Taemin stared at the shutters that closed the university entrance. What was he thinking - checking his timetable only when the bus arrived at campus? Why in the world did he wake up early in the morning for when there wasn't even class today?! And the bus fare that he spent on getting there, the time to get dressed up, all wasted because he had not checked his timetable earlier. Taemin resigned in a sigh. The campus was bare. It would have been better if the school was actually open for him to linger, but no~ it was closed. For a public holiday, no less. And yet there he was standing, alone.

 

"Dammit, Lee Taemin; you could have been home sleeping right now," he muttered to himself. 

 

"Make way, make way, make way!" A frantic voice shouted behind him. "I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!" 

 

"Slow down!" Taemin spun around, only to have someone crash straight into him, pulling them both onto the ground. Great, this day just can't get any better, Taemin thought. 

 

"I'm so sorry! I couldn't stop in time," the man sprawled over him apologized sheepishly with a foolish grin. 

 

"What were you running for anyway?" Taemin groaned. 

 

"The school is-"

"I'm late for-!"

Taemin and the stranger said at the same time. 

 

"... Closed..."

"... Class..." 

The stranger stared at the shutters over the school entrance blankly, as if he didn't believe his eyes. He blinked stupidly for a few more seconds, until Taemin cleared his throat uncomfortably. 

 

"Could you... Maybe get off of me before you stare at the campus?" Taemin whispered in embarrassment, his cheeks flushed red as he looked away from this weird stranger. 

 

"Huh...? Oh... Oh! Oh, I'm sorry! I just gotta..." the stranger trailed off, muttering to himself as he picked himself up. He offered a hand down to Taemin, but Taemin was not that into foreign skinship - so he picked himself up. 

 

"Wait, wait!" Taemin got called back before he could leave that strange person behind. "It's Tuesday, am I right? My phone isn't showing me the wrong day is it? Don't tell me it's the weekends! Oh, I'm so going to kill my mum if she pranks me again..."

 

"No it's Tuesday," Taemin reconfirmed. "But it's also National Memorial Day." The stranger widened his small eyes wide and shocked, his jaw dropping by the slightest. 

 

"Oh," was all he could say after that. Taemin walked off to the bus stop without being stopped again; though to be completely honest, he did chuckle a few times thinking about that clumsy little encounter. Well, it feels better knowing that I was not the only one, Taemin comforted himself. 

 

"Hey!" Taemin turned around to see that same stranger running towards him. Again. Why is he always running? Taemin thought to himself, shaking his head lightly. "Hey..." 

 

"Hi," Taemin replied awkwardly, letting the man catch his breath.

 

"I... erm... I'm sorry about earlier... And the thing about my mum? I was just kidding," he said in a hesitant tone. 

 

"Yea... It's fine..." Taemin answered, still awkward and suspicious. "You came here to tell me that?" 

 

"No, I came here to ask you to lunch," the stranger straightened and beamed a wide smile. 

 

"What?" Taemin blurted out stupidly. 

 

"I mean... I just wanted to you know, apologize for earlier; and since you're here, and I'm here, and we now have nothing to do because there are no classes... I thought we could use some company for lunch?" the stranger rushed through frantically, waving his arms now and then. 

 

"You're buying?" Taemin asked with a raised brow. 

 

"Yes! Yes, I'll buy!" the stranger shouted in excitement, as if he had just struck the lottery. Taemin chuckled at his foolishness and stuck out his right hand. 

 

"Taemin, pleasure to meet you," he offered. 

 

"Jinki, pleasure is all mine." A firm hand clasped over his in a warm handshake, and just like that, a new bond was formed. 

 

 

 

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