You had often heard of it.

That feeling you would be consumed with as soon as you crossed paths with your soulmate. The undeniable urge to be at their side forever, travelling through life making memories and a family of your own, raising your children to dream of their own destined partner. You had craved to experience it for most of your life.

You had waited to meet your soulmate for so long now that you wondered if there was something wrong though. It was said that everyone would meet their partner before twenty-five, that way there would be plenty of time to finish tertiary schooling and get a job before moving onto a life full of love, marriage and stability. Society had been designed to follow this path for everyone and it was almost a perfect execution.

There were small nuances that society couldn’t control though, such as when a soulmate died before their partner could meet or when they had been born later than expected. Generally, even with slight age differences, by twenty-five most people had crossed paths once with their destiny.

But you were twenty-six already and had been for some time. Your twenty-seventh birthday was coming and you were panicked. Were they a few years behind you in age and you had just gotten unlucky and had to wait? That wouldn’t be so bad as long as they turned up. Was it worse than that; had your soulmate died? You didn’t want to consider being one of the minority – those who had no one to live their lives out with naturally. Could you still find someone if that was the case? Another minority who would match you as close as a soulmate could?

You knew of someone. You had known him your whole life, actually. And as much as you loved Mark with every fibre of your being, you knew that came from growing up together, from being best friends for so long. He knew everything there was to you, and the same could be said back. You couldn’t go a single day without Mark.

But he wasn’t your soulmate.

Sometimes, you wished he was. That you would just wake up and realise you had somehow missed the sign. That the two of you, who had shared your first kiss as teens just to see what it felt like when your friends started bragging about kissing their soulmates in school, had been so close that love was naturally something you had felt your whole life.

You knew better, you both did. No matter how much you wished and dreamed of a life of growing old with Mark, the sensation you craved wasn’t there. His soul wasn’t cut out of the same piece of destiny as yours was. For some time after turning twenty-five, you tried to tell yourself that if your soulmate didn’t arrive, and Mark was still single then you would just marry him instead. It would be frowned upon but it would be better than being alone and waiting to be assigned to someone if you made it to thirty alone. You didn’t want that kind of humiliation to be bestowed upon you and your family. You could see children with ease with Mark and he held a stable office job that would keep you both set up for life. A quaint home and maybe a dog would complete the setup. It was such an easily imagined dream that you could almost reach out for it every time you fantasised about it.

“We can’t,” Mark told you sadly every time your frustrations got the better of you. “We don’t know about our soulmates yet. What if we marry and then they turn up, do you want to become a divorcee?”

“It would be better than being alone,” you muttered and Mark took you in his arms, humming softly as he tried to settle you both down. You knew all too well he wanted this dream as well.

“I’m not your destiny, Y/N.”

“I want you to be,” you admitted and Mark buried into you, holding on tight.

“I want it too.”

Twenty-seven hit and twenty-eight loomed. You were sick of the rumours that you would be assigned to someone else and that your parents must have done something wrong in a past life to have such an ill-fated daughter. It broke you to see their saddened faces every time you returned from social outings without the tell-tale smile of love that most people couldn’t hide when they met their soulmate.

The small thing that got you through was that you weren’t alone, Mark still hadn’t met his soulmate either.

“Are you still waiting for your destiny?” you asked him one afternoon whilst out taking a walk together for exercise. He glanced at you and sighed.

“Not again, Y/N. Just let things travel how it should.”

“I want you though,” you whined and he laughed. “I want it all with you.”

“Everything?” he asked, raising an eyebrow up whilst he grinned down at you. “Your imagination is rather creative too I bet.”

You blushed, knowing full well he was thinking about you as much as you did him some days. He nudged you and you flinched, his laughter filling the otherwise silent scenic path of the forest.

“You’re dangerous.”

“No more than you are,” he refuted, turning to spin in the path to face you, walking backwards. “The amount of times I’ve almost given everything up for you, I’ve lost count.”

“Can’t you?”

Mark sighed and didn’t answer, turning to fall back into step with you.

“Help us!” a voice cried up ahead all of a sudden and with a quick exchange of a look, you both raced towards the noise, rocking back on your heels when you realised someone was injured. Mark took a sharp breath in before he lurched forward, rushing towards the woman laying on the ground bleeding from what looked like a fall from climbing the cliff face beside you. For some reason, you couldn’t get your limbs to move fast enough. Unlike the way Mark flew to her side, you felt like lead, watching on, disconnected.

Your eyes soaked it all in as if it were another world, Mark’s urgent instructions stabbing at your heart the longer they continued. You wanted to feel concern. You wanted to not be selfish.

But you could tell instantly that Mark had just found his soulmate and she was dying right before him.

You somehow managed to follow them to the hospital, and now stood in the room after the doctors had done their best to stabilise the woman. You knew you should have left but Mark begged you to stay to support him. You weren’t sure how supportive you could be when your own heart was crushed watching him grip at Oh Sera’s hand, who had been a stranger only mere hours beforehand.

Of course, you were jealous. But not in the way you had expected. You had always joked about it, that you would be so envious when the other found their soulmate first. That you would crave yours even more if that would ever occur. But now as you watched how your best friend rested his forehead against their linked hands, you wanted Mark to be yours more than anything. To let go of Sera and to come home with you instead. He was yours and you didn’t want to let him go just yet.

It was different for him though, you could tell that much. The conversation before crossing paths with Sera felt so juvenile, lost as your childhood years had become. There would be no more joking around about a future you both craved. Because in an instant for him it had all changed.

And left you broken and alone.

It was ironic how fate twisted its path around you both. Mark spent his days at the hospital and you would bring him things that he needed, quietly taking an early departure whenever he focused intently on the woman laying within the white sheets. She wasn’t improving but she still had a grip on life. You didn’t want her to die, you might hate the situation, but Sera was an innocent person who, from what her family described her as, was generous and kind. She suited Mark well you thought as you took your leave from the hospital room, blinking back your tears. You were slowly accepting that Mark would never fulfil your dreams. He had his own now and you didn’t want to stomp them out. You would find it within yourself to celebrate his success in finding his soulmate.

You didn’t expect to find yours in the same place though. It was just how you had been told your whole life; you didn’t need to see him to know that he was your soulmate. As you rounded the corner of the hospital the sensation began, your heart started to beat faster, confusing you momentarily. Your senses grew heightened and you could hear his footsteps the closer they got before you first saw him. It made you move with an urgent pace, wanting to know who was making you feel this way.

And then you saw him. He had an entourage of nurses and doctors flocked around him as he walked down the hallway, his white coat making him look every part of a dashing doctor in your eyes. His raven hair was slicked up in a tidy pomade, and his dark eyes scanned the chart a nurse handed him intently.

When you stopped near him though, his perfect composure faltered for a second. He flicked his eyes up to look at you, scrutinising you from head to toe.

There was no wonder, no hopeless romantic connection or a giddy smile that crossed his lips. Instead, he let out a dejected sigh and turned back to the chart in his hand, struggling for a moment to regain control over his thoughts before instructing the closest doctor beside him to check on the patient’s scans.

His voice made your skin tingle and you were surprised to be this affected by the handsome stranger. You understood the pull Mark held for Sera now, your heart slowing down to a rhythm that if you listened carefully enough, matched the doctor’s only a few feet away.

He didn’t make a move and you didn’t intrude on his work either. It was strange to feel such a surge of delight rushing throughout your body from finding him yet not knowing what to do about it. You had always heard how instantaneous conversation and love flowed between soulmates. Why did it feel like you shouldn’t bother yours though? Watching for only a moment, you let out a sigh which caught his attention, his eyes shifting towards you as you walked on by and out of the hospital.

The next evening, you felt him approach you as you came to deliver a change of clothes for Mark you had been given before leaving for work earlier in the day. It made you nervous when your hearing caught hold of his enclosing steps and you anticipated his arrival. Was he simply walking through the halls, doing his rounds? Or had he also been attracted by your unique connection to find you and finally talk to you? You weren’t exactly sure but when he stopped nearby you again, his eyes were wider than they had been yesterday. He was conflicted, that much was evident, and you finally caught glimpse of his staff ID clipped to his coat. You focused on his name.

Park Jinyoung.

Your future was with Jinyoung? Well, your parents would be thrilled for you to marry a doctor. The prestige of his occupation would remove some of the humiliation they faced the longer you remained unwed. You hadn’t ever been one of the types to daydream over dating a handsome doctor who healed the lives of many though.

He cleared his throat and stepped closer, enough for you both to engage in conversation, but not enough for anyone to view you as intimate. It suited you more than you expected it to. “Hello.”

“Uh, hello.”

“So, I’m certain you’ve realised who I am now,” Jinyoung stated, very straight-forward. You nodded once. “I was wondering if you could give me some time to meet with you? We have a bit to discuss now that we’ve found each other, right?”

He didn’t ask who you were like you expected. It made you frown as you nodded again, accepting the card he held out with a time and venue on it. He seemed awkward and cleared his throat once more. “Will this be suitable?”

“I’m sure I can meet you then, Jinyoung.”

He blinked several times before freezing, surprised by something you had said. Was it his name? Surely being as practical and evidently intelligent as he was, he’d realise his name was bolstered to his chest, would he not? Or was it the sensation of hearing his name from your lips? You weren’t sure but it felt like a minor victory to you.

“Right, well I will see you then,” he answered curtly and spun away, leaving you staring after him in for a moment.

“Did you meet him?” Mark asked you softly once you were seated in Sera’s room, explaining why you had been delayed. He was eager and it was bittersweet. You could see how happy your best friend was within his situation but it was too much to see him this intrigued by your own soulmate.  

You nodded slowly. “He’s a doctor here.”

“Your patience has paid off then!” he cheered and you chewed on your bottom lip. Mark’s smile faded. “Are you not happy?”

“What?” you asked immediately and then shook your head. “Of course, I am. Isn’t this what we all want in life?”

“Don’t try and lie to me,” he told you, giving you a look. You diverted your gaze from him, hearing Mark sigh. “Is he not what you expected?”

“I don’t know who he is.”

“I didn’t know Sera either but look at us now. Even though she’s not present with us yet, I can tell she is the one for me. Give this doctor a chance, you never know, the love might start pouring out of you when you’re alone at this meeting tomorrow night.”

You hoped he was right, but you knew deep down you weren’t ready for Park Jinyoung to love you.

You arrived early to the appointment with Jinyoung, glancing around the fancy restaurant and instantly feeling uncomfortable. All the same, you mentioned your reservation to the maître d at the counter and she showed you into a private room, closing the sliding door behind you gently. You had never been in one of these rooms before and you marvelled the set up before taking a seat at the table. Everything looked expensive and you wondered if you would find anything simple to eat on the menu. Just as you were about to look at the food selection, the door opened again and you glanced up, feeling caught in Jinyoung’s dark gaze as he moved into the room. After thanking the maître d, he sat down across from you and took a heavy breath.

He was awkward again.

You had only known Jinyoung from two instances but you could already tell the difference between how he treated you and how he was with others. You had viewed him as the capable young doctor at the hospital, and how his staff all revered him. He was strong and demanded attention from all within that environment. But with you, he faltered. Most would claim this to be something they would want from their soulmate, to be the person who made them clumsy, who provoked them to show a more human-like side to them. To be that special.

You just felt like you were frustrating him and you hadn’t even spoken to him yet.

“Thanks for meeting with me tonight,” he finally said, his voice void of emotion. It was like it was a business contract and you felt uneasy, hoping to slip into something more comfortable with Jinyoung. He didn’t seem to welcome this notion and you kept quiet.

You wondered when he’d ask of your name.

“Shall we choose something to eat?” he asked, reaching for the menu as you stretched out to do the same, your hands both gripping each end of it. Although you hadn’t physically connected, it felt like you had and you stared at each other wide-eyed before Jinyoung let go of the menu as if it had zapped him. He motioned for you to take it and reached for the one underneath.

You suddenly didn’t feel very hungry.

As he perused the menu quietly, you peered over the top of yours at him. Would you like similar foods? Your parents both had the same sweet tooth and had often shared the same meals when dating in the beginning of their relationship. Would you and Jinyoung be like that? You continued to stare over at him until his eyes snapped up to capture yours, a sigh leaving him.

“Have you found something?” he asked, putting his focus back to the menu. He knew you hadn’t, you had barely looked at the various meals before you had gotten caught staring at him. Jinyoung glanced over at you again. “Shall I order for both of us?”

You nodded, not trusting yourself to answer with your voice. He pressed the button on the table for assistance and you listened to him list off what you would both eat to the waiter who entered soon after. His voice was strong and commanding, and like the first time you heard it, your skin tingled as if every vibrato of his tone was being sent over to you in waves, hitting against you and arousing your senses. You had never been so affected by a voice before in your life.

The food arrived to fill the unsuccessful space between ordering and eating, and as you picked at your meal, you grew frustrated. You hadn’t come here just to sit in silence or skirt around the reason of why you were connected to the doctor. “Jinyoung?”

He dropped his fork at the sound of his name, closing his eyes for a moment to compose himself. He then reached for the utensil again, gripping it tightly. “Yes?”

“I’d appreciate if we just got to the reason to this meeting. Dinner is very nice and all but with no conversation, it just makes us strangers.”

“Isn’t that what we are?” he replied, his eyes not lifting from his meal. You could tell he knew how petty he was being and he took a steady breath. “Miss… Miss-”

“My name is Y/N,” you offered and he stopped for a moment again, struggling with however you were affecting him. Although you were dealing with a strong physical connection to him, emotionally you didn’t seem as afflicted as he was. You wondered why.

“Y/N,” he repeated and you felt your breath get stolen from you entirely. He watched you struggle with the weight of hearing your own name from his lips and a small smile played upon his lips. He knew how this felt and you wanted to curse everyone who hadn’t explained this feeling to you so you could be better prepared for when your soulmate called out your name for the first time.

You knew nothing could truly prepare you for the exhilaration you now felt consuming you from Jinyoung uttering your name though. It felt like a love call as if saying your name into the universe made the connection much more real. Jinyoung placed down his utensils and the clinking against the plate grounded you back to reality. “Shall I be blunt with you, Y/N?”

He was saying it now just to spite you. Swallowing hard, you forced a smile. “Of course, Jinyoung.”

Two could play this game.

He heaved a deep breath bef