairs repeatedly, before defeatedly following the older.
"EOMMA! I WANNA COME WITH YOU!" jisoo practically bursted into the kitchen, followed by a trudging seokmin. it seemed like jisoo had completely forgotten the conversation beforehand. the lady chuckled as she walked towards the boys, patting her son's head.
"i know, dear. that's why i told seokmin to tell you." jisoo was jumping on the spot, unable to contain his excitement. seokmin watched him, already feeling tired just by watching. jisoo loved the mall, the stores with so many different unique things, the bustling activity, the cold air, everything.
"so let go right now!!!" jisoo grabbed his mother's hand and dragged her to the door, grabbing ahold of seokmin on the way. seokmin suddenly regained his energy, jumping around together with jisoo as they exited the house.
the two children skipped over towards the bus stop, with the adult not too far behind. jisoo sat on the chair with seokmin beside him as he watched the traffic pass by. he wandered back to the time when he saw the mysterious boy in that car. jisoo shook his head, mumbling, "no, i must forget him."
a bus suddenly drove in, catching both he and seokmin by surprise. they all boarded the bus, tapping their bus cards on the way in. the bus was big, according to jisoo. there was an empty area in front of the seats that was apparently for standing. the kids found a place to sit and mrs. hong sat behind them.
jisoo stared out the window was the bus started moving, the scenery blurring with speed. his mind drifted off again, wondering if his mysterious prince was real. he leaned against the glass, sighing. seokmin seemed to drift off to dreamland and his mother was engrossed in her phone so jisoo did not want to disturb either of them.
after what felt like half an eternity, jisoo was notified by his mother that they were almost there, refueling his excitement. jisoo decided to take a break from the environment and observe the bus activities. he was surprised at the number of people in the bus, not knowing he zoned out for so long to have the bus nearly full. he skimmed through the sea of faces before he stopped at a familiar face.
it was him. the boy he thought was fake. he then realised that the boy was already staring at him, or maybe he was staring the whole time he was there. jisoo observed the boy's features again, wanting to memorise every one. his smile was so sweet, like he knew jisoo and-
wait. he realised, when jisoo made eye contact with that boy, his warm smile, became even warmer! is that even possible? it was like that boy was happy jisoo saw him!
the bus suddenly came to a stop, the doors opening. jisoo turned around to his mother, smilling excitedly to tell her about the boy. but once he turned around again, he was gone. jisoo frowned, sadness and disappointment bubbled in this stomach. the bus came to another stop, where they alighted but jisoo's excitement had already died down. jisoo sighed, wondering when he would finally meet this cute boy.
-
it was a nice morning. a morning where nothing, or no one distur-
"AHH!!" jisoo exclaimed, waking up from his slumber. a bottle of water had been thrown at him.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY HYUNG!!!!" seokmin exclaimed, hands in the air, as jisoo rubbed this head from where the bottle hit.
"fuck you." he groaned, stretching his arms as he yawned. "how did you even get in."
"oooh~ you swore! and auntie hong let me in! isn't she the sweetest!" seokmin chirps, pulling jisoo up.
jisoo looked at his alarm clock. 0649. he rolled his eyes and slumped back into bed. classes did not start for another two hours so why should he be awake at this time.
"jisoo hyunggggg~" seokmin whined. "you're seventeen now! you have one year left before you're a legal adult! don't make me drag you to school." the younger grabbed jisoo's hand and started dragging him off the bed.
"fine. but you owe me." jisoo suddenly stood up, his drowsiness all gone in a second, walking towards the bathroom to wash up.
"i still don't know how you're a top student with this behaviour." seokmin sneered once jisoo emerged from the room. jisoo looked at the younger and raised his eyebrow.
"i just am." he replied, straightening his outfit in the mirror before grabbing his bag and leaving for school.
"yah! wait for me!" the younger shouted before catching up. jisoo slowed down his pace and stayed quiet.
"so~" seokmin started. "there's this café i found. do you want to go with me to check it out?" he asked cheerily.
"sure!" jisoo replied, his usual demeanor returning. "where is it?" he looks at his wrist, pretending to look at a watch for some reason.
seokmin looks at him weirdly before answering, "it is past the school, a little on the left."
they chatted and soon found themselves at the gate of their school. if jisoo was being honest, he hated school. all that studying and sitting around irks him. he only became 'top student' because his mother wanted him to. he loved his mother too much to disobey her.
"hey! since its our dear jisoo's birthday, lets go out to eat somewhere!" jisoo's friends roared, elicting another round of the happy birthday song. jisoo internally cringed, one at his friends' awful singing, and two at the fact that they're singing out loud in public. jisoo never had social anxiety, however his friend's atrocious hollering always manage to bring out the hidden social anxiety in him.
"hey! i found a café nearby! let's all go there!" seokmin suggested, earning him three nods from the others and a smile from jisoo.
jisoo and his friends– seokmin, mingyu, seungkwan, and chan– walked towards the café, causing harmless ruckus along the way. they entered the shop, warm air hitting their faces as they all sighed a breath.
they found a table at the corner of the shop and they picked up the menu, chattering on what they should get. jisoo looked around, the voices of his friends tuned out, admiring the decorations of the café.
"jisoo! are you okay? we asked you what you wanted like 3 times already!" seungkwan stated suspiciously. jisoo flinched before looking at them, finding out that all of them are looking at him.
"i'll get the iced americano, thanks." jisoo smiled at them. they nodded and went on to pester someone else about something insignificant. jisoo observed the staff, how they're working so hard, making each drink carefully but quickly. observed the customers, how they consume their beverage. observed the guy that walked in, ordering to-go, shaking his head to signal a no while his hair sways about in that movement. how he walked towards the pickup counter to wait for his order, how he looked around before locking eyes with jisoo.
jisoo's eyes widened, he did not mean to be staring. he looked away, not wanting to be awkward. when he looked back, however, the man was still staring at him, this time he had a smile on his face. 'where have i seen that smile?', jisoo could not take his eyes off that man. something about him feels... familiar. jisoo observed the man once again, now observing his facial features– his jawline, his hairline– anything to help him figure out where he knew this man from. finally, jisoo gasped softly, recalling his memories. its him! after seven year-
"yoon jeonghan!" the barista called out, snapping them both back into reality. the man grabbed his coffee and walked out, not before giving jisoo one last smile. jisoo looked at his hands, shaking and sweaty, before letting out a breath he did not realise he was holding.
"yoon jeonghan" he whispered. he looked down at the table and smiled, finally catching his name. 'i should've followed him', jisoo looked at the glass door, the road outside empty. was jisoo that mesmorised by that du- jeonghan's eyes that he forgot to breathe? it seemed like he was also caught in jisoo's eyes, due to the way he jumped when the barista called his name. did he also-
"hong jisoo!" a voice shouted right in jisoo's left ear that caused him to shriek and rub his ear in pain. he glared at the culprit, mingyu, before smacking his arm.
"you're gonna make me deaf, i swear." jisoo muttered, still rubbing his ear.
"it wasn't my fault you weren't listening!" mingyu spat back, still offended of being hit, rubbing his arm.
"what were you thinking about, anyways?" chan inquired, curious. jisoo's ear started to redden as he deflected the question.
"none of your business." he muttered, feeling his face redden with embarrassment.
the rest of the meal was a blur to jisoo. the only thing he remembered from that was his prince's name, and that is all he cared for. he felt that that was the best birthday present anyone had given him (and he got a lot of great gifts).
-
"jisoo!!! how have you been?? how is thailand?" jisoo's mother chattered as jisoo chuckled. he was currently on vacation alone, and he called his mother to check up on her (and maybe felt a little lonely, too).
"im fine, and thailand's great!" he flipped the camera to show the landscape he had came across with while on a walk at night.
"wahhhh, jisoo you must be enjoying yourself! so, enjoy youself, yeah? don't die because if you do, i'm not there to help you! gotta go!!!!!!!" his mother exclaimed before hanging up.
jisoo smiled, before sighing and putting his phone back into his pocket. he looked at the view in front of him and leaned on the railing. "am i feeling that homesick right now? ah.."
jisoo smiled, reminiscing about his past, the present, and his future. he turned twenty-two a little over a month ago, and he is already reminiscing. jisoo chuckled at that statement.
he looked around, seeing if any structures nearby caught his eye. he checked his phone, the time being exactly 2200. he headed towards the nearby convenience store to buy a light snack. he walked in, the cold convenience store are hitting his face as he skimmed through the shelves.
as soon as he found a snack and grabbed it, he suddenly bumped into someone, a man specifically. "i'm so sorry!" he apologised as the man turned around to look him in the eyes.
jisoo's eyes widened in shock as he dropped his bag of chips. he could not believe his eyes. yoon jeonghan. in thailand. the shock must have been showing on his face because jeonghan giggles as he reached out to cup jisoo's face.
"hong jisoo." he smiled, his hand warm against jisoo's cheek. "we meet again." jisoo felt a warm sensation in his stomach and his heart pounding. is this what love feels like? if so, then jisoo can learn to live with it.
"how did you-" jisoo started but jeonghan shushes him. jisoo felt his cheek burn as jeonghan spoke. his voice was like honey and sugar combined. jisoo already felt addicted and a minute has not even passed.
"i knew. from the first time we met– jisoo, from the second time we met– jisoo, and finally from the third– hong jisoo." jeonghan's finger caressed the other's cheek softly. jisoo felt tears well up in his eyes as a lump started forming in his throat.
"then why? why did you make me wait so long? why wait seven years to see me again if you-" jisoo cut himself off as could not control his tears anymore, letting them flow freely and stain his cheek. he felt the older bring him into an embrace. he snuggled his face into the crook of the other's neck. "did you know how hard i tried to find you? no one believed me that you existed." he sobbed.
"i know... i'm sorry" was all the older replied as he patted jisoo and waited for him to calm down.
they stayed slient in a comfortable hug for a while, until jisoo reduced to small sniffles. jeonghan pulled away, look the other in the eyes, smiling. he wiped the stray tear on jisoo's cheek before leaning in to kiss it.
"hong jisoo, the day i laid my eyes on you was the day i knew i had found my soulmate. although i was six, i knew that it wasn't my silly small mind that made it up. i knew that i was fated to be yours." jeonghan confessed, a dusty pink tint appearing on his cheeks.
jisoo smiled, his emotions going wild, with his heart pounding like it had never pounded before, and all these tingly feelings he had never felt before.
"fated..." jisoo repeated. perhaps all the times they met was intentional by fate, but they never took the opportunity to talk to the other. jisoo stared into jeonghan's eyes, a world that welcomed him in.
"then..." he started again, earning a smirk from the older.
"then?" the older repeated, raising an eyebrow. he pulled jisoo's face closer to his, challenging the other.
jisoo's breath hitched as he stared at the older's lips. he licks his own, and stared into the other eyes. "you have no idea how long i've been wanting to do this." he whispered.
the other's eyes were on his own lips, before licking his own and replying, "then show me."
finally, their lips connected. it was just a kiss, an action that brings two pairs of lips together, yet it felt so blissful. it felt like jisoo found his second half that he didn't know was missing. he wrapped his arms around the other as he pulled him closer to deepen the kiss. jeonghan returned the favour by wrapping his arms around the younger's waist and pulled him closer. jisoo let out a sigh of ecstacy in between the kisses. it felt so right to kiss jeonghan. their lips moved so in sync with each other, like they were meant to be one and never sepearated.
jisoo soon broke the kiss, needing to take a breath. their faces were still inches apart, hot breaths can be felt from each other as they stared into each other's eyes. anyone walking by could see the amount of affection they held for the other.
jisoo leaned in to leave a quick kiss on jeonghan's nose and pulled away, adjusting the wrinkles on his clothes, both of their faces flushed.
"well, jisoo, what do you say to us getting to know each other better, hm?" jeonghan asked, linking his arm with jisoo as the other picked up the dropped bag of chips.
jisoo smiled as he glanced at the man beside him. "sure, i have been waiting 16 years for this." jisoo emphasised the word 'have'. "now you can fulfill my dream when i was six, being a princess saved by a prince like you." joshua winked at the older as he paid for his snack.
"sure, but i think i suit princess more than you, ji." jeonghan answered, walking out of the store together. jisoo nodded, agreeing with the other.
"you look good with long hair." jisoo complimented, brushing his fingers through the soft locks.
"thanks." jeonghan muttered as he blushed softly. "hey, once we get back to korea, i'll take you on a real date, how does that sound?" the older offered.
jisoo smiled softly, held the other's hand and agreed, already excited thinking about finally dating his long-term crush