Chapter 4 "Agony, Misery, Woe"

Chapter 5 "Telephone Hour"

Chapter 6 "Just the Boys Now"

Chapter 7 "The Anxiety Song"

Chapter 8 "Bit By Bit"

Chapter 9 "Nothing's Gonna Harm You"

Chapter 10 "Head Over Feet"

Chapter 11 "Tell Me More, Tell Me More"

Chapter 12 "On the Steps of the Palace"

Chapter 13 "What is This Feeling?"

Chapter 14 "Blow Out The Candles, Taehyung, And Make a Wish"

Chapter 15 "Goodbye Twelve, Goodbye Thirteen, Hello Love"

Chapter 16 "Life Without You Has Been Hard, Has Been Bad, Has Been Rough"

Chapter 17 "I Will Keep the Plates All Spinning"

Chapter 18 "Everybody Loves a Winner, So Nobody Loved Me"

Chapter 19 "I'm Changing My Major to Jin"

Chapter 20 "Dear Friend"

Chapter 21 "You Won't be an Ocean Away, You'll Only be a Moment Away"

Chapter 22 "We'll Work That Silver Magic"

Chapter 23 "You Square All the Corners, I Straighten the Curves"

Chapter 24 "What Do You See When You Look at Me?"

Chapter 25 "Every Frivolous Whim, Proper or Im"

Chapter 26 "Let Your Soul Take You Where You Long to Be"

Chapter 27 "I Like the Feeling of Being Together, With You"

Chapter 28 "I Wasn't Born for the Rose and Pearl"

Chapter 29 "It Must be Great to be Called the It Girl"

Chapter 30 "Let There Be One More Beautiful Song"

Chapter 31 "We Bloom Painfully, Beautifully"

Chapter 32 "I'd Rather Be Seven People's Favorite Thing"

Chapter 33 "Whatcha Gonna Do When He Talks That Way?"

Chapter 34 "People Will Say We're in Love"

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

Chapter 57

Chapter 58

You curse under your breath, cause this is fucking awful. You hear gunshots over and over again, people are dying, wood from shipping crates are splintering, metal is hitting the floor. 

And there’s talking. 

Fucking talking.

“Come one guys, your aim is all off! Did none of you ever train on the neighborhood cats?”

Well, more like yelling. Because even though the warehouse wasn’t empty, it still had an echo. You are used to the loud sounds, it fuels your adrenaline as you peek out from behind the crate you are using as a shield.

The man, you are just going to call him Red for now, is flipping and bouncing between crates, avoiding any big hits. A few bullets graze an arm, but he doesn’t seem to take notice as his own bullets find their marks, bodies dropping around him. He’s nimble and quick about it, taking down guys from both sides with equal gusto, and you find yourself just watching him carefully. He’s almost elegant, light on his feet, and a jab or taunt spewing out of his mouth every few bullets. 

Careful not to alert Red or anyone else about your position, you shift, gun in hand watching him saunter over to your employer, the last man standing. Well, not really, since he’s down on his knees, begging for something incoherent while fat tears and snot roll down his face. 

“Newsflash asshole, I don’t care for your tragic backstory that the writer won’t let you talk about.” Red raises his gun, one last loud bang filling the warehouse before it’s quiet once again.

“Last fucking one, my amazing math skills once again making me winnerrrrr.” Red claps his hands together, before moving his hands to his hips, looking around the warehouse. “What a fucking mess.” He shakes his head, and you see your opportunity now that he thinks it’s all over.

You move up, pulling the trigger as soon as your gun is aimed right. Red doesn’t even get to turn before six bullets go through his chest, two through his throat, and the last two finding their mark in his skull. You shouldn’t use all your bullets on one target like that, but still, you do, too full of adrenaline to be fully rational. Red drops like a sack of potatoes, and you draw a sigh of relief, lowering your gun as you too look around the warehouse. You’re glad it’s far away from anything else, because it should take at least a few hours before the cops are alerted, and by that time you would be far away from this warehouse that is by now covered in blood, bullet casings, and dead men.

Your earlier relief turns into utter confusion as you hear shuffling, and when you turn back towards where Red’s body is, you see him shake his head where he lays crumpled on the floor, and seconds later he’s on his feet with a groan.

“Okay, good shot whoever that was.” You gape, words slipping out of your mouth without meaning to.

“What the fuck.” Red’s head snaps towards you.

“Oh, there you are.” His voice is light, almost like he’s halfway into song. “I would return the favor, but I’m fresh out of bullets so this will have to do.” He pulls out the katanas strapped to his back. You grab your knives, managing, somehow by the grace of whatever runs this universe, to bring it out just in time to block both katanas that were coming at you in tight formation.

“Oh so you weren’t just happy to see me.” Red jokes, and though you can’t see his face under the mask, you are pretty sure he is grinning. You grunt, because there is no way for your brain to form words as you parry another attack from him, retreating.

You are in no position to attack, , so all you do is stop his attacks and try to escape, backing off. Or rather, you try to, but Red is not letting up, so all you end up doing is walking backwards through the warehouse in a vague path between boxes and shelves as he attacks. 

He manages to get a few slashes here and there to connect, but they are shallow, just enough to draw blood and sting. One on your left arm, two on your right arm, three on your left leg. You wonder if amounts are on purpose. He seems to take it all as encouragement, laughing, keeping up his quick attacks. 

You don’t know you hold out, breathing heavy, arms and hands hurting with how you are clutching and shielding with your knives like your life depends on it. 

Because it 1000% fucking does, that’s why you manage.

Red finally lets up, just enough that you can create some space between the two of you. You don’t dare to actually turn and run, certain he has no moral code of cutting down someone from behind. So you just try to slowly create even more room between the two of you as you watch for his next attack.

“Oh I am having fun!” Red tries to clap, but he just knocks the hilts of his katanas together. “Though we are just a little unevenly matched here.” He sounds like he’s breathing just a little bit harder at least, even though there are no cuts next to the bullet holes riddling his suit. He tilts his head for a moment, then bends down, and then there’s a katana sliding over the floor, bumping into your boot. You look down at it, before looking back up at him.

“Come on, pick it up.” Shifting your knives into one hand, you keep your eyes on the white eyes of his mask as you bend down and pick up the sword. 

“Oh yeah, look at me during.” You ignore his comment, feeling the weight of the katana in your hand. It’s heavy, but perfectly balanced, feeling perfect as you spin it in your hand a few times, the hilt still warm from Red’s earlier hold. 

“Hot.” Red says as he twirls his second katana, mimicking you. Once more ignoring him, you put your knives back in their sheats. “Do you have them there to distract your enemies by making them think you are going to jerk off mid-battle?” You snort.

“No, they are there so they are more hidden, and more difficult to grab.”

“If you wanted my hands in your pants all you had to do was ask, baby.” You think Red is winking at you through the mask. You roll your eyes, taking a deep breath.

“Shut the fuck up.” With both of your hands on the hilt of the katana, you are ready to defend yourself from his first attack.

“Ohhh, you remind me of someone. I think the two of you would get along, he’s also a man of few words. Maybe I’ll let you live so you can meet him and fight him too, more material for my spank bank.” He definitely winks this time, then you are defending yourself from another attack from him. It pushes you backwards, again, but this time, you are able to attack back.

Though you can’t help but wonder if he’s letting you, just indulging you. Because you can feel how strong he is when you parry his strikes, you felt how strong he was when all you had was your knives.

It’s a dance, a dance he lets you participate in as you block, attack, block, attack, block. Redirecting his sword coming for your throat so it splinters wood instead of flesh.

“How did you learn to fight like this?” Wade asks, almost spinning as his energy is redirected away from your body. He is at least breathing a little heavier, and for some reason, you find yourself having a little fun, even though you think you know how this is going to end.

“I was a loser in high school. What about you?” You speak through gritted teeth, the sound of metal on metal filling the warehouse as you block another attack. You don’t even know why you ask him back, but it feels right.

“Something similar.” It’s still kinda hard to tell, but you think he grins under his mask as you attack back.

You do get a few cuts in, deep enough that it slices through his suit and the skin underneath, but it leaves you with little satisfaction as you see the cuts heal in seconds. Though at least his suit can’t fix itself, growing more tattered by the minute as new slashes and old bullet holes make a mess of it.

“So you are not just a pretty face, there’s some skills there.” You frown, anger flaring, and you are about to say something, but with a quick move that you have no opportunity to block, and that  truly demonstrates the difference between the two of you, he nicks you with just the tip of the katana, just on the left corner of your mouth. You startle, but on instinct your tongue goes out to lick at the blood now sliding down to your skin. It just gives you more motivation to strike back, a big one that leaves behind what could almost be called a titty window on his chest, showing textured skin underneath.

“Ohhhh, freaky.” Red taunts, slicing your chest too, though your skin doesn’t heal when metal connects after slicing through your shirt like it was made of nothing. You curse, adrenaline causing your ears to roar, and the world to go a little fuzzy at the edges. You touch your chest, fingers coming back bloody, watching Red. Your own katana pointing towards the floor, ready, but down as you breathe heavily.

“Leaving yourself all open for me? You shouldn’t have.” Red coos, and that is what you are counting on. Letting him attack you straight on, thinking you have given up, so you can shove the katana through his skull, killing him again, and leaving you at least a few moments to high tail it out of there.

It’s what the plan is.

It does not work out like you intend it to.

It goes in a whole new direction.

Because when he comes close enough, you manage to get a hold on his shoulder, which gets you a hopefully not deadly slice over your abdomen for your efforts. You are moving quickly, seconds away from stabbing the katana through the bottom of his jaw. But then your for once gloveless fingers touch a bare spot on his shoulder where his suit had gotten torn, and there’s a sparkler going off in your brain, a sizzling sensation that settles in the back of your head as feelings of excitement, adrenaline, and happiness that are not your own speeds through your mind.

You gasp out loud.

You can’t help yourself.

Because you know what that was.

And there is no fucking way.

WHAT. THE. ABSOLUTE. 

FUCK.

Fucking no.

A soulmate.

You have a fucking soulmate??????

And this is how you fucking meet him????

In all of your turmoil, you have dropped the katana that was destined to go through Red’s skull. He is a few paces behind you, not immediately attacking, just watching you as you turn around in your now mostly frozen state.

“Wh-”

“Touch me.” Red blinks, owlishly even with the white eyes of his mask.

“Wow, so forward. You know, con-” 

“Shut the fuck up.” You march over to him, and in what seems to be confusion he lets you tug the glove of his hand that is not holding his katana. You interlace your fingers, the motion absurdly tender for the moment that is currently playing out. You see his eyes widen behind the mask, and you are sure his mouth opens and closes several times even hidden as it is.

“What the fuck.” The words are so soft out his mouth that you are not even sure he said them. Not that it matters, because a second later he is wrenching his hand back like you burned him. He runs past you, and you watch as he picks up his katana where you dropped it, and then keeps running after that brief slowdown, heading towards a door you hadn’t noticed while you were fighting. You startle yourself into action finally, following him, but he’s out the door before you can reach him.

On the other side there’s a hallway, and his back is quickly retreating, and all you feel is panic. You are not sure which of you it is coming from.

You try to keep up with him through multiple hallways, but he’s fast, getting out of the building before you do. It’s enough of a headstart that you only see backlights and hear the roar of a motorcycle speeding away.

You run over to where the cars you all arrived in earlier are parked, but of fucking course all tires are slashed. Not like you had any of the keys anyway, but they would have been easy enough to find in some dead man's pockets.

“Fucking MOTHERFUCKER!” You know he can’t hear you, but you hope Red feels your frustration through your bond as you punch the hood of a car, denting the metal.

You stood up to look around. The plaza where you sat was busy, filled with tourists and business people getting in late to work. You couldn't see Taehyung anywhere. Someone shouted your name. You looked to see a guy in loose gray pants and a boldly printed button down jogging towards you. A face mask and sunglasses hid his face.

Taehyung [9:06am]: I'm here but I can't find you. Are you here?

You [9:07am]: I'm on a bench near the purple flowers. Where are you?

"It's me, Noona. It's Taehyung," he whispered once he was next to you, quickly pulling his sunglasses and mask off so you could recognize him. He repositioned them immediately. You realized he was wearing them, at least in part, to hide his face away. How famous were these guys if they had to wear disguises while going out?

"You chose a great area to visit," you said.

"Thanks. I wasn't sure what you like to do, so I wanted to have different options," he said shyly. "Is there something specific you want to do?"

"I come down here pretty often, so I'm okay with whatever you want to do. Do you want to see something specific?"

"Nothing specific."

You internally groaned at his answer. This was starting to feel like those lazy summer days when Ally and you would waste hours simply going around in a circle of indecision: What do you wanna do – I dunno, what do you want to do.

"I really just want to talk with you." His voice was gentle, as if he knew that this entire thing was difficult for you. "I want to get to know you."

His honesty hurt you. You bit your lip and glanced at him, suddenly regretting that you couldn't see his expression. You were against being his soulmate, but you weren't cruel.

"How about we walk and talk?" You proposed. "I can show you some of the cool stuff around here and we can talk as we go."

"That sounds nice," he said, happiness returning to his voice.

You started walking toward one of the historical buildings, telling him a little about the history of your city. You pointed out the markers for the walking trail of the historical sites in the area. Taehyung paused at each one for a few moments, soaking in the architectural style and beauty of old buildings.

"Have you always lived here?" He asked

"I have. I moved around a little bit, to go to college and then into a few apartments after graduating, but I've always been in the city." You watch as he touches a centuries old building with care and fascination. "What about you? Where did you grow up?"

He told you about his hometown and his move to Seoul. You continued talking as you moved through the walking trail. Your topics veered toward first date questions, with lots of time spent on hobbies and interests. You were surprised to share a love of amusement parks, and told him about the one several miles outside of the city. Taehyung asked about your family. Unwilling to broach that topic yet, you spoke about Ally and growing up together. You added details about your small group of friends, the five of you still in close contact all these years after high school. Accepting this answer, he told you about his family, speaking at length about his father. He pulled out a photo on his phone of his family to show you, his arms wrapped around his two younger siblings.

Having talked longer than you expected, you encouraged Taehyung to choose a place to grab food. He brought you back to a food truck stationed at the farmer's market. You both ordered and, before the food truck guy could finish saying the total, Taehyung passed him a credit card.

"I can pay for my food," you told him.

"I can pay for your food too," he replied simply.

"I want to pay for my food," you insisted.

"Too late for that," was his smug reply.

"At least let me pay you back."

"Nope."

You two sat down on a patch of grass in the nearby park.

"Actually, you can pay me back," he said with a mischievous smile. "You can pay next time."

You rolled your eyes at his brazenness. While your time together had been unexpectedly pleasant – the conversation flowing naturally and time going quicker than you thought it had – this was only day one of the deal. One nice day with a soulmate did not mean this was worth pursuing.

"I've got a question," you said, after several minutes of quiet while you both ate. "How did you all end up deciding who would come today? I was kind of expecting the decision to be based on age."

Sunglasses and mask were not enough to hide the blush that colored Taehyung's face.

"We put numbers in a hat and picked blindly," he mumbled.

You weren't sure how this made you feel. On one hand, it was about as fair and equal as a system could get. But you still felt a little uneasy. Maybe it was because it reminded you, so boldly, of the odd multi-soulmate situation you were in. Maybe because the simple idea of them having to choose an order for dates made you feel like a contestant on some reality dating show and not a real person. Regardless, you had told them that you didn't care about the order of the dates, so you had no place to complain.

"Can you at least tell me who I'm meeting with tomorrow?" You ask. "Give me time to prepare?"

"I don't think so," he said and took a bite of his food. "I kinda like having you all to myself right now."

He was trying to flirt with you. He seemed to know today went better than planned, and wanted to press his luck. And while he looked beautiful sitting next to you, wavy hair blowing in the breeze and a content smile on his unmasked face – you were indifferent to the soulmate connection, but not blind – you decided not to play this game.

"No worries," you shrugged. "Someone will probably text me later.”

Taehyung made a surprised noise and looked at you. He lowered his sunglasses briefly to look you directly in the eyes.

"Are you having a bad time? Do you want to go home?" His voice became uncertain and nervous. "Are you disappointed that we hung out first?"

"No, none of that!" You were surprised how quickly you wanted to ease his worry. "I just don't like surprises." It was the most vulnerable thing you had said to any of them.

"It's Hoseok tomorrow," he said softly. “Are you excited?”

You weighed the possible answers. You didn't want to hurt him with the truth, that you weren't excited for any of this, at the moment. Taehyung had been nothing but polite and kind all day and you didn't see the need to be cruel. But you felt as though he'd see through a lie.

"I'll see how it goes."

You appreciated that he was accepting of your non-answer. He had been patient all day whenever you evaded a personal question or shifted the conversation in a less painful direction. Under a different circumstance, you could see yourself being his friend. But you shoved that feeling down, knowing that you were stuck as his soul mate, and braced yourself for whatever would come.

When Hoseok called you and told you to get ready for a day at the beach, you were skeptical. Yes, you had been wanting to go to the beach all summer, but your plan was to go with some friends, not your brand new soulmate.

Your brand new soulmate who looked like a goddamn model right now.

Hoseok was all sharp angles and lean muscle. You watched as he set up the beach blankets and umbrella, his unbuttoned shirt showing off his abs. Standing awkwardly with the cooler, you felt like your shorts were clinging to your thick thighs. You were glad you'd worn regular clothes over your bathing suit, the tank top and jean shorts at least doing something to hide your round body. You knew that Hoseok, and the rest of the guys, were objectively attractive. But watching him smile brightly at you as he showed off his beach set up, his legs framed perfectly by swim trunks, it hit you differently. You were far from the type of person a pop star would date. Hopefully, despite his smile and sunny disposition, he would realize that today.

"What do you want to do first?" He asked, pulling you out of your thoughts. “We could go swimming? Or go walk around? I think I saw a pier down there?” He looked at you, eyes excited under the shade of his bucket hat.

“Could we just sit and talk for a little?” You shifted awkwardly on your feet.

The beach was already crowded and neither option he proposed sounded great. You didn’t want to shed the comfort of your clothes yet, but the idea of walking past all these people also made you unsure. Bucket hat disguise or not, Hoseok was stunning and sure to grab attention. He was already getting a few stares. He seemed to notice this though, and cautiously added sunglasses to cover up more when he sat on the blanket. You sat down next to him and hugged your legs to your chest. After a few basic questions, Hoseok laughed.

“I feel a little bad,” he started, “you’re probably going to have to answer the same questions every day.” You chuckled, not having thought of the potential repetition. Hoseok seemed to perk up at your laugh. "Maybe it would've been better if Tae filled us in on some things."

"Taehyung didn't talk about what we did yesterday?" You asked, a little surprised.

"Nah. We all agreed that we'd keep our dates private." Hoseok opened the cooler and pulled out a can of Sprite. He offered it to you, then grabbed one for himself. "It's not that we're against sharing some details, but we weren't sure if you would want us sharing."

"I appreciate that. Honestly, I don't know how I would feel with all of you sharing this. It's not like I can talk to anybody."

"Wait, you have no one to talk with?" He gasped.

"I do, I just can't." Hoseok's head tilted with confusion at your statement. "I mean, I have someone to talk with, but I can't. The NDA, remember? I can't talk to anyone about being your soulmate."

He thought this over for a few minutes, then reached into his bag for his phone. He scrolled through quietly, lips pursed.

"As far as I understand," he started, "you can't talk about being the group's soulmate. You can't mention us specifically." He showed you a copy of the NDA on his phone. "But you could just talk vaguely of your seven soulmates. Is there someone you could trust with this stuff?"

"My best friend."

"You should talk to her."

"She actually has a soulmate," you offered. "Just one though."

Hoseok laughed loudly at your statement and smiled at you. You were glad he wasn't wearing a mask. His smile was too wonderful to hide.

"You should text her," he continued.

Hoseok tossed your phone over and you shot Ally a text. She replied immediately, saying that she could meet that afternoon. You looked at Hoseok, who was laying on his back basking in the sun.

"She says she can meet later today," you said.

"We'll make sure to get back in time."

"Are you sure? It'd mean cutting today short?" You asked, feeling a pang of guilt.

"I'm sure," he said, smiling at you. "You suddenly found out you have seven soulmates, who just happen to be best friends. You deserve to have someone to talk to about this. I know I'd be going crazy if I was in your position."

"I think I am going crazy," you joked and Hoseok laughed. "Thank you," you continued, voice sincere. "I mean it."

Hoseok lowered his glasses and looked straight into your eyes, smiling kindly. You were overcome with the sudden and unusual urge to hug him. You refrained though.

"What do you want to do now?" You asked. He was kind enough to let you ditch his date to go see Ally. The least you could do was be as present as possible during the time you had left.

"Swimming!" Hoseok said and tossed his shirt on the blanket.

You should've expected this answer. This was a beach date after all. You stood up, still in your shorts and tank top, ready to go to the water but not ready to be in your bathing suit. You would be able to get decently far into the water wearing your shorts.

"If you didn't have a bathing suit, you should've said," he started, looking at your outfit. "We could've done something different."

"I have a bathing suit." You lifted up the corner of your shirt to show off the teal and brown patterned tankini. "I just don't want to wear it yet."

"Why not?" Hoseok's brows furrowed.

"Well, y'know…" you hugged your arms and looked off in the distance.

"I don't know."

You sighed. You wished for a brief moment that you were having this conversation with Taehyung; he'd proven yesterday that he was willing to accept cryptic half answers. Jung Hoseok, not so much. Not willing to explain your insecurities, you focused on the sand, stripped off your shorts and tank, and headed to the cover of the water. He chased after you. You continued walking into the water until it covered your stomach. Hoseok, over half a foot taller than you, still had most of his chest bare.

"Hey, what's the matter?" He asked.

"Nothing. Everything's fine." The lie tasted acrid on your tongue.

He looked at you for a few moments, quiet.

"You're not ready to tell us everything," he said quietly. "That's okay. This will take time for all of us."

His voice was unbearably sweet and understanding. You weren't sure how he was reading your mind, but his words soothed you enough to get you back into the moment.

"Tell me about yourself," you said, smiling.

Hoseok was easy to talk with, engaging and expressive despite the sunglasses hiding his eyes. He asked you questions. You found yourself eager not only to answer, but to find out more.

"Wait, you dance?" You interrupted his story. So that was where all his lean muscle came from.

"Yeah," he answered. "And I choreograph too."

"That's so cool! What style?"

He lowered his sunglasses to look at your awed expression.

"You seriously don't know anything about us? As a group?" You shook your head at his question. "You didn't look us up online or anything after we met."

"No," you said. Partially because you were only interested in getting them out of your life as quickly as possible. Partially because researching them made you feel uneasy. "It felt weird digging into your lives online. It's not like you could do that for me. If I want to know something, I could just ask."

"But you haven't." His eyes were sad.

"I'm asking now." It wouldn't take away his hurt, but this was where you were. "Tell me about your dancing, Hoseok."

An expression you couldn't place came across his face when you said his name. Then he smiled, repositioned his sunglasses, and started to talk. He explained dancing growing up, before he was a part of BTS. Slowly, his story transitioned into BTS now, as a group.

"So there's Namjoon, Yoongi and me rapping," he explained quietly, cautious of the other people swimming not too far off. "And then Jin, Jimin, Tae, and Jungkook singing. We also do work on writing and producing our stuff."

You nodded. You didn't know much about music or the music industry, but writing and producing seemed like they would further occupy them with their jobs. More time for work meant less time for being soulmates. Maybe your desire to be left alone was still possible. But, like with Taehyung, you didn't find your time with Hoseok to be terrible. You appreciated the kindness he'd shown you and his flexibility. Friendship, you realized, would be pleasant with him. And, while you were still resistant to being soulmates, you were all right with the idea of being friends.

When you arrived at Ally's house, the first thing you did was fall into her open arms and hug her as tightly as you could, her pregnant stomach stuck between you two. Ally matched your hug and stayed quiet, letting you orient yourself. It was the first time you'd seen each other since that fateful day painting the nursery when Namjoon texted you.

"I have so much to tell you," you said, pulling back finally. "I haven't been completely honest with you about everything. I need your advice."

"About what?" She asked, concerned by your tone. "Your soulmate?"

"Soulmates." You corrected and watched Ally's face twist in confusion. "I have seven soulmates." You summarized what happened after going to meet Namjoon and the insane series of events that led to the first contacts. Ally stayed silent, sitting down and listening intently as you explained the seven date deal you made with them.

"When do you start the dates?" She said finally.

"Yesterday. I went out with one of them yesterday and another today. Today's date was the one who encouraged me to text you."

Ally didn't bother asking why it took you so long to talk to her about it. Your nature was to exhaust every solution to a problem before seeking help. She's been your friend long enough to not take offense to how you functioned.

"I'm glad he did," she said. "I don't know how you coped this long."

"I'm honestly not coping. My head's a mess and I still have five more dates."

"What are you feeling right now?"

It was a simple question, but you hadn't stopped long enough in the last four days to take stock of your emotions. You had returned home so emotionally exhausted the past few days that all you'd been able to do was shower, attempt to eat something, and fall into an unrestful night of sleep. Ally stayed quiet and let you think.

"I'm confused," you finally said. "I feel like 90% of me wants nothing more than to get these five remaining dates over with and then say goodbye to them forever. But the other 10% thinks that spending time with–" you cut yourself off before accidentally naming Taehyung and Hoseok, "with Chime Guy and Laugh Dude was a little nice. Like I could be friends with them in another life."

"And how did you feel before the dates?"

"All I wanted was for them to leave me alone."

"What do you think will happen after the rest of the dates?"

"That's what I'm afraid of. What if I don't want them to go away anymore?" You asked, voice shaking. "What if I want to be their friend? What if they want to be romantic? Shit. What if I want that?" Ally placed her hand on your arm, trying to settle you as you spiraled into a panic. "I can't do that. I can't be their soulmate!"

"Don't think that far ahead," Ally said, firm but loving. "You have five more days before making any decisions. That's plenty of time. I'm sure if you decide you only want friendship, then they'll figure out how to navigate that. Platonic love is real and legitimate."

"I've never heard of platonic soulmates."

"And I've never heard of one person having seven soulmates, but here we are."

You knew Ally was trying to make you laugh, but you felt more like crying.

"I don't want a soulmate," you whispered. "I don't want this."

Ally wrapped her arms around you again and you laid your head on her shoulder.

"I know you never wanted a soulmate," she said softly. "You are trying to see these dates through. And I know how hard this is for you. But remember that you don't have to do this." You looked at her, confused. Ally was the first person to encourage you to give having a soulmate a try. "I don't want to see you hurting like this. You don't deserve to hurt this much. So if you need to take a break between dates, tell them. I'm sure they'll understand."

"They're leaving to go back home after the dates. If we don't figure this out now, I don't know if we ever will."

"It'll get worked out. They can come back or you can visit them for a little. Jay and I have a million frequent flier miles you can use. We'll figure this out."

Trying to take the reassurance Ally was offering, you nodded and thanked her. Ally hugged you as you left, making you promise to call her at any point. She was able to read the heavy look on your face, but didn't push you to talk more. You were honestly feeling more confused and upset than when you arrived, uncorking your emotions doing nothing positive in your current state.

Waking up the next morning was worse than you anticipated. Another night of failed sleep left you grumpy, and the hours spent awake contemplating your soulmate situation made you anxious. Realizing nothing could make this better, but needing to be functional, you left your bedroom to start the coffee pot. This didn't help. Your little common room was a wreck. Half folded laundry was on the table. The few groceries you had bought days ago sat, uncooked and spoiling in your fridge. Dirty dishes from the few times you'd managed to eat cluttered the sink. You desperately needed to sweep. You sat down, defeated. You would love a day to yourself, just to get some stuff done and maybe take a nap. Realistically, you knew Ally was right when she suggested taking a break, but you couldn't find a way to make that happen. There was so much to do and you hadn't had any energy or mental capacity to take it on. This situation was overwhelming from the start, and now you felt like you were sinking. You started to cry.

Your phone started to ring. Seeing that the screen said Seokjin, you picked up reluctantly.

"Good morning soulmate," his cherry voice came through.

"Morning," you mumbled, voice unsteady.

"What's the matter?" Seokjin's tone changed quickly. "Why are you crying?"

"I'm okay," you said, trying to wipe your tears away. "Everything's good."

"That's a lie. I can hear you crying."

You willed yourself to calm down before answering. The last thing you wanted was to have this conversation with any of your soulmates. But you simply started to cry harder. Jin called your name softly.

"Where are you right now? Are you hurt?" You could hear movement in the background of his call. "Did something happen? It'll be okay, just tell me what's going on."

"I'm at home," you finally managed to say through your tears.

"Okay, okay," Seokjin said calmly. "Who's with you? Are you safe?"

Deep down, you wanted to laugh. The question Ally asked you so frequently sounded odd coming from another.

"Keep talking to me," Seokjin said.

"I just-I just have so much to do," you cried. Maybe not the root cause, but it was a factor. "I need to cook but there are dishes and the floor is dirty and-and-and" you found yourself gasping for air.

"Hey, it's gonna be okay," Seokjin soothed. "We can get all that done."

"But I have to see you today! And then tomorrow I'll be out with someone so–"

"We can get the stuff done," he repeated, cutting off your rambling. "Just tell me where you live." You started to say something else, but he kept talking. "Where do you live?" You mumbled your address and Seokjin repeated it back. "I'll see you in an hour, okay? Just relax until I get there."

Unsure of what he was planning, but not having the care to contemplate it more, you laid your head down on your table and continued to spiral. Why had you agreed to these dates? It was a waste of your time. At the end of this, you would say goodbye and have nothing left but a disgusting apartment and burnout. And, with the school year starting in a few weeks, you’d have to return to your tutoring job. There were bills to pay, money to save so you could move on with your life. You didn’t need these seven men ruining your goals. But, a small voice nagged in the back of your head, there was a small possibility that you stayed in each others’ lives, even if just as friends. Which, logically, would be tragic. Eight busy lives spread out across thousands of miles was sure to result in you being abandoned when they were too busy. And you didn’t want to give them that power.

Eventually, your phone buzzed. You ignored it and it buzzed again.

You opened your front door, surprised to see Seokjin standing in the hallway of your apartment complex. He had on a gray t-shirt and jeans, his face covered by a mask and a wide brimmed hat.

Seokjin [9:48am]: I'm outside your apartment. I think.

Seokjin [9:49am]: Can you come to the door to check?

"What are you doing here?" You asked.

"I told you, we can accomplish everything you need to do," Seokjin answered, as if it was apparent. "Can I come in?"

Shocked, you moved aside. He took his shoes off and arranged them carefully near where yours were. Then you noticed the two brown paper bags in his hands.

"What's in the bags?"

"You said you need to cook, but I wasn't sure if you had anything here. So I picked up some stuff," he answered nonchalantly. As if what he said answered your many questions.

"But what about our date? We're supposed to go out today."

"We're going to have our date. I'm not forfeiting our time together." Seokjin looked at you, taking off his hat and mask. "We'll just spend it here. You have tasks that are stressing you out. And I just want to spend time together. We can do both. I can help."

Despite the sincerity in his tone, Seokjin's plan made you recoil. You did not want to have any of them come to your apartment, let alone when it was such a mess. The thought of having Seokjin – who, despite being your soulmate, was essentially a stranger – help you do chores made you uncomfortable.

"It's okay," you protested. "I can figure it out. We should do what you originally planned."

"It is not okay. You're still crying," he pointed out. You wiped at your eyes quickly. "I don't want to do what I had planned. Forget that I had a plan. This is what I want to do "

You wrapped your arms around yourself and looked at him. He stared back at you, his eyes earnest. Why was this celebrity insisting on helping you clean? Still unsure if you were okay with this, you remained quiet.

"Well, I want to get stuff in the fridge before it goes bad," Seokjin said, charging ahead.

You followed him mindlessly as he opened your refrigerator door and started to unpack the grocery bags. Fresh fruits and vegetables. Eggs. A package of chicken. Some ground beef. Admittedly, things you needed, things you would eat. He moved from the fridge and pulled out more groceries. Rice. Jarred tomato sauce. A few cans of soup. Dried pasta. A box of crackers. Peanut butter.

"I wasn't sure what you like or eat, so I tried to stick to the basics," he said simply. "Well, except for the meat. I saw you eat chicken at the hotel, so I figured you weren't a vegetarian."

"Thanks," you mumbled. You looked closer at the labels, saying words like Organic and All Natural. Descriptions like that were typically out of your price range. The next words slipped out before you could stop them. "You shouldn't have wasted all this money on me."

Seokjin snapped around, his mouth in a tight frown.

"I did not waste this money. I wanted to make sure you had enough food."

"But you didn't –"

"But nothing," Seokjin cut you off. "We threw your entire world off balance. You've essentially done nothing but spend time with us for the past three days, and you'll still have to dedicate four more days to us after this. The least I can do is make sure you get through this week with as little damage as possible."

Fresh tears started to flow. You weren't used to this. Asking someone else, someone new and untrusted, for help was something you hadn't done since childhood. When you needed help, Ally and Jay would come. Over the many years of your friendship, Ally had learned how to detect your needs, and, more importantly, when to ignore your protests. Jay, the dedicated soulmate, followed her lead. But here in your kitchen, after barely three days of knowing each other, Kim Seokjin instinctively knew your needs and was fighting to fulfill them.

"Oh no, no," he said softly, coming over to you. "I didn't mean to make you cry." He moved to touch your shoulder, but stopped short, perhaps remembering the time you shirked his hug. Instead he pulled out a chair and motioned for you to sit. You did, still crying. "Have you eaten yet today?" You shook your head. A bottled smoothie appeared in front of you and Seokjin sat across from you. You took a few sips, the first food you'd eaten since breakfast yesterday. Despite your racing emotions, it settled easily in your stomach. "How was visiting your friend yesterday?"

"How do you know about that? Hoseok said that you guys weren't talking about your dates." Had Hoseok lied to you? It was a dumb thing to lie about, as you hadn't expected the privacy from them.

"We aren't. But when he came back home so early yesterday, we got worried that something bad had happened. He tried to reassure us without talking about your conversation, but Jimin was so panicked that something went wrong. He was about to call you to make sure you were okay. Hobi explained just to shut him up."

"Oh," you said softly, unsure about how to feel. You had started this week hoping all the dates would go poorly, but they were worried that one had, potentially, gone sour. The seven guys seemed more invested than you expected. Jimin’s actions made you sigh. You weren't sure when you would see him, but you were sure that he was eager for the date. Seokjin cleared his throat and you realized you hadn't answered his original question. "It was fine. Even if I couldn't say everything or solve anything, I think it was good to at least talk about this. To remember that I have someone in my corner."

"You…" Seokjin paused, his lips pursed, contemplating what to say. "You'll have to call her again tonight," he said with a smile. "Tell her how handsome I am."

You laughed. He was incredibly handsome, like some sort of Disney prince with his dark eyes, plump lips, and broad shoulders. But you weren't expecting him to be so up front about it.

"Handsome and willing to do chores," you joked. "It's a decent combo."

"Speaking of chores, I came here to be helpful. Where do you want to start?"

"How do you feel about washing dishes, Mr. Kim Seokjin?"

"Call me Jin," he smiled. I'll wash them if you dry?"

The two of you quickly settled into your work. You were pleasantly surprised at how willing Seokjin – Jin – was to do whatever tasks you asked. He dusted the corners of your apartment, which were too high for you to reach. He helped move furniture so you could clean and mop your floors thoroughly. You talked to each other as you felt necessary, neither feeling the need to be conversing constantly. But Jin would tell a joke every so often, or one of you would ask a question. It was the most comfortable you'd felt since meeting them.

"Have you read all of these?" Jin called out from your common room.

You looked out of your bedroom where you were folding laundry to see Jin standing with a duster in front of your overburdened bookshelf.

"Pretty much," you said. There's a few on my to-read list, but I try to only buy ones I like. Do you like to read?"

"Not this much," he laughed. "But you should talk books with Namjoon. He loves to read."

You made a noncommittal noise. You were sincerely enjoying Jin's company, but you didn't want to think about the upcoming days. Jin noticed though.

"You getting hungry? Because I am," he changed the subject.

You looked at your phone, surprised to see that it was now mid-afternoon. It'd been several hours since you two had started chores. For the first time in a while, you were actually hungry.

"Food sounds good," you said, nodding.

"What's good around here? I remember some of the places we ordered from at the hotel, but I don't know if they'll deliver here."

"Let's just cook," you suggested. "You bought all this food already."

Jin seemed pleased with this option. Moving into the kitchen, you took an inventory of the items that he’d brought earlier. Grabbing an onion, some peppers, and the ground beef from the fridge, you placed them on the counter. From the cupboard you pulled out the jarred sauce and a box of pasta.

"Pasta and meatballs sound good?" You suggested.

"Sounds im-pasta-bly good," Jin said, making you giggle. It hadn't been his first pun of the day, but your laughter encouraged him to continue. "What can I do?"

"Dice the onion and peppers? I'll make the meatballs."

Starting on his task, Jin started to whistle a melody you didn't recognize. It was pleasant though. Seasoning and mixing the ground beef, you were content to continue working in quiet, only with occasional instructions going back and forth. At one point, while standing over the stove cooking the meatballs, you glanced towards Jin. The vision of him, broad, handsome, and completely at ease in your apartment shook you. In another world, maybe this could have been your life. If Jin hadn't been your soulmate, you could see this working. Standing in your kitchen, comfortable and content, cooking with a man who was oddly attuned to you. Maybe you would've met him during college, or through work. Maybe he would have been one of Jay's college friends you met at their wedding. You could see your life with Jin, if only you hadn't had first contact.

"Thank you, Jin," you said, "for everything today. This turned out to be what I needed."

"I'm glad to have helped," he smiled warmly down at you. "I want you to know that I'm on your side too."

Internally, worry ran through your head. Why would Jin say this? Would he still side with you when you broke it off with the group? Did this mean he wanted to just be friends? A nervous cloud settled over your memories from today. Why had he acted like this at all – come to your house, help you clean? It didn't make logical sense to you.

Jin called your name softly, and you realized you were breathing quickly. His eyes were sad. He could tell you were starting to struggle. You looked away, embarrassed at ruining the easier mood you'd established.

"Don't overthink this, okay?" He whispered, ducking his head to try to catch your eyes. "I want to be here for you. Let me try?" You nodded, not trusting yourself to talk. Having Jin as an ally would be nice,. Trusting him, if you risked it, could be wonderful.

You slept shockingly well that night. You felt lighter after your date with Jin, some of the recent pressures attended to and the first substantial meal all week. The amount you laughed at Jin's jokes probably helped too. You slept past your alarm, waking up gently to the sound of the kids the floor below you playing. Grabbing your phone, you checked your texts. Jimin's date was today and you expected a series of texts from the excitable young man. But you found nothing. No texts explaining his plans for the day, nothing asking you what you wanted to do. Not even the good morning text he normally sent at 8am sharp. Confused, but not willing to text him yourself, you started to get ready. Maybe Jin had spoken to them about your date yesterday. You wouldn't blame him, you'd been an absolute wreck yesterday. Jin seemed like he would give the others notice about your state. Maybe they were scared off by your breakdown. That thought made you pause. In any other scenario, you'd be livid about being judged for your mental health but if that was what pushed your soulmates away from you, then perhaps an exception could be made.

As you bit into a piece of fruit Jin had brought you, someone knocked at the door. You cracked it open, not sure who was there. Someone wearing a bucket hat and a face mask stood there, fiddling with his phone.

"Can I help you?" You asked.

Looking up, the stranger shouted your name and pulled off his mask and hat Jimin. Park fucking Jimin was standing at your front door, smiling as though this was the best day of his life. You yanked him into your apartment. You typically didn't have many visitors, and didn't want the nosey elderly couple taking note of the strangers stopping by.

*How the hell do you know where I live, Jimin?" You tried not to shout, but you were frustrated. Had Jin told the others your address? You didn't explicitly tell him to keep it a secret, and you figured he would talk a little bit about his day, but there was no need to disclose where you lived.

"Well, Namjoon-hyung was in the room when Jin-hyung was on the phone with you. He overhead your address when Jin confirmed it." Jimin blushes a little and rubbed his hand through his hair. "You'll find out really fast the Namjoon can't keep a secret. He's the worst at it. So it's really more Jin's fault for talking about it around him."

You couldn't wait for your date with Namjoon. Then you could strangle him.

"What's your plan for today?" You sighed, wanting to get Jimin out of your apartment as soon as possible. You hoped he didn't plan to spend the day here. While you appreciated Jin's help yesterday, you wanted as few memories of them here as possible.

"I was hoping you could show me around. Take me to the places you like to go." Jimin blushed brightly. "The places that are important to you."

It was a reasonable request, and it'd get you out of the apartment. There weren't a lot of places you could take him, maybe four or five places scattered around the city, but it was a start. So you started with the park near your apartment. Jimin was attentive and eager at each stop, asking questions constantly as you went. He talked about himself as you asked, or jumped in with stories relating to what you said. After a final stop, you sat with him on the riverwalk, not too far from where your date with Taehyung had been.

"Where did you grow up?" Jimin asked, taking a bite of the food you two had gotten.

"Here, actually," you said.

"Really?" Jimin's face lit up with an idea. "Can we go see your old house? Can I meet your parents? I want to introduce myself."

"No." His words grabbed your heart. You struggled to take a breath.

"I don't have to meet them–"

"No."

"–just get a peak at where you grew up?"

"I'm not going back there!"

Jimin stopped talking. He looked at you, eyes confused by your harsh reaction. As he took in your changed posture, his stare turned from confused to concerned. You were curled in on yourself, shoulders hunched and head down. You were shaking. Jimin reached out towards you, as if he wanted to comfort you somehow, but let his hand fall before he touched you. Instead, he whispered your name.

"I'm not going back there," you repeated, more in an effort to reassure yourself than to tell Jimin. "I won't go back."

"You don't have to go back," Jimin said softly. "You don't have to go anywhere. I was just joking. We won't go there. It's okay." You heard Jimin gasp and he grabbed your wrist. "Don't do that!"

You jolted out of your thoughts and looked to Jimin. His face was pale. He stared at your left arm, now red with scratches and bleeding slightly. Shit. You pulled your wrist away from him, but he let it go easily.

"Give me a minute?" You said, quickly standing up. "I'll be back!"

You heard Jimin call after you as you walked away, but you didn't look back at him. You cursed vibrantly under your breath as you went to find a bathroom to wash your bloodied arm and nails. This date had gone from bad to catastrophic. Part of you wanted to curse Jimin and his damned eagerness for talking about your family, but the terror in his face after seeing your reaction was enough of a penance. You had wanted to get through these seven dates without talking about your parents, but Jimin busted through those plans. Jimin was the secondary cause of your entire soulmate situation. You swore again, this time loudly, as you rinsed off your arm, and banged your fist on the counter. Jimin was almost as bad at screwing up your life as Namjoon was. You contemplated just leaving him sitting on the bank alone, and calling this whole deal off. You hadn't signed anything to promise them these dates. If you left now, blocked their numbers, and stayed at Ally's until they left town, there wasn't much they could do. They probably wouldn't sue. Their lawyers seemed to want to keep this a secret as much as you did. But Jimin's scared face was plastered in your mind. The desire you felt the first time you were alone with him, the desire to calm and reassure him, fluttered back. At least you could tell him that you were okay before leaving.

Walking out of the bathroom, you immediately saw Jimin. He stood on the other side of the path, as if he'd been watching each person walk in and out in order to find you.

"I followed you because I was scared th–"

"It's okay, Jimin."

"No it's not! I'm sorry that I badgered you over that. I don't know why I said those things. But I'm so sorry! I never meant for that to happen."

"It's not your fault," you said after he'd gotten his rushed apology out. "You had no way to know I would react like that." This conversation felt vaguely familiar. "Don't blame yourself."

"What did I do wrong?" Jimin's voice shook, and his eyes looked like he was on the verge of tears.

"You did nothing wrong."

"But you–"

"Let's sit," you interrupted.

Not waiting to see if he followed, but figuring that he would, you walked to a bench by the river. No one else was around it and you wanted privacy. As expected, he sat down immediately after you took your seat. His loyalty made you sigh. You wished, not for the last time that day, that this sweet man had become soulmates with someone other than you. He watched you, expectantly but not willing to push any further. He looked as if he would wait forever for you to start speaking. It'd been years since you told this story and, though the details never left your memory, it was always hard to find the right words.

"My father is an abusive alcoholic. I don't have many memories of him being anything other than drunk and mean." Jimin said nothing, just folded his hands on his lap and let you speak. "That combination fueled him, it ran in his blood. And my mother is completely in love with him." You paused, not understanding why you were telling him this. You stared off at the river. "They met when they were older. My mom had always hoped to have a soulmate, it was all she ever wanted out of life. So having a first contact was like a dream come true for her. When I got old enough to ask tough questions, to try and understand why she didn't leave, she practically laughed in my face. Told me I'd understand when I found my soulmate. So she stayed. And I was too young to do anything else other than stay. I spent my entire childhood watching a man beat and berate the woman his soul was tied to. He treated me more like a punching bag than his child."

You paused, hearing a noise come from Jimin. He had tears pouring from his eyes, wetting his face mask.

"Did no one try to help?" He asked through his tears.

"People tried, but nothing worked. I went to school once with a broken wrist, then the teacher noticed that I was breathing weirdly. She sent me to the school nurse. Found out I had two broken ribs. The teacher called the cops. My father said I tripped down the stairs. My mother agreed. The nurse tried a few months later. Came to school with a black eye and a bloody nose. They said I ran into a wall while playing.

"Ally, my best friend, helped the most. She somehow, even as a little kid, noticed that I would come to school already hurt, but never get hurt at the playground. She mentioned it to her mom. Her mom started paying attention, always asking me about whatever bruises or cuts I had. Her first time calling the cops was a summer afternoon I'd come over to play. I was so hungry. When her mom asked what I had for lunch, I told her the truth. My father had taken my breakfast and lunch away. I hadn't learned to lie yet. I remember her fighting with the officer while I ate the food she made. She always made food when I came over after that. Still does."

You stopped talking finally. Jimin's head was in his hands. His body was shaking. He gasped as he cried. You wanted to laugh a little bit – you spent so much time crying this week, but this left you emotionless. Numb from thinking about the past. But, as you watched Jimin cry, you felt guilt creeping in. Maybe it was wrong to have told him this. He didn't need this knowledge, especially if you were still planning on leaving at the end.

"I didn't mean to make you cry," you told him. "I'm sorry."

"Why are you sorry?" His voice shook. "You shouldn't have to apologize for anything. People should apologize to you. You didn't deserve that."

You shrugged. This discussion was relatively constant in your life. Logically, you had already come to terms with Jimin's statement.

"I haven't talked to them in almost ten years," you offered, hoping to soothe him.

"Good. They don't deserve to be around you." His dedication warmed your heart a little. "Who else knows?"

"Ally. Her husband has picked up on a lot, but I never explicitly told him. Maybe she has. A few friends definitely have their suspicions. You."

"You've only told two people about this?" He asked, wiping the tears from his eyes. You nodded. "None of the other guys know either?"

"Please don't tell them."

You felt guilty enough telling Jimin, let alone the others. You hoped that Jimin would stop worrying once you left his life. Jimin looked at you, processing your request. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. You waited in silence.

"I won't tell them," he said finally. "But will you?"

"When I need to," you answered.

He accepted this answer, which was based on the plan that you would never need to. His eyes left you and he turned to look at the river. Unsure of what he was thinking, you waited for Jimin to speak next. You felt exhausted. You closed your eyes and let the quiet surround you.

"Is that why you don't want us?"

Jimin might as well have stabbed you. You weren't prepared for him to explicitly question your motivations. Weren't aware that he picked up on your desire to end this situation. If he knew, did the others? Why was he trying so thoroughly to get to know you if he understood your plan? Why did he stay to hear your story? Unsure of many things, you decided that Jimin's diligence should at least earn him the truth.

"Yes. I refuse to let a soulmate bond control me. I won't stay with anyone just because of a first contact."

"I wish," Jimin started to speak, then stopped himself. "I wish there was enough time to prove that we're not like that. I wish that we could have a chance. We'd never hurt you, we could show you that."

"I don't know if that can be proven," you told him. You felt odd. Yesterday had started off so terribly, but you enjoyed your day. Today, probably your nicest morning in a while, turned completely sour. Realizing that you wanted this to be over, you stood up and faced Jimin one last time. "I wish your first contact was with someone else. You deserve to be happy." Then you left.

Yoongi called you late the next morning. Late enough for you to have wondered if the day's date was actually going to happen.

"I want to see if you actually want to hang out today?" He asked. "Jimin was in rough shape last night and I want to check in."

"What did Jimin say?"

"Nothing. But we could tell he'd been crying. He went straight to his room when he got back. Tae tried to talk with him, but he wouldn't say a word."

"I'm sorry he was so upset." You felt guilty that your date had effected Jimin so intensely.

Yoongi made a small noise in response. "It's why I wanted to talk. See if you feel up for doing something today?"

"What if I said I wasn't?"

"Then I'd do something else. Let you rest."

His answer caught your attention. You hadn't meant your question to be any type of indicator, but Yoongi surprised you. Giving up his date so that you could rest was an unexpected offer.

"I'm okay," you answered honestly. "We can hang out."

"How about something low-key? We could watch a movie?"

"That sounds nice." A movie meant minimal time talking, less questions that could lead to horrible conversations.

"Do you want to come to the hotel? We can hang out in my room." He paused, then laughed a little. "I can't promise that the others wouldn't stop by if we were here though. Or I can come to your apartment?"

"How do you know," you started to ask, then realized the answer. "Namjoon told you?"

"Namjoon told me."

"Are you okay coming here?"

Though you initially planned to never have any of them over, Yoongi's hotel plan seemed worse. He acknowledged the likelihood of your date being interrupted. And, while you weren't passionate about alone time with Yoongi, you wanted to avoid turning the manageable solo date into a chaotic group date. And, between Jin and Jimin, your previous plan had become obsolete.

"Sounds good. I'll text you when I arrive."

The thought of texting Jin quickly, to thank him again for his help, crossed your mind. With your apartment clean and your fridge stocked, you felt as comfortable as you could with Yoongi coming over. Though you were sure that the couple next door would start gossiping. Three strange visitors in three days was unheard of for you. You laughed to yourself, remembering the times they called your landlady when Ally visited too frequently for their liking. Though you were quiet and mostly kept to yourself, their dislike of noise, or anything that could disturb them, kept them vigilant. With this amount of visitors, they were probably going to call your landlady and accuse you of something ridiculous – selling drugs or prostitution. Admittedly, pissing them off was an unexpected advantage of your current situation.

Your phone buzzed with a text from Yoongi announcing his arrival. When you opened the door, he greeted you by holding up a tray with two coffees and a small paper bag.

"I brought coffee," he said simply as he toed his shoes off and placed his backpack down He pulled off his beanie and facemask. "I wasn't sure how you take yours," he said, slightly blushing, "so I just got it black."

"Thanks," you said, taking a cup from him. "I've got stuff to put in it. Do you want anything for yours?" You turned away to go fix your coffee properly.

"I'm good. And I brought muffins." He placed the paper bag next to you.

You pulled them out and, unsure of which he preferred, simply set them on a plate for choosing. Sipping your coffee, you glanced at him. He was leaning against your counter, completely relaxed, and looking at your common room. The pictures on your walls. The framed posters. Things which were up when Jin and Jimin visited, but you weren't sure if they'd taken notice of. Yoongi did, slowly walking up to one poster and inspecting it with piercing eyes.

"I've never heard of this movie," he said.

"That's because it's not a movie," you said. "Well, not at first. They made it into a movie." He looked at you, an eyebrow raised in a question. "It's a musical."

"A musical?" He repeated.

Unable to decipher his tone, not sure if he was confused or judgemental. You blushed a little, though. You weren't sure you wanted to discuss your taste in music with a famous pop star.

"Like musical theatre? A play where people burst into song and dance."

"I've heard of it," he answered. "I've just never listened to it. Or know anyone who does.". He paused, giving your poster a final glance, then looked at you. "So that's what you listen to. But not our music?" His tone wasn't mean, but an even statement of fact.

"It's not that I don't like your stuff. What I've heard is good. It's just not what I normally listen to."

"Which is this?" Once again, not angry or judgemental, just clarifying. You nodded. "Can I hear?"

"Uh, sure," you said hesitantly. You pulled out your phone and started scrolling through the music you had downloaded on it. Looking for something that would impress him. "I don't know if you'll like it. It's a lot different from rap."

"I want to hear it for myself. From someone who's passionate about it."

An idea popped into your head and you went to your laptop on the table. Opening up a new browser tab, you started typing. As he watched you search, Yoongi sat down next to you.

"There's a great clip, just give me a second to find it," you explained.

"They're taped?"

"Sometimes."

"Then let's just watch a show."

"Are you sure?" You felt your face light up at his simple suggestion. "We can watch a regular movie if you prefer."

"No, I want to see this."

Quickly, you pulled up an old recording of a musical by one of your favorite composers.

"It's a little longer," you said. "The couch would probably be more comfortable."

Calling it a couch was generous, it was a battered old love seat given to you by Ally's parents when they refurbished their living room several years back. It was probably as old as you, lumpy, and still had the stain from the time Ally and you spilled nachos on it in middle school. But it was free and it was a suitable size for your small common room, so you were content. Yoongi didn't complain though, watching from his new position as you set your laptop up to play from a small end table. He ran his hand over the blanket draped over the back.

"If you don't like it, just say," you said as you sat and moved a throw pillow onto your lap. "We'll watch something else if you don't like it. Just say when you want to stop."

"I'll never have any opinion if you don't start the movie," he said.

You took a deep breath and pressed play. The opening number started, but you kept your eyes on Yoongi. An odd hope sprung up in you, wanting him to appreciate your favorite type of music. Regardless, you watched his face for any indicator of what he thought. Unfortunately, though, his face revealed nothing. He simply pushed his cheek-length bangs behind his ears and shifted himself to find a more comfortable position. After fifteen or twenty minutes, he reached out and pressed pause. Your breath caught in your throat, ready for criticism.

"Do they sing the entire way through?"

"For this one, they do. Others switch between singing and talking. We can turn it off."

"I don't want to turn it off. I was just curious."

He pressed play and settled back. It took the entire first half of the musical for you to relax. You held your breath at every joke, wondering if he would find it funny. You watched his face intently, trying to decipher what he was feeling, but you couldn't see past his stoicism. As the act one finale ended, you paused it.

"There's more," you said, "but we can stop here if you want." He had indulged in your show for longer than you anticipated, but you weren't willing to force him through the next half. Ready to hear him shut your passion down and critique your music. Yoongi said nothing, just pressed play again. You hadn't been expecting that. So you leaned back and tried to enjoy the second part. When it finally ended, you looked at him, cautiously hopeful.

"That was different. I've never seen something like that," he said. "But it was good. Definitely objectively good." He noticed how you hung on, waiting for his opinion. "I liked it."

His appreciation had a visible effect on you. You felt a smile come across your face, and your breathing finally relaxed. Yoongi asked a few questions as he crossed the room to grab a muffin. You answered each with a shocking amount of excitement. The simple facts that he had listened and he didn't dismiss it immediately created a new fondness for him, a feeling you wanted to fight but weren't able to at that moment.

"Would you listen to something if I gave it to you?" Yoongi asked.

"Pull up whatever you want," you told him, pushing your laptop towards him.

"Not yet. I want to be careful with what I show you. I'll get some stuff to you by when we see each other next."

You nodded your head. This produced the first genuine smile you had seen from him, soft and wide and gummy. For a brief moment, you could see yourself with him, drinking coffee and exchanging music, introducing each other to your favorite songs. It was a dangerous thought though, so you tried to shut it down quickly, knowing that it'd probably be best if this was the last time you did this. You would miss it though.

You were on your phone, double checking the address Jungkook texted you for a meeting spot. It was, of all places in town, an old bowling alley. You had been here a lot throughout your childhood. Ally's dad loved bowling and you were frequently invited on their excursions. Waiting for Jungkook to show up, you wondered if it still smelled like stale popcorn, boiled hot dogs, and the weird spray they used on the shoes. You hoped it did. You watched a tall guy walk towards you, black shorts and long sleeved shirt, topped off with a purple bucket hat and a face mask. At this point, you were familiar with their disguises. Jungkook. And, if you were unsure, the smattering of tattoos on his hand proved his identity.

"Hey Jungkook."

"Hi Noona," he said. "It's nice to see you."

You smiled at him and his manners. Heading in, you talked about safe topics. The weather. How he was spending his spare time in the city. What recommendations you had for other things to do, or places to eat. As the attendant handed the bowling shoes over, you reached for your wallet. Jungkook beat you though, handing the old man a wad of cash. You decided not to protest; you had given that up after your disagreement with Hoseok over him buying an overloaded cooler of snacks for your date and then insisted on paying for the umbrella rental. Jungkook requested the lane in the far corner, as far away from the door and the attendant as possible. As you two sat and changed your shoes, you asked him what you'd been wondering since you got his text.

"Why did you choose to come here?"

The bowling alley was a far cry from any of the nicer spots in the city. An even farther distance than the luxurious places you were sure he was accustomed to with his fame.

"Honestly?" He asked. You nodded, surprised that he was seeking your reassurance. "I was really nervous about what to do today. Namjoon-hyung suggested doing some sort of activity, rather than just sitting and talking. He said that I'd have something to focus on other than being nervous." You tried to hide your shock, both that Namjoon had helped and that Jungkook was nervous. "Plus, look around, nobody's here. We swung by yesterday to see what it was like after I read some reviews. It was empty yesterday too. So now I don't have to worry." He took his mask off, revealing a soft smile.

You laughed, amused at his train of thought. He had planned his date around not being noticed.

"I don't think he's going to notice," you said, nodding at the attendant. "He's been here since I was a kid. He doesn't care much about what happens here as long as it's not illegal."

"You've been here before?"

"All the time as a kid." You paused, took a deep breath and smiled. "And it still smells the same." Jungkook laughed and smiled at you. His smile was toothy and it scrunched up his cheeks. It eased a little of your discomfort at the situation. "And, between us, I'm nervous too."

Jungkook's eyes went wide at your statement. You were grateful that he'd made plans and taken off his mask, he was expressive and watching every emotion flit across his face was fascinating.

"But-I didn't-How," he stammered through the start of a few sentences before pausing and thinking. His lips pursed, as if he was trying to predict the trajectory of different statements. Finally, he settled. "I hope we're still good for bowling. I play to win."

"Bring it on."

"How are you feeling today?" Jungkook asked after several bowled frames in silence. You stared at him as he rolled the ball down the lane. "When Jimin-hyung came back from your date so upset, Jin-hyung mentioned that you hadn't been feeling great during his date. Jimin-hyung practically attacked Yoongi-hyung with questions when he came back last night. He's really worried about you, Noona."

"What happened to not talking about our dates with each other?" You asked, but your voice wasn't mean.

"We haven't talked about any of the details," he sounded slightly embarrassed. "Just, after your date with Hobi-hyung, we've all been nervous about how you're coping." His voice became soft, like he was telling a secret he was supposed to keep. "We've all been worried about you."

Shit. Date after date, these guys kept throwing wrenches into your plans. You wanted to be a blip on their radar, coming into their lives and quickly leaving with minimal problems. But, if they were all so concerned about you at this early point, you worried how troublesome your plan would be.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry," you told him honestly. "But I'm okay. I feel good right now." You smiled warmly at him, but his face remained uneasy. "How was it leaving today?"

Jungkook didn't answer immediately. His wide eyes darted to you, then around the bowling alley as if he was looking for someone to give him the correct answer. You didn't intend to make him uncomfortable.

"You don't have to say anything you don't want to, Jungkook. You don't even have to answer."

"It was weird. Everyone's been anxious since we had first contact. Some of us are dealing with it better than others. There's a lot of extra emotions going around. Jimin-hyung is definitely going to ask me about you when I get back."

"How have you been coping?" You felt guilty for causing so much distress.

"I've been trying to keep busy. Hobi-hyung brought some of us to the beach after your date. Tomorrow I'm planning on dragging Jimin-hyung out with Taehyung to go site seeing. I've done more work than I thought I would get done this week." Jungkook paused and looked at you. You smiled softly, attempting to reassure him. His face turned a bright red and he continued. "All I've cared about for so long has been BTS and our music, so having a soulmate wasn't a priority. It's not that-I mean I-it's just," he started fumbling

"I get what you mean," you said.

"It's not that I don't want a soulmate. I just never gave it much thought before we, well, before our first contact. I never thought or wished for it to happen. I didn't even know anyone who had a soulmate."He paused and took a deep breath. You were surprised at how open he was. You wondered if he had talked about this with anyone else, or if he was just processing now. "When hyung called us up to tell us about you, about making first contact, I was just so excited for him. I really just wanted him to be happy. I still do!" He looked at you, deep brown eyes brimming with tears. "And then we all had first contact and…and I don't want to ruin anything! I just want everyone to be happy."

"Shh, shh, it's okay, Jungkook," you said softly, leaning in a bit closer to his personal space. Tears were falling down his face and you wanted nothing more than to soothe him, a feeling you'd cope with later. "You haven't ruined anything. You won't ruin anything."

He took a deep breath, and wiped his eyes several times before looking at you. His tears stopped and you were grateful that, this time, you were able to help your distraught soulmate.

"I really want to hug you right now, Noona." You grew tense. "I don't think you'd like that. I just wanted to tell you though."

You relaxed and gave Jungkook a warm smile. All of your smiles today were easy and genuine. His observation, the notice of your hesitation for physical contact, wrapped around your heart like a blanket.

"I appreciate that, Jungkook, more than you can know."

You had a hard time sleeping that night. Despite the nice day you spent with Jungkook, you arrived home restless and anxious. Part of those feelings, you knew, centered on your upcoming date with Namjoon. Deep down, fair or not, you still partially blamed him for this entire situation. If he hadn't been so clumsy, or had chosen a different coffee shop, or had been rude and not tried to clean up, then your life would have remained the same. Logically, you knew the first contacts were not his fault, just some otherworldly magic that no one had control over. But, in your frustration with the situation, you wanted someone to blame. And Namjoon, the catalyst of this mess, was a perfect scapegoat. The rest of your fear came rather from your uncertainty of what you would tell them. Your original plan, go on the dates then say goodbye forever, seemed overly simplistic now. In spite of your better judgement, you had mostly enjoyed your dates. Even your date with Jimin was enjoyable before the tears and trauma. Had the dates been under any other circumstance other than soulmate dates, you would probably consider meeting them again. But they were your soulmates and your mind was screaming at you to run.

You had slept for maybe two hours when your phone buzzed with a text. Namjoon. Asking you to meet him at an address downtown which, when plugged into your phone, turned out to be an art museum. Luckily there were several coffee shops on your route there, you knew you'd need a significant amount of caffeine to get you functional. A few hours after his text, you approached the art museum, almost empty coffee cup in hand, looking for Namjoon. Aware of the familiar disguise combination of a hat, facemask, or sunglasses, you weren't surprised when you spotted him, beanie and facemask combo, leaning against a wall. As you got closer, he waved.

"Hey, good morning," he greeted you when you were next to him. "Thanks for meeting me."

"Well, it's a part of the deal," you shrugged. Namjoon flinched.

You walked into the building in silence. As Namjoon paid for your passes, you looked around and took in the sleek design of the museum, all bright whites and sharp corners. As he led you down a hall, you realized a lot of it was abstract. Random colors splashed on paper, simplistic designs that you couldn't understand the hype about. Today was going to be a long day. Namjoon wasn't talking, but rather watching you carefully out of the corner of his eyes. You stayed quiet, not sure what to say to him. Small talk was not appealing to you today. After wandering for a while in silence, Namjoon stopped at a painting and pointed to it. The canvas was painted black, with several lines in various colors painted in swirls across it.

"What do you think about this one?" He asked.

"It's fine?"

His eyebrow raised in question. He pointed to the next one on the wall, a huge canvas painted bright orange with several triangles painted at random intervals.

"What about this one?"

"It's okay, I guess?" You answered. Namjoon's eyes were disappointed, this clearly wasn't going how he wanted. You scrambled to excuse yourself. "I mean, I'm sure they're great. This just…isn't my type of art?" You couldn't prevent your voice from rising, making it sound more like a question than your actual opinion.

"We could go to another wing?" He offered. "Maybe something else will be more your style?"

"Whatever you want," you said, unhelpfully.

He looked at the museum map he held in his hand, his brows furrowed. Without lifting his head, he took off in a different direction, not looking at the paintings being passed. You followed him until he led you into a new section and he held his arms out and expectedly. The room held more abstract art, but these had less hard lines to them. More mixed colors, less geometry. Namjoon followed you as you wandered aimlessly around the room.

"Any of these look nice to you?"

"No, I'm sorry," you said, shaking your head. "I guess my taste just isn't this refined."

"Don't apologize! You like what you like. You don't have to enjoy this style," Namjoon was quick to reassure you. After a moment of looking at anything but each other, he laughed softly and fiddled with his beanie. "I was actually on my way here when we met." This surprised you. After nearly an hour together, neither of you had spoken much. So starting the conversation with your awkward first contact was not something you expected. "Before I realized that I had to call management, I was planning on asking you to come here with me. But now I'm glad I didn't. Taking you to a museum you hate would be a horrible first date." He paused awkwardly. "Is a horrible first date, I guess."

"I don't hate the art," you disagreed. "It's just…" you struggled to find a polite way to voice your disinterest. "It just… is there."

"That's worse. Art is supposed to make you feel. If you hated it, then at least it would be resonating with you. But art that makes you feel nothing is…bad. At least bad for you."

You shrugged. "I can deal with bad art." A horrible date was also easily dealt with. It wouldn't further your confused emotions towards the group. Maybe you could consider being friends with the others, but Namjoon could remain firmly in the acquaintance category.

Namjoon sighed and looked at his watch. "Maybe we leave and get some coffee?"

"We can stay if you want to look around more." Honestly, the idea of blankly staring at weird colors in silence was not unappealing.

"No, I'm good. I'd rather do something we both can enjoy. Plus, we can talk more over drinks"

Though talking was the last thing you wanted to do, you led Namjoon to a coffee shop not far from the museum. Luckily, the shop was quiet with the morning rush far over and the lunch rush yet to come. There was one man fixing his coffee and a single woman at a table, reading a newspaper. Not waiting for Namjoon, you walked straight up to the cashier, ordered your coffee and quickly shoved money at the worker. Namjoon made a noise in protest, but you ignored him. After he ordered, you waited in silence together. Though his drink came out right after yours, you didn't hand it to him and walked away. Let him spill it again and have a first contact with this barista. Maybe they'd leave you alone if they found a replacement. Your hope didn't pan out, though, and he followed you out of the cafe.

"I've been doing some research," he started. "I wanted to see what I could learn about situations like ours."

"Why?"

"I don't know about you, but I only know one person who has a soulmate. One of our audio techs. It's just the two of them though – him and his soulmate. So I don't know anything about how multiple first contacts or soulmates work. And they at least live in the same city." Namjoon sighed, frustrated, and played with his beanie. "I just don't like not knowing what to do."

"Okay," you nodded. Researching the situation had never crossed your mind. Maybe you could try and find something about finding and leaving your soulmate. Or soulmates. Ally's comment about platonic soulmates rang in your ears. "What'd you find out?"

Namjoon perked up a little at your question. His eyes looked surprised, as if he wasn't expecting you to inquire further. But more information wouldn't hurt.

"I've mostly been looking into multiple first contacts and seeing how those soulmate bonds play out in real life. There was a study out of somewhere in Europe – Germany or maybe Switzerland – that managed to find a hundred groups who had multiple soulmates from all over the world. Most of the first contacts had happened between three or four people, but there was one group that originally had six soulmates."

It was your turn to be startled. His last statement – originally had – shot through you like lightning. Someone had escaped their first contacts. Someone had succeeded in what you wanted.

"Originally had," you interrupted. "What happened?" Namjoon shifted and looked away from you, immediately looking uncomfortable. "Please tell me."

"One of them died."

"Died?"

"They killed themself shortly before the study started."

Fuck everything. That wasn't the answer you expected. Your eagerness now turned to guilt over the envy you initially felt for this unknown person. You sat down on a nearby bench, and curled in on yourself, unsure of how to proceed. Namjoon sat down across from you.

"The other five talk about it some. They have a vlog about their lives together." Namjoon's voice was gentle, like he knew you needed comfort but not sure how or why. "They're doing okay."

"What else did you find out?" You asked, trying to refrain from crying. Namjoon paused before talking. He seemed to be weighing the options of talking or not talking, and figuring which would make you more upset. You decided to press him. "Namjoon."

"In the study, not everyone in each soulmate group had a first contact with each other. Maybe in a three person group, Person A may have had first contacts with both Persons B and C, but Persons B and C didn't have a first contact with each other. Or," Namjoon shifted his body so that he was twisted to face you, one leg folded onto the bench, "in this one group of four I remember! Person A had first contacts with Persons B, C, and D. Person B actually had a first contact with Person D. But Person C didn't have a first contact with anyone besides Person A."

Namjoon paused, letting you absorb the information. He fiddled with a ring.

"What about you guys?" You finally ask. "You've known each other for years. Any other first contacts I should know about?"

"No, just with you. Well, we tease Jimin and Tae about being soulmates, but they never had a first contact. At least they've never told us if there was one. They knew each other before we were all together. Maybe they had a first contact together and just never told anyone. I don't know," Namjoon sighed. "But, in the study, even the people who didn't share a first contact within their group were close. A lot were romantic even without the direct soulmate bond."

"What about friendships? Were there any platonic relationships?"

"Yeah, everyone in each soulmate group was close!" Namjoon rushed, his tone worried. "Even the people who didn't have a first contact together were incredibly close. Something about being bonded to the same person strengthening the relationships."

"Were all the relationships between the people with first contacts romantic?"

"Yes. Every one."

You cursed internally. Out of so many people, you had hoped that at least one group in your position had managed to be non-romantic. But the soulmate bonds continued to work against you.

"I can send you the information I found?" Namjoon said, hesitantly. "If you want to learn more?"

"I'd appreciate that."

If anything, you were grateful to Namjoon for sharing his findings. And for having the forethought to go searching in the first place. While your immediate questions all had negative responses, maybe you could find something on your own once you had the materials. Knowledge in this situation could be powerful, something to arm yourself with against the other seven or help guide you through the mess. With tomorrow's meeting as a group weighing heavily on your mind, you'd take any help you could get.

"What have the others said about this?" You asked after a few minutes.

"I haven't shown them yet." Namjoon took in your confused look before continuing. "I'm planning to tonight. But I wanted to tell you first. Seemed fair since you're outnumbered." His statement was pointed, as if he knew about your conversation with Hoseok and was offended by it. "I wasn't sure if it would help you before tomorrow." He went quiet, and started to tap on his phone. You stared up at the clouds. Feeling your phone buzz, you check to see two new messages from Namjoon. You look at him, questioning. "A link to the study," he explained. "And a link to the vlog that the group of six runs. Just in case you want to check their story out."

"Thanks," you mumbled, starting to scroll through the study.

The two of you sat in silence for several minutes, you transfixed by the document on your screen, Namjoon simply taking in the passers-by. You heard him sigh deeply and glanced at him. He looked exhausted, as if the day had also taken a lot out of him.

"Have you thought about tomorrow?" He asked cautiously. He wasn't looking at you, continuing to stare at the crowd as if it made this conversation easier.

"That's all I've been thinking about."

Maybe it was your tone, equally as tired as his. Or it could've been the lingering thoughts of what happened to the group of six soulmates. Maybe it was his internal knowledge of what he was about to say. But something made Namjoon look at you, his eyes determined and focused on your hesitant ones.

"Whatever you choose, I'll support you. No questions asked. No complaints. Whatever you decide, I'll be behind you completely."

His words should've comforted you. From the few times you'd seen the group together, you'd gathered that he was somehow a guiding force for the others. Having his support should've eased any worries you had about ending this mess. But the way he looked in your eyes, the intensity of his words, as if he was willing to go to burn the world down on your behalf, frightened you. Namjoon's pragmatism and logic were traits you'd come to appreciate during this emotionally charged week. If he ended up falling prey to his emotions, as the others had, as you had started to, you feared you would lose all control.

A/N: So those are the first dates! And Noona's backstory! Where are your thoughts at?

"I just finished work," Hoseok said. He sounded exhausted. "I wanted to call you while heading back to the apartment." You heard him chuckle when you sighed. "I'll hang up as soon as I open the apartment door, I promise. Just wanted to talk for a few minutes."

"What were you working on?"

"Choreography for a new performance. We have an awards show coming up and I want something good. Have you watched anything yet?"

"No music videos, sorry. You guys have so much music it's hard to get a grasp on it all. And not speaking Korean makes it harder!" You laughed a little at your difficulties. "Every new song I listen to I have to replay three or four more times and read the translations. It's a lot, Hoseok."

"Don't worry about it. I want you to love my dancing, but you'll get there. How's your day been?"

The next few minutes you spent describing the work you were doing to prepare for the school year. A short rundown of the kids you were tutoring, what subjects you were covering. The conversation turned to Hoseok's day. He talked a little about the meeting Namjoon, Yoongi, and he – the rapline, as you learned – had with management regarding a new song. He hummed a little bit of the beat to you before yawning loudly.

"Are you home yet?" You asked

"Just taking my shoes off. Might fall asleep here in the doorway though."

"I'll hang up then. Sleep well, Hoseok."

"Truth?"

You yawned widely and looked at the time. It was a little past 11pm and you had to be awake in less than six hours, but you were hesitant to hang up on Taehyung. The guys were preparing for an upcoming performance at an award show and, due to the extra practice for Hoseok's new number and media rounds, barely had a spare minute. Your scheduled calls which lasted, in your opinion, surprisingly long, had lapsed into short conversations when each could steal a few moments. Taehyung was eating his lunch when he called today.

"Truth," you answered him.

It was a weird question game that arose on a group phone call only a few days after they arrived back in Seoul. It was simply Truth or Dare without the dares, an odd set up that allowed anyone to ask any question. Sometimes silly, sometimes deep and heartfelt, sometimes mundane. It was your group's shortcut to figuring out the years of information you didn't know about each other.

"What date was your favorite when we were with you?"

"That's not fair!" You could practically hear him smirk on the other end of the phone. "Isn't this encroaching on the whole don't-talk-about-other-dates rule?"

"Not if you're doing the talking," he said.

"I won't choose a favorite, Taehyung. And I'm going to try to keep your dates all separate. I'll answer a different question if you have one though.”

Taehyung sighed and was silent for a moment.

"Did you enjoy all of your dates?"

"I did." You smiled a little bit, thinking back on the seven days. Taehyung had been so nervous on your date, hesitant over whether or not you were enjoying the time together. You wanted to reassure him. "I wouldn't still be around if I didn't."

"And that's how you make kimchi!" Jin finished his instructions with a verbal flourish, singing the last few words to you.

You stared at the long list of steps and ingredients and sighed. This was more complicated than you had anticipated.

"Maybe I'll just buy some from the store?" You said.

"That's an option too," Jin laughed. "I was surprised when you asked for a kimchi recipe. Not the easiest thing to make."

"It's honestly the only Korean food I know of," you said awkwardly. "I just wanted to learn how to cook some Korean food."

"Oh, well there's easier stuff to make," Jin said. He launched into an explanation about a dish he called japchae. This did seem more manageable. "What's with the sudden urge to cook Korean recipes?"

"It just seemed like a thing to do. If we're all going to be in each other's lives then the least I can do is learn about your culture. I've got a book on Korean history that I'm reading. There's a Korean drama that I'm watching with Jimin and Tae. Yoongi gave me some music to listen to. Food seems like a good place to head."

"You're trying to learn about us," Jin said with a teasing lilt to his voice. "That's sweet."

"I am not sweet, Kim Seokjin. I'm respectful. It'd be rude to know nothing about my-" you cut yourself off. You'd almost called them your soulmates. Though the title was true, the group of you hadn't said the term out loud since the last day at the hotel. Friends was the term you used. "It'd be rude to not know about my friends' culture."

Jin made a sound of approval and was quiet for a moment. You heard some clicking on his end of the phone, but let him finish.

"Y'know, Namjoon would be able to recommend some excellent books by Korean authors," he said cautiously. Insightful, Jin had picked up on your hesitation around Namjoon. Though he never pushed you too hard, he frequently found a way to slip Namjoon into the conversation, gently reminding you that he also existed as a part of this friend group. "He reads constantly and would probably love to talk about books with you."

You hummed indifferently. While you were sure a mini-book club with Namjoon would be pleasant – after all, the best part of your date had been discussing academic research – something still held you back from reaching out. Though if it was simply the awkwardness of your date or something else, you weren't sure.

Jimin liked to text. Rather than wait for a specific day to catch up over the phone, as some of his band mates preferred, you found yourself texting with him several times each day. His texts seemed to line up with breaks for meals, with his breakfast typically aligning with your dinner, and his breakfast coinciding with you eating some fruit while opening the cafe. He seemed to enjoy getting acquainted over your day-to-day activities, though you tried to assure him that your days were far more routine and dull than his. Regardless, he reveled in whatever you told him. So when your phone rang one afternoon, you were surprised to see his name on the caller id.

"Jimin? Is everything okay?"

"Everything is great. Why would something be wrong?" He sounded a little groggy, but fine otherwise.

"Because you don't typically call. Let alone at –" you glanced quickly at the time, "6am Korea time. You made me worry that something bad happened."

"Oh no," he said softly and with a hint of shyness. "I just wanted to talk today."

"That's okay, Jimin, we can talk. Is anything on your mind?"

The answer, apparently, was a lot. Jimin filled you in on the recent happenings with the group. He explained more about the awards show they were preparing for and the categories they were nominated in. He excitedly answered what songs they were performing when you asked.

"Will you watch the performance once it's online?" He asked. "Hobi says you haven't seen any of our dances or performances yet."

"Only because you guys have an obscene amount of content. Songs, music videos, live performances, and apparently a variety show!"

"How did you learn about Run?" Jimin laughed. "C'mon," he urged when you were hesitant to talk, "I won't tell."

"I may be frequenting a forum," you mumbled. "Someone mentioned Run BTS so I googled it and am honestly just confused. Why does it exist? What compelled you guys to make it?"

You never got your answer though. Jimin was laughing too hard and then you heard a voice call his name.

"Crap, I've gottta go," Jimin said, catching his breath. "Hyung is yelling for us to eat before we leave. Talk to you later?"

"Talk later, Jimin."

Shortly after hanging up with Jimin, several heavy bangs came across your door. Opening it quickly, you saw Ally, hair messy and house slippers still on, standing in your doorway holding two impressively stuffed bags of fast food.

"I'm going to freaking kill him," she announced as she waddled her way into your apartment. "Will you take care of my child after I go to prison for murdering his stupid father?"

"Yes, of course. But if you tell me what's going on, I could help keep you out of jail?"

Plopping onto your couch, Ally grabbed several fries from a greasy bag and shoved them in her mouth. You grabbed two glasses of water and sat down near her.

"He's assembling the crib today but he's chewing gum while putting it together. And I can't deal with the sound of the gum chewing right now!" She said, "And I know I shouldn't complain because Jay's wonderful and I love him. But the chewing and the bubble popping!" She groaned dramatically. You knew that Ally wasn't actually upset, just grumpy from hormones and needing to vent. "He's so good. He does everything I ask and things I don't even ask." She paused to take a bite of her burger. "Did I tell you he predicted my craving the other day? He came home from work with two tubs of tapioca pudding because he had – get this – a gut feeling. How do I even tell this man that I want him to stop chewing gum? It's not fair to do!"

At this point, Ally looked comical, crying gently over her bacon cheeseburger at her situation.

You put down your fries and wrapped your arms around her in a tight hug.

"But you didn't ask Jay to stop chewing gum. You realized you needed a break, and you took it. You knew you were overwhelmed. You're a good wife, Ally."

Ally sniffled for a few more moments and wiped her eyes with the tissues you handed.

"I don't feel like a good wife right now."

"You are." Ally appreciated reassurance, so you knew this was the best course of action. "You're a good wife and an amazing soulmate. You and Jay are literally meant for each other. I've seen it."

This made Ally smile. She hugged you again before stealing one of your fries.

"Thanks, I needed that," she sighed. "I'm just getting so touchy with these friggin' hormones." You smiled compassionately. "But speaking of soulmates, what's going on with yours? Have you talked to them recently?"

"Almost everyday I talk to one of them. I actually just got off the phone with Wind Guy," you told her.

"And how are long-distance platonic soulmates going?"

"It's nice. They're all nice. I think I made the right decision." At this admission, Ally looked at you pointedly. "Yes, just like you said. I made a good decision."

"Tell me more?" Ally asked, propping her feet up. "I want to know a little bit about my best friend's soulmates."

"Laugh Dude is very accepting. He was the one who encouraged me to call you. He's willing to meet me where I am and not pressure me, but still open up the conversation. And he's got this smile, it's like staring at the sun. It's so warm.

"Things just feel familiar with Rain Man." You weren't sure how to describe the feeling you had during your date with Jin. "He reminds me a lot of you, actually. It feels like we've known each other for years even though we just met."

You heard Ally make a soft sound of understanding, but did nothing to interrupt you.

"Chime Guy is so sincere. He just wants to share things with me, whether it's walking around town or our days. Did I tell you he called me once just to have me listen to a song he just heard? He said he loved it so much and he wanted to share it with me. Stayed on the phone the entire time, just to listen to me listen."

"That's the cutest thing I've ever heard."

"I know!" You cried. "And Piano Man is shockingly easy. He's so hard to read, but he's an amazing listener and is willing to adapt plans or conversations just to make sure I feel comfortable."

"Bell Boy is the sweetest. It's so funny because he looks so intimidating. He's got tattoos all over and is so big, but he's honestly just a golden retriever who wants reassurance. He's picked up that I don't want to be touched, so he simply tells me when he wishes he could hug me."

"Okay, now that's the cutest damned thing."

"I know. It's adorable and I actually really like it," you laughed softly. The thought of Jungkook, six feet of pure muscle and tattoos, gently saying that he wants to hug you, but won't, was admittedly a little comical.

"And Wind Guy…spending time with him was overwhelming," you sighed. "He's just so caring. It's impossible not to like him."

"I still can't believe you told him about your parents."

"I can't either, honestly.". Jimin's date became less horrid the more you thought of it. While you hadn't been planning to tell any of the guys about your childhood, Jimin's care and compassion proved that he was a lucky choice to open up to.

"That's six. What about number seven?" Ally asked.

"He…it's…" you trailed off. You weren't sure how to explain Namjoon. In the nearly two months since they'd returned to Korea, a flexible schedule of calls, texts, and video chats had been set up. Everyone had a day you would communicate, mostly one-on-one but sometimes joined by others. Namjoon was the only one who hadn't reached out. You, admittedly, hadn't reached out to him either. It was a two way street paved in awkwardness and avoidance. "He's the one I had the initial first contact with."

"Oh, so you two still haven't gotten over ignoring each other."

"I'm not ignoring Na–not ignoring anyone." You were careful not to slip up on his name. "We had our date. We just don't have anything else to say to each other."

"How do you know he doesn't want to say anything if you never talk to him?"

You were jolted awake by a cheerful song. It was definitely too early for your alarm to be going off. But as you reached to check the time, you realized your phone was ringing. 2:48am. Unless it was an absolute emergency, you were going to kill whoever was calling you.

"What?" You grumbled without checking the caller id.

"Noona, it's me!" Jungkook's voice cut through your sleepy fog. "How are you?"

"What's the matter, Jungkook? Did something happen?"

"No. I just wanted to talk before dinner." He sounded slightly hurt.

"It's almost 3am for me," you groaned as you sat up.

"Oh crap, I'm so sorry! I just finally had some free time and wanted to talk. I'll let you go!"

"No no no," you cut him off. "I'm up, let's talk. You start while I get comfy."

As you wrapped your blanket around you, Junkook talked cheerfully about his day-to-day schedule, the vocal and dance practices, his kickboxing workouts, a new piece of art he was working on. Hearing his voice did more to fight off the November chill than your blanket did.

"I'm sorry I haven't been able to call much recently," he said softly.

"It's okay, Kookie. We text a lot, so it's not as though we have no contact. I know you're busy."

"But still…" He didn't seem swayed. A few minutes passed in silence as you heard Jungkook turn on a faucet. Something heavy got placed down. "Are you still coming to visit us in December?"

"I am."

"I'm so excited for you to be here. I keep thinking of things I want to do with you, or places I want to show you."

"Tell me about them." Your voice was soft, moved and touched by the care Jungkook was putting into your visit.

As he explained different activities he wanted to take you on, from historic sites to nature trails, you found yourself zoning out the words, but focusing on the sound of his voice. You found yourself imagining a different scenario, as you had when cooking with Jin. A different life, a different timeline where you had met Jungkook through normal means. Where, instead of talking about potential dates from thousands of miles apart, you were curled up with him in your blanket, deciding plans for your weekend together. A world in which you'd accept every time he said

"I wish I could hug you, Noona."

You shook yourself out of your dream world and into your reality.

"I wish you could too, Kook."

You'd been thinking about the texts from Namjoon for far too long. Despite having the links to the study he found and the corresponding vlog since your date, you hadn't taken the time to look through them seriously. If you were honest with yourself, you were scared. After your phone call with Jungkook, you'd been afraid to think too much about the guys or your first contacts. If you weren't careful, you found your thoughts straying towards overly affectionate, borderline romantic, trends. While you were enjoying the last few months of friendship, and could cope with intruding romantic notions, the closeness of the romantic thoughts with your upcoming trip was a combination you wanted to avoid.

You remembered Namjoon saying that close friendship was common amongst people in the same soulmate group but without their own first contacts. Maybe, you thought hopefully, these connections could help you navigate your traitorous feelings. Pulling out your laptop, you typed in the link for the group of six's vlog. It was at least a place to start. The vlog was prolific. Videos about their day-to-day lives as a group, posts about their early days after first contact, more comical bits in which one of the group tried to reach another to cook. A playlist organizing the solo vlogs of each member. The pinned video, though, was simply titled "Hi, it's us!". You clicked it.

The thirty minute video was essentially just a long introduction to the group. Aaron, Becca, Caleb, Daniel, Elise, and Frankie. Aaron had a first contact with each of them. Becca, seeming like an easygoing introvert, detailed the first contact with Aaron.

"It was shocking to be sitting at the bar on date night with Caleb," she had previously explained that Caleb and her had been dating for over a year before they met Aaron, "and then the bartender hands us our drinks and we both have a first contact with him. We weren't sure what to do."

"You weren't sure," Aaron corrected. "I knew we needed tequila shots."

They continued explaining their first contacts. Frankie was the last to join the soulmate group. They looked lovingly at the group as they recounted meeting being introduced to the group by an unrelated mutual friend.

"There were already 5 of us," Becca laughed. "We didn't think Aaron would have another first contact. So when he and Frankie shook hands-"

"I groaned. I audibly groaned," Aaron admitted, laughing. "Which is not the best first impression."

"I would've been more offended, but you were too cute to be mad at," Frankie said, leaning over to place a kiss on Aaron's cheek. He blushed brightly at their show of affection.

Though Aaron had a first contact with each of them, Becca and Caleb had a soulmate connection to him only. Daniel and Frankie had their first contact later that night.

"I was a little tipsy and bumped into him," Frankie explained.

"You were drunk," Caleb corrected. "And you fell completely on him. Let's be truthful," he laughed.

"I mean, they had reason to be drunk," Daniel said. "I honestly got pretty drunk after that too."

"I mean, I was terrified. I just had two first contacts with people who were already soulmates and had a whole soulmate family that I had to contend with."

Frankie's words felt eerily relatable. Being an outsider in a well established group was intimidating. Hearing someone else say that was vindicating. Frankie had experienced something like you, but they turned out okay. Their soft interactions with the others gave you hope. Maybe, with time, you could reach that same level of love and affection with your soulmates.

Your phone suddenly buzzing startled you, making your hand pouring the latte jostle. A little messy, but still good enough to serve. You wiped the cup, put it on the counter, and called out the customer's name. Before you could wipe your hands clean, though, your phone started to vibrate again. There was a small line of drinks to make though, so you'd answer it later. One more notification came through, a short buzz for a text, and then it went still. After finishing up the rush of customers, you leaned against the counter and pulled out your phone.

Yoongi [9:23am]: Pretty sure you're at work, but give us a call when you get a break? Jin [9:34am]: We have news! Call us when you can! Jimin [9:35am]: We need to tell you together! Jungkook [9:35am]: Noooona call us!!

You chuckled at the chain of texts. It was a trend you'd notice with the group chat: what could be said in one text was said over several, by different people, and then repeated.

You [9:42am]: I take my break in 15 minutes. Can I call then? Jin [9:42am]: Sounds great!

When your coworker came over to cover your shift, you immediately walked out the cafe's back door and sat on a nearby bench. Not the quietest place for a call, but it would have to do. You called Jin's number and waited for him to pick up.

"Guys get over here!" You heard someone – Yoongi maybe – shout out as Jin answered and greeted you.

"Hey, what's up?" You asked. A clamor of voices rang through but you were able to pick out two main stories: the performance at the award ceremony had gone exceptionally well, and they'd won in two of the categories they were nominated in.

"That's awesome! I'm happy for you!" You were careful with your next questions, not wanting to say anything remotely suspicious. "What'd you win? What did you perform?

They each spoke in blurbs, completing each other's sentences and shouting out comments. You parsed out the answers to your questions before they continued on about an after party they were headed to.

"Would you ever want to come to one with us, Noona?" Jungkook asked

"They're a lot of fun! You could meet so many different people!" Taehyung added quickly.

" – not fun," you heard Yoongi grumble in the background.

"I honestly don't know if after parties are my type of fun," you said. "Even if I could go."

"I'm sure we could get you in somehow," Hoseok spoke up and you heard Jimin agree.

"I'd make it happen," Jin joked.

You listened for a few more minutes as they talked about other aspects of the award show, other performers or people they were hoping to catch up with at the party.

"Let's not take up her entire break, okay?" A deep voice finally spoke up.

"Namjoon?" You asked, wanting clarification. You two still hadn’t spoken privately.

"Yeah?" He said. "What's the matter?"

"Nothing," you said quickly. "Hi…just hi."

"Hi," he said softly. There was silence on the other end of the line, as though the others were waiting to see how you two would interact. "We won't take up all your break. Bye."

"Bye guys."

After hanging up, you continued to sit on the bench alone. Saying goodbye felt different this time. As though something was missing. You missed them more than you anticipated, and hearing them as a group was unexpectedly bittersweet. Unsure what else to do with this information, you stared at your phone and hoped the feeling would soon recede.

"I mean you're good, there are songs that have definitely been on repeat for me," you told Yoongi over the phone as you put away your groceries.

"But?" He supplied.

"No buts. You guys are talented. I don't think I ever denied that," you chuckled. You'd finally made your way through all the music Yoongi had given you and you two had scheduled a special phone call to discuss.

"What's your favorite so far?"

"Probably Baepsae?"

"Of course," Yoongi laughed. "Hobi's going to love hearing that."

"Why?"

"Because of the dance." Yoongi waited for you to say something, but you waited for him to explain. "Wait, it's your favorite and you haven't seen a video of it yet."

"No. I just like the meaning."

You were confused when he only started to laugh more.

"I'm not laughing at you, I promise," he explained, "but the dance for the song is kind of an in-joke for us. You have to watch it then you'll get it." In the distance, you heard somebody call for Yoongi. "Namjoon is calling for me. I should go see what he wants."

"Yoongi wait!" You cried. "Namjoon is there?"

"Yeah. Do you want to talk to him for a minute?"

"No, it's fine. Just tell him I said thanks for the links. He'll know what I'm talking about."

"I'll tell him," Yoongi said and hung up.

"I told one of them."

"About your parents?" Ally couldn't disguise the surprise in her voice.

"Yeah. It was with…Wind Guy. It came up that I grew up here, and he joked about going to meet my parents. I spiraled once he said it." You paused and heard Ally make a soft, empathetic sound. She knew what you were talking about. "He was so scared and upset that he'd done something wrong. I just wanted to explain that my reaction wasn't his fault."

"So you told him about your parents to try to comfort him?"

"It didn't work. He ended up getting more upset."

"You haven't even told Jay." Her implication was clear: after herself, Jay was your closest friend and the only other person who held any of your trust. Whatever compelled you to tell an essential stranger, albeit your soulmate, this information was powerful.

"I know. It's just…I wanted to reassure him so badly that he hadn't done something wrong." You paused, breathing deeply. "And some of the other dates went well. So well. They're not bad guys. I don't want to hate them, Ally."

"Not wanting to be with them is different from hating them," she said gently.

"I don't even know if I want to leave them anymore. My brain keeps telling me this is a bad idea, that nothing good will come from this. But something in my gut is trying to get me to take a chance."

"You realize that not every soulmate bond turns out like your parents?"

"Logically, yeah."

"Good. I know it sounds harsh, but I wanted to check."

"I appreciate it," you laughed. "Is it stupid that I want to make a pro and cons list?"

"No!" Ally disagreed, but she giggled a bit. "It's helped you before. Might be worth the time to help you organize your thoughts?" You hummed softly in acknowledgement. "Do you think it could help?"

"It can't hurt," you admitted.

"When are you supposed to see them tomorrow?"

"For breakfast at their hotel. They have to be at the airport by noon. So I have…" you glanced at the time "twelve hours to make a decision?"

"Plenty of time," Ally laughed.

"Why rush when making a decision that can change your entire life?" You sighed, rolling your eyes.

"Whatever you decide, it'll be the right choice."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because I trust you."

"That's a horrible reason, Ally," you laughed. You'd expected to hear something about your decision making skills, or your problem solving abilities. But all she had was blind faith in you.

"Not for me it isn't. Just trust me, and I'll trust you?"

"Fine," you agreed. "I trust you."

A few hours later, you stretched out on your bed. Having eaten, washed the dishes, and showered, you realized you'd put off analyzing your feelings as much as possible. Pulling a notebook off your nightstand, you figured that the pro/con list you'd mentioned earlier was starting to sound like the best process. With a line drawn down the center, you started to put your thoughts down.

Pros:

- Want to be friends with 6/7 of them

- Jin cares like Ally

- Jimin is sweet

- Hoseok is understanding

- Jungkook's honesty

- Taehyung didn't pry

- Yoongi asked and listened

- Namjoon is practical

Cons:

- Soulmates

- Jimin cares too much?

- Namjoon

- Awkward situation

- This could all be a facade

- They're busy – too busy to keep this up?

- What happens when it ends?

- Scared

As you wrote the last bullet, you groaned in frustration with yourself. Neither side of your list was outstanding, no point – singular or collective – convincing enough for you to make up your mind. You went to the kitchen and poured a glass of the wine you'd bought earlier that week. In vino veritas. Staring at your list, you took several sips and tried to find something that could help you make a decision – some secret meaning, a memory from the past week, a feeling that stood out. Eventually, you remembered your date with Hoseok and the desire you'd had to hug him. You weren't one for physical affection, not after so many years where touch only led to pain. Ally was the only person who consistently hugged you. Under Pros, you carefully wrote out Wanted to hug Hoseok. A few more memories came back and you added several more bullets under the same column.

- Jungkook is observant

- Jimin stuck around after panic attack

- Being with Jin and Yoongi felt like a real relationship

- Taehyung is passionate

- Namjoon will support choice

- Cared about their feelings

You paused after your final note. While you were far from a rude or careless person, you were notably detached from strangers. Polite people used words like shy or introverted to describe you, while less careful people chose words like cold, indifferent or simply bitch. You knew the latter descriptors weren't true. A small, yet solid, circle of friends, a group of co-workers who enjoyed being around you, and a flourishing tutoring job proved that you weren't actually a cold bitch. But this was a fact you had to remind yourself of frequently, especially as you stood examining a pro-con list for simply keeping contact with your soulmates. Heartless, indifferent bitches don't care about their soulmates. You, though, had spent the entire week concerned about their comfort. Reassuring them when they showed uncertainty in their actions, trying to make the dates not horrible. Telling Jimin about your parents to help him understand. Not hallmarks of a careless person. But the efforts you'd taken to reassure them were far from how you normally reacted to strangers, making you pause to wonder what the cause was. Were you already feeling the pull towards them as your soulmates?

Putting your pen down, you re-examined your list. The Pros side was undeniably longer, but you were unsure if that comforted you. The Cons list had all of your fears assembled in one place, staring you in the face. But they were simply that, fears of what could happen, yet unfounded in any action from any of your soulmates. Sure, Namjoon had been awkward and shifty after your first contact, but did he deserve the spot you gave him as a negative? You scratched his name off the Cons side, along with Jimin's. Who were you to judge Jimin's emotions? You read through your list of positives again. Almost every item was based on actual events and time you spent with them. No trauma-induced fears, no speculation. Simple observations of how they'd acted over the last several days. And there were a lot of positive interactions.

Glancing at the clock, you groaned. Just past 1am. You weren't sure if you would be able to sleep tonight, but you knew that focusing on your list wouldn't be productive. Yes, there were plenty of positives about staying in contact with the guys, but did that override the ingrained fear of being with your soulmates?

For the third time in less than ten days, you strode into the hotel where the guys were staying. Despite the assuredness of your strides, you felt sick inside. The anxiety that had coursed through you since the start of these dates at varying levels reached another peak. Despite Namjoon's promise, you fretted how the others would react to your decision. You stood outside the door to the conference room, unsure if you were ready to see them. Taking a deep breath, you tried to reason with yourself. This conversation was far from the hardest thing you'd done in your life, and nowhere near the scariest. Despite this logic, you hesitated to knock. You weren't sure exactly how, but your life was bound to change after this. You could hear the sounds of conversations inside the room. Softly, you knocked. The room got louder for a few quick moments before, as the doorknob turned, it went quiet. Hoseok's smiling face peered out from the opened door.

"You're here!" He shouted and his arms shot out as if he wanted to hug you. He pulled them back towards him quickly, and instead gave you two excited thumbs-up.

"Hey, Hoseok," you greeted him softly. Turning to the others, who were standing around a table and watching you, you waved slightly. Like the last time you'd eaten as a group, a table was laid out with coffee and various breakfast foods. You realized, looking around, that the guys and you were the only people in the room. "Where are the lawyers?"

"Namjoon convinced them to let us talk alone for a little," Hoseok explained, leading you over to the food. "Managed to convince them that we couldn't get in too much trouble right now."

He laughed at his joke, and handed you a plate. Despite Hoseok's jovial nature, you felt sick with anxiety and doubted you'd be able to eat much. You placed a croissant on your plate and watched the others swarm the table. When you tried to walk away from the table, Jin reached out and grabbed your plate. A scoop of eggs got placed on it, along with some slices of bacon from Hoseok. Jungkook slipped some fruit salad onto it. Jimin reached forward and carefully placed two scoops of homefries on your plate. When you saw him reach for a third spoonful, you snatched the plate away.

“I’m good, thank you,” you told him.

Though he made a soft noise in protest, Jimin let you walk away. Taking a seat at an empty table, you stared nauseous at the heap of food the guys had given you. With the panic twisting your stomach, you were sure you’d vomit if you ate more than a few bites. You saw a shape move next to you, and Yoongi sat down next to you. He placed a lumpy envelope on the table and pushed it towards you.

“The music we talked about,” he said softly, as if he wanted to keep the friendliness of your date a secret from the others. He took a sip of his coffee and watched as you placed the envelope in your bag. “You don’t have to listen to it, especially if you decide…y’know. But if you want to, it’s all on the flash drive.”

“I’ll listen. Definitely.” Despite the flutter of happiness at his follow through, you found it hard to smile at him.

“Listen to what?” Jin asked, sitting down heavily on your other side.

“Your terrible jokes,” Yoongi shot back, smirking.

As the rest of the group sat down and started to eat, you found yourself feeling slightly grateful that Yoongi and Jin surrounded you. Out of the seven, they were the two who made you feel most relaxed, the care and attentiveness you'd felt on their dates creating a slight balm for your frazzled nerves. You ripped a piece of croissant off and nibbled on it, listening to Jin tell several puns and Yoongi complain. Across from you, Jimin and Taehyung picked off each other's plates. Jungkook sat between Namjoon and Hoseok, listening to their conversation as he ate from a plate with an impressive amount of eggs and meat.

"Why aren't you eating, Noona?" Jungkook asked. The room became silent and seven sets of eyes stared at you and your croissant. Your breaths became shallow. "Do you not like the food?"

"I," you started to speak, praying your stomach would stay in its place, "I actually want to talk." They all continued to watch you intently. "Talk about what I decided."

"Of course," Namjoon said, putting down his fork to give you his full attention.

You opened your mouth to speak, but closed it quickly. Each of them were staring at you as if you were the most important thing in the world. A terrifying thought shot through your mind: each of them were bigger than you. Even Jimin, the shortest of the group, was still much taller and significantly more muscular than your short, rounded form. If one of them got angry, there would be little you could do to stop them. Namjoon told you he would support your choice, but he could've been lying. Unable to breathe, you gripped your hands tightly, feeling the nails dig into your skin.

"It's okay," Jimin's voice cut through your thoughts. "Just take your time. We're not in a rush."

"Take all the time you need," Jin echoed.

Logically, you knew this was a lie. They had to be at the airport in a few hours. They were due back in Seoul for their jobs. But, as you looked at Jimin, his eyes soulful and full of honest care, you wanted nothing more than to trust him. Fighting the feeling of your racing heart, you decided to trust, if just for 5 more minutes.

"Jimin, Namjoon?" Your voice was shaky as you addressed them. "Can I sit near you?"

Jimin was up instantly, motioning for Taehyung to move and switch seats with you. As you slid into the open chair, you took a shallow breath to try and calm yourself. Jimin knew about your past. Namjoon, if he could be trusted, would support what you were about to say. In spite the pair having more uncomfortable dates, you secretly wished that they would defend you should one of the others become too angry. Maybe this was your first act of trust.

"What are you thinking?" Taehyung's voice was gentle, as if he could sense your fear. Maybe he could. You were curled in on yourself, hunched over and shoulders bent in. An old habit, partly defensive and partly preventive, trying to become as small as possible. You looked at Namjoon when you heard him say your name.

"It's okay," he said. Namjoon had the same look in his eyes as he had on your date, the determination to stand up for you regardless of your decision. "No matter what, it's okay."

"I want to be friends," you said finally. You paused, ready for some reaction – a shout, a hit, even just a noise – but none came. They remained silent, so you rushed to keep talking, wanting to say everything before they reacted. "I don't know if it's ever been done. But I don't want to be romantic and I don't want to just leave. I want to be friends. I can't be okay with romance right now. It's too much. So I don't care if it sounds stupid. Platonic soulmates is my decision. Take it or leave it."

Finished with your speech, you dared to look at them. No one had said anything, positive or negative, in response. Hoseok's face was the first you saw as you glanced up, the brilliant smile you'd come to enjoy during your date beaming at you. A quick glance around showed smiles all around. No anger or disappointment.

"Was this what spurred your questions about the study?" Namjoon was the first to speak. You nodded.

"It doesn't matter whether it's been done before," Yoongi said.

"First contacts are so unique, it's not fair to judge what one group can do versus another. We can make this work," Namjoon said again.

"But is that okay with you?" You knew that they probably had not planned for this decision. Soulmates were meant to be romantic. Jimin, though, knew of your earlier desire to be left alone, so the others may have also prepared for you to leave.

"Whatever you want, Noona, is what we want" Jungkook's voice was soft and sweet. You were especially happy not to have hurt him.

"I want to be your friend," you repeated softly. Your hands laid in your lap and you picked anxiously at the skin on a knuckle.

"Friendship sounds great." Jimin's voice was happy, but cautious. "I'd love to be your friend. I think we all would."

"You could come visit us? We could show you Korea?" Hoseok suggested.

"You could come with us now!" Taehyung shouted. "We can all hang out on the flight over and get to know each other more. And then we can show you all over Seoul. Will you come with us?"

"Hold up, Tae," Namjoon started, seeing your flabbergasted stare. "That's a little premature. There's visas and planning to do before an international trip. You know that."

"I can't go now," you said finally. Despite Namjoon's valid reasoning, you wanted to explain yourself. It felt good to have his logic behind you, though. "There's planning, yeah. But I have work and bills to pay. The school year is starting soon, so I'll start tutoring again. And flights are expensive, let alone a hotel! I can't leave now."

"Don't worry about the flight," Yoongi said.

"Maybe another time?" Jin spoke up. "If now is bad timing and preparation is needed, maybe in a few months we can have you visit?"

"That's a great idea, Hyung!" Jungkook said. "What about that, Noona? Would that be better for you?"

Technically it would be better. A few months would give you time to get to know each other more, so that you wouldn't be traveling around the world to spend time with strangers. It would also allow you to save as much as possible for the flight and hotel. If you picked up some additional shifts at the cafe, took on an extra tutoring client or two, and watched every purchase carefully, maybe you'd be able to gather enough money for the flight and hotel. And, if you timed it carefully, you could go during the winter holiday to prevent taking time away from two jobs. Plus, if your suspicions that they would be too busy to deal with you when back in their normal, pop-star lives, then you could avoid the entire thing.

"Later would be better," you agreed.

"Do you have a time that'd be best for you?" Hoseok asked.

"Maybe at the end of December?" You suggested. Josie closed the cafe for Christmas, as well as the day before and after, and on New Year's Day. Most of your tutoring clients canceled during the winter holiday too. If this was to work out, you could spend a week with them and take minimal time off from your jobs. "That'd work best for my jobs."

"What about the coffee shop?" Namjoon asked.

"Jobs?" Yoongi interjected.

"She works there and she tutors," Taehyung said. You were surprised he remembered that detail from your date. Everyone looked from Taehyung to you, and you nodded in agreement. Tae smiled brightly, proud that he knew something the others didn't.

A few of them started to speak at the same time, their voices mixing into a mess of questions. Still, no one sounded angry or threatening. Unsure of who to address or where to start, you waited for them to calm down.

"I think," Jin started and paused for the others to settle, "end of December sounds great."

You smiled softly at him across the table. Maybe Jin was being truthful on your date – he wanted to be on your side.

"And we can work to get some time off from the company too," Namjoon added.

“Do you think we’d be able to?” Taehyung asked, hopeful.

Several of them started to talk amongst themselves, discussing who at their job would be most likely to approve time off and who to completely avoid. You remained quiet, taking the time to eat a piece of melon from the fruit salad given to you. It was ridiculously sweet and ripe. Despite your still knotted stomach, you ate a few more pieces quickly.

“Why do you have two jobs?” Yoongi’s voice rose over the conversation. His brows were furrowed and he looked straight at you from across the table. His voice was contemplative.

“Because I need to.” Your answer didn’t seem to ease him. “I work at the cafe for my expenses – rent, utilities, food. I tutor to save money for my masters degree. Graduate school is expensive.”

“How long until you’ve saved up?”

“A year, if I’m lucky.” This was a partial lie. You hadn’t done the math yet, but a plane ticket to South Korea and a hotel room for a week would probably hurt your savings significantly. Plus the time taken off work. Internally, you realized it would probably be two years until you were able to pay for your program.

Yoongi looked as though he wanted to say something else. Something was making him uneasy, but you weren’t sure why. Hoseok reached out and rubbed Yoongi’s shoulder in comfort – he also seemed to pick up on the elder’s discomfort.

“What are you going to grad school for?” Hoseok asked.

“Masters in education. I want to teach.”

“That’s so noble!” Jungkook shouted.

Each of them started to talk. You were starting to get a headache from how loud they were. The door opened suddenly, bringing the conversations to an abrupt halt. The two lawyers walked into the room and addressed the guys in Korean. Namjoon approached them and started to talk. When Namjoon stopped, one of the lawyers took out his cell phone and made a call. He started speaking in quick, quiet Korean and took a seat across the room. Namjoon stood nearby in silence.

"What just happened?" You asked. Internally, you made a note to look for a way to learn Korean. You were never talented with foreign languages, struggling through your high school French classes, but familiarity with Korean could be useful. "What is he saying?"

“Hyung told them about your decision. He’s waiting there in case management wants to talk to him,” Taehyung said.

“Namjoon’s the leader for BTS,” Jin said. “He works with management on a lot of different aspects of how we exist as a group. If they have questions or concerns, Namjoon will be the first to know. And, if we have any problems, Namjoon helps us meet with management. He’s like our liaison.”

You nodded. This made sense. His responsible, thorough manner seemed ideal for a leadership role. Even after your first contact, when normal people – not you, and apparently not Namjoon – would be focused solely on getting to know each other immediately, Namjoon delayed until he had followed his contract. He even thought to bring in others who might be – and were in unpredictable ways – influenced by your soulmate connection. His dedication softened your harsh view on him slightly.

The table waited in silence, listening to the lawyer's conversation. You looked at your hands and noticed they were red and irritated from your anxious scratching, but luckily no skin was broken. Deciding the quiet time was a good time to try to calm yourself, you counted a few deep breaths. No one had gotten angry. You were safe. They wanted to be friends. Everything was okay. You were safe. As you repeated those few affirmations to yourself, a sound interrupted your calm. Jumping and gasping, you looked to see Namjoon sitting down at his chair next to you.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," he said softly, cheeks slightly blushing. "Kicked the table."

Despite your earlier calming efforts, your heart started to race again. Why'd he kick the table? Did something go wrong on the call.

"You're so clumsy, hyung!" Jimin's voice was teasing, but his eyes met yours with understanding. He smiled at you. "Namjoon is basically the god of destruction."

Quickly, the others jumped in, each telling various stories of Namjoon's clumsiness and the ensuing hilarity. Whether or not he was trying to, Jimin and his explanation eased you. Namjoon wasn't angry, just uncoordinated. You shot Jimin a genuine smile in gratitude.

"I mean, I love teasing Namjoon, but I want to know what management said!" Hoseok said, finally ending the torment for Namjoon and his bright red face.

"In short, everything is good," Namjoon said simply. "They're a little confused about the decision to be friends, but that's not their concern. They accept it. We're going to meet with them and Bang PD next week to discuss time off at the end of December."

"And the NDA?" Jin asked.

"It stays the same," Namjoon answered. "For all intents and purposes, we don't know each other exists. No posting on social media, no talking about each other to the public, no mention of soulmates."

"My boss and coworker know I have a soulmate," you interjected. "They were there at Namjoon and my first contact. And my best friend knows that I have multiple."

"What else do they know?" This was the first time one of the lawyers addressed you. His eyes were sharp and cautious behind his sleek glasses.

"That the soulmates don't live locally."

"Did you mention where exactly your soulmates live? Any mention of names? Careers? Anything that could identify them?" You shook your head, denying disclosure. "Good. Keep it that way. Try not to tell anyone else. It would be ideal to keep this a secret for as long as possible."

"Why do we need to keep it a secret if we're just friends? We don't have to keep our other friends secret," Taehyung's voice was annoyed.

"Because the news of a soulmate, even just a soulmate friend," the lawyer's tone was condescending, especially on the last two words, "could have negative impacts. We have to do more research into what the possible repercussions are of going public."

"I don't think it's fair to keep this a secret because it might influence our sales," Jin spoke up. His tone was more respectful than Taehyung's, but still lined with frustration.

"I don't mind," you said softly. You were grateful that the lawyer was speaking in English so you could be included in the conversation. "It's okay."

"You should mind," Taehyung said. "We shouldn't have to hide you away like some dirty secret."

"If you don't care about how it will influence you, do you at least care how it'll change her life?" The lawyer's voice was cold. He was clearly done with this conversation. "Do you want her lifestyle to be changed because you're friends? Do you want her to lose all privacy? What about paparazzi? Or sasaengs? Does she deserve to deal with them just because you are soulmate friends? If we don't proceed carefully, we don't know how this will affect any of you."

"I don't want that," Taehyung said softly. He lowered his head, rebuked.

You though, had a thousand new worries running through your head. Paparazzi? And whatever sasaengs were, they didn't sound positive. You liked your life. It was quiet and simple, but you enjoyed it. You were content with your quiet existence and, if going public with your friendship threatened that, then you were fine with secrecy.

"I think keeping each other a secret is a good idea," you said again. The lawyer looked at you and nodded, approving of your caution. He walked away, done with your conversation.

"If we're keeping this all a secret," Jungkook started, "how are we going to pull off Noona's visit? Won't people see us all together?"

"I could wear a disguise like you guys do?" You suggested. "A facemask or sunglasses? But I'm not the famous one. No one will care what I'm doing."

"They'll care," Yoongi grumbled.

It was the first time he spoke in a while. His arms were crossed and he was glaring at his cup of coffee. His mood had changed sharply during your discussion about work earlier, but you couldn't figure out why. Though he seemed more brooding than angry, his unhappy mood caused your heart to beat faster and your mind to race with worry. What had you done to upset him? And, the illogical part of your brain stressed, how would he cope with those negative emotions you evoked?

"If you're linked to us in any way, people will care," Hoseok explained. "I can't remember the last time an idol publicly admitted to having a soulmate."

"There was that actress!" Jimin jumped into the conversation. "A few years back. She had a first contact with one of the camera men."

"Oh yeah!" Jin continued and supplied the name of a Korean actress you'd never hear of.

The boys spiraled into conversation about this actress, but you struggled to keep up. The conversation seemed to flow freely from English to Korean, and even the English was filled with proper nouns and references you didn't understand. You rarely spent time in groups this large and you realized, logically, that getting used to their banter would take time. Being friends would take time.

"Are you going to eat more now?" Jimin whispered to you. He motioned toward your mostly untouched food. You shook your head.

"I'm not hungry right now," you whispered back

"You should eat more," he encouraged you.

"Don't force her, Jimin," Namjoon said, soft and gently reproaching. Then he looked at you. "You don't have to eat, but there's plenty if you want to.”

You gave them a small smile, trying to reassure them that you were all right. You kept peering over at Yoongi though, who grumbled something to Hoseok as the younger man nudged his shoulder.

“There’ll probably be leftovers too,” Jin added. “You should take those home with you.”

"But you paid for it,” you protested. "You could take it on the plane for a snack?”

“Just take the food home,” Yoongi said.

You nodded in compliance as Jin said Yoongi’s name in a cautioning tone. Before he could speak more, one of the lawyers called Namjoon over. You took the interruption as a chance to excuse yourself, hurrying to the bathroom to try to catch your breath and calm down. Yoongi’s mood change had elevated your anxiety. Your skin was red and raw, and you prayed you would calm down before you continued to scratch. It had been bad enough when Jimin alone saw that, but you weren’t sure how the others would react. Finally feeling a tad calmer, you left the bathroom. In the hallway, sitting across from the bathroom door just as he had days prior, was Jimin. He said your name softly and came over to you.

“What’s the matter? You’ve been anxious since you got here and now things seem worse?” His eyebrows were furrowed in worry and you were sure he was frowning behind his facemask. “You don’t have to tell me, but maybe I can help?”

You hesitated for a moment, but something deep inside you wanted to trust Jimin. Maybe it was due to him knowing Yoongi and his moods better. Or maybe you trusted him slightly more because he kept the secret of your childhood as he promised. Perhaps it was the soulmate connection strengthening your feelings. Regardless, you decided to trust Jimin for the second time that day.

"I made Yoongi angry," you said softly. Without thinking, you dragged your nails across the back of your hand.

"Please don't, Noona," Jimin pleaded, noticing your action. He reached out as if he wanted to take your hands in his, before bringing them back quickly. He settled for twisting them up in his shirt. "Hyung isn't mad at you! He's worried. He just doesn't express himself well sometimes."

"He - but - his voice," you struggled to express your fear. Jimin's reasoning for Yoongi's tone was logical, but your mind had never been much for logic.

"It's okay, I promise," Jimin whispered. His eyes darted around, looking unsure on how to convince you. His hands, still tangled in his shirt hem, quickly grabbed his phone. "I know!" He typed a short message before sliding it away. "Hyung is coming over. He'll explain what he's feeling. I promise he's not mad, Noona."

"Will you stay?" The part of your brain that understood what Jimin said truly believed that Yoongi would not hit you. But a lifetime of associating anger and frustration with kicks and hits had created an instinct that you hadn't learned to fight yet.

"Of course I will." Jimin's smile was radiant, as if the favor you asked had filled him with warmth.

"What's the matter, Jimin?" Yoongi's voice interrupted. Whatever Jimin had texted him had not lightened his mood, his voice sounding annoyed and tired. You flinched at the sound. Jimin noticed and his eyes widened.

"Noona thinks you're angry at her," Jimin said. Though he was talking to Yoongi, his empathetic eyes remained fixed on you, reading your reactions. You were grateful that he had decided to voice the problem.

"Angry? I'm not angry." For a moment, Yoongi's voice became harsher before he stopped and breathed deeply. He ran his hand over his face before softly saying your name. "I'm not mad. I'm worried and concerned. Working too hard can be detrimental to your health." At this, Jimin scoffed lightly, but didn't pursue anything. "And Jin told me about your date. I don't want you to get hurt or sick. I want to figure out how to help you."

"I'm okay," you whispered. "I've got it under control."

A look passed over Yoongi's face, making him look like he wanted to protest. But a shared glance with Jimin made him sigh.

"Will you tell one of us if you need help?" He asked. "Jimin or Jin or me?"

You nodded slowly. Yoongi's change in tone, the reassurances from both Jimin and him, washed over you. You were safe. You were safe and no one was mad. Looking at the clock on the wall, you realized how much time had passed since you first arrived. Nearly three hours at the hotel and the anxiety you'd felt since waking had exhausted you. Part of you wanted nothing more than to say goodbye and go home to nap. The other part wanted to stay, to listen to their overwhelming chatter and learn about them as a group. Learn how to co-exist. It'd be almost four months until you saw them again, but they were here with you for a few more hours, and leaving them simply for a longer nap seemed stupid. Your contradicting desires left you confused and overwhelmed.

"Noona! Hyungs!" Jungkook's voice cut through the hall as he jogged down the hall. "Everyone is wondering where you went. We were getting worried!"

"We should probably go back into the room," Yoongi said, glancing at the people down the hall who were starting to stare at your gathering group. "We don't want to draw attention."

Following him back, Jimin walked next to you. He flashed you a smile.

"See, everything's okay," he whispered. "You're all good."

You smile back at him. The desire to pull Jimin into a hug of gratitude was strong, but you fought the urge. While you felt like you could rely on Jimin some, your mind had created a strict separation between words and actions. And you just weren't ready to cross that line.

The four of you entered the conference room to the teasing cheers of the others. You sat down in a vacated chair, between Hoseok and Taehyung. Both smiled at you and you managed a smile back.

"I was afraid we scared you off," Taehyung joked.

"We're not scary, Tae," Hoseok said, shooting him a look. "We're adorable! And friendly!"

"You are kind of scary," you said. You had tried to say it lightly, a joke based in truth, but everyone stared at you, concerned. Hoseok, perhaps remembering the conversation you had on the beach, shrugged sheepishly. "I mean, there's seven of you. You've known each other for a decade. It's an intimidating situation. Even without considering your jobs."

"I never thought of it that way," Jin mumbled.

"How would you feel if you were in my position?"

"I'd be so upset," Hoseok spoke first, reiterating what he said on the beach for all to hear. You'd meant your question rhetorically, but you were fine with his answer. "Especially since I can't truly confide in anyone."

"You can confide in us," Tae said, hopeful.

"But why would she?" Hoseok asked. "She's known us for a week and I don't think there's any reason to put that trust in us."

"It's not that," you started. "It's just…It's that…" Your voice solidified in your throat, the words coming to a halt as your tried to explain. Part of you wondered if this was a good moment to explain your past. To tell them that your trust would be long coming, if ever. Maybe help them see that it wasn't them you were afraid of, but the concept of being their soulmate of being tied to them with an unbreakable rope that was spun both of hope and deep set, undeniable fear. "I just don't…I don't want-" Before you could finish a complete thought, Jimin took over.

"You don't have to explain," he aid. He was leaning through Taehyung's space, trying to look you in the eye. "It's all okay. You don't have to say anything. You're okay."

Someone pushed a box of tissues to you. Grabbing a few, you wiped furiously at your tears. You couldn't believe you were crying again.

"I'd be scared," Jimin said, "if I were in your position. I'd be so afraid that I would never find my place in the group, or get that level of closeness that everyone else has. It would terrify me."

You tried not to cry at Jimin's words. His empathy seemed never ending and it shook you to your core. He deserved a better soulmate than you.

"I'd be overwhelmed," Jungkook spoke up, also wanting to share his feelings. "I don't know how I'd cope with us if I hadn't practically been raised like this. We're a lot."

"We are," Yoongi agreed. "I'd be frustrated that I was the outsider. Frustrated that it wasn't equal footing between us."

"And stressed over whether I could be myself or have to mold to fit into the group," Taehyung said. "Worried if I'd be accepted just for who I am."

"I'd be sad," Jin said, slowly. "Ten years of relationships that the others had built and could rely on, but I'm starting alone with everyone."

You stopped trying to hold back the tears at this point. Despite just being words, their attempts to think through the truth of the situation, of one person facing seven best friends, and feel from your perspective was truly touching. Maybe your standards were low, but you hadn't been raised to expect much compassion. They let you cry in silence.

"I'd be furious." Namjoon's voice cut through the quiet. "I'd be so pissed."

The others waited, staring at Namjoon. Hoseok raised his eyebrows, imploring Namjoon to give some kind of explanation. But Namjoon just ran his hand through his hair.

"I'd absolutely hate him."

"Kim Namjoon!" Jin cried, reproach clear in his tone.

"Not like that," Namjoon said. "It's just…" he sighed deeply and looked up at you. "I understand if you hate me."

"I don't think I hate you." It was the truth. While your connection with Namjoon was particularly tenuous, you wouldn't define your feelings for him as hatred any more. Caution and weariness, yes. But also a small amount of hope that, if you continued to be in each other's lives, you could begin a friendship. "I don't hate you."

Namjoon looked as though he was going to speak, but before he could, the lawyers spoke up in Korean. The others groaned in frustration and mumbled to each other in Korean. Jin ran his hand over his face after looking at Namjoon and his exhausted face.

"We have to leave for the airport, unfortunately," Jin said.

You didn't say anything, just nodded and watched as the guys stood up and went to gather their bags on the other side of the room. Jungkook was the first to come back to the table, a rolling suitcase pulled behind him. He looked from you, to his band mates, then back to you. It was the look you'd come to realize betrayed his hesitation.

"What's up, Jungkook?" You asked, standing next to him.

"I want to hug you, Noona," he said but, like on your date, he made no move to do it. "I want to hug you goodbye because four months is so long. But I won't."

"It'll be okay, Kookie." Taehyung appeared next to Jungkook and wrapped his arms tightly around the younger man. "Four months will fly by with our schedules! And I'm sure we'll be in contact all the time?" Taehyung's voice raised in his last sentence, looking at you for reassurance.

"We have the group chat," you said, trying to reassure Jungkook's hurting heart. "And we can figure out times to talk on the phone if you want?"

"Noona's right!" Hoseok exclaimed, coming over to hug the Taehyung-Jungkook mass. "We can figure out times that work and set up phone calls or video chats. Everything will be okay, Kookie!"

You smiled at the trio, contentedly wrapped up with each other, near to you but still a respectful distance. If you wanted to, you could easily join the hug. As you watched them walk out, good wishes being called out, you realized that maybe, one day, you would want that hug.

The mess of napkins fell back to the counter as you finally looked up from your hands to the guy’s face. His dark brown eyes were wide, looking like they had thousands of thoughts racing just behind them through his brain. That seemed appropriate to you. Your heart started to beat faster and faster, panic starting to flood your system. If you tried harder, you could possibly have thought of something nice to say. Maybe an introduction. Or at least a smile. Instead you both stood frozen, staring at each other silently as if any further movement or sound would break both your grips on reality.

You’re ripped out of your panic when you feel a hand on your shoulder and hear your name repeated softly. Looking toward the hand, you see your manager, Josie, and your coworker standing behind her. Her face has a wide, warm smile on it, but your coworker looked uncomfortable, shifting his gaze quickly from the floor, to you, to the customer, and then back to the floor. You shifted your stare back to Josie, eyes imploring her to speak again. Your mind still wasn’t processing what you should do.

“Why don’t you take your break now?” Josie’s voice was even and soft, like she was speaking to a scared animal. “We’ll clean up. You can sit down for a little.” She paused for a moment, waiting to see if you’d protest. Josie knew as well as you did that you’d already taken your break. When she realized that she was the only person in the cafe capable of talking, she continued pointedly. “Maybe talk a little bit.”

You don’t remember moving, but you found yourself sitting at a table by the windows, a drink in your hands with the guy sitting across from you, newly made drink in his. The guy – your soulmate – spoke first.

“Names are probably a good place to start, right?” His voice was lined with forced levity, and you watched his hands fiddle with his watch. Content to know that he was also uncomfortable, you nodded and offered your name. He repeated it softly to himself, as if he was sipping a wine to see if he liked it. “I’m Namjoon.”

“Hi Namjoon,” you said. You understood why he repeated your name before – saying his felt odd on your tongue. It felt heavy and a little uncomfortable, as if you were speaking with a mouthful of peanut butter. You considered his name in silence, and he sat quietly too, staring off into his coffee. “So…Namjoon…” you spoke carefully and he looked up at you, “should we exchange phone numbers or something?”

“Yeah. Yeah, that’s a good idea,” he nodded his head confidently. He reached to grab his phone from his pocket, but then jumped up from his chair as if he’d been shocked. He walked to the front counter and came back with a sheet of paper and a pen in his hand. You stared at Namjoon blankly as he ripped the paper in half, writing his number down on one piece and handing it to you. He looked at you impatiently before you wrote yours down.

“I figured we could just type them in our phones,” you said. “Like normal people.”

He opened his mouth to speak, then stopped. He quickly wrote your name above your number, then shoved the paper in his pocket. His eyes looked far away again. “I’ve got to make a phone call,” he said.

“Okay?”

“Keep my number a secret, okay?” You raised an eyebrow, not sure why he was concerned about his phone number’s privacy. Who exactly were you going to give it to? “Crap, I have to make a few calls.” Namjoon took his hat off and ran his hand through his hair. You noticed, for the first time, that it was long, hanging around his eyes. “We’ll be in touch. Just hang out for a few days. Don’t do anything big.” Why was he talking like you were going into hiding after committing a crime? “I’ve gotta make a call,” this time he repeated the words softly to himself, as if they were the only things grounding him. Suddenly, he looked at you.. “I’ll talk to you soon.” Then he rushed out the door. You sat and stared after him, trying to comprehend the last several minutes of your life. His behavior was erratic after first contact. You wanted to chalk it up to the awkwardness of the situation – you knew you weren’t acting like your normal self either – but he acted as though he had something to hide or was afraid of you. Who was your soulmate and what the hell was his problem?

"I think he's a criminal."

Ally burst out laughing at your statement. "That'd be great," she said. "You two could do a soulmate Bonnie and Clyde thing."

"I'm hoping for more Robin Hood than Bonnie and Clyde. The good, moral kind of criminal activity." You joked, but Ally detected the truth behind it.

"Oh my God, you're not even happy with a pretend soulmate." She paused. "He's probably not a criminal, y'know?"

"Then why did he act so sketchy? He definitely seemed like he was hiding something."

"First contacts can be jarring. Finding your soulmate isn't always an easy transition."

"Easy for you to say," you shot back, rolling your eyes.

"That's not fair and you know it." Ally stopped her work painting the wall of the nursery and stared at you. "You know how bad it got for us."

College was not kind to your best friend and her soulmate. After their first contact early in freshman year and a relatively happy time together throughout high school, college had presented problems neither Ally nor her soulmate, Jay, had anticipated. Studying on different sides of the country, the time difference, and the first real time they'd spent apart since finding each other strained their bond. You had spent countless nights with Ally as she worried, cried, or got angry about the difficulty of their situation.

"I know," you said, contrite. "I'm sorry."

At the worst point, Ally and Jay broke up with the plan to reevaluate their situation when they were back in the same area. That period, while only a few months long, had taken its toll on both your friends. But their reunion came with renewed dedication to each other and thorough plans on how to make their final year apart more manageable.

"It's okay. I know you're stressed right now." Ally smiled at you and went back to painting. "But you should give it some time. Let yourself get used to him, not just as your soulmate but as a person. What have you two been talking about?"

"We haven't."

"You're kidding me?"

"No."

"It's been a week! You said you exchanged numbers. Neither of you have sent a single text?"

"He acted so strange, like he didn't want to be sitting with me. Like he had secrets to keep. I didn't get a welcoming vibe from the encounter." You sighed and tossed your paintbrush on the covered floor before sitting in defeat. "What was I supposed to say? Hi, it's your soulmate, the one you practically ran away from to make a phone call. I mean, I wasn't really nice to him either. I think I said five words after we found out." You paused and stared into the paint can, trying to put the feelings you'd had for the last week into words. Ally sat down slowly next to you, carefully maneuvering with her pregnant stomach. "This isn't ideal. I get that. It's probably not anybody's perfect soulmate fantasy." You ran your fingers over your hair, frustrated. You felt torn between your desire to not have a soulmate and your desire to please others. "But I'm not that horrible, right? To completely scare off my soulmate at first contact?"

Ally wrapped her arm around your shoulder, making sympathetic noises. You placed your head on her shoulder.

"This isn't just on you," she said. "You don't know what his situation is. You said he looked around our age?" You nodded in affirmation. "Maybe he has a partner right now. He could've just been in town for a short time. Hell, he could be married already. He probably panicked about how this was going to change his life. Maybe he just needs some time to make adjustments to his own messy situation." You nodded again. "A week isn't that long, really."

You sat in silence, taking in Ally's explanation. You felt your phone vibrate in your pocket, but chose to ignore it and mulled over your short interaction with your soulmate. The thought of Namjoon having a partner he'd have to break the news of his first contact with seemed probable, but you didn't remember seeing any wedding ring on his hand. Did you want to be responsible for breaking up someone else's relationship, even if it was to be with your soulmate? Your phone vibrates again.

"Or maybe," you said with a teasing tone, "he has to hide his identity because he's in witness protection."

"Oooh," Ally giggled. "Or maybe he's a celebrity!"

You laughed at the thought. But, in quick succession, your phone buzzed several more times. Finally curious, you pulled it out to see what was up. A name flashed across your screen – Namjoon – with several text notifications underneath it.

Namjoon [12:42pm]: Hey, it's me. Namjoon [12:42pm]: Namjoon, from the cafe. Namjoon [12:45pm]: We should talk. In person would be easier. Namjoon [12:58pm]: When can you meet? Namjoon [1:12pm]: I'd really like to talk.

"What's wrong?" Ally asked, seeing your furrowed eyebrows.

"He wants to meet up and talk," you said.

"That's good. Maybe he just needed some time to process it. What are you going to do?"

"I…I think I'll meet him?" Saying the option didn't make you feel confident. "Or maybe I'll ask to just talk on the phone. I don't know. I’m not sure if ignoring him will make this go away. Though it’d be nice…"

"Fair. But promise me something?"

"What?"

"Whether you meet up with him or just talk, promise me you'll give this a chance?"

"I promise."

Several hours later, you were standing in front of the fanciest hotel in the city. Maybe Namjoon was some kind of business man and he was just in town for official reasons? Why else would he ask you to meet at this hotel? You glanced at the instructions he gave you for a meeting place, some conference room inside. If he'd been aiming to make you feel safer meeting in public, then he would've done better with the suggestion of a restaurant or a park. Regardless, you were stuck. Walking up to the front desk, you asked the woman working for directions to the conference room. She looked at you coldly before returning to typing on her computer.

"That room is booked for a private meeting this evening."

"I'm supposed to be at that meeting," you told her, sounding more confident than you felt. Everything about this hotel was too nice and you were painfully aware of the paint splatters on your hands that hadn't come off in your shower. "I have clear instructions to go there."

"It's a private meeting," she stated again. "And we have clear instructions on who is allowed to be let in."

"Check for me. My name will be on that list." You gave her your name. "Please just check?"

The woman glared at you for a moment before returning to her computer. Several clicks later, she sighed and gave you directions to the conference room. When you found yourself in front of the conference room door, you paused. You didn't want to knock yet. You had changed into a nice skirt and top when you realized the place Namjoon invited you to meet, but you still felt underdressed and unprepared for what waited beyond the door. Maybe you should've asked Ally and Jay to come along with you for backup? There was still a chance that he could be a criminal and you weren't in the mood to disappear without a trace. You contemplated texting Namjoon to ensure you were at the right place, but the thought of reaching out for his help made your stomach curl a little. Anyway, the receptionist had already confirmed you were supposed to be here. You took a deep breath, counted to three, then exhaled. Then you knocked.

The door cracked open and a face covered with a cloth face mask and wearing a beanie peered out at you. The person's eyes were sharp as they inspected you.

"Oh, I'm sorry," you rushed to speak. "I think I got lost. I'm looking for –"

"You're okay," the man said and addressed you by name. He opened the door more and motioned for you to come in. "It's me." Once you walked into the room, the man removed his face mask and you recognized your soulmate. "Thanks for meeting me here."

"You're welcome," you said stiffly.

For the first time, you were truly able to look at Namjoon. Tall and broad, he was objectively attractive, with his dark hair dangling over his forehead. If he was just another face you saw, somewhere walking down the street or maybe even a regular at your job, you would have definitely been swayed by his looks. But staring at him as your soulmate, your stomach twisted into further knots, thrown off by his handsomeness rather than pulled toward it. You noticed that he was dressed more casually than you, a plain loose t-shirt and pair of jeans. Feeling overdressed, you fiddled with the hem of your shirt.

Suddenly, you heard a voice you didn’t recognize, in a language you didn’t understand. You whipped your head to the back corner of the conference room, where the voice continued to call out. It sounded frustrated, but not in an angry fashion. More impatient. You noticed six other guys, all comfortably dressed, sitting around a table, all staring at you. At a separate table, two older men in pristine suits sat, enthralled with the laptops in front of them.

“Who are these people?” You asked, looking back at Namjoon. “I thought we were going to talk? Why are they here?”

“We are going to talk! But I wanted the guys here so you could meet them.” Namjoon gestured at the table of six. He sighed, sounding exhausted. “This is bigger than just me. I wanted you to meet the other members fast.”

“Other members?” You repeated. Shit, was your soulmate in a cult? You were truly regretting not bringing reinforcements.

“Yeah,” Namjoon’s voice was filled with caution. “You don’t recognize us?”

“No,” you whispered. You took another look at the six guys. Total strangers. Ridiculously attractive strangers, each as visually striking as Namjoon, but strangers nonetheless. Why did he think that you knew him? “I’d never seen you before the day you came into the cafe.”

Namjoon opened his mouth to say something, but when he looked at you he stopped. You stared back at him, hesitation and fear haven risen enough to show upon your face. Saying something that you couldn’t understand, but sounded like a swear, Namjoon ran his hands through his hair. Someone from the table of six called out. This time, though, the voice sounded more playful and excited. You continued to look at your soulmate, waiting for answers that, unbeknownst to you, were going to have to wait.

The next few moments proved to be the most bewildering and overwhelming of your life.

While your soulmate and you stared at each other in silence, one of the casually dressed guys had broken from the group and ran towards you. Namjoon reached towards him, seemingly trying to grab his shorter friend and stop him from hurtling into you. Namjoon missed and his friend flew into you. The first thing you felt was the thud of his solid body against yours.

Then you saw the sparks.

Then you heard the soft sound of blowing wind.

Unable to keep your balance, you fell to the ground. Voices erupted in shouts. Two sets of hands reach out, one set long and graceful and the other tattooed, grabbing your own as if to help you up

Sparks flew up from where they touched you.

Soft bells mixed with the hollow sounds of a wooden wind chime.

More shouting that you didn’t understand.

The sets of hands that touched you retracted quickly but left you on the floor. You did your best to stand back up and step away from the four people in front of you. Your breathing was quick. You were starting to get a headache. It was too much, too fast. But as you took a step back, you bumped into broad shoulders.

Sparks. The sound of rain drops.

You stepped away from before thinking or looking, wanting to get away from whoever you'd just touched. A fatal mistake. You walked straight into another body, lean enough to shove yourself past.

Soft laughter rang in your ears.

You didn't stop to see the sparks.

There were too many bodies. The group seemed to recenter itself on you each time you moved. You wanted to leave. The overlapping voices rang in your head. Even if you could have understood what they were saying, you didn't care. There was a door somewhere past the horde of bodies that you needed to get through.

Eyes fixed on the ground, you kept trying to walk, first contacts be damned. You saw yourself approaching someone, but couldn't tell who it was based on his shoes. Regardless, you tried to push past him.

Then you heard a gentle piano.

You could feel the blood pounding in your ears. A sharp pain in your temple and spotty vision alerted you to a migraine. You couldn't tell if you were breathing anymore.

This time, without anyone touching you, you fell to the floor. The last thing you heard was someone shout your name.

The first thing you noticed was that the carpet was soft. It was probably ridiculously expensive, but you didn't mind. It was the first thing to provide comfort since you'd first gotten Namjoon's texts. You heard soft voices talking, again in a foreign language, but you decided to keep your eyes closed for a little longer. Maybe the group of guys would take pity on you, abandon you on this lovely carpet in this swanky hotel, and simply leave. Then, you'd be able to get back to your apartment, block Namjoon's number, and pretend this never happened.

You had promised Ally you would give your soulmate situation a chance, but this had gotten out of hand.

A voice spoke up, closer than the others, as if the speaker was next to you. His words were tinged with worry, vastly different from the shouting a few moments earlier. Or was it minutes? You realized for the first time that you didn't know how long you'd been out for. The same guy spoke again, somehow with more distress. You felt two fingers press against your neck gently. Was this guy checking for a pulse? Maybe you'd been on the carpet longer than was healthy. On the bright side, though, you didn't hear any unusual sounds from a first contact. Which meant this guy was either someone you'd already touched or was someone normal. You cracked your eyes open. Wide, anxious eyes stared back at you. You recognized the full cheeks and long bangs of the first one from the table to touch you. The one whose auditory alert had been wind. He called out but kept his eyes fixed on you. Uncomfortable with his level of eye contact, you moved to sit up so you could look elsewhere. Wind Guy reached out as soon as you moved. Logically, you knew he probably intended to help you sit up; he looked concerned over you moving so soon after coming too. But you instinctually pulled away from his hands. He put them back at his side.

"How are you feeling?" Namjoon's voice was cautious and even. More reminiscent of how he sounded after your first contact in the cafe than after your first contacts with his friends. Shit, you had a first contact with your soulmate's six friends. You had seven soulmates. You felt like you wanted to throw up all over this beautiful carpet and your seven fucking soulmates.

"I'm okay," you lied.

"Do you want to go over and sit?" Namjoon gestured at a table where five of your soulmates sat. The two suited men sat at the table too. An empty chair was toppled over. Maybe he'd stood up in a rush when Wind Guy had spoken.

"I want to sit here." That was the truth. At this point, the carpet was your only friend.

Namjoon looked as if he wanted to convince you to sit at the table. He sat down across from you though. This didn't seem like a battle he deemed worthy of fighting. The other five got up from the table, following Namjoon's lead. First to reach you was the one with the tattooed hand. Something in you told you this was the one who made you hear bells. Bell Boy – you felt comfortable naming him as he clearly looked young – had tattoos covering his entire right arm and several piercings. He sat down next to you, carefully leaving you some space. Slowly, he reached over and offered you a water bottle. You took it, but fiddled with the cap – still intact. You twisted it open and took several sips. This seemed to please Bell Boy and he smiled a toothy grin. A pack of crackers was placed in front of you by the one who'd given you the sound of rain. You take them, but don't open them, choosing to watch as he and the last one you'd had first contact with, Piano Man, flanked Namjoon as they sat. The final two to find places on the floor were Chime Guy, who sat close enough to Wind Guy for their legs to be pressed together, and Laugh Dude. He smiled as he sat between Bell Boy, who's shoulder he patted, and Rain Man. The suited men remained at the table, watching every breath and movement the eight of you took like they were afraid of something.

Everyone in the circle stared at each other, but no one spoke. You refused to speak first. At this point, you considered it seven against one, mostly because the suited men seemed more neutral than on your soulmates' side and, though comforting, the carpet couldn't do much to help you. You started to get overwhelmed looking around at everyone, so you focused on Namjoon. You could deal with just him. Rain Man spoke, seeming to want to prompt Namjoon to start.

"I think we should use English right now," Namjoon said to them. There was a mumbled chorus of agreement. He addressed you next. "Do we look familiar at all?"

"No," you said sternly. "I've never seen any of you before. Why do you keep asking me that?"

Namjoon clenched his jaw. You dared to glance around the circle at their reactions. The looks ranged from hopeful, to skeptical, to confused.

"Have you ever," Namjoon spoke slowly, as if he were weighing the worth of each word, "heard of a music group called BTS?"

The name sounded vaguely familiar, like you'd heard it on passing. Josie was big into pop music, maybe you'd overheard her bring them up or heard a song while working. You took your phone out of your pocket and typed the name into Google. News headlines, music videos, official and unofficial web pages all popped up. You clicked on the first music video that appeared and let it play for a few seconds. Yes, Josie definitely played this one at the cafe.

"Okay," you said. "So what?" It wasn't really an answer to Namjoon's question, but you weren't willing to give him more. If he wanted to talk with you, he needed to stop being so damn cryptic and sketchy.

"We're BTS," he said.

"That's hilarious," you shot back, starting to get pissed. "Stop making up movie plots and start being honest."

Namjoon didn't answer, just pulled out his phone, typed in a few things, then handed it to you. It was the same page of search results you'd just been on.

"Look at the images," he said, patient enough that it furthered your annoyance.

You did as he asked though. You scrolled through for a few moments before finding a picture from a news article posted only a month ago. It was from a well known magazine, so you felt safer with its authenticity. You started hard at the picture, looked at the guys around you, then went back to the picture. Their faces looked clean of any makeup and their haircuts were different, but these were the same people. The picture was of your soulmates. The same soulmates who were apparently international pop superstars, according to this magazine. Handing Namjoon back his phone, you tried to process what you just learned. The seven guys stared at you in anticipation. You ran your hands over the carpet as you thought. You wished that you had just ignored his texts. Maybe this could have gone away if you ignored it those few hours ago. International pop stars probably don't have much time for soulmates, though. That gave you hope. If they were as busy as those headlines made them seem, then maybe this would be it. Potentially, they would go back to South Korea – you felt relieved to know what language they'd been speaking – and continue being superstars. Then you could go back to your life. That would be ideal. You could go back to your apartment, continue saving up from your cafe job, help Ally and Jay get ready for the baby. Maybe try to find out where to purchase a few square feet of this rug. Feeling as though you knew what to do for the first time since your first contact with Namjoon, you started to talk.

"Congratulations on your success." The seven guys balked at your statement. Apparently it was not what they were expecting you to say. "I'm serious. It seems like you guys are really good artists." Either Rain Man or Laugh Dude chuckled, but you couldn't tell which.

One of the official looking men came over and knelt by Namjoon, talking softly in Korean to him. That made more sense now. The two older men were probably lawyers or some kind of higher up involved with the group. Maybe a manager or some kind of executive. Whatever was being said made Namjoon blush and look towards the floor. You wondered what could make a superstar have that reaction.

"The reason it took me so long to contact you after we met was because I needed to contact our managers," Namjoon said, still looking at the carpet. He started to stroke it absently. Was it weird for you to get possessive of a rug? Because you wanted him to stop. "It's in our contract that, should any of us meet our soulmate, we have to get in touch with management as soon as possible. That's why I left so quickly." You nodded, but didn't say anything. These were the answers you wanted from the start, so you let Namjoon speak. The other six showed less interest, clearly already having knowledge of this. "Plans needed to be made, discussions had. I chose to contact the rest of the guys though. I wanted them included in this. I thought," Namjoon paused, "I thought having everyone together would help explain my situation. I thought it would make things easier." That statement got several laughs from the others. "I didn't think this would happen. None of us did." The mood turned somber. "And now we have to figure this all out again."

Namjoon looked at you, his eyes filled with honesty. You quickly glanced at the others. Wind Guy and Laugh Dude were looking at you intently. You weren't sure if you'd felt Wind Guy's eyes leave you since you first got up. Rain Man was looking at you also, but his eyes were softer and a small smile sat on his lips. Bell Boy seemed nervous, flicking his gaze between Namjoon and you. Chime Guy was leaning back on his hands, also looking around the group. When your eyes met his, you looked away quickly. Piano Man was looking down where his hands were folded in his lap. Or he was sleeping, you couldn't tell. Sleeping Piano Man aside, the conversation did not seem as though it was going to end quickly with a polite parting of ways. You needed to get this back on track.

"Well," you spoke up finally, "I should probably let you all contact your managers." You started to stand up. If you could leave quickly now, then you could disappear and pretend this never happened. This could all become one hell of a party story.

"We should probably do introductions." You didn't recognize the voice. Piano Man was apparently not asleep. He was looking at you with an intensity that made you want to run.

"But," you started, "the contract said to contact -"

"That's what they're doing now," Piano Man nodded at the suited men. He didn't look like he was going to let this go, his mouth set in a firm line and his eyes challenging you.

You sat back down. Introductions wouldn't ruin your plan. At worst you'd have to block a few more numbers besides Namjoon's when you left. Fingers gripping the carpet, you decided that you could cope with a few minutes of polite conversation with your soulmates. Wanting this over quickly, you introduced yourself formally. Maybe Namjoon had told the others your name when he mentioned his own first contact to them, but you wanted to start the process. Piano Man followed your lead, Min Yoongi being his real name. Rain Man spoke up next as Kim Seokjin, or Jin for short. Namjoon jumped in and said that his last name was also Kim, but they had no familial ties. Chime Guy – Kim Taehyung – echoed that Namjoon, Seokjin, and he weren’t related when he introduced himself next. Wind Guy smiled widely and greeted you by your full name before stating his name, Park Jimin. The other, openly friendly soulmate, Laugh Dude, introduced himself as Jung Hoseok. Bell Boy smiled shyly at you when he stated that his name was Jeon Jungkook.

You looked around the circle, trying to memorize the faces that went to their names. This happened without thought. Logically, you wanted nothing more than to say a goodbye and then disappear from their lives. You didn’t need or want to learn their names, but something in your subconscious pushed you to try a little. Looking around the circle of seated, silent bodies you repeated to yourself: Jimin, Taehyung, Yoongi, Namjoon, Seokjin, Hoseok, Jungkook.

For the first since stepping into this room, your stomach seemed to unknot. Your breath was borderline calm and your heart was no longer racing. But these realizations were not a comfort. You smooth your hands over your beloved carpet one last time.

"I should get going," you said.

"Can you stay for dinner?" Hoseok spoke quickly

"We were going to order take-out," Seokjin tacked on

"I have work tomorrow morning." You stand up to force your point.

"You can pick the restaurant?" Jungkook offered, hopeful.

"I have to be there early." You took a step away from them. "I open up."

A few of them looked like they wanted to continue protesting, but Namjoon silenced them.

"Would you like us to call you a car?"

You shake your head, declining his offer. Taking a few more steps away, without turning your back to them, and quickly said goodbye.

Once the conference room door closes behind you, you take several shuddering breaths. You know you're close to losing control and need to get home. Walking as quickly as you can without drawing suspicion, you retrace your original steps back to the main lobby. Suddenly, you heard someone call your name. Looking back, you saw someone with a facemask and a floppy white bucket hat race towards you. Who still wore bucket hats? When he stopped in front of you, you recognized him as Wind Guy. No, Jimin – his name was Jimin.

"I'm sorry," he said simply.

"For what?"

"I was excited to meet Namjoon-hyung's soulmate. I didn't think." His words were rushed, like he was trying to say everything before you decided to leave him standing alone. "I just wanted to see you up close and welcome you to the group. I didn't know what would happen," he said, voice wavering. "I never thought that –"

"It's okay," you told him. "None of this is your fault."

"But –"

"No buts." You weren't sure why, but the sincerity of his worry seemed to touch you. "We shouldn't dwell on fault. It wouldn't be fair to any of us.". Why were you comforting this young man when you didn't want anything to do with him?

Jimin nodded his head and smiled. He stretched his arms out and moved in to hug you, but you stepped out of his reach. Eyes hurt, he settled instead on a small wave. You bid each other goodbye and you, finally, left that terrible hotel.

Jungkook frowned.  Jin tended to get quiet when he was deeply upset, and the terse answers told Jungkook everything he needed to know about his hyung's state of mind.  

"I didn't think your photoshoot was until later next week," Jungkook started.  He wanted to get Jin to talk about things, knowing it'd make him feel better.

"The shoot is on Wednesday," Jin grumbled.  "But I'm not going there.  I'm going to America."

"What?" Jungkook asked, shocked.  "Are you skipping the photo shoot?"

"No," Jin sighed and started to inspect the items he laid out.  "I'll be back in time for it."

"What about practice and training?"

"To hell with that!" Jin shouted, making the youngest's eyes widen.  He ran his hands through his hair.  "Right now, our soulmate is falling asleep thinking that we will throw her away at the slightest inconvenience.  And I can't let her think that.  I've been patient, I've reassured her in every way I can think of, but it isn't working.  So I've got to try something different."

"What are you going to do?" Jungkook asked.

"I'm getting on the first flight I can to America and flying to her.  I'll call her when I land.  I'll make sure I'm back in time for the photo shoot."

"You're crazy, hyung.  That timeline will give you, what, like fifty hours in America?  Maybe less?"

"I don't really care, Jungkook," Jin sighed.  "I'm losing my mind right now, thinking about her all alone."

"Seijin is going to be pissed at you," Jungkook said.    The eldest always had a tendency not to care about company rules, more likely to beg forgiveness than ask permission.  But, in this moment, Jungkook respected that bravery.  "How can I help?"

"Pack everything on the bed.  I need to book a flight." Jin smiled for the first time since the card game ended.  "Then you can drive me to the airport."

Yoongi shifted, uncomfortable under Hoseok's glare.  He was sitting with Namjoon on Hoseok's bed, waiting for his friend to speak.  Despite being older than the other two, Yoongi felt like he was a child again, being reprimanded by his father for misbehaving.  Namjoon was still frozen under the harsh, judgmental look their friend perfected.  They knew Hoseok was pissed, and they knew the best option was to let him talk first.  So they waited, shrinking under his scowl.

"What the hell was that?" Hoseok finally asked. "How was that supposed to be productive, to help any of us?" He waited for either of his friends to answer, but neither did.  Instead, they each glanced off in different directions.  Hoseok wasn't sure if they were embarrassed or still mad at each other, but he was fuming.  Still, he tried to keep his voice low, he didn't want the others to hear this.  "She's finally opening up to us, trusting us with how she's actually feeling instead of hiding everything.  And that is how you two respond?  By getting into a shouting match!" Sighing, Hoseok collapsed into his desk chair and just stared at the other two.

"I know that spewing off statistics isn't helpful," Namjoon started, focused on the floor. "And I wasn't trying to minimize her fears – I wouldn't do that.  But I don't know how else to help.  I don't know what to do."

"I don't know either," Yoongi said. "I hate this situation and I don't know how to fix it or help her.  The only thing I can do right now is try to make her life less stressful, take some burdens off her.  Make it so she won't have to work two jobs and go to school.  I didn't offer to pay just to start a fight or to make her feel terrible."

"I didn't mean that, hyung," Namjoon quickly added, upset that he had flung the accusation out.  He knew Yoongi wasn't manipulative.  "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Yoongi waved off the apology.  "But I just wanted to try and make things easier.  All I could think of was the sooner she gets her degree, the sooner we can all be together.  Permanently."

The trio was quiet, each thinking about Yoongi's idea.  Having their soulmate come back and stay with them was the goal.  They weren't sure how it would happen, but they knew Yoongi was right: the first step was for her to finish school.

"That's not how I interpreted your offer," Namjoon said softly, finally looking at Yoongi.

"I don't think she understood it like that either," Hoseok said.

Yoongi sighed in frustration.  "I should go call her.  Explain.  Apologize."

"Wait for later," Namjoon said.  "I think the maknaes are trying to get her to sleep.  Call her later when she's up.  I…I need to call her too." Namjoon wondered if Yoongi and he should make the call together, apologize for the way they acted.  

"I feel like shit," Yoongi said eventually.  He leaned over and put his head in his hands.

"It'll be okay, the kids will talk to her now, we'll call her tomorrow, and everything will be okay."

"Not about this.  I mean, today didn't help.  I just generally feel like shit.  I haven't had a good night's sleep in weeks.  My focus is shot.  I miss her," his said, defeated.

"I miss her too," Hoseok said, moving to sit near Yoongi.  Hoseok had kept that frantic call he received weeks ago a secret and talking about it now would probably only further agitate Yoongi.  But he could talk about his own feelings. "And I haven't been sleeping well either.  Last good sleep I had was New Year's Eve."

"I wonder if that's a side effect of the first contacts," Namjoon mumbled.  The other two looked at him. "Last time I looked into soulmates, I only focused on multiple first contacts.  I didn't look into a lot of the side effects or finer details."

"Can you?" Hoseok asked.  "I want to know if what we're feeling is normal or if we're crazy.  Or maybe if there's a way to alleviate it?"

"Yeah, I can look into it," Namjoon agreed.  Then, blushing a little, he asked, "Maybe we can see if she's still on the phone?  Wish her a good night?"

That idea made Yoongi smile, and the three headed out into the hallway.  They'd left the maknaes in the living room, but, as they entered the common area and saw Jimin and Taehyung cleaning up the table, they realized they were too late.  Before any of the rappers could ask how their soulmate was, the sound of a suitcase being rolled filled the apartment.  The five turned to see Jungkook in a beanie, keys and mask in hand.  Behind him was Jin, dragging a small suitcase.  When the eldest and youngest got to the kitchen, they paused, staring back at the others.

"I'll see you guys later," Jin said, and lightly pushed Jungkook to get him moving.  "I'll text when I land."

"Wait, what?" Jimin called out.  "What's going on?"

"Is everything okay?  What happened on your call?" Taehyung asked, following after Jin.

"Where are you going?" Yoongi asked.

"I lied; no one called me" Jin said quickly.  "I booked a flight to go see her.  JK's driving me to the airport.  I'll be back for the photoshoot." He tapped Jungkook again and motioned at the door.

The others followed them into the hall, not satisfied with the eldest's explanation.

"What did Seijin say?" Hoseok said as they walked into the elevator.

"Haven't called him yet.  I'll call him when I'm through security."

"How are you going to explain the trip?" Taehyung asked, looking at his oldest hyung.

"I'm going to tell him the truth.  Our soulmate is alone and distressed and someone needs to be there." Jin sighed and blinked quickly a few times.  "And honestly I feel like I'm going to implode if I don't see her soon."

"We'll be there in a month," Yoongi said softly.

"I can't wait that long."

"Go then," Namjoon's statement had a tone of finality to it, but when the others looked at him, their leader was smiling.  "Do what none of us thought to do.  Just text us when you land.  And make sure she's okay for all of us?"

Jin nodded, quickly hugging each of his friends before rushing down to Jungkook's car.  As his maknae pulled out of the parking garage and into traffic, Jin took out his phone.  While Jungkook was packing, he'd been able to purchase a last minute flight that would take him from Seoul to his soulmate's home in about fifteen hours.  Now, as his maknae navigated the busy roads, Jin purchased a return ticket.  Though Jungkook was right about the short stay, Jin hoped the two days he had bought himself would be enough time to reassure his soulmate of his – their – dedication to making this work.  As they drove past road signs marking the way to Incheon International Airport, Jin made a mental list of what he needed to accomplish in the short time before his flight: get through security, call Seijin, let his parents know he'd be in a different time zone for a little bit, maybe grab food since he hadn't had time to eat lunch.  The only ticket available was in coach, which Jin didn't mind, but he wasn't fond of plane food.

"Just be careful, hyung," Jungkook said as he pulled into a spot to drop Jin off.  "If anyone recognizes you, you'll be screwed."

"I will," Jin said, adjusting his face mask and baseball cap.  "Thank you for the help, Kookie."

He gave the youngest a quick, tight hug before leaving the car.  Luckily, people walking into and around the airport seemed more concerned with themselves than any possible celebrity sighting.  Jin was grateful he only had his carry-on and a small backpack though, speeding his way past baggage check and into the security line.  The child in front accidentally stepped on his feet, and the mother issued a quick, polite apology, but didn't seem to notice him otherwise.  When he finally approached the security check, he grew a little more nervous: if his cover was blown, it would be here.  As the middle aged woman checked his documents, she smiled a little.  Jin lowered his facemask slightly, but she motioned for him to stop.

"You're all set , " she said.  Her eyes sparkled a little with recognition, but she didn't give any other indication that Jin was who he was. "Thank you for flying with us today . "

Jin bowed deeply in thanks to her, grateful that she picked up on his secretive mission.  She could've made his life incredibly difficult if she'd even mentioned his name, but her tact was endlessly appreciated.  Jin made note of her name tag, hoping he could submit an anonymous compliment somewhere in the airport for her.  When he made it to his gate, he was able to find an empty corner near the back of the waiting area.  It had no chairs and no electrical outlets, so no one else wanted to sit there.  That was perfect for Jin though, sitting down on the floor and pulling out his phone.  

"Hey, it's me," Jin said as Seijin picked up the call. "I'm –"

"You're at the airport, I know." Seijin's voice was a mix between frustrated and amused.  After all these years, he was used to Jin's little rebellions.  "Namjoon called me the moment you left the apartment." Jin started to talk, but Seijin interrupted.  "I don't want you to talk too much right now, in case someone recognizes your voice.  Just keep your face as covered as possible and stay quiet until you land in America."

"I'm sorry," Jin mumbled.  Realistically, he knew this impromptu trip would cause a headache for Seijin.  He didn't want to cause the man extra work, but he needed to do this.  Right now, he was Kim Seokjin, not Jin of BTS.

"Don't be.  But, for the record, I want to say that this is a very big gesture for just being a platonic soulmate ." Seijin teased.  Though he respected what the seven had initially explained to him, he never truly understood the concept or expected it to work long-term.  But that wasn't his position to say.  "Just travel safe and keep me updated."

Jin smiled to himself, happy that his manager wasn't as angry as anticipated.  He set a reminder on his phone to buy the older man a thank-you present, maybe a bottle of the top shelf soju Jin knew he enjoyed.  Glancing at the time, Jin realized he had a few minutes to spare before the plane started boarding, and jogged to the nearest convenience store.  As he put a few items down at the register, he was grateful he had some cash on him, not wanting to risk pulling out his credit card.  His mind stayed busy as he waited, realizing for the first time that he'd have to get an Uber or taxi to get to his soulmate's apartment.  Without too much delay, Jin's boarding number was called for boarding and he tried to make himself comfortable in his seat.  

As the plane taxi'd away from the gate and the flight attendants began their safety instructions, Jin put his headphones on and lowered his hat, intent on napping.  But, feeling the plane leave the ground and begin it's ascent, he was too nervous to sleep.  He realized this was a risk, flying out to see his soulmate on a whim, no heads up and no real backup plan should she not want to see him. No, Jin stopped that train of thought, she would want to see him.  Despite her current self-critiques, his soulmate had been happy when they were last together.  The doubts appeared during their separation, and, if Jin could get to her, he was sure he could make he feel better.  So Jin took a few deep breaths to calm himself.  In a little over fifteen hours, he'd be able to hold his soulmate in his arms again, to reassure her that he wasn't going anywhere, at least not anywhere away from her.

The rest of the day crept by for the six remaining men.  None of them wanted to be at the Hybe building, each one fixated on their distraught soulmate and their hyung who was off to help her.  They wanted to be with him, but knew that their schedules couldn't accommodate a group trip, especially with one planned just a month away.  They also knew that they were going to have to work a little harder with Jin's unexpected departure, but they'd never admit that to him or hold it against him.  Hoseok agreed to go to an interview with Jungkook in his place.  Taehyung and Namjoon had swapped their studio sessions so that they could record in Jin's absence.  Yoongi was taking Jin's car to the mechanic for its scheduled oil change.  Jimin decided to take over the VLive Jin intended to do the next afternoon.

Despite this all, though, Jimin felt distinctly uncomfortable and untethered, as if he were in the ocean, slowly drifting away from the shore, with no way back.  He'd been so distracted and distant throughout the day that he got nothing productive done.  All he had to show for the day was an empty notebook that should have song lyrics on it and a pounding headache.  So, not knowing what else to do, Jimin changed and headed off to find an empty dance studio.  If he couldn't work off this feeling, then maybe he'd be able to dance himself into exhaustion and sleep the night through.  And he needed a good night's sleep.  Turning up some music, Jimin went through his stretches, forcing his body to obey him since he couldn't force his mind.  His muscles ached from the dance practice they'd had as a group earlier today, but Jimin didn't care.  He'd dance until he collapsed if it took the desperate ache out of his heart.  So he danced.

The music cut abruptly.  Jimin whirled around to see Taehyung by the stereo, holding both his own phone and Jimin's.

"I'm going home," Taehyung said.  "It's time to leave."

"I want to stay a little longer," Jimin said, pushing his sweaty hair off his forehead.  "I'll be back in time for dinner."

"Dinner?" Tae's repeated, eyes going wide.  "It's 10:30, Jimin.  How long have you been here?"

"I don't know," Jimin shrugged.  "4? 4:30?  Somewhere around there.  It can't actually be that late."

"It is."

Taehyung handed Jimin his phone, and the shorter man looked to see the time as well as several missed texts, including the ones alerting him to their dinner order.  While, mentally, it seemed to Jimin that he hadn't been dancing for that long, he felt the influence of several hours of hard dancing more the longer he stood still.  But his plan worked, he was exhausted.  Tae reached out and grabbed onto Jimin, worried as his soulmate began to sway weakly.  He worked to get Jimin sitting on the floor.

"I'm thirsty, Tae," Jimin said softly.  

"When was the last time you ate?" Tae asked as he grabbed his water bottle from his bag.  It wasn't full, but it was at least something.

"Breakfast."

Taehyung cursed – Jimin hadn't eaten in almost eighteen hours and had spent the last six intensively exercising.  He had no clue when, or if, Jimin had taken a break or drank anything.  

"Wait here," Taehyung instructed.  "I'll be right back." He ran out of the studio and towards the closest break room, where he knew a small fridge was located.  He grabbed two electrolyte drinks, along with two bananas and a small container of rice balls.  When he got back to Jimin, his heart sank.  The man looked terrible, pale and sweaty, barely holding himself up against the wall.  Taehyung sat next to him, unscrewing the cap of a drink.  "Here, drink this." He waited, watching Jimin take a few slow sips and while he peeled the first banana.  The two sat in silence until Jimin was done with the first bottle and banana.  "How are you feeling now?"

"A little better," Jimin said.  He was at least sitting up straighter.

"Do you think you can walk to the garage?" Tae asked, and Jimin nodded.  He started to pack the remaining food and drink in his bag.  "Okay, then let's go.  We'll get home, take a shower, and go to bed?  We can talk tonight or tomorrow."

Jimin just nodded and let Taehyung help him off the floor.  He wrapped his arm around his soulmate, trying to stabilize a still wobbly Jimin.  Jimin was grateful for the contact though, leaning his head against Tae's shoulder.  Though they were normally very affectionate, Tae was glad the building was empty so no one would see them in this vulnerable state.  As they got into his car, Taehyung handed Jimin the remaining food and drink he had.  Jimin took them silently and Tae started to drive.

The drive between Hybe and their apartment wasn't long, and was easy to make at this time of night.  But, it was long enough for Taehyung to start to spiral.  As he glanced from the road to Jimin, who was staring out the window and slowly chewing, Taehyung knew he was in trouble.  When Jimin was in a bad place, he would isolate himself.  The fact that Jimin locked himself away in a studio for hours without letting anyone know showed Taehyung enough to understand his first soulmate's state of mind.  As he pulled up to a stop light, Taehyung took several deep breaths, the way Namjoon had taught him when they were younger.  Yes, today had been an absolute shit show, but Taehyung knew he couldn't freak out now.  His soulmates needed him and, while he wasn't able to fly to America to help, he would help Jimin as best he could.  So, taking the final turn towards their apartment, Taehyung drew a final deep breath and steeled his nerves for the upcoming tasks: getting Jimin showered and to sleep.

Jimin was steadier when he climbed out of the car, but his muscles screamed in pain.  He knew he would pay for this tomorrow, he'd probably struggle to walk, but he didn't particularly care.  Though he could walk on his own, he reached out for Taehyung, who gladly took his hand.  They rode the elevator in silence, Jimin not ready to talk yet and Taehyung knowing better than to push him.  In the hallway before their apartment, Taehyung quickly toed off his shoes.  Jimin struggled, though, his muscles already cramping and sore.  So Taehyung dropped to his knees and helped him, gently untying and removing each shoe.

"Go take a shower," he instructed.  "I'll make a little more food for you to eat, then we'll go to bed." Jimin nodded, and Tae placed a gentle kiss on his forehead before sending him off to the apartment.

Jungkook was still awake and on the couch.  He watched, eyes wide as Jimin slunk through the common area and off to shower.  The maknae looked at Tae, nervous.  Taehyung just shook his head, letting the youngest know to just let them be.  While Jungkook, sweet and affectionate, was normally a comfort for Jimin, Taehyung knew this was something he had to solve on his own.  Understanding, Jungkook turned off the television and went to his room, wanting to give them privacy.  Tae focused on making a small meal for Jimin, something healthy, but easy to digest.  So he fried two eggs and set them over a little rice, some steamed vegetables on the side.  

But after half an hour, he grew nervous.  He approached the bathroom door and could still hear the shower going.  While long, luxurious showers were not unheard of for Jimin, Taehyung knew his soulmate wasn't in the mood for one.  So he knocked.

"Jimin?  Are you okay in there?" No answer.  Taehyung knocked again, louder this time.  "Jimin?" Again, no answer.  "I'm coming in now!". Taehyung walked into the bathroom, steam immediately surrounding him.  As he closed the door, he could hear sobs coming from behind the shower curtain.  "Shit." Taehyung pulled back the curtain to find Jimin sitting on the shower floor, hugging his knees to his chest tightly and crying.  Quickly, Taehyung turned off the water.  He wrapped a towel around the sobbing man and held him close.  "I'm here, Jimin, I'm right here.  You're not alone." Jimin leaned his head on Taehyung's shoulder and Tae just tightened his grip.  Though this seemed worse, Jimin sobbing uncontrollably, it calmed Taehyung a little – if Jimin was crying, then he'd be ready to talk soon.  That was how his soulmate dealt with bad feelings – isolate, cry, talk – and over their years together, Taehyung knew the cycle well.  So he simply held Jimin, whispering soft reassurances and gently kissing his forehead.

"It hurts so much," Jimin finally said, sobs no longer shaking his body.  He looked at Taehyung.  "I feel like something is shredding my heart apart.  She needs us, but we're stuck here and I feel like shit leaving her alone.  I'm failing, Tae.  I can't help her, I can't be with her.  I'm failing as a soulmate."

"You are not failing, Jimin."

"I can't even keep my shit together enough to check on you," Jimin mumbled, trying to wipe his tears away.

"You're allowed to have a bad day," Tae stressed.  "You can struggle, it's okay.  Today was terrible for all of us." He paused and pressed another kiss to Jimin's temple.  "But Jin's on his way to her.  What's he always saying to us?  Hyung will do it." Luckily, this made Jimin laugh weakly.  "We just have to hold down everything here so he can help her."

Jimin nodded and shifted in Tae's grasp.  "It's cold, I want to get dressed." Taehyung moved and let Jimin finish drying off.  "I just can't believe she thinks we'd leave her." He pulled on a pair of pajama pants.  "That, after how hard we fought to stay in her life, that we don't want to be with her." Taehyung was quiet, letting Jimin speak his mind.  "I don't want anyone else.  I want her.  I want you.  I just want my soulmates."

Finally dressed, Jimin walked to Taehyung and kissed the taller man. It was slow, gentle, borderline chaste, but Jimin didn't want passion right now.  He needed the comfort of knowing that Taehyung, his closest friend and soulmate, was here with him.  And, knowing Jimin like he knew himself, Taehyung kissed him back exactly as Jimin needed.  Sweet, loving, comforting.  He wrapped his arms around Jimin, taking solace in the knowledge that he could at least help one of his soulmates.

"Stay with me tonight?" Jimin asked softly.

"Of course."

Honestly, Taehyung was slightly offended that Jimin even had to ask.  While he'd happily spend every night in a bed with Jimin, they tried to keep it to a frequency that wouldn't raise suspicions with their other bandmates.  Their initial decision, years ago, to hide their first contact was made from fear about how the others and the company would react.  Now, at least, they believed their bandmates, their brothers, would welcome and accept the truth.  But how could they walk back a lie they wove for over a decade?  Regardless, Taehyung would announce his soulmate bond to the world if it meant he could continue to comfort Jimin tonight.

So they settled into Jimin's bed, rearranging pillows and blankets until they were both comfortable.  Taehyung was, as Jimin had told their other soulmate, a very clingy sleeper.  And, while it sometimes made sleeping too warm or created odd pressure points, Jimin welcomed the clinginess as he felt Tae's arms wrap around his torso and pull them tightly together.  Taehyung threw his leg over Jimin's, completely enveloping the shorter man.  But it was what Jimin needed tonight.  And, as the exhaustion of the day forced him into sleep, he only wished that there was one more body crowding his bed.

A/N: I promise, y'all, fluff is coming.

You sighed happily, enjoying how you could feel Jin’s chest moving as he breathed deeply.  He nestled closer to you again, pressing half-asleep kisses against your head.  Wanting to have your arms around him as well, you moved onto your other side until you could press against him and sling your arm over his waist.  Jin seemed more awake now, pressing his forehead against yours.

“I want to wake up like this every day,” he said softly.

“We will soon,” you said.  “At least, as much as we can with eight of us.”

Jin smiled a little and leaned down to kiss you.  It was a lovely way to wake up, with his lips slow and lazy against yours.  His hand was soft as it skimmed against your side.  You rolled onto your back and pulled Jin with you, relishing in the way his body felt as it pressed over yours.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” Jin murmured as he kissed your jawline.  “So grateful you’re with us.”  His lips moved down your neck.  “With me.”

You pulled his face back to yours and kissed him deeply.  One hand clung to his wide shoulders, the other traced down his back.  As he swept his tongue into your mouth, you realized you wanted more.  Jin’s hands were resting sweetly on your waist, barely moving except for the soft patterns his thumbs traced.  You pressed your chest closer to his, hoping he would get your wishes.  But Jin, always your chivalrous prince, didn’t take the bait.

“I want you to touch me,” you whispered against his lips.  Jin pulled further back, looking into your eyes for confirmation that he understood you.  “Please?”

His eyes never left yours as one of his large hands moved up from your waist until it skimmed your breast.  You kissed him again, hoping your affection would encourage him.  It worked, his hand grasping you as his other moved down to cup your ass.  You pulled him closer to you, one of your own hands wandering down past his hips until it rested against his own butt.  Jin moaned into the kiss, hands groping needily.

Then Jin’s cell phone started to ring.

“Do you want to –”

“Ignore it,” Jin said before crushing his mouth against your hungrily.

You followed his lead, kissing him as the phone continued to ring.  You swept your tongue over his bottom lip.  As you kissed your way down his neck, the phone silenced and Jin sighed, hands gripping your body harder.

His phone started to ring again.

Frustrated, Jin pulled back from the kiss with a groan and grabbed his phone.

“ Annyeonghaseyo, hyung ,” Jin said and you wondered if he was speaking to his actual brother.

Jin pulled away from you suddenly.  His grip on his phone tightened and his face seemed scared.  You touched his shoulder, worried.  This brought his attention back to you.  He said something, short and curt, into the phone before addressing you.

“I need you to get dressed,” he said, his voice tense.  “Go across the hall to Namjoon’s room and tell him to make sure all the curtains and blinds are closed in the apartment.  Once he’s done that, go get everyone else up and into the living room.”

“Jin, what’s going on?” You asked, growing more nervous after his instructions.

“Please trust me,” he begged, his eyes looking more panicked than you’d ever seen.

You nodded and got out of bed, pulling on the first items of clothes you pulled from your suitcase.  With a final look at Jin, who was still sitting on the bed, raking his free hand through his hair as he talked, you left the room.  You weren’t sure what was going on, but you would do what Jin asked.  Not thinking that now was the time for politeness or subtlety, you banged loudly against Namjoon’s door.  He yanked it open a few moments later, eyes already worried behind his askew glasses.

“Something’s wrong,” you said.  “Jin wants you to close all the curtains and blinds so I can get everyone in the living room.”

“What’s the matter?” He asked.  

“I don’t know.  He got a call and this was the only thing he asked.”

“We'll figure it out,” Namjoon said, reaching out to grip your shoulder reassuringly.  He seemed concerned but calm.  You were sure that he would look more worried if he’d seen Jin’s reaction.  “I’ll come back once –”

Namjoon didn’t get to finish his sentence though, as Hoseok called your name from the start of the hallway and raced towards you.  When he got to you, he pulled you tightly into his grasp and tucked your head close to his chest, as if he was trying to hide you.

"It'll be okay," he told you.  "Everything will be okay."

"Hoseok, what's going on?" Namjoon asked, now panicking.

"My sister just called," he said, his voice stained.  "Someone found out."

A little over an hour later, the eight of you finished a painful phone call with Seijin, which essentially boiled down to him telling you all to stay inside until the cars came to pick the guys up this evening for soundcheck, to keep the windows covered as Jin had first advised, and to stay off social media for the time being.  You could tell on the phone call that the older man was stressed, and you felt bad for him.  Hybe had been very careful to hide the soulmate bonds and you, but maybe that was backfiring on them now.

You'd briefly seen the pictures that were posted by some Korean tabloid.  It would've been bad enough to have your picture out there, but this website had managed to get pictures of you with almost all of your soulmates.  From your first day in Seoul, someone knew about you and made it their personal job to get every incriminating photograph of you with the guys.  Taehyung and you on the mountain path, his arms wrapped around you and your hand cupping his face.  Namjoon and you sitting on the bench, your pinky fingers locked together as you talked.  None of you had worn masks that day.  And later, when you went with Jin for a walk, hands clasped tightly together.  You'd both worn masks, but it was easy to recognize Jin once you knew it was him.  A picture of all of you in their building's parking garage.  By the way you were bundled up, you could tell it was the day they took you to tour Hybe and, while you were covered, nothing could hide the fact that it was the seven of them with you.  Couldn't hide how Yoongi had wrapped his arm around your shoulder.  Jimin, Taehyung and you, maskless and smiling at Tae's phone, crowded close together as you took the selfie at the palace.  Jungkook and you in his car as you both pressed shy kisses to the other's cheek.  And, the most incriminating of them all, Jimin pressed against you yesterday as you made out in the parking lot, his hand very clearly on your breast.  You couldn't read what the articles said, but you knew it wasn't nice.

"I'm so sorry," Jimin said.  

It was the first thing he said when he saw you in the kitchen, and he kept repeating the apology.  You reached out to pat his hand, knowing that action would help him more than any verbal reassurance.

"You should be," Hoseok said.  He glared at Jimin, his words harsh.  "I can't believe you were that fucking stupid, Jimin!"

"I'm not the only one they got photos of!" Jimin shouted.

"You're the only one pictured groping her in public!" You'd never seen Hoseok this angry.  He was practically shaking as he paced back and forth across the living room.  Maybe, weeks into the future, Hoseok and you would laugh that, despite having already slept together, you two were the only ones not photographed together.  "Do you know what it was like to hear my sister start joking that you took your flirting too far and then have to explain that the woman in the photo – the woman you have pinned to a car – is our soulmate?  Is my soulmate?!"

"Take a breath," Yoongi said, hands gripping Hoseok's shoulders.

"I think we all need to go call our families," Jin said.  Turns out the call he received was from his older brother, informing Jin about the photos just as Hoseok's sister had.  "We need to explain.  Apologize." He sighed and ran his hand through his hair again.  

The others mumbled in agreement before rising from the couch.  A few pressed gentle kisses to your temple before grabbing their phones.  Taehyung, Jimin, Namjoon, and Hoseok headed to the privacy of their rooms.  Yoongi, Jin, and Jungkook loitered in the common areas.  Your mind went blank as you listened to them talk, Korean filling the apartment.

You had no one to call.  Ally and Jay already knew your seven soulmates.  You hadn't spoken to your parents in nearly a decade.  Everyone who cared about you was either in this apartment or already knew.  Still, you felt alone.  Not sure if Ally was asleep yet, you quickly texted her, hoping that she would answer.  She didn't.  

You watched from your spot on the couch as three of your soulmates talked with their families.  Yoongi was sitting at the kitchen table, blank look in his eyes as he shook his head at a comment you couldn't hear.  Jin was all anxious energy as he talked with his parents, walking through the kitchen slightly rearranging or cleaning everything in reach.  The tea bags reorganized, a quick wipe over the kitchen sink, a loose cabinet handle fiddled with.  Jungkook kept moving too, pacing all across the living room and kitchen while he talked.  Each time he passed by you though, his hand reached out to gently touch you.

Seijin had said to stay off social media – no Instagram, no WeVerse, no Twitter, no VLives, no TikTok – for the time being.  But you figured that didn't extend to you.  All your accounts were private, and you never posted anyway.  So, grabbing your phone, you opened your Twitter and started scrolling.  Over the last few months, you'd looked up your soulmates' social media pages enough to have your algorithms show you posts about them.  It didn't help that you – or rather, your photos – were trending.

You should've listened to Seijin.  The posts were terrible.  From pictures highlighting your stomach and chubby limbs, to a close up showing the bags under your eyes after a long flight and a few gray hairs.  Their words, if possible, were worse.  

Who does she think she is?  

If they wanted a whore, why didn't they choose a pretty one?  

Yuck.

Maybe, if your shopping trip with Jimin had gone differently, the words across your screen wouldn't have hurt as much.  But the sound of those girls laughing at you was still fresh in your mind.  Unable to look away, you kept scrolling.  Insults and hate were spewed at you by people you would never meet.  By people who didn't know that you were their soulmate.  

How could Jimin want that?

It was getting harder to breathe.  Everything the seven men had told you was thrust from your mind.  You wondered if this would be the last straw.  If they would see the posts so clearly highlighting your deficiencies and finally believe them.  You didn't want them to leave you.

Clutching your phone, you walked past Jungkook and into the nearest bathroom.  When the door clicked shut behind you, you started to sob.  Your father's voice mixed with the words on your phone.

Of all the girls who want him, she gets Jungkook?

You're disgusting.

How did World Wide Handsome end up with World Wide Ugly?

How could you think that anyone would love you?

You looked at yourself in the mirror.  Your eyes puffy from crying, your round cheeks red.  They were right: you were disgusting.  Somehow, the last few months of secrecy had convinced you that things would be okay with your soulmates, that they cared for you.  But, as you stood watching yourself sob in the bathroom mirror, you realized that you were delusional.  The seven men would realize that they could do so much better than you.  You would be alone.  You deserved to be alone.

You hated the voices running through your mind.  Hated that you couldn't stop looking at yourself in the mirror.  You wanted everything to stop.  And, before you realized what you were doing, you slammed your fist into the bathroom mirror.

"Noona?"

Jungkook's voice pulled you back to earth.

"It's been a while, are you okay?"

You wanted to tell him that no, you were not okay.  Your hands were bloody.  There were mirror shards all over the bathroom counter.  Your cheeks were wet.  You couldn't stop crying.  But you couldn't find your voice.

"Noona?" Jungkook was louder this time, knocking on the door.

Part of you knew that you should answer him, that you realistically needed help.  But it was silenced by the terror that everyone else was right: that you were unlovable and undeserving of your soulmates' attention.

"I'm coming in!"

If you knew where your voice was, you would've stopped him.  You didn't want Jungkook to see you like this.  You didn't want any of them to see you right now.  But the door started to open.

"Hey, Noona, what – Shit!" Jungkook rushed to your side.  He yanked your hands away from the shards covering the counter and pulled you several steps back.  "Help! Hyung!" He shouted. "Somebody help!"

You realized you were shaking as he held you tightly against his chest.  He talked to you, low hurried questions, but you weren't listening.  You were trying to figure out how to tell him to just leave you be.  

"What the fuck?" Yoongi cried.

You shook your head.  You didn't want them here, seeing the mess you made and the mess you were.

"It's okay, we're going to help," Jin said softly.  

He stood right in front of you, his eyes wild with fear.  You shook your head again, but Jin didn't listen.  He started barking orders at the others in Korean.  You could hear their footsteps as they hurried around you.  Behind him, Namjoon and Hoseok moved to the counter.  Namjoon grabbed your phone.  He knew your passcode.  You wanted to scream at him to stop, to put your phone down and leave it alone.  If he opened it, then he'd see what everyone was saying.  Then he'd tell the others and they would hate you and you'd be alone.

"No, stop," you whispered, your voice so quiet you were surprised Jin heard you.

"We've got you," Jin said, trying to reassure you.  "We're here."

You shook your head again.  You needed to get Namjoon to put your phone down.  But you couldn't find the energy to shout at him and demand he stop.  Jungkook and Jin carefully led you out of the bathroom.  You stared behind you, watching Hoseok and Jimin gathering the broken pieces of mirror and placing them in a box Taehyung held.  Namjoon just scrolled through your phone, mouth set in a hard frown.  You started to cry harder, panic rising from numbness as you knew that Namjoon saw everything.

Jin and Jungkook brought you to the other bathroom, each whispering soft words and trying to calm you as you sobbed.  Yoongi was waiting for the three of you, a first aid kit already opened on the counter.  His face was unreadable.

"I want you to sit with Jungkook," Jin said, trying to wipe some tears from your face.  His voice was calm, but it couldn't hide the panic in his eyes.  You stared at him through your tears, trying to memorize his face and hoping that this wouldn't be the last time you saw him.  You nodded.  "Good, good. Everything will be okay," he lied.

You did what you were told, though, letting Jungkook pull you onto his lap as he sat on the toilet seat.  His arms hadn't left your waist since he first saw you, as if he was afraid of what would happen if he let you go.  Maybe that fear was justified.  Jin and Yoongi spoke to each other in hushed and rushed Korean.  Jin pressed a wet washcloth to your forehead and you winced.  It came back with a bloodstain.  You didn't know you had a cut there.  

Somewhere across the apartment, a door slammed shut.  You weren't certain, but your gut told you it was Namjoon, probably unable to stay in the apartment after realizing they all had been duped by some stupid first contacts.  You didn't want to think about that though.  You didn't want to see the distressed look on Jin's face, or try to figure out what Yoongi was thinking.  You didn't want to think about packing your bags and finding a new flight back to America, or how you'd pay for the apartment.  So you closed your eyes and tried to go numb.

By the time Jin and Yoongi were finished cleaning and bandaging your wounds, you'd cried yourself out.  Jungkook got up to go wash his own hands, which had some of your blood on them.  As soon as his arms left you, Jin's took their place.  You leaned into his embrace, wanting to remember how he felt when they dumped you.  Jin had stopped his gentle reassurances, realizing at some point that they weren't helping.  He led you out of the bathroom, leaving a stoic Yoongi mumbling with Jungkook.  In the corner of the kitchen, Hoseok, Jimin, and Taehyung were gathered around the table, cleaning supplies abandoned as they whispered among themselves.  They all turned to look at you as Jin guided you towards the living room.  Jin and Hoseok shared a long look, before Hoseok gave the younger two a short nod.  The two soulmates hurried to you, arms wrapping around your waist and shoulders as they took over for Jin, herding you towards the couch.  Tae sat down with you, trying to encourage you to relax against his side.  Jimin laid a thin blanket over your lap and sat down next to you, hand rubbing against your back in an attempt to calm you.

"Just take a few breaths," Taehyung told you.  "Breathe and sit and relax."

"I can't," you said softly.

"We'll help," Jimin said, clearly thinking that you had meant that you couldn't relax.  "Breathe with me?"

"No, I need," you struggled to find the words.  Your anxiety started to rise again.  "I need to pack." Jimin and Taehyung watched in confusion as you moved off the couch.  "I need to find a flight."

"Wait, why?" Tae asked, inching towards you.   

"What do you mean?" Jimin asked.

They looked at you with such affection in their eyes that, had you been able to think rationally, you would have known your conclusions were wrong.  Known how much your next statement was going to hurt them.  But you were too deep into your worries, so far beyond logic that it didn't matter.

"This is over," you said.  "We're done now?"

Your voice wasn't that loud, but apparently everyone heard what you said.  A loud chorus of denials rang out over the apartment.  Hoseok, Yoongi, Jungkook and Jin abandoned their places in the kitchen, gathering closer to you in the living room.

"Why do you think that?" Hoseok asked.

"Because - Because," you started, but struggled.  You didn't want to cry again, but the tears were already pricking your eyes.

" Jagiya , talk to us.  Please." Jin's voice was soft as he tried to catch your gaze.

"Because of the photos," you finally said, "everyone knows now."

"We know that," Yoongi said slowly.

"But they know about me and that's bad!" You cried, the words finally pouring out of you.  "Everyone says that I'm wrong for you guys.  And Namjoon looked at my phone so he saw it all!  He knows that I'm fat and ugly and I don't deserve you!  And you're all going to dump me and I deserve it but I don't want to be alone!"

Tears were flowing freely.  You wanted to wipe them away, but your hands were covered in bandages and you didn't want to ruin Jin's work.  The six men stood quietly, watching you cry.  You took their silence as acknowledgement that you were right, that they wanted you gone.  Turning to head towards your room, you tried to stop crying.  You had stuff to do.  Jin grabbed your arm, though, gently pulling you back and cupping your face til you met his gaze.

"No one," he said slowly, not breaking eye contact, "is breaking up with anyone.  No one is going to be left alone."

"We're soulmates," Hoseok said, getting closer to Jin and you.  "No paparazzi, no gossip blog will change that.  We belong together."

For the first time since you left Jin's bed that morning, you felt like you could breathe.  You collapsed into Hoseok and Jin's arms, exhausted.  Jin held you tightly as you clung to them, and Hoseok moved to wipe your tears away.

"Guys, where is Namjoon?" Jimin asked after a few moments.

"I thought he was with you cleaning up," Yoongi said.

"No, he left after a few minutes," Tae explained.  "I thought he went to help you guys?"

"No," Jungkook said.  He was sitting on the couch by himself, staring hard at the floor.  "He never came to us."

"He left," you told them.  They all turned to you, confused.  "I heard a door slam when you guys were cleaning my cuts.  He left." Despite Jin and Hoseok's reassurances, you were scared.  While your relationship with Namjoon was far behind the others, you didn't want him to leave.  You needed him too.  "He must've seen and – He probably–"

"He probably has a reasonable answer for where he went," Yoongi said.  He opened his arms for you, and you went to him, wanting the feel of his skin against you while he calmed you.  "His family still lives in Seoul.  Maybe he thought it would be easier to explain things in person?"

"But Seijin said to stay here," you countered.

"You also ignored Seijin," Jimin pointed out.

It was a fair critique.  Though you thought Seijin's advice was only to prevent your soulmates from posting something to social media and making the already difficult to explain situation worse.  But maybe Seijin had predicted – or already known – what was going to be said about you, and had hoped to prevent more problems.  Though, you honestly couldn't have predicted your response to everything you saw.

As you leaned against Yoongi, you felt your energy running out.  It'd been a long morning, waking up earlier than planned and then exhausting yourself from crying and panicking.  You wanted to sleep.

"I'm tired," you mumbled against Yoongi's chest.

"Then go rest," he said, hands smoothing over your back one last time before letting you go and heading towards the kitchen.

Taehyung and Jimin hovered near the couch they'd initially pulled you onto.  They smiled at you, waiting for you to come join them. You saw Jungkook though, still perched on the other end of the couch alone.  His mouth was set into a harsh frown, his eyebrows furrowed.  Sitting down next to him, you took his hands in yours.

"What are you thinking about?" You asked him softly.  He didn't say anything, just shook his head and avoided looking at you.  "Everything will be okay."  You weren't completely convinced of that yourself, but he needed to be comforted as well.  Jungkook stayed silent though.  "Will you come take a nap with me?"

"I need to help Yoongi-hyung," he finally answered.

You recognized his behavior from before: getting quiet and avoiding the conversation in favor of distractions.  Unfortunately, you had no energy left to press him further, but you trusted the way your eldest soulmates watched him.  He wouldn't be left on his own to spiral.  So you leaned in to gently kiss his cheek, hoping that would add to the comfort his hyungs would provide.  Then, before you collapsed from exhaustion, you went to Jimin and Taehyung.  They let you fidget and get comfortable, but made sure they were both able to touch you, hands smoothing over your hair, arms, and calves as you curled up next to them.  You were grateful for the quiet comfort, for being able to tell that they were right there.  Taehyung started to hum, Jimin stroked your hair, and you quickly fell asleep.

You woke up to the sound of Yoongi's voice gently calling your name and a hand stroking your cheek.  Blinking your eyes open, you saw him kneeling on the floor in front of you, an affectionate look on his face.  You somehow ended up laying on the couch, your head resting on Jimin's lap as he played with your hair.  Taehyung held your feet on his lap.

"Food is ready," Yoongi said.  "You should all come eat something."

"But we're comfy," Tae said, hand tracing your calf. "Can you bring it here for us to eat?"

"No way," Yoongi answered, smiling a little.  "Hobi would be pissed if the couch got dirty."

"You'll eat at the table like a civilized adult, Kim Taehyung," Hoseok called out as he placed bowls on the table.

"How long was I asleep for?" You asked as you got up slowly, feeling a little dizzy after your nap.

"Little bit over an hour," Jimin said, walking close to you.  

When you got to the table, you noticed Jungkook's phone near one setting.  You sat next to him, wanting to be close to your youngest soulmate and wondering if the time had helped settle his emotions.  You were relieved when he sat down next to you, remembering how far out of his way he'd gone to avoid you when upset during your first visit.  You looked around the table and noticed that there were only seven plates as your soulmates sat down.

"Is Namjoon still gone?" You asked.

They all nodded.  Not sure what else to say, you shoved a bit of kimchi in your mouth.

"He's probably still with his family," Jin explained  "Unless he called for a car, he probably took the subway."

"Taking the subway wouldn't be the smartest move right now," Taehyung sighed.

"Joon is good at blending in," Hoseok said.

A few minutes passed in silence, just the sounds of chopsticks and spoons against plates.  Your soulmates were so rarely quiet.  The silence that enveloped you now reminded you of the day you told them about your parents.   As you glanced around them, they just looked as defeated as they had back in December, unsure of how to act or how to help you.  It broke your heart that you'd done this to them again.

"How did your families take the news?"

"They're frustrated with how it turned out," Yoongi sighed.  "My parents think Hybe should've let us tell our immediate families."

"My dad said the same," Jin said.  "He said that management was stupid to think this wouldn't leak and that things would happen on their timeline."

You nodded, silently pushing rice around your bowl.  Those pictures of you weren't the first impression you wanted to give their families.  

"My parents are just glad to know now," Hoseok said.  "And my sister is psyched.  She wants to do a spa day and get to know you."

"Oh, my sister would love that," Tae added.  "Do you think she could join?"

"Jiwoo wouldn't mind," Hoseok said, smiling for the first time that day.  He turned to you.  "What do you think…"

Hoseok's question trailed off as you all heard the front door open and close.  The seven of you turned in silence to watch Namjoon take off his hat, face mask, and sunglasses.  He glanced at you wordlessly as he put his shoes on the rack by the door.

"Where were you?" Jimin asked.

"Hybe." Namjoon's voice was tired and curt.

"Why did you go there?" Jin asked, frustrated.  "Seijin told us to stay here.  What were you thinking?"

Namjoon didn't answer though.  He approached you slowly, glancing you over and taking in the sight of the bandage on your forehead and the ones covering your hands.  His eyes seemed to grow sadder the longer he looked at you.  Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out your phone and offered it to you.  You hadn't realized it was gone, and took it from his hand.  You had so many questions you wanted to ask him, but Namjoon looked as though he might fall asleep standing.

"How are you doing?" Namjoon asked.

It was a loaded question.  Your soulmate looked too tired to truly have that discussion, to cover what you were feeling and why.  And you weren't looking forward to going over it all again, either.  Namjoon likely hadn't eaten yet either, everyone having skipped breakfast in the chaos of the morning and you doubted that he ate while at Hybe.  You wanted everyone to eat first.  Then maybe take a nap.  Then you could discuss everything.

But you didn't get to answer.

"Why?" Jungkook asked, his voice dripping with malice.  "Do you suddenly care?" 

"Jungkook!" Yoongi hissed.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Namjoon shot back, quickly shifting from tired to annoyed.

"It means you left." Jungkook rose from his seat to stare at Namjoon.  "It means you ran when shit hit the fan."

"I didn't run," Namjoon defended himself, voice rising.  "I had to go talk with Seijin about –"

"You left!" Jungkook shouted, cutting Namjoon off.  

You were starting to panic as they argued around you.  Though you knew they'd never hurt you, today had been too much and you were scared.  Yoongi noticed though, taking your hand and tugging softly on it.  You moved closer to him, feeling a little safer as he wrapped his arm around your shoulders 

"Guys, take a breath," Hoseok said, going over and putting a hand on Jungkook's back.

"No, hyung," Jungkook said, shaking off Hoseok's hand.  "We needed Namjoon and he left!  Noona was hurt and scared and crying and he just left!"

"I had to –"

"Work!" Jungkook was furious, not letting Namjoon get a word in.  Your other soulmates tried to speak up, to calm the raging maknae, but Jungkook just shouted over them.  "You went to the office and abandoned her!  So go, run to your work, Namjoon! You don't care!"

"Of course I care!" Namjoon shouted back, temper finally breaking.

"If you cared you would've stayed!"

"I went –"

"You went because you don't love her!"

The room went silent.  You glanced quickly between Jungkook and Namjoon.  The maknae's eyes were wide as he realized what he said, of how angry he had gotten.  Namjoon, though, was livid.  His eyes glaring at Jungkook and his jaw tensing.  

"Fuck you, Jungkook," Namjoon spat before turning on his heel, grabbing his stuff and slamming the door.

Jimin started to chase after him, but Jin grabbed his arm.

"Let him blow off some steam," Jin said.

"But shouldn't he stay here?" Jimin asked, glancing back at the door.

"Does it really matter at this point?" Taehyung sighed, sitting back down at the table.  

The others grumbled, heading back to their food.  Jungkook stood awkwardly though, glancing from where you sat at the table to the apartment door Namjoon slammed.  Now that he’d shouted his way through his feelings, your youngest soulmate seemed to be crashing emotionally, his eyes watering and his lip quivering.  The others watched, waiting to see if he’d come back to the table.  He didn’t.  Leaving your seat and the comfort of Yoongi’s arms, you approached Jungkook.  In just the last few minutes, he’d visibly changed from furious to distraught.

“Why don’t we go talk?” You offered, placing a hand on his back.

Jungkook nodded and you led him towards his bedroom.  The walk was silent save for an occasional sniffle from your crying soulmate.  You weren’t sure what you were going to say once you got to his room, but you knew you needed to say something.  As you closed the door to Jungkook’s bedroom, you steeled your nerves for whatever this conversation would hold.

“What’s going on, Jungkook?”  It was a stupid question, but it was a start.  “Will you talk to me?”

He didn’t answer immediately.  He left your side to pace around the room, bed to desk and back, occasionally picking up something only to put it down wordlessly.  He ran his hands through his hair a few times, tugging at the strands.  After minute or two of watching him pace, you approached him and took his hands in yours.

“I’m here,” you begged him.  “Let me help.”

“I was so scared,” he said finally, his voice cracking.  “When I walked in and saw you hurt, I was so scared.  I kept talking to you, but it was like you didn’t even know I was there.  I was terrified about what could’ve happened if I hadn’t come to check on you.”  He leaned down and hugged you tightly, clutching you to him as he cried.  “I was so angry at myself for letting you go off and not checking on you sooner.  I didn’t know what to do or how to help, but when I realized that Namjoon left, I just got angrier.”  His body was shaking as he cried, hiccupping as he gasped for breath while letting all of the day’s emotions loose.  You held him close, a hand cupping the back of his head and your other arm anchored around his waist.  “All I wanted was for everyone to be here to help you and make you feel better.  But Namjoon was gone and that just seemed to make you feel worse.  I didn’t mean to yell at him, I didn’t mean to yell.”

He continued to cry.  Silently, you guided him to his bed, sitting down with him and letting him collapse against your body.  You kept smoothing your hands over him, through his hair, over his back, trying to calm him down.  You weren’t going to bring up his final accusation, the way he so easily threw around the possibility of loving you.  Now wasn’t the time for that.

“I’m sorry that I put you through that,” you told him, pressing a soft kiss to his hair.  “I didn’t mean to.  I didn’t know that I would react so…so badly to everything.”

“You don’t have to apologize.”

“But I should,” you insisted.  “I put all of you through hell today.”

“I should apologize to Namjoon,” Jungkook sighed and you nodded.  He pulled away from your embrace, wiping the tears from his eyes before looking you over.  Then he kissed you, his lips slow and firm against yours.  It wasn’t passionate or flirtatious, just comfort that you both needed, a reassurance of your feelings.  

“We should probably go back to the others,” you said and Jungkook nodded.

Back in the living room, Jin, Yoongi, Hoseok, Jimin and Tae were sitting quietly, some show on the television that they watched halfheartedly.  When Jungkook and you entered, they all looked your way.

“Has Namjoon come back?”  Jungkook asked his hyungs.

“Not yet,” Tae said, stretched out on the floor..

Jungkook nodded, sitting down between Jin and Jimin.  You squeezed yourself between Hoseok and Yoongi, carefully taking hold of their hands.  Hoseok pressed a soft kiss to your wrist, where there were no bandages.  Yoongi watched you cautiously as you ran your thumb across his palm.  No one spoke and the show continued in the background.

“Yoongi?” You whispered.  He looked at you, eyebrows raised in concern.  “I think I want to go back to therapy.”

He smiled at you softly, and leaned over to gently kiss your forehead.

“I think that’s a good idea.”

It was the early afternoon when everyone started getting restless.  Namjoon still hadn't returned, and it was getting closer and closer to when the cars would come to pick your soulmates up.  Everyone had tried to get to contact him, texts going unanswered and phone calls missed.

“Yeonjun says he's not at Hybe,” Jimin said, looking up from his texts.  

In an attempt to not add more stress to Seijin’s life, the seven of you were trying to find Namjoon on your own and get him back to the apartment on time for pickup.  But so far, you had no luck.

“His parents haven't heard from him since he called this morning,” Jin said, hanging up his phone.

“Nothing from his sister,” Yoongi added.

“His friends don't know anything either,” Hoseok said.  “They're going to see if they can reach him though and get back to me.”

“I've got nothing,” Tae sighed.  He had reached out to a few of his close friends in the industry to see if they happened to run into Namjoon at any of the popular spots, but apparently not.

Jungkook groaned on the couch, laying his head against Jimin's shoulder.

“This is all my fault,” he said softly.

“It doesn't matter whose fault it is,” Hoseok said.  “Namjoon knows when we're getting picked up and it's his responsibility to be here for it.”

A few moments passed, everyone staring at their phones, hoping to get news of their absent leader.  Then it hit you. 

“I know where he is,” you said, abruptly getting off the couch.  You ran to grab your facemask and baseball hat.  “I need someone to take me to the mountain where we went hiking in December.”

“What are you thinking?” Jin asked.

“Trust me, I know where he is,” you said, slipping on your sneakers.

“I'll drive,” Jungkook announced before grabbing his things and following you out of the apartment.  You were on the road before Jungkook took your hand and spoke again.  “Where exactly on the mountain do you think he is?”

“There's a spot he likes,” you said.  

“I like to come here when I need some peace and quiet, ” he'd said to you on the bench, “ or when I need to think. ”

“How do you know about it?”

“He showed me when we first went there.  We sat and talked together.”

“Where was it on the path?  More than halfway up the mountain?” You nodded.  “We'll take the trolley up.  It'll save us time.”

The trolley did save time, pulling you up the mountain much faster than you'd be able to walk.  If you weren't so worried about Namjoon, you would've enjoyed the ride and the views of Seoul and the mountain it offered.  You couldn't focus on that though, anxious about finding your last soulmate.  It had been clear how exhausted he was when you last saw him, and that was before his screaming match with Jungkook.  You chewed your lip silently as you got off the trolley, hoping that you were right and Namjoon was safe at his bench.  If he wasn't there, you didn't know what else to do.  Jungkook and you walked in silence, letting you keep a sharp eye on the trail for the split Namjoon had taken you down months ago.

“Wait here for me, okay?” You told Jungkook when you found the path.

“Where are you going?” He asked, voice concerned.

“He should be down this trail,” you explained.  “If he's not, I'll be back in a few minutes.  But if he is, I'll stay there until he comes back with us.”

You squeezed his hand tightly, knowing he still felt guilty about the part he played in this situation.  Once all eight of you were all back in the apartment, safe, sound, and together, you'd figure out a way to make things up to them.  A way to calm their worries and soothe their emotional wounds.  To apologize for the agony you caused on an already terrible day.  But right now, you needed to find Namjoon.

Luckily, your instinct was right.  You sighed when you saw him, hunched over on the bench.  You called his name as you approached him, not wanting to startle him when he thought he was alone.  He glanced at you quickly before turning back around to stare at the city skyline.  You took off your mask and hat before sitting next to him, but he wouldn't look at you.

“Everyone is worried about you,” you said, placing a hand on his arm.  “I'm worried about you.”

“I would've quit for you,” he said.  You waited, confused on how he was starting. “The week between our first contact and meeting again, I ran through a thousand scenarios.  And I would've quit if you asked me to.”

“I would never ask that.”

“But maybe I should've,” he shouted.  “Maybe then everyone would just let you be!”

“You quitting wouldn't have prevented this, Namjoon,” you said slowly.  “I still would've met the others and had the first contacts.  I still would be BTS’s soulmate.”

“But I know how cruel people can be,” he said, fresh tears falling down his face.  “I read the comments for years.  I should've done something different.  I should've protected you!”

You slid closer to him, till your legs were pressed against each other and you placed an arm around his shoulders.  Namjoon followed your lead, shifting so that he could lean his head down on your shoulder and wrapped his arms around your stomach.  He seemed so small now, curling up against you.

“I don't need to be protected,” you said.  “I just need you to be there with me.”

“Instead I ran like a fucking coward,” he said, angry at himself.

“You didn't run,” you said, trying to soothe him.  As you ran your fingers through his hair, you realized you still didn't know why he left the apartment. “But what did you go to Hybe for.”

“I saw what you were looking at on your phone.  I needed to talk to Seijin and the other managers, to beg them to put out a statement announcing you as our soulmate.  That way, we can defend you publicly against any hate or disrespect.”

“You don't need to do that.”

“But we do.” Namjoon pulled away from you and wiped his eyes.  “We're soulmates.” The way Namjoon said the word – as if it were some monumental, sacred thing – made you shiver.  “If we won't stand up for you, stand by you, who will?”

You weren't used to hearing Namjoon speak like this to you, so free with his emotions.  His letters gave you hints at how he truly felt, but when you were actually talking, he tended to be more guarded.  It was overwhelming to hear him say these things, after all the messes you made.  You leaned towards him, wanting to feel closer, and slipped your arms around his broad shoulders.  Namjoon responded, hugging you tightly to him.  Both of you were silent for a few moments, sinking into the feeling of each other and how your breaths synced up.  After the horror of the day, having him in your arms was comforting, his thumbs tracing soothing patterns against your back.

“What Jungkook said,” Namjoon started, “it's not true.” 

Your heart started to race.  You weren't expecting any kind of confession from Namjoon, your nascent relationship finally getting it's footing.  It had been a shock to hear the word from Jungkook, but you couldn't deny that your feelings for the others were much further along.  Maybe they teetered on love, but you didn't have the energy to think that through right now.  

“I care for you, so deeply,” Namjoon said.  He cupped your face, angling it up until you met his eyes.  They were undeniably warm and tender.  You weren't sure if he'd ever looked at you this way before, and you wondered if your eyes held the same affection for him.  “I need you to understand that.”

“I do, Namjoon.  I – “ You were cut off as your phone started to ring in your pocket.  Seeing Jungkook's name flash across your screen, you answered 

“Have you found him?” Jungkook asked immediately, his voice loud in your ear.

“I'm here with him,” you told your youngest soulmate.

“Thank you,” he sighed.  “We need to get going though if we're going to be at the apartment in.” He paused, before continuing.  “Is he…is hyung mad?”

“You two can talk it out on the way to the car,” you said, then hung up.  Namjoon watched you patiently, unsure of who was on the other line.  “That was Jungkook.  We need to be heading back.”

“He came with you?” Namjoon asked, standing up with you.

“He drove me here,” you said.  You both affixed your disguises before setting off to meet up with Jungkook.  “He feels terrible about what he said.”

“I'm sure he does,” Namjoon sighed.  “We've never fought before.  That reaction was something I'd expect from Tae or Jimin, maybe even Yoongi.  But I've never seen Kook that mad.”

“You should explain what you talked about with Seijin to the others,” you said, and Namjoon nodded.  You reached over and offered him your hand.  Namjoon didn't hesitate, reaching out to weave his fingers through yours.  He squeezed a little bit, as if testing that the touch was real.  You squeezed back.  “Let's go home, Namjoon?”

The two of you walked hand in hand back towards the main path.  Neither of you spoke, letting the sounds of the forest surround you.  Every few moments, Namjoon would run his thumb over the back of your hand, tracing the bandages Jin had placed.  He kept glancing at them, eyes sad.  When you got to the main trail, Jungkook was pacing nervously.  He ran towards you both, embracing Namjoon tightly.

“ I'm so sorry, hyung ,” he cried.  

He continued to talk, but you couldn't catch anything other than a spare word here or there.  You started down the mountain, letting Namjoon and Jungkook follow behind you as they continued to talk.  When you got to Jungkook's car, you climbed into the back seat, letting Namjoon sit up front.  You closed your eyes, their voices washing over you as they kept talking.  Between waking up early, the emotions of the day, and your unexpected hike, you were exhausted.  All you wanted was to curl up on the couch with your soulmates and fall asleep.

“You okay?” Namjoon asked.

You looked to see him turned around in his seat, looking at you.  Jungkook glanced at you in his rearview mirror.

“Just tired, Joonie,” you said.  

“We'll be home soon,” he said, reaching back and parting your knee.  “You can nap when we go to soundcheck.”

You never got your nap.  As the guys were putting on their shoes, Jiho arrived, dressed in casual clothes and carrying a bulky bag.  Your soulmates ran out the door with quick goodbye kisses and hugs, leaving you alone with her.  

“It's nice to see you,” you started, watching her take off her sneakers, “but why are you here?”

“Jin called,” she said.  “He asked me to come over while they went to work.  He didn't want you to be by yourself right now.” Jiho tried to be subtle, but you caught her looking at your forehead and hands.  “So I brought games!”

She went to the kitchen table and pulled several board games out of her bag.  You recognized a few as games you played with Ally, Jay, and their families.  Feeling a bit coddled, but appreciating Jin's care, you worked with your highly-paid babysitter to set up a game you knew.

“Does this mean you'll be coming with me to the concert tomorrow?” You asked after a few rounds of your game.

“Yes,” she said, placing her tiles down.  “Seojun will be coming too.”

“Does he need to?” You asked.  “Seojun’s nice, don't get me wrong.  But he must have better things to do?  Plus, I can just get a ride with the guys.”

“I think you could've swung that before,” Jiho said slowly, “but not after today.  Yoongi wouldn't want you around so many fans without some security so –”

“Security?” You cut in.

“Yeah, Seojun is a security guard.”

“I thought he was a driver?”

“He does that too, but he's worked on the security team for years now.” She paused, watching your reaction.  “You didn't know that?”

“No, I thought he was just a driver.  Why do I have security?”

“For protection,” Jiho shrugged.  “When you first came here, you were a secret.  But your soulmates always knew there was a possibility of people finding out.  Yoongi requested Seojun be with you on your visits in case something happened.  He'll definitely want Seojun to be around now that your face is known.  I'm sure the others will agree with him.  The risk with sasaengs is too great right now.”

“What does that mean?  Sasaengs?  People have brought it up before, but I don't know what it means?”

“They're obsessive fans.  They'll stalk idols, invade their privacy, take photos without the idol’s knowledge or permission.  Some track information about an idol’s travel and whereabouts.  Some even try to track their financial information.”

“Do you think a sasaeng is who leaked the photos of us?” You asked softly.  

“It's a possibility, but I don't think it's likely.  The photos were high quality.  Plus, whoever took them waited from your first trip in December til now to share them.  Most sasaengs would've posted the photos immediately, not waited until they had several and could make a story out of it.  I think it was paparazzi.”

You paused, staring blankly at your tiles.  You didn't know enough about the situation – sasaengs, paparazzi, tabloids – to dispute what Jiho said.  And you trusted Yoongi, trusted all your soulmates, to take the steps they saw necessary.  They were the ones with international fame, having been in the public life for almost a decade.  

“So, if Seojun normally works security, what is your actual job?” You asked after a few moments.  “I doubt that you're a professional babysitter, despite what you're doing now?”

Jiho laughed.  As you continued your game, she explained that she worked in Hybe’s marketing department.  She was born in Korea, but moved to California with her family when she was in middle school, where she stayed through college.  Her family eventually moved back to Korea, and she proudly showed off photos of her niece and nephew who lived nearby.  Her flawless English skills was one of the reasons she was chosen to be your babysitter, along with the fact that she was born the same year as you.

“They wanted to try and make you as comfortable as possible,” she explained.

You nodded, heart warmed by the care the guys took without your knowledge.  You grew quieter as the time went on, sharing a quick meal of fried chicken (which Jiho was scandalized that the guys hadn't made you try yet) and settling in to watch some television.  She didn't force conversation, just relaxing on the other end of the couch.  While you enjoyed Jiho’s company, you were anxious for your soulmates to return.  You wanted nothing more than to shower and climb into bed with at least one of your soulmates.  

Somehow, you fell asleep on the couch.  By the time you woke up, your soulmates had returned and Jin gently shook you awake.  After greeting the others, you retreated to the bathroom to shower.  Though the hot water soothed your drained emotions, it stung as it got into the open gashes on your forehead and hands, making washing your hair impossible.  A few frustrated curses later, you gave up, settling for just washing your body as best you could.  The damage was done though, your hair a tangled, soaked mess by the time you got out of the shower.  Holding the comb hurt just as much, and some of your cuts had reopened as you strained your hands.

Giving up, you grabbed your comb and went in search of help.  You didn't have to go far though, Jimin sitting on the floor outside the bathroom door.

“I'm sorry,” you said.  “I didn't know you were waiting.”

“I'm not,” he answered, and you noticed that his hair was wet.  “I wanted to be here just in case.”

The words he didn't say rang loudly in your head.  In case you hurt yourself again.  In case you doubt us again.  In case you need me.

“Oh.  Since you're here, could you help me out?” You pointed to your messy hair.

“Yeah!” Jimin jumped up from his spot on the floor and raced to you.  He inspected you for a moment.  “You're bleeding again.”

“I didn't fully think the shower through,” you said, laughing a little.

Jimin followed you into the bathroom, pulling the first aid kit Jin used hours ago out from a cabinet.  Jimin was silent as he focused on cleaning and applying new bandages.  This time, the process hurt more as you were fully aware of the stinging anti-septic.  Your soulmate was gentle though, pressing a kiss to each bandage after it was applied, as if he could take the pain away.  After fixing the bandage you had messily applied to your forehead, he kissed you sweetly.  

“Now let's work on your hair,” he said.  He started working a brush through it, slowly from the ends of your strands to your scalp.

“I didn't even get to wash it,” you told him.  “The shampoo stung.”

“Do you want me to?”

“You don't have to,” you shrugged.

“That's not what I asked,” he said, meeting your stare in the mirror.

“I'd appreciate it,” you mumbled.  “I want it to look nice for tomorrow.”

Jimin smiled, pleased that you were letting him help.  You sat on the floor, head tilted back over the bathtub as Jimin knelt near you and started to wet your hair with the detachable shower head.

“I'm sorry,” Jimin said finally.

“Why?”

“For being so reckless yesterday.  I should've thought before I kissed you out in the open like that.  I just wanted to make sure you understood that we're not that shallow.  That I think you're beautiful.”

Despite the risk of water falling into your eyes, you opened them and looked at Jimin.  His eyes were solemn, a look you hadn't seen since he calmed you as you told them all about your childhood.

“You don't need to be sorry.  I don't blame you at all, Jimin.” You wanted to touch him somehow, and awkwardly reached out, patting his leg in what you hoped came across as reassurance.  “They already had the pictures.  The ones of us kissing were just the most recent.  Whoever posted them probably would've shared them with or without the ones of us.  Honestly, the more I learn about everything the more I'm surprised I stayed a secret for this long.”

“Soon, everyone will know you're our soulmate,” he said, his voice low and thick with emotion.

“Say it again?” You asked.

“You’re our soulmate.”

You sat up, not caring about your dripping wet hair, and kissed Jimin.  He pulled you to him immediately, hands splayed against your back.  This wasn't like the kiss at his car, hot with passion and urgency.  Instead, you kissed like the other was a lifeline, the feeling of Jimin's plush lips keeping you grounded and safe after hours of trouble.  The voices in your head quieted as he slipped his tongue into your mouth and you sighed against him.  You reached up, wanting to cling to him, but gasped as pain shot through your hands when you tried to move them.  Jimin pulled away, concerned.

“I'm okay,” you tried to reassure him.  

He smiled, a bit more shyly than you expected.  Then glancing to the floor, his eyes went wide.  The shower head was still running, and your hair had dripped a puddle onto the bathroom floor. 

“Maybe we should finish up?” He laughed.  

You sat back, laughing as well.  It felt good to be laughing after everything that happened.  Hopefully tomorrow would bring a better day, the fear and resentment soothed after a good sleep.  

Jimin continued washing your hair, gently working the shampoo into a lather.  You sighed, relaxing into the feeling as Jimin massaged your scalp.  If it wasn't for the hard bathroom tile and the weird backwards bend you sat in, the feeling may have lulled you to sleep.

“Are you enjoying this?” Jimin asked playfully as he rinsed your hair.  If you opened your eyes, you were sure you'd see him smirking.  

“I am,” you admitted.  You sighed as his fingers worked through the hair at the base of your head.

After he was satisfied with his work, Jimin helped you sit up, patting your hair dry with a towel.  Wordlessly, he found your comb and began working out the tangles.  He inched closer as he worked, legs spreading around your body as he pressed close.  You watched him in the mirror as he smiled throughout his work.  When he finished, he pressed a kiss to your cheek 

“Will you stay with me tonight?” You asked.  You weren't ready to separate from Jimin.

“I'll stay with you every night,” he said, wrapping his arms around you.  “Just ask and I'll never leave your side.”

A/N: I've got a hectic weekend, so here's an early update! How do we feel now that everything is leaked?