People fall in love in mysterious ways

Kim Heechul has never believed in the soulmates of his world. Everyone feels something different; some people see color, some have tattoos, others physically glow. Kim Heechul does not know what his will be, and honestly, he does not care.

The first twenty years of his life pass like this. Soon, Heechul will be turning twenty-one, and his parents are starting to get worried.

"It doesn't matter if you find your soulmate," they even say. "Just find a good girl and get married already!"

Excuse them, Heechul scoffs, but no. He's not planning to dumb down and give his heart to someone else to break. He's not planning to settle down and live a boring life forevermore. No, Kim Heechul would much prefer to stay single.

He will admit, though, that it does get a bit lonely, just a little. It's tolerable during the day, when sunshine pours into the room and warms it, but when night falls, Heechul looks out his window at the glittering city, and he almost wishes for someone to share the beauty with.

That's why he gets a cat. Heechul adopts a sleek, blue-gray cat and names it Heebum, after himself. It's not that he's narcissistic, but more so that he views the cat as a family member.

This way, after the sky turns dark and the stars all appear, Heechul stands on the balcony, looking up at the silver moon, and he is no longer alone.

Except, of course, when Heebum chooses to stalk away, in which Heechul then curses at him.

Heechul thinks that it's because he goes to work and leaves Heebum alone for eight hours a day. Speaking of work, Heechul cannot help but be proud of his programming skills.

Not that he necessarily likes to work under a company, but hey, at least it gets him a job, and a high-paying one at that.

He also quite likes to bully his fellow coworkers, especially the new ones and interns. The elder, more experiences ones only throw him exasperated looks. Heechul knows that they won't stop him, though, because hey, office work gets boring.

There's only one problem with this whole setup: Park Jungsoo.

Park Jungsoo is another programmer in the company, and unfortunately, he happens to be quite insecure in his work, although he is, admittedly, very good. He also happens to be Heechul's pair programming partner, which brings problems because whenever he's the driver, his hands shake and his typing speed slows down. The sheer amount of mistakes in his work makes Heechul want to growl.

Today, Heechul walks into work to find a nervous Jungsoo standing by his desk.

"Again?" Heechul sighs. "Please don't tell me I'm navigator."

"Y-you are," Jungsoo stammers. "I'm sorry."

Heechul glares at him. "Just don't make any mistakes and you won't have to apologize. Sit down, I want to get this over with."

Jungsoo very visibly cringes and obeys, settling himself into the computer chair. "Leader said we have to..."

Four hours later, Jungsoo pushes away from the keyboard abruptly. "I'm so sorry, Heechul, I need to take a break." Without waiting for an answer, he stands up and rushes out of the room.

Despite always being slightly annoyed at the guy, Heechul can't help but worry about Jungsoo. Usually, Jungsoo would never leave just like that, or at least he would give an actual reason. Without even thinking, Heechul follows him.

He finds Jungsoo bent over the bathroom sink, eyes squeezed shut, chest heaving. A bottle of medicine spills into the bowl, dissolving into the running water.

Heechul flies to him, his back and holding his hair. "Goddammit, what did you do to yourself? No, don't answer me, just puke first. It'll feel better afterwards."

Jungsoo shakes his head desperately, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I didn't want you to see me like this, I didn't want to, you'll hate me more, you've always hated me..."

Heechul's heart hurts because no, he's never hated Jungsoo, just found him a bit annoying, and now it all makes sense.

Jungsoo takes Xanax, a common drug to treat anxiety. Unfortunately, it's addictive and not a permanent treatment. Looking back, Heechul thinks that Jungsoo's shaking might have been because of drug withdrawal...

They don't work the rest of the day. Instead, Heechul tells their boss that Jungsoo is sick, no explanation, and takes him home.

Jungsoo keeps silent all the drive back, but when Heechul stops in front of his house, he coughs.

"Thank you," he says a bit awkwardly. "I... lost control..."

"No need to apologize for that," Heechul cuts in, a little sharper than he meant to be. "Go rest, and get on an actual treatment or else I will personally take you to the doctor."

Jungsoo smiles slightly. "I see. Goodbye, and thank you again."

Heechul watches Jungsoo make his way to his door, unlock it, and turn around. He waves to show Heechul that he's okay, and Heechul raises a hand. Jungsoo seems to smile again and enters, closing the door.

That night, Heechul pours himself a glass of red wine and stands on his balcony, sipping slowly. His eyes find the crescent moon, and suddenly, he remembers an old story from his childhood.

There was once, the tale goes, a prince who fell in love with a peasant girl. They kept their relationship secret, swearing on the moon and stars to never be apart, but nonetheless, someone found out. The girl was executed, and the prince married a princess. A hundred years later, both reincarnated and found each other again, recognizing each other's eyes in an instant.

Heechul sets down his glass to pick up Heebum. He doesn't know why he remembered that; maybe he really is too lonely.

Jungsoo doesn't come to work the next day. Heechul gets express permission to check up on him.

"Park Jungsoo!" Heechul bangs on Jungsoo's front door. "Get the out here!"

A few seconds later, the door pulls open, and a tousle-haired Jungsoo peeks out. "Uh, sorry... I'm kind of a mess right now."

"It's okay," Heechul assures, sticking his foot in the door. "I'm here to make sure that you didn't die."

The corners of Jungsoo's mouth tilt up. "Well, thank you. Come in for tea?"

Heechul can't deny him that. Plus, he realizes that he knows absolutely nothing about about Jungsoo.

"It's a bit messy, please don't mind," Jungsoo calls, moving towards the kitchen. "Sit anywhere."

Heechul perches carefully on the edge of an Ottoman and looks around. There are books and papers everywhere, but the bookshelf is impeccably neat. There are only a few framed pictures. One includes a family of four, one is of a girl, and one is Jungsoo himself, clad in a dark blue graduation gown.

"That's my sister," Jungsoo's voice breaks in. Heechul turns away to see Jungsoo setting the tea tray down on the table. "The girl in the picture, she's my sister, Inyoung."

"She's very pretty," Heechul says half-jokingly. "Must have a lot of guys after her."

Jungsoo laughs. "She married her soulmate this year. Her symbol was a smell of freshly cut grass."

"Easy to mistake," Heechul remarks casually, watching Jungsoo's swift fingers pour tea.

"In the middle of a parking lot," Jungsoo replies, raising his eyebrows. Heechul relents, sipping his tea.

"I'm curious, Jungsoo..."

They talk a lot that day, and Heechul learns that Jungsoo's anxiety stems from his abusive father.

His parents divorced when he was ten, and he was ruled to his father, who drank, gambled, and hit him. He never told anyone that his father owed debt until he committed suicide. Owing to this, his relationship with Inyoung is also a bit strained.

Jungsoo never wants to start a family, mostly in fear of becoming like his father. Heechul, in turn, tells him his own story. He tells Jungsoo about his own sister, Heejin, and how she already has a kid. He tells Jungsoo about his father who died when he was sixteen, and how he moved out as soon as he could have.

They talk a lot, and Heechul drags Jungsoo into his car to go out for ice cream.

Heechul learns that Jungsoo is lactose intolerant, so they end up having shaved ice instead.

Heechul ends up dragging Jungsoo to the hospital to get an actual treatment - and hopefully wean him off Xanax.

The medication makes Jungsoo sleepy, so Heechul hauls Jungsoo back home and tucks him into bed.

"Good night, Heechul," Jungsoo murmurs as Heechul bends down to smooth the blankets over. "Kiss me goodnight."

Heechul chuckles slightly, pressing a soft kiss to Jungsoo's forehead. Jungsoo hums and smiles sweetly, snuggling into the bed.

After that, it's a common sight for Jungsoo and Heechul to be together, laughing about something. Heechul doesn't snap anymore, and Jungsoo's confidence goes up.

Heechul invites Jungsoo over to his apartment. Heebum immediately attaches himself to Jungsoo's pants.

"Dammit, he likes you more than he likes me," Heechul grumbles, pressing himself into the corner of the sofa. Jungsoo laughs and pats his arm.

"Trust me, he likes you more. You give him his food everyday."

One day, Heechul finds a small tattoo on his collarbone. It's in the shape of a moon, and he can't remember ever getting it.

At work, Heechul shows Jungsoo, who undoes the top three buttons on his shirt and pulls it down.

There is a small tattoo of a star on his collarbone.

"Damn, Kim Heechul, I love you."

"...I think I might be in love with you too, Park Jungsoo."

It takes a lot for Kim Heechul to fall in love, but Park Jungsoo has somehow managed it.

Maybe they were fated to be, Heechul thinks as they lie in bed together, lost in a hazy doze. Maybe, in a past life, they swore on the moon and stars.