My yume blog

Jinu

You’re born with your soulmate's name on the inside of your wrist.

The name on the inside of your wrist had always been a little unusual. When the letters fully formed when you were a child, you didn’t understand why your parents were so confused or why they struggled to say it out loud when you asked them what it said. You learned later that it was because the particular symbols that make your soulmate’s name are rather old and not commonly used anymore.

You think it’s cool and unique until other kids start making fun of you for having such a weird soulmate. After a few incidents, you decide to start wearing things to cover up the name. You gain an extensive collection of bracelets and bandages over the years.

As an adult, it bothers you less. You don’t show it off, but you still habitually decorate your wrist with jewelry. It’s special to you because you have never seen anyone else that has something so unique. You know you wouldn’t end up with the wrong person, like some unfortunate people do that have common names on their wrists.

It does nag at you sometimes, though. You’ve never heard of anyone still having a name written quite like that, but it doesn’t dim your hope. You keep looking and searching, but you never imagined you would find him like this.

You’re at a fan-event for your current obsession, the Saja Boys. You’ve been waiting in line for what feels like hours but has probably been less than one. You happily stop in front of the group’s leader and hold out a picture with both hands. Jinu takes it with a wide smile, but his expression faulters when his eyes catch on your wrist.

The name is visible between the thin, delicate chains you decided to wear today. You pull your hand back and cradle it self-consciously in front of your chest when he stares at it for too long. He apologizes, but his voice sounds distant. Jinu signs the picture and takes an extra moment to add a personal note.

When he hands it back to you, he doesn’t immediately let go. You look at him, but he’s staring at your wrist and the signed page between you. Following his line of sight, your breath hitches when you see what he wrote. It’s a note addressed directly to you using your full, proper name, which you definitely didn’t tell him. Below that is the familiar idol signature, but tucked under it is a direct copy of the name on your wrist.

“That’s my real signature.” He whispers to you. His eyes are brimming with happiness. “Can you stick around to talk after the event?”

You nod excitedly and step aside to let the line continue along. When the signing is over, you are whisked away along with the group. Once you and Jinu are somewhere private, he takes your hand and gently traces his thumb over the characters on your wrist. He’s smiling from ear to ear and rambling something about how many years he spent thinking that he didn’t have a soulmate.

“It’s one of the reasons I got the Saja Boys together. Once I knew you existed, I wanted the best chance I could get to meet you.” He keeps going on about things that don’t make a ton of sense to you right now, but you listen just to hear the sound of his voice.

He remembers belatedly to remove the mandatory leather cuff from his wrist. It hides his soulmate’s name from the public. All idols are required to wear them, so it feels almost scandalous to see him take it off for you. But seeing the letters of your name on his wrist is like the greatest reward. Now you understand why his face lit up so bright at the event, because you are certain that yours is doing the same thing now as you chest swells with emotions.

Abby

You can hear your soulmate's thoughts.

You had been told all your life that you should hear another person’s thoughts in your mind. It probably wouldn’t be constant and might just be little reminders, but there should be another voice in there other than your own. But you never heard anyone but yourself.

Doctors and other professionals said you could just have a quiet partner or that their mind is always racing and nothing clear can come through the soulmate bond. They did also mention the possibility that you didn’t have a soulmate or that something tragic had happened to the other person.

None of those options or explanations really did anything to soothe that aching silence in your head, the gap where your soulmate’s thoughts should be. Your thoughts decided to be unhelpfully loud to try and fill the silence, and lately they haven’t been such happy thoughts.

You often thought maybe you were broken or that if you tried hard, maybe your soulmate would hear you and finally think something back. You didn’t want to give up hope, but at the same time, your brain was constantly reminding you of all the reasons (lies) that you aren’t good enough to have a soulmate.

Needless to say, it is a rather large shock when one day, completely out of the blue, a voice shouts out in your mind, “Shut up! I wish you would just leave me alone.”

Those thoughts cut worse than any knife. All this time, your soulmate could hear your insecurities and never once did they correct you before today. You tried your best to keep your thoughts quiet, not sure what your soulmate could pick up on. But after that first outburst, your soulmate’s thoughts don’t stop.

You can tell he’s a rather light-hearted guy, despite your initial interaction. You hear snippets of jokes and verses from songs. Then there’s complaints about feeling tired from practice and frustration at a rival idol group. You think at first that he must just be a fan, but then you realize that he’s actually in the group.

Even though you should just want to ache in peace and wish for silence again, you can’t help but offer soothing thoughts and comments back. You remind him to drink water at practice and rest when it’s over. You also hype him up when he’s trying to compliment his own appearance.

Then, one day, his thoughts come in frantic and upset again, just like the first one. He’s screaming in his mind for the guilt and pain to go away. You realize that his first thoughts hadn’t been directed at you, they had just been the first ones loud enough for you to hear.

You do your best to soothe him with your own thoughts while trying to get information from him about where he is. You’re not even sure when you make the decision that you want to meet him after all, but he clearly needs comfort. You get snippets, but it’s thankfully enough to track him down.

When you find the group exhausted and taking a break in a practice room, you realize that one of them is missing. Your soulmate is still upset, so he must be the one that isn’t here. You know some about the Saja Boys. You looked them up after the song lyrics started rattling around in your brain. You weren’t entirely sure which guy is your soulmate, but you had your suspicions.

It turns out that you were right when you go charging into the next room to find Abby curled up with his head clutched between his hands. “Hey, it’s alright. You’re fine.” You reach out to touch his knee and his head shoots up.

He looks utterly confused. “I know your voice. You’re the nice one. I thought I made you up.” He carefully places his hands on yours like he’s afraid you aren’t really there.

You shake your head. “I’m real. Just like you.”

“I have a soulmate?” Abby’s voice is quiet, almost hesitant as he looks you over carefully.

You nod with a soft smile.

“You’re gorgeous.” He grins, bad thoughts completely forgotten for the moment.

“So are you.” You laugh and return the compliment. “Which, you already know.”

Without warning, he sweeps you into a hug and you both happily embrace there on the floor. You can worry about the bad thoughts later, because right now you just want to enjoy this moment with your soulmate.

Romance

You can’t see color until you see your soulmate.

You had always dreamed of the day you would see your soulmate for the first time and imagined how colors would light up the world around you for the very first time. You’ve read stories and watched videos of how people react to being able to see colors for the first time, so you know how it’s supposed to go.

You try not to worry too much about it when all your friends start meeting their soulmates and you’re left as the only one still seeing the world in grays. You know, deep down, that your soulmate is worth the wait, but you really wish that you would find each other soon.

The last thing you expect when you’re out shopping with your friends is to get caught up by a surprise street performance from a new boy band. The song is ridiculously catchy and you try to sneak your way to the front of the crowd to get a better look. One of the guys blows a kiss in your direction. When your eyes meet for a split second, the world explodes in color.

He falters in his rehearsed dance steps. He stumbles over his own feet, pink hair falling in his face. He brushes it away and searches the crowd for you again. One of the other group members nudges him and another bumps his shoulder to get him to focus. He blinks and falls back into place as they finish their song.

Then they disappear in a flourish of smoke. You stand there, wide-eyed and gasping at all the colors surrounding you and the rush of emotions of meeting your soulmate. Except, that’s when you realize that he’s gone and you didn’t even get to speak to him. You frown, a hollow ache forming in your chest, as you look around.

You search for any sign of the group, but don’t have any luck. You decide to try and find your friends instead only to have your attention stolen away by a hissing sound coming from the alley. Swiveling around to find the source of the sound, you spot the idol peeking out. He waves you over and you go without hesitation.

“Hey there, beautiful.” He greets you with a wide smile. “I’ve waited so long to finally meet you! My name’s Romance. What’s yours?”

You introduce yourself with a blush. “You’re so bright and colorful!”

Romance gives you a teasing grin. “So are you, sweetheart.”

You look down at your own outfit and realize the colors are just as bright as the yellow and pink your soulmate is wearing. You laugh and step closer to the idol. He reaches out and takes your hands in his without hesitation.

“Your eyes are beautiful.” He leans close, looking at you in the eyes as a blush creeps across his cheeks. “I should get back to the others before they come looking for me. Here’s my number.” He passes you a slip of paper, then kisses your cheek before reluctantly pulling away.

“Wait!” You call out after him. When he pauses, you step forward and wrap your arms around him. “Thank you for coming back to find me. I was worried you had really disappeared.”

“Don’t you worry, sweet thing. I’ll always find you.” He squeezes you tight and presses another kiss to your cheek.

Mystery

Anything you draw or write on your skin appears on your soulmate too.

Most people wrote notes on their skin to communicate with their soulmates for the first time. When you tried writing simple little things like “hello” or “how are you?,” you would never get a response. So you eventually took to drawing instead. If your soulmate was too shy to write notes, then you would use your skin as a canvas for other things.

You started doodling small little symbols and patterns on your skin, tucked away in place easily hidden by clothes. You didn’t want to make your soulmate upset with you. So, you would draw little hearts on your chest when you’re getting ready in the morning, hoping to brighten their day a little too. It progressed to other things like stars on the inside of your elbow or swirls on your thighs.

As time went on and your soulmate never added anything or marked you in any way, you started getting more bold. You drew lines and patterns that would cover your arms and hearts and stars on your hands and fingers. You were done being shy. You wanted your soulmate to reach out and tell you to stop or encourage you or anything. At the very least, the more elaborate drawings would make them easier to spot in public.

You had a specific drawing you would add everyday. After getting ready in the morning, you would draw a star below your left eye. It was obvious, hard to hide, and you drew it on fresh every morning so it wouldn’t fade. You knew your soulmate would struggle to hide it, but they never once asked you to stop.

You know you should be more focused on where you’re walking, but you are too distracted adding flowers to the drawing on the inside of your wrist. But bumping into the Saja Boys on the street is not how you expected the inevitable disaster to go. The most surprising part is how they react. You apologize profusely to Jinu, the one you actually walked into. He laughs and brushes it off, but then you take in the other’s reactions. Baby is staring wide-eyed at your face and Abby elbows Mystery in the ribs while Romance shakes his shoulder in excitement. You take a hesitant step back and give them a confused look.

Mystery is shoved forward by the rest of the group and right into your personal space. “Um, hi.” He gives you a somewhat awkward wave.

“Hey.” You reply. “Is everything alright?”

He nods and seems to shake off his initial surprise. “I just wasn’t expecting to actually meet you.”

“Me?” You are taken aback by that. “How would you even know who I am?”

He smiles and parts his hair just enough for you to see the star on his cheek that matches yours perfectly. You’re so stunned that you drop your marker. Mystery turns his arm over and pushes up his sleeve to reveal the flowers you had just drawn. “You’re quite talented. I like these.” His voice is soft and sincere, and you melt a little on the inside.

“Why did you never write anything back or add to the drawings?” You’ re aching to know why all your art has been so one-sided, needing to know that it doesn’t extend to his feelings too.

“It’s just so wonderful the way you draw it. I didn’t want to mess it up.” Mystery bends over to pick up the marker. “I also feel guilty that I have to keep it all hidden, although you make it difficult sometimes.” His lips twitch into a grin.

You blush and look down at your hands. “I didn’t mean to cause problems for you, I just really wanted to know if you existed…”

“I’m sorry I made you feel that way. I can start adding to your art if you want.” He reaches out to take your hand and turns both of your arms over so he can add a heart under your flowers on his wrist. You watch with wide eyes as the mark prickles into existence on your wrist as well.

“I’d love that.” You rub at the little heart like it’s a promise. Then you look back up at his face. “I can keep the drawings to less visible places and stop drawing in the cheek star.”

His hand flies up to his cheek. “No, you can leave this one. It’s like a good morning kiss that I get to wear all day.”

You smile and promise to keep drawing it. You also let him keep the marker you dropped so he has no excuse to not draw back now.

Baby

The first words your soulmate says to you are written on your skin.

For most of your life, you had always assumed that your soulmate was someone you met as a child. Your parents made sure that you knew all of the other children you interacted with as a baby because they didn’t want you to miss your soulmate just because you had the fortune of meeting them so early in life.

You made a point of spending a lot of time with each person on the list as you grew older and understood what finding your soulmate meant. But you never felt specifically drawn to any of them and they didn’t have your words on their skin. So, once you reach adulthood, the words “goo goo ga ga” forever etched into the skin above your heart become more of a taunt or pathetic reminder that you might never truly know who your soulmate is.

Deciding to focus on your career is better for your sanity. So you throw yourself into your job on the production crew of a variety show and do your best to never think about love or soulmates anymore. And it’s honestly easy when dealing with temperamental idols and celebrity tantrums. Not all of the people that come through are problematic, though. Like today, a new idol group is set to appear.

The Saja Boys had practically become an overnight sensation, and the producers had been excited to get them on the show. The guys were polite and even cheery, like they never turned off their public personas. Well, four of them are pleasant. One of them is determined to undermine every single game or task you line up for the show.

Baby Saja has made it his own personal mission to make everything look laughably easy regardless of the actual difficulty of the game. Even the hot sauce, especially the hot sauce. Because the guy is literally kicking his feet while practically draining the entire bottle. Even when everyone else has dropped out, he keeps going.

Popping the bottle out of his mouth only when it really is empty, he looks you in the eye behind the camera and says, “Goo goo ga ga.”

Your jaw drops. It couldn’t be, could it? Surely he’s spoken to you already today. That can’t be the first thing he’s said to you, can it? He’s spoken around and even about you, but those are his first words addressed directly to you. “You have to be kidding me.” You say, meeting Baby’s gaze with a disbelieving chuckle after the show cuts for a break.

Your coworkers look at you curiously while you stare at the idol still seated on the stage. His eyes widen for a moment and then narrow to an almost cold glare. “What? Disappointed to have a soulmate like me?” Baby practically sneers. He stands and crosses his arms as you hesitantly step up to him.

“Disappointed?” You ask, brows knitting together. “Why would I be disappointed? I’m so relieved I could cry.”

His posture is still guarded but his expression shifts to confusion. “Then why would you say that?”

That’s when you realize what you said, what words must be over his heart. Your hands fly to your mouth. “I’m so sorry! It’s just…” You try to get a hold of your emotions, absently rubbing your chest over the mark you used to hate. “I’ve spent so many years of my life thinking I would never really know who you are because we met when we were babies. I definitely didn’t expect to hear that out of a grown man’s mouth today.”

Baby grins and drops his hands to his hips. “I can live with unexpected.” He shrugs. “So, you aren’t upset that I’m… me?”

You shake your head quickly. “I’m only upset I wasted my time with all those other people. But I am so glad to have finally found you. Can I hug you?”

He laughs and wraps his arms around you in a crushing embrace. You cling to each other in mutual relief, both having experienced pain over your words, but also with excitement and hope for what your shared future can be.

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