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Sometimes, when he’s bored, or when there’s nothing better to do, Minho will think of his soulmate.
It’s never really on purpose, his brain just ends up wondering to the younger boy. Ends up trying to remember the details of his soulmate dreams.
His soulmate is bright and pretty and has a smile that lights up the room, but Minho finds himself worrying for him nonetheless. He knows he doesn’t need to; he knows that Hyunjin’s doing just fine and that he’d tell someone if he weren’t. Still, until he gets to actually meet his soulmate, he knows that he’s going to have to have a nagging in the back of his head.
++
Minho’s first soulmate dream, the night of his sixteenth birthday, his soulmate damn near gave him a heart attack. He remembers in vivid detail the tear streaks running down his soulmate’s cheeks and the miserable little sniffle he heard. If it were up to Minho he’d have reached out and tried to comfort the other or made some sort of joke or something even if didn’t even know what was wrong. But it wasn’t up to Minho – it was up to his soulmates best friend; Minho was just a spectator through this stranger’s eyes after all.
“Hyunjin.” The best friend sighed.
Hyunjin. Minho remembers burning the name into his brain the moment he’d heard it. Hyunjin. Hyunjin. Hyunjin. That’s his soulmate. Hyunjin.
Hyunjin’s lip wobbled a little. Minho wished his best friend would do something – he felt helpless not having any control.
“Dude, it’s just a movie.” The best friend sounded almost amused “Why are you crying?”
“It’s a sad movie!” Hyunjin whined. “They lost their dog in the end! That’s sad.”
Minho relaxed a little, glad that it wasn’t anything serious that his soulmate was crying over.
“I warned you it didn’t have a good ending!” the best friend laughed. “You wanted to see anyways.”
Hyunjin pouted at that, wiping at his eyes, “It’s still sad. I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you, Seungminnie.”
Then the best friend shoved a pillow in his face, half yelling “I’m not a dog, Hyunjin!”
And Hyunjin had laughed, loud and full bodied.
It’s only when Minho saw his soulmate smile did he take in the actual scene he was witnessing. Hyunjin and his friend – Seungminnie, was it? – were sitting side by side on a twin bed, movie credits rolling on a laptop at the foot of the bed and a bowl of fruit sat between them. The room is painted a soft green and there are pictures pinned prettily across them. Hyunjin’s in a big t-shirt and sweatpants and judging by the checkered pattern of ‘Seungminnie’s’ own pants, Minho takes a guess that they’re hanging out in their pajamas the morning after a sleepover.
Hyunjin’s definitely younger than him. Not by a lot, maybe a little over a year but no more than two. His smile was cute and innocent, Minho loved it immediately.
++
Minho’s always wondered why the universe decided to make soulmates the way that it does. Why you get to view the partners through their best friends eyes in your dreams when you turn sixteen. Why they don’t just have matching marks or something that would be way less hassle. He never understood until he got to see Hyunjin that first night.
Now he’s grateful that he gets to get to know Hyunjin before meeting him. That he gets to see Hyunjin and experience the little things that he wouldn’t have seen otherwise. Even more so he’s glad that he gets to see Hyunjin before either of them have started being conscious that they have a soulmate watching them.
Leading up to his sixteenth birthday Minho had been careful about how he acted in front of his friends in case his soulmate was already watching him. He knew he had an… interesting personality, to put it gently, and he didn’t want to scare his soulmate off.
But his soulmates younger than him and as Minho quickly learns, he also has a personality of his own – and that was okay. Minho thinks it’s cute when Hyunjin yells randomly or when he whines and complains to Seungmin about anything that comes to mind. Minho has a soft spot for when Hyunjin will go quiet when he’s concentrated on his schoolwork, chewing the end of his pen. Minho even likes when Hyunjin will cry over little things like a sad movie.
People like Hyunjin. He’s tall and handsome and kind to everyone he meets.
People like Hyunjin. But he only has one real friend.
Minho’s only ever seen him through Seungmin’s eyes – and that sort of worries him. How can someone so perfect only have one friend? How can he go around and be so beautiful and sweet and yet only have one person by his side? It doesn’t make any sense.
++
Hyunjin was born on the first day of spring. Minho thinks it’s fitting. He’s bright and warm the way that spring always is, just enough to make flowers bloom but not overwhelmingly so like the summer heat is. His tears flow freely much like the spring sky when it rains – it’s refreshing.
Seungmin had bought Hyunjin a cake and a new hoodie and they’d spent the day of Hyunjin’s fifteenth birthday in Hyunjin’s empty house watching movies and talking about whatever came to mind. Despite the wide grin on his soulmate’s face, everything seems just a little lonely.
++
The summer is spent with Minho hanging out with various friends during the day, going to his dance club every other day and a summer job serving tables in the evening. He always takes a moment to play with his cats when he can. And then his nights are spent excitedly going to bed to see how Hyunjin’s spending his summer.
He dreams of baseball games, Seungmin’s a pitcher on his team apparently, and Hyunjin’s always cheering from the sidelines – louder than anyone in the crowd. Sometimes there are embarrassingly sparkly signs to show support. Sometimes there’s an older girl sitting with Hyunjin that Minho learns is Seungmin’s older sister. A lot of the time Seungmin would call Hyunjin an idiot but there’s always a laugh along with it.
Minho dreams of late nights, where Hyunjin shyly pulls out his sketch books to show his art to his best friend, and subsequently to his soulmate also. It’s a new hobby he picked up when Seungmin got too busy trying to balance the start of baseball season and the end of the school year and his family.
Seungmin tells him he’s a good artist. Minho thinks he’s amazing.
There’s a few weeks where Seungmin only sees Hyunjin through video calls because Hyunjin’s family decided to take him off on a vacation. Hyunjin talks a mile a minute trying to give a rundown of what he’s been doing in as little time as possible. He’s obviously excited – he doesn’t get to see his parents very often since they’re always busy with their jobs. Seungmin always listens intently.
Hyunjin’s happy in the summer. So is Minho.
++
A week after Minho turns seventeen, on the second day of November, he figures out why Hyunjin only has Seungmin, and why Seungmin only has Hyunjin.
He’d gone to bed that night thinking that he’d dream of Hyunjin and Seungmin studying. He knows that the two of them have a test coming up in a few days. He was looking forward to the quite focus that comes with them studying – maybe Seungmin would lean over close to help explain a math problem or Hyunjin would accidently break another pen and end up with ink all over his school uniform again.
Instead he’s greeted by the sight of Hyunjin frozen in front of a classroom door, his head hung low and hand gripping the doorknob. The door is only opened enough to hear voices floating through the crack.
Seungmin pauses a little ways down the hall and makes a confused noise in the back of his throat before approaching his friend. Hyunjin’s eyes are distant, doesn’t even seem to notice when he’s approached.
“Hyunjin?” Seungmin calls, hand coming down gently on his friend’s shoulder. “What’s up?”
Hyunjin flinches away, head snapping to stare at him with wide eyes. And then everything happens all at once – Hyunjin’s eyes glass over and he runs in the other direction. Seungmin freezes just long enough for them to hear what Hyunjin was listening to.
“Really though all he’s got going for him is his pretty face and his parent’s fame.” A girls laugh escapes the classroom.
“Right, right!” Someone else’s joins in “Hyunjin’s annoying ass probably wouldn’t even pass any of his classes if he didn’t have Seungmin tutoring him every second of the day!”
There’s a chorus of agreement and more giggling.
Mentally Minho bristles, physically Seungmin does too.
Seungmin doesn’t wait to hear more before he slams the door open “The fuck is the matter with you people?!” he yells, and his voice goes nasal as he starts absolutely tearing into the group of maybe seven people who were gossiping.
Minho’s glad to hear it – he would have done the same thing. Though Seungmin doesn’t swear nearly as much as Minho wants him to while he’s telling them off.
“What’s your problem?” one of them scoffs – Minho doesn’t know his name but he’s only sort of seen him in a few classes “You know we’re right. Hyunjin’s own soulmate would probably only like him because of his parents too.”
No. No! Minho doesn’t even know who Hyunjin’s parents are! No!
“And your soulmates would be ashamed of you!” Seungmin spits. He’s seething in rage, so is Minho. But that’s the last thing he says before he’s taking off in his own full sprint in the direction Hyunjin ran off in.
Seungmin finds him curled up in an alcove under the stairs with his knees pulled to his chest and face buried in his arms– in a place that he wouldn’t be found if someone weren’t looking. But Seungmin was looking, and he’d heard the sniffling.
He doesn’t say anything as he slides down the wall to sit with Hyunjin. He doesn’t say anything for what feels like hours to Minho. He doesn’t say anything, doesn’t even make a move to touch his friend.
“I’m so pathetic.” Comes Hyunjin’s muffled voice, thick with tears and emotion. “I can’t even hear someone call me stupid without freaking out.”
“You’re not pathetic.”
“I am!” Hyunjin chokes out “And they’re right. I’m stupid and useless and annoying and – and-”
“You’re not.” Seungmin says “Hyunjin you’re not any of those things. You’re fine the way you are.”
A pause. “I hope my soulmate is younger than me.” Hyunjin sniffles “I don’t want them to know I’m so… that I’m such a fucking loser.”
Minho’s heart aches.
“Hyunjin…” Seungmin shakes his head.
“I want to be stronger and cooler than this.” Hyunjin lifts his head finally lifting his head, tears tracks staining his face, he wipes at his nose a little. “I want to be someone my soulmate can love for who I am – not… not anything else,”
“They’ll love you.” Seungmin sighs, “And if they can already see you, then they probably already love you. Hyunjin, you don’t have to change,” and then snorts, “And if they don’t love you then you can ditch them and live with me and my soulmate.”
Hyunjin laughs and pulls his friend into a hug so hard that it knocks the younger boy’s glasses off his nose and earns him a string of protests.
Minho does love him. He shouldn’t have to feel like he’s anything but perfect.
People don’t like Hyunjin, he learns, people only pretend to like him. Hyunjin knows this, and it breaks Minho’s heart.
++
When Minho wakes up the next morning he cries for his soulmate.
He’s never been an emotional person, can’t remember the last thing he cried about. He can’t even remember the last time he cried in general. But he finds himself sobbing into his pillow. He just wants to be there for Hyunjin, just wants to tell him everything will be ok.
When his mom comes to his room to find him when he doesn’t come out for breakfast like he usually does he only starts crying harder. His mom panics, rushing over to see why he’s so upset. Minho silently asks for a hug and cries into her shoulder for longer than he thinks he’s ever done before.
His mother looks at him with soft eyes when he explains that he hurts for his soulmate. She fixes his hair and kisses his forehead and promises things will get better once they meet in the future. He nods, and she brings him breakfast in bed. Both of his parents spend their day trying to comfort him, his mom telling funny stories and his dad making stupid jokes but the first thing that actually makes him smile is Soonie walking up to him and batting at his face with his paw.
Distantly, Minho wonders if Seungmin’s soulmate worries about them the way he does – that is if they can already see them.
++
There’s a point where Minho decides he owes Seungmin some sort of debt. He knows it’s not really a valid response – after all Seungmin is just being a good friend to his soulmate – but Minho can’t help but feel grateful to the boy.
Seungmin is always there for Hyunjin, helping him study, sitting with him when he needs to cry, defending him against people who aren’t so nice behind their backs. Seungmin does everything Minho wishes he could be there to do for Hyunjin.
So, Minho decides, someday he’ll pay the younger boy back.
++
The thing is, Minho supposes he knew that Hyunjin and Seungmin were rich. They go to an obviously prestigious private high school. Hyunjin makes plenty of jokes about Seungmin taking over his father’s corporation after college. And there’s the case of Hyunjin’s parent’s fame – whatever it is they’re famous for.
Minho supposes he knew, but it never really processed for him until he sees them at a charity event, sometime between Christmas and new years, dressed in suits and surrounded by adults who are even more glamourous.
Seungmin doesn’t want to be there, Hyunjin just seems happy to be hanging out with his friend.
“I think I wanna try dancing.” Hyunjin announces out of the blue once the two of them have moved to an empty table near the back of the banquet hall, a shared plate of desert between them.
Seungmin snorts and loosens his tie a little, “The dance floors right there, but don’t expect me to go with you.”
“Not like that.” Hyunjin shakes his head, “I mean like, I wanna join the dance club or take classes or something.”
“Oh,” Seungmin says, “Okay.”
Minho feels a rush of excitement at the prospect though, his soulmate dancing would be amazing he thinks. His soulmate and him being able to dance together feels like an absolute dream. He hopes Hyunjin goes through with it. He hopes Hyunjin likes it.
++
Minho has a dance recital on March twentieth. He had blinked in shock when his group announced the date – Hyunjin’s sixteenth birthday, and he has a dance recital.
There’s a hope that Hyunjin’s first impression of him is of him on stage during the solo he was given. There’s a hope he does well.
And then there’s a sort of panic because he knows there’s going to be people there that could help him get a scholarship and he’s going to need one if he wants to get into a good college, so he has to do well whether Hyunjin sees him or not. The fact that his soulmate could possibly see him is only added pressure.
So maybe he overworks himself at the studio – maybe doesn’t have any time to daydream about what Hyunjin’s doing. It’ll be worth it in the end as long as he gets everything right. Besides, he can still see Hyunjin in his dreams.
++
The recital goes without a hitch – his solo stage ended up being even better than he ever could have hoped for. He has the rest of his crew to thank for that. They’d given him advice on how to improve the dance, helped with making the stage set, the costumes, the lighting. He’d even had one of the girls do his make up for him. He’s grateful. He can’t stop smiling.
It’s in the middle of their after party that he’s pulled into a headlock by his cousin – who’s really the closest thing he’s got to a brother, he’s the one that got him into dancing in the first place.
“What’s got you so happy today? Huh?”
“Ugh, Minhyuk get off me.” Minho laughs, shoving the older man lightly “I’m just glad everything went well.”
“Bullshit!” Minhyuk says it just loud enough to catch the attention of the rest of the team “What else is there?”
Minho pauses, presses his lips together trying to suppress his smile one last time before admitting, “It’s my soulmate’s birthday.”
He sees a couple faces in the group light up at that, Minho can’t bring himself to be embarrassed.
“How old are they turning?” the girl that did his makeup earlier – Haein – asks as she leans over the couch. Her eyes sparkling with interest.
“He’s turning 16 today,”
“No way!” She laughs.
Minhyuk cuts her off with a “What’s his name?”
Minho sputters slightly “Hyunjin.” It’s the first time he’s said it out loud, it feels right at home on his tongue. “His name is Hyunjin.”
“Alright everybody! On three!” Minhyuk yells before Minho can even process what’s happening “One! Two! Three!”
And the whole apartment yells “Happy birthday Hyunjin!” and Minho is laughing.
When asked about his soulmate for the rest of the night Minho doesn’t hesitate to answer. He tells anyone who will listen about Hyunjin’s art and about how hard working he is and about how goddamn pretty he is.
++
After that, Minho knows that Hyunjin can see him. And Hyunjin knows Minho can see him.
There’s an unspoken rule that you don’t really talk about your soulmate before you meet them. Most people think it’s uncomfortable that it’s fully possible that your soulmate can hear what you think of them. So most people keep their soulmates to themselves.
Minho and Hyunjin have no such problems. They have a sort of agreement to just say whatever whenever about the other. Minho thinks it’s funny, Hyunjin looks like he enjoys it just as much.
They really are soulmates. The thought makes Minho smile.
++
When summer rolls around, Hyunjin finally joins a dance crew. He had been learning choreographies alone in his living room for months at that point and as fun as it looked Minho knows he wanted to actually be a part of a class.
He’d done research – made sure that no one from school would be part of it. That no one would know who he was. Eventually landed on a cheap class – even cheaper than the one Minho takes.
He’d told Seungmin that he wasn’t necessarily looking to make friends, that he was just wanting to learn how to dance.
Not even a week later Hyunjin is walking out of dance class, dragging another person behind him to meet Seungmin excitedly.
Felix is a sweet kid, he’s from Australia though so there’s a bit of a language barrier. But Hyunjin really, really, wants to be his friend and as far as Minho can tell Felix wants to be his friend too. Luckily for them Seungmin knows enough English to help translate for them both.
Soon enough, Felix is joining the two of them to hang out almost every day – even joining Hyunjin at Seungmin’s baseball games. Minho can’t help but to smile when he realizes that Hyunjin has another friend that likes him for him – not because of anything else. Even if he hasn’t reached the level needed for Minho to see through his eyes yet.
++
When Minho starts college he moves into the dorms and gets a job at the campus coffee shop and tries not to worry about who’s point of view Hyunjin’s watching him from now that he’s no longer surrounded by his dance crew friends.
He assumes it’s his new roommate. He’s the only person Minho has time to talk to anyways.
The thing about Bang Chan is that he’s genuinely popular. Everyone knows him – everyone likes him. Every other person that Minho meets would probably consider Chan one of their best friends.
So naturally Minho doesn’t let himself think the same.
When people ask him what it’s like to room with the Bang Chan, Minho just shrugs and says it’s alright. That he doesn’t really spend too much time with the other. And he doesn’t – Chan has two jobs and a million friends and classes. Minho’s shocked he even has time to sleep let alone have time to talk to him.
Though they do have brief conversations, the older man always taking a moment to check in on his wellbeing or asking about his week.
It’s not until a weekend where they both have nothing going on that they actually bond.
It’s not really a planned thing – Chan just sort of throws himself onto Minho’s bed, crushing the owner in the process.
“You got any plans today?” Chan asks.
Minho groans, attempting to roll away from the older man, “Not really, I was going to eat eventually.”
“Oh! Me too!” Chan grins “Wanna eat together?”
Minho raises a brow at him. Surely Chan has better things to do than hang out with him. He’s sure Chan has plenty of friends he’s closer to, people he has more in common with. But Chan’s grinning at him, bright and dimpled and Minho can’t help but to say –
“Sure, what do you want for lunch?”
They end up at a ramen shop, directly across the street from campus. Minho doesn’t really get why he’s there with Chan. Doesn’t really understand why Chan has such an interest in him.
But if Chan wants to get to know him so badly then – fine, why not? He needs someone to know him well enough for Hyunjin to see him. He can play Chan’s little game.
Except Chan doesn’t seem to have a ‘game’ he just genuinely seems interested in Minho. He asks genuine questions, and gives genuine answers when Minho poses his own. It’s a surprisingly easy push and pull of getting to know each other. They end up sitting there for hours.
It’s when Chan mentions he’s from Australia does Minho actually feel like he’s able to relax a little.
“Oh,” Minho smiles, “My soulmate’s got a friend from Australia.”
Chan pauses, cocking his head “Your soulmate?”
“Yeah,” Minho shrugs “My soulmate, Hyunjin.”
“You’ve met your soulmate?” Chan asks, surprised.
“Nope.” Minho pops the ‘p’ and grins “Just been dreaming for a while.”
“Oh,” Chan’s confusion is obviously only growing “But you’re talking about them?”
Minho laughs at that, shrugging again “He and I don’t really bother keeping each other a secret. Most people have a soulmate, and we don’t see why we should be embarrassed about talking about it.”
“That’s really unusual.” Chan cracks a grin, “Like really weird.”
“I can’t tell if you’re trying to insult me.” Minho jokes.
“I promise I’m not!” The older raises his hands and waves them a little in protest. “Actually I was going to ask if I could ask you about that.”
“About?”
“About your soulmate.”
Minho pauses, choosing his next words carefully – most people have soulmates, but some don’t and if Chan doesn’t then he doesn’t want to be insensitive. Eventually he just lands on “…Why?”
“Don’t get me wrong, I do have a soulmate.” Chan chuckles when he sees the hesitance on Minho’s face “It’s just that I already knew my soulmate, so I never got the mystery.”
“You already knew your soulmate?” Minho blinks “Now that’s unusual.”
“I know, I know.” Chan shrugs “He’s been my friend since I moved here when I was like ten.”
“Wow.” Minho snorts, “And how did he react when he found out?”
“He doesn’t know yet.” Chan sighs, “He turns sixteen in September but I’m pretty sure he’s not gonna like finding out. I know I didn’t, after all I’m three years older and used to consider him like a brother.”
“That’s rough,” Minho laughs, “So you wanna know about the mystery of not being in contact?”
“Yeah,”
Minho heaves a heavy sigh, “Honestly, it’s frustrating as all fuck.”
Chan sputters slightly and gives a little laugh, “Oh yeah? In which way?”
“It’s like,” Minho looks up in thought, trying to find how to explain it, “I never know who’s eyes he’s seeing me through and sometimes I wanna tell him things, but I don’t know how or who to say it to. Also I want touch him – like not in a weird way but I wanna bug him.”
“What do you want to tell him?” Chan asks and then gasps in excitement, “Use me to tell him! I bet he can see through me!”
Minho blinks, “Are you serious?”
“Yeah!” a grin “Tell him, c’mon!”
All of a sudden Minho can’t think of what he wants to say – what he needs to tell Hyunjin. He can’t just say ‘I love you’ to Chan and expect to keep his dignity, let alone the fact that it’d be weird to just blurt it out to his roommate. In fact most of the things he wants to tell Hyunjin are too embarrassing or personal for Chan to be privy to.
Eventually he lands on “Hyunjin! Stop knitting your brows before I find you and shove my thumb between them myself!” he scolds pressing the pad of his thumb between his own eyebrows to emphasize his point. Chan snorts just before Minho continues with “And stop worrying so much. You’re going to make yourself sick. You’re doing fine!”
And then Chan is giggling, “You’re cute Minho. You sound like a mom, nagging him like that.”
“Shut up.” Minho says, hoping his ears don’t look noticeably red as he feels himself flush.
++
Hyunjin hears him. Minho knows Hyunjin hears him because now every time he furrows his brow, he’ll silently press his thumb between them. Or when he’s stressed out, he’ll softly mutter “Stop worrying so much, you’re doing fine” to himself.
Minho feels a wave of relief every time Hyunjin acknowledges him. At least this way Hyunjin has a little something more to hold onto.
He knows he’s never been the best with words. He shows his affection through his actions, and that’s a little harder to show to one’s soulmate. Especially when said soulmate obviously preens when he receives compliments. He tries to compliment Hyunjin whenever the younger gets brought up – really he does. But this is somehow better.
No wonder Seungmin nags him so much, it seems like that’s the only way to actually get through to him.
++
“You wanna watch a movie?” Chan asks him the moment he walks through their dorm room’s threshold.
Minho raises an eyebrow at his roommate “It’s Friday night and you, Bang Chan, are asking me to watch a movie with you? Don’t you have a party to be the life of?”
“I have three separate invites but,” Chan shrugs, “I’m just not feeling it tonight.”
Minho hums in acknowledgement as he drops his dance bag at the foot of his bed. Truthfully, he’d also been invited to a party that night. He was considering it but the more he thinks about it the more appeal staying home has. He’s tired and sweaty from dance class, all he really wants to do is wash off and lay down.
“So?” Chan cocks his head in question, “What’s your verdict?”
“Go ahead and pick something to watch.” Minho snorts “I’m gonna shower. I’ll be back in 10.”
“Alright!” Chan grins, pumping his fist in excitement.
25 minutes later Minho’s ruffling his wet hair with a towel as Chan is unpacking the snacks he’d ran out to buy from the convenience store while the younger was showering. The beginning of whatever movie Chan had chosen paused on the little TV they’d set up on their wall.
“What’d you choose?” Minho asks, draping the towel around his shoulders, nodding towards the TV.
Chan cranes his neck to look back at him “It’s some action spy movie from the 90s. That cool with you?”
For the first hour of the movie Chan picked, Minho finds himself staring at the lead actress and actor curiously. He can’t help but to feel like he’s seen them before. Not just because they’re probably at least B-list actors, considering the fact that he knows they’ve both been in more than one drama his mother watched while he was growing up. It’s something more than that. They’re familiar in a way that he can’t quite put his finger on.
“You know what I heard?” Chan pipes up, mouth full of chips.
Minho glances away from the ticking time bomb on the screen to look at his roommate “What?”
“Apparently the main characters are actually soulmates with each other. Like in real life.” Chan nods at the screen, “I think they met on this movie set, actually.”
“Is that so?” Minho hums in acknowledgment, “That’s fun.”
“Minho I’m being serious,” Chan laughs and pauses the movie, pulling his phone out “Here I’ll look it up if you don’t believe me.”
And it’s not that Minho doesn’t believe him, but he knows that the older man needs to double check his facts or else he’ll feel like he’s lost his mind. It’s for his own sake. That’s just how Chan is. So he lets his friend type away on his phone.
“Yeah, see?” Chan grins, turning his phone proudly, “Hwang Areum and Hwang Minjun are married, and they have a son a couple years younger than us.”
“Okay, I don’t really care you know.” Minho snorts, takes a sip from his soda as he glances at the phone to humor his friend – which ends up being a mistake because the sharp inhale he takes when his eyes land on the picture Chan is showing him sends him choking and sputtering artificial orange all over himself. “What-?” he wheezes.
Chan blinks at him curiously as he snatches his phone away to get a better look at the screen.
Sure enough, standing between the two actors is Hyunjin. Is his soulmate. He’d recognize him anywhere. They’re obviously at some sort of red carpet event – maybe a movie screening, maybe an awards show, Minho wouldn’t know – but Hyunjin is there, in a button up and posing awkwardly for pictures with his parents. They’re both dressed to the nines, his mother in a (probably) designer dress and his father in a suit that looks like it costs more than Minho’s parents’ car. His mother has her arm hooked around his arm and his father is looking at the two of them fondly, lovingly even. It’s cute to see. There’s a smile on Hyunjin’s face but Minho can tell that he does not want to be there at all. Minho finds himself zooming in to get a better look before he can stop himself.
Hyunjin has his father’s nose and eyes but overall he looks more like his mother. He sees it now that the three of them are together. This is why they looked so familiar on the TV screen. He’s been looking at their son for the past 3 years. He’s seen their pictures in his dreams every time he sees the inside of their house.
“Minho…?” Chan calls, waving his hand between his eyes and the phone effectively shaking him back to the present. “What’s wrong?”
Minho just turns the phone around and zooms in on Hyunjin’s face, so far that the little mole under his eye is clearly visible. He looks at his roommate with wide eyes, but the older man clearly doesn’t understand what Minho is trying to tell him.
“That’s their son.” Chan furrows his brows, answering the wrong question, “He’s… cute? I thought you didn’t care?”
“That’s Hyunjin.” Minho says firmly, his throat suddenly dry. “My Hyunjin.”
Chan pauses, as if processing what Minho is telling him. Then, he rushes forward to look closer the picture, “This is your soulmate?” he asks in disbelief “Right here? In this picture? This is him?”
Minho nods his head, “That’s my soulmate. That’s my Hyunjin.”
“Oh my god.” Chan bites the inside of his cheek, “What’re you gonna do with this information now that you have it?”
“I don’t know. What can I do?” Minho shrugs, “Let’s just finish the movie.”
And Chan doesn’t need to know that he follows both of his soulmate’s parents on Instagram just on the off chance either of them post a picture of Hyunjin.
++
Interestingly, Felix has never invited Hyunjin and Seungmin over to his house – nor have they had him over. Usually their routine is they all meet up, either after dance practice or after school and hang out around town. Sometimes they go to the arcade, sometimes they get food. Minho’s never questioned it. He’s never even noticed it until Felix very shyly asks if the two of them if they’d like to come stay the night at his home that weekend.
Hyunjin and Seungmin, of course, agree readily without question.
Felix is bashful to show them the tiny two bedroom apartment he lives in with his grandmother, explaining he moved to Korea to take care of her in the first place – since his parents are both too busy with their work and his older sister is finishing college, and his younger sister is too young. It’s a cheap apartment, small and crowded and, to Minho, cozy. It reminds him of the apartment he grew up in until his parents were able to buy a house after years of saving. But Minho’s seen just how well off Hyunjin and Seungmin are… He doesn’t know if Felix knows that they’re rich, but he’d be holding his breath waiting for their judgment if he were Felix. Afterall it’s not like either of them hide their wealth, they both dress nicer than the average teenager and Seungmin never hesitates to pay for meals when they go out. There must be some sort of knowledge in the back of Felix’s mind, must be a little bit of anxiety.
But judgment never comes.
Seungmin just simply asks about the family pictures hung on the walls and Hyunjin offers to help when Felix tries to make them tea. Their conversation eventually turns back to something normal while they scroll through Netflix for something to watch and offhandedly, Minho notices Felix’s shoulders relax. So he was nervous.
But Hyunjin and Seungmin are good kids. Minho knows that they’d never judge someone for having less than them.
“What about this one?” Seungmin asks, pausing his scrolling to stop on a movie that truthfully Minho’s never seen before, but it looks cheesy and not good.
Felix hums reading the description “That looks interesting.” Is what he lands on saying.
“What does?” Hyunjin asks, returning from the bathroom and sitting himself on the floor between Seungmin’s legs “Oh, that movie fucking sucks.”
“Wow!” Seungmin lets out a startled laugh “Strong reaction.”
“You’ve seen it?” Felix asks tilting his head curiously.
“Unfortunately,” Hyunjin answers, resting his cheek against Seungmin’s thigh. “The director’s a dick, the script is mediocre. The acting is good, but the characters are flat. Also the ending sucks.”
“Sounds bad.” Felix pouts.
“Is there a reason for you hating this movie so much?” Seungmin asks, weaving is hands through Hyunjin’s hair, “Usually you’re not so critical.”
Hyunjin leans into his best friend’s hand “Look at the actor list.”
“Park Jinyoung, Park Bogum, Hwang Areum, Hwang Minjun - Ah!” Seungmin nods in understanding, cutting himself off from finishing reading the list after he’s read both of Hyunjin’s parents names. “Got it. Got it. Both of them?”
Hyunjin snorts “Yeah, both of them.”
“Both of who?” Felix blinks, eyeing his friends with a confused pout. “What am I missing?”
Hyunjin freezes, as if suddenly realizing that Felix doesn’t know who he actually is – who his parents are. And in a sudden attempt to keep the little bit of normalcy he has he answers with “Ah it’s nothing, I just watch all the movie that those two actors are in.” an awkward chuckle.
Luckily for Hyunjin the front door opens right then, and Felix immediately pops up from the couch to help his grandmother with the groceries in her arms, complaining to her that he could have gone for her.
Felix introduces everyone, Hyunjin helps Felix put way the groceries while Seungmin starts up a pleasant conversation with Felix’s grandmother.
“Yongbokkie,” his grandmother calls from the living room eventually, just as he’s just finished putting the last thing in the cupboard “I left the cake in the car, could you go get it?”
“Grandma,” Felix whines, already making his way towards the door, “I told you I don’t need a cake.”
“Cake?” Seungmin asks, “Why?”
Felix pauses and presses his lips together before letting out a deep sigh “It’s kind of my birthday?”
“Your birthday?” Hyunjin says incredulously, planting his hands on Felix’s shoulders, “It’s your birthday and you didn’t tell us? We could have gotten you something.”
Seungmin blinks once, twice, and then points at them “Ah!” he says, “Next week.”
Felix looks between the two of them in confusion. “Next week?”
“Next week!” Hyunjin grins, “Next week is Seungmin’s birthday, come spend it with us!”
Felix blinks and agrees with a little bit of prodding from his grandmother. The smile that lights up Hyunjin’s face is genuine and excitable.
++
When Chan comes back after staying at his friend’s house that long weekend he mopes and says he doesn’t want to talk about how his soulmate’s birthday went. Minho doesn’t push him. Instead, just throws a bag of chips at him and tells him to watch a shitty movie with him.
++
A week later, Felix and Seungmin are spending the night at Hyunjin’s house and Hyunjin excitedly shows off all the snacks he bought for them intent on the three of them eating until they’re sick while they play games and watch shitty movies.
A proper birthday celebration. Sort of. In Hyunjin’s mind it is. Seungmin just laughs at him, and Felix marvels at Hyunjin’s house. Minho gets it, the house isn’t the biggest but it’s certainly bigger than a family of three would need, plus the fact that everything seems scarily expensive. He gets it.
But Hyunjin just pulls the younger two back to his room for them to put their overnight bags away.
Minho loves when Hyunjin gets excited like this, when he’s able to relax and be himself.
Hyunjin gives Felix a ring as a present, and Seungmin gives Felix a new hoodie. Felix gives Seungmin a new pencil case with the excuse that Seungmin had mentioned that the one he’s been using it too bulky, And Hyunjin gives him a new backpack. And then Hyunjin takes it a step further and gives the two of then each a couple of nerf guns.
Minho thinks he’d have smiled watching the three of them shoot each other with foam bullets for the majority of the night.
(The next day Hyunjin convinces his friends to tell him about their soulmates; Felix happily talks about how his soulmate is younger than them and cute as can be. Seungmin gets teased relentlessly about how bright red he turns when he gives the simple answer of ‘he’s older’.)
++
Minho doesn’t really know what to do about the way Chan’s been moping around – and he feels bad that he hasn’t been able to do more for his friend between both of their busy schedules of work and classes and social lives. He can’t say he isn’t relieved when apparently another one of his friends seems to whip him back into shape.
There’s no real control over who one’s soulmate is but there is control over how you react to them. And if you happen to already know your soulmate then you should be damn grateful in Minho’s opinion. But he doesn’t know Hyunjin yet – so who is he to have a say about Chan’s soulmate’s reaction to the news. But he’s pretty sure it’s resolved enough for Chan to not sigh every five minutes.
++
Minho knows that Hyunjin doesn’t like to acknowledge who his parents are at school. Knows that Hyunjin tries to keep his head down as much as possible. To the point that he had actually been genuinely upset what Minho found out who his parents are. It got to the point that Minho had to drag Chan to the side to very carefully explain that he doesn’t give a shit about celebrities and the fact that his parents are famous changes nothing for him – much to his roommate’s amusement and his own embarrassment.
Hyunjin’s classmates have no such issues with bringing the subject up. They even go as far as casting him in a school play that he has no interest in participating in.
“It’s nepotism!” Hyunjin whines, chewing angrily at the straw of his milkshake. Not even drinking it, just chewing the straw to hell. It’s kind of adorable, in Minho’s opinion. “Forced nepotism. I don’t even want it.”
Seungmin scoffs, Minho assumes he rolls his eyes too, “Yeah, but there’s really no point in fighting it. everyone wants to see it.”
“See what?” Felix asks as he pops himself into the booth next to Hyunjin, blinking curiously between the two friends.
“Hyunjin’s being forced to play a role in our school play.” Seungmin answers, sliding one of the milkshakes over to their friend.
Hyunjin pouts, moving away from his straw to put his head on Felix’s shoulder. “I don’t wanna. It’s bullshit.”
“You’re being forced?” Felix sounds genuinely surprised, patting Hyunjin’s head in confused sympathy. “Why?”
Hyunjin sighs and shakes his head. “Everyone at our school sucks.” Is what Hyunjin decides to say, “I wish you went to school with us Yongbokkie.”
“I don’t think I’d fit in there.” Felix says but he smiles, nonetheless.
“We don’t either.” Seungmin laughs. “You could join us sitting alone at lunch.”
“Says Mr. Student Body President.” Hyunjin rolls his eyes. “Everyone’s like, in love with you.”
Seungmin probably makes a face, if the way Felix and Hyunjin start giggling is anything to go by.
(The play goes really well in the end. Hyunjin’s the only person who can act worth a damn in the whole production though. Seungmin and Felix bring him flowers.)
++
Minho goes home for winter break, wishing Chan good luck with whatever is going on with his soulmate. He’s looking forward to seeing his parents and playing with his cats. He doesn’t have much else planned, really.
As it turns out, Hyunjin decides to spend his winter at Felix’s place, his parents out of the country to promote separate movies, and Seungmin off on a ski trip with his sister. Minho only learns of this through a phone screen through Seungmin’s point of view while Felix and Hyunjin are video calling him.
Vaguely, Minho wonders if he’s ever going to see Hyunjin from Felix’s eyes – or, anyone else’s besides Seungmin’s. He wonders if he should worry more, if it’s even possible for him to worry more.
Hyunjin probably doesn’t worry about him as much as he worries for him.
++
Spring is spent with Hyunjin practicing for his own dance recital. Hyunjin doesn’t even remember his own birthday, he’s so engrossed in rehearsals. It’s too the point that Minho doesn’t even get to dream about him on the day itself because Seungmin didn’t get to see him that day.
Minho on the other hand makes sure to tell anyone that will listen to him it’s his soulmate’s birthday, that he wants Hyunjin to know how much he cares.
It’s embarrassing as anything, but it’s the only way to get his point across for now.
(He finds out that Hyunjin heard him, day later when he finally dreams of his soulmate again. Hyunjin resting his head on Seungmin’s thigh, complaining about how embarrassing it is that Minho was going around doing that – but Minho knows that Hyunjin kind of likes it, if the way he’s giggling and blushing and kicking his feet is anything to go by.)
++
Summer is spent mostly the same as the previous. Hyunjin goes on a weeklong trip with his mom, and a separate weekend trip with his dad. He spends his time going to Seungmin’s baseball games with Felix and Seungmin’s older sister.
Minho spends his time visiting his parents and hanging out with his own friends. Things are good for a moment.
++
By the time the school year starts Minho thinks he’s gotten too used to the routine. Chan moves into an apartment with one of his childhood friends and Minho stays in the dorm and by some stroke of luck doesn’t have to get a new roommate. He’s back at his job at the campus coffee shop. His only real complaint is that he sees Hyunjin just a little bit less. Apparently Seungmin had started taking college classes along with his normal school schedule so his free time to hang out with Minho’s soulmate has been severely limited.
Minho wouldn’t necessarily care too much about that – he understands that everyone has their own life and he cant be selfish to the extent he wants to be. It’s just that every time Hyunjin does show up in his dreams he seems… off. Tired would be putting it lightly – he almost seems sick. That’s what really worries Minho. There’s no way for him to interfere with it either. The most he can do is mention he’s worried about Hyunjin to Chan when they meet up for lunch every now and then.
++
Minho’s not one for remembering faces, or names, or people in general. If they’re not imminently important he’s likely to forget they exist within minutes.
So, when some kid walks into his job, with neatly styled hair and perfectly fitted slacks at fucking 6 in the morning, just minutes after the open sign had been flipped – he’s surprised to say that the guy seems familiar. He can’t place the face for the life of him though so when he orders an iced americano, Minho doesn’t immediately jump to start making it.
“Do I know you?” he asks instead of even putting the order in.
The boy blinks at him, “I don’t think so?” and his voice is so familiar, it’s driving him crazy. Where could he possibly know him from?
“Are you sure?” Minho presses. “Ever been to Gimpo? What’s your major?”
“No,” He says, more confused than anything, he doesn’t say it unkindly, “My major isn’t really any of your business.”
Minho just hums as he enters the order in, “I’ll figure it out someday.”
--
It’s a pattern, the guy comes in, Minho asks him absurd questions, makes his coffee and then leaves and Minho left curious why his brain is telling him that he knows the guy.
He does figure it out – but only because of Felix’s help.
Minho dreams about Hyunjin tiredly leaning his head against Felix’s shoulder while the younger boy ranted about how his new school year was going, about the friend he made that was barely a day older than him.
“Enough about that!” Felix claps his hands, “Seungmin you’ve barely told us anything about what college is like.”
Hyunjin sort of perks up at that as well, obviously interested in how his best friend is doing.
“There’s not much to tell.” Seungmin snorts, “The only thing is…” he trails off.
“What?” Felix teases, “Do tell.”
“There’s this barista.”
“Oh?” Hyunjin cocks his head in interest, “Is he hot?”
“What? Well, yeah actually he is.” Seungmin blinks, “But that’s not it. He keeps asking me weird questions. He says he thinks he knows me.”
“Maybe he does.” Hyunjin hums.
And it clicks for Minho in that moment. The kid coming in is Kim Seungmin – he does know him; he’s been watching his soulmate through his eyes for the past couple of years.
Finally, a firm connection to Hyunjin.
++
“I figured out why I know you.” Minho announces next time Seungmin comes through his line.
Seungmin quirks a brow at him – and now that Minho actually sees him, he realizes that he looks almost exactly like he’d imagined – well put together, smart looking. Minho can see the money despite him trying to downplay it all.
“Where do you know me from then?” he seems genuinely interested at least, not as weirded out as anyone would expect. “Do tell.”
“Nope.” Minho smirks, ringing up the younger’s coffee, “That’s not how this works. It’s on the house today though.”
Seungmin looks absolutely baffled, “Why?”
“I owe you.”
He really does owe Seungmin. He owes him everything. Seungmin probably doesn’t even know that he’s the only person Minho’s ever seen his soulmate through. But Minho knows everything Seungmin has done for his soulmate. And for that, Minho would do anything for him.
++
There are times Minho is right about things and he gloats about it – he likes being right usually.
But there are other times – where he thinks there’s something wrong and he worries about it until he’s proven right. And he swears, he hates being right about those things.
All of his worries come to a head when he dreams of Hyunjin – two weeks after figuring out who Seungmin is.
It’s a quick dream – chaos of Seungmin running through halls that Minho doesn’t recognize – Seungmin’s panic rising In Minho ‘s own chest. There’s no context for any of it, no information. All Minho knows is when Seungmin comes skidding to a halt in what Minho only just realizes is a hospital room.
“What happened?” Seungmin pants his eyes shooting around the room – Nurses, Doctors, Hyunjin’s mother, someone Minho vaguely recognizes as a teacher from their school. Lastly they land on Hyunjin unconscious in the hospital bed, oxygen mask on his face.
Minho wakes up with a jolt, chest heaving with his own panic.
What happened? How?
He didn’t even get to find out before he woke up. This has to be a nightmare. It has to be.
++
Minho can’t sleep. Every time he falls asleep it’s a dreamless night and he hates it. He hates it. He doesn’t know what’s happening – he’s never gone this long without seeing anything from Hyunjin. It makes him sick.
What makes matter worse is Seungmin hasn’t been to the coffee shop since that last dream. So, when the younger boy comes in, looking more ruffled than he’s probably ever looked – with dark circles under his eyes and wearing a hoodie that’s about three sizes too big for him Minho feels himself physically react. It’s Hyunjin’s hoodie Seungmin is hearing, Minho knows it’s Hyunjin’s. He’s seen his soulmate wear it a million times.
“You look like shit.” Minho greets him. it slips out of his mouth before he can even think of where he is and what he’s doing. But he hasn’t been sleeping. Minho’s been running off caffeine and adrenaline for the past week and a half.
“I feel like shit.” Seungmin shoots back. “You don’t look so hot yourself.”
“Yeah well, I haven’t been sleeping.” Minho sighs, already punching in Seungmin’s usual order. “What’s your excuse?” he tries to sound casual about it. tries to not sound too worried. Secretly Minho’s bracing for the worst – God he hopes his fears are wrong but with how long it’s been since he’s had a soulmate dream it’s hard not to let his imagination run wild.
“Stress.” Seungmin frowns, “My best friend is in the hospital right now.”
Minho makes a noise in the back of his throat, “Is he gonna be alright?”
“He’ll be fine.” Seungmin clenches his jaw, “Once he wakes up.”
Minho, despite the fact that he’s now actively brewing Seungmin’s order as they speak, can’t stop himself from asking, “What happened?”
“The idiot doesn’t take care of himself.” Seungmin answers firmly, pauses, “I don’t even know why I’m telling you this. I don’t even know your name.”
“Does it matter?” Minho asks, handing the iced coffee over to the younger boy, “You obviously need to get it off your chest.”
Seungmin hesitates as he takes the cup from him, “I guess… Thank you.” He takes a step to leave.
“Hey, Kim Seungmin.” Minho calls before he reaches the door, “Hyunjin’s gonna be okay though?”
“Yeah,” He nods. “Hyunjin’s going to be okay.”
Minho feels himself relax for the first time in forever. Hyunjin’s gonna be okay.
--
Strangely that’s not the only encounter he has at work that makes him feel better.
Twenty minutes from the end of his shift, Chan walks through the door with someone That Minho doesn’t know. Shorter than Chan, but just as muscley, handsome in his own way.
“Hey Minho!” Chan grins at him, wide and surprisingly welcome despite how Minho’s been feeling these past few days. Maybe it’s the fact that Seungmin gave him a little bit of information, maybe it’s just the way Chan affects everyone around him. who’s to say?
Minho shoots him a small smile in return, “Hey, what’s up?”
“Trying to cheer my buddy up, he’s been having a rough few.” Chan shrugs, “Oh, speaking of. Minho this is Changbin, my new roommate. Changbin, this is Minho my old roommate.”
“Ah, my replacement.” Minho jokes, “Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” Changbin chuckles. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Oh, that can’t be good.” Minho snorts, “What can I get you guys?”
Chan and Changbin sit at the counter while he makes them their drinks, chatting amongst themselves, he’s sure he’ll be pulled into conversation too here in a few moments – that’s just how Chan is.
What he doesn’t expect is for Chan to talk him into hanging out with them after his shifts ends. Something about Chan wanting Changbin and Minho to get to know each other, because his best friends should all know each other, waving off Changbin bringing up their mutual friend who’s out of town at that moment. Nonetheless, Minho accepts. It’s been a while since he and Chan have actually hung out – and this will probably give him a reason to stay up late and put off another dreamless sleep for as long as possible.
Even with the confirmation that Hyunjin’s okay – he still doesn’t want to sleep until he knows he’ll dream again.
It’s passed two in the morning when Chan shockingly falls asleep first amongst the three of them and Changbin offers to make Minho some hot tea.
“I don’t mean to pry,” Minho starts, while they wait for the kettle to heat up, “But Chan said you’ve been having a tough time lately?” He wonders if he can offer some sort of support, he’s always more giving when he’s going through something as well.
Changbin sighs, leaning against the counter, “It’s not a personal thing,” a shrug, “My soulmate’s best friend is having some health issues, so every time I dream it’s from a hospital room. Not exactly the most restful sleep. Besides, you dream from someone’s perspective for so long you kind of grow attached. I’m a little worried is all.”
Minho hums in sympathy, “That sucks. I’m sorry.”
“I think he’ll be okay though.” Changbin smiles, “I’m just looking forward to that recovery.”
“Yeah. Good luck.”
Changbin sort of shifts his weight, pausing like he’s not sure he wants to ask a question but ultimately deciding to go for it. “How’re you doing?”
“Me?” Minho blinks in surprise.
“Chan seems worried for you.” Changbin says, “He said you look exhausted – and I know that I don’t know you but…”
Minho swallows down the lump in his throat, “I haven’t been dreaming.”
Changbin’s face contorts from confusion to some sort of sad pity. “Oh.”
“The last dream I had was almost two weeks ago,” Minho shares, looking up at the ceiling to hold back whatever emotion is trying to slip out of him. He doesn’t know why he’s being vulnerable right now. He doesn’t know Changbin and Changbin doesn’t know him. But maybe that’s exactly why. “My last dream was of his best friend frantically asking what happened at the hospital… I woke up before I got any answers.”
“Oh, Minho.” Changbin pats him on the back with sympathy, then sort of pauses. “You said it was almost two weeks ago?”
“Yeah?”
“What’s… what’s your soulmates name?”
“Hyunjin.”
“Hwang Hyunjin?”
Minho’s eyes snap to look at the younger man – Changbin staring at him just as surprised as him. Minho knows that Changbin can’t be Felix’s soulmate, he’s older than Hyunjin even is so that only leaves one option – “Is Seungmin...?”
“Seungmin is my soulmate.”
“Oh my god.” Minho almost laughs, “What a twist of fate, huh?”
“Yeah,” Changbin chuckles, “That’s crazy.”
“Do you… do you ever worry about them?” Minho asks, “Seungmin and Hyunjin, y’know, outside of current circumstances.”
“I’ve always worried about them.” Changbin nods, “They’re… a little codependent, huh?”
“Yeah,” Minho hums, “I can’t blame them though, it’s not like they’re exactly the best treated amongst their pears.”
Changbin hums “I’m sure you can understand my relief the first time I saw through Felix’s eyes, huh?”
“You…” Minho gasps, swallowing down the shock, “You’ve seen through his eyes?”
“You haven’t?” Changbin seems genuinely surprised, “Even though the three of them clearly love each other?”
“I’ve only ever seen through Seungmin.” Minho shakes his head, “That’s part of why I’m always so worried about them.”
“Felix and Seungmin go visit Hyunjin every day.” Changbin says after a moment, “They sit in his room until the nurses kick them out when visiting hours end. He… he looks like he’s getting better.”
Minho takes a deep breath, “Thank you.”
The kettle whistles just as Minho moves to wipe his eyes. He wont cry. Not right now. He’ll save that for when Hyunjin wakes up.
++
Minho has never felt relief like the relief he feels when he actually dreams of a hospital room. It’s not the ideal setting but seeing Hyunjin lying in bed – awake though glaring daggers at the ceiling – is quite possibly the best thing Minho’s ever seen.
Seungmin gasps when he walks through the door, his bag falling off his shoulder and hitting the floor with an audible thunk.
“Hyunjin, holy shit.” He says racing to his bedside. Which Minho appreciates because seeing him closer is all Minho needed. “You’re okay?”
Hyunjin’s eyes soften when they land on his best friend, “Hey,” he croaks, “I’m fine. Just apparently a dumbass.”
“Yeah,” Seungmin laughs wetly, “You’re so fucking stupid. I was worried you died.”
“Sorry.” Hyunjin breathes, closing his eyes, “I’m sorry Seungmin. I’m sorry Minho. Sorry for worrying you guys.”
Minho thinks he would sob if he was awake and had any agency over the actions of what was happening.
“Never fucking do that again.” Seungmin tells him. “I swear to God. Take better care of yourself I never want to see hear you collapsed again. I complained to my fucking barista that you were comatose.”
A smile tugs at Hyunjin’s lips at that. “I love you too Seungmin. Stop crying now.”
“I’m not crying.”
++
Minho doesn’t want to open his eyes when he eventually does wake up. Chan’s couch is surprisingly spacious, surprisingly comfy. He’s warm under the borrowed blanket – everything is okay again. Hyunjin’s awake, Minho’s dreaming again, the smell of coffee is filling the little apartment.
He sighs in relief once more before actually sitting up.
“Hey” Changbin calls from the kitchen when he notices movement from the living room. “Chan went out to get us breakfast.”
“Cool,” Minho smiles, big and genuine. “He woke up.”
Changbin makes a happy sound, “I know. I’m glad.”
“I’m gonna kill him.” Minho announces, “When I meet him, I’m gonna kill him for worrying me like that.”
And Changbin laughs, full bodies and warm.
++
“Who are you?” comes Seungmin’s voice from over Minho’s shoulder. Too loud for the quiet library in Minho’s opinion.
Even still Minho finds his lips quirking up into a mischievous grin when Seungmin slides into the seat across from him. “What do you mean who am I?”
“You know me.” Seungmin says, he looks better now too – dark circles under his eyes mostly gone, hair combed properly, “You know me by name. You said you owe me. You…” his brow creases, “I never told you Hyunjin’s name. I just said my best friend – but you asked if Hyunjin would be okay.”
“How’s he doing by the way?” Minho asks, completely blowing Seungmin’s question off. “Is he on his feet again yet?”
“They’re letting him walk with super vision, but he’s still hooked up to the machines – Wait fuck.” Seungmin groans, “Who are you? Seriously.”
“C’mon I thought you smarter than this, Kim Seungmo.” Minho teases, “You can make a couple guesses.”
Seungmin scoffs at the nickname, “You’re kind of a bigger asshole than Hyunjin describes you as, Lee Minho.”
“In what way!?” he cant help but to laugh, “I give you free coffee half the time.”
“I don’t know why,” Seungmin rolls his eyes, “Surely, you know I don’t need it.”
Minho hums, breaking eye contact and looking away, “I owe you.”
“For what?”
“Taking care of Hyunjin.” Minho can’t bring himself to look back at the younger boy. “I spend all my time worrying about him, but knowing he has you makes me feel a little better.”
“He’s my best friend of course I’m gonna be there for him.” Seungmin slumps back in his chair, “You don’t owe me anything.”
“I know.” Minho hums, “But until I can meet him. Thank you.”
“One more question.” Seungmin frowns, “Why the fuck were you in my dream last week?”
Minho can only laugh.
++
Minho is honestly too distracted by the IV stuck in Hyunjin’s arm to even notice that the hands shuffling the deck of cards between them are smaller than Seungmin’s. Minho’s too distracted taking Hyunjin in to notice anything other than the fact that the color in his soulmates cheeks is back and that he looks less tired.
It’s really not until the hospital room’s door swings open and Seungmin walks in that Minho realizes anything is different.
“Hey, you” Felix’s voice sounds out through the room, “We were thinking of playing go fish, you in?”
“Sure.” Seungmin grins, taking his place next to Hyunjin in the bed, while the older of them scooted over to make room. “I brought you guys stuff, though.”
“Oh?” Hyunjin grins, “What’s the occasion?”
“My barista keeps giving me things.” Seungmin shrugs, pulling out the boxes of cake that Minho had forced into Seungmin’s hands earlier that day. “He said one for the pretty friend in the hospital and one for the sweet friend that’s waiting for me.”
“You’ve got a weird barista.” Hyunjin laughs, taking the box offered.
Felix leans over the edge of the bed to take his, “I think it’s nice of him.”
“I think he’s trying to get me in trouble for smuggling food into a hospital.” Seungmin scoffs.
Changbin was right, Minho decides, there is an extra relief there now that he can see through Felix’s eyes now too.
++
When Hyunjin finally gets released from the hospital he keeps his head down and ignores all the whispers in the hallways about him. Minho wishes there was a better way for him to tell his soulmate he’s rooting for him. Things will get better eventually.
++
The school year goes by quickly – it’s Hyunjin’s last year in high school, Minho’s second in college. Not too much happens once things settle down from Hyunjin’s health scare.
Seungmin starts sitting with Minho in the library – they don’t talk too much, both focused on their studies but Minho finds that he quite likes the younger’s presence. It’s comforting and familiar. There’s some sort of unspoken agreement between them – they’re friends in a way. They’ll be closer once Hyunjin gets his claws into Minho.
++
Before Minho realizes, it’s already the start of a new year. Hyunjin has to drop dance momentarily – just until he’s fully recovered from… whatever happened to him. Minho never did get the full story on it.
Minho on the other hand was given an opportunity to not only TA for one of his dance classes but also teach lessons at one of the dance studios nearby instead of having to work at that damn coffee shop.
Which is where he meets Felix.
Minho would recognize that deep voice and freckles face anywhere. It sort of surprises him when he walks into his first day as an assistant instructor and sees someone he already knows. And there’s a line Minho knows he can’t cross while he’s teaching. But Felix is charming to everyone around him, and Minho finds himself laughing along when the younger boy makes a joke.
“Thank you for today!” Felix says, bowing to Minho on his way out.
“Good work, Yongbok.” Minho grins back, “You’ve got some talent.”
Felix pauses to look at Minho “Yongbok? Where’d you hear that?”
Minho’s fast to lie, “It’s on the class roster, sorry.” Minho knows Seungmin and Hyunjin only call him his Korean name when they’re playing around but it sticks in Minho’s head sometimes.
“No, it’s fine,” Felix raises his hands waving them a little “Just not a lot of people call me that.”
“It’s a good name.” Minho hums, “Like happiness, haengbok.”
“That’s what my best friends say.” Felix smiles. “Thanks again!”
++
The thing is – Minho can be very persuasive when he wants to be. To the point that most of the time no one even notices he’s doing anything.
Befriending Felix isn’t hard when the younger is already a social butterfly, and Minho tries to be charming. It really only takes a couple of questions thrown out in genuine curiosity to win Felix over. Besides, Minho can tell that Felix misses having Hyunjin around during classes.
Now, unlike Seungmin, Minho doesn’t really plan on telling Felix that Hyunjin is his soulmate. He doesn’t need to – Felix will ramble on and on about Hyunjin unprompted.
“Oh, but my friend – Hyunjinnie – He’s the type to talk about his soulmate all the time if you let him.” Felix tells him over dinner after dance class one day.
Minho snorts, “I’m like that too.”
“Are you?”
“Oh yeah,” Minho smirks, “If you get me started, I’ll talk your ear off about him.”
Felix’s eyes sparkle in interest, “Go for it.”
Minho fails at suppressing a smile, “My soulmate is – well, he’s quite literally my dream boy.” A giggle escapes from Felix across the table, “He’s lovely. He’s focused and passionate. He’s taught himself how to draw and paint and if he doesn’t know how to do something he’ll sign up for classes.” Minho sighs dreamily, “He’s the most gorgeous person I’ve ever seen.” He wonders if he and Felix are good enough friends to for Hyunjin to see him, either way he rests his chin in his palm and smiles, “I love him. I really do. I can’t wait to meet the idiot.”
“Your soulmate is lucky I think, to have someone like you already so in love.” Felix smiles.
Minho just shakes his head, “I’m the lucky one.”
++
Summer rolls around and Minho only goes home for a couple weeks. His job at the dance studio barely has enough instructors as is, let alone with the new classes added during the summer. So he has a busier summer than normal.
He makes sure he congratulates Felix on graduating high school when he sees him, makes sure he does the same when he runs into Seungmin a few days later. He also wishes Seungmin good luck with his baseball games this summer. Which makes the younger laugh a little.
Hyunjin throws himself into painting during the summer, since he can’t dance or swim yet – though he’s determined to get back into dancing by the winter. But besides that the younger spends his summers how he always does – and that in and of itself is a relief.
++
Hyunjin enrolls in the same college as him. Which is exciting, it means they’re one step closer to meeting, but it’s also a little terrifying. It could happen any day now, Minho knows, and the anticipation is constantly buzzing under his skin.
He keeps up his friendship with Felix, especially now that they’re peers – sharing a class even. And He and Seungmin keep their arrangement of studying together, sometimes eating lunch together too (Seungmin’s treat) if the occasion arises.
Minho’s in the quad, making his way towards the parking lot after his last class of the day, ready to go home to his new empty apartment, when he hears his name called, a loud “Minho! Over here!” from one of the tables a little ways away. When he looks, he’s greeted by Felix waving him over excitedly, with Seungmin staring at him with a raised brow.
Minho doesn’t even hesitate to pivot his steps to greet his friends instead, “Hey,”
“Minho this is my friend Seungmin-” Felix starts-
Seungmin holds a hand up though, interrupting the Australian, “Oh, we know each other, Lix.”
“You guys know each other?” a curious blink, “How?”
“I used to make him coffee before I started working at the studio.” Minho grins, knowing exactly what Seungmin is going to follow him up with.
“He’s the barista that kept asking me bazar questions every time I went in.” Seungmin accuses, “He also tried to get me in trouble for smuggling snacks into the hospital.”
“That was you?” Felix laughs, “What a small world.”
“Smaller than you’d think, huh Seungmo?” Minho teases.
Seungmin scoffs, “Sure, you could say that.”
“Do you wanna join us for lunch, Minho?” Felix asks, sitting back down at on the picnic table bench, “We’re just waiting for our other friend right now,”
“Hyunjin should be here soon,” Seungmin hums, looking up at Minho with mirth simmering in his eyes, “If you’d like to join us.”
Minho wonders if they can hear his heart start pounding in his chest. He certainly can. “I...”
“Oh! speak of the devil.” Felix says, waving his arm over his head again, “Hyunjin!”
Minho’s head whips around to see Hyunjin standing there on the other side of the quad, frozen in his spot wide eyes staring directly at Minho. He’s pretty sure his own face is sharing a similar star struck expression right now. The world stops for a moment, all sounds melting into background noise as they look at each other. And then, all at once, Hyunjin takes a step backwards before breaking out in a sprint in the opposite direction.
“He’s running away?!” Minho bursts out into a fit of giggles. “Dumbass.”
Of all the reactions he was expecting from Hyunjin, bolting wasn’t one of them. Seungmin’s laugh joins the mix of his own, along with poor Felix looking between them in confusion.
“Call him,” Minho requests, “let me talk to him.”
Seungmin’s still chuckling as he pulls out his phone and dials his best friend’s number – handing the phone over to the elder man easily.
It only takes two rings before Hyunjin picks up – “Seungmin, dude what the hell? I - what are you doing with-”
“Hwang Hyunjin.” Minho interrupts, smile playing at his lips, “Where on earth do you think you’re going?”
“Minho?” Hyunjin croaks. “I can explain – I just – I panicked. I wasn’t expecting you to be there and I just-”
“It’s okay.” Minho shakes his head in fond exasperation, “Just get your ass back here.”
Hyunjin hangs up on him immediately, and Minho rolls his eyes as he hands the phone back to Seungmin. “He should be on his way back.”
“Someone explain, please?” Felix pouts, wide eyes shifting between Seungmin and him.
“This is Hyunjin’s Minho, Lix.” Seungmin pats Felix on the shoulder. And that’s the whole explanation Minho really pays attention to, eagerly turning around to wait for his soulmate to come back.
What Minho doesn’t anticipate is Hyunjin to still be sprinting – this time only in his direction. He barely has time to realize what’s happening before he has an armful of soulmate knocking both of them to the ground.
A loud ‘oof’ escapes him as they hit the concrete but he’s much more focused on the feeling of Hyunjin’s arms wrapping around his shoulders. He’s much more focused on holding Hyunjin around the waist and pulling him in closer. He’s not sure if he’s the one trembling or if it’s Hyunjin – either way he buries his face in the crook of Hyunjin’s neck, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply.
Hyunjin smells like roses and vanilla and home.
A dry sob forces itself out of Minho’s throat and he can only hope it sounds like a laugh.
He’s been waiting for this forever. Longer than anyone else present. Hell, he doesn’t even care that the whole quad is probably looking at them – the world could be broadcasting this, and Minho would still only care about Hyunjin finally being in his arms.
Minho doesn’t know how long they’re there for, at some point there’s a pat on his shoulder from who he assumes is Seungmin telling them that he and Felix are leaving. Minho doesn’t move though, he’s not sure if Hyunjin does either. Eventually though, Minho does shift – not away from Hyunjin – just to look at him.
“Hyunjinnie.” He murmurs, “Hyunjinnie look at me for a second?”
Hyunjin shakes his head, burring his face deeper into Minho’s shoulder.
“Why not?”
“’M crying.” Hyunjin mumbles, his voice muffled by Minho’s T-shirt. “Ugly crier.”
Minho’s sure his chest shakes with the silent laugh escaping him, “I’ve seen you cry, you’re not.”
There’s a pause and Hyunjin audibly swallows down whatever nerves he has, “I’m scared.”
“Of me?”
“I’m scared that if I move, you’ll disappear.” Hyunjin admits, “That this is just a really vivid dream – that this isn’t real. I don’t want you to leave me.”
“I would never.” Minho smiles to himself, “I’m real, this is real. Hyunjin, look at me. Let me see you.”
Hyunjin takes a deep breath before slowly pulling back just a few inches, just enough for them to look at each other.
Immediately, Minho is taken back to his very first soulmate dream on the night of his sixteenth birthday. Tear streaks running down Hyunjin’s beautiful cheeks, a weak little wobble to his bottom lip. This is his soulmate.
“Oh, my Hyunjinnie.” Minho coos, bringing his hand up to wipe a tear away, “Hi.”
“Hi,” Hyunjin laughs a little wetly, “You’re gorgeous,”
“I was gonna say the same about you.”
--
“Sorry it’s still pretty empty.” Minho says, fiddling with his keys as he lets Hyunjin into his new apartment, “I just moved in so I haven’t gotten to do much yet.”
“I haven’t seen any of this.” Hyunjin almost sounds in awe as he looks around the place – white blank walls, couch, a little coffee table, and old TV that he took with him when he moved from the dorms being the only thing visible from the doorway.
“I didn’t really have anyone help me move in.” Minho shrugs, “Something to drink?”
“Yes please.”
Hyunjin follows him into the kitchen, where Minho pulls a cold soda from the fridge for his soulmate. He grabs one for himself before he motions for them to go sit on the couch to talk.
Where are they supposed to start? Minho never actually thought this far ahead.
“Minho,” Hyunjin shifts in his spot, setting his drink down on the coaster next to the one Minho’s own drink is sitting, “Can I…?”
Minho doesn’t know what Hyunjin’s asking for, but he finds himself nodding “Whatever you want.”
Hyunjin lets out a breath before swinging a leg over Minho legs and settles himself in his lap. His hands resting against Minho’s chest.
“Hi,” Hyunjin grins, forehead pressed against Minho’s.
Minho swallows, “Hi,” he breathes out, his eyes half lidded – hands settling on Hyunjin’s hips.
And then there’s a tentative little peck to his lips, just to test the reaction they have. Minho feels like a fire’s been lit inside of him though – ‘fireworks’ being the way media describes it doesn’t even cover it. That first little kiss was the best thing Minho’s ever felt and he wants, - needs – more. Without thinking Minho leans forward to capture Hyunjin’s lips in a proper kiss, a firmer press turning into a gently slide of lips. Hyunjin makes a little happy sounding noise in the back of his throat when Minho licks into his mouth. They stay like that for who know how long, just lazily making out before Hyunjin pulls back to catch his breath – a satisfied smile playing at his lips when Minho looks at him, dazed.
“Can I stay here tonight?” Hyunjin asks.
“God,” Minho exhales, slowly “You can stay forever.”
It earns him a laugh, and another quick peck on the lips.
++
“I cant believe I’m soulmates with a guy that doesn’t even have a bedframe.” Hyunjin teases, pulling the comforter over his legs. Borrowed pajamas just a little too big on his frame.
“Do you wanna help me pick one out?” Minho offers, “We’ll be sharing it soon enough anyways, might as well have a say.”
Hyunjin throws his head back laughing, “You move fast, Lee Minho.”
“I’ve been in love with you for years.” it’s a statement, not joking at all despite the light tone. “As soon as you’re ready to move out of your parent's place, I’m ready to take you in.”
“I love you,” Hyunjin smiles, reaching out to hold Minho’s hand, “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Being my soulmate.”
“I’m happy that you’re mine too. My soulmate. My Hyunjin.”