Thump. Thump. Thump.

His heart was beating at an uncontrollable pace. He felt it jumping in his chest, wanting to get out.

That guy... His soulmate? Those things don't even exist! Sure, he admitted that the Minseok guy was by no means ugly (the total opposite, to be honest) but that didn't mean that they were soulmates... SOULMATES, for God's sake!

Jongdae slowly breathed in and out. His right hand feeling his heart galloping on his chest.

A knock on his door made him jump and scream like a girl (not that he would EVER admit that).

-"Sir... please open up and let me explain" - said that Kim Minseok guy in a desperate whisper. - "Just hear me out and if you don't believe me, I will leave you in peace..."

Jongdae's eyes opened as wide as saucers. He couldn't explain why the thought of Minseok leaving made his heart ache.

-"Just hear me out... Please..."

That desperate voice did it for him, and without being fully aware of what was he doing, he opened his apartment door, encountering Minseok's teared up eyes and hopeful expression.

-"Thank you, I..."

-"Shhh..." - Jongdae shush him - "I'll listen to what you have to say, but you seriously don't expect me to believe in such a silly thing as soulmates..."

Minseok frowned cutely (Jongdae facepalmed internally, that was NOT cute).

-"I only ask for you to hear me out...If you don't believe me I..." - Minseok bit his lip and took a deep breath, a painful expression on his face -  "I will leave you in peace..."

Jongdae looked at him and nodded.

-"Ok then..." - Jongdae whispered and opened the door wider, making room for Minseok to pass. Said man inclined his head in greeting, taking off his shoes in the household and entering the apartment.

Jongdae scratched the back of his head nervously.

-"Hmmm... Do you want, like, something to drink?"

Jongdae's heart missed a beat when Minseok smiled at him, saying "No, thank you..." Jongdae nodded and stood there. The atmosphere turned kind of awkward, none of the two knew what to say, they were looking anywhere but each other.

-"Hmmm..." - Minseok whispered - "I still don't know your name" - He said in an embarrased voice.

Jongdae wanted to laugh out loud at his sillyness. This man turned up at his door, claiming they were soulmates, that they were "a match made in heaven", as he heard people often say; and he didn't even know his name?

Unbelievable.

-"Jongdae... Kim Jongdae" - he said with a sigh.

-"Jongdae..." - repeated Minseok, making Jongdae's heart flutter inside his ribcage. - "Nice to meet you, my name is..."

-"Minseok. I know" - Jongdae interrupted him - "Listen, why don't you just sit down and explain."

Jongdae realized that the other man probably thought he was someone not-so-pleasant, but he didn't care that much. He wanted answers. He wanted to know why his heart was beating so madly inside his chest; why his hands ached to feel the other's skin; why his feet wanted to move towards the other man and why his arms wanted to embrace him tightly, not ever letting go.

*  ~  *

To say that Minseok was nervous was an understatement.

He was freaking scared.

The what if's of the situation he found himself in were clouding his mind. He was scared. What if Jongdae didn't believe him? Minseok KNEW they were soulmates, but what if Jongdae thought this was all a silly game and Minseok had to leave him?

He shivered, feeling his heart constricting inside his chest. He kew the story by heart, if his soulmate didn't want to be with him... There would be no life for him anymore.

No, don't get it wrong, he would still live. But he would just be a corpse, a walking corpse with an incomplete soul.

And Minseok was sure as hell he didn't want that.

So, looking at Jongdae's eyes, praying to the high heavens that the latter would believe in him, he started his story.

*  ~  *  ~  *

-"Have you heard the story about The Red Thread of Destiny?" - asked Minseok, looking at Jongdae intently.

-"Of course" - Jongdae rolled his eyes - "Who hasn't heard of that story?"

-"Well... This is something like that... But not quite..."

Jongdae blinked.

-"You see, when the universe started, our souls were complete and we were as happy as one can be. But one day, a human fell in Love with one of the Gods' daughter..."

-"Wait, if our souls were complete back then... How would that human be able to feel Love for that Goddess...?" - asked a confused Jongdae.

-"Because that Goddess had stolen half of the human's soul. She had fell in love with him, but he didn't notice her, so she decided to steal half of his soul and take it to herself..."

Jongdae opened his eyes widely in astonishment.

-"What happened then?"

-"The Gods discovered what she had done and punished both of them... They took her whole soul plus the human's half she carried with herself and banished her from the Holy Land. They cursed the human as well, he had to find the other half of his soul for without it he was incomplete"

-"But how could he do it.. If the Gods had taken it?"

Minseok smiled a light smile.

-"Among the Gods, there was a kind one. One whose heart ached for the human's pain, so, behind the Gods' back, he took that man's piece of soul and infused it in the body of a young beautiful woman from a faraway land..."

-"Wait... from a faraway land? If that God's heart ached and he could feel the human's pain... why didn't he just gave him his soul back and be done with it?"

-"He couldn't do that. The curse had already being implanted on the human race. He couldn't have his whole soul back because of that. The only way this God could help him was giving that piece o soul to another person; when they met, their souls would call to each other and they would be whole again."

-"But how could he know which person would have his soul...?" - Jongdae whispered, confused.

-"The God gave him a gift. He gave him a string, a white string tied to his pinky finger; he told him that when his soul were near, the string would shine a bright red. That's how he'd know."

A silence fell upon them, both lost in their thoughts. A whisper from Jongdae cut the silence.

-"What does it have to do with this... soulmate thing between us?"

-"Because... When the human found the woman, they fell in love and had children. Those children carried the same curse from the Gods and the gift from the kind God..."

-"So that means..."

-"Yes. It means that the children were born with an incomplete soul. And with a white string tied to their pinkies."

-"I don't see a white string tied to my pinky finger, nor do I see a string tied to yours, so, how exactly would you know that I am your soulmate and not a different person?" - Jongdae stubbornly said.

Minseok sighed and rubbed his hands, a little smile playing in the corner of his lips.

-"Because you have to learn to see..."

Jongdae just looked at him, his eyebrows furrowed and his palms clenched. He felt he was being played at.

-"And how do I exactly learn to see it, then?"- he said between clenched teeth.

Minseok looked at him, his teeth nibbling on his lower lip. Jongdae had to fight the urge to nibble on those lips.

-"I'll show you, but please... don't freak out, ok?"

Jongdae nodded.

-"Close your eyes..." - Minseok said and Jongdae (despite the fact that his brain was screaming at him not to do it, he ended up listening to Minseok and closes his eyes, his palms still clenched on his lap)

He felt, more than see Minseok's movement on the couch, he felt nervous all of a sudden. Minseok's body was so close to him, he could almost touch it.

The feeling of warm lips on his forehead had him jumping backwards on the couch, he fell to the floor with a loud thump; his bum ached and his heart was on his throat, he looked at Minseok with wide eyes and face red from anger (at least that's what he thought)

-"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" - Jongdae yelled at the top of his lungs, feeling anger resurfacing when he saw Minseok was giggling. Giggling at him!

What a son of a...

-"YAH! Are you laughing at me!!? It's not funny!... I..." - his mouth closed when he saw Minseok's left hand, his pinky had a bright red ribbon tied to it. His eyes opened as wide as saucers when that ribbon started moving, as it had a mind of his own, leaving a faint trace. He followed the ribbon's trail and his heart stopped when the trail ended around a different ribbon, as bright red as the one Minseok had, but this one wrapped around his own pinky finger.

His mouth opened in astonishment. Was this a trick? He was sure he didn't have that thing on his hand before he started talking to Minseok, nor did he remember even having it in his whole life.

He looked at Minseok, who had a beautiful smile on his face, a smile that made Jongdae blush and his heart flutter inside his chest.

-"Do you believe me now?"

A/N: I'm sorry for taking so long on updating T_T I've been busy with work and all that :S I'm really sorry you guys.

But well, I got to update and that'd good right? :D!

So what do you think of this chapter? Minseok explained everything to Jongdae and now he can SEE!!! But can he BELIEVE?

That's for you to find out on the next chapter! ^^ ~

XiuChen is L.O.V.E. ~

~PepperPumpkin