note: apologies for the late update! got my 2nd dose and the side effect gave me whiplash. wasn't feeling it and couldn't write while sick! enjoy the update!

 

- - -

 

 

A few days passed.

 

He was still a bit shaken and felt odd from the dream. After he fell back asleep, he didn’t dream of anything. It was all pitch black and time went on too quickly before he could fully appreciate his good night's sleep. He was woken by the alarm the next morning, and continued on with his daily routine, his own brain momentarily forgetting the dream as he went on auto-pilot. 

 

But whenever he sat down for a break or even allowed himself a rest for a few minutes, tiny bits of the dream began reappearing in his head. He remembered everything, even though he was daydreaming for only a minute. It was as if his brain kept the memory intact and he could rewind, repeat and forward to any moment as he liked. The memory was clear as day in his head, down to every detail.

Jinki’s face, his smile, his soft hair, and even the way he’s raising his eyebrows. But oh boy, Taemin couldn’t forget about his voice. That voice is too unique for Taemin to deem them as generic. Just the soft tone of Jinki’s voice and the way he spoke, he was sure he could recognize it anywhere. 

Which leads him to this day.

 

Can you help me or not?

 

Alright 

Yea yea hit me with it

 

I’ve experienced this weird lucid dream

But in that dream, I’m experiencing it with

Someone else too

 

Okay? So?

 

So? What does it mean?

That couldn’t have been normal, right?

Two people, interacting in the same dream?

 

Yea kinda odd.

By interact you mean, you talked?

 

Yeah, I even told him that it was weird

That we’re even talking about being

in a dream, while dreaming

 

Whoa, okay

Well, at least did you get a name?

Can’t you start from there?

 

Yeah I’m sure only one specific Lee Jinki would show up

If I search for him online. I don’t even know his age

 

It doesn’t hurt to try

Give it a chance, I’ll ask around and help you find him

 

Okay, I’ll try to see if I have some luck

 

And that was that. 

He sighed, falling back on his pillow. 

It’s silent in his apartment, even his pet was fast asleep under his couch in the living room. The house was still. Well, he couldn’t fall asleep due to the overthinking he’s got going on right now. Maybe his friend was right. He should at least give it a try and search for him online. See if any name pops up.

 

Lee Jinki.

 

Google-ing the name does feel weird in some way. He wasn’t sure if the man even had a social media account. Or even the messaging app. Maybe he’s older? But hold on, even at his age he didn’t even use much of social media. Especially mainstream ones. Well, Taemin wasn’t exactly absorbed in the world of it but he did have an account on Instagram… Facebook… and some other site that he mainly uses for references or to keep in contact with long-distance relatives or friends. 

Heck, even his own social media handle was named weirdly. It wasn’t even his name. It’s just a bunch of alphabets and underscores and numbers. 

 

Oh no, what if Jinki uses the same kind of username as me?

 

Now that sent him spiraling. He’s afraid that he couldn’t find this person after all.

 

 

- - -

 

 

Two weeks passed without anything happened to him.

 

Taemin tried so hard to find the man but even with the help of the internet and online persona wouldn't be that helpful because he didn't know anything more than his name. As expected, none of Taemin's friends could even trace the man online. The only type of Lee Jinki that appeared was random and some were even older than he remembered. 

None of the pictures online that appeared matched the ones etched in his memories. Taemin could remember clear as day what Jinki looked like. But as he expected, the Lee Jinki wasn't anywhere online with a clear identity. He could've searched the whole web but if the person wore anonymous usernames, he couldn't even guess what it was. 

That's why Taemin guessed that Jinki couldn't find him as well because of his username. He's not that stupid to use his full name in any social media account, so he decided to just keep his own personal one hidden. What he decided was to make a new one. Surely JInki would try and search for his name as well, so Taemin had to try. 

 

By the next day, he had already created new accounts on several social media platforms with a clear name and clear face of his. Just in case Jinki was lurking around looking for him too.

 

 

- - -

 

 

Taemin looked at his phone, 08:38 P.M. it reads on the screen. It has been two days since he made the account. But he didn't get any notification from anyone named Lee Jinki. Or any messages asking about him. There is no Lee Jinki at all for near a month now. 

 

In his head, he tried to rationalize the thought about the man. But he knew in his heart that he's growing frustrated about the whole thing. He yearned for the moment in that lucid dream. The memory kept tugging on his heartstrings every now and then, making him missing for that man for no reason. He only felt attracted to that man in the dream, but it didn't make sense. 

Even after conversations with his friends, they all ruled that he was daydreaming too much about that man. Some of his friends even doubt that 'Lee Jinki' even exists. How could Taemin even fight with them on this topic when he himself was confused. He didn't talk to people other than his close friends, so he couldn't get that much insight into it. 

 

This brings him to this point. 

 

"Yah, Taemin-ah, buy a few then we'll head straight to the cabin, okay?" His friend's voice shook him awake from his thoughts. He nodded and jumped out of the car. A few of his friends decided to plan a trip to a cabin retreat, to 'relax' as they say. He knew they were trying to release some stress from projects and workload. Joining them was definitely a good idea since he was too caught up on the chase for Jinki. He needed to wind down. Ah, and here he is at the stop before going to their retreat. Another supermarket.

 

"Well, it isn't as if he's gonna be here all of a sudden, right?" He murmured to himself. He couldn't count how many times had he went to any supermarket in the hope to stumble upon Lee Jinki. As if the man will mysteriously appear in front of him like in the dream. Big fat chance, Taemin-ah.

Shrugging off the thought, he went inside the market to buy a few things for the trip. Just a few snacks and drinks for a filler because apparently, his friends forgot the most important food for the trip. They planned to cook meat and all but none of them remembered to buy snacks for the after dinner. 

So given that he prioritized the snacks, he was the one who had to go and buy them himself. While most of his friends were knocked out in the car, except for the driver, of course.

 

Walking through the aisle, Taemin focused on getting his snacks and drinks, not minding looking for Jinki. He wouldn't be here in a random supermarket in the middle of nowhere. Especially not at this hour. Taemin wouldn't even believe he would find the man here. So he didn't even bother looking or wandering his eyes around the supermarket.

He didn't bump into anyone nor did anyone stop and talk to him. He went on his way straight to the cashier after he's done with his task. 

He stood in line at the cashier, waiting behind a few people. Since there was only one line open, there was a long line. Thankfully he was only the fourth one, and seeing the people in front of him didn't shop too much, he's not worried that it'll be too long. 

 

"Uh? You'll come tomorrow? Morning?" A sigh. The man behind him sure does talk loud, even the whole line could hear his conversation. "Really? Then you'll bring the rest? Make sure to bring plenty, alright?" A hum. "Okay, got it. See you tomorrow then."

Taemin cleared his throat, shifting in line and shuffling awkwardly forward when the line moves. The man behind him kept complaining something under his breath, he could make a few words out of it but he wouldn't want to eavesdrop. It's not polite. 

Does it consider impolite to eavesdrop when the person himself talks so loudly? He thought. 

 

"Sir?" The cashier looks at him, then at his basket, smiling politely. He smiled back and placed his items, quickly trying to pay and get the hell out of there. 

 

- - -

 

The one thing Taemin expected of this trip is a good night's sleep. He was sure that he would exhaust himself to the point where he would fall asleep right ahead before all of his friends.

 

But it seems it's not happening tonight. 

 

Their group arrived right after their dinner, which took them a full two hours and more being outside. Arriving at the cabin was a surprise, at least to him because it wasn't his duty to book the room and whatnot. The cabin turned out to be a huge home-like cabin with rooms lined up on the upper level. There are one or two rooms downstairs mixed with a small kitchen and a spacious living room. Since they're a small group of six, they split into three pairs with room for each pair. 

Despite settling in and playing around in the cabin living room, Taemin couldn't seem to fall asleep quickly. His eyes just won't shut and his brain wouldn't shut down for the night. 

 

Nights like these wished for him to have Jinki's company instead. But the memory of that certain man is slowly slipping away as time passed. If Taemin was a painter or have the ability to recreate his face based on memory, he would've done it by now. But he's just a regular person with this longing feeling towards a stranger. 

 

 

- - -

 

 

Taemin finds himself standing alone. At yet another shop, but this time it's not a supermarket or the bathroom aisle. He turned around, again, trying to make sense of the situation.

Just like the first lucid dream he experienced the month prior, Taemin mimicked his own actions. Check for the state of his clothes, phone, wallet. All check. The situation feels similar to before, just at a different location. Which he realized that it looks like a mall. And again, he feels as if the mall was familiar. Just to be sure, he walks towards the exit of the shop, surveying the interior of the mall. 

This dream location kept getting weird and weirder.

The mall itself looks barren. As if no one was in there but all of the shops were operating. It looks eerie, in his opinion. The large space is so bright and silent at the same time. 

"This is suffocating," He whispered. Walking out of the shop, he tried to find the nearest main exit or entrance to the mall, thinking it would lead him to the outside world instead of being trapped in the mall. But as he passes by the rows of shops and stalls, something caught his eyes from far away. A man was sitting outside of the shop on a bench, bent over. 

 

Could it be? Jinki?

 

His steps grew quicker and when he was near, he could see the man turns his head around towards his direction. And just like fate, it was Jinki. 

"Oh!" The man beamed at the sight of him, smiling wide. Jinki was holding a book, he wore a simple hoodie with black pants. To anyone else, he would've looked average but to him, Jinki looks so soft and inviting. Especially with his smile.

 

"Finally we meet again," Jinki says. Taemin could only smile back, feeling exceptionally giddy at the sight of him. After weeks of not seeing him, he was worried that his memory of him might fade away. 

"This isn't a trick, isn't it?" He asked, waving a hand in front of his face. Jinki laughed and shook his head. "Fortunately, no. I think this is the same type of dream we had before." Hearing that, he couldn't help but let out a sigh. It truly is fortunate to meet him again. 

 

"How long has it been?" Jinki asked, gesturing towards the bench asking him to sit with him. And probably have a long chat. If he doesn't suddenly go awake in the middle of it. Hopefully not. 

"I think it's near a month and maybe more. I haven't been counting exactly when..." He answered truthfully. Although he was anticipating this conversation, he wasn't exactly sure how it would turn out. Last time he couldn't exactly pinpoint how Jinki's personality was, he was just too charmed by his looks and smile. And then he woke up.

 

It's probably better to get to know more solid information about this man now. 

 

"Let me ask, have you tried looking for me ever since?" Taemin asked, stopping him from speaking. The other stared at him for a moment before opening his mouth. "...I have." Oh? There's hope after all.

"Really?" He was a little shocked but he couldn't help but feel a little bit happy inside."Couldn't find me?" He asked again. Jinki shook his head. 

 

"I couldn't find anything, and it doesn't help that my memory isn't exactly helpful." He replied. "I tend to be forgetful at times."

"Oh... that's okay though. I tried searching for you too but I couldn't find anything. Not even a picture."

"That's too bad..."

 

Silence.

Way to go Taemin.

 

"Oh, but how about this?" Jinki suddenly reached towards his pocket, pulling out his phone. How about we exchange numbers? I'm sure this dream phenomenon doesn't happen every day, I'd like to know what is going on here." He explained.

"How do you think we should figure out? We're literally talking through a dream," He pulled out his own phone and opened the screen. Pulling up the contact application, Taemin handed his phone to Jinki. "Here hy-"

 

"Hyung? You're gonna call me hyung?" Jinki chuckled, typing in his numbers on Taemin's phone. "How old are you, Taemin-ah?" 

"I'm twenty-four, how about you?" He replied, taking back his phone and quickly saving his number. Jinki on the other hand, pulled up his camera and took a snap at Taemin. "This is for the contact's image, so I don't forget what you look like." He chuckled. The swift movement that Jinki did nearly made Taemin's heart burst from his chest. Ohh that's dangerous. He could physically feel his cheeks flare-up.

 

"And that makes me your hyung, Taemin-ah." Jinki says, now handing his phone towards him. Taemin nodded and filled in his numbers. "I hope this number remains in our physical phones when we wake up," Jinki said. 

He has a point. Taemin doesn't know how much of a reality all of this is, since he is literally dreaming. Whatever object he's interacting with right now might not be there when he wakes up but with his phone and wallet being there, he couldn't help but wonder if it will remain. 

 

"What do we do if it disappears when we wake up?" He asked. The two of them looked at each other for a moment. Jinki was the one who broke the silence first, turning around and grabbing a small bag from the side of the bench. He pulled out a black pen from the bag, waving the item in front of Taemin. 

"Then we'll go classic." He pulled on Taemin's hand. The pen swiftly brushes against his skin as Jinki wrote down his number and full name. After he's done, he placed the pen on Taemin's palm. "Your turn." Jinki laid out his palm on Taemin's own.

 

In his opinion, it is kind of cheesy. He himself wasn't sure that Jinki was attracted to him or not. But he'll get there pretty soon. So Taemin pulled on his palm and wrote his own number, full name, and the city he's currently living in. "Just so you can locate me easily." He smiled after he's done, clicking the pen close.

 

"Oh, smart. I'll be sure to look if that's the case." Jinki winked. Oh, how easily does he make his heart swoon. Taemin handed back the pen to him and rest his back against the bench, looking around the mall again. "It's awfully quiet and empty, isn't it?"

"Oh yeah definitely," Jinki replied. "Somehow I got this book as company before you arrive." He pats the book on his lap. "It's empty though, there are no words on any of the pages."

Suddenly, an idea popped into his head at the moment. Taemin jerked up from his seat, eyes wide as he stares at Jinki. "If this mall is empty, do you think there's a food stall somewhere we can eat?" The older widens his eyes at the idea.

 

"Taemin. You're a genius."

 

- - -

 

 

Twenty minutes later, they finally found the food court. 

Even though the stalls and shops were empty, there were odd numbers of food packed up ready to be grabbed and eaten. It was weird for them to take the food easily and just sit down without having to pay, but they were in a weird dream simulation, so it doesn't hurt anyone else that they were practically stealing food.

 

"This is the best, why didn't I go to find the food court earlier?" Jinki sighed as he sat down. He brought a couple of ready-made meals in bowls and packets, while Taemin grabbed them drinks and snacks.

"Earlier? How long were you asleep? I just got here and then I saw you." Taemin commented. The older shrugged and thought for a moment. "Maybe half an hour already? I wasn't exactly aware of what time it is." He replied. 

"This is an opportunity to actually talk to you about this dream," Jinki told him. That easily pulled his interest, if there were any explanation to what all of this was. 

"Do you have any idea what this means? I couldn't find anything that would explain it, even though a few of my friends did try and help to find your profile." Taemin explained. He sat there, anticipating some sort of causes or reason for this 'simulation'. 

"Well," Jinki began. "Do you believe in soulmates, Taemin-ah?" 

"Soulmates?" He paused. 

 

Hold on. This would explain it a little bit but it wasn't enough. Because as far as he knows about soulmates, it was the physical ones.

 

"Yeah, soulmates. You do have heard of them, right?" Jinki asked.

"Heard? My parents are soulmates." He replied. The answer seems to delight him. 

"Oh, that's good then. You should know if this is one of the signs or not, right?" The older raised his eyebrows at him. Somehow with his expression, Taemin thinks that the older was trying to pry something out of him. But maybe that's just his feelings. 

"Well, I do know that they share similar marks on their bodies or the one where the colorblind ones. But those types are rare, aren't they?"

"Exactly," Jinki nodded. "Majority of them share similar markings that can be found on their body, some had first words, some had symbols or some sort of marks. Few rare ones experience colorblindness." He explained further. "But if I'm not mistaken, there are more than just those ones. It's just that they are rarely documented."

"...Because we don't keep up with that tradition anymore," He finished. 

 

That's right. He remembers vaguely that his father told him about it. 

Soulmates were as just like Jinki had explained to him, he remembered that part. But the tradition of keeping up with every individual wasn't as alive anymore because more and more people were born without soulmates. The population of people with soulmates wasn't decreasing but the number of people without one was the ones increasing. 

It wasn't as easy as the stories and novels make it out to be. Like in the movies or novels, where people instantly know and getting immediate signs of their soulmates. It wasn't like that in the real world. Some people were born with early signs marked on their skins, some people were completely normal one day and then turned colorblind gradually. It was completely random and hard to keep up. 

The signs for each individual were completely different, even though they were completely in the same categories when finding out about their soulmates, the process and experience were drastically different for each person. 

And if he's not wrong, his father explained already about this. Why people weren't more forthcoming about their stories about finding their soulmates and why there weren't more documented experiences. People had grown modern and decided to leave that certain tradition behind. And now all that's left is a new generation that had to navigate through this odd experience because the older ones abandoned the practice.

 

That certainly explains a bit.

"Is it possible then? That this is one of the signs?" He asked, suddenly feeling bewildered at the realization. The older could only chuckle at his question. 

"Well, if it is a sign, I'll take it as one because I am attracted." He replied, smiling directly at him. Taemin blinked for a moment, the words barely registering in his brain. "What?" He asked.

"What I meant was, if this is one of the signs, it would be pretty cool because we could interact within our dreams. It's basically being in your partner's mind. We couldn't read each other's mind but we are certainly in them, together."

 

Well, when he put it that way...

 

"Are you, I mean, aren't you weirded out if we were? Soulmates?" He asked carefully. He wasn't even sure of Jinki's preferences, so it was best to ask it out directly.

"I wouldn't say no to a handsome man such as yourself, Taemin-ah." 

 

Is this reality?

 

"This seems too good to be true, don't you think?" Taemin asked, he's suspicious now. Would Jinki really say that? Is this really his true feelings? The older man shook his head. "I assure you I'm telling the truth,"

"But hyung, are you sure this is—"

 

"Taemin,"

 

"What is that?" Jinki asked. Somehow, both of them could hear someone calling out Taemin's name. The two of them looked around, the mall was still empty and only the two of them were there. 

 

"He's not waking up," 

 

"Ah," Jinki realized. "I think someone is waking you up." When he listened closely, he too realizes that it was his friend's voice. 

"I think that's my friend," Taemin explained, standing up suddenly.

"That's fascinating, I can hear your friend's voice from your ears and perspective." Jinki hums. 

"You really are in my mind, hyung." Taemin chuckled. This is weird and all but if his friend wakes him up right now, both of them might part unexpectedly like last time.

 

"Taemin-ahhh, wake uppppp."

 

"They're waking me up," Taemin spoke again, now sitting down. He's unsure what to do, his own body isn't waking up from the call but he can hear them. Jinki tapped his fingers for a moment before pushing the book he was carrying towards Taemin. "Here," He took his hand and placed the book on his palm.

"Keep it safe. I think the signs are clearer when it's with you."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"If the book is with you physically when you wake up, give me a call. Let's hope the numbers on our hands won't fade away, okay?" 

"What—"

 

 

- - -

 

 

One.

Two.

Blink.

Sleep.

 

"Yah, wake up. It's 9 A.M. already." His friend's voice echoed through the room. Taemin came to his senses, blinking a few times before sitting up on his bed. "Really man, you woke up then fell back asleep."

 

It's morning.

 

"...gonna fetch breakfast..."

 

Jinki...

 

"....they're gonna be back awhile..."

 

The dream...

 

"I'm gonna go take a bath," His friend shut the door close. What he was babbling about completely went over his head. All he could hear was tiny bits of what he was saying, the rest was a blur because his head was spinning. He had the dream again. He remembered the part until his friend's voice was waking him up. He tried remembering if there was more than after that, but all he could recall was that he was woken up by his friend's voice. It was still dark and he guessed that it was still early dawn, and he fell back asleep. 

 

And now he's up for good. He remembered the dream.

 

He stood up in shock, scrambling to search for his phone next to the bed. As he stretches out to grab his phone, he could see the writing that Jinki made on his palm. "It really did happen..." He murmured. Quickly he fumbled with his phone and opening up his contacts, scrolling directly to search for Jinki's number. He was sure that he saved them as well. 

 

There was Jinki's number and contact photo staring back at him on the screen. 

The book.

 

That's right, Jinki handed him the book too. He turned to his pillow and carefully lift the pillow up. Maybe the book would appear, right? If Jinki was right, then it is fate. Maybe they're really are soulmates. As he lifts it up, there wasn't a book underneath. But when moved his blanket, he could feel an object under it. Slowly he fetched the object under the blanket and pulled. 

 

It's the book. 

 

Jinki was right. The book was the same one as Jinki had in the dream. But he said the insides were empty, didn't he? Taemin flipped the pages carefully. Most of the pages were empty except when he saw a writing few pages in. 

 

Soulmates that experience the same dream and were met within the dream are a treasure.

For they could be within each other's presence in physical and in their minds. The bond between these pairs is unbreakable and no living human being could break these two apart. Both their heart and mind are combined, until death. 

 

He almost couldn't believe it. They really are soulmates. 

He needed to show this to Jinki. 

 

Taemin took his phone and opened the camera, snapping the page of the book that was written. He pulled on Jinki's number, shaking as he typed on the keyboard. As he was typing, a loud knock interrupted him. He grumbled and ignored the knock, hoping his one friend who was in the bathroom would get it instead of him. Just as he was about to continue, the knocking grew louder and there was a voice.

He let out a sigh and shut his phone off, grabbing the book and his phone with him to the door. He went out of his room, looking left and right. The bathroom was still running and the door was shut close, his friend was still inside, taking his sweet time, he assumed. The knock was coming from the front door. He would assume it was his friends that were getting their breakfast. But he was wrong. He went up the door and opened it. 

 

Instead of his friends, it was Jinki that was standing at the front door. 

 

Nothing could ever prepare him for the shock. He felt his heart skipped a beat and he took a step back in shock. Both of their eyes widen at the sight of the other. Even both of their jaws were on the floor. Jinki stood there, under soft sunlight in the morning with a big package placed on the ground. Taemin stared at him. "Jinki-hyung?" 

 

"T-Taemin-ah, what are you doing here?" He asked, now laughing. He was infected now, knowing that the man in front of was certainly his soulmate.

"I'm on a break, hyung..." He replied, "I thought my friends were back, I didn't know..." 

"Wait, did I get the wrong cabin?" Jinki asked suddenly, "I was delivering food for a family friend." 

"Well, I think you did get the wrong one, I don't think we ordered anything to be delivered here..." 

"But hey, I found you sooner than I thought." Jinki told him. "So, what's the verdict? I see you're holding the book I gave you." He gestured towards the book that he's holding, which Taemin completely forgot that he was bringing with him.

"Oh," He handed out the book to Jinki. "Flip a few pages, there's something written on it." Jinki took it from him and flip the pages as instructed, stopping and reading the words when he sees them. He smiled at the page before closing the book.

 

"With that, I think it's safe to say," He began. "Nice to meet you, soulmate." 

 

Nice to meet you too, soulmate.

 

 

end.

- - -

 

ignore mistakes/spelling lmao