Jin’s PoV

                “Seokjin, you’re going to be late!” Jaehwan hollered. I rolled out of bed, groaning.

                “Seokjin!” He walked over to me, kissing my forehead. “Come on, you have to start getting up with the Alarm, or you'll get in trouble!”

                I smiled up at him. “Fine, okay.”

                As I got ready, Jaehwan continued to lecture me. “You know, if you went to bed at Curfew like you’re supposed you, you wouldn’t get up so late! Plus, what are you even allowed to do after Curfew? There’s nothing that you can access, the only thing there is to do is sleep.”

                I sighed. Jaehwan was adorable, but he just didn’t understand the concept of staying awake and thinking to yourself. He just told me to go to bed. No matter, I still loved him. After all, he was my Match, and I’m sure the Society didn’t fail on that. They never did fail, anyways.

                Planting a kiss on his head, I headed towards the front door while slipping on my jacket. “I have to go so I’m not late, then. You should get going, too! Otherwise I'll be lecturing you next, Jaehwan!” I teased, grinning.

                “Okay, bye!” Jaehwan waved, smiling and pushing me out of the door.

                As soon as his face disappeared, I darted towards the train station. Panting, I stepped onto the platform, receiving countless stares of shock from other people on their way to work. I stood up straight, doing my best not to look out of breath.

                “Attention. The train will be arriving in 15 seconds.”

                I smiled, boarding the train and humming one of the few songs I knew quietly.

                “Class, who here knows something about Matches?”

                Nobody raised their hand, chatter breaking out among my students.

                I wrote the name on the electronic board, in bright and bold letters: MATCHING.

                “Class, Matches are the base of our entire Society. Your parents were all Matched, my parents were Matched, I was Matched, and one day, you’ll be Matched too!

                “The Society will go through your entire history, and then go through every other eligible person’s history, which they hold in their database. Does anyone have a guess on what happens next?”

                A hand raised in the back of the room. “Hongbin?”

                “They choose someone who’s really similar to you, right? So you get along well and don’t fight and then eventually have kids who can get matched and…” He continued to ramble on, and I smiled.

                “Not quite, but close! You don’t want too many similarities, or life will get boring for you two. Plus, you want your children to have good genetics, too, right?” Hongbin nodded, letting out an enthusiastic ‘OH!’

                I laughed. My students were amazing and intelligent, just like always. Except for Jeon Jungkook, who, as always, was barely paying attention. He was looking at his desk intently, almost as if he was trying to ignore me.

                I sighed. Just let him be. One day… One day he’ll learn. “Now, you all know Matches are meant to make beautiful couples with amazing stories. Who would like to share one that they’ve been told?”

                “My father brought my mother a different flower every day for a year!”

                “My mother and father played a duet together, and they performed it at their Wedding!”

                “My uncle combined all the poems he knew to make one big one for my aunt!”

                Everyone was excitedly shouting out answers. Everyone had something to say. It was beautiful. I smiled, my mind returning to my own Match. Jaehwan. Why hadn’t anything this romantic ever happened between us…?

                I shook my head, clearing the thought. It would take time. I was sure something would happen. We’d be a perfect couple, just like everyone else was.

                As the students yelled out more answers, I wrote the best of the best on the board, smiling. “Perfect! Now, your assignment for tonight is to write about what you would do for your Match! Remember, this is the future of the Society. It depends on every single one of you,” I glanced towards the back. “Even you, Jeon Jungkook.”

                He didn’t seem to hear me, only muttering something when I spoke to him. “Speak up, Jungkook. I can’t hear you.”

                He raised his head, eyes filled with a rage I had never expected any student of mine to have. “What if the matches are wrong? What if they don’t put you with the person you were meant to love?”

                The class fell silent, staring at the boy. I looked at him, watching as his lip quavered gently.

                His father killed his mother, they had told me. Expect him to be distant. He’s too young to understand.

                But no, Jeon Jungkook fully understood.

                He repeated himself again. “What if every match was wrong?”

                I answered, my voice barely a whisper. “Nobody can be perfect, Jungkook…”