"Are you really sure you want a name tattooed on your wrist? I mean that could confuse others and let them think that you have met your soulmate." A slightly older man whose arms were full of tattoos sat opposite of a younger boy who looked like he was somewhere around that age to attend university. The younger of the two nodded his head without hesitation.
"You already asked me this like five times since I first walked into your studio. Yes I am sure. I can't stand that people are still judging me for not having found my so called soulmate yet. Just because there is no name on my wrist doesn't mean I'm a bad person or that I need anyone to pity me. That's why I'm getting this now! So well are you still going to do it for me or do I have to look for a new tattoo artist?" He said with a sincerity which showed that for him there was no backing out of it now. The tattoo artist nodded and began his work by putting a print of the name on the younger boys wrist.

"How did you actually decide which name you wanted to get?" The man asked after 45 minutes off silence between the two.
The boy shrugged his shoulders and said: "Phone book"
"Really now? Yah! Im Jaebum you found the name you just got inked on your body for your entire life in a phone book? God I'm glad I didn't ask you this beforehand otherwise I would have thrown you out of my store immediately." Yes, it was obvious that he was upset about how Jaebum had so frivolously chosen a name. But the name he choose had been one he noticed while he was scrolling through the phone book. Even days later the name was still somewhat stuck in his mind so he made the decision after going back and forth for three weeks to really get that one specific name tattooed. Now there really was no turning back for him anymore, now that he had a name on his wrist just like any of his friends. But sadly this was a name of a stranger. A name that had no meaning to him. So he left the shop a few minutes later, his wrist all wrapped up in plastic wrap and a good portion of cream on the tattoo so that it would heal better. For the next two weeks Jaebum would always have to cover his wrist so no one could see the fresh tattoo until it was fully healed.

He actually wanted to meet up with his best friend Jinyoung right after those two weeks passed, but it turned out difficult for the both to match up their schedules. He hoped that once his friend saw the letters on his wrist he would gain some new hope in him and then leave him alone with all those blind dates. Even if that was a lie. Because Jinyoung would keep on telling him that he would end up all alone. But since he was his best friend, he was the most worried about him because all of their other friends already have met their soulmates. Jinyoung had often referred Jaebum to be a hopeless case. And after he had found his soulmate a year ago it only got worse. Starting then even people he wasn't really that close with started to ask him when he would finally find his other half and get married. His parents had realized that mentioning this subject would end up angering him and well just not talking to them for the next few hours at least.


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"Jaebum hyung! I would have never thought that you would ever ignore me for weeks or just keep on telling me to meet up later. What's wrong? What happened? As your best friend I feel really offended right now." Stood with folded arms Jinyoung in front of him, while looking him directly in the eyes. His lips puckered into a pout. Mark, his soulmate would describe this as cute, Jaebum however felt it as if the other behaved like a child. Also it was not so that Jinyoung himself had ignored him when he met Mark for the first time and got together with him. No, that was as always something different.
"Must I remind you how long you've been ignoring me because of Mark?" Yes, there was a possibility that he would keep on mentioning this to his best friend. Just to get back at him.
"And to make it clear I'm not ignoring you. I did reply to all your messages. The last few weeks were just a little hectic." While talking Jaebum crossed his arms in front of his chest just like his friend and just looked at him waiting for the obvious answer that was going to come.
"That was different." Did they really just had this conversation? Jaebum ran his hand through his hair and ruffled it a little more than they were already. That was the moment when his sweater slipped a little higher on his arm and so just a little bit of the letters on his wrist were visible. The reaction that followed from Jinyoung was almost like in the movies, his eyes widened and he just stood there frozen.

"What?!" blurted Jaebum easily irritated from the behavior of his friend. Why was he staring at him like that? The only thing he had done was run his fingers through his own hair out of frustration. That was the moment in which it clicked in his head as to why he reacted like that.
"WHY THE HELL DID YOU NOT TELL ME ABOUT THIS EARLIER?" Yelled his friend. He definitely had spotted the lettering on his wrist and freaked out accordingly.
During the last two weeks Jaebum had made up a story in his head about the tattoo. He even had it written down in a folder on his laptop locked in a folder and kept on reading it so that it actually felt like it had happened like this. Just to make sure he won't make a mistake while talking about it.
"I wanted to tell you about it when the name appeared two weeks ago. But life happened Jinyoung. You yourself know how many essays we had in the past weeks. And well it's a bit difficult to find this person because the name appeared when I was on a run through the city. Funny right? Here I am finally with the name of my soulmate, but without knowing who that name belongs too." The words just flowed out of his mouth, without second thoughts he was lying to his best friend. But it just didn't feel like he was lying because he practiced this story so often, it almost felt real to him.

"OK, OK. Just please tell me that you at least tried to find this person that day or the day after." Jaebum just smiled innocently at his friend.
"Really now! Do I have to walk that way everyday with you till you meet this person again? Or should we just walk around and ask people if they knew someone with that name? Wait I haven’t even seen the name yet." He ranted yes Jinyoung was officially annoyed with him. So like that he approached Jaebum, pulled his hand and pushed the sweater up so he could read the name on his friend’s wrist.
"Choi Youngjae?" Dumbfounded stared Jinyoung at the name on Jaebum's wrist.
"What? Do you know anyone with the name? "Jaebum hoped that his friend’s answer was going to be no. He himself did not know anyone, neither from school nor from his family’s friends with that said name. So how high were the possibility’s that Jinyoung did? The view of his friend wandered from his wrist to his face.
"If I wouldn’t see that name on your wrist now I would have never, never guessed that it could be Youngjae. Yes, I know one guy that could be your soulmate but you two are such opposites." He said this after minutes of silence.
This brought Jaebum's brain really to work, this could be not true. He had found the name in the phone book. Without further questions Jinyoung pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed a number.
"Hyung! Sorry for the disturbance but I just want to confirm something, your friend from Mokpo his name is Choi Youngjae right?" Jaebum was only able to stare at his friend. There was no way said guy was his soulmate because after all this was a tattoo and not the sign for soulmates. He just hoped that once Jinyoung had confirmed that this said boy had no name on his wrist or just not his, he would just leave him alone with this matter. He just hoped that the other guy wouldn’t get his hopes up and then get disappointed that Jaebum wasn’t his soulmate. He was lost in his own thoughts that he didn’t catch the rest of the conversation.

"Earth to Jaebum!" yelled Jinyoung into his ear.
"What?"
"Mark and his friend will be at our usual coffee shop in a few minutes. Then we will get to check if Youngjae really is the one for you. Which I somewhat hope because man that guy would do some good for you. So just for the next few hours leave the bad mood here and just try to be nice and… just not cold and distant, like you usually are towards new people, OK?"
"Do you want me to say that I am always in a bad mood and cold towards everyone?" Hissed Jaebum through his clenched teeth.
"That's the behavior I meant hyung." Jinyoung could only shake his head shaking because of him.


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"Jinyoung-ah?" Jaebum and Jinyoung had walked to a nearby coffee after their conversation and waited there for Mark and his friend. Jaebum was slowly getting really nervous because Jinyoung had talked about Mark’s friend like he was the brightest person he knew. What if that boy didn’t had a name on his wrist at all? Or if suddenly a name would appear on his wrist?
Why was he even getting his hopes up about that boy? There was just no way that his name would be on the wrist of the other boy. They didn't have this kind of connection.

Mark and obviously his friend stood at the table Jinyoung and Jaebum had taken a seat at. Mark sat next to Jinyoung, looping his arm around the others shoulder while his friend took a seat next to Jaebum.
The boy who now sat next to him, had one of the brightest smiles on his lips the Jaebum had ever seen.
"Youngjae-ah this is Im Jaebum. Hyung this is Choi Youngjae." The voice of his best friend made him realize that the three around him where already talking to him. As soon the boy next to him had arrived all his attention were on him and he had completely ignored his friends. He slightly turned himself in his seat so he got to look at the boy more easily only to realize that said boy was openly staring at Jaebum. When their two eyes met the smile on Youngjae's lips just grew bigger. Without saying a word Jaebum turned abruptly to Jinyoung and stared at him in disbelief.

"This is a joke right?" Asked Jaebum. Who just looked at him confused, as if he did not know what his friend meant. Annoyed he got up without saying more and walked away from the table. How could Jinyoung ever think that someone like Youngjae would be his soulmate. They were clearly total opposites.
"Hyung wait." He heard Youngjae's voice following after him. It was not his best friend that had run after him no, it was the young boy whom he had just met a few minutes earlier. What a best friend he got there.
"Can we just talk for a bit? I know the whole situation is going very quickly, I wouldn't have thought to find myself here as well. Since my actual plan was to just take the test to enroll in the university and then head back to my hometown till I get my results. If I get accepted I hopefully will find a small apartment to live near the campus. Before we met you, Mark hyung told me that you probably will react just the way you did. Walking away. I also weren't as excited when your name suddenly appeared on my wrist at a time I knew I didn't met you or our paths crossed. And yes YOUR name is on my wrist as well. But still I wanted to find you, find the person who was said to be my soulmate." Did the smaller boy knew that he was talking nonstop, not giving Jaebum any chance to reply?
"Hyung can't you give me just like one chance to get to know you? I'm not such a bad person I guess... maybe sometimes a bit annoying but I will try my best to show you that having your soulmate isn't as bad as you imagine. Who knows maybe if we are together some things will get better or just easier than before. Having someone by your side can't just be all negative."
"Take one deep breath for once and let me answer you, OK?" said the slightly taller of the two, which had the reaction of the smaller to open and close his mouth a few times without a sound and then ending up pouting.
"I can't be YOUR soulmate, this must be some misunderstanding. Jinyoung and Mark don't know something really important. Your name... no, this name here it didn't appear out of nowhere. I got it tattooed. It's not your name I found this in a phone book and just choose it. Randomly. There are probably dozen of Im Jaebums waiting for you kid." Jaebum hoped that with him telling the truth he would back of and look for the guy who was obviously waiting for him. After all this was just a lie. A lie he had made up.

"Hyung have you ever heard of the appearance of the name when the other writes something on the skin? Or if the other gets something tattooed the other gets the exactly matching counterpart? The names appear not only out of nowhere. My parents have experienced just the same. My dad had a compass tattooed on his arm and my mom got at the exact same time, a map with exact coordinates where she had to go to. And just like that my mom found my dad. You got this tattoo finished exactly," while Youngjae said this he took his cell phone from his pocket and was looking for something. When he found the thing he was looking for it was a countdown but it counted upwar