Hi guys, this is the masterlist for all the fic I am writing and will be writing in the future.
Until now, I have only written for Stray kids and may change in the future!
Enjoy Reading!
(Remember, this is a work of fiction, not real life.)
-----SKZ-----
FATED POLYOHONY
Synopsis-
Soulmates.
Everyone has a soulmate. Most people spend their entire lives trying to find the person written for them by fate, believing that destiny just takes time. But I was hanging on a thin wire between patience and fear, trying to trust the timing of the universe.
That was before I met them—at the most unexpected time, in the most chaotic way—turning my ordinary life completely upside down.
“WHAT THE HELL” came out of my mouth as a screech, a very unsophisticated screech that made my cousins glance at us, questioning. Min-jun looked at me and them before flashing them a sheepish smile before turning to me.
“Think about it. It may be another one,” he insisted on his opinion, an opinion I would rather not hear and hope is not true. I looked at him and turned to look at the vast sea in front of me to conceal the mountain of emotions going through me. I could see that Min- jun also went to a deep thought at my silence.
“I am not saying this to scare you off but to remind you of the possibilities…”
Min-Jun oppa, you don’t have to turn everything into a thesis, you know? It can just be a muscle pull, after all we just ran after a heavy dinner.” I brushed it off with a laugh that sounded so fake to my ears, and I bet it does to his ears too.
I looked at the sea, looking exact different from the emotion I am going through. It looks calm and composed and the actions, the crashing of the waves easily predictable as it was set by nature unlike my life, so unpredictable and unstable that feels like the life trajectory changed with every breath I took.
“Anyways, tell me about the research you were going to explain before you got a very out of pocket idea that I have more soulmates and write a fictional story of my life.” I said with a humorless laugh, my voice straining.
Min-jun sighed at my denial before continuing where he left off,
“As I was saying, the past connection I told you about is just a small section, not explored enough to research more into it. It’s based on texts we retrieved from the last archaeological expedition. They got a book older book. It was basically what the loss of a soulmate feels like. The sad thing was, the soulmate didn’t have a natural death as far as we investigated into it; it looks like they were forcefully separated and killed.” He explained and then sighed, “It’s a sad story, but the book had a strange sentence: ‘In all lives I lived, this is exactly how it ends.’ That was one sentence that triggered this research. A tragic story.”
As his explanation ended, we both got lost in our own thoughts, staring ahead.
‘In all lives I lived, this is exactly how it ends’
‘A tragic story’
‘an old soul in a new body’
‘She was a shaman’
‘In all lives I lived, this is exactly how it ends’
The words kept repeating in my head like a broken radio unable to stop. I digged my hands deeper into my pockets, cold sweat breaking out of my hairline out of the sheer terror of the concept. I could hear my own heart beating in my ears, blood pumping loudly and clearly. I could feel my face and body heating up in response, a common reaction of my body to stress.
History of broken bonds. A history of killed soulmates whose unfulfilled love makes it to another timeline. A life, a bond built on that tragedy. And those words of the shaman which I brushed off as a mistake- what if-
What if-
Thinking about it, my heart gave another thump, and it hurts so bad. It was as if my own heart recognised something I hadn’t yet, and it’s responding on its own. The painful thumps of the heart continued for some time until I had to count till 10 in my mind and breathe.
My thoughts were cut off by my cousin calling us to get in the car. Min-jun turned to me, looking at me, his expression softened.
“Dahee-ya, whatever it is, promise to tell me when it gets too much of a burden for you to carry by yourself. I can help you carry that; you don’t have to figure out the entire world by yourself. Whether in here or when back home, I am only a call away from getting to you. Don’t lie to me and yourself nothing is bothering you; it is. I know you for a long time to know that. So do not lie to my face. You are precious to me; you are my sister I have been looking after, seeing you suffer is the last thing I wish to see.. So please….” He whispered the last part and cleared his throat.
At his words, I could feel a burning sensation of tears on the back of my eyes and my throat getting raw and closing up, a telltale sign of crying. I looked at him, my vision blurry. As I opened my mouth to tell him off or laugh it as before, hoping her didnt notice my onset tears in the dark, my voice refused to cooperate with me and didn’t come out. Instead I nodded my head and kept my head down.
“Let’s go,” He muttered as he stood up from his place and held out a hand for me. At that gesture and his sweet words, an overwhelming urge washed over me to just confess to him about everything- the shaman, the chances of my bond with a global star, the aching of my body that sometimes turns so binding that I can’t see anything.
But how can I ever tell him that? If my story, my soulbond, is a result of tragedy across timelines and lives, how dare I drag another person into this cycle? If what both Min-jun said and the shaman’s words are true, then how can I ever say that the sister he annoys but treasures so much, wouldn’t live a full life with her beloved? How can I tell him the sad but short story he read about the soulbond broken off unwillingly in the past may happen to me, of all people? How can I burden him by letting him know that his cousin has a ticking bomb in her, waiting to take her life away? How can I ever rob him of his peace by telling him that?
Instead, I bit my tongue and kept walking to the car where my cousins started blasting the heater. I walked into absolute chaos of song selection, a very passionate debate at almost midnight.
Do-Hyun looked at my face and then Min-Jun’s before asking, " Did he lecture you to an early grave already? Your face says you are done with his analysis of dead people and their love story.”
Min-Jun cast him an unimpressed look before getting in the middle of the car, leaving the door side for me. I got in the crammed car before closing the door, shutting the warm air in.
I wanted to laugh at his question, ‘early grave,’ he says. Only if he knew how right he was, I thought bitterly. For the rest of the ride, Min-Jun didn’t initiate any conversation with me, giving the privacy I wanted, but a small part of me wished he did talk, to keep my mind wondering in other directions.
As we pulled up in the driveway of the house at 12 am, fruits were cut up in the living room for us as snacks. Everyone quickly took a bowl before making it to the upper living room and pulling up pillows and blankets to sleep there with everyone while watching a movie. Everyone made a big huddle in the middle of the room and pulled on a movie that the twins promised was hilarious. I highly doubt it because halfway through the movie, I realized the chatter had died down and looked around to see everyone asleep.
I stayed on my side of the room for a long time, staring at the ceiling and then turning to my side a couple of times, waiting for sleep to come. After losing count of the number of times I counted sheep, I gave up, took my blanket, and made my way to the balcony.
I paced around the balcony for sometime and then sat on the swing there after closing the door quietly behind me. The cold wind that blew so strongly before now has turned into a gentle breeze that came now and then, making it easier to sit there without shivering to the bone. I don’t know how long I sat there staring into space. I thought about everything Min-Jun said, what the shaman said, and the discovery of mine and Ji Young. I was caught off guard when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Turning back, I came face to face with my grandfather. I didn’t even hear the door behind me open. I patted the seat next to me, but he just shook his head and stood there.
“Can’t sleep either?” His calm voice rumbled. I shook my head in response.
“What about you, Grandpa? Can’t sleep either?” I asked him, turning to look at his face. He looked at my face with a grin he often wore before cracking a joke to all.
“Well, I could hear a certain young lady upstairs pacing and restless so I had to check who made her lose her sleep”.
I mentally facepalmed at myself. My grandparents’ room was right below the balcony, so they would have woken up to the amount of pacing I did before sitting down. I turned to him, apology on my lips, but he looked like he was waiting for me to get the joke and laugh. I blinked at him twice before huffing a laugh and standing up to playfully bow to him in apology.
“I told you your jokes are too bad, you know? People don’t understand if you are joking or not.” A voice said behind us. I turned to find both my grandmas standing there, wearing a cardigan matching my grandpa’s, making me smile at their cuteness. And there was a tray in Grandma Park’s hand with three cups on it.
“Wow slander from my own wife. How can I live?” he replies sarcastically. Then he turned to look at me and turned to them, " Besides, our Da-Hee loves my joke, right? She laughed!”
“Yes, I do,” I chimed in, grateful for the distraction.
“See? My jokes aren’t bad. You both don’t have a sense of humour like her! Oh, Da-hee, what am I going to do without you? No one will get my jokes; then I will have to spend my life without having to hear you laugh at my amazing jokes!”
“You know why she laughed? If she doesn’t, you will go all the way to her school to deliver the punchline until she finally laughs,” Grandma Lee said as Grandma Park kept the tray on the small patio table next to the swing.
“Well I would do that-wait, where is my teacup?” He asks that made me take a look at the tray, counting the cups. one. two. three.
“When did you start drinking herbal tea?” my grandma Lee asks instead.
" You got a point there. Goodnight, guys,” He says before kissing my forehead with a pat on my shoulders. He left the three of us alone there, shutting the balcony door to prevent cool air from entering.
“Sorry to wake you guys at this time of the night. I wasn’t thinking straight.” I apologised, guilt weighing heavily for disturbing their sleep.
“No one cares. It’s not every day you all come to visit us to disturb our sleep schedule.” Grandma Lee said before handing out the teacups. I thanked them before moving to the side on the swing, making space for them to sit.
Grandma Park raised an eyebrow before pushing me to the middle so both of them could sit on my side. I took my teacup closer to my lips, enjoying the steam it let out. The tea smelled amazing- sweet from the honey she added and the earthy smell of the herbs. I took a sip and regretted it immediately as it burned my tongue. I winced in pain as the hot liquid that I swallowed reached my stomach. I turned around when I heard a snort and found Grandma Park laughing quietly. I pouted a bit, then that transformed into a smile when both of them sat on my sides, sandwiching me in between them.
We sat there for some time in silence, sipping our tea and enjoying the company. I sat there with the warm cup in my hands and their body heat radiating to mine, giving me the comfort I didn’t know I could get from it. I basked in their warmth for a moment until I couldn’t keep my mouth shut anymore.
“Helmioni, do you believe in shaman and their power?” I asked tentatively.
“ We never went to them… So I don’t know much” Grandma Lee answered.
I clutched the ceramic cup closer to me, sighing before saying, “You know, about 2 weeks ago I met a lady in the park..” I trailed off as I was pulled into that memory.
They both didn’t say anything but a light hum from them, showing they were listening, urging me to take my time and continue. “She looked soo old and frail, but the moment she saw my face she started crying, muttering weird things”
“What weird things?” I could hear a barely concealed worry in that tone Grandma Park used. I felt
“Something about forgetting her, some old soul in a new body things.” My grandmothers exchanged worried glances on top of my head.
“She must be quite old then to mistake you for someone, right?” Grandma Lee asks, definitely not liking the direction of the conversation.
“Her children came right after and explained that she had dementia and often talked about the things in the past, and that didn’t change the fact that she was a shaman before she became sick. And that lady’s eyes, that doesn’t look like someone with a memory problem, at least not when she was talking to me. I know exactly how they look when they lose their memory during dementia; I saw that look before, this is nothing like it- I swear!”
My voice rose a pitch in the pure desperation and helplessness I felt about the situation. I looked down at the cup in my hand and drank the rest of it in one go, my throat no longer burning as the tea cooled down enough. I wanted them to believe me, at least acknowledge I was right about being paranoid about that lady. Surely, since grandmothers know all about the world, they should know about this too.
My words hung in the air as they processed my words, and I let them; we can’t rush words of wisdom after all. Before they could say something, I whispered,
“She asked if I have met them.. My soulmates.” My voice broke out in the end. I traced the flowers on the teacup to keep my mind and hands occupied.
“And Min-Jun’s theory this morning…That added the fuel to the fire, right?” Grandma Lee asked, ever the perceptive one.
“And you connected both and freaked out,” Grandma Park concluded. It was scarily fascinating to witness both of them completing each other’s thoughts no matter how many times witnessing it.
“You have heard about that theory?” I exclaimed. I didn’t know my grandmas would be invested in academia.
“I had to know why Min-Jun turned the whole library here upside down to find something related to soulmates,” Grandma Park explained. That makes sense. Now that saves me the trouble of explaining the troublesome theory to them.
We were quiet for a moment, just watching the trees move in the cold breeze now and then. Then Grandma Lee took my hand in hers and held it to her lap.
“Da-Hee, you know, this world is full of different people; shamans are one of them. Because of their powers, they don’t see past, present, and future as different but as one entity existing. And it surely didn’t help the fact that the shaman you came across had dementia.” She explains softly, her hands stroking mine in her lap. Grandma Park gently took the teacup away from my hand, and that’s when I noticed I had been fiddling with it for some time to keep my hands busy.
“And Min-Jun, sometimes the things in the past should stay there themselves. It doesn’t do anything good by comparing it to this life. He might have said that in the excitement of finding something worthy, but that doesn’t mean everything will repeat itself..” She paused before continuing her talk.
“I am not going to sugarcoat and say it’s fine. I can understand that concern, and I hope, I really hope it isn’t true. Maybe the theory Min-Jun said is just another theory those people dug up, and the same with the tragedy he told. Leave it in the past, and it definitely doesn’t define your future with your soulmates. And the shaman was too old to differentiate between the past and present. And what if you are an old soul? You are here now, with us, in between us in Busan, not in the past; that counts for something.”
Grandma Lee’s words gave me the comfort I desperately needed. The calmness and the sureness in her voice anchored me back to the present. although the cold coils in my stomach didn’t entirely go away, it slowed down to her comforting words. I sat there thinking about her words.
In a way, she is right. Maybe I am just thinking a lot into it. Maybe the theory was another theory without real proof. And even if it was real, there isn’t a real guarantee it will happen to me or happened to me if that shaman’s words that I am an old soul is real, other than the traitorous heart almost leaping off my chest in response to that thought.
“She is right,” Grandma Park mutters, “You are our child Da-Hee, not anyone else’s and definitely not a ghost of the past.” She reassures me.
“Besides, if we ever meet that shaman, she will have to learn why she shouldn’t have messed up with our grandchild!!” She added fiercely. At that statement, me and grandma lee look at each other and chuckled.
I could almost picture that. My sweet grandma in her oversized cardigan storming up to the park where I met the shaman just to give her some peace of mind. I bet the shaman doesn’t remember what she told me and stares at my grandmother as she goes on and on about torturing her poor grandchild. I let out an unguarded laugh at that mental image, this time the laugh real and loud that surprised even me.
That was the wisdom I needed and wasn’t disappointed at all. I kept my head on Grandma Park’s shoulder, my one hand still in my other grandma’s hand.
“I will be going back on the afternoon train tomorrow…” I mumbled, my words getting slurred together as I grew tired. After the talk with them, all the adrenaline keeping me up until now washed away, leaving me sleepy.
“Then let’s go sleep in the bed. It’s too cold to sleep outside like this.”
They stood up with a sigh and ushered me into the living room with the tray in Grandma Lee’s hand. I looked around for the place I was in before I left, but it was taken by someone else. I sighed internally before untangling the limbs of my cousins to make a place for me, too tired to walk to the bedroom. I only remember lying down as I was knocked out right after, my mind finally at peace.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So, this is chapter 7!!
Thank you for reading!!
how was the chapter? Make sure to comment on what you guys think about this and give this post some love!
“Well, it’s just a talk, honestly. Like if the soulmates are connected in this life as it was in the past. That past life, if that exists…“ He paused and took a mouthful of food and then continued, “The theory is like since soulmates are compatible in this life for almost everyone, and since the bonds run deep, it may have been across time, saying that bonds are not randomly assigned at birth, but a deeper connection. Well, of course, there are setbacks to this theory; it’s not formed and would likely stay as it is because the theory of past life itself is debated and rejected by many..”
His voice was calm and neutral, as if he was giving a lecture at the conference rather than at a breakfast table. Contrary to his calm demeanor, I looked the exact opposite. My stomach was doing violent flips, cold sweat was breaking out of my hairline, and my breath was stuck. I forced the chopsticks and spoon down from my hands, fearing that it will fall from my trembling hands, and felt my knees getting weak.
I was taken back to that Wednesday evening when I met the shaman and her words. Old soul. You shouldn’t have forgotten me. I forced myself to look unbothered by it and turned to him. I cleared my throat and asked him, “Will you tell me more about it when you have the time?”
He looked surprised and was caught off guard by my request, “Oh sure? I didn’t think you would be interested, you know? Like into academic research, but yeah, I will fill you in”
“And are you sure you are fine? You look pale, really pale,” He commented as he pointed to my face. I touched my face with the back of my hands to feel its cooler than normal. I smiled at him to ease his worries and was about to reply when Grandma Lee cut in,
“Min-Jun-ah, don’t torture that poor kid with your academic lectures at the table too. I bet she had enough of that from her school itself, right Da Hee?” I nodded at her with a smile.
“Aww, come on, grandma- she loves it, right? Besides, this is a nice time to talk about history, right?” At his question, everyone let out a big groan. The high school twins started to protest that learning history at school is enough and not needing it at the breakfast table too.
After that, the conversation around me stirred back to normal. But my mind kept going back to his words. If what he said was true, then most likely the shaman’s were true too. It shouldn’t freak me out, but it does. It terrifies me. Having a soulbond itself is a very large concept that takes time to understand, but now the chances of these bonds breaking the rules of space and time, surviving through deaths and graves to bond in another lifetime, is an even more terrifying concept, one that I can’t even wrap my head around. I continue eating the food in front of me, but the comforting taste of the spices turned bland to my tongue, and the soup feels like sandpaper to my throat.
As the breakfast finishes up, the dining room turns into a chaotic war-field where everyone was trying to get the job done. My aunts, my mom’s sisters and sisters-in-law, shooed away the younger cousins from the table and carried the dishes back to the kitchen. I carried my bowl back to the kitchen just to have something in my hands and do something to keep my mind from spiraling any further.
My bowl was ripped from my hands by my aunt Mi Young, she offered me a smile and waved me away, “Go and play in the pool. It’s perfectly warm in the pool in this weather.”
I went inside my shared room with Jee-ah to get my swimsuit and found her reading a book. I was about to call her out for her studious attitude when I found that it was a novel, not anything study-related. That was a missed opportunity to tease her.
She came up to me and hugged me before even asking anything. After a long time, she finally let go of me go, “You looked like you needed one,” she commented before leaving the room with her book and sunglasses, giving me the privacy to change into my swimsuit. I guess I really looked like a truck ran me over. My telepathic soulmate checked in on me when I was changing my clothes. He said he was going to sleep more since it was a day off for him, and he wanted to check in because I told him the day before about my trip here. After bidding goodbye, I changed into my swimsuits, threw a shirt over it, and left the room.
I found Jee-ah waiting for me outside. She hooked her arms with me as we walked to the patio outside. We caught up on our daily life. Of all my cousins, Jee-ah was closest in age and situation. Both of us have jobs and are similar in most aspects of life. As we walked closer to the pool, the loud chatter and laughter were heard, and that instantly gave me energy I didn’t know I needed, helping me forget about this morning’s conversation with Min-Jun.
I found all of them in the large pool, having a ball with them. Looking at them arguing, they still seemed to be in the phase of deciding the teams. It will take some time to decide; I will give them half an hour at most. Seeing it would not be resolved any time soon, I went to the deeper end of the pool and dived in with a splash.
The warm water on my cold skin gave me the shock I needed to pull myself out of my mind. I let gravity do its work of pulling me down to the floor of the pool. As my feet bit the bottom, I had a selfish wish to just stay in there forever, floating in absolute silence forever, with nothing to worry about; just the stillness I crave. Down there, I had nothing to worry about other than holding my breath and timing when to come up; I didn’t have to worry about schoolwork, past lives, shamans, nothing at all.
I pushed myself up and swam up, breaking the surface of the water at the edge. I looked at my cousins, and they were still deciding on the great team selection. Seeing me there, Do-Hyun, Jee -ah’s older brother, yelled, “Let’s make Da Hee make the teams! She has experience teaming high school students for assignments!”
Hearing his argument, everyone agreed to it. After making them promise to agree with my decision, I divided all 14 cousins into teams of two. by then, Aunt Kyun-ah and Mi Young came in and decided to be the referees. Just like that, the whole match began. For an hour, there was nothing but the sound of shouting and splashing the water. The physical exhaustion of swimming, shouting, and throwing the ball seemed to have anchored me back to reality.
After that, we spent the afternoon eating lunch and catching up on the plans. We often meet on Christmas too, but that time the crowd is larger with all the soulmates of the cousins who met them already. By the time it was time for dinner, a plan was made to go to the beach at night after dinner. Everyone agreed to it, knowing it was a rare opportunity.
After reaching there around nine after the very big dinner, everyone started playing tag with each other. Given the time at night, the beach was almost empty except for some people quite far away, which gave us the freedom to run around.
The mid-December wind hit me on the face, but with the amount of running I was doing, it felt like nothing. I could hear distant yelling of my cousins who got chased by Do-Hyun at lightning speed. Considering I was a bit further from the chaos of the game, I stopped to take a breather.
' This was very much needed, more than I ever thought,’ I thought as I turned to look at the waves crashing to the shore and retreating just to crash again. The sound of the waves crashing to the shore and the slight salty smell of the ocean drowned out the lingering voices in my head. I looked back to find the faint figures of my cousins running, illuminated by the distant streetlight.
“Unnieee, watch out!” I heard Ye-jin scream at me as Hyun-woo charged towards me with a wild grin. I turned around on the sand and sprinted in the other direction. I dodged his outstretched hands by an inch or two before he decided to go after an unassuming Min-Jun. Seeing I was no longer the target, I slowed down to a jog and sat on one of the smooth rocks on the shore. After some while, all of them stopped the game and decided to sit on the sand, talking and catching their breath.
Looking at the vastness of the sea, so deep and endless, the concept of time and space feels the same. So endless, with lots of possibilities. I wonder how soulmates can find each other in every lifetime, like Min-jun said, in that infinite vastness? Is the soul bond that strong that it can survive the very fabric of time? That concept of the soulbonds surviving feels like looking into a black hole, a whole of nothing discovered, but it still fascinates and terrifies scientists and people alike when came across it. I have never thought about the love between the soulmates being so huge that it can defy the order of the universe. Or the very universe is wrapped around the concept of finding the ' one ' for you, willing to twist time and preserve the marks and longing echoes of souls?
I felt a tingling sensation on my wrist and found my artist scribbling down some lyrics there, no doubt writing it down before the idea flew away from his mind. Maybe he isn’t in his workplace to scribble on my hand? I thought as he continued for some while, ending it with a heart and ‘I love you’.
“It must be your soulmate…” Turning around, I found Min Jun coming to me, hugging the padded jacket to himself for warmth. I pulled my sleeves down before humming in agreement. “I was hoping you would meet your soulmate this time.”
“Why?”
" To complain about you obliviously!!” He exclaimed. A startled laugh escaped me at that unexpected answer.
“Anyway, about our research…What would you like to know?” he questioned as he pulled out his phone. Curious, I peered in and saw him opening a PDF. I looked at him in disbelief.
“What? I have everything ready in case someone asks me about it. It’s not weird, don’t make it weird, please.” He complained. I looked at the phone again and shook my head, keeping my mouth shut, because if someone could make sense of what the shaman actually meant, if it’s true or not, it’s him.
Before he could start explaining, a sudden pain just emerged from my side, like I pulled a muscle on my side. I let out a hiss as tears started to gather in my eyes at the intensity of the pain as I doubled over the rock. I could hear Min-Jun’s worried voice over my pain, but I couldn’t answer him, barely able to take a breath. After what seemed like an hour, in reality that was just five minutes, the pain started to disappear, making it easier to breathe again.
" You ok? what was that Da hee?” Min-Jun’s worried voice broke over my thoughts.
I tried my best to smile, showing I was unaffected by it. “Pulled a muscle. It started happening a lot these days. Maybe I am getting old,” I wondered as I stared ahead.
“That doesn’t look like normal pain for a pulled muscle; it looks like..” He trails off. I turned to look at him but found him thinking deeply. That got my attention.
“It looked like a soulmate reaction…”
I looked at him unimpressed, “Yeah right..I would like this moment to remind you I have three soulmates- a telepathic link, an artistic link whose work appears on my skin, and a very normal first-words tattoo.” I lectured him in my best ‘Ms.Kim’ voice, holding up three fingers to his face to emphasize that.
“And? It’s not like you can’t have more,” he rebuts.
“What are you on about?”
“Think about it, our family has a long history of many soulmarks on a single person, not just our grandparents. Trust me, I read through the entire family library to know that. So it’s not a far-fetched idea for you to have another one.” He explains.
I looked at him, speechless, and him thinking it was a cue from me to continue, “And that looks like a pain bond. Like, if your soulmate gets hurt, you also get pain in the same place for some time.”
you and jisung have been bestfriends for years — you do everything together, and when you both take an interest in minho, a friend of yours, well logically, you both go for it — together!
contains .ᐟ.ᐟ › mxm (making out), tit play, oral (both rec), handjob, unprotected sex, multiple orgasms, orgasm denial, cumming untouched, sweet aftercare (eli special), not proofread, we die like slexie.
scan here for group masterlist → 𝄃𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄀𝄁𝄃𝄂𝄂𝄃 ˎˊ˗
You and Jisung never had a typical relationship.
Sure — you're best friends, you've gone through a lot together. College, that first job, second — everything.
Through countless break ups, often lead on by the fact of how close you are, boyfriends and girlfriends of both of you not particularly understanding that you both are just friends.
Well — not just.
You never told them about the countless times in between relationships, when you're both drunk, hell even when you're not.
Nobody knows, but everyone guesses, suspects anyways. Anyone who meets you both assumes your dating, you say you aren't but make no moves to prove them wrong.
Everyone in both of you groups both knew the weird dynamic between you, new people tried to understand but quickly gave up.
Until Minho.
Minho, a work friend of Jisung, quickly infuriating the group, he's great, weird in a way that draws you in, handsome in a way words cant describe.
You're not saying you're a mind reader but you are definitely catching a vibe instantly.
The moment Jisung introduced Minho to you, you notice. The glaces that linger moments too long, the awkward laugh Jisung lets out only with you usually.
It's not jealousy of Jisung — no, more envy.
Because despite this weird dynamic with Jisung, you care about him, you want him. It's why no relationship truly lasts because all you believed you needed was each other — maybe you were wrong.
Jisung on the other hand notice things too, he knew you and Minho well, you both were the closest people to him in his life and he catches on quickly.
Minho, who typically doesn't start conversations out of the blue, always does with you, paying extra attention, nodding along.
Now Jisung would never say anything, no he doesn't want to bring it up because what if he's wrong — or worse, right?
Because Minho isn't like anyone else you would date, he would stick around because he understands to an extent your relationship with Jisung so he wouldn't be threatened right — that's why all your previous relationships ended, because they were insecure but what if he loses you —
Okay, now Jisung said he wouldnt mention it to Minho but you — you were his best friend of course he was going to tell you!
A random Sunday night is when it all clicked in both of your heads, both of you feeling things, silly doubts and one common thing — you both wanted Minho, and each other.
So you plotted, poorly, with no actual plan — basically just going off booze and a whim.
A 'strategically' planned night out, Jisung said it was fool proof but you cant help but be apprehensive.
You randomly messaged Minho, who replied instantly in your little three person group chat you made awhile ago.
Somehow all of your friends couldn't make it so it was just you, Jisung and Minho.
This of course made so much sense in Jisung's mind, you couldn't fight him on it.
At the bar you're focused, well as focused as you can be while slightly tipsy, not drinking a lot as you know what's hopefully going to happen.
You're at the bar, grabbing a round for the three of you, Minho yet to question why its just the three of you so far. When you notice they arent there — looking around at the near by tables to check that maybe you were just losing your mind but no, they weren't anywhere.
Checking over the obvious places, calling out their names you hesitantly check the males bathroom, not in the mood to get flashed, what you find is so much better.
Jisung pressed against the bathrooms sink, his lips attached to Minho's, way too lost in the moment to notice you right away, his hands tangled in his hair, Minho has his knee pressed between Jisung's thighs keeping them parted, faintly hearing a moan escape Jisung's lips.
Only once they hear the bathroom door close do they freeze, looking at you standing in the doorway, Minho looking shocked, a bit unravelled, Jisung however looks so far gone, his hair messed up and lips pink and glossy.
Almost like time stilled for a moment, all outside noises quietening for a second. Only when you smile a bit, taking in the sight of them do they seem to regain functionality.
"You started without me Sungie?" You drag out the question with an almost whine, Jisung lets out a choked moan, his grip loosening on Minho.
Minho, ever the quick one, catches on instantly. Sucking in a shaky breath before pulling from Jisung, not without a small whine in protest.
"What is wrong with you both." His voice still edging on confusion, laced with something more. You cant help but glace at Jisung than back at Minho.
"I guess you're gonna have to try and find out, hm?"
The ride home was blurry, calling an uber was the safest bet, none of you truly sober enough to drive.
The ride back felt torturously long, settling on your apartment as it was the closest. Stuck snug between both of the guys felt like heaven and hell, Jisung's leg drumming up and down anxiously, Minho's almost stoic expression making both of you confused and slightly turned on but we dont talk about that.
The feeling of being literally in between both of them makes your brain go haywire, swirling with all of the possibilities of when you get into the apartment, the excitement, the thrill.
Unconsciously you start clenching your thighs together, of course Minho notices, the guy notices everything about you.
The 20 minute drive felt like an hour, the warmth almost unbearable.
Finally when you arrive, you're suddenly thankful of the long walk, mad at the uber feeling like forever but the reality slowly dawning on you.
Not fear per say, just adrenaline finally dropping.
Jisung is no better, suddenly both of your confident acts crumbling under the idea of Minho.
Minho — who has the straightest face, like he's going to a board meeting not a possible friendship altering encounter.
Entering the apartment should have felt relaxing but it didn't, Minho takes in the space briefly before he makes a long stride to you his hands cupping your face kissing you hard.
Instinctively you moan into the kiss, giving him all the control which you can feel the cocky bastard smile into the kiss. Your fingers curl into the loose fabric of his jacket noticing Jisung's presence lingering close by, hearing the familiar sound of his desperate whines.
Minho breaks the kiss suddenly, leaving you to try and chase his lips, the sudden feeling of disappointment is quickly fading when he pulls Jisung closer, tilting the younger boys jaw so he can kiss him, making sure you're watching.
A small gasped moan escapes from your throat, the sight of them making you go insane with need. A moment later the kiss ends, Jisung looking probably just as desperate and pathetic as you.
"Wheres your bedroom?" Minho's voice coming out broken, catching his breath from the kiss with Jisung. You quickly try and regain composer as you walk ahead of him, guiding him and Jisung to your bedroom.
You can barely process it, clothes ending up mindlessly anywhere on the floor, feeling exposed — all of your thoughts quickly silencing when Jisung kisses you, Minho watching right in front of you.
Your fingers curl into Jisung's hair, pulling helplessly on the strands, desperate for more. Jisung was just as needy, feeling his cock hard against your thigh, rutting against it.
"Poor Sungie has been suffering since the bar —" Minho's words suddenly breaking the silence, your lips still brushed against Jisung's, feeling his breathing grow unsteady. "Be a good girl and help our boy — gonna be good for me, kitty?"
As soon as the nickname falls from his lips you're gone, nodding helplessly at him. Your hands dragging over Jisung as Minho helps him lean against the pillows moving next to him, his thumbs grazing over Jisung's nipples, a breathy gasp from him.
Moving to sit between his legs, your hand slides over the plush of his thighs, enjoying the sweet sounds he's making — Jisung whose always been sensitive everywhere basically.
Slowly your fingers drift to his cock — your thumb tracing over his sensitive tip, gliding over the slit, smearing the cum down his cock.
Before Jisung can even make a proper sound Minho's on him, his lips attaching to Jisung's, Minho's tongue gliding over his bottom lip before his tongue meets his.
Your hand glides up his cock, your thumb pressing against his lip, briefly looking up at him before you lick the head.
His shallow moans muffled by Minho, you can feel heat pooling between your legs at the sight, quickly you wrap your lips around his cock, bobbing your head gagging slightly when he bucks up into your mouth, forcing his cock deeper into you.
Before you can process Minho's hand tangles into your hair pulling you off Jisung's cock. His thumb swipes over your bottom lips, collecting all the spit that gathered from sucking Jisung off, pushing his thumb into your mouth, pressing it against your tongue.
Instinctively you suck, moaning around his thumb, Jisung watches with huge eyes, letting out a strangled sound. Minho however looks pleased, pulling his thumb from your mouth, his fingers brushing over your cheek, his lips so close to yours but he doesn't press them against yours yet.
"Lay down for me, kitty." His voice is barely above a whisper, quickly and haphazardly shift besides Jisung, your thigh pressed against his you're sitting so close.
Minho moves slowly in front of you, not hesitantly, calculated, likes he's trying to control the situation and you both to every degree.
His hands press against your knees, parting them — his eyes immediately drifting down to your exposed cunt, your slick coating your pussy, nearly dripping onto the mattress.
"Look at you — all that from watching me and Hannie?" He coos gently, his tone dripping with condescension.
You cant even muster out any words, a small sound escaping from your throat as Minho slips down onto his stomach, his hands perched directly on your thighs to keep you still and spread out for him.
Jisung is just watching this unfold, feeling his cock twitch as the view in front of him. Two of his best friends who he wants so bad — its genuinely his wet dream.
Minho's focused, his eyes trained on your pussy, watching as you clench around nothing — just as you're about to say something he's on you.
His tongue almost exploring, kitten licking over your cunt before licking a long stripe. Your hands instantly go to his hair, anchoring yourself.
His movements are precise, his tongue swiping over your clit teasingly before prodding at your soaked hole.
You're already embarrassingly close, Jisung and Minho can tell, almost as soon as you feel your orgasm building — Minho pulls away.
"What—" You barely even get one word out before Minho is on you, you can feel his tip slide up your cunt making you moan unexpectedly.
"Gonna be a good girl and put a show on for Sungie?" His eyes glace over at Jisung who somehow looks more wrecked than you.
Not really trusting your words you nod — feeling your thighs start to shake with anticipation.
Slowly Minho pushes in — he feels different than Jisung, longer but not as thick. Quickly he bottoms out, his breathing coming out ragged and uneven.
The feeling takes over you, small shaky moans leaving your lips, adjusting to him. Minho swipes his thumb over your perked nipples, distracting you from the stretch. Quickly The sting morphs into pleasure, arching into him as you squirm under his touch.
Jisung's eyes are trained on you, watching as Minho's cock slides in out of your wet cunt, listening to the mixed sounds of the wet sound and your sweet moans. He cant help but touch himself to the sight of you both.
Pressing his thumb directly over his sensitive tip, using the spit you left on him earlier to wet his cock, stroking his throbbing cock to you getting fucked.
Minho's thrusts are slow and deep, fucking into you like he's trying to mark you — and maybe he is.
"Look at you — both of you, acting pathetic after weeks of eye fucking me." Minho spits out, the sudden realisation that he knew. You can only moan in response, his thrusts growing sharper. "You act all innocent and guarded but you just needed me and Jisung to fuck you stupid, huh?" His words mocking you, leaving you to respond but you cant, his cock pistoling inside of you, hitting that gummy shot with insane precision.
Minho doesn't stop — finally getting to fuck you only turns him mean, his filter completely gone as he looks over at Jisung whose fisting his own cock. "What's the matter Sungie? Too busy being a desperate little slut — what, you get off on watching your best friends, fuck — Shit, she's so tight for us Ji, I think she can take both of us one day."
Minho is talking nonsense at this point, his head clouded with the feeling of your snug walls milking his cock.
Jisung is a pathetic moaning mess — everything is too much, your orgasm is building fast — the feeling oh Minho pounding into your sopping cunt, Jisung's moans echoing through the room mixed with yours.
Jisung can tell — the slight shift of your actions and knowing you all too well. His movements dont stop, reaching over to you — crashing his lips onto yours, swallowing all your sweet moans.
"Come on Hannie — you gonna cum for us?" Minho's voice grows even more ragged, shifting your leg over his arm to fuck you even deeper.
Jisung moans into your mouth, his hand twisting around his cock faster, his thumb swiping over the slit before letting out a silent cry, cumming hard.
"You wanna cum too, kitty? Wanna cum with Sungie — shit, so good for me go on, cum for me angel." Minho's thrusts grow sloppy, his own orgasm creeping up on him, the feeling of your tight walls sucking him in while Jisung is moaning his name.
Minho's words break you, spasming around him as your orgasm crashes over you — moaning desperately into Jisung's mouth, clawing into the sheet — his hair, anything as you ride out your orgasm.
Minho cums at the feeling of you cumming around his cock — his grip on your thighs tightening — letting out a string of groans as he fucks you through your orgasms filling you up — fucking his cum back into you.
Everything slows, everyone's senses dial down, the highs slowly fading. Minho pulls out slowly, watching as your cunt drips with the mixture of your cum.
Minho looks over at Jisung who is also looking at your glistening pussy, his eyes drifting to notice Jisung's cock, which is already half hard again.
"So desperate for our girl still, hm?" A cat like smirk forms on Minho's lips, teasing Jisung. "Wanna taste of her? Think you can handle it Ji?"
Jisung quickly perks up, a small whine escaping at the thought, quickly shifting to take Minho's spot between your legs, diving straight in.
Jisung quickly laps up all of yours and Minho's cum, moaning at the taste, his hips grinding into the mattress.
His tongue gliding over your clit, sucking it hard, moaning against your pussy.
Already so overstimulated from your previous orgasm, this one comes fast and hard — your thighs clenching around Jisung's head.
Jisung only moans at your thighs nearly crushing his head — his ruts into the bed only growing more desperate and needy.
Minho is watching closely, his eyes never straying from you and Jisung, his lips parted from how heavy he's breathing, almost memorised by you both.
Your orgasm comes crashing over you as Jisung sucks on your clit, moaning helplessly into your cunt.
Jisung sucks you through your orgasm, his own building fast, moaning pathetically into your pussy, mumbling sweet praises, the friction between his bare cock and the sheets forcing his own orgasm out of him.
Moments pass — Jisung hesitantly leaves your cunt, noticing how you twitched and probably were sore, resting his head on your thigh, catching his own mess.
Before you can realise Minho left the room, coming back quickly, his boxers back on as he kneels onto the mattress.
Silently helping you both put some clothes on, Minho puts Jisung's shirt on you while helping slide Jisung's boxers on. Handing both of you a glass of water, sitting in front of you, his eyes never leaving yours — unable to read what he's thinking.
Once Jisung basically chugs his drink, putting the glass onto the bedside table, he buries into your side, you take note of the small smile creeping up onto Minho's lips.
While buried into your side you play with his hair, brushing strands stuck to his forehead from his face when he mumbles into your shoulder.
“Kim Da-hee, whatever it is, spill it out! I can see gears turning in your head to lie to my face! You better not! I know very well when you lie,” she threatened, her voice dropping low.
A nervous laugh escaped me “Whoa, full government name? Then this must be serious…”
“What do you think, Da-Hee? Is it serious?” she fires back, her tone serious.
“Okay, okay, but promise not to judge me too harshly, yeah?” She nodded in reply.
“Remember the photos you sent me of SKZ’s performance yesterday? The one you took mid-dancing?” I asked her, my fingers automatically going to my sweater’s sleeves and pulling it.
“Yeah, of course i did!! Those were the best shots I got? Why? Did it feel too real like you were there watching them in real life? You should thank my camera!”S She went on bragging about it. Then she stops mid-sentence, “wait, that’s not why…sorry I got carried away..What did you find?” She asks instead.
I took a shuddering breath, “It, was too clear” I whispered, my eyes cast low. My fingers then moved to the quiet reminder my soulmate wrote on my hand. “Ji young-ah, the one photo of Minho, it looks like-” my voice cracked, and I cleared my throat to try again.
Instead, I took out my tablet and swapped to the picture that gave me the existential crisis this morning before school. " Young’ah, look..” I ordered her as I flipped the camera on my phone and zoomed in on the chest, where the black shirt moved a bit during the performance.
She was silent for a whole minute, before I could tell her to forget it, she started, " Emms, that’s what I think it is right? Look at tha-” I interrupted her before she could complete it.
“Nope, it’s not, I am soo sure it’s not. I spend half an hour in the ungodly hour of the morning trying to make sense of it, you know, it can be a lightning, or a thread, or even a piece of jewellery, you know? Or it could even be a tattoo, just not mine. I don’t think it is…” I trailed off, my voice getting lower as I finished telling her.
“But..?” she prompted me to continue. She knew that was not it; there is something more to it. She knew me for the longest time, she knows about my bonds, my soulmates, the tattoo, the placement, the font, the exact curve because of the hours we both spent in our university dorm trying to research our soulbonds. I am so sure we visited pretty much the entire site that existed back then just to satisfy our curiosity.
“It’s just that, it felt soo real, like for a second I really thought it was him, you know,” I whispered to her. “I am just so stupid, I literally feel like those crazy fans trying to project my own delusion and fantasies onto an idol.”
“Emma, it’s valid to feel like that. I know you, hell, I have known you since nineteen, I know the desperation you have to find him, the only bond you don’t know. It’s not stupid at all.” She reassured me. “And believe me if I ever find an idol with the same mark as mine, I will go crazy”
“Yea?”
“Yup, I definitely will for sure! Now there was something else too. spill.”
At that question, I told her about my entire evening after returning from school, the ice cream in this weather to the lady who was a shaman. By the time I finished it, her jaw was on the floor, and her eyes widened.
I snorted at her reaction before calling her name twice to bring her back to reality.
“That is worse than the morning one! What the heck, man? OLD SOUL? What are you? huhh…Unbelievable.. People these days say anything regardless of their status,” she complained very loudly.
I smiled at her, my mood lifting completely at her attitude towards it. From the comforting words of my soulmate to Ji Young’s insights, I felt calmer than I had been for a long time.
“By the way, Mama Park called for dinner next week at her place,” I informed her. “She told me to bring you with me”
“Oh, nice! But as much as I love her gigantic house and 5-star food, I can’t return to Korea for that reason. Tell her thank you and sorry on my behalf.” She chuckled.
“I sure will”
Mama Park, Grandma Park, my mother’s mother, who lives in Busan and conducts dinner almost every month for her kids and grandkids. Well its called a dinner, but we are expected to reach there before 8 in the morning, not to help but bond with our cousins. I pulled along Ji- young with me for the first dinner here without my mother after she left for Britain, where my dad and my siblings are, and she has been going to almost all dinners with me. And now, grandmother looks forward to meeting her, along with me. We started calling her Mama Park because of her kind nature to take in anyone who tags along with the grandkids. The nickname started as a joke, but now it has stuck to her.
From there onwards, the conversation took a lighter turn. We talked about her upcoming work there in Japan, visiting potential film locations, booking the places, and filming. She said she will be back within two weeks for Christmas and the New Year after finishing the booking and location hunting, and leave by mid-January with the actors to film the series. By the time the call ended, I had already applied for a long-awaited leave from school for two days. Since I already finished drafting the question papers, I feel better about taking a leave not guilty like before.
After the call, I made some food by myself from scratch as a form of therapy, the kind of therapy that ain’t that expensive but it did help me to clear my mind further. I completed the movie that was paused when Ji Young called. I did my skin care routine, taking all the time in the world, and also took a bunch of vitamins, praying that there isn’t any random pain on my body tomorrow.
————————————————————————————————————————
Since I applied for leave on Thursday and Friday and then the weekend, I had all the time in the world. I woke up late; instead of waking up at 6 to get ready for school, I woke up past nine, had a late breakfast, and caught up with my sisters and brother living away. Then I went out for lunch in a restaurant I had wanted to try for a long time. In the evening, I decided to go shopping for new clothes to wear to school and for some formal wear, knowing that my cousins’ weddings will be lining up in the next few months, and a few gifts for Christmas.
I left the shopping mall with a very satisfied heart and a noticeable dent in my bank account. It’s not like I have anything else to spend on, I thought as I went to a bakery to buy a cake just because I can and want to.
I returned home satisfied and fully ready for bed. And for the next three days, I took my time grading essays, replying to students’ messages about the exams, and helping my family organize a menu for next week’s dinner. I also made sure to update both my soulmates about the things that went down on my four-day leave. We took our time talking about everything and nothing at the same time. It was a comforting and much-needed break.
In the next few days leading up to my dinner at Mama Park’s house, I felt like a normal person again. Like the reliable Ms Kim, who teaches English again, not the one who was on the verge of breaking down over photos and shaman’s tales. The very uneventful week was very much needed after the confusing and overwhelming days of the past week. I didn’t know I would miss the students’ chatter this much after not hearing it during the past four-day break. I spent the week revising the chapters for exams, planning for the next term, and tutoring the students who needed an extra hand in their studies. It was a mundane week, but it was mine, and I grew to love it.
By the time Friday rolled around, I was ready for a reset at Mama Park’s mansion, which, in her words, is a humble home. I made sure to finish up the usual work I do during the weekend, packed an overnight bag with a mandatory swimsuit I was asked to pack by my cousins to swim in the heated pool there. I went to bed extra early to wake up at an ungodly hour to travel to Busan.
I went to the train station around 5:30 am with a thermal of coffee, hoping to make it before the ‘8 am deadline. I slept on the two-hour travel there, hoping that it would refill my energy to socialize well enough. I hopped on the taxi to the house after disembarking the train. As the taxi rolled over to the very big ‘humble home,’ it was almost 5 minutes past eight. I paid the driver and stood in front of the door waiting for it to open when I heard a loud crash and some laughing.
‘It looks like the twins are at it again’ I thought with a smile that wipped out the moment I was tackled into a hug by Min-woo, my youngest aunt’s son, who is in college.
“Get off, you overgrown kid, I can’t handle your weight!!” I struggled to get him of me and failed miserably. He laughed at it and let me in the house. The house or mansion was filled with all the kids from my mom’s side. Dinner hosted by Mama Park was a big deal after all. I moved to the living room to find half of the cousins there. I was called out the moment I was spotted.
“You are six minutes and forty five seconds late, Da hee!” Ha-joon yelled at me from the couch he seems to be very comfortable.
“Are you keeping a count of the seconds too, oppa?” I asked as I scanned the room for my grandmother.
“Its not every day Ms Kim is late. Today must be special. Wh-” the question was interrupted by a groan from him, looking back to the couch, I found his twin sister, Ha-eun, who smacked his head with a pillow.
“Ha joon, be nice!” She scolded him. It was no surprise to me. Even at the ripe of age of 26, they seem not to have let go of the habit of quarreling like children.
“Da hee!! You are here my girl! At last, I missed you so much!” I looked at the sound and found Grandma Lee coming with open arms. I entered her arms and hugged her tightly, ‘gosh, I really need to visit here more often,’ I thought
“I missed you too, Grandma..” I was pulled away from the hug, and she told me, “Go and tell your Mama Park you are here; she has been nagging my ear off thinking you are lost somewhere.”
“OH..Then i will go right now” I replied and went inside the kitchen to find my other grandmother. My grandfather has two soulmates, Grandma Park and Grandma Lee but the twist was they both found each other first before grandpa did. It was a funny story to hear about their earlier life from them, hear about their earlier life from them. Then they had six kids together. Over those years, the generational lines blurred, and now no one really talks about who is whose kid anymore or cousins; it’s just the whole family with lots of kids.
“Grandma park!! Guess who it is? It’s me!!” I yelled as I entered a very large kitchen there. The kitchen was always filled with chefs, but on special days, Grandma Park likes to observe the cooking and help out there.
“Da Hee! You are here! Thank god! I thought you were lost somewhere. I told you so many times I will send you our driver to fetch you,” she said as she held me at arm’s length, looking over me, no doubt checking if I lost the weight she worked hard to put on me by feeding me here.
“Mama Park, I don’t need drivers coming to pick me up you know? I am not a kid anymore! Besides, it was just a train ride over here. Why waste the money on drivers?” I questioned her as she turned around to call a chef over.
“You are still a kid in my eyes. Besides, we already pay those drivers a lot, so it’s not a waste to send them to fetch you.. I hope you didn’t eat breakfast yet,” She said that to me and turned to the chef, " make some tea and bring it with biscuits to the sitting room, please.”
After catching up with Grandma Park about Mom and my siblings over a cup of tea, about half an hour later.We were called over for breakfast. I was hit by the smell of the food they cooked up in the kitchen. Entering the living room, I found that the entire table was neatly arranged and filled with food that would leave you stuffed for a while.
My uncles and aunts were still coming in from the dining room, greeting everyone already there. I got head pats from uncles and, aunts kissed me on the cheeks before sitting.
“Oh look who is here, Hyun Jae! Our savior!!” Jae Hyun cheered as he entered the area, calling out to his younger twin brother who looked dead on his feet.
“Hello Jae Hyun, and you too Hyun Jae” I waved at them. Hyun jae mumbled in reply before plopping down on the chair, faceplanting on the table. Jae Hyun, on the other hand, came over to me and hugged me. It was suspicious; he was never the one for any form of affection.
“hello noona dear”
“Hello Jae, what do you need?” I asked him.
He let out a scandalous gasp at that, “Wow, now you think I only hug you when I need something? You are misplacing your judgment here, you know!” he pouts.
“No Jae, I do not know how the questions will come for exams, you have to study everything,” I told him.
His pout intensified at that. “How do you know I was going to ask about that? But can’t you help me?”
“What else can a high schooler like you even ask for? I can help you by assigning worksheets. Do you want some?” I questioned him. At that, he quietly mumbled “no need” before going back to his seat near his brother. His brother Hyun-Jae, in turn, gave a condescending pat on his back.
“Hello Emaline, how are you doing?” Turning around, I came face to face with Min Jun. Out of all fourteen cousins, he was the only one who still called me by my English name. He was a professor in Seoul National University, teaching history.
“Hi oppa, you look like you could use some sleep,” I commented. He looks shagged. His hairs out of place from his usual combed and still in his pajamas.
“I told him a hundred times to go to sleep earlier, but he was petty and wanted to win against the twins,” Grandma Lee pointed out. That explains Min jun’s and Hyun Jae’s zombie-like condition. They both are a bit too competitive when it comes to literally anything. Although Hyun Jae is way younger than Min Jun by over a decade, they still compete as if that age gap doesn’t exist. Sighing at Grandma Lee’s explanation, Min Jun took the seat next to me.
" At least tell me you won at last,” I whispered to him, and in turn, I got a glare. Holding my laughter, I turned to my food, waiting for everyone to sit. Min Jun definitely lost. I could understand that from the glare he cast at me.
My grandfather arrived next from his morning walk, taking time to greet everyone properly, and he also sat at the table, and we started to eat.
“Do you have some news to share, Da hee?” Min-Jun asks while eating. I took my time thinking about what news he could be implying.
" News about what? About Ji Young landing on a new drama?”
“We heard about that from grandma”. That explains why they aren’t all over me asking why she isn’t here today. He cuts in before I could ask him what other news are there to tell him.
“You know about your soulmates…” he lowered his voice. “Did you not meet them?” he asks,his voice unmistakably curious.
“Oppa, I didn’t meet them. Why?” I questioned back, my hand tensing around the chopstick I was holding. My thought went back almost two weeks to the performance and red carpet moment, the ones I was able to forget until he brought the topic back.
“Then there is something else bothering you. You even took an unexpected leave from school for Thursday and Friday.” He explains as his eyes narrow down at me. A cold shiver went down my spine from the questioning. Instead of explaining, I fired back,
“Are you stalking me or something? How did you know I took leave?” The question was supposed to be in a joking tone, but my voice got sharper and more defensive. If Min-Jun noticed the shift in my tone, he didn’t mention it.
He took a sip of the soup in front of him, motioning me to do the same before answering, “I came to visit you at your school on Friday. I had a meeting nearby, but I heard you weren’t there.”
“Oh, that explains. You should have visited my home, it was only like a ten minute drive from school.” He waves me off.
“I was just passing by, besides, I knew we were going to meet here today, so I didn’t bother disturbing you on your day off.” I hummed back in reply and focused on my meals. The two sets of twins were arguing passionately about the best movie to watch later today and a tired aunt was trying to stop them from yelling over the food.
“And did you know the university was conducting a study into soulmates and their bonds?” He asked suddenly out of nowhere. I raised my eyebrow at the question. Many people don’t research more into that because they believe that it is a blessing and nothing is worth a scientific explanation.
“Yeah, you did tell me that last time. Is the research going well?”
“We are considering the possibility of the soulmates connecting through time..” At that, my heart dropped to my stomach, and I felt like I was going to hurl the food that was in my stomach. I felt a chill go up my spine. I had to grip my spoon tightly to not drop it.
" Oppa, what do you mean by that?” I inquired, trying to make my voice steady and not shake too much to raise any concerns.
“Well, it’s just a talk, honestly. Like if the soulmates are connected in this life as it was in the past. That past life, if that exists….”
“No, no, it’s you I know it’s you…” She repeated again, locking her eyes with mine, seemingly searching for something.
“Ma’am, are you lost? Should I lead you somewhere? Do you have anywhere to go or call?” I asked instead, but it went unheard as she didn’t answer.
I looked around to see if anyone was searching for her, but I found no one other than people on walks or runs. I guided her to the bench I was sitting on earlier to ask her any information regarding herself.
“So you don’t remember? How is that supposed to happen..? she asks herself, and maybe me too, as I stood nearby trying to locate her guardian.
“You are here now, that’s what it matters.Did you meet them?” That caught my attention and I turned to her, questioning.
“Meet who?” I asked, but I have a lingering feeling that I know who she is talking about.
“What took you so long to come back here? You should have hurried back here. You took too long,” she sobbed into her hands. That did nothing to clear my confusion.
“Please, I am sure you got the wrong person here, ma’am. I don’t think we have met before.” I tried explaining, but that just added fuel to the fire as she sobbed harder. I got some weird looks from people passing by, and gave a nervous smile and bowed as sorry.
“How can you say that? How can you not remember me out of all people? I took care of you! You shouldn’t have forgotten me. Look at you, you look the same to me, still the little girl I took care of when no one did.” Hearing her talk like that filled me with dread and terror. I have a very loving family back home who still wants me to move back to them to pamper me. And as far as I know, we didn’t come to Korea when I was little, so this doesn’t make any sense at all.
I tried to rack my brain thinking about any distant relative of my mom living here, but came up short. All her relatives are in Busan, and I meet them every month at a dinner hosted by my grandmother. I found a cooler nearby and came back with a water bottle for her. She seems to have calmed down after drinking the water, and I internally sighed in relief.
Maybe now she can tell me where she is from so I can find her guardians.” I thought to myself, but before I could voice my thoughts, her voice interrupted me.
“Oh, right.. Maybe you don’t remember anything at all! After all, it’s a new body with the same soul.But it’s for the good….” She mumbled lowly, and I almost didn’t catch it. It did nothing to explain my confusion.
‘What is she going on about? old soul? As far as I know, I am 23 years old. Wait, do I look old? I doubt it’ I thought as I stared at the lady sitting there.
But the phrase ‘it’s a new body with a new soul’ really confused me. I know in my mind it’s not anything related to me. Logically, it’s not; she is old, and she seems unaware of her surroundings and doesn’t seem to be in her right mind. Maybe she has dementia or mistook me for someone she knew before. But despite that, my heart began racing and thumping behind my ribs.
She suddenly held my hands, “You have to find them.”
“Ma’am, can you explain who I should find? I don’t think I get you..” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady and panic at bay. I know I probably shouldn’t indulge in talking to her, but something made me curious. But then soon got frustrated as she didn’t answer to my question.
' Deep breath, deep breath,’ I tell myself as I try to calm myself down.
I then heard panicked voices calling her, “Helmeoni! Helmeoni” I raised my hand to call them and they hurried over. There was a young man around mid-20s with an older woman running over.
“Oh my god! What are you doing outside with light clothes in this weather?” the lady frets over her as she checks for potential injuries. The guy had a visible sense of relief written all over his face as he bowed to me.
“I am so sorry if she bothered you! She just slipped out without us knowing when I opened the door. Thank you a lot,” He explained with an apology. I tried to wave him off, denying it, trying my best to smile back to show I have no problem.
“No, no, it’s fine. She was a bit lost here..” I trailed off, my voice breaking off because of the nerves.
“Min-jun, take her home please” the older lady ordered as she turned to me. The guy, Min-jun nodded and gave another bow and helped the helmeoni walk.
“I am sorry on my mom’s behalf. She has Alzheimer’s, and it gets quite bad at times. She forgets time too sometimes, retelling stories of years ago as if it wasn’t old memories. If she said anything weird, I hope you don’t take it to heart. I apologise again.” I told her it was no problem as I shoved my trembling hands inside the pockets of my jacket, trying to appear unaffected.
“She was a shaman before all this happened, so..” She trailed off, hoping that would explain the behavior. That explanation freaked me out more than reassure me.
“It really is fine,” I reassured her. She bowed again and left me standing there, confused and terrified.
I quickly turned around and walked back home. On the way, my mind kept repeating the old lady’s words.
‘new body with the same soul’
‘She was a shaman’
‘new body with the same soul’
‘She was a shaman’
‘old soul in a new-’ I forced myself to stop thinking about her words. Her daughter said that she had Alzheimer’s, so it’s normal to mistake people for others. I know that logically, but she was also a shaman before. Although I am not particularly religious, I am aware who shamans are and how they work. It was one of the many things in Korean culture and practices.
‘So maybe the old lady’s word held some truth?’ That thought sends a shiver down my back. I quickly walked back home, but my thoughts kept looping back to their words.
I reached home and took out my phone. I rang Ji-young, silently praying that she would pick up the phone. Hoping that the phone call and talking to her will keep me grounded. But her phone was switched off. That was when I felt a slight nudge on my mental barrier.
“You okay? Wait- wrong question. What happened today? You are on the verge and very jumpy today,” he projected his thoughts to me. His voice, which was usually light and teasing, was now stripped out of it, asking with concern.
Just then, I felt a tickling sensation of my other soulmate asking if I was okay, too. I wiped the pen and just wrote ‘big and heavy day’ and capped it before replying to the question in the telepathic bond.
“It was a bad day. Not a bad day, but definitely heavy. It just went out of control. I had the whole day planned, but nothing went through…” I mumbled as I pulled my knees closer to my chest while sitting on the couch.
“Love, we both know it’s not just that, right? I know I talked to you during your free time, and you didn’t mention it. I didn’t want to pressure you that time”
Hearing that hit a sensitive spot, and I can feel my defensive side rising to talk back. “I don’t have to report everything to you, you know? I mean, do I have to?”
“You don’t have to explain anything to me. I am sorry if I made you feel like that with my question framing, but sometimes having two people carrying it is better than one. I can just listen to you.” That soft reassurance made the sharp edges of my defensiveness melt away.
I pressed my lips together before apologizing. “I am sorry for snapping at you. It’s just been a very bad day ever since I woke up. I have no idea how to even tell you all this information. Its too much and overwhelming. ” I explained as my voice cracked a little. “I don’t want to throw that on you…” I added quietly.
“Just talk to me yea? And we don’t have the open space for nothing, you know. It’s a place for us to talk about everything, it doesn’t matter if it’s serious or small or feels silly to be upset about, I can always listen to it.” He paused and then continued with a small voice, “it’s the only thing I can do for you, so please don’t push me away”
“Yeah,i won’t push-” before I could even complete it, my eyes started to blur with the tears which I had been trying to hold in for the entire day. I tried to blink it away, but the burning pain persisted behind my eyelids, and my throat started to close up from the emotions.
Before I registered, I was full-on sobbing my eyes out into my knees. All I could feel was the helplessness I felt today. From the zoomed-in picture to seeing the familiar eyes of Jessica Bhang that gave me a sense of deja vu, to the frail woman’s words, who was a shaman. It was pain, grief, terror, panic, and frustration all mixed, and for a moment I couldn’t breathe.
That was when I felt warmth spreading through my chest, helping me breathe easily. His presence felt heavy, but in a comforting way that made me feel like I wasn’t alone in this.I wasn’t expecting that at all. I expected him to run away or tell me to stop or at least panic when I broke down, but against all odds, he stood as an anchor in the storm of my emotions. I sobbed and cried like a toddler until I couldn’t open my eyes fully because of the puffiness, and my voice turned raw.
“Feel better now?” he asked instead of questioning the verity of emotion that he too felt during those moments. I let out a huge exhale at that, my head still on my knees. Now that I have calmed down, I feel the wetness of my tears on my pants. It was damp and cold. I cringed at the coldness on my face and pulled my face away from my knees.
I gave a tiny hum as a reply and continued to bask in the warmth my soulmate provided.
“Do you want to tell me about it or would you want to forget about it?” he asked gently.
“Yea I will tell you some part of it. Don’t judge too hard, it seems too stupid,,” I mumbled in embarrassment.
“I don’t care if it is. I still want to know and be there for you. You were there with me when my world got too heavy and helped me carry it, its only fair I do it for you too.”
“Hey, I just finished sobbing my eyes out, don’t make me cry again,” I scolded him lightly. He let out a small laugh at it.
“Anyways, remember how I said my friend was in Japan and she went to MAMA? Yea she took some amazing pictures..”
“Oh really? Did she get any Stray Kids ones?” he excitedly asks me. I mentally cringed at the question. Those photos were the exact problem for today. The confusion raised from those.
“You should admit it, you are a fan too right?” I asked instead.
“Ehhhh, you could say that. Now back to the topic”
“Feel better now?” he asked instead of questioning the verity of emotion that he too felt during those moments. I let out a huge exhale at that, my head still on my knees. Now that I have calmed down, I feel the wetness of my tears on my pants. It was damp and cold. I cringed at the coldness on my face and pulled my face away from my knees.
I gave a tiny hum as a reply and continued to bask in the warmth my soulmate provided.
“Do you want to tell me about it or would you want to forget about it?” he asked gently.
“Yea I will tell you some part of it. Don’t judge too hard, it seems too stupid,,” I mumbled in embarrassment.
“I don’t care if it is. I still want to know and be there for you. You were there with me when my world got too heavy and helped me carry it, its only fair I do it for you too.”
“Hey, I just finished sobbing my eyes out, don’t make me cry again,” I scolded him lightly. He let out a small laugh at it.
“Anyways, remember how I said my friend was in Japan and she went to MAMA? Yeah, she took some amazing pictures..”
“Oh, really? Did she get any Stray Kids ones?” he excitedly asks me. I mentally cringed at the question. Those photos were the exact problem for today. The confusion raised from those.
“You should admit it, you are a fan too, right?” I asked instead.
“Ehhhh, you could say that. Now back to the topic”
I sighed, knowing I couldn’t delay it any longer.
“Do you remember that I have a different bond? Not the ink one but the supposedly first words?” I asked tentatively. He hummed in response, urging me to continue.
“I saw a picture of someone who supposedly had some kinda tattoo? I think in almost the same place as on my chest. I am not sure it’s a tattoo, there is only a little seen, barely a letter, but I guess that led to my hopes up of finding at least one of you, but it wasn’t..”
“I feel so stupid for even thinking like that, you know? I mean, this guy is literally a global star, and I am just here. If we were fated, then destiny for sure had a weird sense of humor.” i confessed with bitter embarrassment flowing through me. For a second, the bond went still, silent.
‘Great! I shouldn’t have said that. I sounded like some fan trying to pin their fantasies on a global star.’ I thought as I was waiting for something on his end.
“That isn’t stupid, you know. Out of three bonds, you only know two; you will be desperate to find any connection to your third soulmate. Your brain will try to bridge anything related. Your brain doesn’t care if it’s a cafe shop worker or a global star, it’s not like that.” He explains gently, his voice low and soft-the voice he used to sing or hum melodies for me when I couldn’t sleep at night.
“And not just that, you know? Then I went to a park this evening, and this woman grabbed me out of nowhere. She seems lost, so I took her to a bench to sit until someone comes. But she looked at me and started crying badly. She said I forgot her and I shouldn’t have, but I didn’t even know her. Later, her daughter explained she has Alzheimer’s, and that’s why, and guess what? She was a shaman at first! Was that supposed to make me feel better after the weirdest things she told me? No!” I completely ranted to him, explaining my situation. I could feel anger and confusion rising in me at the thought itself, but that was quickly dispelled by him in my mind.
“Love..” He calls out gently.
“It’s ok to be terrified after that incident. We hear about shamans and their stories lots of time here. So hearing her talk like that is enough to freak you out. And on top of that, she has a memory problem too. There is no saying she meant to say it to you, right? So don’t dwell too much on it and leave it. If you meet her again and bring it up, then it’s concerning. Now it’s pure confusion.”
Hearing that gave me the comfort I didn’t know I needed. I felt a huge weight had been lifted off my back. " So you don’t find the situation weird at all?”
“Nope. Its understandable”
“Thank god,” I muttered.
After that, he said his goodbyes and left for his work. I then remember my other soulmate’s writing, and I moved my sleeves to find the reminders to eat and drink plenty to be in a good mood. I thanked him and then just sat there staring at the wall for a few minutes before finally getting up and cleaning myself up.
Later, when I was watching a movie, I got a call from Ji Young. She started apologizing, saying that her phone’s battery got so low, but she forgot to plug it in before sleeping. We talked about her experience of the concert, completely putting the Minho situation behind me. She talked about the fans she met, the red carpet, the events, and all.
“Did you see the pictures I sent you? Were they good, right? My camera quality was a little too good,” she bragged about the camera in her new phone.
Seeing I wasn’t replying, she looked up and narrowed her eyes at me, “You are hiding something. What is it?”
I winced at the interrogatory tone of hers, bracing myself before replying, " about that….”
“Wait…Is that what I think it is..? No way, right…?” I thought to myself as I tried to see what it was more clearly.
“Nah, I am just making it up in my head,” I thought to myself, but I found myself scrolling through other pictures to see if there was another angle of this. I found a few pictures, but none of them were caught in those pictures. I then spent the next half an hour browsing through the internet for any other photos of Lee Know with it, but I was left disappointed. I wanted to call Ji Young, but I doubt that she is awake at this time of the day, especially after the award show the day before. She messaged me along with the pictures, saying that she is going to crash to bed and wouldn’t be awake if I tried to call her.
I scrolled back to the picture that raised my suspicion and zoomed in again. ‘Maybe I am just paranoid, ’ I thought. It’s just a little black ink shown, not even a word. I could barely make out the letter that looks like ‘s’ in the picture.
Besides, looking at his clothes, there are some ornaments on them, or it can even be cloth tape, wires, or even a stray thread. Or maybe some stage makeup or tattoos like many idols have.
I sighed as my phone’s screen turned black and stared at the blurry reflection. ‘I should stop projecting my own ideas on these idols. Maybe I am just sleep-deprived and not thinking straight.’
‘Even if it was his soulmark, what are even the chances that a global star being bonded to me, a high school teacher, even though its placement is almost the same as mine? I hope to really meet mine soon so I can take it easy with these suspicions.” I thought bitterly as my hand brushed over my own tattoo there subconsciously.
I was snapped out of my thoughts when my alarm rang, urging me to start getting ready for the day. At least going to school will give me a sense of normality after this and help me keep distracted.
I was out the door by 7 after a big cup of coffee and breakfast. I double-checked my bag to see if the folders of the question papers were there before going to KIS. I turned on the radio, hoping their fast-paced songs would give me energy to continue the day.
i went straight to the department head’s office to drop off the papers. “You are early to drop these off as usual. Thank you!”
“No problem,” I muttered as I rearranged the stack of exam papers there. “oh, the new kid- did you talk to him yet? " I turned and asked our department head.
" I did! The kid got a perfect score until now and so far and doesn’t need extra guidance for him in his studies; we just have to keep an eye out for him until he settles. And his parents may visit this evening; they couldn’t discuss a lot before.”
" Oh, thank you for informing me,” I replied to her. Parents visiting isn’t anything unusual. New parents often come to make sure their kids are doing well once in a while until they get the hang of this school.
I left the office for my homeroom, greeting students on my way. I was prepping my class before the bell when I felt my soulmate singing another song. It feels like he is doing it for fun, as I can point out many places where he sang off-key. I greeted him with a good morning before focusing on the class as the bell rang.
After a class of reteaching the tenses for the hundredth time this year, I went to the next class again just to repeat the same thing there. What the students didnt know was that the class test conducted by ‘surprise’ tomorrow will have those questions. I thought about it and chuckled lightly.
“You are plain evil at this point? Surprise tests? Everyone hates it!” my soulmate fired back at me at my thought.
“Oh shush…I don’t make the rules. By the way, were you humming ‘My Heart Will Go On’ by chance?”
“YUP!!its good right?” He asked with a laugh.
“Yeah, as good as it can get with someone butchering it,” I replied sarcastically.
I continued, " you know, for someone who works with singers, your pitch is terrible today”
He scoffs, “Just so that you know, I can sing very well! Everyone loves it.”
“Sure, mister!”
“I will prove it to you when I meet you! I will never shut up then! I will sing to in the morning, afternoon, and at night too!” He goes on, whining.
“At night too? Is that a threat or a promise?” I teased him.
“Yea, I gotta show off my skills-Oh wait, what do you mean? YA! You know what? Go back to teaching kids ..”He replies, and by the tone, he seems flustered.
Talking to him anchored me to reality. He really affects people to stop them from spiraling. Maybe I was overthinking about the Minho thing. I have three soulmates, and that doesn’t mean everyone I suspect is mine. By default, that means Minho isn’t mine at all.
I was in the staff’s office when the department head came in and informed me that the new student’s parents were here. I quickly bid goodbye to my soulmate. I took a file about the information they might ask and moved to a room where parents and teachers meet the majority of the time.
I moved into the room and found them already there. I quickly bowed to them, and it was returned. I had to physically stop myself from showing my surprise on my face as I lifted my head to meet their eyes. I quickly introduced myself.
“Hello, you must be Lucas’s parents! It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Kim Dan-Hee. I teach English here.”
“Hello Ms Kim, my name is Jessica Bhang, and this is my husband, Jack. It’s nice to meet you here,” she introduced herself with a smile. Oh, that smile. I have seen that smile a thousand times, but not on this face. I quickly put that thought away as I gestured to the chair to sit.
“Mrs Choi is actually his homeroom teacher, but she got sick suddenly and had to take leave. I apologize on her behalf. I heard you have already toured the school last time?” I asked them.
And just like that, we started and talked about the academics, Lucas’s studies and co-curricular activities. We spent half an hour going through the study plans, comparing the syllabus he learned before and now, noting the major changes and things to focus on. After reassuring them about his studies, we moved to easier topics. They said that they moved here to be closer to their families. After an hour, they left the school with goodbyes and see you soon.
I sighed in despair. Too much for trying to forget the freaking black marking on Minho’s chest. His bandmate’s parents had to come and remind me of him again. Every time I think of that, my traitorous heart gives a hard thump behind my ribs like I ran a marathon .
Going through the day became harder after lunch. I had three classes after lunch and had instructed them to self-study for the upcoming examination. I had halfway started to regret coming to school today after the pros and cons, wishing I had just stayed in bed and called in sick to school. I started praying for the day to be just to lie down and stare at the ceiling without anything to do.
I almost sprinted out of the school when I heard the final bell ring, but I was no longer a student to do that. So, with the remaining dignity and patience I have, I walked up to pack up for the day. I wondered if I was drained and in a bad mood because of the terrifying possibility that Minho was mine? Or was it because I really wished it was him, because it would have made it easier for me to find him? And relieved that I found my soulmate? And the mystery is over? Maybe I am just tired of searching for them everywhere. Maybe..Looking at people’s faces and holding eye contact just to feel complete and desperately hoping it’s them, I was truly tired of waiting around longer.
I was lost in thought as I drove back home, the radio silent and my thoughts running. I tried to clear my head to open my common place with my soulmate, but I was afraid my emotions would flood out to him the moment I let the guard down.
I quickly went to the apartment the moment the elevator door opened, not staying for a chit-chat with the neighbour who was also inside the elevator with me. I dropped everything on the couch and just sat there in the darkness in there.
‘Maybe an ice cream will fix this problem..There is no problem ice cream can’t fix’ I thought to myself as I opened the freezer to find none.
“Is today Monday or what? Why is this data filled with bad luck?” I asked to the complete darkness.
‘I will just go and buy ice cream from the store, no big deal.’ I thought to myself as I changed out of my work clothes and left the apartment.
I brought the ice cream from the store without a hitch, only maybe a weird look from the cashier because who honestly eats ice cream in the winter season? Apparently, I do. Consequence of my action my come back tomorrow morning in the form of a cold and sore throat, but that is not the current me problem, but a future me problem I can put off for now.
Instead of going back home, I took a detour and ended up in a walking park near my house and sat on the bench, eating the ice cream with an unopened one in the cover in my arms. Maybe ice cream is the cure for everything, I thought as my mood started to improve a little. I was halfway through the second ice cream I brought when I was confident enough to talk to my soulmates. I took out a pen from my pocket, drew a smiley face near his wrist, and opened my thoughts to our space.
We talked about everything and nothing during that time. I didn’t mention the incidents that happened today to him. I mean, how can I even tell him that I thought I found my soulmate who was a global superstar? That would be plain stupid and delusional of me. And if he ever did notice or feel my overwhelming emotions earlier, he didn’t mention it, and I hoped he wouldn’t even if he felt it.
I felt a tingling sensation ans puller my sleeves up to see him add a lot of other doodles accompanying mine. I smiled softly at the scene. Quickly bidding bye to my telepathic soulmate, I threw away the wrappers and was about to walk home when a hand pulled me.
I was startled, and I turned around to find an old lady, maybe around fifty, holding my hands tightly. I tried to tug my hands away gently from her, but her grip tightened instead.
Before I could question her, she muttered, “So its you. You are alive and well! Oh, thank god! I prayed so much for this..”
And before I could clear any misunderstanding, she just started sobbing, holding my hands. I tried to comfort her by patting her back but she just cried harder at that.
“I think you are mistaking me for someone else ma’am…” I trailed off, unsure what to do.
I was getting ready for work when my phone started to ring. It was Ji Young. She must have landed, I thought as I picked up the call.
“Good morning! How are you doing? I reached here,” she exclaimed as she flipped her camera to show me around. I smiled at her excitement.
“Good morning to you too… Hope your flight was okay. And youngie, I can’t see anything properly since you are shaking it a bit too much… “I said as I tried to see what she was pointing the camera towards.
Hearing what I said, she quickly stabilized her camera and showed me what she wanted me to see. “uhhh-you want to show me the airport? Airport looks more or less the same everywhere, you know..? "
“Oh no, not the airport! Look! They put up the MAMA awards posters on the screens inside”she exclaimed.
That’s when I noticed that detail I missed the first time. It look like a way to welcome foreigners who came to watch the award show.
“wait.. Why are you still in airport? Did you not get a taxi there “I questioned her.
“chill mom, I just had some breakfast from inside here so I am taking my time”
“you know we are the same age right?”
“Nope, you act way older and is wayyy more responsible than me”
She was talking about her flight there as I left the house to go to school.That’s was when i felt a sharp pain in my left side.I let out a hiss as the pain continues.It felt like i fell down sideways but how can that even happen?i was just standing in the parking lot.Looking at my car,i though “did I just hit myself on the car door while opening?but i didnt even unlock the car yet..”
“Ji Young-ah,I think i am really getting old.I just got a pain on my side like i fell down but i didnt!!”I exclaimed as i showed her the side where the aching has subsided.
“You do take the vitamins I bought for you right?it is suppose to stop you from feeling all this pain.Is it not working?” she wondered as she hailed a taxi back to her hotel.
“I take it every morning very religiously.I didn’t skip it ever since i started a year ago.”
“You sure?Are you eating on time?”
“yes i am,I dont even skip meals you know..?” I protested as I got into the driver’s side and start the car.
“Ji young,when are you going to the arena again?I might not be able to call you in between classes as I have continuous classes today..”
“I will leave around 2 or 3pm after taking some rest.I am in no rush,Stray kids perform at the end..”She explained.
“oh look,I reached my Hotel,I will call you once you reach home..Bye,love you!”She says as she disconnected the call.
As the day goes on,the pain lingers on the side.It definitely feels like it will bruise but when i checked in the bathroom,there is nothing indicating i fell.
Ignoring the pain,I tired to relax my mind and then i found my soulmate humming again,but instead of a English song,this time its maniac by stray kids.He was too focused that he wasn’t even alerted I was listening to him.It seems like both my soulmates are fans of stray kids,that’s good.At least i wouldn’t have to make them a fan after we meet.It was after the entire song,he realized i was there.
“I didnt know you were a fan.We would have bonded more on that fact you know..?”I teased him.
“You are a fan too?” he asked instead.
“Yup and my friend is to,actually she is going to the MAMA awards just to see them today..she is too excited by the thought of seeing them live.”
“Oh really?She is in Japan too?have you ever been to a skz concert?”he asked cautiously.
“nope,i want to go and i am saving up to go during my vacation.and mister,you are in japan?.”
“Yup in Japan,I got some work related stuff there.Then we should go together when we meet you know,to the concert..?he trailed off asking.
“That sounds like a bonding experience,Dont work too much yea.I dont want to hear you collapsing again like last time you pushed yourself..”I warned him.I still remember one time i felt like he had too much free time. I found him humming every time i move to our open place,turns out he was forced to take a leave after pushing himself too hard.Although I got my soulmate undisturbed for 3 whole days,its still worrying.
“I promise i wont..Don’t worry too much,you will get grey hairs before meeting me”He teased me.I could feel a smile forming on my face to that.
“That will be because of you then”I rebutted against it.
We talked for few more minutes before I had to leave to prepared the lesson.Maybe its because I talked to him,but for rest of the day at school,i was in a good mood.I could teach the children with a clear head and leave the class satisfied.I wonder if the happiness shows to much on my face as i found some students looking at me giggling.It was during the home time those students came to me and asked.
“ms kim,did you meet your soulmate?”She asks with a small bounce in her steps.
I raised an eyebrow at her question.Before I could question why,her friend piped in.
“you were happy and was humming songs and u feel more energized…”
i huffed out a laugh “so are you saying i am not normally energized during classes?”
she pouts “you know thats not what i mean,I love your classes but its a bit different today,more than usual..”
“Relax i am just joking.Nah,nothing like that happened.I just am happy for no reason,you know..”i tried explaining but those teasing smiles and giggling didn’t drop for a second.I sighed knowing its useless.
“Bye kids.don’t forget about the homework and start learning,you guys can’t keep English to the last saying it’s easy”i gently scold them for the habit they developed.Most of them tends to study a day before exam for English saying its easy and that habit is becoming more hard to break.
“Wait ms Kim,I heard there a new kid in 9th,he started late right?where is he from?”
“He isnt from my home room.I didnt have English class there today to know him but i heard he is a transfer student from Australia if I remember correctly.Why?”
“Nothing,we dont get new students very often,that’s why..”
“ok then.Be nice to him.Chop chop,your parents will be waiting,get going home and don’t forget what i said about studying..”I called off as the kids ran away while waving goodbye.
It took almost 30 minutes to reach home with the traffic which barely moved an inch.I had barely had time to sit and drink my coffee when my phone started blowing up with pictures from Ji-Young.Before I could see what it was,i got a call from her.
“Emma,look!i got in”she exclaimed as she showed me around the large arena. I saw the people moving around looking for their places to sit.
“Hello Youngie,you are in your seat right?no trouble?”i asked.
“Yup and look at the lightsticks,it looks like galaxy from here.We should definitely go together next time..”she says to the speaker because of the background noise.
“We should definitely should!it looks fun!Make sure to take videos and photos yea?You have a high quality camera in that phone of yours.”
“oh i will!!I tested it out and guess what?I could take clear pictures of the stages and people there.”she brags about her phone.She then looks ahead and said “Emma,i will call you later,i think its starting.I will call you when I take a break yea”She questions loudly as the screams of the fan continues in the background.I gave her a thumbs up before hanging up.
I took time the free time to prepared questions to add for the upcoming exams for the classes I taught.I had to make for 9th and 11th this time.It was time consuming and time passes by quickly.It was around 8 I got the tingling sensation of my soulmates scribbles on my arms.
“wish me luck!” and heart on my upper arms.
“Best of luck,love.Hope you rock whatever it is..”i writes back with a thumps up emoji and some hearts above it
“thank you,by the way,can you wipe this off but not the hearts u drew?i feel like i could use its good luck..”
“of course” i wrote back before wiping carefully around the hearts i drew on my hands.A few minutes later,I got a text from Ji young.
Ji Young:Its almost stray kids time babe!!stay tuned!
me:thank you for reminding me!make sure to enjoy it and take videos.
I quickly went to the living room to turn on the tv to watch the performance live.Until they came on the stage,I finished up the question papers I was writing.I stopped my work as soon as they got on stage,from the amazing intro of the giant spider and Hyunjin’s descending on the cable wires until the end,the performance was truly captivating.For the next whole nineteen minutes,I did nothing other than watch them perform effortlessly.From the costumes to the performances and the dance break,it was breathtaking to watch.
I was left breathless after the performance as if I was am the one on the stage dancing to millions to see.I sat there for a good minute mind floating with the images of the performance when I started to feel my whole body aching.It felt like the pain from the morning but more intense.It feels like my whole body was cramping.Looking at the calendar,I wondered if it as because of my period but that isnt until fifteen more days so the pain shouldn’t be there yet.
I stayed in the position of few more minutes and took sips of water hoping it will help me get up to get the pain killers.After few minutes,I manged to get up and walk to the kitchen cabinet to get the medicine with the support of the wall.I gulped down one with some water and return to the couch to lay down.
The physical exhaustion gave in and the last thing i remember before drifting off to sleep was my soulmate’s tired voice asking if I was okay.I don’t think i replied before sleep pulled me under.
————————————————————————————————————————
I woke up at 5am in the morning because of the very uncomfortable position i was sleeping in on the couch.I sighed and moved to the bed to sleep but the sleep has completely abandoned me.I still had an hour to kill before i normally get up to go to school.coming down from the blissful high of the sleep,I can feel that my body is sore,very sore.
I debated if I should just apply for a sick leave today and take rest.I started mentally listing pros and cons.The only pros I came up with for staying home was taking rest and re watching yesterday’s show and Ji Young’s videos,other than that I had nothing to do.
But if I skip today, it will be double the work tomorrow,especially since its the exam season.And the new kid- I haven’t seen or talked to him yet and today is a great chance, as I have their class today.I have to submit my question papers too. If I finish everything today, maybe i could take a leave tomorrow with no guilt of unattended work waiting for me.
I stayed in bed, staring at the ceiling for some time, and then I remembered my unwiped hearts I drew on my arms.I lifted my arm up to see that the ink had smudged a little bit in sleep and I found a tiny thank you under the heart, which wasn’t there yesterday. I smiled knowing that whatever the task was, it ended with satisfaction for him.
I rolled over to get my phone to look for the unread messages from last night.It was Ji Young’s chat.
Ji Young:I tried calling you but I guess you were asleep. I just reached back from the arena, and the boys killed the performance.It was the best MAMA performance of the night.
Ji young:I got some videos of red carpet too and behind the scenes. I will send them to you, then you will know the true quality of my camera.
After that message, it was videos of the performances, her selfies with some fans, some of her talking, and showing off freebies she got, and some red carpet moments.
Watching the clips of performances, I still felt like I was watching it for the first time; the energy was insane. I then played the ending clip where I could see, after the spotlight turned off, Jeongin collapsing, favoring his right side more. If it weren’t for the leader behind him guiding him to sit on the stage, he for sure would have fallen. I then watched the majority of the members sitting down for a breather as the stage started to clear with the background dancers retreating.
There was another video of a red carpet moment when they finished the interview and were going back. During that time, Han Jisung was clutching his left upper arm with a bright smile and talking excitedly to the members.
Moving on to the hundred pictures she took, I took time to look through it, some of them were her makeup looks for the day, the outfit inspired by the albums, and some single shots of the Stray Kids members on the red carpet and during the performance. Going through the pictures, I quietly thanked Ji Young’s high-quality camera for capturing such amazing pictures. The photos were so amazing that it felt like it was taken near them.
I was scrolling down the pictures and zooming in when a tiny detail caught my eye.
Moving on through the hundred pictures she took, I took time to look through it, some of them were her makeup looks for the day, the outfit inspired by the albums, and some single shots of the Stray Kids members on the red carpet and during the performance. Going through the pictures, I quietly thanked Ji Young’s high-quality camera for capturing such amazing pictures. The photos were so amazing that it felt like it was taken near them.
I was scrolling down the pictures and zooming in when a tiny detail caught my eye.
The Picture was of a member whose shirt moved a little bit during the performance, exposing a bit of black on his left upper chest that looked suspiciously familiar with the placement.
“Wait…Is that what I think it is..? No way, right…?” I thought to myself as I tried to see what it was more clearly.
“Our next piece is truly special and precious. This is a painting from the late 10th century. It traveled from palaces to palaces and empires and was finally obtained and restored in 2011 in Italy before making its way here. The title is ‘my soul’. Although the artist is unknown, the identity lost in time, this painting is presumed to be of soulmates. Historians strongly believe that this piece is most probably the only earlier surviving evidence of the connection of soulmates. The other piece of evidence is from the early 16th century, that’s quite a gap.” The presenter remarked as she pointed to the painting.
Looking closely at the painting, I could see why it got a lot of attention. In a world where everyone has a soulmate and tries hard to find them, this seems to depict the feeling of meeting your other half created just for you. Someone for me to love, someone who could give me the love I crave, someone for life and so on.
The presenter’s voice got tuned out as I focused on the painting. It really did capture what a soulmate is supposed to feel like. The artist used a darker palette against golden-colored thread wrapped around the hands to showcase the deeper connection between the people. That golden thread looked so fragile yet so strong and bright, bridging the lives of two people destined for life.
After the last piece of the night was presented, I moved around the room to other paintings that weren’t in the focus tonight. Some were centuries old, some recent, some colorful while others weren’t as bright. Every piece tells a story of its own. As I was lost in thought, a hand on my shoulder startled me. Turning around, I was faced with the host of the night. I bowed lightly in greeting.
“I hope you are enjoying tonight, Ms. Kim,” Mrs. Lim asked with a smile.
“Oh yes, I did! Thank you very much for your invitation, Mrs. Lim. I never would have expected to see the pieces on the first night itself, but it was a great experience,” I replied.
“Don’t thank me! It was my pleasure to invite you for the help you have done for us. Thanks to you, our son is now in a good university and he really developed a good study habit. Thank you a lot, Ms. Kim. Without your help, we would still be lost,” Mrs. Lim admitted with a smile. If I looked closely, I could see her eyes shining under the golden lights in the room.
I tried to dismiss it. “No, no… it was all him. He studied well. He just needed some push in the right direction with it, and I am glad I could be of help. After all, that’s what all teachers wish to do for their students.”
Mrs. Lim and I talked for some time about her son and his studies, her gallery, and the paintings until she was called over for photos. She reminded me to stay until the dinner provided and left me with a light hug.
Watching her walk away, I let out a small sigh. Mrs. Lim was one of the parents of my students last year. She was a kind and cooperative parent unlike many i met. Her son, although a well-mannered student, was lagging behind other students in his studies. That made everyone worried and anxious about his future. It took time, but with help from me and his mother, he changed his study pattern, which ultimately led to his admission into a good university.
Seeing how grateful parents like Mrs. Lim were was the reason I took on and continued teaching high school students despite the high pressure and stress placed on the teachers, too. It was no secret that the exams were competitive, tough, and hard to get into good universities. It was a highly pressured but rewarding job, seeing the happy faces of students as they got into their desired universities.
After the complimentary dinner provided, I went ahead to say goodbye to Mrs. Lim, who was engaged in small talk with a guy. I couldn’t see his face due to the lighting and the mask he wore but lord the eye contact was intense.i felt a shiver go up my spine and quickly broke the eye contact. Mrs. Lim hugged me once more with promises to keep in contact. I extended my greetings to both her son and husband before bowing her a good bye.
After a long evening, socializing with people had completely drained my social energy. I was tired and so ready for bed the moment I left the building. I unlocked my phone and realized that it was almost 10. I sent a quick message to my friend telling her I would be home within an hour at most and ordered a taxi for my departure. The waiting time showed 10 minutes.
i sighed in despair.10 whole minutes. And there is a considerable amount traffic of cars waiting to pick up their people who are still talking amongst themself in small groups.
Great!add another 10 minutes to the waiting time.
Standing outside in a formal dress with a thin coat is not ideal nor recommended in late November. Nor is wearing heels after standing for too long. With the winter season approaching, the cold wind got harsher on my skin and ankle aching as time ticked by. I for sure know that my back and feet will be hurting by tomorrow morning.I silently thanked god that its a weekend not a school day tomorrow.
Other people from inside also started to exit the exhibition slowly bidding others goodbye.I watched the people there. They seemed rich and so out of reach. They had designer bags, sunglasses, and flawless makeup even after hours. Some even had assistants trailing behind them and security teams.It was no secret that this was a high profile event with familiar faces u see on t.v and magazines.I was so sure that the guy who sat next during dinner is some rich heir who i have a vague memory of seeing him on T.V.And i am also sure that the dinner they provided itself cost a fortune.It was elaborate dinner with chefs going on every table to explain the dishes in front of you,basically the kind of treatment when u have more money to spend on food and Michelin star restaurants.
Scrolling up my messages I got in the last few hours,i felt a warm sensation going up my spine and a feeling of eyes watching.I quickly turned around to spot if it was just my imagination going wild or its true.To my surprise and horror,i find the same masked man talking to Mrs lim back then looking straight at me.He looked surprised to be cought looking back judging by his widened eyes.Then his eyes crinkled as if he was smiling and raise a hand in small wave.Confusion swirls in my mind but just as i was about to smile back and wreck my brain to figure out who the mysterious stranger is,a horn interrupts pulling me back to reality.
It was my ride,Thank god.I quickly turned around to the masked guy and bowed and got inside the car.A sigh of relief escaped me as i sat down on the seat.The driver looked back through the mirror to ask for direction.As the car pulled away,i looked out to see if the guy had left but he is still standing there,staring at the spot i was standing in a few moments ago,as if lost in thoughts.
‘What a weird guy’ i thought as the car rolled away from the gallery towards my home.I wonder if it was someone i know.Or maybe a parent?but then again,this guy looked young to be a parent of a high school student.Maybe someone’s brother?but then again,i saw no siblings at the parents teachers meeting in the last two years i taught in this school.maybe its just a weirdo as i thought,nothing to think about.
As i looked outside,my thoughts ran back to the gallery.specifically to the painting that showed soulmate.looking at it,it felt like i was inside the moment,experiencing that intense feeling of finding ‘the one’.Its moments like this make me wonder of my own,i wonder if i ever meet mine one day or it will be just another connection undiscovered.I know that the meeting your soulmate take time,fate take time but after tonight there is a quiet ache behind my ribs yearning for something i don’t have yet.Unlike usual,the pending connection feels heavier than usual and pulsing with life desperate to form a connection.
maybe i am just tired and drained today and its getting to my head more than usual.And its not like i dont have any connection to my soulmate at all.I know I have one because as soulmates have different aspects to know each other,i share a telepathic link to one of them.There are people who are bonded to multiple people at once trough out the history,its not as rare as people think but it still catches attention of new publishers looking for a next hit.
Rubbing my aching ankle,i feel a sore on my thighs as if i just worked out and my entire body aching.Brushing it off as a side effect of being exhausted,i relaxed by mind.After years and years of sharing a telepathic connection with my soulmate,we learned to tune each other out throughout the day,keeping thoughts separate from each other.it took years to master with lots of clashes but it was worth it.My soulmate didn’t have to hear me go on and on about college admission and Shakespeare.As my mind relaxed and opened up to our open space where we often talk,i could hear light humming of song.A english song maybe.As if an alarm bell ring off my my presence,the beautiful humming stopped for a second.
“Dont stop on my account,it was beautiful.keep going”i encouraged my singer soulmate.I could almost picture him in my thoughts.The shy,soft-voiced boy who hums tunes and sing songs ever since i could remember.
“I thought you said u had a gallery visit?Is it done yet?”He asked ignoring my request to keep humming.
I pouted lightly “its done.It was nice,better than expected.We were served good food too you know?”
“Really?was it good?How was the paintings and displays?i am sure they are good..”he trailed off.He isnt really a art person from what i understand.I smiled at his attempt to know about my day.
“It was amazing!!!the highlight was called ‘my soul’ a centuries old painting restored.It showed the connection in between soulmate,so bright and unyielding.It was a beautiful piece to witness in real life.”i gushed about the main highlight of the night.
“then i should really look into it.I heard its rare to get a soulmate based art evidence from the past.this piece must have created a lot of buzz.”
“for someone who isnt into arts,u seems to know a lot about it.Are you secretly an art enthusiast?I teased him,a light smile forming on my face.
“not really,my friend-no my best friend paints a lot and knows a lot about the history and all.U would get along with him actually,i mean when we meet of course….”he trails of uncertainly,his tone taking a sadder route.
One bittersweet thing about our connection was,no matter what we share,there are some extent to what we share.He couldnt share his name so cant i.Its fates work.I remember as kids,we tried to introduce each other but the other could hear nothing but statics.and also almost same situation about our jobs, but luckily we guessed right and that really didnt raised any problem.
“You know that painting reminded me of you…of us and our connection…..”
“…how?”
“It was actually against a darker color for the palette for the people but a bright golden color thread as a connection between them,it was connected to their hands even though the two of them were standing far away..It felt like us.The connection but so closr yet so far away.”i replied
“yea?I hope it doesn’t forever stay that way.I want to meet you,hold you until my heart satisfy” he says with a quiet longing in his low tone.
“i am sure we will meet..Dont worry,if not,fate wouldnt have written us together”i reassured him.
After that heavy conversation,we drifted into more easy topics about today.From what i gathered,my soulmate works closely with singers by those constant humming.He says its true but knowing his nature to joke, i am tempted to believe he is a singer too but i never raised that question.
As the taxi pulled through my streets, I bid bye to my soulmate who was going to bed as its a early day for him. I paid the driver and wished him a safe journey as I closed the car door behind me.
An big sigh of relief escaped me as I entered my apartment. Although it’s modest compared to rest, it’s a home to me and I don’t plan on moving anytime soon. I swapped my painful heels for a fluffy slippers I wear inside and entered.
I quickly shoot a text to my friend saying her that I reached my home safely. Without waiting for a reply I stripped out of my dress and hoped into the warm shower. Afar washing off, although the body pain never really reduced much, I finally feels like a human again,fresh and clean.
Wearing the a bathrobe before changing into pjs for the night, I started to wipe of make up that’s still on me after the shower. That’s when I noticed little lines appearing on my arms. Those little lines started to take shapes. The first one is a star and a heart. I smiled watching my other soulmate trying to doodle up my arms.
It was another soulmate connection I had along with the first words of another. It was an absolute surprise knowing I had 3 soulmates.It took my time to get used to the idea that i have three of them.Sometimes i wonder if they know each other and the fact that they share a soulmate.I tried asking both of them they really didnt have any problem with the concept saying that its a blessing but i still wonder if they say it to make me feel better about it.
I continued my skincare routine while keeping an eye on my artist’s work. watched as the slow doodles turn into questions about my day,what i ate.Unlike my telepathic link,we cant really talk much as the marks on our body written to each other will be seen by others.We try to communicate with each other in places that are harder to spot and i try hard to wear long sleeves.These days we have found a pen whose ink will go away with just wipes so it made the communication easier.On some days i return home from school,i could find some writing as random they can be,sometimes its lyrics or quotes or even a grocery list up my arms.
“i had a long day,i visited the gallery i told you about before and they served an expensive dinner.”i wrote on my arm with the pen.
immediately a sad face doodle appears and before i could ask him be writes “lucky you,i am still at work.I have a deadline coming up and the guys isnt allowing me to go home.i havent been home since this morning…….”Maybe its my head but i could hear the whiny complaining voice in my head so clearly that made me smile a little.
“really?dont forget to eat real food after wrapping it up.Energy drinks and instant noodles arent enough for your body to work u know..?And dont push yourself soo hard,i am sure u will do good”i tried to reassure him.
Then a heart appeared near to the words i wrote for him “i will eat and drink plenty after this!!thank you..i gotta go,the break is over,love you..” appeared right on your arms.
“…….love you too” i wrote with a doodled heart and kept the pen down.
I wrapped up my skincare and took off my bathrobe to change.i brushed my fingers against the words written above my heart.
You have flower petals in your hair.
That is the first words my soulmate will say when I meet him. Unlike my other two soulmate I know, this is the only one I don’t know. I wonder how this soulmate of mine really is? Will my soulmate fit in with us three? Will be able know it’s me who has been waiting for years? Or will they even want me..us?
The mark was now just pitch black and in cursive. It looks more like a tattoo than a mark. I heard and read about the marks turning red after meeting your soulmate. I dressed in a cotton pajama and lay down on the bed waiting for sleep to come.
The weekend passed without any other special occasion.I spend time to plan for the upcoming lessons in the week,make worksheets,update performances of my students.There is also a upcoming parent-teacher conference to discuss about the academic standing of students before the exam set in December.One thing about working in an international school was the flexibility in time.Unlike traditional study sessions in schools until 10 at night,we are out by 4 pm for the day.the school follows the western academic calendar.That make a huge difference in the study and teaching pattern.
Most of the students came from well off families.Some of CEOs,diplomats, chairman ect whose main aim for the children is to get into a Ivy Leagues.Thats why i dread the meetings with them.some of them are nice but not all,some of them pressure the children too much that it become uncomfortable very fast.
while all this was happening,both of my soulmates has become much quite,well way quite than usual.I didnt find much writings on my skin except tiny hearts and some tired humming in my mind from the other side.He didnt talk much during the weekend,usually sleeping straight off.It made me worried for a minute.He never stayed that quiet for too long.He gave a short explanation of tired from work and tried to stay up a little talking but slept half way through.
Going to school on Mondays as a teacher is as bad as when as a student.I woke up earlier than usual hoping to start on a positive note but Monday didnt have a plan to start on a positive note.I woke up with a headache that wasnt there while going to sleep.Hoping its not a start of a cold,i went to get coffee.It went perfectly until then i burned a bit my shirt while ironing.Ditching that i took on another shirt that doesnt need ironing.Hoping that was the end of the misery,i left for school after breakfast.
I reached the school by 7:30.As i entered the staff’s lunge,everyone was surrounding Ms.Andrews.Going further i understand what the issue was.Looking at her left hand,i spotted a big diamond ring shining on her ring finger.
‘It looks like she is getting married,lucky her’.Quickly congratulating her and giving her a side hug,i took the worksheet for students and went to the classroom.Ms Andrews met her soulmate about 6 months ago during the summer break back home.She said she met him by chance and then he spoke the words written on her arms,thats when she realised the guy in front of her was her soulmate.After the break she showed off her red gleaming mark of the words he uttered to everyone she across with.
Thinking about how easy it was,it left a bitter taste in my mouth.Of course i am happy for my colleague but remembering my own tattooed words in black made me hopeless in finding my own.Burying that thought,i quickly put a smile on my face and walked foreword.
Reaching the class,i greeted the few students sitting there,they greeted back and i started setting up for the for the class.By the time I set up my projector and the smart board as the students filtered in.
I was the homeroom teacher for 9th grade this year teaching them English as the subject. As the bell rang, everyone was in their seat ready for the day. I took the attendance and kept a check on the parents who are coming for the parent teacher conference later in the evening today. After hearing about the weekends from the kids, we moved on with the lesson and just like that I drifted into the world of literature.
The conference sessions was between parents and teachers one to one. This was a official meeting before they went ahead for the preparation for the exams in December.
One by one parents came and went. Some complained and some praised their children. I also offered my sight and my overview of the children I started teaching from August.
The exhausting part was stuck up parents who seems to have problems with everything done on the school. According to them, the food wasn’t proper or the classes aren’t great as expected and all. Those were the hardest parents to deal with.
It was almost 6 by the time i reached home and freshen up.I was in the middle of drinking my coffee when i got a call from my Ji Young.I quickly picked it up.Before i could even greet her,my ears were ringing from her high pitch screeching.
“EMMA,U BETTER BE HOME!!I AM COMING THERE” and just like that the call disconnected.Before i could process what happened,my door bell rang 2 times at one.
‘a impatient one,i wonder what got her so excited now’i thought as i opened the door only to met with a tight hug.
“Ji young-ah,i know you miss me but i cant breath.”i muttered into her.
“shit-i am soo sorry!!i have the craziest news ever!”she exclaimed as she let me go and sat on the couch.She looked at me and patted the seat next to her.I quickly closed the door and sat down,knowing how patient she normally is,this has to be something good.
“go on,tell me what the crazy thing is”
“remember when i told you that we will be filming some part of the drama in Japan and it has to get approved?”i nodded at her question.Of course i remember.She used to literally pray for it to get approved.She was one of the screen writers for an upcoming drama.They adapted the story from a comic and the location also changes.To maintain the authenticity,the production team submitted the request to travel there to the higher ups.
Unable to contain her happiness,she jumped up from her place “it got approved baby”.Hearing that i also stood up to hug her but was caught into her excited hands which also made me jump with her.
“congratulation!i kneww it was too good to rejected!”
“wait wait!there is more news for you”She suddenly sat down from her jumping making me sit too.
“remember i told you i was saving money for the concert?the Stray kids one when i have a chance and money to go?Welll there is MAMA happening in Japan when i am there!so i bought the tickets last minute!And they are also performing!!!”
“wait-WHAT??you get to meet straykids tooo?damn girl,did you hit a lottery or something?Lucky youuu.You better be taking videos for me there!!”i cheered.
“i know right?i felt like the world finally answered my prayers of meeting straykids!!i will take a loads of videos to send it to you!dont worry about a thing!”
“oh right!when are you going?”
“well about that…Tomorrow morning..”she mumbled in reply.
“What??That early?Did you pack your things at least?”i questioned her as she appeared to be too relaxed for a person traveling put of the country for tomorrow.
“I did!!i was waiting for you to reach home and i packed it in the meantime..How was the meeting?”
“It was the usual.As i am looking after 9th grade this year,i dont have to deal with the pressure of the final year’s class teacher,its a refreshing change.The only concern most of the parents have are their child’s choices in extra-curricular activity.Some of them made fuss about the studying and all but it was minor compared to last year in the senior class”i explained.
“good for you honestly!It was hell on earth for you last year.Those stressed students and overbearing parent’s pressure to send them off to Ivy Leagues.I guess this year u have to convince parents that playing football or dancing doesnt hinder their goals of sending them to Yale or Harvard.”She remarks.
“Its true!last year felt like a personal attack k,i still have PTSD from it.”i added.
“yea,how are they?”she asked quietly.
“Who?the students?”
“No your soulmates.I havent heard about them in a while.Is everything okay?”She added softly as if talking to a wounded animal.
Ji young was only one person who stood with me until now.I met her during my first year as a university student.We both bonded over incomplete assignments,complaining about mr smith’s monotonous classes and gossips about the latest university drama.She was the storm in my life,but unlike people hating it,i love this storm.She shakes up my life,my really predictable and boring life with her excitement and stories she has to offer to the world.In a way,Ji young is one of the few people who knew about my soul marks. She found out during a sleepover on vacation and was supportive of them.
“They are fine don’t worry. They didn’t talk much yesterday and today because they got busy with work so for now, I am just… Alone maybe?well not alone but lonely ”I explained.
Ji young kept her hand on mine that’s when I noticed I starting fidgeting while talking. “It must be hard yea? "
" I guess.. But it does happen during their busy seasons u know so I am not that worried because of the unresponsive bond. Besides we did talk a little before bed and found a tiny flower bouquet on my hand this morning….”i trailed off.
“Thats great dont you think so..?he said he was busy but still..dont worry much,they will come around after the hustle.”she comforted me as she pulled me into a hug.
I sighed into the hug.Its like she knew i needed one at the moment.After staying like that for a while i muttered “ms Andrews is getting married,she got engaged.You remember another one colleague of mine with the same mark,the one that turns red upon meeting?yea her..”
Maybe that’s when ji young got the memo,she pulled me harder into herself and stayed silent,letting me finish my dilemma.
“I am happy for her truly but i cant help but feel jealous..?or sad..?hearing about her meeting,it feels like its too simple,too easy but i didnt even meet mine even though it feels easy.I dont know what to do…It feel like shit to be honest with you..I hate it..I really do..”my voice cracked in between and it feels like there is huge lump in my throat preventing me from speaking.I could feel my eyes getting hot,a tell sign of tears incoming and i blinked it away.
She stayed quiet for sometime,just holding me in silence ans then she broke it.“oh thats where its from..You know fate takes time right..I know you have heard this and hate it but i think everything that happens have a perfect time.It okay to feel like that u know,its normal.Seeing others get the fairy tale ending u wanted and need while u dont is bond to make you feel that way.Until then u have me,i know its not the same but yea..”
That was reassurance i needed because the moment she said that,the facade i kept up just fell and starting crying.ji young didnt say anything,just sat there and let me cry it out of my system.After almost 10 minutes that felt like an hour,i looked up at her,my face bloated and eyes puffy.
“Geez,i am such a baby,sorry for crying on you..And ruining your mood,your supposed to me happy and celebrating for going to japan u know?sorry..”
She took a deep breath looking at me and thats when i knew i choose the wrong words,i mentally prepared myself to hear her scolding. " Emaline Reeves,how many times do ihave to tell you i hate it when u talk like that.You know what i feel,i am glad this happened before i left for japan and you dont have anyone to comfort you,i hae that thought.And what do you take me as?i want to be here,to help you.Besides i am your best friend right?what are even friends for if they cant be there for each other?” and she went on a full on rant about the importance of friendship and its advantages for some time.At last she just dropped it and hugged me.
After that ordeal,we ordered takeout from from a chicken shop nearby and talked about her plans in Japan.She said the production team is heading first and booking the location at least a week before the filming starts.That give her the time to go for the award ceremony.
“right,i forgot to tell you..Remember the gallery visit i had this weekend?”i asked her and she hums in reply giving me time to continue my story.
“let me tell you,there was this weird man there.Like super weird.She had a mask on and i saw him talking to Mrs lim and then again outside when i was leaving after the event wrapped up.He was staring so intensily i felt like i should know this person u know.Then he waved at me.Maybe he knew me?but then again,my social life is in hell and the only people are the parents at school and students..”i explained.
“well is it a parent?”
“No!he looks way too young to have a teenager in my class so i dont think so”
“must be a weirdo then,or just a extrovert pro max who can make friends with everyone,remember Jack from 3rd year?Maybe a guy like him…“she offered with a laugh.
That guy,Jack was one of the original extrovert,he was an exchange student that time.we both used to joke that he can make friends with the wall if he talked enough to it.
“maybe,thank god the taxi came then or else i would has to talk to him”
Ji young was silent for sometime and then exclaimed,“Girl,what are the chances he is your soulmate?Maybe he felt a familiarity from you?”
“not possible.I talked to both of them after and they both were busy with work..And they arent interested in artworks or paintings or sorts.”
“Its not impossible that you cant have more soulmates you know..?There are history of those bonds so maybe…..?”she trails off.
“i dont think so,its not possible right?lets just forget it..Maybe he is like jack,a bit too friendly to everyone..”
It was almost 9pm by the time we wrapped up.I offered to drop her off to the airport the net day but she refused saying that she already booked one.After some hugs and goodbyes,she left.She literally lives downstairs but everytime she comes to my place,she act like she had a long journey back home,although its just a floor below.
After she left,i sat down to grade some papers i have been putting off and also make worksheets for the seniors to do before the exams.I had some students messaging me about some doubts to be cleared before 10 so i sat down and solved and send it back.I was halfway through the grading process i felt a a tickling sensation on my hand.Quickly pulling my sleeves up,i saw my soulmate writing some lyrics there. After finishing,i drew a heart next to it and asked about his day.
“I just reached japan today morning and the jet lag is hitting me already…It soo tiring.I wish i could just sleep for a whole day..”he wrote back.He then continues “how are you doing?It feels like we havent talked much due to my job rush..Hope you are feeling ok?I just miss you a lot these days you know?I hope we can meet soon because i dont know how long i can hold myself longer without you here..”
There was a quite yearning in his writing that tugs my heart.Seeing that i was lost for words.I wonder of soulmates can feel each other’s emotion when its our designated mark?Or are we just built like that to feel our soulmates without any words.
“Love,you know fate takes time,we will meet eachother when the time is right you know.I just had this conversation with my friend.I miss you too and i also cant wait until i can hold you and kiss you one day.I dont think i can keep this feelings inside me too..This yearning,this much of love to give,i have lot of love to give you know…i want to meet you just to cover you in that so you could never doubt what love even is,so yea i miss you and i love you too much…“I wrote back to him in hopes that will heal the wounds atleast until i could meet him.I hope that it was enough to reassure him and not overthink and sleep.
“I love you more than you could ever think of.Now this makes me more homesick,but not for house home you know,home as in you.sometimes i wonder how can i miss something i never had but then thinking about you,i think its possible to miss something you never had.I miss you so much.I will hold on until i can meet you so i could spend my days with you where we can just talk for hours and and my whole life,whatever you want.”He jots down on my upper arms for more space for his confession.
“yea?but i think i miss you more,i missed you more today,more than ever..”i confessed.
“i did too..how was your day today?”he asks
“it wasnt bad,my colleague is getting married to her soulmate,my friend is flying over to japan actually,tomorrow morning.”
“wait really?for what?for work?”
“Yea and she said she is gonna attend the award show there too..well its just to see Straykids so yea..She is soo excited and we were going over her plans for her stay there..”
“oh..OHH she is a stay?Like a fan?Do you know them?do you like them?”He writes the questions soo fast.
“Yea she is,yes i am a big fan,i love them and their music and no i didnt meet them until now.”
“well i know you didnt meet them-anyways you have a favorite..?”
“nope…I like all of them..”
“shame,Han Jisung is good to a bias..”he writes and i get a feeling he is a fan of him.
“oh?you like Han?”
“i dont have favorites either..Anyways love,gotta go,i have some more work to do before dinner..Love you. and thank you for comforting me,i really needed that today.”He writes as he finished.
“Dont thank me for that!good night..love you too..”
Later, before going to sleep, I tried to see if my other soulmate was there, but i got nothing but a static silence, probably still busy, I thought as I drifted to sleep.
