Day 1, Year 21

As if something clicks inside her, Soomin feels this sort of warmth and fuzziness in her chest. It grows so overwhelmingly in time. To the point, she can no longer handle it anymore that she stands up, needing to find an outlet.

She looks at the wall clock and sees it’s 12:00 MN and she finally realizes why there’s that weird, overwhelming feeling consuming her.

It’s time , she thinks, picking up her phone and some cash she puts in her jeans’ pocket.

Then she goes out of her apartment, ready to face a different outside world. 

But it’s not just her on the streets. Everyone who has recently turned 21 is already walking towards the central plaza where they are all hoping to meet their soulmate, their other half.

You see, in this world, everyone is blessed to have their own soulmate, but only time can tell when they’ll meet. 

It is a good thing though that over time, generation by generation, they have come up with this sort of gathering during New Year’s Eve at the central plaza where all 21-year-old males and females meet and basically try to find their other half. It’s not a guarantee that you go and eventually come back home with your soulmate, but the gathering has since increased the number of people who meet their soulmates at the most perfect time. So, it’s a win for most people if they come to the plaza at New Year, which is what Soomin is doing right now.

She’s nervously biting her lip as anxiety fills her while walking towards the place where she should meet her so-called soulmate. She prepared herself for this a long time ago so she shouldn’t be this nervous, but why does she still feel it? 

She knows it’s stupid to overthink about meeting her soulmate, but she also thinks it’s not abnormal to feel this way. Heck, she’s just about to get tied down at the age of 21! They are going to be practically married as soon as they find out they are the ones made for each other, so how is it not possible to crack under the pressure? 

What if it’s some guy that’s not her type? But maybe the soulmate thingy will do its own magic between them and she’ll accept him. 

But what if the guy is a ert or perhaps he’s too old for her because that can happen?! Bet that fate isn’t that cruel. There are accounts of big s between soulmates but it’s a rare case and even if it ends up being that way fate works its own magic to still let them have a good life together.

But what if he’s a bad guy? What if he won’t like her? What if he’s not as excited as her to meet him? What if they won’t last a lifetime together?

Soomin’s nervousness grows into fear which looks more problematic than it looks on the surface, but thank god, someone taps her shoulder and distracts her from her stupid thoughts.

She looks beside her and notices Kim Taehyung walking next to her with a friendly smile. She knows him from university, and yes they used to talk from time to time, but she can’t call him a ‘friend’ or anything, yet at this moment--from the very moment he smiled--she feels like she’s walking to battle with a comrade beside her, so she greets him hi and smiles back.

“You look just as nervous as I am,” he says teasingly and chuckles, showing his boxy smile that most girls on campus love. 

He’s one of the hot stuff that is always followed by fans wherever he goes, but now that he’s about to meet his soulmate too Soomin wonders if people will finally stop liking him or following him around. 

Yet, she doesn’t speak about her real thoughts and instead says, “I am. I don’t know what I should expect. I mean, I think I’m ready for this but I also feel like I’m not. Do you know what I mean?” For a second, she gives him a look. A passing thought crosses her mind that maybe he’s her soulmate, but thank god he isn’t. She just knows. He isn’t the one for her. It will be big trouble anyway if they were made for each other. Very big trouble since it will cause a huge issue. His fan club will probably go after her and they would be the cause of her death. 

Taehyung laughs and then nods at her. “I do feel the same, trust me. And I’m just glad I’m not the only one feeling that way.” His eyes trail towards the other 21-year-olds walking in front of them and then adds, “it feels quite surreal that all of us are gathering there hoping we’ll meet the one.”

She smiles, then asks, “are you excited to meet your soulmate?”

He nods, letting out a very warm smile. “Very,” he says, then turns to her. “How about you?”

“Maybe I am.” She shrugs. This causes Taehyung to raise a questioning brow at her.

“Interesting.” Suddenly, it’s as if that one word means so much more than he let her on.

She lets out a small smile but doesn’t comment further.

They walk in silence, later going into the middle of the plaza only to find some of their acquaintances already there. Taehyung has since found his hyungs, Yoongi and Namjoon, actually there to support him. He has left her side but not without promising to hopefully see each other again in the crowd while waiting to meet their soulmates during the gathering. 

Everyone’s laughing and talking about only good things. Hugs were exchanged among groups of friends and finally from some who looks like they already found their soulmates. Soomin thinks it’s incredible but still surreal how two souls meet each other among this huge crowd and still figure that they are the one destined by fate for each other.

Yes, she is taught that a red string of fate will appear connecting her to this soulmate, but she doesn’t think she’s just ready to believe it. Well, not unless she sees the magic unfold in front of her eyes.

Maybe all her unrest will also be washed away by meeting this soulmate.

“Soomin!” Another distraction, but she doesn’t mind. She tells herself, she needs someone to talk to from time to time to avoid being nervous meeting her soulmate.

When she turns to the voice, she’s greeted by a big hug from her best friend, Jaehee. But then, there’s something different about her because she radiates so much happiness on her face and add the odd fact that Kim Taehyung is back again just walking behind her, a smile on his face as he gazes at their direction.

“Oh my god. D-don’t tell me Kim Taehyung is your--”

“Ding! Ding! Ding! You finally used your two brain cells for once, best friend. Yes, I just found out a while ago while looking for you that Kim Taehyung is actually my soulmate.”

“B-but how did you--?” Soomin doesn’t understand herself because she’s happy but also confused and overwhelmed at how Jaehee easily found her soulmate like this and the fact that it’s Kim Taehyung is just too much for her to take in. 

“How did I score this cutie?” Jaehee jumps at the opportunity to wrap her arms around Taehyung while wiggling her brows at her best friend teasingly. Taehyung only laughs at the situation. “Well, cupid apparently thinks it appropriate a pretty girl like me shall be stuck with this cutie. Now, we can have forever together and--”

“Ya, Kim Taehyung, we have all been looking...for...you…”

Soomin freezes, knowing that voice from anywhere, even in a crowded gathering like this. But what shocks her, even more, is how from the moment she locks eyes with the familiar boy, she feels this strange warmth bloom inside her once again and, there, right in front of her, she sees fate finally do its own kind of magic. 

Red sparkles slowly ignite from out of nowhere in the air, slowly creating the vision of a red string appear from her left fourth finger towards the familiar boy who she least expects her soulmate to be.

When the red string of fate finally ties them to each other, something clicks inside the both of them and a sudden realization hits them. Their breaths hitch, eyes growing into saucers as they both realize who they are now to each other.

Soulmates.

They are each other’s soulmates.

But then, the boy, in shock, says three words out of disbelief. “This can’t be.”

It doesn’t go unnoticed by Soomin. She hears it, feels reality clicking in as well, and notices the pang in her heart that those three words caused.

He does not want me , she thinks, tears already threatening to escape her eyes. Park Jimin doesn’t want me.

Consumed by so much fear and insecurity, Soomin can’t help but run away from where her soulmate, Park Jimin is.

The boy calls for her, but she doesn’t hear him.

Because all Soomin is thinking is that ‘. Of course, my ex-boyfriend wouldn’t want me to be his soulmate.’