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Exhausted felt like an understatement to Changbin. He felt like his feet were 100 pounds, and his brain was about to melt out of his ears. The flight over had been incredibly long, but the itchy tingling in his arm had prevented him from sleeping. It had only gotten worse when they had climbed into the van.
He wanted to be excited for a few days of rest before their next show, but between the exhaustion and the irritation, he couldn’t do much but scowl. He’d even snapped at Felix when the somehow hyper boy had bounced towards him to ask if he wanted to be roommates. The guilt had been instant when Felix’s eyes went wide, and he made a sound akin to a small puppy being kicked, and Changbin had tried to apologize. He didn’t really want to explain why he was so irritated, not wanting to hear the teasing from the younger members, so he just told them he was tired.
An answer most of them seemed to accept. Seungmin and Minho had shared a somewhat knowing look with one another, which made Changbin even less inclined to share his real troubles.
It was already dark by the time the boys piled out of the van at the hotel, a fact Changbin was thankful for as the buzzing in his arm had only increased, and he was beginning to develop a headache. He tried to focus on his phone, letting his mom know that they had arrived safely and were checking into the hotel now.
The bellhop greeted them warmly, already beginning to unload their bags under one of their managers’ instructions, as their other manager led them into the brightly lit building. He was shocked and grateful that there were no Stays camped out in the lobby, just a couple of businesspeople in suits chatting in a language he didn’t recognize.
“Hello, good evening.” Your voice is cheery, making him automatically look up as Chan and the manager approach the desk. Changbin and the others hang back, loitering around the leather couches. Their English wasn’t as good as Chan’s, and he wasn’t even sure he’d be able to speak it properly with how tired he was. He can’t seem to take his eyes off of you and your sweet, albeit fake, smile. His arm felt like there was an entire beehive in it. “How are you doing tonight?”
“We’re alright, how are you?” Chan greets, bowing slightly, and making you chuckle.
“I’m wonderful, thank you for asking. Do you have reservations with us?”
“We should.” Chan admits, with a laugh, “We better.”
“Do you know the name on the reservation?” Chan turns to the manager, but his eyes get wide for a second before he just blinks a few times.
“Did you forget Korean?” Felix teases, earning a few giggles from the other boys.
“I- shut up.” Chan huffs, earning a snort of laughter from Minho.
“It’s no problem.” Your voice had changed pitch when you switched to Korean, and all of them looked at you in shock, but you’re still smiling. This was an English-speaking country, and Changbin didn’t really think Korean was a popular language to study overseas. “I can translate for you. The person who booked the rooms asked if we had anyone who spoke Korean on staff, to make everything easier for you.” Changbin can hear his head pounding in his ears and prays that Minho and Seungmin don’t pick up on it. He wasn’t even sure why he felt so lovesick; he’d never met you before, and you hadn’t so much as acknowledged him.
“Thank you.” Their manager bows, “We should have rooms under JYP Entertainment, or Kim Jinwook.” You nod once, looking back down at the computer that must have been hidden behind the desk.
“Alrighty, looks like we have four double rooms and two singles, for four nights. Is that correct?” The group collectively nods, still a little shocked at your fluent Korean. “Give me just one moment to get you all checked in.” You push up the sleeves of your black sweater, and Jeongin lets out a small gasp. Changbin’s heart stutters when he sees the elaborate compass on your forearm, the same place his mark lay.
“Oh, you have the same mark as Changbin hyung.” Felix blurts, “That’s so cool.” You look a little startled, glancing down at your arm as if you’d forgotten it was there.
“The compass?” You question, to which most of the boys nod again.
“Here, look.” Seungmin grabs Changbin’s arm, dragging him towards the desk and pushing the sleeve of his jacket up as he does so. Changbin can only bring himself to half-heartedly struggle against the deceptively strong grasp.
“Oh wow.” You grin, finally looking directly into Changbin’s eyes. His heart was going crazy now, cheeks flushing and knees shaking just a little. “You know they say the compass is one of the rarest marks in the world.” She explains, grabbing a small handful of key packets, “They say the needle will always point in the direction of your soulmate, no matter the distance, or if you’ve already found one another. See.” You twist your arm, the group watching as the little needle spins, continuing to point towards the group, towards Changbin. He can feel his heartbeat in his jaw at this point, but you just let out a little hum, pulling your arm away. “What a coincidence.” You murmur, sliding the keys towards the group. “I’m sure you’ll want to head to bed soon, so here are the keys. All of the rooms are on the fifth floor, the doubles are marked with a D.” You slip so easily back into customer service, but Changbin can’t even seem to breathe properly. “Our WiFi information is written on the key packets, as well as on a plaque in your rooms. Breakfast will be from 6 to 10am, down here on the first floor, and you’ll see signs pointing you in the right direction. If you need anything, my name is Y/n, and I’m just a phone call away.” You offer them another brilliant smile, and Changbin feels someone nudge his side. Felix gives him a strange look, subtly nodding towards you as you answer a question Jeongin asked.
“What?”
“Introduce yourself, hyung.” Felix encourages, “You have matching marks.” Changbin doesn’t even have the energy to roll his eyes.
“Lix-”
“Oh, this is our Changbin hyung!” Seungmin steps in, pulling Changbin even closer to the desk. “He has the compass tattoo, as well.”
“Its nice to meet you, Changbin, I’m Y/n.” You hold out your hand, which Changbin instantly takes.
The moment your hands touch, heat spreads up your arms, hot enough to have you both pulling away to examine your own arms. Sure enough, the once vibrant compass was fading fast, looking as though it was merely a tattoo you’d had for years. You twist your arm again, watching the compass continue to point at Changbin.
“Knew it,” Seungmin calls, throwing up his hands in triumph.
“Hey, I noticed first.” Jeongin reminds him. You just giggle, a sound that almost has Changbin’s knees buckling.
“Congrats, hyung.” Felix beams, “Come on, let them talk.” He grabs the other boys, namely Hyunjin and Han, who had been staring at the short exchange with their mouths dropped open, and drags them away.
“I’m free tomorrow if you are.” You tell him, reaching into a drawer to grab a slip of paper. “I work for most of the night tonight, and you look tired.” You explain, quickly scribbling something down. Changbin realizes he hasn’t actually said anything in the several minutes he’d been standing in front of you.
“You’re my soulmate.” He manages to blurt out lamely. It makes you smile again, sweetly and genuinely this time.
“Looks like. Why don’t you go get some sleep? Text me in the morning, okay? We can go for lunch.” He smiles at that, accepting the piece of paper with a nod, finding your number and a smiley face adorning it.
“Uh, yeah.” He agrees, “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Then Felix is tugging on his arm, leading him towards the elevators.
“I promise, when he isn’t sleep deprived, Changbin hyung is a great conversationalist,” Felix calls to you, making Changbin’s cheeks and ears blaze.
“I know.” You reply casually, causing Changbin to look back at you, “I’m actually a huge fan. Can’t wait for your show on Saturday!”