Chapter Text
Choi Wooje was a university student whose life and moods depended wholly on his laptop. He basically did everything on his laptop and barely could relax if he didn’t bring his laptop with him.
All of his assignments and responsibilities were either in his laptop, emails, phone or inside his black and green external hard disk. He knows all of his gadgets were pushed to their maximum performances everyday and Wooje dreaded the day when they gave up.
And they did. Not all at once—that would make Wooje suicidal—his gadgets slowly dying one by one, the first one was his phone. Suddenly it lagged and was shut down instantly without him tapping anything.
The phone couldn’t turn on no matter what he did. Charging, pressing on the power button or even letting it cool down for a few hours. Nothing worked.
So, he asked his friend to take him to the service shop. Hwanjoong didn’t comment much and just grabbed his bike to take Wooje to this service shop he knew could fix everything.
“D-do you think he could fix my phone before tomorrow?” Wooje asked nervously, they arrived at eight thirty, one and a half an hour before the shop closes, and he was worried they would start to fix his phone tomorrow.
“Let me tell you. This shop is using black magic, I swear! They are either fairies or witches—i think fairies because they help a lot of people—but! They could fix anything fast!” Hwanjoong gave him his honest opinion like he was a marketing team from the shop.
Hwanjoong then greeted first, “Excuse me, my friend’s phone broke.”
Most of the workers there were busy doing their own work, fixing different gadgets on their own tables, but one guy walked out of the staff room and saw the two university students, “Good evening, may I see the phone?”
Wooje took out his phone from his pocket and gave it to the guy, once their hands slightly brushed against each other, he felt a sharp tingle on his ribs, but he endured it and acted like nothing happened, “here.”
“Can you tell me what might be the problem?” the guy asked Wooje again.
“It’s… I don’t know, it suddenly just turned off by itself, and won’t turn on at all. The battery isn’t low. I’ve tried to charge it—even tried to press the power button a bit longer, but nothing works.” Wooje said, “and I really need to use it tomorrow, everything is important there.”
The guy flipped the phone to see the back and then he said, “Let me check the components first, you can sit down right there.” the guy gestured at the empty chairs in front of an empty working table.
“Okay, thank you!” Hwanjoong replied quickly as he pulled Wooje to the empty chairs and said, “here, you can wait and watch how they fix your phone. This is why I like this shop. It’s basically a hibachi-style service shop, you know?”
It was a good joke, really. Wooje would laugh at other circumstances, just not when one of his gadgets was dying.
The guy walked to that empty table, and proceeded to work on Wooje’s phone. In under a minute, Wooje’s phone was disassembled. He worked silently and with precise movements only an expert who has much experience could do.
Wooje stared at his phone like a worried kid watching his favorite plushie being washed after he spilled some milk on it.
In under ten minutes, the guy found out the problem, “ah, this one is pretty easy. We can fix it in one day. You could take your phone back—”
“Can you fix it before tomorrow? I really need it. I have so many on-going assignments that I need to finish and some committee’s work.” Wooje asked the guy desperately, “I would pay more!” he glanced at Hwanjoong, “Can I borrow your money?”
“Sure!” Hwanjoong nodded lightly, like it’s an easy thing to do.
“Well…” the guy seemed to calculate something in his mind, “I can try finishing this in an hour.”
“Oh, that would be wonderful! Thank you so much….” Wooje’s eyes searched for his nametag in a rush.
“I’m Jinhyeok.” the guy said casually.
“Call him ‘hyung’!” Hwanjoong elbowed his friend, “he’s helping you so much. At least pay him some respect. Where’s your conscience, Wooje-ah?”
“Thank you so much, Jinhyeok hyung!” Wooje bowed his head while sitting down.
Jinhyeok laughed quietly as he started to fix Wooje’s phone, “you’re welcome. But if you feel bored you can go somewhere first, just leave your number here, I’ll call you when it’s finished.” Jinhyeok fetched a piece of paper and pen, and gave those to Wooje.
“Oh, cool!” Hwanjoong raised his eyebrow, clearly liking the suggestion, “we can go to the convenience store to have some snacks!”
Wooje wrote down his number and also his name on it then gave it back to Jinhyeok, “here, hyung.”
Jinhyeok just gave a nod as now both of his hands are occupied with tools.
Wooje and Hwanjoong still lingered at the shop for fifteen minutes, looking around the display of various fixed gadgets displayed inside a huge glass cabinet.
“Someone actually broke their PS5?!” Hwanjoong pointed at the white thing.
Wooje huffed a laugh, “well, every electronic gadget has a chance to stop working.”
“Wow… Your phone’s problem really made you mature, didn’t it?”
Wooje smiled awkwardly as he stretched his arms above his head. He heard his spine crack at the stretch before answering, “I need to, or else I would be sobbing right here, in front of the technician.” He pointed to Jinhyeok who was obviously not listening to them since he was focusing on fixing the phone.
Both Wooje and Hwanjoong spent their time waiting at the convenience store, eating snacks and drinking ice drinks until finally Wooje got a call from the service shop and they walked back there.
All the employees were already outside the shop, ready to go home. They were literally the only people who went inside the shop and saw Jinhyeok still waiting patiently while playing a game on his phone.
“Uh, hyung?”
Jinhyeok glanced quickly at Wooje and responded, “Oh, you are here. Wait."He stood up and walked to get Wooje’s phone, “here.. Check it first.”
Wooje did a quick check, finding everything works wonderfully and checking all his emails, inboxes, chats, documents and even photos. Everything is in the right place.
“Great! Everything is good, hyung!” Wooje tried to calm himself and held back a happy jump he almost did. But now he just moved side to side on his feet, “how much is it?”
Jinhyeok handed him the bill, “here..”
Wooje saw the total, and Hwanjoong peeked beside his friend, “...is this all? Where’s the additional fee for quicker time?”
Jinhyeok waved his hand, “there is none. Just bring your phone back, don’t worry about it.”
Their meeting ended with Wooje paying him in cash and both students went back to their home. Clearly satisfied, relieved and happy with the fixed phone.
Now that he’s alone, Jinhyeok closed the shop quickly, locked the doors and windows, pulled down the curtains before he rolled up the left sleeve of his jacket, revealing his mark.
It was a detailed butterfly wing—yes, singular. Only the left one. It burnt when he brushed his hand with the customer’s hand. Now, it doesn't burn anymore, it just warm with steady heat.
While the unfinished wing glows faint gold for the first time in his life. The unfinished one looks a bit weird ever since the first time Jinhyeok noticed his mark. It's similar to the wing shape but a bit crooked and somehow… had sharper edges than the detailed wing.
Did he… just met his soulmate? That university student with a broken phone?
Didn’t like to be unsure, Jinhyeok went inside the staff room and checked the security camera footage.
He sped it up until Wooje and his friend came and watched it religiously, eyes trying to find any movement from the customer. Unfortunately Wooje showed no reaction at all—well, in his defense, Jinhyeok didn’t even flinch and holding the pain too—
—but it wasn’t until Wooje and his friend were looking at the big glass cabinet where the staff put all the fixed gadgets waiting to be picked up by their owner, he made a big movement.
Wooje stretched out his arms above his head and his t-shirt was lifted up. Enough for Jinhyeok to see a big lightning bolt mark curved diagonally from his back to—perhaps—his ribs.
For a lightning bolt mark, the edges was a bit rounded, but still sharper than his butterfly wing mark. The crooked edges fit perfectly with Jinhyeok's unfinished mark.
So after all this time… it wasn’t meant to be a fully shaped butterfly wing. It was a lightning bolt, that’s why it was shaped a bit differently with the left side.
And while Jinhyeok knew and accepted the fact that finally he met his soulmate. He was sure Wooje didn’t even realize it at all.
With their brief meeting, Jinhyeok doubted he would ever see Wooje again.
I mean… who regularly went to a service shop, right? That’s what he thought. But well… even if the chances were low, it was never zero.
Take Wooje for example. He was back at the shop after a week. Now it wasn’t his phone, but his laptop.
And judging from how teary eyes he was when he arrived, Jinhyeok assumed it would be the hardest case he’s working with today.
“What happened?”
“My friend fell down and unintentionally kicked my laptop, now it’s…” he opened the laptop that he was holding to demonstrate the problem.
When it opened, Jinhyeok could hear a small clicking sound. But it’s a bad one since the edge of the laptop opened up when he pushed the top of the screen open.
In contrast with Wooje’s expression, Jinhyeok was calm as the sea, “ah.. It’s usually the hinge. It’s pretty simple actually.” he took the laptop from Wooje, again brushing their hands unintentionally and frowned a bit when his mark stings, “you want to wait here? Or leave like before?”
“Can I wait here?” Wooje asked, “I will be anxious to leave my laptop here alone.”
“Sure… Just wait there.” Jinhyeok pointed at the same chair and the same table as before.
“Okay.”
Jinhyeok didn’t want to pressure Wooje by telling him that they are soulmates outright. He wanted Wooje to realize it on his own. Everybody loves the realization, Jinhyeok wouldn’t take that from him.
So today Jinhyeok rolled his jacket sleeves, exposing the tattoo on his wrist fully as he worked on Wooje’s laptop.
Wooje still didn’t pay much attention to Jinhyeok’s wrist mark, his eyes fully focused on his laptop. But Jinhyeok caught a glimpse of Wooje rubbing his side occasionally.
That day, Jinhyeok had to accept the fact that he didn’t make any progress at all.
Maybe he will just message Wooje if he stopped coming back here and asking him out for a date or something—even if that means his reputation was at stake and Wooje might block him because he thinks Jinhyeok is a pervert.
But Jinhyeok might be a warrior that saved many people in his previous life that the gods bless him with this much luck!
Wooje was back at the shop, now… with a broken external hard disk. This time Wooje messaged Jinhyeok first, asking him if he could fix an external hard disk or not.
Jinhyeok just told him to bring the hard disk over and he’ll check the problem.
So here he is! Less anxious than before but clearly in mild distress.
“This is actually pretty simple. Just a cable problem. Did you often shove the cable inside your bag recklessly?”
Wooje gave him a sheepish smile, “since the cable was thick, I thought it’s fine and it could withstand the damage in my bag.”
“Just because it’s thick, doesn’t mean they aren’t fragile, Wooje-ya.” Jinhyeok scolded the younger gently.
“Sorry, hyung.” Wooje lowered his head in shame.
Jinhyeok started to fix the cable and said, "I think you are the only customer who comes in here frequently. Like… three visits in two months is a bit… unique.”
The younger sighed at his clumsiness, “once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times is—”
“Poor cable management?” Jinhyeok looked up.
Wooje blushed in embarrassment, “hyung, that’s so mean.”
Jinhyeok laughed, “I’m joking. A lot of people don’t really know how to protect their cables.”
“...is that supposed to make me feel better?”
“Yes? Because it means it’s not really common knowledge.”
“Okay.”
Today Wooje noticed that Jinhyeok was wearing a short sleeve t-shirt with no jacket. Not sure if that’s intentional or he felt warm enough to not wear a jacket.
His own hand rubs the tingling sensation on his side absent-mindedly.
“Does it hurt?” Jinhyeok asked when he paused fixing the cable
“What?”
“Your side. You kept touching it, even from when your laptop broke.”
“Ah… just itchy.”
Jinhyeok fixed the cable in a flash. When he finished, he handed it back to Wooje and asked him to check it first.
After confirming everything is fine, Jinhyeok taught him how to properly take care of the cable.
Wooje muttered under his breath, “if i come back again in less than a month… the universe is being annoying.”
“The universe?” Jinhyeok repeated his words.
Wooje nodded, “you know. Like. When things keep happening for no reason.”
“Or…” he said calmly as he tightened the repaired cable, “maybe you just need a better bag.”
Wooje groaned, “hyung.”
Jinhyeok laughed and handed the cable back, fingers brushing Wooje’s palm just slightly longer and it made Wooje’s mark on his ribs tingled.
“If you keep coming back…” the older added casually, “I might start thinking you’re doing it on purpose.”
Wooje’s ears burned red, “why would I do that?” to calm him down he asked another question, “oh, by the way how much is it?”
Three times was such a stretch, Jinhyeok decided to stop being passive and just go for it.
“Can I ask for another form of payment?”
Wooje blinked, “...uh, what?”
“Would you go on a date with me?”