Chapter Text
Kai first noticed the marks around 1st grade. He didn’t know what they meant and in confusion had shown his mother after coming home from school. She looked at her son’s arms which were now littered in what she had assumed to be school notes written in Korean.
“Looks like you have a soulmate Kai, and she apparently speaks Korean.” His mother then explained how the marks appeared, what a soulmate was and made a deal with him to teach him how to read the marks if he would start remembering his chores. Kai had agreed, asking what the marks that were currently on his arms meant.
In 4th grade he had moved with his family to Korea and now understood more of what was being written on his skin. He would occasionally write on himself in English and Korean in hopes of a response, though most of the time he didn’t get one. The only time he had gotten a response was a bunch of question marks and a small uneven heart.
“Mom… What happens if your soulmate doesn’t respond?” Kai had come to her one night after having a rough day at school. His classmates were discussing their marks and how they would stay up all night writing back and forth, some had even found their soulmates already. Kai’s mother looked at him with slight pity, “Oh hun, don’t worry about that. I’m sure your soulmate is just busy. She seems to be older than you, her notes were a grade or two ahead of you anyway.” Kai looked at his arms again, now really reading what they said. Looking at them now, he realized the subjects were a few years ahead of his grade level.
He was in his second year of high school when Kai’s friend had come to him with another boy at lunch. He introduced the boy to Kai as his soulmate. Kai looked at his friend and the boy in confusion but nodded and asked if he still wanted to sit together for lunch. That night he went to his mother with questions about soulmates again, asking if it was possible for soulmates to be of the same gender. After getting a confused face in return, he explained his friend and his soulmate to his mother.
“Yes, it’s possible and normal for two boys or two girls to be soulmates. It’s also possible for someone to have more than one soulmate but it is rarer.” Kai’s eyes widened at the new information, he hadn’t even thought about his soulmate being a boy or even having more than one soulmate. Though if he had more than one then that would mean he would have more than one person ignoring his attempts at communicating. He thanked his mom and went to bed, writing a small *Hi* on the back of his hand in hopes for a response.
Kai woke up the next day and looked at his hand expecting to not see a response, but instead saw an arrow pointing toward his arm. He looked all around his arms excitedly, looking for any more writing but frowned when he saw nothing. He sighed, throwing his blankets off himself and froze when he saw black marks on his thighs, *Sorry I haven’t been responding. I’m a trainee T_T* Kai smiled as he grabbed a pen and wrote on his thigh underneath the message, *That’s so cool! I’ve wanted to be an idol for a while.* Kai wrote to his soulmate a little more before walking out of his bedroom looking for his mom again.
“I want to audition to be an idol.” Kai announces as he walks into his parents room. His father looks up from his phone confused and his mother smiles as she sees the upside down writing on her son’s leg. “Oh? Like your sister? What brought on this decision?” His mom asked, sitting up in her bed now. Kai blushed as he looked down at his legs, “I- I’ve been thinking about it for a while and… someone said I should go for it.” His dad hummed, going back to his phone. His mom smiling again and clapping shortly, “Oh I’m so excited for you Kai!”
Kai had sent audition tapes to every company he knew of, big and small. He waited a few weeks, slowly losing hope until he got an email from BIGHIT. He stared at his phone for a couple minutes, mouth agape before he walked into his parents room. He didn’t speak, only showed his mom the phone screen, showing the email offering a trainee position at HYBE. His mothers face lit up with excitement as she read what company the email had come from.
*I got an offer from BIGHIT!* Kai wrote on his thigh that night after accepting the offer and celebrating with his family. Again he didn’t expect a response right away, so he did his night routine before changing into his pyjamas. He looked down at his leg once more before turning his light off, seeing new writing showing up on his skin. *That’s so cool! I’m actually a trainee with them! They’re looking to debut a new boy group right now but maybe they’re thinking of a girl group?* Kai stared at his leg for a minute. Did his soulmate think he was a girl? Did he think his soulmate was a girl? *I actually auditioned for the boy group…* He wrote in shaky, slow writing. He didn’t see any new writing on his legs for a few minutes and was about to pull his blankets over himself until he saw the start of words forming.
*Me too :) So you’re a guy too?* Kai smiled at the similarly shaky handwriting. He responded saying good night, pulling the blankets over himself and trying to sleep. His mind was racing with the new information he got today. The offer from HYBE, the fact his soulmate is also a guy, and he’s also a trainee with BIGHIT. He started to realize, he wasn’t disappointed. He’d never really thought about girls in a romantic sense anyway, and he’d started to hope his soulmate was a guy after being introduced to his friend’s soulmate.
Kai was introduced to the rest of the trainees at BIGHIT, he had also met the members of BTS which was really exciting for him. He was then shown where he’d be staying and given his schedule for the next month. He put his bag in his shared room and started putting his things in the small dresser he was given as someone walked into the room. Kai turned to see who had walked in to be met with a wide eyed boy who looked to be the same age as him.
“You must be one of the new trainees, I’m a bit new myself. I’m Taehyun.” The wide eyed boy introduced himself. Kai was a little put off by his monotonous tone but smiled anyway, “Yea I was just offered a few days ago. My name’s Huening Kai but my Korean name is Jung Hawon.” He introduced himself, noticing Taehyun’s eyes somehow widened at the mention of a different name. “So you’re a foreigner? That’s cool dude! You’re the first foreigner at the company.” Kai nodded, “Yea… It’s a bit confusing I guess. I was born in Hawaii, but my family moved to China when I was only a baby and we lived there for 7 years I think. Then we moved here when I was in 4th or 5th grade, I forget but I’ve been here since I was 8.” He finished his little rant/explanation with a smile as Taehyun listened, looking at him with those big eyes.
After Kai finished putting his clothes away and setting his small collection of plushies on his bed, he was told to go to one of the practice rooms. He looked at his schedule and up at the door numbers, soon enough finding the room he was supposed to be in. As the door opened and he walked in, there were four sets of eyes that turned to him. Kai froze as the door closed behind him, giving a small smile and wave to the four other boys. He saw one of the boys was Taehyun and relaxed a little, walking further into the room.
“Hey! You’re in our group? That's awesome Kai!” Taehyun said as he walked over excitedly to the youngest. The other three stood where they were, looking confused at the two. “Is this the new trainee you’re rooming with Taehyun?” The boy with sunken eyes asked, as he looked scared of Kai. Kai smiled as Taehyun spoke up, “Yea! This is Kai, or Hawon, he’s a foreigner!" The three others raised their eyebrows and Kai laughed nervously. He told them the same story he had told Taehyun while the others listened.
“Well, you’ve met Taehyun, I’m Soobin, this is Yeonjun, and that’s Beomgyu. We’re all excited to have you on our team Kai.” Soobin introduced the boys, and Kai smiled. “What’s your year?” ‘Yeonjun’ asked, presumably to know honorifics. Kai said his birthday and Yeonjun groaned while Taehyun and Beomgyu giggled. “You’re still the oldest hyung! Still the grandpa of the group!” Beomgyu teased Yeonjun, the older bringing his hand up to slap him while Beomgyu giggled and dramatically ran away. “Ignore them, they’re just like that.” Soobin said as he walked up to Kai. He looked the younger over while Kai stood there, nerves jittering at the close proximity.
“They realized they were soulmates like a month ago. They’ve been insufferable since.” Taehyun says as he rolls his eyes, Soobin huffing out a short laugh. Kai looked at the two who were now chasing each other around the practice room and smiled. Noticing the small drawings on the pairs hands and arms, Kai looked down at his covered thighs.
The group finished their set practices after a few hours. Soobin stood and started listing off things to remember for tomorrow. Taehyun rolled his eyes and leaned in to talk to Kai, “He’s definitely going to be the leader of the new group. Always telling us what to do, what we can improve on, where we need to be for distributions. I’m kind of glad it’ll be him though, I can’t imagine Yeonjun hyung or god forbid Beomgyu hyung being the leader.” Kai giggles at Taehyun’s words. The five grab their things and head back to their rooms, Kai grabs his things for the shower and heads to the washroom.
*Being a trainee is tough… What group are you in?* Kai wrote on his shin, hoping to catch the eye of his soulmate before getting in the shower and washing his writing off. He waited a bit longer as he stripped down after making sure the door was locked and his clean clothes were on the counter waiting. He looked down at his legs again, *It is hard… I’m in 1b, we just finished practice :)* Kai felt his stomach drop, 1b was the group he had been assigned.
His soulmate was one of the boys he had met today? Kai knew it couldn’t be Yeonjun or Beomgyu now, he didn’t have any matching marks that he saw on the two. That only left Taehyun and Soobin. He’d have to see if Taehyun would wear shorts tonight, then he could see if there were any marks. *I finished practice too, I’m gonna shower and wash this off :/* He wrote under his soulmate's response, not wanting to wait around naked any longer.
After his shower, Kai was sitting on his bed texting his mom and sister when Taehyun walked into the room. Kai looked up from his phone and smiled at the boy. “So, how was your first day? You gonna stick around for a while?” Taehyun asked as he sat down on his own bed. Kai smiled at the older and nodded, “Yea it’s tiring but I’m excited to hopefully debut.” Taehyun hummed, pulling out his own phone. Kai looked his roommate over, noticing he was wearing pants and not shorts.
“So… How did hyungs find out they were soulmates?” Kai asked. Taehyun looked up from his phone with confusion until it clicked and he started laughing. It was then Kai’s turn to look confused. “They hadn’t stopped bickering since Beomgyu hyung came to the company.” Taehyun said after he had finished his laughing fit. “At first me and Soobin thought they were gonna kill each other. But a month ago Beomgyu hyung was complaining about his soulmate being ‘too fucking forgetful’ cause his legs were full of notes and dance formation directions and shit. Yeonjun was staring at him and then fucking pulled his pants down infront of us.” Kai’s eyes widened at the actions of his hyung and he laughed along with Taehyun. The two calmed down and Kai looked at the other a little anxiously.
“Have- have you found your soulmate yet?” Kai asked a bit quieter than he’d wanted to. Taehyun thought the question over for a second before answering. “Yea… He was a trainee here actually. But him and his friend left the company for a smaller one… I don’t know why. But I don’t think he was the only one.” Kai looked at him a little confused again. Taehyun sighed, he pulled his pant leg up to show his shin. There Kai saw a conversation on the older’s leg, he looked at Taehyun confused again. “It’s not my hand writing. And they’re talking about a ‘Hongjoong’ and I don’t know who that is.” Kai’s eyes widened, remembering when his mom had told him about how some people could have more than one soulmate.
“I don’t really respond anymore. I just try not to read the notes. My soulmates seem to have found each other and I’m happy for them.” Taehyun sighed as he looked down at his legs. Kai frowned, “You haven’t talked to either of them? Maybe they’ll want to meet you? You said you know the one, so why not try to get to know the other one?” Taehyun shrugged. “It’s all good. I’ve accepted the fact they’re together without me.” Kai hummed. He left the conversation at that, and turned back to his phone.
At least he knew Taehyun wasn’t his soulmate, but that meant that the only other person could be Soobin. Kai didn’t know what to think of that. He hadn’t talked to Soobin enough or known him long enough to figure out his personality. Though he had talked to him through their soulbond, he was now nervous about tomorrow. He’s in a trainee group with his soulmate who he had just met today. He texted all of this to his mother, explaining his soulmate discovery and how his first day went. She texted back excitedly with a bunch of hearts. Kai smiled at his phone as he turned it off and set it on the dresser beside his bed, grabbing a small plushie and cuddling it as he fell asleep.
Kai was woken up by Taehyun shaking him gently. The room was still dark as he opened his eyes and looked around. “Group practice in 20 minutes Kai!” Taehyun shouts as he pulls a hoodie on and brushes his teeth. Kai shoots up from his bed and heads to the washroom with his clothes, quickly changing, brushing his teeth and hair and making sure the shorts he grabbed were long enough to cover the new marks on his thighs. *oh, you never told me what group you were in?*
Kai followed Taehyun to the same practice room they were in yesterday, finding the others already there. Beomgyu and Yeonjun were wrestling each other on the ground while Soobin cheered Beomgyu on, though it looked like he was losing to the older. Soobin was wearing loose shorts and a baggy short sleeve that Kai thought made him look cute. Kai blushed at his thoughts and turned his gaze to the two rolling on the ground. Soobin noticed the two who walked in and clapped before he spoke, “Alright you two, stop playing around. We’ve got things we need to run through, then we’ve got vocal practice.” Yeonjun and Beomgyu let go of each other, stood up from the floor and stood beside Kai. The five got into position as they ran through a few BTS choreographies, Soobin calling a break after the third song finished.
“You’re kinda stiff there Kai. Try loosening up a bit, you know it doesn't hurt when you fall after a while. You get used to it.” Soobin said as he handed Kai a water bottle. Kai took the bottle, mumbling a small ‘thanks’ as he took a sip. As Soobin was standing over him, Kai caught a glimpse at the skin under his shorts, he could barely make the writing out but it was definitely in the same spot as the writing on his own skin. His eyes widened before he quickly looked at his own legs to make sure the shorts he had on were still covering the writing on his legs. He didn’t know why he didn’t want Soobin to know they were soulmates, but he couldn’t let him find out just yet.
Soobin hadn’t noticed Kai’s slight panic as he was talking to Yeonjun about the choreographies. Kai felt grateful for that, though he started to feel like eyes were staring a hole in the side of his head. He turned to see Taehyun stare at him and then look down at his shorts as well. “Why’d you look at Soobin like that?” Kai froze and shook his head. “Like what?” Taehyun squinted at Kai in confusion. His face softened as Soobin clapped again and told the boys to get ready for vocal practice. Kai stood up and bolted to the room Soobin had mentioned. In his rush, Kai’s shorts had ridden up and Taehyun had seen writing close to the younger’s knee.
This was Kai’s first vocal practice and he was definitely nervous, it also didn’t help that Soobin was the one coaching him along with the vocal teachers. “Push your ribs out. It’ll help you hold the note longer.” Soobin says as he demonstrates what he’s saying to Kai. The younger lets out a long sigh, using the tips Soobin gave to hold it for longer which caused Soobin to chuckle. “Good! Now try the line again, and use your ribs.”
Practice was done for the day and Kai was laying on his bed alone once again. That was until Taehyun finished his vocal practice and came back to their shared room, he opened the door quickly and startled Kai. “What’s written on your leg?” He asked as he closed the door that almost hit the wall when he walked in. Kai shot up from his bed, pulling the legs of his shorts down making sure the words on his thighs were covered. “What are you talki-” Kai started to ask before Taehyun walked up to him and stared at him. “I saw something in the dance room. You have something written above your knee and you’re freaking out about it. What’s wrong?” Taehyun asked, voice now laced with concern. Kai guiltily looks down at his legs. “Just… Please don’t tell anyone else.” Kai asked.
Taehyun nodded quickly, Kai reluctantly pulled his pant leg up to show Taehyun the writing. *It is hard… I’m in 1b, we just finished practice :)* & *oh, you never told me what group you were in?* were the only lines that were on his thighs now since he had showered this morning, though they looked a little smudged. Presumably because Soobin was sweating during dance practice today. Taehyun stared at the words, eyes widening as he realized who Kai’s soulmate was.
“That means Soobin is your soulmate??! Is that why you were acting weird around him today?” Taehyun asked, Kai nodded in response as he pulled his pant leg down. Taehyun tilted his head as he looked at his phone then back at Kai. “You never answered him… do you not like Soobin?” Kai quickly shook his head, “No! I- I mean yes I do like him but I just don’t want to scare him or make him feel uncomfortable. He doesn’t really know me well enough yet and… I do really like him. I- I don’t want to ruin anything.” Taehyun’s expression softened. He looked down at his own legs then at his phone before texting someone.
“Want to go for dinner with the guys? They’re wanting to go for ramen.” Kai looks up at Taehyun from his bed and smiles with a nod. He gets up and looks through his drawers for a nice outfit, finding a decent one with Taehyun’s help. No longer needing to change in the washroom to hide the writing on his legs. The two leave their room and walk to the restaurant that the others had agreed upon. They quickly find the three and sit with them, Taehyun taking the seat beside Yeonjun leaving the only seat left for Kai to sit in, being the one beside Soobin.
The five boys ordered their meal and had just been served when Soobin elbowed Kai before he could put the noodles he had picked up in his mouth. He looked over at the older to see what he needed. “So why’d you audition for bighit?” Soobin asked as he put a bite of his food in his mouth. Kai’s eyes widened as he thought over his answer, “Well… my sister is a trainee with a smaller company. I auditioned for a lot of other companies but I thought I’d shoot for the big guys and they sent me an offer.” Kai chuckled as he explained his auditioning process.
Soobin smiled as Kai talked, “What made you want to be an idol hyung?” Kai asked in turn, genuinely curious as to what made Soobin want to become an idol. Soobin laughed a little at Kai’s question before answering. “I wanted to be on stage. I like when people pay attention to me. I- and if I do debut, I hope to be the leader… I love taking care of others and making sure everyone is okay.” Kai smiled at Soobin, he didn't think he'd actually start having feelings for his soulmate this quickly. He wanted to learn more about the boy beside him but was nervous about revealing their bond still.
They all finished their meal and were headed back to their rooms. “Hey Tae, can I hang out with you tonight? I don't feel like listening to Soobin complain about his unresponsive soulmate!” Yeonjun asked Taehyun as he looked at Soobin, annoyed. Kai tensed, Taehyun didn't acknowledge him though and Soobin slapped Yeonjun’s shoulder. “Hey! Shut up! I'm just excited to actually meet him… he said he was a new trainee here.” Soobin complained as he kept walking. Beomgyu looked at Soobin with confusion. “You do realize we've only gotten like 3 new trainees right? And… one of them is right THERE??” He says gesturing toward Kai. Kai’s eyes widen as he lets out a nervous chuckle. “Yea! Kai, you never even mentioned your soulmate either! Have you already met them?” Yeonjun asks, hand on his shoulder. Kai looks like a deer in headlights as he looks at Taehyun who still wasn't paying much attention to the conversation.
“Uhm… yes? I think so?” Kai stuttered out. Beomgyu looked expectantly at the youngest. Just as Kai was about to open his mouth again, Taehyun spoke up for once. “Why not hang out with Beomgyu? Aren't you guys like- bonded to each other anyway? Don't complain about other people's bond when you have your own.” Yeonjun huffed at Taehyuns response. Beomgyu laughed, “He’s just mad cause he drew a dick on my arm and I'm not washing it off.” Yeonjun groaned, slapping Beomgyu’s arm. “Dude! Can you just wash it off? I forgot it'd be on my arm too.” Beomgyu stuck his tongue out at his soulmate, laughing at Yeonjun's annoyed face. Kai let out a quiet sigh of relief. Yeonjun and Beomgyu were now busy picking at each other to focus on Kai’s soulmate.
“Do you not like them?” Soobin asked Kai quietly. Kai jumped at Soobin’s sudden question, looking at the older with confusion. “Your soulmate. You were a little reluctant to talk about them? Do you not want us to bring them up again?” Kai shook his head quickly. He thought about it and decided on finally telling Soobin about their soul bond. “No! I mean, yes I do like them I just- maybe we should hang out tonight. I can tell you more about them.” Soobin smiled, dimples showing. Kai broke from the group as he followed Soobin to his room, Yeonjun agreeing to stay with Beomgyu for the night, and Taehyun winking at Kai as he left, luckily Soobin didn't notice.
“So, about my soulmate…” Kai spoke cautiously, getting Soobin's attention. He looked at the younger with a small warm smile, waiting patiently for him to continue speaking. Kai nervously sat at the end of Soobin's bed, fingers playing with the bottom of his shorts. He slowly pulled the clothing up revealing the smudged writing just above his knee. Soobin stared at his own writing on the other's skin and gasped. “You’re… I guess that explains the Chinese notes.” Soobin chuckled after recovering from the shock. He looked down at his own legs, smudging the writing and watching it smudge on Kai's legs.
Kai stayed the night with Soobin, they both agreed to sleep in separate beds, not wanting to take things too quickly just yet. They talked about their lives before auditioning to be idols, their favourite foods, and anything else that came to mind until there was a lull in the conversation. “You're not disappointed? I mean- cause I'm younger and I'm… a boy?” Kai asked quietly. Soobin turned on to his side, looking toward Yeonjun's bed in the dark room.
“Kai, I don't care about that. All I care about is getting to know you… Are you disappointed?” Kai shook his head, then realized Soobin probably couldn't see him. “My friend in high school introduced me to his soulmate when they found each other. That was the first time I found out soulmates can be the same gender, and I started to hope you were a boy…” Kai felt a lump in his throat. He could remember all the times in elementary school when he’d see Korean written on his arms, asking his mom to translate and teach him Korean. He heard blankets rustling and soon felt the bed dip at his feet.
“I’m glad you're my soulmate.” Soobin said as he put a hand on Kai's leg. Kai smiled, sitting up and turning on the small lamp light on Yeonjun's dresser, he reached out to grab Soobin’s hands. He feels his face heat as Soobin shifts, moving closer and cradling Kai’s face in his hands. “I'm glad you're mine.” Kai wraps his arms around Soobin's neck, cautiously pulling him closer. The two leaned in until their lips met in a gentle kiss. They lingered together for a second before giggling and separating. Staring at Soobin's face, Kai noticed the small details of his soulmate’s face. The little freckles by his eye, the little beginnings of facial hair that he’ll have to shave soon, the way his teeth show a little behind his top lip.
Kai couldn’t be happier that he had asked his mother to teach him Korean all those years ago. If he hadn’t then he never would have learned how to talk to his soulmate, he would have been opposed to moving to South Korea, he never would’ve auditioned to be an idol. If Kai hadn’t asked his mother about the writing on his skin, he never would’ve met the man smiling in front of him in the dimly lit shared bedroom.