Bad luck comes in threes
Bad Luck Comes in ThreesCharacters/Pairing : Youngjae/Junhong
Author: Nestine
Rating: PG
Warnings: language
Wordcount: 1972
Oh Fuck!
It takes Youngjae a couple of minutes to comprehend what just happened. And reality sucks. He knows he should have taken the subway instead of walking from the university to his shared apartment with his best friend, Himchan. But he needs money because he just spends some bucks for useless things a week ago and walking would have saved him some to add to his savings to buy a new camera but now he needs more - double, or maybe even triple because his bag just got snatched - his bag with his allowance for the week and the money for a new photography necessity.
“My camera” Youngjae dramatically clings on the lamp post beside him. The passersby are giving him pity looks after witnessing the robbery.
Youngjae is a third year art student majoring in photography who alters his studies with part time jobs. Who would have thought that taking art as a major will rob him of all his savings? Now, he sort of wishes he hadn’t enrolled in a university and instead worked full time at some God knows what company that allows undergraduates with skills to join their firm. Or maybe he should have just taken a course that won’t need a huge sum of money.
“Why are you punishing me?” He looks up and questions God with all his might, even showing a miserable expression because God might pity Youngjae and sends him some good news but maybe odds aren’t really in Youngjae’s favor.
“Damn it.” He curses.
Of course it will rain. A heavy rain that is. And Youngjae’s umbrella? Well, it’s in the bag. The bag that just got snatched. Damn it.
Youngjae wants to beat himself up because maybe, just maybe, it will be less painful than to deal with these mishaps that keep on coming his way.
Seriously? Two unfortunate events happening in a row? And people say that bad luck comes in threes. Good luck Yoo Youngjae, may the odds be in your favor.
“What could have I done to deserve this?” He asks again, more desperate this time.
Okay, here’s the deal, maybe Youngjae knows why he’s being punished. It could be that karma has already found Youngjae and now he has to pay the price. But Youngjae swears what he did is justified. Perhaps these misfortunes are the consequences of his actions and it is all because of the little things he did a few days ago. One is when he poured a lavender paint over his ex-boyfriend’s car. The second one is when he purchased grape scent cologne and discharged all of it at his ex-boyfriend’s dorm room and when he emptied all the liquid containers in the refrigerator and replaced it with the grape flavored juices he purchased - he doesn’t even regretted wasting money over these. God, how his ex-boyfriend hated grapes.
Youngjae doesn’t really feel any guilt though he witnessed the horror on his ex-boyfriend’s who-must-not-be-named face when he saw the car with lavender paint. And when his ex-boyfriend who-must-at-all-times-not-be-named drank the liquid from his tumbler containing grape juice. Oh God, how satisfying.
But, is this really his karma?
Youngjae groans internally. Because why? Why the hell is he punished? It’s just his revenge, he just did what he thought his ex-boyfriend deserved from all the ill things he did to Youngjae. At least Youngjae didn’t punch Da--- god damn it - his ex-boyfriend-who-must-not-be-named for cheating on him and using him for homework and school projects.
So why? Why? Why?
Upon reaching his apartment, he automatically slumps on the couch, not minding how drenched he is and not really caring if Himchan will yell at him nonstop for making the couch wet. He’ll deal with it later; he is too disheartened to worry over things.
Youngjae hasn’t been in his best self for a while, perhaps, because he’s still mending a broken heart coupled with a threat to his scholarship. He isn't sure how long he's been curled up on the couch, not that he doesn’t want to move, but because he can’t move; everything is painful.
He cringes when he hears Himchan’s voice.
“Oh my God Youngjae, what happened to you?”
"Nothing," he answers and he hates that his eyes are betraying him by going all blurry.
“Oh, Youngjae.” He hears Himchan and soon his friend drops down to his knees and gives him the best possible hug and then Youngjae cannot stop the tears anymore.
"My camera got snatched. My money was in the bag too” Youngjae sniffs. “And I need to pass a portfolio next week and how can I even do that when I don’t have any camera to take new shots. I’m going to lose my scholarship”
“We can think of a way” Himchan offers. “I can lend you money. I can just postpone my trip, Paris will always be---“
“No.” Youngjae rejects the offer but Himchan has been dreaming of visiting Paris since forever and he doesn’t want to rob his best friend of the opportunity to fulfill something he has been fancying for a long time.
“Jae---“
“No. Even if you insist, I won’t accept it.” And it’s final, they both know that nothing can change Youngjae’s mind once he decided on something. “I can think of another way” Youngjae adds as he wipes away the fallen tears and begins to stands up.
“I can think of something, but thank you.” He says, “Really, thank you.”
“I’ll help you think of something. We can get through this together, okay?”
If Himchan has said the words a day before all of these has happened, Youngjae might be rolling on the floor because of laughing too much; Himchan is not the caring type.
“Thanks” He replies. “Sorry about the couch” Youngjae tries and excuses himself. He knows Himchan is pretty displeased but he’s off the hook for now.
He takes his time on the shower, thinking of things, maybe he can just quit the university and starts to find a full time job. Maybe photography isn’t really his thing. But no matter how he convinces himself that he can ditch photography, he just cannot actually persuade himself because he loves photography. Youngjae loves photography is an understatement because he doesn’t just love it. It’s his gateway from everything. The only savior he has when things get difficult. It’s like a light that saves him from the dark. The fulfillment he feels every time he takes good snapshots of people, inanimate objects, or just landscapes.
Can he really set aside the only thing that genuinely makes him happy?
He finishes the shower without a concrete answer. He runs back to his room, mind still blurred with every unfortunate events that just transpired. Soon enough, he hears Himchan knocking on his door.
He lets out a weary sigh, stands up, and slightly opens the door.
"Yes?" He asks.
“Someone’s looking for you.” Himchan sports that sly smile he uses every time he teases Youngjae over something. It’s dauntingly scary. “And I think he has some good news.”
Okay, Youngjae is confused because Himchan is smiling at him with those teasing eyes he loathes.
“He’s in the living room. I’ll leave you two alone. Yongguk texted me, he needs some help with his umh - you know. So bye”
Youngjae doesn’t know. He wants to persuade himself that he doesn’t know what Himchan just meant. And in just a minute, Himchan is out of the apartment leaving him with a guy. Who the hell is he?
He walks out of his room wearing a pair of baggy shorts and an oversized tee. He doesn’t really need to impress anyone. He doesn’t really care who the person is as long as he is not Daehy-god damn it-his-ex-boyfriend-who-must-not-be-named.
He sees a tall guy properly sitting on a chair. Ah yes, the couch is off limits for the day until it dries well.
“Uhm, how may I help you?” Youngjae says.
The guy, obviously startled by Youngjae, scrambles to stand up. He’s tall is what Youngjae’s first reaction.
“I’m Junhong” The guy replies while he bows down.
“Ah yes. I’m Youngjae” Youngjae tries again because he wants to finish this quickly as possible. The guy looks at him and Youngjae is taken aback, he’s just a kid! He’s a giant but he looks so young.
“I, well” The Junhong kid scratches his head and smiles, “I think this belongs to you.” He hands him a bag - a familiar bag. Holy cow, it’s his bag!
Youngjae hurriedly snatches the bag out of Junhong’s hand and inspects it. The camera is there, safe and sound. And even the money is untouched, Youngjae wants to howl. How? Why?
“I’m not the guy who snatched your bag but I kind of ran after him.”
Youngjae’s eyes widen because this kid had the bravery to do such thing and for what, to help him?
“Why?” He demands.
“You probably don’t know me because I’m just a first year but we’re at the same department. I’m majoring in dance.” Junhong explains and Youngjae just listens.
“I like your photos. I’ve seen them during the art week. I’m not a stalker, I don’t even know your name, I just always see you around and I’m not a stalker, I assure you. I just happen to be there a while ago and well, I saw everything. The rest is history”
It’s true, he doesn’t remember seeing Junhong in their university. It’s really very clear how the guy has helped him in retrieving his bag. Youngjae is thinking hard because why would someone do that for him?
“I should probably go” Junhong cuts him from his reverie.
And still Youngjae is lost so he just nods and now escorts Junhong out of the apartment.
“Bye hyung. It was nice meeting you. I’ll see you in the university”
He definitely is forgetting something, Youngjae is sure. Ah yes, how stupid of him.
“Hey, Junhong? Junhong right?” Youngjae calls after him and the kid immediately turns around.
“Thank you. Sincerely, you’re a savior and I can make a really good lasagna and its better if I can share it with someone, so do you wa-“
“Yes!” Junhong replies hurriedly. After couple of seconds, the kid realizes he answered instantly not letting Youngjae finish the question so clears his throat and tries out again “I’d love too”
Youngjae sees the evident pink shade on Junhong’s cheek, it’s quite cute and for the first time today, Youngjae finds a reason to smile.
Maybe the superstition about bad luck comes in threes is a hoax or superstitions don’t in actual fact exist because today, Youngjae may have found a good luck charm.
***
“Thanks for inviting me over for dinner.” Junhong says happily after finishing his plate of lasagna.
“It’s the best way I can repay you.” Youngjae gives off a smile. And he notices how the kid turns into beat red. It’s cute.
“It’s okay, I needed some time off the dorm anyway. I just moved in last week. My cousin is cleaning the room a while ago. He’s probably spraying air freshener until the grape smell wears off. He has been spraying a lot since last week but the grape scent is too strong” He says, starting out a conversation. “But I like grapes so I really don’t mind”
And Youngjae’s heart suddenly leaps because, no no no no no.
“My cousin says his crazy ex-boyfriend sprayed grape flavored cologne. You don’t know how much my cousin hates grapes.”
Youngjae cringes at the word crazy because he is not crazy. And yes, Youngjae might know. But maybe Youngjae is not the only one who sprayed grape cologne on someone else’s room? Right?
“Oh maybe you know my cousin because he’s studying at the university too. You’re in the same year but he’s majoring in voice.”
Youngjae laughs unsurely because maybe he is not the only one whose ex-boyfriend majors in voice and on the same university as him who hates grapes.
“Maybe you know him Youngjae hyung, his name is Jung Daehyun.”
God damn it.