Chapter Text
Seonghwa had never believed in soulmates. Never. Not because he hated the idea. Quite the opposite, actually. He always thought the concept was beautiful in a tragic sort of way, where two people were tied together by fate, destined to find each other no matter how long it took. It sounded like the kind of thing that belonged in romance movies and late-night dramas his brother forced him to watch at three in the morning whenever they both couldn’t sleep. But the reality had always felt far less magical than one would know.
Soulmates didn’t exist. At least, that was what Seonghwa thought until three years ago.
It happened on a rainy afternoon while he was helping his mother close up the tiny flower store near their apartment. Business had been slow because of the storm and Seonghwa remembered standing outside beneath the flickering awning lights, watching rainwater slide down the empty streets, his mind constantly praying for the rain to stop. That was when the mysterious old woman appeared. To this day, Seonghwa still wasn’t sure if she had been real.
She wore layers upon layers of dark clothing despite the summer heat, silver rings decorating nearly every finger. Her umbrella was broken, hanging limply over one shoulder as if she didn’t care about the rain soaking through her sleeves. Seonghwa immediately stood up, assuming she was a customer.
She stopped directly in front of him, then smiled. “You have a pretty soul,” she said.
Seonghwa blinked. “...Excuse me?” His hand reached for the spare umbrella near the counter, intending to give it to her.
“You’ll meet him soon.” The old woman continued, staring at him with a strange smile.
“Him?” Seonghwa frown. “Who is 'him'?” He immediately asked.
“The one that tied to you.” The answer only confused him more. At this point, Seonghwa had started to think the woman was a little strange. Still, he held the umbrella out toward her.
“Take this.” He said gently. “Your umbrella is broken. It’s free.”
But, instead of taking it, the woman lifted a hand before Seonghwa could ever respond, pressing two cold fingers briefly against the center of his forehead. The world suddenly went quiet in Seonghwa's mind. Not exactly silent. Just… still. As if the rain itself had paused at the moment.
And then the woman leaned close to his ear and whispered, “One day, you’ll hear the thoughts he cannot say aloud.”
Seonghwa stared at her in complete confusion.“What?” He blinked rapidly, trying to process her words, but the old woman only smiled again.
“Don’t ignore him for too long.” The last sentence before she walked away into the rain without an umbrella. Seonghwa stood there frozen, still holding the umbrella as he watched the old woman disappear into the storm. Seonghwa never saw her again.
For months afterward, he had convinced himself it had just been a strange encounter. Nothing more. Eventually, he stopped thinking about it entirely. After all, he had never heard anyone’s thoughts like the old woman claimed he could. Until his first day at KQ Entertainment as a trainee.
********
The building was smaller than Seonghwa expected. Not tiny, but definitely not as grand as he had imagined while clutching his acceptance email with trembling hands the night before. The company building was painted in soft blue tones and seemed to have around 10 floors. Near the entrance, he spotted a small cafe and another store that connected to the building. He inhaled deeply to calm himself before adjusting the strap of his bag nervously as he stepped inside. He quickly looked and bowed to the staff members passing through the hallways while searching for the elevator. When the doors opened, he stepped inside and realized someone else was already there. A guy wearing a bear print shirt and cargo pants looked directly at him. Seonghwa looked aside for a moment and his gaze immediately found the guy.
“Which floor are you going to?” The guy asked.
“Uh… 5th floor,” Seonghwa answered awkwardly.
“Me too. Are you the new trainee?” This time the boy smiled brightly, suddenly looking excited as he moved a little closer.
“Yes. Today is my first day.”
“ I am San.” His smile widened enough for his dimples to appear. “You are Seonghwa, right? I heard the manager said a new trainee was joining today."
Seonghwa nodded, already feeling some of his nervousness disappear. “Yes. Are you a trainee too?” Seonghwa asked eagerly.
“Yep, I am. I joined around 5 months ago.” San leaned closer. “How old are you? I think we are around the same age.”
‘He looks like a cat.’ Seonghwa thought. “I am twenty.”
“Twenty? Ohhhh, then you are older than me.” San grinned. “I'm nineteen. You are the same age as Hongjoong hyung. Can I call you hyung?” San practically bounced while grabbing Seonghwa’s hand.
Seonghwa giggled softly, “Of course.”
The elevator stopped and the door opened widely. Both of them stepped out together.
“Hyung, I need to use the bathroom first,” San said quickly. “You can go over there and look for a door with the sign Practice Room 2. That’s our dance practice room. I will see u later, hyung.” And just like that, San disappeared in the opposite direction.
Seonghwa walked toward the end of the hallways where countless doors lined the walls.
-VOCAL ROOM 1-
-PRACTICE ROOM 1-
The entire room there buzzed with movement. Music echoed faintly from somewhere inside. Someone laughed loudly in another room. Trainees walked back and forth carrying water bottles and notebooks, all of them looking far more comfortable than Seonghwa felt. He walked again and continued reading and searching the sign in front of each door.
‘Where the hell is Practice Room 2?’ His stomach started to twist. Maybe he shouldn’t have come. Maybe he wasn’t talented enough for this place. Maybe—
“New trainee?”
Seonghwa turned quickly.
A man stood near the practice room doorway. Seonghwa glanced at the sign on the door.
- Practice Room 2-
How did he miss that? The man there had a tablet tucked beneath one arm. He wasn’t very tall but there was something sharp about his presence that immediately demanded attention. Dyed blond hair. Focused eyes. An expression balanced somewhere between tired and unimpressed.
It’s Kim Hongjoong.
Seonghwa recognized him instantly from the trainee evaluations video he had secretly searched online before coming here. Hongjoong looked at him expectantly.
And suddenly—
He’s prettier than I imagined.
Seonghwa froze. ‘What was that?’ The voice had been clear. He looked around frantically searching for it. His eyes widened before snapping back toward Hongjoong but he hadn’t moved a bit and hadn’t spoken. Yet Seonghwa thought he had heard him. They were both staring at each other.
Don’t stare too much. You’ll make it weird.
Seonghwa’s mouth fell open slightly. ‘What the hell?’ His eyes became wider while staring more at Hongjoong.
Hongjoong frowned a little. “Are you okay?” He asked slowly.
Oh no. Did I scare him already?
Seonghwa nearly choked. He heard it again for the third time - the voice. It was definitely Hongjoong. It was his voice. But… his lips weren’t moving. Seonghwa stared at Hongjoong’s mouth a little too intensely, which only seemed to make Hongjoong more concerned. The realization hit Seonghwa so suddenly that he almost dropped his bag. The old woman!
“One day, you’ll hear the thoughts he cannot say aloud.” Ha! No way. Absolutely no way. What the hell? This couldn’t actually be happening. He shook his head.
Hongjoong tilted his head slightly, clearly confused by Seonghwa’s increasingly horrified expression. “...You’re Seonghwa, right?”
His eyes are really pretty up close.
Seonghwa inhaled sharply. “Oh my god.”
Hongjoong blinked. “What?”
“No, nothing!” Seonghwa said immediately, bowing so quickly he almost gave himself whiplash. “I’m Park Seonghwa. Nice to meet you.”
Cute.
Seonghwa squeezed his eyes shut briefly, trying to calm himself. This was a disaster. An actual disaster because apparently his soulmate— his actual soulmate was standing right in front of him pretending to be calm while internally having a breakdown about Seonghwa’s face.
Hongjoong cleared his throat awkwardly before saying, “You’ll be joining practice today. Don’t be late.”
Why did that sound so rude?
Great.
Nice first impression, Hongjoong.
Seonghwa bit the inside of his cheek so hard he nearly laughed out loud. This was insane. Hongjoong looked cold. He sounded cold but his thoughts were completely different. “Right,” Seonghwa managed weakly.
Hongjoong nodded once before turning toward the practice room. He opened the door wider for Seonghwa.
He smells nice.
Seonghwa stopped walking. Hongjoong stopped too, glancing back at him with slight confusion.
“You are not coming?” Hongjoong asked.
Don’t trip in front of him. Don’t trip in front of him.
Seonghwa stared at him for a long second. Then, he could no longer stop himself - a laugh slipped out. Small at first. Then louder. Hongjoong looked deeply alarmed.
“What’s funny?”
Oh god. He thinks I’m weird already.
That only made Seonghwa laugh harder. Just enough that he had to hide his smile behind one hand while Hongjoong stood there looking completely betrayed by a joke he didn’t understand.
“No, sorry,” Seonghwa said quickly, trying to compose himself. “I just remembered something.”
Hongjoong narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
Why is he cute when he laughs? This is bad.
Seonghwa turned away immediately before Hongjoong could see his face turning red. Oh, this was going to be a big problem.
********
“Seonghwa hyung.” San ran immediately toward Seonghwa the moment he stepped inside the practice room. Behind him, five other trainees walked in together. One of them was tall with a bright, friendly smile. Another tall trainee looked half asleep already. There was also an extremely pretty trainee standing quietly near the back. One boy entered the room laughing so loudly it echoed off the walls, while the last one carried himself with such calm maturity that Seonghwa immediately wondered if he was the oldest.
How did San already know Seonghwa first?
Seonghwa turned slightly toward Hongjoong.
“What?” Hongjoong asked, noticing the look.
“Hyung. Come here.” San grabbed Seonghwa’s arm excitedly and dragged him toward the others. “I will introduce you to everyone.”
How are they already looking this close?
Seonghwa smiled to himself.
“This is Yunho,” San said first.
The tall trainee smiled brightly and held out his hand immediately, “Nice to meet you, hyung.”
Seonghwa accepted it with a small laugh, “Nice to meet you too, Yunho.”
“And that is Mingi.” San pointed toward the other tall trainee, who lifted one hand lazily in greeting. “Hi.”
“I am Yeosang.” The pretty trainee said softly. He looked shy enough that Seonghwa instantly found him adorable.
Then, suddenly, the loud one from earlier threw himself at Seonghwa dramatically. “I’m Wooyoung!” And before Seonghwa could even react, Wooyoung kissed his cheek. Seonghwa’s eyes widened in complete shock.
What the heck, Wooyoung? We just met.
“Yah!” Someone yelled instantly. Hongjoong. Wooyoung only laughed louder while Seonghwa stood frozen, still trying to process what had just happened.
“And…” San continued like nothing unusual had happened at all, “This is Jongho. He’s the maknae.” Jongho gave a small bow.
“Jongho is the maknae?” Seonghwa asked in disbelief.
Wooyoung burst out laughing, “Right? He looks like he pays taxes already.”
Jongho just snorted at the comment, “At least I don’t act like a kindergarten kid.”
The room immediately exploded into chaos again, full of laughter. San grinned happily beside Seonghwa, “Yunho, Wooyoung, Yeosang, Mingi and I are all nineteen. Jongho is eighteen.”
“And Hongjoong hyung is twenty like you,” Wooyoung added while wiggling his eyebrows for absolutely no reason. Seonghwa blinked awkwardly. Why did that suddenly sound weird?
“How do you know Seonghwa already?” Hongjoong suddenly asked from behind them. Everyone turned toward him.
San smiled immediately, “Oh, we met in the elevator earlier. Right, hyung?”
“Yeah, right,” Seonghwa answered.
I should’ve been the first one he met.
Seonghwa's eyes immediately darted toward Hongjoong, who looked perfectly calm on the outside. Meanwhile, internally, Seonghwa heard -
Why is San already holding his arm?
Let go a little. Just slightly. Not too much.
Okay, maybe I sound crazy.
Seonghwa quickly lowered his head so the others wouldn't notice his smile. Unfortunately, Wooyoung noticed anyway.
“Ohhhhh?” Wooyoung narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Why are you smiling by yourself, hyung?”
“Nothing.”
Definitely something.
Seonghwa bit the inside of his cheek to stop himself from laughing again. This soulmate thing was going to destroy him,
********
Practice was exhausting. Not because Seonghwa couldn’t keep up. And also not because the choreography was hard. But because Hongjoong apparently thought about him constantly. He can’t even concentrate on his dance or vocals. Seonghwa discovered this within the first thirty minutes.
“Again from the chorus,” Hongjoong said, leaning against the mirror with crossed arms.
His dancing is seriously good.
Seonghwa nearly missed the next step.
A few minutes later,
“You’re half a beat too early.”
But he learns ridiculously fast.
Then,
“Focus.”
His concentration face is adorable.
Seonghwa stumbled outright this time. He let out a slow sigh, dragging a hand down his face. ‘How exactly am I supposed to practice if I keep hearing all of that?’ Honestly, he wants to scream so bad but…
Yunho, who had been helping him with the choreography earlier, immediately rushed over and grabbed his arm to steady him. “Hyung, are you okay?”
“Yes,” Seonghwa answered weakly.
Is he tired already? Should I buy him coffee later?
Seonghwa pressed a hand against his face. This was unbearable. Not because Hongjoong’s thoughts were bad. It was the complete opposite. They were embarrassingly sincere. Too sincere for someone who looked so unreadable most of the time. Hongjoong was awkward in person. A little blunt and difficult to read. But his mind was honest in a way Seonghwa didn’t think he was prepared for because every thought felt genuine. Unfiltered and real and somehow that was far more dangerous.
By the time practice finally ended, Seonghwa was mentally exhausted. The second the music stopped, Hongjoong practically sprinted out of the practice room. The other trainees slowly filtered out of the room, chatting loudly while gathering their things. Seonghwa crouched beside his own bag, pretending to reorganize it while trying to calm his racing thoughts.
Soulmates.
Hongjoong was his soulmate.
Kim Hongjoong.
Leader trainee. Producer. Terrifyingly talented.
And apparently secretly soft.
Seonghwa heard footsteps approaching. He already knew who it was before the voice appeared.
Ask him casually. Casually. Don’t make it weird.
“Seonghwa.”
Seonghwa looked up.
Hongjoong stood there holding two canned coffees. His expression remained carefully neutral as always. “I bought extra.”
I remembered you looked tired.
Seonghwa stared at him. Then at the coffee. Then back at Hongjoong. Something warm bloomed unexpectedly in his chest. Because the thing about hearing someone’s thoughts was that lies became impossible. Hongjoong wasn’t pretending. Every small act of care came from somewhere genuine.
“Thank you,” Seonghwa said softly.
Hongjoong shrugged one shoulder. “It’s nothing.”
He smiled at me.
Seonghwa looked down quickly before Hongjoong could notice the way his lips curved upward. This was definitely going to become a problem. A very big one. Because somehow, on the very first day, Seonghwa was already starting to look forward to hearing Hongjoong’s voice again.
“Seonghwa hyung.” Seonghwa looked up to see Yeosang calling from the doorway.
“Did you bring all your things already? Your Luggage?” Seonghwa nodded quickly.
“The director asked us to bring you to the dorm. Come on.” Yeosang continues.
Seonghwa immediately stood and slung his bag over his shouder move toward Yeosang before glancing back one last time where Hongjoong was already looking at him. “Are you not coming?” He asked.
“Huh, no. I…I still have work to do.” Hongjoong answered, stumbling slightly over his words even though his face stayed completely calm.
He wants me to come together. I want to go with you too.
Seonghwa bit back a smile. “Okay.” He said softly. Then he turned and hurried toward Yeosang and Wooyoung, who were already waiting for him near the elevator,
Behind him, Hongjoong watched quietly.
Don’t look at him too much. You’re being obvious.
Seonghwa’s smile grew wider the entire way to the elevator.
********
The distance between the dorm and the company is only 10 minutes walking. Their manager asked whether they just wanted to walk or ride in a car but all the members said they wanted to walk together.
“We want to show Seonghwa hyung the way and all the stores here,” Mingi said. Their managers just nodded and he went home.
Wooyoung and San argued the entire walk home over something completely ridiculous involving stolen snacks and gaming while Mingi and Yunho laughed from the front like this happened every single day. Yeosang and Jongho also seemed like they didn't mind too much about what was happening. They just walk side by side and smile if their eyes meet with Seonghwa.
Seonghwa walks quietly while hearing Wooyoung, San and Yunho introduce each store they passed. There is a clothes store, cafe, skincare store and many more. Exhaustion slowly settled into his bones after the overwhelming first day.
‘New company. New people and …. a soulmate.’ Even thinking that word made him want to scream into a wall.
“You’ll get used to us eventually,” San said suddenly. He walked beside him now.
Wooyoung snorted loudly. “Or he’ll run away within a week.”
“Honestly valid.”
“YAH.”
Despite himself, Seonghwa laughed softly. The warmth between the members felt strangely comforting. It’s chaotic but comforting.
By the time they finally reached the dorm building, Seonghwa felt half asleep already.
“Hyung, the door’s passcode is 1117.” Yunho suddenly said in front of the dorm. Wooyoung punched in the passcode dramatically before throwing the door open.
“Welcome to Ateez disaster house!” He walked in first and was followed by the other members. They were still loud and chatting with each other as if there were too many topics they needed to discuss and laugh.
Seonghwa stepped inside slowly. Then immediately froze at the front door. He blinked too many times, looking around the house. Shoes and clothes were everywhere. Blankets on the couch. At least three water bottles are lying on the floor. ‘Why there is water bottles on the floor?’ Someone had abandoned ramen cups near the television and was that a sock hanging from the kitchen chair?
“Oh,” Seonghwa said weakly.
San looked slightly embarrassed. “It usually looks better than this.”
“It does not,” Wooyoung replied honestly. “Why are you lying?” Wooyoung gave a side-eye at San.
“I am trying to prevent disaster.”
Seonghwa laughed quietly while slipping off his shoes near the entrance. Honestly, he didn’t mind. It’s already what he think, well, it’s a boy dorm. What exactly can he expect? At least the dorm looked lived in. Comfortable. Warm. Like people actually existed there instead of treating it like a showroom.
Wooyoung grabbed Seonghwa’s bag suddenly. “Come on, we’ll show you your room.”
Something inside Seonghwa immediately became nervous again.
Right.
Room arrangements. For some reason, he hadn’t thought about that yet. Wooyoung led him down the hallway while talking nonstop.
“That room is Yunho and Mingi’s, mine is with San, Jongho and Yeosang sleeps over there—”
Then, casually
“You’re with Hongjoong-hyung.”
Seonghwa nearly stopped walking. “What?”
San blinked back at him. “...Why do you sound scared?”
‘Because your Hongjoong-hyung is my soulmate and unfortunately I can hear him thinking about my face every ten minutes.’ He wanted to blurt it out but would they believe him?
Instead, Seonghwa smiled weakly. “No reason. He just looks intimidating.” Wooyoung laughed too loudly, agreeing with what he said. He then opened the bedroom door without warning and Seonghwa paused on his feet the second time. The room was not exactly dirty. But messy? Absolutely.
Clothes piled over a chair. Open notebooks were scattered across the desk. Cables everywhere. A hoodie hanging halfway off the bed. The entire room looked like someone lived there, only between producing songs and surviving on caffeine. Which honestly explained Hongjoong perfectly.
Wooyoung rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “Hyung probably forgot to clean.”
“Probably? I think it’s more like definitely.” Seonghwa just laughed quietly. He then set his bag down slowly while looking around the room again.
“Can I clean it?” He looked at both of them and both Wooyoung and San stared at him.
“The room?” San asked.
“The whole house,” Seonghwa corrected automatically.
Silence.
Then Wooyoung gasped dramatically. “Oh, my God. An angel.”
“I’m serious,” Seonghwa said, laughing shyly. “I like cleaning.”
San looked emotional suddenly. “Please marry us.”
“San!” Seonghwa laughed more loudly this time.
“What? Look at this place, hyung! It’s a disaster.”
Honestly, Seonghwa found the whole thing kind of endearing. The dorm felt messy in the way busy people become messy. Not lazy. Just exhausted. And somehow the thought of making the space feel more comfortable for everyone made warmth settle softly in his chest. So while the others argued loudly over whose socks were contaminating the living room, Seonghwa started cleaning.
And cleaning.
And cleaning.
Hours passed surprisingly quickly. Music played softly from someone’s speaker while Wooyoung occasionally helped for approximately thirty seconds before becoming distracted again. San also came to help fold laundry but it was done badly. In the end, he looked at Seonghwa with apologetic cat eyes. Yunho apologized every five minutes for the state of the kitchen. By the time evening arrived, the dorm looked completely different. Clean floors. Organized shelves. Folded blankets. Fresh air drifting through open windows. Even the atmosphere felt brighter somehow. Wooyoung stood in the middle of the living room, looking genuinely moved.
“I think I can see the floor for the first time.” He said,
“You’re dramatic,” Jongho muttered.
“I’m emotional.”
Seonghwa laughed tiredly before wiping his hands on a towel. Honestly? He felt good and comfortable. Like maybe he could belong here after all.
The front door suddenly opened. Voices immediately quieted. Hongjoong stepped inside wearing a black hoodie and headphones around his neck, clearly exhausted from work. He came to the living room where most of the members were. Then he froze. Completely froze. Slowly, his eyes moved across the dorm.
The clean kitchen.
The organized living room.
The folded blankets.
Visible confusion spread across his face.
Did we get robbed?
Seonghwa nearly choked trying not to laugh. Wooyoung grinned proudly from the couch. “Nice, right?”
Hongjoong looked genuinely alarmed. “What happened?”
“Angel has appeared. Seonghwa happened.”
Immediately, Hongjoong’s gaze snapped toward him.
Did they bully him?
“No!” Seonghwa said too fast and too loudly, making all the others' eyes on him. Seonghwa’s heart skipped embarrassingly hard.
“What ‘no’ hyung?” Yeosang sounded genuinely concerned.
“Huh, No.. I mean,yeah. I like cleaning so I do it occasionally for my hobby. But the members help me too.” He stuttered, explaining to Hongjoong without looking at his eyes.
Hongjoong stared at him for a second too long before seeming to remember himself. Then abruptly, “Oh my god, the room.”
Everyone blinked. Hongjoong looked horrified suddenly.
“I forgot to clean the room.”
Before anyone could respond, he disappeared down the hallway at alarming speed. The others burst into laughter instantly.
“Hyung sounds panicked,” San wheezed.
“He IS panicked,” Wooyoung corrected.
Meanwhile, Seonghwa stood there trying very hard not to smile too much.
A few seconds later, Seonghwa followed him to their room. Hongjoong opened the door and was shocked because, unlike what he had left in the morning, the room was spotless. The desk was organized neatly. Clothes folded properly. Sheets were fixed carefully. Even the stupid tangled cables were arranged neatly now. All of his earplugs that had been missing for months had been found and placed neatly on the table. Hongjoong looked completely speechless. Slowly, his eyes moved toward Seonghwa behind him.
“I am sorry for touching your things without permission. I can tell you where I put everything if you need something.” Seonghwa walked in. “I can sleep in the upper bedroom.”
And quietly, so quietly Seonghwa almost missed it—
God, this is so embarrassing. He cleaned our room too.
Our room? Something warm bloomed inside Seonghwa’s chest.
Hongjoong looked away first. “...You didn’t have to do all that. Make yourself comfortable.”
But inside his head:
I am so excited. I have a friend now.
And unfortunately for Seonghwa, that might have been the exact moment he started falling a little too hard.