The disadvantage of having your birthday on a weekday is that no one is really available to arrange a birthday party. Instead Soonyoung had settled for merely buying a supply of beer and some snacks to celebrate his birthday with his roommate and best friend, Minghao. The Chinese transfer student had been stuck in the same room as him for the past two years – and would be stuck with him for another three of them, so it was a given that the two would settle for becoming friends. Days, months, and even years passed and the two just naturally became each other’s best friends. Minghao and Soonyoung were the same age, with Minghao being just four months older. So the entire process of what would be bestowed upon the birthday boy was something that his best friend has quite some experience with; finding out who your soulmate is was not just a nerve-wrecking event but also exciting. It was something that would determine the rest of your life. Whether you’d like it or not.

So the pair of best friends had settled themselves in front of their shared small television in their dorm room with cans of beer displayed on the floor along with some opened bags of crisps and a chocolate bar that already had a bite taken off of it – blame Soonyoung for taking too long at the counter in the supermarket, making Minghao wait outside for him with a bag filled with snacks that he had just paid for. They had settled on watching some kind of weird and twisted horror movie that neither would probably remember the title of anymore after watching it. Just because they would wish to wash it out of their memories; it would also be the best way to end up convincing all of their other friends that they weren’t scared at all.

It was five minutes before midnight when the movie ended, both boys were paler than the white carpet they were sitting on and sweat was messily decorating their foreheads – but oh no, they weren’t scared, not at all. They were both too caught up in their fear to even realize the time. Until exactly four minutes later, when Minghao – the first person to escape his statue-like state – let his eyes wander down to the watch around his wrist.

“Soonyoung, just one more minute.”

It was like someone had taken a baseball bat and hit Soonyoung over the head with it. He was shaken out of his fear as he rose from his spot on the carpet within seconds. “Just one more minute! Why didn’t you tell me sooner?!” He didn’t mean to yell, he really didn’t, but he was just freaking out beyond belief. Luckily, Minghao realized this, as all he gave his best friend in return was a scoff. Right before a hand reached for the birthday boy’s sleeve and pulled him to sit down once again. “Where do you think you’re going? Let’s be fair. You were around when Hyemin’s name appeared on my wrist, so I have to be around when your engravement appears!” Soonyoung couldn’t argue with the statement given by his best friend.

It was only fair.

Soonyoung recalled that moment quite well, since it was almost too similar to the situation they were in right now. Minghao’s birthday was also on a weekday, though Joshua and Seungcheol had managed to clear up their schedule (which consisted of literally nothing anyway) to join their little birthday celebration for Minghao on a Thursday evening – and night. Since at midnight Minghao would find out the name of his soulmate and obviously they wouldn’t miss that for the world, or that’s at least what they said. Though by the time midnight struck, it were Joshua and Seungcheol that were sleeping on the couch – all respectively on their own end of the couch of course. Soonyoung was the only one who had tried his best to stay awake and has actually succeeded at that, it wasn’t that much of a struggle for Minghao since he was literally a perfect mess of nerves and excitement by the time midnight struck. ‘Kang Hyemin’ that’s what displayed itself onto the Chinese boy’s wrist as the last second of midnight was touched upon. Though neither of the boys knew someone who went by this name, and after forcing their two sleeping friends to wake up they were given no new information. No one knew anyone who went by this name. Until the following morning, when they teacher announced a new student would be joining them. The girl was forced to introduce herself, Soonyoung and Minghao were sitting besides one another wondering why teachers still forced students to go through this awkward process. Though perhaps for once it was a good thing that their school held on to this tradition.

“Hello, it’s nice to meet all of you. My name is Kang Hyemin, I hope we can all be good friends.” The look shot over to Minghao by Soonyoung spoke louder than words ever could, meanwhile the Chinese boy had literally fallen out of his chair embarrassing himself in front of the entire class and more importantly in front of the girl that was his soulmate.

So the two boys just sat there, Soonyoung had rolled up his sleeves to reveal his pale left wrist. While his eyes were glued onto the watch around Minghao’s wrist. He didn’t know whether he was nervous, scared or excited. Perhaps all of them in one go, forcing all the beer and crisps he had consumed during the movie to rise to the surface of his stomach threatening to fly up through his throat once again. All these feelings were making him sick to his stomach. What if he’d end up in the same situation as Minghao had been in? What if he didn’t know his soulmate yet? Or worse, what if he did know his soulmate already? And he would have to explain to someone he knew that they were meant to spend the rest of their life together. Just a few more seconds, before literally his entire life would change.

One, two, three.