expire / huijae

01

SONG MINJAE couldn't recall when NO HUIJUN started acting weird. Maybe he was having consecutive bad days? He hated assuming and he had a small belief that he had no right to butt into his business, since it was a possibility that it had nothing to do with him. But, he was worried about his friend as slowly he became quieter. They sat in trigonometry together, completing the assigned work given for the whole period as their teacher needed time to grade tests. Huijun, focusing on the three paged paper scribbles down numbers and symbols as he sped through the packet to complete more important things. Minjae, glanced to his paper from time to time and of course to Huijun's face to note down in his mind if his expression changed. "You're staring," Huijun finally comments, monotone voice as his eyes focus on his paper. "do you need the answers? I'll give them to you when I'm done."

Minjae shakes his head, "No, it's not that," he admits shortly. Nervousness filling his body due to himself getting caught, Minjae brushes away some strands of blonde hair that fall in front of his eyes. "you've just gotten quieter recently. I like it when you're energetic you know?"

Huijun shrugs, finishing the last couple of problems before replying to his friend. "Well, I don't know what you want me to say?"

"I'm not forcing you to say anything," As Minjae worried that he offended the boy, waving his arms dramatically to clear up his words. "I'm just wondering if you're okay..."

The brunette beside him trails his eyes towards his right arm, he sets down his pencil and Minjae captures the sight of Huijun's bandaid covering his wrist. Huijun, who noticed this pulled his long sleeve down to convey the message that he prohibited to stare. It was the place that held the given date every individual was set with when they were born, in their society every person knew when they were going to reset. Which meant, their memories would erase from their minds and they'd start off with a fresh set. Nobody understood why their world worked this way, but, it just did. "I'm...I'm okay." He mutters, "sorry if I'm acting weird. It's just school stressing me out."

"I mean, we are applying to colleges next year. It's a pretty stressful year since everything counts so I get it." Minjae reassures, he was glad his friend was able to open up a bit to him about his problems. A lot of students at their academy were being affected by classes dumping work on them and to add onto that, some upheld extracurriculars that took up more time. "have you been thinking of what colleges you want to aim for, maybe we can-"

"No." Huijun cuts off, staring at his paper, "it's just-" the brunette hesitates to say the rest of his words, "I'm unsure of what I want to major in."

"That's okay! A lot of us are still figuring out what we want to do, don't stress yourself out too much. Besides, we both have the same amount of time left." Minjae displays the date on his wrist, the bolded ink in times new roman font that made Huijun's heart drop. Minjae's date of being reset was in forty years - which was far from Huijun's time. When Huijun and Minjae met in history class their freshman year, Minjae, who was a ravenette at the time needed a partner for their first project and with him knowing no one, he picked Huijun for the dumbest reason.

"You seem like you don't know anyone here, I'm the same so let's be partners!" The fourteen-year-old had reasoned with him - although Huijun showed a disappointed expression to the nameless boy, he still had accepted. Time skip into junior year, they were now stuck together twenty-four-seven, luckily each year they were able to score at least one class together. During the project, Huijun recalled one of the first personal questions Minjae had asked him, it wasn't about his family or past, but the one thing every person wondered when they met someone new,

"When's your expiration date due?"

Huijun, caught off guard by this question didn't know what to say. He wanted to tell, but, he felt a weird churn in his stomach that led to him not telling him the truth. There was an odd spark on that first day when meeting Minjae as if the universe was telling him that the two were going to be great friends. But, Huijun didn't want to ruin the moment so instead, he asked Minjae for his expiration date first before answering. Claiming he hated saying it first because it made him nervous when about to receive the other individual's date. Plus, Huijun had observed that Minjae seemed to be an open person, jolly and energetic as most things didn't seem to bother him a lot. So, the boy agreed to tell him first, and there, Huijun was shocked to hear that Minjae's due date was in two thousand sixty.

Huijun was due in twenty-twenty, in about two years he'd lose memories about everyone he's met and this included Minjae. Not wanting to disappoint his new friend, Huijun nods his head enthusiastically and acts pumped when hearing his date. "Me too!" Huijun lied through his teeth and to Minjae's face which got his hopes up. But, Minjae wondered why Huijun wore a bandaid on his wrist - but, Huijun told him it was for the purpose of being mysterious, which he also bought.

Back into real time, Huijun is brought back into reality as Minjae is snapping his fingers in front of him. "Did you hear me? If we get accepted into the same college, we should room together. That way we can stay together." Minjae suggests, Huijun nods his head unconsciously, his blonde best friend pats his back, "it's okay Huijun, things will pass and in a couple of years we will be living it up!"

Huijun tries to smile, just for Minjae. He forces it and hopes Minjae doesn't notice it, though the boy acts carefree, he's pretty observant and doesn't display this trait of his. "Yeah, live it up..."

But, how could he when he was due in a couple of days?