He stood there, awkwardly in the entrance of the restaurant, looking around for his table number. It was his first date and he suddenly felt incredibly nervous. He looked down, staring at his phone, the dating app he was using still open with information of the date, time and location of his date.

“Hey, 100. How do I even know this is even going to work?” He grumbled to himself, not expecting any response. His phone buzzed indicating a message.

Because 100 uses Artificial Intelligence to match people together. You may not end with your first match but you will find the person who you will want to spend the rest of your life with.

“And how long will that take?” He scoffed, letting his fingers run through his black locks. 

Statistically, 100 finds the perfect match after 5 attempts. But of course, this varies from user to user.

“Fine, wish me luck.”  He put his phone back in his trouser pocket, checking that his fly was not down before walking into the restaurant.

Good luck, Cho Kyuhyun.

The waiter led him to a small table at the corner of the restaurant. A small tea light flickered in the centre of the table, but he couldn’t pay attention to his surroundings as there, at the table the waiter was indicating at, sat a boy whose eyes were scanning the room clearly as if he was waiting for someone.

“Sorry I’m late, were you waiting long?” Kyuhyun apologised profusely, bowing in the process. The black haired boy looked up in surprise. Clearly, he was not waiting for, well, him.

“Oh, um, sorry. No, I wasn’t waiting long. I just like to arrive early. I’m Jongwoon by the way. Kim Jongwoon.” The boy gestured for him to take the empty seat to which he accepted gratefully.

“Kyuhyun. Cho Kyuhyun.” He stared as he took note of the other male sitting uncomfortably, choosing to put his focus and energy into the suddenly very interesting menu.

“So, erm, how was your day?” Kyuhyun asked, not really sure what to do.

“You’ve not done this before, have you?” Jongwoon responded, turning to face the other male.

“E-er yeah, this is my first time. Is it that obvious?”

“I can tell.”

“How?”

“Well, the first thing people usually do when they meet up using 100, is to find out how long their relationship will last for.”

Kyuhyun scratched his head nervously “I guess I thought it would be better to get to know you first instead.”

“We’re not in the 90s, Kyuhyun ssi.” Jongwoon laughed lightly. “But don’t worry, I was like that the time I went on my first date.”

Kyuhyun breathed out in relief upon hearing that. It made him feel just a little bit better than he wasn’t messing up the date before it had even begun. “I guess I was also just not really sure how to act, you didn’t seem too impressed when it was me who turned up at the table instead of that hot girl at the table behind me.” A cheeky grin appeared on his face as he saw Jongwoon’s cheeks turn a deep shade of crimson.

“H-hey! It’s not like that! I just… Well, this is the first time I have been set up with a guy. N-not that it is a bad thing! I suppose it just took me by surprise.” Jongwoon looked away, using the guise of calling a waiter to hide the blush on his cheeks that did not seem to want to disappear.

“I’m joking, Jongwoon ssi. Your secret is safe with me.” Kyuhyun smirked, giving the other a male a wink, causing him to flush an even brighter shade of pink.

“Sorry to bother you” both males turned to the waiter who was standing with a notepad in his hand. “I was just wondering if you were ready for me to take your order?” Jongwoon immediately used the opportunity to lift the menu up higher partially to hide his flaming cheeks from the other male, but to also ask for recommendations on the best dishes to get.

As the waiter turned away, Jongwoon turned to face the other male. “So, Cho Kyuhyun ssi. Tell me about yourself.”

“Where do you want me to begin?” Kyuhyun responded, raising his eyebrows in a somewhat flirtatious, yet inquisitive manner.

“I’m not into the whole small talk thing, but just the main details please.”

“I was born and raised in Seoul. I’m 24 and I’m an economics student. What about you?”

“I was born in Cheonan but moved to Seoul at the age of 18 to pursue a career in music. I’m 26 now and work as a composer.”

“Wow hyung! That’s amazing! Have I heard any of your music before?”

“Hey! Who said you could call me ‘hyung’?”

“I did, just now. We’re dating now. That’s what 100 has decided we should be.” Kyuhyun enjoyed watching the older male writhe uncomfortably at the revelation. 

“Did you want to check on 100 to see?”

“Sure” Both males pulled out the phone, opening up the app. 

“U-umm, sorry to interrupt, but your food is ready.” Kyuhyun and Jongwoon both looked up from their phones, thumbs hovering over the ‘show me our future’ option. The waiter stood there holding two plates with the dishes the males had ordered. Immediately, they retracted their phones. Jongwoon flushed once again while Kyuhyun’s smile faltered. This was probably the worst first date he had ever been on but he was also curious to know what the future holds for his relationship with Jongwoon.

Jongwoon smiled politely, pulling back to allow the waiter to place the food in front of them. The 100 results could wait. “So, Kyuhyun ssi, this is your first ever 100 date.” Jongwoon chuckled as it was Kyuhyun’s turn to blush.

“E-er yeah. It has been a while and I just thought it was time to start dating again.”

“Oh really? When was your last relationship then?”

“Two years ago? A nice girl but maybe not the best of breakups.” Kyuhyun smiled sadly as he reminisced about the time he spent with his ex.

“Oh, Kyuhyun ssi, I’m so sorry.” 

“You don’t need to be sorry, it wasn’t anyone’s fault. Some relationships just fizzle out, you know?”

Jongwoon hummed and nodded in acknowledgement. “Do you know why it happened?”

“Yeah, I guess that was when I started to realise that I was somewhat attracted to guys.”

“Oh…” 

“But that’s not important. I guess it is better late than never to realise, right?” Kyuhyun grinned, trying to diffuse the tension in the air. “What about you?” 

“Oh no, this is my fifth match. I’m still just waiting for 100 to do it’s magic and I find my true love.” 

“What were your previous matches like?”

“Oh, they were nice, I guess.” Another awkward silence resonated between the two. Kyuhyun internally slapped himself in the face. Why would he bring up the conversation of exes on a date? “Okay, to tell you the truth. I’m straight, I’ve never thought once about dating a guy. I guess I’m a bit surprised that 100 has decided to match me with a guy. But, I trust the process.” Jongwoon blushed slightly looking down at his plate as he spoke, and Kyuhyun knew not to pry any further.

He could see Jongwoon fighting the mixed thoughts going through his mind and couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking about. Maybe it was the fact that this was Jongwoon’s first date with a guy? Heck, it was his first date with a boy too and he was beyond terrified. Terrified because there was currently a lot of initial attraction and terrified at how he could imagine a potential future with the older male.

Kyuhyun felt like hitting his head against the table. He was getting too far ahead of himself. He only just met the guy and they hadn’t checked their 100 results yet to see how long their relationship would last. For all he knew, their relationship could last until the end of the dinner, or it could last a lifetime. 100 was what would dictate the future of their relationship.

100 was the new, revolutionary dating app that took the world by storm for its controversial method of finding the perfect match. It matches each person up with someone else and upon meeting the match, will calculate how long their relationship will last. It then uses this information to learn more about you and what you want in a partner and match you with different people until you meet the person you will spend the rest of your life with. It sparked controversy for its method of putting a time limit to people’s relationships. However, it’s high success rate has meant that millions of people still swarm to the app to find their soulmate.

The tension between the two males lay thick in the air, to the point it was almost suffocating. “Did you want to check our results?” The younger male asked, trying to break the awkward silence. 

“Good idea, I’m hoping this will be my final one. This is my fifth match so hopefully it is my last one.” For the second time that night, the two males opened the 100 app, switching to the ‘show me our future’ tab. And they pressed go.

6 months.

Kyuhyun wasn’t sure what to think, but when he looked at Jongwoon, he could see the disappointment etched on his face. 

“Hey, Jongwoon hyung, don’t be disappointed. Like you said, this is the first time 100 has matched you up with a man. It’s just trying to see if this could be a possible avenue for you. And I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

Jongwoon smiled a sad smile towards the younger male. “Thanks, Kyuhyun ah. I needed that. Shall we get the bill and head out?” Kyuhyun nodded his head and went to get the attention of a passing waiter.

They left the restaurant and hailed a taxi. Kyuhyun opened up the door to allow Jongwoon to enter with a soft “thank you”. The taxi set off to an unknown location at the edge of the city.

The taxi approached a small hut with their names etched on a small board by the door. “So this is where we are staying?”

“I’ve stayed in several, they are all very similar. Each house has something important to each individual. I always have a piano in the study so I can continue to compose my music. After all, the 100 subscription won’t pay itself.” Kyuhyun chuckled. Jongwoon’s humour was so dry, but he was sure he would get used to it.

Another reason why 100 was so controversial is that it forced the couples it matched to live together from the beginning. ‘You don’t know what your partner is like until you live with them’ was the reason the app used to justify this choice. 

“Are there two beds?” Kyuhyun questioned as he put his thumb on the fingerprint reader to unlock the front door.

The older male burst out laughing, unable to keep his composure. “You think that a dating app would want us to live together, yet sleep separately?” He grabbed Kyuhyun’s hand, pulling him towards the location of the bedroom, ignoring the rest of the house. The bedroom was small but contained all the basic necessities. One double bed and a small wardrobe for the two people to store their clothes.

“As you can see, one bed that we have to share. I discovered that depending on the relationship, it can be a blessing but sometimes it can be a curse.”

“The chick I matched with the first time was just a disaster. No common interests, no spark, no nothing. Imagine sharing a bed with someone who can’t even give you the slightest bit of an . I had to deal with that for nine months and by the end of it, we were waiting on the front doorstep waiting for the timer on the app to end and the taxis to come pick us up separately.”

“On the other hand, my last match, Eunji, was really nice. I cared about her a lot. Living with her was a really good experience. Almost an insight to what married life would be like. It started to make me think that I am getting too old for this online dating nonsense.”

“Yet here you are.”

“Yeah.” Jongwoon smiled, grabbing the younger male’s hands and interlocking their fingers. “You know, Kyuhyun ah, this is all a bit new to me, but give me a bit of time and I am willing to try and make this work.”

Kyuhyun smiled back, happy that Jongwoon was willing to try out their relationship even though he probably didn’t feel anything towards the younger male, but also sad that their relationship would only last six months.