Chapter Text
If you were to ask someone what the language of love was, there could be numerous answers you would receive.
Many share the opinion that French, a language of swooping tones and complex dances of pronunciation, is the language of love. Others might say it’s Spanish, and some might say it’s Italian. Then, others might say no one language is better than the other, and that we should really stop judging how romantic a language is based on how it sounds to our own ears.
But, a certain few might tell you, that the language of love is in fact not a language at all. At least, not in the traditional sense. This language is one that you don’t need to study or be raised with to understand, it is one we all know from birth, no matter where we were raised. It can convey every single emotion, every single human experience all wrapped within a grand swoop of varying tones and pitches and volumes.
This unique language, was the language of music.
Music can communicate dozens upon dozens of thoughts, feelings, and experiences, whether you understand what it is saying or not. Music can transcend almost all barriers, connecting us all in ways we never knew possible. Which is why it just seemed to make sense, that the one thing that connected one person to their soulmate, was through the beauty of music.
The laws of the universe seemed set in stone, and one of those laws was that no matter where they were, no matter how far away, if your soulmate was able to hear music, you were able to hear it as well. That is what connected your spirits in a way that was unique to only you, and allowed you to share with each other something no one else ever would.
Music speaks to the soul, and the soul speaks to its mate.
~~~
All throughout his childhood, Yoosung Kim always heard wondrous tales about people finding their soulmates. His parents, gazing at each other as if they were two halves of one whole, would frequently retell the tale of when they first heard each other's music. As they reminisced, their fingers would intertwine as they would sit beside one another with comfortable closeness. Yoosung was always awed by this, by how utterly perfect his mother and father were for each other, and always daydreamed of the day he would meet his own soulmate.
The first time his sister heard her soulmate’s music, she jumped up from her place on the couch and ran over to their mother, confused as to why she could hear the soft notes of a piano flowing through her mind. Giving her a small smile, their mother sat her down and explained to her that the music was nothing to be afraid of, it was just her other half somewhere out there in the world. His sister understood what this meant, and was thrilled to have a connection to the one she was supposed to be with.
After that day, she never left the house without some kind of musical device on her. Whenever Yoosung inquired about it, she simply said that she wanted to be prepared in case her soulmate decided to contact her with a song.
As time passed and Yoosung grew older, he began to wonder why he never heard any music from his soulmate. One by one his classmates recognized the internal melodies, and relished in the knowledge that their soulmate was out there, somewhere in the world. But, for some unknown reason, Yoosung never heard the ‘oh so magical’ tune from his soulmate. At first, no one in his life thought much of it, making the assumption that his soulmate must’ve just been a few years younger than him.
But as the years passed and Yoosung heard no music, worry began to settle in.
Both Yoosung’s family, friends, and himself tried not to think of what the absence of song could mean. That it could mean his soulmate was dead, or worse:
He never had a soulmate at all.
The first time this worry was brought up, was when Yoosung was eight years old, and just beginning to grasp the concept of soulmates.
“Momma!” Little Yoosung had called, running into the room with wide eyes and hurried steps.
“Yes, Yoosung?” His mother replied, looking up from her cutting board and smiling fondly at the excited boy.
“You said my soulmate can hear any songs I do, right?” His mother nodded in agreement as she began to dice the onion. “Well, can you hear your soulmates happy birthday song?” She nodded again as she continued to chop, humming an affirmation. Yoosung frowned slightly at that, his small brows furrowing in confusion.
“But then… then why haven't I ever heard my soulmate’s happy birthday song?” This seemingly innocent question made his mother freeze in place, the knife still in her hand as her thoughts raced with what this could mean.
After a moment of silence, she put the knife down and turned around, getting on her knees so she was eye to eye with her son.
“Yoosung, what do you mean you've never heard your soulmate’s birthday song? Do you mean you've heard noises that you don't understand? Like another language?”
“No Momma, I haven't heard any music in my head.” Yoosung said, sensing his mother’s worry. “Why? Is that bad?” His bright purple eyes were beginning to fill with tears, even as a child knowing something was not right with his situation. His mother sighed and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly in reassurement.
“No, no it's okay, Yoosung. It's not bad.” She said, although that certainly was not normal.
As Yoosung continued to grow up, and although he remained hopeful, he still heard nothing from his soulmate. At first, if anyone were to ask about his soulmate, he would tell the truth, that he still hadn't heard anything from them. This always garnered him sympathetic looks and mutters of apologies, normally followed by awkward retreats. Eventually, Yoosung became fed up with these reactions, and began to lie about who his soulmate was.
The lies were never anything serious, just simple, made-up answers to questions like ‘What do you think your soulmate’s favorite song is?’ And, ‘Have you ever tried talking with song lyrics?’.
By the time Yoosung was eleven, he was finding it hard to think about anything but his soulmate. Once or twice he thought he might've heard a quick whisper of a song, like one from a television ad or a muffled stereo, but these usually disappeared so quickly Yoosung was convinced he imagined them.
If only he could find a way to talk to his soulmate, just to communicate his own frustration and sadness, or to comfort them if they need it.
But then, Yoosung realized that he could in fact do that. Although he wouldn't get a reply, most songs had lyrics, and he could use that to his advantage.
Now, Yoosung had never been a very avid music listener. This was mainly due to the fact that, overall, he just didn’t like listening to music all that much. He found that it clouded his thoughts, making it hard to think clearly. And also one other reason he didn’t listen to music, as arbitrary as it might be, was that Yoosung held an irrational fear that if he was listening to music that was too loud, he might miss his soulmate’s first actual ‘reply’.
But now, after realizing how this might help his soulmate, Yoosung didn't waste any time in lunging over his desk to grab his iPod, his fingers trembling with anticipation as he scrolled through the library, trying to find the song he was thinking of.
Finally, he found it and shoved his earbuds into his ears, leaning back as the relaxing compilation of notes flowed into his mind. He sat with his eyes closed, breathing deeply in case to calm his erratic heartbeat. As the melody approached the crescendo of the chorus, Yoosung could only hope the message within the lyrics would be understood by the one receiving it.
Calling your name in the midnight sky
Reaching for you in the endless dream
So many miles between us now
But you are always here with me
As the song came to its close, Yoosung let the music fade out and waited, seeing if by some miracle this would garner a reply.
Minutes passed, and he heard nothing.
He decided to try again with a different song.
It came and went. Still, there was nothing.
Five songs later and Yoosung was close to tears. He felt frustration building up within him as his thoughts raced for an explanation as to why his soulmate wasn't responding. He thought over the usual fears: that his soulmate was dead, or that he didn't even have one. He had considered the possibility that his soulmate was deaf, but had done enough research to know the Deaf could still feel the beats in music, which their Hearing soulmates could sense. Yoosung was just running out of steam to fuel his wonderings, when suddenly, a new thought that made his heart stutter occurred to him.
What if his soulmate didn't want anything to do with him?
It was certainly possible, even if unusual. Some people, although rare, shunned the idea of soulmates and ignored the music in their heads. This usually left their counterparts heartbroken and empty, and left them with the task of finding a love in someone that wasn't their destined partner.
Suffice to say, Yoosung really hoped that wasn't the case.
Sighing, he flopped down onto his bed and scrolled through the iPod once more, trying to see if there was yet another song he could communicate his feelings with. One song title caught his gaze, and Yoosung’s eyes widened as he considered playing this one.
His soulmate would most definitely know what he meant by this melody.
But… was it going too far?
Biting his lip as he deliberated, Yoosung made his choice and pressed the song, and waited as the familiar soft notes of the piano began to play.
Say something I'm giving up on you
I'll be the one if you want me to
Anywhere I would've followed you
Say something I'm giving up on you
Yoosung felt his chest constrict painfully as tears burned in his eyes, his desire to just know if he had a soulmate so strong it was eating him from the inside out.
Little did he know, in a small house a long ways away from his own, the mournful melody was winding its way through the mind of a 12 year old red headed boy, who wished more than anything he could give his soulmate the response he deserved.
Saeyoung was sitting on the floor, hunched over a large textbook, trying not to cry as he listened to the lyrics sounding in his ears. He glared at his book, trying to ignore the music, but the letters blurred together as his vision swam.
“S-Saeyoung? Are you okay?” A small voice sounded beside him. Saeyoung glanced up from the book, and saw the worried expression of his twin brother, watching him intently.
“I’m fine, Saeran. D-don't worry about it, just go back to your reading.” He said, not wanting to let his brother know something was wrong. He might've been able to convince his brother too, if his voice hadn't cracked in the middle of the sentence, the chorus of the song repeating yet again. Saeran frowned and pushed the book away, and sat himself right in front of Saeyoung.
“Is it your soulmate again?” He asked softly, his gaze searching Saeyoung’s own. Saeyoung stared back, trying to keep his resolve, but sighed and relented after a few seconds, knowing it was useless to try and keep this from his twin.
“...yeah, it is.” Saeyoung admitted, running a hand through his hair as he looked to the ground.
“What's going on?” Saeran promoted when Saeyoung didn't offer any more information than that.
“I...I think they're trying to talk to me through song lyrics.” He answered, picking at the edges of his nails to try and avoid Saeran’s eyes.
“Well, what are they saying?” Saeyoung sighed again, listening as the notes in his head slowly faded out. He wanted more than anything to be able to respond with a song of his own, to tell his soulmate that he was there, he was alive, that they weren't alone.
But, because of his current situation, he had no access to the outside world, let alone any kind of music.
“Saeyoung?” Saeran said when he didn't respond. Saeyoung’s shoulders slumped, the lyrics still ringing through his head despite the song having closed.
“The… the song, it was… it was saying…” He gulped, his eyes burning. “It said… ‘say something I’m giving up on you’.” He finally managed to spit out, his voice breaking on the last syllable.
Without wanting to, his thoughts began to drift towards a dangerous sea of ‘what if’s’. What if his soulmate did give up on him? What if their music that had helped him through so many cold nights, were to suddenly stop? A thousand ‘what if’s’ raced through his mind in that moment, until suddenly, before he could process what was happening, his twin’s arms wrapped around him. Saeyoung took a shaky breath, the tears in his eyes threatening to pool over as he leaned into Saeran’s embrace.
“I’m so sorry, Saeyoung. I’m sorry you can’t tell your soulmate that you’re here.” His brother said quietly, burying his face in Saeyoung’s shoulder. “But one day, we will get out of here, and you’ll be able to give your soulmate all the music they want. You always tell me that we won’t be stuck here forever, and I know it’s true,” He paused and took a breath.
“I...I know I can’t do much, since I’m so sick all the time, but I want you to know I’ll stick by your side no matter what. We’ll always have each other, right?” Saeyoung nodded in response, not trusting himself to speak lest his careful control of his emotion slipped.
They stayed like that for several minutes, silently sitting on the floor holding one another close as Saeyoung tried to calm himself. The music hadn’t started up again once the last song had ended, and he mourned the loss of the calming melodies only he could hear. After a while of no speaking, Saeyoung finally spoke.
“I… I want to find a way to let them know I’m here.” He said quietly. Saeran lifted his head and looked to Saeyoung’s face, his brows pinching in confusion.
“How are you gonna do that? I doubt mom will let you out of our room to listen to some music.”
“I… I don’t know… if I could just find some way to get her to let me out of the house, even if just to buy some groceries, I could find some kind of music playing. It doesn’t matter what, I just want something.” He bit his lip as he wracked his brain for a plan.
“I’ll think of something. I don’t know how, but I’m going to do this.” Saeyoung said. Saeran knew that tone of his, and that no matter how impossible it seemed now, his brother would find a way to get what he wanted.
And although it took some time, a full year later, that plan finally came to fruition.
After he first tried to talk to his soulmate, it took Yoosung a while to work up the courage to make another attempt. It wasn’t until a few months later that he began to listen to slow songs again, and yet again, he still heard no response. But, instead of stopping this time, Yoosung continued to pour more music into his head. He, like his sister, began to carry his iPod around with him at all times, and could almost always be seen with an earbud sticking out of one ear.
Those who knew his soulmate had never responded to these ‘messages’ wondered why Yoosung continued to try, especially considering he had never liked listening to music much before. Truthfully, Yoosung was doing it because he just wanted some confirmation that his soulmate existed. Even if the only response he got was some song with lyrics like ‘leave me alone’ or something of the sort, at least he would know there was a person out there, experiencing all the same melodies he did on a daily basis.
Then, by the time Yoosung was twelve, he finally got what he had been waiting for for so long.
It was a Sunday morning, one that seemed completely identical to all other Sunday mornings. Yoosung was out with his mother at the store, following her around as she stacked their grocery cart full of items for the upcoming week. As she continued her way down an aisle, he wandered off in boredom, his mind drifting as he let his feet pull him in whatever direction they pleased.
He absentmindedly strolled to a fruit display, blankly gazing at a pile of red apples as he thought about how he wished he had remembered to bring his iPod. His gaze rolled over stacks of bright orange persimmons, soft red honey apples, and perfectly ripe figs. The numerous store patrons paid the boy no mind, and Yoosung watched them with minor interest as he stared blankly ahead, trying to find anything to entertain him.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, the loud clanging of bells rang in his ears. Yoosung jumped in surprise, and looked around the store to try and find the source of the noise. He didn’t see any bells being run, which made sense considering he was inside a shop, but then looked at the ceiling to see if there were overhead speakers blaring the strange noise.
Nope. No speakers.
Then, the noise changed.
The bells slowly faded out, leaving the store silent once more, before multiple voices intermingling in perfect harmony began to sing a strange tune. It almost sounded like… a choir? And the words… was that… a church song? Who on earth could be playing church music in a grocery store? And why was it so loud? If Yoosung didn’t know any better, he’d think he was standing in the middle of a church during service-
Wait.
Wait a minute.
This was… this was music he was hearing.
Music that wasn’t playing anywhere in the store.
That could only mean one thing.
A choked sob escaped Yoosung’s throat as the implications of what was happening fully hit him. Could it be? After 12 years was he finally, finally hearing what he thought he was hearing? His legs gave out from under him and he fell to the floor, a mixture of tears and laughter bubbling up and from his chest.
They existed. There was someone out there, predestined to be his true love.
This was the best day of his life.
“Yoosung? Yoosung, what’s wrong?!” He heard his mother’s voice shout, although it was difficult to hear in comparison to the church music. Yoosung was aware that people were now staring at him, wondering why this kid was randomly crying on the floor. He felt his mother’s arms wrap around him, holding him tightly as she whispered comforting words in his ear.
“Yoosung, honey, tell me what’s wrong.” She said, wiping some of his tears away with her thumb.
“Mom! It’s amazing! I can hear it!” He said through his joyful sobs. Her brows pinched with confusion, wondering what he was talking about.
“You can hear what, sweetie?”
“Th-The music! The music from my soulmate! I’m hearing church music, Mom! I have a soulmate!” Yoosung’s mother stared blankly at her son for a moment as her brain processed what he had just said, before she felt a wave of relief wash over her, carrying all her worry and anxiety for her son away. Laughter bubbled up within her, and she hugged her son even tighter to her chest as he continued to cry tears of joy. Neither of them cared about the numerous onlookers who were standing by, watching the scene unfold. Yoosung just held onto his mother, listening to the soft and peaceful choir flowing through his mind.
After that day, hearing church music became a regular occurrence for Yoosung. Every Sunday without fail, he would hear the familiar tolling of the bells and smile to himself, content with the knowledge that his soulmate was there. However, unfortunately for Yoosung, this was the only time he heard music from his soulmate. He never heard any normal songs either, just the church music.
But this didn’t discourage Yoosung. Now armed with the knowledge that the universe had paired him with someone as it pairs everyone, he continued to listen to music as often as possible, in hopes of accurately expressing how he felt.
2 years passed without incidence. It was very rare that Yoosung didn't hear church music on Sunday, and if so then he could normally expect to hear it the upcoming Wednesday. He didn't get any closer to finding out who his soulmate was, but he figured he had plenty of time, and fate would let their paths cross eventually.
Then, when he was 14, it stopped.
The first Sunday without the worship music, Yoosung didn't think much of it. He assumed his soulmate must've had to miss church for some reason, and continued about his normal routine. He began to get a little suspicious though when he didn't hear anything Wednesday night, but still didn't let himself become concerned.
4 weeks later and there was still nothing, and Yoosung was terrified. Had something happened? Was his soulmate in an accident or got sick? Yoosung was horrified to think that he might've finally gotten his soulmate, only to lose them to the reaching claws of death.
Although he had already experienced 12 years of it, this bout of silence was worse than the first.
6 months was how long it was. 6 months of wondering, of waiting for anything, anything at all. Even if it was just a five second commercial jingle, Yoosung would at least know his soulmate was alive.
Not knowing. That was the worst part.
But then, by some miracle, the music came back.
One day, Yoosung had simply been working on homework in his room, silence enveloping his thoughts like a blanket. He still tried to listen to music as often as possible, but every once in awhile it was nice to just lose himself to the quiet.
His quiet didn't last long however, because quite suddenly, he was jarred out of his focus by the beginning notes of a catchy and rather familiar pop song playing loudly in his ears. Frowning, he looked around his room for the source of the noise, and becoming even more perplexed when there was nothing. Maybe it was coming from his sister? No, there's no way it would be this loud if it was coming from her room. Where on earth could it be coming from?
Later on, Yoosung would be ashamed to admit it took him a good minute and a half to figure out what was going on. But once he did, the realization hit him like a ton of bricks.
His soulmate was there.
They hadn’t died.
He wasn’t going to end up alone.
Yoosung felt his eyes begin to burn with tears, and a large smile began to stretch across his cheeks as he felt a wave of joy wash through him. His overall reaction was very similar to the first time he had heard the music, but was even more grateful this time, so very very happy that he hadn’t lost this person before he could even meet them.
As the song ended, Yoosung dove towards his bed to play one in response, but was surprised to hear another generic pop song come on in its place. His grin only grew, somehow knowing that his soulmate was trying to convey a message along the lines of, I’m sorry, I’m here, and I won’t leave again.
The songs continued to come and go for about an hour, and Yoosung just remained on his bed, letting himself be carried away by the river of intermingling notes and voices. Then, eventually the last song faded out, and Yoosung waited a few minutes for another to take its place. When that never came, a small bit of irrational panic began to set in, although rationally he knew that his soulmate probably just entered a public space where they couldn’t listen to music.
So, to keep his mind off the tight ball of worry growing in his chest, he called his cousin, Rika. Rika was ecstatic when he told her the news of his soulmate’s return, as she had been the only person had confided to about his soulmate’s second absence. He had already dealt with the pity before, he hadn’t wanted to deal with it again. She let him ramble on about the songs that had played and how excited he was to finally get responses again, until eventually the same pop songs started up again, and Yoosung hastily said his goodbye before spending the rest of the night basking in the comfort of the invisible music.
More time passed. Rika met a man who she believed to be her soulmate, and although Yoosung was suspicious of him, this ‘V’ was nothing but a gentleman to his cousin. Yoosung would frequently vent these mixed feelings about the man to his soulmate through their only form of communication. In return, he would hear drastically different melodies: from happy and cheerful ukulele songs, to motivating rock songs, to straight up meme songs that drove him nuts.
Then, Rika started the RFA, and Yoosung became busier than ever before. He helped organize and run the party, learned what it was like to hold a position of responsibility, and got major satisfaction out of raising money for those in need. Also through the RFA, Yoosung met several new faces who quickly became some of his closest friends.
There was Zen, an actor Rika had admired that quickly became an older brother type of figure for Yoosung. Jumin, an old friend of V’s who seemed so emotionless and analytical he was almost… robotic? Either way, he was polite enough to Yoosung, so he didn’t mind Jumin’s borderline rude behavior too much. Jumin’s assistant, Jaehee, who Yoosung was constantly in awe of because of her tireless work ethic and mature attitude. And lastly, there was probably the most unique member of the RFA, the energetic yet enigmatic ‘Hacker God 707’. Seven was also introduced as an old friend of both V and Rika’s, and along with being the person closest in age to Yoosung, his fun-loving and bubbly behavior helped the two of them quickly become best friends.
As Yoosung neared his high school graduation, everything seemed to be going perfectly. He had friends, was working for an amazing charity organization, was at the top of his class, and ‘talked’ with his soulmate on a daily basis.
Then, tragedy struck.
V told Yoosung about Rika’s death on the day of his graduation. A day that was supposed to have been a joyous affair with his family and friends was shattered with the realization that he would never see his beloved cousin ever again. Yoosung was heartbroken, and even cancelled his plans for a celebration dinner that evening with his parents and sister. And, to top things off, his best friend, Seven, wasn’t even around to help him this time as he was out of the country on a business trip.
Those days were filled with nothing but crushing grief and swirling thoughts in a disjointed mind that lost track of everything, including time itself. Yoosung didn’t respond to much, not even to the music of his soulmate. Eventually though, after about a full day of silence from his end, he realized that his soulmate probably thought he had been in an accident or something of the sort and was most likely worried sick about him. Not wanting to put his soulmate through that, Yoosung chose a sad song at random, hoping to convey the message that yes he was fine, but was not in the best place right now.
To his surprise, as a response he got an equally sad song, and figured out his soulmate was probably having a tough time about something as well. So together they listened to peaceful songs, sad songs, angry songs, anything that would help convey their emotions in that moment. It was an odd several days, just a complete openness between Yoosung and someone who he had never met sharing everything they were feeling through the language of song.
Yoosung never felt more connected to his soulmate than in those few days.
Then, life went on. Time heals all wounds, and with time Yoosung managed to pull the broken pieces of himself back together. The pain of grief faded, and he began to enjoy even the mundane parts of life again. He went off to college and found new interest in a game called LOLOL, which somehow let him take his mind away from his thoughts for dozens of hours at a time. Much to his disappointment, the RFA didn’t hold another party, as without their party planner the monumental task of inviting so many guests and organizing so many things seemed an impossibility. Seven and him continued to hang out, although the hacker was often overloaded with too much work to hang out for more than an hour. Other than that, most things remained the same until Yoosung was twenty years old, then everything changed again when some random girl somehow found her way into Rika’s old apartment and came stumbling into their chatroom.
What a wild eleven days that was, ending with Jumin wrecking one of Seven’s cars. The girl somehow became the RFA’s new party planner and Yoosung held great admiration and respect for her for taking on Rika’s former role. Of all the people in the RFA, MC grew closest with Jaehee, even encouraging her to quit her job as Jumin’s assistant/labor slave and opening their own cafe together. Yoosung actually became the replacement for Jaehee for a few weeks, but eventually the ridiculous amount of work and the painful hours that were forced upon him were too exhausting for a twenty year old college student, and Yoosung had quit by the month’s end.
Jaehee gave him a free coffee and pastry to celebrate.
Things died down over the course of several more weeks, and Yoosung went back to his usual routine. That routine being having all night gaming sessions of LOLOL and then a morning biology class filled with regret. This, of course, was interspersed with random song exchanges between him and his soul mate, but he began to crave more and more contact with this unknown figure. Yoosung knew the best way to meet your soulmate was to let it happen naturally, but after 20 years he was getting impatient.
The subject of soulmates was heavy on his mind the day Seven texted Yoosung, asking him if he wanted to come over and play some Mario Kart, as for the first time in forever, the hacker finally had a few hours without any work lording over his head. When he got the text, Yoosung had just been getting ready to start his essay which was due in a few days, having microwaved a cup of ramen to snack on while he worked. Almost spitting out a mouthful of noodles, Yoosung immediately knew an opportunity to hang out with his best friend wouldn’t come again for a while, and decided without hesitation that seeing Seven was far more important than his essay. Besides, he could write it tomorrow, right?
Throwing on a jacket and deciding to take his ramen with him, Yoosung was out the door before he even sent Seven a reply, practically bouncing at the idea of seeing his best friend again as he made his way down the busy streets of Seoul, blissfully unaware of the changes that lay ahead in his near future.