Your photography professor dismisses the class and everyone files out of the classroom, each carrying a printout for the next assignment. The new assignment was supposed to be to take photographs involving motion.

That’s all. It just had to be about motion. As always, it was up to the student’s interpretation to decide what the topic of their photographs would be. However, it would have to be motion.

A topic that’s broad but not too specific, you think as you head down the stairs. Why am I not surprised? After all, the previous two assignments from the class involved lights and the weather.

As you follow after your classmates heading to the main doors of the fine arts building, you can’t help but eavesdrop on their conversation since they’re talking about the assignment.

“Motion? That means movement, right?”

“So…we just have to take pictures of moving things?”

“Things that move…like cars? Buses?”

“Should we go downtown and take pictures of the traffic?”

You make a mildly judging expression at their backs as they head left and you continue going straight on the path. Cars? Buses? Those were generic ideas and the entire class was given plenty of room for interpretation. While cars were good subjects to show motion in photographs, you were going to take advantage of how extensive the topic was and give it your own creative tweak.

–

You’re heading back to the fine arts building after getting lunch from the food court when you notice a group gathering at the quad and dance music blaring loudly. You can’t help but be a little curious so you approach closer and you notice a boy in a maroon hoodie and black jeans in the middle of the crowd bboying. The crowd cheers when he finishes off his moves with a cool acrobatic move.

“Um… excuse me,” you whisper to the girl beside you who had wavy dark red hair. “What’s going on?”

The girl gives you a smile and it suddenly registers in your mind that she’s also in your art theory class. “Oh, the dance team’s just having a dance battle amongst themselves.”

“Ah…” You nod and thank her. Dance team? This school has a dance team? You scramble your mind, trying to recall. But then again, you’ve been focused in your schooling that you never really took part in extracurriculars nor bothered to actually check out what kinds of clubs the university offered.

Cheering erupts from the crowd when a boy with messy blond hair a few steps away from you takes the center. He’s dressed in black ripped jeans, a white t-shirt, and a denim jacket. Everyone starts chanting his name and you turn to the girl beside you again.

“Who is that?” You whisper again.

“That’s Kwon Soonyoung,” she whispers back. “He’s the team’s choreographer. I think he’s an education major.”

Kwon Soonyoung has a cheeky grin on his face as he discards his denim jacket as the music changes into a familiar R&B tune, sending everyone into frenzy.

However, what mesmerizes you is the way his body moves to the music.

His movements are smooth, continuous even, as though he’s telling a story through dance. Despite the smoothness, it’s also precise – his entire body executed sharp and clean movements. It’s as if he was one with the music, letting it take control of him and watching it captivates you and the rest of the crowd.

It was a work of art.

I need to photograph this, you think and you balance your backpack on one shoulder while you fish out your camera and take your spontaneous photographs of Kwon Soonyoung dancing.

The spell is broken when he stops. Soonyoung bows before smiling at the crowd and then he walks off to the side. His hair was sticking to his forehead and he was sweating but he had a bright grin plastered to his face. He drapes his denim jacket over his shoulder, moving back to where he was standing near you.

And then you feel his eyes on you and you lower your camera nervously, looking up to meet his gaze.

Kwon Soonyoung moves closer as you’re frozen in your spot upon getting caught and there’s a curious look in his eyes as he almost towers over you.

Your mind goes into panic and you do the first thing that comes into mind.

You make a run for it.

–

Yoongi is your cousin, a few years older than you and is on his last year in art school as a photography student. While the two of you got along really well, he also had a bit of a sharp tongue that drove you up the wall. Especially when the snarky comments were directed to you.

“You’re really f–“ You slap a hand across Yoongi’s mouth before he could finish the sentence and he swats your hand away with a disgusted look.

The two of you are enjoying a brief lunch before you had to help him develop his black and white film in the dark room. In midst of the meal, you told him what you had done and Yoongi had proceeded to make fun of you for taking pictures without permission and running away when you got caught.

“God, I know, okay!” You practically yell out, making a few passersby turn to your direction at your outburst. “I’m stupid, yes!”

“He’s going to find you, you know that? That Kwon Soonyoung kid’s gonna scout the fine arts building to look for you.”

“Yoong, please don’t say that.” You whine and Yoongi has that terrible “you’re in deep trouble” grin on his face. It’s a familiar one, a grin he’s used whenever he found out that you’ve done something that you shouldn’t have – such as taking pictures of Kwon Soonyoung.

“Well, you had the right idea for your project though. Just ask for permission next time.”

“I know…”

Yoongi’s lips form a tiny smile at your pouty expression. “Just say sorry if he gets mad about it and delete the pictures.”

You nod and Yoongi ruffles your hair. “Anyways, are you done eating? We have a stack of film to develop.”

“Yes sir.”

After throwing out your garbage, Yoongi unlocks the dark room and the two of you get started on your afternoon-long task. As you prepare the chemicals and help Yoongi set out his film to be developed, the memory of the incident with Kwon Soonyoung is quietly pushed to the back of your mind, replaced with film developing instructions taking the priority.

–

You and Yoongi separate ways once your task is done – him taking a different exit to a shortcut to meet his friends and you heading to the main entrance. You fish out your phone from your jacket pocket and the screen reads that it’s already 3:17 pm, a good three hours since you and your cousin were in the dark room developing his numerous black and white films for his project. It was still early – did you want to go home now or did you want to get a bite to eat first?

You’re pondering your options when a figure is standing in your way and you blink. You’re about to excuse yourself and sidestep him when you register the familiar denim jacket and messy blond hair.

It’s Kwon Soonyoung.

Yoongi was right: Kwon Soonyoung scouted the fine arts building and now he's found you.

“Hey,” he says and you gulp.

“H-hi…” you manage and then your brain kicks into overdrive. “Oh god, this is about the pictures, isn’t it? I’m so sorry I should’ve asked for your permission, look I’m going to delete them right now I’ll even show yo–“

The sound of Soonyoung’s laughter cuts your babbling off and you blink several times, caught off-guard at the sound of mirth emanating from him. Soonyoung pauses, taking a deep breath to steady himself.

“Oh, no, it’s not about that.” Soonyoung assures you, his eyes curving into crescents. “Really, I’m not mad about that.”

You stare at him, feeling hopeful. “You’re…not…? Really?”

“Really,” Soonyoung says. He’s looking at you and he opens his mouth, only to close it again. His eyes briefly flit to his wrist before meeting yours and you tilt your head to the side, prompting him to continue.

“S-sorry,” he begins. “It’s just that…you’re cuter than I imagined.”

You feel warmth rush to your cheeks at the comment as you squeak. “I’m sorry?!”

Soonyoung lets out a chuckle at your clueless reaction. He pushes back the sleeve of his jacket, showing the frozen numbers engraved on his skin and you look up at him with wide eyes.

“Wait…we’re…”

He cracks a goofy grin, his cheeks slightly pink. “We’re soulmates.”

You push back the sleeve of your jacket as well, fingers running over the numbers that had stopped. 19 years, 11 months, 2 hours, 5 minutes, and 30 seconds. Your eyes look back up at Soonyoung’s. “So…you didn’t come here because you were hunting me down to delete the pictures…?”

He laughs at your reaction and the sound is quite endearing. “Nope.”

Relief washes over you and you hold out your hand for a handshake as you give him your name. Soonyoung repeats your name slowly and a happy grin breaks out across his face.

“So…um…” Soonyoung says a little shyly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Are you free right now? There’s a really great diner near campus and I was wondering if you wanted to go…”

You blink, stumbling over your words at the sudden offer. “Y-yeah! I’m free right now! Shall we…?”

Soonyoung nods, his eyes forming crescents in delight. He pushes open the door and holds it for you as the two of you step into the sunny afternoon. At the back of your mind, you make a note to show Soonyoung the photographs you took of him and your lips quirk into a smile as you look up at him.

Soonyoung notices your gaze and he smiles back.