001
KismetNari idly wondered how she tolerated her pain in the of a friend sometimes, especially when it meant she had to wake up earlier than she normally did in the mornings. Fast forward to the time she went to visit her friend’s prestigious school, who practically forced her to babysit keep her company, else the exam season would have finished her off. For as long as she could remember, Min had always been a high achiever yet possessed a short attention span. It was a miracle in itself that she was accepted into a high-status academy in the first place.
Which found the brunette absentmindedly listening to the nonsensical words coming out of her friend’s mouth. She just about managed to string a partial understanding of what she was talking about. Of course, it was just expected in a school with a name such as Seoul’s National Academy to contain a bucket full of good looking, flower boys.
“—this guy walked into in my class and he sat at the front, all those stories of the popular guys opting to sit at the back was all nonsense.” She scoffed, then leaned her fist against her face with a dreamy look. “Though, I can’t complain, I had more of an eyeful watching him. I wonder if he’s found his soulmate yet—“
“That’s all very interesting, Minnie. But what has this got to do with your Calculus work?” Nari shot a pointed look at her friend, who puffed her cheeks in indignation before she deflated just as quickly. She knew that Nari had no patience for any conversation that was related to the forbidden topic of ‘soulmates’.
“You’re right, you’re right. See, this is exactly why you’re the ideal person to study with. All the other girls would just fangirl with me.” With that, she patted her hand with a nod of her head. Though, Nari could see through her overly cooperate attitude. That was the trick with being friends since they were children, she wasn’t a fool to think that Min was agreeing with her because she was right.
“And because you’re the best friend anyone could possibly wish for ever, could you go grab me some more snacks please~”
Nari’s left eye twitched, her gaze flickered over the pile of empty packets to the side. She had already bought over food as a form of incentive for Min to get some work done. Though, it looks like she’s just gone through a binge session of eating and not a lot of work done to show for it.
“Minnie,” She drawled out warningly, the start of a chiding rant about to come along.
The ravenette in question merely blinked innocently at her, raising her index finger to point at her. “You think all this revision for my advanced classes is easy? Go on then, you can do them for me if you think so!”
Nari shot her an unimpressed look, knowing that underneath it all that her friend was hard-working. She wondered idly if her presence had a positive impact on the study session rather than just serving to be more of a distraction. But it was clear that it was a more than welcomed interruption to her friend.
“I never said it wasn’t difficult, you’re just twisting my words.” She folded her arms over her chest. “If being the food supplier is all I am to you, I’ll just take my leave now and go back to my school. The same one I’m ditching to help you out.”
Min pouted, her eyes widening to create that cute look that often caused people to falter in their lectures. She never did like being told off.
“Don’t be like that, Nari unnie.” She flourished a hand, brushing back her hair over one shoulder. “Besides, it’s not like you’re really missing out on your classes, anyway right? You’ve never taken a real interest in getting good grades before.”
The older girl’s shoulders tensed. This wasn’t the first time she’s had a jab for her average marks in her school. It wasn’t a secret that she was not academically gifted, no matter how many hours she could cram, how early she prepared to study for her exams, she just didn’t test well. And that showed in her results.
While she tried to remind herself that Min wasn’t being purposely malicious, she couldn’t help but feel hurt. She was more than happy when she learnt that her dongsaeng was successful in her scholarship to enrol in the academy. She couldn’t help but wish sometimes that she received some of the support and understanding that she gave out.
It wasn’t an immediate reaction for the black-haired girl to look guilty over her actions, thinking that it was just light banter between friends. There was one thing about her that she didn’t always excel in, and that was understanding when she crossed a line.
Nari merely shook her head, standing up from her chair. “I’ll go get some more food, try and get some work done when I’m away.” Pulling her bag straps over her shoulders, she padded out of the secluded study area and back into the maze-like structured library.
She didn’t wait to hear the response because she didn’t want a half-heartened apology. Not when Min was pretending like the stress wasn’t getting to her. Besides, she was even worse off when she was hungry.
Which left her with her latest challenge, trying to find her way out and to successfully get to the cafeteria without being dragged off the premise for not being an actual student in the academy.
With a sigh, she continued with her journey. No doubt, she would take longer than necessary to get back, if she even remembered how to even find the library again. The things I do for you, Minnie…
For a large percentage, there was that longing to find their soulmate. The one they were fated to be with. There was never a guarantee that you would ever meet them, it was all down to the hands of fate.
Taeil felt a disturbance in the air from the moment he stepped into the library that morning. He couldn’t put his finger on what it meant exactly, but there was an undeniable wave of elation that grew within him.
And that usually only ever pointed one thing. The one he was destined to be with from his birth was somewhere close.
The rational side of him tried to dismiss it, he had duties to carry out and could not drop everything to try to locate his soulmate. For all he knew, it was just a fluke and misinterpreted the feeling for something else.
However, there was the underlying desire to finally see what she would look like. After years of fantasying their first meeting, how they would bump into each other and the realisation dawning on them as they accepted that they were meant for each other. He could feel his heart swell with longing, his eyes tried to scan through his surroundings however there was no one near that made his heart flutter.
But he knew she was close. And that sufficed for now.
He could feel a smile curling on his lips. She was here. That’s all that mattered. With that thought, he turned around to continue with his task of putting the returned books back to their assigned places.
Even since he was young, he felt drawn to books. It allowed him entry into the most beautiful fictional worlds, completely immersing himself into their life stories. It could be said that he was trying to escape from real life, from the brutal reality that was awaiting him as he grew up.
Call him crazy, but he’s always had a 6th sense—it sounded ridiculous whenever he admitted it out loud but he could tell if his soulmate was around. It was only now that he felt a sudden surge in the air, hindering him from thinking of anything else other than her. She completely consumed his thoughts, whilst she may not even be aware of his presence at all.
It seemed like a cruel fate really. However, fate was never one to mess around, if there was something they wanted to happen—then they would make it so. He firmly believed in that. All the fairy tales he had read as a child had inspired his daydreams of being a prince and finding his princess, his soulmate one day. And lo and behold, after all this time of waiting, wondering whether he would ever be fortunate enough to meet her, she was near him.
Unbeknownst to him, Nari had passed the bookshelf row he standing near while cursing under her breath whoever designed the library to be a never-ending maze. It was only after she asked for directions—the sheer look of disbelief on the librarian’s face had faded once she noted she wasn’t a student—that she managed to find the exit. Though, she knew that the relief would only be short-lived the second she stepped out, with her next challenge being to locate the canteen.
Once she left the vicinity, it was only then that he felt the connection sever its ties. Taeil felt his hand slump to his side, the smile that adored his face was nowhere in sight. He abandoned the book trolley, just about remembering to nod his head apologetically to the librarian who could only look on with a look of surprise as he darted straight for the door before shaking her head.
Johnny could feel the beads of perspiration roll down his forehead. He drilled the ball with practiced ease across the court, using his height to his advantage as he towered over most of the students.
With the basket in his targeted gaze, he threw the ball and the opposing team could only watch on as it fell fluidly through successfully, resulting in the winning shot. He could only smile as his teammates pulled him in for a group hug to commemorate their win.
Other than with the academic subjects, he used to enjoy taking part in sports. It was something that used to take his mind off his soulmate—whoever she was out there. And often it was the case that it helped massively, it pushed it to the back of his mind for a short while before the thoughts consumed him once again.
He swept his honey toned hair out of his face, accepting the towel from his teammate as he dabbed the sweat from his face. From his peripheral, he could see the group of girls huddled around the windows, shamelessly watching him. And for once, he didn’t indulge their wishes for him to acknowledge them with a carefree smile and a wave thrown in.
He just couldn’t bring himself to do it. For some strange reason, it felt like his conscience was advising him that it would be unwise to humour the fangirls. Johnny hadn’t experienced this kind of attention back when he lived in the US, though it seemed like girls seemed to like that fact he lived in America—it made him mysterious, he remembered his friends telling him as they reacted the motion of the girls swooning whenever he was near.
At the pit of his stomach, he felt an unusual sensation and he immediately dismissed it. It wasn’t possible, his mind was just playing tricks on him. She couldn’t be here now.
Perhaps back when he was still naïve, he believed that he would have met his soulmate by now. He had already reached his senior year in school, the following year he would be starting university. And the chances of finding her would continue to slim down even more.
It served his best interests to just ignore the feeling that was bubbling in his stomach. It was often said to trust your instincts, especially when it came to that feeling that was brought on whenever your soulmate was near. It was an indescribable thing that could never be fully explained in books, you just knew.
It was only when he glanced upwards, out of chance, that he spotted the passing figure of Nari. She was in her own world, idly aware of the students walking around her to get to their next class, their judging looks at her attire that did not match their neat uniform. But she didn’t care, it was only for few more hours before she could go home. She just needed to it up for Min.
Johnny felt his breath leave him, his eyes locked onto her with a new-found spark. He couldn’t focus on anything else but going after her. Because he sure damned as hell wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip past.
“—dude? I thought we were going to go out for food after the game?” He distantly heard his friend holler out at him once he noticed he was quickly distancing himself.
“Got something urgent I need to see to! Maybe next time though, for sure!” Was all he got out before he jogged through the main entrance. Though, he normally tagged along with the group, being part of the club, the only thing that lingered within his mind was his soulmate. If he was to let this chance slip from his fingers when he could have met her, seen her up close and personal rather than just a fleeting blur, he knew he would be damned to a life of ‘what if’s’.
And that’s just not how he did things.
“That concludes this meeting. Once the minutes have been written up, they’ll be handed out next week. Unless they’re any other questions, you are all dismissed.” Taeyong nodded to the student council team, which they all returned as each departed from his office.
He felt a sigh of relief escape him as he rolled his shoulders back, relishing in the sensation for a second. The black-haired male rolled up his sleeves until they reached his elbows, glancing up to see Hana leaning against his desk.
She stared back, a sly smile crept onto her face. “You look tense there, Taeyongie. Let me help you out with that.”
The male in question had gained a reputation since he started at this academy. Rumours spread like wildfire that he was a playboy who messed around with girls and held an impressive record for sleeping around, which was just ridiculous. Anyone who was even remotely close to him knew that he struggled with personal space, he felt uncomfortable engaging in any skin ship behaviour.
When he was younger, he often dreamed of meeting his soulmate. And his fear of being intimate would just disappear. But life wasn’t all fairy tales and rainbows, as it later taught him.
Though, he had an inkling on where the gossip could have started from—Ten, Johnny, the list could go on. While it may have started off as being a harmless joke, it only continued to blow out of proportion. And as he stared impassively into her eyes, he could only curse them for being such idiots.
“That’s not necessary. And I would like to reiterate again that I cannot accept your advances, Hana-ssi.”
She narrowed her eyes. “I’m not good enough for you, is that it? That’s funny, since I’ve heard that you didn’t have a problem with hooking up with some girls last week.”
It seemed that the rumours would no doubt follow him to his grave with girls all confessing of their alleged relationships coming out into the open. The bottom line was that it was all hearsay. He didn’t understand what these girls were getting from fuelling the fire by pretending to have ‘hooked up’ with him.
He was sure that somewhere, Ten and Johnny were laughing their asses off because of his troubles.
“I can assure you that I have not engaged in such activities, whether you’ll believe me is another matter entirely however.” With his gaze flickering towards the door, he cleared his throat as he collected his belongings and slung his jacket over his shoulder.
“I’ll see you at the next meeting, have a good week if I don’t see you Hana-ssi.” He was being awkward as , and he’ll no doubt cringe at his antics later. But for right now, he needed to get out before she had a chance to jump him. Taeyong pushed the door open, his brain not picking up the crash until he happened to glance at the ground. Where a girl had fallen, and cradled her forehead from the sudden onrush of pain.
The male’s eyes widened in surprise. They shouldn’t be any students around with classes already in session, though from one glance he could tell she wasn’t a student here with her casual attire of jeans and a hoodie.
“I’m sorry about that, would you like some help—“
“, that hurt.” Nari winced, she had gone nearly the whole morning without injuring herself. Though, it seemed that fate was trying to put her back in her place. She waved off the guy’s concerns as she stood up and dusted herself off.
“No worries,” She started before she realised she was finally talking to someone who could direct her in the right direction to the canteen. “Actually, could you tell me where I could grab some food?”
Taeyong could only bring himself to stare. He couldn’t believe it. No, this was just some crazy dream, right? He tried to absorb as much of what she looked like as he could, that is without coming across as a ert. For once, he was rendered speechless.
Nari blinked, glancing around for a moment. Maybe he was socially awkward or whatever, she couldn’t blame him for that. “Ah, never mind. Sorry to bother you.”
With that, she passed him to walk down the hallway. He remained in his frozen state, internally screaming at himself to move, to do something. His soulmate was just standing in front of him, talking to him and all he could do was stare at her.
Playboy Taeyong, my . He hissed under his breath as he finally regained control of his body, not hesitating to go after her.
If there was anyone who could be described as a prince, the fangirls would no doubt direct you to Yuta. He was a Japanese exchange student, and held himself in a regal fashion. Which just made all the girls—and some boys, let’s be real here—swoon whenever he passed by.
Yuta could never fully become accustomed to the onslaught of attention he had received when he moved to Korea. Sure, he attracted attention back in his home country, but this was just something different.
It felt like everywhere he went, there would be someone there watching him with adoring eyes. It felt suffocating to say the least.
And not to forget, there was at least one student that confessed to him every other day. He was starting to run out of ideas how to break it softly to them that he could not accept their feelings.
While he felt ashamed that he was breaking their hearts, he knew himself that he could not give his heart to someone it didn’t belong to. He was raised to believe that when he met his soulmate, he was to cherish her and only her.
So, to engage in any behaviour that would go against those beliefs, it would be offending her by treating her as if she meant absolutely to him—which was certainly not the case. If anything, it was the opposite. And he could not wait until the day he could finally lay his eyes on her and give her all the love she deserved.
Which was why he found himself in this position again, standing near a pillar with a girl holding out a box of chocolates with her head bent. “Please accept my feelings, Yuta sunbae.”
The brunt averted his eyes for a moment, his hands sunk into his trouser pockets. “…I’m really sorry, but I cannot.”
She started to shake, the sound of sniffing confirmed that she could no longer hold back her tears. The girl raised her tear-stained face, and he could not feel any inkling of a connection whatsoever.
“B-But, I l-like you so much, sunbae!”
Yuta shook his head, a remorseful expression etched on his face. No matter how many times he had to do this, it never got easier. The apologies that streamed from his mouth felt nothing but empty words. “I’m sorry.”
With that, he his heel to return to his class. He could hear her breaking down, her knees dropped down to the ground. But he could not comfort her, he could not allow himself to get attached to someone who wasn’t his soulmate.
Nari had only walked through the hallway to hear the end of the conversation, seeing the retreating back of the male before her attention reverted to the sobbing girl. She felt her heart go out for her, it must be tough going through an unrequited love. It was a brave thing to do, to confess her feelings without fully knowing whether they were going to be accepted or not.
“Oh, here I’ve got some tissues if you wanted them?” She hurried over as she picked out the item out of her bag, making sure to give her enough space. The girl glanced up at her before she returned her sorrowful gaze to the ground.
“Are you here to laugh at me? To tell me I was stupid for confessing to someone who was out of my league?” She hiccupped, tears continuing to fall. Nari felt her face soften, moving to sit down across from her.
“No, not at all. I was thinking how courageous you were. Man, if I had half the amount of guts you had for doing that, I think I might have gone further in life than I have.” She smiled, watching as the girl slowly looked at her. “This is going to hurt, it’s bound to. But it’s going to get better, I’m sure a girl like you has a lot going for her. You don’t need someone who doesn’t look at you like you’re worth more than the moon and stars combined.”
Though that was one of the cheesiest things she’s ever heard herself say, she tried again with the tissues as she extended her arm out. It took a few moments of deliberation on the girl’s part before she accepted them.
“…T-Thank you,”
Nari merely smiled. “That’s no problem at all, just don’t forget what I’ve said. Remember it, yeah?” She blinked as she realised she was still lost. “And also, I’ve been walking around for ages looking for the canteen, could you tell me where it is?”
The girl nodded her head, pointing a finger in the direction where Nari had just come from. “If you walk down there, take a right, carry on down that corridor, walk down the stairs, take a left and—“
She had to pay extra attention to the directions being told to her. She wasn’t delusional enough to believe she was going to remember it all, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t going to attempt to. Once she had finished, Nari bowed in thanks as she waved before pivoting on her heel. The other girl could only shake her head as she watched the girl go, a small smile tugged on her lips as she left the hallway.
Yuta peeked around the corner, it was once he had heard her voice that he knew. He had to restrain himself from running over and hugging her on the spot. He clutched onto his shirt where his heart laid, a warmth residing in him as he watched her comfort the girl he had rejected. Without even realising that she was the reason why he had done such an act.
He strode forward, intent on walking to the canteen, where she would be. And there, he would confess to her. And for once, hoped that she would accept him.
Doyoung cleared his throat as he stared at his reflection. “Ladies and gentlemen, it really is an honour to be here tonight to c-celebrate the achievements of the students here. From all of us, I extend to you all a w-warm welcome and h-hope you enjoy the evening—I can’t do this, why was I even chosen to host this.” With a dull thud of his head lightly colliding with the mirror, his gaze was downcast into the porcelain sink. No matter how many times he practiced, he was just not getting it right.
Every year there was an annual awards show, which gave the opportunity for students to be rewarded for their efforts in various subject areas. While the grade attainment was one of the highest in the country, it was an extra push to increase the competition.
Doyoung knew why he had been picked to welcome the guests at this event. Even when his brother had already graduated—having been one of the students with an impressive record of winning awards in all the subjects—he was always still in his shadow.
No matter how hard he worked, he could see the faintly veiled disappointment in his teacher’s eyes. How he could practically hear the thoughts rolling around in their heads, no doubt how they wished he was like his brother. The orange haired male excelled in his studies, being one of the top students in his year. But still, that wasn’t enough.
He was never going to be good enough.
The male raised his gaze back onto his reflection, immediately grimacing even at the sight. There was not a day that went by that he wished that he could be exactly like his brother, that would have made his life a whole lot easier. Then, he wouldn’t be subjected to feeling disappointed and shameful that followed him around wherever he went.
It was a vicious cycle. It was one that never ended.
Doyoung released a sigh. This was going to be his life, that was something he had already accepted since he was a child.
Though, there was still that microscopic hope that dwelled inside him, that whoever his soulmate was would love him regardless of whether he got good grades or if he became successful in his career.
Then he scoffed in disbelief to himself, hoisting his bag over his shoulder. There was a reason why it was such a small scrap of hope. Who could ever possibly even begin to care for him? He knew his parents only did so out of maternal duty rather than because they wanted to and his brother, well he had his own life now—he was far too busy to deal with his kid brother. He wouldn’t be surprised if his soulmate flat out rejected him just by glancing at him, then tossing him aside like was worthless.
If it wasn’t such an important deal, he would have just thrown in the towel already and given the responsibility to someone else who could do a better job than he ever could.
Once again, he took a deep breath and tried once more. He continued to stutter, paused too long that make it awkward, his hand gestures were everywhere and it was just a mess. Doyoung let out a frustrated yell, his hand formed a fist as he banged it on the mirror. He was a ing joke; no wonder people didn’t take him seriously.
He was somewhat glad that he was alone in the men’s toilets, away from prying eyes and malicious comments that he often faced.
Unable to continue tormenting himself by trying to be somebody he clearly wasn’t, he pivoted on his heel and walked towards the door. Maybe luck would finally be on his side and he would fall down some stairs and break his leg or something, or even get hit by a car and be knocked out for a few days, then he wouldn’t have to worry about this.
Doyoung paused for a moment, pondering on that thought before he walked down the corridor and saw the stairs. He gulped, knowing that he was just a coward for thinking he had the guts to commit to such a reckless act. The fall would no doubt do some damage, think how badly you want to get out of this, the irrational side of him coaxed in his mind.
Nari, on the other hand, was strolling down the hallway and noticed a student standing near the stairs. She tilted her head, wondering why he had suddenly stopped. It wasn’t until he had dropped his bag, took a few steps back that she had a feeling what he was about to do. She cursed her short legs as she sprinted over, reaching out a hand to grab onto his blazer just as he was about to jump and pulled him back as they pair tumbled back onto the ground.
“Are you out of your mind? What made you think it would be okay if you did this? You could have gotten seriously hurt!” She chided him, her eyebrows furrowed together as she watched him. Just in case he would made another attempt.
He shrugged off her hold, his mind still clouded. “What do you care? I’m just a nobody.”
The petite girl leaned forward to grab his face, placing both of her hands against both sides of his cheeks and stared directly into his eyes. “I don’t know what you’re going through right now, but you need to listen to me. No matter how ty your life may seem, it’s not going to get better unless you do something about it.”
Doyoung somehow felt lighter, as if all his worries had been taken off his shoulders. He could only blink and stare at this girl, this stranger who had gone out of her way to protect him. He could feel an unfamiliar warmth spread within him, a spark from the contact of her hands, his heartbeat was growing faster by the minute. Could this possibly be…?
Nari could see that he had heard her, his eyes were no longer glazed over as they watched her attentively. Inwardly she released a sigh, feeling relieved that she had somewhat gotten through to him. If I had known I was going to be doing pep talks today, I should have prepared some for Min. God knows that girl needs some in her life.
“Now, I’ll be off now but can I trust you not to try to parkour on the stairs—or anywhere for that matter?” She raised an eyebrow as she stood up, reaching out pull him to his feet. He stared at her for a moment before he mutely bobbed his head.
“…Right, well goodbye then.” She returned the nod with a wave as she moved to descend down the stairs and returned back on her task. Min should have gotten some work done by now, I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get to the cafeteria of all places. Damn rich school.
Doyoung could feel a smile blossom on his face. His soulmate, seemingly oblivious to the fact, did not cringe at the sight of him. But instead, welcomed him and showed that she cared in some way.
Maybe there was some hope for him yet.
Ten had lost count the number of times he practiced the choreography, practicing to perfect every single last move. Dancing was the only thing that kept him sane most days.
It gave him a happy medium to throw himself fully into, to forget his troubles as he let himself go when the music started. Sometimes, he wished he had enough energy to keep on going forever, so that his thoughts would not become consumed with reality.
But alas, as much as he would like to keep running to avoid facing the problems head on, it wasn’t realistic. The black-haired male let out a sigh, finally allowing the exhaustion he felt overcome him. He slumped to the ground, welcoming the cool sensation of the wooden floor.
Go to Korea, chase your dreams. They said, it’ll be fine they said. Ten was accustomed to travelling abroad to different countries, having been taught English from a young age he was comfortable enough to blend in with minimal help from the translators that accompanied him. He relished in learning about the variety of cultures, the scenery that photographs could never quite truly capture its full beauty.
However, moving to live in a country that was not his origin was a different story. It was overwhelming to say the least. It was almost as if he had to press restart on his life, leaving his family and friends behind as he went on to build a new one.
Money was never an issue, which he was always aware how fortunate he was. He could easily buy whatever his heart desired at the drop of a hat, regardless of the cost. But, there comes a time when he came to the realisation the money couldn’t buy him everything.
Those who possessed wealth and a high status in society, they were respected more as an obligation. As opposed to earning the respect the hard way, even when others look down on you. Ten had never experienced the latter, being someone who was born with a sliver spoon in his mouth.
But money had the potential to buy him superficial respect, it drew untrustworthy people closer towards him—in hopes of getting a hold of his wealth and hoping his status would brush onto them. He struggled to make friends because of this fear, that anyone he spoke to did not have a genuine interest in getting to know him.
He could snus them out usually, having learnt the hard way not to trust everyone—even if they seemed harmless enough. Which was something he wished he didn’t have to give off the impression of being cold, it often led to him feeling lonely having to spend most of his time in his own company.
It’s better this way. You won’t get hurt. He reassured himself, knowing that he wasn’t fooling no one though. But deep down, he had so much to give, but nobody to share his life with. He had almost lost hope, even with the idea of there being a soulmate out there for him. For all he knew, he could have pushed her away a long time ago, or even left her behind in Thailand without even realising it.
That last thought was the sole reason he sometimes regretted moving. What if she’s out there right now, wondering if she was going to ever meet me?
Ten’s eyes snapped open, this was the precise reason why he wanted to keep dancing as a distraction to keep his mind from wandering. The further down it went, he was unsure whether he would be able to bring himself back.
He stood up, walking over to the lone water bottle to take a chug when he found it was nearly empty. Running a hand through his hair, he grabbed his bag and exited the dance room. He might as well call it a day, he had been stuck in this room for a good solid few hours to work on a single routine.
Getting some fresh air wouldn’t hurt, especially from being subjected to a stuffy dance studio. It wouldn’t be the ideal escape from his thoughts, but it was certainly a start.
Plus, it was a good enough excuse to go grab some food. Because food was always a good idea, no matter how sour his mood turned. The male sauntered through the halls, his hands shoved into the pocket of his hoodie as a blank poker face took over the space on his face.
He savoured the short time, walking through the walkway just outside the performing arts block towards the canteen area. There was one thing that he could take advantage of being so far away from his home, which was the fact he could binge on whatever food he wanted—and not have to be in the line of fire from his mother for doing so.
Somehow miraculously, Nari had managed to locate the cafeteria. After stopping the stranger earlier, she had almost forgotten the directions given to her. She always did have a memory like a sieve sometimes. It took some time, much longer for any normal person anyway—which is something Min would point out, but she finally made it.
Though, this is coming from someone who could get easily lost in a supermarket. So, this was an achievement for her.
Standing in front of the vending machine, she decided to get a variety of snacks and drinks. Because there was no way in hell she was going to attempt this again, at least not soon anyway. She was relieved that she had enough money to pay for it all—how the heck they could charge so much for these baffled her—and even more so that she had gotten the last bottle of orange juice—call her crazy but that must have been some outland-ish sign that she was meant to get it.
The brunette managed to shove them all in her bag, before turning on her heel towards the door. She noted that there was a male standing in line behind her, he didn’t look Korean but it wasn’t a rarity to see international students in this kind of school setting.
She directed a friendly smile at him out of courtesy, to which he didn’t bother to acknowledge nor return. She inwardly shrugged her shoulders and went on her way.
“There’s no orange juice left,” Nari heard him grumble, and for some unknown reason she felt guilty. She knew it was an illogical thing to be, since she paid for it but she couldn’t help but remember the tired look in his eyes. He was good at maintaining his mask, but it was often harder to conceal the emotions that fought to be seen in his eyes.
Taking out the drink out of her bag, she turned around to see him deliberating on the options he had left. Slowly, she approached him, since for all she knew he could easily switch his mood to be on the attack.
“Hey, I had the last one but you can have it.” She called out, gaining some of his attention as he shifted to look at her. His gaze dropped to the orange juice bottle in her hands before he went to grab something out of his hoodie pocket. Once he found what he was looking for, he grabbed some notes and extended it to her.
Nari shook her head, ignoring the money in his hand to push the drink into his free one. “No, I don’t want any money for it. You can have it for free, I insist.”
Ten blinked at her, confused. She was refusing his money? He never had trouble with this before, usually people did not even hesitate to grab it off him.
She smiled at him, putting more feeling into it as she backed away to she moved to walk back towards the exit. But this time, she was pleasantly surprised when she noticed he was returning the gesture, even if it was a small one.
Well, I think I’ve outdone myself with this whole random acts of kindness today.
It wasn’t until she had left that the Thai male felt an emptiness grow inside of him. He didn’t understand for a moment before it clinked in his mind, his eyes widened as his grip on the orange juice drink nearly slipped.
Jaehyun was quite possibly the nicest person around, you could ask anyone in the school. That’s why he was always most likely to be assigned to being the tour guide for new students, his contagious upbeat aura just naturally drew people to him.
Not that he minded, of course. Being able to help the newbies during the adjustment period was something he would have liked if he was in their position. He was picturesque model student, the epitome of all that was good and pure.
He was never one to raise his voice or get into arguments. The brunt maintained his trademark smile wherever he went, his adorable dimples adding to his charm.
Jaehyun often did not hesitate to agree offer his assistance, whether that was to help teachers or students alike. He tutored the latter on their shared class—which wasn’t something he was bothered about, he understood that everyone learnt in different ways and some picked things up faster than others.
However, at the back of his mind, he couldn’t help but feel like he was a pushover. A doormat for others to walk all over, once he had done their favours they did not bother to stick around. He knew that his kind nature could be easily taken advantage of, but from fear of offending others, he merely just went along with their requests.
“Thank you sunbae, I think I’ve got it now!” One of his classmates told him, collecting his bag as he bowed and promptly left the classroom. Jaehyun sighed, flipping his book closed and slowly packed his own belongings away.
It ended the same way, sometimes they would ask if he wanted to tag along afterschool to get some food or just to hang out. But even that was rare, so he stopped expecting that they would bother to ask. He often wondered if there was something wrong with him, if he wasn’t ‘cool’ to be around.
The male stood up from his seat, pushed it back into its place and walked out of the classroom. From his peripheral, he could see some of the girls staring at him in admiration and some would call out to him in greeting. Though, he gets the occasional love letter in his locker, he could count on his hand the amount of times he received a confession in person. But he couldn’t help but feel relieved as it stopped him from turning into a flustered mess in his attempts to not to break the girl’s heart in any way.
There were a good number of students who had found their soulmates in the school, showing that the red strings of fate somehow brought these individuals together eventually. Jaehyun envied the couples, seeing the love and affection revealed in their eyes, hoping that one day he would be able to have something that special.
He was also worried, if he was ever lucky enough to meet her. Would she be put off by his ‘goody two shoes’ attitude? He was vaguely aware from his small circle of friends that girls did tend to go for bad boys—which was certainly something he could never pretend to be.
Walking from the other side of the hallway, Nari cursed her luck once again. She had no clue how to get back to library, she had completely forgotten how many left or right turns she made coming from the canteen.
Whoever built this school must have secretly wanted to confuse anyone who was rubbish at trying to get from A to B.
The brunette ruffled her hair in evident frustration, glancing up to see someone walking on the other end. She blinked before trying to attempt a light jog, feeling her bag jiggle with every step she took.
“Excuse me, sorry to bother you!” She called out, feeling grateful that she still had good stamina. Jaehyun paused, turning around to look behind him to see a girl clad in casual clothes as opposed to the uniform akin to what he was wearing. For a moment, he couldn’t help but wonder what her purpose was for being here, he had met some students who had gained scholarship which helped pay for the high tuition fees but she didn’t seem to the type who’s just had an interview.
“Hey there, how can I help you?” He aimed his customary smile at her.
Nari blew her hair out of her face. “Well, I won’t bore you with the details but to say it plainly I’m terrible with taking directions. I have no idea how long it’s taken me to get to your school’s cafeteria—by the way, this place is like a maze,” She whispered inconspicuously with a dry look. The brunt scratched the back of his head sheepishly, knowing that it was an intimidating place to walk around especially if it her first time.
“Anyway, I’ve been gone so long that I must have left my friend long enough that I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s passed out from hunger at this point. So, would you be so kind to tell me where the library is?” She tilted her head, a hopeful smile on her lips.
Jaehyun adjusted his bag strap as he nodded, returning the gesture with his own beaming smile. “Of course, I’d be happy to take you there.” Seeing that she was about to protest that he didn’t have to go that far to help her, he raised a single digit finger in the air.
“I have to go there anyway to return some books, and it would be nice to have some company as pretty as yourself,” He didn’t know what came over him, he rarely threw compliments like that around. It somehow felt…right. And even more so when he noticed a bashful expression growing on her face.
“Oh, you sound like a charmer I’m sure.” She shook her head, motioning for him to go ahead as the pair fell into step alongside each other. “I wonder how much success you’ve had with the girls, huh?”
It was his turn to become embarrassed, letting out a nervous chuckle. “Ah, I can’t say that I have tried before to know.”
Nari shot him an incredulous side glance. “That’s hard to believe, you’re a total flower boy. Girls dig that, trust me.” He wanted to ask if that was her type, but suppressed the urge. Seeing as they had only met and it wasn’t in his nature to be so straight-forward.
“You really think that I’m a flower boy? You’ve only just met me,” He threw out his response, not wanting to seem uncool in front of her. He wanted her first impression of him to be positive.
She looked contemplative, her dazed gaze lingering on the scenery before her. “I guess so, it was just the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw you honestly. Which isn’t the best judge of character, I get that.”
Then she averted her gaze to meet his with a shrug of her shoulders. “I can’t really explain it, but you have this friendly, warm aura around you. And after speaking to you, I think you’re a cool guy.”
For a split second, he thought she could read minds. But then, he instantly dismissed the thought. Jaehyun didn’t know why, but he felt something akin to satisfaction stir within him. He felt content in her presence, as if he could spend all day with her. Instantly his face reddened, wondering what had gotten into him.
“…You seem pretty cool yourself,” He managed after a pause, to which she grinned as she nudged his shoulder. To which, he could not deny the involuntary shiver that ran down his spine. Either she was good at hiding her emotions or she was blissfully unaware of that fact that she was his soulmate. He had to turn his face away, feeling the burn of his blush. How he was supposed to act natural was beyond him.
Mark cursed under his breath. It wasn’t like Jaehyun to be late, if anything he always took the time to be early. But here he was, standing around awkwardly next to the new student Si Cheng—or WinWin, which was apparently his nickname—already running out excuses to try to lessen the uncomfortable air.
He craned his head from side to side, trying to see if the older male was on his way. But he already knew it was futile, something must have held him up. Now he had to fill in the roll of being the tour guide, when he himself wasn’t even familiar with all the blocks or which were solely dedicated to certain subject areas.
The blond cleared his throat, turning to glance at WinWin. “Well, it looks like Jaehyun’s unable to give you a tour. So, you’ll be stuck with me for a while longer.”
The taller male blinked cutely, shaking his head. “No, that’s okay. You don’t have to stick around if you’re busy,”
Immediately, a wave of guilt washed over him. How was he supposed to just leave this guy by himself so easily without having to ignore his conscience? He was practically radiating rainbows and sparkles around him.
Inwardly letting out a sigh, he shook his head with a reassuring smile that he was sure was more for his own benefit. “Nah, don’t worry about it. At least once it’s over, you can say you’ve made one friend out of it.”
The black-haired male smiled bashfully at him. Since he was young, he struggled with the concept of making friends. He never knew how to open a conversation with a stranger, which often left him in awkward silences which were left far too long to rectify.
“I guess I’ll take you to the library, since that’ll probably become your second home since it’s exam season now.” Mark motioned him to follow. He didn’t know why the thought of the library suddenly popped into his mind, but he just went with it.
Mark was known for his easy-going friendly nature and being a general social butterfly. He liked being able to hang out with different groups, being the youngest in one and the oldest in the other—the contrast was interesting to say the least. He felt the pressure heightening from the fears of whether he would have made new friends, especially when he moved from Canada. It took some time during the adjustment period, but he kept in contact with his old friends—who were solid pillars of support when he initially struggled—and could only hope that one day, he could meet them in the future.
Though, he thought bitterly, they had already found their soulmates. And they didn’t try to hide their gloating in the slightest.
WinWin on the other hand, could only look around in bewilderment. He remembered looking through the pamphlets for this academy, but while the pictures did showcase the facilities available on the premises it did not fully capture the beauty of the architecture. He felt drawn to this place, he couldn’t explain the reason why. He was thankful that his grades were always impeccable and helped his application turn out to be successful.
He knew his parents were worried for him, having moved thousands of miles away. And there wasn’t a day when he did not miss them, it was an intimidating move to make but only he could do it. At the pit of his stomach, he knew this was the right decision, and if he were to stumble into his soulmate here—then all the better.
All the while, Mark was trying to gesture to any important places as they passed them by. He felt like the worst tour guide ever, especially when he was just winging it.
“And right there is the Science block—no, wait a second. Oh, I misread that, apparently, it’s the Language building…Er, moving on!”
Though, it didn’t seem like WinWin minded his little blunders. If anything, he gave off the impression of being in a world of his own as he looked around in awe. If he didn’t pay close attention, he would have assumed he was avidly listening as he nodded his head and hummed at the right intervals.
“If you head over into that building, the cafeteria’s there but I’ll show you that after—Jaehyun hyung?” He suddenly changed the topic, an incredulous tone coating his voice. Just right up ahead of them, he could easily make out his back walking towards the library. Walking with a girl, nonetheless.
And from where he could see, they were engaged in a lively conversation. Mark couldn’t help but furrow his eyebrows. Jaehyun was one of those people who could talk to anyone, regardless of what social group they were in. But the younger had never seen him speak so comfortably with a girl before. And for some strange, infallible reason he didn’t like it.
WinWin halted in his step to see the blond staring off into space. He stepped closer to tug on his blazer with a questioning look. It wasn’t until he glanced straight ahead to see who he presumed to be Mark’s friend and some girl. He tried to take his eyes away from her, but found he struggled to. He shook his head to try to clear his thoughts, the next second he opened his eyes, they were gone. The dark-haired male tried to dismiss it from his mind. It was probably just my imagination playing tricks on me.
Mark wasn’t so keen on that idea. Instead, he wanted to confront Jaehyun for bailing on him, not that the latter would have done it intentionally. It was probably the case that she pestered him into doing a favour for her, like most people did. Just that thought was enough to make his blood boil—and even that was a feat that was rare with him, but he couldn’t stand it when his friends were being walked over.
He strode forward, nearly forgetting that WinWin was beside him—who was slightly startled by the scary aura around the smaller male. “Sorry about that, now let’s get to that library.” And to find that troublesome girl.
“You know you didn’t have to walk with me all the way here, though I have to be honest, it helped a lot since I would have probably gotten lost a few more times along the way.” Nari grinned toothily as they stopped outside the library.
The brunt could only smile meekly in return, his dimples popping into place. “Ah, don’t mention it. I’m glad I could be of some help,” She raised an eyebrow, reaching forward to feign punch him on his shoulder.
“Well, thanks anyway. I do appreciate it, but I should be getting to my friend now. It’s already past her feeding time and she tends to get extra snappy, so I probably should go before she tries to bite someone.” She winked teasingly, taking amusement in seeing his face burn up as she walked backwards with a wave.
Jaehyun could only watch on as she left his line of vision, letting out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding. He clutched onto the place where his heart was currently beating on overdrive, thankful that she didn’t have supernatural abilities or else she would have heard it. It certainly felt loud enough for him, the sound thumping in his eardrums.
And I didn’t even get her name. He pouted to himself, it was strange since that was often the first thing that was disclosed in a conversation. But he was sure that her name must have been as pretty as she was. She was pretty, though her forehead did look a little bit red. The brunt was left deep in thought that he didn’t even see the blond blur jumping at him.
“Hyung, you’re slacking today. I’ve just had to take on your neglected role because you’ve been hanging out with some girl—speaking of which, where did she go?” He barely managed to process what he heard before he shrugged off his friend’s hold on him with an apologetic look.
“I’m sorry Mark-ah, it slipped my mind.” He ran a hand through his hair, his thoughts drifted off back to the smiley girl and the blush returned in full force. “And w-what girl? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
However, it seemed that the blond wasn’t to be fooled as his head was turning to try to locate her but his attempts came up fruitless. “You know hyung, you have to stop helping people out so much, you’re far too good sometimes.”
Jaehyun glanced at him in surprise before he grinned, grabbing the younger male in a headlock. “Does that mean I should stop spoiling you, huh?”
“Hyung, you’re embarrassing me in front of the new student,” Mark squirmed as he tried to bat the offending hands away from him, letting out a whine. The brunt halted, allowing the younger to push himself away, as his gaze turned to see a young male standing off to the side.
“Hey there, you must be Si Cheng-ssi. If you didn’t catch my name already, I’m Jaehyun. I’m sorry I didn’t get to show you around earlier, I’m sure Mark-ah wasn’t much of a tour guide,” With that, he shot a meaningful look towards the blond. Who in response, huffed as he folded his arms over his chest, muttering under his breath how he wouldn’t have had to do it if his hyung remembered in the first place.
“No, it looked like you must have been busy helping that girl earlier, so that’s fine Jaehyun-ssi.” WinWin smiled understandingly, unknowingly opening a can of worms.
Mark turned to the library with an annoyed look. “That reminds me, I need to give that girl a piece of my mind. It doesn’t even seem like she’s not even a student here, how hasn’t she been kicked out for trespassing yet?”
Jaehyun felt a frown appear on his face, opening his mouth to retort when the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard in the hallway. Soon, he could make out the form of six students pushing at each other to be at the front of the group. It wasn’t until he took a closer look to see it consisted of the ruffled appearances of Taeil, Johnny, Taeyong, Yuta, Doyoung and Ten. Then he glanced towards the library where the girl had disappeared into and his eyes widened, connecting the dots in his mind.
It couldn’t be…could it? Not wasting any time, he darted forward to give her a pre-warning. It was one thing to find out who your soulmate was, but to be confronted with seven—including himself—that was surely going to be the tip of the iceberg.
Mark and WinWin could only watch on as the brunt raced off into the library and quickly after, the former spotted some of his friends following closely on his heels as they argued amongst themselves in raised, nonsensical tones. The blond had a sneaking feeling he knew who they were looking for, of course it had to be that troublesome girl. He rolled his eyes, going to trail after his air-headed friends. The latter blinked in confusion as the dust settled, curiosity bubbling up inside him as he chose to see how the situation panned out.
“How long does it take exactly for someone to get snacks? You were gone for at least an hour!” Min complained, a glare plastered across her face yet she indulged in the food she had kindly bestowed upon her.
The brunette shot her a look. “Minnie, you know I’m terrible with directions. I just about managed to find my way back here from the library entrance. It doesn’t help that your school is one massive labyrinth, I was lucky to get out alive.”
Unimpressed, the girl in question scoffed. “At least I know you’re still the same after all this time and wasn’t abducted by aliens, which I thought you were to be honest. I even got bored and wrote down some theories behind your absence, I think you’d be quite proud how creative I was.”
“I’m glad to see that if I was really kidnapped, you would have been waiting here instead of looking for me,” Nari rolled her eyes, plopping down to sit across from her. She reached out to grab a water bottle, all that walking had made her parched.
“Oh pul-lease, if that was the case they’d probably give you back when they find out how boring you are. You thought I didn’t think of that already, what do you think I am, an amateur?” Min winked at her, to which she could only roll her eyes at.
The door to the study room suddenly burst open, Jaehyun quickly closed it behind him. He let out a sigh before he turned around, raising one finger as Nari looked at him in surprise.
“Uh, well, I’m here to tell you something before it gets too crowded in here—“
However, he wasn’t able to finish his sentence as Mark was next to enter the room. He spotted Min first then his gaze landed on Nari and his eyes narrowed as he approached her.
“Lookie here girl, I know my friend here is too nice to speak up for himself so I’m here to do just that. He was supposed to be helping out a student but was stuck with you, since you probably bugged him to accompany you here—“
Nari stood up, an unperturbed look etched on her face. “No, you listen here. I didn’t force your friend to do anything, I just asked for directions and it was he who offered to show me where the library was because I’m at remembering directions. So, before you go off running your mouth, why don’t you check the facts first huh?”
Mark was stunned, no other girl had spoken to him like that before. He blinked a few times before he snapped out of his stupor to bow, trying to hide his reddened face. “Oh, I’m sorry…I guess I get a bit overprotective sometimes, sorry again.”
She tilted her head, the blond almost reminded her of puppy, trying to come across as being fierce to protect his friend—or ‘brother’ in this case, she supposed—but relented when told off. Nari couldn’t help but smile. “I get it, I’d probably be the same if I thought Min was being bothered too.”
Speaking of Min, she was nonplussed at the situation. How on earth did her friend manage to find two popular guys in the school? Though, if the girl were venture off unsupervised—then she guessed anything was possible.
Mark raised his head to see her smile, feeling his heart jump at the sight. He quickly backed up until he was behind Jaehyun, only peeping up before going back to hide again. The latter could only sigh upon the sight, looks like the total has racked up to a grand total of 8.
The brunt tried again, though this time it might have been best to direct the conversation in a room with less occupants. “As I was saying, there’s something I need to—“
He nearly facepalmed when the door barged open, this time round his six idiot friends fell forward to the ground. They all struggled to get up, detangling their flailing limbs from each other as they collected their composure once they realised they had a captive audience—with their special little one in the mix.
Nari could not make sense of what was going on, she could just about recognise some of their faces but for a few she hadn’t a clue who these guys were. Did I piss these guys off somehow? It was starting to get uncomfortable how their stares were boring right into her, so she was more than grateful when Jaehyun moved to shield her from their view as he motioned them closer to exchanged hurried whispers.
She could see Min trying to grab her attention, so she turned to look at her. “Unnie, I literally only asked for some snacks. Not a handful of popular, flower boys, though I do appreciate the touching thought.” The brunette shot her a deadpan look, not bothering to acknowledge that with a verbal response as she took a chug of her water, her dry throat bugged her.
However, when Jaehyun turned around with a nervous air around him as his friends walked around him so they were in full view of her. She felt a moment of dread suddenly dawn on her.
“So, this hasn’t really gone to plan I’m afraid. And I’m sure this is going to come as a surprise to you, but I—I mean we will all be here to help you since this is going to be a learning curve for all of us.” Jaehyun tugged his collar anxiously, not wanting to be the bearer of the news as he glanced around the semi-circle around him.
Nari couldn’t for the life of her, tell what he was trying to say. Despite the feeling swelling within her, she averted her gaze towards Min, startled to find her friend was staring at her with unconcealed glee—and that was never usually a good sign.
“Nari unnie, you know what this means right?” She gestured towards the line of boys standing before them as if it couldn’t be any more obvious if they tried. The ravenette already felt sorry for what they boys were in for with this friend of hers.
“You’ve somehow just bagged yourself a handsome little group of soulmates here, who would have thought just going to get snacks for me was going to change your life forever! I’ll expect a thank you card with the chocolates I like, you know the ones I’m on about—”
The girl in question’s eyes widened as she spat out the water, coughing and spluttering in shock. “I’m sorry—WHAT?!”
“You heard me the first time, unnie. Who would have thought you were going to be the first one who find your soulmate—I mean soulmates first, damn I guess I lost that bet then…”
Nari could practically feel her soul departing from her body at this point. Jaehyun was already at her side, gently patting her back with a concerned look. In fact, she was surrounded by a sea of worried faces—and no, that wasn’t an exaggeration.
Because apparently, she somehow had 8 soulmates. Oh wait, was there another addition to the group? A tall, cute boy peered at her until he realised that she noticed he was staring before he quickly averted his gaze. Well…make that 9. Goodness knows she’s gonna need all the help she can get.
So, funny story really, last week I vaguely knew about NCT. Never really took it upon myself to learn any of their names or whatever, but I don't know how but somehow I ended in a downward spiral...and here I am with this fic. It took me all week, and I probably should re-read this over so apologies in advance for any mistakes.
Hope you liked this, sorry it was super long (is that a bad thing, idk?), it was meant to be like a one-shot kind of thing, but I guess it's just a lengthy introduction. If there's any prompts/scenarios that you want to happen here, just let me know since I literally am still learning about these guys. I've got some ideas on where I could go with this fic but what will happen to them is another thing. So yeah...until next time guys! :)
Comments