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“You two could stand to be less annoying,” Yeonjun snapped from his place at the table, crunching up a napkin and shooting daggers at his two best friends. Said two best friends only gave him pointed looks from where they were wrapped up in each other. Beomgyu stuck his tongue out, while Taehyun gave him a thumbs down signal. “Our job is to annoy you, hyung. If you don’t want to be annoyed, quit coming out with us,” Beomgyu replied simply.
Taehyun elbowed him in the side, shrugging off his arms and giving Yeonjun a sympathetic smile. “You don’t have to stay with us, hyung. You should go mingle, meet someone new, make a friend,” he suggested. Yeonjun considered for a moment, looking around the dimly lit club—though it was more like a classy lounge for rich people, except the rich person in question was actually their friend Hueningkai and not any of them.
The pickings didn’t look promising, if Yeonjun was being honest with himself. Sure, the men looked good in their fancy suits and slicked back hair and the women weren’t half-bad either, but he just wasn’t feeling quite in the mood. He had done this enough times to grow tired of it. He was tired of the chase, of dolling himself up and putting on his best smile only to end the night in disappointment.
The whole soulmate thing was starting to feel very overrated, in Yeonjun’s very skewed opinion, and he wondered if maybe he didn’t have one at all. Only, that would be impossible. Because like it or not, his soul mark existed. Only he could see it, which was the standard for anyone who hadn’t met their soulmate yet.
Every person on the planet was born with a specific mark on their body, one that was only visible to the owner of the mark. It signified the spot where your soulmate will first touch you. Taehyun’s mark was on his elbow. Beomgyu’s was on the top of his hand. They had touched the first time they met, with Beomgyu catching Taehyun’s elbow to keep him from toppling into the Han river and Taehyun slapping his palm over Beomgyu’s hand in reaction. Both of their marks lit up in a bright kaleidoscope of what Taehyun described as ‘nameless colours’ and then the marks were permanently and visibly burned into their skin for everyone to see.
They were lucky. Most soulmates didn’t figure out they were soulmates for quite a long while. It had become common practice to avoid touching strangers upon first meetings if they didn’t already have a soulmate. Everyone practiced the unspoken rule differently, Yeonjun himself had different rules depending on the person. Some people held no qualms about it and let people touch them freely. Others were fiercely protective of their bodies and only allowed someone to touch them after getting to know them.
Yeonjun didn’t particularly have a set method, he moreso just went along with whatever the other person preferred. It helped that his own mark was in a place that anyone other than his soulmate would be highly unlikely to touch at any given moment.
His mark was by his right eye, a little off to the side. It was tiny, no larger than a freckle, and when he was little he thought it was a birthmark. That was, until he tried showing it to his mother and she sat him down and explained the concept of soul marks. Because, of course, she couldn’t see it.
He supposed it was better having the mark on his face rather than on his ass or worse, but it also made it very hard to ignore. Every day he looked in the mirror, or took a photo, or saw his reflection in a rain puddle, he was reminded that he was still alone. That he was twenty-three, closing in on twenty-four, and still hadn’t met his soulmate. It was rare to go this long, and Yeonjun was beginning to lose patience.
Hence why he started going out with Taehyun and Beomgyu, with the help of Hueningkai who granted them entry using his own black card membership. But it always ended the same. He met someone, they hit it off, and then they were touching without pretence and nothing soul mark related every happened.
“Maybe your soulmate doesn’t like going out,” Beomgyu suggested. “He could be introverted.” Yeonjun rolled his eyes, leaning back in his seat and stretching his legs out. “Great, that makes me feel so much better, Gyu,” he complained. He stood up then, rolling his neck and finishing off his whiskey without enjoyment. “I think I’m just going to head home. Do you guys need me to call you an uber?”
Taehyun shook his head, and Yeonjun could tell he felt bad about the unsuccessful outing, so he ruffled both their hair in reassurance. “Hyung is okay, I need to just stay patient. I know my soulmate is out there somewhere,” he said, even though he didn’t believe the words himself. Both his dongsaengs gave him sweet waves goodbye and then he was leaving the lounge. The air was crisp outside, and it jolted Yeonjun back into a sober headspace, not that he was that tipsy to begin with.
He exhaled softly, unbuttoning his jacket and running a hand through his hair to mess it up. A hot shower and warm bed sounded like bliss, so he ordered his Uber pool quickly. He would’ve preferred a solo ride, but money was tight and splitting a ride was much nicer on his wallet. He just hoped whoever he shared the car with wasn’t talkative because he really wasn’t in the mood.
Several minutes later, he spotted the car and gave a little wave, walking off the sidewalk to meet it. When he opened the door, he saw the other passenger already sliding over into the other seat. “Oh, shit, I’m sorry, you didn’t have to move. I could’ve gone around,” Yeonjun apologised, ducking his head and climbing into the car. The stranger let out a soft giggle as Yeonjun buckled up. “It was no trouble. The street is busy anyway, it was safer this way,” they replied in a deep voice.
The Uber driver pulled away from the lounge as Yeonjun looked over at the stranger. He appeared to be around his own age, with jet black hair and kind looking eyes. His lips were turned upwards in a small smile, and though it was difficult with the shadows and lights of the city, Yeonjun thought he spotted dimples. He was dressed casually, unlike Yeonjun, and had a bag placed between his legs.
Yeonjun wasn’t sure what to say, so he just gave an awkward smile and nod before facing forward and leaning against the window. He pulled his phone out to check how long the drive would be—the stranger would be dropped off first—and instantly regretted doing the shared ride when he saw it was going to be at least thirty minutes until he was home.
He settled in and gazed out at the Seoul skyline as they drove past, his mind wandering to its usual thoughts of work, food, where the fuck his soulmate was, food, his mother who he should call, food.
His stomach growled loudly, breaking through the silence of the car and Yeonjun instantly slapped a hand over his abdomen, embarrassment burning through his veins. “Sorry,” he muttered, hoping the stranger couldn’t see his flushed face. The man only giggled again, before Yeonjun’s stomach growled for a second time. Fuck, he should’ve eaten something at the club.
He heard some rustling to his left and looked over to see the stranger digging through his bag. A few seconds later, a pack of honey butter chips were being extended his direction. He felt his jaw drop in surprise and quickly shook his head, waving away the offered snack. “No, no, please, I’ll be alright, thank you,” he stammered. When he met the stranger’s eyes, he saw that he was smiling softly.
“You’re hungry. I always carry extra snacks in my bag from work. It’s not a big deal,” he replied. Yeonjun stared at him for a moment longer, eyes flickering to the chips, before his stomach growled for a third time and he sighed, accepting the bag. He was careful to make sure their fingertips didn’t touch as he took them. “Thanks,” he mumbled, looking at the familiar logo on the bag.
He went to open them, before hesitating. He glanced over at the stranger, narrowing his eyes a little. “How do I know you haven’t poisoned these or something?” he asked, only half-joking. The man laughed, a throaty, pretty laugh that made something warm and happy spark in Yeonjun’s stomach. “They’re vacuumed sealed, so I think you’re safe. I’m not that smart,” he explained. Yeonjun kept looking at him, wishing he could see him better. He was realising that he was actually quite beautiful, even with the limited view.
The man shifted in his seat, rubbing his hands on his thighs. “My name is Soobin, if that makes you feel better,” he introduced, dropping his gaze as he became a little shy. “I work at a convenience store about a mile down the road from where we picked you up. I hope that you can trust me now.”
Yeonjun felt his cheeks burn some more at how adorable the man—Soobin—was acting. He supposed it was only right that he return the efforts.
“My name is Yeonjun. Thank you for the chips, Soobin-ssi. Honey butter is my favourite flavour,” he said. Soobin looked over at him, a smile returning to his face, and gave him a short bow of the head.
Yeonjun opened the chips and ate a few, sighing audibly in relief as they sated the hunger in his stomach. He would still need to make something more sustainable when he got home, but these would tide him over until then. He held the bag out to Soobin, giving it a shake. “They were yours first, so please,” he insisted. Soobin grinned, and then took a few chips. Once again, both of them were careful to not let their hands touch.
They spent the rest of the ride chatting about their respective lives, which Yeonjun found refreshing. It had been so long since he had a conversation with someone new without any sort of pretence. Soobin didn’t want anything from him and Yeonjun didn’t want anything from Soobin. It was nice, to talk about his job as a dance instructor at the children’s theatre and actually have it be met with enthusiasm and questions. Soobin asked so many questions, and he had the cutest reactions to all of Yeonjun’s answers.
When it was his turn to speak, Soobin grew shy, explaining to Yeonjun how he was in school to become a therapist, but currently worked at a convenience store on campus—hence the snacks in his bag. He spoke about wanting to travel the world and see great pyramids in Egypt.
“Why haven’t you done that yet?” Yeonjun asked as their driver exited the highway and headed toward one of the quieter boroughs of the city. Yeonjun had long since stopped paying attention to where they were going, too immersed in his conversation with Soobin.
Soobin hesitated at Yeonjun’s question, growing shy again and rubbing at the nape of his neck awkwardly. “Ah…I’m waiting until I find my soulmate to travel. I could do it alone but something keeps telling me I need to wait,” he answered, before laughing softly. “Sorry, I know it’s cheesy. And I know I probably seem too old to not have a soulmate, but—.”
“No, no, I totally get it,” Yeonjun interrupted, excitement coursing through him at the realisation that he may have finally met someone else in the same boat as him. “I haven’t met mine either and it’s driving me crazy.”
Both of them laughed together, and Yeonjun swore he hadn’t felt this light in ages. He was going to have to ask for Soobin’s number so they could maybe hang out and complain about the woes of being single in a world full of soulmates. “Maybe we’re both just defective,” Soobin joked, causing them both to laugh again.
Yeonjun opened his mouth to respond, but the Uber driver interrupted them. “We’ve arrived!” she chirped. Yeonjun quickly turned, noticing that he was indeed outside of his apartment complex. He went to gather his things, before seeing Soobin doing the same. Confused, his furrowed his brow. “Wait, is this right?” he asked. Soobin looked over at him, blinking owlishly, before a look of confusion spread over his face too.
The Uber driver gave them both a smile, before pointing at her phone. “You both input the same address, you must be neighbours!” Yeonjun’s eyes widened as he met Soobin’s own surprised gaze, and then they both laughed again. “What a small world,” Yeonjun said, to which Soobin nodded in agreement.
They both exited the vehicle and bowed to their driver, before standing awkwardly on the pavement in front of the building. Yeonjun noted that Soobin was taller than him, which was extremely rare and made a thrill rush through him. In the moonlight, he almost glowed. He really was very pretty.
“Is it kind of weird to say that I don’t want to stop talking to you?” he blurted out, not caring how he came across. It was worth it, too, because Soobin’s lips spread into a grin and he shook his head, the tips of his ears turning red. “It’s not weird when I want to keep talking to you, too,” he replied. Yeonjun smiled at that, before pulling out his phone and holding it out. Soobin input his number quickly and upon returning the phone, Yeonjun sent him a text.
“That’s my unit number. Come over tomorrow at eight and I’ll repay you for the chips,” he said with a wink. Upon seeing Soobin’s shocked expression, he quickly rushed to clarify, waving his hands in the air. “Not like that!” he practically shrieked. “I meant I’ll cook for you. Totally platonic and normal, I promise I’m not trying to seduce you.”
Jesus Christ. He was so embarrassing. It was past his bedtime.
But Soobin only giggled, covering his mouth as he did, and nodded. “That sounds good, Yeonjun-ssi. I’ll be there,” he promised. Yeonjun’s heart fluttered and he nodded happily. They both stood there for a moment longer, before Soobin took a step backward, smile still on his face. “Goodnight, Yeonjun-ssi,” he whispered.
Yeonjun gulped, his body feeling like it was floating. “Goodnight, Soobin-ssi.”
Before Yeonjun knew it, he and Soobin had been hanging out for weeks. He was a nervous wreck the first time they hung out, nearly burning their meal in his eagerness to impress Soobin with his skills. But Soobin was wonderful, helping him cook and keeping the apartment from catching fire. They talked so much that Yeonjun lost track of time, and before they knew it, it was nearly two in the morning. Soobin was so interesting, he spoke with such passion even about objectively mundane things like his sociology classes, and Yeonjun absorbed it all like a sponge.
They agreed to hang out the next time they were free, which was a few days later, and then again a few days after that. One night Soobin showed up with fried chicken and monopoly, and they spent hours playing the game. Both of them learned they were highly competitive, and so the game stayed on pause for weeks as they both battled it to the bitter end.
It was nearly a month after their fateful Uber ride that the game finally finished with Yeonjun’s victory, though Soobin claimed endlessly that the elder had cheated. Yeonjun swore on his life that he hadn’t.
All in all, it was easy being Soobin’s friend. It felt effortless, like Soobin filled all of the holes in Yeonjun that he couldn’t explain, and he could only hope that Soobin felt the same way. They talked about so much, Yeonjun even opening up about his childhood trauma and shifty relationship with his dad. Soobin had cried on his couch retelling the horrors of high school, and Yeonjun wanted so badly to pull him into a hug that he had to physically force himself not to.
Because they couldn’t. They didn’t talk about their lack of soulmates, not wanting to get bogged down in such depressing thoughts, but Yeonjun wondered how long they would go without touching. Everyone did, eventually.
And as the months stretched on, and Soobin became an integral part of his friend group, he wasn’t sure how much longer he could wait. Soobin touched Taehyun and Beomgyu enough to prove to Yeonjun that he was an inherently touchy person. Every time he ruffled Taehyun’s hair or tackled Hueningkai in a crushing hug, Yeonjun felt himself craving the same affection. He knew he could ask for it and Soobin would grant it without hesitation.
But something was stopping him. A lingering thought in the back of his mind that was growing larger and larger with each passing day. A thought he couldn’t acknowledge. He couldn’t acknowledge it because once he did, everything would change. He didn’t want anything to change.
He didn’t want to face the disappointment of Soobin not being his soulmate. It would be too hard. Not when he had already gotten comfortable enough to the point where the thought of not having Soobin in his life at all made tears come to his eyes.
But as the days went by, those tears kept appearing. They always came at night, after Soobin had returned to his own apartment and left Yeonjun alone. They felt uncontrollable, always pricking at Yeonjun’s eyes as he tried to get ready for bed. An overwhelming sadness always filled his body and the tears dripped down of their own accord.
He knew he was going to have to initiate the touch. He couldn’t exist in this tortured mindset for much longer. Taehyun and Beomgyu had told him as much. So, he decided on a day to do it, and that was that.
The night before The Day, Soobin was at Yeonjun’s apartment cleaning up the trash from their movie night indulgences. Yeonjun had gone to his bathroom to wash his face, and was halfway through lathering soap on his skin when Soobin poked his head in. “Heading out, hyung,” he said with a smile. “Still on for tomorrow?”
Yeonjun nodded with a grin, giving him a little wave. “Sleep well, Bin.” Soobin scrunched his eyes happily and then left, the door closing behind him. Yeonjun sighed, looking at his reflection in the mirror and trying to focus on finishing his routine rather than on the slowly building, yet familiar, sadness in his gut.
He managed to finish up and went straight to his bed, crawling under the covers and turning his lamp off, hoping to fall asleep before the tears came. He laid in silence, the sadness weighing heavy on him, and sure enough, the tears came. They gathered on his waterline and spilled over one by one. Yeonjun curled in on himself, hugging a pillow to his chest as he tried to keep himself calm and relaxed. He felt like a character in the movie they just watched, suffering from some supernatural illness that he couldn’t find a cure for. It was agony. But he hoped after tomorrow it would all go away, or at least be replaced with a kind of sadness he could understand.
Suddenly, he heard his door open again. “Hyung?” Soobin called. “Sorry, I forgot my key…” Yeonjun panicked, deciding for some reason to pretend to be asleep rather than go help Soobin find his key. His closed his eyes and tried his best to even out his breathing as Soobin’s footsteps came closer to his room.
“Hyung?” he called again, only to cut himself off with a soft gasp that was much closer in proximity. He must be at Yeonjun’s bedroom door. Yeonjun swore he could hear his heartbeat filling the room, and wondered what Soobin was going to do. He expected him to leave, but then he heard soft footsteps getting louder in his direction, and he knew Soobin was standing right in front of him.
It felt weird, being awake but knowing Soobin thought he was asleep. It took all of his strength to remain calm, relaxed.
There was a beat of silence, before he heard Soobin exhale slowly. “I have to,” he then whispered, voice pained. “I’m so sorry, hyung, but I have to.”
And before Yeonjun could open his eyes and ask him what he meant, before he could stop him, he felt a soft pair lips press below his right eye. Directly on top of a teardrop. Directly on top of his soul mark.
The world stopped spinning. All of the oxygen left the room and the only thing Yeonjun knew was that his soul was crying. It had been his soul crying the entire time, aching, yearning for its other half that was right there. For months, Soobin was right there, and now he was right here, activating Yeonjun’s soul mark and making it burn into his skin, making an overwhelming rush of ecstasy course through his veins.
His eyes opened right as Soobin leaned away with a shocked gasp, and it felt like he was going to burst out of sheer, pure, unadulterated love. He met Soobin’s eyes and when he did, his hand shot out and pressed right against Soobin’s heart. Even through the fabric, he could feel Soobin’s own soul mark light up and burn itself into his skin.
Soobin let out a cry, gripping Yeonjun’s wrist as his own eyes filled with tears and Yeonjun sat up, all of the emotions swirling around them in those nameless colours that Taehyun had described.
“It’s y-you,” Soobin cried, reaching out and pulling Yeonjun into his arms. Yeonjun gasped at the feeling of being embraced by his soulmate. It felt like coming home, it felt like the answer to all of his questions, and he didn’t know how he had gone so long without it. He burst into tears, wrapping his arms around Soobin and pulling him onto the bed. He climbed into his lap as their hands grabbed at every part of each other, trying to make sense of it all through the overwhelming happiness, joy, and relief they were feeling.
“I’ve w-waited so long, hyung, I w-wanted it to be you, I c-can’t believe it’s you,” Soobin continued to cry, burying his face in Yeonjun’s neck, body shaking with his sobs. Yeonjun couldn’t think straight, couldn’t do anything except hold Soobin against him and breathe in his scent and feel his heart beating in his chest. His mind was spinning, but he soul was so happy it felt like he couldn’t breathe.
He leaned back enough to cup Soobin’s cheeks in his hands, neither of them caring about the tears or the snot or the saliva. It was difficult for Yeonjun to find the words he needed, but it didn’t matter because Soobin closed the distance and was kissing him. He was kissing him, and Yeonjun was complete. Every missing piece of himself clicked back into place when he felt Soobin’s lips on his, and he kissed back with all the love and passion he was feeling throughout his body.
Nothing would compare to this. Nothing. He had found his soulmate. He had found the person he was destined to be with. His perfect, sweet, kind, beautiful Soobin who had always been so close to him, but never close enough.
“I’m here now, Yeonjun-hyung,” Soobin whispered against his lips. His thumbs wiped at Yeonjun’s cheeks, lingering on his newly formed soul mark. Yeonjun sniffled, smiling, slipping his hand underneath Soobin’s shirt to press it against his own soul mark. “I’m here now, too, Soobin-ah. I’ll always be here,” he breathed.
They rested their foreheads together, and when they lied down together, tucked into each other so tightly it was hard to tell where one ended and the other began, Yeonjun finally knew peace.
He hoped to spend the rest of his life learning all the different ways he could feel peace with Soobin by his side.