Chapter Text
“What happened when you finally got your soulmate mark, Sieun?"
An open textbook sits between them in the silence of the public library, amidst whispers of other students cramming for their exams all adorned by different uniforms, as exam season is right around the corner. They had tried their best in persuading Humin and Hyuntak to study with them, but they just excused themselves to a game of basketball over their studies. ‘I’ll catch up in like one or two days before the exam anyway!’ Baku boasts, and Juntae and Sieun could only look at each other and reinforce that his 99 IQ score was still valid—if his score somehow hadn’t decreased after all this time.
“The symbol just showed up on my skin,” Sieun says, in his signature softness. “It’s something that represents your soulmate, not a name as the fairytales during our childhood suggests.”
Juntae has dreamt of his soulmate ever since he was a child. He imagines someone charming, humorous, akin to a modern-day knight in shining armor, like the renowned hero of a manga he reads during his pastime.
Those dreams came true in the form of a man when he met Go Hyuntak.
He knew from the very first glance. When they started getting close, thanks to Sieun, Juntae found every facet of Hyuntak to be lovable. The way his eyes crinkle up when he smiles, how handsome he is when he laughs at any small joke Juntae makes. How protective he is at shielding Juntae from the prying eyes of evil, how gentle he was whenever Juntae was struggling trying his hand in something new like taekwondo. He was a knight in shining armor in Juntae’s eyes, and he couldn’t ask for any less.
The only issue lies in the fact that they are still friends.
But Seo Juntae was nothing if not a hopeless romantic. He waits patiently for the day that his soulmate mark adorns his skin, may it be as passionate as his romantic manga books make it seem when he gets to experience it in real life. That day sadly hasn’t passed him by yet.
“What’s your symbol then, Sieun?”
Sieun doesn’t respond immediately, his eyes wandering elsewhere as if to reminisce about the first time he had gotten his soulmate mark. “It was a book.”
“A…book?” Juntae says, voice clearly shrouded in confusion.
Sieun shifts around in his seat, fishing his phone out of his pocket and unlocking it with haste. Juntae watches but doesn’t pry as he scrolls up his gallery full of pictures—of him and Suho, no less—and pauses at one particular image.
“Here,” Sieun says, “Take a look.”
The picture captured the couple, with Suho lightly kissing Sieun’s cheek. A golden glow of his soulmate mark, visible on right above his right collarbone. The size of it is akin to a small tattoo on your skin, much smaller than Juntae had anticipated. But given that a soulmate mark is something intimate, Juntae doesn’t feel the need to complain.
Suho’s mark, was indeed, of a book. A notebook, to be specific, opened up and laid out flat, albeit with nothing written on it. The outline of the pages gleam and glisten in sheer gold. Sieun on the other hand, had his soulmate mark on his neck, and Juntae can outline a motorcycle helmet, which also gleamed a brilliant glow at the helm.
“Sometimes they change,” Sieun adds. “Suho has woken up to his mark being a pen before.”
“I’ve heard about these marks changing,” Juntae replies. “But I just wonder how? Can you see it physically change?”
Sieun shakes his head. “I haven’t. Suho tried staying up all night to watch it change on my skin, but he couldn’t resist the temptation of sleep.”
Juntae chuckles. “As if he doesn’t get enough already.”
Sieun’s lips perk up into a soft smile. Juntae is glad Sieun has healed to the point where small jokes like these don’t affect him as much, as opposed to when Suho first woke up from his coma. He would’ve shot an ice-cold glare Juntae’s way and he won’t feel safe around Sieun for the next few days.
“So why are you asking? Are you sure your mark is appearing soon?”
Juntae shrugs. “I don’t know. But it has been quite a while, it has to happen someday, right?”
Sieun shifts his gaze away from Juntae as if to take in the ambient atmosphere of the library. Awkwardness festers in between the silence and Juntae doesn’t know what to say.
“You know, I am wondering why it’s taking so long for your mark to appear.”
Juntae sits in silence before jolting up with an “Ah! You don’t think…”
“I’m not saying that,” Sieun replies with haste, as if he could decipher what Juntae was fussing about. “I’m just saying from personal experience, the mark shows almost instantly once you share feelings or each other. Suho and I have had this mark ever since he taught me how to fight.”
His stomach starts turning. Fear floods through Juntae’s body like waves when he even thinks about the mere possibility that his soulmate symbol won’t be of Hyuntak. Who else would it be? Does this mean that Hyuntak never liked him back in the first place? Is that why it has taken so long for it to appear? Because it was never meant to be?
“I’m not saying this to discourage you, Juntae.” Sieun’s voice cuts through his overthinking. “Maybe you guys should just confess and see where it goes.”
The soft chatter of the library has quieted down. The people sitting next to them studying pack up their things and take their leave. Sieun looks down and closes his notebook.
“Let’s go find the boys.”
—
There’s a sense of peace and quiet that isn’t usually found within a basketball court this late in the afternoon. The noise has disappeared with the students wandering home, leaving only the two boys dribbling and practicing on their own. The sun sets on the horizon, as if to announce it is ready for its slumber, and yet Humin and Hyuntak are still on the basketball field with a score to settle.
“Yah,” Baku starts, “I already scored three free throws in a row, and you still don’t think what happened in our previous game was a fluke?!”
“Don’t care,” Gotak replies, sitting on the edge of the court and staring Baku down. “Try again. It’s because of you we almost lost that game against Ganghak anyway.”
“Aish, Gogo!” Baku shouts again, clearly hurt. “I was carrying the game! One lousy free throw not going in really got you this mad at me?”
“You dumbass, how were you carrying the game? I scored more than you!”
“You—”
“Hey, guys!” Juntae calls out to grab their attention. He doesn’t know it but his gentle hello just stopped these two idiots from turning their slight bickering to a full-blown fight. “We’re back from studying.”
“Hey!” Baku shoots them a smile, “Juntae brought back our ice princess!”
He reaches out a hand to ruffle Sieun’s hair when they approach the Baku at the center of the field, but Sieun shoves Juntae in front of him at the right moment to shield himself.
“Not today, please.” Sieun begs softly, with the sudden shift allowing for Baku’s greedy hands to fall straight into Juntae’s soft hair instead. He pouts and sighs, as if an owner who was denied a ‘ good-boy!’ pet from his puppy.
“I missed you, Jun,” Hyuntak says as he sneaks up behind Juntae and slings his arm around Juntae’s shoulder.
“I’ve missed you too,” Juntae says, giggling before taking out a towel from his backpack for Hyuntak to wipe his sweat away. It just became a common occurrence between them after Juntae had offered him a towel after a match he had.
“Get a room,” Sieun says, annoyed, followed by a boisterous laugh from Baku.
“You two really do look like lovebirds. Are you guys hiding your soulmate marks from us?”
A few uncomfortable laughs fill the air. Hyuntak and Juntae have never discussed what their closeness meant, but it’s quite obvious they were friends who care for each other, right? As much as Juntae had a huge crush on Hyuntak, he wouldn’t dare impose anything on him, not until this stupid mark confirms they were soulmates or a real love confession.
“That reminds me,” Sieun says, adding fuel to the fire, “Juntae was worried about his soulmate mark not appearing yet.”
“Ah, Sieun…” Juntae whimpers, forgetting to mention for him conceal that part of their conversation in fear of embarrassing himself in front of Hyuntak.
“Oh?” Humin turns his head towards Juntae, who feels his cheeks turning red. “So that’s what got you all up in your thoughts huh?”
Juntae nods in surrender, “I was just wondering what my symbol would be. Sieun said that his mark was a notebook of some kind.”
“Damn,” Humin snorts. “My symbol was of those stupid rings that Baekjin wore on his fingers.”
The childhood lovers, Baku and Baekjin were. It’s no secret that whenever they fought, their soulmate marks glowed. Juntae remembers a pearly milky white radiating off Baku’s skin one time when he got a little too angry at Baekjin and his attempts to get him to join the Union. Although Juntae wasn’t present at the Eunjang and Union fight, the rumors of the two star-crossed soulmates baring their teeth and bruising each other’s faces as their marks flashed in signature colors was the hottest topic in Eunjang that following week for obvious reasons.
“Hey, why did you guys just go silent on me?” Humin snorts, looking at everyone. “I have my issues with the guy, but I’m trying to help Juntae out here!”
“Thank you,” Juntae replies. “I feel a little foolish now…”
“Don’t be!” Humin places his hand on Juntae’s shoulder and looks into his eyes, with that sliver of confidence that only Humin could have. “If you have any questions about this soulmate thing, you can always ask me. I’m a master in romance.”
Hyuntak chuckles, “Master in romance, my ass,” he mocks. “You keep getting fake numbers from girls.”
“Yah!” Humin shouts, pulling Hyuntak in a chokehold and they both struggle to maintain their balance. “That one number I got was valid!”
Hyuntak coughs, trying his best to pull Humin off of him. “Valid?! You called and it was her brother!”
Sieun and Juntae stare at the commotion. “How are we friends with these people?”
Juntae shrugs. “I have no idea.”
—
Night had already fallen by the time they had finished bickering, and it wasn’t long before all four of them found their way home through to the bus stop. Hyuntak, like always, had offered to walk Juntae home after getting off at their stop since they lived close by, as a courtesy. In reality, everyone knew it was an excuse to spend some extra time with Juntae before he bids his goodbyes.
“Jun-ah,” Hyuntak starts, “Are you that worried you haven’t gotten your mark yet?”
Juntae simply nods. “You know me Tak-ah, I overthink things too much…”
“Well, don’t.” Hyuntak smiles, petting his hair. “I’m sure fate is just waiting for the right moment to bless you with your soulmate, whoever it is.”
“Tak-ah,” Juntae thinks. “Why can’t it be you?”
Juntae just sighs defeatedly, “I just wish a mark would appear on my skin already.”
Hyuntak just stares at Juntae, as if he’s trying to pry into his pretty little mind. “Do you ever wonder what your symbol will be? On your soulmate?”
“Oh,” Juntae lets out, realizing all he had really thought about was how Hyuntak’s mark was going to look on his skin, never once thinking about the opposite. He scratches his head out of habit to mask his nervousness before landing on an answer. “I haven’t thought too much about that, Tak-ah.”
It’s true. Juntae never gave much thought to what his soulmate would bear on his skin. What was so interesting about Seo Juntae, the small innocent nerd of Eunjang who had a brave heart that was sadly braver than his weak body? A mark representing him would be inconceivable.
Had he been honest with Hyuntak, he wouldn’t even think he’s worthy of his love. He had put Hyuntak on a pedestal simply because he was just so kind towards him. He had treated him so well since the day they met. A soulmate mark would be a blessing to Juntae, less so Hyuntak.
“Then…do you ever wonder what my symbol would be? On my soulmate, I mean.”
Hyuntak hums, staring off and pondering to himself. “Glasses, maybe? You do look adorable in them.”
Juntae slaps him on his shoulder. “This isn’t funny! I really want to know, Tak-ah.”
“Okay, okay,” he winces. “I really don’t know, Jun. I would imagine it’s your glasses or your manga books or something.”
“Manga!” Juntae exclaims. “Why didn’t I ever think of that?”
Hyuntak squints. “You know for someone so obsessed with symbols, you seem to give less thought about how your mark would appear on your soulmate.”
Juntae doesn’t respond, maybe out of the knowledge that he’s been found out. He looks up and sees his house closing in on the distance. Have they been talking for that long already? Time definitely flies when you’re having fun, or so they say. Hyuntak looks down at Juntae and gives him a little pinch on his cheek, and Juntae returns him with his dimpled smile. “I’ll get going now then.”
“Goodnight, Tak-ah.” Juntae says, running up his front porch steps and bidding goodbye to the man of his dreams.
—
Juntae lays awake on his bed, his hands cupped on his stomach as he lets his mind wander. Did Hyuntak not like him back? Has fate forsaken them? He wonders if Hyuntak even feels the same way about this soulmate mark as he did, or that it barely bothers him one bit.
What would Hyuntak’s symbol even be?
He’s no longer on school grounds. No longer in the company of other people. No more prying eyes judging him in fear of finding him weird. Juntae is alone , and he lets his secret fantasies run wild.
Juntae dreams about the myriad of love marks that could appear only on his skin. Oh, how he wishes he adorned a basketball mark on his neck, where it would sparkle in the heat of the match, and Hyuntak could always see at the corner of his eye, always, that Seo Juntae was there to cheer him on. How much he fantasized about his lips being on Hyuntak’s lips and the soulmate marks glowing in tandem, flaring up in a romantic gesture.
He traces on his skin what he imagines his beloved’s symbol. What if it isn’t a basketball? He lets his mind wander into an endless paradise. A taekwondo belt? Jerseys? Hoodies? He doesn’t care. Juntae wants every single mark to radiate on his skin, his fingers caressing the soft outline of every tattoo. To remind himself and Hyuntak that they belonged to each other.
A shaky breath exits Juntae’s mouth, after letting his thoughts wander for a little too long. He breathes out in dissatisfaction when he realizes it was merely a dream, something he can’t grasp in this cruel reality. He lets out a surrendering sigh, and decides that the best thing to do is to not put emphasis on the idea. Whenever that mark appears, and it shall, he’ll proudly bare it for the world to see. He tosses his bedsheets aside and lurches towards the bathroom.
The light flickers with a switch of a button. Juntae removes his glasses and rubs his eyes as he stares at his reflection in the mirror, before he turns on the faucet to wash his face. Freshening up is a good remedy, especially when in doubt that your soulmate isn’t the man you’ve been secretly pining over for the past year or so.
It doesn’t take long before he locks his eyes on his reflection in the mirror once again, water trickling on his skin, dripping into the sink beneath him. He furrows his brows when he realizes something bright is flashing from his neck, and he instantly reaches for his glasses.
The soulmate mark.
It’s there.
His mark glows of a fiery crimson red, something akin to the color of bloodshed. It was nothing like the pearly white shimmer of Baku and Baekjin or the glamor of gold Sieun and Suho had.
He leans into the mirror, crooking his neck in an uncomfortable position to make out what his mark was. It was the size of a small coin, yet the glow betrays its diminutive size. He squints and makes out a cylinder of some sort, with smoke billowing at the end of it. Could it be a match? A fuse? A…
Juntae gasps. He jumps back when he realizes what his soulmate symbol is.
A cigarette.
Hyuntak never smoked. The only person who he knows that does is…
—
“Fuck!” Seongje practically screams into his computer after it flashes red with a ‘YOU LOST’ message. “How could you throw that fucking game?!”
The cybercafe bustled in the night, filled with people gaming their lives away on lively computer screens and noise-cancelling headphones. Seongje just so happens to be there killing time when he lost three games in a row, which doesn’t just bruise his ego but puts him to shame.
Of course, his good-for-nothing teammates are to blame. He stares down the kid beside him, visibly shaken in fear. His eyes widened when he made eye contact with Seongje—a rookie mistake—and immediately turned away from his terrifying gaze.
“I’m sorry—”
Seongje grabs the man by his collar. “I’ll bash your skull in if you don’t get your act together.”
The boy whimpers and clasps his hands up pathetically. “I’m so sorry! I won’t lose this next game!”
“Not enough to convince me, kid,” Seongje says, before punching him straight in the face, his body landing limp on an empty gaming chair on the opposite table. Horrified gasps erupted from people nosing in on all the commotion.
“What?” Seongje spits, annoyed. “You guys not used to seeing me beat up lame losers like this?”
“N-no, it’s…your…”
Seongje squints when he sees a pink hue illuminate the cybercafe, emanating from him of all people. He looks down and sees a rosy glow on his right collarbone covered by his undershirt, before scoffing. “A soulmate mark? And it’s pink ? Seriously?!”
Seongje has long forgotten about soulmate marks, believing he is unworthy of them. No person, woman or man, could ever love such a violent maniac who got off by fueling his sadistic needs. Should he ever adorn such a sacred mark on his skin, then he believes fate is playing him for a fool.
He slams the bathroom door open before discarding his uniform and taking off his undershirt, looking at the soulmate mark etched on his skin. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out from the polka dots over a heartlike shape shimmering in pink that his mark was of a strawberry. Seongje chuckles, before it turns to him howling with laughter.
Fate has played him alright. His soulmate, who he’s bound to for life, is represented by a strawberry of all things. It’s the antithesis of Geum Seongje. Everybody fears the wrath of the wolf, and there’s nothing inherently delicate or innocent about it. But there is a sweet delicacy and innocence in a strawberry.
“Shit,” Seongje curses, the realization hitting him at full speed. “I have a soulmate mark.”
He touches the mark repeatedly before another maniacal laugh escapes his mouth. He had this glint in his eyes whenever he got excited—whenever he had a new plaything to satiate his desire for fun, to fascinate himself with, before he ruins it all the same and moves onto the next toy.
"This is about to be real fun."