Work Text:
Yoongi thought that over time the joy of meeting new people might dim, given how often he’d done it, but somehow it still hadn’t. Every first interaction was a promise; and if they were the right person, and it was the right time, maybe they could be more.
For Yoongi, it had never been the right time, but he still hoped.
(1)
Yoongi usually enjoys his time at work; it’s always been something that brought him comfort, making music, and even all the other work that went along with it was usually easy enough to get through and ignore in the pursuit of working on a composition. He’s ahead of schedule today, and while that on its own is exciting and has him itching to keep working, what it actually means is that he is the one with the most open schedule and thus, has been sent on the coffee run when normally he can make excuses to stay inside.
He has Namjoon and Hoseok’s orders written in the notes app on his phone, not that he really needs the reminder, and it’s with a grumble that he pushes open the door of their office building and steps onto the sidewalk. It’s a nice day at least, and he guesses he should be grateful for the opportunity to get fresh air instead of staying hidden inside a studio 24 hours a day.
His good mood starts to sour slightly when he arrives at their regular coffee shop, a place only a block down the road, to find the doors locked and a sign saying “Closed For Emergency Repairs”. He peeks through the door to see a beleaguered-looking employee pointing things out to what must be a repairman, and as they make eye contact with him he waves as he steps back, hoping they understand that he’s not going to demand they open for him in their current state.
He pulls his phone out to look for the next closest place, preferably not a chain; he knows the coffee will taste the same but he’d prefer to support an actual person running a business instead of a company; he knows that might sound a little hypocritical, given that he works for a large company too, but he was an independent artist once, and someone investing in him back then meant more than the accolades he gets now ever could.
He wanders a few blocks away to this new coffee shop, thinking about how he could probably afford to go independent again if he really wanted to; as long as he found a way to bring Hoseok and Namjoon along with him, he thinks they’d support the idea. He’s not really paying much attention as he gets to the door, his hand covering someone else's on the handle as they both reach for it at the same time.
He goes to excuse himself but the words die in his throat once he gets a full look at this person’s face; he’s a little taller than Yoongi, but his face looks younger, and his eyes are wide and innocent, sparkling like they hold so many galaxies even in this mundane, ordinary setting. He makes a little noise as their hand's brush and Yoongi pulls his back quickly, apologizing profusely and excusing himself.
“I’m so sorry, I wasn’t watching where I was going,” he says, bowing his head a little.
The handsome stranger with brilliant eyes giggles to himself and shakes his head, saying, “You don’t have to be so worried, no harm done. Here, after you,” and he opens the door, gesturing for Yoongi to enter first.
They get in line together but not quite, Yoongi looking up at the menu board despite knowing what he is ordering and keeping a look out of the corner of his eye for what the man is doing. He’s standing just slightly behind and to the side of Yoongi, not fully behind him the way you would wait behind a stranger, but somewhere in between waiting with a friend. He’s mouthing something as he reads through the menu, clearly not yet decided on what he’s getting, and Yoongi can’t help but be instantly endeared.
He gets to the front and places his coffee order, an iced Americano for himself and Namjoon, and some silly latte for Hoseok. He pretends not to notice the stranger nodding to himself when Yoongi gives the barista his name for the pickup. It would be silly of him to make a big deal out of it when he does the exact same thing, positioning himself close enough to the pickup area that he’s not being suspicious but still able to hear the name he gives to the barista - Jungkook.
Jungkook walks over to the pickup area as well, and they stand in relative silence as they watch their drinks being made. Jungkook’s is finished first despite having ordered after Yoongi, as he’s only getting one thing and Hoseok’s drink takes the barista longer to finish. He gives Yoongi a little nod as he picks up his drink and heads outside, and Yoongi tries to convince himself he didn’t see a tiny blush rising on his cheeks.
He fails, but only because he knows he has a matching one on his own face.
-
Dear Future Soulmate,
I always wonder if there is some innate sense we have that leads us to people who have a chance of being our soulmate; if there is some way to tell right away if it’s worthwhile to pursue getting closer to someone or if there is truly no way to know. I’d prefer if you couldn’t tell in advance; there’s something magical knowing that every first encounter, every passing glance, or accidental touch could be the first time you interact with your soulmate, and knowing that you should give every relationship a chance to grow instead of ruining your own chances at something, just because they might not be your forever.
There’s no chance that when you both are 25 and your strings connect that you’ll live near each other, or even in the same city or country, but it’s beautiful to think that the person you’re with could be the one you’ll always be with, that their birthday will come and you’ll be the one they were waiting to find. I like to think about that whenever I meet someone; there’s a high chance that my soulmate will turn 25 in a place far from me, and we’ll just have to trace our strings back to one another, but maybe we won’t.
Maybe we’ll have been lucky and found each other all on our own.
Yours Forever,
Min Yoongi, 1997
(2)
Hoseok has been hounding him and Namjoon for a while now to come to meet his soulmate Seokjin and his friends, complaining that they don’t see anyone who doesn’t work at their company and it would be healthy for them to meet new people. He and Seokjin had run into each other a few times before Hoseok turned 25 but they weren’t doing anything more than casually dating, and Seokjin hadn’t been waiting for that long after he turned 25 anyway, so he didn’t have the same mindset as Yoongi often did when meeting people.
They’d moved in together recently despite Hoseok’s birthday being a few months ago, just due to leases and scheduling, and they were hosting a housewarming party with Seokjin’s small group of friends and Hoseok wanted his there too, something about combining all their friends into one group to make movie nights easier. None of them have to say it but Yoongi knows Hoseok has mentioned his feelings toward soulmate pairs to Seokjin; he’d never begrudge anyone their happiness, he wants nothing more than to find his own someday, but sometimes being reminded of how long he’s waited makes him more sensitive.
He and Namjoon head over together, not that either of them is nervous to be around new people but the habit is hard to break after working together for so long. Yoongi just has some bottles of soju to offer the couple and Namjoon has a plant; they don’t know a lot of people who have housewarming parties so the gifts are the best they could come up with. Yoongi knocks on the door when they get there after Namjoon gives him a pathetic look while holding the plant with both hands, and Hoseok doesn’t even look fazed when he sees Namjoon’s situation after opening the door.
They toe off their shoes and Yoongi follows Hoseok into the kitchen to put the drinks away while he gets the plant some water and finds a place for it. When they get out into the main living area, Namjoon is already talking to Seokjin and three other people, clearly already having gotten introductions out of the way.
“Hey guys, this is Yoongi-hyung, he’s worked at the company producing for ages, I don’t know what I’d do without him. Hyung, this is Taehyung, Jimin, and-”
“Jungkook?” Yoongi interrupts, his voice a little higher than normal.
Jungkooks face looks just as open and unguarded as it was when they ran into each other at the coffee shop, and now his eyes are sparkling with the joy of an unplanned but welcome surprise. When they’d parted ways that day Yoongi had simply chalked it up to a short yet memorable encounter, the odds that they’d see each other again low due to the novelty of Yoongi’s routine that day.
Jungkook looks delighted to see him again, and one of the other two boys elbows him in the ribs to break him out of his staring.
“Ah, Yoongi-ssi, it’s nice to see you here. We never got a chance to talk much the other day, so I’m glad that we’ve met again,” Jungkook says shyly.
“You can call me hyung, Jungkook-ah, I can guarantee that I’m older than all of you. Seokjin-hyung likes to say I should call him hyung because he and Hosek-ah are technically older now, but I think I have a convincing case of being everyone’s hyung if I ever need a favor,” Yoongi says, looking from Jungkook over to the couple as he mentions them.
“What do you mean you can guarantee it? Only me, Jiminie, and Jungkook-ah don’t have our strings yet, Seokjin-hyung could still be older than you,” Taehyung says, furrowing his brow and studying Yoongi as if he’d be able to find a clue that would tell him his true age.
Yoongi looks over at Namjoon and Hoseok before he replies, both of them looking sympathetic. “I just know, once you do this for long enough you’re able to have a better sense of people,” Yoongi replies.
Jimin reaches over and pinches Taehyung in the side, causing him to yelp and whine while he rubs the sore spot.
“You can’t just ask people how old they really are, Taehyungie, did you grow up in a barn? It’s a sensitive topic, don’t be rude,” Jimin says, Taehyung frowning now that he’s been scolded.
“Sorry hyung, I didn’t mean to offend. Just got curious, most people just say they are 25 and move on,” Taehyung says meekly, looking at his shoes.
“It’s fine, you’re allowed to wonder. I just don’t like to talk about it much,” Yoongi replies.
Seokjin chooses that moment to interrupt, coming back in with drinks and passing them out. “Everyone find somewhere to sit, food is almost ready but we don’t need to be too formal, just relax wherever you want and Hoseok or I will bring you a plate,” he says as he gives them each a glass off a tray.
Yoongi watches Jungkook to see where he moves to and finds his eyes already on him, he sits on a small two-person sofa while Jimin drags Taehyung across the room to a set of armchairs much to his bewilderment. Yoongi follows Jungkook who only moves over as Yoongi approaches, clearly wanting no one else to try and sit with him.
“Hi again, Jungkook-ah,” Yoongi says, clinking their glasses together in greeting.
“Hi hyung,” Jungkook says shyly, eyes still just as wide as when they first met; Yoongi feels like he can almost see his own face reflected in them.
“So, I go to that coffee shop almost every day between classes, but the other day was the first time I’ve seen you. Are you new in town?” Jungkook asks him.
“No, I’ve been in Seoul for a while now, but the coffee shop closest to our company building was closed for sudden repairs so I had to find an alternative. Usually, Hosek or Namjoon get the coffee since they’re younger but I was the least busy that day so it was my turn. Which was lucky, I guess, since we ran into each other,” Yoongi answers with a considering hum.
Jungkook’s cheeks flush slightly and he giggles, ”But hyung, we would have met today either way, since you’re Hoseok-hyungs friend; even if you’d been at your regular coffee shop that day, it wasn’t our only chance to meet.”
“Ya, don’t you kids believe in fate anymore? You don’t know, maybe it was important that we met on a certain day,” Yoongi says with a huff, pretending to be annoyed.
Jungkook rolls his eyes at Yoongi’s fake annoyance but they fall into an easy conversation about their lives; Yoongi tells Jungkook how he got into music (he’s been playing instruments since he was little, but he especially loves the piano), and Jungkook talks about his graduate school program where he met Taehyung and Jimin (he’s in art school, for painting). It feels like only a few moments pass as they talk but when Namjoon comes over to let Yoongi know he’s calling their ride to get going, they look up and it’s been hours.
“Hyung, wait, before you go,” Jungkook grabs his arm lightly to stop him before he follows Namjoon and the rest of their friends to the front door. “Can I give you my number? I’d really like to see you again. Like, on a date, maybe?” he asks, biting his lower lip as he asks and not entirely meeting Yoongi’s eyes.
Yoongi nods and takes his phone out of his pocket to hand it to Jungkook, who lets out an excited little squeak as he enters his name and number and types out a message to himself. He hands Yoongi back his phone and then just as Yoongi goes to walk toward the door, Jungkook lunges forward to give him a quick peck on the cheek. He rocks back on his heels and covers his mouth with his hand, touching his lips gently with his fingers.
“Bye hyung,” he whispers, eyes bright and excited.
“See you later, Jungkook-ah,” Yoongi says softly in return, walking to the front door to put on his shoes and join Namjoon.
They say the rest of their goodbyes quickly, Jimin and Taehyung giving Yoongi what he assumes they intended to be intimidating glares but on the two of them, they just look a little wild-eyed. He and Namjoon nod at Hoseok and Seokjin before heading outside to where their taxi is waiting.
“Hyung, I think this is the first time I’ve seen you interested in someone like this. It looks good on you,” Namjoon says in the elevator.
“I look different?” Yoongi wonders, poking at his face in the mirrored walls of the elevator.
“You just look lighter, like there was a weight lifted off your shoulders. Is this what you always look like when you have a crush? You must have had tons, is it always like this?” Namjoon asks as they reach the ground floor.
“It’s always like this in the sense that I don’t try to predict what will happen, I don’t guess as to where we might end up right when we meet. I’ve fallen in love a lot, Namjoon-ah, but that doesn’t make it any less precious each time it happens,” Yoongi says, opening the car door and following Namjoon inside.
Namjoon just hums, and both of them sit silently with their thoughts on the way home; Namjoon probably philosophizing on the nature of love and Yoongi trying to decide where he should take Jungkook on their date.
-
Dear Future Soulmate,
Anytime someone finds out that I’ve been waiting, even if they don’t really know for how long, they always wonder why I keep getting into relationships if I keep getting my heart broken; why not just wait until the string is taut and follow it to the end, save myself the trouble. But that’s exactly why I keep trying, keep falling in love; if I just sat around and waited, the time would pass me by either way, so why not let that time be spent feeling those feelings anew every time?
Even though every time I’ve fallen in love we’ve fallen apart again on their birthday, one day that won’t be what happens; it’ll be your 25th birthday that we spend together, and I’d rather know you by that point, and start the rest of our lives together from the very first minute; I’ve already waited for you, I won’t want to waste a single second.
Yours forever,
Min Yoongi, 1956
(3)
Yoongi and Jungkook have been texting back and forth since the day they saw each other again at Seokjin’s housewarming party, and their conversations are easy and casual, but that doesn’t help Yoongi from wiping his sweaty hands on his pant leg and trying to look unaffected. He’s standing at Jungkook’s door, and he knows he has to knock soon since he told Jungkook not too long ago that he’d arrived, so the longer he waits the higher the chances are that Jungkook will come to look out the peephole and see him being a wreck on his doorstep.
He takes a deep breath and knocks a few times, but then he is the one surprised when Jungkook opens it much too fast for him to have been more than a few feet away from the door. He looks sheepish as he meets Yoongi’s gaze and they both laugh, having picked up on the other's nerves easily. Jungkook is wearing an all-black outfit much like what he’s had on each time they’ve met so far but this outfit is fitted to show off his figure, the difference between his shoulders and his waist distracting as Yoongi looks him over.
“You look great, Jungkook-ah,” he says, trying to keep his voice steady.
“Thank you, hyung looks nice too,” Jungkook replies, twisting his fingers together.
“Grab your coat, make sure you take a warm one, we’re going to be outside for a while,” Yoongi says, and he holds out his arm for Jungkook to take once he’s ready. Jungkook looks delighted when he realizes this, and loops his arm through Yoongi’s happily after he closes the door and leads them to the elevator.
Their small talk is mostly Jungkook trying to get Yoongi to tell him where they are going and Yoongi playing coy, giving him hints but nothing that would lead him to the right answer. Luckily it’s within walking distance, so as they get closer Jungkook figures it out just based on the direction Yoongi leads him in.
“The night market? Hyung I love it here, did you know you can get basically every snack Korea has ever invented here? And then they sell all sorts of handmade goods too but I never make it that far, I usually just get full and sleepy from the food and go home,” Jungkook is pulling Yoongi towards the entrance of the market with a huge smile, his front teeth on display making him look like a bunny, and Yoongi can’t help but follow him.
Jungkook drags him around to eat all of his favorite foods, and Yoongi buys him anything that catches his eye, sharing every order so they don’t get too full to try everything they see. Jungkook has his eyes partially closed as they sit at a table resting after their feast, and they talk about all the foods they ate during their childhoods. Luckily for Yoongi, many of the traditional foods he ate as a kid are still popular, so he doesn’t feel too weird sharing his stories.
Once they are a little less stuffed, Jungkook grabs Yoongi’s hand and pulls him toward the handicraft section of the market. They browse through the different stalls, putting hats and scarves on each other and giggling until the shopkeepers shoot them dirty looks and they back away sheepishly before bursting out laughing again once they’ve run off.
They come to a stall selling bracelets with different engravings on them, and they have all kinds of symbols - zodiac signs, animals, various icons from pop culture - but Yoongi’s face drops when he sees a section of historical family crests and emblems, different famous Korean family names represented on this tiny bracelets at this night market. He finds the Min family, and he flashes back to seeing it often growing up, never considering that later in life it would become something forgotten by most people.
Jungkook notices the look on his face and asks him if he wants to buy it but Yoongi just shakes his head; Jungkook laces their fingers together and starts to lead them out of the market and towards a park. Yoongi tries to protest, they don’t have to leave just because of him, but Jungkook waves him off and says he wanted to get some air anyway.
They find a bench not too far away from the market, the lights still illuminating the area but it’s quieter away from the crowds. They’re still holding hands, their fingers laced together, and Jungkook runs his thumb lightly over the back of Yoongi’s hand while he waits for him to talk.
“I don’t tend to tell people how old I am, partly due to the pitying looks I get in response but mostly because it forces me to remember things that are sometimes painful. My parents didn’t put a lot of stock into the Min family name, at least not any more than most families do, but we still had the crest up on some ornate display piece on the wall, and it was something I got used to seeing growing up. I haven’t seen my parents in a long time, or my siblings, and most days it’s not something I think about but then I’ll suddenly be reminded and it comes back all at once,” Yoongi talks without looking over at Jungkook, just staring straight ahead as he remembers. He doesn’t realize he’s started crying until he feels Jungkook’s other hand come up to cup his cheek, wiping a tear away with his thumb.
“I’m sorry, god this isn’t what I thought our first date would be like, I didn’t mean to be such a mess,” Yoongi laughs wetly, leaning his head into Jungkook’s hand and letting the weight of it fall forward for Jungkook to catch.
“Ah, hyung, don’t apologize, I’m glad you felt like you could tell me even a little piece of your story. I’ll never pressure you, but I can’t help but want to know everything about you, however you feel comfortable sharing it. I’ll tell you everything about me too, but there’s a lot less to learn I fear,” Jungkook says, using his hold on Yoongi’s face to guide him to finally look into his eyes.
They sit like that for a moment, Yoongi’s watery gaze meeting Jungkook’s calm and steady one until they both find themselves leaning closer to the other, eyes not wavering until the last second when they both close as their lips touch. It’s chaste as far as kisses go, and a little damp on Yoongi’s account, but it’s perfect in the way that every first kiss is; unique and special and never to be repeated.
They pull back and Jungkook rests his forehead against Yoongi’s, eyes still closed, and they breathe together for a few minutes. Jungkook opens his eyes without moving his head away, and both of their eyes cross a little as they try to look at the other.
“Will hyung walk me home, please?” Jungkook asks softly, his hand still on Yoongi’s cheek even though his tears have stopped. Yoongi sniffles slightly and nods, and they finally pull back and stand up.
Their hands stay intertwined the whole way back, and Yoongi puts his hand on Jungkook’s cheek this time when they get to his front door, pressing a soft kiss to his lips and wishing him goodnight. Yoongi walks home lost in thought, touching his fingers to his lips every so often and smiling.
-
Dear Future Soulmate,
Kissing someone for the first time is one of the things that will always be special; you can’t have a second first kiss, it’s inherently a fragile and delicate thing. Even though the more first kisses I’ve shared means the more people I’ve had to say goodbye to, it doesn’t mean I treasure them any less. They were all beautiful and different, and they mean different things to different people. I remember all of them, and that’s something I hope I can keep with me always.
I hope that when we share our first kiss it’s a perfect moment; I don’t mean that things have to go perfectly, but that it’s perfect to us. I hope the feeling of your lips on mine is warm and soft, I hope the weather around us is peaceful, I hope we’re both happy. But even if none of those things happen, even if our lips are chapped and it’s cold and rainy and one of us is sad, it’ll still be perfect because it’s us, together.
Yours Forever,
Min Yoongi, 1920
(4)
Jungkook spends a lot of his free time at Yoongi’s apartment nowadays, for one because his own is full of Taehyung and Jimin, and for two, because after only a few short months of dating, they spend as much time together as possible. Sometimes they’ll just order takeout and watch something mindless on TV, talking late into the night, and sometimes they’ll cook something fancy and make a proper date out of it, but the result is that they spend the majority of their time with each other.
It’s a night much like the former, after stuffing their faces with chicken and watching a bunch of variety shows, that Jungkook lifts his head off Yoongi’s chest where he’d been laying to study Yoongi’s face.
“What’s up, Jungkook? Is there something on my face?” Yoongi asks, swiping at himself with his free hand while Jungkook stares.
He shakes his head like he’s coming back to himself after zoning out and sits up straight.
“Hyung, can I ask you a question? I don’t wanna cross your boundaries but I feel like there are a lot of things I don’t know about soulmate stuff,” Jungkook asks, chewing on his bottom lip.
Yoongi reaches up and tugs his lip out from between his teeth, nodding as he does so. “You can ask, I just might not have an answer, or it might not be something I’m ready to talk about,” he says.
Jungkook takes a deep breath. “Hyung, do you ever want to try and find your soulmate early? Like, I’ve read all this stuff about things you can do with your string that’s supposed to at least give you hints, and I just wondered if you’ve ever tried?”
Yoongi looks at Jungkook a little sadly, a small frown on his face as he collects his thoughts.
“I don’t know how well I’ll be able to explain it, but the system works the way it does for a reason, otherwise it wouldn’t work at all. My string is still red, it always has been, and that’s all I’ve ever needed to know. I’ve never thought about trying to find out any more info because, at the end of the day, I wouldn’t know for sure until they turned 25 anyway, so I never bothered,” he says.
“Wouldn’t it make it easier if you could know that they were even close by?” Jungkook sounds confused at Yoongi’s lack of an answer.
“I don’t think it would get easier, because I’d still never know for sure until they turn 25. I’d prefer not to know anything until it’s time, it’s easier this way,” Yoongi answers, brows furrowing a bit.
“But you’d be able to plan your life, and have an idea of what your future would be like if you even had clues about who it was,” Jungkook counters.
“Jungkook, I already said, it’s easier for me this way if I don’t-”
“Why wouldn’t you want to know how much longer you had to wait?” Jungkook interrupts, his frustration with Yoongi’s non-answers coming through in his voice.
“Because I’ve already waited long enough and I can’t bear the thought that the answer is that I still don’t know how long I have to wait! I’d rather not know anything and just live my life on my terms instead of being stuck messing around with my red string and hoping it gives me answers I didn’t want in the first place,” Yoongi snaps, not intending to get so heated but he can’t help it.
Jungkook looks a little shocked; they’ve never fought before, nothing beyond teasing over who left a mess in the kitchen or who gets to take a shower first in the morning, so Yoongi raising his voice even slightly is uncharted territory. He looks away and towards the TV, not seeing the screen but not able to face his hyung after he got so upset.
Yoongi stands up and walks toward the window, facing outside.
“I’m sorry I lost control. I’ve been through this a bunch of times and I don’t like thinking about how other people might have done it, because the only way I’ve gotten through it is by not thinking about what else could have been,” Yoongi says, not looking at Jungkook.
He hears rustling behind him and sees Jungkook in the window reflection walking over; he nods his head slightly to indicate that Jungkook can come closer, and he feels his arms wrap around his waist as Jungkook rests his head on the nape of Yoongi’s neck.
“I didn’t mean to push, hyung, I just don’t like thinking of you all this time being unhappy when there might have been a way to at least have an idea of what was going on,” Jungkook mumbles into Yoongi’s neck.
“I handle it this way for a reason, Jungkookie. I don’t like thinking that anything I’ve done has been a waste, I’ve met a lot of people and fallen in love a lot of times, and even if none of those people were my soulmate, I wouldn’t have wanted to give them up just to have a hint of how long I’ll be waiting,” Yoogi explains.
Yoongi turns around in Jungkook’s arms and wraps his arms around his neck, kissing him softly on each cheek before pressing a soft, lingering kiss to his lips.
“Thank you for worrying about me, Jungkookie, but hyung has made it this far doing it his way, and I’m going to keep going this way until I don’t have to anymore. Now let’s get ready for bed, hyung wants to be the little spoon,” Yoongi says.
Jungkook scrunches up his nose as he smiles finally, and they hold hands as they walk toward the bedroom, turning off lights and cleaning up as they go, wordlessly following their evening routine together.
-
Dear Future Soulmate,
When you go through life the way I have so far, you learn how to protect your heart and mind from too much yearning, and how to be open to new people but not put yourself on the path of being hurt. I imagine it must be different for everyone, but since no one really talks about what to do if you wait this long, I’ve never met anyone who had to contend with the same struggles.
It’s been quite some time since I’ve been home; after enough time had passed I moved away from the people I’d grown up with, not willing to suffer their pitying looks as they saw me around town. I moved overseas and didn’t stay in one place for too long just to make sure the same thing didn’t keep happening. I’d like to come home to Korea someday; a part of me wants to believe that we’ll meet there, have a shared history in that way, so I won’t come home until I feel like it’s time.
I know that the way I’ve navigated through life seems unusual given all the rumors about how to find clues about your soulmate, but I don’t want any outside influence taking over how I act when I meet people. I’ve committed myself to not closing myself off from any opportunities, even though I have no way of knowing when I’ll have to let go of someone to free them to find their soulmate.
When we finally meet though, we won’t have to let go.
Yours forever,
Min Yoongi, 1898
(5)
A 25th birthday is usually a grand occasion, given the auspicious news you have the chance of receiving at the end, so the day before is usually spent with friends and family, feasting and spending time celebrating the person's life. Jungkook chose to spend the day with his chosen family, surrounding himself with his hyungs and Yoongi and all of his favorite foods. They are at Yoongi’s apartment again, despite its slightly smaller size, as the couple will spend the final hours alone together and their friends wanted them to be comfortable.
It’s mid-afternoon and most of the group is lazing on the couches after eating their fill of the food made by Seokjin and Yoongi; Jungkook isn’t shy about his love for certain foods so his hyungs made sure to accommodate his wishes. One at a time they come over to Jungkook to hug him and wish him a happy birthday, before leaving him to nap before his evening together with Yoongi.
Yoongi cleans up the remains of the food, putting away leftovers for them to eat later and wiping down the kitchen as best he can before he heads over to the couch to wrap himself around Jungkook. He sets an alarm for a few hours later to make sure they are awake and alert by midnight and settles down, holding Jungkook tight, hopefully not for the last time.
They wake up to Yoongi’s phone going off, the TV still playing the cooking show they’d had on in the background earlier. Jungkook grumbles at the noise as Yoongi reaches over his shoulder to turn off the sound. Jungkook buries his face back into Yoongi’s shoulder in an attempt to fall back asleep and Yoongi humors him for a moment, tucking a piece of hair behind his ears and running his fingers through it.
Jungkook forces himself up after a few minutes, realizing the time and not wanting to spend the rest of their evening dozing off. They lay like that for a long while, just studying each other and touching softly, wanting to memorize how the other feels under their hands and what their faces look like under the soft evening light.
Eventually, they get hungry again, Jungkook’s grumbling stomach causing Yoongi to burst out in giggles, breaking the tender mood they’d cultivated. Yoongi reheats the food they had earlier and they sit on the couch again, wrapped together as much as possible while they eat, talking softly about nothing.
It’s 11:30 PM, both their bowls are empty and the only sound is the soft background noise from the TV. Yoongi turns to Jungkook and takes both his hands in his, turning him so they face each other fully.
“Jungkook, I just want to tell you this before midnight. There’s no way to predict the future, so I tried not to have expectations of how tonight would go, but no matter what happens I want you to know this.” Yoongi takes a deep breath and moves to put a hand on one of Jungkook’s cheeks, stroking his thumb back and forth softly. “I love you, Jungkook-ah, no matter what we find out at midnight, I wanted you to know.”
Jungkook takes a deep breath and it hitches in his throat, his eyes starting to fill slightly with tears. “I love you, hyung, it’s going to be us, I just know it, you won’t have to wait any longer,” he says, his voice pitched like he’s trying not to cry.
Yoongi shakes his head and smiles softly at him. “It doesn’t matter, because I got to love you. I’ll treasure that regardless of what comes next,” he whispers.
They stay there for the next few minutes, the clock an ever-present reminder of what’s about to happen. With only a few minutes to go, Yoongi closes his eyes and they hold hands again; Yoongi can’t bear to watch as the time ticks over, choosing to let Jungkook lead them through these next moments. He doesn’t think he’d be able to handle watching the moment Jungkook sees his string appear, he’s seen it too many times and he knows he’s not strong enough.
He hears a chime as the hour ticks over into the next day, and he whispers a quiet “Happy Birthday” with his eyes still closed as Jungkook lets out a quiet gasp. He can’t tell if it’s a good or bad reaction until Jungkook lets go of both his hands and Yoongi has to stifle the sound that threatens to escape his chest. He’s done this before, he knows that as painful as this moment might feel that he will survive it, even if right now he feels like his chest is being pried open and his heart torn apart.
He feels tears start to gather behind his closed eyes as he attempts to gather the strength to open his eyes and face Jungkook, but just as he thinks he’s ready he feels a tug on his wrist where his string is tied. He opens his eyes finally, ignoring the tears that start running down his cheeks, to find that the string on his wrist no longer hangs limply towards the ground but instead it leads a few feet away to Jungkook’s wrist.
Jungkook, who when he lifts his head finally, is watching him with the purest look of love Yoongi thinks he’s ever seen. He touches the string on his wrist with his other hand, letting it run through his fingers as he traces the length of it back and forth, meeting Jungkook’s gaze all while as he tries to come to terms with what’s just happened.
It’s only another second before Yoongi lets himself crumple forward, sobs clawing their way out of his chest as the tears start to pour in earnest. Jungkook catches him with a small grunt, clearly not expecting this outcome but holding Yoongi tightly as he cries.
“Hyung, it’s okay, now I’ll always be here with you, you don’t have to wait anymore, I’ve got you,” he whispers, rubbing Yoongi’s back as he cries. His sobs quiet down after a time but the tears continue to flow, soft sniffles coming from where Yoongi is buried in Jungkook’s chest. When enough time has passed that Yoongi seems to have settled down Jungkook gingerly lifts him a bit so he can look at his face.
“Yoongi-hyung, can you tell me what made you cry this much? I know it was really emotional, it was for me too, but are you okay?” Jungkook asks, still holding Yoongi tightly.
Yoongi wipes his eyes with the back of his hand even though his cheeks are still continuously wet. He takes a deep breath to try and steady himself before clearing his throat.
“I was born in 1850, in Daegu, to the Min family who served the last emperors of the Joseon dynasty before they fell. This year in March I turned 173 years old, and I’ve had an unconnected red string for 148 years; I waited, for you, for 148 years, and it was worth every minute that we were apart. I told you before that I try not to think about how long I’ve waited, and now I finally had the space to grieve all those years. I imagine I’ll cry pretty often for a while now that I’m finally letting myself process everything, but since it brought me to you it will have all been worth it,” Yoongi explains, watching Jungkook’s jaw drop and his eyes fill with tears as well as he thinks through the implications of Yoongi’s story.
“You waited so long, hyung, I’m so sorry,” Jungkook starts crying now too, his heart too fragile to think of Yoongi waiting all that time with anything but sadness.
“I waited for you, Jungkook-ah, and I would wait for you again,” Yoongi whispers, wiping Jungkook’s tears off his cheeks now.
“Do you, do you want to tell everyone? How does this work, do we announce it?” Jungkook tries for a watery laugh but it comes out a little too forced.
“We’ll tell them eventually, right now I just want to lay down with you in a bed and think about what to do with the rest of our lives together,” Yoongi says, running the back of his hand across his cheeks one last time before grabbing Jungkook’s hand again and pulling him off the couch.
“If you think we are doing anything for the next year where I let you out of my sight you are in for a rude awakening, hyung,” Jungkook says, scooping Yoongi off his feet and into his arms. Yoongi just giggles, the sound following them down the hallway, neither of them thinking of their tears any longer, only of each other.
-
Dear Future Soulmate,
I turned 25 today, and my red string appeared on my wrist just like everyone says, except it’s not connected to anyone else yet. Mother says that’s common: there is always a chance you are the older half of the pair and you just need to wait for your soulmate to come of age. I’d been seeing someone from the village, and we were hoping that when my string appeared it would connect to theirs, but when it didn’t they just said goodbye and didn’t want to see me anymore. I think I understand, it would be difficult to be with someone knowing for sure they’ll leave once their string connects, and I hope anyone I’m with in the future wouldn’t think too badly of me for doing the same thing if the situation arose.
I like the idea of being with people who don’t have their string yet, because what if it turns out that we’re soulmates, and we already know each other well, maybe we’re even in love? We’d get to start our future together already having that bond, and that seems like something special that not everyone gets. I don’t want to close myself off to anything in the future, even if it means letting people go gracefully if it turns out we aren’t meant to be.
I hope we get to meet soon.
Yours Forever,
Min Yoongi, 1875
(+1)
Jungkook is in a room somewhere hidden away at the event venue, with Taehyung and Jimin fluttering around him and fixing his hair or makeup or brushing invisible dust off his shoulders. He lets them get their energy out, choosing not to push to keep them happy and let the day go smoothly.
Seokjin enters the room after a few minutes to let them know that Jungkook is needed outside for the first look. Jimin and Taehyung both let out tiny screams but quickly compose themselves and try to look normal. Jungkook rolls his eyes but steps forward to give them each a hug; despite their mother henning he knows that the day wouldn’t have gone as well without them. They leave the room to head to where they’ll wait for the ceremony to start and Jungkook walks over to Seokjin who is acting as their wedding coordinator.
“Ready?” he asks, a comforting hand on Jungkook’s elbow.
“More than ready, hyung, I’m tired of waiting already,” Jungkook says, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
Seokjin laughs as they start walking out of the room to the garden out back. “Don’t let Yoongi hear you say anything about waiting, Kook-ah, your wedding day is not the time to start an argument.”
Jungkook huffs and mutters something along the lines of “he can’t use that against me forever” as they get to the edge of the garden. Yoongi is already somewhere in there, waiting for him, and they’ll be led to each other so they can both see their wedding outfits for the first time. There’s a photographer too, positioned to capture both of their reactions the instant their eyes meet.
As they get closer Seokjin takes his elbow again and tells him to look at the ground so he can lead him to where Yoongi is standing. Jungkook shuffles through the grass until he sees a familiar pair of dress shoes and his heart starts to race, anticipation running hotly through his veins.
Seokjin positions him and let's go, stepping back to give the photographer room to move around them and find the right lighting. Jungkook can feel his hands getting sweaty until he finally hears a quiet voice nearby counting down.
“Okay and 3, 2, 1, look up.”
Yoongi is there, finally, and Jungkook’s heart rate settles and he feels at ease but at the same time, his spirit is soaring knowing that they are that much closer to getting married. Yoongi smiles widely at him, his teeth shining and gums peeking out, and Jungkook feels tears springing to his eyes outside of his control.
They step toward each other at the same time and Jungkook doesn’t know where to put his hands, moving them from Yoongi’s hair to his cheeks to the lapels of his jacket to land on his waist, not holding him tightly but just wanting to keep some part of them in contact at all times.
“Hyung, you look, so much, I can’t, I can’t believe we’re doing this,” Jungkook stutters out, his voice getting choked up as he tries to prevent the tears from falling.
Yoongi reaches up with a fond smile to try and wipe his eyes before the tears run down his cheeks and ruin his makeup. He cups Jungkook’s cheeks in his hands and leans in to press a kiss to each of his eyelids and then presses his forehead to Jungkook’s with his eyes closed and just breaths in deeply.
They stand like that for a few moments, the only sound of the soft shutter of the photographer’s camera off to the side. Yoongi rocks them back and forth slightly, trying to comfort Jungkook enough that they look presentable to get married. He leans back and moves his hands down to Jungkook’s shoulders, brushing off invisible lint to have something to do with his hands.
“I can’t wait to marry you, baby,” Yoongi says softly.
“You did wait, hyung, how did you forget?” Jungkook jokes, sniffling a bit but starting to return to his pre-crying state.
“Do you want to walk around the garden until it’s time?” Yoongi asks, and at Jungkook’s nod, he slides his hand down to link their hands together and lead them both further into the garden. They don’t talk much as they walk, content to just be near each other, and they can tell the photographer is nearby but they don’t intrude, not even to give them directions.
They get to a more manicured area covered in flowers with an ornate fountain in the center, and the photographer gives them a few specific poses to get for their wedding album. At one point the direction is for Jungkook to say something that would make them both laugh but Yoongi takes one look at his still slightly wobbly face and knows he won’t be able to do it.
“Baby,” he starts, “why did the wedding guests think the cake was sad?”
Jungkook looks at him, incredibly confused.
“Because it was in tiers.”
It takes a second, Yoongi biting his lip to try not to laugh before Jungkook figures it out, but then Jungkook is burying his face in Yoongi’s neck with a slight groan, his shoulders shaking as he starts laughing seemingly against his will.
“Did Seokjin-hyung tell you that?” he asks.
“No, and I think I’ll brag to him that I thought of it without his help,” Yoongi laughs softly, the photographer telling them where to face and how to position their bodies but they barely notice, just looking into each other’s eyes and talking softly.
It’s all too soon that they have to be apart again, Jungkook off to wait for the ceremony to start and for Yoongi to walk down the aisle to him. He almost gets choked up again thinking about it and shakes his head slightly to compose himself. They get to the back entrance of the building and Yoongi grabs his elbow to stop him for a second before they go inside, slipping an envelope inside the inner pocket of his jacket and patting it closed.
“You can read that when you get inside if you want, or you can save it, but you should read it when you’re alone, okay? I love you, I can’t wait to marry you,” Yoongi says with a kiss before he heads off to where he’ll be waiting.
Jungkook touches his pocket where the letter now rests, his chest feeling warm just from knowing it’s there. He decides he’ll read it after the ceremony, maybe once they are back in their hotel room on their own; Yoongi said to read it when he’s alone so he’ll find a quiet moment, maybe when Yoongi is taking a shower.
He holds that feeling with him the entire rest of the time he has to wait; they took their photos while people were arriving, so he only stands at the front by himself for a short while, nodding politely at family and friends who try to catch his attention. By the time the music changes to signify the start of the ceremony, he’s about to vibrate out of his skin, Taehyung and Jimin in the front row trying to gesture for him to relax but they don’t have to worry because as soon as the music stops and Yoongi comes into view he freezes.
Yoongi walks down the aisle toward him with a small secret smile, one that Jungkook knows from experience means he is full of desperate, unbridled happiness but is trying to keep it to himself. He knows that smile because it’s the one he saw when his red string finally appeared to link them together, it’s the smile he saw when they got engaged, and it’s the smile he sees every morning when they wake up in each other's arms after moving in together.
He watches their red string get shorter and shorter as Yoongi comes closer until they are face to face and able to clasp hands, the string coiling between their wrists back on itself to tether them together. The officiant starts speaking but Jungkook only catches bits and pieces, his mind focused on Yoongi’s face, trying to commit the entire experience to memory as best he can, and he knows Yoongi is doing the same thing; they’ve promised each other forever, and he’s going to make sure he remembers every second of it.
-
Dear Jungkook,
I waited a long time to meet you, and even when we finally did meet I had no way to guarantee you were going to be my soulmate; we’ve talked a lot about how I went into all of my relationships with an open mind because the pain of handling it any other way felt unbearable. If I thought too long about all the time that had passed it would cause me to sink inside my head and not want to come out. I waited almost 150 years for you, and now that I know you, I would do it all again knowing that you would be the gift I’d receive for my trials.
You became everything I didn’t know I was truly waiting for; despite your refuting the statement, neither of us is perfect, but we fit perfectly together. You smooth out my rough edges and I fill in your missing pieces, complementary colors in a beautiful painting, matching but not identical.
When I think back to all the people I met in my travels it makes sense that they all led me to you; the things I learned from them, and the things I taught myself after, mean that I can be better for you, love you better, take care of you better.
That’s all I want in our life together; to be the best version of myself possible, and in turn, allow you to be the best version of yourself. We don’t have to do anything else; we can live wherever we want, have kids or dogs or hamsters or nothing, get fancy jobs or wait tables, whatever makes us happy, as long as we are together and supporting each other to be better than we were apart.
I hope that you never have to wait for anything the way that I waited to finally meet you, but if you do I know that you will handle it with strength, the same way you gave me strength before we knew what our future would hold. After meeting you it was the first time I gave thought to what would happen if I had to say goodbye after your birthday, even though the ideas were painful; you were the first person I so desperately wanted to hold on to that I started thinking of what I could do if the worst were to happen. It never came to pass, but that’s how much I love you and how beautiful our connection became; I started to willingly think about how to not let go of you if the fates weren’t on our side.
I love you, Jungkook, and I always will; I waited several lifetimes to find you, and I’ll spend every minute of this lifetime showing you how special you are to me.
Yours Forever,
Min Yoongi, 2023