Jay and Keonhee depended on each other throughout the years, using their shared experiences in losing their soulmates to lean on each other for support.

 

Finishing school was something else, as Keonhee decided to go for a PhD while Jay finished his degree but decided to start his art career to see where it was going to go. He had gotten nice reviews on the art projects for his last year of school so he would see where it went from there.

 

As the years went by Yunho and Dongmyeong were there as much as they could be, less so after Dongju was killed after his soulmate appeared on complete accident and Dongmyeong had to kill him when Hwanwoong couldn't bring any news about Louis being reincarnated.

 

After that incident, well Mujin had to move back to Japan and Dongmyeong had gone back with him. They did visit when they could though, and that was fine with Jay and Keonhee.

 

Arthur's home was the US and that was why Yunho was around a lot more, but after Jay got a job offer on the east coast he couldn't turn down the chance for a change of scenery. So after a decade of living together Jay had moved to Boston to continue living his life as best as he could.

 

Keonhee remained on the west coast, but he had moved back to his home town of Sacramento to start his career of a psychologist and was able to live rather modestly. He supported Jay from the sidelines as best as he could by buying art pieces that he made whenever they released.

 

Hyunjae was there the most out of the guards, as he really didn't have much to do except wander around until he found his soulmate. He repaired his relationship to most of the other guards and continued to live the rest of his days in relative peace.

 

~

 

As more time passed Jay had eventually started a family, getting married to someone he had met at an art show and having two boys. He raised them well, and was living life the best he could despite still mourning for the loss of his soulmate all these years later.

 

Keonhee continued to be alone for the most part, though he had been there for the wedding and the birth of Jay's first child. He spent most of his time helping people who lost their soulmates deal with the grief, hoping that with his help and understanding it would help them through the pain a little bit easier.

 

Keonhee never started a family, but that was fine with him as far as he was concerned. He knew that one day his legacy would live on, as his past life did when he had been living happily with his soulmate. According to those who knew him back then anyway.

 

~

 

The first to die between the two of them was Jay, who after losing the ability to do much of anything due to a ended up dying from brain cancer a few years after the . His wife had reached out to Keonhee who immediately took the next flight to Boston with Hyunjae, who would make sure that he got there safely.

 

“I'm sorry for your loss,” mumbled Keonhee as he bowed to Jay's wife and oldest son. Hyunjae stood nearby, looking stoic and expressionless as he tried not to draw attention to himself.

 

“Jay was a good man,” reassured Keonhee. “I knew him for a long time, thank you for reaching out to me,” he added, straightening as he turned to Jay's casket at the back of the room. After excusing himself Keonhee slowly walked over to the closed casket and put a hand on the lid, letting out a soft sigh before deciding to speak.

 

“We'll see each other in the… Next life,” mumbled Keonhee before he turned and walked away. Hyunjae bowed to Jay's wife and oldest son before leaving with Keonhee.

 

~

 

Keonhee lived out the rest of his life in relative peace after that, with the occasional visit from Hyunjae and Yunho when they weren't busy. He enjoyed retirement when it came and spent his time trying to draw, at least to have a memory to pass on to his next life. Eventually.

 

Death for Keonhee came peacefully, as he spent the last day finishing the drawing he was doing before going to sleep for the last time.

 

Hyunjae had been the one to discover his body and a note, asking whoever found it to keep the drawing to pass on to his next life. He took a look at the drawing before calling the emergency services to come take Keonhee away, promising to take care of the painting until they met again.

 

~

 

Jay sighed as he adjusted the pack strap on his shoulder, looking up at the building to the dorms he would be staying in for the first year of university. “Why does this feel like deja vu?" He asked himself before stepping into the dorms to find someone waiting for him in the common area.

 

“Jongseong right? The name's Heeseung and I'm also first year,” greeted Heeseung as he grinned in greeting.

 

“Ah, yeah, but you can call me Jay,” responded Jay as he smiled back, feeling a bit more at ease as he relaxed his tense posture.

 

“I heard we were getting a new person at the dorms!” Yelled a voice from down the hall, said person running down the hall and into the common area. He slid to a stop, almost knocking Heeseung over as Heeseung caught him.

 

“Can you calm down a bit Dongju? I know we don't get many new residents but don't scare them now,” sighed Heeseung as Dongju moved away.

 

“Sorry,” apologized Dongju as he didn't look the least bit sorry for his predicament. “I'm Dongju! I'm in my 2nd year, but we have people from all over here,” he explained. “I think Keonhee's the oldest here, he's almost in his last year!” He added.

 

“What's all the ruckus?” Shouted another voice from the other hallway, footsteps being heard as someone else entered the common room. “The school year hasn't even started yet,” sighed the new person as he noticed Jay. “Oh, we are getting someone new, huh,” he remarked with a raised eyebrow.

 

“Keonhee, lighten up will you?” Whined Dongju as he pouted. “Just for that Jay can stay in your room!” He exclaimed, grinning when Keonhee sputtered, any form of protest dying out when Heeseung pointed out that his room was the only one that was free.

 

“Fine,” grumbled Keonhee. “Just don't do anything stupid yeah?” He asked, turning to Jay.

 

“I'm not like most people now,” retorted Jay as he shook his head.

 

~

 

Jay cursed when he felt something hit his arm, taking a look at his arm to see if there was anything serious happening as he grumbled at his soulmate again.

 

“Again?” Asked Keonhee as he looked up from the book he was reading on his bed.

 

“I swear my soulmate is clumsy,” sighed Jay as he leaned back in his chair, his drawing forgotten as he turned around in his computer chair to face Keonhee. “How's your timer?” He asked, looking curious as Keonhee checked his timer.

 

“Huh, 14 hours, 30 minutes and 1 seconds,” hummed Keonhee. “It looks like it's going down too,” he added, blinking in surprise as it started going down.

 

“Wanna go out to eat?” Asked Jay as he got to his feet.

 

“Are we going to that one restaurant that serves people the owner knows for free again?” Asked Keonhee as he bookmarked the page he was on before closing it.

 

“Yep!" Exclaimed Jay as he grinned.

 

“Well, we're lucky the owner knows us then,” remarked Keonhee as he got up, grabbing his phone and wallet.

 

Jay went to grab his phone and keys before running out the door with Keonhee following after him.

 

~

 

“Seonwoo,” sighed Younghoon as he looked at said person. “What have I told you about bumping into people?” He asked.

 

“My hand was cramping up,” mumbled Sunoo as he waved his hand around to get feeling back into it. “Apparently my soulmate has been doing a lot of drawing recently,” he added. “And please stop calling me that,” he whined. “It's Sunoo, you know this,” he added, scowling up at Younghoon who shook his head.

 

“Come on,” sighed Younghoon. “We're about to board our plane,” he added as he turned to walk towards the gates.

 

Sunoo grumbled and followed after him. “Why are we going to Korea again?” He asked as he caught up with Younghoon.

 

“We both got transferred to a university in Seoul,” reminded Younghoon. “You always wanted to go there when we were younger remember?” He asked.

 

“Yeah, I guess,” hummed Sunoo as he looked thoughtful. “I hope we meet some good people at the dorms," he added.

 

“I'm sure we will," reassured Younghoon as he smiled reassuringly at Sunoo.

 

~

 

“Things have been quiet since Heeseung moved out huh?” asked Keonhee as he and Jay returned to the dorms after they were done eating.

 

“We're getting transfers again,” called Dongju as he walked into the common area.

 

“Who is it this time?” asked Keonhee as he blinked in surprise.

 

“Two brothers from the states!” Replied Dongju as he nodded. “One of them's got a timer apparently from what I've heard,” he added.

 

“Don't get my hopes up now,” mumbled Keonhee before he walked down the hall into his and Jay's room.

 

“Dude, the last time this happened Heeseung and Beomgyu found their soulmates, don't do this again,” sighed Jay as he shook his head.

 

“Hey, I was just saying,” grumbled Dongju.

 

“Yeah yeah,” sighed Jay as he shook his head before walking down the hall into his and Keonhee's room.

 

~

 

Younghoon and Sunoo stood outside the dorms, wondering what to do next as their taxi drove away.

 

“My timer is almost up,” remarked Younghoon as he looked at his wrist.

 

“Your soulmate is here then? Maybe mine is too!” Remarked Sunoo as he hurried into the dorms with Younghoon shouting to be careful before following after him.

 

Younghoon entered the dorms when there was a crashing sound, sighing at his brother's antics as he found Sunoo on the ground. “Seonwoo,” he warned.

 

“I'm sorry,” mumbled Sunoo as the person he crashed into helped him up.

 

“It's… okay?” Asked Jay as he blinked at Sunoo. “I'm Jongseong, but you can call me Jay,” he greeted, smiling at Sunoo.

 

“I'm Seonwoo! But you can call me Sunoo, I'm sorry for running into you,” greeted Sunoo as he looked sheepish before brushing himself off. “The grumpy one is my brother! His name is Younghoon!” He added, motioning to Younghoon.

 

“More clumsy people?” Came a new voice as Keonhee walked into the common area, taking a look at Younghoon before his timer burned as it stopped at 0:00. “Oh,” he breathed, looking surprised.

 

“Oh indeed,” retorted Younghoon as he looked at Keonhee after his timer stopped.

 

“Well, let's leave those two be,” interjected Jay as he grabbed Sunoo and dragged him down the hall to drop his bags off in the first empty room. “They need to have a talk, and it seems so do we!” He exclaimed as he soon left with Sunoo being dragged behind him.

 

~

 

“Soulmates huh? I never thought I'd find mine this soon,” hummed Jay as he sat with Sunoo in a coffee shop by the university.

 

“I never thought I'd find mine either to be fair,” retorted Sunoo. “I'm sorry if I've made your life hell with my clumsiness,” he apologized with a shake of his head.

 

“It's okay, I knew you were still alive and kicking anyway so that was a plus,” reassured Jay as he shook his head. “Let's make the best of it yeah?” He asked.

 

Sunoo nodded in agreement.

 

~

 

“I feel like I've waited like 2 lifetimes to meet you,” remarked Keonhee as he and Younghoon took a walk around the university to get Younghoon acquainted with the various places the university had to offer.

 

“Yeah, and a friend left me a drawing,” hummed Younghoon. “I don't know who drew it but it looks exactly like you,” he added. “So I guess I knew who you were for years now, I just didn't know your name,” he explained.

 

“Hm,” hummed Keonhee as he looked thoughtful. “Maybe my past life left it or something,” he explained. “I don't know, really,” he added. “But let's just focus on this life, make the best of it yeah?” He asked.

 

“Yeah,” sighed Younghoon before he smiled at Keonhee who grinned back at him.