{14} 

“Hey,” Youngjae called out as he strode into the room that Soah occupied, “How are you doing?”

Soah glanced up from the book that she was reading and a soft smile graced her lips. “I’m fine, Jae.”

“Are you alright? You look really pale.” Soah asked worriedly, placing the book on the nightstand beside her.

Youngjae let out a soft sigh as he took a seat on the chair beside Soah’s bed. “I’ve not been getting enough sleep, so, yeah.”

Youngjae’s eyes fleeted towards a yellow sticky note on the nightstand that caught his eyes. He reached out, gently peeling the note off the nightstand.

I won’t be around today; I’ve matters to see to. I’ll be back soon so rest up really well when I’m gone, okay? Youngjae read the note out loud in his head.

“You know when people uses sticky note to communicate with you, it means that they are bottling things up and they want to be alone.” Soah said, gesturing at the sticky note in Youngjae’s hands.

Youngjae’s eyes traveled from the sticky note to Soah’s eyes, and back again. Youngjae returned the note to where it belonged, then turning and meeting Soah’s eyes.

“Are you a psych or something?”

Soah shrugged. “I was just making a wild guess. Seems like I got it right.”

Youngjae narrowed his eyes at her. “Hmm, so you were tricking me? Ey, I didn’t know that you were that cunning.”

Soah laughed heartily, revealing her pearlie whites. Youngjae smiled along with her too, Soah’s laughter was weirdly contagious, and it spreads joy to the people around her.

And Youngjae really needed some joy fix right now.

“I don’t have to be a mind reader to know that something’s troubling you.” Soah looked straight into Youngjae’s eyes, her dark orbs filled with care and concern. “And Daehyun, too.”

Youngjae fidgeted in his seat, another sigh escaping from his lips subconsciously.

“Take your time, I’m not going anywhere. Well, I can’t anyway.” Soah gestured to her right leg that was in a cast, trying to lighten up the atmosphere with her playfulness.

Youngjae smiled and casted his gaze at the black lace patterned curtains in the room.

“I think that I’ve hurt him really badly, Soah. I feel like I’ve failed him as a friend. Being his closest friend and his parabatai, I couldn’t see through the pretense that he was putting up. All along, I knew that he was a person who hid things really well and who pretends that he’s strong when he’s actually a very fragile person. Even though he’s hurt, he can hide it really well. And the worse thing is, I didn’t see through it. The worst is, I was the one who caused pain for him.”

“No one’s perfect, Youngjae. Besides, you were so caught up with your investigation with the police force that you were stretched to your fullest. It takes a lot of energy to see through someone’s pretense, Jae, and you can’t blame yourself from failing to succeed at it this time round.”

Youngjae’s eyes softened at Soah’s words.

“Have anyone told you that you’re amazing at comforting people?”

With the soft smile on Youngjae’s face and the hint of playfulness in his voice, Soah knew that he was feeling a little better.

Chuckling, Soah held a thumb up, “Of course, Jae, I’m the best in the world!”

Youngjae burst into fits of laughter.

You’re really one special girl, Soah. Youngjae thought mentally as he gazed at Soah with sparkling eyes after laughing hard.

“Soah,” Youngjae called out. Soah turned towards him immediately; the butterfly that has strayed into her room distracted her. “Promise me that you’ll do the same thing for Daehyun, like you did for me.”

The ends of Soah’s lips tugged upwards and she nodded in response. “He’s a tough nut to crack, but I’ll crack him anyway.” Soah ended off with a wink, throwing Youngjae into another laughing frenzy.

···

“Can’t sleep?”

Soah lifted her head up from the book she was reading and saw that Daehyun was standing by the door of her room.  

Soah hummed in response as she watched Daehyun walked over, taking a seat at the armchair next to her bed.

“Feeling better?” Daehyun asked while he swung one of his legs over the other.

“Yup, and I’m feeling very, very bored too.” Soah huffed, earning a soft laugh from Daehyun.

“Are you alright?” Soah asked, catching Daehyun off guard. His head snapped up instantly, surprise was evident in his eyes as he gazed into Soah’s.

A smile slowly spread over Daehyun’s face, the action crinkling the laugh lines at the corners of his eyes and shaping his eyes into crescents.

“I went back to my old home today to take a look.”

Soah was gazing at Daehyun patiently, as if she was telling him ‘Take your time, Daehyun. I’ll always be right here, listening to you.’

Daehyun allowed silence to fill the air for a short while before he started talking again.

“When I was just a small kid, which was during the 1300s, Vampires were detested and they were regarded as evil creatures. We were hunted down like preys; it was a kill on sight. For a while, The OtherWorlds allowed the Vampires that were married to a regular OtherWorld to walk off free, but a while later they just started hunting down everyone.” Daehyun paused, taking in deep breaths.

“On the night of 16 March 1335, a group of police under The OtherWorlds stormed our house. It was really late at night so my entire family was already fast asleep. I woke up at the sound of my mother’s screams. It pierced through the silence of the night and through my dreams. My sister, and me, we slept in the same room. They barged into our room a while later but they didn’t find me. I hid in the closet in fear after hearing my mother’s screams and the dead silence that followed after.” Daehyun paused again; his expression was filled with so much pain that Soah wanted him to stop going on.

“The closet that I was hiding in, there were gaps in the door so I could roughly make out what was happening out there. I wanted to hurry out of the closet and drag my sister in too. But it was too late; they were already in the room by the time I realized that I had left my sister out there. She was still fast asleep when they went up to her with a wooden stake in their hands. With a swift and clean movement, they ended her life, just like that. And I couldn’t do anything to save her.” Daehyun’s voice faded to a soft whisper nearing the end.

Daehyun shifted his eyes up, meeting Soah’s. Soah’s brows were drawn together and the look that Daehyun saw in her eyes, it was as though she could feel his pain.

Daehyun offered a small smile, wanting to tell her that it was okay and he was fine. But Soah knew he wasn’t.

Daehyun bent forward, his hand cupping Soah’s left cheek. He planted a soft kiss on her forehead.

“Goodnight, my Soulmate.” Daehyun got up, wanting to leave but Soah grabbed hold of his wrist.

“Stay.” She whispered. And they both knew that the request wasn’t meant for her, it was meant for Daehyun.

Daehyun gazed into her eyes, all his defenses were down and it was the first time Soah saw Daehyun for who he truly was.

He was just a boy who needed someone to love him and to care for him. He needed someone to be there for him on his bad days, to help him heal and to help him forgive himself.

Daehyun slipped under the blankets, beside Soah, and slipped his right elbow under her neck.

He leaned his forehead against hers with his eyes closed, feeling the warmth slowly spread through his entire body.

Soah cupped the side of Daehyun’s cheek, her thumb over his cheek. “Everything is going to be okay now, Hyun. I’ll be here with you.”

Daehyun’s eyelids fluttered open and he gazed right into Soah’s eyes. Though it remained unspoken, he saw love in her eyes, and vice versa.

“Thank you, Soulmate.”

That was all the comfort and assurance Daehyun needed, and now he finally had Soah around him to provide him with the care and love he deserved to receive.