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Chapter Text

Yeosang feels the headache before he’s fully awake. Silently he curses Wooyoung for dragging him to ‘hang out’ with some of his friends. Was Yeosang supposed to know the hang out wasn’t just a hang out but a full-blown party, when Wooyoung started rummaging inside his closet to make him ‘look hot’ (Wooyoung’s words)?

Yes, absolutely.

Technically he should have known the second Wooyoung mentioned his friends. That guy is friends with everyone, so even just some of his friends could be dozens of people. But poor, innocent Yeosang had fully trusted Wooyoung and soon found himself at a party, complete with loud, deafening music, lots of alcohol and  – therefore  – drunk people. Oh, and drinking games. Yeosang had spent a good chunk of last night playing truth or dare like they were twelve, not university students in their early twenties.

He slowly blinks his eyes open. His room is dark and he thanks his drunk self for drawing the curtains. He grabs his phone which is lying plugged in to charge  – thanks again drunk Yeosang  – on his nightstand right next to him. It’s almost one p.m. and Yeosang sighs. He has absolutely no clue when he has gotten home, so he doesn’t know how long he has slept, just that it wasn’t enough.

Unplugging his phone, he gets out of bed. He’s still in last night’s clothes, which makes it unlikely drunk Yeosang made his way into the bathroom to even just brush his teeth after coming home.

As he makes his way to his door, not wanting to turn on the bright lights, he hears noise coming from the kitchen finding its way into his room. Evidently his roommate is already awake.

Yeosang walks into the kitchen, stopping at the doorstep to watch his roommate open a pack of instant ramyeon. Considering his roommate isn’t a much better cook than him, this might be his best option for food today.

“Can I have some too?”

“You’re finally awake?” Dejun turns around and gasps immediately.

“What?” Yeosang is pretty sure he looks like shit but that’s nothing Dejun had never seen before. They have been roommates since their first semester, had seen each other after their fair share of partying and during multiple end of the semester exam periods. No matter how much Wooyoung made him drink last night, there is no way he looks worse than any of the times he had survived on less than three hours of sleep for a week.

“Have you looked into a mirror today?” Dejun asks, worry on his face.

“Come on, I can’t look that bad.”

“That’s a no?”

“I promise I’m on my way to take a shower and brush my teeth but please tell me you’ll make ramyeon for me too first.” By now Yeosang has gotten used to the headache he feels, the hunger taking over.

“Oh my god.” Dejun groans, then walks to Yeosang, grabs his wrist and pulls him along towards their bathroom.

“Do I stink so much? I told you I was about to shower anyway!” Yeosang tries to free his arm, but the other doesn’t loosen his grip.

Dejun keeps pulling him along. He turns their bathroom light on with the hand that isn’t holding Yeosang hostage and places Yeosang right in front of their bathroom mirror.

Yeosang meets his own eyes in the mirror. He looks like shit but still, he’s looked a thousand times worse before and Dejun never judged him then either. His mouth opens to complain about Dejun’s overreaction when he sees it.

Right below his left eye there’s a mark.

Yeosang gasps just like Dejun had a few minutes prior. He immediately starts wiping at the spot, but it doesn’t come off. His hands move on auto pilot, they turn on the faucet, throw water on his face, continue to rub at the mark to get it off his face. It doesn’t work. Of course it doesn’t work.

Yeosang knows exactly that what’s beneath his eye isn’t dirt or remains from a stupid prank somebody played on him.

It’s his soul mark.

Yeosang stares at his wet face in the mirror. His eyes are wide open, his lips parted. He feels scared, confused, sad. His eyes move over to Dejun’s looking at him through the mirror.

“Who?” The word reflects the confusion Yeosang feels himself.

“I don’t know. I don’t remember.”

Yeosang is sitting at their kitchen table watching Dejun pour four ramyeon packs into the pot. When they made it out of the bathroom, Yeosang’s face dry and still marked, Dejun had placed him on a chair and continued cooking.

They’ve been silent the whole time, not knowing how to talk about the elephant in the room (or anything emotional, really), despite two weeks ago marking the start of their sixth semester living together. They had even moved off campus together after a year, yet they had never even talked about the mark on Dejun’s nose. The mark – looking quite similar to the one under Yeosang’s eyes – which Dejun had tried to convince him had always been there (despite Yeosang having photo evidence it hadn’t) and was just a normal birth mark.

Once the ramyeon is finished, Dejun puts a bowl in front of Yeosang, before sitting down with his own.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Yeosang swallows the noodles he had stuffed in his mouth.

“What’s there to talk about? I got my soul mark last night and I have no clue who left it.”

“You can always find out who did.” Dejun tries to cheer him up.

“And how? Do you want me to ask every person who was at the party last night whether they kissed me and are my soulmate?”

“Sure, you could do that. Or you could just look at everyone’s Insta stories or look at your group chats and watch whatever videos people have posted there.” Dejun is a genius. Having known Wooyoung’s friends for more than two years, Yeosang should have gotten that idea himself. Whenever they’re doing anything there’s multiple people who are taking videos on their phones and posting them later. Surely, last night wasn’t any different.

The first profile Yeosang looks at is no other than Wooyoung’s himself. And he’s not disappointed. There’s videos – both filmed by Wooyoung and others – on his story. Yeosang clicks through the first few without really looking at them, he has a suspicion where he’ll find his answers.

Yeosang stops at a video of a small (by Wooyoung’s standards) group sitting in a circle. He sees himself sitting between Wooyoung and Lee Felix whose deep voice is coming through his phone speaker.

“Truth or dare?” Felix is asking someone in the group.

“Truth.” Lee Chan  answers, the bottle that was spinning just a few seconds before pointing at him. There’s several unhappy reactions to that, Yeonjun’s being the loudest.

“Hm.” Felix thinks for a bit. He doesn’t know Chan too well – or at all really – and he doesn’t want to be the cause of someone drinking to get out of answering a truth or doing a dare. He asks a question he’d ask someone when both of them are completely sober too.

“What’s the weirdest way someone you know has found their soulmate?” Had anyone else wasted a truth for a question like this, everyone in the circle had started to complain, but Felix gets away with it.

“Ah a friend of mine only found his mark when he shaved his hair for his military service. And for years before his soulmate was trying to kiss him all the time, trying to cheat the universe or whatever. Anyway, fast forward a lot of confusion he figured it out and kissed his soulmate for the first time. And that’s how Jihoon and Soonyoung’s soul bond formed.” Chan finishes with a shrug.

The video cuts and the next autoplays.

“DARE!” Jisung yells over the music.

“Play the rest of the game in only your underwear.” Hyunjin smirks.

“That desperate to see me naked, Hwang? With your soulmate right next to you too?” Jisung copies Hyunjin’s smirk, instantly taking his shirt off.

The camera pans away, only focusing back on Jisung as he spins the bottle. It stops at Yunho.

“Dare.” Yunho says before he can be asked.

Jisung smirks which is never a good sign.

“Give a lap dance to Mingi.” Mingi next to Yunho blushes immediately.

“We’ll save that for when we’re alone.” Yunho says before kissing Mingi’s soul mark on his forehead and downing the drink he’s being handed by San for not doing his dare.

At this the videos in Wooyoung’s story end. Yeosang moves onto Yeonjun, clicking through his story to find the truth or dare game.

Felix is lying on his back, a shot glass between his soul mark stained lips. Hyunjin is leaning over him and takes the glass out of Felix’ mouth, only using his lips. He dips his head back, downing the shot and takes the glass out of his mouth with his hand, then he leans down again to let his lips meet Felix’ in an extension of the dare. Their marks are pressed together and if it weren’t for Jisung throwing his discarded shirt at Hyunjin, they wouldn’t have stopped soon.

Hyunjin sighs as he separates himself from Felix and helps him move to sit back next to Yeosang. After, he grabs the bottle and starts spinning it. It stops at Changbin.

“Truth.” Yeonjun and Wooyoung loudly boo at that. Changbin threateningly puts his hands in fists and starts throwing air punches at them with a huge grin.

“Okay. Now that Chan isn’t here to stop you from answering…” Changbin loses his smile. “Where is your soul mark?”

Yeonjun, clearly being among the drunkest of everyone there, giggles and before anyone can react says:

“It’s on his dick.”

Judging video-Yeosang’s reaction he was just as disgusted by that revelation last night while drunk as he is now while hungover.

“Your friends are so weird.” Dejun says.

“None of them are my friends. They’re Wooyoung’s.”

“And you’re Wooyoung’s best friend. What does that say about you?”

Changbin spins the bottle. It passes every person multiple times before coming to a stop pointing at San.

“So, San, are you picking dare or are you boring and picking truth?”

“You literally just picked truth.” Wooyoung says.

“I wasn’t talking to you.” Changbin holds up his hand to stop Wooyoung from speaking.

“Dare. I’ll do a dare.” San says.

“Fantastic.” Changbin smiles. “Spin the bottle and kiss whoever it lands on, on the cheek.”

“That’s it?” Hyunjin complains but is immediately shut down by Seungmin pointing out he only had to take a shot glass out of his soulmate’s mouth. San just ignores them both and spins the bottle. It spins in a few full circles until it slows down.

The bottle passes Wooyoung and comes to a halt in front of Yeosang. His lips part in surprise, his eyes snapping over to Wooyoung right away, who smiles tight lipped.

Out of the corners of his eyes he sees San get up and walk over to him. Yeosang swallows, still looking at Wooyoung. Wooyoung nods, barely visible.

“Are you fine with that?” San asks when he’s kneeling in front of him. Due to the alcohol buzzing through his veins, Yeosang nods. San smiles a closed lipped smile and moves closer. Closer until Yeosang can feel San’s breath hitting his skin. San brings a hand up to Yeosang’s face, his lips connect to Yeosang’s skin at the left side of his face.

Yeosang closes Instagram altogether.

“This doesn’t mean- it doesn’t have to be him.” His voice is hardly audible. He’s still staring at his phone lying in front of him on the table.

“He’s your-“

“No. He’s not.” Yeosang has thankfully found his voice again.

“You just watched him-“

“He is not my soulmate. He can’t be.”

“He literally just kissed you.” Dejun says, but he doesn’t understand what Yeosang means.

“He can’t be. Wooyoung is… Wooyoung likes him. He can’t be my soulmate.” With pleading eyes he looks at Dejun, hoping he’ll just drop the topic all together.

“I’m sure Wooyoung will understand. He’ll be happy for you. I mean, he loves you. He’d want you to be happy.” Dejun’s voice is soft, as if he’s scared Yeosang will break if he talked any louder.

“He is not my soulmate. This” Yeosang points at the mark by his eye. “is not from him. And you’re not going to tell anyone about it.”

“What are you planning to do then? Hide it? For the rest of your life?” Dejun asks.

“Why not? Can’t be so hard to use some makeup, can it?”

“Do you really want to-“

“I know what I’m doing. Just trust me, okay?” Yeosang tries to stare into Dejun’s soul until he gets him to agree.

“I’m not going to tell anyone, I promise.” Dejun finally surrenders. Yeosang breathes in deeply, now he just has to hide his mark from the rest of the world.

He looks at Dejun’s nose, or rather at the mark that sits there. Yeosang has yet to be told the truth about the mark, still he has made sure no one they knew ever brought it up with Dejun.

He guesses now is Dejun’s time to pay that back.

Yeosang doesn’t lock himself in his room for the rest of the day. No matter how much he wants to, he’ll have to go to classes on Monday and until then his makeup skills need to be good enough to cover the mark without giving away, he's wearing any makeup at all.

So, late at night he puts on a face mask and chases Dejun out of their apartment with him to help him find some cheap concealer – what a quick internet search told him was best for his needs – that fit his skin tone well enough at some convenience store close to them.

The store is empty, safe for a rather unbothered employee similar to them in age. Yeosang throws a concealer, which seems to be close enough to his skin into a basket already filled with snacks, both as a bribe to Dejun and to make the concealer stick out less.

He quickly ushers Dejun out of the store after paying with trembling hands. He spends the night following some tutorial he found on YouTube until he’s satisfied with the outcome.

The next day, Yeosang is a pro at making the concealer look like his natural skin.

“If I didn’t see you freaking out over the mark, I wouldn’t be able to tell you have it.” Dejun answers after being asked how well it passes.

“Perfect.”

“I still think you should tell them.”

Yeosang leaves.

“Yeosang!” Yeosang turns at the sound of the voice and is met with the kind eyes of Song Mingi. Considering he only knows Mingi as Yunho’s boyfriend (and soulmate) whom he only knows as San’s friend whom he only knows due to the annoying crush Wooyoung has on him – and now as his soulmate an evil voice inside his head tells him – he wonders why Mingi out of all people would talk to him.

“I just wanted to ask whether you’re good? You were pretty drunk Friday and it’s kind of our fault. Or well Yunho and San are kind of the reason you became even more drunk since they had the idea for truth or dare.” Truth or dare. San. Words Yeosang would rather not hear ever again.

“I’m good.” Yeosang shrugs.

“I felt guilty cause you were already drunk, and Yunho and San were two of the reasons who made that worse, but I guess Jongho got you home in one piece then?” The words fall out of Mingi’s mouth with barely any break in between, making it harder for Yeosang’s brain to catch the meaning.

“Wait Jongho? Jongho took me home? Choi Jongho?” Yeosang’s eyes widen at the thought of Jongho seeing him in all his drunken glory.

“Yeah. You don’t remember? Oh man, you really were completely gone. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure Yunho and San won’t encourage drunk people to drink even more in the future.” Mingi promises.

“Anyway, I’m glad you’re fine. I have to leave now. If I’m not half an hour early to my class all the best seats are already taken. Bye Yeosang, see you around.” With that Mingi leaves, giving Yeosang almost no time to reply with his own goodbye.

He thinks about Mingi’s words. He had assumed he made it home by himself, knowing Jongho, who’s a whole year younger than him not only wasn’t as drunk as him but also went out of his way to get a drunk Yeosang home safely, fills him with a kind of shame he normally doesn’t feel.

Deciding to make it up to Jongho, he texts the younger asking him to meet for lunch as a way to thank him and to apologise. Although he doesn’t add the last part. He receives a quick reply.

Of course ill meet you. But no need to thank me.you would have done the same

Smiling Yeosang pockets his phone after they agreed on where to meet.

Leaving his class as quickly as possible the second it’s over, he’s running his apology for Jongho in his head again and again while walking to their meeting point.

Jongho is already waiting for him.

“Sorry for making you wait.” Yeosang apologises.

“Don’t worry. I only just arrived. It’s nice seeing you again. So… sober.” Jongho adds causing Yeosang to ferociously blush.

“I am so sorry. Mingi told me you took me home. Which I don’t remember. Otherwise I would have apologised way sooner.” His explanation is waved away by Jongho.

“Again: don’t worry. Had I not taken you home, I would have felt guilty. Besides, you’re cute when you’re drunk.” Yeosang’s face gets hot. He knows there will be a pink shine to it, which is unusual, considering he normally isn’t called cute.

Or well, that might not be true. Rather he doesn’t normally stand there letting himself be called cute. If it had been Wooyoung who called him cute, he would have hit him by now, if it were someone else, like Seonghwa or Hongjoong, he would have stared them down until they apologised or awkwardly changed the topic.

With Jongho, however? He doesn’t mind as much. Maybe because he technically didn’t call Yeosang cute but his drunk self.

“Right.” Yeosang awkwardly giggles laughs. “I’m sorry for being a burden and again thank you so much for taking me home, even if I don’t remember.”

“Don’t worry. But I have to confess I still remember your door code.” Jongho says.

“My door code?” Yeosang frowns in confusion.

“Yeah… You kind of couldn’t type it in, so I had you tell me and typed it in myself. I didn’t want to wake your roommate, and it was quicker anyway. I swear I tried to forget it, but I guess it’s counterproductive to try to forget something. That just made me remember it more.” Jongho explains.

“It’s fine. Wooyoung knows it too and I trust you more to not misuse it than him.” He shrugs it off. Jongho knowing their door code will likely not make a difference in his or Dejun’s lives. Knowing Jongho he’d likely only use it in case of an emergency like fire. Despite probably not even needing it since Yeosang is pretty sure Jongho could just kick the door open.

“If you’re fine with it. I also promise I didn’t touch anything in your room.” Jongho continues, confusing Yeosang again.

“My room?”

“Yeah, you couldn’t really walk straight, so I made sure you made it into your bed. I only made sure you were in it, put your blanket over you and closed the curtain. Oh, so I guess that means I did touch something. Sorry about that.”

“You closed the curtain? That wasn’t me?”

“No offense, but I don’t think you even registered it was open.”

“Does that also mean I’m not the one who plugged my phone in?”

“Huh? Oh, right. I plugged that in too. I just get annoyed when I forget to charge mine overnight, so I plugged yours in.”

“Drunk me seems pretty useless.”

“Don’t say that.” Jongho chuckles. “You were cute.”

“Yeah, hearing you say that again doesn’t make it much better.” Yeosang still isn’t as irritated by Jongho saying it as he normally gets when others say it, but he’d prefer not being called cute by anyone.

“Sorry.”

“It’s fine. Let’s just grab food. I’m hungry.”

Nothing about Yeosang’s life changes. He goes to his classes, studies, hangs out with his friends.

Sure, he adds one step to his morning routine, but that’s the only change.

Unfortunately this also includes Wooyoung.

Wooyoung is around him as much as he’s always been and with him comes the talk about San.

“I saw him today. God he’s so hot.” San is the last thing Yeosang wants to think about, so he just stares straight ahead, trying to block out Wooyoung’s voice. It semi works until-

“How high do you think my chances are he’s my soulmate?” Wooyoung has alluded to wanting San as his soulmate multiple times before, back then he had wondered about that too. For the past three weeks he has an answer. Wooyoung’s chances are non-existent.

Whenever Yeosang is at a point in his life, he can’t bear the rest of the world anymore, he finds himself going to one place. After listening to Wooyoung go on and on about San, he flees there.

The door opens not long after Yeosang rang the doorbell, revealing a smiling Seonghwa.

“What leads you here?”

“Dejun has friends over and I wanted something less lively.” It likely a lie. Technically he doesn’t know whether Dejun is even home, he hasn’t been and usually Dejun texts him if he brings his friends with him, but sometimes he forgets. Therefor, it might be the truth. Yeosang will assume it is, given he can’t tell him he didn’t feel like hearing Wooyoung talk about San any longer and if he were to be in his room by himself, he couldn’t stop his mind screaming at him how bad of a friend he is.

“Come in. Hongjoong’s in the living room.” Seonghwa straightens Yeosang’s shoes he had just pulled off in the middle of the entrance, puts them neatly against the wall.

There’s some show paused on the TV when Yeosang enters. He greets Hongjoong and drops down at the other end of the couch, leaving enough space open for Seonghwa.

“You can just continue watching.” Yeosang leans his face against the back rest, he has a better view of Hongjoong and Seonghwa than the TV, but he doesn’t mind. He has no clue what show they’re even watching.

Seonghwa presses play and falls down next to Hongjoong. They sit close without touching. As one of the least touchy pairs of soulmates Yeosang has ever met, he normally finds them relaxing to be around.

Maybe that’s why the three of them work so well together. Hongjoong and Seonghwa seem to roll a die daily to decide how obviously they want to be soulmates that day – the highest still being barely at all – and Yeosang likes to pretend he doesn’t see any of the lovey-dovey things soulmates do. Wooyoung on the other hand teases them every time they behave that way, and if they don’t, he teases them about their marks. Yeosang meanwhile tries not to think up a scenario which leads to Hongjoong having his mark on his collar bone while Seonghwa’s is on his jaw.

Hongjoong and Seonghwa are creepily in sync. If one of them moves, the other does too, their bodies never touch. When Hongjoong leans forward to grab his glass, he also takes Seonghwa's and hands it to him, Seonghwa putting both back after they drank. For everything Seonghwa eats, he feeds Hongjoong something.

Yeosang imagines him and San in their stead. In his imagination, he is replaced by Wooyoung, who looks at them completely heartbroken.

“I come with food.” Wooyoung announces as soon as he opens the door. Yeosang sighs.

“Why are you here?”

“I just said, I come with food.” Wooyoung repeats.

“Which doesn’t explain why you’re here.” Yeosang says.

“I brought you food. Both of you. Dejun tell him.” Wooyoung turns to Dejun, who looks not much happier to see their intruder.

“I’m with Yeosang on that. Why are you here?”

“I brought you food because I’m worried you’ll set your kitchen on fire if you try to cook anything other than instant ramyeon.”

“And?” Yeosang inquires. There must be something else if Wooyoung comes with offerings.

“And Yeonjun is stressing me out. He has this project due and thinks he needs to break our nerves with his own. Since unlike Changbin I don’t have to soulmate to escape to, I instead came to my favourite person.” Wooyoung turns to Dejun. “Not you.” As if that wasn’t obvious.

Well, in the future Wooyoung will likely not call Yeosang that either. Not if he finds out about San.

“Yeosang!” Jongho screams across campus. A few people turn to him; others look around for whom he called. With pink ears, Yeosang walks over to him.

Jongho isn’t alone, next to him is a tall guy Yeosang had seen him with a few times in the past. He thinks his name starts with an S. Seungcheol? Seungmin? Seungkwan? Sunoo? Sunghoon? Sungchan? Seokmin? Soobin? Ah, Yeosang thinks that’s it.

“Hi.” Jongho and maybe-Soobin greet him.

“Hi?” He wonders why Jongho would call him over.

“Do you think red and black are nicer colours or blue and yellow?” Jongho asks him for some reason.

“What?”

“Don’t question it, just answer.”

“Black and red, I guess. They're actually my favourite colours.” Yeosang answer still confused.

“See, I told you.” Jongho turns to maybe-Soobin. “Thanks Yeosang.” With that the other two just walk away.

Yeosang knows too many weird people, he might even rival Dejun by now.

“It’s an amazing day today” Wooyoung’s voice is inside his apartment once again, attacking him the second he’s taken off his shoes.

“I told him to leave. He wouldn’t.” Dejun says from the couch. He has a plate in his hand, on it a piece of cake.

“You’re eating the cake I bought.” Wooyoung points at the cake on Dejun’s plate.

“I didn’t say you should take the cake with you.” Dejun deadpans.

“I don’t like your roommate.” Wooyoung tells him. “He’s trying to ruin my day, but guess what? It won’t work because San spoke to me today.” He has a huge, happy smile on his face.

Yeosang looks at Dejun who’s fixing him with his gaze. There’s a clear plea in them. Yeosang looks away.

"I think matching soul marks are cute. Like Felix and Hyunjin. And my cousin's too. His is really cute. Looks like a heart." Jongho had been his safe space so far. Unlike the other people Yeosang surrounds himself with he had not reminded him of what lays hidden under a layer of concealer.

Seonghwa and Hongjoong are a given, soulmates with their marks - unfortunately - visible. Dejun, while he acts as if he doesn't, he too has his mark - even more visible. And lastly there is Wooyoung. The person whose mere existence reminds him of the darkest part of his face. His biggest lie.

Jongho never mentioned soulmates before. Yeosang had always assumed he'd be one of the people who didn’t dwell too much on the thought of their soulmate, happy when they meet them, sure, but not one of those people who imagine when and how they'll find them. He seems to have been wrong.

"Is that what you see for yourself?" Please stop talking about soulmates. 

"Maybe." Jongho shrugs. "It's not like you can plan on that."

"I mean you can plan when and where to kiss someone, can't you?" 

"Sure, sometimes. My cousin, the one with the heart shaped mark, he's had his since he was thirteen. His soulmate was twelve. They kissed during truth or dare." As if it couldn't have gotten worse. Jongho just has to have an example reflecting his own dilemma perfectly. 

"The next day he had to explain to his parents and older brother how he's had his first kiss the evening before and how the boy he had to kiss is his soulmate. Lucky me, I was staying with them that weekend, so I had a front row seat." Jongho is oddly excited about it. Oddly for Jongho, had it been Wooyoung retelling this story, he would have been confused as to why he wasn't more evil.

"They've been together since?" Yeosang asks.

"Well, no. They claim they're friends, but I don't think they even speak." Jongho explains.

"That's" Depressing he wants to say but doesn't. He's not any better. Worse, even.

"I understand it. Imagine being that young and all your friends and loads of strangers watch you kiss a boy you've never even spoken to and suddenly that boy is your soulmate." Yeosang understands better than Jongho thinks. So many people watch San kiss him, unknowingly leave a mark on him and now he has to deal with the repercussions.

"And it gets even worse. Their parents made them sit through a – as I was told – extremely awkward dinner. All of them together. Including their older siblings." Jongho smiles. "The reassurance is nice, though. Knowing who your soulmate is. That they're out there. Even knowing where to find them."

"Your soulmate is out there somewhere too." Yeosang says, trying to cheer him up, remove the strain, which isn't fully hidden by his smile, off his face.

"Yeah. I guess."

He blames Jongho for putting the constant thought of soulmates into his mind that day. Something about even Jongho talking about them, embeds the topic in his mind. Which means it’s Jongho’s fault he’s still thinking about them when he’s back home, eating take out Dejun had brought with him, the other next to him on the couch.

“Why did you never cover your mark?” He blurts the question out without thinking. It’s been on his mind quite a long time, yet he never asked. Dejun never wanted to talk about the mark and he respected that. Now though it feels different. Now Yeosang has a mark he doesn’t want to have. Dejun seems to consider whether to answer him for a second. Then he smiles sadly at him.

“Just because I want him to have a different soulmate doesn’t mean I want to have a different one.”

“You want him to have a different soulmate?” He stares at Dejun, mouth wide open. He’s never heard such bullshit before.

“Isn’t that kind of what you want with San?” Dejun’s eyebrows rise.

“No? I don’t want to be his soulmate, and I don’t want him to be mine. It’s different.” Yeosang will die on that hill.

“You can’t hide the mark for the rest of your life, Yeosang. It will go wrong eventually.”

“It won’t go wrong. It hasn’t so far.”

And then it goes wrong.

It starts out as any normal day. Yeosang did his normal morning routine of brushing his teeth, washing his face carefully applying his concealer. Got dressed in whatever was clean before grabbing a quick breakfast on the way to class. A day like any other. His classes are insignificant; he has lunch with Hongjoong and Seonghwa who seemingly rolled the die on ‘pretending not to be smitten with each other’ today – not that Yeosang is complaining – he buys some instant ramyeon packs on his way home after his afternoon class and takes a shower once he’s home.

Normal like any other day, safe for when the door to his room opens, while he’s huddled in front of his computer trying to bring at least two sentences together, so he’ll be able to tell himself he’s further with his assignment, and Wooyoung walks in.

“Yeonjun and Changbin decided to not appreciate me today, so I brought you food instead.” Wooyoung doesn’t even greet him before starting to complain. He throws himself on Yeosang’s bed with a loud sigh.

“I told Dejun he could have some too, otherwise he probably would have kicked me out. Like what’s up with that? You told me the code, so I could get in by myself after all.”

“I didn’t tell you the code. You watched me type it in and have been using it since.” Yeosang doesn’t spare him a glance, too focused on pretending to be busy.

“If you didn’t want me to know, you would have hidden it from me while typing it in.” Yeosang decides to ignore Wooyoung. They’ve had this conversation before and still, whenever the door code to Yeosang’s and Dejun’s apartment changes, Wooyoung somehow gets the code again.

“Stop pretending to be busy. We both know, you’re not going to finish that until the day you have to hand it in.” Wooyoung’s right, still Yeosang doesn’t want to admit it.

“If you’re bored, can’t you bother your roommates? Would be easier, you know. You won’t have to come here.” The words on his screen blur together. Nothing makes sense to him.

“And leave you all alone? I’m not that rude.”

Yeosang surrenders. He closes his laptop, despite definitely having a plan for his assignment which has now been ruined by Wooyoung.

As he turns to Wooyoung, he makes sure to put an annoyed expression on his face, coming up with something witty to say. He doesn’t get the chance to do so though.

Wooyoung gasps the second he sees Yeosang’s face.

“Kang Yeosang! You found your soulmate?” Wooyoung screams and all colour leaves Yeosang’s face.

He screwed up.

Chapter Text

“No, I didn’t.” His hand immediately flies to his face, covering the darker spot under his eyes.

“Yes, you did. You have your soul mark.” Wooyoung is excited. Like any decent best friend would, without knowing what Yeosang did to him.

“No, I don’t. Where? Like that’s just dirt. Haha.” He’s so not playing this cool. His fingers are still on the spot below his eyes, shielding it from Wooyoung’s prying eyes.

“I know what soul marks look like. Besides, if that were dirt, how would you know where it is?” Damn Wooyoung. Why couldn’t he be more of a fool?

“It’s not a mark. I’ll show you. I’ll wash it off.” Yeosang gets up, to his surprise, so does Wooyoung.

“Sure. I’ll come with you.”

“Why? Don’t you trust me?” Yeosang is almost out of his room, Wooyoung right behind him.

“Oh, don’t you dare.” Wooyoung looks hurt by his accusation. But not as hurt as he’ll be once he finds out the truth.

As soon as he steps out of his room, Yeosang spots Dejun.

“You tell him. Tell him this isn’t a soul mark.” For a few seconds Yeosang lifts his hand and points at the spot, only to hide it right away again.

“Yeah, because he’s never lied about a soul mark before.” Wooyoung says before Dejun can react.

Yeosang gapes at the words. It must look funny, his fingers hiding his mark, his lips parted, eyes wide.

It’s quiet. None of them move.

For a moment, no one knows what to say or do.

Dejun is the one to break the silence.

“You know my opinion already.” It’s his way of telling Yeosang to tell Wooyoung, whose words he ignores entirely, the truth.

Dejun sends him a pointed look, before leaving them alone.

“You met your soulmate.” Wooyoung states calmly.

“No, I didn’t.” Disappointment shows on Wooyoung’s face. Disappointment at the obvious lie. Yeosang hates it. Hates himself. But the only other possibility he has is to break Wooyoung’s heart.

“I thought you trusted me.” Judging by the other’s expression, he might have already broken his heart.

“I do. I- I do. I just can’t-“

“You can’t what? We promised, Yeosang. We promised not to lie to each other.” It’s a promise almost as old as their first memories, one Yeosang has maintained so far. But now he just can’t.

“I know that. I just can’t.” Wooyoung’s eyes harden. Way to go, Yeosang. Hurt the one person who’s always had your back even more.

“Why not? What’s so bad about having a soulmate?” Nothing. If you’re not Jung Wooyoung’s best friend.

“Nothing! It’s not having one that’s the problem.” It’s the person the universe has decided to make into his soulmate.

“Then what? Telling me? Me knowing?” There might be tears in Wooyoung’s eyes now. Yeosang pretends not to notice.

“No!” Actually yes.

“Why aren’t you telling me then? Who is it? I’m not going to judge you for it, you know. It’s not your fault.” Yeosang isn’t scared of judgement. He’s scared of hatred.

“Besides, how bad can it be? Changbin already has his and it won’t be Yeonjun. And I know it’s not Dejun. The proofs kind of obvious... Oh god... Is it one of Dejun’s weird friends? Cause I’d understand not wanting any of them as your soulmate. Wait. Is one of them Dejun’s? Because I wouldn’t admit that either.” Suddenly Wooyoung’s eyes are back to normal, full of life and mischief.

“Wooyoung!”

“Sorry. Got a little distracted. You know, you can tell me anything, right?” His words are so earnest, Yeosang drops his hand.

“It’s a soul mark.” He says.

“Yeah, I thought we’ve established that.” He holds himself back from hitting Wooyoung, only sending him a glare.

“Sorry.”

“I uhm- I got this a few weeks ago.” The words are out, yet he doesn’t feel a sense of relief. It’s the opposite. Having admitted that, he’ll have to tell Wooyoung the whole truth.

“Weeks?” The disappointment is back, mixed with a bit – a lot – of confusion.

“But I see you almost every day. I never saw this.” Wooyoung points at the mark.

“I covered it.”

“Huh?” Wooyoung looks at him like he has told him Seonghwa threw out all his Lego.

“With makeup.” He explains.

“You covered your soul mark with makeup? For weeks? Why would you? Who left it? Why didn’t you tell me?” All these questions have one answer.

“Can we sit down? In my room?” He nods behind Wooyoung who’s still standing in his door frame.

“Sure.” He follows Wooyoung back into his room.

They sit on the bed, Wooyoung is looking at him, while he is looking anywhere else.

“So?” Yeosang swallows.

“You remember the party you took me to? The one you swore wasn’t one?” Yeosang isn’t about to let that go, never mind the circumstances.

“It wasn’t.” Of course he wouldn’t admit that still.

“Wooyoung.” He fixes Wooyoung with a glare.

“Sorry. I do remember.”

“Well, the next day I woke up with this.” He points at the mark again.

“Who?” One word question, one word answer. An answer Yeosang isn’t quite ready to give yet.

“I don’t remember. I barely remember anything that happened that night.” He’s delaying his answer.

“Then why hide it? Why didn’t you tell me? We could have figured it out together.” Oh Wooyoung. Naturally he’d offer his help.

“I... did... figure it out, I mean.”

“What? Who? Tell me!” Wooyoung sounds way too excited.

“It’s- I checked Instagram? Do you, uhm, remember... there was this video... Do you remember the game? Truth or dare?” Yeosang stops there. He’s letting Wooyoung put the rest together himself.

“San.” Had he not known Wooyoung for as long as he has, he hadn’t noticed his eyes dimming a little.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” Yeosang is quick to say.

“Why are you apologising?” Wooyoung smiles at him, trying to lift him up, showing his happiness both of them know isn’t there.

“Because you- you like him.” His guilt in evident in his voice.

“So? He’s your soulmate. Whatever I might feel is not important. You need to tell him.” Wooyoung is holding on better than he expected. Giving up on somebody he wished to be his soulmate for him. For Yeosang.

“I can’t.”

“Why not? Doesn’t he deserve to know? Do you want him to wait for his soulmate for the rest of his life?” Wooyoung asks, as always trying to think of everyone’s happiness, even if it costs him his own.

“No. I just. I don’t know. I can’t tell him.”

“Why not?” Wooyoung. The answer will always be Wooyoung.

“What am I even supposed to tell him? ‘You kissed me when we were drunk, I’ve had my mark since but didn’t tell you’?” Or maybe the answer has always been Yeosang. Yeosang and his lack of courage.

“Sure. Let’s go with that.” Wooyoung gets up, dragging Yeosang with him by his hand.

“What?” Yeosang has become a rock. An unmoveable force.

“We’re going to him and then you’ll tell him.” Wooyoung pulls harder, finally managing to get Yeosang’s stubborn body to move.

“What? No!” He’s standing now but not moving any further.

“You will.” Wooyoung pulls at his hand again.

“No.” No movement.

“Yes, you will. You can’t just soulmate my crush and not tell him.” More pulling.

“Do you listen to yourself? You like him. I can’t take him away from you.” Still, no movement.

“You wouldn’t. So, what if I like him? I’m not the first to like someone who’s not my soulmate. And you wouldn’t take him away from me. I’d take him away from you, if I didn’t make you tell him. Destiny says you belong together, who am I to come between that? Besides, I love you. And I’m not going to stop talking to you ever, so obviously I want to like your soulmate. And I like San. He’s a good guy. I’m just glad destiny didn’t give you an asshole.” He smiles.

“You sure?” Yeosang is blinking quickly, not to stop his eyes from watering or even crying, just so he’ll have to look at Wooyoung less. Anybody claiming something else would be slander.

“Very. Can we go get you your soulmate now?” Yeosang nods.

Together they leave Yeosang’s room again and put on their shoes.

“So, there’s no chance I can make you stop talking to me? Like ever?” Yeosang asks.

“Maybe you should stop pretending to be bothered by me. You wanted to give up your soulmate for me.” This shuts Yeosang up quickly.

Reaching San’s apartment doesn’t take long. He lives quite close to Yeosang and Dejun, so the most time is taken up by Wooyoung texting Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yunho and Mingi to find out San’s address. (“You don’t know where he lives? Then why did we leave already? I could have stayed home longer!” “I couldn’t risk that. Otherwise, you might have escaped.” “My home?” “Shut up.”)

Yeosang’s face is half covered by a mask, he quickly grabbed before Wooyoung dragged him out the door. He’s glad to have it, not only so San won’t see the mark right away but also, so he won’t have to guard his facial expressions as well.

They snuck into the building behind one of San’s neighbours. With every step Yeosang’s heart started beating faster and faster, now, standing in front of the apartment San shares with his roommates, he feels like it might escape his chest.

“You don’t want to ring the doorbell?” Wooyoung annoyingly asks.

“No?” Wooyoung sighs. His hand moves towards the bell and rings it before Yeosang’s able to stop him.

“Why did you do that?” He complains.

“Because you weren’t going to.” Wooyoung hisses.

“Of course I was!”

“When? Tomorrow? Next week?”

“How about when I’m ready?”

“So never?”

“You can’t even give me two min-“

“Hi?” The sudden chime of a third voice makes them stop immediately. Their heads snap towards the now open door where San is standing looking at them confused.

“Hi!” Wooyoung sounds chipper, unlike the reason they’re here for.

“Hi.” San smiles at them and it’s nice enough for Yeosang to not point out his repetition.

“Hi.” Wooyoung doesn’t get the same treatment, however. Yeosang elbows him in his side, being rewarded with a glare from the other.

“Are you here for one of the guys?” The guys is likely referring to his roommates. Despite not even knowing who they are, Yeosang wishes they were.

“Uhm actually, we’re here for you?” Yeosang doesn’t miss how San lights up at Wooyoung’s words. His shoulders sag at the realisation he’ll disappoint two people today.

“Me? Well, you found me.” San moves his hand along his side as if to present himself to them. “Don’t know how you know where I live, but you were successful.”

“Yeah, uhm Seonghwa told us.” Wooyoung mumbles, now realising how weird they must seem. “Can we maybe come in?”

“Oh. Yeah, sure. Of course. Sorry.” San moves aside to let them enter. For a short moment Yeosang considers running away, but Wooyoung pushes him through the door, quickly following behind him, cutting off his escape route.

“What brings me the honour?” San asks after putting three glasses of water on the kitchen table. His eyes are on Wooyoung.

“Yeosang wants to tell you something.” Yeosang very much does not want to tell San something.

“Mhm. That’s why you’ve been talking nonstop.” San’s eyes move to Yeosang. He hadn’t opened his mouth since first laying eyes on San. Wooyoung even had to answer yes to a glass of water for him.

Yeosang’s eyes snap towards Wooyoung. He’s trying to tell him it’s not too late to leave. Pretend nothing has ever happened. Wooyoung understands. However, instead of following Yeosang’s pleas, he merely grabs one of his hands, giving him his support. There’s no way out.

“Do you like remember that party a few weeks back? The one where we played Truth or dare?” He tries to ease San into the direction of the reveal. Or maybe he’s trying to postpone having to tell the truth.

“Yeah.” San nods.

“Do you remember kissing me?”

“Yeah. Wait. Did I make you uncomfortable? I know I asked, but we were drinking and there were so many people. And just because I tried to spin-“ San interrupts himself.

“You didn’t make me uncomfortable. It’s just… the next day I woke up with this.” Yeosang rips the mask off his face. He looks at San’s eyes for the first time today. Or tries to since those are locked onto his mark.

“But that’s not... I didn’t kiss you there.” Yeosang’s world stops. He hadn’t expected San to be overjoyed at the reveal, but denial? Despite Yeosang wearing the proof on his skin? He hadn’t seen that coming even in his nightmares.

“But I saw a video.” He says at the same time as Wooyoung says:

“But I was there.”

“I did kiss you, yes. But not there. On your cheek. Like here.” San’s skin dips where his finger touches it, right in the middle of his cheek. “Not that far up.”

“What?” It’s nice knowing Wooyoung feels the same confusion as him.

“I kissed you here.” This time he points at Yeosang’s cheek.

“Then why does he have that?” Wooyoung points at his mark.

“I don’t know. I’m not the one who left it!” San defends himself right away.

“And you’re not just saying that, because you don’t want to be my soulmate?” His voice is barely audible, still the others hear him clearly.

“What? No! Besides, you’re the one who didn’t tell me about this for weeks. But if you don’t believe me, I can kiss you again, so you’ll know I’m innocent when you don’t have a mark tomorrow?” Yeosang’s too hung up in his thoughts about how to strongly, yet nicely deny the offer, that he doesn’t even notice the fatal flaw. Wooyoung fortunately does.

“And what good would that do? Even if you are his soulmate, there wouldn’t be another mark since he already has his.”

“Right. You could kiss me?” San offers.

“What?” Yeosang sputters.

“That’s the only way to get confirmed whether I’m your soulmate, isn’t it?” San shrugs.

“I’m not going to kiss you.” His voice is drenched in disgust.

“Oh, wow. Didn’t think kissing me is that horrible.” San inflates a little, making him regret his words or rather the delivery right away.

“It’s not you. Yeosang doesn’t kiss anyone. I’ve known him for years and he still won’t kiss me.” Wooyoung to the rescue.

“If that’s the case, are you sure, you didn’t leave that?” Seemingly having gotten over Yeosang’s disgust quickly, San’s back to pointing at his mark.

“Yes. Just because he won’t kiss me, doesn’t mean I don’t kiss him.” Wooyoung explains with a big smile on his face.

“Unfortunately.” Yeosang throws in.

“San’s right though.” This time Wooyoung is speaking to him. “If you want to make sure, he’s not your soulmate, you’ll have to kiss him.” Traitor. “Better than trusting a drunk person’s memories.”

“I’d be okay with it.” Traitors. Both of them. “You could kiss my hand, if you want. I’ll even wash it right before. If that’ll make it better.”

Unsurely he looks at Wooyoung.

“It’s the only way to get confirmation, isn’t it?”

“Okay.” His eyes meet San’s, he nods.

Watching San wash his hands might be the weirdest situation Wooyoung and he had ever been in. And that is saying a lot.

San rubs his hands with soap, rinses it off thoroughly before drying them with a fresh towel.

“Good enough?” San raises his hand, the back of it facing Yeosang. He nods.

“Ready?” He asks.

“Always. You?” San asks back.

“Never.” Yeosang swallows. He needs to get this over with. He doesn’t hold onto San’s hand, just slowly brings his head closer, puckers his lips and has them connect to San’s skin for less than one second. Immediately he snaps his head back and brings some space between him and the other.

“That’s done. Now we wait.” Wooyoung brings the attention to himself, giving Yeosang time to feel his sorrow in peace.

“Do you want to stay over?” San offers.

“Why?” Yeosang sounds rude, but he doesn’t care. He wants to go home.

“So you can see the result first thing in the morning?” San explains.

“No! Absolutely not.”

“What Yeosang wants to say, today was very eventful and we’ve intruded long enough. How about we come over again tomorrow? With breakfast as reparation for ambushing you?” Yeosang isn’t always happy to have Wooyoung around, however right now he is.

“Sounds great.” It doesn’t but he’s not going against San. Not after what they’ve put him through this evening.

“Can you stay over?” Yeosang asks Wooyoung on the way back to his apartment. He’s masked up again and this time the mask isn’t just covering his mark, but also him constantly biting his lip.

“Sure.”

“What if it’s not him?” The words that have been inside his head on the way back, only make it out once their lying in Yeosang’s, bed, with the lights turned off.

“Hm?” Wooyoung is clearly not following him, not having heard his thoughts on the way back.

“San. What if he’s not my soulmate? What if he actually didn’t leave the mark? Then who did? And how am I going to find him?” His voice is shaking. He’s scared.

“We’ll figure that out together.” Wooyoung reaches out to pat his hand. Yeosang grabs and holds onto it.

“Promise?” He whispers.

“Promise.” Wooyoung whispers back.

Yeosang can’t believe that’s his life now. Two days in a row, he’s watching San, still essentially a stranger, wash his hands. He’s not quite as thorough as yesterday, only trying to proof there’s nothing covering his hand, not making sure Yeosang will kiss it.

“See? Nothing.” San raises his hand. It’s still entirely the same colour it had been when they arrived. The same colour as yesterday, before Yeosang ever kissed him. The same colour as before he and Yeosang ever met.

“Yeah. Cool.” But it’s not. While San isn’t his soulmate, someone out there is. Someone who kissed him and has no clue he left a mark.

Wooyoung doesn’t notice his breakdown, instead he looks up from the hand, directly into San’s eyes and says:

“You didn’t deserve him anyway.”

“That’s not what you said yesterday.” Yeosang points out.

“I was lying. No one will ever deserve you.”

“Well, that sucks because someone already left this. And since it wasn’t him” he points at San “I have no clue who it was.” His voice breaks.

Wooyoung wraps an arm around his shoulders.

“Hey, I already told you, I’ll help you figure it out, okay?

“I can help too.” San offers. “I mean, it’s kind of my fault.” Yeosang sends them a closed-lipped smile.

“Thanks. But how would we do that? Like where even start?”

“You got this at the party, didn’t you?” San asks.

“No, I go around asking every stranger I meet to kiss me.”

“What I mean is, no one else kissed you earlier that day?” Yeosang doesn’t answer this time, just stares at him. “I’ll take this as a no. I’d say we only have to figure out who was there that night. Then we’ll put aside everyone with a soulmate, all the straight guys-”

“So none?” Wooyoung throws in. To be fair, they don’t have a single straight, male friend.

“The lesbians” San continues without paying him any mind, only to be interrupted by Yeosang.

“All women.”

“Even better. Less possibilities. So, only the non-straight males without a soulmate.”

“Which is almost everyone. I don’t do straight friends and my friends or more my friends’ friends aren’t good at finding their soulmates.” Wooyoung says.

“Ah, like you’ve found yours?” Yeosang throws in.

“Says the one who found his but doesn’t remember who it is.” Yeosang hits him.

“That’s assault.” He deadpans but quickly changes their topic back. “It’s also not Yeonjun.”

“What makes you so sure about that?” Sans asks.

“If he is, I’ll kill him.”

“And you’re the one complaining about violence.” Yeosang mumbles.

“Okay. A guy who doesn’t have a soulmate and isn’t me, Wooyoung or Yeonjun. How hard can it be?”

Extremely.

They – San and Wooyoung – can’t agree on who’s been there and Yeosang isn’t any help, since he barely remembers the night and didn’t bother with the people there anyway.

Names are being thrown around, quickly followed by one of three things: Either San or Wooyoung claiming said guy wasn’t there, him already having a soulmate or being added to a list on Wooyoung’s phone.

“Do you want me to leave?” Just as Wooyoung and San are fighting over whether someone whose name Yeosang has never heard had been there for around the fifteenth time, a fourth voice appears behind him.

The voice is such a relief, he doesn’t question why he’s hearing it in San’s apartment.

“If I were you, I’d run.” He turns around, thanking the universe for sending him Jongho.

Jongho’s eyes widen slightly, a reaction Yeosang will have to get used to by people he knows.

After realising San is in fact not his soulmate, he deemed it unnecessary to still cover his mark, hence he only left his apartment with a face mask on earlier today – which has since been discarded – and without any makeup. He figured if he had left a mark on San, no matter how much the other insisted he didn’t leave Yeosang’s, Wooyoung already knew, making the one reason Yeosang had to cover the mark obsolete.

Luckily, Jongho doesn’t comment on the mark.

“I thought so when I heard Wooyoung’s voice.” Jongho says with the voice on an angel.

“Hey! What did I do?” Wooyoung immediately starts screaming.

“Be loud?” Jongho shrugs.

“And me being loud is enough for you to walk into someone’s apartment and complain? That’s rude.”

“You do that to me at least once a week.” Yeosang throws in but is ignored.

“Uhm, I live here?” Jongho says.

“You what? Why? How?” Wooyoung speaks for himself and Yeosang.

“I live here. With San and our cousins?” Jongho explains, only confusing Yeosang more.

“Our cousins? You have the same cousins?” If Jongho’s goal was to shut Wooyoung up, he utterly failed. Wooyoung just gets louder with every word.

“Yeah? Happens when your dads are brothers?” Jongho answers adorably confused.

“You’re cousins?” Every time Wooyoung opens his mouth, he gets louder.

“Yeah?” Jongho looks at them confused.

“Since when?” Even louder screeching.

“Since my birth?” Jongho is looking at Wooyoung questioning whether he’s gone completely crazy. To which the answer is yes. Always been in fact.

“How?”

“Our fathers are brothers. Like how do you think cousins work?” Jongho seems to be extremely close to losing his mind, so Yeosang steps in.

“Jongho, I owe you ice cream, don’t I? How about we do that now?” Yeosang doesn’t wait for an answer, already getting up.

“You’re just using that as an excuse to leave.” Wooyoung complains.

“Obviously.” Yeosang answers.

Without looking back to make sure Jongho is following him, he walks towards the door to put his shoes back on. Once he’s done, he notices Jongho crouching next to him busy tying his shoes.

“You have almost perfect timing.” Yeosang says. “I’ve been trying to come up with a reason to leave.”

“And I gave you one, so why only almost perfect timing?” Jongho asks after his shoes are tied.

“You could have come sooner.”

Owing Jongho ice cream was a lie, they go get some anyway. Yeosang ends up paying for both of them.

“I technically owe you for getting me out of there.” Yeosang says before Jongho can get his wallet out.

“Why were you even at our place? With San too? I thought you guys barely knew each other.” Jongho looks at him with interest.

“We don’t. Not really. Wooyoung and I just pulled San into something, and he agreed to help us figure it out.” Yeosang will not elaborate further.

“I can help too.” Jongho, sweet Jongho offers.

“Ah… huh… it’s fine. I think we got it.” He’s not pulling someone else into his problems. Especially not Jongho.

“Didn’t sound like it. But if you don’t want my help.” Jongho shrugs and lets the topic go.

They walk quietly, eating their respective ice creams.

“You said you live with your cousins, right? Who are the others?” Yeosang asks curiously after finishing his ice cream.

“Soobin and Beomgyu. They’re brothers.” Yeosang is able to attach a face to one of those names.

“Soobin’s the tall guy you’re always with, right?” Jongho nods. Mentally Yeosang crosses out the maybe from maybe-Soobin.

“We’re the same age, so we were a little closer growing up. When we were accepted into the same university it was clear we’d live together and somehow San ended up living with us too. Beomgyu too when he was accepted.”

“Must be nice. Having people here you’ve known before.”

“You have Wooyoung.” Jongho raises his eyebrows.

“Well, yes. But that’s Wooyoung.” He knows he can be glad about having him, but he will not admit that.

“By the way, San’s not my soulmate.” Yeosang tells Dejun later that day.

“What do you mean?” He asks.

“He’s not my soulmate. I got it wrong.” Yeosang shrugs.

“But I saw the video.”

“So did I. But he didn’t kiss me here.” He daps at the mark. “He didn’t leave it. Him and Wooyoung even made me kiss him so I’d know for sure I wouldn’t leave a mark on him.”

“He’s not your soulmate?”

“No.” Yeosang confirms.

“That means the last weeks of you stressing were absolutely unnecessary?” Dejun looks at him flabbergasted.

“I mean kind of?”

“Which means had you listened to me and told them right away, you wouldn’t have had to stress like that?” Dejun asks.

“Uhm…” Yeosang will not confirm.

“Do you know who it is?” He looks at his roommate.

“What?”

“Your soulmate?” Dejun raises his eyebrows.

“Ah. No. But Wooyoung and San want to help me find him.”

“You will, don’t worry.” Yeosang wasn’t worrying. Not anymore. Ever since he left San’s apartment, his worries have gotten less. He doesn’t reply to Dejun and silence falls over them for a while.

“Have fun on Monday.” Dejun suddenly says.

“Why? What’s happening?” Yeosang stares at him.

“People will see that for the first time. Which means everyone who knows you will likely comment on it.”

Yeosang stares at him in shock. He knew that already, sure, but he might have forgotten all about that already. Maybe he should thank Dejun for reminding him. He doesn’t, too preoccupied with imagining people’s reactions to his mark.

Monday will be an unusual day.

Monday is not an unusual day. It should be considering Yeosang is on campus for the first time since he stopped covering his mark and has seen several people he knows. Yet, no one has as much as acknowledged it. Probably Wooyoung’s doing.

He has gone the whole day without people even looking at him differently. He likes it.

Actually, Yeosang has to correct himself. It is an unusual day. For a different reason. It’s unusual because Yeosang agreed to meet with Dejun after their last classes and going home together. They don’t often do that, but they need buy a new rice cooker for them, since their old one set itself on fire two days ago (which definitely was not user error, thank you very much) and also stock up on some shared groceries while they're at it.

When Yeosang leaves the building, his last class is in, he spots Dejun, who’s not alone. Which counts as another unusual thing. He knows Dejun has quite a few friends, however Yeosang had never seen the man next to him before.

As Yeosang approaches them, he can hear them talk, but doesn’t understand a thing, because they’re not speaking Korean. Which isn’t unusual since Dejun tends to talk to a lot of people in Mandarin or Cantonese, sometimes English too. What is unusual though is him looking slightly panicked while doing so.

“Yeosang.” Dejun calls out his name as soon as he spots him, relief immediately washing over his face. Another unusual thing.

“There you are! I’ve been wating for you.” Yeosang knows it’s the truth, yet Dejun sounds like he’s acting. He seems relieved seeing Yeosang approach them.

“Hi.” Yeosang greets unsurely. He can tell he’s interrupting something, but considering he can’t place the other man, he has no idea what.

He notices Dejun standing a bit closer to the man than he normally does to others and while he still looks panicked, he moves even closer to the man, a hand in the air as if to present him to Yeosang, almost touching him.

“Uhm well, this is... uh…” Dejun’s words die in his throat; his eyes move between the man and Yeosang. The other man steps forward a bit.

“I’m Kun, nice to meet you.” He introduces himself in nearly unaccented Korean. A fact that seemingly surprises Dejun even more than it does Yeosang. He looks at the other man with parted lips and big eyes, which grow only bigger as Kun continues speaking.

“I know you have plans but if possible and if you’re fine with it, could I ask of you to reschedule? It’s just Dejun and I haven’t seen each other in over two years when he last came to China, and we have a few things to catch up on.” Kun smiles at him, almost causing Yeosang to agree right away. If it weren’t for the fact that Yeosang actually has a – sometimes – functioning brain.

While Wooyoung – and so many others – likes to call Yeosang oblivious or naïve, which might be true, he has his moments. He can connect the two years Dejun hasn’t seen Kun with the two years Dejun hasn’t been back to China, and the two years Dejun has had his soul mark. Considering Dejun not shying away from the physical closeness between him and Kun, Yeosang guesses he doesn’t feel uncomfortable around Kun. He has Dejun’s voice in his head, telling him he doesn’t want a different soulmate. With a look at Dejun to look for any signs asking him to disagree, which he doesn’t find Yeosang answers Kun.

“I guess we can get a new rice cooker another time. And groceries I can get by myself?” Yeosang says. After not receiving any disagreements from Dejun, he quickly says goodbye and makes his leave.

Hours later, after Yeosang had successfully restocked on some groceries and made an only slightly inedible dinner, the front door to their apartment opens. Dejun joins him on their couch, the two of them sitting in silence for a bit until Dejun speaks up.

“Kun’s my soulmate.”

“I figured.”

Silence falls between them again.

“Remember what I told you about him?” Yeosang doesn’t. Not because his memory is bad, but because Dejun had never spoken about Kun to him. Except for one time.

“When you said you don’t want him to be your soulmate?”

Dejun nods.

“It sounds horrible, doesn’t it?” That’s not for Yeosang to judge.

“I said the same thing before.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t say it about your actual soulmate.” Dejun speaks quietly.

“Which I didn’t know.”

“But you knew Wooyoung likes San. That’s why you did. I knew he’s my soulmate and I still left him without a way to contact me.”

“Why did you?” Yeosang dares to ask one of the questions he’s been too scared to ask for the past two years.

“He’s perfect.” It’s an odd reasoning, yet Yeosang understands.

“I know it sounds ridiculous. But it’s… He’s never been to Korea. Two years ago, all he knew how to say in Korean was hello and thank you. And now he speaks better than me.” After hearing Kun speak, Yeosang had thought he had known Korean for some time longer. Thinking about all the foreigners he’s met, most of them consider their words more carefully when speaking, even those who grew up abroad with Korean parents. Dejun too still takes some pauses to consider how to phrase something in his head from time to time. Something Yeosang knows he doesn’t when speaking Mandarin or Cantonese, although Yeosang doesn’t understand Dejun when he does.

“And it’s not just that. He’s basically the kindest person I’ve ever met. He’s intelligent, hardworking, goodlooking, he can sing, he’s a songwriter and composer, he can dance, he’s a great cook, he can fly a plane, he has a degree from a great university, he has a parachute license, he does these silly magic tricks, which shouldn’t be charming but here he is.” The soft smile on Dejun’s lips is equivalent to the smiles on Seonghwa’s and Hongjoong’s when talking about each other, or Yunho’s when he’s looking at Mingi, or all the other people, Yeosang has met in his life, when even just thinking about theirs. Which Yeosang realises Dejun is doing right now too. Thinking about his soulmate.

“I left his mark first. That’s why he even kissed me. He wouldn’t have if I hadn’t shown him, it was okay. Then, the next day, I saw his mark and was scared. I felt like I don’t deserve him. He’s so… He’s all that and I’m just not. So, I left while he was still asleep, blocked him everywhere and flew back here earlier than planned. I had only told him I’m studying in Korea not where exactly, so he had no way to find me.” The guilt in Dejun’s voice becomes more apparent with every word he says.

“So, how did he find you?” Yeosang asks confused.

“Apparently his family is friends with Chenle’s. which means he’s following Chenle on Instagram and saw the picture Chenle posted last week with me in it.” Yeosang doesn’t know who Chenle is, but that’s not the point. It’s likely one of Dejun’s weird friends anyway.

“So, he dropped everything and came here?”

“He said it’s because I didn’t cover my mark. He thought that means I still want him as my soulmate.”

“Which you do.” Yeosang points out.

“And I’m still not good enough for him.” Dejun says more to himself than Yeosang.

“Have you asked him whether he agrees with that? Because that man literally dropped everything just because he saw a picture of you with your mark and came to find you. Also, you said he didn’t know any Korean, right? The fact that he does now must mean he’s learned after meeting you, just because you study here. And that was after you left him without a word.” Yeosang is on a roll today. Maybe if he keeps his streak up, he can use it for himself too.

“I’ll think about it.” Dejun says, still sounding quite unsure.

“Do that and remember, he might be speaking about you the same way you’re talking about him.” His streak is still going strong it seems.

“Thanks.” Dejun smiles at him. “And Yeosang, whoever left that” he points at the mark below Yeosang’s eye “can consider himself the luckiest person alive.” Yeosang isn’t too sure about that. He manages to not know who left it. manages to not remember his soulmate. Who would still want him after that?

“Thank you.” He says anyway, then they fall quiet again.

“So, can he actually fly a plane?” Yeosang interrupts the silence after a few minutes. His mind not letting him ignore this detail Dejun had mentioned in passing.

Dejun groans.

“Of course you’re focusing on that.”

“So?”

“Yes, he can.”

Life gets calmer for Yeosang. He isn’t followed by constant guilt anymore; he can look at Wooyoung again without feeling sorrow. It’s nice.

Wooyoung and San haven’t gotten closer to figuring out who Yeosang’s soulmate could be, but they’ve gotten closer to each other.

They meet almost every day under the pretence of finding Yeosang’s soulmate. The first two times Yeosang has joined them, only to find a reason to leave after a few minutes. Something deep rooted seems to connect San and Wooyoung, it made him feel like he’s intruding on something more. Something precious.

Also, he wanted to give Wooyoung space to be with San by himself.

The fact he’s slowly starting to accept he won’t find his soulmate just adds another layer to it.

“I saw your roommate today.” Jongho tells him when they’re walking to the train station.

“Not surprising. He’s at the same university as you.” Yeosang replies.

“I normally don’t see him. And if I do, he’s with his friends.” The two sentences contradict each other, so Yeosang points it out.

“I thought you don’t see him?”

“Yeosang.”

“Sorry.”

“Anyway, he wasn’t alone. He was with another guy I’ve never seen before. Not one of his weird friends.” Jongho brings them back on track.

“Did you start referring to them as that cause of Wooyoung?” He must have. Wooyoung had been the first to refer to them that way, everyone around him slowly picking it up as well.

“Yeosang.”

“Sorry.”

“Yes, I did. But what I actually wanted to say, I swear this guy pulled out a rose from thin air.” Now, that is something Yeosang had never seen any of Dejun’s friends do before, had never seen anyone do before. He suspects he knows who that was though.

“Must have been Kun.”

“Who’s that?” Fair, Jongho isn’t one of the people up to date on Dejun’s life (unlike his weird friends and Yeosang as his roommate).

“Dejun’s soulmate.” He explains. If Jongho were to hear of Dejun’s soulmate, it likely wouldn’t be from Dejun himself, since they’re not particularly close. Yeosang isn’t sure they have ever met.

“His what?” Jongho yells. Actually yells the second word.

“His soulmate. You knew he has one.” Not matching Jongho’s volume, Yeosang ignores the looks of the people around them who turned to look at them.

“Everyone does.” Jongho says quieter this time.

“You’ve seen his mark.” He rolls his eyes, having perfected that in all the years he’s known Wooyoung.

“Yeah, but I thought his soulmate like died or whatever.” He didn’t hear that correctly, did he?

“Where did you get that from?” His wonder is evident in his voice. When Dejun came back to Korea after their first semester, all of his friends, which means Wooyoung and all Wooyoung’s friends, had not spoken about anything else. Not knowing anything more, Yeosang had never indulged in the rumours about it, only passed on Dejun’s explanation of it being a birth mark, no matter how obviously untrue that was.

“No one ever talks about his mark. Or the one time I brought it up with Wooyoung, he shut me down.” Right, Jongho hadn’t been there when Dejun appeared with his mark.

“He kind of ran away?”

“From his soulmate?” Yeosang nods.

“Why would he do that?”

“We all have our reasons why we do things.”

“But your soulmate is-” Jongho starts a sentence, then abruptly stops. He’s looking at Yeosang’s mark.

“Have you met him? Dejun’s soulmate?” Jongho changes the topic semi smoothly.

“Yeah. Like two or three times. Once if you only count having an actual conversation.” After the day Kun had shown up on their campus, Yeosang had seen him two more times. Once when he came to pick Dejun up at their apartment and Yeosang had been the one to open the door and one time when they had dinner together. Kun cooked. It was good. He allowed Dejun to bring him over more often afterwards.

“How is he?”

“Nice. Don’t know him too well.” He’s less bothersome than Wooyoung can be, with whom Dejun had put up for almost three years now, while potentially being a better cook. He adds one thing. “He can fly a plane.”

Yeosang suspects Wooyoung and San only use finding his soulmate as an excuse to hang out. He constantly sees Instagram posts of them in the same locations, the photos clearly taken by another person. When he asks Wooyoung he tells him, they’re trying to thin out the suspects for his soulmate. They both know that’s half a lie.

It doesn’t bother him, Wooyoung seems happy and Yeosang isn’t too keen on finding whoever left the mark anyway. He prefers spending his evenings – nights, almost (it’s past ten) – in a convenience store waiting for his ramyeon to be done while listening to Jongho next to him ramble.

“And she’s such a great teacher but she’s so, so scary. Like everyone who’s gone to any of her lectures was scared of her.” Jongho is talking about his most hated – favourite? – professor. He doesn’t allow his mind to drift off, no matter how tempting it normally is to block the world out. Something about Jongho has made him more attentive than usual ever since they first met.

Wooyoung showing up unannounced at their apartment has been replaced by conversations in Mandarin that turn to conversations in Korean after Yeosang steps out of his room or comes back home.

Kun isn’t at their place daily, but often enough for Yeosang’s food budget to go down. Every time he comes over, he makes sure to cook for the three or, like today, four off them.

“Yeosang told me you can fly a plane.” Jongho says between bites.

“Oh god.” Dejun rolls his eyes, then shoots Yeosang a look that says seriously?

“I don’t know anyone else who can!” He defends himself.

“It’s not even that impressive.” Dejun replies. Kun next to him smiles.

“It was one of your reasons for why he’s perfect.” Yeosang exposes.

“Perfect?” Kun’s smile grows as he looks at Dejun.

“Yeosang, shut up.” Dejun hisses.

“I’m in love with San.” Wooyoung’s unannounced visits have gotten less but aren’t zero.

“And that’s news how?” Yeosang wonders whether he’s imagined the last two years.

“I wasn’t in love with him. I didn’t know him. Now I do and I’m in love with him.” Wooyoung throws himself on the couch dramatically.

“I want him to be my soulmate.”

“Again, how is that news?” Yeosang dashes before Wooyoung can hit him.

“Can you tell Wooyoung to come to your place more often?” Jongho asks him one day.

“Why would I do that?”

“He’s constantly at ours and Yeosang, he’s so loud.” Yeosang knows. “And San is disgusting around him. Like he looks at him as if he cured cancer or whatever. And if Wooyoung isn’t there, he keeps talking about him. To me. Always to me only because I know Wooyoung better than Soobin and Beomgyu. I don’t get why they’re never at Wooyoung’s either. He literally lives with less people!” Jongho talks himself into a fury, an effect Wooyoung has on many people.

“You can always come to me if they’re being gross.” Yeosang offers in full understanding of being fed up with the two. Besides, he likes Jongho. Having him around is nice.

“Great. Now I have to escape my own home.” Jongho’s voice is annoyed, his smile betrays him though.

“Yeosang!” Yeosang is still half asleep in his bed, when he hears the front door crash open and Wooyoung’s voice echo through the apartment. Despite the door to his room being closed, he hears the door fall shut and Wooyoung running toward his room, while repeatedly yelling his name. Yeosang closes his eyes and pretends to be asleep just as the door falls open.

“I know you’re not sleeping.” Wooyoung crashes onto his bed, burying Yeosang underneath him. “Get up and look!”

“Tell me, how would I do that, with you on top of me?” Yeosang cranks one eye open and is immediately greeted by Wooyoung’s big smile.

“Opening both your eyes would be a good start.” Yeosang sighs and does as Wooyoung told him.

“And how does that fix the get- OH MY GOD!” His complaints are stuck in his throat when he looks at Wooyoung and takes in what he sees.

“When did you get this? How? Who?” Right on Wooyoung’s left cheek is a dark mark. His soul mark. Wooyoung got his soul mark.

“Last night. I got kissed by my soulmate, that’s how these marks work. And who? San, you dumbass.” Wooyoung grins even bigger, wraps his arms around Yeosang, who’s struggling to get him off, and lays down fully on him.

“I’m so happy right now.” He says his face pressed against Yeosang’s chest.

“What did he say?” And how long did Yeosang sleep? Where’s his phone? He needs to check the time. If Wooyoung already managed to sort their bond out with San, he must have slept through half the day. He’s looking for his phone to send Jongho a very apologetic text.

“Stop moving.”

“I’m looking for my phone.”

“It’s on the bedside table. Also. San doesn’t know.” Wooyoung mumbles barely loud enough for Yeosang to hear.

“What?” Yeosang stills. “You didn’t tell him?”

“I will. I’ll go to his place right after and tell him. I just wanted to tell you first.” Wooyoung says.

“Why? He’s your soulmate.”

“And you’re my best friend. I wanted you to be the first to know.”

“Before your actual soulmate?” He doesn’t get it.

“Yeah.” Wooyoung sound like it’s the most obvious thing in the world. Yeosang gets it even less.

“But-“

“You can’t tell me you wouldn’t have told me first about this” Wooyoung sticks his finger on his face, touching his soul mark “had you not thought San left it. If you knew who did.”

This is something Yeosang can’t deny. As much as he wants to, Wooyoung knows he’s right and no matter how much Yeosang could pretend, Wooyoung wouldn’t believe him.

“Thank you.” Wooyoung says when Yeosang doesn’t say or do anything.

“Thank me?” He’s not complaining, just confused.

“Had you not thought San left your mark, I probably still wouldn’t be talking to him, and he hadn’t kissed me yesterday. So, without you I wouldn’t have my soulmate.”

“At least one of us is happy about it.” He doesn’t mean to say it out loud but can’t stop the words. Wooyoung props himself up on his hands, so he can look at Yeosang.

“We’ll figure that out, okay. We’re really close now.” Yeosang knows it’s not true. He hasn’t been as close to figuring it out as he was when he woke up the day after the party – he just didn’t know it back then.

“Don’t you have a soulmate to meet?” Yeosang asks, changing the topic. “How late is it anyway?”

“Like seven?” Wooyoung shrugs, finally getting off Yeosang.

“In the evening? How did I sleep that long?” Yeosang scrambles out of bed.

“In the morning.” Yeosang stills.

“What? Why would you show up here at seven in the morning? I’m supposed to meet Jongho later. I thought I overslept.” With every word Yeosang gets more worked up, Wooyoung doesn’t bat an eye.

“As I said. I wanted you to be the first to know and I couldn’t wait any longer.” With that, Wooyoung leaves his room and – wisely – closes the door between him and Yeosang.

Yeosang finally grabs his phone and looks at the lock screen.

It shows 06:47.

“JUNG WOOYOUNG!” The front door falls shut.

Yeosang is yawning for the fifth time since he met Jongho two minutes ago.

“Sorry. Wooyoung woke me up at like before seven today and I couldn't sleep after.”

“Wooyoung? I thought I heard his voice at the apartment this morning. Or maybe I heard him all the way from your place.” Jongho chuckles, but honestly, Wooyoung would manage to be heard over that distance.

“Oh no, he was at your place. He just decided to wake me up first.”

“Why would he do that?”

“Why is Wooyoung ever doing anything? He doesn’t need a reason for anything; he just does it.” Although Yeosang has to admit his reason today wasn’t that bad. Not that he’s telling Jongho about it. That’s for Wooyoung and San to tell him.

Yeosang is yawning again.

“Okay, you need a coffee. Come on, my treat.” Jongho decides already walking away without giving Yeosang the opportunity to protest.

“I can buy myself coffee. You don’t need to treat me. Hey, Jongho I’m talking to you.” Yeosang follows the younger with quick steps, trying to catch up.

“I’m hearing you. I just decided to ignore the nonsense you’re saying.” Jongho shrugs agitating Yeosang.

“I’m saying nonsense? I have the money to buy me a coffee. In fact, I should be the one treating you since I’m older.” Yeosang says.

“What does age have to do with me wanting to buy you a coffee? I just want to do something nice for you.”

“And I don’t get to do something nice for you?”

“I got the idea first. Come on.” Jongho grabs his arm, pulling him along. Yeosang lets him.

Had Yeosang thought Wooyoung’s pining from a distance was gross, he stands corrected.

At this moment he’s trying his best to chew and swallow his food without throwing up due to the way Wooyoung and San are glued to each other, feeding each other, almost sitting on top of each other.

San’s in a sleeveless shirt, not because it’s hot outside, no, he’s just showing off his soul mark which Wooyoung left on his shoulder.

“I’m embarrassed to be related to you.” It’s a small comfort to know Jongho next to him is being tortured the same way.

“You’ll understand when you find your soulmate.” San says, before he’s fed even more food.

“Right.” Jongho smartly looks down at his plate, Yeosang looks at him.

“I hate your friend and I hate my cousin.” Jongho rages.

“Same.” Yeosang supports slandering them anytime.

“No, you don’t get it. They are disgusting. You think lunch with them is bad? Try experiencing them at home. They eat each other. When I’m right there!”

“I told you already, you can always come over.” Yeosang repeats his offer from a few weeks ago.

“I shouldn’t have to flee my home to not witness my cousin eat his soulmate! Like why can’t they go in his room at least?” Yeosang tries to calm Jongho by petting his arm.

One thing about Seonghwa and Hongjoong Yeosang will always admire is how unbothered they can be.

They had witnessed the Wooyoung-San thing from both sides, Wooyoung’s pining for San and San’s pining for Wooyoung, yet never bothered to introduce them.

Realistically everyone involved knew they know both parties, but no one ever asked them for help, so they just didn’t. Yeosang is truly a big fan.

Jongho too didn’t do anything about San’s pining he was, just like Yunho and Mingi, victim to, but he hadn’t known about Wooyoung’s pining Yeosang had to endure. Moreover, Wooyoung hadn’t known Jongho knew San (let alone was related to) and San hadn’t known Jongho knew as much as Wooyoung’s face. In Yeosang’s eyes Jongho is excused.

Contrary to Jongho’s unknowingness, Seonghwa and Hongjoong were too busy doing nothing to interfere. As punishment, Wooyoung and San had planned the get together where they officially introduce the people closest to them to each other at their apartment.

That’s the pretext they had given at least. Yeosang suspects, they just spontaneously felt like traumatising them. Due to how short notice this get together was, there are only eight people here, including Wooyoung and San.

San had brought Yunho and Mingi who are in the middle of soulmate behaviour between Wooyoung and San basically sitting on top of each other and Seonghwa and Hongjoong whose die must have landed on ‘pretending to be strangers’ today. Yunho and Mingi are nice though, so Yeosang overlooks every gross thing they do or say.

Yeosang is here curtesy of Wooyoung breaking into his apartment and kidnapping him. The only light in the prison he has to share with three pairs of soulmates in the form of Jongho right next to Seonghwa. Lucky him, Yeosang is stuck with Wooyoung and be extension San.

Jongho was the unlucky one of three cousins who was home and fell into San’s clutches. Selfishly Yeosang had been glad to see him when he and San arrived. It gave him something to focus on other than Wooyoung and San lavishly greeting each other (Jongho was right. They do eat each other).

There’s alcohol thanks to Yunho and Mingi coming prepared, likely also having been traumatised by San with and without Wooyoung and not wanting to survive this sober. Yeosang doesn’t drink much, his track record after drinking this semester is bad enough, he doesn’t need to risk not remembering even more important things.

Quickly Yeosang is the most sober person in the room, the others slightly buzzed. They get louder, more emotional, more reflecting or more honest. In Jongho’s case, it’s all of these things at the same time.

“I once kissed somebody I wanted to be my soulmate.” Jongho’s revelation silences all of them. It feels like most of them aren’t breathing, too shocked by the words.

“I knew he isn’t my soulmate, but I still kissed him just to feel like I could have him, like the universe would give him to me. Even if that feeling only lasted for one second.” Jongho continues, his eyes are wet with unshed tears. “And – obviously – he didn’t have a mark the next time I saw him. I already knew he wouldn’t get one, but seeing it was so much worse than I imagined.”

“Oh, Jongho.” Seonghwa interrupts the silence once Jongho stops talking but is quieted by Jongho’s raised hand.

“It gets worse. A couple of weeks later he suddenly had his soul mark.” Wooyoung gasps, Seonghwa places one of his hands on Jongho’s shoulder to give him some support, the rest of them just look shocked or upset for Jongho. “And the worst part of all? It’s exactly where I kissed him.” Wooyoung gasps again, Seonghwa’s arm snakes around Jongho’s shoulders completely, pulling the younger one closer to him. The rest of them watch Jongho carefully, with even more upset, outright sad or pitying glances. Yeosang doesn’t know what shows on his face, however his heart is breaking for the younger.

“I don’t even want to look at him anymore. Every time I do, all I see is his mark. But I can’t bring myself not to look at him. Whenever he’s near me, my eyes automatically find him.”

“You could just not look at his mark?” San suggests.

“Great advice. If his mark wasn’t on his face.” Jongho replies.

“Well, you could always just look at his eyes? That’s what I’m doing with Yunho and Mingi. Just pretend their marks aren’t there.” Wooyoung says.

“Rude.” Yunho throws in, the rest ignore him.

“That would be amazing advice, if his mark wasn’t right by his eye.”

Yeosang’s head immediately snaps over to Wooyoung, who is already looking at him. They have the same thought in their heads right now.

Yeosang woke up with a soul mark the day after he attended a party, he got too drunk at. A party Jongho took him home from. Jongho who had kissed someone he wanted to be his soulmate near his eye, where Yeosang’s soul mark is. Yeosang’s soul mark which he covered up with make up for weeks, when he still thought San was the one who left it there. Yeosang, who stopped covering his mark once he found out San wasn’t the one to leave it weeks after. Jongho, whose not-soulmate suddenly showed up with a soul mark in exactly the same place he had kissed him. Jongho, who doesn’t look at any of them, Jongho, who’s willing tears not to form in his eyes.

Jongho, who might be Yeosang’s soulmate.

None of Yeosang, Wooyoung and San said a word after Jonho’s confession. They cannot get this wrong. Not again.

Yeosang can’t give himself false hope. He can’t delude himself into thinking the universe would grant him a soulmate like Jongho, only for him to have it all wrong again.

The next day, they find themselves on Yeosang’s couch, Dejun out somewhere. They sit in silence, none of them knowing how to start talking about the elephant in the room. The Jongho not in the room.

Or well, Yeosang doesn’t know how to start the conversation, Wooyoung seems eager to talk about it, but gives Yeosang the freedom to start the conversation when he’s ready.

“Jongho was at the party that night.” Yeosang breaks the silence.

“Yeah, we know. He’s at the top of the list.” As proof, Wooyoung turns his phone to him.

“He took me home.” Yeosang adds.

“What?” Wooyoung and San simultaneously scream.

“Why are you yelling at me?”

“Why didn’t you tell us?” Wooyoung is still screaming.

“Why would I?”

“Because we’re literally trying to figure out who your soulmate is, and you don’t give us all your information?” Wooyoung accuses.

“Because that changes everything.” Yeosang sarcastically says.

“Yes, it does. It means you were alone with him without anyone being able to see you.” Wooyoung is way too loud.

“He wasn’t talking about me.” Yeosang is not doing this again.

“How would you know?” At last, Wooyoung has found his inside voice.

“He said he wanted the guy he kissed to be his soulmate.”

“And that means it can’t be you how?” Wooyoung asks softly. He already knows.

“He doesn’t like me. Not like that. He doesn’t want me as his soulmate.”

“I repeat, how would you know?”

“I just know, okay? Why would he want me to be?” Yeosang is hardly a catch.

“Why wouldn’t he? That’s the question you should ask.” Wooyoung says.

“Unlike everyone we know, I don’t stand out. I’m not kind, or particularly smart or charming or funny or gorgeous or have interesting hobbies or fun to be around.” Yeosang lists a few things, he has more to add, but they’ll do for now.

“Huh? Where is that coming from? Because you’re literally all of this.” It’s nice of Wooyoung to try and cheer him up, but it won’t work.

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Do what?” Wooyoung sounds clueless, Yeosang knows he’s anything but.

“Giving me hope. Making me believe I might deserve to call someone like him mine.”

“What? Yeosang, why do you think I always make sure the first thing people know about you is that I’m your best friend?” Wooyoung asks, Yeosang doesn’t know.

“To protect me?” This has been his suspicion since they were kids. Wooyoung seeing small Yeosang, clueless about life and deciding to protect him from the awful of the world.

“What? You think I’m that selfless? Thank you.” Wooyoung smiles at him. “But no. It’s so they know that role is already taken. Yeosang everyone I’ve ever met likes you. The only ones who weren’t nice to you were jealous, envious. So, you actually are everything you said before and so much more. And Jongho as well as anyone else can be glad if they’re your soulmate. Jongho, however, would be deserving of you.”

“Unlike me and Yeonjun.” San says, reminding them of the day they had gotten confirmation of San not being Yeosang’s soulmate.

“You know damn well that Jongho is better than you in every single way.” Wooyoung turns to San, kisses him on the cheek and turns back to Yeosang. “So, yes, you deserve someone like Jongho. As the only one of us.”

Yeosang looks down at his hands, unable to look at Wooyoung any longer. His words being the truth he believes is so evident on his face, Yeosang can’t stand to look at eyes that hold so much admiration for him any longer.

“If I’m allowed to say something, as the one of us who has known Jongho the longest.” San speaks up.

“You don’t have to rub it in out faces that much.” Wooyoung interrupts, then pointing for him to go on.

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard Jongho talk about anyone as positively as he does you. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him speak about anyone as much as he does you. And I think you should just talk to him.”

Yeosang doesn’t follow San’s advice. Not right away.

He gives himself time.

A day goes by.

Then another.

And another.

It’s a week after Jongho’s confession and he still hasn’t run into Jongho accidentally (and hasn’t gone out of his way to meet him either). Wooyoung checks in daily – multiple times – whether he has spoken to Jongho yet. The answer is no. Every single time.

At last, Yeosang cracks.

Ignorance is sadly not always bliss, sometimes it’s having Jongho’s words echo inside his head every second of his day. It’s the constant questioning of whether Jongho is his soulmate.

The underlying hope for Jongho to be his soulmate.

When he gives in and text Jongho, inviting him to come over, he receives a reply almost instantly.

He doesn’t have much time to calm his nerves, after reading Jongho’s reply agreeing. The younger doesn’t need long to get to Yeosang’s place after leaving his own, maybe Yeosang gains a few short minutes if Jongho needs a bit to make himself presentable. But in the end, he’ll have to ask Jongho about that night and about Jongho’s want for a soulmate.

The doorbell rings. Yeosang gets up, already knowing who it is.

He opens the door for Jongho, who – unlike Wooyoung – is kind enough to ring the doorbell and not just walk into his apartment despite knowing the door code.

“Hi.” Jongho greets him with a smile. Yeosang hopes that will stay on for their conversation.

“Come in.” Yeosang lets him pass, closes the door behind him and leads him to the couch after he’s taken off his shoes.

Yeosang places two glasses of water in front of them, sits down and without giving either of them time to relax he blurts his thoughts out.

“Weeks ago, when you brought me home after that party Wooyoung tricked me into going to, did you kiss me?” Huh. That was easier than expected.

Jongho shifts, leans forward, takes a long sip of water.

“I’m sorry.” Jongho’s words aren’t the denial he expected. “I know I shouldn’t have. I’m so, so sorry. But I really wanted you to be… Since we met. And then San kissed you and somehow that made it worse. When I took you home, I just, I don’t know why I did it. I was drunk too, sure, but that’s no excuse. I’m sorry. Did you figure it out after what I said? Because I shouldn’t have. I know you must be uncomfortable being around me now. I’ll make sure our paths won’t cross anymore. If you want to, you can punch me or whatever. For kissing you without your consent.” Jongho is still staring at his glass, the words spilling out of him like a waterfall.

“What? Why would I punch you?” Yeosang has more to say, but this is his top priority.

“For kissing you. I won’t stop you and I also will not hit back. Just do it quickly, because it’s kind of freaking me out, but that’s the goal I guess.”

“I’m not going to hit you.”

“You’re not?” Jongho looks at him confused.

“No. And I want you to shut up for a second and listen to me.” Jongho looks at him with big eyes, but nods.

“The day after the party, after you brought me home, I woke up with this.” He points at his mark.

“No, you didn’t.”

“I just told you to listen to me, didn’t I?” Yeosang thinks all the years of knowing Wooyoung were preparation for this moment. Building his patience slowly, so he wouldn’t freak when interrupted when he has something important to say.

“But I saw you after. You didn’t have it. I saw you multiple times. The first time you had it was when you were at our place.” Jongho is testing that patience. Yeosang doubts it was ever there.

“Let me explain. I didn’t remember much of what happened at the party, Dejun suggested I should check everyone’s stories, which I did and came across the truth or dare game.” Yeosang starts his explanation, only to be interrupted once more.

“And saw San kiss you.” This time Yeosang doesn’t mind the interruption.

“Yeah. And I panicked. Wooyoung was into him since he first saw him. Which makes sense now, doesn’t it? But back then I thought this was San.” He points at the mark. “And I didn’t want that. I didn’t want to do that to Wooyoung.”

“So you covered it.” Jongho states, his voice not revealing his feelings. Yeosang nods.

“But then, Wooyoung found out, because he believes he can just walk in here as he pleases. He made me tell San, who insisted he didn’t kiss me right here. Both of them then made me kiss San as proof, which was one of the worst moments in my life. The next day, San didn’t have his mark. That’s when you first saw it.” It’s a long story full of fear, hurt and shame summarised, some day, he might tell Jongho more but for now it has to be good enough.

“I stopped covering it after I knew it wasn’t him. There was no reason for it anyway. Wooyoung knew and San isn’t my soulmate anyway. They wanted to help me find out who actually left it, but that wasn’t successful. Although, they figured their bond out due to it, so maybe it was.” Yeosang shrugs.

“When you said the person you kissed showed up with a soul mark a few weeks later, I only made the connection after you said it was by his eye. Wooyoung and San agreed, so now we’re here.” Awkwardly Yeosang points between them.

“You must be disappointed.” Jongho says. He looks straight at Yeosang, his eyes aren’t as cheerful as they normally are.

“Why do you think that?” Yeosang is surprised. He has zero reason to be disappointed.

“You pushed off talking to me for a week. I mean I already knew you don’t want me to be your soulmate, but you knew for a week and didn’t bother talking to me? That sucks.” Yeosang is staring at Jongho, trying to understand the words he’s saying. The meaning doesn’t register, because who wouldn’t want Jongho to be their soulmate? Why wouldn’t Yeosang out of all people want to be his?

“You think I don’t want to be your soulmate.” It’s not a question, Jongho has just said it. Yeosang just hopes he can grasp the words better if he says them out loud as well. It doesn’t work.

“Why else wouldn’t you talk to me sooner? And I get it. You deserve much better.” Jongho says.

“You what?” There’s a lot to unpack, mainly everything Yeosang had thought the other way around. They might actually be soulmates.

“Do you know what Wooyoung said when it was confirmed San isn’t my soulmate?” Jongho shakes his head. “He said he wouldn’t have deserved me anyway. And San isn’t the only one he’s said that about. When we realised there’s a chance, you’re my soulmate, he said you would be deserving of me. The reason why I didn’t talk to you sooner isn’t disappointment, it’s because I didn’t want to be wrong a second time. Especially not if this time, I actually want the person I think might be my soulmate to be my soulmate.” When he says the words, he notices just how true they are. He’s known before, obviously, but saying them makes it clear how much he hopes for Jongho to be his soulmate.

“You want to be my soulmate?” Jongho whispers.

“Yes. And I can’t stand the possibility of you not being it, the uncertainty, so, if you’d let me can I please kiss you?” Jongho is the only person in the world who makes him not shy away from physical touch, makes him initiate even. Desire it. It’s always been like that.

“You want to give me my mark? If we’re soulmates that is?” Jongho looks at him wide eyed, Yeosang nods.

“If you let me.”

“Yes.” The answer comes before Yeosang finishes speaking. “Where do you… Like normally people don’t really plan on where to leave their marks, do they?” He’s right. Often, even if the marks aren’t left at the same time (which usually only happens for soulmates who have their marks on their lips), they’re still left before one of them manifests. The only pair he knows this wasn’t the case are San and Wooyoung, but Wooyoung’s improvidence hadn’t let him consider where to put San’s mark. Fortunately Jongho is different.

“You said you like matching soul marks, don’t you?” Jongho’s eyes widen.

“You remember?”

“Of course.”

“And you’d like that?” Jongho asks sceptically.

“I think it’s cute. I like the place, and I honestly like the thought that everyone could see you have a soulmate when they look at you.”

After Yeosang stops talking, they only look at each other quietly. He’s not sure how much time passes, yet neither of them move.

“This is weird, isn’t it?” Jongho ends up breaking the silence.

“How are others doing this? When they leave their marks?” Yeosang has never spent too much thought about how he’s going to find his soulmate, not before all this happened. Therefore, he had never really imagined himself leaning in for the kiss.

“They either don’t know or don’t think about it I’d say.”

“So, do I just… go for it?” Unsurely he looks at Jongho.

“Might be easier?” Jongho sounds surer than Yeosang feels. It’s something that isn’t mirrored in his face, so maybe they feel the same.

“Okay. Uhm.” Yeosang moves closer to Jongho slowly, stops before their bodies can touch.

“Are you like ready?” His hands are on his lap, he knows if he were to lift them, they’d be shaking uncontrollably.

“Never been more ready.” Jongho sounds so confident, something inside his chest blossoms. It’s confirmation how much Jongho wants them to be soulmate.

“Okay. I’ll kiss you now.” Yeosang gives a warning and leans in after Jongho nods.

His lips meet Jongho’s skin under his eye. The skin feels warm, soft, comfortable. Yeosang doesn’t close his eyes, instead he tries to see Jongho’s reaction. He squints, looks at the younger as well as he can, which isn’t much. He’s too close.

His lips are pressed against Jongho’s skin for one second. Then two. Then three.

He loses count in his head, separates when he’s ready to look at Jongho up front.

Jongho’s eyes flutter open, a smile spreads on his face. They don’t speak.

The worst part about this soulmate system is not knowing whether the person you kissed is your soulmate until the next day. Yeosang thinks it’s unfair. He’s done his part, but now he has to wait hours until he gets to call Jongho his soulmate. If he is.

Yeosang heats some of the pre-cooked food (curtesy of Kun) inside their fridge for them to eat. They barely talk, too worried about the possibility of them having it all wrong.

That night, Yeosang falls asleep with a queasy feeling inside him, Jongho in his bed next to him.

They don’t touch.

Yeosang feels the hand carding trough his hair before he fully regains his consciousness. His eyes flutter open and meet Jongho’s right away. Jongho is smiling at him. Yeosang smiles back automatically. His eyes dip below Jongho’s left eye.

Jongho’s face is decorated by a beautiful dark spot – a mirrored image of his own mark. Yeosang reaches out, lays his hand on Jongho’s cheek. His thumb brushes softly over the mark, his smile grows, as does Jongho’s. Yeosang leans closer, places his lips on the mark.

“Morning.” He mumbles lips against Jongho’s skin.

“Good morning.” Jongho replies just as quietly.

Yeosang brings some distance between them, his face hovering over Jongho and just looks at him. His soulmate.

Jongho looks back. His eyes are so beautiful, full of excitement and love, which should scare him, yet he’s never felt as secure as he does in this moment. He’s never been as happy as when he leans down to let his lips connect with Jongho’s who reciprocates his kiss like he’s been waiting his whole life for it.

Yeosang gasps against Jongho’s lips, interrupting their kiss.

“What?” Jongho frowns in confusion.

“I have to tell Wooyoung!” Yeosang tears away from Jongho in order to grab his phone.

“Are you really calling him right now?” Jongho asks while Yeosang is busy unlocking his phone.

“No. I’m texting him. Smile.” He holds up his phone to take a picture of them to send Wooyoung.

Jongho looks at him trying to figure out whether he’s serious. When Yeosang just waits for him to pose, he sighs.

“Okay. One photo and after I’ll have you to myself?”

“Sure.” Yeosang nods. He’s smiling into the camera waiting for Jongho to join him. Jongho looks into it for a second, only to turn his face to kiss Yeosang’s cheek right as he’s taking the picture.

Quickly Yeosang sends the photo – Jongho’s soul mark perfectly on display – to Wooyoung. While Jongho presses kisses onto his cheek until their lips meet.

This time Yeosang doesn’t interrupt the kiss, instead he wraps his arms around Jongho’s neck, pulling him even closer.