the first time kyungsoo saw jongin he felt his heart throb and he reached for him with all his strength. he was too young to understand and too weak to break away from his mother’s grasp.

he had to watch as jongin was carried away, asleep in another woman’s arm as she walked in the opposite direction. inexplicable tears welled up in kyungsoo’s large eyes and he found himself crying, inconsolable as his mother sat down her basket and tried to comfort him. 

the second time they met, jongin was kneeled at kyungsoo’s feet, begging him to spare his village.

the throbbing returned and kyungsoo struggled to maintain his impassive expression. his wife sat next to him with a stoic expression on her beautiful face, wondering why he hadn’t yet casted the peasant away. 

unlike the first time, his heart was hardened and his feelings confused him.

out of fear, he agreed to the man’s request and spared the village. when the man realized that his home was going to be saved, he looked kyungsoo in the eyes and smiled. 

a warmth filled kyungsoo’s chest and he demanded that jongin tell him his name.

‘my name is kim jongin your highness.’ 

now not only was his soul imprinted on kyungsoo’s soul but also his name.

on their third meeting kyungsoo allowed jongin to kill him without a struggle.

kyungsoo was caught invading an enemy camp and was taken as a prisoner. as destiny would have it, jongin was the leader of the camp and handled him personally. 

his heartbeat had been pounding in his eardrums since he’d been captured but once he laid eyes on jongin, he felt at peace.

jongin didn’t even look him in the eyes before he drew his gun, settled it between kyungsoo's eyes and squeezed the trigger.

before his body slumped to the floor, the last thing he saw the name tag on jongin’s uniform boasting the surname ‘kim.’ 

their fourth meeting was as children again, though this time kyungsoo could talk and walk. 

jongin sat across the room in his favorite blue shirt, white shorts and blue knee high socks, coloring what seemed to be a dog. of course the assumed dog sported blue fur due to it being jongin’s favorite color.

‘i like your doggy jongin,’ kyungsoo stammered when he walked up, his own coloring book and pack of crayons in his sweaty little hands. 

the little boy looked up with a toothy grin and launched into a conversation about how much he loved the color blue and that the dog on his paper looked like his dog at home. 

despite not caring about anything jongin was talking about, kyungsoo sat and listened, a smile on his face the whole time because he found that he rather liked jongin’s voice.

it made him feel warm like it was summer. 

kyungsoo loved the summer. 

the fifth time, jongin saw kyungsoo first. in a crowded library filled with people who thought pulling all nighters would save their dismal grades, kyungsoo felt a heavy gaze on him.

across the library, standing at the entrance with a skateboard underneath his armpit was a tall, tanned guy with messy hair ogling him. even though the situation in itself seemed odd and creepy, kyungsoo didn’t feel in danger.

in fact, the closer the guy got to him, the less stressed he got.

‘hey, um, do you mind if i sit here?’ even though kyungsoo could see jongin wasn’t there to study since he didn’t even possess a backpack, he nodded his head in silence.

they were, after all, in a library.

nearly an hour passed before he spoke again, in the same low voice as earlier.

‘i’m sorry if this is creepy but would you be interested in going out with me?’ kyungsoo raised an eyebrow and pursed his lips before he turned to face jongin.

‘sure why not’

unlike all the other times, the sixth and last time kyungsoo and jongin crossed paths, they were both aware of a strange connection between them.

both middle aged, unmarried men, they worked in the same company and bonded as friends.

one day over drinks, kyungsoo felt compelled to ask jongin if he believed in soulmates.

‘i guess. why?’ 

‘no reason, i was just curious.’

‘what do you think we’re soulmates or something? is that why we became friends so easily and feel at ease in each other’s company?’ kyungsoo pondered if it was the alcohol that was making jongin say that but when he looked at him, he saw that he was relatively sober and staring at him. 

instead of answering he just nodded.

‘i’ve thought about it. being soulmates and all. it’s not something you can just bring up though y’know?’ kyungsoo did. 

‘why don’t we go try it out?’ the question made jongin sit down his cup and he stared at kyungsoo in shock.

‘we’re not kids anymore soo. fooling around like that is beyond us.’ kyungsoo shrugged and he sat back, downing the rest of the alcohol in his cup.

‘it was just a suggestion. if we’re really soulmates, we might be ually compatible.’ 

after the initial weirdness of getting acclimated to each other’s bodies, the turned out to be fantastic. they were a perfect fit.

‘i didn’t know i liked guys,’ jongin sighed as they were lying in bed after, a lit cigarette hanging from between his lips. kyungsoo sat up and the bedside lamp, lighting up the room.

‘me either. maybe we just like each other?’

‘yeah maybe.’