Work Text:
Haechan popped his box of banana milk open. It was the break time from their practice and this was his way of relieving stress, a sip of some cold drink Chenle gave him. The practice room was filled with tired breaths and the quiet tapping of something unfamiliar. Not so tense, though, but a few minor patches of correction must be made to make their performance clean.
“It's lunch, isn't it?” Chenle asked no one in particular, but the youngest answered him. Almost everyone held their phones except for Renjun who was trying to fix some Rubik's cube.
“I believe the food is coming soon, though.” Jisung answered as Chenle nodded and gestured something to Renjun, something along the lines of giving him the Rubik's cube. A quite fun memory from years back when Renjun couldn't fix it, everyone broke the cube instead to get some hint for that one show they were on.
Renjun, who was quite quick to pick up, tossed the cube in Chenle's direction. The other managed to catch it with his right hand while his phone rested on his left. It was quiet and nobody bothered to break the ice—not necessarily a bad type of quiet, but a calming one.
-
“Whose watch is this?”
“Mark's.”
It was suspiciously similar to his, but he didn’t know for sure if their times matched. He had left his own watch back at the dorms to create less ruckus without anyone noticing, especially when he's outside from a radio guesting schedule. Here was Mark's watch—identical to his if he remembered correctly. It wasn't just a simple watch, but a soulmate's.
What's a soulmate? That's probably the first thing Haechan searched for when he realized he had this item. It was a watch that didn't seem to move forward but rather counted every second, minute, and hour backwards. That aspect alone made Haechan think that he must've had something that indicated it wasn't the usual item it was. Quite frankly, he was on the verge of either selling or breaking it. It didn't seem that significant to him, although it would help him see when it's finally time for another new schedule, photoshoot, or interview.
Some rumors say that breaking the watch will reveal whoever you are bound to be with for the rest of your life—your soulmate, basically. By the time the watch is broken and you’re given the name of your soulmate, the connection will be cut. That's what Haechan saw on the internet.
Now, why did Mark leave this important thing lying around where people could easily take it?
-
Only a few days later, Haechan finds the same watch in a different place. It was the end of their recording for one of the Hot Sauce stages in Inkigayo and there wasn't any other schedule for the whole day. It was a Sunday, anyway, so they technically had less schedules.
His luck ran out again—he did remember reminding himself to take the watch with him whenever they'll be out. Haechan didn't have his watch with him, though, so he couldn't really check whether he was matched with Mark. Besides, he was the first person he saw with the same watch. Could that be a coincidence?
“Is he... okay?” Mark was pacing back and forth in circles and Jisung couldn't help but ask. He asked no one in particular but Haechan answered, nonetheless.
“There's just a few missteps he did earlier during practice.” Everyone was tired, yes, but this was our life. We need to be committed to such heavy tasks because that's how the contract goes. We promised the company—in return, we really had to work hard. Especially with this comeback, everyone is just expecting as much. That doesn't really mean we should neglect ourselves, though. Mark's been pushing himself too hard lately during practice, and though he hasn't spoken about having a hard time, we've always seen how he was hard on himself.
Haechan flicked his fingers in front of Mark who was resting, his body laid flat on the floor. “Need a drink?”
“What do you have?” Mark snorted, taking Haechan's right hand to sit up straight. Haechan looked over his hand where he held an unopened red soda can.
“This is all, actually.” Haechan let the can fall into Mark's hands while the latter laughed continuously. It was such a simple moment yet Mark had the brightest of laughs. It's been a while for Haechan to see him laugh like it was the best joke he'd heard on the radio.
The two managed to bond while there was a break, and it was a chance for Haechan to ask him about the watch. He was starting to get convinced that the world was playing around with him. If he was truly his soulmate, then his timer could've stopped the moment he met Mark, but it didn't. It continued to tick backward.
“Hey, Mel...”
Mark was about to answer him when someone called them from the back. “It's time to practice!”
“Oh, I'll talk to you later!” Haechan frowned, not an obvious one (or so he thinks), of course. Not that he could say it's unseen, but the idea was starting to bother him, a distraction, more like.
What a shame, Haechan lost his chance again.
-
“Are you telling me Mark is off somewhere else?” Jeno nodded, fulfilling the answer Haechan needed. It was just a watch, just a watch... and he's this worried about it. He's not going to be affected by it, anyway. Such a small world if it does.
A ring came from his phone. Mark texted him. He took deep breaths and unlocked his phone.
“Hey, can you meet me now? I'll be outside the dorms. Bring your soulmate's watch with you.” Now, Haechan truly didn’t expect this. He’d kept this item for so long, even the members didn't know he owned one. It was quite personal for him to tackle. He wasn't ready right now, but hopefully, by then, he would.
How did Mark know that Haechan had one with him? It's not like the world was too small, right?
-
It was.
The world was too small, but the possibilities were too large for them, and so did the stage they always stood together on.
“So you're telling me, my name appeared when you asked someone to break your watch?” Mark nodded, pulling a tiny pouch that had bits and pieces that made it rattle. It's like there are chips of metal inside. Mark continued to shake the unknown item before completely opening it. He fished out a small chip that had something so unexpected to be embossed—LDH-606.
That was Haechan's real name and birthday. Basically, he was Mark's soulmate.
“I don't know whether to feel happy or sad about what you've done. Does this mean we have no chances to be happy anymore?” Haechan voiced out whatever he felt during the moment. He doesn't know whether he'll cry because he's free from the pressure or cry because he knows he'll no longer have the chance.
No, no, Haechan, cut the crap. It was surely the latter.
Who wouldn't fall in love when it's Mark Lee?
That was a simple phrase enough to make Haechan wonder over and over. He was used to feeling the love from his members and fans, never from someone so specific and so closely intimate to him.
“Hyuck,” the other called. God, Haechan was so whipped. It was easy like that. “You'll never know when we try, you know.”
“But the internet...” Haechan couldn't form sentences right now, so he did what he thought was the best answer. He pulled his soulmate watch out of his pocket and checked the timer.
00:05.
00:04.
00:03.
00:02.
00:01.
00:00.
SOULMATE FOUND.
The name Lee Minhyung, August 2nd appeared on a small hologram with a picture attached. It was really Mark, a shot from his NCT 127's 24-Hour Relay Cam where he wore his white hoodie and round eyeglasses. This only confirmed that they were meant to be each other's. Now, how should the two of them confirm this internet myth of never falling in love again when people break their soulmate watches?
The two can never prove but only try. In the end, it was going to be a risk and nobody would know the overall result of the attempt. The future is unknown and uncertain. No one in this world can see what it holds nor did we know what changed. The only thing we're sure of is the present.
Like a wise saying used to say: “Yesterday is history; Tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift, that is why it is called the present.”
Should Haechan really be worried about the future?
Haechan wasn't looking for a superhero nor someone with superhuman gifts. He just wanted someone to love. Love and passion was such a strong emotion for him, it was all he wanted to give and receive.
“Mark,” Haechan called, his mind finally calm and collected. “How much are you willing to risk?” They were idols. Doing this will risk not only his but Mark's career as well. The two of them who knew each other so well, performing was truly theirs and it was a passion. They were happy performing in front of people, yet love was also Haechan's passion.
“Just so I could have something like this?” Mark quietly grabbed Haechan's hand and entwined it with his. A slight blush flushed across his cheeks and despite not wanting to admit it, Haechan was flustered. It wasn't so him, actually.
“We're outside.”
“Exactly.” Mark leaned closer, leaving their faces close to each other. The watch was still intact in Haechan's grip. At least he wasn't able to drop it, he couldn't risk breaking the gadget.
Mark isn't so scared with whatever, is he?
“Whatever they say, I'll always be your soulmate. If someone asks you, don't be afraid to tell them.” Haechan laughed, amused with what was told to him.
Mark laughed with him, scrunching his nose in the process. It was tiny moments like these that Haechan treasured the most. It was cliché, yes, but it was real and that's the only thing important.
“Even if it's the media who asked me?”
“Yes.” Man, he really didn't care about the company's rules anymore. It was just Mark's world and we're living in it.
The only difference is that Donghyuck gets to be beside him when he runs the world upside down, rocking the world with the music they—a group where the two of them are part of—continued to make.