It was the early morning of a Saturday, the day after Junhee’s 16th birthday. He was making his way downstairs to eat the breakfast his mother had called him down for when one of his elder sisters pulled him to the side.

“What is that?” She whispered in an almost scolding tone as she pointed to the shadow around the young boys neck.

“What?”

“The mark around your neck, Junhee. What have you-“ The tail end of his sisters sentence faded as he bolted back up the stairs and into the bathroom straight ahead of the landing.

Locking the door behind him, he stood in front of the mirror, eyes wider than they ever had been before.

There it was. A large, masculine hand print around the base of his neck stared back at him, the dark brown of the mark a contrast against his already sun-kissed skin.

Any other sixteen year old would be beaming with adoration at their newly formed mark, the part of themselves that connected them to their soulmate.

But for Junhee, this was nothing but concerning.

And so for the next two years of his life, Junhee did nothing but keep it a secret.