Chaeyoung hated this. She hated that in this universe, they are marked with the name of their soulmates, and apparently, it would help them in the search of their soulmate. But has anyone stopped to realize how many people share the same name? The adults tell her it’s narrowing her options, telling her where to look, but it just serves to leave her deeper in the dark. (It’s just telling you to look for a particular pin in a haystack, the extra information doesn’t really aid in her search.)

 

But nevertheless, she conforms, because if her parents and everyone else’s parents did it, she should be able to do it too.

 

--

 

Chaeyoung meets Bang Minah on her first day of middle school. She was her school guide, in charge of bringing her around and helping the younger girl to familiarize herself with the school. Her name is spelled slightly different, but it doesn’t stop her from bounding back home with a spring in her steps, excited to share this news with her parents.

 

Her parents smile at her as she rambles on excitedly about this “Minah-unnie”, their reactions pretty unenthusiastic even as she goes on and on about how pretty Minah’s eyes are when she smiles and how they will turn into crescent moons and she ends off by declaring her undying love for Minah.  

 

Turns out, it only takes two weeks for her love to cease.

 

It’s during lunch break one day, where she has purposely gotten two cartons of strawberry milk, intending to give one to Minah when she sees the girl entering the cafeteria hand in hand with the soccer team captain. She hides behind the nearest pillar, watching as the two giggle and laugh at each other, in their own world. It can’t be… right? She heard of cases where people get together even though the names inscribed on them are not the names of each other. That must be it. Her name must be emblazoned somewhere on Minah’s body, just like how there is a black patch behind her left ear with the name ‘Mina’.

 

Someone taps her on the shoulder, and she jumps in shock. It’s just Dahyun, who is looking at her curiously. “What are you doing?”

 

“Nothing… just… people-watching…” Chaeyoung mumbles, but her eyes are still fixed on Minah and her boyfriend. Dahyun follows her gaze, and she immediately catches on.

 

“She’s not the one you are looking for.” Dahyun seals the final nail in the coffin. “I have seen her mark. It’s on her left wrist.”

 

Chaeyoung slumps dejectedly, feeling like her soul has been out of her.

 

“Hey, it’s alright,” Dahyun pats her on the back to cheer her up, “the spelling isn’t even right. You just need to wait.”

 

She frowns at this, realizing that she has never mentioned the name she is marked with to her friend ever. “How do you know?”

 

Dahyun almost rolls her eyes. She just pokes at the spot where her mark is. “It’s here for everyone to see. ‘Mina’.”

 

“Ah…” Chaeyoung lets out a sound of realization. It is indeed true that her mark is pretty obvious, not on usual spots like wrists, torsos or shoulders. She has to do something about it later. For now, she is just going to drink her two cartons of milk and sulk over her first heartbreak.

 

“Hey, can I have one?” Dahyun asks gleefully and Chaeyoung sighs as she hands over one begrudgingly.

 

--

 

High school brings about new challenges, with the college entrance exams looming ahead, but the biggest challenge ahead for Chaeyoung is something entirely different. There is this exceptionally cute classmate of hers, with squishable chubby cheeks and adorable eye smiles that will melt anyone who is in her vicinity, and Kang Mina is her name. Chaeyoung finds herself comparing her and Mina. They are the same age, have the same interests, and most importantly, Mina is really, really cute. Despite her rational side, she finds herself getting excited again, slowly falling bit by bit, even though she doesn’t want to admit it. 

 

What really did her in was when the class went for a field trip to Jeonju. They were the first two up, heading to the bathroom to wash up together. Chaeyoung is just brushing her teeth, when she tilts her gaze a little to look at Mina from the reflection of the mirror. The girl is brushing her teeth with a dazed-out expression, and it takes all of the self-control in Chaeyoung to not pounce on the girl and just squeeze her to death for her cuteness. And that’s the moment that she has to admit she has fallen for Kang Mina.

 

But of course, being the klutz she is, she forgets the most important detail. She didn’t ask Mina about the mark on her, just assuming that it would be her name. That’s how it comes to bite her in the again. 

 

It’s White Day, where they are supposed to give chocolates to people they like, and Chaeyoung already has a box of chocolates in her bag, ready to be given to Mina. But she enters the classroom and sees Mina holding one box of her own, and her heart drops thinking that she’s too late again. Thinking it might still be salvageable, she walks over to her seat, trying to remain nonchalant as she drops her bag onto her chair.

 

“Got some chocolates already?” Chaeyoung tries to maintain her expression and tone.

 

“Nah, I prepared this for someone.” Mina mutters, as if she’s still contemplating if she should give it to the person.

 

“Ooh, who is the lucky person?” Chaeyoung tries to keep the butterflies down in her stomach, tries to keep the anticipation down. 

 

“My soulmate.” Mina mumbles. “Like, I found the person, but you know, you can’t assume anything because there are so many people with the same name out there, right? And also, she acts so nonchalant around me it’s hard to tell if I’m the one she’s marked with too.”

 

“I think you should go for it. Maybe she’s just like you, waiting for someone to take the first step, but you don’t and she doesn’t and both of you are just stuck in the same place, waiting for each other forever.” Chaeyoung blurts out what she feels, hoping that this will lead to a good ending.

 

“I should, right?” Mina asks, looking up from the box of chocolates to look at Chaeyoung, who just nods at her encouragingly. This is it, this is the moment where she and her soulmate acknowledges each other and will live happily ever after.

 

But the door opens, and Sohye from the class next door shuffles in, and Chaeyoung should have known something was not right with how Mina blushes beet red as she makes eye contact with the former. Sohye stops in front of Mina’s desk, and holds out a box to the girl.

 

“Hey, I made this for you, I don’t know if it’s to your tastes or not…” There’s a shy smile on Sohye’s face and Mina accepts it with a similar shy smile. Chaeyoung is just confused at the turn of events now. This shouldn’t be how it goes, Mina should give her chocolates to her and she can then give the chocolates in her bag to her and they will profess their undying love for each other and ride off into the sunset together.

 

But of course, fate always have a way of playing with people, because Mina holds out her box of chocolates to Sohye, whose face immediately lights up in response. The box is in the form of a penguin, and Sohye opens it to see more miniature penguin shaped chocolates in the box.

 

“I know you like penguins, that’s why I bought it for you…” Mina blushes red as she explains and Sohye just nods as she closes the box again. “I love it, thank you.”

 

Everything seems to happen in slow-motion, it’s as if she knows it’s going to happen, but she doesn’t want to admit it.

 

“Sohye-ah,” Mina gathers up her courage to call out, slightly pulling down the collar of her shirt. There’s a black mark slightly below her collarbone and Sohye’s smile just grow wider as she pulls her own shirt sleeve higher to reveal a black mark on her arm. It doesn’t take a genius to realize they have their names on each other because they jump into each other’s embrace at once, and everyone else in the classroom cheers, happy that another pair has found their soulmate. Everyone except Chaeyoung that is, who slumps into her seat at the sight of the two hugging in front of her. She’s wrong, again.

 

She stares at how Sohye, the penguin lover is hugging Mina and she is burning with jealousy that she thinks she might have just gained a slight aversion towards penguins. Even though she is bitter at the turn of events, she has no one to blame but herself for wrongly assuming. And also, there are thoughts on whether she really likes Mina, or if she just likes the idea of being in a relationship with someone called Mina. Was she being too overly obsessed with having to fall in love with a ‘Mina’ that she falls in love with whoever she meets with that name? Are these feelings real or not?

 

Amidst all these conflicting feelings, she can’t help but wonder how it feels when you are finally able to meet your soulmate, the person you are destined to spend the rest of your lives with. Where are they going to meet? When are they going to meet? Are they going to fall in love with each other immediately? Or are they going to have a slow, budding relationship?

 

--

 

“Why am I here again?” Chaeyoung grumbles as she rubs her temples, barely able to keep her eyes open. She had finished her assignment and just gone to sleep barely a few hours ago when Dahyun had woken her up abruptly and before she knew it, she's standing at the entrance of Everland, nursing a throbbing headache and a physical headache in the form of her bouncing friend in front of her.

 

“Well, you said you wanted to go to Everland, so TADAH! Don’t worry, I will treat you today.” Dahyun beams as she hops around in front of Chaeyoung, just making the latter’s headache worst.

 

Dahyun is extremely petrified of heights and thrill rides, so Chaeyoung is not sure what her eccentric friend wants to do at an amusement park, but hey, since they are already here and she is offering to pay, why not right? “Well, then what are we waiting for?” She asks as she makes her way to the ticketing booth, only to be stopped by Dahyun who smiles sheepishly.

 

“We just have to wait a while more…. For Sana…”

 

Chaeyoung finally gets it. “Dude, why the hell are you bringing me along if it’s a date?”

 

‘Sana’ is emblazoned on the back of Dahyun’s neck, while Dahyun’s name is marked on Sana’s torso and they have been dating for a few months now, but Chaeyoung still can’t get used to their cheesy antics even if she is rooming with Dahyun and has full exposure to it every time Sana comes over just to hang out. (And luckily, really, just to hang out.)

 

“Well, it’s like this… Sana’s friend is here for the week and she has to bring her around Seoul, but it’s also our anniversary today so…” Dahyun trails off and Chaeyoung finally gets the full picture.

 

“What, so you want me to babysit her friend?” Chaeyoung asks, voice slightly rising as her anger is rising too.

 

“No, it’s… it’s a double date! Her friend is called Mina.” Dahyun smiles awkwardly and unconvincingly as Chaeyoung just stares emotionlessly at her.

 

“Statistically, 100% of the ‘Mina’s I have met aren’t the one, so chances are, this ‘Mina’ isn’t going to be the one too.” Chaeyoung deadpans. After the first two blunders and the disappointments that came with it, Chaeyoung doesn’t anticipate anything anymore. She has learnt not to hope, not to anticipate, so it won’t hurt even if it’s really not the one. She built a wall around her own feelings and emotions, stowing them away, maybe even giving up on this whole idea of soulmates.

 

“Hey, but if you keep going down, the only way forward is up!” Dahyun, the ever-positive icon, cheers and Chaeyoung has the urge to punch Dahyun’s smiling face in before she leaves.

 

But alas, her window period of escape is over, because she hears Sana before she sees her.

 

“Dahyunie!” Sana calls out as she bounds over to them. She engulfs Dahyun in a hug immediately and Chaeyoung just sighs in defeat as she plops down at the bench behind her, ready to accept her fate.

 

“Oof, hi Sana-chan I miss you too.” Dahyun chuckles as she pats Sana on the back. She sees a girl trailing a few steps behind Sana and smiles at her. “And you must be Mina?”

 

Upon a nod from Mina, Dahyun’s smile grow wider. “Hi, I’m Dahyun, and that midget over there is my friend, Chaeyoung.”

 

Whether this is really the Mina she is destined to be with or not, it’s basic courtesy to greet others, so Chaeyoung nods and musters a small smile towards Mina. The girl is really, really pretty, but Chaeyoung stops herself before she can go there again. She sees an undecipherable look in Mina’s eyes as they make eye contact, but it’s gone before she can even comprehend what it means. Mina smiles and nods at the both of them, voice soft as she greets them. “Nice to meet you guys.”

 

“Alright, let’s go!” Sana loops her arms around Mina’s and they make their way into the amusement park together. Watching her girlfriend and her friend skip ahead, Dahyun offers her arm out to Chaeyoung for her to take.

 

“Let’s do it too, jagiya~” Dahyun says with mock cuteness and Chaeyoung just walks closer and sends a punch straight to the tofu’s stomach before leaving.

 

“Wait… for… me… jagiya…” Dahyun coughs as she hurries to follow after the three of them.

 

--

 

They are at a store in the amusement park, shopping for accessories before they head out to conquer the rides. Sana is persuading Dahyun to buy a headband for her, and Chaeyoung just grimaces at them as she walks around the store, looking at all the products. It’s childish, she thinks, buying all these soft toys and headbands just to use it only once and be stowed away once they get back home. She spots Mina by the section with all the penguins products, trying on all the different penguin headbands. She doesn’t even realize she’s staring until Mina turns around to look at her, and she clears , embarrassed at being caught.

 

“Chaeyoung-ssi, right?” Mina calls out and Chaeyoung nods, walking closer to the former. She points at the grey penguin headband sitting on her head. “It looks good on you.”

 

“Really? Should I get it then?” Mina stares at her and it’s the first time she sees someone with such deep eyes, so deep that Chaeyoung feels like she’s drowning in them every passing second. She looks away.

 

“Yeah, why not?”

 

Mina seems to be satisfied with her answer by the small smile on her face. “Are you not getting one?”

 

“Nah, it’s…” She wants to say ‘childish’, but the girl in front of her is getting one and she is far from childish. (How ironic it is that Chaeyoung finds her pretty cute with the penguin headband on her.) “not my thing.”

 

“Ahhh…” Mina has this small frown on her face, and Chaeyoung is worried she has offended the other girl.

 

“I’m not against it or anything! It’s just my own personal opinion! I think you look really cute in it though!” Chaeyoung verbal vomits, and she blushes beet red when she realizes what she had spurted out. Mina isn’t doing better, head bowed down as she avoids eye contact with her.

 

“Yoohoo guys! Let’s pay!” Dahyun shouts over from the cashier, and Chaeyoung wants to thank her best friend for finally being useful and saving them from the awkward situation they were in.

 

“Er you can go, I’ll just… wait for you guys outside.” Chaeyoung watches as Mina nods and makes her way to Dahyun and Sana, and she hurries out of the store, huffing when she’s out of it. She must be out of her mind, saying such things to a person she just met today for the first time.

 

(But then again, she might not just be a person, she might be the person. Chaeyoung tries to stop herself from going there again. Her having the same name as your mark doesn’t mean she’s your soulmate, get a grip, she chides herself internally.)

 

She fans herself with her hands, hoping that the cold autumn breeze will help to cool her burning cheeks, erratic thoughts and heartbeat down.

 

--

 

The first stop on the list is going to the safari in Everland, and it’s pretty lame because they are just sitting in a bus as it drives past the animals. Chaeyoung remembers going on one of these in one of her school trips, so she doesn’t find it as fascinating as her other friends who is experiencing this for the first time. She remains quiet while Sana and Dahyun make a big fuss over every animal they see.

 

“The animals are cute, right?” Dahyun turns around to address Mina, making sure that their guest is enjoying herself too.

 

“Yeah, it’s the first time I get to see them so close.” Mina says with a small smile while Chaeyoung just rolls her eyes at Dahyun’s enthusiasm. Being able to sleep in on a Saturday is cuter, she grumbles in her head as Dahyun turns back to focus on Sana.

 

“You don’t like animals?” Mina asks in a voice so quiet that Chaeyoung almost didn’t hear it, but she shakes her head.

 

“I do but I think I’m just too tired to appreciate them. It’s pretty early for a Saturday.” Chaeyoung stifles a yawn as she explains, not wanting her new friend to think of her as aloof or unapproachable.

 

“Yeah, we did come out a little early.” Mina agrees and Chaeyoung is thankful that the former feels the same.

 

The bus stops in the giraffe area, and the guide hands out sticks of carrots to them so they can feed the giraffes. Now this is something new that she has not tried before when she came here the last time, so it has perked the interest of Chaeyoung, who accepts the handful of carrots from the guide. The giraffes seem to know as they start to crowd around the bus, going as far as sticking their heads into the bus to eat the carrots. Chaeyoung runs out of carrots quickly, the giraffes inhaling all of it in seconds. The giraffe continues to stick its head in front of Chaeyoung, expecting more carrots.

 

“I don’t have any left, please go!” Chaeyoung whines as she leans away from the window and towards Mina, almost hiding in the girl’s embrace.

 

Mina just laughs as she feeds her last carrot to the giraffe that is terrorizing Chaeyoung, before waving her empty hands to the giraffe as if telling the animal that she has none left. Amazingly, the giraffe seems to get the hint as it removes its head from the bus. They restart the engine of the bus, and the giraffes move away from the sound, allowing the bus to pull away to the next stop. With the giraffes behind them, Chaeyoung heaves a sigh of relief as she leans back into her seat, embarrassed at herself.

 

“Sorry about that, the giraffe was just too close.” She apologizes to Mina for invading into her personal space, but the latter doesn’t seem to mind, just shaking her head with a small smile. “It’s fine, I would have been scared if I was sitting in your seat too.”

 

“Or maybe you are just a wimp.” Dahyun turns around to tease Chaeyoung, who immediately lifts a fist, showing that she’s not afraid to send it straight to her face.

 

“Yah, look at her Sana-chan!” Dahyun tells her girlfriend, expecting the latter to side with her. However, Sana just shakes her head and ignores them, already accustomed to the childish behaviours of her girlfriend and her best friend.

 

Dahyun just glares at Chaeyoung. “But seriously, why are you scared of animals when you are the king of the jungle?”

 

“A lion is a king of the jungle.” Chaeyoung deadpans at her friend’s lack of knowledge. “And I only look like a tiger, I’m not really a tiger, if you don’t already know.”

 

“Yah do you really want to fight, huh?! Let’s go, man, let’s go!” Dahyun says with gusto as she starts to roll up her jacket sleeves, unable to accept her defeat.

 

“Knock it off kids,” Sana just sighs, it’s times like this when she wonders if the heavens made a mistake, why is she stuck with someone so childish?

 

“But Chaeyoung really does look like a tiger.” Mina says, gaining the attention of the bickering best friends. Chaeyoung turns to look at her, and the girl is just blatantly staring at her. She must have been scrutinizing her for a while to come to that conclusion, and Chaeyoung averts her gaze as she shifts uncomfortably in her seat, suddenly being extremely self-conscious.

 

Mina’s eyes only shift away from her when Dahyun starts talking again. “Right?! She looks like a baby tiger!”

 

“Yeah, her snuggle tooth really makes her look like one.” Mina agrees as her gaze falls on Chaeyoung again, and the younger girl tries not to combust at the attention she’s receiving.

 

“Shut up, eagle.” Thankfully, Chaeyoung doesn’t stutter as she says it out.

 

“I think she looks more like a cat with her mono lid eyes.” Sana says as she stares at Dahyun, the two immediately having an intense staring battle which leads to Sana leaning in to kiss Dahyun on the lips. Dahyun just giggles as Sana pulls away, satisfied with the kiss while Chaeyoung just rolls her eyes, used to the display of affection between the two. Mina isn’t doing so well, looking down at her lap with her cheeks all red.

 

Chaeyoung clears , reminding the couple in front of them that they are still there. “What about you, Mina? What animal do you think you look like?”

 

“Minaring definitely looks like a penguin! She walks like a penguin.” Sana cuts in, excited to be talking about her friend.

 

“Really?” Chaeyoung asks.

 

“Oh no that won’t do, Chaeyoung doesn’t like penguins!” Dahyun says seriously, and Chaeyoung just wants her to shut her trap already.

 

“Why not?” Mina turns to ask Chaeyoung with a slight pout on her face, and the latter is instantly flustered by the act of cuteness. “Dahyun is just exaggerating. It’s not that I don’t like them, they just remind me of something I would rather not remember.”

 

Before she can probe further, the bus pulls up at the terminal stop, and Chaeyoung heaves a sigh of relief as they focus on leaving the bus, seemingly having forgotten about the conversation they were having already.

 

However, she realizes that isn’t the case when they walk around the zoo, reaching the penguin section. There are a few dozen penguins in the enclosure, some swimming, some waddling around and some just sleeping on the ice. Chaeyoung has to admit that they are pretty darn cute, despite her bad memory with them.

 

“How can you hate on something that is so cute?” Mina sulks a little as she looks at the penguins, obviously still affected by her words on the bus. Chaeyoung looks at the penguin headband on her head and judging from her sulky attitude, she guesses that Mina probably likes penguins and she must be really offended by her lack of love for penguins. (How cute.)

 

“I don’t hate them, I’m just reminded of the bad memories I had with them whenever I see them.” Chaeyoung chuckles as she tries to placate the girl.

 

“What bad memories?” Mina enquires and Chaeyoung freezes, not knowing whether to say or not. Seeing her hesitation, Mina visibly deflates. “It’s okay if you don’t want to tell me…”

 

Chaeyoung really doesn’t want to talk about it and unintentionally reveal her soulmate’s name, but she hates to see Mina upset even more. She chooses her words carefully. “Well… there’s this girl who I thought was my soulmate, and I was about to confess when she got together with her real soulmate who happened to love penguins. After that incident, I’m just reminded of her every time I see penguins.”

 

“I’m so sorry to hear about that…” Mina mumbles and Chaeyoung just waves her off. It’s been so long since that incident, and to be honest, she doesn’t even dislike penguins that much anymore. “It’s fine, it’s been really long. I’m not even that affected anymore.”

 

“But I’m determined to replace that bad memory with a good one for you today!” Mina says with passion in her eyes. She points at the few penguins who are waddling around. “Look at how cute they are, waddling around the place!”

 

She even goes as far as imitating them, which causes Chaeyoung to burst out in laughter. She finds it hard to disagree with Mina, because the penguins are really pretty cute, and the penguin ambassador in front of her is also very cute, as much as she doesn’t want to admit it. “Yeah, they are pretty cute alright.” (But you are cuter.)

 

--

 

“So, you haven’t told me about how you guys met.” Mina asks teasingly as they sit in a café, taking a break after all the walking.

 

“Well, there was a day Dahyun went around in school with her hair tied up in a bun and I saw the mark on the back of her neck, so I just went up to her and everything is just history.” Sana grins like the Cheshire cat as she entwines her fingers with Dahyun’s, who has a proud smile on her face.

 

 “First of all, you did not just ‘go up to her’. You literally pounced on her and ate her face out before saying, “Hi, I’m Sana.”” Chaeyoung coughs on her drink at the lies Sana is sprouting. She was there with Dahyun that day when they met, and trust her when she says that she won’t be able to forget that traumatic scene for as long as she lives. “Like seriously, have you thought about how awkward that will be if this ‘Kim Dahyun’ isn’t your Dahyun?”

 

“The mark on her is ‘Sana’ and I’m Sana, what else can go wrong?” Sana says confidently.

 

“Exactly! The point of the mark is to show it off so that your soulmate can find you easily! Look at how easy it was for us to find each other!” Dahyun shows off as she loops her arm around Sana. “You should do it too, stop being embarrassed of it.” She adds as she flicks at Chaeyoung’s bobbed hair, causing it to lift up a bit to reveal a dark patch just below her left ear.

 

Chaeyoung’s hands immediately fly up to cover it, instantly kicking Dahyun under the table. She would be fine with showing it if there isn’t someone with the exact same name sitting beside her, and what makes her even angrier is Dahyun exposing her when she knows fully well what name lies underneath her hair and below her ear, but still choosing to pull that stunt. Thankfully, it seems that Mina didn’t manage to see the name, just alternating curious looks at Chaeyoung and Dahyun who is yelling in pain as she clutches her leg.

 

Knowing Chaeyoung is sensitive when it comes to conversations about soulmates, Sana doesn’t side with Dahyun this time, slapping her girlfriend on the arm disapprovingly. She diverts the topic to Mina. “What about you and Rosé? You guys look really cute together in the photos you sent me.”

 

Chaeyoung finds her heart falling. So this Mina is marked with Rosé? Of course, why does she expect anything else, she sighs internally as she steels up the defence around her heart again.

 

“We broke up. She found her real soulmate.” Mina says as she plays with her straw and Sana reaches out to pat Mina’s hand.

 

“It’s okay, she wasn’t marked with your name anyway, she’s not the one.” Sana tries to comfort her friend. “You just need to wait.”

 

“Yeah… I just hope she comes soon.” Mina says of her soulmate and she sees Chaeyoung sulking from the corner of her eyes.

 

--

 

“Dude, I’m serious!” Dahyun emphasizes as she follows Chaeyoung back into their dorm room, hot on the heels of the shorter girl. Chaeyoung throws her bag on the floor and plops down on her bed, relieved that the day is finally over, but annoyed that her roommate is still blabbering on nonstop ever since they bid goodbye to Sana and Mina.

 

“I swear she was totally looking at you while talking about her soulmate! It’s definitely her I’m 100% sure!” Dahyun says as she paces around the room, trying to analyse this whole situation.

 

“Yah, she was dating a Rosé. As far as I know, I only have a Korean name and that is ‘Son Chaeyoung’. Stop overthinking things and just shut up.” Chaeyoung grumbles as she lies face down on her bed.

 

“No, I’m pretty sure she’s the one and we are missing a very big piece of the puzzle here!” Dahyun is still buzzing with energy, and this energy is likely to be maintained until she is able to solve this problem. (And Chaeyoung doesn’t understand why she is so concerned with this whole thing when it’s her soulmate and her love life. But then again, all her friends are nosy parkers who care too much about her for their own good.)

 

--

 

It only takes Kim Dahyun a day to spread the message to the whole village, because by Monday lunch, Jeongyeon appears at their table unannounced, draping an arm around Chaeyoung. “So I heard you met another Mina?”

 

Chaeyoung groans as she glares at Dahyun, who just shrugs nonchalantly. “And that concerns you because…?”

 

“Because as your friend, I care about your wellbeing and I want the best for you which means that I want to help you find your soulmate to enrich your boring and single as f life.” Jeongyeon speaks so eloquently that Chaeyoung thinks she should be a linguistics or literature major instead of a business major. But then again, a business major is supposed to have a glib tongue too.

 

“My life will be very enriched if you guys will just stop meddling in my affairs, thank you very much.” Chaeyoung retorts as she pushes Jeongyeon’s arm off her shoulders.  

 

Seeing how she is not going to get anything from Chaeyoung, Jeongyeon turns to look at Dahyun instead. “So how was she like?”

 

“Quiet, but pretty.” Dahyun mutters as she chews loudly on her food, which earns a grimace from Jeongyeon who leans further away. “Okay, but do you like her?”

 

Dahyun’s jaws drop in shock. “Sana is my soulmate and I am very happily in love with her! What are you talking about?!”

 

Jeongyeon just rolls her eyes and hits Dahyun on the forehead. “Not that way, you idiot! Like, do you like her as a person? Do you think she’s a nice person? Do you think she’s good for our Chaeyoungie over here?”

 

“Oh.” Dahyun lets out an embarrassed chuckle. “She is pretty nice alright. I think the two of them look really cute together too.”

 

“Wha-“ Chaeyoung is unable to keep quiet anymore at Dahyun’s exaggeration just based on one damn look Mina apparently gave her (and she was pretty sure Mina didn’t). “That’s such a stretch! Stop saying ridiculous stuff!”

 

“I’m not!” Dahyun huffs at being accused and just pulls out her phone, searching for the photos they took together last Saturday. She clicks on one and shows it to Jeongyeon. “See for yourself!”

 

Jeongyeon takes the phone from Dahyun and scrutinizes the photo. She whistles as she zooms in on the photo to take a closer look. “She’s a looker, alright. You got yourself a good one, Chaeng.”

 

“Is that her?” Someone asks from behind Jeongyeon, and the girl nearly falls off her chair in shock.

 

“Jesus!” Jeongyeon exclaims as she turns around to see Nayeon, who just takes the phone from the former, scrutinizing the girl in the photo carefully. She pushes Jeongyeon further into her chair and settles herself on the girl’s lap.

 

“Yah, you are very heavy.” Jeongyeon grunts, but wraps her arms around her girlfriend’s waist instinctively.

 

Nayeon doesn’t even care as she just proceeds to bombard Dahyun with questions. “Where is she from? How old is she? What is she studying now?”

 

“How would I know?” Dahyun blinks bewilderedly, wondering why she’s the one in the hot seat when it’s Chaeyoung’s soon-to-be girlfriend.

 

“Because she’s the friend of your girlfriend and you have the liability to find out more so we can know if she’s the one.” Nayeon answers as she passes Dahyun her phone before turning around to peck Jeongyeon on the cheek.

 

“Sana is going to take it the wrong way if I’m asking her so much questions about her friend!” Dahyun grimaces at the thought of it. Her girlfriend still gets jealous occasionally even when the marks on each other tells them that they are the one for each other. It’s totally uncalled for, but it still makes Dahyun feel good that Sana likes and cares about her so much to get jealous irrationally.

 

“Ah, that’s the biggest weakness of my snake sister.” Nayeon sighs dramatically. “Well, I guess I will just have to do it myself then.”

 

“No!” Chaeyoung immediately huffs out, knowing that there is going to be no discretion when Nayeon gets involved. The girl doesn’t know how to keep a secret for nuts, she’s bound to let something slip when talking to Sana about it. “Can you guys just let it rest already?”

 

“It’s okay dear,” Nayeon coos as she pats Chaeyoung on the head. “Mama knows best, you just have to trust Mama. Mama will make sure to find everything out.”

 

Chaeyoung just groans as she slumps on the table. So much for nosy friends.

 

--

 

It doesn’t take long for her to meet Mina again, and this time without any help from her nosy friends. Chaeyoung is making her way back to her dorm room when she sees her new neighbour struggling with her boxes. The landlord did mention that there will be a new student moving into the room across from them, but she didn’t expect to meet her so soon. She closes the distance between them, walking up to her.

 

“Do you need help?” Chaeyoung asks, but is utterly shocked when the new neighbour lifts up her head, her hair no longer blocking her face. “Mi-Mina! What- You- You are the new tenant?”

 

“Yeah,” Mina smiles sheepishly as she stands up, huffing from the exhaustion of moving in. “What a coincidence.”

 

Something tells Chaeyoung this is not a coincidence, but she brushes it off. “Oh, yeah. Dahyun and I stay in this room,” she points at the door opposite Mina’s, “feel free to call on us if you need help with anything.”

 

“Sure.” Mina smiles as she wipes the sweat off her forehead while sweeping some loose hair out of her face. Chaeyoung swallows, suddenly very aware of her patched throat.

 

“Erm, let me just, put down my stuff before helping you with those.” She waits for an agreement from Mina before she darts back into her room, slapping herself on the cheeks when she is in the safety and privacy of her room. Get it together, Son Chaeyoung. She’s not the one.

 

--

 

“Yep, I think that’s all of them…” Mina says to Chaeyoung as the girl comes in through the door with the last box, and the latter grunts as she puts it down on the floor, relieved to finally be done with the moving.

 

She looks around at the boxes littered on the floor, and she blinks at how many there are. It’s as if three people moved in instead of one, but it’s understandable since Mina moved here from a foreign country. “That is, a lot of stuff.” She comments as she fans herself using her shirt, her sweat dripping from all the exertion.

 

“Yeah, I had to bring over a lot of my stuff from Japan.” Mina says as she hands a tissue and a bottle of isotonic drink to Chaeyoung.

 

Chaeyoung thanks her for the items, immediately using them. But there’s something she still doesn’t get. Why is Mina her new neighbour? “So, why did you move here? You didn’t mention anything about moving here the other time.”

 

“Yeah, it was an impromptu decision. I really liked it here during the one-week vacation I had, so I thought to myself that I have to study here so I can stay here longer.” Mina says as she moves closer to Chaeyoung, taking off a piece of tissue that was stuck on her chin when she wiped herself.

 

“Er, thanks…” Chaeyoung mumbles as she feels herself heating up. She rubs her chin, wanting to remove any other residue that could possibly be stuck.

 

“You are welcome…” Mina seems to be just as flustered as her, ducking her head to hide her face with her hair.

 

“So… I think I will just leave you to unpack?” Chaeyoung mutters as she runs her fingers through her short locks, her habit whenever she’s nervous.

 

“Okay…” Mina agrees and Chaeyoung is almost out of the door when the girl calls out again. “Wait!”

 

“Do you, maybe want to grab dinner? I want to properly thank you for your help.” Mina asks with her head still down, and Chaeyoung already knows she can’t say no to this girl. Not now, not in the future.

 

“You don’t have to thank me… But dinner would be great. Meet you downstairs at seven?”

 

--

 

Myoui Mina, is by far, the most confusing one Chaeyoung has ever met. As her school guide, Bang Minah was caring and thoughtful, but not to the extent of giving her small food packs to cheer her up as she rushes to complete an assignment, not to the extent of cutting her food for her whenever they eat together, and certainly not to the extent of sending her goodnight texts every night without fail. And although she spent a lot of time with Kang Mina in high school, the girl certainly did not stare at her with those alluring eyes that seems to scream “kiss me!!” every time their eyes meet, and she certainly does not catch Kang Mina staring at her lips whenever she thinks she’s not looking, only to feign nonchalance when caught.

It is very confusing, and not to mention, very annoying. It’s annoying how pretty Myoui Mina is, how she can make Chaeyoung fall for her over and over again by just smiling at her. It’s annoying how her heart fluttering actions make Chaeyoung think they might actually have a chance together, and the most annoying thing is knowing that Mina is not branded with her name on her body. Myoui Mina is everything a person could ask for in a partner, but she lacked one very important thing. Chaeyoung’s name, branded on her body. But like the idiot she is, she still goes out with Mina whenever she asks, still indulges the girl’s every whim despite knowing that she will get hurt in the end.

 

That is how she finds herself cuddling with Mina in the latter’s room, watching a cliché chick flick she has absolutely no interest in. Her gaze is on the screen, but all she can think about is how warm Mina feels pressed up against her. She looks at Mina who’s snuggled into her side while hugging her arm and it kills her to know that this girl isn’t her soulmate, because she should be. It feels so right, there’s no way Mina isn’t the one…

 

Mina must have felt her gaze on her, because she too turns to look at Chaeyoung, the two having a very intense eye contact battle. It’s there again, Mina’s alluring eyes that are tempting her to kiss her, and Chaeyoung quickly averts her eyes, afraid that she might really do it now that they are alone in this enclosed space.

 

“Stop looking at me like that.” Chaeyoung gulps as she focuses back at the screen.

 

“Like what?” Mina’s voice is slightly hoarse from the lack of use, and it only makes Chaeyoung want to kiss her more. Chaeyoung sighs in exasperation as she looks at the girl in her arms, wondering if the girl knows what she’s actually doing to her, but all she does is fall into those hypnotizing eyes again. And this time, she doesn’t hold back.

 

She pulls Mina closer by the nape and crashes their lips together, pouring all her emotions into the kiss. She doesn’t even care if Mina doesn’t want to acknowledge her anymore after this, she will just live selfishly today and bear the consequences tomorrow. But to her surprise, Mina begins to move against her lips, kissing her back with the same fervour. They separate, and Chaeyoung just looks at how dishevelled Mina looks against her, lips swollen and dazed look on her face. She must look the same, but she recovers from the euphoria of their kiss first, wanting to set things straight, wanting to at least say her piece before she gets rejected.

 

“I know you don’t have my name, but I really like you. Do you want to try going out with me? We can try to make this work.” Chaeyoung knows that she’s being selfish, that there is a huge possibility that they will mess up when they are not each other’s soulmates, but she just wants to try, even if it means they will not last, even if it means that she will have to suffer the heartache when Mina’s real soulmate comes along.

 

Mina doesn’t reject her like in her expectation, but her reply is also the last thing Chaeyoung is expecting. “Why do you think I’m not marked with yours?”

 

Mina starts to her shirt, and Chaeyoung immediately yelps as she brings her hands to her eyes. “What are you doing!”

 

The Japanese girl doesn’t undo it all the way, just the first three buttons so she can tug the shirt off her shoulders. “Look at it.”

 

Chaeyoung peeks through her fingers upon the request, seeing the blackened patch on Mina’s right shoulder blade. It’s her name in a cursive font, and Chaeyoung can only gasps as she runs her fingers across it, unable to believe her eyes. “How… But… I thought you dated a ‘Rosé’?”

 

Mina turns back to look at her, flabbergasted. “Is that why- Oh God!” She exclaims as she face palms while Chaeyoung just looks at the girl, still confused and reeling from the turn of events.

 

“Park Chaeyoung. Rosé’s Korean name is Park Chaeyoung, you idiot.” Mina explains exasperatedly. She had been hitting on Chaeyoung for ages, and she thought that the reason the girl had not been unresponsive to her approaches was because it wasn’t obvious enough, or that the girl was just dense, but it turns out, she didn’t make a move because of this?!

 

“Oh.” So this was the missing part of the puzzle Dahyun was talking about, Chaeyoung muses. “But hey in my defence, you have never cleared that up.”

 

Mina shifts so close she’s almost sitting on Chaeyoung’s lap, the latter instantly freezing up as Mina loops her arms around her neck. “So now that we have, what are you going to do?”

 

“Er, be mine?” Chaeyoung is not sure if she even has to ask when they already have the marks to answer for them.

 

“Thought you would never ask.”

 

(“How do you know I’m marked with yours though?” Chaeyoung has gone to great lengths to make sure her mark is hidden by her bobbed hairstyle, so there is no way Mina has seen it.

 

“I saw it that one time when I went over and you were sleeping.” Mina confesses and Chaeyoung finds the shy expression on the girl cute until she registers her words. “Wait… You knew and you didn’t say anything?!”

 

“Well, I can’t confess!” It’s true, because they are just talking about it but Mina is already flushed red with embarrassment.

 

“So you basically… lured me to confess first?” Chaeyoung lets out a sigh of astonishment as she leans back, putting some distance between her and Mina. She has to be careful of her, who knows what Mina might tempt her into doing next. (Although you can’t really say it’s ‘tempting’ if she is happy to do it willingly.)

 

“I’m sorry…” Mina leans in, placing a chaste kiss on Chaeyoung’s mark, and the latter instantly shivers. She still needs some time to get used to this type of skin ship. “Does this make it better?”

 

“Maybe I will feel better if you do it here.” Chaeyoung points at her lips which she is already jutting out, and Mina just chuckles before acceding to her request. Chaeyoung hums in contentment as Mina pulls away. “I think another one will make me feel even better.”

 

“Kiss monster.” Despite her complain, Mina still pecks Chaeyoung, the smile on her face betraying her.

 

The younger girl just swoops in to steal another kiss again, smiling triumphantly. “Your little kiss monster.”)

--

a/n: me likey :)))))))))))))))

more from this au??