eunoia | k.nj ff

case 01; part two

the encounters | p a r t t w o

they say chance encounters happen only a couple times throughout a lifetime, many of them being the very reason why that specific person is who they are today. these chance meetings, whether it be with another human or just an object or simply an event that occurred, have many names — fate, destiny — and are seen as nothing short of a miracle.

and while some believed in these chance encounters with all of their being (mostly connecting them to some higher being), there were always the cynical few who apposed.

for example, min yoongi was never one to shy away from the fact that he was an atheist, his lack of belief coming from mainly his own life experiences. he was never one to believe in destiny or a higher power having everything planned out for him before he even came into contact. yoongi always argued that people are just people; they're not a part of a greater plan, nor is there mapped out destinies created for solely them. he believed that people were just people and that there were some who succeeded in making it in life, and there were those who didn't and went forgotten.

for namjoon, however, things weren't so black and white. saying that namjoon was on the fence would be the best way to describe his belief system. he never truly believed in the religious ways his parents tried to force upon him, but he also never argued against it. to put it simply, he was stuck in the middle, unable to argue between his two torn sides.

this was his exact train of thought as namjoon stared at the many people surrounding him in the underground train, all busy talking to someone or using their handphones or reading a book.

he wondered if there truly was such a thing as fate — that maybe at the next turn he'd meet someone who'd change his life and he just didn't know that yet. he wondered about all these people sitting around him in the train, the ones who nonchalantly sat around living their own lives, each had their own stories and struggles.

he wondered about what it would be like to watch from an overhead view of all their lives, looking at each person as different humans, and creating chance encounters for each of them to create significant points in their lives that would later come to them as either a miracle or a curse. he wondered what kind of burdens would come along with such a tough task, leading the lives of billions at once.

and of course, he wondered if maybe it wasn't so fake or exaggerated. maybe looking at things with an open mind would truly give him an insight, giving him true unachievable wisdom.

maybe if he were to look deep within himself he would—

"next stop arriving shortly." interrupted the voice on the intercom, snapping namjoon out of his thoughts.

"shit, i did it again!" namjoon whispered under his breath as he quickly plucked the earbuds out of his ears and placed them in his briefcase, getting up off the seat as the train came to a screeching stop.

when it fully came to a stop, the doors opened and namjoon exited out the doors, bumping into the many other people either entering or exiting.

namjoon was a man who'd get lost in his thoughts, and if he were not pulled out of his mind in time, he'd end up doing something considered completely crazy. it was a trait yoongi made fun of for as long as he can remember.

but to be fair, it wasn't his fault; namjoon was simply a man full of thoughts with his head in the clouds.

as he made his way up the stares out of the underground subway station, namjoon couldn't help but stop and marvel and the beauty that was the night sky. he stopped in his tracks and simply stared at the sky, his eyes flickering from one shining star to another. he marveled at the way the hundreds of shining stars created a simple picture of the perfect night, realizing how long it'd been since he saw such a clear night. usually, seoul wasn't known for their clear night skies, so it was truly a sight to behold.

suddenly, someone bumped into his shoulder, causing him to stagger a little ahead. "get outta the way, yer blocking the path!" stuttered an obviously drunk man.

namjoon watched with his mouth hung open as the old man gave him one last hateful glare, his cheeks flushed (probably from the alcohol), and staggered away on the streets, mumbling curses under his breath in coherently.

namjoon straightened his posture, scratching the back of his neck as he continue to walk down the side walk. namjoon could basically feel the heat emitting off his face as he looked down and walked.

of course instances like these made him embarrassed; because of his inability to stop thinking so deeply into things, he had not the best luck with others.

he was always known as a charming man with the best talking skills and karisma of lee minho, but once his mind starts to drift off into his thoughts, he'd end up coming across (as what yoongi would call him from time to time) "a high doofus". that was just how he was; even if he was one of the brightest in school and had the intellect of a genius, it came with a price — his social life.

namjoon stopped at an intersection, waiting for a red light, when his phone began to buzz in his suit pocket. taking it out, the caller ID read "hoseok-hyung", one of namjoon's newer (yet somehow close) friend.

picking the call, he answered, "hello, hoseok-hyung. how are you?"

"ah, stop it with the formalities! i told you to call me normally!" he could hear a laugh on the other end. namjoon always wondered how his older friend always remained so positive all the time.

he wondered if that was the reason why they were such close friends to begin with; not only was hoseok smart and task oriented, but he also had this feel about him that made everyone else around him feel happy and live in a comfortable atmosphere.

namjoon could already feel himself smile as he talked, "you know i can't do that, hyung!" he laughed, when he stopped, a thought entering his mind. "oh, hyung, i forgot to ask before. i wanted to know what the address of the new bar was."

"why, a case getting to the almighty joonie already?"

namjoon simply chuckled. "yes, i wanted to get a drink. would you like to meet me there?"

namjoon was taken aback slightly when he heard a heavy sigh, along with the rummaging of papers on the other line. hoseok somehow always had time to not only socialize, but keep his status as one of the best court defenders money can buy.

people always thought of it as weird that a prosecutor and lawyer were close friends, but the two never saw a problem with it.

finally he answered, "uh, sure. why not. i need a drink anyways."

after all, hoseok-hyung never turns down a drink, namjoon thought to himself slyly as hoseok continued. "i'll text you the address and meet you there. just order me a beer if you get there before me."

namjoon hummed "ok," and ended the call. in a matter of seconds, his phone buzzed in his hand, revealing a text from his older friend.

huh, it's near here, namjoon thought to himself.

as he went to open the application to reply back, he could hear the ringing sound of the intersection light as it turned red, granting pedestrians passage.

quickly looking over the street name, namjoon made his way across the road, to the bar.