"Find something you like, and then call me when you're ready, and I'll come back and pick you up," your older brother said.
"Thanks, Jaemin," you managed a weak smile. You couldn't help but appreciate your brother's efforts to cheer you up when you were in a crummy mood.
As you walked into the store, you immediately grin seeing the walls lined with everything Moomin- Moomin keychains, Moomin backpacks, Moomin plushies. One plushie in particular was really, really cute. It was the character with a little yellow flower on its head and a sleepy smile on its face.
All of a sudden, you remembered why you were in the store. Thoughts came flooding back to you, and your phone clattered to the ground, as you tried to push the memories out of your head. Earlier that day, you had given a flute audition for a music scholarship to get into your dream college, but you had gotten so nervous, that your fingers had slowly become a tangled mess, and different notes had rolled out of your instrument. Instead of Mozart's Flute Concerto No. 1 in G major, you had played Y/N's Nonsensical Masterpiece. Everything hurt- your mind, your heart- everything. This was the university you were willing to bet everything on. Your parents and Jaemin knew how much it meant to you, and you knew they were planning more things to cheer you up when you got home later in the evening. But like Jaemin had told you once you exited the audition hall, "what's done is done."
Drying your tears, you stared at the cute Moomin plushie that had caught your eye, and you stood on your tiptoes, trying to reach the top shelf. Just when you thought you could wrap your fingers around the doll, you felt someone behind you, reaching their arm up to get it for you.
"Here you go," the voice spoke up. Standing in front of you was a boy with fluffy-looking, light brown hair. "I think I'll get this one, too. I've had my eye on it for a while." He smiled, and you noticed the small gap between two of his teeth. He wore the same lazy smile as the plushie in your hands. "Are you okay, by the way? I saw you crying earlier, but I didn't know if I should talk to you or let you have some space."
You couldn't believe how incredibly nice this boy was. You didn't even know him, but here he was concerned about you. "I'm fine," you quickly replied. For some reason, you felt like telling him everything, knowing he would understand and find just the right words to console you. And you were right. You found out his name was Renjun and that he was originally from China. It seemed like you had known each other for years by the time you exchanged phone numbers.
"I think your brother is right. Don't get too caught up over the result. Whatever happens happens, alright? You have to make the most of every opportunity and live happily. Also, this one's on me." Renjun quickly took the plushie from your hands and placed it on the counter in front of the cashier along with his, pulling out some cash and paying for both.
"Renjun-" you tried to stop him, but he only turned to you, giving you that lazy smile.
"Don't worry about it. Don't worry about anything. And you said results come out tomorrow afternoon, right? Text me how it goes. Maybe we can even meet up."
The two of you left the store, and you felt much, much happier than you'd ever felt before. Jaemin was almost scared when the two of you were walking home together.
"Moomin really did cheer you up, huh?" Jaemin joked.
"Yeah, Renjun's just great," you sighed.
"EXCUSE ME?! WHO IS THIS RENJUN?!"
You told your older brother about the interesting boy you had met. "Oh! That's who my best friend Chenle was talking about! He said his pen pal had finally moved here from China after learning Korean and stuff. I knew that name sounded familiar. Chenle's always telling me about him, so at least I know he's not a creepy dude. He sounds super nice."
"He really is," you blushed. He was super handsome, too. Usually, teeth were the first thing you noticed about a person since your father was a dentist, so you and Jaemin basically had "perfect" teeth. But the little gap in Renjun's teeth and that lazy smile really warmed you up.
Jaemin sat by you on your bed while your mouse hovered over the email with the results. This was it. If you didn't get into this university with the music scholarship, it wouldn't be the end of the world, but you'd be thoroughly disappointed.
"Do you want me to do it for you?" Jaemin asked, noticing your trembling hand, but you shook your head. This was your dream, therefore you had to be the one to see it first. You quickly clicked on the email, reading each line quickly but carefully, making sure to catch every word.
"J-Jae-Jaemin-" you stammered, raising a finger to point at the first line that began with "Congratulations! You've been accepted!"
"Y/N!" Jaemin hugged you, and the two of you ran downstairs with the laptop to show Mom and Dad. When the two of them received the good news, they couldn't be prouder. "I guess they liked how you spiced your piece up. They must've liked seeing you do something and keep going rather than stop and panic. That's what I call a music prodigy. I guess we'll be at the same university now. You'll be there for flute, and I'm there for singing."
You smiled. Your older brother had had the same dream school a year ago when he was auditioning for music colleges, and now you both would be at the same place where both of you could chase your dreams. After breaking into your happy dance, you quickly ran back to your room to text Renjun the good news.
You: RENJUN! GUESS WHAT!
Renjun: What happened? Everything okay?
You: I MADE IT INTO MY DREAM UNIVERSITY!
Renjun: I guess dreams really do come true! Wanna meet in an hour? I want to congratulate you in person. There's a coffee shop right next to the Moomin store. Can you meet me there?
You: Sure! See you soon!
Jaemin dropped you off and then met up with Chenle to go around the outdoor mall until you were ready to go home.
"YOU MADE IT!!!!" Renjun exclaimed, jumping up and down in excitement, and you blushed, nodding as you sat down in the chair across from him. "I'm so proud of you." He took out a small gift bag with a mini Moomin jumping over a crescent moon, pushing it towards you.
Inside the bag lay a small Moomin keychain, and you giggled, pulling it out and holding it up to get a better look. "It's adorable. Thank you so much, Renjun."
"I guess this also means I'll be seeing you more often," the boy chuckled. He reached behind him and grabbed the jacket hanging on the back of his chair. It took you a second to realize the emblem on the jacket belonged to that of your dream university. "I had my audition earlier in the fall, but I'll be going there, too."
I guess dreams really do come true you thought with a smile.
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Sorry that I haven't updated in a while. I've been so busy with midterms haha. But thanks for reading and requesting~