Chapter Text
In this world only a few things were guaranteed, life, death, and soulmates. Everybody had one. Everybody had at least one person in the world who was their perfect match. There was no guarantee that you would ever meet this person, but they did exist.
Thankfully, while identifying soulmates was difficult at times, it was not impossible. Soulmates always shared a mark of some sort on their skin. Most resembled small tattoos with little symbols or drawings. Most soulmates were also located close geographically, usually a friend or a neighbor, but there were times when soulmates lived in different countries and even different continents, which always gave people doubts on whether there was really someone out there for them.
It was actually quite taboo for one to openly go out and search for their soulmate. There were many novel attempts, like cellphone apps with international databases to help people find their match, but it never really caught on. Most people seemed to prefer to let things happen slowly and organically.
This was changing with the younger generation though. While it wasn’t a drastic change, younger people were becoming more open to sharing their soulmate marks with friends who could help them check around their school for a match. Some even refused to cover up their soulmate marks with clothing, calling for dress code reforms that wouldn’t punish students so strictly for showing off their marks. The average age that one found their soulmate was declining steadily.
Hyungu grew up in this new generation. With pressure from parents to wait and find out naturally and pressure from peers to reveal what his mark looked like. He was 16 years old when he accidentally revealed the cute flower printed near his collarbone for the first time. He was wearing a shirt that was just a little bit too low cut at his music academy, so that when he slung his guitar strap over his shoulder, the image was just visible to others in the room. When his friend Harin spotted the soulmate mark, he signaled with his eyes for his friend Giwook to look over at Hyungu. Giwook was confused at first, but exclaimed loudly when he realised what was going on. He was only 14 at the time, and the idea of soulmates was really exciting for him. He rushed over to a confused Hyungu to get a closer look.
“Wahhh hyung your mark is a flower! How cute!”
Hyungu rushed to pull up his shirt and quiet his friend to avoid attracting more attention to himself.
“Have you met your soulmate yet?” Giwook asked quite loudly and innocently, not realising that Hyungu was not comfortable speaking so openly about the topic.
“I’ll tell you later if you drop it for now, okay?” Hyungu just said the first thing he thought of to calm the situation, not realising he just promised to talk about it again later with Giwook.
“Okay! Don’t forget!” he said with a smile and happily walked back over to his place in the practice room.
Hyungu sighed, his heart beating rapidly after attracting the attention of half the room. While it wasn’t such a big deal for them, it was for him...
After practice that day, Hyungu, Harin, and Giwook left the academy together and went to a nearby convenience store to grab some ice cream. It was a warm evening for once, so they sat down outside together and had their cold desserts. While they were considered friends at the music academy, they had not known each other long and were not particularly close yet. This was one conversation that helped build their friendship.
“Sooooooo…” Giwook said, looking Hyungu dead in the eye with a small smirk on his lips. “Are you going to tell us?”
Hyungu really hoped that the younger had forgotten by now. “About what?” Hyungu played dumb.
“Your soulmate.” Giwook smiled. “Who is it? Do we know them?”
“No idea. I haven’t met them yet.”
Harin and Giwook gave each other a defeated look. Giwook looked down and shook his head, sighing dramatically.
“So you’re telling me that you reacted like that back at the academy when you don’t even know who your soulmate is?” Harin questioned not expecting an answer. “What is this? The 1800s? You’ll be lucky if you find your soulmate this century,” he joked.
“Hey!” Hyungu pouted. “I’m fine. I’ll meet him someday.”
“Him?”
Oh. No.
“So you do know who your soulmate is.”
“I don’t.”
“Yes you do.”
“No I don’t.”
“You don’t need to lie to us.”
“I’m not lying.”
“So who is it?”
“I already said I don’t know”
“Is it Keonhee?”
“Eww no we’re just friends.”
“Is it that one kid you play guitar with on Saturdays sometimes?”
“Definitelyyy not.”
“So who is it?”
Hyungu was a terrible liar and knew that Harin saw right through him. “I can’t tell you.”
“Why not?”
“Because.”
“Because…”
“Because now is not a good time for him to find out so I don’t want to take any chances.” Hyungu knew he already said too much.
“That literally doesn’t make any sense. Who wouldn’t want to know who their soulmate is?”
Hyungu thought for a moment. “Okay if I give you the reason will you promise to just drop it after?”
“Shoot.”
“Well... right now I’m a 2nd year high school student... and he’s a 2nd year college student.”
“OH MY GOD IT’S YONGHOON,” Giwook yelled after staying quiet this entire time, startling the two others. “THAT’S WHY YOU DIDN’T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT AT THE ACADEMY.”
Fuck.
FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK
There was no use in trying to hide it. The blush on Hyungu’s face and his loss of words made the answer clear as day. His soulmate was the part time vocal instructor at the music academy they all attended. The 20 year old whom all of the high schoolers at the academy swooned over and shamelessly threw themselves at after asking for extra lessons or help setting up their equipment. The incredibly hot and charming singer who probably saw Hyungu as just another hopeless music student...
“Wow…” Harin said after some time, “that’s tough,” he added thinking about how it must feel for someone to see their soulmate being hit on day after day by their peers, “but good for you,” he smirked. Hyungu rolled his eyes.
“How do you know that you’re soulmates?” Giwook asked innocently, not in a challenging tone, but curious as to how it happened.
“Well I… I kinda sorta.. accidentally walked in on him changing once when I was looking for my notebook...”
Giwook laughed out loud at the thought of Hyungu awkwardly staring at the singer's chest and realising that they were soulmates while a confused Yonghoon stood in the room shirtless wondering why this random guitar student was even there in the first place, let alone admiring his topless body.
“Are you sure he doesn’t know?” Giwook got out in between his laughs. “It would seem pretty obvious to me if that happened.”
“I seriously doubt it. I’m sure things like that happen to him all the time…” Hyungu sighed, not wanting to think about all the things his soulmate could be doing in the other 23 hours a day that Hyungu didn’t see him.
“Awww are you jealous?” Harin cooed as Hyungu swatted him away. “Why don’t you just tell him?”
“I think it would be really weird for both of us because he’s kinda like… a teacher. And I kinda want him to notice me on his own if that makes any sense..” he added shyly.
“Aww that is so cute!“ Giwook gushed as he clutched his heart dramatically. “I wish I knew who my soulmate was,” he said, suddenly looking dejected. “I don’t even have a proper soulmate mark.”
“Huh? Is that even possible?” Harin questioned.
“Apparently. My doctor says it’s not that common but it happens. He says that I technically do have a mark, but it’s difficult to tell exactly what it is.”
“So what are you supposed to do then?”
“Well the person I’m supposed to be with shouldn’t have one either so that’s a start. I might never be able to know who it is for sure, but I think I’ll be able to tell once we’ve been together for a while.”
While Hyungu knew it would be difficult for Giwook to find his true love, he sort of envied him. He would be able to date around and find his partner naturally, like the stories that his parents would tell him about the “good old days” where people didn’t let their soulmate marks get in the way of following their hearts.
“Have you met anyone who doesn’t have a mark?”
“Yeah actually. There’s not many, but more than you would think. I actually used to really like someone who also didn’t have one but... things didn’t really work out and it kinda ruined our friendship in the process.”
"Oh. Sorry that happened."
"It's okay, it was a while ago anyways. The only thing is that we live near each other so it's just awkward sometimes."
"Not to prod, but how did they know that you weren't soulmates?"
"Actually I'm the one who ended things. We did date briefly, but I saw the way he looked at… someone else. I guess I was right because they are together now," Giwook laughed as he spoke, but Hyungu could tell that it wasn't genuine.
"So…. what about you?" Hyungu asked Harin awkwardly, feeling the tension hanging over them.
"Me? I just haven't met them yet I guess," he shrugged.
"Boringggg," Giwook booed. "Is that the best you've got?"
"What?! It's true."
They all laughed together and spent way too long talking there outside of the convenience store. So long that the shop owner had to come outside and tell them they were taking up space for other customers. Their friendship grew over the coming weeks and months as they spent more afternoons together after their music lessons. For a while it was just the three of them, until their circle of friends started suddenly growing.
It started when the three became more serious about doing music together. Hyungu on guitar, Harin on drums, and Giwook on bass. They told the music instructors, who helped them perform with a rotating cast of singers and keyboard players, but none of them ever stuck.
That was until they met Dongmyeong. Well, until Hyungu and Harin met Dongmyeong.
When the new student arrived at the academy, Hyungu didn’t think much of it. Students came and left all the time, as they found new hobbies or traded practice for more hours in cram schools. Hyungu did notice though, that Dongmyeong was a vocal and piano student, and always kept that at the back of his mind. Dongmyeong was a bright kid, with charisma and good stage presence. Hyungu didn’t see him much at first, but every time they spoke, he could tell they would get along nicely.
As the three friends were preparing for their next stage, one of the program coordinators approached the group. She told them that there was a new student she would like to introduce them to if they were interested. Giwook thanked her and suddenly excused himself as he scurried over to his bag and pulled out his phone, eyes glued to the screen.
The lady called Dongmyeong over and was about to introduce them, but they all greeted each other by name. She left them to it, knowing her work was done, and smiled as she walked away hoping they could all become friends.
“So, will you be joining us for the next performance?” Harin asked warmly and excitedly.
“Sure! If you all want me to that is,” he smiled.
“Of course. It will be great, I can tell,” Harin answered earnestly, and Hyungu nodded in agreement.
"What about Giwook? What's he doing over there?" Dongmyeong said loud enough so that the boy could hear him.
He pretended not to, and waited until Harin called him over to look up at the three of them.
"Umm I have to go,” he told them and held up his phone, “but you can discuss the plans without me, I’ll catch up later. See you!" And with that, he packed up his things and left.
“Where’s he going?” Harin asked Hyungu who was just as clueless.
“Oh. It’s probably because I’m here,” Dongmyeong said plainly.
“Oh no, don’t worry it’s not because of you” Harin reassured, but Dongmyeong clarified.
“I think it is though. I know him. We’re friends... kinda.”
“Oh”
“He hasn’t mentioned it, has he?”
“No he hasn’t told us anything,” Harin looked at Hyungu for confirmation who nodded his head.
“Are you three friends?”
“Yeah! We’ve been doing music together for a while. Why?”
“Oh. I’m just not sure how much you already know or... if he would be comfortable with me telling you anything.”
“Why wouldn’t he be? You’re friends right?”
“It’s a bit more complicated than that. Well not really, but Giwook thinks that it is.”
“How do you know him?”
“Umm, we were good friends a few years ago. And we live near each other.”
Oh.
Fuck.
Harin was not as quick to catch on. “Oh really? Oh wait.. OH.” He laughed awkwardly and looked at Hyungu to save him.
Hyungu did what he knew best in the situation. He played dumb. “Oh haha. He’s just a bit shy I guess.”
“You know don’t you?”
“Know what? haha”
“Nevermind..” Dongmyeong said, not wanting to push him. “Anywaysss, what are you guys planning on performing for the show?”
They spent the rest of their time together talking about the upcoming performance and discussing their musical experience. Hyungu texted Giwook some of the plans and asked him where he was. Giwook replied about the music but ignored the question.