Work Text:
Despite having worked there for three years now, what he dubbed 'early' Saturday morning shifts would never make their way into his list of favourite things. Having to arrive at work before eight thirty am, especially on the weekend, might seem reasonable to some (crazy) people but for Hongjoong who often spent most of his nights and early into the morning working on lyrics and layering beats, it was hell.
One would argue that because it was his eighteenth birthday he should be excited and have a bit of a pep in his step but that was very much not the case. For him it was just another birthday. For him it was just another early morning.
To him, the words freshly printed on his arm meant little to absolutely nothing to him. Whereas others he knew and some of his younger friends dreamt of the day they'd get their mark, Hongjoong had never given it much thought. He was too busy, not really interested in meeting someone new and most importantly, already in love and had been for years.
He couldn't see anyone being as important to him as the person he loved already. He didn't want somebody else even if he wasn't with them. He didn't need anyone else when he already had all that he needed. So yeah, he didn't really care much for the whole soulmate thing.
He groaned as he looked at himself in the bathroom mirror– he looked exhausted. He scrubbed the sleep out of his eyes and brushed his teeth before returning to his room to change out of his sleepwear. If he put a lot of effort into his outfits each work day that was his business.
He went through the motions of eating a quick breakfast before grabbing his keys and leaving his home. He climbed into the old car his parents had gifted when he got his driver's licence and made his way to work.
To add to his already sour mood, he got caught up in traffic on the drive there. He had decided to take the freeway to save a little time since he was worried about running late and it would only be his luck that someone's car had decided to break down in the middle of the road, spread across two lanes. Luckily the car was towed off the road after around ten minutes of impatient waiting and traffic began moving again.
Somehow despite the fact that he had gotten caught in traffic he arrived at work only five minutes late. Still late but not late enough that his manager and shift partner would nag him, he hoped. Not that they would ever truly get upset at him.
He pushed the door to the music store open, the familiar old fashioned bell tinkling as the door opened and closed behind him. He scanned the empty room with a frown but his frown melted into a fond smile as he saw a familiar figure making their way from the backroom, a box of old vinyls in their arms.
The person, Jisoo, mirrored his smile instantly and placed the box on the front counter before quickly making their way over to him. They wrapped their arms around his neck and he smiled as he held them by the waist.
"Hey, handsome." They pressed a quick kiss to his lips and beamed at him.
Hongjoong registered their words and then let out the most relieved sigh he had ever sighed in his entire life, "Oh, thank god."
"For?" But then they registered the slight burn to their forearm.
Jisoo's eyes widened and then they let out a sudden, ecstatic laugh before tugging Hongjoong in for an excited kiss. Hongjoong gently cupped their jaw as he returned the kiss. The kiss was more so just them smiling against each other's mouths and their teeth bumping occasionally from the action but somehow it was the best kiss Hongjoong had ever had.
Perhaps he cared about soulmates after all.