Chapter Text
“Are you excited?” my best friend Deja asked me excitedly over the phone. I can hear her boyfriend Hoseok yapping in the background with their new puppy and my heart aches.
My 21st birthday is in approximately two hours and seventeen minutes, but it’s more than just your average birthday. Sure, I’ll be able to legally drink and that’s cool I guess but it’s more than that.
Everyone is born with a soulmate. Another person that is destined to be their other half. A person born to complete them in every way they could possibly imagine. When a person turns 21, their soulmate’s initials will appear on the inside of their wrist. From there it’s all up to fate to lead each half to the other to make a whole.
“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be” I say with a sigh. I want what they have but the pessimist in me can’t help but think, what if I’m one of the unlucky ones? What if I’m one of the few who get a rose instead of initials, meaning my soulmate has died before I’ve even gotten the chance to meet him.
“Stop it, hoe! I can practically hear you stressing yourself out through this phone” Deja is way too intuitive for her own good sometimes. “When you wake up in the morning there will be initials on your wrist and you’re going to see that you’ve been freaking out over nothing. Now go get some sleep and we’ll see you tomorrow for dinner”
We say our goodbyes and for once I actually listen to Deja and go to sleep. My dreams are filled with a shadowy stranger whose features I can’t make out no matter how hard I try. I can tell he’s tall and lanky with brown hair that flops over his forehead, but not much else. Even though his face is a blur, I feel a sense of peace in his presence.
I awake with a sigh, groggily rubbing eyes when I become aware of three slightly raised letters on the inside of my left wrist. Holy crap Deja was right. I was worrying for nothing.
KTH
KTH? I take a mental inventory of everyone I know but come up empty. No one I know has those initials so my soulmate isn’t someone I already know. My mind drifts back to the boy from my dream. It has to be him. It’s the only scenario that makes sense.
My phone rings with a skype call from Deja before I can sink too deep into my thoughts.
“Let me see your arm” she demands the second the call connects.
“Damn good morning to you too. I’m doing great on this fabulous anniversary of my birth thanks for inquiring”
“Happy birthday, babes! Now expose thine arm” with a roll of my eyes, I lift my wrist to the camera so that she can see the little black letters tattooed on my skin.
“I’m not gonna lie, I was hoping it would be Jungkook’s initials so we could go on cute little double dates” my eyes roll on their own accord at the mention of one of Hoseok’s best friends. He’s a year younger than me and therefore not old enough to know who his soulmate is yet. Everyone else in our friend group has already seen those tell-tale letters appear on their skin although so far Deja and Hoseok are the only ones to actually find their soulmates.
“Little Jungkookie is going to make some girl very happy one day, but that girl will not be me”
“Maybe if I don’t kill him first. Did I tell you that he ate all my girl scout cookies when he came over the other day? That shit is just unacceptable”
“Welp, it was nice knowing him I guess. Anyways, help me pick out an outfit for tonight. I need to look extra hot just in case this KTH makes an appearance tonight”
My birthday is a smashing success, but I end the night still oblivious about who the initials on my skin belong to. I lightly run my fingers over each letter as I lay in bed. I have the very same dream as I did the night before but this one is slightly more detailed. My shadow boy’s face is still blurry for the most part as he dances around in some spacious room but this time I can see his smile. It’s boxy and makes my heart skip a beat with its beauty. I decide then and there that I will do whatever it takes to keep that smile on his face.
He starts to fade away. The word ‘tomorrow’ silently forming on his lips as he backs away from me. I reach out, trying to keep him with me but it’s no use and he disappears once more.
~
I can barely focus in my classes the next day as all my thoughts are of the literal boy of my dreams. It feels like the day is dragging by or maybe I’m just seeing it through eyes that are desperate to be closed in slumber so that I can dream again. Either way, it’s undoubtedly the longest day of my life.
This never-ending day only gets longer when my mom reminds me that my cousin is being featured in an art exhibit at a local gallery tonight and that my attendance is required. I try to put my foot down but of course my mom isn’t having that which is how I find myself driving the 45 minutes back to my hometown after my last class to attend my cousin’s art show.
The art exhibit is just as boring as I expected it would be. A bunch of pretentious art hippies standing next to dots and boxes on a canvas that are supposed to be a representation of some deep cultural conflict. Thank God for complimentary champagne.
I’m aimlessly milling about, sipping what I believe is my third glass of bubbly when I spot a painting of a young woman. Her skin is a rich chocolate that contrasts beautifully with the white oversized sweater that hangs off of her frame in a way that’s classy yet sultry. She’s looking over her shoulder but the only clearly discernible facial feature that’s clearly depicted is a set of full lips shaded a deep red. The rest of her face is obscured by the waves of inky black curls that cascade slightly past her shoulders.
The fine intricacies of art are generally lost on me, but I can tell that this piece was painted with immense adoration and reverence. Every brush stroke is purposeful in its intent to recreate the beauty that is this woman. I only wish that someone could paint me that way.
“Do you like it?” a husky voice asks over my shoulder, causing me to gasp and nearly spill the glass of champagne I’d all but forgotten about.
A shiver runs down my spine as I jerk my head around to put a face to the voice. What I see sends my glass of champagne on a direct path to the hardwood floor beneath my feet. I’d recognize that floppy brown hair anywhere.
“Shit! I’m so sor-” he grabs my arm to stop me from bending to help one of the servers that had rushed over to clean up my mess. His touch sends lightning bolts of heat and awareness shooting through my veins. “Please tell me your initials are KTH because if they aren’t I’ve just a made a fool out of myself for nothing”
The cute boxy smile I’d been dreaming of makes an appearance as he gently grabs my wrist, running his thumb over the initials on my skin.
“And to think I almost skipped this lame art show. I’m Kim Taehyung. Pleased to finally make your acquaintance Ms. JLG” he says as he lifts my left hand to his lips.
“Jessica, but you can call me Jess”
“Well Jess, you never answered my question. Do you like this piece?” he inquires once again. I try not to focus too much on how delightful my name sounds coming from his lips
“Oh, yes, it’s beautiful!” I turn to look at it fleetingly, doing a double take when I finally notice the small golden name plate beneath the painting.
Kim Taehyung
But does that mean? No…it can’t be. The question in my head must be all over my face because Taehyung quickly confirms that I am in fact looking at an artistic rendition of myself. It’s even more mesmerizing now that I know this information.
“Two years” my thoughts are once again interrupted as he speaks up again. “I’ve worked on this for two years. Ever since you first appeared in my dreams I’ve been trying to capture you on paper so that I didn’t have to be asleep to see you smile at me” I’m choked up with emotion as he pushes a stray curl away from my face.
This can’t be real life. I must be dreaming. Kim Taehyung is the definition of perfect and here he is making me feel like no one else matters or even exists for that matter. I’m tempted to pinch myself to make sure I’m not actually asleep when my mother does it for me.
“Jessica Lorraine Garrison! I have called you five times and why are you hiding in the corner with some boy?” my mom demands and it’s then that I notice that the gallery is nearly empty save a few stragglers.
“Kim Taehyung, pleased to meet you Mrs. Garrison. It appears that your daughter and I are soulmates.” Well he sure doesn’t beat around the bush. My mom chokes as she looks between me and the man next to me with wide eyes. In all twenty-one of my years on this Earth I’ve never seen this woman speechless. My younger sister is standing behind her biting her fist as she struggles to contain her laughter.
She grabs his arm and unceremoniously shoves the sleeve of his sweater up to his elbow so she can get a clear, unobstructed view of his wrist. Way to make a first impression mom. Seeing my initials on Taehyung’s tan skin makes my heart skip a few beats. This is actually happening. I could’ve done without my mom interrupting our first meeting to manhandle him but this is just who she is as a person. I breathe a sigh of relief when she finally releases him but of course it’s short-lived.
“Don’t think that just because you’re my daughter’s soulmate you’ll get to whisk her away. I still don’t know you so, if you want this to go any further, I expect to see you at family dinner on Sunday” she finally turns to me and I’m sure I look absolutely scared at the prospect of subjecting my soulmate to my crazy ass family. “Olivia, give him the address. We’ll be in the car” She saunters away with my sister in tow, meeting up with my father who is impatiently waiting by the door.
“I’m so sorry about her. She has no concept of privacy or personal space”
“Don’t worry about it. Your mom is just protective and I can’t say I don’t feel the same way about you, Jess.” He says as he reaches out to cradle my face in one of his large hands. I can’t help the satisfied sigh that escapes me as I let my eyes drift shut, leaning into his palm.
He pulls me into his chest in a tight embrace, kissing the top of my head. I’m not sure how long we stood that way but it wasn’t long enough. When we finally separate, we exchange numbers and I make sure to send him my parents’ address for dinner on Sunday.
“Until we meet again” he whispers before pressing his lips to my knuckles. I nearly melt into a puddle of mush but somehow manage to keep it together. Feeling a little bold, I quickly peck him on the cheek before rushing out of the door in embarrassment.
~
“You met your soulmate already?! Damn that was quick!” Deja screeches into the phone the next day as I recount my meeting with a certain Kim Taehyung. “It took me almost a whole year to finally find Hoseok. I’m jealous!”
“Mom is making him come over for dinner tomorrow and if he makes it through that then we truly are meant to be because my family is full of nut cases.”
~
It’s Sunday and I’ve been on edge all day. My phone vibrates with a text from Tae while I’m doing my make-up and my heart flutters. We’ve been talking non-stop since we met at the gallery so you would think that I’d have gotten used to seeing his name on my phone but it always feels new. I smile to myself as I coat my lips in red lipstick before picking up my phone.
Taehyungie: see you in 20!
Attached to his text is a picture of a beautiful bouquet of daisies. I don’t know how he knew that daisies are one of my favorite flowers but I’m not complaining. Feeling flirty, I snap a picture of my lips to send back to him, commenting on how my lips match his painting of me.
Taehyungie: Ms. Jess you’re going to be the death of me
Exactly 20 minutes later the sound of the doorbell echoes through the house.
“I got it!” I yell as I make a mad dash down the stairs but my dad beats me to the door.
“Good evening, sir! I’m Kim Taehyung. It’s nice to meet you” He holds his free hand out to greet my dad who just grunts like a caveman as he steps aside to let him in.
“Oh my God, Dad, stop trying to scare him” He waves me off as he walks towards the kitchen probably to try and convince my mom to let him sample the food. “Sorry about him. He’s not always like this I promise”
Dinner goes surprisingly well. My family is on their absolute worst behavior despite their promises to act civilized, but Taehyung rolls with it and even joins them in their foolishness. Maybe there is something to this soulmate thing after all.
~
“Tae, I think I’m dying” I collapse on the floor at his feet and he has the audacity to just ignore me. “So you’re just going to leave me here to suffer?” I ask, using his knees to pull myself up on to the couch next to him.
“You’re the one who decided that eating sushi from a gas station couldn’t possibly be a bad idea” I pout as he tosses my poor decision back into my face.
“Shut up” he nuzzles my neck, leaving a kiss at the junction of my shoulder. “No, I don’t want your kisses anymore”
“Oh come on, babe. I held your hair when you were praying at the porcelain throne. Doesn’t that count for something?”
I give him a sideways glance before tuning him out completely and focusing on the cartoons playing on the tv instead. His dog Yeontan comes traipsing into the living room a few minutes into Tae’s pout session.
“Tannie! I know you’ll love me” The small dog gives Tae a once over before jumping into my lap instead. “Wow” he complains, “even my dog has abandoned me. What did I do to deserve this?”
“You know he still hasn’t forgiven you for petting that Chihuahua when we went to the park yesterday. You hurt his feelings” As if he can understand me, Yeontan gives a little sniff in Tae’s direction before snuggling deeper into my lap.
This is a typical weekend for us now. We’ve spent nearly every weekend for the past eight months together. We try to alternate weekends, but according to Tae my college apartment has better natural lighting which means he’s usually at my place and constantly taking candid photos of me. The struggle of dating a Photography student.
“Can I have a kiss if I buy you pizza?” he asks out of the blue.
“Pepperoni and bacon with jalapeños and lots of pineapple please” I reply with a kiss to his cheek.
Two hours later, after gorging ourselves on pizza, we’re cuddled up on the couch watching a random movie on Netflix when Tae’s long fingers suddenly skim across the exposed skin where his t-shirt has ridden up. A gasp escapes me as goosebumps rise along my skin in the wake of his touch.
“Excuse me, sir, but I’m actually trying to watch this movie that you picked out” I say as I pull his wandering hand out of my shirt and lace our fingers together.
His frustrated groan makes me giggle as I continue to deny his advances. Getting him all worked up is one of my favorite past times. We both know I’m going to give in. It’s only a matter of when.
Just as I’m about to relent to his persistent ways, an intense burning sensation singes the nerve endings in my left wrist. It feels as though a lit match is being held to my skin. I can vaguely hear Tae freaking out over my screaming but my focus is narrowed on the small letters on my skin that are actually beginning to fade.
“Fuck” Tae’s slender fingers wrap around my skin as he lifts my wrist to examine it. He runs his thumb over what’s left of his initials and the burning instantly ceases as the letters come back into focus before our eyes.
“Tae, what just happened?” I ask, more freaked out than I’ve ever been in my entire life.
“I don’t know but I think we need to call The Institute immediately”
For as long as there have been soulmates, there have been scientific minds hard at work trying to figure out how the whole thing functions. Formally called, The Soulmate Scientific Institute, they are the people you call for soulmate emergencies. They handle everything that could possibly negatively impact a soulmate union and my eyes go wide at the fact that we are now in need of their services. I swallow around the knot in my throat and nod as Tae scrambles to find his phone.
I absently stroke my thumb over Tae’s initials, wincing slightly at the fleeting burning sensation that still remains. Yeontan seems to sense my distress and licks my wrist before hopping back into my lap. I stroke his fur as I try to wrap my head around what just happened. I just hope The Institute can give us some answers.