Work Text:
Left. Left. Left. Left. Left.
Jungwon couldn't count the number of times he's swiped left on this terrible dating app in hopes of trying to find some form of entertainment for the night. No person seems to be able to catch his eye — they're all dull, generic, bland, and incredibly mundane in his point of view.
He wasn't really looking for anything specific on the app, not even a hook-up, which you would find surprising to hear about if you were one of his friends. However, if the opportunity arises, who would he be to decline the offer?
He sighs and chooses to call it a day, only after deciding on swiping on the last three people out of boredom.
Lee Heeseung. 21 years old. Computer Science major. Basketball Team Captain.
Seems intimidating. Left.
Sim Jaeyun. 20 years old. Physics major. Has a Golden Retriever named Layla.
Cute but not exactly my type. Left.
Kim Sunoo. 19 years old. Mass communications major. Likes mint chocolate. Is his grandmother's favorite. Always has an extra one hundred pesos on the back of his phone case. Is a dean's lister. Has a pet peeve of people who walk slow. Went to Kumon during his elementary days. Owns a fish named toothless.
Pause.
Truthfully, only the first four things on the list mentioned above were shown on this Kim Sunoo guy's profile. But you might ask, how does Jungwon know about the other stuff then?
Simple. They're exes.
Not only were they exes, but they were also each other's first love. The youthful, fleeting, and exhilarating love that everyone yearns for in their adolescence.
Jungwon doesn't know how long it's been since the last conversation he had with Sunoo. The last he heard, the person of interest was off to a different city for college; it's been two years since.
Two years might not seem like much to anyone, but many things have happened throughout the course of seven hundred and thirty days for Jungwon.
First, Jungwon has learned how to drive. Two years ago, he was just getting his third bike after wrecking his second one in a minor accident, trying to swerve out of the road to avoid a crossing chicken.
Second, Jungwon is in college now. Two years ago, he was just a struggling eleventh grader, trying to survive the remaining days of his unbearable high school life and contemplating which program to pursue in college.
Lastly, Jungwon is lying on his living room sofa with his phone positioned above his face and propped up by his right hand, looking at his only ex's profile on a recently downloaded dating app. Two years ago, Jungwon walked hand in hand with Kim Sunoo along the park near their school, not even considering a future where they were miles apart and years without any word spoken to one another, genuinely believing it was them until the end.
Thinking about his life two years ago makes him chuckle a bit. It was funny how things were simpler back then; no backlogs from college, no org deadlines to hurriedly catch, and no worrying about whether or not he'd be awake in time for his 8am lecture or still sleeping soundly due to fatigue from last night's affairs.
His attention focuses back on the phone he's holding. He examines Sunoo's profile and notices a few changes from the last time he saw him.
The brown locks Jungwon used to run his hands through whenever they perched themselves on the cheap picnic blanket he bought in the same park they used to walk along were now painted with colors between yellow and orange. Jungwon remembers how Sunoo had always wanted to dye his hair, the only obstacle being his parents, who didn't allow him.
Another new thing Jungwon noticed about Sunoo was his physique. The Sunoo he used to cuddle with two years ago, him being the big spoon and Sunoo being the little spoon, had soft edges and plump-like curves. He remembers how cuddle time with Sunoo would always be his favorite as the hugs given to him by the boy always felt like light clouds and mellow songs. In contrast, the Sunoo in the picture before him had sharp features and a buff build. However, Jungwon doesn't think much has changed. It only makes him wonder if the feeling of the current Sunoo's hugs transcend the troposphere and go up to heaven.
Jungwon and Sunoo didn't leave on a sour note. In fact, they left each other in understanding of one another's circumstances and lingering fondness. Jungwon knew Sunoo had to move and grow independently and Sunoo knew Jungwon had to tie loose ends before moving forward. And maybe them completely tearing away from each other without any resentment was one of the reasons why Jungwon still felt a yearning to this day despite losing touch.
Like any other relationship, Jungwon and Sunoo's relationship had ups and downs. There were times when it was tranquil, times when it was disorderly, and most importantly, times when it was unrelenting to fate even with all the typical teenage obstacles thrown at them.
Jungwon's thumb hovers above his phone's screen while his mind is away, weighing the better option between swiping left or right.
You might think choosing between the two is an easy choice. It's just a mere movement of your muscles. But for Jungwon, it's a choice between keeping the routine he's been used to and has found to be pleasant for the past two years or taking a shot in the dark again after keeping himself in a box of comfort and peace.
Jungwon chooses the former and swipes left. He thinks he's already content with his present-day life, so why should he interfere with it any further? He considers how Sunoo might also be thinking the same thing and was only on the app for fun, just like him.
After all, fate works in multiple and mysterious ways. If they really are to be together until the end, just like what the Jungwon two years ago thought, then they would find one another in the hereafter, may it be eons, decades, years, months, weeks, days, or even hours. He trusts fate to reconnect them as friends or as lovers once again.
Jungwon decides to close the app and shuts his phone down. He approaches his bed and lies down to take a nap. Once the tiredness of the day has caught up to him, he dreams of the days when he and Sunoo would steal little glances at each other at the cafeteria during their only shared schedule – lunch break.