‘beginning of the end’ kjj + ltm
“i don’t know,” taemin sighed, his hand reaching up to the back of his neck to rub the skin there absentmindedly. “i feel like this place might just be a little bit too… clean? it’s all so white…” not that he would have any say in where he went to college at or even what sort of programs he would be allowed to take—all of that was more left up to his parents. they would most likely choose this place, given that sungmin was thriving here, so obviously taemin needed to as well. the younger brother wanted to break free and be at a university of his own choosing, but he knew that was a useless prayer, especially now that he was visiting the college and sitting across from his older brother in the cafeteria.
sungmin laughed at him, rolling his eyes a bit. “you’re complaining that it’s clean? what sort of mangy, dirty college do you want to go to, taemin-ah?”
“that’s not what i meant—“
“you know most law schools are going to be pretty clean as well, don’t you?” sungmin gave him a look and taemin sighed again, nodding his defeat. the option of perhaps even going into some other type of field of study was beyond impossible. everything about taemin’s future was set in stone, he should be happy; he didn’t have to worry about too much. get good grades, be top of the class, be a good example to his little sister, meet some pretty, intelligent girl, graduate, get married, live a dull, cookie-cutter, yet contented life. who knows, maybe he’d even do the Classic Family Man move and cheat on his wife sometime when they’re forty.
but then an older guy walked in through the doors just behind sungmin’s head—tall, long legs, light hair, the aura of apollo the greek sun god surrounding him—and everything in taemin froze up like he’d been struck by lightning. was it just his imagination or was this guy coming right over to them? suddenly taemin wanted to hide, but then he heard the demigod address sungmin, who laughed and greeted him, before introducing him to taemin, who could only just sit there like a guppy, staring for a moment.
finally he sputtered and regained control of his mouth, “hi, uhh… are you a friend of sungmin’s?”