It’s midterms week, and Joohyun tries not to notice the disappointment gnawing at her when she discovers that no markings appear on her hands. She tries to focus on studying for cumulative exams and finishing up her papers instead. When that doesn’t work, Joohyun tries watching dramas, cooking food, and even working out to get her mind off of the marks. But nothing works, the marks are almost all she can think about.

When Seungwan suggested that they both go off campus to one of many of Seoul’s small coffee shops to study together, Joohyun was more than willing to go, thinking perhaps this was a good way to get her mind off things. One car ride filled with singing later, and Joohyun was happily nursing the iced lavender latte she’d purchased a few moments prior.

They were lucky enough to snag a spot in one of the booths set against the large front windows of the café, where Joohyun can easily look out onto the bustling streets of the city. Compared to her small hometown in Daegu, Seoul roared with life. Despite the fact that this was her third year living amongst the towering skyscrapers of the city, Joohyun wasn’t sure if she’d ever get used to the sound or the sheer amount of people who walked the streets. She loved it, though. She’d always dreamt about leaving and moving to the city.

Seungwan catches Joohyun studying the unblemished skin of her hands after she gets back from picking up her own drink. She can’t help but notice the obvious distraught expression on her friend’s face. “How long has it been since they left a mark?” She asks before she takes a sip of her steaming mocha. Joohyun winces at the question, Was she really that obvious? She lets her pen drop out of her cramping hand and runs a hand through her long, black hair.

“At least a week,” she breathes out, frowning down at her lap. Truthfully, Joohyun was a little worried about it. Usually the drawings would pick back up after a day or two of nothing, but not this time. “Hey, don’t worry about it. They’ve probably got midterms to worry about, too. They might be too busy to leave you a drawing,” Seungwan says, doing her best to reassure the older woman. Joohyun watches a couple holding hands walk by on the sidewalk, and she finds loneliness tugging at her heartstrings.

After a beat, Joohyun tilts her head up in agreement. That must be it, she thinks to herself, they’d mark as soon as they could, right? When she picks up her pen again, Seungwan asks, “Have you said anything back to them yet?” Joohyun’s eyes widen in shock, and it’s all Seungwan needs to know that the older woman hadn’t. “Oh my god.” Joohyun hastily scribbles out a note on the back of her hand while Seungwan looks on, hardly keeping hold of the laughter threatening to burst out of .

“I must be the worst soulmate on the face of this god forsaken planet,” Joohyun mutters to herself. Seungwan silently agrees, it had been two months since she and Joohyun met, and she’d never witnessed the older woman making her own mark in response to the elegant designs left for her. After Joohyun finishes writing, she buries her face into her hands in embarrassment, and Seungwan leans forward, squinting.

“After two months of them giving you beautiful markings, all you’re going to say to them is, ‘Good luck with your midterms?’” Joohyun rips her hands away from her face a millisecond later, looking at her friend with reproachful eyes. She shoves her hands in her pockets and puffs out her cheeks. “Yah! That’s a private message! For their eyes only!” Seungwan scoffs at her friend’s behavior and rolls her eyes. Sometimes the older woman could be shockingly childish. They turn back to their pressing assignments and Seungwan murmurs, “Okay, whatever you say, unnie.”

                                                            ****

Sooyoung smacks her on the shoulder a little harder than usual during one of their study sessions, and Seulgi is about to hiss a string of curses at her when she follows the younger woman’s pointed finger to the back of her left hand. Seulgi feels her heart skip a beat at the appearing letters. Good luck with your midterms! The letters are spelled out in muted pink ink. Seulgi notes that the handwriting is smaller than her own, but they’re beautiful in their own way. “Unnie…,” Sooyoung whispers, she nervously meets Seulgi’s wide-eyed gaze, “Is that what I think it is?”

A millisecond later, and Sooyoung’s on the phone with Yeri, speaking with hushed tones of excitement. Seulgi, on the other hand, barely hears her frantic squeals, the only thing she’s focused on are the small letters splayed out on her hand. Finally, she thinks to herself. She’d almost given up hope on her soulmate, almost let herself think that perhaps she didn’t have one. Yeri, however, was the reason why she hadn’t lost hope.

 The youngest woman was a firm believer in the truth of the soul mark, nothing seemed t