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The end of the world comes quietly. Shockingly so.
Minghao isn't even sure how it'll end. It's like the television broadcast was completely blocked from his memory, as if that will help him. Maybe it will. He doesn't have long enough to decide.
They only have days left, but it's quiet enough to hear the clock hands tick by slowly.
Minghao has never believed in soulmates.
Of course he believes in the idea of them. He found his own in college. But he believes soulmates aren't just destined—they have to be chosen.
Mingyu didn't choose him. Minghao is okay with that. He's had no other choice.
"Did you hear?" Junhui asks from Shenzhen.
"Of course. The world is ending."
"You don't want to come back?"
Minghao struggles to put it into words; the desire to go out with dignity, not a bang.
"It feels like if I act like the world is ending, then it will."
He looks at the pictures of him and his loved ones. Isn't the end of the world supposed to be different? Aren't there supposed to be sirens, fires, traffic jams, people trying to spend their final moments with their families?
So strange. The end of the world.
"Yeah," Junhui agrees. "It's like everyone feels that way. Like they just want to pretend it's normal while they still have the time."
A pause, as if they have all the time in the world.
"What did you think it would be like?"
"I didn't think it'd happen at all." He considers it. "A lot more chaos. Isn't that what it's like in the movies? People trying to get home to their families and no one managing to because everyone is too."
"Isn't this less sad? Because at least we're making the choice to stay."
Choices.
"I guess."
Maybe they'll have all the time in the world if they pretend they do. Maybe that's why everyone is choosing to pretend.
"I'll see you for dinner next week, Xiaoba."
Pretending is real enough, Minghao decides.
"See you then." He pauses. "I love you."
"I love you too."
It's his weekly call with his parents.
"Hi, mama."
"Hi, baobei. Have you eaten?"
Minghao pokes around his food with his chopsticks.
"Just made dinner. Wanted to eat with you."
His mom coos.
"So thoughtful always. Tell me about your week!"
"My week was boring," he says.
Nothing that suggested we'd all die in five days.
"That's good! Boring means nothing bad happened. No bad news is good news!"
Minghao doesn't ask if she knows. It wouldn't make a difference either way.
"How about you guys? Are you eating well? Still taking walks?"
"Of course! We need to live to 100 to see you grow up well!" A pause. Her voice is strangely choked up. "You've grown up well. We're so proud of you."
"Thank you," he murmurs. "It's because you're such great parents."
"Thank you, baobei."
He doesn't know what else to say. He's not sure if there's anything else to say at all. Maybe she just gets it. She's always been his mom, after all.
She doesn't ask him if he's coming home.
"I love you, mama," he finally says. "Ba, I love you too."
"I love you," comes his dad.
"We love you so much. Always," his mom promises.
"I'll call you again next week. Bye bye."
"We look forward to it. Have a good week, baobei."
He expects the call to end immediately, as his mom always does. Instead, he finds himself staring at his mom's contact for longer than usual before he hangs up himself.
He looks down at his dinner. His rice has gotten cold.
The day the world is supposed to end, Minghao goes to the GS25 he frequented in college. Only that one has the lemon sorbet from the brand he likes, he tells himself.
"Welcome," the clerk says. Minghao nods and walks over to the ice creams where two kids are arguing over which ones to buy. A mom tells them they'll come back tomorrow.
"Funny seeing you here," a deep voice says. Minghao smiles to himself.
"Funny," he echoes when he meets Mingyu's eyes.
Mingyu rummages through the ice cream freezer and grabs Minghao's sorbet.
"I'll pay."
"No, it's my ice cream," Minghao argues, because it feels normal. "I'll pay."
Mingyu is already striding off, long legs giving him the advantage. Minghao huffs and follows him.
"Have a nice day," the clerk says cheerfully when Minghao gets to the checkout, handing Mingyu a bag.
"You too," Mingyu replies. He flashes Minghao a grin.
They find themselves on a small bench outside. Minghao feels a strange sense of deja vu.
"I'm sorry," Mingyu says, after some precious minutes of silence. "For not taking this seriously."
"The end of the world?"
"No, not that. Soulmates." A pause. "Us. You."
"Oh." Minghao takes a bite of his ice cream. "It's okay."
"I was just scared of what being soulmates really meant. Because you mean a lot to me but I didn't know if it was because I really love you or because it was just the soulmates thing."
Mingyu crumples up his snack wrapper. Even though the world is going to end later, he tosses it in the trash.
"I know you think soulmates mean choosing someone, and I wasn't sure if I was choosing you for the reason you wanted."
Minghao swallows.
"I would have let you choose me either way."
"Sorry I chose late."
"It's okay." Because it really is.
The sky is bright orange, setting the skyline of Seoul on fire.
"You chose just in time," Minghao says with a smile. He tries to keep his hand from shaking when he places it over Mingyu's. "Now we have the rest of our lives together."
Mingyu laughs, brighter than the sun, quickly growing closer and closer. He tangles their fingers together.
"Let's spend the rest of our lives together, then."
The world ends with a whisper. With a choice to stay.