Chapter Sixteen

“Yoomi and I are mates.”

All went berserk when Junmyeon announced it out loud… kidding, it was actually dead silent. Yoomi allowed herself to fall back into the water, since she could no longer make a clean getaway, and the splash it made seemed like a sonic boom in the unsettling quiet. She winced, mentally berating herself. Yoomi tried to stay underwater for as long as her lungs could hold, not looking forward to going back up to meet everyone’s looks. When her lungs couldn’t stand it anymore though, she unconsciously opened in search of air and accidentally gobbled in pool water. The girl instantly choked and rushed to come up to the surface of the water, trying to cough all the water out of her lungs.

Her desperate coughs shattered the silence and once it was broken, it was gone completely, the boys having been snapped out of their various states of shock. There were shouts of alarm left and right, but Junmyeon was faster. Her newly bonded mate was at her side in an instant, his Hand of Water already at work, manipulating the unwanted liquid in her lungs to turn into its gaseous form. The group’s healer, too, came over to the side of the pool where the newly bonded couple were at, a hand soothingly patting the girl’s back, his power working to ease the burn in through his touch.

“She’s fine, now,” Yixing announced, holding a hand up as if to shush all the worried questions he knew was coming.

“Don’t think you can avoid this by trying to almost kill yourself, Lee Yoomi,” Yifan scolded her with a blank, yet stern look on his face. She stared up at him in disbelief before protesting as best she could with her still slightly sore throat.

“I wasn’t trying to—”

“Wait, wait. Mates are actually real?” Chanyeol cut in, his eyes wide and expression puzzled.

“Yes. They’re rare among our entire race but highly possible for S-ranks. These,” Junmyeon said, lacing his fingers through Yoomi’s and then holding up both of their wrists for everyone to see, “are our bonding marks. It’s official.” The leader grinned, his face twisting into the overjoyed expression it was in when he and Yoomi first completed the bond.

Yoomi glanced around hesitantly to survey the others’ reactions. Xiumin and Yixing had their eyebrows furrowed up in confusion, while Yifan, Luhan, and Tao had blank looks but still were very obviously minorly shocked. Jongdae and Chanyeol had their jaws to the ground, their mouths opening and closing like they were trying to say something but couldn’t get it out. Then there were the ones who Yoomi thought looked a little hurt, making her feel both worried and strangely guilty. Kyungsoo looked like something actually hurt his pride for once, and Baekhyun’s puppy dog eyes were droopy and downcast like a dejected puppy. Sehun… what exactly was going on with him? At first, he looked stunned, then dejected, and now a little furious. Yoomi wondered what he thought of this, especially after learning how close he was to Junmyeon specifically. If he didn’t hate her before, he surely did now, judging from his expression. Then there was Jongin. Similar to Sehun, the usually flirtatious boy actually looked upset. He was very clearly frowning with evident distress in his eyes, unlike his trademark smirking self. He looked beyond crestfallen with just the slightest hint of betrayal, and for some reason, seeing him that way didn’t settle well with Yoomi.

She glanced back at Junmyeon, waiting for him to do something since she obviously didn’t know how to handle this in the slightest bit. But it seemed he was oblivious to her inner turmoil— or just ignoring it—, his face still sporting the widest grin she had ever seen on him. Luckily, Baekhyun spoke up, breaking the awkward silence.

“Yoomiiiiiii! How could you do this to me?! If you were going to be mates with one of us, it should’ve been meeeee,” he whined loudly, looking like he was on the verge of throwing a childish tantrum like Sehun often did. By that time, a lot of the boys had already made their way to the side of the pool where the new couple and Yixing were at.

“Hyung! How long have you been bonded to Yoomi? Did you know that she was your mate all along?” Jongin demanded, his tone the slightest bit accusing and upset.

“Calm down, Jongin-ah. I only found out earlier this afternoon about Yoomi being my mate when I read the notes you two took for your project. I decided to tell her tonight, and we completed the full bond just before you guys came in.” Junmyeon explained calmly, sensing that the younger’s boy’s displeasure was real. The smile on his face had faded a little as he became worried and wondered why Jongin would be so upset. This wasn’t like him or his usual behavior. If anything, he had expected maybe Sehun to cause a scene, but—

“Tch.” Everyone startled when the group’s original youngest abruptly his heels and left, not so subtly slamming the door behind him with a loud bang. Yifan raised one of his hands as if to try to hold the younger boy back, but before he could say anything, another one of his young brothers spoke up first.

“Looks like you decided to take the easy way out on the project, after all.” Jongin didn’t mention a name or explain any further on what his comment meant, but with his burning gaze on her, Yoomi couldn’t look away from him. “I meant what I said, Yoomi.”

Everyone was silent, the atmosphere becoming awkward, heavy, and tense when everyone realized just how serious and upset the usually laidback flirt was. Before she could decide on how to respond to him or if she was supposed to say anything at all, Jongin turned and walked away, disappearing in black smoke in his steps. Stunned in her place, Yoomi thought back to what Jongin had said to her.

“Hey,” Junmyeon murmured, placing a comforting, warm hand on one of her shoulders. Whether it was the effect of their new bond or he was simply that good at calming her down and making her feel better, Yoomi unconsciously relaxed a little as she turned to face him. He gave her a sincere, reassuring smile as he lightly squeezed her shoulder. “They’ll come around. It’s not your fault.”

“Right.” Yoomi nodded, but she sounded hesitant and what just happened with their two youngest boys was still bothering her. She felt guilty for both Sehun and Jongin’s negative reactions, more so Jongin than Sehun’s. She knew how important Junmyeon was to the youngest boy, but she also knew that he was important to her as well and the tall wind user would have to get over her bonding with the leader eventually. That wasn’t her fault, but Jongin… that kind of was. It was obvious to her now that he was referring to her joke and the boy’s own playful flirting from earlier that day when they were doing their research. Only, was it entirely playful? Jongin said that he meant it, but...

“Well, mates or not, we came here for a dip, so what are you all waiting for?!!” Jongdae cheered and jumped into the pool, causing a huge splash of pool water to wash over those already inside and startle Yoomi from her worried thoughts. With Jongdae’s actions, the others moved too, some calmly walking over to set their bags down, others stripping on the spot and proceeding to follow Jongdae’s actions. Even though they were clearly trying to ignore the whole mate thing and move on, Yoomi noticed that the majority of the boys still snuck quick looks at her and Junmyeon, something that only made her feel worse. Some of their glances were just curious, but others still looked strangely sad or upset, though none of them compared to the glares she had received from her fellow first years before they stormed off.

A pair of hands came up to brush away a wet strand of hair from her face, and then gently took hold of her chin, effectively bringing the girl’s downcasted gaze up to meet his. “I know you’re worried, but this is our moment, Yoomi. I love you, I always have, and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.” Before the girl could get pulled into his eyes any more, Junmyeon and her were drenched again.

“Yo love birds! Stop being all mushy gushy over there by yourselves and come play with us!” Somebody shouted from the other side of the pool and then Junmyeon pulled her into the water as he had earlier. She was still worried, but she also couldn’t help the laugh that escaped her lips as her mate played with her in the water.

***

Saturday

The next morning, Yoomi woke with an uncomfortable itch in and on her skin. She wasn’t sure what it was that she wanted, but she figured having a glass of water might relieve her of that itch.

Last night after they all got home from the pool, everyone separated into their own respective rooms and Yoomi went to sleep right after showering, tired out from the events of the day. She didn’t see either of the two youngest boys at all, and it bothered her greatly to have to go to sleep with how things were with them.

Breaking out of her half-asleep train of thoughts, the girl sluggishly climbed down the stairs of her room, the kitchen as her destination. She zoned out as she walked, idly dragging her feet behind her and trailing her fingers against the walls as she passed by. The discomfort she had woke with was still there and still noticeable. Subconsciously and without her even realizing it, her hand moved from the wall to lightly trace the mark on her other wrist.

Her feet came to a sudden stop and she blinked out of her still half-asleep daze, confused when she realized that she wasn’t in the kitchen, but had actually managed to make her way to where the boys’ bedrooms were located. She stood in place, looking at the door with a nameplate that read ‘Kim Junmyeon’, dumbfounded.

What am I doing here? She wondered to herself. Last she remembered she was on her way to get a glass of water from the kitchen, wasn’t she? Then how had her feet taken her to Junmyeon’s bedroom instead?

While pondering over why she was where she was, Yoomi had missed her hand going to twist the doorknob open. She still wasn’t sure what she was doing, but it didn’t bother her too much. She figured just going along with things that happen was a good way to deal with things ever since she was into her new life.

The girl’s first reaction upon entering her mate’s room was a sharp intake of breath, an immediate sigh following afterward. Her knees almost buckled from the strong, fresh, ocean-like scent of the male that aded her senses when she inhaled, and her whole body felt relaxed and almost boneless. She felt relief and peace wash over her as the itchiness of her skin vanished and her discomfort disappeared completely. The tugging she had felt in her heart earlier had calmed down, and in its place, the organ had started beating faster.

Now that she was close, she wanted to be even closer.

Curious, her eyes scanned the room in a quick sweep and then widened the slightest bit in surprise. Junmyeon seemed like the really neat and tidy kind of person— if his usual ultra neat uniform and hair was anything to go by—, but the sight of his room told her otherwise. Books, bags, clothes, and other tidbits of she-didn’t-even-know-what were strewn all over the room; on the tables, on the chair, on the floor, everywhere. Yoomi hadn’t expected this from the elder at all, the state of his room going completely against the organized impression he gave off. Who would have thought that the student council president couldn’t clean his room to save his life? Oh, she was so going to about this later.

After she had finished looking around his room, her eyes finally landed on the reason her subconscious had probably led her there in the first place. Junmyeon was sound asleep in his bed, all curled up like a baby, and for some reason, he looked so pitiful that her chest actually physically hurt a little— and it wasn’t because of their bond, but just from looking at him sleep. She had the sudden, pressing desire to curl up against him, half because of how pitiful he looked, and half probably because they had just bonded the night before and apparently she would just keep having urges to touch him all the time from now on, according to what she remembered from her project research on the topic.

Yoomi at romance. She became flustered at the slightest hint of it and had only ever had maybe one real boyfriend before that didn’t last longer than a few months. She was usually a confident person, but when it came to relationships, she usually turned a sputtering mess and became oddly shy. Heck, she could barely even handle the hugs Baekhyun now habitually gave her as a greeting. However, something with Junmyeon was different. Maybe it was because they were mates or former childhood friends, or maybe it was just him in general, but he made it so easy to be with him. That’s not to say that she wouldn’t still blush at his actions, but she felt comfortable enough to respond to them and show physical affection of her own.

That was why, though it wasn’t like her at all, she found herself crawling into bed in front of Junmyeon and silently curling up against his body, relishing in the warmth it offered. Being close to him was soothing, a calming sensation washing over her like nothing she had ever felt before. His scent was intoxicating, and his warmth was so comforting that it was difficult for the girl not to fall back asleep the instant their forms touched.

“Junmyeon?” Yoomi called out experimentally for some reason, voice no louder than a whisper. When he didn’t respond, she proceeded to study the structure of his handsome face, trying to stay awake at least a little while longer because she wanted to hold onto the feeling coursing through her. She was sure she’d said this somewhere before, but he was gorgeous. He had rosy lips, flawless pale skin that rivaled her own, and if his eyes were open right now, then a dreamy blue gaze that could make any girl feel like she’s drowning and be happy about it. Unconsciously, Yoomi’s hand went up to his face and a finger trailed gently from his forehead, across his shut eyelids, down his nose, and landed on his soft lips.

Then his eyes fluttered open.

“Yoomi,” his husky morning voice breathed out.

A little sheepish at being caught, Yoomi redirected her eyes up to meet his own pretty blue ones and gave him a small smile. She couldn’t recall a time when she had ever felt so content before in her entire life as she did at that moment. Right now, merely being in the arms of her mate, sleeping in on a weekend, she couldn’t be happier.

“I missed you, oppa,” Yoomi finally whispered back, as if afraid somebody would hear her if she spoke any louder. She blinked to herself, surprised at her own confession. Did the bond affect her thinking and speech as well? Because she had originally just planned to say ‘good morning’, but oh well. It wasn’t exactly like it was a lie, either way— she had missed him a little.

“I could get used to this.” Junmyeon’s arms tightened around the girl, pulling her in even closer, her body now flush against his with her face buried in the warm crook of his neck. She breathed in his scent, one that instantly refreshed her. Yoomi had never felt any safer.

“You know,” he spoke up again, his voice rumbling against her face snuggled comfortably in his neck, “back then, you used to sneak into my bed and sleep with me whenever you were upset about something.”

They’ve slept together before? And she was the one who sneaked into his bed? Wait that sounds wrong, Lee Yoomi! The girl mentally scolded herself. She had to be more careful with her thinking since the people she was surrounded by most of the time could read thoughts and apparently she liked to ‘think too loud’.

Yoomi wasn’t sure what got into her for her to be so bold about things like this, but after meeting the S-class boys she kept finding herself saying the first thing that pops into her mind. “It won’t only be just when I’m upset anymore.”

Junmyeon pulled away from the girl to look at her face, and Yoomi craned her neck up to meet his eyes. She was surprised to find his brows knit together with a slight frown on his face. “You need to stop doing that, Yoomi-ah.”

“Doing what?” she mumbled, confused.

“Saying things that make me want to kiss you.” That shut her up, and instantly, shy, embarrassed Yoomi was back, and her face turned her signature red. She took it all back— she was a mess and she still at