STAY - Against The System | CHOSEN 2 (MINSUNG FF)

TWO

Slight TW: mention of feelings that often are associated with depression

2320.12.05

Dear Mister Han Jisung,

We want to deeply apologize for our mistake.
Due to an unexpected error the data center had wrongly paired you up with Mister Lee Minho. We already took legal action against the responsible party.

Please visit the district office on Sunday, the 5th of December at 2:15pm, to officially annul the match. We will also discuss the upcoming process with you.

Meanwhile please desist from contacting your former partner in any kind of way.
We again apologize for this inconvenience and imploringly hope for your cooperation.

Remember, unity means safety.

The System.

Jisung had read the message yesterday, after waking up in his old, small bed. It seemed like Chan had brought him there after Jisung had fallen asleep in the kitchen, tired from crying, and had tucked him in all the blankets he could find in the apartment.

While reading the message Jisung initially had thought that he had gotten a heart attack, but that wasn’t possible.
No, the words had painfully burned a hole in his body, where his heart had used to beat.

But his heart was gone.

Jisung was sure about that.

Now, one day later, he sat in a small office without windows, waiting for an employee to destroy his life even more.
The cold, bright light of the fluorescent lamps burned in his still swollen eyes.
Everything felt way too loud, too bright, but at the same time far away and dull, like being underwater.
This being here, sitting in this uncomfortable chair, was only the boy’s body, his soul had left.
Jisung felt numb.

“Mister Han Jisung?”
A man, not much older than Jisung, probably Chan’s age, entered the small office room. He sat down on the other side of the desk and started typing something into his computer.
The name tag on his dark gray suit showed his name, Lee. No given name.
“You are here because of the annulment of your match?”

It sounded like a question, but both males knew that it wasn’t.
Jisung didn’t even make an effort to nod. He wouldn’t have the energy for that, anyway.

Usually the undoing of a match given by the system was not possible and most of the time logically not necessary. The system provided perfect matches. Even if it would take some time to warm up to the stranger next to you, in the end it always worked out.
Well, almost always.

The only ways to cancel a match that Jisung had known so far were the demise of one partner or an indictable offense, such as murder.
The boy wasn’t sure why, but the people that have lost their matches like that had to overcome their lives without a new partner by their side.  The choosing ceremony was a once-in-a-lifetime thing. Why?
Nobody knew.

Chan had told him yesterday that he had to sign a contract after his match, Yuna, had passed away due to her disease. It seemed so macabre, letting someone sign a paper that only told you that because of the death of your partner you would have to stay by yourself for the rest of your life. Someone who most likely still was in mourning because the tragic event only had happened one or two days before.

The system was cold.
Without any sympathy.
It didn’t provide second chances to be happy.

The employee had already started talking and explained things to Jisung, but he didn’t really listen.
“Here are the documents”, the guy gave him the copies.
“Please read through them carefully and sign them here, here and here. I will leave you alone now, you can hand the documents in at the front desk. You just need to turn left after leaving this room.”