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the world is a strange and funny place. truly, how unusual it is to live in a universe in which each soul is part of a pair (or trio, or more) and yet no one seems to wonder if there is any other way.
and why would they, when the systems in place have worked so well for so many years.
somewhere along the way, you think, the idea of having another soul bound to yours forever and always has lost its romance - apps and social media have built an industry around finding your soulmate for you as quickly as possible.
"just give us a picture of your soulmark." they request, "and our ai will find the matching mark in our vast system!"
but that just isn't what you want - to have all the suspense, the buildup, the romance taken out of it. to meet some beautiful stranger, to discover happily that your soulmark will match theirs, to spend so many nights in the dark having hushed conversations about how to build your future together.
x
you've been alone for as long as you can remember. you have friends, of course, but most of them are what you would consider casual, and you have no family to speak of. while it has often left you feeling lonely, you're happy with the life you have - alone is better than with people who only pretend they care, after all.
you're on the way to meet a friend when you see him for the first time. his shoulders are wide and so is his smile, walking down the street with a group of guys all around the same age. even from across the street you can tell he's handsome, and he works out, and you can't stop staring at him, totally stopped in the street by the way your heart is pounding. once he's passed by you, only then do your feet agree to move once more - only once the broadness of his back has faded into the distance.
you see him again a few days later - this time at the grocery store, your cart filled with more than you need. this time, however, he sees you too, and he smiles brightly in your direction when he ultimately catches you staring. you feel your cheeks heat, eyes going wide as you turn away as quickly as you can to try and save yourself.
but he laughs, and your chest clenches; you've never wanted to hear a sound go on forever like this. you clench tightly to the handle of your cart, and then there's a tap on your shoulder.
"hi." he says, and there's that sun-filled smile, this time with warmed, shy cheeks. "i'm dongho."
x
dongho, you learn, is a true believer in the loss of the romantics.
on your first date he brings you flowers, your favorite kind, telling you softly, shyly, that he figured it out from all the pictures of them you post online. he asks permission before taking your hand in his as you walk down the street towards a quiet little cafe, pulling you into a corner booth to have your attention all for himself.
dongho does nothing to make you feel like he's just letting you talk, that he's only pretending to be listening. you can’t remember the last time a date made you feel this way. he watches you with a sweet fondness in his eyes that you really hope shows in yours as well.
dongho walks you home, your hand clutched in his, and when he drops you at your doorstep he stumbles over his words to eventually ask if he can see you again.
you smile at him and squeeze his hand. “of course, silly.”
dongho smiles so wide and squeezes your hand back. “good.” he tells you, ears bright red. “that makes me really happy.”
he tells you on your sixth date, in a hushed tone, pressed against your back as the two of you wander through a spring flower festival, that he saw you staring at him that day.
“and so did my friends, actually.” he chuckles, and you’re mortified, but he leans down to press a kiss to your cheek to try and soothe you. “it’s okay, baby. you were so cute, looking like you forgot how to move.”
“that’s how i felt .” you mumble. “no thoughts, head empty, only handsome man.”
dongho laughs full out at that, and it makes you feel a little better. his laugh has quickly become your absolute favorite sound, except maybe the way he says your name.
he lets go of your hand for a moment to rush up the row, ducking out of sight only to come running back to you a minute later with a bouquet in his hands.
“dongho.” you say, tone exasperated but smiling so hard your cheeks hurt, “you can’t keep giving me bouquets every time you see me. i only have so many things to put them in.”
“yes, but eventually the other bouquets will die, and then what? you’ll have no flowers? ha, not on my watch.” dongho smirks and presses a quick kiss to your forehead.
dongho is a believer in the loss of the romantics.
dongho refuses to show you his soulmark.
you never really asked to see it, but he’s made a point to tell you that he won’t talk about it. much like you, he thinks that finding your soulmate has become too easy, too commercialized.
he looks at you, eyes filled with adoration and something else you can’t read, and smiles softly. “i want our love story to be one for the ages, you know?”
your heart pounds in your chest, just like it always does when you’re with him, and your mind races at the hidden meaning there. dongho has seen your soulmark - always on display, etched into the back of your hand. dongho knows whether he’s yours or not - has always known, and if you were someone else perhaps that would drive you mad. but dongho is right - and dongho feels right. you love him, he makes you feel at peace, at home wherever you are.
you let him have his little secret. everything will come to light when it should, and in the meantime, dongho goes above and beyond to prove his love to you.
surprise dates and gifts and songs he writes just for you, day trips for things you mentioned to him only in passing, and of course so, so many flowers. you do everything you can to reciprocate - surprising him with homemade lunches while he’s at work, dropping into the studio with his favorite coffee and takeout to make sure he’s eating even when he’s up against a hard deadline.
on your one year anniversary, dongho takes you to a restaurant you’ve never been to before. it’s nothing special, just a ramen shop, but the way dongho keeps smiling like he’s keeping a secret makes you wonder if there’s something that you’re missing about this place in particular.
after dinner, the two of you sit on a bench out on the street, hands intertwined. “so.” he says, still smiling like the cat who got the cream. “i bet you’re wondering why i brought you here, aren’t you?”
you hum, making an overdramatic confused face. “you know, i have been curious.”
dongho smiles and leans in to press a kiss to your mouth. “i love you.” he says softly. “i’ll never love anyone the way i love you. a part of me will always love you. i mean, all of me will always love you.” he looks out onto the street, watches people go by. “i knew as soon as i saw you here on this street, staring at me like i was - i dunno, i don’t want to say the sun or anything, but -”
“no, you’re right.” you say fondly. “it was like seeing the sun for the first time.” it clicks, now. this was where you first saw each other, where everything truly began, and your heart swells.
“there’s something i want to show you.” dongho says softly, taking your hand and leading you away from the street, away from all the people, under a lonely streetlight. he starts to pull at the neck of his shirt, undoing a few buttons. you grab at his hands, blushing, but he swats them away.
“don’t worry , baby, i just -” he pulls the neck of his shirt away from his collarbone, and there it is. his soulmark. “i wanted to show you this.”
you hold up your hand for comparison.
a perfect match.
dongho smiles at you, eyes full of love and adoration as he leans down to press his lips to yours.
“you could have told me sooner, sillybear.” you tell him when you pull away. he giggles.
“but that wouldn’t be romantic , now would it, baby?” he kisses you again, slower, softer. “i’m never going to let you go, do you hear me? soulmark or otherwise, i - i was made to love you. i promise i’ll always be there for you. no matter what. you’re not alone anymore.”
your chest goes tight and then overflows, eyes brimming with tears.
“oh, oh no, baby don’t cry, if you cry i’ll - ”
you stop him with a kiss of your own, reaching up to wipe at his cheeks. “i think i was made to love you too, dongho.”
this time he smiles when he kisses you, and you smile back, and he thumbs away the tears on your face.
“i love you,” he says again, barely a whisper there under the streetlight. “i love you, i love you, i love you.” he takes a breath. “you’re mine.”
“and you’re mine .” you reply.
dongho shivers, and nods, and pulls you closer. “absolutely yours. all yours. forever and always.”
“forever and always.” you promise.
“till the last flower dies.” he swears, and you’re so in love with him it hurts.
“i better buy more vases.”
he laughs. “i guess so.”