Before Lynn turned 18, she always wondered how it felt to just stop aging, if it felt any different or if it was just like any other day. When Lynn turned 18 she came to know that it is actually different. Not in an obvious way though, but only subtly. Like how she lost her appetite, or developed insomnia, how her hair stopped growing  and her heart felt a beat slower. She didn't blushed anymore and felt weigh downed most of the time, but it isn’t anything to complain about. It is to Soonyoung though, her best friend. She has met him when she was around 30, even though they don’t really count the years anymore. He is born two years earlier than her, but acts like a true 18 years old. Lynn has stopped waiting for her soulmate some years ago, it could take them hundreds of years to meet, as was the case for some people, so why the rush? But Soonyoung isn’t about that life, and he makes it his daily goal to chatter Lynn’s ear off about how he can’t be turning 40 and still hasn’t met his other half.

What Lynn learns though, is that life gets boring at some point. Especially when you always looks the same. The girl is studying for her third degree, this one in literature, finding it unnecessary to work when her father had lived for over 70 years waiting to meet her mother and has made quite the fortune. Soonyoung isn’t as lucky, and has to balance two part-time jobs, one as a dance instructor and the other as a waiter to go by. Lynn envies him sometimes though, thinking that the stress and pressure he lives under might be a good change, compared to her monotonous life.

“Your life is boring only because you are.” Soonyoung tells her, as they hang out at the restaurant he works at. The place is moderately empty since it is a bit early for lunch, so the boy finds it in himself to be lazing around rather than doing any work.

“I take offence to that.” Lynn says offhandedly, not giving much attention to Soonyoung, but rather her homework that’s taking most of the space on the table.

“You shouldn’t. I am just saying it as it is. Look you have your father’s fortune. If I were you I would be using that to my enjoyment rather than getting several degrees that won’t help me with . Heck, I would be traveling the world or something. I have the whole eternity in my hands, so why spend it in one place?”

This makes Lynn pause, her friend statement finally gaining her attention. “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea to be honest.”

Soonyoung sighs. “I actually have great ideas, if only you just listen.”

Lynn rolls her eyes. “Not because I liked your idea once you are going to act like you’re a manufacture of clever ideas or something.”

“Right, right. But what do you say to a trip around the world?”

“Alone though? Wouldn’t that be lonely?”

“Oh come on, it’s going to be a great journey to discover yourself.”

Lynn snickers. “Why watch ty documentaries when you’re friends with the one and only Kwon Soonyoung?”

“I am trying to give meaning to your long everlasting boring life and all I get in return is disrespect. I might as well stop trying.” Soonyoung mutters with a huff, making move to leave his place but Lynn holds into him. “I really like the idea Soon, am just joking. But I need to think seriously about it, after all you said I have an eternity for now so might as well not rush such decisions.”

“And that’s when I remember you’re in fact 33 and not 18.”

Lynn chuckles. “Says the 35 years old man.”

The said man pouts at that, like the mentally 18 years old boy he is and stalks back to the cashier. Lynn laughs, waving at him, and he waves back assuring her that he isn’t in fact mad.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lynn doesn’t have many friends. Well in a sense she does, but most of them are acquaintances. She feels that having friends in this state of her life is risky. Any one of them can start aging at any moment and then the other one has to watch them age while they stay the same. Lynn doesn’t want to experience that, it feels like a nightmare to live through. So, she always prefers to keep to herself. Soonyoung is the only exception that was able to creep his way into Lynn’s life. But this meant that Lynn has no one to go around the world with. Soonyoung is too poor for that but even more prideful and wouldn’t accept Lynn paying for him. At least until he turns 50, when he told Lynn he would truly get rid of everything he believes in and just says it and do whatever he felt like doing. So, with that, Soonyoung is out of the question. Lynn’s brother Mark is 40 years old, but he started aging not long ago making him 23, it was a true nightmare for Lynn when that happened, which also meant he wasn’t an option. The only real option is for Lynn to it up and go alone, which will be hard for her, especially at first. But as her friend said, it’s going to be a life changing experience, as cheesy as that sounds.

Lynn’s parents are surprisingly supportive about this. Her father forcing Lynn to block her university year rather than waiting to finish it, while her mother outright praying that Lynn will find her soulmate along the way of this trip. Soonyoung cries when Lynn tells him that she’s going to follow his idea though . He hugs her tightly even when she isn’t leaving in that day and in that moment, and he sobbingly tells her that he will miss her so much and that they have to keep in contact. Forcefully making her promise that if she ever starts aging he should be the first one to know and vice versa. Lynn finally agrees to promise him that, even when she’s silently and selfishly hoping that neither of them start aging by the time she comes back.

Everything happens so fast, and that’s a feat considering how slow time usually goes by for Lynn. And before she knows it she’s boarding a plane to Japan. there, she getsclose to her tour guide, a girl named Nana Ko. The latter had lived 97 years yet still possesses the body of a 18 years old. And Lynn is a bit terrified when she sees herself in the girl. Nana tells her that she somehow always knew that she will be living a long life and Lynn just silently agrees before quickly changing the subject.

Her stay in Japan is nothing more than 4 days, since she has visited the country before. Nana takes her to new places though, pretty parks and beautiful historical spots and Lynn enjoys it even when she has nothing but the company of her own tour guide. Before she leaves the country though, she makes Nana promise her to tell her when she finally finds her soulmate. Nana frowns at that, saying that Lynn might not be around at that time, but Lynn assures her that she is going to be here for long and Nana should at least try to contact Lynn at that time. Nana finally agrees and with a final hug they part ways.

Lynn’s next destination is Taiwan, her family’s hometown. Lynn was dreading going there but her dad had talked her into visiting the family in her trip at least once. The girl didn’t want to go not because she despises her family or anything like that, but it is always hard for her to meet her cousins’ children; who were born around the same year as her since her dad was the only one to take so long to meet his soulmate amongst her uncles and aunts, and to find the girls’ she played dolls with having grey hair, and to discover that some of the kids she used to babysit started aging too and are now technically older than her. Which is why she stays only two days there before fleeing, literally, to another place, which is China this time around.

She doesn’t need a tour guide in China, since she’s a native speaker and has been in the country multiple times. She hits up her friend from college Junhui, they met at the time Lynn was studying for her first degree and were both excited to find another Chinese student who wasn’t that far in age, as Junhui was only older than Lynn by two years. And that’s how they became friends, but after getting his degree in modelling and a minor in dance, Junhui flew back to China and Lynn has seen him only once since then.

Junhui hasn’t changed, both in personality and appearance, and Lynn is so happy to see that that she actually says something in the lines of. “I am so glad you’re still eighteen.”

Junhui snickers at that, breaking the hug he initiated the moment he saw the girl, just so he can slap her arm. “That’s a very selfish thing to say. But I would say the same, if I didn’t actually witness all of your crisis of how you just know you aren’t meeting your soulmate any time soon.”

Lynn huffs at the jab. “I wasn’t wrong though.”

“You are only thirty.”

“Yeah but watch us have this same conversation in about a hundred years.” Lynn declares and Junhui shudders at the sound of that. “Hopefully I wouldn’t be around to witness that.”

Lynn rolls her eyes. “You are sticking around too Junhui, I can feel it.”

“Can you please go back to Korea? Thank you.” Junhui says, before walking away from Lynn. The latter laughs before running to catch up to him and link her arms with him when she finally does. “You know you love me.” She teases and Junhui just scoffs at her. “What’s the plan for today by the way?” Lynn then asks.

“I know you’re tired from the flight, so I didn’t want to plan something draining. But instead I am just going to take you for dinner, where you will get a free meal and I’ll hopefully get you to do a favor for me.”

“Wen Junhui, never doing something for free. I am pretty impressed at how much you didn’t change.” Lynn comments in astonishment and Junhui shrugs carelessly. “What is this favor of yours though?”

“Look it’s quite simple. I have this friend I came to know recently. And by that I mean a couple of years ago. And I have been trying to convince him to do what you’re doing, but he’s stubborn and says it sounds like a hustle and it may cause him to deter from his soulmate, which all sounds like some bullcrap if you ask me.”

Lynn chuckles. “That doesn’t sound so hard to do, I wasn’t convinced much at first too so I think I might be able to get to him.”

Junhui claps excitedly. “It’s a plan then. Oh and he majored in photography and is in love with it so you might use that to your advantage.”

“Yeah, it’s a plan.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That night, and as Lynn and Junhui gets to the restaurant, they find the latter’s friend already there seated at their table. He stands to greet them, and Lynn is reddened awestruck by his looks. He has brown goldish pretty hair, almond shaped eyes with blue lenses, and is quite tall and slender. He has on an all-white outfit with a white loose top and white jeans and it seems to be adding to the radiating aura that he has which makes Lynn even more breathless. “This is Minghao, the friend I told you about.”

Lynn smiles, offering her hand for a handshake. “Hi, I am Lynn Tuan.”

Minghao shakes her hand before smiling back and that’s when everything pauses for Lynn, her heart skipping a beat as she stares at the soft sweet smile of the man in front of her. “Nice to meet you.” He says with a smooth cute voice and Lynn fights the urge to squeal. “S-same wise.”

They finally sit down and order their food. And soon Junhui is sending Lynn signs with his eyes for her to talk to Minghao about what he told her. Lynn plays nervously with her napkin, unsure of how to approach the subject. Thankfully for Lynn it’s Minghao himself who opens the subject. “So how did you decide to start this trip. This doofus here,” he gestures to a pouting Junhui. “has been trying to convince me for like a year now and it still sounded like a bad idea. But maybe it’s only because he’s the one saying it.”

“Hey.” Junhui whines. “What’s with all the disrespect?”

Minghao pats Junhui’s shoulder. “Calm down. It’s just the truth.”

Junhui is about to complain again but Lynn cut him off quickly. “Well I thought it was a stupid idea when my friend, Soonyoung, suggested it to me too, but think about it, we have an eternity for now, and all we are doing is staying at the same place meeting the same people and doing the same thing, I honestly got bored of this while studying for my second degree. And only now that I was in the middle of my third that I finally got bored to the point of actually listening to Soonyoung.”

“I mean I can't say I never entertained the idea of doing this, but I’ll think about it seridouly this time. Because I am bored too, so bored I might listen to Jun.”

Junhui jabs Minghao’s side at that. “Why do you say that as if listening to me is a bad idea?”

“Because it is.” Minghao and Lynn say at the same time before looking back at each other and laughing, which only contributes to Junhui whining even more about how the duo are a deadly combo to his pride.

The rest of the dinner goes by quickly yet again, and Lynn is surprised with how fast the time has passed and how much she enjoyed the company of the two men more than she expected. Junhui offers to drive Lynn back to her hotel and Minghao decides to tag along, insisting that he didn’t get enough of Lynn’s company while Junhui accuses Minghao of saying that only to get a free ride too. The whole ride is filled with such banter and it’s not long until Junhui is parking at the entry of the hotel Lynn is residing in. And with a last goodbye to Minghao and a thanks-for-the-ride to Junhui Lynn leaves the car, waving to the two as Junhui drives away.

 

 

 

 

The moment Lynn is alone in her room, she dials her mother’s number. She knows that it’s an hour later in Korea, but she couldn’t find it in herself to care that she’s calling so late at the night. Especially when she knew her mother doesn’t usually sleep before midnight. Lynn’s hand is shaking as she grasps the hotel’s phone, but thankfully her mother answers after only two rings.

“Hello?”

“Hey mom, it’s Lynn.”

“Oh, we talked earlier today? You miss me already?” Her mother teases and if Lynn isn’t feeling anxious she would have given her mother a snarky remark. But the anxiety is eating her from the inside and she’s amazed at how she was able to control it throughout the dinner and until now.

“No, well yeah I do miss you. But I called you to ask you about something.” When she hears her mother hum she says. “How do you know that you started aging?”

“You feel it, like you- wait did you start aging?” Her mother suddenly shrieks.

“Just answer me mom.” Lynn whines in frustration.

“Okay, okay. Well you suddenly feel an energy going through your body and your heart starts beating loudly and feel the blood rushing in your body and coloring your cheeks and ears and you don’t feel exhausted like you always do and-“

“You can stop now.” Lynn whispers dejectedly.

“Was that answer good enough?” her mother asks worriedly.

“Yeah, but I have another silly question, can your heart skip even when you are not aging?”

“Of course, not aging doesn’t mean you’re dead, dear.” Her mother laughs at that as if Lynn’s question is sillier than she thought it would be. “It can skip from excitement or any other form of emotion.”

“O-okay.”

“So, did you start aging?” Her mother asks eagerly.

Lynn sighs, feeling tears pricking her eyes. “No, I didn’t.”

“Oh, you will soon though, don’t worry.” Her mother comforts and Lynn hums even though she doesn’t believe those words, and with a promise to call her soon Lynn hangs up.

She falls on her bed with a heavy heart, closing her eyes so her frustrated tears don’t fall down her cheeks. She has always ing known that she isn’t meeting her soulmate soon, so why did she wistfully wished Minghao was her soulmate the moment she laid her eyes on him? Why did she want to foolishly believe that he might be her soulmate and that they both started aging when he smiled at her and her heart skipped a beat for the first time in fifteen years?

That night, and while Lynn lays on the hotel bed with the clothes she had on since the morning, almost drifting to sleep, a thought hunts her in her half-conscious state. A question rather, a question she doesn’t want to answer.

Is she disappointed that she didn't start aging because it means there's still a long road for her before she truly meets her soulmate, or is rather because of the realization that Minghao is not her soulmate and will never be?

 

 

 

 

Lynn doesn’t meet Minghao for a few days after that, and she’s glad. Since she wanted to calm down from the whole crisis she had upon their first meetin