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Chapter Text

11 February 2007, 10am

"Lee Daeyeol! Get out of bed! Don't think you can sleep in just because it's your birthday!" he faintly heard his hyung, Sungyeol, yell from outside. Daeyeol rubbed his eyes wearily. God, it was early. He groaned and stuffed his face in his pillow. No way in hell was he getting out of his bed this early in the morning. It was his birthday, and a goddamned Sunday, he had every right to sleep in.

"LEE DAEYEOL!" the door slammed open roughly. Well shit, he was wrong. The high-pitched screech, which strangely sounded like a bird's mating call, caused him to bolt upright. His heavy-lidded eyes blinked once, twice and a couple more times, adjusting to the glaring sunlight from the windows in his room. Oh. Sungyeol must've opened the curtains.

"Finally! Didn't even know if you were alive at this poi-" his hyung's bright voice trailed off and Daeyeol eyed him strangely. Sungyeol's eyes were wide and there was a playful glee gleaming in his eyes. What the hell? Daeyeol felt confused, eyeing his brother's ecstatic expression wearily. He'd categorised that look a long time ago as the 'this-shit-is-gold-I'm-going-to-ruin-your-life-with-this-infomation' look.

"Waah! Daebak! Eomma, Appa! Daeyeol's got his mark!" Sungyeol shrieked loudly. Loud thuds echoed and then Daeyeol realised it was a big deal. His sleep-muddled brain was still in the middle of understanding his circumstances. Mark? What mark? Wait...No way. But it was too early! Nah, there's no way. It's probably just Sungyeol seeing things.

Daeyeol was forcibly pushed out of his thoughts when his parents arrived at his room door, eyes bright. His mother's eyes were wrinkled and she smiled brightly while his father had the exact same look in his eyes, gleeful and cheeky, as Sungyeol.

His mother approached him first and delicately turned his left arm over, eyeing the dark inscription on his left wrist. Her face scrunched in what he presumed was confusion and she turned his arm back-and-forth. She looked stunned, before trailing her fingers against the dark wording. "Aargh!" He hissed, clutching his wrist at the stinging pain. It was like a fresh wound, weak and vulnerable. His mother's eyes widened and she looked over at Sungyeol and their dad, baffled.

She cleared her throat and tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "Daeyeollie, you do know how a soulmate mark works, right?" His mom asked, licking her lips anxiously. Daeyeol felt fear prick at his chest. His parents always did this when they had something difficult to tell him. Of course he knew how they worked. Was there anyone in the world who didn't?

"Yeah, they're my soulmate's initials, right?" He answered, voice husky and rough. Was his soulmate's initials common and impossible to find? His mom hadn't reacted like this when Sungyeol had got his mark and his hyung's were impossible, ㅇㅎㅇ. There had to be at least a million people in South Korea with those initials. What, were his ㅇㅇㅇ? God, he hoped not.

"In your soulmate's most used language," she hinted with a small grin, which had subtle hints of worry. She tapped Daeyeol's wrist softly, avoiding the mark. He took a deep breath. At worst he'd get common initials and he'd have a hard time finding his soulmate. He could do this. He glanced at his wrist and his breath hitched. Three letters were engraved on his bony wrist, パジソ. They were in Japanese. Japanese. He barely knew any Japanese. Hell, the only reason he even knew it was Japanese was because he watched Naruto. What was he going to do? Suddenly, the ㅇㅇㅇ initials didn't seem like such a bad idea.

"H...nope, it has the circle thingy...p...pa, sh...shi... this one has the the two lines...ji..., so?" Daeyeol looked up when he heard his brother mutter. Sungyeol was reading the initials with such concentration and honestly, he didn't know if he wanted to hug his brother or punch him. "Lee Sungyeol, as happy as I am that you can read the initials, someone who is failing Chinese, which is a subject he's actually graded for, should not be learning another language," their mon chided.

Sungyeol gasped and held his heart in mock disbelief. Daeyeol snorted, almost forgetting about his current issue. His soulmate would be unreachable and impossible to find. "Daeyeol-ah, at least it's only your soulmate's most spoken language. She or he could be in Korea. There's still a chance," their dad beamed, always optimistic.

But that was what Daeyeol was worried about, a chance. It wasn't definite. A chance of meeting his soulmate. It was the best and worst birthday gift he could ever receive because, he knew what the gift was but never knew if he was ever going to get it.

Chapter Text

20 November 2009, 2.30pm

Jaeseok stared blankly, eyes fluttering with every breath. His eyes felt heavy for some reason, like an invisible weight was pulling at his lids. He was usually lively, smiling and laughing. He was never like this. Maybe he was coming down with a fever.

"Jae-chan, you okay?" Yuuto called out to him, voice bright yet laced with concern, as they changed into their gym uniforms, "You keep blanking out." Jaeseok shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "Yeah, I'm good," he smiled, unbuttoning his uniform. One more lesson. One more lesson and he could go home. He'll be fine.

"Thank god, wouldn't want you to be sick on your birthday. You brought extra money, right? Daisuke-niichan is driving us to the arcade later," Yuuto grinned, messing up his hair as he pulled his comfortable gym shirt on. Jaeseok forced a smile and internally smacked himself. Right, it was his birthday today. Daisuke, Yuuto's older brother, had promised to drive then to the arcade to celebrate. But, with his head pounding and limbs weak, he really wasn't up for it.

Jaeseok nodded absentmindedly, folding his white shirt neatly and placing it over his folded blazer and uniform slacks. The pulsing in his veins and the throbbing in his skull enhanced the sense of dread he was feeling. "Let's go, I don't want to run laps again," Yuuto grinned.

Jaeseok walked behind him, ignoring the faint burn under his skin. With every step he took, the searing pain grew more intense. His legs felt like lead and his steps became sluggish. What the hell was up with him? He couldn't think. As he dragged his feet, his vision began to blur. He really couldn't take it anymore. It was too much for him. His legs lost strength and Jaeseok collapsed. The harsh beating of his heart echoed through his ears. Each breath became heavier and soon his vision faded to black.

.......∞.......

Jaeseok slowly blinked numerous times, mind empty and calm. He felt almost as if he was floating. Everything was bright almost as if he was waking from a dream. He fully opened his eyes, with much difficulty, to see a bright light blinding him. It was hazy like a daze. Where on earth was he?

"Aah, finally. You're awake," a soft, serene voice called from his left. He turned, perplexed but curious. "Park Jaeseok, right? Ahh, you're the Korean student," she muttered to herself, "Do you feel okay? Any headaches?" Jaeseok, still half-awake, blinked owlishly, processing the nurse's statement. After a brief moment, he shook his head. He felt fine.

"That's good," the nurse smiled gently. Jaeseok gazed at the nurse as she scribbled down several notes. She kept glancing at the wall clock and had a miniscule smile on her face. There was a subtle glint in her eyes that made Jaeseok hold his breath in anticipation. Gingerly, she placed her notes on the table and walked over to him.

"You probably don't remember what happened. Well, you fainted outside of the changing room. Your classmates brought you here." At Jaeseok's alarmed expression, she quickly continued, "Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with you. In fact, most people who've gone through this have fainted as well."

Now, Jaeseok was confused. Most people? Gone through 'this'? What the hell was 'this'? His confusion must've been evident as he heard the nurse sigh. "Jaeseok, you were born on 20th November 1995, no? Today is 20th November 2009, your 14th birthday," she smiled. Jaeseok's eyes widened as realisation dawned on him.

Of course, how could he have forgotten? His father he told him about it before.

"Jaeseok-ah, when you turn 14, a very special mark will be engraved on your left wrist, like mine," his dad had showed him his wrist, pale and smooth. Jaeseok, only 8 years old at the time, had his eyes glued to the initials engraved in pure ebony on his dad's wrist. The letters were in Japanese, dark and a sharp contrast to his pale skin. It almost looked as if someone had painted the initials with black ink.

"The mark is your soulmate's initials in the language they use the most," his dad had continued to explain but Jaeseok couldn't understand. "Here, look at tou-san's wrist. When your soulmate turns 14, he'll have your initials written on his wrist too. What language will your initials be in, Seokkie?" his dad smiled gently, eyes crinkling.

"Korean, since I'm Korean?" Jaeseok murmured. His dad shook his head gently and tenderly pushed Jaeseok's fringe from his face. "It goes by language Seok-ah. Like Ka-chan. Mom is Korean, but her initials," he showed his wrist and tapped it, are in Japanese." Jaeseok's eyes had widened and all he could do was nod his head.

At that moment, the mark was a far-away dream, something promised, like a gift from Santa. Jaeseok had accepted that it would happen someday but with the rush of school and life in general, he'd simply forgotten about it. But now, the mark meant so much and honestly, Jaeseok didn't know how he felt about that.

"You should look at the engraving," the nurse reminded kindly. Jaeseok, pulled from his thoughts, looked at his left arm. His heart palpitated and a sense if dread filled him. His soulmate could be anyone and the chances were infinite. Wah if his soulmate was in this school, right now? Or maybe they were in another city? It couldn't be that bad, right? Fate wouldn't be so cruel. Ah, screw it. Might as well get it over with.

He turned his wrist carefully. He squeezed his eyes shut, praying. "Please let it be in Japanese," Jaeseok repeated like a mantra. If it was in Japanese, there'd was a higher chance of him finding his soulmate. Jaeseok took a deep breath and stole a glance at the dark engraving hesistantly.

As soon as he saw it, all the air was knocked out if his lungs. He gaped openly, turning his wrist back-and-forth, making sure he wasn't seeing things. The dark letters were in Korean and laid innocently on his wrist. ㅇㄷㅇ, one of the most common Korean initials. Fate really must hate him. 'So much for getting Japanese initials,' Jaeseok grumbled.

Regret creeped through as soon as the thought came. What if his soulmate felt the same way about his initials? Jaeseok's Korean was average at best and his first language was Japanese. It was highly likely that his, most probably, Korean soulmate had gotten his initials in Japanese. Wait, could his soulmate even read katakana? What if he'd already given up on Jaeseok? Well, shit. He was screwed.

"Calm down. I can hear you panicking," Jaeseok snapped out from of his thoughts at the gentle yet curt voice of the nurse. He looked up and saw a calm, yet unreadable, expression on he face. She peered at his mark curiously before her lips curled into a small smile.

"Ahh, your mark is in Korean?" Jaeseok nodded solemnly. "I've met many kids who've gotten their mark in other languages. Don't be so worried. Just because your soulmate's initials are in another language, doesn't mean that they're a foreigner or you'll never meet them. Fate works in mysterious ways. You are fated to meet your soulmate, it's just a matter of when."

That made hope bloom in Jaeseok's chest. Realisation had dawned on him. There was a chance he'd meet them (him/her, he didn't really care). Sure, it wasn't definite but he had hope. Nothing was guaranteed and all Jaeseok could do was leap at the chance. Besides, what did he have to lose?

Chapter Text

2012

Daeyeol glanced around at his surroundings, taking in the new environment. Was this even the right place? His hyung hadn't given him the wrong address, right? God, he hoped not.

"Oiii! Hyung's over here!" Daeyeol turned abruptly at the familiar shriek. His hyung stood by a cafe, two coffees in hand. His long hair was tied into a tiny ponytail and the row of piercings on his left ear glimmered. 'Heol, he looks like a girl,' Daeyeol thought with a small snicker before jogging to his brother.

"Ya, take that back. I do not look like a girl," Sungyeol grumbled before ruffling Daeyeol's hair. Daeyeol merely rolled his eyes, used to his brother's quirk of knowing his thoughts. Sungyeol took a sip of his coffee before facing him directly.

"Come on, let's go. Jungyeop-hyung is waiting for you," Sungyeol smiled as he pushed the other cup into Daeyeol's hands. He took it with a small grin before following his brother's long strides.

"Hyung," Daeyeol asked seriously, pulling Sungyeol's arm so he'd face him, "You're not going to embarrass me, right?" Sungyeol burst into high-pitched laughter, much to Daeyeol's dread, and poked his cheek. "Of course not. When has hyung been mean to you?"

Too many times. Daeyeol snorted.

He pouted cutely, silently threatening Sungyeol. Sungyeol let out a low curse, "Okay, okay, I won't embarrass you. Please stop your aegyo. I will literally punch you, so please stop your aegyo." Sungyeol mocked aiming a punch at his dongsaeng's smug grin.

The Yeol brothers kept walking before a large dull building came into view. Daeyeol scanned the building, noticing the brown walls and it's averaged height. At first glance, it was just another ordinary building. Half of the buildings in Seoul probably looked exactly like it. However, there was one tiny detail that made this building so special. On the upper right of the building, the words Woolliment were bolded in a matte silver.

The words shone as the morning's sunlight reflected off the metallic surface. It was almost taunting him. You aren't ready for this. All Daeyeol could do was swallow the lump in his throat.

"Oi, are you nervous?" Sungyeol asked with a smirk. Daeyeol almost cursed until he saw the flecks of concern in his brother's eyes. He shook his head as Sungyeol pushed his fringe out of his eyes.

"You'll be fine. You've been to the Woollim building almost as much as I have."

"Not as a trainee, hyung! What if I fuck up?"

In a normal circumstance, Sungyeol would've whacked him for swearing but he could literally feel the anxiety and fear literally radiating off his brother. He needs to calm down.

Daeyeol flinched when Sungyeol pulled him into a hug. He hadn't felt the familiar warmth of his hyung's hugs since he was 10 years old. Just like how it was when he was younger, his brother's hug reassured and comforted him and the harsh thudding of his heart calmed slightly.

"Let's go," Sungyeol said before he pushed the doors of the Woollim building open. Daeyeol took a deep breath and followed Sungyeol. He'd be fine. Nothing would go wrong.

"Ah, Daeyeol-ah!" Daeyeol flinched at the familiar voice of Jungyeop-sajangnim (he was his boss now, no more calling him hyungnim), before bowing politely. "Hyung! Why didn't you greet me?" Sungyeol whined causing Daeyeol's cheeks to flush in embarrassment. He really didn't need to see his brother acting like a damn baby.

Daeyeol almost burst out laughing when Jungyeop-sajangnim simply pushed his index and middle finger to Sungyeol's forehead and rolled his eyes. "What kind of example are you even setting, Sungyeol-ah?" Jungyeop-sajangnim simply sighed with an oddly fond look in his eyes. "Your dongsaeng looks like he either wants the earth to swallow him whole or to swallow you whole."

"Speaking of dongsaeng...Daeyeol-ah, are you ready?" for the third time that day, in a span of half-an-hour, Daeyeol flinched. It was a pretty rhetorical statement considering Daeyeol was already in the Woollim building. Mustering the almost non-existent courage he had, he gulped and nodded his head.

"That's the spirit!" Jungyeop-sajangnim smiled cheerfully. He ruffled Daeyeol's hair fondly before pushing open one of the doors. Well, here goes nothing.

"Calm down, you look like you're about to puke."

"Fuck off, hyung."

.......∞.......

"Alright everyone," Jungyeop-announced with a gleeful smile on his face, "Today, we have a new trainee from Yongin. I want all of him to welcome him into the Woollim family, okay? Come on in." When Jungyeop-sajangnim beckoned for the Yeol brothers to come in, Daeyeol felt his heart stop.

This was a terrible idea, he should've just been a chef or something. Hell, even a cleaner was better than this. Or maybe he should've ignored his brother's advice, should've not gone to the Woollim audition or maybe should've not passed the damned audition. Maybe he should've just joined another company.

Before he could've ponder on this pressing issue, Sungyeol pushed the door open and literally dragged Daeyeol in. Well, that's it, he was fucked.

As soon as Sungyeol came into the room, the trainees (his fellow trainees, Daeyeol belatedly realised) whooped and cheered. However, when Daeyeol stepped inside, the room was silent. With his brother's hand wrapped firmly around his wrist, Daeyeol studied the room. The other trainees were all staring at him, some peering curiously, some in shock and some judgemental and cruel. Daeyeol felt like he committed a crime. Why the hell was everyone staring at him?

"Introduce yourself," he faintly heard Jungyeop-sajangnim say. He couldn't process, too dazed and confused at everyone's burning stares and hushed whispers. When Sungyeol lightly whacked his thigh, his brain finally began to operate. Right, he was supposed to introduce himself.

"H-hello, my name is Lee Daeyeol. Please look after me," he muttered, bowing politely. Shit, he fucked up. His shouldn't have stuttered. 'Even if we don't have brains, we have guts,' his father's personal motto rung in his head. Well now, Lee Daeyeol had no brain and no confidence. He was a disgrace to his family.

"You probably have already guessed and yes, this is my younger brother, Lee Daeyeol. He's joining you all from this day onwards. Please look after him, his lack of brains worries me," Sungyeol grinned cheekily as multiple trainees giggled at his statement. Daeyeol felt blood rushing to his head, his ears hot. He licked his lips anxiously, not knowing if he wanted to hug his brother for easing the tension or whack his head.

"Minjoong-ah, can you teach Daeyeol how everything works?" Jungyeop-sajangnim grinned, "I'm not sure if Sungyeollie has done his job and showed his dongsaeng around." Sungyeol squawked out indignantly and a couple of the trainees snorted.

Daeyeol stifled his laughter with a tight smile. Sungyeol had showed him around the Woollim building before but he'd barely explained how trainee life was. (I was an actor trainee, not an idol trainee. So stop being a brat, Lee Daeyeol!) Daeyeol cautiously looked over at Minjoong, the only person he recognised among the sea of trainees.

He'd met Minjoong at an Infinite concert, ironically. Minjoong happened to sit next to him and they had talked. Nothing much, just small talk. "Oh, you must be Daeyeol. What's up? I'm Minjoong," he had smiled. At the time, he was surprised he'd recognised him. Sunggyu-hyung had mentioned him on a radio show once and he rarely visited his brother at the Woollim building. In fact, most fans and even the other Infinite members (at times) still mistook him for Sungyeol. (He even saw a comment on the internet saying he saw 2 Sungyeols outside the Woollim building.)

And yet, Minjoong had not once mentioned the obvious resemblance. Everyone he'd meet after his hyung's debut had asked him why they looked so similar (because genes and we have the same parents being his favourite answers, even if he never said them aloud). Minjoong was different.

Minjoong had a small smirk on his face and he nodded in acknowledgement. Daeyeol felt his gut unclench and he felt relieved. At least there was someone he knew.

He jumped when Sungyeol clapped a hand on his shoulder. He hyung had a concerned glint in his eyes, and as weird as it was, Sungyeol looked strangely like their mom for 3 seconds. "If anyone bullies or picks on you, tell me or Jungyeop-hyung. Also, message after your at your dorm, okay?" Sungyeol murmured.

Daeyeol simply rolled his eyes. His hyung could be so dramatic at times. What was this, a drama? Besides it wasn't like he was moving into a dorm that was far. It was only a few blocks away from Infinite's dorm (his brother made sure of it) and it wasn't like he was fragile. His brother worried too much.

Sungyeol simply scoffed and flicked his forehead with a soft murmur of "Ya, don't be a brat." He quickly waved goodbye to the other trainees, hugged Minjoong, blew a kiss to Jungyeop-sajangnim (who then mocked throwing up) and quickly left the room. And like the wind, as soon as he came, Sungyeol had vanished along with Daeyeol's confidence, happiness and security. He was utterly screwed.

Chapter Text

So Jaeseok has just left golcha. I'm very heartbroken and sad. As many know, my biases in Golden Child were Daeyeol and Jaeseok and I'm really upset and yet relieved that Jaeseok has left. I really want him to take care for himself and that I hope everything is ok.

For those of you asking if I'll continue the story, I will but the updates will be late and I'm so sorry if this is upsetting to anyone. Please, understand. Finally let's all pray and hope that Jaeseok recovers and Golden Child does well in the future. ありがとう ジェソク。 수고했어요 재석기.

Chapter Text

It's been a really long time since I posted anything, haha. To anyone who reads my daeseok fic and is waiting for updates, I'm sorry but I haven't been in the fandom recently so I haven't updated it. *bows in apology* I will probably after my major exam this year is over. I can't promise anything right now but I definitely have an idea where the story is going.