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True Love at First Sight

→ [5/7] of the Society Series

→ summary: One day, you will find your true love the moment you lay your eyes on him. Then, your life will be set. Then, you will live your happily ever after. But life seems to have different plans for you.

→ pairing/rating: hoseok x reader | PG-15

→ genre: 98% fluff, 2% angst | soulmate!au & dystopian!au

→ warnings: profanity, a super sexist society, the patriarchy (*gasp* being even more oppressive than irl which idk how that’s possible but ok), multiple conversations about sex, implied sex, hoseok being a woke king (which isn’t rlly a warning but i just wanna let you know 😌)

→ wordcount: 10.8k

Today is the day of Truve. It falls every year on the romantic date of February 14th, otherwise known as Valentine's Day. And quite objectively, it's the best day of the year.

You're bouncing up and down in your seat, unable to control your jittered nerves. "Pick me!" you yell at your instructor in your high-pitched seven-year-old voice. "Pick me! Pick me! Pick me!!"

Your instructor shakes her head at you, tsk-ing her tongue. "That's not very ladylike," she sniffs, turning her nose up in the air. Instead, she picks on your shy, polite best friend, Kiyoung. "Go on," your instructor urges Kiyoung. "Who would be your ideal Truve Choice?"

Kiyoung squirms in her seat, too demure to announce to the rest of the girls in her class her theoretical match. She'd always liked to keep her thoughts and preferences private.

"I can tell you my Truve Choice!!" you screech at the top of your lungs. You stand up on your chair, waving your arms around. "Pick me!"

Your instructor sighs. Your instructor last year... and the year before that had warned her of you and how... excited you get when the day of Truve rolls around. They definitely had not been bluffing. Normally, you're obedient, polite, kind, proper—just like how a lady should be. But you put your etiquette on halt when it comes to Truve Day.

Every year, the girls go around telling others about their inevitable Truve Choice. Most girls are excited—that's normal. But you, on the other hand. You practically live for that special Truve Choice you'll get to make when you're eighteen years old. Being excited would be an understatement for you.

"All right," your instructor sighs. She's not supposed to encourage unfeminine behavior, but if calling on you will keep you quiet afterward, then yes. She'll call on you a thousand times over. "Who would be your ideal Truve Choice, Y/N?"

You let out a giddy giggle. "Oh, he's going to be my prince!" you shout, wrapping your arms around yourself and blushing at the thought. "He'll be my true love! We're going to live happily ever after! Together! He'll love me and I'll love him! We're going to be the best couple on the planet!!"

Your instructor is silent. "Uh, yes, Y/N. He uh, he sounds like a fine Truve Choice..." She quickly moves on without another second of hesitation. "Kiyoung, are you ready to share?"

Kiyoung nervously bites her lip. "I want him to be in the teaching division," she says shyly. "A-And with black hair... Brown eyes maybe? Dimples too?"

"Sounds like a beautiful choice!" your instructor gushes. "Anyone else like to share?"

And so it goes on.

"I want him to be tall and handsome! With pretty lips and a small face!"

"I want him to be in the math division! And he has to have ash-blond hair!"

"Well, I want him to be shorter—but taller than me—and have the prettiest blue eyes I've ever seen!"

It seems that except for you, everyone's caught up with their future Truve Choice's appearances—as convention calls for. But you don't really care who your true love looks like, contrary to what your instructors have urged you to focus on. You just want someone who will love you. That's what you're looking for. Your soulmate. That's the whole point of Truve Day, anyways—to find your soulmate (hideous or not). Except your friends don't understand that looks aren't everything.

"What are you going to do if you get matched with someone ugly?" Haeun giggles. "What if he's short and pudgy and smelly?"

"He won't be!" you argue, face turning red with embarrassment. "If I love him that much, he won't ever be short and pudgy and smelly in my eyes!"

The other girls laugh at you.

You whirl at your best friend Kiyoung for support, but she averts her eyes. Looks like you're on your own. Again.

"Fine!" you shriek. "Laugh all you want! I'm going to find my prince!"

The laughter grows louder and louder the more you've walked away from the group of sneering girls. It's as if they're mocking you for fleeing their incessant teasing. You find yourself running after that, your legs moving swiftly and your feet thudding on the grass. When you finally stop for breath, you find yourself in front of the vast, marble wall. The wall that divides the girls from the boys. The sacred wall.

You touch the cold surface, tears streaming down your face. It won't be another decade until you'll finally be able to see a boy—no, a man—in real life. Exactly ten years from now, on the day of Truve, you'll find your soulmate. He just doesn't know you exist yet. But you'll find him. And then you're going to prove all the girls in your class wrong. They'll see. You'll meet your prince.

He's waiting for you behind this wall.

Classes are intriguing for you.

You learn how to be the best wife possible. Cooking, pottery, cleaning, organizing, decorating, caring for children. You learn it all, and your instructors love you. They all believe that one day, you'll grow up to be a model woman—a woman that the society of Truve will approve of.

Bright, chipper and eager to learn, you swear that you will be the best possible soulmate to your Truve Choice. And to be an excellent soulmate or wife (the two words are used interchangeably), you need to pay attention in your classes. There are no boys here to distract you. In fact, the boys are a reward. After years of school, you'll finally be able to meet a man in the Truve Ceremony and put everything you've learned in your classes to use.

The day of Truve is closer than ever. And this year, you won't be sitting in your class, announcing your soulmate preferences to the rest of the girls. No. This year, you'll be in the ceremony. And after this year, you'll finally be able to leave the Female Village—just like the boys of age will leave the Male Village. Finally, you'll be able to enter the Common Villa, where both sexes live in union. It is a sign of maturation, of growth. You can't wait to find your match.

Just thinking about the day of Truve makes you feel giddy. So giddy that you feel as if you're going to throw up. The process is ingrained in your brain. For years, your instructors have drilled that information into you. You could probably recite the whole ceremony step by step in your sleep. But then again, it's not a difficult process either.

The girls dress head to toe in the color red. The boys do the same except in a masculine shade of blue. Girls gather on the right side of the Matching Hall, boys on the left. There is a large purple curtain between the two sides, hiding the girls from the boys and the boys from the girls. But once the curtain is lifted, both groups will get their first real sight of the opposite sex. The matching commences. The first person that catches your eye on the other side is your soulmate. It's as simple as that. And when you hold hands with your soulmate, your red attire and his blue clothes will morph into a shared color of romantic purple. It is the reification of a match—a true love.

For years, you've dreamed of the day where you hold hands with a mystery man. A man who is your true love. You've dreamed of walking into that Matching Hall in your perfect little red dress (the one you bought four years ago and have saved until now) and walking out of that same hall with a new life, a new love and a new purple-colored dress.

Now, your dreams don't seem so far away.

"Can you believe that Truve is in just four days?" Haeun says.

"No, not at all," Kiyoung giggles politely. "I bet Y/N's especially delighted."

"Oh, you have no idea!" you exclaim.

"We know, we know," Yumi laughs. "Remember when the four of us tried to climb over the wall to get to the Male Village? All Y/N's idea."

Your face heats up in embarrassment. "That was one time. And we got in enough trouble to last a lifetime. But I can't help it. I mean, all our lives, we've been preparing for this moment, guys. Aren't you excited to meet your soulmates??"

"I am," Kiyoung says. "But a little nervous, too. You know what's supposed to happen the night after you meet your Truve match..."

"A bangin' night of sex?" Yumi snorts. "Y/N's probably planned out all of her moves already."

"I-I have not!"

"C'mon, Y/N, we all saw you staying up for extra hours trying to read that male anatomy book," Haeun teases.

"It was part of a class requirement!"

"It's okay," Kiyoung says, patting your back. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to know how to please your partner."

"They say the books only teach you so much," Haeun whispers, lowering her voice. "I mean, they say the experience is what gets them going."

"Really???" Your eyes widen. "What if I can't please him the right way the first time??"

"It can't be that hard," Yumi snorts. "I mean, just stuff the dick in your mouth and see what happens."

Kiyoung blushes a bright pink. "W-We shouldn't be talking about stuff like that."

"Where did you even learn about that anyways?" Haeun laughs, nudging Yumi.

"Oh, from here and there," she laughs. "Good sex leads to a good partnership. And it doesn't help to be attracted to them physically," she says with faux wisdom enlaced in her words.

"I'm gonna cry if I don't get a man who's tall and handsome. Pretty lips and a small face should be a damn requirement!" Haeun pouts. "And Kiyoung, what if you don't find a guy with brown eyes and dimples, huh?"

Kiyoung shakes her head, biting her lip in thought. "I have no idea... I'm just hoping for the best."

"If my partner doesn't end up in the math division I'm gonna quit." Yumi rolls her eyes. "I swear, something about mathematicians and ash-blond hair turns me on."

You stay silent, playing with your hair awkwardly. Even now, you don't find physical requirements at the top of your list. You'll be happy to be with anyone. As long as they love you back. As long as they're your worthy Truve Choice and your destined soulmate.

It's true that classes have emphasized sex and pleasure to keep relationships afloat. You doubt that's false information too. But... You think there should be something more than sexual tension, physical attraction with your Truve Choice. There should be unadulterated love. And love transcends physical qualities.

Your friends might never understand.

Your hands shake as you spritz your favorite perfume all over your neck, dousing yourself in the most effeminate-smelling aromas of roses and daisies and tulips. For the hundredth time, you check your appearance in the mirror. Your nervous face looks back at you. Careful not to wipe your sweaty hands on your red dress, you make your way over to your dorm's sink to wash them.

"You're washing your hands, again?" Haeun says, peering in from her side of the room. Her red dress sparkles in the sunlight and her lips are painted in the same, alluring shade. She looks beautiful and not a hint of nervosity is in her eyes, unlike you.

"I'm sweating so much. Fuck," you hiss, wiping your hands on a paper towel. Your stomach twists in knots. "This isn't how I expected to feel, Haeun."

"Relax, you look beautiful," she tells you. "You might want to stop sweating though. Or else your makeup's gonna slide off your face!"

You laugh at her teasing words. "You're seriously not nervous?"

"Of course not," Haeun says. "I know I'll find my perfect Truve Choice. I can feel it."

"No, no, I'm not worried about finding a Truve Choice... I'm just worried about tonight," you sigh, collapsing on the pure white covers of your bed. "Our first night with our partner... What if I chicken out?"

"Well, you better not."

"Real comforting, Haeun."

"If you don't want to do anything too frisky then just suck him off and call it a day," she says, shrugging her shoulders. "I'm sure your prince will understand."

"What if I can't even do that right??"

"No one does it right the first time," Haeun laughs. "That's why you do it every day so you can get better."

"Really??"

"Really."

"And how the hell do you know this, again?"

"Yumi," comes Haeun's simple answer. "I don't know what strings that girl pulled, but she knows everything. I'd be surprised if she even somehow lost her virginity."

You gasp. "She wouldn't. Our first nights are supposed to be with our soulmate!"

"Her soulmate doesn't have to know," Haeun says, winking.

"You guys are insane," you sigh.

"Less insane than you," Haeun replies. "Imagine going into the Matching Hall with no idea what your soulmate's gonna look like!"

You huff. "Fine. Maybe I am being unconventional."

Haeun gasps. "Rule-follower Y/N being unconventional?" She puts a dramatic hand to her heart. "The world must be ending!" You roll your eyes, making Haeun laugh even harder. "No, but besides the jokes, Y/N, I'm sure you'll find someone special. You know, someone special enough to be your prince."

Usually, Haeun is the one teasing you about your nonexistent soulmate preferences, but she sounds sincere and genuine today.

"Thanks," you reply. "I hope you find a guy with pretty lips and a small face."

Haeun snorts (something that her instructors have criticized over and over again for being quite unladylike). "I better."

The Matching Hall is grand—grander than your wildest fantasies, which is essentially saying a lot. Your hands clutch around your red dress as you look around you. Right now, you're lost in a sea of red. Other girls are chattering, fluffing up their dresses and fixing their hair one last time. You're too nervous to speak—there's a lump stuck in your throat.

Soon, the purple curtains will be lifted and the matching will start... Your heart beats in your head. Yumi and Haeun look as casual as ever, chatting amongst themselves. You and Kiyoung stand in the corner, observing the hall and collecting your thoughts.

"You're nervous too?" Kiyoung asks you, her voice soft and quivering.

"Of course I am!"

Kiyoung laughs. "It's just that you've always excelled in school. With the high marks and all, you know? You're gonna be an amazing wife, Y/N."

"Thanks," you say. "But what about you? You're sweet and dainty and quiet. Men would love you."

Kiyoung twists the red fabric of her modest-looking dress. "What if I'm too quiet? I don't know... you've always been the model woman, Y/N. Sometimes I wish I were more like you."

You're shocked to hear that. "Kiyoung! You can't say that!"

"Haeun and Yumi are jealous of you too," Kiyoung pipes up in her small voice. "They tease you relentlessly but that's just because they know they can't be as perfect as you."

You laugh. "They tease me because they care. Not because they're jealous!"

"You don't have to worry, Y/N," Kiyoung says. "Or be nervous for that matter. You'll find the best husband out of the four of us."

"We'll all find husbands suited for us," you say, smiling at your best friend. "I guess we shouldn't be so nervous."

Kiyoung nods.

And both of you hold your breaths as the curtains are slowly drawn up and the other side comes into view. You squint, unable to see any outlines but a sea of blue looking across from you. Kiyoung squeaks and freezes on the spot. With your mouth agape, you travel closer and closer.

When the purple curtain is no longer in view, you know that the matching has begun. Your head reels when you catch glimpses of these boys—these men. They look different from what you've seen in the textbooks. They range in all sizes and shapes and have different features as well. Some are softer looking and others look rather... gruff. It's just so much to take in and process in such little time.

Before you know it, some of the girls are already holding their partner's hands, their clothes morphing into a conjoined shade of purple. Your eyes widen upon witnessing such a fascinating phenomenon. They've already found their soulmates.

Your throat suddenly constricts, and you nearly forget how to breathe for a moment. Rapidly, you twist around, desperation beginning to settle in. Where's your prince?

You see Haeun out of the corner of your eye, courting a tall, handsome boy with thick lips and a small, beautiful face. She had gotten what she wanted. When you turn around, you see Yumi, holding the hand of an intelligent-looking boy with ash-blond hair. Your eyes enlarge when you see shy Kiyoung, approaching a man with soft brown eyes and dimples.

It's unladylike, but you curse in your head. You should've made physical guidelines too. Why had you been trying to be so different? Your stubbornness had gotten the best of you. Now, how are you going to choose a partner?

You frantically glance around, weaving in and out between the matched soulmates, frantically trying to catch sight of a man—any man—wearing blue. But there are barely any left. Matches are being made in mere seconds. And you're behind. All because you decided to put faith in your heart.

That should've been you, falling in love at first sight. But you're left, head whirling with despondent thoughts and eyes welling up with tears. Where is your prince charming?

No one ever told you what would happen if you weren't able to find a match. Will you be ostracized by society?

Why is no one meeting your eye? You feel unavoided and unloved and unwanted. Your fantasy bubble is just about to pop when—

"Hello."

You freeze.

"Hello," the voice says again. Smooth yet full of energy. Bright but robust at the same time. "I'm Hoseok."

You whirl around and see a boy in blue. He—Hoseok—has a clear-cut jawline, well-brushed and gelled brown hair and the prettiest nose you've ever seen on anyone in your life. His eyes stare at you in round, curious ovals. One look at him and you've fallen in love. "O-Oh, hi," you stutter out, quickly wiping away the tears that had welled up in your eyes. "I'm Y/N..."

"Great," he says, staring awkwardly at your face. "Um, shall we...?" Hoseok asks, gesturing towards your hand.

"Yes, yes please."

When his hand touches yours, you feel the sparks fly, the fireworks going off in your head. It's like magic when your red clothes and his blue clothes morph into a pretty shade of purple.

He's perfect. Everything you didn't know you wanted.

You've found your soulmate.

The whole day takes you by a storm. You are dragged, left and right, to sign the marriage contract, to get fitted into a pure white gown and get your pictures taken and framed. To lease your own home and move in with the few belongings you were allowed to pack. To start a new life with your new spouse.

Now, it's night.

You'd fixed an impressionable first meal consisting of three extravagant courses—a menu you'd been planning to cook for your soulmate since four years ago. Hoseok had complimented your cooking skills but had said nothing more.

He's a shy lad, you realize. He rarely speaks, and when he does, it's to make a short, concise remark. But you don't mind. There's a certain allure to his silence and reclusiveness. But the real worry is not the dinner. It isn't Hoseok's shyness either. It's the traditional act and duty of consummating the marriage that must take place by bedtime.

You nervously twist your lace nightgown, the soft, flowy fabric glowing in the moonlight—pearly white to symbolize your chastity. Hoseok sits on the bed, back turned to you. You could probably count the number of sentences he'd spoken to you today with both hands.

"Hoseok...?" you call to him, curiously. If he had not shifted in his seat, you would've thought he'd fallen asleep sitting up.

"Hm?" he says.

You nervously twist your ring around your finger. "Um, I was just wondering about... um..." You trail off, awkwardly, feeling your face heating up at the thought of vocalizing such a debauched deed.

"Sex?" he says.

You flinch at his bluntness and the harshness of his voice.

"If it's all right with you, I want to skip it," he says. He doesn't even turn around to face you, ignoring your presence completely. It's as if he's speaking to your ghost—as if he's pretending you don't exist, standing behind him in your innocent attire.

"Skip it??"

"They don't check, you know," comes his answer. Hoseok slips under the covers, keeping his back towards you. "Good night, then, Y/N."

Your jaw drops open and it stays there for quite some time—the pose is unattractive and quite unladylike but you can't help it. A marriage without consummation? A man refusing to have sex? Your school never taught you how to handle these problems. It was always about what you could do as the woman to the man, your husband. But it looks like you don't have to do anything for your soulmate.

You look awkwardly at your bare legs and the king-sized bed Hoseok is already sleeping on. His soft snores indicate that he is, indeed, already in dreamland. The eventful day must've tired him out. Unlike your husband, however, you're unable to fall asleep. And with the question of sex out the window, you don't feel particularly worried either. Just confused. Perplexed.

The lace on your nightgown is almost unbearably itchy, but you don't dare take it off. Instead, you grit your teeth and slide into the bed with Hoseok, who refuses to move or acknowledge your presence at all. But you never know when he'll change his mind. (You remember having a whole lesson on the unpredictable male sex drive.) So you keep the silk slip on, which, unfortunately for you, was designed more for appearance rather than comfort.

And it happens to be quite a long night. Mainly because Hoseok never wakes you up to have sex. But also because the nightgown causes some form of a rash on your body; you're up all night itching yourself. The little sleep you get allows you to think about Hoseok's behavior, though.

Maybe he's a bit of a late bloomer. Most males are extremely hormonal—the first fact the girls are taught in the extensive units of sex ed. They would dive in head-first for any chance to have sex. Or maybe Hoseok's nervous about the morning, where he'll have to go out and find a job to support his new family. Or... (and this one concerns you the most) maybe he doesn't find you attractive. He hadn't seen your face when he'd signaled for your attention at the ceremony. What if you have an attractive backside but an ugly front?? The thought keeps you up all night.

In the morning, Hoseok wakes up to you (with prominent dark circles under your eyes) cooking a classic breakfast. From time to time, you pause what you're doing to itch at the red rash all over your neck and back. But Hoseok's glad that you've changed into more comfortable clothing.

"Good morning," he says. And instead of sitting down at the small breakfast table, he takes the spatula from your surprised hands and begins to skillfully flip the pancakes.

"Oh! Hoseok," you say, surprised, stumbling back. "It's okay, I can make breakfast. It's my job as your wife."

Hoseok shakes his head. "No, I insist. Besides, you have a bad rash right now. You should go get some ointment and put it on. I'll finish making breakfast."

He is peculiar, that Jung Hoseok. Men are supposed to fall at your feet over your cooking skills. They're supposed to lounge around and relax while you complete your house chores. Then, it would be your turn to relax when the men go to work. You don't know what game Hoseok is trying to play, and you're not sure you like it.

By the time you get the ointment, slather it over your irritated skin and come back to the kitchen, Hoseok's already waiting for you with breakfast set up on the dining table. You frown slightly.

That's supposed to be your job... What you trained to do for your whole life. Hm. Your soulmate is unconventional. You'll give him that. But he's also attractive and somewhat considerate too. You shrug it off. You'll get used to it eventually.

"So, any idea what you're gonna choose for a career?" you ask politely, sliding into your seat.

Hoseok nods. "I was thinking a technician? Just a job that lets me work in silence."

"Sounds nice!" you exclaim, but it comes out too enthusiastically and you can see Hoseok visibly flinch. Feeling embarrassed and dejected, you slide into your seat, too humiliated to even reach forward and daintily eat your pancakes as they taught you in school.

After a while, Hoseok stops eating and looks up at you. "Are you not hungry?" he asks, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh! Sorry, I mean..." You struggle to find your words. "WelI, I was too busy admiring you."

It's a perfect answer. Men love sweet talk that boosts their ego—you've memorized a total of 160 different phrases to say to them and another 160 "not safe for work" versions as well. But you should've known it wouldn't work for Hoseok.

"Sorry?" Hoseok frowns. He quickly dabs at his mouth with a napkin and stands up from his seat, beginning to clear away his plate.

"Wait!" you call. "I'll do that. Um, you can go prepare for work!"

"Nonsense," Hoseok replies. "I'll clean my half of the dishes."

You can't even protest when Hoseok hogs the whole sink, insisting that he does your job. You're awkwardly cast to the side, unsure of what to do and what to think. Are you supposed to be grateful that he's being helpful? Or should you feel threatened? He can't take away your sole purpose!

Carefully, you watch Hoseok as he dutifully washes the dishes, humming a low tune under his breath. He's a handsome man. Even without styled hair and nice clothes, he glows. He's your soulmate. Yet why is he acting like you two are strangers? You're supposed to be in love.

"I would help more but I'll be late for work then," Hoseok says, breaking you out of your thoughts. "You can do the rest right?" He points at the half uncleared table.

"Yeah, of course." You watch as Hoseok makes his way to the bedroom to change into his work attire.

What a strange man.

When Hoseok comes home by 6 o'clock, you've already cleaned the house (twice) and cooked another delicious dinner. You welcome your soulmate home from his first day of work with open arms, but he swiftly steps to the side, indicating that he needs his space. You give it to him, though feeling rejected.

"How was the first day, love?" you ask, your voice rising three pitches higher when you utter the pet name.

Hoseok doesn't seem to notice though. "It was fine," he says. "I'm a technician now." He pauses, staring at the steaming meal placed in front of him. "Maybe I can teach you the works some time."

You cock your head. Strange, indeed. But you feign a little giggle and play off his eccentricity as nothing. "Oh, Hoseok! Your job is yours to keep! I wouldn't want to learn anything about it. Besides, my job is to keep this house tidy and keep you well-fed, isn't it?"

Your soulmate visibly slumps in his seat. You wonder if you said anything wrong.

"I'm sorry," you apologize, though you're not really sure what you're apologizing for. "Maybe... I've made you uncomfortable...?"

Hoseok shakes his head. "Not at all." Yet he doesn't elaborate and it leaves you questioning everything.

"You would not believe what I get to work with!" Haeun squeals the moment she sits down at her pretty dining table. She'd invited you and your two other friends over—your first meet-up as wives living in the Common Villa.

"What?" you, Kiyoung and Yumi chorus with genuine curiosity.

"He's literally packing," she giggles. "And he's the best goddamn match I've ever had in my life!"

Yumi rolls her eyes. "He's the only match you've had, Haeun."

"Oh, whatever." Haeun brushes off Yumi's comment. "His name is Seokjin, and he's so handsome that he's gonna work as a model."

"What's he like?" Kiyoung asks with round eyes.

"He's so funny!" Haeun giggles. "He tells me so many jokes, and he lightens up the mood wherever he goes. He's the biggest sweetheart ever."

Yumi laughs. "So you got a romantic?"

"There's nothing wrong with a romantic," Kiyoung smiles. "Namjoon's a romantic too. He wrote a poem for me in his free time, and it was beautiful."

"Well, I don't need jokes or poems," Yumi says, leaning back in her seat. "Yoongi has an insane sex drive. The man can go on and on for hours." She winks. "Sometimes, I don't even know how I'm still walking."

Your friends gasp and giggle politely, hands over your mouths, covering your reactions—as you were taught as women should.

"Y/N, you're godawfully quiet. What cat got your tongue?" Haeun snorts. "How's Hoseok?"

"He's uh," you pause, trying to find a word that could describe your relationship with him. "He's great."

"Just great?" Kiyoung says. "He's so handsome! Of course, I love my Namjoon. But Hoseok seems like he would make a very good soulmate."

"Yeah, he is," you say, forcing a smile.

You feel out of place amongst your friends. Their wild sex stories and romantic endeavors with their partners are making you feel just a tad bit jealous. Why haven't you done anything with Hoseok yet? Did he not think you were his soulmate? Does he not love you as you love him? You would do anything for your partner. Hoseok can't even kiss you goodbye before he leaves for work in the morning.

But you don't want to tell your friends that you're having partner troubles. You were always the one dreaming of your prince... It would be embarrassing to admit that Hoseok was anything but the man of your dreams. Which was unfortunate because you had little to no guidelines for your ideal man—only that he'd love you back. Was it really that hard?

You come home to Hoseok cleaning up the mess you'd made in front of the living room television after you'd been watching your favorite soap opera. Your cheeks heat in embarrassment. You're supposed to clean up after his messes. What is he doing?

"Did you have fun with your friends?" he asks the moment he sees you. He gives you a friendly smile, which you reciprocate automatically and by reflex.

"Yeah," you say. No, you think.

He stands up, brushing off his hands and walking towards you. "I feel like we got off on the wrong foot," he says.

You raise your eyebrows. "We did?"

"I don't want our relationship to be awkward," he says.

"Me neither," you agree. "I just want to spend quality time with you... you know, as my soulmate."

Hoseok nods as if he understands. "I want to spend more time with you too. Most of all, I want to get to know you."

You agree. "I would like that a lot, Hoseok."

"But I think we should share household chores."

You draw the line there.

"Why?" you say, cocking your head to the side. "I'm just genuinely curious," you add on quickly. "I do the household chores like I was taught to do, and you come home from a long day of work and get the rest you deserve. It makes sense, right?"

Hoseok scratches his chin thoughtfully. "I just don't like the fact that you're obligated to feel responsible for the messes that I've made."

You laugh at his strange logic. "Hoseok, I'd be glad to clean up your messes! That's what soulmates do for each other!"

"I think we need to prove ourselves as soulmates first, don't you think?"

"What do you mean?" you say, a bit puzzled. "We became soulmates the moment our eyes met on Truve Day."

Hoseok hums, but he refuses to elaborate—much to your despair. "It's a strange place we live in, hm?"

You scrunch your nose. "Or maybe you're the strange person living in a normal place."

Hoseok laughs. "That may be true too."

"But look," you say, grabbing Hoseok's hand and encompassing it in yours. "It's better this way. Everything's divided. Everything's organized. Everyone's pleased."

Everyone except you. But you don't say that out loud.

Hoseok doesn't answer. Instead, he squeezes your hand once, then lets go. "Only time can tell," he says before disappearing into the bedroom.

You're left more puzzled than before.

Too slowly, a year flows by.

Every day is the same—with the exact same conversations and attitude from Hoseok. You've gotten used to having a platonic relationship with him, but it feels out of place. Wrong, even. Your other friends are starting to make great advancements in their marriages (pregnancies, planning for children, preparing to become parents), and they talk about it often too.

But you never have anything new to share.

Of course, you have nothing against the love of your life. He's kind, respectful and definitely a hard-worker (helping you out with your chores while also dutifully going to his job every weekday). He sits through your sitcoms for you and you sit through his boring nature documentaries. The two of you often converse over dinner and while cleaning up after the meal. Then, you slip under the covers of the same bed and sleep to do it all over again the next day.

Sometimes, you wonder if Hoseok even loves you.

It's been a year. And you're still a virgin. If your friends knew... you're not sure how they'd react. But you would certainly be embarrassed.

Today happens to be your worst nightmare unfolding before your eyes.

"So," Haeun says, patting her slightly protruding belly. She had just given everyone a brief rundown of her pregnancy, which everyone congratulated her warmly about. But it looks like now, Haeun's bored and wants someone else to do the talking. "Any updates about Hoseok, Y/N?"

You flinch when she says your name. "Relax, Y/N!" Yumi laughs. "We're all just curious about what's going on in the Jung house. Right, girls?"

Even Kiyoung nods eagerly. "You never tell us anything!" she says.

"And to think you were the one who was the most obsessed with the idea of meeting your soulmate," Haeun snorts. "Why so silent now?"

Yumi gasps, lowering her voice. "Is he not good in bed?"

Your cheeks flush and you look down at the surface of Kiyoung's vintage coffee table.

"He is bad in bed!" Haeun jumps to conclude. "Oh, Y/N... I'm so sorry."

You shake your head in frustration. "No, no. He's not bad in bed," you say, defending your partner. "I mean... Um, I wouldn't know if he's bad or not, that is."

At that, your three friends gasp loudly in unison.

"You mean to tell me," Yumi says, recovering from her shock. "You mean to say that... you're still a virgin??" she whispers the term like it's some forbidden word.

"Well, yeah..." You squirm in your seat, grabbing fistfuls of your dress to keep yourself from completely losing your mind.

"It's been a year, though..." Kiyoung says, wide-eyed. "I don't mean to pry but what have you been doing?"

You sigh. Maybe it's time to come clean to your best friends.

"That's the thing," you say, slowly, carefully. "Um, we haven't exactly done anything."

"Are you sure you're not half a virgin?" Yumi frowns. "I mean, you must've done something on the night of Truve, right? You didn't even suck him off? No sexual contact at all?"

"It's been a purely platonic relationship," you say, biting the inside of your cheek. "Should I be worried?"

Kiyoung averts your eye contact. Haeun suddenly becomes very busy petting her stomach. Yumi's the only one who's looking straight at you.

"Yumi?" you plead.

"I don't know what to tell you, Y/N," she sighs after a long moment of silence. "He might be batting for the other team... if you know what I mean."

"Yumi!" Kiyoung gasps. "Don't say that!"

"I mean, it's a possibility," Yumi says, shrugging.

"He could be imprisoned if that's true!" you shriek, burying your face in your hands. "He wouldn't, right?" you mumble. "He can't be..."

"Maybe he's just embarrassed," Haeun offers. "Maybe he, you know... he has a hard time getting it up?"

You groan in your hands. "I'm not attractive enough for him, aren't I?"

"Oh, don't say that, Y/N," Kiyoung says. She pats your back, trying to console you. "He has to be shy. Or maybe Haeun's right. Maybe he does have erectile dysfunction. The two of you should try to talk it out."

"But what if Yumi's right??" you say, running your fingers through your hair. "What if he is batting for the other team??"

Yumi looks guilty for even suggesting the idea in the first place. "It's just a small chance," she says. "He probably isn't. Kiyoung's right, anyways. You should just talk to him."

Your friends make it sound so easy... But sometimes, talking to Jung Hoseok is like talking to a brick wall.

Hoseok's waiting for you with some cut up fruit on the table and a fresh pie from the bakery down the street. "Hey," he greets you with a small smile. "Did you have fun?"

"Ye—" but you cut yourself off. You decide you're going to be honest and direct with him now. You'll take your friends' advice and talk to this man. You want to figure out what's wrong. To save this relationship.

"No," you say. "No, I didn't have fun."

Hoseok looks surprised. "Did something happen?" A flicker of worry fleets across his face. "We can talk about it if you want."

You gratefully take his invitation. "Yes, something did happen," you say rather stiffly. You sit up straight on the dining chair and sigh, putting your hands on your lap. "It's about us."

"Us?" Hoseok looks confused. "What do we have to do with your girl's night out?"

It's a fair question. "My friends and I were talking about you."

Hoseok is still puzzled, judging by his furrowed brows and slightly squinted eyes. "Can I ask why?"

"It's just that..." you pause to sigh, running your fingers through your hair. "I just don't think our relationship has advanced like my friends' relationships have. I mean, look, Kiyoung and Namjoon are taking lessons to prepare to become parents before they even try for a baby. Haeun's already pregnant. And who knows when Yumi's going to announce out of the blue that she's going to have twins??" You stop, looking him dead in the eyes. "I just think that... I don't know... Sometimes, I don't even think you love me."

Your soulmate looks quite taken aback by your accusation but he unsurprisingly maintains his cool. "Y/N..." he calls your name, his softened eyes staring in your teary-eyed ones. "I care about you. You know that?"

You scoff. "When have you acted like it?" you say, letting your tears roll down your face. "I'm not even half a virgin, Hoseok. I am one."

Hoseok shakes his head. "I just don't find sex as an act I should do before I love someone."

"But you do love me!" you say, raising your voice. "You chose me!" Before Hoseok can answer, you shake your head, holding up your hand. "I'm not finished. If you had a problem with me, you could've said something. Why did you string me along for a whole damn year only to toss me aside and ignore me? Refuse to love me? I-Is it... Is it because... y-you're...? Gay?" you whisper the last portion. "Is that why you can't love me?"

Hoseok's eyes turn wide and he shakes his head vigorously. "Y/N, I'm not gay."

"Then what is it, Hoseok? What's keeping you from loving me?" you sob.

Your sole wish had been to find a prince who loved you back. To find a soulmate that could make you feel over the moon and on cloud nine at the same time. You had such few expectations... No expectations, really. Love is already supposed to be a factor in your Truve Match. So what had gone so wrong?

Hoseok sighs, scratching the back of his head in a rather awkward manner. "I just don't believe in it."

"Believe in what?" you say, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"In true love. I think it's bullshit."

You nearly fall out of your chair. "You can't say that!"

"I can," he replies, simply and calmly. "I don't find it romantic or love-inducing to see someone attractive and then claim them as my soulmate. What about compatible personalities? What about living habits? What about our likes and dislikes? It's impossible to fall in love at first sight."

You scoff, standing up from your chair. "If it's so impossible, then why does our society have the best marriage statistics in the world? Why do we have a zero percent divorce rate, huh? Something's working, I believe." You cross your arms, beginning to think what your soulmate stands for is unbelievable.

"That's why they shove so much sex ed knowledge down our throats to keep us happy," Hoseok says. "Do your friends talk about anything other than sex with their partners?" He raises his eyebrows when you stutter to say something but ultimately come up with nothing.

Just last week, Yumi had confessed that she barely knew what Yoongi sounded like outside the bedroom—when he wasn't whispering dirty things in her ear. You and your friends had taken that as a funny joke. But now...

"The preoccupation with virginity and purity and sex!" Hoseok says, raising his voice. "It's all a social construct!"

He watches you cry in disbelief but he can't help but continue.

"It's an illusion, Y/N," he says. "Couples depend on their physical relationship to get them through. Instead of the emotional or mental aspects. And then they convince themselves that their relationship is completely fine because they're soulmates."

With shaking hands, you manage to wipe your tears away. "Why did you choose me if you never thought love at first sight was real? Why did you choose me if you never believed in true love??"

Hoseok pauses, biting his lip. "Well... That was different."

"How?" You frown.

"For years I planned to stand in protest... To remain the last one standing as the only person left in blue. I wasn't going to find a match. Wasn't even going to try..."

"What changed?"

"I saw you."

"So you did love me at first sight!"

"No," Hoseok says, shaking his head. "I didn't. I saw you about to cry and well, truth be told I felt bad for you."

Your bubble bursts.

Your soulmate is not really your soulmate. He didn't choose you because he loved you. He chose you because he pitied you. You feel numb.

"There's no such thing as true love," Hoseok says. "It just isn't possible. Especially not at first sight."

But even though you feel dejected and should feel deterred from ever progressing your relationship with Hoseok—who isn't really your soulmate—you feel hope inside of you. A little thought that maybe... maybe you can fix this. If what Hoseok says is true, maybe you can make him learn to love you. Not through a sex-based relationship. But something else. Something deeper.

You still have hope.

"I want to try learning to strengthen our mental and emotional relationship," you say, wiping the last of your tears away with a swipe of your sleeve.

Hoseok raises his eyebrows, looking a bit surprised. He had expected you to back down. To find a new soulmate. To find a better man who would be better suited for your idealistic expectations. But maybe he had judged you wrongly. You're a lot stronger than you think. And even though he's never told you out loud, it's something that he's noticed in you over the course of the year of living with you.

You often underestimate yourself.

A small smile stretches across Hoseok's lips. "It's not necessarily something you can learn from a textbook," he says. "It's something that happens more gradually."

Ever since your big talk with Hoseok, things have been just a slightly bit more awkward than normal. Which is saying a lot. You'd said you wanted to develop a better relationship with Hoseok, but you aren't quite sure how to go about that idea. After all, school never taught you how to do it. You're lost.

Until Hoseok comes up to you on Saturday morning with a cup of steaming coffee in his hand. He hands it to you and smiles at you brightly. It's a small gesture, but it's enough to make your whole day.

"Listen," he says. "I feel like I need to get out an apology. A genuine one. I know you had big hopes for your soulmate. And I really weighed you down this past year. So I decided that I'm going to take you out on a date."

Your eyes grow wide. "A date?"

Dates are old-fashioned—almost obsolete. Most couples these days prefer to spend time with each other in the bedroom. But a date does sound quite nice. A date is a step further from where you were with Hoseok before. A date will suffice. Yes, a date would be great.

"Yes, a date," Hoseok says, echoing your thoughts. "How about a trip to the bakery? I noticed you like pies. Why don't we taste test a few?"

"T-Today?" you stutter out of excitement.

"If that's okay with you."

"Yes!" you exclaim. "Yes! That's amazing!"

You practically fly to the bedroom to get ready, and hearing Hoseok's kind laughter from the kitchen warms your cheeks.

"Mmm, this one's so good! It's totally my favorite," you sigh happily, closing your eyes to savor the taste of the tangy raspberries mixed with fresh cream.

"You've been saying that for every new pie you've tried!" Hoseok laughs. "Here, try this one." He carefully brings a forkful of a new kind of pie to your lips. Slightly blushing at his action, you lean forward and capture the slice in your mouth.

"Mmm!" you say as the citrus taste bursts on your tongue, your eyes turning wide as you begin to chew. "The texture!" you compliment. "Key lime? This one has to be my favorite."

"What about the chocolate mousse one?" Hoseok asks.

You giggle. "Oh, I forgot about that!" After trying one bite of that pie, you almost devoured the whole thing on the spot—if Hoseok hadn't stopped you, that is. "I don't think I can ever choose just one to take home."

"I'll help you decide, then," Hoseok laughs.

"No way," you say. "You like the pies with walnuts in them!"

"Walnuts are good for you!" Hoseok protests.

"They certainly don't taste like it."

Hoseok rolls his eyes but he smiles and tells the baker that you'll take a half pie order of blackberry pie and another half of whipped banana cream pie. Your eyes widen at his choices. How did he know?? Though you did technically say every pie was your favorite, your secret ideal picks had indeed been the blackberry pie and the whipped banana cream pie.

When you walk back home side by side with Hoseok, he reveals his strategy. "You had extended 'mmmm's' for your two top favorites," he says. "Thankfully, I noticed, right?"

You smile, cheeks feeling warmed at his sheer attentiveness. "Yeah... right."

After a week of watching you stuff pie in your face, Hoseok comes home from work to a special surprise of his own.

"Ta-da!" you shout with jazz fingers. "Look what I made!"

You have your baking apron on and there's practically flour everywhere, but sitting neatly on the dining table in all its glory is—a maple walnut pie. Hoseok's favorite.

"I didn't exactly have time to clean up the kitchen," you confess, sheepishly. "But I'll get to it now!"

Soon, you find Hoseok on his hands and knees, helping you scrub the flour off the floors of the house. Though you protest and tell him that this is, indeed, your job, Hoseok just laughs it off.

"It's another societal norm that can afford to be broken," he says, smiling.

You cock your head. "Well, okay!" you finally say with a shrug. "I guess that means we'll have more time to eat pie now."

"Now that's great thinking."

It's really starting to look like the more you set aside time for each other, the more it looks like your relationship will work.

It's way past your bedtime, but you don't feel one bit drowsy at all. Hoseok's speaking rapidly, eyes twinkling and mouth set in a bright smile. He'd started to teach you about the simpler works of an IT technician three hours ago, and you'd let him continue because frankly, you find it fascinating as well.

"The worst part about it is trying to teach the workers how to deal with their own computers," Hoseok says, shaking his head. "You'd be surprised that these grown men can't even tell the difference between shutting down their computer versus putting their display screens to sleep."

"Even I know the difference!" you pipe up. "Thanks to you, that is."

Hoseok laughs. "It's all really interesting," he says. "I mostly get called in when they find viruses in their computers, though."

"Viruses?" you say, eyes widening. "The stuff that makes us sick?"

"Similar," Hoseok says, "but not quite." He absentmindedly checks the clock on the wall and gasps. "I've been keeping you awake."

"No, no," you say. "You're not." Then, you pause. "Unless I'm keeping you awake by asking countless questions..."

Hoseok shakes his head. "Tomorrow's Sunday. We can wake up a little late, don't you think?"

"Let's knock ourselves out!" you say. "But first, let's get us some midnight snacks."

And that's how you and Hoseok begin a mad baking contest at 2 a.m. in the morning, competing for the best chocolate chip cookie-maker title. The short IT technician lesson is left completely forgotten in the midst of baking powder, flour and loads and loads of chocolate drops.

By 4 a.m., the two of you are drowsy on wine, filled to the brim with cookies and feeling happy. Hoseok offers to carry you to bed, though you decline several times because you fear he's going to slip somewhere down the line and take you to the ground with him.

Quite drunkenly, Hoseok says, "I am... not! going to... drrroopp! you."

"Rrreallly?" You unintentionally give him the puppy dog eyes look. "I can goooo!" you say, nearly slipping out of your chair, "byyy myyyyself!"

"Thennn be my guest!" Hoseok shouts, raising his hands above his head. "Goddamn, these cookiesss," he wails. "They taste like heavennnn!"

You agree by shoving two cookies in your mouth at once. It's quite unladylike of you, but you know (even in your drunken state) with Hoseok, he would never mind—nor judge.

Hoseok tries to one-up you by shoving three cookies in his mouth but nearly chokes doing so. That's when you decide enough is enough and the two of you should go to bed, and inevitably suffer a bad hangover the next morning.

You stumble, dragging a whining Hoseok—who wants more cookies—to bed.

The two of you wake up the next morning feeling groggy, heavy but undoubtedly happy. Hoseok is crowned the better cookie-baker after much debate. And even with your loss, you're not even mad.

"Come on, come on!" you shriek, pulling out the popcorn from the microwave and jumping great lengths to arrive at the couch. "Hoseok! It's on, it's on!"

Your soulmate stumbles in the living room, eyes wide and head twisting to look about. "What's on?" he shrieks, matching your urgent tone.

"My show!"

Immediately, Hoseok sighs, about to walk away in disappointment.

"But you promised you'd watch one episode with me!" you call after him.

Hoseok pauses. As much as he hates your soap operas, you've been raving about Our Love Like Fibonacci for weeks, and that's significantly longer than your other raves. Plus, he's a man of his word and one drunken night, he had promised you that he'd sit with you to watch a soap opera from beginning to end.

"All right," he sighs, sliding into the couch by you. He tosses a popcorn kernel in his mouth. "This better be good."

"Oh, it is," you say, smiling.

Eight hours later—and twenty-eight tissues later—you and Hoseok sit at the dining table, almost unable to come up with any words.

"I-I thought," Hoseok sniffles. "I thought this was your second time watching this show," he says, watching you dry your eyes on your sleeve. "You're still—" he sniffles again—"crying."

"They were both so young," you wail. "At least, technically speaking. But no matter how many times I watch it, I'll always be sad."

"It's an extreme case of love, I suppose," Hoseok says after blowing his nose into a new tissue. "With the whole 'I'll follow you til death—except I don't die so I'll wait until you're reincarnated when you die so I can follow you again.' "

"Right!" you say. "Sometimes, though, I just think he should've left her."

"What??" Hoseok lurches back in his seat. "You? Who preaches true love and the sole idea of soulmates?"

You laugh. "But he was bound to her. He lived for her."

"But he loved... er, loves her."

"If you lived eternally, would you choose to love the same person over and over again?"

"Well, no," Hoseok says. "I'll look for new faces. I'll meet more people. But it's different in that show. He loved her arguably more than he loved his own life."

You smile. "You just don't love me that much yet. But you'll get there."

Hoseok watches in awe as you lean over and kiss his cheek. With a flirtatious wink, you disappear into the bedroom, and Hoseok's left with a weird feeling bubbling inside his chest. And you're left against the closed door of the bedroom, catching your breath and feeling the butterflies threatening to spill out of your stomach.

Hoseok's eyes light up whenever he speaks about something he's immensely passionate about. You have to admit it's endearing to see the usually untalkative man begin to rant on and on about his favorite topic.

"Truve wants to embrace the gender differences," Hoseok says. "But it does little to accentuate gender equality. Rather, I think it muddies the waters so we can all forget about it instead."

You listen in fascination, bringing your hands up to your chin. "Really? How so?"

"Well, to start off, the goddamn wall," Hoseok says. "The Female Village and Male Village should not even exist in the first place! The fact that we finally get to see a glimpse of the opposite sex when we turn eighteen? It's preposterous. We should teach little kids to grow up in an environment with both sexes. With the separation, we're treating each sex as an object, a prize. Something we win after years and years of education in one single celebration."

"Truve Day," you whisper in awe. "I've never thought of it like that."

"It's not your fault," Hoseok says, shaking your head. "You're a victim, anyways. Women are brainwashed to think their happiness depends on their husband's happiness."

"Should it be the other way around?" you ask, puzzled.

"No," Hoseok shakes his head. "Neither the wife nor the husband should be codependent on each other's happiness. That's what real equality means."

"You said that I'm a victim," you say, cocking your head. "I don't feel like that. So how so?"

Hoseok hums, choosing his next words carefully. "It's subtle, the way they do it," he says. "But let's take sex as an example. Your purity is put on a pedestal. Your first time is made into a huge deal. You're expected to have sex with the man whenever he wants. You're told that even if you don't feel like it, you should. Even oral pleasures. You're expected to do the man a favor. And it's never taught that they should return it."

You frown. "You have a point, actually..."

Your mind flashes back to a year ago when you had been gut-wrenchingly nervous about your first time with your prospective soulmate. The way you had almost thrown up several times, your hands shaking uncontrollably and sweat making them clammy as well. You think of how stressed you had been for the night of Truve Day. Your friends had told you, "Just suck him off." Like his pleasure was more important than anything else.

Your frown deepens. "I've never thought of that..."

"It's okay," Hoseok says. And shyly, he reaches out to place his hand on top of yours. "I'm glad to share my thoughts about it."

"I don't know if I'm as passionate about all of this as you are... yet, at least," you say, but you smile, taking Hoseok's hand and squeezing it. "But I understand you now. I get it."

"There's just so much more to talk about too," Hoseok says. "Everything I've been keeping inside me for years with no one to tell. I feel like the weight's been lifted off my shoulders."

"So please," you grin. "Enlighten me more."

Hoseok is a special man. What you thought was weird before actually makes him unique. And you're happy with him. You find yourself smiling more. You find yourself feeling giddy when he comes home. You find yourself in love more than ever before when he turns around on his pillow to tell you goodnight.

You couldn't have asked for a better soulmate.

"Got your tie?"

"Yes."

"Your lunch?"

"Mhm."

"Your thermos? With the freshly-made coffee??"

"Yes! Y/N!" Hoseok laughs. "We go through this every morning. When have I ever forg—"

"But today's your first day of work after your promotion!" you argue. "Everything needs to be perfect. I mean, what if they ask you to troubleshoot that malicious software problem that's been bothering the stats section for months? That's not your job now, is it?"

"Don't worry," Hoseok says. He's getting his shoes on at the front door, and you're all over him, straightening up his suit for the last time. He's laughing at your frenzied attempts to make him look more put-together than he already is. "Y/N. Y/N!"

You stop and with an exasperated sigh, "What?"

Then, he leans in to kiss you.

You're so caught off guard that you nearly stumble forward. It's a small peck on the lips—nothing that could lead to a sleepless night in bed. But something that promises more. You're left chasing after his lips, but Hoseok steps back, grinning wildly.

"I'll see you after six?" he says, stepping out of the house, all the while maintaining eye contact with you.

Quite embarrassingly, you sputter out a 'yes,' watching as Hoseok walks away as if nothing had happened. It's just one little kiss. But it leaves your insides burning.

And so it continues. The moment Hoseok gets back home, you tug him into another fleeting kiss. Yet Hoseok doesn't take a little peck for an answer. He pulls you back in to kiss you harder. The two of you fumble, lips never leaving each other's until you land on the couch. Hoseok falls on top of you, ever so careful not to crush your body.

One little kiss morphs into a heated make out that ends in soft cuddles.

"Well, that was enjoyable," Hoseok says with a small laugh. He's still a bit out of breath and it drives you crazy to see his lips slightly swollen with a special sheen of their own. Hoseok sits up, helping you do the same. "Want to watch our favorite show?"

"Our?" you say, leaning into Hoseok's arms. He catches you, beginning to brush his fingers through your hair.

"Yeah, ours," he says. "Our Love Like Fibonacci? I heard from my boss today. He told me there are a few easter eggs in it that would help us understand this other show..."

You gasp. "You mean you're going to be willing to watch not just one show but two?"

Hoseok laughs, his fingers paused, entangled in your hair. "I don't know. I just used to think those shows were unrealistic... You know, in their portrayal of relationships." He reflects for a moment and you hold your breath, waiting for his next words. "But I guess thoughts change over time."

Change over time, indeed.

Hoseok's right. It's gradual in the way you and Hoseok ignite your relationship with each other. There are countless more late-night discussions and tech lessons. Many more dates and even more consisting of pie eating. Endless kisses. More conversations after watching television shows. Inquiries after watching Hoseok's thought-provoking documentaries. Supporting each other when outside forces revealed hardships.

It becomes increasingly obvious that this, this is the true love you've always wanted. That you knew, deep inside of you, that Hoseok would be your true love the moment you saw him. He's the soulmate you've dreamed of all these years. Though it was unclear before, it's too apparent now.

There's no doubt about it.

You're in love with him. And as every day passes, the more genuine your love becomes and the deeper it gets.

Last night was the first time. Breathless. Slow. Loving.

The memory burns your cheeks and still keeps you flushed—even though the sun's rising up in the sky by now. You've been awake for half an hour, letting Hoseok hug you in his sleep and loving the feeling too much to get up from the bed. His bare chest is pressed against your naked back, and that feeling alone, knowing he's behind you, makes you feel so warm, so safe. You don't know how to describe it.

Last night had been comfortable. There was no rush getting to map out each other's bodies. Neither of you was selfish about giving pleasure either. It's different from what you'd imagined your first time would be—back when your soulmate was faceless. But Hoseok makes love like you're the only person left in the world in his eyes. He makes you feel special at that moment. It's not something hot and sexy and heated like the way Yumi describes it. It's trust. And praise and yes, most important of all, love.

"You've been awake for a while, haven't you?" Hoseok whispers groggily.

You smile. He knows you too well. You turn around to face your soulmate. He's barely blinking his eyes awake but a lazy smile plays on his lips. "Yeah. You just woke up?"

"No, I've been awake for hours," Hoseok jokes.

You giggle, fitting yourself against Hoseok's body. "We don't have to get up so early..."

"I agree," he says, patting your hair.

You whine when he starts to pull you away from him. "But—"

"I love you."

Your eyes widen at his confession. "What—"

"I know, I know," Hoseok says, laughing to himself. "I forgot to tell you this last night, Y/N. Too caught up in the moment." He turns a bit red at the memory. "I never thought that this day would come, though." He looks you in the eye, carefully forming his next words. "I love you, Y/N," he says again. Earnestly. Almost humbly. As if he's asking you to accept his love proposal.

You smile, deciding to tease him just a bit. "So," you pause dramatically. "You're telling me that the day you first lay your eyes on me, you didn't think that you'd ever fall in love with me?"

"Oh... um—" Hoseok starts.

You cut him off with a little shake to your head. "I don't know, Hoseok. Maybe true love is real."

And for the first time, Hoseok is unable to argue otherwise.

—masterpost

—masterlist