Soonseok day has passed but happy belated soonseok day~

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The door chimed as Seokmin stepped in the laundromat, chiming a tune himself. The air was warm from the heat emitted from the machines, a nice temperature to walk into after strolling in the chilly winter weather, bag hanging behind him like Santa’s sack, only it filled with clothes instead of gifts.

He made his way to the machine on the far left corner, the machine he habitually used for no reason in particular, only to find that it was already occupied. He thought it was strange, seeing how the rest of the machines were empty, that the person who came before him happened to chose to use the exact machine that Seokmin always used, and that was always free. Not that it was a hassle to use a different machine. It was just an interesting observation. Then again, it was strange in the first place for Seokmin to claim that machine when it was so far from the entrance of the laundromat. Who was he to judge? He used the machine to the right of his usual, instead.

He sat down on the bench and pulled out his phone to pass time with social media as he waited for his laundry to finish, but he noticed a text from his roommate saying that requesting for him to bring stomach medicine as soon as possible.

Seokmin felt a pang of guilt when he remembered that he consumed the last of it accidentally, thinking it was cold medicine. In his defense, he was too out of it to even realize what medicine he was taking. But he still felt bad for his suffering roommate, so he dashed to the nearest convenience store and back to his place. He worried a bit over his laundry, but he trusted that no one stole clothes from the laundromat nowadays. His clothes should be fine if he left for a bit. He hoped.

When he came back to the laundromat, he was pleased to see that his clothes were done and dry, but he then received a text from his roommate telling him he bought the wrong medicine in his hurry. Seokmin sighed at his blunder as he hastily stuffed his clothes into his laundry bag and dashed out once again to the convenience store, reading the labels carefully to purchase the right product before running up to save his poor roommate from stomach pains. It was the wrong day for him to be out to do laundry. Realizing he brought home the wrong laundry was even further proof of it.

After a full day of looking after his friend, who finally fell asleep in peace, he laid the clothes on his bed to put them away, but when he spotted a T-shirt with a SHINee World Concert logo on it, he knew something was wrong. Seokmin had never been to a SHINee concert, nor had he ever bought any SHINee merchandise. Why was such a shirt in his laundry bag? Or… was it even his laundry bag?

Seokmin mumbled as he riled his hair. The ‘KSY’ embroidered on the bottom of the bad told him that he took the wrong clothes and the wrong bag, and it finally dawned on him that in his rush to run to the convenience store for his friend, he mistakenly took the laundry from the machine he usually used. The machine that was already occupied by another’s clothes.

He didn’t want to run anymore that day, but he had to bring these clothes back to their rightful owner. He ran, but… the laundromat was closed for the day. He could neither return the clothes nor retrieve his own. If only he had noticed beforehand, he wouldn’t have been in this mess. He needed to return the clothes, or he would forever have a guilty conscious. Looking up information on the idol T-shirt in the bag of laundry, he discovered that the shirt was rare merchandise that was only sold on the day and place the particular concert was held. Seokmin couldn’t imagine the kind of sentimental value the shirt held. It was possible that it didn’t mean much, but it was also possible that it meant more than the world to the person who owned it.

There was nothing he could do. He would have to wait until the laundromat opens tomorrow and hope that the rightful owner of the clothes arrives.

The next morning was even chillier than the day before. Seokmin made tight fists in his jacket pockets to keep his fingertips warm. Being at the laundromat earlier than they opened, he was forced to wait outside in the cold, bag unbelonging to him slung over his shoulder.

He planned to wait inside once the doors opened, but the person he was waiting for met him before that happened.

“YOU!” a voice said from behind him.

Seokmin ducked on impulse and shouted back, “I’M SORRY!”

“YOU STOLE MY LAUNDRY BAG! I LOOKED FOR IT FOR SO LONG YESTERDAY!”

”Sorry…”

Seokmin raised his head and turned around to see a boy who, despite having such a loud voice, was shorter than he was. The boy was red and huffing, but from exhaustion rather than anger. Had he run all the way here? Being met with an unexpectedly docile expression, Seokmin became somewhat flustered.

“I…” he started, but it was hard to continue with the boy staring him down like he was.

“But,” the boy looked downward. “You brought it back.”

“Um… it was an accident. I really didn’t mean to take it in the first place.” Seokmin handed over the laundry bag to the boy remorsefully. “I was in a hurry and I wasn’t thinking…”

The boy opened the bag and shuffled a hand through the contents before pulling out the SHINee T-shirt Seokmin knew was in there.

“I thought I would never see this again,” he said with a soft smile. It was a smile that suddenly made Seokmin want to give him everything in the world if he could.

“I guess it was important to you, then.”

The boy’s smile grew wider, his eyes reminiscent. “Yeah. It was my first concert. And a SHINee concert at that. I’ll never forget such a great night.”

“Sorry I took your precious shirt…”

The boy giggled. “I’m glad it was you who took it. Not everyone would bring it back. But why are you here so early? The laundromat isn’t even open yet.”

“But you’re here early, too, aren’t you?”

“Oh, you’re right…”

After glancing up at each other, the two of them fell into a fit of laughter, neither really knowing why they were early, and neither regretting it.

“I’m Soonyoung, by the way.”

“Seokmin.”

“It’s cold outside, do you want to talk over tea?”

Seokmin looked into the closed laundromat, where his clothes still resided in the machine. He had planned to take it back today, but Soonyoung’s invitation was more than tempting, especially when the boy was asking with such a hopeful smile on his face.

“I would love to,” he replied.

They walked away from the laundromat and toward a random direction—cafes were everywhere and they were bound to run into one—and Seokmin left his clothes to pick up another day. They would surely be there when he came back.

How likely was it that someone would steal his laundry, anyways?

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