Chapter Text
Chan had read enough books and heard enough stories to understand how incredible the soulmate marks were in the world. He also saw many different types of marks on people around him: childhood soulmates mark, connecting soulmates mark, platonic soulmates mark…and the true lover mark - twin flames. He was impressed with the twin flames mark on his parents’ chests. They were big. As big as their love for each other, covered by a hot orange blended with white colour.
His parents had other marks too, so obviously he didn’t have reasons to find his twin flame in a hurry. He still had time to find some other marks. He still had time.
But he felt like he had no time either. Since he was born, he only had one mark from a childhood friend whom they lost contact with when that family decided to move back to Korea. Chan remembered that day vividly. He had tried hard to keep the tears from falling, while his friend turned into a sobbing mess in his arms.
"Hyung, are you going to miss me? Will you find Min when we grow up? I don’t want to be left alone. I-I just want hyung to be Min’s only hyung."
Minho was the softest yet bravest child in the town, who defended Felix against the other kids who tried to attack him when Chan was not around. Minho was the one who lived in the opposite house, always running tiny steps to his house every Friday afternoon to enjoy movie nights. He used to greet Chan’s mom so cheerfully and loudly "Hi Mrs. Bang! Can Minho please watch a movie with Chan hyung tonight?" although the woman never said no. Minho was his best childhood friend who kissed him behind his ear with tears on the day they separated and left a mark there.
Chan had a soulmate mark in the shape of a pair of small lips behind his ear since he was seven.
*
To be honest, Chan hated the idea of soulmates. He was extravert and old enough to ask someone out or to be a long-time friend, but no one who passed through his life had marks with him. Some of them looked at him pitifully and left, some others doubted his love angrily but also left. No matter what the reasons were, Chan had no choice but to understand. Fortunately, Felix chose to stay with him without the mark, even when the younger got his twin flame mate.
As time went by, Chan began to fear opening up to someone new, only to be left when they found their twin flame. He feared that people would leave him if they waited and gained nothing. The first person who did it to him was his first high school "mate". They were compatible and had similar likes and dislikes. He asked them out onfor a date, and they were so overjoyed that Chan thought their relationship would undoubtedly endure forever. But fate chose to play with him – half a year later his mate came with a complicated expression on their face and said they didn’t think they could keep being together. They showed seven marks on their arms and asked,
"Chan, can you please tell me which one is yours?"
Chan froze. His legs were shaking. He knew he couldn’t lie because the truth would have come out one day.
"There aren’t… None of them are mine. I’m so sorry but I think we don’t have marks, yet".
His mate smiled but he could see pain and guilt in their eyes. They had a night talk later about the feeling of getting soulmates marks with other friends rather than each other. Both agreed to wait a little longer, but Chan can’t stop thinking about it. And they thought his anxiety wasn’t bad enough, so they decided to break up after a year of dating. There was still no mark on him when they left. In the end, his first mate was still a lovely guy, and despite their desperation, they were able to convince him that they shared a spiritual connection and that fate had just hidden it somewhere.
The second mate was another story. A way worse episode.They were a hot-headed person, which meant everything needed to be quick and fast. Chan found it exhausting because he loved slow and gentle movements. People said marks may also appear when the soulmates first touch each other, but Chan thought their movements were so rough while making out that their grip left scars in place of what they expected.
Chan had been in that relationship for more than a year until one day his mate came to his study and slammed him against the door. It scared the hell out of Chan mainly when they tried to open his shirt, it felt like harassment. He protested but couldn’t fight back against the anger and madness that came from the other, and they cursed so fiercely when there was nothing on his chest.
On the other hand, there was a flame-shaped mark on his mate’s heart, and Chan immediately understood what was happening.
He was cheated on.
Unfortunately, the second mate had gaslit him so well, they were so good at lying about the love he felt for them, yet obviously didn’t care about them enough. It was all for them “accidentally” finding their twin flames who they considered better than Chan. What was funnier than one getting betrayed and accused just because the fucking mark didn’t appear? Did Chan not love them? He was sure he did.
And every experience just got the same plot as if his life was a funny play in a theatre for others to laugh at. So at the end of the day, Chan had only a soulmate mark in the shape of a pair of small lips behind his ear since he was seven. Sometimes he daydreamed about their childhood, or dreamed Minho was still there, and had never left him. And after he came back to the present, he drowned in sadness, knowing he couldn’t see Minho again.
*
One day, while they were having breakfast at the office, Felix suggested that Chan should find Minho again.
"He left the only mark on you, what if he is your destiny?"
"Destiny my ass" Chan pinched Felix’s knuckles and made the younger withdraw his hand and silently scream on his fist. "We have been separated for fifteen years, I don’t even know what he looks like now. What if he has a mate, what if his body is full of marks, what if—"
Felix stuffed Chan’s mouth with a strawberry, putting an end to his rant.
"He is beautiful, he grew up so well and glowed up like a prince. He has some marks but just about four – five, he is alive, and he is still single."
Chan swallowed the strawberry slowly while he was trying to process the information.
"How do you know?"
"I imagined it. There is no harm in wishing that your friend could live and enjoy the best life they deserve, especially Minho hyung.”
Chan pouted. Of course Felix - the sunshine boy - would wish all the best to everyone in this world, even to the most grumpy brat in their company. On the other hand, Chan was desperate and tired to deal with all the problems he met. Because since he had been promoted to sales manager, his workload became double. Chan lately was jealous of Felix who was just a normal worker enjoying his freedom while finishing every assigned job.
"Chan? Chan hyung? Chris!!!!"
"Yes, I’m listening?" Chan acted annoyed again.
"Repeat what I just said then". Felix crossed his arms, raising one eyebrow.
"Grrrr fine, I wasn't listening. What were you saying?"
"I asked if you are free this weekend. I am about to have a small party on Saturday. Please say yes, I know every project ends on Thursday," Felix excitedly cut him off before he could reply.
"What if I have another one on Friday? Lix, I really wish I could be free like you but I can’t."
"Yes you can, I got confirmation that holiday starts on Friday, if you disagree please argue with the wall, thank you very much. And I will introduce you with some platonic soulmates of mine. And some platonic soulmates of theirs too."
What kind of a platonic soulmate’s soulmate was it? And how many people did Felix invite? Chan didn’t know and he didn’t want to know either. Guess he would just go and not cook anything.
*
Of course, Chan was cooking in Felix’s kitchen on said Saturday. At least his friend didn’t hold an alcohol party right on the first day of their holiday. He went to the younger’s house early with some beef, pork and vegetable for the BBQ at the back of the garden. When Chan arrived, Felix opened the door and greeted him.
"Oh, you came on time!" Felix hugged him over excitedly, suspiciously Chan thought.
“Of course, how can I miss eating something before every comes and rob my food.”
“Such a good idea,” Felix laughed while trying not to fall on his feet. Come in, there is a friend of my twin flame, I think he will definitely surprise you!"
Chan just gave a small smile while taking off his shoes, then he walked to the living room. As if he hadn’t shown how tired he was of the soulmate things, Felix just yelled his mate’s name. Chan chuckled louder when the younger ran ahead and left him who was slowly stepping in the hallway.
The living room was just across the hallway, so when Chan walked through it, he paused upon seeing a person on the couch.
They were pretty, Chan admitted they were the prettiest he had ever seen. Sparkling big eyes, the pearly white like bunny front teeth row hidden by their curved-shape lips. Oh Lord, they were laughing at Felix who was running in, their face was soft and made Chan want to touch it.
When they looked behind Felix, they stared at Chan. Chan quickly bowed his head and greeted him, trying not to be impolite.
"Come on, don’t act like a fool" Felix slapped his forearm.
"What? I just want to be nice". Chan protested in a low voice, then turned back to the person.
"Hello, I am Chan, Felix’s friend, we are childhood friends. We are now colleagues".
The awkward silence was so loud that Chan realised how boring his greeting was. He could hear Felix slap his forehead, his mate covered their face and sighed and the person burst his laugh lightly. What a sound from heaven.
"Bro, please don’t you see anything?”
“...No? Yes, I see your mate’s friend?”
“Anything click in your head? Anything similar?”
Chan stared back at the guest, trying to figure out where he could meet this pretty man.
“it’s Minho hyung! Don’t you recognise him?” Felix just gave up.
This information was so shocking that Chan was left speechless and his jaw almost dropped on the floor when he looked at the person. They smiled back.
"Hi Chan hyung, did you forget Min? Or is there another Minho that you are looking for?"
Chan didn’t know if it was muscle memory or if “Minho”’s mind had just craved for Chan for so long, but the man ended up running and jumping onto him, hugging him tightly followed by Felix’s laugh. He heard a bright whisper in his ear.
"Hyung, I’m back."
However, Chan just stood there without returning the hug. There was something about the way the younger’s smiles that planted a feeling at the pit of Chan’s guts. He felt comfortable, but unsettled and exhausted.
Weird. Even Minho couldn’t help him then.
Minho felt his off reaction and released him, before he went back to the couch with an embarrassed laugh. The silence came back too loud, with the elephant suddenly in the room. Chan didn’t know what was off, but when more people came in, the atmosphere was better. Perhaps it was his fault.
The whole night, he just stared, a weird feeling enveloping him as Minho greeted everyone warmly. He shouldn’t expect Minho to be the same as when they were young, but this Minho just somehow brought him both new and familiar interests. Was it his eyes? They were still big and sparkling. Or was it this face? The baby fat on his cheeks disappeared, replaced with the smooth high-cheekbones. Or was it the way he interacted with people? He was a good talker like he was already the soulmate of a thousand people.
Maybe the way he sounded, Chan was mesmerised. His laugh was light and bright, coming with his head slightly tilted, his eyes turning into crescent moons, and lips parting to show the bunny front teeth. Cute and attractive.
Sometimes, Minho felt his gaze and turned to him, smiled at him. Chan knew they needed to catch up later and talk, but he just wanted to look at the younger person from far away then. The unsettling feeling slowly spreaded throughout his body, unpleasant, but strangely, comforting.
*
Chan didn’t have time to catch up with Minho after the party. He came back to work on Monday as always. Oh yes, he was said to be a workaholic since maturity knocked him out. He was bored, and lonely as fuck.
He was sitting in his office with a few stacks of documents waiting for him to be reviewed when Felix entered.
"Chan, are you free tonight?"
Chan perked up then looked down at his screen again and continued typing.
"I’m sorry Lix, I’m busy this week. If you intend to hang out I’m not available. And you have your mate."
Felix groaned. "It’s not for me, dude! I’m asking for Minho hyung!"
The keyboard sound stopped for a moment, and continued. Chan shrugged.
"If he wants to ask me, he should come to me and ask instead. But it doesn’t change the fact that I’m busy".
Felix rubbed his temple, annoyed, sighed. "We wish he could. He didn’t have your contact, and it would be rude if I gave him your number without asking for your permission."
"Why do you have to push me aggressively? Now I question about the last time you talked exactly how Minho would be like when I mentioned him, did you meet him and try to make me a fool together?"
"You think I’m that sneaky?. And to defend, he just wanted to catch up with you as a friend. Can you spend a night with your friend, please?"
Chan didn’t reply, continued typing on his laptop while Felix was leaving, heaving a deep sigh.
Of course he knew he was rude for not wanting to catch up with his friend when they literally just reunited after fifteen years. But Chan grew up with responsibilities and stress, he wouldn’t leave his job just to have a few drinks.
__
Thanks to Minho who was patient enough When Chan reached Felix to ask for his number to call him after two months - fucking two months - they set up a date to have a drink on Saturday night that week.
As Chan arrived, Minho was already there, sitting at a table right next to the glass window, looking outside. The younger one noticed him and made a small wave. Okay, Minho was just friendly and polite, Chan didn’t need to be nervous.
He walked in and saw Minho looking at him.
"Sorry for not catching up earlier, I was busy with work."
"That’s okay, at least I am not going back to Korea anytime soon.”
"Oh, so you are going to stay in Australia for a while? Have you got a proper place to live?" Chan asked.
"Not yet, I’m still looking around. But I booked my hotel room for a period of four months, so it’s kinda alright".
They chatted about light topics, and asked more about each other's life after the separation. During that whole time, Chan was so curious about Minho, the guy was staring at him as they talked that he spit out:
"Is there anything on my face?"
Minho’s smile widened. He shook his head.
"No, just try to memorise your face and get used to the handsomeness"
Chan blushed and leaned back.
"I don’t think my face has something you need to remember. It doesn’t change."
"Yeah it doesn’t change but you grew up, your features are charming". Minho sipped his juice, came back to a neutral face. "But you changed. You were happy to see me when we were kids".
Chan paused and laughed lamely. Did he really change or was it still the same since he was born? Minho’s compliments sounded like a flirt that Chan didn’t expect. He admitted Minho was charming. The man would immediately hit Chan hard if Chan didn’t know him before. There was also a new strange feeling that arose in his body when he thought of Minho. However, the younger man was nothing more than an old friend. Did he see Minho as just a platonic friend or something beyond it? Chan didn’t know.
He raised his head up and saw Minho still looking at him. The fact that the younger one really wanted to keep in touch with him was just like magic. He was grateful that at least he was wanted, even though he acted like he was pushing Minho away.
"Maybe we need to catch up more, Minho. I’m sorry that I acted weird, I still can’t believe you came back here". Chan admitted.
"You never called me Minho…" Minho mumbled, then suddenly smiled. "But did you just mean dates?" He was looking at Chan with an expectant expression, eyes blinking and the front teeth showed up again. He was excited. And Chan wasn't strong enough to shut his hope down.
"Yeah, I can arrange some".
*
The next date was Saturday two weeks after, and they agreed to hangout every Saturday since then. Neither Minho nor Chan liked alcohol so he found himself in his car picking Minho up at his hotel then driving to a tea shop near in the city.
Seeing Minho in casual attire was actually a different experience because last time Chan saw him in makeup and tight clothes, now the man got out with rounded glasses and barefaced, wrapping himself in a creamy cardigan and loose sweatpants. The late spring morning began to give way to summer, so Chan just decided to go out dressed in a plain T-shirt and black baggy pants. He didn’t know how long it had been since he last was in a tea shop, considering he just spent every Saturday regaining the energy for the next week and drank coffee almost every single of those five working days. But there he was, standing next to Minho, hands clutching a basket with a few flavours inside.
"Hyung, what do you think of this?" Minho turned to him and brought the tea cup close to his lips. "It has chamomile, valerian root and rose petals".
Chan took a sip of the hot tea, hummed when the warmth flowed down to his stomach. It was relaxing and calming in a way that made him drop his shoulders in comfort. Minho watched him, smiled then also took a sip. Wait, did they drink from the same cup in public? Suddenly, a part of the awkward feeling in Chan was replaced with another strange feeling - domestic warmth. Minho’s back was close to his chest, the younger’s head tilted on his shoulder to read the text on the tea box. But Chan secretly enjoyed the feeling that he was reliable and wanted.
"Sweet Dreams, I think it suits you". Minho’s voice just brought him back to reality.
"What do you mean?"
"I guess you have insomnia or a bad sleep habit". Minho turned around, touched the dark bags under his eyes. "sleep-inducing herbs help reduce your stress, calming your overactive mind before drifting off to sleep. You’re only twenty-five. Please, don’t overwork yourself".
Was Minho pulling his card of act of service out, or was he really caring for Chan? He didn’t want to think. Because he was somehow expecting to be exclusive for Minho. Somehow he didn’t want to share Minho with anyone, he didn’t want his childhood soulmate to get more marks on his body. However, at the end of the day, Chan knew they were nothing but just friends, and it made his gut feel sick.
He agreed to pay for whatever Minho chose and it made the man happier than ever. When they got into the car, Chan planned to go have lunch at a small restaurant that had many cuisines in case the younger was picky about food.
__
"I missed the food here". Minho commented once he finished the steak on his dish. He must’ve felt warm because of the food, as he took his cardigan off.
"Yeah me too, I haven’t eaten here for a while". Chan said as he looked at Minho's arms. The man wore a sleeveless tank top underneath, opposite to the softness of the outfit he wore this morning. And he could see there were three marks on both arms.
"The marks are nice". He commented.
"Huh? Ah do you mean these tattoos?" Minho looked at his arms. "They are not marks, I don’t have any soulmate mark but the one behind my ear" he showed to Chan. Obviously, that appeared on the man’s ear at the same time he kissed and left a mark on Chan. They had the same experience.
"Can I touch them?" Chan asked about the tattoos.
"Sure, go ahead". Minho held his arm out and giggled a bit when Chan reached forward to touch the tattoos. He must be ticklish. Oh, had Chan ever said he liked Minho’s laugh? It was ringing lightly like the bell in the autumn wind.
"You designed these?"
"No, they are from one of my friends whenever I travel to America. His name is Sam. He is a talented artist, I will definitely get another one when I go back there."
"They are pretty". However, something rang in Chan’s head. "Wait, did you just say you don’t have any soulmate? What about Felix’s twin flame? You guys are soulmates, aren’t you?"
Minho blushed and looked at him. "I’m sorry that it was not true. He is not my soulmate. He was my friend from when I started flying back here a few times ago to help me with the restaurant stuff."
"You flew back here before? And you have a restaurant here?"
"Not yet but soon. I will stay permanently because I will have a small restaurant here".
Chan was not mad about Minho's non-soulmate-lie. On the other hand, he was selfishly happy that he and Minho were each other's only soulmates. And Minho would stay here forever, that was all he wanted to know.
"Congratulations on your work plan… I guess you will need to find another place to live soon instead of a hotel," He patted Minho’s shoulder, then hesitatingly asked. "And speaking of the mark, you must’ve felt lonely, haven’t you? About people coming to your life and leaving… without any memories left on your body".
"About the hotel part, yes, I will look for a place as soon as I open my restaurant. About the soulmate thing, no I don’t… maybe I have a positive feeling that I will find my soulmate someday. But think about it hyung, even soulmate marks can fade and disappear, why do I have to worry about people coming and going when they don’t own anything on me? You love someone based on their personality, it’s not fate’s decision. Although I believe in twin flames, I will still choose whoever I fall in love with."
*
Chan thought he was fate's favourite joke - letting him and Minho meet again.
Before, he was so busy seven days all along, the workload just knocked him out at four in the morning then woke him up at six. Chan before didn’t even visit his parents who lived so close to him, he simply texted them and called on occasions. Now there were the random hangouts with Minho, like their shopping date or cricket match date, they met more often. His work seemed not as heavy as it used to be, and he finished everything at five on Fridays to get ready for a weekend with his friend. Sometimes Chan even had a day to visit his parents, and that made them so happy.
They got closer, Chan started calling the younger by his nickname again.
Min.
Even better, Minho offered himself to cook for them on the last working days, so when Chan got home, his house was always cleaned and there was a good smell coming from his kitchen, telling him that someone was waiting to have dinner with him. "Ewww domestic flirt", Felix said once he visited Chan for work purposes and witnessed them having dinner. Chan didn’t mind, friends could be domestic.
And there they were, with Minho taking the food out of the oven and placing it on the plates so they could bring them to the kitchen island, while Chan was pouring some tea and making rice bowls for two.
"Hyung, can you please pass me the glove? It’s on the right side of the sink". Minho turned his back to Chan and asked when the older man finished arranging the table. There was only the soup left and everything was ready to go.
Chan did what Minho told him to do, feeling like the happiest man in this world. He still didn’t know what he felt for Minho, just a platonic friend or did he actually have a crush on the younger, but he wanted those moments to not end. Could they be a thing even when they had no recent soulmate mark?
Suddenly, he found himself saying something when they were having dinner.
"Do you want to move in with me?"
Chan stared at Minho when the man's head perked up. He was wearing another cosy outfit, drowning himself in a big brown sweater and some creamy-white coloured loose pants. The glasses were on his nose again, Chan guessed that his sight was not good so he had to wear them regularly. He was eating well, his cheeks were slightly puffy with food in his mouth, slowly chewing like a cat. He would be a lovely house cat. Minho swallowed, and asked Chan in a small voice.
"What made you think about it? I mean I offered to cook dinner every Friday but I didn’t do it to ask you to move into your home," He looked down at his empty bowl, before responding carefully. "I am trying to look for an apartment too. You don’t have to force yourself to live with me if you want to have friend dates like these. Living together would make those events become a daily thing, and sometimes you might get bored of them".
A part of Chan wanted to think that Minho needed more convincing that Chan was serious, and the man would agree right after, but another part of him believed that Minho didn’t want people to misunderstand their friendship, especially Chan. Probably Minho didn’t have the growing feeling he had then. Or did he assume his feelings too quickly too?
__
Chan held his thoughts in until Monday, so he asked Felix when they had lunch.
"Chan hyung, why don’t you eat?" the younger mumbled his mouth full of food.
Maybe it would be too rude to ask while eating, but Chan didn’t care anymore, his thoughts were too loud. So he spoke.
"Am I rushing things if I ask someone to do something that seems beyond friendship?"
"Don’t tell me you asked Minho hyung to sleep with you".
"I wouldn’t do that to Min!"
"So it’s either you will sleep with someone else or you are asking Minho something more explicit."
"What kind of joke is this?" Chan laughed at him. "When I say beyond the friendship I mean something that friends would not do normally"
"And having sex is one of them, that’s why I ask". Felix rolled his eyes "Come on, if you don’t tell me exactly what it is, I can’t help you dude. Friends help friends but geniuses don’t help idiots in love.”
Chan sighed.
"Okay listen, we are not in love". He heard Felix mumble ‘not yet’ and ‘that’s why you’re idiots’ but he chose to ignore him. "About the offer, we have dinner and hang out weekly, plus he will open his restaurant soon so he needs a place to live after leaving the hotel, I guess your mate told you about it."
"So you offered to make a disgusting domestic family with Minho hyung." Felix teased.
"I just asked Min to move in with me. We will have separate rooms" Chan scrunched his nose.
"You didn’t correct me with the family part" Felix grinned, the freckles just showed up more.
"Oh yeah and we are not a family–"
"Shhh, I know your look."
"What…?"
"You used to look at your asshole “soulmates” with that heartful look. You wore your feelings on your tattered sleeves. I am not roasting or attacking you, but you really did. And I see you are doing the same with Minho hyung, whenever you talk to me about the dates every Monday at work. And don’t get me started with you getting excited at four o’clock on Friday because you finished work and can clock out at five and have dinner with him at your house.”
Chan didn’t protest as Felix went back to eating like he didn't just expose him like a naked statue.
“And I don’t want to assume things and give you false hope”. Felix put the last strawberry into his mouth before closing the lunchbox to go. “But he acts the same way when he talks with my mate about you, and he was so serious about the mark behind his ear”.
Chan just touched his ear as if Felix was talking about his mark, and didn't notice when the man went back to work. Did something really jump in his heart? Should he try one more time?
*
Another Friday came, and Chan tried to work harder still so he could come home on time. And today was special.
In the morning, Minho texted him and asked if they could have dinner outside because he just found a Japanese restaurant that he thought Chan would like. Of course he would love to do whatever Minho offered, as long as they were together. He decided that he would just wear his emotions on his sleeves again, even though they were tattered like Felix said. At least if Minho didn’t like him, he could avoid the same sad ending where the younger left with no mark like what other people did.
Chan picked Minho up at six after changing into more casual clothes. The younger one got in the car and gently greeted him with a smile.
“Hi hyung.”
“Hey” He smiled back. “You look great today. And you dyed your hair too”.
He could see how Minho's smile widened, the front teeth touching his lower lip, "Thank you, I did expect your compliment although I was so scared it made me look drained”.
“No, it looks amazing. You are perfect with purple.”
Honestly, Chan just loved when Minho went with purple. Especially today the younger cut his hair and wore it in light waves, in the pinkish-purple shade. He looked fresher, lovelier, and something else that Chan couldn’t describe, but he loved all of them.
The restaurant looked new, in a part of the city Chan barely visited. They got in the reserved room, and Chan immediately took interest in the decoration. It was a zashiki with an open wall showing the garden inside; the moon shone brightly, blending well with lanterns that dropped down from the roof. What a peaceful scene that suited Minho’s vibe, Chan thought. He might not notice but lately, he unintentionally compared everything to the younger one: This went well with Minho, Minho liked this, Minho would like that…
Because the restaurant had just opened, the grand opening was extended to two days, and it was extremely crowded. However, their room was at the end of the private area, it was peaceful and quiet. Minho teased.
“You know what, thank you that you agreed quickly, because if we don’t make an appointment early, we would have to sit next to the toilet for real”.
Chan laughed at him when the food was brought. They looked so good, tasty and fresh that Chan made a note in his mind to tell Felix about this place or invite the clients to go there after the meetings.
Minho didn’t eat much as he was busy explaining how to eat the foods in the right way so the older could enjoy them, sometimes checking if he loved the taste. Chan said it was delicious, but in his heart, he couldn't help but think that it was not as good as Minho’s home dishes. Despite the familiar styles and decorations, he still wanted to see Minho cook and bring the food to the kitchen island when they were home.
When they finished dinner, Chan realised Minho hadn’t eaten much, most of the food on the table was given to his stomach instead. He asked the younger man.
“Aren’t you hungry? You should eat, the food here is delicious. I guess it’s not quite cheap based on the taste and look, so we won’t come here regularly”.
“It’s okay, I am happy to see you enjoy what I prepare for you,”
“What–”
Chan was confused while Minho pushed the server call button, then they heard the bell ring.
“Mr. Lee, how can I help you with today?” The waiter came and bowed his head.
“Please remind everyone that Mr. Bang here is my friend, and everytime he comes here even with a group or by himself, treat him like I am there”
The waiter nodded an understanding and tidied up the table, cleaned then left the two alone. Minho smiled and caressed Chan’s hand, while the older still paused to process the information.
“Min, are you close friends with the owner?”
“You have a chance to guess again.” Minho smiled.
Did it mean…
“This is your restaurant!?” Finally Chan could speak. “Tell me it’s a joke, don’t tell me you have opened this for two days and you bring me here to try…”
“Yes, this is mine, I finally finished my plan.” Minho laughed out loud with his reaction. How can Chan be breathtaking and cute at the same time, he just makes my feelings for him much stronger that I almost lose control.
Both of them enjoyed the great news, Chan breathed out and cheered up.
“Let’s go get some drinks, you deserve a cheer!”
__
Then Chan remembered why he didn’t like alcohol and understood why Minho didn’t like it either. They were fucking wasted, take the note please. There they were, Minho dancing in the middle of the crowd and Chan running to the bar to fill their drinks and keep an eye on his friend. Luckily Minho didn’t drag him out to the bar on their normal dates because they would either end up grinding on each other on the dance floor or challenge each other who could hold their drinks longer. Whatever happened, they would be deadly hungover on Sunday morning for real.
“Hyung! Come here! Let’s dance, the drinks can wait!” Minho shouted to him in the middle of light and music.
Chan paid for their drinks and brought them to the younger man. The alcohol just made Minho look more glamorous with the sparkle of sweat on his purple hair and the smooth skin. After the last drinks, Chan found his hand placed on Minho’s waist, while the other pressed his hips and grinded on his lap. They were not amidst a sea of people, however they were still skin on skin.
Chan felt Minho shivering when he kissed his neck, yet the younger tilted his bare neck to invite him more comfortably. He giggled, already a bit intoxicated from all the drinks, hummed when he slid his hand under Minho’s shirt, touch lingering on the milky skin. Minho was perhaps … delicious like the dinner they had before, comfortable like the tea they bought on their second date, and seductive like all the drinks they had just had. Everything made Chan feel drunk and crazy about him. A voice behind his head begged him to take him somewhere private alone, and just fuck it up, but Chan hoped they would not do anything regrettable.
____
If Chan said he knew he really fucked it up the next day, was it good or bad?
Because he didn’t know how many glasses he had, how he got out of the bar and got into the hotel next to it. The only thing he knew was when he woke up, his vision was blurry and shaky like he had had six bottles of vodka. But when the scene cleared up, surprisingly he was not home. The room was simple with a wardrobe and television and a mirror on the ceiling, showing a naked Minho snuggling with him.
Wait a damn minute. Minho? Snuggling? Naked?
What the fuck.
He wished it was a dream, hallucination or whatever. Chan tried to move his head while looking at the mirror. Damn it moved. He tried some more times until the Minho-in-mirror moved closer to the Chan-in-mirror and locked their arms at its neck.
He really wished he saw wrong but he felt arms reach his neck too, the warmth was too good to be true. And he heard a humm.
Okay it was not funny anymore , Chan looked aside and froze.
He could feel Minho’s smooth skin all over his body, the younger’s lips touching his shoulder every time he breathed in and out. As if they were not wild enough, Minho put his legs on Chan’s abs, and of course there were no private parts that were not touching.
Chan prayed to fate they just gotten hot and stripped their clothes, because he couldn’t fuck his childhood soulmate now crush who seemed to have an interest in him too but he wasn’t sure, and he especially didn’t want to hurt Minho if they didn’t have a soulmate mark.
“Good morning, the overthinker”.
Can someone kill him now! Chan groaned when he saw Minho perk up his head and kiss his jawline with his eyes still closed.
“You think out loud, don’t you know?”.
He looked soft and cute but that was not the point. The main parts there were: first, didn’t he realise they were naked and second, why was he so relaxed with the “domestic fluff beyond friendship” and even went wilder?
Chan then had flashbacks of the previous night in a whirlwind of memories swiftly, when they drank a hellish amount of spirits, danced in the middle of the floor to music. He recalled himself tasting Minho’s neck, Minho grinding down on him, and they were so hot that they almost stripped at the bar but ended up making it into the hotel and were barely able to get into the bed, so wasted that he had to pick Minho up. Their lips never parted during that time.
Minho sleepily opened his eyes and watched Chan carefully, and picked up the strange atmosphere quickly. He was not stupid especially when they were soulmates - even just childhood soulmates. Chan was acting cold like the first day they saw each other again. He didn’t know what he actually felt now, but somehow the awkward feeling started running back in the other’s blood, while he started feeling embarrassed. Did Chan regret it? Didn’t Chan love me? God, help me, I think I fucked up.
Before Minho got the answer, Chan tore himself out of his hug "Uhm, I think we should go home, we didn’t mean to be in this situation”.
Minho went silent, held his breath.
Oh.
He mistook his love for a mutual pining. Funny.
Chan saw pain flashed in the other’s eyes but Minho hid it right away by waking up and wearing clothes, mumbling “right, we don’t mean to”, “how stupid I am”. He knew he might hurt Minho, but he needed to think about their relationship and sleeping before dating was not a good idea.
The way back to Minho’s hotel was longer than usual, the silence covered the two people inside the car. Chan firmly grasped the steering wheel, even when he went past the door of Minho’s hotel, he did not notice it, driving over a street. Although Minho’s eyes looked outside and noticed the scenery, he did not speak either.
Who knew how long it took, until the younger finally opened his mouth: "You’ve gone past my place six times”.
Chan let out a small noise that sounded surprised. He drove back and let Minho open the door himself. Before Minho got out of the car, Chan suddenly asked. “Min, what about today? It’s Saturday.” It was supposed to be their casual hang out.
Minho turned his head, propped his chin with a cold smile and said, "If Mr. Bang criticised me as a platonic soulmate, I think we can see each other any other day."
This statement was so calm and sincere, if Chan had heard it a few days earlier, he would definitely feel normal, but now it didn’t help stirring his emotion.
He thought it must be because the air conditioner in the car was too hot.
He stretched out his hand to loosen his tie, but in his mind, he still felt annoyed.
Minho seemed to be not affected, he opened the car door and went out, saying goodbye to Chan, like the gentle look that he used to have in his eyes was just an illusion.
Chan had no reason to ask him.
In that morning, Chan was still trying to figure out their dynamic.
While Minho’s heart had turned to ashes at the moment he saw hesitance in the other man’s eyes.
*
It had been nearly two weeks and Chan hadn’t seen Minho since that day. He first excused himself with work, that Christmas was coming and his work just piled up. He didn’t see Felix either, his friend was busy with his own work, or barely appeared in front of his sight. Perhaps Chan was scared of seeing Felix too, so he decided to lock himself and have lunch in his office.
Then he excused himself that Minho was probably busy with work like him. The man had his own restaurant and the holiday just brought a lot of customers to him so Chan shouldn't bother him. Minho didn’t reply to Chan when the older asked if they could find a time to hang out, maybe he was truly busy. It was not supposed to be something wrong, yet Chan still found their relationship was near to its end. Without any beginning or closure.
And he was the one to end it. Or it was a mutual agreement, he didn’t know anymore.
He wanted to apologise to Minho, but he also knew they had to figure out the absurd feeling they gave to each other and he wasn’t ready for it.
Chan was in deep with his thoughts until he heard a few slams on his office door. Who was so rude? He knew the assistants and every worker were polite and nice, as well as the customers. Guess he'd just let the person open the door and get ready if there was a brat coming in. Thinking of it, Chan said out loud “The door is unlocked”.
Then a loud sound of the door slammed hard. He perked up and saw Felix with an angry expression looking at him.
“Christopher Bang! You had better fall into your soulmate world and die!”
Chan immediately knew what was coming, and he just made himself smaller in the chair. Could everyone leave him alone and not come to watch him standing in his mess?
Felix shut the door and shouted out.
“Tell me you didn’t waste fucking four months to just muck around with Minho hyung then decide to ghost him”.
Chan nodded and shook his head.
“What was that reaction? You can’t even give me a certain answer?”
Chan didn’t do anything, he just looked down as if he was trying to hide away. Felix stepped up and dragged him to sit properly on the chair.
“I was waiting for you guys' announcement about the relationship. Then two weeks passed, I was informed by my mate that you guys were not a thing anymore. Dude, I thought you were clear after we talked about you being hopelessly in love with him? What happened?”
Chan sighed.
“I don’t know. All I know is we drank, we woke up with no clothes and he called me all sweetly without talking about what happened that night. I don’t remember if we fucked, but I don’t want to jump into a relationship where sex comes before love either. I don’t want us to regret it. What if we don’t have a “new” soulmate mark, he’s just my childhood friend.”
“So I was right, you truly sucked into your soulmate world. But did you really say to him that you guys need to talk? From what I heard, you said straight away that you guys should’ve not been in that situation instead.”
“No I didn’t.”
“You bastard! How the fuck can you do it to someone who loves you and you love him too, how can you say that you regret your night without knowing if you guys did something?”
“I didn’t say I reg–”
“I’m begging you to understand what you're saying, Christopher Bang.” Felix looked restless and mad, also desperate. “Because it sounds exactly like what I said. You know what? Minho hyung loves you, even though you only found out that he’s back after four months. I shouldn’t say what he doesn’t want you to know from the third person, but that dude has stupidly been secretly in love with you longer than that. He has been going back and forth to Australia countless times in the last three years just to open a restaurant in a country he hasn't been in since he was six, just so that he can be closer to you. Everytime he comes, he asks me if you’re okay, if you have a mate, if you are married. And everytime I say you’re still single, he just gets excited, and his face shows it.”
Chan froze at what Felix said, but the younger simply ignored him and continued talking.
“He caught the bus to stand outside the company every single day he was here, just to see you before he had to go back to Korea. Do you want to know why he is so serious about the soulmate mark you guys have? He has been in love with you since he was six, before he was separated from you. The fucking childhood-soulmate-mark you guys have is the romantic-soulmate-mark because he put his love in it. I have no clue why he loves you, an idiot who can’t figure out his feelings.”
Chan shakingly asked back.
“He… loves me? But he didn’t reply to me when I tried to reach him later”.
“Of course, he didn’t, worse he couldn’t. He flew back to Korea after that day and left his phone with me. I thought he was busy at home but my mate just told me everything this morning. Do you know that h–”
Suddenly Felix stopped talking, grabbed Chan’s hand and looked at his ring finger.
“Chan hyung… It’s a new soulmate mark, isn’t it? Is it Minho’s?”
It was a beautiful deep green tea leaf with mustard sprinkled on top. Chan knew he couldn’t share it with anyone else because he was with Minho all the time.
Chan didn’t notice when he began crying but he felt wetness on his face, and the next second he burst into tears in Felix’s arms who hugged him tightly when he collapsed. He had hurt Minho, a person who genuinely and truly loved him from the bottom of his heart. And he didn’t have a chance to apologise, letting the man leave this country with a broken heart, who knew if it could be fixed.