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The fabric of Yeosang's pajamas was worn where the rubbing was constant, but the softness gave him a feeling of incomparable comfort. The pajamas were already too short for him but they were his favorite and Yeosang wouldn't change them until they fell apart. Seonghwa had given it to him as a birthday present several years ago, when they were still teenagers and used to having sleepovers. Seonghwa had chosen a pattern of small white maltese dogs chasing a blue ball.
Yeosang checked the time on the cellphone screen. It was three minutes to midnight. He yawned and lay down on the bed, drumming the fingers on the stomach as he moved the legs and rotated the feet, for something to do. The phone began to vibrate two minutes later and Yeosang picked it up to answer the call, smiling so wide.
"What are you doing, my precious little brother?"
"I'm older than you San-ah, and I'm in the middle of an important decision."
"In the middle of what?"
"Trying to decide if I must sleep or let my beloved soulmates have a chance to compete for who calls me first."
Yeosang heard San's laugh and imagined his dimples piercing his cheeks.
"So I won?"
"I think so."
Happy birthday my dear Yeosang.
Yeosang thanked San in his deep voice, warmth spreading throughout his chest.
A minute after midnight, Wooyoung's voice shrieked through the speaker causing Yeosang to push the phone away as far as his arm would reach, while wincing as if he had eaten something sour.
"Yeosaaang! I was the first one, right?"
"First of what."
"In congratulating you."
"You haven't even given me a proper happy birthday and you want me to acknowledge you as the first to do it… you have no shame Jung Wooyung, you haven't for ten years."
Wooyoung's shrill laugh filled Yeosang's room, only to hear after the sound of heavy breathing. Wooyoung was trying not to laugh again.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry... Happy birthday darling, I hope you know you will always have the best of the best friends by your side, which happens to be me."
"You're not going to give me any presents, are you?"
"What better gift than myself?"
Yeosang clicked his tongue and though he was smiling so brightly, Wooyung couldn't know. So with a mock pained tone he answered him.
"Sannie was better than you. He called me first."
Wooyoung's 'I'm going to kill him' scream sounded distorted by the force he did it.
Yeosang guffawed until his stomach started to ache.
One by one the rest of his life partners called him to wish him the best and promise to be with him to celebrate.
"You got older and confident."
"You got older and more precious."
Yeosang slept feeling enveloped in affection.
Having seven soulmates was unusual to say the least. There were no marks on his skin or any kind of magical bond, but it was certainly special. A very special case.
Yeosang was an affable boy that everyone wanted to be friends with. It was easy to get to a place and feel accepted, but the feeling was more akin to being monopolized. He was cute, funny and a good listener, so everyone wanted him to be their soulmate. But Yeosang did not feel integrated or completed. He didn't feel the trace of affinity or well-being he was supposed to feel when he found the ultimate bond of his life.
But Yeosang was still very young and one day he was run over by seven boys as if the universe had conspired to give him the best of luck in three and a half lifetimes.
Suddenly he was involved in other people's lives as if they were his own. He was trapped, squeezed, drenched in affection. They listened to Yeosang carefully, as he listened back. They made him laugh as he responded with the sharpest jokes he could think of. They took him to the sky to help him to dream to greater and made him touch the ground to make him build those dreams, with kindness and sympathy.
The problems were easy to solve. The life was a day-to-day experience, without feeling the burden of the present or the worries of the future, because in any case he had someone to turn to. Yeosang had a shelter of seven pairs of arms to support him.
It had been a some years since that and he still marveled how good they were to each other.
Yeosang wanted to celebrate his birthday with them in a simple way. An afternoon of joy and light mood (and eating ice cream to alleviate the summer heat).
After the hugs and congratulations in person, feeling his shirt smelled like each one of them, Yunho took them to the mall in the old van he had bought with his savings. They always played a game to see who would sit in the front seat next to Yunho but this time Yeosang had the upper hand so he got in the car, fastened his seat belt and held the air conditioning vents right up to his face.
The mall had installed an ice rink in a dome placed in the large rear parking lot. It was free for a limited time if someone showed purchase receipts from the main stores in the mall. Yunho had bought individual access tickets for all eight of them, making the rest gasp in admiration at the gesture.
They stored their belongings in the assigned lockers and changed from shoes to ice skates.
Mingi stepped forward, the blade of the skate leaving frost on either its side as Mingi extended a leg into the rink. He turned to Yeosang with the confidence of an expert on the subject at hand.
"Watch me and then do the same as me."
Mingi took a long step and glided, moving towards the center of the frozen floor. His face was solemn, his eyes slanted with concentration. He spun around as a ballerina. He spun again and stumbled, eyes wide with surprise as he landed, scrambling to keep the balance.
Wooyoung laughed as he bended over himself.
"Watch me and do the same,” he mocked Mingi, “I think you want Yeosang to break his leg."
San and Jongho entered the rink. San glided gracefully, making a circle around Mingi, who was trying unsuccessfully to sit up, face red with embarrassment. Jongho was not as fluent as San, but he had security and stability. The two of them pulled Mingi to his feet.
"Take my hand, Sangie."
Seonghwa helped Yeosang take his first steps on the ice, supporting his body as he skidded backwards. Yeosang took baby steps and slowly moved forward without feeling like he was going to smash his nose into the frozen floor.
Further on, Hongjoong was helped by Yunho, who was supporting him from behind, one hand on his waist. Suddenly Hongjoong disappeared in front of Yunho's tall figure.
"Just push me a little bit."
And it was just a little bit. A gentle push that put Hongjoong in the direction of the barrier with his hands outstretched and his legs apart trying not to bend.
San whistled and Jongho clapped his hands. The rest cheered Hongjoong's effort. Yeosang was still laughing when Seonghwa asked if he was ready yet and gave him a push, making his stomach flutter with nervousness as he slid across the ice.
It was a very fun day.
Yeosang later was bumping into Jongho who hugged him against his body to prevent him from falling down, causing him to slide to the ground slowly, Yeosang laughed so hard that he couldn't get up even though Jongho pulled him, causing Wooyoung to try to help them, finally falling on his feet, one of them on top of each other, with Yeosang caught in the middle.
After exchanging the ice skates for their usual shoes, they sat in the ice cream parlor that had a carousel with pink and yellow plastic ponies that kids could get on and ride with a coin. Hongjoong made Yeosang sit on the yellow pony and Jongho took pictures of him.
"How cute you are."
Jongho showed the photos to Yeosang and after making him choose the one he liked the most, he deleted it from the main folder while Yeosang looked at him with a shocked gesture. Jongho smirked and retrieved the photo from the trash folder, then marked it as favorite and set it as wallpaper after adding cute stickers to it.
"I'm going to put you on lockscreen all day today as a birthday present."
"I feel honored," he said with a very dead face while trying to no laugh again.
They put together two tables to fit comfortably and ordered different flavors of ice cream, asking for Yeosang a triple serving of his preferred. Seonghwa took out a sparkling candle, and after asking the owner for permission to use it, Hongjoong stuck it into the ice cream and lit it.
"Be happy forever, dear Yeosang."
Yeosang closed his eyes focused on the silent wish in his heart. When he opened them, everyone was looking at him with the same kind of pure, selfless, deep emotion that only soulmates shared.
Yeosang felt his chest vibrate with bliss.
They headed out of the mall, chatting loudly, causing some visitors to turn to look at them. Seonghwa bowed his head apologetically and squeezed Wooyung and Mingi's arm to make them lower their voices a bit.
Then they saw it.
The brand new claw machine installed against the wall of the mall, along with other kids mechanical games. The huge transparent box contained various giant stuffed animals, all round and fluffy. There were bears with soft cheeks, bunnies whose pink ears fell forward, cats with triangular-like doritos noses and ears and embroidered eyes and mustaches, puppies, lions with fluffy orange manes, giraffes, foxes, koalas... and among all that, a single plushie that did not look like a stuffed animal. With the body almost covered by the other dolls, only the sunflower crowning the white head could be seen.
Yeosang pressed himself against the glass, steam misting the surface as he breathed. His hands were placed on either side of his eyes to better focus. Then he turned to see them with big eyes, a childish gasp in his voice.
"I want that one over there.”
Seonghwa was the first to try. He carefully moved the metal claw to the plushie Yeosang wanted, but there were others on top of it covering part of the body so he failed to grab it.
Yeosang put his hand on Seonghwa's sad face to thank his for the effort.
It was San's turn, then Hongjoong's. When it was Wooyoung's turn, Wooyoung hit on the button to lower the claw with such force that it almost took it out of it spot. Mingi had no better luck, he put his hands to his neck and sighed deeply to dissipate his upset. Jongho rolled up his shirt sleeves, leaned over the dash to move the joystick and position the claw on the evasive doll. The metallic fingers closed slowly on the plushie head and little by little they raised it, taking out the body it was visible for the first time. It was like a cute ghost, or a pillow whose ends resembled hands and feet. Or like a funny cloud...
"It's a bellflower root."
Yeosang said as confidently as he put his hand under his chin. His soulmates looked at him with a mixture of bewilderment and amusement.
Yeah, that was his Yeosangness.
Jongho yelled as the doll slipped out of the claw. Jongho turned the scream into singing to hide his frustration.
Hongjoong searched his pockets. He had only one coin left.
"The last one for our lucky boy."
"it's easy-peasy mates"
Yunho shook his hands and neck. He made a couple of jumping jacks and approached the machine. The coin made a lot of noise as it fell through the slot. The joystick vibrated as if in a coughing fit, and the claw dropped limply like a zombie's hand. It closed weakly just below the sunflower crown. When he went up the plushie shook and barely moved. The claw was full closed then. The plushie was completely pulled out and thrown out the exit.
The boys screamed. Yeosang ran to Yunho with his arms raised and pulled him into a tight hug. He moved both of them a little as if dancing. Yeosang released Yunho and hurried to get the plushie out of the machine.
Yeosang was thrilled.
San came over to look at the doll and patted it on top of the sunflower.
"What name will you give it?"
Hongjoong asked with genuine interest. Yeosang pondered for a moment. His eyes widened as if he had had a revelation and he looked at his plushie lovingly.
"I'll call it Hehetmon."
Yeosang chuckled. A kind of Hehet sound erupted from his throat without realizing it.
“It makes sense."
"It's nice."
"Pretty as you."
Hongjoong scanned Yeosang's face. Fondness crossed his features as Yeosang was holding his gift with care.
"How was today, did you have fun?"
Yeosang wanted to hug each one of them and let them know his gratitude but he didn't want to let go of Hehetmon. Not yet. So he pressed the doll against his body and answered, his voice thick with emotion.
“All of you got me the best birthday ever.”
You are my best gift ever.