Chapter Text
Taehyung is incredibly optimistic. Everyone he's ever met has told him so, literally everyone. His parents, his teachers, his friends, his classmates. Everyone, even people he didn't know on a personal level.
Maybe it's because of his perseverance, once he has an idea in mind, he follows through no matter what. Maybe it's his silly way of rolling with the punches, smiling, and laughing to alleviate stress and anxiety. Maybe it's because he's constantly singing or dancing or just in general bouncing on his toes like he's excited about something— all the time .
But he knows, when strangers who tell him from a simple first impression, that it isn't any of that, mainly because they tell him he's optimistic after they've seen his soul mark and the way he reacts to their gasps of surprise.
"Oh fuck no. "
The words have been printed on his skin since the day he was born, like everyone else's. This is why people tend to assume he waves them off because he's used to reading the words on his skin, immune in the way other people who have unfortunate soulmarks are. But that isn't it.
With a blinding smile, he laughs fondly at the words. "I'm sure it'll make sense when it happens. Who knows? Maybe I'll spill coffee on them on the day of a really important interview they're running late for and this is what they'll say."
If it's a random person who's caught eye of his mark and questioned it, they'll typically respond with: "That's really specific." Or "I didn't think of that." Sometimes they're a little bold or a little more careless when they chuckle and tell him: "Hope so." Or "Yeah, right."
Taehyung takes it all in stride anyway, because he knows, in the end, it doesn't matter. His soulmate will be the one for him, and if things go wrong in the beginning, they have all the time in the world to patch it up. It's fine because they're meant to be together and Taehyung wants nothing more than just that.
He doesn't romanticize his soulmate, he doesn't think ahead and daydream about how they'll look, what their wedding will be like, how many kids they'll have or if they'll have a dog or a cat or both. He knows life isn't perfect, he knows some soulmates remain platonic, some never find theirs, some don't end up together romantically and that's fine. He really wouldn't mind that either.
But he knows that wouldn't be his first choice when he lays eyes on Jeon Jeongguk.
Not when he looks like that in those black ripped jeans, wearing a simple black t-shirt tucked beneath his belt.
"God, Chim, I hope he's my soulmate." He tells his best friend, leaning against the kitchen counter as he watches the black-haired boy across the room.
"Who?" Jimin asks, looking around to find who Taehyung is looking at. The younger nods his head in the boy's direction before taking a sip of his drink.
"Damn, he's handsome." But Jimin simply chuckles at his words.
"Jeon Jeongguk? He's a freshman in my dance class. I could introduce you." He offers but Taehyung shakes his head.
"It's fine, if we're destined to meet, it will happen naturally." He says jokingly, whipping his head to look off to the side for a more dramatic effect.
Jimin snorts, "Okay. I have class with him Thursday if you wanna tag along."
Taehyung pouts, disappointed he has to wait two more days when he could walk up to him right now. He's not gonna lie, the only reason he doesn't do so now is that he is too socially anxious to talk to anyone at this party except his friends, which means only Jimin because everyone else was lost to the mob a while ago.
"Sounds good to me." He takes another swig of his drink and walks off. "Wanna come dance with me?"
And of course, like the dance major he is, Jimin agrees and outshines him the rest of the night on the dance floor. Not that he minds, he hates the spotlight and he's glad his best friend is having fun.
*
"C'mon, you said you would." Jimin whines, tugging at Taehyung's leg that just slips from his grasp and curls back under the covers.
Taehyung groans, burrowing his face into his pillow deeper. He can't even breathe but he doesn't want to leave the comfort of his bed. "'S not even eight am yet, Chim. 'S too early."
Jimin huffs, yanking the blankets from Taehyung, who curls up into a ball. "Because class starts at eight am and it takes ten minutes to walk there. So you have twenty minutes to shower, get dressed, grab something to eat, and get out the door." He takes a hold of Taehyung's foot again and tugs. "I thought you wanted to see Jeongguk."
"'S not worth it." Taehyung mumbles, sliding down the length of the bed, dragging his pillow with him. "'Can't even remember what he looked like."
Jimin rolls his eyes, finally letting go of his foot and walking away.
Victorious, Taehyung scooches back up the bed, flailing his arm behind him in search of his blanket. When he can't find it he groans and raises his head to look for it, only to see Jimin return with a cup full of water. Taehyung squeaks and ducks back into his pillow, covering his head.
Wordlessly, Jimin spills the cold water down Taehyung's neck, causing the younger to flail and kick at him to stop the dripping water from falling on him, which only results in a messier tangle of limbs.
When that's over, Jimin simply smiles at Taehyung innocently. "Well now you're awake and showered, so get dressed."
Taehyung simply pants and huffs at him, getting up and grabbing his towel before making his way to the bathroom.
"You're welcome!" Jimin calls out behind him.
*
Taehyung is well aware Jimin is incredibly talented. He's one of the three dancers in his class selected to perform a solo at the end of the year showcase. Out of hundreds of dance majors, he's that talented.
So when they arrive at the dance studio, Taehyung should be prepared to really see it in action, but he isn't. He's not nearly ready to handle the beauty of the practices, the way Jimin's body moves fluidly and gracefully, like a young dove embracing its nature to fly.
On top of that, he's entirely unprepared to witness the other students among them dancing just as beautifully, despite the few hiccups here and there. It's awe-inspiring.
Taehyung, as an art major, can only yearn for his sketchbook and take mental images of it all, hoping he'll be able to sketch it out later just like he sees it.
And if Taehyung thought Jimin and his classmates were a sight to behold in their nature, he certainly would never be able to prepare himself to watch Jeon Jeongguk in all his glory, take his breath away with just half a choreographed performance.
It's like nothing he's ever seen before. Like taking in the sight of a waterfall or watching the sunset, this is true, natural beauty, and the pure dedication and delicacy that pieces it together brings tears to Taehyung's eyes.
With all of his previous sleepiness gone, he mentally blesses Jimin for dragging him along today. It was absolutely worth it.
"So are you gonna talk to him?" Jimin's voice interrupts his thoughts. Taehyung's eyes don't stray from Jeongguk's performance, despite the younger having paused to go over a misstep.
"Um," he hums distracted. "I—uh."
Jimin hides an amused smile behind his gallon (yes, gallon ) of water, waiting patiently for the other to process the question.
Taehyung snaps out of his daze for a moment, blinking abruptly. "What?"
"I said ," Jimin teases. "Are you going to talk to him today?"
Jeongguk starts the music back up again, capturing Taehyung's full attention. "I want to." He says softly, caught in a daze again. "I just don't know what to say. Obviously, I have to tell him he dances beautifully because wow. I—" he trails off, unable to find the words. Especially when he's so distracted.
Jimin laughs, sliding his back down the wall to sit beside Tae. "He loves having his ego boosted, I'm sure he'll love to hear that," he snorts. "Might as well tell him how thirsty you are for him while you're at it."
Taehyung rolls his eyes, shoving lightly at Jimin. "Oh yeah, like that'll happen. Knowing how I act under pressure, I'd probably say something really stupid like 'Hey did you know your body is made up of seventy percent water? And I'm feeling pretty thirsty.'"
Setting down his water, Jimin bursts out laughing, slapping his knee like Seokjin does when he makes a dad joke. "That would be hysterical. Oh my god," he cackles, "I dare you to do that." His laugh is contagious and soon enough, Taehyung is rolling on the floor beside him with amusement.
"Could you imagine if I did?" Jimin smacks him on the arm, giggles still wracking his body.
"Taehyung, please do it. That would be that best thing ever ." He says between breaths, face pink. His smile is so bright and wide Taehyung's own face hurts looking at it.
He snorts right back, rolling his eyes. "Bet." He says, poking at Jimin's shoulder. "If I do it, you owe me lunch." He suggests, raising a brow.
Jimin finally takes a deep breath and controls the last of his giggles. He reaches out a hand, "I'll take that. And if you chicken out, you're buying lunch."
Taehyung puffs his chest out in determination. "Alright. You're on. But I can come up with something way better than that line."
Nodding thoughtfully, Jimin prepares himself to stand up again, his break over. "But it's gotta be just as cringey—otherwise you'll do it with no problem."
Narrowing his eyes, Taehyung huffs. "Why do you enjoy seeing me suffer?"
Jimin shrugs, patting him one last time before he stands. "It's my duty as your best friend." The younger scoffs playfully, smacking Jimin's ass as he turns to walk away.
"Just watch, Minnie, he's gonna fall for me from just that one line."
*
For the next hour or so, Taehyung spends his time on the floor of dance studio thinking of cringey—but intriguing—pickup lines. He almost gives into looking them up on his phone but he feels a sort of dedication to making this first impression more unique—plus he doesn't want Jimin to think he cheated in any way.
By the time everyone is wrapping up, Taehyung has worked up his anxiety and has somewhat of an idea of what to tell Jeongguk, without it coming on too strong, but funny enough for the boy to maybe find him amusing and want to date him—or befriend him if anything.
He really doesn't want this to end badly because Jeongguk is talented and beautiful and, from what Jimin has told him, smart and funny, and he really would love if it worked out because making new friends is always something Taehyung enjoys.
So with that in mind, he walks over to the younger, gently tapping his shoulder as he packs away his worn sneakers. The raven-haired boy turns to face him, the frown set on his face never wavering.
Taehyung hopes he can change that. He smiles cheerfully, "Did you have lucky charms for breakfast? Because you look magically delicious!"
Most students have left at this point, but not all of them, which is nice because their chatter fills in the silence Jeongguk leaves lingering between them.
Taehyung waits patiently for the dancer to process what he's said, hoping that frown will break into a small smile or maybe a confused laugh. Unfortunately, that is far from what happens.
"Oh, fuck no, " Jeongguk growls, brows furrowing angrily. He's clutching his bag tightly—so tight his knuckles turn white and Taehyung can't help the sudden spike of fear that jolts in his chest when Jeongguk bares his teeth.
He feels his wrist burn with a fire he's never felt before. He quickly glances at it, flinching as it burns hotter. The words tattooed along his wrist, right above the cuff of his hoodie sleeve glow orange like they're being seared onto his skin.
Jeongguk marches into his personal space, shoving his index finger into his chest. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Do you not think before you speak?"
Jimin, bless his soul, is quick to butt in and defend Taehyung. "Whoa, Jeongguk. Relax—" but the younger doesn't want to hear it.
"Fuck you," he practically snarls, whipping back to his bag, zipping it aggressively before storming away.
On top of everything Taehyung didn't expect when joining Jimin this morning—was Jeon Jeongguk—or, rather, the fact that Jeon Jeongguk was his soulmate.
And the unexpected rejection of his soulmate.
*
This new revelation does not bring Taehyung down—well, it does for a bit but Taehyung is quick to recover.
He's in his dorm, sketching small doodles of the dancers he'd seen that day, the sketches of Jeongguk larger than the rest on the same page. Jimin hovers, watching him from the corner of his eye as if Taehyung will break any minute now and start crying... like most people do when they're rejected... especially if they're rejected by their soulmate.
Even after the initial shock Taehyung never shed a tear—which is very concerning. Jimin knows Taehyung, he knows how optimistic and friendly and forgiving his best friend is, which people tend to take advantage of when he befriends them. Jimin is always there for him when things backfire.
"Taehyung, how are you doing?" Jimin asks, sitting down beside him, pushing his bangs from his eyes for him.
Taehyung pouts, looking up at the older. "I'm fine, Jiminie. I told you, I'm okay." He gives a small smile and turns to face his sketchbook again.
Jimin sighs, fiddling with his fingers. "I know but I still worry about you."
The younger's smile widens. "I appreciate it, Chim. But don't worry, I'm really okay." His eyes glint in the light when he glances back at Jimin. "In fact, I already have a plan."
Arching a single brow, Jimin hums with interest. "A plan for what?"
"You know," Taehyung sets aside his sketchbook, reaching for Jimin's hands. "A plan to win over Jeongguk."
Ah, that's what the glint was about.
"I'm listening."
Taehyung laughs, airy and so stress-free Jimin can't help but feel proud that he hasn't given up hope.
"Okay, so." He begins, smiling widely. "I'm just gonna do really nice things for him because clearly he's upset with me, so I just have to get him to forgive me. Maybe we won't become romantic soulmates but that's fine, I just don't want to give up on this without having tried my best to fix it and win him over."
He pauses, thinking for a moment to figure out how to word his thoughts. "Of course, I'll respect any decision he makes, whether he wants to forgive me or not or befriend me or if he wants to date me. I don't really think it was that big of a deal so I'm sure that once I apologize, he'll forgive me, and then we can go from there." He shrugs before breaking out his boxy smile again.
Jimin smiles at that too, "I think that's a good plan. I'm pretty sure Jeongguk isn't one to hold grudges, he's a real softy, he'll cave in-in no time."
"Great," Clapping his hands together, Taehyung giggles and stands up to walk over to the coat rack, grabbing a jacket. "You have class in a half-hour, right?"
Glancing at his watch, Jimin's eyes widen. "Shit yeah, I need to grab something for lunch before I go."
Bopping his best friend on the nose, Taehyung giggles with excitement again, "Yup. Let's go grab something to eat now because I'm coming with you!"
*
"I don't think we've met," Taehyung beams, handing Jeongguk a water bottle. It's one of those expensive ones, the really big ones sold individually at gas stations. "Or, I guess I should say we haven't met properly . I'm Kim Taehyung."
The younger looks at him, but his entire face remains blank, almost unamused in a way but it's hard to say until he cocks a single brow.
"Ask me if I care." He says sarcastically before glancing down at the extended 'peace offering,' judgmental eyes rolling as he turns back to his equipment.
Taehyung doesn't take it personally. "I brought you some water. You work really hard, I'm sure you're—"
"Look," Jeongguk interrupts rudely. "In case you didn't get the hint; I don't care. I don't want to talk to you. I sure as hell don't want to be your friend. So just drop the act and get the hell out, you're wasting my—and everyone else's, time." He gestures towards the group stretching on the dance studio floor.
Taehyung knows Jeongguk has been working really hard today, he's been adding to his solo, practicing his group performance, and helping others with their performances as well. He also knows this is Jeongguk's five-minute break—so while he has a couple of minutes left to cool off, Taehyung getting all up in his face and frustrating him is not what he needs during a break.
"I'm sorry," he says softly, raising the bottle in his hand again anyway. "I know you're busy. I—" his eyes find Jimin's when he looks towards the group again. His best friend looks worried, but Taehyung is fine, really. He can handle this, he just needs to stick to his plan.
Smiling, he offers the drink with more enthusiasm. "I just wanted to give this to you. Make sure to stay hydrated." But as he says it, Jeongguk rolls his eyes again in annoyance, shoving the bottle away.
"I have my own water." He says plainly, gesturing to his gallon (of course he and everyone else in this class have fucking gallons ) and god damnit . How could he forget?
Stupid , Taehyung cringes internally. How could you forget he has his own fuckin gallon, dumbass?
Nodding both inwardly and external, Taehyung retreats a bit. "Right. I'll just—give this one to Jimin." Jeongguk stands walks away wordlessly, right past him like he can't even see or hear Taehyung standing there anymore.
Huffing, he takes a seat on the bench along the wall, upset the other is still mad at him—he's upset he didn't realize how big of a deal this really is to Jeongguk.
He'll just have to try harder.
Next time he decides, watching Jeongguk pick up from where he left off—demonstrating steps to the group with furrowed brows and a grimace.
As eager as he is to earn forgiveness, he knows when to stop and when to slow down.
Right now he's pressing pause because it isn't the time, but he'll come back to it.
*
It takes him an hour to decide his next move but a whole week to execute it.
He decides to give Jeongguk some space, but he doesn't want the other to think he's given up entirely, so he gives it eight days until he pops back into Jimin's dance class again (his best friend silently concerned for his mental health because god, if this falls through, he isn't sure how he'll help Tae back up, but it's his duty as his best friend to be there for him and support him through the decisions he makes.)
With a bag full of snacks, Taehyung skips ahead to the dance studio, impatient to arrive. Jimin rolls his eyes, fond of Taehyung's excited little laughs along the way. He isn't too happy to be dragged to the dance studio a whole hour early, but Jeongguk tends to practice every moment he gets—which, unfortunately for Jimin, means hours before class—and again after class.
It's unfortunate because Jimin has to tag along with Taehyung, for his best friend to have an excuse to come to the studio at all. And Tae is taking every opportunity to find Jeongguk.
The younger is basically vibrating as Jimin slides his pass for the studio building, pushing past the doors as soon as the light glows green. He rushes up the stairs, darting through the halls, and if Jimin weren't so fit, he'd be left in the dust.
However, at the door of the dance studio, Taehyung hesitates. It's not out of nerves, knowing Taehyung—he's been excited to meet his soulmate and bond with them since they were kids—but he's definitely overthinking his plan.
Jimin gives him a moment, allows him to bite his lips nervously for a few seconds because he knows that as soon as Taehyung looks up and glances through the glass door, all of his doubts will fall away.
Jeongguk is a beautiful dancer, near-flawless no matter what he's doing or how long he's been practicing and it takes everyone's breath away. No matter how many times they've seen it.
As an art major, Taehyung perceives and views things through a completely different mindset, and if Jimin thinks Jeongguk's dancing is beautiful—Taehyung's perception of it is indescribable— gorgeous, breathtaking, majestic, maybe even mystical in its beauty.
He knows it. He also knows he's right when things happen as he predicted, Taehyung's lip falling from between his worrying teeth into a look of pure awe. His fingers twitch ever so slightly at his side, rustling the plastic bag in his hands.
The music seeping through the walls falls away and he takes that as his cue. Without further ado, Jimin smiles softly to himself and pushes the door open.
"Oh—hi, hyung." Jeongguk, from his place behind the speakers, breaks into a shy, adorable smile that Taehyung has never seen.
—and is likely never to see directed at him, if the way it falls when he sees him is anything to go by.
"Oh." He says, voice falling flat and emotionless.
"Hi, Gguk," Jimin greets, ignoring the obvious dislike the youngest has towards his best friend. "You've met Tae, right?"
Jeongguk grunts, shrugging and turning away to restart the music from his phone. "Why's he here?"
Taehyung tries not to let it get to him as he waves his bag of treats in the air, "I brought snacks!"
"Wonderful," Jeongguk mutters.
"He got bored at home so he came to keep me company," Jimin explains, although they all know it isn't true.
Jeongguk scoffs, walking back to the center of the dance floor to get in position. "Whatever. Just don't let him interrupt me."
Pouting, Taehyung sits down on the side. "I won't."
Of course, he doesn't exactly count it as an interruption when Jeongguk reluctantly takes a break and walks up to the bench to grab a drink. He's a few feet from Taehyung, but the other is quick to lean over and wave a protein bar in front of him. "You want one?" He offers, eyes glittering with hope.
From what Jimin has told him, Taehyung knows Jeongguk rarely eats well—surviving on protein shakes and ramen when he gets the chance to make something. A protein bar isn't exactly much better but Taehyung tried to be considerate of the other's preferences. He's not too sure Jeongguk would appreciate one of his own Tastykake snacks.
The dancer eyes the protein bar for a moment, twisting the cap of his gallon closed. Taehyung smiles hopefully and tries not to burst with glee when Jeongguk eventually takes the snack off his hands with a mumbled 'thanks.'
It's the tiniest—most minuscule sign of improvement and Taehyung will take it. Even if, to someone else, it wouldn't seem like much, it means a lot to him.
Jeongguk turns around to get back to his choreography but not before catching the happy spark in Taehyung's eyes. Munching on the protein bar, he faces the older with a pointed look. "This doesn't mean anything," he adds, finishing it off in a final bite.
Despite his words, Taehyung's excitement cannot be put out. He bites his lip to contain the squeal of happiness bubbling in his throat. This—this is a step towards progress.
*
Over the course of the next few weeks, Taehyung does just that. Bringing snacks and food to Jeongguk whenever he gets the chance.
To his excitement, he almost always accepts them—which Taehyung counts as a win. He feels like he's getting somewhere, even if the younger barely mumbles a thank you, he still gets a chance to hear Jeongguk's voice. Plus, he can sit in the studio and watch without being rudely kicked out.
At least, not anymore.
Because coming with Jimin meant he had a reason to stay and Jeongguk couldn't tell him to leave, but when Taehyung would arrive alone, he would frown and tell him only dance students are allowed in the studios—a rule that Jimin always bent for him because he could.
But that was a few weeks ago and now, almost a month later, Jeongguk barely bats an eye when Taehyung gets comfortable and settles down to draw or finish a painting for class in the dance studio.
This, too, is progress in Tae's eyes.
So, now that he's been able to be around Jeongguk, he thinks it's time he pushes for just a little more.
"Are you busy Friday night?" He asks, watching Jeongguk drink water.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Jeongguk sets his drink down. "I'm not interested."
Taehyung frowns, "No, I was just wondering if—"
"I mean it."
"But I was just—"
Jeongguk rolls his eyes and cuts him off. "Dude, stop. I'm never gonna go on a date with you, got it? Just because you bring me shit and insist on intruding on my dance practices, doesn't mean I like you."
The words feel like a blow right to Taehyung lungs. He's speechless for a moment, stunned with sudden humiliation but he swallows it down and keeps going. "No, I-I just wanted to invite you to movie night with friends. Hoseok and Jimin will be there." He stutters quietly.
The silence drags on for a while longer, until Taehyung nods wordlessly. "Right." He shoves his pencils and sketchbook into his bag and nods again, coughing awkwardly. "I'm sorry for disturbing you."
When he walks out of the studio, he cringes to himself about the whole interaction.
Of course, he should have known it would take more than just a few snacks and a whole meal every now and then to get on Jeongguk's good side. He can't buy his love—or, more like tolerance, he supposes.
The other still has every right to be mad at Taehyung. After all, it's his fault those stupid words are on his wrist—it's his dumb ass that thought it would be okay to say that. And Jeongguk has had them tattooed to his skin for years. Of course he's mad.
Sighing, he pushes past the front doors of the studio building.
One step forward, two steps back.