The bartender returns only a moment later with their drinks, but neither grab for them. Both seem to be too shocked at what’s just transpired to even think of moving. Their faces are stuck in identical expressions of surprise, their eyes wide and their mouths hanging open.

“Hyung!"

The brunette stranger turns at the voice, grabbing for the beers on the counter and moving away.

“I’ve gotta go,” he says, his voice barely audible over the dance music. This pulls Changkyun out of his daze, and he quickly moves to say something, to beg him not to go, but the man stops him. “I’ll be back here this weekend, if you want to meet up. We should… talk, I guess.”

“Okay!” Changkyun replies immediately, having to fight back a wince at how excited he sounds.

Despite his remaining surprise, the stranger smiles a little at the boy’s reaction, and then disappears into the crowd. Changkyun watches him as he goes, the most delighted and relieved of grins spreading across his face. He leans against the bar to catch his breath, his heart racing at how much his life has just changed for the better.

 

Kihyun excuses himself almost immediately after returning to the table. Hyungwon had come to find him, thinking the errand to be taking longer than usual… The younger had been very surprised indeed to find his hyung practically sprinting back to them.

“Did something happen?” Hyungwon asks curiously, glancing back to the bar as if it held the answers for Kihyun’s want to skip out early. Kihyun pauses amidst grabbing his things, his lips pursing together.

“I just… I need to think,” Kihyun answers mysteriously, and then leaves without another word. Hyungwon frowns after him, and glances over at hyunwoo as if he had an idea for the sudden mood-shift. The older merely shrugs, telling him he’s as lost as his dongsaeng.

 

The photography student hunches his shoulders forward to brace against the chilly wind blowing towards him. He grabs the openings of his coat and pulls them together, crossing his arms in the process.

His head swims with all that’s just happened, as if he’s had about five more drinks than the zero he’s had. He glances down at his wrist, and sees his words are now just pale etchings on his skin.

A man, Kihyun thinks, chewing on his lower lip. I mean… I never thought before that I was gay. I also haven’t found any girls to my liking before, but my mom and I always just said I was picky… The man sighs loudly into the night, quickening his pace as he just wants to get home.

This is crazy, he thinks defiantly. I have plenty of hot guy friends, but have never been attracted to them before. So, doesn’t that mean I’m not gay? Maybe this is some sort of singular-same--attraction kind of thing? Is that even possible? Maybe the words are wrong… Has that ever happened before?

Kihyun in an annoyed breath, and pushes such thoughts away for another time. For now, he just has to get home, and probably drink… No, scratch that. He needs to get home and most definitely drink.

 

Changkyun slumps into the booth beside his roommate, frowning a bit. He slides over the beers, not much in the mood now for one. Jooheon glances over, noticing immediately the difference in mood.

“What’s wrong, Kyunnie?” Jooheon asks, his own expression mirroring his friend’s. Changkyun sighs heavily, his shoulders rising and falling slowly.

“I just met my soulmate… I think.” Jooheon gasps sharply, and snatches Changkyun closer to examine his hip. It’s typically pretty taboo for someone to know where your words are like that, but Changkyun’s known Jooheon for years. If he couldn’t trust the older with them, then who could he trust?

Jooheon’s second gasp in five seconds tells him what he already knows, that his words have turned that tell-tale white they only turn when they’ve been spoken. Changkyun groans loudly in displeasure, and hides his face behind his hands.

“Well? Where is he? I have to meet him!”

“He ran off,” the younger explains, staring up at the ceiling in dismay. “I shouldn’t have worn this, maybe if he’d have seen me in something different he wouldn’t have run off… Maybe if—”

“Aish,” Jooheon sighs, shaking his head at his dongsaeng. “From what your words said, he wasn’t exactly ready for this to happen, either. He’s probably just freaking out because he’s just realized he’s gay. If you just give him a couple days, I’m sure he’ll come around.” He reaches forward to grab a beer, and downs half of it in a single gulp. “Not as if he has a choice,” he adds jokingly, chuckling to himself under his breath.

Changkyun laughs along, though he isn’t that amused. His heart pangs in guilt, though he knows it isn’t his fault. He doesn’t want the other man to feel forced to be with him… But, then again, if he doesn’t come around they’re gonna die alone. Literally.

There’s stories about people shunning their soul mates, Changkyun muses silently as he watches his hyung drain the first bottle completely. They have small communities everywhere… They manage to find happiness with others, even if they didn’t manage to make it work with their destined loves…

But, I don’t want that. I want to make it work with him… whoever he is. He’s cute, and seems like a decent-enough person, I think. I don’t want to move off to find some niche society to work for happiness! I want to be with who I’m meant to be with!!

“I’m going home, hyung,” he mutters, sliding out of the booth quickly. “I don’t feel so well…” Jooheon puffs out a sympathetic breath, and grabs the younger’s elbow.

“It’ll work out, Kyunnie,” he tells his dongsaeng, giving him an encouraging smile. “He’d be stupid not to fall for you, really.” Changkyun chuckles, grinning gratefully at his hyung. He gives a small nod, and then turns on his heel to leave.

 

He gets home not too long after, and throws himself onto his bed with a subdued breath. He stares up wistfully at the ceiling, his fingers ghosting over his own words as he hopes and prays his hyung is right.