Archive of Our Own ^beta

He told himself that it wasn’t a big deal, that everything was going to be okay but Namjoon couldn’t help but glance at his socks anytime he saw them peek out from his pants leg. 

His right foot showed a purple sock with a happy little koala (who he had affectionately named Koya) napping on a tree branch- the sock had always been his favorite. He never understood it but the moment he saw that sleepy koala he needed to buy those socks. He had picked them up and bought them before he even realized what he was doing. 

His left sock however was not his, he had never seen it before today. It was a subtle grey sock with a fluffy sheep eating a baguette. Sure Namjoon liked his Koya socks but he wasn’t typically a fan of character socks- that’s what made them so special. He wasn’t going to wear the strange sock. It wasn’t his and he didn’t even like sheep, but he couldn't find his other koala sock and there was no way he was going to go to work without Koya. Not to mention that he was going to be late if he kept looking. In the end he figured that it would be better to have a mismatched pair of character socks rather than having a plain sock to go with it. He hoped that it would look as if he intended for his socks to not match- which he had as much as he hadn’t.

Namjoon considered that the strange sock could have belonged to his friend Jimin- the younger was always leaving random articles of clothing at Namjoon’s place and would call later asking if Namjoon had whatever he was looking for. Namjoon tossed the idea after a while though, Jimin had left basically his entire wardrobe at Namjoon’s at one point or another and he had never seen Jimin own anything even remotely like this strange sock before.

The socks themselves weren’t the important part of the day- it was the first day of him being in his new position as a team manager of the data analysis department. He worked his ass off for a year and a half to get this promotion and he was as proud of the accomplishment as he was nervous for his first day. The problem was that one of his first tasks was to train the new recruit that was filling in his old position. He wanted to make the best impression today and nothing filled him with confidence more than his Koya socks. Sadly the universe hated him and wanted to unnerve him for one of the most important days of his life. 

Namjoon was nowhere near a superstitious person- he honestly thought basing personal luck on a mere coincidence was total foolishness, but his Koya socks always just… boosted his confidence. He felt bolder when he wore those socks and wasn’t afraid to be himself and speak his mind. This strange sock was going to throw him off balance all day and he could only hope that he wasn’t going to make himself look like a incompentent boss on his first day. God he was already running scenarios through his mind: him spilling coffee on his shirt and he’d have to remain professional with a giant ass stain on his chest. There was no way the newbie was going to take anything he said seriously- he was going to be a fucking joke. 

Namjoon shook his head trying to dislodge the thoughts out of his mind. He was going to do fine- he already had his coffee at home so he wasn’t going to stain his shirt and he knew the job well he could show the newbie the ropes no problem. He got off the bus and walked the half block to his office. He wasn’t gonna let his nerves shake him- he was going to be fine.

***

“Namjoon-shii, this is Kim Seokjin.” Namjoon looked up from his computer to look at the receptionist Meiji who handed him a thin folder before he turned to look at Seokjin. Namjoon couldn't help but to be taken aback by how attractive he was, plush thick lips which even in their restful state looked ready to be kissed at any moment- not that Namjoon was thinking about kissing the new employee…. Unless maybe Seokjin wanted to be kissed-

Namjoon shook the thought aside and continued assessing Seokjin, the newbie carried himself well, his broad shoulders were pushed back dissolving the new recruit air around him and gave him an air of clean professionalism. If Namjoon was being honest the way Seokjin carried himself was a little intimidating, he didn't look like the nervous pushover type- not that Namjoon was going to try and run him over. Namjoon was nervous enough as it was and it seemed like the new guy wouldn't have a problem challenging his authority if he deemed Namjoon incompetent. 

There did seem to be a bit of hope though, when Namjoon gave a dutiful bow Seokjin rushed to meet the bow and bit his beautiful bottom lip for an unsure moment before holding out his hand.

“It is a pleasure to meet you manager-nim, I’m sure you’re going to cause me a lot of trouble.” There was a brief moment of silence before a look of complete horror crossed Seokjin’s face as soon as he realized what he said. Namjoon snorted in amused confusion as Seokjin bowed deeply, not lifting his head as he spoke. “I deeply apologize sir! I- I didn’t mean-! I meant to say-”

Namjoon cut his stuttered apology off with an amused laugh, “I think I understand what you meant to say don’t worry." Seokjin might've seemed intimidating for a newbie but he definitely had the nerves like one. Namjoon felt a genuine smile grace his lips, maybe things were going to go just fine. 

"C’mon now lift your head I promise I’m not angry.” he said trying to break the tension. Seokjin kept his head lowered for just a beat longer before slowly lifting his head but he kept his eyes glued to his shoes. “I’m so so sorry sir.” He muttered again with another small nod. 

Namjoon couldn't help but to be endeared at the man's humbleness; he clapped him on the shoulder and gave him a warm smile. “Listen there are a lot of scary people in this department but I’m the last person you need to be intimidated by.” his eyes flitted to Meiji who had a small smile on her face and gave a small nod.

A thought crossed his mind that maybe he shouldn’t have told the newbie that but Namjoon tossed the thought aside. He’d been in Seokjin’s position more than he’d been in his current one and he never wanted to scare his subordinates. If everyone was too scared to talk to him then how was work going to get done? Plus everyone in their department already knew him as the competent-but-clumsy coworker there was no point in him pretending to someone he wasn’t. “I Understand the nerves of a new job, it’s okay we all make slip-ups. I think I'd be more concerned if you did everything perfectly on your first day.” Namjoon laughed loudly. He wanted to ease Seokjin’s nervousness, there was no way Namjoon was going to be a stick in the mud not to mention he always hated people who got off on petty power trips. Why would he even want to be an asshole to the new guy, Namjoon wasn’t an asshole. Seokjin gave a tentative chuckle but the tension eased from his shoulders and he gave Namjoon a grateful smile. The nervousness that had been bubbling within Namjoon that entire morning slowly ebbed away. Partly because of Seokjin's earlier blunder but largely because Namjoon could tell that the new guy was going to work out well at his old position. Seokjin had an air about him that made Namjoon comfortable and he hoped that they both enjoyed themselves today- they were going to be spending the entire day together after all. Even though Namjoon would never admit it he couldn't help but be excited about spending the day with the new guy. Hopefully they would both find enjoyment in each other's company.

"Director Choi wants you to take him to the data room and look over the finalized documents he emailed you this morning." Meiji said, pulling Namjoon back to the task at hand. "There was an issue with the proposed timeline for his next project. He wants you to find it, fix it and send it in for review by the end of the day." 

Namjoon suppressed the sigh that threatened to come out and gave a resigned nod, flashing the receptionist a small smile as she headed back to her post. Though he tried to keep his disappointment from showing on his face Seokjin must have been excellent at reading people because he asked "is that a bad thing? Your smile fell the second she said that."

Namjoon was quick to shake his head he didn't want to discourage Seokjin already. "It's not a bad thing necessarily it's just- it's kind of showing you the most boring yet most stressful task on your first day." It was mind-numbing work to carefully read over every last word in a proposal document that could very well be 100 pages long filled with specialized terms and legal jargon that make your eyes glaze over after the first page. Namjoon was hoping to show the brighter side of their work- looking through pre-approved documents and charts and summarizing them for the director who hated reading anything longer than two pages. The director also enjoyed seeing how creative they could get with their summarizations and would allow them to use various forms of media to get those summarizations across if time allowed it.

"Well if I see the worst part of my job on the first day then it lets me know if this is a position I want to work or not right? If I end up hating today so much I'm sure I could transfer branches again." Seokjin deduced with a shrug.

Namjoon nodded at Seokjin’s practical assessment. "Yeah you do have a point- wait what do you mean again? You're a newbie aren't you?"

"I'm new to this branch and new to this position, yes but I spent five years at the third branch working in children's marketing." Seokjin announced plainly as if it was common knowledge.

Namjoon’s eyes widened in surprise as he opened the folder he had been handed earlier and looked through Seokjin’s paperwork. There wasn't much in the folder to begin with so Namjoon figured that the only thing that would be there was his application and resume. However not only was Seokjin older than him he had been a team manager for two years. "You- your-" Namjoon eloquently stuttered as he flipped through the pages of the elders' work history. "It says you turned down being the department head?! You're way over qualified to be working in data analysis!" 

Seokjin lowered his head to hide his bashful expression. 

"I don't think I am. The job was more stressful than it was worth and there were only so many times you could recycle the same idea in new packaging." Namjoon shut the folder with a scoff and he braced his arms on his desk. Boy was he glad that he hadn't let his new position go to his head. What if he had decided to be rude to Seokjin earlier and showed himself to be an ass to someone who had held his position longer than Namjoon had been working at the company? Thank goodness for small mercies.

Namjoon shook his head quickly and straightened back up. "Uh, okay so- shall we head to the data room where I will help guide you through the process?" Namjoon cringed at himself as the words left his mouth. His tone suddenly changed from casual to awkwardly stiff, adding unnecessary formality that wasn't there before. He was glad that he hadn’t known he was training a transfer employee- especially one that had such high standing with the company. He knew the extra stress of that information would have made him freak out even more about his first day worse than he already had. He's pretty sure he would have had a panic attack and would've passed out before he even got off the bus this morning. 

"No no no don't do that." The elder said firmly. "Don't suddenly treat me like I'm someone important- I'm your subordinate and it's my first day on the job. Bring back the kind boss that laughed off my rude introduction and reassured me that it was okay to mess up." 

"I-" Namjoon began. What was he supposed to say? What was he supposed to do? He never thought that he'd be training someone older than him who had more experience at the company than him. It felt weird to be addressed as if he were the senior between the two of them; even if his current position in the company was higher than Seokjin’s. The elder had held Namjoon’s position for two years and could have been a department head if he wanted. Honestly Namjoon felt that he should be asking Seokjin to show him the ropes rather than the other way around.

"I don't think I can think of you as my subordinate." Namjoon blurted out truthfully. "You've held my current position for as long as I've worked for the company. You're the first person I'm supposed to train and you know more about my job than I do." Namjoon lowered his head shamefully and refused to meet the more experienced man's eyes. 

Seokjin’s expression softened and his hand reached out to tip Namjoon’s head upward so that the younger was looking at him. The touch calmed his racing heart and he found it easier to look at Seokjin than he thought It'd be. "Hey I get it you're intimidated. There are a lot of scary people in this field but I am the last person you need to be intimidated by." Namjoon’s lips twitched into a bashful smile hearing his own words mirrored back at him and he gazed into Seokjin’s eyes only to see warmth and kindness in the elders eyes. 

"Besides, don't discredit yourself! I may have held your position before but that was for a different department not to mention that you managed to get promoted in a shorter amount of time than I did, which isn't an easy thing to do. Don't ignore your own accomplishments to look at others." Seokjin gave him a warm smile and Namjoon couldn't help but to give one in return.

"Tell you what, how about we level the playing field completely and just be casual towards each other? As long as we're alone with each other yeah?" 

Being casual with someone older than him still didn't feel right but for some reason Seokjin was different. Namjoon couldn't deny how being around the elder eased the knot of anxiety that had been keeping him stiff all morning and he found he enjoyed being around Seokjin a lot already. He couldn't help but to hope that the two of them would spend more time alone together, he realized that he wanted to become friends with him even outside of work. Namjoon found Seokjin’s easy manner to be comforting and his humbleness made him so personable Namjoon almost couldn't stop smiling around him.

The younger cleared his throat and  quickly gathered up all the paperwork that was on his desk before he turned to face Seokjin as he tried to contain his smile. "Alright then let's get to the data room then shall we?" 

Seokjin’s return smile was as equally bright as Namjoon’s, "lead the way Namjoon- hyung ."

Namjoon snorted, "if you call me that ever again I'll make sure you get fired."

Seokjin’s head tipped back his laugh echoing through the hallway as they made their way to the data room.

***

When they got to the data room it was as if someone let their unruly child run wild. There were books and loose papers scattered across the table and floor. Even one of the chairs was flipped back while the other sat in the middle of the floor. Namjoon was appalled at the room, who was the last person in here? What the hell were they doing in here to create such a mess? Not to mention that they just left it like this for the next person to clean up. Was this a prank? Was someone upset that Namjoon had gotten promoted? Namjoon sighed and rubbed his hands over his face, the mess could be dealt with later he just wanted to get this over with and be done with the day already.

Seokjin however had a completely different reaction to seeing the mess. "Looks like someone found their soulmate!" The elder clapped his hands together happily as he bent down and began picking up the papers on the floor. 

Namjoon stared at Seokjin for a moment before he scoffed and began cleaning. "You actually believe in soulmates? That's just an old myth to get people to buy useless shit." He couldn't help the sour tone his voice had as he spoke he found it unbelievable that Seokjin would believe in something as foolish as soulmates.

The elder tsked at Namjoons words and shook his head, “I know I said we could be casual with each other but to swear so quickly? While we’re at work nonetheless, that really tells me what kind of person you are.”

Namjoon’s back stiffened almost comically fast and he turned to Seokjin with a small frown. “I- I’m sorry I guess I just got too comfortable I didn’t mean to-” 

Seokjin’s expression softened at how flustered the younger had gotten. “Relax I was just kidding. I’m sorry I scared you into thinking I was serious.” Namjoon’s frown deepened at that his bottom lip poking out into the most adorable pout. Seokjin couldn’t help but to grab Namjoons cheek and pull it while tsking. “Oh don’t pout okay? I’m sorry about my bad joke, now give me a big smile okay? Let me see those cute dimples.”

Seokjin was talking to Namjoon as if he were a child and part of him resented him for belittling him, but Nmajoon also had to admit that he was acting a bit childish. He was hoping that the elders' words were just a joke but when it was confirmed as a joke he couldn’t help but feel embarrassed. Though there was no way he was going to deny that he smiled a little brighter than he planned to because Seokjin had called him (his dimples) cute. 

"And for the record I do.” Seokjin said as he pulled away from Namjoon. “Seeing a room like this happened a lot more than you’d think at my old branch. I would see a room like this from time to time and the next day someone would come in exclaiming to the entire department about how they found their soulmate. They'd almost always had an accompanying hickey to go along with it." Seokjin chucked quietly to himself but Namjoon just stared at him skeptically.

"Doesn't that just mean they fucked in the room and used the excuse of soulmates to get romantics to believe them? There's no proof that they met their soulmate, they probably just lied." 

Seokjin stared at Namjoon for a long moment before shaking his head. "For starters whenever something like this happened they would immediately walk into the office and tell everyone that they finally met their soulmate. I remember there was one employee who was such a quiet and diligent worker- never speak unless spoken to type. The day he found his soulmate he had asked if anyone had seen his stress ball and later that day I found the marketing room a mess. I hadn't put much thought to it at first but the next day he burst through the door with a huge smile on his face and immediately started telling anyone who'd listen that he found his soulmate. It was apparently a girl from the regional sales department- who told her department the exact same story." 

"Again they probably fucked in the office and came up with that story to save face. You can't trust an isolated story." Seokjin’s face fell at the younger's words and he sighed and shook his head. Namjoon frowned back at him and crossed his arms indignantly. Why did Seokjin look so disappointed that Namjoon was being practical? If anyone in this situation should've been disappointed it was Namjoon. He thought Seokjin was a capable attractive man who wasn’t dumb to fall for a stupid thing like soulmates. Rationally the whole "soulmate" deal never made sense to him

"How do you lose something that you hold dear and your soulmate magically has it huh? Explain that to me and maybe I'll hear the rest out." He challenged.

"That's the point Namjoon! I can't! Nobody can!" Seokjin replied, throwing his arms into the air dramatically. "It just happens so naturally that you don’t think it could be soulmates until you're staring them in the face! That's the beauty behind the whole thing!"

"And that's exactly why I don't believe in it. It's just a bunch of foolishness to get people to buy things they don't need in hopes that it'll be the thing that brings them to their soulmate! It's a scam! How many 'soulmate locator' shops are there that are filled with nothing but overpriced junk preying on people's loneliness? It's a myth on the pretense of love." Namjoon couldn’t believe that Seokjin was trying to argue him down on this. Nothing about soulmates made sense; he hated the idea of being bound to someone else for the rest of his life. Not to mention there was no proof humans have souls to begin with.

Seokjin’s face twisted into something angry and he shoved an armful of paperwork towards Namjoon. "It's fine if you don't believe in soulmates but I do and hearing you call it a myth and a scam kind of makes me want to punch you so let's just drop the whole thing and get to work okay?" 

Namjoon bit the inside of his cheek to keep from saying something he didn't mean but even as he agreed to drop the subject resentment built up inside him. Seokjin actually got upset at him for seeing things as they were? He'd rather have such a delusional view than to face reality? Namjoon shook his head and they finished cleaning up the mess in stoney silence.

Once they finished cleaning, Namjoon pulled out his laptop and opened up the email that held the proposal documents. 

They didn't speak much to each other at first- the atmosphere was still tense from their earlier argument. However, the longer they sat working together the tension that once filled the air was replaced with lighthearted banter and mutual enjoyment of being next to each other. It didn't even feel like Namjoon was training Seokjin. They split the documents in half and Seokjin was already familiar with writing proposals to know what they're supposed to look like. He only asked Namjoon task specific questions that he wouldn't be familiar with, all in all it was really easy showing Seokjin how they reviewed documents. Relief washed over Namjoon as they worked. He was glad that his earlier cynicism hadn't ruined their friendliness towards each other. He still stood by his beliefs though- soulmates didn't exist and the whole ideology behind them simply doesn't make sense. Just because he had a new budding friendship with Seokjin didn't mean that he would indulge the elder in his delusions.

***

Despite the easiness of their friendship the task they had been given was stumping the both of them. 

"Namjoon-ah is it usually this hard to find the mistakes?" Seokjin asked as he ran his fingers through his hair. They've looked through the document at least three times and Namjoon knows what the director likes his proposals to look like and this was seemingly perfect- no matter how hard they looked they couldn't find a single thing wrong with anything in the document.

"I mean, according to everything you've told me so far there's no problem with this thing! We've been through it three times already! What are we missing?"

Namjoon could hear the exasperation in the elders voice and it mirrored how Namjoon felt in that moment. 

"Well this is a finalized document so I'm not surprised that it looks perfect- I'm sure we'll find what we're looking for soon." Though he was talking to Seokjin it felt more like Namjoon was trying to convince himself of his own words. His eyes were tired from looking through the same document for so long but the director wanted this finished by today and Namjoon wasn’t going to fail on his first day as a lead. He was going to find the mistake no matter what.

Seokjin didn't look convinced but he nodded anyway. The elder stood and lifted his arms over his head stretching with a tired groan. He glanced at his watch and turned to Namjoon with a surprised expression.

"Namjoon-ah do you know what time it is?" The younger looked up and glanced at his own watch surprised to find that it was already 2:30. He had thought that only a couple of hours had passed since they began their task- he didn't think it would already be late afternoon already.

"How'd it get so late?" Namjoon inquired as he pushed back from the desk. His joints protested as he stood and tried to stretch himself out. They had been sitting for the better part of six hours and it was nearly painful to move around and let his body get adequate blood flow. "Do you want to grab lunch?"

"Yeah, what should we eat? Is the food here decent or should we go out for something?" Seokjin asked as he looked through his phone. "There's a Ramen shop a block away that does to-go orders."

Namjoon waved his hand and sat back in his seat. "You go eat. I'll keep looking through the documents I can eat later- though if you don't mind could you bring me back a sandwich? I'll pay you back later."

"Namjoon-ah you can't just keep sitting here and stare at paperwork all day. We haven't found anything yet if you take a break to rest your eyes and eat then you'll be better equipped for round two. It's foolish to exhaust yourself when facing a difficult task, it won't help you find the mistake any faster." Seokjin’s tone had a finality to it that the younger couldn't brush off. Namjoon knew he was right but once he started a task he didn't want to stop until it was finished. He didn't want to break the focused mojo he got when he worked. It was this unyielding work ethic that helped him get promoted so fast- he never stopped until he got results.

But Seokjin was right. They've been working all day and they weren't any closer to their goal than when they began. Plus Namjoon couldn't deny how much he wanted to eat with his new colleague and friend. Even though they've spent the entire day together Namjoon wanted to see how Seokjin was outside of the workplace too. What were his favorite foods? Did he have a sweet tooth? What was his favorite restaurant? There was so much about the elder that Namjoon found himself curious about and if eating lunch together would answer even one of his many mounting questions about the elder than who was Namjoon to refuse?

"I guess a small break never hurt anyone right?" Namjoon rose to his feet again with a tired smile. Seokjin’s face brightened at the agreement and jerked his head towards the door.

"C'mon, I've heard a lot of good things about this ramen shop and I really wanna try it.” Seokjin said as he clapped Namjoon’s shoulder. The younger stood and followed Seokjin out of the data room. They headed towards the exit in silence and Namjoon realized how content he felt. It was shocking, it never felt like time was passing when they were together. When Seokjin spoke he captivated Namjoon’s attention wholly. The bold way he would talk with his hands when he would tell a wild story or how the way his shoulders would shake when he laughed the squeakiest laugh Namjoon has ever heard. There was so much to learn about Seokjin and Namjoon felt like he was learning something new with every passing second they spent together. 

They meshed well together and Namjoon enjoyed being around Seokjin so much it almost felt like he was crushing on him. 

Almost.  

Crush wasn’t the right word Namjoon felt… drawn- no he felt connected to the elder. There was no possible way for him to explain it but Seokjin provided perfect companionship they clicked well and even if they just met Namjoon knew they’d grow close. This was the first time he’s felt this strongly about someone in his life. He didn’t know how but he knew that Seokjin was going to be a steady presence in his life. 

He observed the casual way Seokjin walked, one hand either in his pocket or around his belt loop at all times. Paired with his shoulders set back perfectly, Seokjin looked like the perfect CEO and the only indicator that today was his first day was the glaringly obvious way he didn’t know his way out of the building. As Namjoon led them out of the office he saw Min Yoongi and Oh Chiwoo from their department chatting casually. The pair hadn’t noticed himself and Seokjin yet but Namjoon wasn’t going to say anything if they weren’t. He hated having to stick to formalities all the time. It wasn't until they spotted him and abruptly stopped talking that he raised an eyebrow in suspension. They turned towards him and bowed in greeting. 

"Namjoon-sunbaenim." Chiwoo acknowledged with a polite smile. He turned to Seokjin and gave a tight smile, Seokjin and Namjoon lowered their heads in greeting.

"Excuse me but, were the two of you talking about soulmates?" Seokjin asked. The pair looked at Seokjin with surprise clearly written on their face before their eyes shifted to Namjoon hesitantly. Yoongi glanced at Chiwoo before turning back to Seokjin and nodded. "I'm sorry but I couldn't help but overhear before we came up."

"Uh…" Yoongi cleared his throat and lowered his head. "Yeah I uh, found my soulmate last week…." 

Namjoon rolled his eyes but decided to keep his mouth shut and simply tuned the conversation out. He didn't want to hear anything about soulmates but him and Seokjin already argued about it and Namjoon wasn’t trying to pick another fight. He looked at Yoongi and quietly assessed the man. He didn't think Yoongi would be the type to believe in soulmates, he always seemed to have a good grip on reality but apparently Namjoon was wrong about him. It was a pity honestly, to delude yourself into thinking you've found your soulmate and forcing yourself to fall in love with someone. Namjoon shook his head, he was glad he knew soulmates were just a myth to get people to buy a bunch of junk. Namjoon briefly wondered what Yoongi lost that made him think he found his soulmate.

“You found your soulmate?” Seokjin exclaimed brightly, “that’s amazing! I’m happy for the two of you!” 

The man looked taken aback for a moment before a smile spread across his face, “thanks! I didn’t really believe in soulmates at first but when they had my favorite custom made coffee mug I knew it was the real deal.”

Namjoon rolled his eyes again and suppressed his snort of disbelief, Yoongi really believed he found his soulmate? It was fine to fall in love with someone but did he really have to tell people that he found his soulmate? He honestly sounded fucking stupid. 

Seokjin and Yoongi glanced at Namjoon for a second before Seokjin continued with the conversation. “I hope the two of you live your best lives. You deserve happiness.” The expression on Seokjin’s face was so brightly lit up that Namjoon’s brain blanked and all he could do was stare at the elder. It was clear that he meant his well-wishing and Namjoon was absolutely floored at the idea that soulmates could make people so happy. It wasn’t like it was Seokjin who had found his soulmate but even just finding some who “met” their soulmate made him so happy? 

Yoongi smiled back and gave a small nod, “I hope we do too, thanks.” 

Seokjin gave him one last smile before turning back to the younger, he had a huge smile plastered to his face and he let out a happy sigh. “I know you don’t believe in soulmates but I always feel so light and fluttery when I hear soulmate stories. To see someone experience that much happiness just makes me happy too.”

Namjoon looked back at Yoongi and rather than saying whatever cryptic thing he was thinking about he decided to let Seokjin enjoy the moment. Happiness looked good on him and Namjoon didn’t want to ruin it. 

***

“Why did you decide to eat ramen?!” Seokjin lamented as they walked back into their building. They were moving a lot slower than they were before lunch, with their bellies full of warm ramen. Seokjin’s eyelids refused to stay open even as they walked. “Now my stomach is full, all I want is a nap.” the elder complained. 

“You’re the one that wanted to try the shop for lunch I just agreed because who says no to ramen?” Namjoon supplied unhelpfully. Though he couldn't help but to secretly agree with him. Now that he was full it felt like his body was begging him to close his eyes. Just for a second. The food was delicious but Namjoon had enjoyed Seokjin’s company more than the food. The elder never ran out of things to talk about and it was so engaging to talk to him. Namjoon never had such nonstop amazing conversations. He wasn't particularly a chatty person and hated small talk but when him and Seokjin talked about any and everything. Neither was afraid to approach a subject, they even had a lengthy discussion about politics as they waited for their food. Of course they didn't agree on everything but both were able to provide a new perspective respectfully and it was an amazing surprise to experience.

“You should've! When we get back to the office I'm taking a nap.” The elder declared pulling Namjoon out of his thoughts.

“Sure," Namjoon replied casually "you can rest your pretty head on my lap and sleep while I look through all of the documents by myself. It’s fine it’s only due by the end of the day and we haven’t even found the problem- but you need your beauty sleep so by all means nap.”

“Y’know if you weren’t so passive aggressive I would have just focused on you calling me pretty.” Seokjin replied just as casually as they entered the data room. “But a lap pillow sounds much more comfortable than laying my head on the desk so don’t mind if I take you up on that offer.” Seokjin said through a fake yawn. Namjoon snorted as he took his seat and groaned as he stretched his arms across the table. 

“Ugh, I really don’t want to read through this again.” 

“I feel you. If I have to read the legal disclosure clause section again I’ll rip my eyeballs out with a spoon.”

Namjoon winced, “a spoon? Wouldn’t that take longer? Though I guess a fork isn’t that appealing either- either way I don’t want to be the one to read it!”

“You’d get through it faster than I would.” Seokjin attempted “you don’t get confused with all the legal jargon-”

“Yeah because they define every single last one of them in the clause which is why I’m not reading it.” Namjoon deadpanned. He sighed and handed Seokjin the statistic documents. 

“You’re giving me the easy part?” 

“I don’t like math so i’m letting you look through the numbers.” Namjoon replied casually. It was a lie, but Seokjin didn’t need to know that. In truth he wasn’t going to make his subordinate do all the runt work just because he didn’t want to. It would be an abuse of power. Not to mention that the legal section rarely held errors so Namjoon figured that he could skim it since they’ve been through it so many times already.

“Don’t like math huh? Well that’s something we have in common,” Seokjin gave him a mischievous smile. “though I guess reading through this I just glaze over all the numbers and call it done.”   

Namjoon almost told him that that wasn't how things were supposed to be done but considering that between the two of them they haven't been able to even find the problem he was okay with taking shortcuts- just this once. 

Namjoom glanced at his watch and was glad to see that the day was almost over for them. If it was time for them to leave and they still hadn’t found it then Namjoon was going to have to email the director and tell him that they never found anything wrong with the document, they wasted a whole day on it. Namjoon glanced at Seokjin and realized that maybe the day hadn’t been wasted. As anxious as he was this morning nothing had gone like he thought it would at all, but in the best possible way. From the moment Seokjin spoke most of Namjoon’s worries about how the day was going to go melted away. As intimidating as Seokjin’s creaditals were, Namjoon couldn’t have asked for a better person to work with today. They meshed well together- in most places at least. Namjoon had thought about how upset he had gotten when Namjoon had said soulmates were scams. He actually threatened to hit his boss on his first day of work over it- soulmates were clearly a big deal to Seokjin.

He thought about how happy Seokjin was for Yoongi at finding his soulmate too. He thought about how Yoongi, who rarely smiled had such a happy expression on his face. 

Namjoon deflated, it was clear that soulmates meant a lot to him and he had been such an ass about it earlier. For whatever reason people believed in soulmates and whether Namjoon agreed or not he needed to respect them beliefs. Who gave him the right to be a pretentious asshole? He wasn’t better than anyone just because they believed in soulmates. 

He needed to apologize to Seokjin at the very least. What hurt did believing in soulmates even cause? If someone wanted to believe in them there was no harm done by that belief.

“Hey uh, hyung?” Namjoon asked tentatively. He wasn't even sure what all he was going to say but he knew he needed to apologize, he realized how wrong he was earlier and it wouldn't be right to just leave things in the air like that.

Seokjin’s head immediately shot up and he stared at Namjoon worriedly. “What’s wrong?”

Namjoon paused, surprised. He wasn’t expecting Seokjin to be so concerned when he called out to him. “No- nothing’s wrong! I just wanted to apologize for earlier- when I called soulmates a scam. It was rude of me to disregard your beliefs like that. I’m sorry. Namjoon swung around in his chair and lowered his head as he apologized, completely missing the surprised expression on Seokjin’s face. When he lifted his head Seokjin quickly avoided his gaze and as he tugged at his ear which was quickly turning red. 

“What’s wrong?” Namjoon asked. He wasn’t sure how his apology could be interpreted as rude but the thought worried him nonetheless. 

“No nothing wrong,” Seokjin said, shaking his head. He glanced weakly at Namjoon before his eyes drifted to his feet. “It’s just that I’m used to people making fun of me for believing in soulmates- you wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve been called stupid. You’re the first person to apologize for being an asshole and it just- means a lot to me actually thank you.”

Namjoon’s stomach dropped at the confession. He knew that he wasn’t the only person to not believe in soulmates but it never occurred to him that he wasn’t the first non-believer that Seokjin would encounter- and each person would obviously have different ways of letting Seokjin know how they felt about soulmates. God he was a larger jackass than he thought he was and he suddenly got the urge to apologize again. “I was out of line with the things I said earlier, just because I don’t believe in them doesn’t mean that I should make fun of you or your beliefs. I’m truly sorry.” Namjoon lowered his head for a second time, not at all worried about his appearance as he apologized. 

Seokjin waved his hands in dismissive panic as he tried to get Namjoon to raise his head. “Hey listen it’s okay really. You actually aren’t as much of an asshole as you think you were. You dropped it quickly and even when we brought it up before lunch you held your tongue. I was going to drop it and just not talk about soulmates with you.” Seokjin shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal but even he had admitted that Namjoon was the first person to apologize which sent the point home that his words earlier weren't appropriate whatsoever. 

“Do you mind me asking why you don’t believe in soulmates?” Seokjin asked after a moment's pause. “It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it or whatever. It’s just that you were so quick to voice how much you dislike them. I was wondering if there was a reason why you felt so strongly about it.”

“If you’re asking if I’ve had someone break up with me because they supposedly found their soulmate then the answer is no.” Namjoon laughed, trying to ease any lingering tension from the air. In truth there wasn't a single straightforward answer that he could give. What was the core reason as to why he was so against soulmates? He sat back in his seat and let his right ankle rest casually on his left knee, it raised his pants leg and he could easily see his favorite sock. Seokjin caught the movement and stared at his sock quietly for a moment.

"I know I just asked you a question but-" Seokjin stopped and looked at the sock with an expression that Namjoon couldn't read. "Your sock… what is that little thing on it?" Seokjin had leaned over and was staring so intensely at Namjoon’s sock that it took everything in him not to lower his foot and hide his ankle.

"Oh the koala? I bought them on impulse." Namjoon quickly explained. "I'm not usually a fan of character socks but koya is the exception. I don't know why but when I saw a blue koala sleeping on a tree branch I just had to have them." 

"You named the Koala on your sock Koya?" Seokjin asked with a raised brow. Usually Namjoon would take offense to the way Seokjin’s words sounded but coming from the elder Namjoon could tell that he was asking because he was genuinely curious and not judging him for naming his socks.

"It's silly I know but I only named him that because when I was telling my friend about the socks I mispronounced koala and said Koya instead so it just kind stuck- the koala named Koya." Namjoon shrugged as if it wasn't a big deal but he couldn't help but feel the prickle of anxiety in his gut. Objectively it was weird to name something on your sock Namjoon knew that and that's why he never told anyone his name. Even Jimin just thought it was a funny mess-up and didn't know that Namjoon actually gave it a name. He hadn’t meant to tell it to Seokjin either- it just slipped out while he was talking and while he was sure Seokjin wasn't going to mock him the anxiety of being judged was there nonetheless.

"It's cute. Koya the sleeping koala, I like it. Y’know that sounds like the full title of the prince of koalas. He's the master sleeper of all other koalas- no koala could outsleep Koya." 

Seokjin busted into laughter at the ridiculousness of his own imagery and Namjoon couldn't help but to laugh as well. The anxiety slowly ebbed away as the pair collected themselves and Namjoon was struck with another wave of how grateful he was to be working with Seokjin today. The elder made the first day of his new position a lot more enjoyable than he thought it would be and they've been rereading the same documents since 8am.

"We got off track," Namjoon muttered as he tried to catch his breath. "You asked me why I don't believe in soulmates."

Seokjin nodded as he silently wiped tears from his eyes. His shoulders were still shaking and it looked like he was trying to hold back the rest of his giggles. Namjoon was worried he'd start laughing again and tried to compose himself before they laughed themselves into a fit. "I'm sorry I completely got sidetracked there for a moment. But please, I'd like to know the answer." 

He tried to remember the words he had earlier. "I mean what I said earlier still stands," he began as he tried to organize his thoughts. "The logistics of soulmates doesn't make sense. People act as if you're incomplete without your soulmate but I'm my own person. I have my own thoughts and plans and I don't want that disrupted by someone else.” Namjoon was surprised to see Seokjin nod in agreement with him. “Why are you nodding? You believe in soulmates you shouldn’t agree.”

“Namjoon-ah I don’t just blindly believe in soulmates like people seem to think I do. My parents taught me that soulmates don’t complete you rather they compliment and amplify you. A soulmate doesn’t fill the holes in your life rather they help you fill in the holes yourself. They help you help yourself.” 

Namjoon could respect that point. That kind of ideology sat better to him than someone intruding on his life and trying to complete him. However that wasn’t Namjoon’s only qualm with soulmates. “Okay so let's say soulmates compliment rather than complete each other that doesn’t mean that I can just suddenly fall in love with someone I just met. What if my soulmate wasn't the gender I'm attracted to?”

“Just because everyone thinks soulmates are romantic that doesn’t mean that they always do. I have a friend who met his soulmate and at first they thought they were supposed to date but it didn’t work. They got into an argument and soulmates aren’t ever supposed to argue. After a while apart they decided that even if they were soulmates they weren't the romantic type. They're best friends and love each other as soulmates but are in no means romantic. When it comes to true soulmates the relationship dynamic will work itself out naturally. You won’t force a relationship that isn’t meant to be."

Namjoon was as surprised as he was intrigued. He never thought about soulmates that way but it’s clear that Seokjin has and Namjoon couldn’t help but to feel that he had a lot more to learn from the elder. 

"Namjoon-ah have you ever spent time around a soulmate couple?" Seokjin asked, suddenly pulling Namjoon from his thoughts. 

"I- no I haven't." Namjoon stumbled over his words as he thought about it. He realized that even though he never wanted to hang out with a soulmate couple they most likely also wouldn't want to be around him and his soulmate bashing. He lowered his head at the thought in shame. Seokjin tapped his chin to get him to lift his gaze. Once their eyes met Namjoon was met with a soft smile dazzling brilliantly at him. Namjoon’s chest tightened for a painful moment but he was able to give a return smile just as brightly. 

"My parents are soulmates." The elder confessed easily. Namjoon couldn't hide his surprise and Seokjin smiled softly, his voice had gotten as soft as his smile. "I don't tell a lot of people because- well Y’know-" Namjoon shot Seokjin another apologetic look but before he could say anything Seokjin continued. "My mother lost an earring and my father lost his class ring and they had me a year after they met and have been happy together ever since. Joonie true soulmates aren't like the ones in movies and books. Soulmates don't argue- they work so hard to understand where the other is coming from and avoid misunderstandings by being honest with each other. They're secure in their love for each other and they help each other become their best selves. Being raised by soulmate parents is the biggest blessing I could've received. It was such a loving environment filled with warmth and love and it is the reason why I believe in soulmates. Even if I never find my soulmate- or if they don't want me I will never not believe in soulmates. I was raised by living proof that soulmates are real and it is the absolute most beautiful thing in the world."

Seokjin spoke with such passionate conviction that for a brief moment Namjoon couldn't help but to agree. "I couldn't imagine someone having you for a soulmate and deciding not to want you." Namjoon said mindlessly. 

Seokjin smirked and raised his brow at Namjoon. "I'm not sure the one who doesn't believe in soulmates has the right to say such things." He quipped. Namjoon averted his gaze and clapped his hands together. 

"Well anyway we Really got off topic." Namjoon announced as he quickly turned back to the paperwork scattered on the desk. "we still haven't found the mistake-" Namjoon was quickly cut off by the sound of the office door opening.

"Namjoon-shii?" Both men snapped their attention towards the door where a woman Namjoon hadn’t seen before had her head poked in the room. Namjoon stood and took a step towards the door but she quickly entered the room and ushered that he could sit down.

"Is this about the transfer employee?" Namjoon asked without preamble. He didn't know who this woman was but considering today's his first day in his new position he didn't have much idea what else she could be here for- unless Namjoon’s already messed something up. He could've missed an important email from the director- Seokjin gently tapped his foot against Namjoon’s. The younger glanced at him and smiled. Seokjin gave him a wink and crossed his ankles before turning his attention to their surprise guest.

"No no it's not about him. My name is Hyejin. I'm the director's personal secretary." She introduced herself quickly and without allowing either of them to return a greeting got straight to business. 

"I'm here regarding the email the director sent you this morning about the mistake in the proposal. It turns out that there was no mistake. The director deeply apologizes for the mistake and for making you waste half a day on a fools mission." She gave him a prompt but brief bow to express the directors apology.

"Wait…. So the mistake was a mistake?" Seokjin asked. Hyejin nodded and continued her message.

"As part of his apology he says that if you- and the new hire- want you both can take the rest of the day off."

Namjoons eyes widened in surprise, the director was known for making people stay late to get work done- leaving early was nearly unheard of. Even Seokjin was taken aback at the news. "Ah well thank you for letting us know that there really wasn't a mistake." Namjoon said lightly. "We were about to drive ourselves mad thinking we were just overlooking it." He laughed as if it wasn't a big deal but Namjoon wished the director had told them that several hours ago so they didn't waste so much time.

The secretary only gave an awkward nod and told Namjoon to email the director if they were going to leave early and left the room just as quickly as she came.

"Well the good news is that we can leave if we want!" Seokjin chirped brightly as if trying to lighten the mood. Namjoon couldn't help but to be pissed that he spent the entire day worried that he was missing something so blazingly obvious and just didn't notice but Seokjin was right. They did get to leave early and considering that Namjoon was fully prepared to stay late tonight to find the mistake it's the best possible end to his day.

"You're right. I'm kinda pissed that the day was wasted but at least we didn't have to stay late."

"That's the spirit!" Seokjin cheered. He began gathering the paperwork in front of him and organized it before sliding it towards Namjoon. Namjoon reached out to take it from him but accidentally ended up dropping a pen that had gotten underneath the paper when Seokjin slid it across the table. They both bent down to pick it up but it was closer to Seokjin who snatched it up quickly. 

Namjoon was about to lift himself up when he caught a glance at Seokjin’s sock.

It was grey and had a sheep eating a baguette on it- it looked exactly like the sock Namjoon currently wore on his left foot. Namjoon’s stomach dropped and his heart felt as if it was going to slam right out of his chest. There was no way though- it was literally just a coincidence that he found a strange sock that just so happens to look like the one Seokjin was wearing. Namjoon didn't believe in soulmates if Namjoon asked he was sure that Seokjin would say that he has both socks on. There's no way that the transfer employee and his subordinate was his soulmate. There was just no way.

But the way Namjoons body was reacting to seeing the sock told a different story. His eyes were glued to the sock and he swore his heart was going to fall onto the floor with how fast it was beating. Deep down he knew that he had the other sock but he was going to deny it until the last possible moment. If Seokjin had his Koya sock there was no way the elder wouldn't try and convince Namjoon that they were soulmates immediately- not with how vehemently he believed in soulmates.

"Your sock-" Namjoon began before realizing that he was still bent over. He quickly straightened himself into a proper sitting position before turning to Seokjin. His throat was dry and he had to clear it before he could properly get the words out. "Your sock has a sheep eating a baguette on it." 

Seokjin playfully pushed his chair away from Namjoon in mock horror. "Excuse you but RJ is an alpaca. What sheep do you know sits up?" 

"What alpaca do you know eats baguette?" Namjoon countered "I'm pretty sure bread is bad for them." He muttered.

"Yeah well RJ is my favorite pair of socks. You won't believe how pissed I was when I could only find one sock this morning. I thought for sure without both my lucky socks today was going to be horrible, but it actually wasn't that bad." Namjoon could feel the air leave his lungs at Seokjin's comment. Both at the shock of how Seokjin’s morning mirrored his own and how he wasn't wearing a matching pair of socks. 

Namjoon didn't believe in soulmates. He didn't believe in falling in love at first sight and he never even thought about what he would do if he found his soulmate because he thought it was all a bunch of garbage.

But staring at Seokjin’s ankle reminded Namjoon about how attracted he was to the elder. He remembered that feeling of Seokjin being a strong steady presence in his life even if he didn't know how he fit into it. He thought about how Seokjin had gotten pissed enough at him to threaten him and how Namjoon had tried to see soulmates from the elders perspective- he had wanted to understand why Seokjin believed in them even when he didn't care about anyone else's thoughts on soulmates before that. He chanced a glance at Seokjin who was biting his bottom lip nervously but returned his gaze with the softest eyes as he continued.

"Instead of finding two RJ socks I found one with a funky little blue koala sleeping on a tree branch. I learned not too long ago that his name is Koya and I do have to admit that he kinda grew on me." Namjoon’s eyes snapped to Seokjin’s other leg just as he was raising the pants to reveal that his other sock was purple and there was Koya sleeping on his tree branch. Seokjin held steady eye contact with Namjoon as he asked "Hey Namjoonie does this look familiar?"

Something within Namjoon snapped and he felt tears spill from his eyes without his permission. He turned away from the elder as he furiously tried to wipe the tears away but they wouldn't stop flowing. Namjoon was overwhelmed with relief that he couldn’t understand. He wasn’t the one feeling relieved. He glanced up just as Seokjin wrapped his arms around Namjoon’s shoulders and cried into his neck. 

Was it Seokjin that felt this relief? Was Namjoon feeling it because of the soulmate telepathy connection that’s newly formed? Or maybe it was that Seokjin’s relief was so strong that it overflowed and somehow reached him. Both ideas seemed far-fetched but Namjoon knew that somehow Seokjin’s relief was too much for him alone and Namjoon was sharing it with him. Seokjin gave Namjoon a big squeeze before he pulled back and gave Namjoon a bright smile- Namjoon didn’t think he’d ever get tired of seeing that smile.

"I finally found my missing sock." Seokjin said in between his body wracking sobs. "Guess that makes us the perfect pair."

Namjoon didn’t believe in soulmates- the idea of it didn’t make sense, and he still had so many questions about what just happened.

But looking into Seokjin's red puffy eyes filled Namjoon with warmth and he pulled his soulmate into a bone crushing hug and they held each other as they both cried.