Bittersweet Memories (A Stray Kids Short Story Collection)

Magic V

     So sorry this is late, life is getting crazy T_T

     September 12th, 2016.

     Jeongin is like a camera, focusing his lens on Minho as he speaks. When he's done talking, Jeongin is in deep thought, like he's trying to crack the riddle. Minho desperately hopes it has an answer.

     "So you did the right thing."

     Minho doesn't understand why or how Jeongin can say this, but it still feels like a raging inferno has been lifted from his entire being. He gasps in relief. "But... why?"

     "If your Soulmate hates deadlines, then giving him the ultimate one will be the end of him," Jeongin said. "You may not know it, but the night you got your lifemark, you subconsciously already knew that telling Jisung the truth would be the wrong choice. So the lie came easily to you."

     Minho can't believe how much sense that makes. His head is clear and he imagines telling Jisung the truth. He wouldn't last a week. The burden of having so little time will destroy him. He can't live anything to the fullest with that ticking clock in his head. The only way Jisung will be able to enjoy his last year of living...

     Will be if he doesn't know he has only that year in the first place.

     "So... I don't tell him," Minho concludes.

     "Exactly," Jeongin says. "Instead, you should use that knowledge to, in a way... control this year. Make sure it's one of the best times of Jisung's life. Make sure he enjoys it with no regrets. That's the best thing you can do for him as a Soulmate."

     Minho feels a lump in his throat. "That's a pretty tall order."

     "It is," Jeongin admits. "But... you have a list, don't you? Why don't you use this year to fulfill as much of that list as possible? Won't that be the best way to go?"

     That's... one of the best ideas Minho has heard. "I should..." No. "I'll do it," Minho says, doing his best to mimic the cocky confidence Jisung always has in his voice. "You're right. Thank you so much."

     "It's my job," Jeongin says with a small smile. "This Jisung person seems like someone worth doing it all for."

     "Without a doubt," Minho says. It's so worth it, Minho would steal the stars from the sky if that was on the List. He fishes around his wallet. "How much..."

     "No, no payment!" Jeongin immediately says. "Think of it as a token of my condolences. You're already going to lose a lot more than money."

     "... okay," Minho says, not even trying to argue. Jeongin's right; he wants to try losing as little as possible.

     About to leave the room, Minho pauses and turns to Jeongin, who seems way too calm for all the troubles he learns about in his job.

     "Do you have a Soulmate?" he blurts out. The confirmation of the existence of one isn't technically a taboo question. Jeongin can give a mere yes or no answer.

     Jeongin smiles sadly. He doesn't say yes or no. What he does is so much worse.

     He takes out his own wallet and fishes around for something. Feeling his heart drop, Minho knows what. "No..."

     After the death of a Soulmate, uttering their name to others simply isn't enough. It's too simple of a word, too basic to truly commemorate their lifetime and how much they mean to their living counterpart. That's why it's an unspoken tradition to always carry a small photo of them to show to others. To engrave in other's memories, to make sure nobody forgets a life the stars have claimed.