Summary: The name of one's soul mate is engraved on one's arm. Yoseob's arm has Jaesoon engraved on it and Junhyung has Yoseob's name. Unfortunately, Junhyung didn't consider his soul mate's arm when he changed his name. 

Pairing: Junseob (side of IUSeob, Kiseob, Dooseob and Wooseob)

A/N: I'm upset because it's kind of inconsistent, but bear with me, it's already 3:20 AM. ANd woohyun's kind of OOC. OTL

The Name on Your Arm

Soul mate
Noun. A person ideally suited to another as a close friend or romantic partner.

The word curls around his tongue like a foreign word, seeing as he is only 5 years old. He's proud he can read at such a young age, his mother even tells him so. She will take his chubby cheeks and pinch them, tell him he's a genius. He thinks he is. The boy's name is Yoseob.

There's a story that Yoseob likes; he'll drag his mother around till she tells it to him, even though he has heard it a hundred times. Soul mates.

It says that once upon a time, human beings used to have everything inside of them double. Two brains, two hearts, twice of everything, causing humans to have ample powers within them. They had good strength and their thoughts were great; then one fine day they decided to attack the gods with their power to capture the whole world. But before that, the gods decided to humble their pride and improve their manners by cutting them in to two halves; and so human beings started to posses half the organs of before and they began to search for their other half. One god pitied them so he gave them a gift, and from then on, the first names of their soul mates are now carved on the arms of their own soul mate. It continues up until now.

His mom and dad are soul mates. He has seen it on their arms before, the name of his mom engraved on his father's arm, vice versa. Yoseob has asked it before.

His father only says, "It belongs to you, it was meant for you, it was destined for you, it was made for you. The person with the name on your arm is your soul mate."

Yoseob wonders if he'll meet his own soul mate.

Yoseob's seven and his arm still has no name when he meets a girl around his age. She's beautiful, with her white skin and flowing black hair; she sings, just like him. Her name's IU and she doesn't have a name on her arm yet.

Yoseob thinks she might be his soul mate.

He gathers his courage to talk to her one day after being fed by just staring at her. But it is an age when children are proud of the names on their arms and like to show it off with other people. The boy overhears her conversation with the other girls. From yesterday without any name, today she finally has a name on her arm.

He hopes it is his own name.

He's anxious, because they have to be soul mates since they have too many things in common. How good will that be, imagine, if his own name is on her arm and they just have to wait for his, and then they can have a happily ever after. He giggles at the thought.

But the name that comes out of is Eunhyuk and not his name.

There's no happily ever after, he concludes as he cries his heart out after going home.

The name of his soul mate appears on arm when he's nine years old. It's a little late because the average is 7, but at least he has the threshold for it. It’s burning, searing hot, like it is on a process of engraving itself deep within his skin, a mark that he can never forget. It's starts with a J and has 7 letters.

The name of his soul mate.

Jaesoon.

It curls around his tongue like the word soul mate, and he's glad because his soul mate exists in this world. He wonders if he can meet him soon.

Then he thinks about the name. What kind of name is Jaesoon? Is it a girl or... a boy? He has entertained that thought for awhile. What if his soul mate is a boy? Will he love him? Yoseob thinks he will, because he is his soul mate. They're bound to each other. But it's such a rare name, he guesses it will probably long before he meets his soul mate. He comforts himself as he reminds himself of Eunhyuk, IU's soul mate, and Eunhyuk has to search the entire world for a girl who's uniquely named as IU. He's a bit down, but hope blossoms on his chest when he fantasizes the day he meets his other half.

He's nineteen and he still hasn't met his Jaesoon. It has been ten years when the name has appeared on his arm and he wonders if Jaesoon exists. He has met a lot of people whose names start with J, Junki, Joongki, Joon, Jaekyung but no Jaesoon. What if Jaesoon died in an accident?  He shudders at the thought.

There are cases when a person's soul mate dies, accidents, suicides, even murders, it is said that the soul mate will follow his other half. It is hard to live in a world with only a half soul, after all. And because they're bind to each other, it is natural that the half soul will follow the other. He doesn't entertain the thought of dying soon.

But there are matters important before finding he's soul mate anyway. On the back of his mind, he knows finding his soul mate is important too, however, he can't just go asking people's names or wait for his soul mate to come. He has his own life to live after all.

Yoseob enrolls himself at a music university. He knows he can sing well, and it seems to him that being a singer is one of his dreams. It's a great university, the administration provides dorms and food, and everyone's talented and it's just wonderful because it fits to his expectations. It's kind of similar to the music drama he has watched before, Dream high. Maybe they filmed here, he wonders. He doesn’t know where the dorm is, so he asks a stranger. The stranger has a nice smile decorated on his heart shaped lips as he points to the left. Yoseob thanks the stranger and off he goes to the direction the man has pointed. He goes to his dorm and there's that roommate order in each room. And that's where he meets Gikwang.

Gikwang is a sweet boy with the nicest smile, and he's Yoseob's roommate. He's not Jaesoon, but he's close to perfection. They hit it off later, because even though they have each of their own soul mate, if they can't find them yet, maybe it’s okay to get lost to each other for awhile.

There are people like that; people who are obsessed with their soul mate and people who are tired of finding their own soul mates. Yoseob's in the gray area. It's tedious and tiring, because it seems as if fate is playing with them. With engraved first names on their arms, you think it's going to be easy, but it's not. What if his soul mate’s name was Minho? There a lot of Minho's in Korea, how will you know that's your soul mate? You have to turn and read a lot of arms to know that he's the one. Maybe he's lucky his soul mate is named Jaesoon, but he googled that name before, and no one came up except an old lady/man. He doesn't like the idea that his soul mate is an old person.

Gikwang and he become 'boyfriends' to the eyes of people. They kiss, hug and snuggle to each other but to them, they're like best friends with benefits. They haven't reached second base yet because they still believe in soul mates and their soul mates have the right to claim them. They have reached the level of relationship to tell each other the names on their arms. Gikwang is the first person to know the name of Yoseob's soul mate. Yoseob learns Gikwang's, and it's Hyunseung.

Yoseob meets a possible Hyunseung in the library. There's a log where students are supposed to write before entering and it has been Yoseob's turn to write. He has a habit of checking the names on the list, a part of his obsession in finding Jaesoon, but it's getting tiring sometimes but old habits die hard. And that's when he sees the name 'Jang Hyunseung', two names before him, and has logged out five minutes ago. He's alarmed, because this is a once in a life time opportunity, because if he pass this up, Gikwang might not meet his soul mate. He treats Hyunseung as if his own soul mate, since Gikwang is very dear to him, so he runs outside the library, bumping a lot of people because he's uncoordinated and apologizing quickly to them. There's panic on his eyes, because he has to find Hyunseung, so he screams the name Hyunseung, trying to find that person. He runs and shouts Hyunseung, hoping and praying that the person might hear him. There are people staring at him like he's something odd, but there are more important things at hand. When one person hasn't turned because of the headphones covering his ears, Yoseob decides to risk it. He runs and tackles the man to the ground, and he's breathless but apologizes to the man, and asks if his name is Hyunseung. The man agrees and Yoseob lets out a laugh, because he has found a possible soul mate of Gikwang even though there's a possibility that he's not.

"Can I... may I... Please see your arm?" He manages to say even though he's slightly incoherent because of the running and the adrenaline. He sees Hyunseung for the first time, and God, Hyunseung's beautiful with his red hair, brown eyes and outstanding jaw; Gikwang will faint when he sees him. They're perfect for each other.

Hyunseung is bemused by him, but he lets Yoseob see his arm, even though he's a stranger. Yoseob unwinds the long sleeve and his heart is pounding like the first time he has hoped that his name will come out IU's mouth, and just—

His heart stops for a moment; he's breathless and it's just wonderful because joy is flooding his senses so he hugs Hyunseung with tears of joy and says, "It's you, it's you! Oh, thank god, Gikwang will be so happy!"

Hyunseung lets Yoseob hug him as he cries in joy, because if Hyunseung exists then Jaesoon exists. And hope blossoms again in his heart because Hyunseung's a living proof that there are soul mates, and he feels that it's not too long till he meets his.

He comes running to Gikwang then, because he's excited and happy for his friend. He tackles him like Hyunseung and Gikwang hugs him. He's shouting in glee, "I found him, I found him, Kwangie!”

Before Gikwang misunderstands that it's Yoseob's soul mate that he has found, Yoseob shoves a piece of paper with a number written on it. He grins at Gikwang as he's still confused and exclaims," I found Hyunseung!"

And he kisses Yoseob like he's the most wonderful person in the world and as an apology and Yoseob understands, because once you meet that other half, everything is just null. They love each other but nothing beats a soul mate, especially if it's right under your nose.

Yoseob has another roommate when he's 21. He thinks of a drama and imagines what if it is his soul mate, because he has been here for two years after finding Hyunseung and 12 years of waiting. But he knows better than to get his hopes up, so he just cleans the room and makes a good impression of himself.

He picks the mails outside of the room and there’s a lost mail, and it is directed at the next room. Yoseob knocks on the door and hears a muffled cry of yes, a few seconds later. “Your mail was mixed on mine,” he says, and he hears the tiny bits of music past the door. “Oh, sorry! Please just slip it at the bottom of the door, thanks!” Yoseob smiles a little and reminds himself that he’ll try to get to know his neighbor later.

Gikwang swings by later with Yoseob's new roommate and he's smiling and just happy. Yoseob smiles at him because he's happy for him, but deep down he can't help but be envious of that happiness.

When his roommate steps into the room, everything seems to start slowing down for Yoseob as he stares at him. He's in daze, because by Jove, this man's perfect, and he's breathless. Gikwang introduces then to each other, which he hasn't noticed because he's too busy staring at the perfection before him. As the world slows down for him, it stops when Gikwang says his roommate's name. Doojoon.

It’s 7 letters but it doesn’t start with a J and is far from Jaesoon, so he hides his disappointment by biting his lips.

"Nice to meet you." he says, because it has been really nice meeting this man even though the man is not his soul mate.

"You too," Doojoon replies and gives Yoseob a smile. It's perfect and beautiful so he blushes, and wonders if Doojoon has met his soul mate or has a girlfriend.

He wonders if Jaesoon has crawled under a rock and died like the caveman he is because of his unique name.

Doojoon is wonderful in Yoseob's opinion. He's into music, obviously, and he sings well enough that Yoseob can listen for days. He knows how to play the piano and it’s wonderful. Yoseob can't do anything but sing, although he’s learning the guitar right now. He's nice often times, giving Yoseob these smiles that make his heart flutter when the boy looks at him. They always have a friendly banter that often ends up into wrestling when Yoseob’s too cheeky often. He's like the best friend Yoseob never had besides Gikwang, and he swears that he's falling in love with him, probably too much, even if he's not his soul mate. He knows a lot of things about Doojoon, like his obsession with soccer (that he almost pursued that career and Yoseob’s glad because he might have never met him), that he’s afraid of heights and he’s sometimes like a father and a whole lot more. But the only thing he doesn't know and wants to know is the name on his arm. Yoseob doesn't know why he wants to know. It's not like it's his name that'll appear on Doojoon's arm anyway. But like his envy on Gikwang's happiness, he wishes that it is his name on Doojoon’s arm, Jaesoon is nothing but a lie and Doojoon is his soul mate.

"Of course not," he mules, "happy ever after’s don't exist anyway."

Doojoon's a bit of a womanizer. He has admirers, girls even boys; and he is after all, has been voted in the university as the Most Wanted Boyfriend. It doesn’t help that he's constantly shows off and flashing his gorgeous smile that just makes Yoseob want to slam him onto the wall and kiss the daylights out of him.

Doojoon dates a lot of girls. Gayoon from Class 3A, G.na the voluminous alumni, and a whole lot more. He even goes after freshmen, Naeun is one of them.

He wonders if Doojoon cares about the whole soul mate thing. He wonders if there's another person besides him, lonely and just wants to meet his soul mate but not without shouting, "Where have you been, I've been here all alone."

He voices his thought one time when they're in the room and Yoseob's playing the guitar and Doojoon’s playing with his phone.

Maybe in hindsight it has been quite a mistake, asking it.

"Do you... not believe in soul mates," he asks. Doojoon stops playing and he turns to Yoseob with an eyebrow raised. It's an awkward situation because they haven't done this before, soul mate talk. He looks down and fiddles with his guitar and explains himself, "It's just that.... you've been dating a lot of girls."

"Is that a problem then?" And there's a bite in Doojoon's words and he's alarmed, because he doesn't want to anger Doojoon. He looks at Doojoon and there's a frown in his face. Yoseob protests, "No! I mean, don't you want to... um... find the person on your arm?"

There's silence in the air and a rising tension and it's just heavy, heavy in the heart because it hurts to talk about this. Doojoon breaks the silence and speaks in a nonchalant manner.

"It's not you, anyway."

It's like offering a glass heart to a person and the person breaks it, shatters it to a million pieces, till it's nothing but formless shards on the floor. It hurts, because maybe Doojoon knows his attraction all along, and to be shoot off like that just ing hurts. He's aware that it's not him anyway, why can't he just say no? He quells the urge to cry in front of him.

He bites back and it's with bitterness, sadness and anger, "It's not you, either."

Yoseob rises to his feet and grabs his coat because he can't be here, not with this ing hollow feeling like his heart has been taken away and can't even be bothered to return it.

He spends the day on Gikwang and Hyunseung's flat, and cries on the couch like the first time with IU.

It's been 2 weeks since he has seen Doojoon, wonderful Doojoon and scumbag Doojoon. He hasn't heard from Doojoon in a while, and he’s a bit disappointed because he has expected more from him. He has received a few calls from him on the first week, has tried a few times of talking to him; call him a girl but what Doojoon has said really hurts.  He’s still in Gikwang’s flat since they have own him that much. He knows he has to get back to his room, maybe pack a bit because he can’t imagine living in the same room with a person he loves and very well can’t.

His thoughts are cut back when Gikwang yells at him that there’s a person downstairs and he should go and meet him, also stop locking himself in the guest room.

“I found Hyunseung for you! Cut me some slack!”

“Yes, Yes I KNOW. Come downstairs and meet my friend! ”

Is it Doojoon?” he yells back.

“No, he’s not!”

And the shouting and the loud conversation continues.

“THEN I DON’T CARE!”

“YOU’VE OBVIOUSLY BEING TOO HUNG UP WITH DOOJOON!”

“PISS OFF!”

Gikwang turns to his friend and says apologetically, “Sorry, he’s too much hung up with a guy. He thought that person could be his soul mate. His soul mate’s name is a bit unique.”

His friend just nods.

Yoseob goes back to his dorm uncalled and expects a depressed Doojoon. He imagines how they’ll make up, and that everything will go back to normal, however, it’s just not that easy.  He walks down the hallway, and there are weird sounds that seem to come from his room, as the sounds grow increasingly louder as he comes near it. He’s slightly worried, but there’s part of him that wants to see Doojoon if he ever made any difference during his absence. Yoseob opens the door, and—

Doojoon is shagging a woman that Yoseob doesn’t even want to know on his own bed.

Doojoon and the woman stop their ministrations and Yoseob’s feeling disgust and anger as he meets Doojoon’s widened eyes. He gives a frightening glare that sends shivers on Doojoon’s back.

“ you,” he says vehemently, and then he slams the door and runs. He hears Doojoon’s yell, “Yoseob, wait” but he ignores it. He bumps to a person because said person gives an outcry of “Hey!” as the things he carry fall down. Yoseob says sorry and never looks back.

He runs as far as his legs will take him, and his vision is getting blurry because of the warm tears coming out of his eyes.

Doojoon is not Jaesoon.

Yoseob doesn't see Doojoon again for another five years. He hasn't met Jaesoon and it's already been 17 years; and it's just tiring to wait for someone who doesn't even exist. 
 

His peers have already met their soul mates; some of them are settling down, heck, and even IU's soul mate found her already! Maybe Jaesoon really has crawled under a rock and died. Maybe he's soon to follow him.

Yoseob's dream to become a singer hasn't come true. It's like he has abandoned his dreams including Jaesoon, along with Doojoon. He's a cafe waiter now; there are days when it is hard but there are days which are also fulfilling. In this kind of life, he meets Woohyun.

Woohyun is a regular at the café he works at. He has been coming to the café even before Yoseob has started to work, and it’s like there is a corner for regulars, because Woohyun is always seated at the first table near the window, and another regular behind Woohyun’s table. It’s like something reserved to them when they come. They are introduced accidentally when Yoseob trips and the tray that is carrying iced coffee splatters on Woohyun’s clothes. He apologizes and tries to clean him the mess with his handkerchief. Woohyun only smiles and he blushes, but he’s not sure whether because of the embarrassment or Woohyun’s wonderful smile. He gets Woohyun’s number the next day.

Woohyun is like Doojoon but all in all, different. Woohyun can sing like Doojoon, but he sings more beautiful; he’s athletic and can play the piano. But Woohyun’s different from Doojoon. He doesn’t date any girls, doesn’t shag them on their first meeting and he’s more caring and loving than Doojoon. Yoseob may as well love this man if Jaesoon doesn't exist, and he does. Yoseob loves Woohyun right now.

Woohyun's soul mate has died in a car crash. Sunggyu, he has seen the name on his arms, has been driving when a drunk driver has slammed onto him at an intersection. He has been D.O.A when they arrived at the hospital. Unlike Yoseob, Woohyun has met his soul mate Sunggyu. They have lived a domestic life in a house (which Yoseob and Woohyun are currently living right now). And then Sunggyu has died; which means Woohyun will die soon. Yoseob cries because it's sad and beautiful at the same time.

It turns out that when a soul mate dies, the other half's arm with the name of the soul mate is crossed-out. It's as if it's an ultimatum, that the soul mate will die soon. Yoseob supposes it's unfair, because there are people who haven't met their soul mate yet because their soul mates died, and they will soon follow. Sometimes it's willful; sometimes it's forced. It’s just unfair. Woohyun’s arm with Sunggyu's name is crossed-out. His own arm is not, which means Jaesoon is still alive. He's not sure if he's happy or not.

Diagnosed with a few weeks to live, Yoseob takes a vacation leave to be with the weakening Woohyun. There's no disease, no cancer or anything harmful and painful like that. It's like a body  withering away, the body shutting down like an old person, but Woohyun's not old. In fact, he’s younger than Yoseob by two years. It's really unfair, he thinks as he gazes Woohyun while he's asleep, there's still so much he can do because he's so young, but he has met his soul mate so maybe it's all fine.

Woohyun knows all about IU, Jaesoon, Gikwang, Hyunseung and Doojoon; because Yoseob has told him so. It's a new level of trust, to tell everything about his whole soul mate and love life; and Woohyun's not sure if Yoseob's really okay with telling him, or he's fine because he's gonna die soon. Nonetheless, Woohyun is grateful that Yoseob has told him everything and has assured him that he'll meet his soul mate one day.

 
"One day, "Yoseob thinks. He hopes that one day will come.

They have spent those weeks just living their lives to the fullest and for the first time; Yoseob is just… happy and content. They live a pretty domestic life; Yoseob will buy groceries and Woohyun will try his best despite his health to cook, because Yoseob just can’t. When Woohyun can’t cook anymore, Yoseob tries his earnest and learn how to cook. It’s burnt on his first time, but Woohyun just eats it, and it gets better as time goes by. They sleep on the same bed, wake up beside each other. Sometimes they just lie on the bed and not get up until the afternoon, sometimes they go out and walk in the park. When Woohyun gets suffocated at home, Yoseob lets him out for a day, going to different places but not without constantly reminding him of calling Yoseob when he gets tired. It’s a wonderful life for Yoseob even if it’s soon to end.

 They lie on the grass, staring at the stars, counting some of them, and just gaze at the beauty of it. He's content, and he's not that obsessed with his soul mate anymore. He wishes he has met Woohyun a long time ago, because the time is ticking and it hurts for it is ending. He's bursting, and he just wants it all out. Yoseob says,

"I love you, you know."

Woohyun looks at him, smiles and replies, "Yeah, I do." Yoseob returns the smile and they are watching the stars again. A few minutes of silence pass by him, and then he glances bashfully at Woohyun.

"Do you… Love me too?"

His voice is raw, honest and vulnerable that it makes Woohyun’s heart hurt. He grabs Yoseob’s hand and sits up, causing Yoseob to sit up also. They meet eye to eye.

"I can't answer that. But I want you to know, that if this soul mate thing didn't exist, I'll gladly tattoo your name on my arm."

It’s not an I love you, but it’s the next best thing so Yoseob smiles.  He replies, "I think I'll do the same for you." Woohyun nods.

They’re laying their backs on the ground again. It’s bittersweet because Woohyun’s last day is tomorrow.

“It's tomorrow, isn't it?” he asks, and he hopes that somehow Woohyun will say no, he’s not going to die tomorrow and he’s going to live another day.

"Yeah."

"How.. does it feel?"

"It's all fine, I guess." Woohyun answers.

"You're so bad."

"Why?"

"You're leaving me alone in this world, to fend to myself."

"I'd like to think I'm leaving you to Jaesoon."

"Jaesoon doesn't exist."

"Of course he does."

"Does not."

"Does too."

“Not!”
 

“Yes!”
 

And they laugh together, because from a serious conversion, it has turned to their usual banter.

“I'm gonna miss you so much,” Yoseob utters to him.

"I'm gonna miss you too." Woohyun replies.

"No, you won’t. You'll be so happy with Sunggyu up there anyway and there will be no room for me." Yoseob says and pouts.

Woohyun turns to him and says thoughtfully, "You will always be my biggest what if, you know."
 

"Yeah."

“Thank you for coming into my life. It had been lonely, but you were there, and though my life will end, you gave me the best days of my life. “
 

Yoseob cries because of the wonderful dying man beside him.

They both lay on the bed together. Yoseob likes to comfort himself that by doing this, Woohyun will just go to sleep, and endless one that is. They’re covered in a drape of silence and serenity, because they have past the stage of crying and telling everything they want the other to hear. The breeze is calming, and strange when the thought has occurred to Yoseob, it seems like the perfect day to just sleep endlessly. Woohyun grabs Yoseob’s hand and Yoseob glances slightly, and returns to gaze the ceiling. They both gaze at the ceiling like it has been the stars they have stared last night.

".. I love you too." Woohyun says suddenly, and Yoseob’s feeling warm on the inside. It’s overbearing, to think that this is may be the last time he’ll ever experience this, if Jaesoon doesn’t exist. Yoseob just nods. 

There’s silence again. It makes Yoseob look back to the past, back to the time when he has read the word soul mate, when Jaesoon has appeared on his arm; to the people he has met until now. He looks at his arm, and there’s Jaesoon engraved in wonderful letters on his arm like a mark that can never be removed. Kind of a birth mark, he makes a comparison. Woohyun glances at him on the corner of his eye.

“When I die,” Woohyun starts and Yoseob turns his head to face him, “I’d like you to call/text this man and meet him.” He puts his hand on his pockets and fishes a piece of paper. He gives it to Yoseob.

Yoseob takes it and looks at the paper. There’s a name and a cellphone number, but he doesn’t understand. The name written on the paper is Yong Junhyung and it’s not at all Jaesoon. What can he call him for?

Woohyun notices the puzzled expression on Yoseob’s face, and he answers, “I found Jaesoon.”

He now understands how Gikwang has felt, back when he has told the man that he found Hyunseung. It’s similar to the feeling when he has looked at Hyunseung’s arm and saw that it was Gikwang. His heart stops, and he can’t breathe. His questioning everything he knows because how can this Junhyung be Jaesoon with its 8 letters and ending with a G and not an N.

“He’s Jaesoon. He changed his name; apparently he thinks it’s silly.”

He’s feeling a lot of things, happiness, because Jaesoon exists, anger, because he has been finding his soul mate with the name Jaesoon (because his soul mate has the decency to change his name and not tell him), and hate, because why couldn’t the universe change the name on his arm (he’ll gladly experience the same hot burning feeling again) so he could’ve met Jaesoon earlier. But that’ll mean he might not have met Woohyun, and maybe it has been a good thing that he didn’t know that his soul mate changed names.

“How?”

“I met him last week. He might be closer than you think. Because of his tattoos I barely had the chance to peer at his arm, but I did. Call it luck, but there’s your name there. I knew from there that I have to meet that man, ask if he’s Jaesoon. And he was.”

 “Oh,” he remarks, because it’s like it’s so easy to find a soulmate, and maybe it is, as he has found Gikwang’s soulmate. “T-thank you.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier.”

“It’s okay. I wouldn’t leave you immediately just because you found him.”

And Yoseob takes Woohyun’s face and kisses him gently. It’s like a thank you and good bye kiss mixed together as a tear drops from Yoseob’s eye. “Thank you.”

Woohyun smiles at him and takes his hand, saying, “Let’s sleep.” And Yoseob understands.

Two hours later, Woohyun dies with a smile because he has just given Yoseob the thing he always wanted. His soulmate.

Yoseob texts Junhyung after almost two weeks. He arranges the funeral for Woohyun and mourns for the wonderful man. He doesn’t forget to give him thanks either. He promises himself that he’ll visit him every week. He texts Junhyung to meet him at the park. Yoseob’s a bit anxious and worried, that what if Woohyun has been wrong, and what if Junhyung doesn’t like him. He’s nervous and it’s just insane, because he’s meeting his soul mate. It’s like ages of waiting! He wonders what he looks like. Fat? Possibly. Bald, maybe.  But why did Woohyun say that he was closer than Yoseob thought he was? What could that mean?  He thinks it’ll be answered when he meets his soulmate. And it does.

When he sees Yong Junhyung, everything seems to click in their rightful place. All the memories rush to him:  the stranger he has asked for direction, the name on the logbook when he met Hyunseung, the boy next door that has his mail got mixed on his own, the person who Gikwang wanted to introduce, the boy he bumped into when he ran away from Doojoon and the regular seated behind Woohyun’s table. And it's just-- "Oh."

"You've been there all along."

“I guess I am. I suppose you owe me 18 years,” Junhyung says jokingly and flirtingly and he smiles in a way that makes butterflies flutter in Yoseob’s stomach.

“Maybe I wouldn’t owe anything at all if you didn’t change your name,” he replies.

“It was a girly name and I got teased for it.”

“Well, you’re not the one who’s stuck with that name on your arm.”

“Touche.”

And they laugh, because for once, they have understood, what it feels like to have a soul mate. To find someone who understands you, to love more than common love, because this is your better half. Yoseob takes Junhyung’s arm and there, engraved to Junhyung’s tattooed skin is his name, and he turns his own arm so Junhyung can take a look for himself and he does. And it feels so marvelous to see an arm with your name on it, and there’s warmth flooding inside of him.

 They lean to each other ever so slowly, with closed eyes they have started to brush their lips with each other and kiss. It feels wonderful and just right, like the years of waiting have made all of this worthwhile. They part because of the need of air, and their eyes have this knowing knowledge that has brought them smiles on their flushed faces.

I belong to you.  I was meant for you.  I was destined for you. I was made for you. And I love you.

A/N: I personally don't believe in Soulmates, because it's scary to have someone understand you, know you for every fiber of being and knows what goes on your mind and smth like that. I like to depict that daily meetings with strangers like the person you're seated on the train with, the one beside you when you walk can actually be a potential soulmate. :D So yeah.