There were various points in Jeongguk's life where he was thankful that the concept of soulmates exists.

For example, when he was on the verge of a breakup with his too clingy ex. They were arguing in a tteokbokki stall in Myeongdong out of all places. His ex boyfriend was almost screaming his lungs out about a washing machine, when suddenly a bystander accidentally taps the black mark on his arm and it just... disappeared.

That got his ex to stop talking.

Long story short, they broke up. The person who tapped him was actually his soulmate, voila! Talk about an easy break up. Jeongguk knows its inappropriate to talk shit about other people, but damn was he thankful that his ex found his soulmate that day or else he'd have a broken arm and a sore dick today.

Another: when he was lining up for a Mojito and Weed flavored doughnut in Los Angeles. That shit was as rare as a Pikachu Illustrator Card, so three hours before POP's concert, he dragged his ass to the said doughnut shop and went in line for at least ten minutes.

The people in front of him was a couple, soulmates, he thought, and when it was their turn, he overheard them order two pieces of the Mojito doughnut. Cashier said only one was available, couple was insistent, cashier was firm, couple got mad and left, and yay, Jeongguk got the last remaining doughnut.

The power of love.

But right now, as he's shaking and burning up in the backseat of their van, well... he's not feeling so thankful.

It's been half an hour since they left the venue, and it's been several minutes since he realized that Lalisa is his soulmate. That spoiled, arrogant, boob-toucher rockstar. Jesus.

He'd honestly be fine with anyone, really. He doesn't care about gender, looks, social status, coffee preferences, if they put milk first before cereal, if they like raisins or not, he's okay with it. He'll accept them for who they are. But Lalisa Manoban? Hell no. Not over his dead body.

Jeongguk tries to contain his apparent shaking by hugging himself a little tighter. Inside the van, the air conditioning feels like it's maximized even more that his teeth is a breath's away from chattering. The jacket that he has on is definitely not helping his case, so he tries to make himself smaller and ducks in further into the corner.

But then, if you've been living with the same seven guys for almost a decade now, you know each other better than you do yourselves.

"Gguk-ah, are you okay?" It's Seokjin who notices this, of course. A concerned look makes its way to his face as his ever so keen eyes scan him. "You're shivering."

"I'm not," he answers, but his voice only comes out as breathless and weak.

Seokjin's frown deepens and he takes it to himself to place the back of his hand on the youngest's forehead. He immediately hisses as soon as he comes in contact, causing the other members to fix their attention on them.

"Jesus, Gguk, you're burning!" He exclaims. Jeongguk doesn't try to suppress the shaking anymore, and just lets himself be. "What happened?"

"N-nothing..." he says, but another wave of chill hits him again. His chest keeps on constricting, longing for his heart's other half, but he takes deep breaths to help reel them in. "J-j-just... just fine."

"When I came to get you, you weren't like this. Was it something you ate? Something you drank?" Seokjin keeps on prodding. Jeongguk could barely hear the other members over the sound of his thudding heart, so he only shakes his head.

Denying it further would cause even more pain, he knows. As much as he doesn't want to let his members know that his soulmate is Lisa, he'd rather choose to reveal that fact now or else his condition will be even worse.

So, with a broken voice, he says, "Soul-soulmate. I m-met her."

Seokjin mutters a curse under his breath and the youngest feels a pair of hands brushing away his fringe, the palms resting on his cheeks. "Gguk, by any chance, do you know who they might be? Any way we can contact them? Just so I can set up a meeting for you two."

His mind, hazy and unclear, answers without thinking. "La... Lalisa. Lalisa. It's--" Another round of shivers, "it's Lalisa."

He doesn't know what happens next, but he remembers the eldest barking orders to Taehyung about contacting Jisoo, and then he blacks out.

While he sleeps, he dreams of nothing. Just unadulterated darkness. Unending, a void.

It's the same darkness the pulls him awake, and as soon as Jeongguk opens his eyes, he is greeted by an unfamiliar apartment. Shades of lovsal and velvet splattered the walls, furnitures made of light wood decorated the vanity. He squints his eyes slightly at the change and wonders where the hell he is.

Last time he checked, his friend with benefits doesn't live in an apartment like this...

The pop star finally stretches his worn out limbs until he catches sight of a movement from right beside him. He instantly follows it, only to see the face of a grinning Lalisa right next to him.

"Surprise?"

Jeongguk tries not to double over in shock (he still has an image to keep, please understand him), so all he does just to stop himself from jumping in surprise is dart his right hand forward. He doesn't register what he's doing when he feels something soft gathered in his palm.

"Jeon," Lalisa mutter softly. Jeongguk looks at her with a frown. "You're squeezing my tit."

Repulsed, he takes his hand away in a heartbeat and wipes it on the blankets.

So much for his reputation.

"Is touching tits your usual habit or it's just your inner pervert--"

"I'm not a pervert!" He retaliates with a disgusted face. Realizing he's laying down too close to the girl, he jumps back to put a distance between them. "Why am I here?"

Lisa scoffs and raises a brow. "What do you think?"

"Did you take me from my members?"

Now it's her turn to look disgusted. "Please. Why would I even take the likes of you? No offense, pretty boy, but you're not my type of person."

Ouch. Trying to hide his bruised ego, he masks it with a stoic face. "Whatever. Answer me, why am I here?"

The woman gives him a stare before laying back down and stares at the ceiling. "Do you really not remember?"

"Remember what?"

"What happened."

"Why? What happened?"

"Oh my gods. You're so-- God." She groans, "The soul mark? The tattoo? The pain and all that shmaz? That time when you hit my boob? Hello?" She does a few gestures that Jeongguk couldn't quite comprehend, but he gets the message otherwise. "It's only been several hours. It's not that long."

Crap, right. Soulmates. Lalisa is his soulmate.

Ah. Here we go again.

"Oh, God. That." That explains why the pain is gone. His chest feels lighter this time around, breaths steady and eyes sharp. Thank Zeus for this, but his mind is currently overwhelmed at the sudden reminder. He needs a distraction--like, right now. "Anyway, it's been cool so, I think I need to leave."

He stands up to grab his discarded jacket by the floor and shrugs it on. Jeongguk knows there's no need to hurry, but his feet is itching to leave and go somewhere else where Lisa isn't.

Lisa makes a distinct noise and sits up straight. "Leave? Why?"

"I just don't feel like staying here any longer," Jeongguk admits and fixes his shirt. In the process, he feels his hands shaking, but it isn't because of the cold. "I mean, yeah, we're soulmates, but I don't feel like there's a need for us to be together all the time."

"I know that but the pain--"

"I can handle it. Don't worry." His words come out as fast and slurred, but he gives her a dismissive wave. He wants to be anywhere but here. "If you have nothing to say, then I think I should go."

He doesn't bother giving her another glance as he rushes out of her room, searching for the exit without stopping to take a breather. He thinks he hears Lisa calling out his name one last time, but he pushes the thought away as he takes out his phone and dials a well-known number.

"Hey," he greets as soon as she picks up. From the phone speakers, he can hear the faint thrum of bass and an incomprehensible singing of some hiphop singer. "Where are you?"

"Hi!" She greets back, practically screaming on the phone. "I'm in some club, I think. I don't know where, but I'm here! Why?"

"I'm in need of a distraction," he mumbles as he enters the elevator. A barely there ache ignites in the bottom of his heart, but he ignores it. It'll pass away, anyway. "Are you available?"

She doesn't speak for a while, but eventually she replies, "Okay. I'll message you the address. See you soon?"

A wave of relief washes over him. "Alright. See you."

Later that night, as Jeongguk lays naked in a crappy motel room bed with her in his arms, everything feels entirely wrong.

♡ did you know? once you are able to

interact with your soulmate for the

first time, your hearts immediately try to reunite with one another by matching each other's heart beats. your soulmate must stay close to you for several hours just for this reason. however, if you separate from them, an immense pain will overtake your body. the pain can only be cured once you're with them again. love, love, love!

: sooo what do we think abt jk? 🤔

also i update every 6 days!! next update would be june 30th hehehe