Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Trans-Atlantic flights were the worst. Just hundreds of miles of nothing but ocean. Beautiful during the day but a nightmare in the dark. Jackson could barely see the clouds underneath him. He checked his phone. Oh, great. There’s a thunderstorm watch. Usually, he didn’t mind turbulence. However, his normally boundless patience was wearing thin.

“Can I just say how stupid this is?” A voice broke the silence.

Jaebeom didn’t bother to look up from his book. “Jinyoung, you’ve already beaten that horse today. Drop it.”

“I’m just saying. It feels like I’m committing fraud.” Jinyoung slouched in his chair.

“Don’t be so negative, hyung.” BamBam patted Jinyoung’s shoulder and got shrugged off. Cranky Jinyoung wasn’t a happy Jinyoung. “Think of it this way. We’re helping the company build the soulmate database. It isn’t likely any of them will be our soulmates, but this increases their chances of finding the one.”

“Again, this is stupid. The concept of soulmates is overrated and just enables people to throw away perfectly good relationships in the name of some nonexistent person who couldn’t possibly ‘complete’ them.” Jinyoung glared up at him.

BamBam held his hands up in surrender, sitting back in his chair. “Okay, my bad.”

As Jinyoung sucked in a breath to continue his rant, Jaebeom groaned. “Great. You’ve triggered him. He’s never gonna shut up about this.”

“And why should I? Why does it make more sense for there to be some magical solution? Why can’t any person I fall in love with be my soulmate? We could grow together and be together for the rest of our lives. But this little device,” he shook his wrist at Jaebeom, “can negate years of a relationship in seconds? Bullshit.”

“First off, this is science, not magic. Besides, you’re not the kind of people they’re aiming to sell to,” Yugyeom spoke up. He didn’t bother to remove the sleeping mask. “Why would they want someone like you, all cynical and grumpy, buying their product when you don’t share one common belief? If you don’t believe in soulmates, then leave it. Let other people enjoy the fantasy of finding someone.”

“But they’re making me do this! It’s not like I can say no.” He looked around at each of them. “None of you had a problem with this. Now here we are.”

“It’s only for a few weeks. It’s nothing too different from our normal meet and greets.” Youngjae swiped through pictures of Coco on his phone, sending one to Mark, who smirked at it. “It’s an opportunity to get new fans and an excuse to spend more time with existing ones.” He shrugged a shoulder. “If I get to meet someone proven by science to be a part of me, all the better.”

“But what about their expectations?” Jinyoung countered as he turned in his seat to face Youngjae. “What if you connect with someone and they want to be in a relationship? You can’t date them. Hell, you can’t even be seen with them in public without all hell breaking loose. Just knowing you could put them in danger. Then you’d have to break it to them that you’re not available until your contract’s up. Will you give this up for a chance at ‘true love?’”

“You’re overthinking the hell out of this,” Mark shook his head. “To me, it’s no different from our normal promotions or tours. We show up, sing a few songs, touch hands, and go on to the next event. We deal with whatever comes when it’s time to. No sense of stressing out over something that may not even happen.”

While everyone else nodded in agreement and went back to their various activities, Jinyoung slouched in his seat again.

“Just let it go,” Jaebeom shook his head with a faint smile. “Get some sleep. We have another three hours before we land in America.”

“I’m just saying,” he groused. “It’s gonna be a hassle.”

“You never know. Maybe your soulmate’s real chill and is fine with letting things be.”

“And if you’re wrong? What if they want something I can’t give?”

“What if you’re wrong? What if you find something you want but can’t have?” Jaebeom raised his eyebrow in challenge. “Is this what it’s about?”

Jinyoung looked away, instead choosing to stare out the plane window. “Shut up.”

Jaebeom chuckled and went back to his laptop. “That’s what I thought.”

The cabin went silent again, and Jackson returned his attention to his window. Though he couldn’t see the water below him because of the clouds and the moon was absent, he could see the stars above. Millions of twinkling lights smeared across the inky darkness. Out of those millions of stars, a single one caught his attention. If asked, he couldn’t explain why. It just did. Maybe it was the shade, something closer to lavender. It certainly wasn’t the biggest and wasn’t attached to any constellations. Yet, a warmth bloomed in his chest. How weird was it to feel attached to something so far away, so foreign to him. Still, it was his star now.

If only he’d see it again.

You don’t ask for much. Just peace, food, and a bed to sleep in. To your dad, you might as well ask for a million bucks and a Tesla. It didn’t take much to set him off, and constantly walking on eggshells around him was exhausting.

But you did it anyway. For your mom and younger brother.

You parked your car in the driveway, taking care not to be too close to the faint line that divided it in half. You wouldn’t hear the end of it if you were even a millimeter over it. Dad wanted all the room he could get to half-ass park his stupid Blazer.

You dumped your trash leftover from your breakfast into the dumpster, ignoring how your feet screamed with each step to the curb and back. The evening rush hit harder than usual and left you stuck in the drive-thru window with a flimsy windbreaker that could barely handle air-conditioning, much less a chilly fall night. If you got sick, it’d be because of that. Here’s hoping your immune system was stronger than you believed.

Since the garage door was down, you had to go through the backyard to get to the patio door and get in the house through the kitchen. You preferred the garage because your bedroom door was right next to the entrance to the garage. You thought about texting your brother, Aubrey, and asking him to let you in, but it was late and you didn’t want to bother him.

As you closed the fence gate behind you, you spotted your parents in the kitchen. Mama was frowning with her hands on her hips. Whatever the topic was, it wasn’t good.

You tapped the patio glass before sliding it open. “Hello.” You greeted them both, sliding the door shut and locking it.

Your dad rounded on you. Judging by the look in his eye and the amount of air he sucked in before speaking, it was going to be one of those nights. “Why the hell are you coming in so late?”

Late? You glanced at the clock and realized you’d forgotten to tell them. “We got swamped, and I had to stay to help get the orders out.”

“And you couldn’t be bothered to send a text message?”

You glanced at Mama. She was rolling up her sleeves, glaring at him. “I didn’t have time to even take a lunch. And we’ve talked about this before. I can’t use my phone on the clock.”

“Don’t get smart with me,” he took a step toward you, but Mama jumped in between you two.

“Back off. I’ve told you she can’t stop what she’s doing when she’s up there to do whatever you want.”

“Jo, move outta the way. It wouldn’t have taken her a second to ask her boss to let her call or text us.” He turned to her and for a second, you were glad. You were fucking exhausted and really didn’t want to spend another minute on your feet. “Y’all act like I’m asking her to come home and ask for permission to stay out an extra hour!”

You hated when he included everyone in exaggerated general statements. Since they were focused on each other again, you figured it was okay to go to your room. You took maybe five steps before he called your name.

“_____! Don’t you walk away when I’m talking to you,” he pointed at you. Times like this kept you on edge, unable to take a breather. He looked like he wanted to put his hands on you. He usually didn’t, but you never knew when he felt froggy.

You stopped and waited for him to continue. “Yes?”

“It isn’t that hard for you to let us know when you’re coming home late from work. Your mama cooked dinner tonight, and we were supposed to sit down as a family and eat. Now everything’s cold. You ruined dinner being an inconsiderate little shit.”

You couldn’t keep the shock off your face. “Since when do we sit down and eat together?” You blinked a few times, then said, “We usually eat in our rooms.”

His eyes doubled in size and he crossed the living room in three quick strides to get in your face. “Who the fuck you think you talking to like that?”

Ugh. He wanted to fight. For whatever reason, he had been itching to fight with someone. Odd, given how willing Mama was to be a contender. You figured he realized she wasn’t going to be an easy target. You must have looked at tired as you felt because you now had the honor of being his verbal punching bag.

“I didn’t mean—”

He bumped into you with his chest, pushing you back a step. “Don’t forget you live under my roof. This is my house, _____.” He pointed at the front door. “If you can’t follow basic ass directions like stay in fucking contact, you can get the fuck out!”

If this were any other family and he were any other person, you’d say he’s fucking nuts. All this over coming home an hour late because of work? But this was your life. He was your dad and this, sadly enough, was tame compared to some of the arguments you dealt with when you were in high school. He used to accuse you of sleeping around and being a slut enough that, for a brief period of time, you did sleep around just to feel like you deserved his hatred and anger.

Right now, you just wanted to get out of your uniform, eat something, and crash. You had class in the morning and another late shift to cover for a friend. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”

You hoped like hell he’d accept it and leave you alone. “Damn right you are. Sorriest little shit I’ve ever seen in my life.” He looked you up and down with disgust, as if you’d crawled right out of a pigpen. “Hurry up so we can sit down and eat.”

You turned and high-tailed it to your room, glimpsing the clock on the wall as you passed by. It was after ten o’clock. Had he stopped them from eating until you got home? No wonder Mama looked pissed. You shut the door behind you and quickly kicked off your shoes, flopping down on the bed. If even for a second, you were happy to be home and off your feet. You’d have to look into buying better shoes once you had enough money saved up. Between paying for gas and contributing to the bills, you weren’t left with much to play with.

You sat back up and headed towards the kitchen. It’d be better to wait until after you ate to shower so you could get straight in bed. Mama had set the table. You felt bad. You wished you’d remembered to let her know, at least. The food looked amazing and likely tasted just as good as it would have when it was done cooking. She was such a splendid cook that even the pickiest of eaters would be satisfied.

“I’m telling you, Jo. The boy’s got potential.” Dad came around the corner with Mama and Aubrey trailing behind him with pitiful looks on their faces.

“And I’m telling you, Jermond. If he doesn’t want to get into football, he doesn’t have to.” She took a seat on the side of you. You nearly cried out with relief when Aubrey, eyelids low from sleep, pointedly sat in the chair opposite of you, all but snatching it from Dad.

It made you feel even worse. You glanced at your dad and he was staring at you, no doubt relishing in your reaction to everything. If you never thought he was sadistic before, this confirmed it. He just wanted to see someone hurt. Like he thrived on causing as much emotional damage as possible.

He was the worst.

He prompted Aubrey to lead in saying grace, then you all were allowed to eat.

“He can’t just sit around and waste away! He needs to be out there on the field. He could get an athletic scholarship. You’re always going on about how important college is — let him play ball.”

“I don’t have to ‘let’ him play anything. He’ll pursue it if he wants to.” She rolled her eyes and stuck her chin out. Aubrey silently pushed a plate of fish towards you, and you put a couple of pieces on your plate.

“Thank you,” you mouthed, and he nodded. Even though he was taller and acted more mature than you did, he was your baby brother. His desire to protect you and your mom never went unnoticed. He pushed the plate toward Mama and Dad. The plate caught on the wooden edge of the table, getting their attention.

“Speaking of college,” Dad turned to you. “Grades? You have to have something by now, right?”

You shrugged, “Yeah, but it isn’t good. I’m still having trouble understanding the formulas. My professor—”

“What do you mean, it isn’t good?” He held out his hand. “Lemme see them.”

You fought the urge to roll your eyes. You really didn’t want to go through this, right now, with him. Still, you pulled your phone from your pocket and pulled up your grades. The overall 62 glared back at you and you dropped your phone into his hand.

His fat thumb swiped across the screen as his frown deepened. “What the hell is this? How are you failing?”

“I was trying to explain that. I need tutoring for math. My professor says I can bring my grade up with tutoring to improve my test scores.”

“All that money and you’re wasting it. I bet it’s that girl’s fault—what’s her name?” He looked at Mama, but she ignored him. “Kristen?”

You bit back a curse. “Kristen doesn’t even work with me or go to school with me. How is this her fault?”

“Because all she wants to do is party. Every time I look up she’s in your face talking about a party or a movie or something. You don’t have time for that shit.”

You bit the inside of my cheek to keep from saying something you’d regret. Kristen was one of the few people keeping you sane. If you didn’t have her… you couldn’t complete the thought. “I’ll pull my grades up. I just need a little help understanding the work.”

“You better. College is expensive.” He picked up his fork and began shoving food into his mouth. “You can’t do much else, so at least make it worthwhile.”

Mama put her fork down. “Will you let the girl eat in peace? My God. I didn’t cook dinner just for you to sit and complain the whole meal.”

“Jo, when are you gonna stop babying her?”

“She’s the oldest! What the hell—”

“Whenever she does something, you’re quick to jump to her defense.”

“Because you’re always on the girl’s back! You don’t bother Aubrey nearly as much as you complain about her. And you nitpick on some of the dumbest shit. Like the other week, she cleaned the kitchen, and you went in behind her and made dirty dishes. Then wake her up because there are dirty dishes in the sink.”

“We have chores for a reason. I’m not supposed to let her know her chores aren’t done?”

“Not at two in the fucking morning!”

Aubrey shot you a knowing look. This was getting ugly, and it was time to vacate the war zone. You both shoved the rest of your food into your mouths and made a beeline for the sink. Luckily, it was Mama’s turn to load the dishwasher, so you both were free to go back to your rooms. Their voices got louder as you got closer to your room.

You fell onto your bed and buried your face into the pillow. You knew you shouldn’t blame yourself for any of it, but you couldn’t help but feel responsible. If your grades were better. If you had called. If…

“Hey,” your brother whispered.

You looked up and found Aubrey peeking around the corner into your room. You’d forgotten to close the door behind you. “Hey.”

“I know what you’re thinking. Don’t. Don’t beat yourself up. He’s crazy. Mama takes up for you because she loves you. We both do.”

You smiled, blinking back tears. He knew you better than you knew yourself. “Thanks. I love you, too.”

“Yeah, yeah. Get some rest.” And he was gone.

You shut the door and set out clothes for your shower. By the time you were ready for bed, you could barely keep your eyes open. Your parents were still going at it, but the topic had changed to attacks on each other. You wanted to intervene, ask them to drop it and go to bed. But the words wouldn’t be taken as someone who cared.

You cut off the light and got into bed, snuggling up with the gigantic teddy bear you kept on it. Through a sliver of light in the blinds on your window, you saw a lone bright purple star. The same star you made a wish on every night before you went to bed, hoping for a better tomorrow.

Chapter Text

It was cold enough to give you goosebumps. The sun peeked over the tops of the trees revealing little drops of dew on the grass around the patio. You sat in a patio chair and pulled up another to prop your feet on. Birds chirped, welcoming the warmth of the sun. Cars honked in the distance as Friday morning rush hour began.

You adjusted the notebook on your lap, adjusting your arm so you could write comfortably. With a deep breath, you wrote the first word. Soon, more came and before you were aware of it, you’d filled the page and needed to turn over to a clean sheet. This was your escape. When the world seemed to close in on you, drowning you in sorrows and regrets, you’d write poetry. You’d turn the ugliness inside into something tangible. It was a way to cleanse your heart of the heavy stuff. A way to keep going.

Truth be told, since graduating from high school, you were never hit with a lightbulb moment that led you to that thing you wanted to do with your life. You had an interest in many things, but nothing you could see yourself doing for money. For a career. Nothing seemed like it was good enough. Something you could be proud of if someone asked.

Still, your dad pressured you to go to college. General Studies seemed like a good idea at the time…

You exhaled hard, pressing the heels of your palms to your eyes. You wouldn’t cry again. You don’t need his approval. You don’t need anyone’s approval. You don’t need anyone.

Yet, the tears still flowed.

‘Why am I like this?’ you thought miserably.

The patio door slid open. Mama poked her head out, “You’re up early. I thought you’d be in bed.”

You blinked rapidly in some attempt to dry your eyes before you looked at her. “No. I felt like writing.”

Her gaze lingered on your face for a bit longer than necessary, and she disappeared behind the blinds. You looked back at your notebook, annoyed to see tear stains on the page. Again. One day, you’ll write something that doesn’t make you cry. Dishes clinked and clanked as Mama moved around in the kitchen. You caught her mumbling to herself and, for a brief moment, wondered if you’d pissed her off, too.

You were in the middle of a new poem when she came back outside. “You looked like you needed this.” She set a cup of tea in front of you as she placed her own cup down in front of an empty chair.

“Thanks, Mama.” You took a second to admire the steam that rose from the smooth pink porcelain cup before blowing it away. She took a seat next to you. “I do.”

She hummed and pulled a small, rectangular white box from under her arm. She placed it on the table between you. SEOULMATE. Mama picked up her cup with care and blew on it, stirring her drink with a small spoon. “Have you heard of it?”

“Yeah.” You nodded as you eyed the box. “There’s all sorts of reviews on it on YouTube. It helps you locate and contact your soulmate. It’s being promoted by one of my favorite Kpop groups, GOT7.” The pieces clicked, and you frowned. “You want me to find my soulmate?”

She nodded and put her cup down with a sad frown. “I feel like I should do more to protect you, but I just don’t know how without going to jail.”

You squeezed her hand, touched. She rarely cried in front of you or Aubrey. “Mama, don’t. You’re doing everything you can. And I appreciate and love you for it.”

Mama wiped her eyes. “I thought this might make up for the shit storm of parenting we’re doing. I planned to give it to you later, but after last night, I thought you could use a positive distraction.” She pushed the box towards you. “So take it. Go find your person.”

“And then what?” You looked at her. “I don’t wanna leave you to deal with him on your own.”

She rolled her eyes and laughed. “I can deal with him just fine. Besides, I have Aubrey as backup. But you,” she stood up and came around the table to take your face in her hands, “you need a break. I know school’s tough. You didn’t say anything, but I could tell his words cut you.” She kissed your forehead and let go. “I’ll keep telling you until I turn blue in the face, but baby, you gotta do what makes you happy. You! Do you remember how many times I asked if you were sure about college? About taking general studies?”

“Yes, Ma.” You nodded, a small smile curving your lips. “You were relentless.”

“You know why? Because I had a feeling your heart wasn’t in it. You were just going to be going. So I let you be. But now,” she leaned down and hugged you, “I’m begging you to be nicer to yourself. If you can’t pass the class, it’s okay. If you need to take it again, it’s okay.”

“Mama, I can’t afford another semester. I have to pass. It’s now or never for me.” You looked up at her.

“We’ll figure out a way to pay for your classes. Don’t sacrifice your mind and soul for this, _____. Please?” She picked up the box and put it in your hands. “Give yourself a break and meet someone new. Your life story needs a new, happier chapter.”

You laughed out loud as she patted you on the head then danced back inside, closing the door behind her. You stared at the box for a while. The chill in the air had disappeared, and the sun hung above the trees. A brown baby bird landed on the fence and chirped before taking off to join other little birds like it. Okay. You could at least humor her. You opened the box with care, breaking the sticker seal. Inside sat a simple smartwatch with a smooth black surface and white leather straps. It matched a bracelet you’d gotten from Wish, so that was a plus.

The face was cold to the touch. You glanced over the instructions and turned it on. Setting it up was easy. All it asked you to do was install the app and put the watch on. It paired after the second attempt then vibrated as it did its scan. You held your breath as an hourglass appeared on its face, turning upside down every minute while it searched the database for your soulmate.

Your soulmate. What if you didn’t have one? What if you did?

Then it let out a cute chirp. And then another. And another. And another— “What the hell?” You stared at it as it chimed seven times total. Maybe there were messages from your soulmate waiting for you to receive them. You smirked at the thought of your soulmate being eager. You tapped the screen and it lit up with a message that took up the whole screen.

7 PAIRS FOUND

Seven? Your shoulders slumped. “Great. A glitch.” Though you figured something like this could happen, you were still a little bummed. You dug through the user manual to find the customer service number. After an hour on the phone troubleshooting the device and resetting it four times, it still said you had seven soulmates. Seven different people, each with their own unique ID in the database. When the operator had followed every trick in the book, she put you on hold briefly to check with her supervisor for other options.

She never came back on the line. Instead, it beeped when it was disconnected. You called back five times but kept getting a busy signal. You huffed. You wondered what the others who’d been paired with you had to say about this.

With your phone in your hands, you closed your eyes and thought of what you should say. Should you play it cool? But what if it seems like you’re not interested? Okay, then you should show your excitement with lots of emojis. Ugh, but then it may look like you’re too excited. You weren’t excited. This was fucked up. Shit.

You opened the message center and composed a group chat with all seven of them. You exhaled and typed up the first thing that came to mind.

[You:] Has anyone contacted customer service yet? I got hung up on.

You expected a message back, but you got nothing. Okay. Well, it was early. They could be at work. Maybe they didn’t get the notification. If they were on the other side of the world, maybe they were asleep. Someone was bound to answer. Patience. You had to be patient and just give them some time.

You could do that.

Meanwhile…

It was always the energy of the crowd that did it for him. Yugyeom could swear he was powered by the love and excitement their fans showed. Even now, there was only a small fraction of their entire fandom lined up to meet them, yet they were loud. Their cheers were deafening as GOT7 crossed the small stage and took their assigned seats at the tables.

Yugyeom plopped down into his chair between BamBam and Youngjae, both of whom were already fidgeting restlessly. He understood their anxiety. The past meets had taught them to be careful, wary of even the slightest movement. Put on a bright smile and be ready to console.

Their leader was the only one brave enough to be first in line. Or at least Yugyeom thought so. Jaebeom was always ready to make that sacrifice for them. That was one of the many reasons Yugyeom admired him so much.

The first person stepped onto the stage and the main event began. Yugyeom sat up straight and watched the young girl push her sleeve back, revealing her pink SeoulMate. It looked like an ordinary smartwatch from where he sat. Before she got within arms length of Jaebeom, Yugyeom’s wrist began to vibrate and chime. The sound echoed in the loud room. He looked at his SeoulMate, eyes wide with disbelief.

PAIR FOUND

The world around him fell away as the words sunk in. He had a soulmate. He had someone! The giddy joy he felt disappeared when he turned to BamBam and saw his best friend also looking at his SeoulMate. Sound slowly faded back in and he nearly lost his hearing. The crowd was going nuts, a mixture of outraged screams and jeers. The security guards were the only barrier between the group and the mob that had once been their happy fans.

“What?” Yugyeom turned to Youngjae who’d jumped out of his chair at Mark’s request. Yugyeom stood too and Youngjae steered him towards BamBam. The group rushed off the stage, narrowly missing the first flying shoe.

The staff rushed to barricade the door behind them with tables and chairs. It was quieter backstage, and it was then that Yugyeom could hear the steady chorus of chimes and insistent buzzing of the other six SeoulMates in the room.

“Is this for real?” Mark tapped at his screen cautiously as if the thing would explode.

Jinyoung scoffed. “Of course not.” He pushed his device off his wrist and held it away from him. “How do I shut it up? It isn’t supposed to go off for this long, is it?”

“It isn’t entirely impossible.” Jackson failed to hide his joy.

“Yeah, but all of us? At the exact same moment?” BamBam eyed his device warily. “It’s an obvious glitch. More importantly, what about the event? JB, did you even touch her hand?”

Jaebeom shook his head. “No. Whatever this,” he shook his wrist, “is has nothing to do with any of the people out there.”

“So, what do we do?” Youngjae looked at each of them. “Say it’s an error. How do we fix it and what do we do about the schedule? There’s an angry crowd out there that may not listen to reason. But if it isn’t an error—”

“It is an error. No question about it.” Jinyoung took a step forward, and when he had everyone’s attention, he continued, “It simply isn’t possible for us to all be paired at the same time.”

Jaebeom nodded. “He’s right. This is too big of a coincidence.” He turned to one of the coordinators who worked for SeoulMate and was in charge of their events. “How quickly can tech support get our devices fixed? If we make good time, we can finish the event without going over budget.”

The woman nodded and pulled out her phone. “I’m on it.”

“And the crowd? Someone’s gotta go out there and talk them down.” BamBam pointed at the door.

Yugyeom looked at Jinyoung out of the corner of his eye and subtly pointed at him, “Send him. He can turn anyone to stone with that glare.”

“We’re being serious here!” Jinyoung snapped.

“Exhibit A.” Yugyeom sidestepped away from him. “Besides, if I’m wrong, he has—what—eight more lives?”

“Wait.” Jackson stopped Jinyoung from taking another step. “Our devices might be messing up, but shouldn’t their devices still function? I mean, the ones that do the simple scan aren’t affected by database issues. It compares the user’s atoms to whomever it scans!”

“He’s right!” Youngjae chimed in. “We can continue with those while the issue with ours is fixed. After that, we can perform the song.”

It was light a weight was lifted off their shoulders. Yugyeom was confident they’d make it through this. But, of course, it was often too easy to forget they didn’t have that kind of control. Their head manager, Seungjoon, broke through their little circle with a grim look on his normally cheerful face. “Bad news, guys.”

Jaebeom groaned. “Don’t tell me. He called.”

Seungjoon nodded. “He wants us to pack up and hit the road. We can’t afford any delays. That and if the crowd ‘can’t act civilized’ then they don’t deserve the opportunity.”

“It’s not their fault.” Jaebeom closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. “If it’s a technical issue then the company he agreed to do business with should take on the financial burden. These people take off from school and work for these events!”

Seungjoon held up his hands in surrender. “Don’t shoot the messenger. I’m just passing on the order. In the meantime, ignore the device. Don’t send any messages and certainly do not respond to them. Now, go hit up makeup and wardrobe so we can get out of here.” Seungjoon turned and headed to the staff.

Yugyeom waited until he was sure Seungjoon was out of earshot before speaking up. “Are we really leaving them with no explanation?” Everyone turned to Jaebeom, waiting for his response.

He bit his bottom lip and looked at his SeoulMate, still buzzing on his wrist. “We…we don’t have a choice. It isn’t our money. Knowing them, they have a statement already drafted up anyway.”

The group nodded solemnly and dispersed into the flurry of movement around them. Yugyeom didn’t move. He made sure no one was looking and took another peek at his device. Who did he pair with? User number 20140116. He read the number over and over, just to be sure he wasn’t wrong. But no, it was as sure as the sun in the sky. What were the odds? He knew he could a bit too idealistic at times, but this was insane. Beyond coincidence and free-falling straight into uncanny valley.

Maybe they each had a different pairing. To his knowledge, no one had checked their user pair except for him. Maybe this special person, with a number etched into his own heart, was meant for him. He believed in logic and such, but destiny was a real thing, too.

“Yugyeom!” Jaebeom bellowed over the sea of heads between them. “Get moving!”

Yugyeom huffed and gave him a thumbs up. ‘Later’, he told himself, ‘I’ll see how this plays out.’

The financial success of the SeoulMate technology was imperative. Any future expansion hinged on getting more investors for the research. The last thing Chahong wanted to hear about was technical issues. He was in his office going over the day’s data when his personal phone rang. Not many people had the number.

Park J.Y.

Surprising. He picked up on the fourth ring. “Yes?”

“You said your product was reliable. Fail-proof!” Park’s voice was little more than a hiss. “If this damages the label’s image, you’ll be neck-deep in a defamation lawsuit.”

“What do you mean? Has something happened?” Chahong asked as his assistant, Clara, rushed in with her tablet.

“How can you not be up to date on the tour?” Park was exasperated. “It’s all over the internet, the news!”

Chahong picked up the remote on the corner of his desk and turned on the flat-screen TV. At the same time, Clara handed her tablet over. The headlines were all over the place but focused on a central topic: GOT7 all had soulmates. “What?”

Chahong clued back into Park’s ranting. “Our agreement was the devices they wear are simply props! They shouldn’t even be functional.”

“No, our agreement was for them to wear the actual product to help build the user database. They can’t do that with fakes, Mr. Park.” Chahong swiped through the pages of data on Clara’s tablet. “From the looks of it, they’ve all synced to the same user.”

“So, what? Did someone hack your system?”

Chahong scoffed. “Impossible. We operate on personal servers separate from public use. The satellites and firewalls are impenetrable from the outside. Anything changed or set in the database is marked with the employee’s credentials. User 20140116 has no edits.”

“You plan to fix this, right?” Park growled. “If it gets out that they all share the same soulmate, it’ll ruin all of us.”

“I’ll look into it right away.” He tapped his chin. “Though, I’ll need time to get to the bottom of this.”

“How much time? They can’t put their future events on hold for this.” Chahong heard paper rustling. “And we’ll need the earnings from this to fund them.”

Once again, Chahong was baffled by JYP Entertainment’s secret financial mess. The company was one of the big three labels in the Kpop music industry. Yet, JYP was barely keeping its head above water. It was the main reason his financial advisors suggested striking a deal with them.

“Look,” Chahong sat down, “our PR team will handle the press and internet. It’s a simple glitch that can likely be fixed with a reboot, or at worst, a reset. If anything, it’ll drive up sales. Buyers, specifically their fans, will have proof their devices are on and working.”

“You’d better hope so, Hwan. I mean it. I won’t hesitate to drag your ass to court.”

Chahong sighed. “You’re a lovely business partner. Goodbye, Park.” He put the phone face down on the desk, ending the call. He watched the wild, raw video of the now infamous SeoulMate event. It went from calm to chaos in the blink of an eye. Luckily, no one was hurt, but the speculation was running rampant from station to station. Though many suspected a technical flaw, a small few had correctly guessed the truth.

Huh. Seven people with the same soulmate. Who didn’t sync with each other. He sat in silence for a few minutes with Clara watching him spin slowly in his chair.

“And we’re sure no one’s done anything? From the inside?”

She nodded. “I checked everyone’s data entry history. Security went over the footage from the server room.”

Chahong nodded. He would have done the same. “Have them check again. Just in case.” She nodded and left. He picked up the tablet and stared at the data. It bugged him to no end. If the pairings were real, why didn’t the group trigger for each other? If they were all part of the same soul, how had his technology failed to see the connection?

Something wasn’t right. Worst still, he felt like the reason was staring him in the face and laughing.

Chapter Text

In the end, you couldn’t do it.

Waiting on one person to respond would have been way easier than waiting around for one of seven users to realize what happened. It was as if all seven had conspired to ignore your message. Yet still, you chalked it up to coincidence and absurdity. Really, seven soulmates? As if. You wouldn’t be surprised if they’d returned their devices right then and there. In the meantime, your device had rebooted on its own several times, losing connection with the database off and on. Someone was trying to fix it, but it didn’t seem like they were getting anywhere.

By midnight, your nerves had eaten your pride and soul. You wouldn’t admit you spent seventeen hours waiting for someone, anyone, to respond. Mama tried to calm you down. She’d even temporarily convinced you that maybe they needed time to come to terms with it. There was no telling how long they’d had their SM believing that they didn’t have someone. Or, if they’d returned their device, it took a week for the company to mail a letter to the person if they didn’t ask to be notified by text or email. It could have been a glitch in the system or a person who’d had different types of SeoulMates devices.

You couldn’t bring yourself to tell her about the glitch being seven pairs, not just one. She seemed happier after giving it to you and you didn’t want to take that away. 

But then Saturday came and went.

Sunday.

Monday.

Tuesday.

One week.

Two weeks.

You never gave up. You sent a greeting to each of them every day and ended the day with a lonely goodnight. Customer service began taking your calls again but had nothing more to offer than promises that tech support had your ticket and was working on the issue. They wouldn’t tell you if the other users had reported the issue. Wouldn’t even tell you their names.

It had been a particularly trying day of work when you came home and crashed on your bed. You didn’t feel like taking a shower and reheating your dinner despite feeling icky and your stomach growling. You wanted to throw your SeoulMate out the window. After breaking down and calling customer support again, a different agent confirmed all seven users were actively wearing their devices. So, they were ignoring you. And that hurt.

None of them had a profile picture, so you didn’t even know what they looked like. They didn’t want to see your face. You bit your lip hard, willing your tears to go away. It was okay. They weren’t the first person to want nothing to do with you. This was more for Mama’s sake than yours anyway. You pulled your phone out and opened the SM app. You winced at the previous unanswered message then typed out a new one. A final one.

[You:] I’m not sure if I’ve done something to scare you off or if you’re just ignoring me.

[You:] Either way, it’s not healthy for me to keep trying to talk to you when it’s clear none of you want to talk.

[You:] I’m gonna take my SM back in the morning, so you won’t have to worry about me bothering you anymore.

[You:] Have a nice life, I guess.

By the time you’d sent the last message, tears were falling again. As much as you wanted to pretend you were strong and unfazed by the passive rejection, you just didn’t have the strength. You rolled over onto your side, tucked your hands between your knees, and let yourself cry. You cried until the walls of your room melted away and sleep claimed you.

Hours later, you woke up to your phone buzzing with a notification. You pressed the power button, illuminating the screen to display the time. It was only five. The sun hadn’t even begun to rise. Still half asleep, you checked your text messages. Nothing. You opened FB, Instagram, and Twitter. Nothing. Then what the hell-

DING!

You nearly dropped your phone as an alert from the SeoulMate app appeared below the status bar. You had a message from Mystery Person #3. ‘Oh, fuck.’ Did you piss them off? Good. They deserved it. Maybe he or she was ranting. You were feeling petty, up for a nice argument. You opened the app and loaded the messages, but you weren’t prepared for what you found.

[SM3:] Please don’t.

All things considered, Jackson was doing exceptionally well. If it’d been left up to him, he would have responded to your messages as soon as the first one came through. It’d been painful to ignore them the first two days until he caved and started reading them. The first one satisfied his curiosity but gave birth to a hunger for knowledge about you he couldn’t feed elsewhere.

Judging by the lack of reaction from the others, he figured he was the only one getting and reading your messages. Somehow, it made him feel special, important. Chosen. He liked that a lot. During long flights between cities, he began responding to your messages but never sent the responses. Your updates about your life and questions about him gave him something to look forward to after a long trip or emotionally stressful event. In a way, you became his escape. A lifeline that kept him from sinking on the bad days. He wouldn’t have been able to explain it if asked. That’s just the way it was. And he was fine with it.

The world shifted on its axis again fourteen days after pairing with you.

Youngjae sat next to him in the van when they were returning to their hotel. He toyed with his SeoulMate restlessly as the others piled in. Yugyeom sat on the other side of Youngjae. Before long, the van was packed and rolling away from the venue.

“Are we really going to ignore her?” Youngjae asked softly, eyes focused on his device. “Would it really be so bad to say hi?”

By the time the last word slipped out, the van was eerily quiet. Jaebeom had twisted around in his seat to look over the middle row at Youngjae. “We don’t have a choice—”

“Yes, we do,” Yugyeom spoke up. “And we’re choosing to be assholes.”

“Oh, don’t start that again.” Jinyoung groaned and looked over his shoulders.

“Start what? Being honest?” Yugyeom rolled his eyes. “I can understand if you’ve forgotten what it’s like to be an honest, decent person. You started out complaining about the whole setup yet you’ve taken to it like a fish in water.”

Then they were arguing. Jackson knew he should step in, help Jaebeom restore order, but…he couldn’t help but agree with Youngjae. His gut told him it was wrong yet he couldn’t bring himself to break the rules. He was terrified of the consequences of going against the companies. But what if this was his only chance for a soulmate? What if the issue was resolved only to find he didn’t have a soulmate at all?

What if…he was destined to be alone forever?

He’d gladly share you if it meant he wouldn’t die alone. If it meant he was worth being loved in some way. But as he tuned back into Yugyeom and Jinyoung’s yelling match, he wondered if he really meant it. This soulmate business was starting to tear the group apart. Playful Yugyeom was gradually getting more bitter and irritated. Youngjae spoke and smiled less. Jaebeom had an eternal migraine. Mark paid less attention to them while Jinyoung took issue with anyone who spoke favorably about soulmates. BamBam spent more time with the staff to escape the arguments. And he…he was lost in his imagination with a girl he’d probably never meet.

The guys all but shoved their way out of the van when it pulled up to the hotel. Youngjae hung back as Jackson got out, unease written all over his face. “Hey, hyung?”

“Yeah?” Jackson fell into step beside Youngjae as they brought up the rear of their small crowd.

“Do-do you read her messages? Or have you blocked her like Jinyoung?” Youngjae looked around then continued, “I read them, but I don’t message her.”

Jackson nodded, his chest tightening at Youngjae’s confession. “I read them too.”

Youngjae’s jaw dropped before he quickly schooled his expression. “I’m glad I’m not the only one. I feel so bad for her. Part of me hopes a reset will give her someone she can actually talk to or be with. Being our soulmate would suck.”

Though Jackson nodded, the words made his stomach turn. Again, the fear of loneliness consumed his heart and rational thought. ‘What if there isn’t another chance?’ He thought miserably. It hopelessly rattled around in his brain on the ride up to their floor, even after he’d closed the room door behind him. Luckily he was rooming with Youngjae so he didn’t have to put forth the effort to look happy or keep up with Yugyeom and BamBam’s energy.

Once he got out of the shower, Youngjae slipped on his shoes. “Time for a walk?”

Youngjae nodded. “Yeah. I don’t feel like setting up my laptop or hitting the gym.”

Jackson held up his phone. “I’ll probably be up for a little while longer. If you need me—”

Youngjae smiled and waved him off. “I know, I know.” Then he left.

Not even a minute after Jackson had climbed into his bed and picked up his phone, his SeoulMate device chimed with a new message. ‘Just in time,’ he thought happily. Yet, what he read made his blood run cold and his heart painfully skip a beat.

[💚Soulmate💚]: I’m not sure if I’ve done something to scare you off or if you’re just ignoring me.

[💚Soulmate💚]: Either way, it’s not healthy for me to keep trying to talk to you when it’s clear you don’t want to talk.

[💚Soulmate💚]: I’m gonna take my SM back in the morning, so you won’t have to worry about me bothering you anymore.

[💚Soulmate💚]: Have a nice life, I guess.

He panicked, thumbs swiping over the screen in a blur.

[You:] Please don’t.

Jackson stared at the bright screen. It glowed like a beacon in the darkness of the hotel room, exposing him for what he’d just done. Two words. That’s all he’d sent. Two words too many. Two words too few. The fear of losing you, the person he wanted to meet more than anyone else in the world, had pushed him to violate the terms of the contract.

Shit.

But he owed you an explanation. He'd been reading all of your messages, selfishly delighting in your attempts to reach out to one of them because it showed that you cared. That you really wanted to talk to him. That you really cared about him and who he was and what he did. He didn't think about what the silence on his end would do to you. If it hurt. He worried that if you knew who they were or what they did, that would change your view of him. He wanted your honest reaction to his true self and not the fame. He worried that you would be scared off, unwilling to deal with the fans, both good and bad. That you’d only see them for their status and money. Pains from his past coloring his fears.

Yet, here in the middle of the night, you’d shown him the crack in your heart. The guilt of it ate him alive, pushed his fingers to tap out a hasty reply without stopping to consider the consequences. He wanted to kick himself. What would the others say? What would the lawyers say?

He looked over your words again. ‘Have a nice life?’ How? He was sure he couldn't live with himself knowing he'd hurt his soulmate.

Ugh.

He quietly put his phone down on the nightstand next to the bed. He'd have to tell someone. He was shitty at keeping things from the others, especially Jaebeom. He shuddered. Telling Jaebeom would be the death of him, but he owed Jaebeom that much. Honesty was one of the things they valued and honored before reason. He shut his eyes and let out a quiet huff. Okay, so in the morning, he'd tell Jaebeom. Then they'd go from there. Because now that he'd opened the channel for communication between them, you deserved the chance to chew him out. He knew you’d ask a ton of questions and he'd need help answering them without giving too much away.

Yeah. Things would be okay.

"You did what?" Jackson flinched as Jaebeom's voice rang in his ears. Okay, so maybe things wouldn't be okay. "What were you thinking?"

"She was gonna take it back! Then I'd never meet her. Wasn't that the point of this whole thing? To look for our soulmate?" Jackson slouched down until his seat belt threatened to strangle him.

Jinyoung rolled his eyes and turned back around in his seat. “Why would you bother? It’s clearly a glitch. All of us can’t have the same soulmate. And you read the contract. We're not allowed to contact them. That's literally the only stipulation. Don't open the app or fuck with the thing. Just wear it and hold hands." He dropped his voice, "That's why I said this whole thing is stupid."

Jaebeom dragged a hand down his face. "I knew I should have made you room with me."

"Guys, chill out." BamBam looked up from his phone, patting Jackson's shoulder. "The solution is simple. We call the company, let them know that he responded by mistake. They should be able to send him a fake one to promote with. Then we won’t have to worry about her reaching out and Jack won’t be tempted to answer."

A chill ran down Jackson's spine. His chest hurt at the thought of severing the link he'd discovered. But never mind him, what would it do to you? Your words implied stress and heartache from the lack of responses. After getting a single response asking you to keep your device, he didn’t want to imagine the emotional damage from being cut off. Even if he wasn’t your soulmate, Jackson couldn’t just leave you in the dark without reason. You deserved to know the truth.

“Jackson!” Jaebeom shoved Jackson’s shoulder. “Aish, where’s your head? Listen to me.” He sat back against the seat. “No more messages. Okay? We’ll talk to our manager after the meet.” He turned toward the six other pairs of eyes on him. “So put it out of your minds for now. We focus on what’s immediately ahead of us. Then we can chew him out.”

There were grumbles of agreement, but Jackson’s mind was already back on you. His soulmate. Their soulmate. It’d be cowardly to just abandon you without giving you a proper explanation. Though his heart sunk down to his toes, he nodded to himself. It was the best, most honorable solution to the mess he’d created.

You were on a lunch break, munching on fries during a thirty-minute lunch break. The sun had just gone down and the evening rush was due to start soon. You had a nice supervisor who made a point to treat the employees well. You didn’t make it a habit to check the news. It was often too violent or depressing.

Yet, something compelled you to pull up the news tab.

Soompi, Koreaboo, Hallyu—All of them had GOT7’s pictures in the headlines. Article after article detailing how chaos had erupted when the groups’ SeoulMate devices went off during an event two weeks ago. The exact details differed from source to source, but the consensus was simple: their devices had been triggered without anyone at the event coming into contact with them. Many of the writers speculated it was a glitch. Tons of comments complained about how the group rushed off without an explanation or apology. The SeoulMate company promised their devices had been fixed and reset.

Fixed and reset.

A part of you deflated, and you didn’t understand why. Of course, they’d reset. It was obviously a mistake. No one had seven soulmates.

‘Except you,’ you thought. Two weeks ago? What were the odds of the same thing happening to them at the same time? But—you checked your device—you still had seven soulmates paired to you. Every time your device came back online, the pairs were still there. Silent, but there.

You continued to devour article after article, looking for something tell-tale to confirm your suspicion. You honestly didn’t need it, but still, after being ignored for so long, you wanted it spelled out for you. No misunderstanding. A quick check on Reddit and Tumblr gave you the theories and commentary you were looking for. It was a PR stunt to drive up sales. The whole thing was a scam anyway. The timing was too perfect.

But.

The panic on their faces is real. The security’s response was disjointed, sluggish, and actually hilarious. If it was planned, none of the people on stage were in on it. Considering the audience’s response, that was extremely dangerous. Would JYP really put its highest-grossing boy group in danger like that? (There were threads upon threads debating that.) JYP hadn’t issued a statement; SeoulMates did because they were handling PR. It could be a real glitch. Due to the crazy contract terms idols usually agreed to, was it even possible for them have a soulmate? There’d have to be restrictions.

It would explain why they didn’t respond. It would give away their identities. You wouldn’t be surprised if they were outright banned from contacting any matches.

So then, if your seven mystery pairs were GOT7, who answered your message? Who’d be bold enough to go against the rules? Could it be—

“_____!” A coworker poked his head into the room. “The rush is picking up. We need you.”

“Here I come.” You put your leftover food back in the bag it came in. You had about ten minutes left on your break but you doubt you’d see the rest of it before you clocked out for the night. On the bright side, you had something to occupy your mind until then.

Jackson waited for the last person in line, a woman, to come to him. Keeping his SeoulMate tilted so that she couldn't see it, he held her clammy hands. "Ready...?"

"Sheila," she trembled, and he gave her hands a squeeze.

"Okay, Sheila." Jackson gave her an enthusiastic smile. "Count with me." They counted slowly to ten. She wasn’t aware it was all for show. When they reached zero, and neither device had made a sound, the crowd groaned with disappointment. Sheila squeezed her eyes shut as her face turned red. She wasn't the first to cry in front of him, and he hated that she wouldn't be the last. There were fifteen more cities to go with an expected 1,500 more fans to greet. To lie to.

Though he wore his biggest grin as they waited for stagehands to clear the stage for their last performance, inside he was a bundle of nerves and doubt. He had a plan and a shitty one at that. But he wasn't going to back out. His body went on autopilot as they danced to their song. The fans cheered and sang along, for which he was grateful. Though the higher-ups swore this whole campaign would bring the group more fans while simultaneously increasing the SeoulMate's profits, he worried it'd end badly.

With one last bow, the group filed offstage. They passed by the stagehands, turning over their mics and other equipment before heading to a room set aside for them. Their staff sprung into action, helping them clean up and change. Jackson's assigned stylist moved with purpose while the others chattered and joked around. With a quiet thanks, he slipped out of the room and went out into the night.

His fingers moved over the cold, smooth screen, pulling up the app. He didn't have much time, but it was now or never. He looked at your profile picture, his thumb caressing your smile. He bit his bottom lip and hit the call button. You should have been awake and off from work. As the line rang, a small smile curved his lips. He'd paid attention to when you sent messages. He wondered if you’d be impressed by that.

The ringing stopped, and a woman's voice cut through the silence. "Hello?"

He sucked in air, not having thought about what he'd say. So he said the first thing that came to mind. "Never fear, your puppy's here!"

There was a beat of silence. "I'm sorry?"

He smacked his palm to his forehead and groaned. "Sorry, I didn't think—I couldn't think of anything to say—"

“…Wait. Who is this?” There was rustling on the other end, then what sounded like a door shutting. “How’d you get my number?”

“Ah, uh… From the SeoulMate app. We paired a while back. I messaged you this morning.”

You smacked your lips. “Prove it. What’s your user id?”

He understood the caution. He’d had to verify plenty of user IDs after the fiasco of an event weeks ago. People were presenting fake numbers in hopes of fooling them into accepting a pairing. “One second.” He pulled up the about tab on his SeoulMate and read his ID out to her. It didn’t occur to him until after he’d said the last number out loud just how much danger he could be putting himself—all of them, really—in. He didn’t know you. You were pissed at him. There was no telling what you could do.

You interrupted his thoughts when you whispered, "Wow, you called?”

He nodded, then winced when it occurred to him that you couldn't see it. "I owe you an explanation. I'd rather do it in person, but I'm in Miami right now."

"An apology." You deadpanned. His head ducked a little as he bit his lip, mulling his words over.

"Yes. I-I should have answered you sooner, but I didn't because I couldn't. I," he paused. If you knew about their promotions for the SeoulMate, you’d be able to figure out the situation if he said the wrong thing. "I'm working for the company."

"Oh, like a tester or something?" He soaked up the awe in your voice, hearing it become soft around the edges as your anger melted a bit.

“Or something,” he agreed easily. “I wanted to respond. I read all of your messages. I read them over and over. I put my responses in a memo, wishing I could send them. When—when I saw your messages last night, I panicked. I didn’t want you to stop sending messages.”

“Even though you left me hanging, waiting on a response?” Annoyance colored your words and the challenge in your tone made him suck in another gulp of air.

“______, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to get in trouble.”

You went silent. “You saved all of your responses?”

“Yes!” His face heated up and he shut his eyes. “I did.”

“Send them to me. I want to read them. All of them.” Your words were firm. He liked that. You wouldn’t make this easy for him. It pleased him because he felt like he owed you the world. It was a scary feeling. He pulled up his memo pad, copied the entire text, and pasted it into a message in the SeoulMates app. “That was quick.”

“Because I'm truthful.” There was a click somewhere behind him, and he ducked behind a nearby car, peeking over the trunk. No one stepped outside. The door didn’t budge. He hoped he was mistaken and no one was actually there. “I wouldn’t lie to you.”

“Wow,” you breathed. “There’s so much. Most of them are demands that I take better care of myself, but yeah.”

“Because you should! You work so often and at odd hours. How can you sleep well when your schedule is all over the place? And the food,” he groaned. “That stuff isn’t healthy, but I guess it’s better than you not being able to eat at all. I want to talk to your manager. Breaks should be mandatory, not ‘if there’s time.’ You only get one body—”

“Are you seriously lecturing me right now?” You asked, incredulous.

“Yes!” His voice echoed in the deserted parking lot. “Sorry. I just—I’m really passionate about being healthy and happy. That place doesn’t seem to help you in either of those areas.”

You went quiet again. “…Thank you for caring, I think. Are you like this all the time, though?”

He couldn’t help the smile that stretched across his face. “No. I’m also bursting with energy, so I like to move around.” He thought about how long their dance practices could run. “I work out, so my body looks good.” Maybe you’d appreciate that bit of information. “Wait—are you taller than five-nine?”

“What? No, why?”

“Oh, thank god.” He breathed a sigh of relief. “Do you like tall men? Oh, wait. People. Do you like tall people? I don’t want to assume your sexuality.”

“I’m—”

“No, no no no. I don’t want to invade your privacy like that. You can tell me when it comes up naturally. Forget I asked, okay?”

“Oh my god.” You laughed. The sound made him grin wider as butterflies took flight in his chest. “You’re all over the place. It’s cute.”

“So is your laugh. I’d like to hear it more often.” He confessed. The second the words were out of his mouth, his teeth slammed down on his tongue, and he let out a little yelp of pain. He couldn’t hear your laugh more often. He was supposed to tell you why you two couldn’t talk and wouldn’t talk again after this. But talking to you was effortless. Sure, he stumbled a little in the beginning, but you were open. Even if you hadn’t verbally forgiven him yet for your rocky start, he could just feel that you wouldn’t cut him out. Even if he asked you to. Both of his hands curled around the phone protectively, as if doing so could shield you from what lay ahead. “Hey, _____, can I ask you something?”

“Hm? Sure,” there was more rustling on your end. “What’s up?”

“What—what do you think about soulmates?”

“In general, or our situation?”

He bit his lip. “Both. No, no. Us. Wait, no. In general?”

You laughed again. “In general, I love the idea of having that special someone. I think the expectations of being or having one has gotten out of control, but yeah. I like it. I’d like to have someone like that. I don’t know your situation, but I’m single. If you aren’t, I understand if you’d like to be friends. You’re really easy to get along with. Oh, well—I mean, if your love is okay with it.” You swallowed, and your voice changed a little. “If not, I don’t like being a homewrecker. Too much drama, y’know?”

As you fumbled over your words, he wondered what you were doing right at that second. Were you pacing around? Gesturing with your hands? Did you bite your lip a lot, too? Damn, he wanted to see you. However, he knew if he did, there’d be no going back. In fact, the more he thought of it, the less he liked the idea. Not that he ever did. He was just less likely to commit to it. “Can I have your actual number?”

You stopped rambling to ask, “Um, sure. But can I ask why? The app is the best way to communicate, isn’t it?”

He bit his lip and peeked at the door again, then lowered his voice, “It is, but given our situation, they want to…take my SeoulMate. I don’t know if they will for sure. But if they do, I won’t have any of your info and won’t be able to contact you. They don’t want me to, but I really don’t want to let you go.” He paused then whispered, “I’ve waited my entire life for you. I wanna get to know you at least.”

There was a soft gasp before you spoke. “I’d—I’d love that. I was afraid—the way you phrased the question, I thought you didn’t—yes.” You recited numbers, and he quickly created a text message to send you. “I got it.”

The door to the building swung open, and Jaebeom stepped out, eyes scanning the area. Jackson ducked back down just before Jaebum’s head swiveled in his direction. Jackson cursed under his breath and scuttled further away from the door. “Jackson!” he bellowed.

“Ah, shit.” Jackson cupped a hand to the phone and whispered, “_____, I’m really sorry, but I need to get back to work. I’ll try to call you again, if not I’ll text you. Is that okay?”

“Sure! That’s perfect.” Your joy was tangible, even over the phone. It gave him an odd sense of satisfaction knowing he was the cause of it, a reverse of what he’d done before. “Thank you for calling. It means a lot to me.”

“Thank you for hearing me out.”

“Bye.”

He really didn’t want to say it. There was a real possibility this could be the only time he ever got to hear your voice. “Bye, _____.” The second the call disconnected, Jaebeom came around the car.

“What are you doing?” He sounded as pissed as he looked. Jackson hesitated a second too long. “Did you send another message?” Jackson looked away, down at his feet with a pout. He would never lie to Jaebeom, but he wouldn’t just give up his soulmate. Geez. Just one conversation with you and it already felt like it was you both versus the world. The intensity of his desire to protect your possible bond—friendship—relationship—whatever was scary. Crazy even. Was it a soulmate thing? Jaebeom hit Jackson’s shoulder. “Answer me.”

Jackson hung his head. “No.”

Jaebeom let out a sigh of relief. “Don’t do that. You scared—”

“I called her.”

Jaebeom froze for a second, then snatched off his hat and smacked the back of Jackson’s head with it. Jackson flinched but didn’t try to shield himself. He deserved it. “YAH! Why? Why would you do that when I just told you to not even send messages? Do you want to get in trouble? Get us all in trouble?”

“I just wanted to explain—”

“Explain? Yes, go in there and explain to the others why we’ll all have to pay back the advance we got for this contract. Why we’ll also have to pay legal fees for court because the company will sue us for breach of contract. Did you not see how much we’re liable for if even one of us screws this up? A fucking billion won, Jackson! Not everyone has money to just throw away!” Jaebeom shoved his hands through his hair and turned away to take a calming breath but ended up groaning out loud and pulling his hair hard enough to hurt. “I’d expect this level of selfishness from Yugyeom or BamBam, but not you.”

“Hyung, please hear me out—”

“For fuck’s sake, we only have fifteen more stops! Why couldn’t you wait until after we were done?”

“She was gonna cut us off!” Jackson had to yell over Jaebeom, and he hated to do it. It was disrespectful, and Jackson had nothing but love and respect for their leader. Jaebum’s eyes widened, then blinked rapidly. Jackson stood up and began talking fast. “This whole thing may be just a paycheck to everyone else, but I care about what we’re doing to people. These things,” Jackson pointed to his wrist, “aren’t cheap! Our fans are spending their hard-earned money—the price of two concert tickets—for a chance to meet us and see if we’re their soulmate. A chance that doesn’t even really exist! Because one,” Jackson counted off on his fingers, “the odds are not in their favor when the database has almost a million users. Two, even if we are their soulmate, we can’t talk to or date them. Or even be seen with them! And three, wearing fake devices is on the table now, so it’s like we don’t exist for each other. Do you think they’d buy this thing if they knew it was a loss on their part? Do you think they’d still support us?”

Jaebeom’s head tipped back and his eyes closed.

“I may not be able to do right by our fans and be honest,” Jackson continued, “but I refuse to lie to and hurt her. She’s been sending messages for weeks, hyung. Just trying to say hi, trying to get to know us. Why is that so wrong? Why can’t we give her that much?”

“Jackson, you—” Jaebeom was just as frustrated as Jackson, but Jackson could see he wasn’t ready to see reason.

“I called her to explain because she deserves that much. She should know why we won’t talk to her. Why she’ll never meet us. Why she won’t get the happy ending everyone else is getting. I know I went against your words, and I apologize that I had to.” Jackson looked Jaebeom in the eyes. “But I’d do it again. And again. And again. I know I can be a little too trusting. I know I take unnecessary risks when it comes to people. But I’m not gonna be afraid to keep trying. ‘In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take.’” Jackson moved to Jaebeom’s side but didn’t turn towards him. “I’ll let them take my SeoulMate if they want to, but I won’t ignore her.”

Chapter Text

The room was as dark as an underground cavern. Heavy curtains blocked out all outside light. The small MacBook cast an eerie blue light over the young woman camped out on the floor in front of it. The walls were covered with posters and pictures of various sizes, all of Jackson. Even the blanket wrapped around her shoulders had his face on it. This was her home, her sanctuary.

Frantic screams filled the room, only to stop and rewind, playing again. Over and over. The same clip.

The moment GOT7’s SeoulMates went off.

Her eyes scanned the crowd, noting every visible face as she searched for any signs of recognition or glee. There was none in that clip. Bomi quickly closed it and opened up a new one from a different uploader. An entirely different section and angle of the crowd. She’d dedicated countless hours to finding evidence, anything that pointed her toward the truth. Somewhere in the hundreds of fan-cams from the event would be the truth.

She swore she’d find it. And fix it.

Two days later, the guys were in Nashville. The meet had gone smoothly, ending with tears and sighs of disappointment. Jackson had been on edge, waking up each day with apprehension, knowing that it’d be the day they’d try to take his soulmate away. He’d gone so far as to memorize your number just in case they decided to wipe his phone as well. Jaebeom still seemed pissed but hadn’t stopped talking to him. It was a good sign. Maybe his words had gotten through to Jaebeom. Maybe.

After a few hours of sightseeing, the group went back to their hotel and ordered room service. They goofed around until Mark suggested they head to bed. They had an early flight to Chicago with another SeoulMate promo just before lunch.

Almost an hour later, Jackson was in bed, staring at the ceiling. Yugyeom’s snores punctuated the soft hum of the air conditioner, drawing Jackson’s attention for a bit. Though he hadn’t been able to call you, you’d had fantastic conversations by text message. You had a great sense of humor. Or, if you found any of his attempts to be funny bad, you didn’t let on. He liked that about you. You were kind and considerate, knew how to take a joke, and occasionally dish it out. You didn’t mind his flirty nature either. And when he was serious, you weren’t put off or concerned. In fact, he was as comfortable with you as he was with the guys.

He wondered what you looked like when you slept. Did you snore? Though it was late, you could’ve been awake. He wanted to call you. He had the opportunity. Yugyeom usually slept like the dead, so there was a reasonable amount of privacy. He picked up his iPhone from the nightstand between the hotel beds and tapped through the prompts.

The phone rang four times before your soft voice filled his ear. “Hello?”

“Hi, _____.” He glanced at Yugyeom before rolling over to face the windows. He could see the night sky through a sliver of space between the curtains. They were high enough that the lights below didn’t disrupt his view of the stars. “I’m sorry I took so long to call you back. And for calling so late. I wanted to catch you before you went to sleep.”

“How did you know I was in bed?” Fabric rustled as you got comfortable. “You’re not spying on me, are you?”

His cheeks burned, and he shut his eyes tight. “I, uh, I paid attention to the times of your messages. The last ones come about this hour.”

“But you said you’re traveling.” Your teasing tone gave way to one of curiosity. “Wouldn’t the change in time zone throw you off?”

“I use a converter to figure out the time.” He toyed with his hair. It was the truth. He’d wanted to be able to read your messages as soon as they were sent, so he’d had to figure out your time zone. He’d had to make sure that the others wouldn’t hear the notifications and ask questions, especially their managers.

“You know, I gotta admire your level of dedication.” You sounded impressed. “It almost makes up for everything else.”

“So, I did a good job? It’s okay?” He bit his lip.

“Of course! It’s flattering and shows you care.” Your words chased away his worries of coming off too eagerly. “So you were in Florida the last time we spoke. Where in the world are you now?”

“Tennessee.” He answered promptly.

“It must be nice to travel. I’ve never been outside of Texas.” He didn’t miss the longing in your words. He traveled so much now, he’d lost the sense of wonder and adventure it used to give him. You’d enjoy traveling with them. Wait. You said—

“Texas?” Jackson sat up. “You live in Texas. I’ll be in Texas for the weekend.”

“Really? Which city?”

“Dallas.”

“Get. Out. I live in Dallas!” Your excitement was contagious.

His heart skipped a beat. Destiny had a funny way of working out sometimes. “Can we meet up somewhere? I know it’s sudden, but I don’t know if another chance like this will happen in the future.”

“Oh, it’s—I mean—I’d like to meet you, but I didn’t think it’d be so soon. You seem nice enough—”

“Okay, okay.” So much for not coming off too eager. He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in. “We can come back to this. We have a few days.”

“I mean, you haven’t even told me your name yet.”

Jackson sucked in air. He hadn’t. In fact, he’d been purposefully avoiding it. If his voice didn’t give him away, his name would. He worried his lip. You’d shown a lot of restraint to keep from bringing it up until now. If he was serious about meeting you, then he knew he’d have to spill the beans sooner rather than later. He exhaled shakily, “Jackson.”

You chuckled and said, “…Thank you, Jackson. You’re really sweet.” Your reaction, or lack thereof, soothed his nerves a little.

Hearing his name roll off your tongue gave him chills, the good kind. “I’ve heard that a lot before, but it never meant as much as it does now.”

“Like, cavity-inducing sweet.”

He covered his mouth and laughed, not wanting to wake Yugyeom. “Is it too much? I can stop if it’s too much.”

“No, no. I-I like it. It feels real, y’know? Like I can tell you’re not trying too hard. This isn’t a front or anything, but the real you. So I don’t mind. Anyone else, I might shut them down, but you? You’re good.” You let out a dreamy sigh. “I’m sleepy now.”

“Hm, you should go to sleep. I don’t want to let you go, but I have an early morning, anyway.” Jackson pouted.

“If you didn’t have to get up, what would you do?”

“Stay on the phone with you until we both fell asleep.”

“Do you know how high the phone bill would be? I’d go into debt, Jackson.”

“I’d pay the bill for you.” He was serious, and he hoped you realized that.

“I wouldn’t let you.” You countered, “If I talk until I fall asleep, then it’s worth it. I don’t do that often.”

“That’s best friend stuff.” Jackson smiled at the thought. “Best friends stay on the phone for hours, then struggle to pay the bill together.”

You laughed, “True. So we’re best friends now?”

“Are you kidding me? I’d give you a kidney if you needed it.” He flopped back on the bed. “At the rate you’re going, you might need it. I’ll keep it on reserve, just in case. Drink more water, please.”

“Oh, no—”

“I’m serious, _____! And eat more fruits and vegetables.” He hated to nag, but your health mattered that much to him. He knew from experience a happy body contributed to a healthy mind. With the stress of work, he wanted you to be as happy as you could be. “Please?”

“If it matters that much to you, I’ll try to eat better. More water and fruits and veggies.”

“Then I’ll introduce you to organic foods.”

“Jackson!”

“Okay, okay. We’ll take it slow. Month by month.”

“Thank you. And I’ll think about meeting up when you come to Dallas.”

“What do you want in exchange?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re doing those things for me. I wanna do something for you. Balance, you know? I don’t want to scare you off with nutrition and health lectures.”

“Well, meeting you would be for me as much as it is for you.”

“Okay, but the healthy stuff?”

“Um,” you paused, and he waited. “Can you send me a picture of you? I noticed you don’t have a profile pic for the app. I’d… I want to know what my soulmate looks like.”

Jackson froze at your words. They weren’t allowed to update their profiles, so he hadn’t bothered. He was more than willing to send you a picture. There were tons of selfies in his camera reel. But would you recognize him? So far, you hadn’t mentioned being a fan of Kpop. Again, he faced the painful truth—if he wanted to meet you, he’d have to take a flying leap of faith and tell the truth. It’d be lying if he kept it from you. You’d likely be upset. “Okay, gimme a second.” He scrolled through the pictures and settled for one he’d taken when they were in Buenos Aires last month. It was well lit and taken before he’d been attacked by makeup artists and stylists. It was closest to how he looked at the moment. He held his breath as he sent the image to you.

There was a brief silence before he heard rustling on her end. “Ooh! I got it.” Another pause. “I-I wasn’t sure, but I hoped I was right.”

“About?”

“You. When we first talked and you mentioned ‘they’ wanted to reset your SeoulMate. I mean, GOT7’s all over the news, especially after the riot at the event.” You hesitated before continuing. “I hoped you were the one who’d fight for me.”

“Why me?”

“No idea, honestly. It was a feeling at first, then it became a wish, a plea.” He didn’t miss the way loneliness crept into your voice before you shook it off. “Anyway! Back to the picture. You weren’t kidding about working out.”

“You thought I wasn't honest?” he asked, half amused and hurt.

“I mean, well yeah. You know guys like to brag. Or at least the ones I’m usually around do. For them, going to the gym means maybe ten reps with weights, then granny walking on a treadmill for five minutes before passing out in a bowl of nachos.”

“Please cease contact with anyone who does that,” he said with a straight face, voice devoid of emotion.

You laughed hard, bringing a smile to his face again. “Okay, goodnight Jackson.”

“I’m serious! I can’t coach you back to good health if you’re exposed to people who drown in cheese. Please. That’s a terrible—if not terrifying—influence on you. If they try to talk to you, sprinkle coconut water on them and run away in the name of clear skin.”

He swore he heard you snort in between giggles. “Goodnight, Jackson!”

He sighed and lowered his voice, “Goodnight, _____.”

Jackson held the phone to his ear until the phone beeped signaling the end of the call. He rolled over onto his back with a goofy grin on his face. He finally felt tired and closed his eyes, ready to embrace sleep.

Then Yugyeom spoke quietly, “Oh, how I hope you’re prepared to buy my silence.”

Yugyeom knew he was taking advantage of the situation, but as he munched on the crispy fried chicken skin, it didn’t seem like a bad thing. He didn’t know where Jackson got the chicken from, but it was delicious. The perfect combination of crispy and juicy. The tastiest blackmail ever. Hands down. Chef’s kiss.

“So…?” Jackson fidgeted nervously, barely touching his own food and drink.

For a second, Yugyeom was at a loss. “Hm? Oh! Your secret’s safe with me and my chicken.” He held up a drumstick with triumph. He never intended to tell, but when Jackson started offering payment for silence, well… Jackson let out a sigh of relief and sagged in his chair. Yugyeom wiped the grease from his lips with a napkin. “I do have one question, though.”

Jackson looked at him wearily. “Yeah?”

“How do you know you can trust her?” He put his chicken down with care. “You’ve never met her. What if Jinyoung’s right about her?”

Jackson went silent with a frown as he took his time to answer. “Truthfully, I don’t know. It’s just a feeling I have in my gut that I can’t bring myself to ignore. It’s the same as when I first got the idea to pursue music, to actually try it out. Like then, I had so much to lose and everyone was against it. Why jeopardize something that’s sure and reliable for something that, to them, is guaranteed to blow up in my face?” He huffed out a breath. “And look where I am now.”

Yugyeom nodded and picked up his food again, not wanting it to get cold. “And how do you feel about her? It’s been, what, three days since you started talking to her, right?”

Jackson nodded as he fished his phone from his pocket. “It’s like I’ve known her forever. Talking to her is effortless. I don’t have to pretend to be happy because she sees right through me. Every time. She lets me vent about the events and management. She agrees it's fucked up and suggested I come up with a way to repay our fans if it really bothers me. Yug, I know physically I haven’t known her long, but if this soulmate stuff is the real deal, then she has to be it for me.”

Yugyeom sipped his soda. “But what if the company fixes the issue, and she’s paired with someone else?” ‘Like me,’ he nearly added. “What will you do if you go through the trouble and anger everyone just for her to walk away in the end?”

Hurt flickered in Jackson’s eyes. “It’s her choice. The same could happen with me, you know. Right now, she’s become a very dear friend, at the least. That’s what I care about. Just getting a chance to meet her in person, making this whole thing feel worth the pain it’s causing. That’s all.”

Yugyeom wouldn’t admit that he felt the same. He recalled the thrill, the unspeakable relief he felt upon seeing those two words flash on his device. Before this, he had very different ideals about how he’d meet his soulmate. Sharing her with six other people, no matter how close they were, wasn’t what he had in mind. And the more he listened to Jinyoung and Mark debate the legitimacy of their pairing, the less he believed in the impossible. Though he was dangerously close to giving up on you being his soulmate, there was no reason he couldn’t be civil like Jackson. Make the pain worth it.

“You should ask her to meet up tomorrow.” Yugyeom blurted out the words. “I’d like to meet her, too.”

Jackson couldn’t mask his surprise. “You don’t think it’d be too pushy of me?”

Yugyeom shook his head. “You’ve given her some space about it, but you have to make sure she understands it’s important to you.”

Jackson nodded as he unlocked his phone. “Should I call or text her?”

Yugyeom went back to his food. “Maybe text her first? That way, you’re not putting her on the spot.”

“Right, right.” A sly smirk teased Jackson’s lips and Yugyeom decided then that he’d support Jackson, no matter what. A true smile that wasn’t caused by any of them or their fans. Was it really so bad to just…hope for something different, better? No. It shouldn’t be.

True to his word, Jackson didn’t bring up the meet until the day before. Fortunately, there had been a shift in schedules at work so you had the day off. When he texted you the invite and location, you were overcome with last-minute doubts. What if it was a prank? Someone could be impersonating him. Didn’t celebs hire impersonators to shake the media or crazy fans? And what about the rest of the group? What if—?

“_____, just go.” Mama put the plate she’d been scrubbing back in the sink and turned to you with her hands on her hips. "It’s a public place.”

“But what if he sees me and changes his mind?” You pouted. Sometimes it was hard being the daughter of an idealist. “What if he’s not okay with my ethnicity?”

Mama scrunched up her face, then let out an annoyed sigh. “Girl, you’re overthinking this. Everything you’ve told me about him doesn’t add up to a guy who cares about race.”

You shook your head and got up, carrying your empty plate over. “I know, and from what I can tell, he doesn’t. I just…you never know, right? Everything I think I know could be wrong.”

“Understandable, but this guy is your soulmate. You talk about him as if you grew up with him. What if this is the only chance you get to meet him? Are you really gonna throw it away?” She leaned over and looked you in the eyes. "Really?”

You closed your eyes, unable to withstand the weight of her gaze. “I just—Okay, I’m scared. What if he doesn’t like what he sees? What if he changes his mind and goes back to ignoring me? What if he isn’t who he says he is? I…” You looked down at your hands and realized you were peeling the polish off again. Dammit. You’d worked hard to make it look professional. “I really like him. He’s a great listener and funny and smart and compassionate. I don’t want to lose his friendship.”

“_____,” Mama tutted, dried her hands on a dishtowel, then reached for your face. The scent of clean citrus enveloped you as her thumbs stroked your cheeks. “Baby, there are times when you have to take a leap of faith. You have to have the courage to do something new. Any other time, I’d be on the same page as you. Trying to talk you out of it. But this? It’s worth a shot. I’m willing to bet Jackson is worth the risk.”

You met her eyes. “What if you’re wrong?”

“What if I’m right?” She countered. In addition to being optimistic, Mama was the wisest person you knew. An old soul who had moments that bordered on premonition. Her intuition was hardly ever wrong. In your heart, you knew she was right. Jackson worked hard to keep in touch after your first phone call. He’d been consistent. Seeing that she was serious about you giving Jackson a chance, you gave in.

“Okay. Fine. I’ll go, but if anything happens to me, I want compensation with dessert.” You pouted. She let you go with a peal of laughter and pointed at you as she backed away, returning to the sink.

“Deal.” She grinned as she clapped her hands and wiggled her hips. “Now go put on something cute!“

You rolled your eyes and left the kitchen.

Something cute? You yanked tops and bottoms out of your closet, assembling and rearranging them to create something you thought Jackson might see as cute. As you held up a floral top to your body in the mirror behind your bedroom door, you realized something. Why were you trying to impress him? He wouldn’t care about how you looked. He just wanted you to show up. You could be yourself around him. You put most of the clothes back in the closet and dresser, opting for a simple t-shirt and jeans combo with your favorite pair of shoes. You dressed to impress yourself and had a feeling he’d be impressed with that. You fussed with your hair and did your basic makeup routine. In the end, you liked how you looked.

After grabbing your purse and keys, you poked your head into the kitchen. "Bye, Ma. I’m heading out.”

She turned around, saw your outfit, and grinned. “He’s gonna love it.”

“Bye, Ma.” You fought a smile and left.

The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center was beautiful. Then again, a lot of the buildings in Downtown Dallas were. It was right around the corner from the Omni Hotel, a building laced with LED lights that lit up the skyline at night. As pretty as it was, parking was a bitch. A royal one. Every parking garage within two miles of the convention center was filled. People were walking for nearly a mile just to get back to the building.

Luckily, you’d checked out the other events the center was hosting and opted to take the train and a bus. Altogether, it probably cost the same as parking, but you didn’t have to worry about your car getting stolen or broken into. You slipped on the lanyard Jackson had sent you in the mail “just in case.” VIP. The badge was about the same size as your little android phone. It even had Jackson’s signature on it.

You got through security and were directed to one of the ballrooms. The lobby was buzzing with activity. The crowd was mostly female, all milling around, waiting for the event to begin. Seeing the banners all over the place, advertising the SeoulMate Hi-Touch event with GOT7. You sucked in a breath upon seeing Jackson’s poster. This was real. It was actually happening. Butterflies took flight in the pit of your stomach as you pushed through the crowd to the closed doors that matched the number on your badge.

Your fears from before briefly surfaced again. What if he changed his mind?

One of the banners with the whole group on it caught your attention. You’d only spoken to Jackson, but the rest of the guys were here, too. What did they think of this, of you? What was their reason for staying silent when Jackson hadn’t? Did they approve? Were they against it? Did they support him? Did they even want to see you?

‘I’ve waited my entire life for you.’

You paused. Something told you he’d meant that no matter what. Whatever the others’ reasons for not responding to you didn’t matter. Shouldn’t matter. You weren’t here for any of them. Just Jackson. Because he wanted you there, wanted to see you. If you kept that in mind, things would be okay. This had to be okay. Despite how the situation looked, you wanted to meet the guy the voice belonged to, see the face behind the words you got through text messages.

You took a deep breath and stepped up to the doors. Two men dressed in black held their arms up to stop you, and you pulled the badge out. You didn’t know what to say, but you didn’t have to speak. One of the guys lifted the badge up to his face, reading Jackson’s signature. “Oh, it’s her.” He smirked and nodded to his partner, who lowered his arm and opened one of the doors enough for you to pass through. The one holding your badge nodded his head in the direction of the door. “You’re good.”

“Thank you.” You nodded your head in thanks and passed through the door into a new world.

The room wasn’t as big as the lobby, but still larger than you’d expected. Chairs were lined up in rows around a stage that lined one of the walls. The stage itself was a wonder. LED lights illuminated it in various hues. Another large banner served as the backdrop to the tables and chairs lined up in a row. The Jackson you’d pictured sending you messages and calling you stared back at you with a smile you’d only imagined seeing until now. The butterflies went ballistic. You felt nauseous for a moment and forced yourself to take a few deep breaths.

This was real. It was happening.

A door opened to the left of the stage and a guy with dark hair walked in. You recognized him immediately. Jinyoung. You opened your mouth to greet him, but his glare stole your breath away. Another guy stepped in behind him. Jaebeom. Jinyoung turned to him. They spoke rapidly in Korean while looking at you suspiciously. You stood there, internally freaking out because here they were, in the flesh. It was simultaneously surreal, yet grounding.

Then you noticed their tone. Whatever they were saying, it wasn’t happy. Jinyoung turned back to you and said, “Why did they let you in? No one’s allowed in yet.”

You held up your badge. “I was invited.”

He eyed the badge but didn’t come closer to inspect it. “No one invited you. You’re just saying that. I bet you stole that from the staff.” He turned to Jaebeom and said something else. He gestured at you a few times, and you got the impression he wanted back up. Your eyes met Jaebeom’s. He looked awkward, somewhere between curious and upset. His response was low and Jinyoung didn’t like it.

“Look,” you said, holding your hands up in surrender. “Even I’m unsure about this, but I got a badge in the mail. It’s signed by Jackson. The security guys even recognized it and let me in.”

“You must have paid them off. You saesangs are shameless. Don’t you have a job? Something better to do than pester us like this?” Jinyoung hissed. While you normally found his angry old woman trait endearing, having it aimed at you changed your perception. His words stung, but you forced yourself to remember he didn’t know who you were.

“Jinyoung, wait—” Jaebeom put a hand on his friend’s shoulder but was shrugged off.

“You have the wrong impression of me.” You took a step forward, and he took a step back. Fear flickered across his face before a hard sneer settled in its place. “Yes, I’m a fan, but that’s not why I’m here. I just want to see Jackson.”

“Jackson?” Recognition dawned on their faces, but they didn’t care to share the knowledge with you. Of course, they wouldn’t.

“Yes. Him. I’ve said his name a few times now. So where is he?” You looked behind them at the door they’d come through. “Just wanna say hi and I’ll be on my way.”

“You’re wasting your time.” Jinyoung looked you in the eyes. “You won’t get anything from him. He made a mistake in reaching out to you. Now you’re here trying to profit from it. Leave Jackson alone.”

“What?” You blinked a few times as his words sunk in. You went out of your way to grant Jackson this wish and you were beginning to feel like you shouldn’t have bothered. You should have told him to shove it when he first called. But, no. You had to be all-forgiving and kind and shit. And where did that get you? Nowhere. You only wanted to meet your soulmate. You didn’t expect much more than that. You didn’t deserve the accusations and fucking attitude.

So, you snapped.

“Okay, you know what? Fuck you.” His eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “Fuck you and the high horse you rode in on. I don’t know you. You don’t know me. So don’t assume you know what I want. I wouldn’t give a fuck if he was the richest man on Earth or homeless with two cents to his fucking name. I came here for Jackson, whoever the fuck that may be. Whoever calls me at night to let me rant about my day. The guy who lectures me for eating shitty fast food and wants me to drink gallons of water like I’m the little fucking mermaid. Okay? So shove all of that crazy gold-digging fan shit up yours and use the weight to float back down to Earth.” You spun on your heel, pulling the lanyard from around your neck and tossing it on the ground as you headed for the door. “Fucking asshole.”

And you made sure the door slammed shut behind you.

Chapter Text

The crack of the door echoed throughout the ballroom right as Jackson stepped in from backstage. There was a floral scent in the air and it didn’t belong to either Jaebeom or Jinyoung. He checked his phone again before looking at them. They both had a peculiar look on their faces, something akin to shock or surprise.

“No one’s come in here, right?” He asked, mostly to confirm you hadn’t been in yet.

“Wow,” Jaebeom whispered in wonder.

His question pulled them out of their stupor. Jinyoung turned on him. “You invited her here?”

“Her?” Jackson’s eyes widened. “Did I miss her?” Over Jinyoung’s shoulder, he spotted a black lanyard on the carpet, plastic catching the lights overhead. “_____.” He pushed past them and picked it up.

“Why in the hell would you invite her here?” Jinyoung continued, voice rising with each word. He turned to Jaebeom and tapped his arm. “Didn’t you talk to him? I thought you talked to him. I thought this wasn’t an issue anymore.”

Jaebeom covered his face with his hand. “About that…”

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Jinyoung spun away with a pained grimace. “You two, I swear.” As Jinyoung pulled at his hair with a loud groan, Jackson briefly felt guilty. He hated when anyone came between them, disrupting their peaceful dynamic, but it was worse when it was another member. Family was everything to him. The group was everything to him.

But where did that leave you?

“I just wanted to meet her once. That’s it.” Jackson held the badge to his heart and looked towards the door. It’d be too risky to go after you. Maybe— He pulled up your contact and dialed your number. 

“What are you doing?” Jinyoung peeked at Jackson’s phone and swore. “Are you insane?”

It rang and rang. “Pick up. Pick up. Pick up.” Why would you leave without speaking to him? Did you change your mind? Did seeing everything make it too real, too much to deal with? Were you not okay with the situation? Were you not okay with him? Your voice broke through, but it was the voicemail. He tried again, but this time it rang once before going to voicemail. “Shit.”

“Jackson,” Jinyoung reached for the phone, but Jackson twirled away. “You’re going to ruin this for the rest of us! If they catch you talking to this woman, we’ll all go down with you. Is that what you want? All of us having to hire lawyers to go to court to try to defend ourselves because you can’t think straight?”

“I am thinking straight. If this was so bad, why isn’t he,” Jackson pointed at Jaebeom, “trying to stop me? Huh?” Jinyoung looked back at Jaebeom who was watching them, looking as tired as he felt. As Jackson said, he stayed put and watched them struggle.

“What - why?” Jinyoung continued to reach for the phone with little success against Jackson’s energy. “Get over here!”

Jaebeom closed his eyes and let out a huff. “Jin, if he meets her, he’ll stop.” He shrugged as his gaze fell to the floor between them. “If it’s just once, then what’s the harm?”

“You know it won’t be just once!” Jinyoung gave up and turned to Jaebeom fully, face twisted in confusion and annoyance. “And once is all it takes for this,” he gestured at the ballroom they stood in, “to disappear.”

Jackson quickly typed out a message:

[Jackson]:  _____? Please come back. Give me a chance to explain.

[Jackson]: Please.

[Jackson]: I want to apologize face to face.

“Does none of this bother you?” Jaebeom asked, lifting his gaze slowly until he was looking Jinyoung in the eyes. “A soulmate is a big thing. This whole thing is wrong, but we’re doing it. Why?”

“We’re increasing our fanbase and reinforcing our bond with the fans we already have!” Jinyoung whisper yelled. “You sat in on those meetings just like I did. You know why we’re doing this, so why are you asking this now?”

“Because,” Jaebeom glanced at Jackson, who was staring at his phone with a frown, “I think I’ve had a change of heart.”

“Are you fucking kidding me? Now? Now? We have hundreds of fans in the next room and suddenly you have a conscience? Where was that when you signed the contract? Him included! We all knew what we were doing when we said yes to this shit. Now isn’t the time to change your mind!”

“I know that!” Jaebeom yelled, then lowered his voice. “I know that, Jin. I wanted to say something just now. I just don’t know what I should say. You’re right. He’s right. Hell, even she’s right!”

“Who’s right?” A voice called out from behind them. They turned to find the other members except for Youngjae coming in. BamBam stepped up to Jaebeom and Jinyoung, waiting for an answer.

“Our ‘soulmate.’ She came here because Jackson invited her.” Jinyoung glared at Jackson.

As if on cue, Jackson’s phone chirped, signaling an incoming message:

[💚Soulmate💚]: I don’t think that’s a good idea.

[💚Soulmate💚]: Jinyoung made it clear I wasn’t welcome.

“What?” Jackson stared at your words, reading them over and over until it clicked. “What did you say to her?”

Jinyoung turned to Jackson. “Does it matter? She’s not coming back, right?”

Yugyeom went to Jackson’s side and looked at the screen. “It doesn’t seem like it.” He put an arm around Jackson’s shoulders. “After all of that hard work you put into convincing her to come.” Though his words alone could have been mistaken for sarcasm, the look of sorrow in his eyes was sincere. “I was hoping I’d get a chance to see her, maybe say hi.”

“A chance to see—” Jinyoung did a double-take. “You knew about this?”

Yugyeom nodded with a smirk. “Yep. Didn’t you notice how nice he’s been to me?”

Jackson’s mouth dropped open though his eyes never left his phone. “I’m always nice to you.”

“Hm, nicer then. He’s been nicer to me.” He shrugged.

“I thought something was up,” Mark said. “I didn’t think much of it since you two are always up to something.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Yugyeom tilted his head to the side.

“That’s beside the point.” BamBam shook his head. “Dude, you’re still talking to her? I thought that stopped.”

“As did I.” Jinyoung crossed his arms. “And Jaebeom’s okay with this.”

“What?” Mark looked between Jinyoung and Jaebeom. “How can you say nothing? We all would be in trouble if he’s caught!”

“Who’s getting caught?” Youngjae asked as he took a spot next to Mark.

“Jackson. He’s still talking to that girl.” Jinyoung supplied.

“What. Did. You. Say.” Jackson gritted out. “She’s not responding to me. She never ignores me.”

“It doesn’t matter what I said! As long as she leaves you alone, then everything’s fine.”

“Everything isn’t fine! You’re being a narrow-minded jerk.” Jackson took a step towards Jinyoung, and Yugyeom shifted into a defensive stance, ready to intervene. “While the jerk part is like you, the narrow-mindedness isn’t. You won’t even hear me out!”

“Because this is ridiculous. You know what will happen if anyone besides us finds out what you’re doing! We have too much at stake to let some random outside person get close. You’re always doing dumb shit like this.”

“Guys, come on. Let’s calm down for a second.” BamBam moved in between the two. Jaebeom moved with him but took an extra step back so that he stood next to Jackson and Yugyeom. “W-what? Hyung, what are you doing?”

Jaebeom pressed his lips into a thin line. “If it were me, I’d want the chance to explain things to my soulmate. These things aren’t cheap. And…” He sighed, “what kind of leader would I be if I condoned lying to the one person meant for me? There should have been a clause in the contract for situations like this. Like a nondisclosure agreement or something.”

“I agree!” Yugyeom piped in. “I know we agreed to do this, but I don’t think any of us really thought about it. What if your soulmate has cancer and is dying? Why can’t we spend what little time they do have with them? Why assume we’d automatically want to date or be romantic with them? No one said soulmates have to be intimate and stuff.” Yugyeom looked down at his feet as he tugged on his sleeves. “I-I’d want to at least meet them and see what they’re like.” He looked at BamBam then Youngjae. “I think Jackson’s really cool right now. He’s standing up for her. Nothing may come of it, but he’s treating her like a human being and not a nuisance. I’d like to think I’d do the same.”

Silence settled over them. The line was clearly drawn between them.

Until Jackson broke it.

“For the last time, what did you say?” Jackson asked. The fury had lessened, but the pain was still there.

Jinyoung visibly deflated. “I don’t remember, exactly. I was angry and…” His words died off. He cleared his throat and spoke a little louder. “I called her a saesang and kind of accused her of being after your money and status.”

“Hyung!” Yugyeom locked his arms around Jackson and hauled him back behind Jaebeom.

“Why would you do that? Why would you insult her like that? She’s done nothing wrong. If anything, you should be insulting me and saying shit like that to me! Not her. She doesn’t deserve it. You know nothing about her. You don’t know what she goes through—”

“Jackson.” Yugyeom called out to him, trying to get through to him. “Jackson, man. Calm down. You’re shouting. Someone might hear you.”

“We should go backstage,” Youngjae said as he bit on his thumbnail. “We need to finish getting ready.”

“You don’t know her!” Jackson’s voice drowned out whatever Mark had to say. Jinyoung’s gaze fell to the floor in front of his feet.

“I know I don’t, but that doesn’t mean that you do.”

“At least I’m trying to.” Jackson spat, no longer resisting against Yugyeom’s hold. “What’s gotten into you? What’s made you be so damn unreasonable?”

Jinyoung didn’t look at him, and for a minute, Jackson didn’t think he’d get a response. It wasn’t until Jaebeom and Yugyeom had guided him back to the dressing room that he heard Jinyoung’s response. “I’m just doing what we’re supposed to.”

Jackson scoffed but kept moving forward. “You know, what you’re supposed to do isn’t always the right thing to do.”

Jackson kept calling. Over and over hoping you’d pick up. By midnight, he gave up. It wasn’t likely you’d answer past midnight. He only hoped you were able to get to sleep. His imagination ran away with him as he laid in his hotel bed. There was another meet the next day, so he still had time to try to win you over. But it wasn’t much given how packed the schedule was.

“Still up?”

In the darkness, he could barely make out the faint glow of Youngjae’s phone in the other bed. He was usually the last to go to sleep. “Yeah.”

“Thinking about her?”

Jackson bit back the automatic reply. Did Youngjae really care? He shook his head at the thought. Of course, he did. Maybe not about you in particular, but rather Jackson’s feelings. “Yeah.”

“Don’t worry too much.” The covers shifted loudly in the silent room as Youngjae rolled over to face him. “She’ll come around. Give her some time.”

“But I don’t have time,” Jackson barely let him get the sentence out. “We’re only in town for a few days.”

“What could you possibly offer her?” His words were softened by his understanding tone. “It isn’t like you have that many options.”

“But I want to get to know her! I want to show her the world and my favorite places and food and—”

“But you can’t.” Youngjae sat up. “You can’t do any of that. We have schedules and stuff. You’ll get in trouble and what if you’re caught with her? What if the label finds out? What if the staff tells on you?”

“It’s not fair. Why would I be given the opportunity to meet my soulmate and be unable to do anything about it?”

“Because she isn’t just ‘your’ soulmate. We’re all synced to her. If it’s a fluke, then you’re risking everything for nothing.” He paused, “I know that isn’t what you want to hear, but you should let it go.”

“No!” Jackson sat up and faced Youngjae who flopped back down on his own bed. “I won’t! I refuse to let it end like this. Jin-hyung said mean things and I should apologize for them. If we’re really not soulmates, if I never see or speak to her again, she at least deserves an apology.”

“Okay, but how will you do that if she isn’t speaking to you?” Youngjae picked up his phone. “She needs some time to cool off.”

Jackson hated to admit he was right. Though time was a precious commodity, he’d have to sacrifice it for her. He laid back down, rolling over to look out the window next to his bed. He searched the stars, straining to see them through the thick cloud coverage overhead. Yet, he somehow still found his special purple star. A whim struck him and he tightly closed his eyes, mentally making a wish as he poured all of his hope into the plea. When he was done, he picked up his phone and stared at your last message.

He’d try again.

Instead of typing out another lengthy apology, he tapped the record audio icon. “Hey, _____.” He swallowed hard and shut his eyes as he organized his thoughts. “I understand that you’re upset with him, with me. I’ll respect your decision if you choose to stop talking to me. It’ll hurt, but I’ll give you space. But, please, let me apologize to you in person. I hate that he got to meet you and I didn’t, that he gave you the complete opposite reception I would have. You’ve got to know that. I thought I was protecting you by not telling you how the others felt about the situation and that was wrong.” He exhaled hard. “So, maybe we could meet somewhere public, like a Starbucks or something. Give me the chance to leave you with a better impression and memory. Please?”

He ended the recording and sent the message along with an emoji: 🙏

“You have your dad’s temper, I swear.” Kristen jabbed her milkshake with her straw with a frown. You choked on your own drink and she looked up. “I can see being pissy at that one guy but why the others?”

You hit your chest with your fist as you coughed violently. “No, it’s okay. Watch me die.”

“I mean, don’t you have more lives? You should be at, like, five.” She put her cup down on the table and uncurled her leg from under her to face you. “_____, you should go see him.”

“Right, so I can argue with someone else over my intentions? No, thank you.” You looked down at your drink. “If I wanted to deal with my dad I’d be at home more. And,” you flipped her off, “say that shit again and I swear to God I’ll disown you.”

Kristen pursed her lips and you just knew you were about to walk out of the restaurant. But then her shoulders dropped. “Don’t you think you’re being a little too harsh? I mean, you hate it when you get blamed for shit you had nothing to do with, so why are you holding this guy responsible?”

“Because he should’ve been there waiting. And even so, the other asshole wasn’t alone. That guy didn’t speak up either!” You crossed your arms. Why were you even bothering to keep their identities a secret? As far as you were concerned, you’d never see or speak to them again. You didn’t owe them anything.

So why did it hurt to consider betraying Jackson’s trust?

“It sounds like dude’s been through some shit, girl.” She laced her fingers together as her brows wrinkled. “I’m not saying what he said was okay. It’s just, from what you’ve told me, something’s missing. People regularly try to extort or blackmail them or something? Why the fuck was that his first thought? And then the way he straight up doubled down on it and acted like you were gonna attack him. Shit’s weird, sis.”

“Well, yeah, but—” You hated how her questions made you hesitate. She hadn’t been there taking the brunt of his anger and insults. It wasn’t like you were there to see him. You were just trying to see Jackson. But…you knew some of the horrible shit idols had to deal with. And you knew Jinyoung’s role in the group. “Damn it.”

Kristen nodded her head. “I’m not gonna ask for more info because it’s your business, but if you ask me,” she leaned back in her chair, “he deserves a chance to speak his piece. What’s the worst that can happen? Is he really gonna let that guy near you again when he’s been texting and calling round the clock and apologizing? Hell, no.”

She had another point. Jackson wanted to meet up somewhere away from the group, just you two. It wouldn’t be likely that Jinyoung would be around. “I guess it couldn’t hurt.”

You ended up choosing a little mom-and-pop diner not far from their hotel and planned to meet at three in the afternoon. He had a small window of time to explore before they had to go back to the Convention Center. Of course, all of this had been arranged over text message so there was no guarantee it really was him and not someone else with his phone. You kept imagining scenarios where it turned out to be Jinyoung or lawyers and nearly got off the train to go home a few times.

But if you were wrong, it’d really hurt him. You couldn’t say how you knew for sure, but you were more certain of that than the validity of the whole meeting. You tucked your coat closer to your chest as an icy blast of air pushed against you and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the bright neon sign of the diner come into view.

You stepped inside the diner and looked around. Would he stand out or—

“_____!” Jackson stood up and whisper yelled with a cheery smile, waving you over. The way your heart sang and your hands itched to touch him was embarrassing. The animosity took a back seat as you smiled back and practically skipped over to him. He gave you a quick one-armed hug, and you both sat down, picking up the menus. “I’m glad you could make it.”

You scoffed. “As if I’d stand you up.” You gave him a sly grin. “I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. Your pouty face would haunt me forever.”

He smiled back, and his knee brushed against yours. “Would that be a bad thing then? I’d always be on your mind. I like that.”

You laughed behind your menu. “Are you always so shameless?”

He ducked his head. “Only when I need to be forgiven.”

You giggled, feeling your cheeks prickle with heat. The waitress came to take your orders. Jackson ordered a tilapia and rice while you opted for a burger and fries. You’d skipped lunch and weren’t sure what was for dinner. It could be one of those fend for yourself nights.

As soon as the waitress was out of earshot, Jackson’s face turned serious. “I want to apologize for yesterday. I should have been there. Jinyoung told me what he said to you, and I want you to know that I set him straight.”

You sipped your orange juice. “Good to know. Not that I’ll be going near him ever again. I’d like to avoid getting arrested.”

“No one would arrest you. If anything, someone might get arrested for you.” He reached across the table and took your hand. “I understand if you’re not interested in him, but some of us would like a proper chance to meet you. Yugyeom has a million questions and Youngjae has a gift he’d like to give you.”

You shook your head. “But there’s no guarantee all of you are my soulmates. Wouldn’t it be better to wait until we hear from the company before we go making life-changing decisions?”

He nodded. “I can understand that. It’s a little scary having the attention of so many people at once, right?”

“No, it’s not—”

“Please, _____. If even for a little bit, could you let us pretend? We’d like to have someone in our lives. We’d like to have you, someone who puts her foot down and stands her ground. When Jaebeom told me what you did and said, I was so impressed and proud of you. And I owe you. You went through the trouble of coming out to see me—I want to treat you to a trip. You said you wanted to travel. You could come with us.”

“Don’t you have to get permission for that? No one’s gonna okay that. And don’t get me started on Jinyoung.” You shook your head again. “Besides, I’d have to take time off from work and school. I need the money to help pay bills, and I really need to focus on my math class. I can’t afford to take it again.”

His face fell. The waitress returned with your plates. Without another word, he picked up his fork, and you ate in silence. You caught him eyeing you from time to time, like he wanted to say something but let it go. You felt bad for shutting him down, but you didn’t have a choice. You weren’t a princess who could afford to drop life and run off with him. You could barely afford to put gas in your car.

“Would you consider hanging out with Yugyeom one day? He was adamant about spending some time with you before we left.” He twiddled his thumbs over the top of his cup. “It took a lot of convincing to keep him from coming.”

You briefly imagined how crowded the small table would have been with Yugyeom there. A small part of you pouted at the missed opportunity.

“We’ll see. I can’t make any promises, though. I have work and school.” You shrugged.

He nodded. “I’ll explain it to him.” His hand slid across the cold table and gingerly touched yours. It was tentative, as if he expected you to pull away. So you didn’t. His eyes searched yours and you smiled back. His hand engulfed yours in warmth and gave it a gentle squeeze.

It felt good. Like the first lick of flames in a fireplace. The slow growth of warmth in an otherwise freezing home. You could see yourself huddling closer to it for comfort and acceptance. You squeezed his hand back.

“I’m really sorry, _____.” He lifted your hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to your knuckles before letting go. Just like that, the flame went out the second your hands disconnected. “I wish there was a way to make it up to you.”

‘You could keep holding my hand.’ You shrugged it off. “You don’t have to. As crazy as it sounds, I forgive you.” Why did you say that? Did you forgive him for leaving you to the wolf? Looking at the sincerity in his eyes, you couldn’t bring yourself to hold it against him. Jinyoung was a person separate from Jackson. Plus, Jackson was too fucking cute with his pouts. “Yeah. I forgive you.”

He broke out into a wide, beaming smile that had you choking on an “aww.” Jeez.

“Thank you! It won’t happen again, I swear. Or if it does, I’ll wring his neck myself.” He let out a breath. “So, I can stay in touch? Like, we can still call each other and text?”

You nodded. “I’d like that. I’ll need someone to encourage me to be healthy. And it seems like you need a nobody to talk to before you go to sleep.”

“You are not a nobody!” He narrowed his eyes but couldn’t quite shake that ever-present smile.

“You’re biased.” You pointed at him.

“How can I not be?” The playful look in his eyes softened to something you didn’t want to name as your breath caught in your chest. This was dangerous, a nuclear situation if not handled properly. Thinking quickly, you changed the subject to something safe.

“So, since you left out that important detail before, what do the others think about this whole mess? You said Yugyeom and Youngjae want to meet me, but what else?”

Jackson slumped down in his seat and pulled his baseball cap down over his eyes. “No,” he groaned. “Anything but that.”

“Tell me.” You tapped the table. “I need to know before they…Please.”

He peeked at you, then pushed the hat back enough for you to see his eyes. “It feels like I’m the only one who at least wants it. And I can understand it. But…I have this feeling in my gut that’s never let me down before.” He slowly lifted his gaze until it met yours. “I’m as sure of this, of you, as I am with my music and business. It feels like we’re supposed to be near each other, in whatever way we choose. And the thought of giving up on this connection makes me sick.”

You reached across the table and took his hands in yours, brushing your thumbs over the back of them. “So we won’t. Like we said on the phone, best friends forever, right?”

He gave your hands a gentle squeeze as the cozy warm feeling returned. “Right.” This time you didn’t let go. You both cherished the comforting touch in silence, amazed at how right it felt. “Your hands are soft.”

Your face scrunched up as you fought a giggle. “You’re just now noticing? I chose my best lotion just in case.”

He perked up and leaned forward, bringing his face near yours. “Wait, you wanted me to hold your hands?”

“Huh?” You flushed and couldn’t look at him. “I mean, don’t you shake hands when you meet someone? I wouldn’t be so rude to you even if I was upset.”

Judging by the goofy grin on his face, Jackson wasn’t buying your bullshit. “Mmhm, sure.” His watch buzzed, drawing his attention. He caught saw the time and his smile fell. “I gotta head back.”

You checked your phone. “Yeah. My train is coming. If I miss it, I’ll be stuck out here another hour before the next one comes.”

You both neatly stacked your dishes and utensils then reached for your pockets at the same time. Your eyes met and neither of you spoke. You slowly picked out a twenty-dollar bill and somehow you still slapped money down on the table at the same time.

“Are we really gonna do this?” You asked with a pointed look at your hands.

“If we have to.” He licked his lips. “But you shouldn’t pay. I asked you out so I should pay.”

“And if I’d listened to you before, we wouldn’t have had to come here.” You pushed at his fingers with your own but he wouldn’t budge.

“And if I’d been paying attention to my stylist, I would have been ready and waiting for you by the time you showed up.” He put his other hand on top of yours. “Please, BunBun?”

“BunBun?” The pet name was more than enough to distract you so he could slide your hand back and out of the way.

He pointed at your head. “You have the poofy buns!” The waitress came to the table, and he slid the money to her. “This is for the tip,” he handed her a black card, “and this is for the meal.”

“Thank you!” The girl smiled brightly. “I’ll bring your bill.”

You mimicked Jackson as you put the money away. “BunBun. Giving me cute nicknames.”

Minutes later, you were outside, walking side by side towards the train station. The sun was starting to set, and you were sure as shit cutting it close if you wanted to get home before curfew. Your hand brushed against his and that flicker of warmth returned. You wanted to hold his hand so bad that you jumped when his hand automatically filled yours, holding it with a firm but gentle grip. You looked up at him, but his eyes were focused on the path ahead of you though his mind seemed to be a million miles away. His demeanor was resolute and you couldn’t explain the sense of security he gave you.

“Thank you,” he gave your hand a squeeze, “for meeting me.”

You squeezed his hand back. “Thank you for not giving up on me. I’m really glad I came.”

His eyes crinkled. A loud horn ripped through the air, shattering the moment like a mirror. You looked at the train station and your stomach dropped when you spotted your train approaching the platform.

“Shit! I gotta go!” You broke out into a run but stopped suddenly, as if tethered to a post. Without thinking, you ran back to Jackson and yanked your mask down. “Bye!” You kissed his cheek through his mask then took off again. You barely made it aboard thanks to an elderly couple holding the doors for you. You stepped over feet and bags and found a seat by the window. Jackson was still standing where you left him, fingers pressed to his cheek. You waved at him as the train’s horn sounded again and it lurched forward, onward to the next stop.

Once you couldn’t see Jackson anymore, you turned around in your seat with a sigh. Though you’d never admit it out loud, it hurt like hell to leave him standing there.

Chapter Text

Jinyoung felt like a moth drawn to a flame. Though he knew the heat of the fire could kill him, it didn’t stop him from sneaking away from the others. The promise of pain didn’t stop him from fishing his phone out of his pocket and opening Instagram. As it had the last time he’d been brave enough to check, his heart promptly curled up as it burned to ash in his chest.

She was engaged now. Her soulmate proposed over dinner.

They hadn’t even been apart for a month.

Jinyoung couldn’t help but wonder if what they had really meant so little to her. If he really meant so little to her. He couldn’t wrap his mind around it all. He’d been ready to fight the world to defend their love, to prove that he didn’t need some bullshit cash grab to tell him who to love and spend the rest of his life with. It never occurred to him to make sure they were on the same page. He knew it was over when he saw her with the box tucked under her arm to hide it. Knew it was a lost cause when she put her SeoulMate on and it chirped, long before he’d even gotten his promotional device.

Two years gone in an instant.

Jinyoung shut his eyes tightly and swallowed hard as he tapped the screen and the phone went dark. Maybe he should have fought for her to stay. Tried harder to convince her to believe in their love. But it’d been much easier to let her go.

Footsteps in the darkness beyond the floodlight drew his attention and put him on edge. He’d been careless with his timing. There was no telling who’d found the side entrance. It could be a fan, a stalker, paparazzi, or—“Jackson?”

Jackson let out a squeal of terror and nearly fell. “Jinyoung? What the hell?!”

Jinyoung pocketed his phone and pushed away from the wall he’d been leaning on. “I thought you were in your room.”

Jackson shrugged. “Changed my mind. Fresh air is good for you, y’know.” His body language was all off. He was tense and wouldn’t look Jinyoung in the eyes. Jinyoung watched him closely, stopping him with a hand on his shoulder when he tried to pass by.

“Tell me you didn’t do what I think you did.”

Jackson pursed his lips and took a step back. “She deserved an apology.”

Jinyoung sucked in air. “Why do you insist on being so reckless?” Jackson rolled his eyes and turned away, but Jinyoung stayed in his face. “Look, I get it. I really do. Being a celebrity is hard and lonely, but you knew that going in. Just like you knew the do’s and don’ts of this contract when you signed it. You’re legally obligated to follow the terms and conditions.”

Jackson nodded his head, but Jinyoung didn’t trust it. Sure enough, Jackson’s next words made Jinyoung’s fingers twitch with the desire to strangle him. “The contract’s wrong. We weren’t fully aware of the circumstances and possibilities we’d be walking into. On top of that, it’s illegal to have someone agree to commit fraud. And with the pressure put on us to sign or risk disbandment, I’d argue they coerced us.”

“So, you’re willing to face both companies in court?”

Jackson grinned. “And win.” Jackson patted Jinyoung’s shoulder. “Don’t stay out here too late. We have an early flight, remember?” With that, Jackson went inside.

Jinyoung stood there, slowly falling apart inside. Jackson may not have cared, but there wasn’t a guarantee they could win the lawsuit. Even then, did they really want the world to know what they’d agreed to do? If you, their “soulmate,” choose to go public with the whole situation, it could ruin them all. He hated to admit it, but Jackson was right.

Jinyoung pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts. With a few swipes across the cold screen, the line rang.

“Hello?” The voice was gruff, rough from sleep.

“Ah, Jeon, sir? It’s me, Jinyoung.”

The knock on the heavy wooden door was loud but brief, with a mere two taps. J.Y. Park checked his watch. Two hours until lunch. “Come in.”

The door swung open and Taejoon Jeon, the company’s Legal Affairs Manager, walked in with a manilla folder tucked under his arm. “Good morning, Mr. Park.”

J.Y. nodded his head and gestured to one of the two chairs facing his desk. “What’s the matter?”

Taejoon ignored the invitation to sit and instead approached the desk and put the folder down. “There’s an issue we need to take care of regarding GOT7’s SeoulMate promotion.” He flipped it open and spread out the pages. “These are messages between Jackson and the user the group paired with.”

Taejoon didn’t need to say anything else. J.Y. was ready to pick up his phone and call Jackson himself.

“Jinyoung called me this morning and confirmed that Jackson met up with her without supervision.”

“Of course he did.” J.Y. groused with a hand over his face. “I can’t ever count on him to follow instructions.”

Taejoon smirked but didn’t comment. “I’ve prepared an NDA with a no-contact clause. I’ll have it faxed to them—”

“No.” J.Y. shook his head. He was well aware of how crafty the boys could get, especially Jackson. “I want you to hand-deliver it and get her signature. She needs to understand how serious this is and keep her mouth shut.”

“Sir, that’s a thirteen-hour flight.” Taejoon paused. “It’d be quicker to fax it and have one of the legal aids with them to serve her the paperwork.”

“I. Don’t. Care. I will not cut corners on this. Get on a plane and fix this.”

By the time you got home, the sun had set. The windows in the house were illuminated, so you knew Aubrey was home and your parents were likely in separate rooms. You crossed your fingers and hoped that your dad was in the bedroom and Mama was in the living room. You pulled around back and went through the patio door only to find your dad lazing away on the couch watching an old sitcom from the 90s.

You had to cross in front of the tv to get to your room, so you had to speak to him. “Hey, dad. Excuse me.” You mumbled as you passed by and took off your hood.

“What is that?” He called out.

You stopped and turned to him reluctantly. “Sorry?”

He sat up and pointed to your wrist. “That. Where’d you get that fancy watch on your wrist?”

“Watch…?” You looked at your SeoulMate. Your sleeve had pulled back to expose it when you removed your hood. “It’s, it’s a gift. A soulmate detector?”

“You actually bought into that bullshit? How fucking stupid. There’s no such thing as a soulmate.” He kept his eyes on it. “How much did that cost you? You ain’t even paid rent yet.”

“I said it was a gift. I didn’t buy this.” You pointed at your wrist. You wanted to tell him that Mama bought it. But what if he went after her? It felt like betrayal to throw her under the bus just to get him off your ass.

“Yeah, what-the-fuck-ever.” He pulled his phone out of his pocket and began swiping furiously with his thumb. His eyes widened and his frown deepened and you just knew you were in for it.

“That shit cost 320 dollars!” He looked up at you. “You got money like that?”

“I. Didn’t. Buy. It.” You stressed each word with a clap, hoping it’d get through his impossibly thick skull. “It was a gift!”

“From who? You got a sugar daddy or some shit? Who do you know got money to throw away on you?” He stood up, flexing his hands. “You out there whoring yourself around?”

“I go to work and school, then come home every day! That’s it!”

“Who you yelling at like that?”

“I’m not trying to yell, but you’re making these crazy accusations when I didn’t do anything to deserve them! I didn’t buy this. It was a fucking gift!” You looked around him and saw their bedroom door was open. Mama had just come from the bathroom and was coming around the corner.

You caught a blur of movement from him and just barely sidestepped his attempt to slap you.

“Who the fuck you cussing at like that, huh?” The veins in his neck bulged as he puffed out his chest, trying to make himself look tougher. “This is my fucking house and you will fucking respect me!”

“Jermond!” Mama got in between you. “What the hell is your problem?”

“Get the fuck out the way. You ain’t got shit to do with this,” he said, trying to push her aside, but she shoved him back.

“I gave it to her! You wanna be on somebody’s case, so bad. Now what?” For a whole minute, you were proud of her, but after what he just attempted to do to you, you knew it wasn’t the best idea.

"Mama, no—” You tugged on her sleeve.

“You want me to believe you spent that much money on a fucking watch?” He scoffed, “Without discussing it with me? How the fuck did you afford it? You ain’t go no money. You’re as broke and useless as she is.”

“Motherfucker, you don’t know what I got. You don’t pay attention to nobody but yourself.”

“Why the fuck would you waste money on that?”

“Because she deserves better than being fucking tormented by you day and night! You may not give two fucks about your own flesh and blood, but I do! I care about what the fuck all this fighting does to her. All of your petty ass arguments and comments! I want her to get out of this hellhole. Nobody on earth deserves to be stuck with you!”

He took a step back as if she’d slapped him. “What about you? You chose to be with me.”

She deflated a bit and mumbled, “Yeah. I have my regrets.”

You could hear a pin drop.

“What?” He whispered. There was a brief look of shock and hurt before he sucked in air and turned to you. “Get out. Pack your shit and get the fuck out of my house!”

You blinked. ‘I—what?’

“Me?” you asked dumbly, trying to wrap your mind around his words. “B—but—what?”

“You heard me. Get your shit and get the fuck out.” He turned to Mama. “There. Solves our problem, don’t it? She’s free to go do whatever the fuck she wants. She’s not ‘stuck’ with me.”

Her mouth hung open and you could almost see her brain rebooting. “You’re mad at me, so you’re kicking her out?”

“She’s a grown-ass woman. She don’t need a place to stay. Not here with me, I guess. Since I’m so bad. She can go find her own place to stay. Probably with some man and spread her fucking legs.”

“Jermond!” she screamed, “Don’t talk about her like that!”

“Fuck you,” he yelled back, giving her the middle finger. Their argument raged on while you struggled to shut down the well of tears that threatened to break free.

Homeless? You were…homeless?

Aubrey came around the corner and grabbed your hand, pulling you into a tight hug. He leaned back and his shirt was wet where your face had been. ‘What?’

“Don’t sweat it.” He muttered, wiping away your hot tears with his cool fingertips. “Come on.” He pulled you down the hall to your bedroom and gently pushed you in. “Kristen knows what’s going on. I texted her. You can stay with her while you figure stuff out. Anywhere is better than here.”

He was gone before you could say a word. Likely to oversee the newest verbal battle between your parents and assist Mama if needed.

Anywhere was better than here? True, you had Kristen, but for how long? You couldn’t stay with her forever. You pulled a suitcase out from under your bed and just tossed clothes into it. You weren’t thinking. You couldn’t think. You could barely function. It was happening so fast. Too fast. Leave? But this was home for you. It had your mom and brother. You could deal with him. You couldn’t deal with being out there, on your own, alone and—

“Hurry the fuck up and get out!” Your dad yelled down the hallway, just barely drowning out Mama’s insults.

Your hands were shaking so hard as tears fell and dropped on the back of them. Aubrey handed you a small drawstring backpack. “Here’s your stuff from the bathroom. Didn’t want you to forget your favorite lotions and toothbrush.”

Your eyes met, and you gasped softly. His face was wet, too. You didn’t know what to say. Instead, your arms went around him and you buried your face in his shoulder. “Thank you.”

“Please don’t cry. He’s not worth the tears.” He whispered, patting the top of your head.

“Then why are you—”

“You. For you.” He gave your shoulders a little squeeze. “I knew you’d leave home, eventually. Just not like this. But it’s cool.” He shrugged. “You’re free.”

He let go and went around you into your room. He put more of your personal care items into the bag along with jewelry. For a minute, you could only stare at him. When had he become so mature?

You knew you couldn’t grab everything that you owned in one trip, so Aubrey promised to guard your room until you got back to get the rest. He helped you go through the garage to the driveway and load your stuff into your car. Your parents were still yelling at each other. Aubrey pulled you in for another hug, taking his time to let go.

“Please be safe, okay?” He whispered, voice thick with emotion.

You nodded, and somewhere in the house glass shattered. “What was—”

“Get out of here,” he said over his shoulder as he jogged back inside.

You wanted to argue. Wanted to go back inside and make sure Mama was okay. Instead, you got in your car and drove off into the night.

Chapter Text

Kristen’s apartment always smelled like a garden in bloom. She heavily favored floral scented candles and incense sticks. The swirling mixture of jasmine and smoke greeted you when you approached her door, her opening it before you could even knock. If she’d been in the window waiting for you, you missed it. Then again, your mind was a mess, a labyrinth of torment and confusion. She pulled you in for a tight hug.

“I know you’re tired,” she sighed as she rubbed your back, “so I set up the air bed for you.”

“Thank you, Kris.” You muttered, trying and failing to keep her from grabbing your bag.

“Don’t worry about it.” She carried the bag inside and closed the door when you followed. “Part of me can’t believe he’d do some shit like this, but then again, it is your dad we’re talking about. No offense, but it’s like he’s on a constant mission to out-crazy himself.”

“None taken.” You toed off your shoes and placed them on the shoe rack by the door. “I’m still processing it all, y’know? It never occurred to me he’d get pissed off about this.” You held up your wrist.

“But,” she grinned as she plopped down on the couch, “you got to meet one of your soulmates! How did that go?” Just the thought of Jackson had you smiling again. “I take it things went well, then?”

“I can’t even describe what the hell happened with him.” You shrugged off your jacket and hung it on the back of a dining chair. “I went in with every intention of giving him hell.” You crawled onto the air bed and curled up on your side. “But when I looked at him, I lost the fight. He didn’t do or say anything special. I just… couldn’t stay mad.”

She rolled her eyes, but her grin remained. “I told you it was stupid to be mad at him in the first place. But what about him?”

You peeked up at her. “As always, he was a perfect gentleman. He apologized several times and paid for our food.”

“He’s already better than most of the people you’ve dated in the past.”

“Can you not?” You laughed. “But, yeah. He’s way better than them. Maybe the best.” You sighed as your chest began to ache. “I’m pretty sure I’ll never see him again, though.”

“What? Why not?” Kristen’s eyes nearly popped out. “You’re sitting here grinning like a fool. I thought there’d be a few more dates, at least.”

“This wasn’t a date. It was more of a…meeting, I guess.”

“Oh, what the hell ever.” She got to her feet. “We’ll continue this tomorrow, fathead. I gotta work the morning shift tomorrow. Try to get some sleep.” She waved towards the kitchen. “Make yourself at home. If I’m gone before you wake up, just text me if you need anything.”

“Will do.” You gave her a half-assed salute, then tugged the blanket she’d laid out over your body. She cut off the kitchen light and disappeared down the hallway, shutting her bedroom door behind her. The only source of light you had came from the full moon filtered through the patio blinds. Though she kept her apartment cold, the comforter she gave you was warm and heavy. You gave it a sniff and weren’t surprised to recognize the lavender fabric softener she loved. All in all, the perfect conditions to fall asleep.

Yet, you couldn’t. Your mind was running a mile a minute, replaying the whole day over and over. How could such a pleasant meal with Jackson precede the shitshow with your family?

If the pay wasn’t so damn good, Taejoon would’ve moved on some time ago. But no. Here he was in America, strutting through a hotel lobby with his small entourage in tow, ready to put his foot up someone’s ass. Figuratively, of course.

None of them spoke as they rode the elevator up. They didn’t need to. He’d ask all the questions, and they’d make notes. This would be over and done with before Mr. Park went to bed and they’d be on a plane back to Seoul that night.

The group and crew were a flurry of activity, rushing about, getting ready to head to the airport for their flight to LA. Taejoon smiled. He’d never admit to the satisfaction he got from ruining someone’s day. “Good morning, everyone!”

Movement in the hallway came to a halt as people crashed into each other, craning their necks to see who was speaking. Over all the shorter heads, he saw the face he was looking for. “Seungjoon, there you are.”

“Oh, god no.” Seungjoon’s shoulders dropped, but he didn’t move. It bugged Taejoon that he had to go to him, but he could let it slide this once. “Nothing good will come of this.”

“Hm, of course not.” Taejoon smiled. “It’s never good when someone has to make a thirteen-hour flight to go fix someone else’s mistakes, is it?” Seungjoon looked at him. The confusion made Taejoon’s spine tickle with delight. “Oh, you don’t know, do you? Even better.”

“Don’t know what?”

Taejoon merely smiled, then brought his thumb and index finger to his lips. The loud whistle once again brought the floor to a stop, this time with all eyes on him. “There’s been a change of plans. Reschedule the flight to LA. We won’t be making it to the airport for some time. Talk to the front desk and extend the stay as well.” He didn’t have to say names, as the people who handled the travel and hotel arrangements were already on the move. He turned back to Taejoon. “And you. Gather up the boys and have them meet us in your room. We have a lot to talk about.”

It took about fifteen minutes for all seven members to file into the room. Youngjae was the only one to look like he was sleepwalking, but what else was new? Once Seungjoon brought up the rear and shut the door behind him, Taejoon rose from his chair.

“What happened now?” BamBam eyed Taejoon warily.

“We have a serious issue.” Taejoon fixed his suit jacket. “I received word that one of you met with the woman you paired with through the SeoulMate device.” As expected, noise erupted. The boys immediately turned to Jackson and began complaining…save for Yugyeom. Interesting. Once the noise died down, he continued. “Mr. Park sent me here personally take care of the matter. To do that, I first need to know what happened.” Taejoon gestured to Jackson. “Mind telling us about your little rendezvous?”

To anyone else, seeing Jackson's glare would be something of a shock. The boy’s always so cheerful and polite. However, Taejoon knew better. He’d had plenty of talks with Jackson, especially in the group’s early days, and was accustomed to his sour attitude. To no one’s surprise, Jackson merely shrugged and looked away. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

“Should we call Mr. Park and let you tell him that yourself?” Taejoon suggested with a smug grin, knowing full well Jackson wouldn’t chance an argument with their boss. His smile widened when Jackson’s shoulders dropped as he huffed.

“Fucking hell.” Jackson buried his face in his hands. “We met at a diner down the street. I-I made sure I wouldn’t be recognized—”

“I could tell it was you, even in full darkness.” Jinyoung snapped.

“I guess you were the one who told him, then? Didn’t even bother to talk to Jaebeom first?” Jackson’s voice rose. “I should’ve known you’d do this.”

“But,” Mark held up his hand, then pointed at Jackson, “can you blame him? Why meet her in the first place? It’s a scandal waiting to happen.”

“Because you know all about scandals, right?” Jackson bit out. Once the words were out, his eyes widened before a grimace settled on his face. “Man, I didn’t mean that. I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, sure.” Mark slouched in his chair.

“Regardless of what you think of it,” Taejoon cut in, “we will do this based on my judgment. And I need to hear every detail starting with when you left.”

Jaebeom elbowed Jackson and nodded towards Taejoon. “Spit it out.”

Jackson sighed, but gradually the words began to spill from his lips. Taejoon nodded to his team, who immediately began taking notes of the places and people they needed to contact. As Jackson recalled every detail, Taejoon watched the group’s reaction. He expected to see frowns and clear disapproval, but it wasn’t from as many as he’d like. Yugyeom and Youngjae listened with fond smiles while Jaebeom kept his face neutral, not showing any indication of how the information made him feel. Taejoon hadn’t even been there an hour and could see the ramifications this presented.

“And then I came straight back here.” Jackson finished.

Taejoon nodded and looked over his shoulder at the notes his assistant had. “We’ll have to check the diner for any security footage and have it scrubbed. You sound like you did a good job avoiding the press but I’ll have PR keep an eye out for any pictures that may surface. You’re sure she didn’t take any pictures of you?”

“I’m sure.” Jackson nodded as he picked at his nails. “So now what?”

“I have to find her and have her sign an NDA, naturally. If necessary, I might also get a restraining order.” Taejoon regretted not bringing his earplugs. He’d forgotten since he was running on roughly six hours of sleep and not nearly enough caffeine. Jackson was back on his feet going on about something Taejoon couldn’t really make out with Jinyoung and Jaebeom also arguing back and forth. Right. He didn’t have to stick around for this. He had the girl’s name. Getting her address wouldn’t be too hard. “Let’s go.”

“Wait!” Jackson called out, tripping over Youngjae to get to him. “You can’t go alone. I want to go with you.”

“Absolutely not.” Taejoon shook his head. “I’m able to take care of this without your help.”

“It’s not that,” Yugyeom spoke up. “No offense, but you’re sneaky. Who’s to say you won’t have her sign a shrewd contract? We should see it first.”

“Not only that, but it should be clear the contract isn’t our doing,” Youngjae added thoughtfully.

“See?” Jackson gave Taejoon a pointed look. “I should be there to make sure you don’t take advantage of the situation. I don’t want this making her think badly of us.”

Taejoon was at the limit of his patience. “It doesn’t matter what she thinks of you. There won’t be any further contact with her.”

“I didn’t agree to that,” Jackson said candidly with not a shred of regret.

“It isn’t something that needs to be agreed to. It’s understood.” Taejoon looked at the group. “None of you were to contact anyone through the device, especially her. I shouldn’t have to tell you this.”

“We listened.” Jinyoung groused. “He’s the only one having issues with the orders.”

“Because the orders are shit!” Jackson blew up. “It’s unethical, and they pressured us into it. I don’t see why it’s so wrong to let me talk to one person when we’re basically scamming hundreds of thousands into buying a product this expensive.”

Taejoon scoffed. “It didn’t bother you when you signed the contract with the company.”

“And? That was then. I’m allowed to realize I was wrong. The only issue is I didn’t do this alone. Correcting this mistake will hurt others, like our staff and fans.” Jackson paused and straightened up. “Look, all I’m asking is that we be there when she signs. I know you. I know how you word things. Someone with no experience with lawyer-speak won’t see through your fake smile. She’ll sign her life away and you’ll just smile. That’s unfair. I brought her into this, so let me make sure she’ll be okay when we leave.”

“You act like you have any sort of power in this situation, Jackson. This isn’t up to you.”

Jackson smiled. “You sure? She can’t sign the contract if you can’t find her. And if you can’t find her, we’re not allowed to get on the plane to LA, as per ‘Mr. Park’s orders’, right?” Jackson put his hands in the pockets of his sweats. “I could easily text her and give her a heads up about this. We could be in Dallas for another two days. Delay the whole tour. None of this is coming out of our pockets.”

“Are you out of your goddamn mind?” Taejoon hissed. “That would cost the company thousands, if not millions, of dollars!”

“Hm. Sounds bad.” Jackson nodded and strolled back to his seat. “Sounds like you should bring her back then.”

Taejoon didn’t have high hopes for the address they were headed to. After all, if someone wants to blackmail anyone else, they aren’t typically rich. He was surprised when the car turned into a cozy suburban neighborhood where the houses weren’t cookie cutter. It was entirely possible you’d given the company a fake address. Most shady characters do. He wouldn’t be surprised at all.

“You have arrived,” the GPS announced as the driver pulled up to the curb. The house wasn’t anything spectacular. If there was a garage, he couldn’t see it so there was no way of knowing if anyone was home. Aside from knocking. Taejoon sighed and unbuckled his seatbelt.

His assistants followed him to the front door and he was glad. Americans were unpredictable. He rang the doorbell and listened. Of course, it didn’t work. He pulled open the screen door and knocked. A short woman answered, drying her hands on a vibrant small towel. She eyed the three of them.

“Yes?”

“Good morning.” Taejoon smiled. “I am looking for _____. Does she live here?”

“You didn’t even introduce yourself. Nice suit. What company do you work for?”

The fact that she didn’t outright deny knowing you was a plus. He had the right address. “Forgive my bad manners. We are with a small law firm associated with the SeoulMate company.” Her eyes widened with recognition. Good. “There’s been an issue with Ms. _____’s device and we need to speak with her about it.”

“This couldn’t have been done over the phone? Why send three of you?”

Taejoon put on his best sympathetic smile. “We need signatures to help her get a working device, find her true soulmate.”

“What do you mean, ‘a working device?’ She hasn’t said anything about it not working.” The woman’s frown morphed into worry.

“I can imagine it might be a lot to take in. That’s why we’re here to help.” He clasped his hands together. “May we speak to her?”

Somewhere in the house, a door slammed, and the woman twitched before she forced a smile. “I think it’s better you just go.”

“Who’s at the door?” A man bellowed. “Is she back already? Tell that heifer to take her ass on somewhere—” The man turned the corner. He barely made it up to Taejoon’s shoulder. “Who the fuck are they?”

“It doesn’t concern you. Go take a nap or something.”

“Woman, you don’t run shit. If I ask who it is, you tell me.” The man turned his attention to Taejoon. It was likely they’d have to make a run for the car. “Who are you, and what the hell do you want?”

“Jermond, no—”

Taejoon cleared his throat and stuck out his hand. “Ah, the man of the house.” The change in the man’s hostile attitude was instantaneous. “I’m Taejoon Jeon and we’re looking for a Ms. _____, your daughter, I presume?”

Jermond eyed the outstretched hand and crossed his arms. “What’d she do now? We don’t have any money to pay for anything. She’s on her own.”

“No, sir. We’re not looking for money.” Taejoon dropped his hand but kept the friendly smile up. “Just need to speak with her and get a few signatures.”

“Then I can save you some time. She doesn’t live here anymore. If I had to guess, she’s at her friend’s. Kristen.”

“How fucking stupid can you be?” The woman rounded on him and started yelling. “You don’t know shit about these people! What if they’re trying to hurt her?”

“Why should I care? None of you give a fuck about hurting me.”

Taejoon could only watch the couple argue back and forth in awe. His assistant tapped his shoulder and showed him your Instagram, where a recent picture had been posted of you and another young woman. The caption mentioned a name: Kristen. That was more than enough. He motioned for them to head back to the car, no longer interested in the drama at the door.

“Get the address. I don’t care what you have to say to get it.” Taejoon barked as he buckled his seatbelt.

It was a miracle the apartment was only fifteen minutes away. As Taejoon got out of the car, it occurred to him that your mom could have given you the heads up. He’d have to apply a little pressure on you to get this one with as quickly as possible. It was already close to noon. Time was ticking.

Taejoon knocked on the door and waited. There was shuffling behind the door before a young woman’s voice called out. “Who is it?”

“I’m looking for Ms. _____.” He answered, checking his watch and taking a mental note of when the conversation started.

“That doesn’t tell me who you are.” Footsteps retreated from the door and he bit back a curse.

He had a feeling you were the one he was looking for. You sounded like a younger version of your mother with the same level of attitude. Given how empty the parking lot was, it was reasonable to assume that you were home alone. “I’m here on behalf of JYP Entertainment and SeoulMates LLC. It’s my understanding you’ve been in contact with one of the members of GOT7.”

There was a blissful moment of silence before the footsteps came back to the door. The lock on the door clicked before it cracked open. You peeked out and eyed him warily. “Maybe…?”

“Good morning.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. It was unnerving to see him look empty inside. “I’d like you to come with me. I need you to sign a few documents.”

“What for?” You squinted suspiciously.

“I need reassurance you won’t do anything to tarnish the group’s reputation. I have a non-disclosure agreement and a few other agreements I’d like to go over with you with the group present. Just so everyone’s on the same page.”

“I can sign the agreement thingy here. I don’t need to be with them to do that, do I?” You shook your head. “No offense, but for all I know, you could be a hitman or something.”

“No offense,” Taejoon chuckled, but it came off as more of a scoff, “but you’re not worth the time or energy. Before I left, a few of them had concerns that I’d…misrepresent their wishes and damage their relationship with you. I’ve been asked to have you sign the documents in their presence.”

“And if I don’t want to go?”

He smiled knowingly and said, “I can’t make you come with us. However, if I don’t return with you, Jackson will assume I’ve made you sign the documents, anyway. It isn’t likely he’ll believe either of us when we tell him otherwise, and he’ll want to see you in person.”

You jerked back as if he’d hit you. “But isn’t he on his way to LA?”

“Everything’s on hold until we get this matter settled.” Taejoon checked his watch again. “And every second we waste delays the promotion schedule, costing us thousands. And besides, would you have Jackson risk their image again just for you? You could make this easier on everyone involved.”

You stared at him. It was entirely possible he was lying. That’s the one thing lawyers got paid to do. But what if he wasn’t? What if Jackson was waiting for you to show up? Just the thought of that beagle pouting made you sigh. It’d be the perfect way to make it clear you were okay with things being this way. You’d do your best to ignore Jinyoung if you crossed paths. You really fucking hoped you wouldn’t.

“Fucking hell.” You groaned. “Let me get my stuff.”

The hotel was every bit as opulent as you expected. Here you were in jeans and house shoes, while everyone else sported suits and dazzling diamonds. You wanted to crawl back into bed and hide. Never have you felt so out of your element. You could feel the stares and disgust with your “kind” wandering in behind a snazzy suit and his minions.

They stepped onto an elevator, which was surprising. You thought you’d be going to a conference room. You slowed down and hesitated. One of the assistants held the door open with his hand. Taejoon quirked an eyebrow at you.

“Yes?” Annoyed. He was annoyed with you.

“Why are we going up? Isn’t there a conference room down here?”

He huffed. “They preferred an informal setting. Didn’t want to ‘spook’ you. Jackson, in particular, believes you’ll feel better in a casual setting. Something about a coffee shop?”

Of course he did. You begrudgingly stepped onto the elevator, keeping your back to the doors and facing the strangers. Now would be the perfect place to drug you and drag your body off to be dumped somewhere. Not on your watch. If these bitches were going to try anything, you were going to give them the fight of their lives. Nobody commented on it and it relaxed you just a bit.

The doors dinged and you stepped back out into the hall, just barely catching a blur of motion out of the corner of your eye. Heavy hands gripped your shoulders and kept you from retreating anymore.

“Well, hello there.” The voice was velvety, warm and soft in your ear.

You looked over your shoulder and saw Yugyeom’s shy grin. “Yugyeom?”

His grin widened at the recognition and he pulled you close, squeezing you a little as he hugged you. “It’s great to finally meet you. Jackson’s always bragging about you.” He snuggled his face against the top of your head as the lawyer and his goonies stepped around you two.

“This may not be the best place for displays of affection.” 

Yugyeom inhaled deeply but let go, leveling a glare at the lawyer. “I’m just saying hi.” His arm curled around your shoulders and he turned away from the elevator. As you headed towards the room, you realized how comfortable you were with him being so close to you. You were aware that you should have some space between you two, but he looked content and it honestly pleased you to see him happy.

When you heard hotel room, you initially pictured the traditional two beds and a window with some stuff sprinkled throughout the room. You should have known better. It had a king-sized bed with a small kitchen.

The guys were sprawled out in various places. Mark and BamBam were on the couch watching cartoons. Jaebeom and Jinyoung were having a heated discussion, and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out about what with the way Jinyoung glared at you. You gave him your best fuck you sneer and kept going. Jackson sprung up from a chair he’d stationed near the door and engulfed you in the warmest hug you’d ever gotten in the morning. Sorry, Yugyeom.

“You came,” Jackson whispered after a sigh of relief. Did he think you weren’t going to?

You didn’t see Youngjae until you heard a polite “excuse me” after a toilet flushed behind you. You jumped out of his way and he passed by. His hand grazed your bare arm and his pace slowed, but he kept going. Once everyone was seated and the lawyer had their attention, he opened a black folio and laid out papers on a desk beside you.

“I’ve already introduced myself, but just so there aren’t any complaints, I’ll do it again. My name is Taejoon Jeon and I represent JYP Entertainment. I’m here on behalf of Mr. Park—”

“Not me.” Jinyoung threw in.

“But you called him, so he might as well.” Yugyeom scoffed, gesturing to Mr. Jeon to continue.

“Ah, yes. Mr. Park would like you to sign a non-disclosure agreement as well as a formal agreement about your interaction with the group while the SeoulMate company investigates the matter and sorts it out.”

“Investigate?” Jackson sat up straight. “That implies someone’s possibly committed a crime.”

Mr. Jeon looked at you, then back at Jackson. “It’s possible the data could have been tampered with or falsified. Because of the unique nature of the situation, an investigation is needed to protect all parties involved.”

“So, what you’re saying is that someone suspects I’ve rigged this whole situation, and this document is so that you can ‘find’ something and pin it on me to save your asses from lawsuits?”

The lawyer didn’t answer.

“_____ wouldn’t do something like that.” Jackson frowned. “Do you realize what kind of resources she’d have to have access to? The knowledge of the tech that she can’t possibly have gotten, even if she stole it from Chahong himself? This is ridiculous.”

“I agree,” Yugyeom held his hand up. “I can’t see her doing it with her lifestyle. She works a lot and goes to school. When would she have the time?” Youngjae nodded.

How did he know your schedule? The look on your face must have betrayed your thoughts, because Jackson had the grace to duck his head when you looked at him. How much did they know about you? Is that why Yugyeom was so friendly with you in the hallway?

“Then it wouldn’t hurt to conduct an investigation. It would clear her name and keep her out of the media should the news get out. It’s as much for her protection as it is for our own.”

“Sitting right here,” you held a hand up. “Don’t talk about me like I’m not sitting here watching the words come out of your mouth.”

“I apologize.” He grit out. “The investigation is to protect everyone and eliminate a possible cause.” He pushed a group of papers towards you. “This is the suggested rules and procedures we’d like you to follow.”

You picked it up and immediately scoffed at number one. “‘All contact goes through the group’s manager, Seungjoon’?”

The room erupted with protests.

“Why? That’s a violation of privacy!” Jackson stood up. Yugyeom tugged him back down into the chair and rubbed his shoulder.

“Do you realize the position and power she has?” Jinyoung jumped in. “What’s stopping her from trying to blackmail us with this?” You threw your hands up, not bothering to correct him, knowing it’d just add to the arguing.

“If she wanted to blackmail us, she would have done so by now, not go on coffee dates.” Youngjae shook his head.

“It was a date?” Yugyeom looked at you, wounded. “He said he was just apologizing. Did you kiss him?”

“Now isn’t the time—” Mr. Jeon tried to get their attention, but it was a lost cause. Jackson and Yugyeom were discussing the non-existent date and fictional kiss, while Youngjae and Jinyoung debated over whether you were diabolical enough to hurt Coco.

BamBam’s phone went off and he answered it, resulting in Jaebeom trying to get him to hang up. “This is important!”

BamBam stretched to keep the phone out of reach. “I’m trying to finalize a design for my clothing line!”

“How in the hell do you do that over the fucking phone?”

“It’s called talent.” BamBam let out a yelp as Jaebeom grabbed a pillow and held it down over his face.

It was chaos. It was GOT7. Did you really want to be a part of this? …Nope.

You picked up the pen and scribbled your name on the line marked with a big black X. The room went quiet as they processed what just had happened, then Jackson snatched up the contract.

“Jackson!” You reached for it. You weren’t done. There were more x’s on the back that needed your initials. “Give it back.”

“You’re not signing this! It’s bullshit!” He held it up above your head.

“It’s fine! It isn’t like I want anything from any of you! If this means I can go home, give it back!”

Jackson narrowed his eyes at you and pulled the ultimate petty move. He balled the paper up and shoved it into his mouth. “Now no one can sign it.”

“Are you mental?” You put the pen down on the desk and looked at Mr. Jeon. “How long would it take to print off another one?”

“It’d be a quick walk to the office downstairs. They let me print the first one.”

“She’s not signing it!” Jackson yelled after spitting out the paper, pulling you to his chest and squeezing the life out of you. “I won’t let you bully her like this!”

“No one’s bullying her, you idiot,” Jinyoung pulled on the back of his shirt. “She wants to sign it!”

“Because he’s telling her half-truths!”

That made you stop. “What do you mean, half-truths?” You looked at the lawyer and he looked at Mark, of all people.

Mr. Jeon then glared at Jackson before he coughed into his fist. “Well, the truth is that it leaves you unprotected, should something happen.” Jinyoung let go of Jackson, and everyone turned their attention to him. “If the information were to get out, under this contract, JYP Entertainment or SeoulMates LLC wouldn’t be liable for any damages.”

“Meaning they wouldn’t do anything to protect you from the fans or media,” Yugyeom spoke up. “That isn’t fair.”

“It’s because they think she might have something to do with this, isn’t it?” Jackson turned on Mr. Jeon.

He shrugged and nodded. “Again, we don’t know anything at this point. But it isn’t like we have a reason to trust her—”

“I’ll be able to handle myself.” You spoke over them. Jackson shook his head, and you held up your hand to stop him. “I’ll be fine. I’ll lie low and keep to myself like I always do.”

His shoulders sagged. “_____, you don’t have to put on a tough face for us.”

You picked up the wet paper and put it on the desk. “I’m not. I just don’t want to uproot my life here by getting involved with yours. As long as I'm left alone, I'm okay with the restrictions and demands.”

There was a brief moment of silence before it was broken. “I don’t think you should sign it.”

You looked at Youngjae as if he’d grown another head. “What?”

He shrugged and looked down at his hands. “I’ve seen what the fans can do—the saesangs in particular—and I feel bad about leaving you vulnerable to them. The media will at least abide by the law, but those banshees are ruthless.”

You’d heard the horror stories. The idea of even one of them coming at you with their insanity made you rethink it. “…Can we amend it then so that if something does happen, I’ll be able to get some help? It’s more for my family than for myself. I don’t want them to be targeted because of something I did.”

“You didn’t do anything.” Jackson stepped in front of you and grabbed your hands. “Don’t blame yourself for this.”

You knew he was right. You were very much a victim of circumstance. There was only so much in your control, and if you weren’t careful, you’d find yourself spiraling into hopelessness. You took a deep breath and leveled what you hoped was a look of confidence at Jackson. “Okay, so we amend the contract. As long as I have some sort of protection, I can sign it and go home, right?”

He grimaced, unable to look at you. “_____, please…”

“Jackson, we’ve talked about this.” You wanted to hug him, comfort him somehow, but instead you wrapped your arms around your body. “I can’t. And even if I could, no one wants me here but you. It’s unfair to force my presence on them, especially under these circumstances. What do you want me to do?”

Jackson continued staring at his feet, eyes blinking rapidly as he barely nodded in understanding. His lips parted, but it wasn’t his voice that spoke out. “I want you here.” Yugyeom smiled, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. His gaze flickered to Jaebeom, then back to you as he fought to sit still. “I…” He exhaled slowly. “That first night when my SeoulMate went off, I was happy. I was excited that there was someone out there for me. Even when I found out I wasn’t the only one, that it was a glitch, I still felt happy.” Yugyeom looked at you. “Seeing how happy hyung is made me wonder if it’s more than a coincidence. Have you seen your user ID?”

“I’ve seen it,” BamBam mumbled. “That’s what convinced me it wasn’t real. Our debut date? Come on. Too easy.”

“We’ve already said that she doesn’t have the things needed to tamper with the data though.” Youngjae frowned. “I’ve heard Jackson’s conversations with her. Either she’s a great actress, or she’s just as much of a victim as we are.”

“We’re not victims.” Jackson cut in, tone hard as steel. “We made a bad decision, yes. But we’re not victims.”

“So, what,” Jinyoung rubbed his eyes, “you think we owe her something? You’re suddenly gonna risk it all to ‘make it right?’ That doesn’t make sense. If this gets out, we’re jeopardizing more than just our career! What about our staff, friends and families? The fallout alone will put everyone we know and love in danger of a tarnished reputation by association!”

“Won’t that happen if the company doesn’t figure out what caused the glitch?” Yugyeom shrugged. “I mean, think about it. Imagine this happens again, to other people. People are quick to judge and the media will make wild stories about how we promoted a faulty product.”

“He’s right!” Youngjae smiled for the first time since the conversation started. “I read the article in Time Magazine. The devices have high accuracy with readings but they’re not 100%. But the original scanners at the headquarters are.”

“Yeah, but again, we can’t just trust her.” Jinyoung was close to pulling his hair out.

“I agree.” Mark shifted in his seat. “We’d be giving her a lot of opportunities and material for blackmail.”

“She won’t do that.” Jackson insisted, taking a step closer to you. “You gotta give her a chance. I know we’ve dealt with a lot and met some shady people, but she isn’t like that.”

“Because you’ve known her all your life?” BamBam asked with a smirk.

“Feels like it,” Jackson answered earnestly. “Look. I trust her. Can that be enough for now?”

Jinyoung started to object when Taejoon cut in. “It isn’t up to you and you know it. I’ll go get the revised agreements. She’ll sign them and then she goes home.” He left the room before anyone could object.

Well, that was that then. You turned to Jackson, who was staring at Jinyoung, jaw clenched. You couldn’t think of anything to say. Wasn’t it supposed to turn out this way? Why did you feel sad?

Jaebeom got to his feet and put his hands on his hips as he paced. “Why am I always in this position?” He muttered. The somber mood in the room lifted as heads snapped towards him, eyes watching him with eagerness or apprehension. “Okay, so,” he pointed to Jinyoung, “your complaint is she’s not trustworthy. And you,” he pointed to Jackson, “believe that if we got to know her, we wouldn’t have to worry about that.”

“Jae, no.” Mark’s eyes widened.

He continued. “We can’t get to know her if she’s here while we’re on the road—”

“FaceTime is a thing. He’s been calling her, so why can’t that continue?” BamBam gestured wildly.

“—and if we need to go the headquarters anyway, Youngjae’s right, having her with us will help speed the process up.”

Everyone turned back to you expectantly. You wiped your clammy palms on your pants. “What?”

“Will you come with us?” Jaebeom asked. The gentle authority in his voice sent a tingle down your spine and you hoped no one noticed it. Be strong, girl. Be strong.

“I really can’t.” You bit your lip. “I have school and work that I can’t just take off for.” You gestured to Jackson. “I’ve told him this. Didn’t he tell you?”

Jaebeom cut his eyes at Jackson. “He’s been keeping a few things to himself lately.”

“I was gonna tell you, I swear!” Jackson pouted, unable to bring himself to look at Jaebeom.

“Yeah, so that’s a no for me.” You shrugged.

“Do you take the classes online?” Jaebeom sat on the edge of the desk and crossed his arms.

“I...uh, no. In-person.”

“Do they offer online? You could switch for the time being.”

Well, shit. “They do, but I’m not sure how much or even if it costs anything to do that.”

“You can call and find out while we wait!” Jackson added, then did his best to avoid Jaebeom’s glare. A quick call to the admissions office confirmed that online classes were a thing that didn’t cost to switch in your “emergency.” Lucky you.

“Okay, but I won’t be able to take off from work. It’d take a miracle.”

“Won’t know until you call.” Jackson grinned as he nudged you. Against your better judgment, you called your job. The friendlier supervisor picked up and was more than happy to give you a few days off—no more than a week—since they were training a new hire. Hallelujah. “See?”

“This is all unreal. The stars are literally aligning for this.” You pocketed your phone in disbelief. You were sure you’d get a phone call back from work revoking that shit. “There’s still the expenses.”

“Here we go,” Jinyoung muttered with an eye roll.

You opened your mouth to shut the whole thing down but Jackson’s hand firmly covered your mouth. “Nope. Ignore him. He thrives on attention. Just let it go. No, no. Cussing him out won’t make it better.”

You sighed and nodded and Jackson let you go. “I’ll come.” Jackson, Yugyeom, and Youngjae broke out in loud cheers. “But!” You called out over them. “But once we figure out who’s my soulmate, I get to go back home.”

“Deal.” Jaebeom leaned over, took his hand out of his pocket, and offered it to you. “We’ll go over the finer details before we pack up and catch our flight.”

You nodded and took his hand, unprepared for the jolt that traveled through you at his touch. If he felt it too, he didn’t let on.

Chapter Text

Yugyeom felt like he was going to vomit. The butterflies in his stomach wouldn't settle down. His skin had been buzzing since he hugged you at the hotel. He'd tried to tell himself that he was just excited because the situation was new, something he'd never experienced before. However, in the back of his mind, he knew the truth. It was all about you. You were the anomaly.

The group filed onto the smaller private airplane, a courtesy given by the SeoulMate company given the unique situation. It was nicer than he'd expected and a bit more luxurious than the ones he'd traveled in before. Perfect for your first flight with them. With him. You brought up the rear, dragging your small carry-on bag behind you like a dead body. Your lips were curved in the cutest pout he'd ever seen and discontent rolled off you in waves. He slowed his pace until he got to your side.

"Would you like to sit beside me?" He gave you a shy smile. "I'm pretty sure Jackson's gonna sit with us."

BamBam overheard the question and turned around. "What? You usually sit with me."

'Oh...' Yugyeom's eyes widened, and he shrugged a shoulder. "If you can convince Jackson to sit elsewhere...It's her first flight and I wanna keep her company. It's just one time, bro." BamBam's eyes darted to you and narrowed before he turned back around, increasing his pace to disappear among the staff.

"Oh, great. The drama queen's mad at me, too." You sighed loudly and rolled your eyes. When you looked up at Yugyeom, the butterflies went nuts. "You don't have to sacrifice your bromance for me. I'll be just fine. It isn't like I didn't agree with this."

He patted the top of your head with a smile. "He'll get over it. I think a three-hour plane flight is a great time to get to know you. After all, you're a person, not an inconvenience."

Your breath caught for a second, and your mood visibly brightened at his words. "Thank you. It's nice to hear that after all the glares Jinyoung's throwing at me."

"No one's glaring," Jinyoung muttered as he squeezed by and settled into a window seat.

Yugyeom directed you to a window seat on the opposite side of the plane, but you shook your head. "No thanks. I don't need a visual reminder of the impossible physics of this death box."

"Can you please not call it that while I'm in it? Thanks." Mark interjected without looking up from his phone.

"What else should I call it?" You fired back.

"How about 'majestic vessel of life' or something? Anything but that."

"Oh okay. This 'fanciful fucking unicorn' then."

"Language!" Jaebeom called out from somewhere. Yugyeom couldn't help but notice how comfortable you were with bickering with them. Did you even notice it? Though he wished it interactions weren't negative, you fit right in.

"Oh, fuck off." You mumbled under your breath and dropped into the middle seat.

Yugyeom spotting Jackson making his way down the aisle, eyes set on you. He smiled and stood up. You whined as he practically smothered you as he pushed his way to the vacant window seat, crushing you into the seat before letting up. He couldn't help but smile as you blinked owlishly at Jackson as he busied himself with digging around in his bag. "I brought extra stuff in case you need anything." He dropped a water bottle into your hands and put a travel pillow around your neck.

"Jackson, wait—"

Yugyeom filled the seat next to you, looking around to see if the group had all found a seat with his hand out to Jackson. Without being asked, Jackson gave him a water bottle, too.

As usual, Jackson turned into a mother hen with his attention devoted solely to you. It was a refreshing change from being on the receiving end. "The bathroom's in the back, but I'll walk with you if you're uncomfortable walking on your own."

"I know I said this was my first flight, but really, you don't have to go through this much trouble."

He paused and looked you in the eyes. "It isn't any trouble. If anything, it's a pleasure." His face lit up with a wide grin. "I'm doing something useful for you, right? You don't mind, do you?"

Your shoulders drooped in defeat and Yugyeom bit back a chuckle. No one was immune to Jackson's charm. "Yes, this is fine. Thank you, Jackson." You smiled at him. "It means a lot that you care."

A Christmas tree would fail to compare to the light he gave off upon hearing your words. He meant well. Everyone knew that. It'd take patience and reassurance to break him out of his habit of seeking validation. Though they as a group had become accustomed to it, Yugyeom found himself hoping you'd stick around long enough to help them out.

It wasn't long before the pilot came on with his greeting and itinerary with the stewards and stewardesses shooing away electronics and making sure everyone was buckled in properly. Jackson gently took your hand and held it while they explained the standard emergency procedures. You didn't realize you were manhandling the armrest and gritting your teeth.

"It'll be okay. I promise," he whispered, raising your hand to his lips and pressing a soft kiss to your knuckles. Why hadn't Yugyeom thought to do that? "I won't let anything happen to you."

"You can't possibly keep a promise like that." You said flatly. Yugyeom's fingertips grazed your knee a few times before you realized he was itching to hold your other hand. Without thinking, you grabbed his hand and squeezed it when the plane shook and began edging forward down the runway.

"I can!" Jackson said indignantly. "I can swim—"

"We're not going over water." You and Yugyeom said in unison. A tingle sparked between your palms but you didn't show any signs of having felt it too.

"I've been skydiving—"

"You're afraid of heights." You and Yugyeom answered together. Yugyeom glanced at you but your eyes were on Jackson. Did you even hear him?

"Okay, but I'd die to protect you!"

"Jackson," you put your hand on his knee, "It's okay. You don't have to try so hard for me."

"But I want to." He spoke softly with a slight pout.

"Honestly, that you even want to is more than enough for me." It was just enough to cheer him up again. Yugyeom noticed Jaebeom watching, eyebrows creased with concern. When you continued to speak, Yugyeom turned back to you. "But make sure you care about yourself just as much, okay? I mean it."

Jackson nodded, cheeks flushing with color as he looked down at your clasped hands. "Okay."

Soon enough, the plane was in the air and Dallas became a cluster of dots on the ground. You visibly relaxed into your seat as Jackson rubbed the back of your hand with his thumb. Yugyeom wanted to do something like that, but he wasn't sure you'd allow it. You hadn't known him as long or as well as you did Jackson. The monitor in the seat in front of him flickered between advertisements and a thought struck him.

"Hey, we can watch a movie to pass the time." He nudged your shoulder with his. "What kind of movies do you like?"

You looked at him before your eyes went upward. "I'm not too picky, really. Though maybe we could save the scary stuff for later?" When your gaze returned to his, another tingle blossomed over his skin.

"I can work with that." He smiled before touching the screen. A few swipes later and logo music began to play.

The flight was relatively smooth, with only a few patches of turbulence along the way. You leaned against him the entire time, still holding Jackson's hand, eyes glued on the screen. At some point a stewardess came along with food and he found himself sharing popcorn with you. He thought of Jackson's time alone with you and realized that despite you both being surrounded by others, you were still in your own little bubble. Not quite as intimate as sharing a full meal, but basically a movie date. He'd told himself he'd just be friendly, make you feel as welcome as he could. Yet, he couldn't deny the sparks whenever your skin brushed against his. Couldn't stop his thoughts from embracing the idea of you being his soulmate. By the end of the movie, you were dozing off, using Yugyeom's shoulder as a makeshift pillow. He didn't mind one bit.

He entertained himself with sending memes to BamBam, ignoring the fact that he was left on read. He could understand his closest friend's annoyance but he had to admit he was having the time of his life. He'd beg for forgiveness later if needed. Right now, he wanted to enjoy the moment and commit it to memory. When you woke up from your nap, the plane was beginning its descent. You looked out the window and saw the glittering buildings below, signaling your arrival at your destination.

As the plane touched down and taxied to the gate, you and Jackson clasped hands tightly, your eyes closed as if that would make the descent any smoother. Yugyeom found himself humming a song and seized the moment to hold your other hand, mirroring Jackson's calming caress with his thumb. He was more than pleased with himself when you seemingly melted against his arm again, eyes still shut.

"Oh, god tell me when its over." You muttered and he liked that you sought him out for comfort.

As soon as the seatbelt sign turned off, everyone began standing up to gather their belongings from the overhead bins.

"See? We made it!" Jackson exclaimed with a triumphant grin as he unbuckled his seatbelt.
You let out a sigh of relief and opened your eyes, returning his smile. "Yeah, we did. This time, at least."

Yugyeom leaned in and caught your gaze. "Are you okay?"

You nodded, feeling shaky but trying to hide it. "Yeah, I'm fine." You attempted to stand up and grab your bag from the overhead compartment but stumbled when the plane jerked suddenly.

"Whoa there," Jackson caught you before you could fall. "Maybe we should wait for everyone else to get off first."

You nodded gratefully and sat back down. BamBam shuffled off the plane with the others, pointedly ignoring Yugyeom. When the plane was finally empty, you stood up again and grabbed your bag without any problems this time.

Yugyeom nodded in agreement before looking at his phone. "Our luggage should be at baggage claim already."

"That's quick," you said as you followed them out of the plane and towards baggage claim. Soon enough, all three of you were standing in front of a carousel waiting for your luggage to come around.

When you spotted your suitcase and stepped away to grab it, Jackson leaned in and whispered, "Are you and Bam gonna be okay? I don't think I've ever seen him this pissed at you of all people."

Yugyeom shrugged. "He can't be mad forever. And I guess it's new for him. He's never had to share my attention with anyone like this before."

"Yeah, he can be pretty childish sometimes." Jackson nodded.

Yugyeom chuckled as you struggled to free your luggage from the moving belt. They both took a step forward to help you but Jaebeom made it to your side first. "He'll be okay. Just needs time to calm down. In the meantime," he tilted his head to the side, eyes still on you, "we can make sure she's having fun."

"Here, let me get that." Jaebeom reached over your shoulder, startling you in the process. As you moved aside for him, he caught a whiff of your perfume, something light and sweet. He grabbed the handle of your suitcase and yanked it off the belt.

"Thank you..." You frowned and it took him a second to realize why.

"Just call me Jay." He set the luggage down and pulled up the handle. The frown went away instantly. "I don't mind."

You fiddled with the suitcase, unable to look at him. "You sure? I don't want to disrespect you or anything in front of the others."

He shrugged and fought a smile as he slipped his hands in his pockets. "Its not like those brats care."

You smirked. "I know, I just...It's not the same is it? I'm not one of them. That and I don't wanna add to your stress if I can help it."

He found himself smiling, touched that you cared about his wellbeing. "As long as you're traveling with us, I'll treat you no differently from them." He gently bumped you with his elbow. "Just say no to Yugyeom and his stupid pranks."

"They're not stupid! As long as you have a sense of humor, they're fun!" Yugyeom pulled you away. "Don't listen to him. He's old and boring."

With a strike like lightning, Jaebeom grabbed the back of Yugyeom's neck and squeezed. "Say that again."

Soon enough everyone's baggage was found and loaded onto the shuttles going to the hotel. Due to the size of the group, they had to split up. Once again, Yugyeom and Jackson insisted on riding with you. Jaebeom caught the nasty look BamBam gave you and he was grateful that Jackson didn't see it. He didn't feel like mediating another argument so soon after the one between him and Jinyoung. The animosity was understandable to a degree. You were an outsider to most of them, and trust was a hard thing to earn in their world. However, since he'd shaken your hand he was beginning to see that Jackson had a point. People with bad intentions give off bad vibes. Ones that, as far as he could tell, you didn't have.

He told himself he'd reserve judgment until later when enough time had passed, but that handshake seemed to change something in him. Cool static had rippled throughout his body when your warm, dainty hand filled his. It'd taken every ounce of control he had to force himself to let go. Holding your hand felt right, as natural as breathing or singing.

And he could see he wasn't the only one affected. Even now you were sandwiched between Jackson and Yugyeom, discussing the things to do in Las Vegas with Jackson holding your hand and Yugyeom's arm around your shoulders. One would never guess you hadn't known them longer than a few days.

He was a romantic at heart. It was hard to say which side he took in this as he'd always imagined having a soulmate of his own. Someone meant just for him, one he didn't have to share with the others like he did everything else in his life. Was that selfish?

Thoughts like that wouldn't help him here and now. When the vans stopped outside their hotel, he remembered the brief phone call he'd had with JYP. Taejoon had predictably snitched on him, stressing that the decision to bring you along was Jaebeom's doing. As a result, any expenses that you occurred were coming out of Jaebeom's pocket. He was lucky he made a decent amount of money from royalties otherwise he'd have trouble booking and paying for your room. The need to keep it a secret from the guys wasn't entirely unfounded. He could see Jinyoung throwing a hissy fit and possibly making you feel like you needed to pitch in. For the sake of peace, it'd be his little secret.

"Here you go," he smiled handing you the key cards to your suite. "It's on the floor below us. Hopefully we won't bother you."

"Thanks—" Your fingers touched his and that soothing ripple of calmness washed over him again. "Don't worry. I've dealt with way worse than this chaos. It's almost like a mini vacation at this point."

Jackson materialized at your side, peering over your shoulder. "Is it a double? Can I room with you if it's a double?"

Jaebeom pushed him away with a hand covering his face. "Don't be eager or weird. She gets a room to herself. She'll be able to sleep in and go down to breakfast."

Jackson pushed his hand away. "But what if she gets lonely? We can't leave her here by herself."

You rubbed his arm with a look of concern Jaebeom was sure couldn't be copied by even the best actresses in the world. "I don't mind. I can't begin to imagine how busy you guys will be. I'd only slow you down and I don't wanna hear Jinyoung's mouth."

Jinyoung scoffed as he pushed by, heading for the elevators. "Wouldn't have to worry about it if you weren't here."

Three things happened simultaneously. Jackson opened his mouth to fire back as Jaebeom turned to tell Jinyoung to be nice. Yet, you beat them both to the punch by speaking up with a forced smile. "Jackson, would you like to see what my room looks like? You can walk me through the hotel room check you were telling me about on the plane."

Your sweet smile and gentle pull on Jackson's arm sucked the tension away in an instant. Jackson turned his attention back to you, eyes alight with his eagerness. "Of course!"

It was weird to have someone else be the voice of peace. The two of you started toward the elevators and Yugyeom joined, pointing at a brochure he'd picked up. BamBam and Mark joined Jinyoung leaving you three to wait for another one to come back down. Jaebeom adjusted his backpack and joined the queue. He hated that what was supposed to be a simple promotion with fanmeets was slowly dividing the group in two. Hopefully, once it was all said and done, their personal relationships would still be intact.

After an intense game of rock-paper-scissors, Jaebeom and Jackson ended up sharing a room for the duration of their stay. It was the first time since they landed in America that they'd had this much time together. Jackson wanted to sneak down to your room to stay up and talk but Jaebeom wasn't having it.

"Absolutely not."

Jackson flopped down on his bed with a disappointed frown. "Come on, Jaebeom. It's just a little fun. Besides, it's not like I'm asking to sneak out of the hotel."

Jaebeom sat on the edge of his bed, phone in hand as he scrolled through the schedule for the next few days. He sighed without looking up. "It's not about having fun, Jackson. We need to be careful about how we handle things with her here."

"But she isn't like other people we've met. She's different," Jackson insisted, his voice laced with a sincerity that made Jaebeom pause. There was something different about you, something that made everyone act a bit out of character.

"Different or not," Jaebeom finally said, locking his phone and meeting Jackson's gaze. "We have to maintain some professionalism. We can't set precedents that we might regret later."

Jackson rolled onto his side, propping his head up with his hand. "You like her, don't you?"

The question was abrupt, and Jaebeom felt a defensive wall go up instinctively. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything," Jackson shot back softly. "Because if you have feelings for her—even purely platonic ones—then it makes sense why you're being extra cautious. You care."

Jaebeom rubbed his temples, feeling the onset of a headache. "I just met her, Jackson."

"Love at first sight is a thing, y'know. There's nothing wrong with trusting your gut and just going with it."

He sighed deeply, hating that he had to be the one to burst Jackson's bubble. "You say that a lot don't you? Throw yourself all in for anyone who catches your eye and shows you the tiniest bit of attention and care just for, what, it all to fall apart? Love at first sight seems to leave you alone and heartbroken too often, doesn't it?"

Jackson went silent, the easy smile fading from his face as Jaebeom's words settled over him like a heavy blanket. For a moment, the room was thick with unspoken thoughts and regrets, punctuated only by the distant hum of Las Vegas beyond their window.

Finally, Jackson let out a deep breath and sat up, swinging his legs off the bed to face Jaebeom more directly. "Maybe you're right," he admitted quietly, "but every time it feels real, feels like it could be the thing that changes everything. Isn't it worth the risk?"

Jaebeom didn't answer immediately. He knew Jackson's heart was in the right place. It always was. But as their leader, it was his job to think about the consequences, to protect not just his own heart but also those of his bandmates—and now, seemingly, yours.

"Perhaps," he finally conceded, "but remember we have our responsibilities. We're here for work first." He glanced up at Jackson, noting the genuine confusion in his eyes. "Let's try to keep things simple and not complicate matters further."

Jackson nodded slowly, though his disappointment was palpable. He lay back down, staring at the ceiling. "Alright, Jaebeom. I'll keep my distance. For now."

Jaebeom felt a twinge of guilt watching Jackson's enthusiasm dim—a brightness that was rare in the often grueling routine of their industry—but he knew boundaries were essential, especially with so much at stake professionally.

Was it bad that Yugyeom wasn't as bothered by the tears as he used to be? Now that they'd been given dummy devices to wear to keep up the ruse of "searching" he thought he'd feel even worse about lying to their fans. They truly believed they had a chance to pair with a member of the group. It was wrong, immoral.

Yet when he filed backstage with the others, he couldn't help but smile when he saw you tucked away in a corner with a notebook in your lap. As everyone began to change and found a stylist, he found himself wandering over to you.

"Hey there." He plopped down in the chair next to you and you jumped.

"Oh, jeez!" You put the hand holding the pen over your heart. After a quick glance around the room, your gaze found his. "It's over already?"

"It's been two hours. Have you been writing this entire time?" He leaned closer to see your notepad but you quickly hid it against your chest. "Oh, come on. It can't be that bad. May I see, please?"

You hesitated, biting your lip as you considered his request, then slowly lowered the notebook. "Only because it's you," you said with a half-smile, handing it over. "Tell no one that I let you do this."

Yugyeom's eyes lit up as he gently took the notebook from your hands. His gaze flicked across your neatly scribbled words, a mixture of excitement and curious respect etching across his features. As he read, his expression softened, and occasionally, a chuckle escaped him.

"Is this about my dandelion tattoo?"

You shrugged shyly. "I noticed it when we were on the plane. I couldn't stop thinking about it so...I put it in words."

"This is really pretty." Yugyeom said sincerely, looking up at you with admiration. "The way you describe it makes me even happier that I got it. And this part," he pointed to a line in the middle of the page, "where you talk about how music can be a person's dandelion—it's beautiful."

Flattered by his compliments, he watched as your cheeks deepened in color as you fought the smile. "Thank you, Yugyeom. That means a lot coming from you."

He nodded and handed back the notebook. "You should keep writing. Who knows? Maybe one day you'll write a song for us."

The idea made you laugh softly, the sound mingling with the constant buzz of activity around you. "Oh sure. Maybe I will," you agreed playfully.

Yugyeom stood up just as one of the staff members called him over. Before he left, he turned to face you again. "Don't forget us when you become a famous writer," he joked with a wink.

"I won't," you promised, watching him walk away before turning back to your poetry.