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Y/n was a little apprehensive about the family's plans for the day. Since it had already been around nearly five months since Wooyoung and Yoonjin had met, meeting the family was way overdue. Everyone had decided this weekend was as good a time as any.
She was excited to meet her brother's soulmate of course, but she was a bit of an introvert and– from what she'd heard– Wooyoung was the complete opposite. But still, he made her brother happy and was part of the family now and she would most certainly try her best to treat him as such.
So that's how she found herself in the kitchen on a Sunday afternoon, helping her mom prepare lunch for when Wooyoung finally arrived.
Her brother was in the back of her mind as she worked– Yoonjin was nervous, she had realised. He had worked himself up into a bundle of nerves worrying about whether the family would like Wooyoung or not. He was so in love with him and the thought that people wouldn't love the person he loved so much terrified him, he had admitted to her and their younger sister Bitna. She had tried to console him and tell him that he didn't have to worry but it didn't help all that much. Yoonjin had calmed down a little bit –perhaps out of fear– when Bitna had eventually stepped in and told him to stop being such a baby. She might be the youngest sibling but she was firm and had a no-nonsense policy.
Y/n was in the middle of washing the dishes for her mom when the doorbell rang. When she heard no one going to answer it, she grabbed a nearby dish towel and dried her hands off before heading out of the kitchen. Yoonjin came racing down the stairs to meet her just as she opened the door.
Standing on the doorstep was a dark-haired ball of energy that she could only assume to be Wooyoung and beside him stood a taller, breathtakingly handsome pink-haired man.
She was a little stunned at the sight of the stranger.
"Yoonjin!" Wooyoung surged forward and wrapped his arms around her brother the instant he stepped foot into the house. Her brother laughed and held him tight, letting him rock them back and forth for a moment, "Hey, Woo."
Wooyoung released him and turned to her. He bowed, "Hi, I'm Wooyoung, nice to meet you."
He straightened up and gave her a bright grin but she could sense the lingering nerves behind it.
She smiled softly at him and bowed her head, "Hello, Wooyoung. I'm Y/n."
"My older sister," Yoonjin provided and Wooyoung nodded as he took in the information.
There was a slightly awkward pause before Yoonjin cleared his throat and looked at the other man in the doorway, "Thanks for dropping him, hyung."
The man smiled, his eyes crinkling up in the corners and her heart skipped a beat. She had no idea that her brother had such attractive friends.
"No problem. Have fun, kids."
" 'kay. Bye, hyung," Wooyoung called over his shoulder, dragging Yoonjin further into the house, mumbling about finding the 'parental unit'. Strange kid.
That left her alone with the handsome stranger.
She didn't know what to do or what to say. Was she meant to invite him in? Or was he leaving now that he'd dropped Wooyoung off? They stared at each other for a moment, the atmosphere a little awkward.
She cleared her throat, searching for something to say, "I like your hair. Very… pink."
The stranger smiled, "It's the result of a prank."
Her eyes widened at his words.
The stranger fell silent as he realised what she had just realised- both their arms tingling.
He tentatively reached for her arm and held it in a gentle grip, turning it over to look at her wrist. He gasped softly as the words printed there turned baby pink right in front of his eyes. Another disarming but overjoyed smile found its way onto his face as he looked at her with bright eyes.
"Hi," She breathed, her gaze softening as her eyes traced his features. Soulmate. He was her soulmate.
He chuckled and the sound tugged at her heart. He held her hand gently in his, "Hi."
She lifted her free hand and reached for his left wrist. He held it out to her and smiled softly as her eyes lit up as she very softly traced a finger over the pink-tinted words on his skin.
Seonghwa couldn't begin to express how happy he was. He had been waiting nearly seven years to meet his soulmate and seeing Wooyoung and Yoonjin find each other had just driven home the fact that he had been waiting for so long.
He almost wanted to scoop the woman in front of him up in his arms and cover her in kisses but they'd only just met and he wasn't about to start their relationship off by crossing lines.
She beat him to it though, "Can I… Can I hug you?"
He didn't say anything and simply wrapped her up in a warm hug. She smiled in contentment as she wrapped her arms around him.
"Sorry if I'm being too forward, I've just been waiting a really long time to meet you," She murmured into his neck and he buried his face in her hair.
"Me too. Seven years is a long time."
She pulled away and he reluctantly let her go.
"You've been waiting that long too? It's been eight years now for me."
"Noona."
She blushed, "Yes, I'm older than you. But it's only by a year."
The way her face had flushed had him already resolving to tease her with that title in the future.
"I'm Y/n,"
He smiled– day one and she was already getting butterflies– and held a hand out, "Seonghwa."
She shook his hand lightly and he squeezed her fingers gently.
She realised suddenly that they were still standing in the open doorway, "Would you like to come in?"
"Wooyoung will be annoyed with me for sticking around but I should come in, shouldn't I?
She nodded and smiled. She shyly reached for his hand and he was quick to take her hand in his. Maybe it was just biased, but her hand seemed to fit perfectly in his. She closed the door behind them and guided him through the house.
"What if they don't like me?" he whispered as he realised she was taking her in the direction of her parent's voices. They could already hear Wooyoung's laughter.
She squeezed his fingers lightly, "You're my soulmate, I'm sure they'll like you."
He squeezed her fingers back but he really couldn't help being nervous. He had literally just met her and now he was meeting her parents. Usually, people worked up to that after a few dates at least. But he didn't really have another choice right now, did he?
They came to a standstill in the living room doorway. Conversation stilled and everyone looked over at them as they noticed their presence. Seonghwa tightened his hold on her hand a little and she brushed the back of his hand with her thumb in an attempt to calm him.
"Hyung, I thought you left?" Yoonjin spoke up and Wooyoung pouted.
"Why are you still here? You don't need to babysit me."
Y/n's mom let out a little chuckle at Wooyoung's comment but gazed curiously at the pair in the doorway, noticing that they were holding hands.
"I…" Seonghwa started but even though he was usually a lot more confident, five questioning pairs of eyes on him was enough to make anyone nervous.
Y/n cleared her throat and took the lead, prompting him to lift his arm as she held hers up. It took a moment for it to register but then Bitna let loose a cheer,
"Finally!"
Yoonjin gave the pair a genuinely happy grin and she just knew he was silently celebrating not having to hear her angst over her loneliness any longer. Her mom gave a few small, excited claps and both parents smiled warmly at the pair.
Wooyoung pouted but even a fool could notice he was fighting off a grin of his own, "Soulmates? I'm never getting rid of you, am I? As if living with three of-"
Yoonjin covered Wooyoung's mouth, "Stop being such a baby."
Wooyoung must have licked his hand because Yoonjin suddenly retracted it with a grimace.
Nobody paid any attention to them though, still focused on Seonghwa and Y/n who were making their way over to her parents.
Seonghwa bowed politely and her mom stood up and approached him. She placed a friendly hand on his shoulder, "Oh, enough of that."
Seonghwa straightened up and she fixed him with a kind smile, "And what do we call you, dear?"
"Park Seonghwa, ma'am."
"Oh, a handsome name for a handsome young man!"
"Thank you."
She swatted Seonghwa's arm affectionately with a little laugh as she saw his cheeks flush lightly. She gestured to the free couch, "Come sit, dear."
"Your mom doesn't call me dear," Wooyoung grumbled under his breath and Yoonjin ruffled his hair affectionately. Y/n spared them a glance and rolled her eyes affectionately. Wooyoung was growing on her already.
Seonghwa bowed his head with a smile before first making his way to Y/n's father. He reached a hand out for him to shake and his remaining nerves melted away as the older man held his hand in a firm grip and shook it.
"Nice to meet you."
"Likewise, sir."
With introductions mostly over, Seonghwa allowed his soulmate to tug him over to the empty couch near where Yoonjin and Wooyoung were sitting.
"So, Seonghwa, you're friends with my son and Wooyoung. Are you studying food science like Wooyoung as well?" Her dad spoke up.
Seonghwa shook his head, "No, sir. I'm currently pursuing a master's degree in psychology."
"A masters? That’s impressive!”
"Show off," Wooyoung muttered under his breath.
Yoonjin kicked him lightly.
"Are you hungry, dear? Won't you stay for lunch?"
Seonghwa's gaze fell on Y/n as if silently asking her permission and she nodded.
He turned to her mom with a disarming grin, "Yes, I'd love to stay for lunch."
♡♡♡
The lunch passed by without any hitches. The conversation flowed surprisingly well considering two completely new individuals had joined them. Her parents asked questions the whole time but being so inquisitive wasn't new for them and she wouldn't have expected any less of them in this situation. Wooyoung spoke about his love for cooking and he and her mother exchanged advice. Her mom even requested one of Wooyoung’s recipes and made the boy promise to visit soon for an afternoon of cooking. She had a few tricks she wanted to show him, she had said. Yoonjin had joked about his mother stealing his boyfriend from him but he was truly happy to see them getting along so well and if some of his mom and Wooyoung’s lovely cooking and baking was to come from it, what kind of crazy man would he be to protest?
Her mom also seemed to adore Seonghwa and said he was a true gentleman and "they just don't make them like this anymore"- whatever that meant. He just smiled and nodded along to her words. The people that truly got along the best were her dad and Seonghwa. Her dad was a professor at one of the local colleges and taught business and since Seonghwa came from a family of business owners and entrepreneurs and shared a lot of his opinions, he could carry the conversation well. She had tried to pay attention in the beginning but as an arts major, she had no real interest in business or numbers in general. She’ll leave that to her soulmate.
After lunch had passed, her mom and Bitna had brought out freshly made lemonade and some treats and everyone settled back in the living room to continue the conversation and gathering a little longer. Seonghwa, being the gentleman he was, had offered to help with the dishes but her mom had told him not to worry. He insisted though and Y/n caught on and shooed her mom and told her she’d help Seonghwa.
Once in the kitchen, Seonghwa had given her a grateful smile, “Thank you.”
“Too much social interaction for you?” She’d asked, handing him a dishtowel.
He nodded and watched as she ran water into the sink, “A little overwhelming. Don’t get me wrong, I love your parents, it's just that I’d already had a long day before arriving here.”
“Oh?” She inquired simply as she started to attend to the dirty dishes.
“Yeah,” He accepted a clean dish, drying it off, “I have a big exam this week and I studied for most of last night and this morning.”
“How much longer do you have left before you get your masters?”
“Around about one more semester.”
She handed him another dish and he accepted it, stacking it on the counter with the others after drying it off.
“Are you excited to finally graduate?”
He nodded without hesitation, “Very. That many years of schooling gets old pretty fast.”
She chuckled, “I can imagine.”
Once the kitchen was spotless, she and Seonghwa retired to the back porch, lemonades in hand. She guided him over to the porch chairs and they got comfortable.
For the most part, they sat in a comfortable silence, appreciating the summer breeze and staring out at the trees in the back garden.
Sure there were a lot of things that they could speak about and making conversation with Seonghwa was effortless but they had a whole lifetime together ahead of them. There was no reason to rush. For now, comfortable silence, lemonade and her hand in Seonghwa’s was more than enough.
When the time came for Seonghwa and Wooyoung to leave– Yoonjin in tow (he should just move in with Wooyoung already)– She was admittedly a little reluctant to let her soulmate go. However, she relented when Seonghwa pulled her close and reminded her with a gentle, timid kiss on the cheek that this wouldn't be the last time they saw one another.
As she watched him pile everyone into his car and leave, a small smile on her face and a fluttering heart in her ribcage, she vowed to make sure it wasn't.
Soulmate. She had finally found her soulmate.