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One day, on some part of your body, the names your soulmate was known by would be displayed as a tattoo.
Sometimes it could be found from birth, if their soulmate was older than them, or it could appear at some point, if an event was significant enough to unite two destinies that otherwise would not have come together. However, once the name was written on each other's skin, soulmates would definitely meet. Black for living soulmates and white like a half-faded scar for those who have passed away.
Some people lived their entire lives without a soulmate, so they decided to get a tattoo of the name of the person they chose to love as a way to choose their own destiny, even if the world refused to give them one.
Jin Chobaek's third son, Jin Dongryong, didn’t file any of the above cases.
The moment the child was placed in Jin Chobaek's arms, he hurried to check his body for anything strange after noticing the worried looks of the midwives. The baby appeared to be healthy, whimpering in his arms as he was shaken away from the blanket wrapped around him, revealing a pair of arms and legs. He had five fingers on each hand and nothing seemed to be missing.
Until he saw it.
On the boy's back, engraved in wide, messy characters that encompassed the entire space, was written the name and distinctive nickname of a person. He wouldn't have noticed it if he hadn't paid special attention, as the characters were almost invisible like an old scar that had healed a long time ago.
There was no doubt who the engraving referred to:
Cheong Myeong
Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign
However, that person had died a hundred years ago, so they would never be able to meet or have a significant impact on each other's lives. In fact, rumors that Cheong Myeong didn’t have a soulmate were common knowledge, so it was more likely that it was an unrequited mark.
Was it possible ?
Jin Chobaek had many doubts, however, he pretended that nothing happened and tried to hide the name of his son's soulmate. It was the best thing he could do for him, who would become a disciple of Jongnam, where the name Cheong Myeong was an insult in itself. Although he knew deep down that it wouldn't be that simple, because soulmates always ended up being the reason for conflict.
Baek Cheon was in isolated training when he realized, after a disciple pointed it, that the inky black characters could be seen through the thin, sweat-covered fabric.
He has never had a similar problem before. Since the characters were barely visible, even if he wore thin fabrics or bathed in the river after dark, no one would not be able to properly glimpse the shape of the scars. Now, however, the broad characters were highlighted strongly, as if showing the personality of his soulmate.
Like it was supposed to be for someone who was alive.
Cheong Myeong
Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign
Cho Sam
Beneath the words he already knew, he could make out a new name. Baek Cheon didn't know what it was supposed to mean. How could a person dead a hundred years ago get a new name that sounded so common and had little to do with their heritage?
With a sigh, he rearranged the robe, tying it firmly around his body. From now on he couldn't afford to wear light layers. It was rude to let others look at your soulmate's name unless they were family, and although Baek Cheon trusted his martial brothers, he still wanted to keep this private.
“Yoon Jong-ah, please come in.” Baek Cheon invited the daesahyeong of the third-class disciples to his room with a pleasant smile. “Tell me about our new sajil.”
Yoon Jong sat next to him with a nervous expression, accepting the cup of tea Baek Cheon had served him and hesitating for a moment before narrating the facts in the sect that were missed while training in seclusion.
The new disciple who had entered their sect was called Cheong Myeong, a coincidence that made Baek Cheon feel uncomfortable, but if it was a monastic name that the Sect Leader had chosen for him, then he had nothing to say about it. The names were of those who received it, it didn’t belong exclusively to his soulmate who had lived a hundred years ago.
“After returning, he received permission to go down to Hwa’Um whenever he wanted as a reward from the Sect Leader,” he concluded.
"I see. Thanks for updating me. You must be tired, I'm sorry, I called you so late. You can leave now.”
Yoon Jong let out a sigh of relief, standing up to greet his sasuk before quickly leaving.
“Cheong Myeong…”
Baek Cheon muttered loudly.
“It's just a coincidence, still…”
Why did he feel uneasy?
Two months later, two lines were added to Baek Cheon's back.
Cheong Myeong
Plum Blossom Sword sovereign
Cho Sam
Divine Dragon of Hwasan
Mad Dog of Hwasan
“Ahhh, that madman… He is definitely the reincarnation of the Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign, is this how soulmates must work? Although it should have been blank until he was born…”
Baek Cheon bit his nails, deeply worried and full of doubts.
The strange thing was that Cheong Myeong never approached Baek Cheon to check the words written on the other.
Was he pretending it didn't happen because he didn't want to be his soulmate? It was strange, but Cheong Myeong was still young. Even if Baek Cheon looked good, it wouldn't be strange for him to avoid his sasuk, who was a generation ahead of him and had a decade-long lifespan advantage.
Or could it be that his name was in a hard-to-see place like Baek Cheon? In that case, he would need someone to point it out before Cheong Myeong knew it, then the entire sect would find out soon after about Cheong Myeong, giving them no time in private to sort things out.
Besides, Baek Cheon still hadn't figured out what it was supposed to mean to find out he was someone's soulmate in two lives.
Baek Cheon would have to make the first move.
"What?"
Cheong Myeong was speechless.
"Soulmates…? Sasuk, are you sure you saw the name correctly?”
“If you have doubts, I can prove it to you.”
Baek Cheon had taken Cheong Myeong to a private area with that intention, predicting that the information would be difficult to assimilate if he wasn’t already aware of their bond.
“I just want to warn you about something,” Baek Cheon spoke as he continued to undo the belt knot, remove the outer robes and undo the wrist cuffs. “The first two names appeared since I was born, although they were blank.”
Cheong Myeong became pale.
Baek Cheon turned around, removing the inner robe that he carefully folded along with the others.
Cheong Myeong walked up behind him, brushing his long black hair over Baek Cheon's shoulder to properly look at the bold writing. That was Cheong Myeong's writing, bold and aggressive, as if he wanted to make it clear whose name was written on that person. And the most incriminating thing was the second line, which he traced lightly with his fingertips.
Plum Blossom Sword Sovereign.
Baek Cheon was, without a doubt, his soulmate.
“Did you say the first two lines were blank? What happens with the rest?"
“It changed to black at some point while training in seclusion before the HwaJong tournament, and then the third line appeared,” he recalled. “As time went on the last two were included.”
Which would coincide with the time when Cheong Myeong had reincarnated.
“But there is nothing in mine…”
Cheong Myeong removed his hand, allowing Baek Cheon to to grab his clothes and put layer after layer back on himself.
“Aren't you more worried about the second line?”
“No, it's okay, who do you think I am? Of course, someone as cool as me could only be the reincarnation of a legend,” he boasted with a nervous smile. “If even the mark of sasuk says so, there is no reason to doubt.”
“I see…” He nodded. “Do you think your brand is somewhere hard to see?”
Cheong Myeong untied the knot on the sash of his uniform. "I'm not sure. I train half naked all the time, wouldn't my sahyeong have said something?”
Despite his lack of enthusiasm, Cheong Myeong obediently took off his clothes, allowing himself to be examined by Baek Cheon for a long time, until he decided to remove his pants completely instead of rolling up the pant leg. And then Baek Cheon pointed at him.
"There is!" Baek Cheon's hands held Cheong Myeong's leg, stretching the skin to take a closer look at the characters. “ Jin Dongryong, Baek Cheon , Hwasan's Righteous Sword , says.”
Cheong Myeong craned his neck, vaguely making out the border of the characters from his awkward position.
“With a mirror you should be able to see it… Oh, sorry.”
After a moment, Baek Cheon moved away from Cheong Myeong upon noticing the unseemly position.
“It's okay, sasuk. I wouldn’t have found it any other way.”
The damn tattoo was on the back of his leg, under his buttock. How was he going to find those little letters or expect someone to find it? Even if they had seen it, it would have been awkward to have the conversation explaining how they found something so small in that hidden place.
"Yeah…"
The two walked away, uncomfortable, deciding not to talk about this again.
“Let's go back to training,” Baek Cheon proposed.
Only several years later, once they had exchanged wedding vows and lay in bed together, did they return to the subject.
“You might think that sasuk is a discreet person because of how hidden his mark is, but you just wrote your name in a place like that…”
“No, it wasn't me!” Baek Cheon pushed the smiling Cheong Myeong onto the bed. “Also, what about yours? There is no way to hide that name, what does that say about you?”
“That sasuk is mine, of course.”
Baek Cheon placed his palm on Cheong Myeong's chest.
“Just as you are mine, husband”, grumbled.
"Yes, husband."