What's a soulmate?

It's a...
Well, it's like a best friend, but more
It's the one person in the world that knows you better than anyone else
It's someone who makes you a better person
Well, actually they don't make you a better person, you do that yourself
Because they inspire you
A soulmate is someone who you carry with you forever
It's the one person who...
Knew you and accepted you, and...
And believed in you before anyone else did
Or when no one else would
And no matter what happens you will always love them
Nothing can ever change that.

-Dawson's Creek, ...Must Come to an End (2003)

"If I ever meet my soulmate, I'm going to strangle him with our red ribbon!"

Woohyun really, really hated his soulmate.

Well, it wasn't his fault really for not finding Woohyun for the entirety of the twenty-five years of Woohyun's life but still. Woohyun needed someone to blame for his perpetual lack of love life and his soulmate was the best target.

We are getting ahead of ourself here, so let's start from the beginning, shall we?

The red strings of fate were supposedly connected two soulmates together, no matter the distance, no matter the hardship. They appeared since birth as a flowy red string tied around the left wrists with extra ten cm hanging off at the end. When the person was in proximity to their soulmate, the string would solidify and lengthened to connect with their soulmate's.

Soulmates were said to be the two most compatible souls that would love each other for their entire lives.

Woohyun called it bull.

Because there were soulmates, there were foniás. They were the people who were blessed with the ability to see the strings. And Woohyun happened to be one of them.

It had caused trouble to no end for him. Unlike the normal red string, Woohyun had a red ribbon around his left wrist. A red ribbon that mocked him because it never solidified.

During Woohyun's final year in high school, he finally had enough of waiting and decided to ask a girl out. Her string hadn't solidified yet either so Woohyun thought it would be okay. But Woohyun kept seeing his red ribbon during their date and felt guilty for not waiting for his soulmate. It didn't help matter that the girl's red string solidified and connected with her soulmate on their date. Woohyun was honour bound as a foniás to tell her so he did. At the end of their date, Woohyun waved goodbye to his date and saw her kissing the other girl.

It repeated three more times and Woohyun was known as Nam Cupid because everyone who went out on a date with him met their soulmate. By the end of the year, there was a waiting list to go out with him.

He never found his soulmate.

And he resented the entire thing.

"How to love someone whom you have never met?" Woohyun asked the person in a green suit in front of him. Woohyun thought the suit looked good but he also knew his taste in fashion was terrible, his manager told him of that enough. He blinked and the person turned into a plant. Woohyun shook his head to make sure he was seeing right. Yup, still a plant.

That was the third plant he talked to tonight.

With a sigh, he leaned on the wall next to the plant and watched the people mingling around in the hall for the engagement party. Woohyun saw his best friend, Sungyeol across the hall, his arms firmly around his fiance.

Woohyun was happy for Sungyeol, he really did. But he couldn't help feeling slightly jealous. Sungyeol was once like him, he had never met his soulmate. However, unlike Woohyun, Sungyeol believed that one day he would meet the one who was born for him. Woohyun called him delusional.

That was until a month ago when Sungyeol met him for coffee with a bright smile on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. He was chattering about the cute photographer he met at the photo shoot and Woohyun had tuned him out. And then he saw it. Sungyeol's red string had solidified.

Woohyun had told Sungyeol about it and it snowballed from there. His best friend had fallen in love at first sight with his soulmate even before Woohyun told him about it. Their parents were told and there they were now, engaged one month after their first meeting.

Sungyeol had been on cloud nine ever since and Woohyun was glad that one of them found their partner. He had been glowing with happiness that it was starting to annoy Woohyun. Funny how Woohyun couldn't see that happiness on Sungyeol's face today.

Woohyun shrugged and decided to ignore it. Sungyeol was probably just too nervous. Woohyun turned to the plant and toasted it.

"Cheers for single life!"

Woohyun was coming back from the bathroom when he was suddenly grabbed and pulled into the coat room. He tried to fight his attacker but there were two of them and Woohyun was pushed against the wall.

"Woohyun! Calm down! It's me!"

The light was suddenly and Woohyun saw his best friend with his fiance standing in front of him in the small room.

"If you two want a , you should just ask. You don't need to attack me," Woohyun complained and rubbed his arm. Sungyeol never knew his own strength and Woohyun was sure he would be bruised by tomorrow.

"What? What ?!" Sungyeol sputtered, his face red with embarrassment.

"We want you to cut our string."

The room fell into a heavy silence at Sungyeol's fiance's words. Woohyun shook his head, wondering whether he was hallucinating.

"I'm sorry?" Woohyun asked dumbly.

"Sungyeol-shi told me you are a foniás. That you can see and cut the red string."

Woohyun's eyes moved to the string connecting Sungyeol and his fiance, noticing how the red was more brilliant at Sungyeol's end.

Ah, one-sided love.

"It's not cutting, it's unravelling," Woohyun muttered, still trying to wrap his mind around it.

"Whatever it is, we want this...this thing to break!"

"I can't just break it like that... Mr..." Woohyun floundered, trying to find an excuse to delay this.

"Kim. Kim Myungsoo," the guy said, offering his hand to Woohyun. He took it, his eyes went to Sungyeol and saw the sadness in his best friend's eyes.

"Okay, Myungsoo-shi. You know that the string is sacred and I can't just unravel it without a good reason." Woohyun crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall, keeping both of them in his line of sight.

"I have a boyfriend. I love him so much and... I want to marry him," Myungsoo said, his eyes on Woohyun's face. Woohyun stole a glance at Sungyeol and realised that he knew about this.

"Why did you agreed to this marriage then?" Woohyun asked, sounding slightly judgemental. He couldn't help himself, Myungsoo just annoyed him so much by merely breathing.

"I didn't want to! But my parents forced me!"

Woohyun rolled his eyes. Of course, his parents would pressure him to marry his soulmate. It was a guarantee that the marriage would last. Nobody ever said about being happy in that marriage anyway.

"So...You two agreed to unravel the string?" Woohyun kept his eyes on Sungyeol and saw the flash of hesitation in his best friend's eyes.

"Yes. Sungyeol-shi and I agreed that this was for the best and I hope that you would tie my string with my boyfriend's too," Myungsoo answered confidently. Woohyun closed his eyes, feeling the beginning of a headache.

"I need to meet your boyfriend first. This is not something that I could do lightly, you know? I need agreement from everyone involved."

"I understand. I'll arrange the meeting and contact you through Sungyeol-shi!" Myungsoo agreed brightly and left the room, leaving Sungyeol and Woohyun staring at each other.

"You okay, mate?" Woohyun asked.

"Yeah. I want him to be happy. I'm sorry that we dragged you into this," Sungyeol said with a sad smile, patting the elder's back.

"It's okay." Woohyun could feel the sadness oozing from Sungyeol and his brain started planning.

Woohyun played with his phone as he waited for Myungsoo and his boyfriend, Sungyeol sitting next to him. Woohyun didn't say anything about Sungyeol wearing sunglasses inside a cafe, he knew his best friend had spent the night crying. Even now, Sungyeol was playing with his straw, not even drinking his favourite Americano.

Woohyun heaved a sigh and looked at Sungyeol's bright red string. He understood how much Sungyeol was in love with his soulmate, so in love that he was willing to let him go.

Woohyun's eyes trailed off to his own red ribbon and watched as it slowly solidified and lengthened. Woohyun's eyes widened and followed the ribbon, passed the beautiful long fingers to wrap around a slender wrist. Woohyun gulped and raised his eyes to see his soulmate, just realising that they were standing right next to his table.

"Meet my boyfriend, Kim Sunggyu," Myungsoo said brightly, clinging to the man's arm.

Well, fate sure hated Nam Woohyun.

"Are you okay, Woohyun-shi? You look like you just saw a ghost," Sunggyu asked after their introduction. Woohyun realised he must have paled when he saw who his soulmate was and looked away.

"I think I did," he muttered.

"I didn't know that foniás could see ghost too," Sunggyu said, tilting his head slightly. Their conversation was cut off when the waiter came to take their order and Woohyun breathed a sigh of relief.

"What would you like to drink, Gyu hyung?" Myungsoo asked and Woohyun noticed the slight frown on the elder's face.

"Caramel macchiato," Woohyun blurted out before he could stop himself.

"That's right! How did you know?" Sunggyu was smiling so brightly that Woohyun just wanted to cover his face with a pillow. And probably suffocate him to death while he was at it.

"Lucky guess," Woohyun mumbled, hating himself. He knew that soulmates were said to know each other more than they knew themselves. But Woohyun didn't expect this. It was not like he suddenly knew everything about Sunggyu, it was more like he was remembering things he had forgotten.

"So...how long you two have been dating," Woohyun asked when they got their orders. Sungyeol was in his own world and for some reason, Myungsoo was staring at him.

"Almost a year? I guess so. We worked together a few times and decided to try," Sunggyu answered, looking at his boyfriend. Myungsoo didn't even notice it.

"Got tired of waiting for your soulmate?"

"Yeah, I'm beginning to think they don't exist," Sunggyu chuckled and Woohyun felt like pouring his coffee on the elder's head.

"Well, they better exist because I need their permission to unravel your rib...string!" Woohyun quickly covered his slip up. He had no intention to unravel their ribbon but he couldn't let the others found out about it.

Unravelling a string would shorten Woohyun's life by a breath but unravelling a ribbon would kill the foniás. Woohyun might be pessimistic but he had no suicidal tendency.

"You do?" Myungsoo asked, finally participating in the conversation.

"Yes. It's a code of honour," Woohyun said vehemently. He realised Sungyeol was looking at him weirdly and he nudged the taller to stop him from opening his big mouth.

"I guess we need to find them then...you don't mind, do you, Myungie?"

"Sure, whatever. As long as the string can be cut."

Woohyun pasted a fake smile on his face, cursing Sungyeol's fiance internally.

"That settled then! Sunggyu-shi and I would look for his soulmate while you and Sungyeol continue the wedding preparation!" Woohyun said with a clap.

"Why should we do the wedding preparation? We are not getting married," Myungsoo said with a scowl.

"Well, you and Sunggyu want to get married, don't you? Just prepare for that then," Woohyun chirped up, not missing the frown on Sunggyu's face.

"You are right. Just do it, Myungie," Sunggyu coaxed his boyfriend.

"If you say so, hyung," Myungsoo relented and leaned to kiss the elder. Woohyun watched intently, wondering what he should feel seeing his soulmate kissing another man. He looked at Sungyeol and saw the painful smile he was sporting.

Should he look hurt too? He tried to mimic Sungyeol's expression, only to end up feeling stupid. Woohyun looked back at Sunggyu, just noticing that the elder was looking at him too.

"Are you sure you are okay, Woohyun-shi? You look...constipated?"

"What was that all about?" Sungyeol asked as soon as he walked into Woohyun's house, not even bothering to take off his coat first. The elder ignored Sungyeol and moved straight to the fridge to get a beer.

"What do you mean?" Woohyun asked after taking a sip of his beer, he needed some liquid courage to convince Sungyeol.

"Code of honour? Foniás don't have a code of honour." Sungyeol crossed his arms and stared down at his best friend.

"Of course we do. We can't hide what we know about the strings. We can't unravel the strings without permission. And most importantly, we can't unravel a ribbon," Woohyun said, ticking off the point with his fingers, lying through his teeth. Foniás didn't have a code of honour, it was just something that Woohyun made up at the spot. Maybe he should make it his code of honour, Woohyun thought to himself.

"I've never heard about that," Sungyeol said with a frown and sit on the chair before taking off his sunglasses. Woohyun flinched at the red-rimmed eyes and decided that Sungyeol needed a drink too.

"That's because you're not a foniás. And that brings us to another problem." Woohyun opened another can of beer and put it in front of Sungyeol before taking a seat himself.

"Another problem?"

"I need you to seduce Myungsoo," Woohyun stated. Sungyeol choked on his drink and sprayed the elder with it.

"Damn it, Lee Sungyeol!" Woohyun jumped up and moved to the sink to wash his face.

"You shocked me! And what do you mean 'seduce Myungsoo'?! I can't seduce him, he has a boyfriend."

Woohyun rolled his eyes and turned to look at his best friend, drying his face with a tissue as he decided how much he should tell him.

"He is also your soulmate and your fiance."

"Why are you so against cutting my red string? I told you that I'm okay with it," Sungyeol said slowly, trying to convince himself. Woohyun walked to his friend and placed a hand on the other's shoulder.

"It's not your string that is the problem... It's Sunggyu-shi's ribbon."

Sungyeol looked up with wide eyes at Woohyun's word.

"Ribbon? You mean..."

"His soulmate is a foniás. If I unravel his ribbon, I would live up to my title, don't you think so?" Woohyun chuckled.

"Just because foniás means killer doesn't mean that you're one, Woohyun."

"But I will be if I unravel Sunggyu-shi's ribbon. That's why you need to seduce Myungsoo so that he would break up with Sunggyu-shi," Woohyun said, holding Sungyeol by his shoulder.

"Is that's why you made us continue the wedding preparation?"

Woohyun nodded aggressively and Sungyeol couldn't help smiling.

"I don't think this would work. I don't know how to seduce people."

"You two are soulmates, what could possibly go wrong?"

Woohyun met Sunggyu again at the same cafe with the excuse of looking for Sunggyu's soulmate. He had sent Sungyeol out with the absolute order to make Myungsoo fell in love with him. Now it was his turn to... Woohyun frowned. He was not sure what he was planning to do with Sunggyu.

Maybe he should just try to get to know the elder first.

"Sunggyu-shi!" Woohyun called the elder as soon as he saw Sunggyu waiting for him in front of the cafe.

"Woohyun-shi."

"Did you wait long?" Woohyun asked, falling into step with his soulmate as they walked down the street.

"Not really. I came here straight from work."

"Work? Ah, you said you work together with Myungsoo-shi. Are you a photographer too?"

"I'm a journalist actually. We work at the same company."

Woohyun hummed and eyed the red ribbon swaying between them.

"Would you mind if I hold your hand?"

Sunggyu turned to look at him, his eyes twice their normal size.

"What? Why?"

"So that I could see the string better," Woohyun reasoned.

"S-sure," Sunggyu stammered and flushed red when Woohyun took hold of his hand. They walked together in silence for a moment and Woohyun didn't missed the glances thrown at their intertwined hands from people around them.

"Is it okay for you to be holding my hand like this? I mean you're a famous singer."

"I'm not an idol, Sunggyu-shi. This is not a problem," Woohyun waved off Sunggyu's concern with a chuckle.

"Are you sure about that? I don't want to get you into trouble."

"I'm sure, Sunggyu-shi." Woohyun frowned and tugged on Sunggyu's hand.

"What?"

"Can I call you hyung? It's just weird being so formal with you when I'm holding your hand," Woohyun chuckled, trying to appear aloof.

"Of course! Then I'll call you....steamed bun!" Sunggyu said happily and ran off to a store, pulling Woohyun with him.

"Steamed bun?" Woohyun asked incredulously.

"What? Oh, sorry. I saw the buns and got hungry," Sunggyu said sheepishly after he bought the steamed buns.

"Did you starved?" Woohyun laughed, taking one bun from Sunggyu.

"Neither I nor Myungsoo could cook so we always eat out. But Myungsoo has been busy with the wedding preparations..." Sunggyu shrugged and stuffed his mouth with the steamed bun.

"Oh, you live with Myungsoo-shi?" Woohyun asked and fed his soulmate another bun.

"Yeah, we split the rent so its cheaper." Sunggyu nodded to himself and took the last steamed bun. He looked between the bun and Woohyun, a slow smile curled on his lips.

"You do look like a steamed bun."

"Let's buy ice cream, hyung!" Woohyun said happily, tugging the elder's hand. Sunggyu sighed but relented, following Woohyun into the ice cream shop.

"You're such a kid, steamed bun," Sunggyu teased, watching the younger plastered himself against the display glass. Woohyun turned with a sly smirk on his face.

"Don't sound so grumpy. I know you want the strawberry ice cream." Woohyun's smile slid off his face when he realised what he just said. He really needed to control his big mouth before someone coined in the fact that he knew too much about Sunggyu.

"No, I don't. Give me the chocolate one," Sunggyu ordered smugly. Woohyun rolled his eyes and order the strawberry ice cream because he knew Sunggyu would exchange their ice cream. Sunggyu might don't know why he ordered chocolate ice cream but Woohyun did. It was Woohyun's favourite.

Woohyun was right, of course. As soon as they left the shop, Sunggyu grabbed Woohyun's ice cream and gave the younger his ice cream.

"You could have just ordered it yourself," Woohyun grouse, his ice cream slowly.

"I could...but Myungsoo said it was too childish to order strawberry ice cream," Sunggyu muttered slowly, looking down at his pink ice cream. Woohyun was suddenly struck with a wave of protectiveness that he almost choked on it.

Foniás were prone to excessive emotions when they were with their soulmates but this was ridiculous. Woohyun's heart skipped a beat at the sudden onslaught of emotions. Woohyun took a deep breath and grabbed Sunggyu's left hand.

"I don't think it's childish."

"Thank you, steamed bun. I don't know why but I feel like I've known you all my life..." Sunggyu frowned as he looked at Woohyun.

"Is that a pickup line? You need to do better than that, you know?" Woohyun smirked, trying to act calm despite the internal screaming he was doing.

"You probably know better. Your soulmate probably spends his days being jealous because you're so flirty," Sunggyu said with a roll of his eyes. Woohyun hummed, not missing the pronoun that Sunggyu used.

"How did you know that I've already met my soulmate?"

"You're...kinda glowing. Like Myungsoo did when he came back from that photoshoot. He wouldn't stop talking about Sungyeol-shi." Sunggyu chuckled softly and Woohyun frowned, trying to see whether the elder was sad or not.

"When was the last time you looked in a mirror, you oblivious hamster?" Woohyun mumbled under his breath and quickly smiled when Sunggyu turned to look at him.

"Did you say something, steamed bun?"

"Nothing! And until when are you going to continue calling me steamed bun?" Woohyun pouted at the nickname. He looked nothing like a steamed bun.

"Forever."

And Woohyun might or might not had blushed at the way Sunggyu said that like it was a promise.

"Hyung, pass me the kimchi," Woohyun said, his hands busy cooking the fried rice. When the asked kimchi never arrived, Woohyun turned to find the elder was eating it.

"Kim Sunggyu! Stop eating the kimchi and help me cook," Woohyun nagged, waving his spatula. Sunggyu rolled his eyes before standing up and gave the kimchi to the younger, less than what Woohyun needed.

"You nagged like my mom, steamed bun," Sunggyu complained before rummaging in Woohyun's fridge for something else to eat.

"You are the one who wanted a home-cooked meal. We could have eaten at the restaurant. And stop eating junk food! You're going to ruin your appetite," Woohyun scolded, turning back to his pan.

"Because you said you can cook."

Woohyun threw a glare over his shoulder and Sunggyu backed off with a chuckle.

"I should have let you starved," Woohyun mumbled as put the fried rice on two plates, taking them to the table where his damn soulmate was munching on Woohyun's chocolate cake. His eyes widened when he realised what the elder was eating. He had hidden the cake away because his manager had been grumbling about his weight lately, how did that hamster found it?

"Where did you found that cake?"

Sunggyu looked up with a smile. "Behind the vegetable compartment. I also hide my sweets from Myungsoo there."

Woohyun's eyes twitched. Damn soulmate instinct.

He put the plate on the table and slid into his seat in front of Sunggyu, glaring at his cake. He had been saving that cake for the special occasion, only to have it stolen.

"Say aaaa~" Woohyun directed his glare at the elder when Sunggyu tried to feed him.

"You're not getting me to forgive you that easily," Woohyun said, trying to eat the cake but Sunggyu put it into his own mouth.

"More for me then." He chewed happily as he finished the cake before moving on to the fried rice. Woohyun could only rub his temples as he watched Sunggyu ate.

"Are you going to eat that?" Sunggyu asked, pointing at Woohyun's plate.

"Just eat it," Woohyun said defeatedly, pushing his plate to Sunggyu. Watching Sunggyu ate was giving him a weird feeling of contentment and Woohyun really needed a distraction. Thank goodness the bell rang at that time.

"Sungyeol, what are you doing here?" Woohyun asked as soon as he opened the door to see his tall friend standing dejectedly in front of him. Sungyeol gave him a weird look as he walked around Woohyun.

"You're the one who asked me to come here after meeting Myungsoo-shi," Sungyeol answered, walking straight to the kitchen, probably following the smell of food. He stopped just outside the kitchen, watching Woohyun's soulmate stuffing himself.

"Nam Woohyun, am I hallucinating or do you really have Myungsoo-shi's boyfriend eating in your kitchen?"

"Hello, Sungyeol-shi! Would you like some? Woohyunnie makes the best fried rice," Sunggyu greeted the younger warmly.

"Hello, Sunggyu-shi. Yeah, I know. Woohyun likes to cook," Sungyeol said, turning back to Woohyun with a questioning look. He missed the slight frown on Sunggyu's face at his words but Woohyun saw it.

"Have you eaten?" Woohyun asked, moving past Sungyeol to pour water for Sunggyu just before the elder choked from eating too fast.

"I ate with Myungsoo-shi earlier." Woohyun nodded but his attention was on Sunggyu as he patted the elder's back.

"I told you to eat slowly," Woohyun chastised, only to receive a sheepish smile from his soulmate.

"You're a good cook, I can't help myself."

"You're just starving, everything is delicious to you."

Sunggyu heaved a long sigh and put his cutleries down. "I probably should go back."

"Yes, you should," Sungyeol agreed but the two soulmates ignored him.

"Let me pack the leftover for you. Just heat it up for breakfast," Woohyun said and Sunggyu cheered happily.

"You're the best, steamed bun!"

"Stop calling me steamed bun!"

"Steamed bun?" Sungyeol asked, looking confusedly between the two of them.

"Don't you think he looks like a steamed bun? All soft and squishy," Sunggyu answered, making squishing movements with his hands. They both jumped when Woohyun slammed the container on the table.

"Are you calling me fat?" Woohyun hissed, glaring at his soulmate. Sunggyu only smiled widely before grabbing the container and ran off.

"Thank you, steamed bun! See you tomorrow!"

They heard the front door closed and Sungyeol turned to Woohyun with a raised eyebrow.

"What was that all about?"

Woohyun only held one hand up and started counting. "Three... Two... One..."

The front door opened again and a sheepish Sunggyu peeked in.

"I forgot my phone. And guess what, we have the same passcode! Bye again, steamed bun, Sungyeol-shi!"

"I'll pick you up tomorrow!" Woohyun shouted.

"'kay!"

They heard Sunggyu's answer and the front door closed again. Sungyeol crossed his arms and looked at his best friend.

"You never brought any man back home, much less gave them your passcode. Even I don't know your passcode and I've known you for twelve years."

"Sunggyu hyung wanted to eat a home cooked meal so I brought him here. And you heard him, we just happened to have the same passcode," Woohyun tried to sound confident as he answered. He stood up and began cleaning the kitchen, knowing that his best friend won't stop asking until he was satisfied.

"'Sunggyu hyung'? You just met him twice, Woohyun. Do you like him? Is that why you want me to seduce Myungsoo-shi?"

Woohyun turned to Sungyeol with a glare. "You know why I want you to seduce Myungsoo."

"Because his soulmate is a foniás. What I don't understand is why you don't just tell them that. It's not like they can force you to kill someone."

"I have my reason," Woohyun said, looking away.

"It's probably easier than walking around hoping to meet his soulmate. I know that your dates usually met their soulmate while going out with you but the chances are quite low, isn't it?" Sungyeol rambled to himself.

"Foniás are quite rare too. One in every year, isn't it? Sunggyu's soulmate could be anywhere. Why are you so convinced that you could find them?" Sungyeol stared at his best friend and suddenly his face turned horrified.

"Oh my god. He is your soulmate, isn't he? That's why."

"Yeah. Fate is a , isn't it?" Woohyun chuckled, rubbing his nape nervously.

"Yah! You should have told him, you know?!" Sungyeol reached out and slapped Woohyun's arm.

"How should I tell him then? 'Sunggyu hyung, guess what? I'm your soulmate so I can't unravel your ribbon because then I would kill myself too. And I'm not in love with you either so there's nothing I could give you.'" Woohyun scoffed and turned to his fridge, looking for a beer.

"When you put it that way...so what are you doing now?" Sungyeol said and took a can of beer when Woohyun offered it.

"I'm trying to keep him away from Myungsoo so you can seduce his boyfriend." Woohyun raised his beer can for a toast.

"You have a better chance of seducing Sunggyu than I am at seducing Myungsoo-shi," Sungyeol scoffed, drinking his beer.

"I'm a foniás. We feel things more."

"So there's a chance of you falling for Sunggyu?" Sungyeol asked, watching his friend moved to look out the window. They stood watching the night view of Seoul in silence as Woohyun thought about it.

"I might."

Woohyun fixed his sunglasses as he looked in the rearview mirror, making sure he wasn't recognizable. He couldn't help chuckling at the irony. He had spent a lot of his time as a singer avoiding the reporters but here he was, waiting in front of an entertainment magazine company for his soulmate, a journalist. Fate sure had a weird sense of humour.

Woohyun opened the car door and stepped out of his car when he saw Sunggyu coming out from the building, his boyfriend trailing behind him. They looked like that they had been arguing and Woohyun tried not to look too happy.

"Steamed bun!" Sunggyu greeted him with a bright smile and Woohyun was filled with so much happiness, it almost sent him to his knees. He shook his head slightly to get rid of the weird emotion and smiled back at his soulmate.

"Sunggyu hyung, Myungsoo-shi."

"Woohyun-shi. I hope that you two would find the elusive soulmate today. We don't have much time," Myungsoo said with a scowl.

"These things take time, Myungsoo-shi. Some people never found their soulmate," Woohyun's voice was sweetly sarcastic and he saw Sunggyu was smiling from the corner of his eyes.

"Then you should just cut his string now!"

"Unravelling a string will shorten my life, Myungsoo-shi. I don't want to do it without good reasons," Woohyun growled slightly.

"Fine!" Myungsoo huffed before turning to his boyfriend. "I'll see you on Monday, hyung."

Woohyun watched as Myungsoo pulled Sunggyu into a kiss. Once again, he tried to dissect his feelings, watching Myungsoo trying to shove his tongue down his soulmate's throat. He wasn't hurt nor angry but he did feel uncomfortable because Sunggyu was pushing the younger away, refusing to open his lips.

Woohyun's instinct was screaming at him to pull Sunggyu away when Myungsoo bit on his lower lip but before Woohyun could move, Sunggyu had pushed his boyfriend away. The elder wiped his bloodied lips with a painful wince and glared at Myungsoo.

"I told you not to bite me!"

"Fine! I'm sorry! Whatever, I'm out of here!" Myungsoo threw his hands in the air and left Sunggyu and Woohyun standing awkwardly on the sidewalk.

Woohyun opened the passenger door and pushed Sunggyu inside before going to the backseat. He rummaged in his luggage for a moment before taking out a bag with a triumphant cheer.

He slid into the driver seat and opened the bad, taking out a tube of cream. Sunggyu ignored him, too busy looking at his lips in the mirror, wincing slightly when he touched a sore spot.

"Turn around," Woohyun commanded, squeezing the cream onto his finger. He cupped his soulmate's chin and slowly applied the cream to the broken skin.

"Sorry that you had to see that," Sunggyu's words came out in a mumble because Woohyun's finger was pressing on his lips.

"It's okay. Had...had he always been so rough with you?"

"He likes it rough. But I don't, so he had been holding himself back. It's just about the wedding and everything, he had been stressed." Sunggyu turned to look away but Woohyun pulled him back.

"If he hurts you, hyung..." Woohyun trailed off, his body trembling from holding back his anger.

"He doesn't. Myungsoo is just worried about the weekend with Sungyeol-shi's family." Sunggyu patted Woohyun's hand, trying to soothe the younger.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Should I ask why do you have a makeup bag in your car, steamed bun?" Sunggyu asked, purposefully using the nickname to lighten the atmosphere.

Woohyun rolled his eyes and threw the bag into the backseat. "That's what you get for going out with a celebrity."

Sunggyu turned around and looked at the half-opened luggage. "I didn't know that celebrities go around with a full luggage. By the way, where are we going anyway?" Sunggyu said, raising an eyebrow.

"We are going to go picking strawberries," Woohyun said happily, speeding through the road. He idly wondered whether he was going crazy as his emotions were all over the place since he met Sunggyu.

"Now? But it's so far away! There's no way we could come back today!" Sunggyu shouted in panic.

"We are staying there the entire weekend, of course," Woohyun said matter of factly.

"The entire weekend? But I didn't bring any spare clothes! Yah, steamed bun!"

"That's why I bring enough for two." Woohyun waved at the luggage in the back seat and noticed that his soulmate was blushing.

"I'm not sure we are the same size," Sunggyu mumbled, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Don't worry, I even bought new underwear for you."

"Did you got the right size?"

"Of course. It's hard to find the right size though because you're big." Woohyun's eyes widened comically when he realised what he just said. He really wanted to hit Sunggyu when the elder started laughing hysterically.

Sunggyu had fallen asleep somewhere between Seoul and Yangpyeong, leaving Woohyun to drive in silence. It was a very disturbing silence for Woohyun as he could literally felt his soulmate's presence next to him even when he was sleeping. He cursed his fate as a foniás for having extra sensitivity to Sunggyu.

When they arrived at their destination, it was already late so Woohyun drove straight to the hotel. He parked the car and looked at his sleeping soulmate for a moment, their dull red ribbon stretched between them. It had only been three days but the ribbon was already brighter than the first time they met.

Looking at the symbol of their connection, Woohyun let out a heavy sigh. He had a mission to fulfil and it did not involve falling for his soulmate.

"Hyung, wake up. We're here," Woohyun said, shaking Sunggyu's shoulder slightly to wake him up. The elder mumbled incoherently but didn't open his eyes. Woohyun knew it, he just knew it, Kim Sunggyu was a menace to wake up.

However, Woohyun was his soulmate and knew exactly how to wake the old man up. He pinched his soulmate's nose, cutting off his air supply. It didn't take long before Sunggyu gasped, opening his eyes and mouth at the same time. That was the largest his eyes had ever opened, Woohyun noted duly as he pulled his hand back.

"What was that for?" Sunggyu whined, rubbing his nose with a small pout.

"We're here. Come on. We need to check in."

Woohyun got the luggage out and managed to drag Sunggyu out of the car. He draped his half-asleep soulmate over the luggage when he went to check in and came back to Sunggyu in the same position.

Woohyun sighed. His soulmate was such an embarrassment and he was glad that the hotel lobby was empty at that time. His eyes travelled to their ribbon and for some reason, it was brighter than before.

Woohyun cursed internally and pushed the luggage along with Sunggyu into the lift. He could lie to himself but the ribbon never lied. He found sleeping Sunggyu was adorable and it showed.

Woohyun opened the door to Sunggyu's room with the key card, pushing Sunggyu onto the bed before going to his room through the connecting door. He was so tired from his conflicting emotions from just being around Sunggyu and was off to dreamland as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Woohyun woke up suddenly when he couldn't breathe and opened his eyes to a smirking Sunggyu. His soulmate was pinching his nose happily and Woohyun was so tempted to kick him.

"Good morning! Rise and shine!" Sunggyu chirped happily and opened the curtain with a flourish. Woohyun groaned and buried his head under the pillow. Great, just great. Sunggyu was a morning person, the exact opposite of Woohyun.

"Five more minutes."

"No more five more minutes. You promised me that we are going to pick strawberries and we are picking strawberries now!"

Woohyun cracked open one eye and looked at his pouting soulmate. Curse his instinct for being overprotective of Sunggyu because he was starting to feel guilty.

"Fine, fine. But you better let me eat breakfast first." Woohyun swung his legs onto the floor and mumbled under his breath. "And coffee, plenty of coffee."

"Of course, steamed bun! Up up up!"

Woohyun stared at the elder as he happily picked the strawberries from the plants and straight into his mouth. He was glad that he picked a farm that allowed unlimited eating strawberries inside because he was sure that there were more strawberries in Sunggyu's stomach than in the basket he was carrying.

Sunggyu was beautiful, Woohyun thought to himself. The elder was wearing Woohyun's clothes that were slightly too large for his lean body, making him appeared ier to Woohyun. Or maybe that was just Woohyun's possessiveness speaking, he could never tell when it came to Sunggyu.

Groaning, Woohyun turned to pick his own strawberries. He wasn't particularly liked them that much but he knew that Sunggyu would forget to collect them into the basket. Woohyun made a mental note to buy medicine for stomach ache when he saw Sunggyu moved to another row, the previous one already empty of ripe fruits.

"One strawberry waffles, one strawberry pizza, one strawberry juice," Sunggyu ordered happily, not noticing the slight grimace on Woohyun's face.

"Just one black coffee." Woohyun looked around the farm cafe after the waiter took their order, noticing that most couples there were soulmates, their strings twinkling with their love.

"Steamed bun," Sunggyu called him suddenly, not looking up from the pamphlet he was reading. Woohyun just hummed in an answer.

"We can make strawberry jam here! Let's do it."

Woohyun was so sick of strawberry by now and he turned to Sunggyu to say just that. One look at the elder and a different answer came out of his mouth. "Sure."

Woohyun really hated himself for giving in but the hopeful look his soulmate was sporting was really his weakness. He hoped Sunggyu never realised how much he had Woohyun wrapped around his fingers or Woohyun would be in serious trouble.

Sunggyu even managed to make Woohyun ate half the food he ordered by simply giving him a puppy-eyed look. That really shouldn't have worked for a twenty-seven years old man but this was Woohyun's soulmate, his one weakness.

Woohyun grimaced as he wiped the strawberry puree from his face. With his hands on his hips, he glared at his soulmate that was holding a spatula like a weapon. Sunggyu was blinking innocently at Woohyun as if he hadn't just spattered strawberry puree on the younger's face.

"Hyung, give me the spatula," Woohyun said sternly, holding out one hand at Sunggyu.

"But I want to make strawberry jam," Sunggyu whined with a wave of his spatula, effectively splattering Woohyun with more strawberry puree.

"You're making a mess, hyung."

"I think you're the one who is messy, steamed bun."

And there it was. The infuriating smirk that made Woohyun wanted to smother Sunggyu to death with a pillow or kiss him senseless. Woohyun reeled back from his thought. Kiss? Where did that come from?

"Hey, are you okay?" Sunggyu asked worriedly, the strawberry puree dripping on Woohyun's expensive jeans he was wearing.

"I'm great! What's next? Sugar, right?" Woohyun took the bag of sugar and poured all of it into the pot in front of them while Sunggyu watched him with horrified eyes.

"We only need two cups!"

It was too late by then and they ended up with two jars of strawberry jam with the consistency of syrup. Woohyun was feeling a bit guilty until he caught Sunggyu dipping his finger into the jar and it. Then he just thought about learning how to make strawberry syrup and their uses in the bedroom.

The two of them spent the rest of the day driving around with no clear destination. True to Woohyun's prediction, Sunggyu got a stomach ache by dinner time and spent most of his time in the toilet, accompanied by the sound of Woohyun's laughter.

The next day, Woohyun woke up first. He had seen the banner for mussels picking yesterday and he was determined to drag Sunggyu with him. At least Sunggyu was a morning person, he woke up without much effort from Woohyun. Woohyun, on the other hand, was cranky until his second cups of coffee and Sunggyu had taken the responsibility to pump the younger with enough caffeine so that he at least resembled a human being.

Woohyun looked at the mud field with a bright smile, dressed in knee-high plastic boots, a bucket and shovel in his hand.

"Why..." Sunggyu whined for the hundredth times that morning since Woohyun told him where they were going.

"Because I want to eat mussels."

"You could just buy it at the store."

"You can also buy strawberry at the store," Woohyun shot back with a glare. He was sure that Sunggyu would ditch him and hide somewhere while he dug in the mud but the elder was the first to get into the mud.

Woohyun thought that fate really hated him. It's been an hour since he started digging but he had only found three tiny mussels. Meanwhile, his soulmate had filled up his own bucket and took Woohyun's after chastising him for picking baby mussels.

"Hyung! Help!" Woohyun shouted when he realised that his feet were stuck in the mud and he couldn't move. Sunggyu turned around with a -eating grin on his face.

"Are you stuck, steamed bun?" Sunggyu shouted back, not moving from his position.

"You know what? Never mind!" Woohyun huffed and tried to move one foot. It was a big mistake when he started toppling forward face first into the mud. He looked up from his impromptu mud mask to the sound of his soulmate's laugh.

Woohyun really, really hated his soulmate.

It took him half an hour to wash the mud off him, enough time for Sunggyu to eat half of the mussels they had collected and sent to the restaurant to be cooked.

"I can't believe you started eating without me!" Woohyun said, crossing his arms angrily as he sat in front of Sunggyu. The elder just looked up innocently and offered Woohyun a mussel with his chopstick.

Woohyun grabbed his soulmate's wrist not to make sure that this won't be a repeat of the cake and ate the mussel. It wasn't until he was swallowing it that he realised he had just eaten from Sunggyu's chopstick. He started choking and was surprised when Sunggyu put a glass of water under his nose. Woohyun drank it gladly, maybe there was a good thing about his soulmate.

They didn't meet at all for two weeks after the weekend they spent together, mainly because Woohyun was busy with his concert preparation. But it was also because Myungsoo was getting suspicious and spent more time with his boyfriend. At least that was what he thought until Sungyeol told him what happened the weekend they spent together.

"So...you two kissed?" Woohyun asked again, sipping his tenth cup of coffee that day. He wondered whether he needed to cut his coffee intake a bit, he was feeling slightly unwell. That was not right, he was actually feeling empty for some reason.

"I kissed him first. God, I screwed up. Now, Myungsoo-shi doesn't want to meet me at all," Sungyeol said with a sad smile.

"But he kissed you back, right?"

"Yeah...but that's not the point..."

"It is the point! He's wavering. I'm sure he's only hanging around Sunggyu hyung because he was feeling guilty," Woohyun reasoned, ignoring the warmth in his chest when he said Sunggyu's name.

"It's no use. He still loves Sunggyu-shi." Sungyeol sighed and looked at his best friend across the cafe table. "What about you? How is your progress with Sunggyu hyung?"

"There's nothing between us, okay? Just because he is my soulmate, doesn't mean that I have to date him," Woohyun scoffed with annoyance.

"Geez. Don't bite my head off. I was just asking. You're so grumpy, lately."

"I am not grumpy. I'm just tired from work," Woohyun denied. He would admit to himself that he had been a little grumpy lately. He had sent his stylist crying yesterday when he suddenly snapped out that he did not need her to hide a pimple because he didn't have one. He did by the way, right on his nose.

Sungyeol only nodded absent-mindedly and checked his phone when a message came. Woohyun noticed the frown on his best friend's face.

"Something wrong?"

"Dinner at Myungsoo-shi's parents'. I need to go pick him up," Sungyeol answered with a groan.

"Great! I'm coming with you," Woohyun said with a smile, causing Sungyeol to look at him weirdly.

"You just want an excuse to meet Sunggyu-shi."

"It might stop me from being grumpy."

It worked like a charm. As soon as Sunggyu opened the door, Woohyun instantly cheered up. Sungyeol had a slight grimace on his face and Woohyun followed his line of sight to the love bite on Sunggyu's neck. And just like that, his feeling was sent into overdrive. He was angry at Myungsoo for marking Sunggyu, it was obvious that the elder didn't like that. The poor guy was trying to pull his collar up to hide the mark but it was not working.

"Please come in. Myungsoo is still getting ready," Sunggyu said, opening the door for them.

Woohyun looked around the living room in awe. It looked a lot like his own place and he knew that Sunggyu was the one who decorated the place. Sungyeol whistled and nudged him, obviously, he had also noticed the similarities.

When Woohyun saw the electronic keyboard next to the window and the music sheets scattered on the table, his interest spiked up. He made a beeline for it and looked over the papers with interest, humming the song under his breath.

"Did you wrote this?" Woohyun asked his soulmate excitedly, the song still playing in his head.

"Yeah..." Sunggyu answered sheepishly, rubbing his nape as he tried to tidy up the mess.

"This is brilliant! May I?" Woohyun gestured to the keyboard and Sunggyu nodded with a twinkle in his eyes.

Woohyun loved it. He loved how Sunggyu's music flowed through him, how the sound travelled from his mind to his fingers to the keyboard. He didn't even need to look at the music sheet anymore. Sunggyu was a part of him and his music was like their ribbon, connecting them.

Everything disappeared when Woohyun started singing the words. He forgot that Sungyeol and Myungsoo were there with them, that he was playing the keyboard in his soulmate's house that he shared with his boyfriend. It was their song and Woohyun's senses were fully on Sunggyu's presence next to him.

When the last note dissipated into the air, Woohyun was taken back to the reality by the sound of Sungyeol's clapping. Sunggyu was staring at him with awe in his eyes and Woohyun really wanted to kiss him right then and there.

"That was beautiful," Sungyeol said.

"I can't believe you let him play that song. You didn't even let me touch your keyboard." Myungsoo's annoyed voice broke the moment and Woohyun had to take a deep breath to keep himself from strangling his soulmate's boyfriend.

"That's because you can't play it at all." Sunggyu's voice was cold as he turned to look at the younger.

"Because it's stupid. You spent your time on that keyboard, working on some trash that no one would listen to," Myungsoo sneered. Woohyun saw Sunggyu's fists clenched tightly to his body as if he was trying so hard not to punch Myungsoo. He understood that feeling perfectly.

"Sunggyu hyung's music is not trash. I would be honoured if I am able to sing them," Woohyun interjected. It was not his place to barge in the lover's quarrel but he had just enough of Myungsoo putting his soulmate down.

"You were just saying that..."

"Myungsoo-shi, we need to go. We are going to be late," Sungyeol suddenly said, pulling his soulmate's arm.

"Fine. I'm not coming back tonight. Don't wait for me," Myungsoo threw over his shoulder as he left with Sungyeol.

"I never did anyway," Sunggyu mumbled and turned to Woohyun with a smile. "So... Do you have any plan for tonight?"

Woohyun looked at the keyboard brightly.

They spent the entire night working on the song. Their song, Woohyun thought affectionately. By the time Woohyun left Sunggyu sleeping on the couch with breakfast prepared and a detailed note of how to heat it, they had a song perfected, complete with the guide and everything.

Woohyun couldn't wait to record it in his studio.

"Hello, Newclear! Are you all having fun?!" Woohyun shouted happily from the stage, earning a loud cheer from the crowd. It was the day of his concert and Woohyun had been preparing for this stage for weeks. He knew that his soulmate, Sungyeol and Myungsoo were there, sitting in the area reserved for staff and family members. Woohyun had given them the tickets a few days before although he did had to blackmail Myungsoo to attend.

As much as he didn't want to see the younger's handsome face, Woohyun had something to prove to him.

"The next song is a new song that I had composed with my friend. Give a loud shout for Kim Sunggyu!" Woohyun really loved his fans as they did what he asked without asking anything.

"Here goes Ribbon!"

Woohyun let the song flow through him, singing the words from his heart. His memories with Sunggyu, their red ribbon, their music, everything was there in the song.

"Tie up a ribbon that never untied
Tie up a ribbon that can’t let us go
If it’s not too late
If you have same thinking with me
Tie up a ribbon"

"Don't cry! Don't cry! Don't cry!" the fans' chants snapped Woohyun out of his trance. He touched his wet cheek with trembling fingers, just noticing that he was crying while singing the song.

Woohyun laughed loudly in embarrassment. He hated when his emotions got the better of him, especially in front of his fans. "I'm not crying, there's dust in my eyes."

At least his fans had enough tact to pretend that they believed him. His soulmate, not so much.

As soon as the concert ended, Woohyun walked into his waiting room tiredly only to be crushed in a hug. He inhaled Sunggyu's calming strawberry scent and instantly relaxed in the elder's arms.

"You were amazing on the stage, steamed bun," Sunggyu praised him, his voice was slightly high pitched from excitement. Woohyun pulled back from the hug, acutely aware that he smelled bad from all the sweat.

"Tell me something I don't know," Woohyun chuckled, flopping on the couch.

"You stink."

"I know that too." Woohyun laughed and tried to take off his jacket but his arms were stuck. Sunggyu rolled his eyes and helped him to pull it off.

"Where's Sungyeol and Myungsoo-shi?" Woohyun asked, just noticing their absence.

Sunggyu shrugged. "I don't know. They disappeared before the encore."

Woohyun hummed and closed his eyes, letting Sunggyu undressed him from his stage outfit.

"You didn't tell me you are going to perform Ribbon tonight," Sunggyu started when Woohyun was clad only in his boxer.

"It's a surprise. Talking about the surprise..." Woohyun sat up suddenly, ignoring the fact that he was mostly . "My CEO wants to put that song into my next album and he wants you to sign a contract with us."

Sunggyu's eyes widened comically at that. "M-me?"

"Yes. I know that you have a job and songwriting is only your hobby but this is a good opportunity."

"But..."

"And I know it's your dream." Woohyun waited as his soulmate debated with himself, knowing that Sunggyu would agree with him.

"Yes! Yes! Absolutely. I would love to!"

"Great!" Woohyun beamed at the elder. Suddenly their proximity and Woohyun's ness became more apparent as he realised the tension between them. Sunggyu was looking intently at the younger's lips and was slowly leaning closer.

Woohyun gulped. Oh, how much he wanted to just lean forward and kissed those lips but he wouldn't. Not yet, at least. He would not kiss someone else's boyfriend, even if he was his soulmate. Woohyun reached out and patted Sunggyu's lips fondly.

"We should go back. I think I'm going to fall asleep on my feet."

"Of course." Sunggyu sounded disappointed as he helped Woohyun dressed and the younger enjoyed it a tad bit too much.

Woohyun asked his manager to send Sunggyu home first and he followed the elder to his door despite Sunggyu's refusal.

"I'm not a girl, you know," Sunggyu grouse as he unlocked the door.

"Could have fooled me," Woohyun mumbled, following his soulmate inside. He stopped when he saw a coat thrown haphazardly on the floor. He recognised that coat. He gave it as a birthday present to Sungyeol last year.

"Sunggyu hyung...." Woohyun called out when he noticed that he was alone in the hallway. He followed the trail of clothes, dread pooling in his stomach, especially when he heard the loud moan coming from the room.

He found Sunggyu standing frozen in front of an opened door where the moans were coming from.

"Oh !" Woohyun cursed, catching the attention of the two males on the bed, his eyes on the place where they were connected. That was one image of Sungyeol and Myungsoo that he really didn't need.

Woohyun sat next to Sunggyu on the couch, facing his best friend and the elder's boyfriend. They had been sitting in silence for almost fifteen minutes already and Woohyun was ready to pull his hair out from sheer frustration.

"I... I'm sorry, Sunggyu-shi," Sungyeol apologised, bowing low to the eldest. Woohyun noticed the slight softening in Sunggyu's eyes but Myungsoo just looked mutinous.

"I'm not going to apologize if that is what you're waiting for," Myungsoo spat out.

"You didn't think you did anything wrong? You were cheating on him," Woohyun gritted out. Myungsoo was really challenging his patience.

"So? It's not like I've been getting any from him. He won't even kisses me anymore. He and his blasted conscience," Myungsoo scoffed, glaring at his boyfriend.

"You are right, Myungsoo. You didn't do anything wrong. Sungyeol-shi is your fiance," Sunggyu said with a small smile. Woohyun looked at him weirdly, he didn't miss the relieved tone his soulmate was using.

"Gyu hyung... I- I still love you."

Woohyun snorted. What a way to love someone.

"But you are not in love with me."

Myungsoo hung his head and Woohyun knew that the younger was crying. He looked at Sungyeol and made a sign for him to comfort his soulmate. Sungyeol could be a bit dense sometimes but he followed orders well. He wrapped his arm around Myungsoo's shoulder and looked at Sunggyu in the eyes.

"Sunggyu-shi... I'm really sorry. I didn't plan this..." Sungyeol choked out and Woohyun hid a smile. Lee Sungyeol was such a bad liar.

"It's okay, Sungyeol-shi. I'm not in love with Myungsoo either."

"Here." Woohyun held out a mug of coffee to Sunggyu.

The elder took it with a grateful smile and scooted slightly on the couch to make a place for Woohyun to sit. "Thank you, steamed bun."

They sipped their coffee in silence for a moment. Woohyun thought back to what had happened an hour ago.

Myungsoo and Sunggyu had held each other tightly as the younger cried, their soulmates looking from the sidelines. Neither of them had stopped him when he kissed Sunggyu for one last time. It was a chaste kiss, more like a peck really. But Woohyun was filled with so much jealousy that he had to look away before he ripped Myungsoo away from his soulmate. Sungyeol just smiled knowingly at him.

Sungyeol had taken Myungsoo with him along with all the younger's things. It was not much, it was obvious that they hadn't lived together long.

"Are you okay?" Woohyun asked, breaking the silence between them.

"Yeah. Like I said, I was never in love with Myungsoo. I was kinda hoping that this would happen."

Woohyun turned to look at the elder, one leg folded under him. "Then why did you dated him?"

"Because I was lonely and he was there," Sunggyu said with a shrug.

"But you were so ready to cut your red string for him." Woohyun frowned, thinking back to the first time they met.

"I had already given up on my soulmate." Sunggyu leaned back to stare at the ceiling. "And I know Myungsoo was falling for Sungyeol, he just needs a little push to be together with his soulmate."

Woohyun snorted and looked up too. "What a push. So what now?"

"Now I wait."

"For?"

"For my soulmate," Sunggyu answered, looking into Woohyun's eyes.

That was when Woohyun realised that he hadn't been doing a good job in hiding the truth from Sunggyu. He had been playing the role of the elder's soulmate unconsciously and Sunggyu had noticed it.

"You know," Woohyun stated, looking at their vermillion ribbon.

"I know."

"This changes nothing. I'm still not in love with you," Woohyun said, looking at his soulmate.

"Me neither."

"I know." Woohyun touched Sunggyu's wrist where the ribbon was tied. It was brighter than the first time they met but it was still not in-love bright red.

"We have time to learn to love each other. After all, we are tied together." Sunggyu intertwined their fingers with a smile.

Woohyun nodded and squeezed Sunggyu's hand slightly. "Yes. We have our entire life."

This time when Sunggyu leaned forward to press their lips together, Woohyun moved to meet him halfway. There was no more reason to avoid it.

Their kiss was everything a first kiss should be. Shy, slightly awkward and full of promises.

Woohyun didn't expect that their first kiss would be their last.

So, they agreed to take it slow, to learn to love each other. But three months passed and they were still at hugging and holding hands stage. Woohyun really didn't know what was the problem.

Sunggyu was not exactly a conservational man, he was in a relationship with Myungsoo before. If anything, Woohyun was the one who was supposed to have a reservation in taking the next step considering that he was still a . A bit hard to lose that status when he could see red strings everywhere. Nothing was more of a turn off than seeing your partner connected to someone else.

"Why the long face?" Sungyeol asked, draping his long arm over Woohyun's shoulder, the other around his husband's waist. Just like at their engagement party, Woohyun had spent his time drinking himself to stupor at their reception.

"Yeah, Woohyun hyung. Didn't Gyu hyung come with you?" Myungsoo asked pleasantly. He and Sungyeol had come clean about their plan months ago and suddenly Myungsoo was the best brother Woohyun could have. Apparently, Myungsoo was jealous of him and Sungyeol hence the horrible persona that Woohyun met at first.

"He's here...somewhere..." Woohyun waved his hand lazily, the red ribbon tied on his wrist fluttered. It was a tradition for foniás to wear a red ribbon in the wedding as they were said to bring luck to the couple. Woohyun was just glad that the ribbon covered his bright ribbon.

In the three months he had been going out with Sunggyu, their ribbon had brightened to the point that it almost blinded him. They still hadn't said those three words but Woohyun could tell from their ribbon that they were in love.

The grooms exchanged a look. "Is something wrong, Woohyun?" Sungyeol asked, staring at him intently.

"Nothing wrong. Say Myungsoo, has your ex always been such a prude?" Woohyun slurred.

Myungsoo raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Are you saying that Gyu hyung is still a even after he met his soulmate?"

Sungyeol burst out laughing at the incredulous look on Woohyun's face.

"He- he's a ? But he dated you!" Woohyun pointed out. His voice might have been too loud as the guests turned to look at him.

"We never did anything more than kissing and even that I had to initiate first. By the way, Yeollie took my ity," Myungsoo said smugly, earning a kiss from Sungyeol. Woohyun pretended to gag, that was too much information of his best friend's life.

"Well, I'm not going to die a ," Woohyun hissed out, untying the ribbon around his wrist. He followed their bright ribbon to find his soulmate at the other end of the reception hall.

Sunggyu was talking to his coworkers and didn't notice his presence so Woohyun tapped his shoulder.

Sunggyu turned with a raised eyebrow. "Steamed bun? What..."

Sunggyu didn't get to finish his question as Woohyun draped the red ribbon around his neck and pulled his head down for a kiss.

"Let's go get rid of our ity."

Another one-shot is done. I don't know why I suddenly started writing cliche one shot but these were only for special occasions. Infinite's comeback is one so...another one-shot coming right up.