Universe

 

 

Jongin × Kyungsoo

 

 

 

Kyungsoo has never been a bookworm.

 

He never hated reading but it was never his favorite thing to do in his spare time. He, as anyone else, appreciates the advanced technology humans had invented, which means he prefers reading things on his phone. Less paper to waste anyway.

 

But in his boring, cliche youth, Kyungsoo was hooked into the world of printed words, the scent of the material of paper being in contact with air after being sealed for long, and the soft sound of pages being turned.

 

At the age of eighteen, he became a fan of a certain writer.

 

Kim Kai is actually a year younger than he is.

 

But that's what got him so awed by the guy, because in such young age, Kai had debuted with a very beautiful, fairly breathtaking story. He never knows what's inside Kai's mind that keeps producing great plots and ideas. A genius.

 

For the last six years, every 13th of January, Kai would release a novel; every novel was a brand new story, new theory, new references, new universe. But Kyungsoo noticed at the 3rd novel that Kai had been telling about one similar point; a star-crossed love. A painful journey.

 

Kyungsoo has been wondering, how could Kai produce stories that have no relations to each other yet still have one solid connection; each story has a couple of lovers that were never blessed with a happy ending to their tale. Pain, separation, loss, withered promises, even death.

 

What had possibly hurt Kai in his youth that the same theme kept affecting his stories?

 

Nonetheless, Kyungsoo loves every single one of them. Kai's novels are the only ones he collects. Even if he has a quite bad eyesight, he forces his eyes to cherish every single word in them.

 

After six years of his career, Kim Kai is finally holding a fan-sign event along the release of his new work. For the very first time, he's going to show his face after only revealing an alias, gender and age.

 

And of course Kyungsoo, his number one fan, immediately buys a ticket.

 

When Kyungsoo arrives at the venue, big letters that spell 'UNIVERSE' are printed on a huge banner, hanging on the wall on the stage where Kim Kai would be sitting. Kyungsoo feels so giddy and excited, finally experiencing the official birth of another masterpiece from Kim Kai.

 

After the opening and a small talk, the MC finally lets the main star of the day in. A young man in his twenties, tall and graceful, with the face of a beautifully carved statue and the glowing sun-kissed skin, enters the stage with a shy smile and small crinkles around his eyes.

 

Kyungsoo can't believe his eyes. Beautiful face and beautiful mind combined? Kyungsoo never dared to wish for his favorite author to be perfect like this. His heart beats so fast, tons of feelings swirl inside his chest. His eyes are warm.

 

Excitement. It must be the excitement.

 

He can't really stay still throughout the first part of the event. Kim Kai, despite his glorious appearance, is a shy little bean who laughs at the most little joke the MC throws. He looks sincerely happy to be meeting his supporters and wholeheartedly thanks everyone for coming.

 

It's time for lining up to get his copy of the new novel signed by Kai himself. The closer he gets, the clearer Kai's beautiful smile looks. And the warmer his heart gets. He thinks that Kai is the most beautiful person he had ever seen.

 

The smile will surely haunt him later.

 

When it's his turn, they unexpectedly drown in silence. Kai has been a chatter box during the signing event, but now the author is staring at him right in the eyes, and he's also staring back at the pair of beautiful dark brown orbs. It's like everything around them fades away.

 

Thanks to his excitement, he breaks the ice. "Whoa," he blurts, "you're a whole package."

 

Kai blinks repeatedly before he breaks into laughter. And it sounds so cheerful, so bubbly, so beautiful. It's like he had said something that makes Kai very, very happy.

 

"I'm serious!!"

 

"Thank you." Kai tells him quitely.

 

Kyungsoo wonders what was Kai thanking him for, because it felt like it wasn't just for his words earlier.

 

"I've been a huge fan of yours!" Kyungsoo adds. "I have all of your works. I love all six of them. Hell, I'm already loving this one!"

 

"Really?" Kai muses as he signs and scribbles on Kyungsoo's copy. "Tell me a short summary of each of them if you can!"

 

"Oh don't try me!" Kyungsoo grins. "Yellow Post-It Notes, 2012, about a school boy secretly in love with his senior and leaves yellow sticky notes for him."

 

Kai smirks at him.

 

"Half Of The Moon, 2013, a young prince finds the meaning of love in his private guard. Horrible political affairs and sickening stuffs in the palace. 'Half of the moon that shines is you and the dark side-"

 

"-is me'." Kai finishes in a whisper. "Next?"

 

Kyungsoo smiles. "The Place Where Forgotten Thoughts Go, 2014, two lovers got separated after a nasty car crash. The guy who survived kept loving his lover whose memory went back to years before they met and kept forgetting hin everyday. Anterograde amnesia."

 

Kai chuckles.

 

"Sing For You, 2015. A military man went back home after a war only to find his spouse had passed away and spent the weekend reading his spouse's diary, finding so many stuffs including his spouse's affair." Kyungsoo sighs. "It was so complicated, it made my head hurts."

 

"It's my favorite." Kai laughs gently. "Next?"

 

"Lights Out, 2016. Two patients with mental illness help each other to get better. The other one turned out to be the main character's imagination. How dare you?!" Kyungsoo pouts.

 

"It was fun!" Kai laughs again. "And... painful."

 

"Saltwater, 2017, two lovers break up on their wedding day, one of them is so broken he ends up being a mess, and the one who broke them up came back to fix him, they got involved with each other again, then the broken one found out they're actually brothers."

 

Kai grins. "Ouch."

 

"So," Kyungsoo catches his breath, "did I do well?"

 

Kai nods. "You did. You might just get a gift from me!"

 

"W-what is it?"

 

"A spoiler." Kai winks.

 

Kyungsoo blinks. "Oh no don't tell me anything about Universe! I'm saving my tears for later!"

 

Kai sighs.

 

"It's not about it."

 

"Then??"

 

Kai stares at him in silence again. "On the second thought, I'll let you find it yourself."

 

Kyungsoo exhales. "What on earth??"

 

"I'm sorry!" Kai grins. "You were right, it's about Universe."

 

"Don't spoil anything!"

 

"I won't! But do you want to hear a line from it?"

 

Kyungsoo pouts. "Okay."

 

Kai smiles at him so, so warmly.

 

"I’ll search the universe until I can find you again."

 

"I won’t let go, even the smallest memory."

 

"Our memories that are engraved in the seasons, they'll come back."

 

"So, I will find you."

 

"Because that’s love."

Kyungsoo freezes on his spot, breaths slowing down, eyes locked with the author's.

 

"Was it beautiful?" Kai whispers.

 

He nods.

 

"So yeah, basically Universe is about two souls separated by Fate and after many lifetimes, the main character finally starts to search for his love."

 

"Noooo I told you not to spoil!!"

 

"I have one more secret!" Kai grins. "This one is unfinished."

 

Kyungsoo blinks. "But why??"

 

"Because I didn't know if the main character had found his love or not," Kai says softly,

 

"and there is no end in fighting for love."

 

Kyungsoo gulps.

 

"But I believe, the main character will find it. His love." Kai grins. "And the first thing he'd do is to apologize at his love for taking so long."

 

Kyungsoo blinks again, and unexpected tears roll down his face. Why is he so emotional? "I hate you." he grunts.

 

Kai only laughs.

 

=

 

They part like everyone else did. Kai only gave him back his copy of novel. He didn't even get to take a picture with Kai. He comes home realizing that he was so stupid for not getting any other evidence of ever meeting Kim Kai except the author's hand sign.

 

Kyungsoo sighs.

 

To cheer himself, he opens the cover of the novel book to take a look at Kai's autograph.

 

However, he finds nothing.

 

No autograph.

 

Only a couple of words, carefully written. At the very top is his name.

 

He doesn't recall ever telling Kai his name earlier.

 

But it says;

 

'I'm sorry, Kyungsoo

 

I'm sorry, love

 

Sorry for taking so long.

 

Jongin'

 

=

 

'What, love,

 

what took you so long?'