The problem with Jeongguk is that he's too complacent.

After that one fateful night Lisa's studio, he hasn't had any chance to tell her what he truly wants to happen. Scratch that--he had many chances, most of which he chose to ignore because what the hell, there's always going to be a next time, right? It's not like the days would run out. Jeongguk would still be able to see Lisa tomorrow, and if not tomorrow, then the next day, and if not, then there's still a bunch of days to come.

He can still tell her then, but for now, he tries to bask in the attention she gives him, and enjoys.

Little did he know that when you hold something at bay, it'll only grow stronger as the days go on.

The signs start appearing two weeks later, when both the rock star and the pop star were in the former's apartment, covered in junk food and other nasty food that his nutritionist would fuss over if he found out. Paint this image, if you may: Jeongguk is laying on the long couch with a huge container of cheesy Pringles on his arm and Lisa's in her room, fetching her laptop for another of their Netflix horror nights.

Very normal, very them-ish, very okay.

But then in the midst of chewing on another chip, the song on Lisa's speaker comes to its end and silence abruptly covers the entire apartment. Jeongguk takes it to himself to stand up and go to her phone, instantly typing in the password that she'd given to him to head to her Spotify.

"Hey, Noobs, is it okay if I change the playlist?" He asks, scrolling through her library in search for some good playlist titles. Never judge a playlist by its name they say, but hey, this is JK. He takes his music seriously.

There were titles called Leo's Lullaby, destresso, inspo, rainy days, and a few corny ones named songs to listen to when im high and lisa's jams that he can't help but snort. Lisa's playlist would definitely pale in comparison to his, he thinks.

A muffled yes comes from the bedroom not long after, so he situates himself on the floor and scrolls even further.

Only to stop when he sees a playlist with his name as the title--Jeongguk with a ♡ at the end. The playlist picture is a stolen photo of him taken by her a few days ago, back in a 7/11 convenience store while they were picking out ramen cups.

Huh.

It's curiosity that drives him to click the playlist, and before he can even read the song titles, footsteps were already padding from behind him.

Quickly, he exits and clicks another playlist, playing a random song on shuffle.

Jeongguk's startlement must've shown on his face because Lisa makes a small noise when she finally looks at him. "Hey, you okay?" She muses as soon as he stands up from the speakers. She lounges lazily on the bean bag by the TV, Lily in her lap.

He plays it off as if he wasn't just snooping around her account. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just traumatized; your playlists are so fucking boring."

She retaliates by throwing the remote towards his direction.

Jeongguk tries to forget about it, he really did. But as the rest of the night went on, he couldn't stop thinking about what was in that playlist, and why was his name on it.

One thing about Lisa is that she never calls; always opts for text messages just because she claims it's time consuming to waste your energy over something so simple. So, when she calls one night later, Jeongguk's both startled and weirded out.

"What's up?" He asks, voice thick with sleep and exhaustion. The earlier practice had taken a toll on his body now, and he wants nothing more than stay in bed for a week or so.

Silence crackles from the other line, but eventually Lisa speaks. "Oh, you were asleep," she realizes. Jeongguk blinks lazily at his clock: 2:59AM. "It's fine, don't mind me, I just thought-- well, never mind. Sleep well, Gguk-ah."

"No, no, it's fine. What is it?" He rubs his eyes to remove the sleep from them and sits up.

"I just wanted to tell you something but..." The other line turns quiet. Jeongguk blinks sleepily, waiting, but Lisa finally says, "I forgot about it, sorry. Um, you can go back to sleep now. I'm sorry for bothering you."

Jeongguk, still exhausted, nods to himself even though she can't see it. If he's fully awake and aware, he would've heard how nervous Lisa sounds. "Okay then. Goodnight, Noobs."

"Goodnight, Gguk."

The call ends.

It's 9:45 in the evening. Seoul's streets are dripping with rain water, and the droplets of the incoming storm are pounding against the bus' roof. It's packed, Jeongguk sighs as the back of a man's jeans rubs his arm for the third time that night.

Beside him, Lisa sits by the window, her head laying against his shoulder. It's been a tired day--recordings in the morning and dance rehearsals in the afternoon--but they managed to insert a small dinner together in the midst of their schedule to make up for lost time.

He decides to find a distraction, so his eyes roam around the bus until it lands on the small TV above the driver's seat. There's a drama playing of some kind, one he doesn't know, but he tries to watch out of boredom. It's something about an unrequited love that's honestly too cheesy, but whatever. It'll work.

Just as it reaches the climax though, it stops and the advertisement starts playing. He almost looks away, until the current commercial catches his eyes.

It's a Song Jinwoo commercial.

Seeing his face brings a seething feeling in him, and he couldn't help but clench his teeth as his ex exclaims a punchline about an aloe vera oil. His tension must've been pretty obvious, because soon Lisa engulfs his hand in hers and shakes it to get his attention.

"Hey," she whispers through her face mask. Jeongguk hums, eyes leaving the small TV. "You okay?"

"Yeah," he lies. Lisa doesn't seem convinced, she gives the TV a quick glance and frowns, but that doesn't stop her from patting his head affectionately.

Jeongguk leans into the touch and instantly, all the thoughts of his ex disappears to the back of his mind.

Later, when they're both at their stop in Yongsan, a light rain pouring down on them, Lisa turns to him and asks, "You want me to fight him for you?"

Jeongguk's bubble breaks a little bit, and he finds himself letting out a surprised laugh. "He's like, six feet tall."

"I have long legs," she boasts, doing poor attempts of Taekwondo kicks. It's totally embarrassing, considering there were people giving her scandalized looks, but she clearly doesn't care as she pretends to do a roundhouse kick and almost falls on her face. "I also know boxing, for your information."

"You only took one class."

"That counts!" She argues, brows creasing. Underneath his mask, Jeongguk's grin widens.

He waves her off with a fond smile in his face and soon enough, the lights of a taxi comes into view. Lisa huffs, almost unwilling to part from him, but opens the cab door when it stops in front of the shed.

They mutter their goodbyes with a ruffle on the hair, much to Lisa's annoyance. Before she gets into the car fully, she looks at him and calls out his name.

He raises his head from his phone. He sees Lisa standing by the open cab door, her other feet already inside. "Yes?"

"If he ever bothers you again, call me, yeah?"

Jeongguk feels warm, but he doesn't know why. Lisa looks at him expectantly, so he nods, a smile blooming in his face. "Will do."

At some point in their relationship, things have flowed so smoothy that Jeongguk finds himself wondering when did their skinship become so natural. Touching each other without even thinking about it is the norm now, but Jeongguk likes to think that it's just another of their soulmate voodoo bull.

Whenever they meet at Lisa's apartment, the rock star always greets him with a hug and he reciprocates by nuzzling his face into her neck. When they ride on the usual commute, they lay on each other's shoulders and hold hands. When they eat out in public, they make sure to sit side by side with their shoulders touching.

Lisa doesn't say anything about it, so he doesn't deem it as a necessary topic until Taehyung teases him about it one Sunday night, claiming he has proof of his act of "adultery."

"Yah, how do you even know those things?" Jeongguk exclaims after the older came barging in with a grin on his face. "And it isn't even adultery, hyung. We're just friends. Friends touch."

Taehyung wriggles his brows teasingly. "I have eyes everywhere, Gguk-ah. It seems like you two are getting comfortable, huh?"

He sighs and continues to slice his crispy prawn sandwich. "Sure. Believe in what you believe in, hyung. I'll stay out of your way."

Before he can even head to his room, Taehyung has successfully blocked his way and practically shoves his phone to his face, showing a picture.

"This was sent to me by Jisoo the other day," he explains proudly. "Apparently, Lisa finally introduced you to her unnies, and you guys had a crime documentary marathon right after. That's just so sweet, you know I never--"

His words die down in his ears as he stares at the picture. It's a photograph of him and Lisa, all snuggled together in the midst of her couch. He had his arms around her small frame, and her face was hidden in the crook of his neck. Their legs were tangled and everything was a mess, but the photo makes Jeongguk's heart go tight in a way that feels... good. Really good.

In fact, he still remember this particular night. Lisa had insisted to let him meet her members, saying it was like meeting the family or something, probably a joke. It wasn't anything major to Jeongguk anyway--at least, he likes to think so.

However he'd been nervous hours before the said dinner, constantly checking his hair and spraying on perfume until he nearly choked. Now that he thinks about it, it was ridiculous since they've already met during previous award shows, but he'd been so hellbent on making a good impression that he even took the time to cook one of the dishes for them.

In the end, it turned out to be a fruitful dinner. Chaeyoung was nice, she's sweet and had horrible jokes up her ass that Jeongguk found funny. Jennie was the quiet one, shy, but then not so shy when he busted out his Netflix addiction and they both shared a short conversation about Stranger Things.

Jisoo, on the other hand... she's kind and all, has a great sense of humor and an underlying wisdom that was tend to be overlooked, but there was something that she said that stuck with him for the rest of the night.

("Lisa hasn't opened her heart to anyone for a long time," she said, sipping on her wine while her eyes flitted towards the other three. "But now... well, I'm glad it's you she chose. I just hope you won't hurt her.")

Jeongguk had replied something assuring, but up until now he doesn't get the implication. What does she mean by Lisa choosing him? What did she choose him for? Why him?

(Deep deep deep inside him, though, he knows. Jeongguk just isn't sure what it meant for the both of them.)

It wasn't even planned, but when the three left, Lisa had suggested for them to watch a movie and brought out her comfiest blankets and pillows. They were both quiet during the documentary, immersed on how the case unfolded, but somehow they managed to worm closer together until Jeongguk's arms were around Lisa's neck, his head atop the crown of her head, and Lisa's arms circled around his waist.

It all had happened so naturally that he didn't even mind it, snuggling even closer until there were no space in between them.

(At one point, though, he thinks Lisa even dropped a quick kiss on his neck.)

The longer Jeongguk stares at the picture, the longer the pleasant feeling travelling in his body spreads. He finds the corners of his lips curling upwards slightly, remembering how tight Lisa clutched his shirt that night, or how it felt having her in his arms, all warm and soft and beautiful.

"--hey? Earth to Jeongguk? Are you okay?"

Jeongguk blinks, the voice interrupting his train of thoughts. He looks up to see Taehyung looking at him with concern, and he shakes his head. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just had a lot in my mind."

Taehyung grins, putting his phone back in his pocket. "Damn, you look out of it. Tell me, are you two in a relationship now? Is she your girlfriend?"

He sputters. "What are you talking about?"

"It's pretty obvious you guys have something going on. Besides all the soulmate shit, you're actually cute together."

The words feel like a harsh wake up call. As Taehyung walks away with a triumphant laugh, Jeongguk gathers his thoughts. Maybe things have gone so far than what they're supposed to. Jeongguk hasn't been careful these days, and he mentally scolds himself for forgetting what he's supposed to be doing.

Lightly slapping his cheeks, he forces himself to be calm and just breathe.

He needs to tell her before it becomes too late.

Jeongguk doesn't usually take naps in somebody else's home unless he's exhausted or he's forgotten. In this case, it's the former. He'd just arrived at Lisa's apartment after recording for a new song feature, and his entire system is sluggish as he situates himself to another romcom movie by the couch, Lisa snuggling right next to him.

His mind is fuzzy and his eyes are blurring, so the last thing he remembers is the intro of the movie segueing to the first scene, and then blackness.

He isn't sure what happened, but the next thing he knows he's waking up from a deep slumber and his head is aching. He raises his head to see that he's already lying down the sofa, body curled sideways. It's dark except for the illumination of the laptop, the movie still playing and the shadows dancing on the walls.

Craning his head, he checks to see where Lisa has gone. She isn't around, but his question is answered a bit later when he hears footsteps from the bedroom followed by insistent meows.

Call it an instinct, but he pretends to be asleep as she nears him.

"Calm down, Leo," she's fussing, but it's barely a whisper. "I'll give you your milk, but we've got to let Jeonggukie sleep comfortably, yeah?"

As a response, Leo meows.

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You don't like him, but I do."

He almost snorts. People really say the funniest things while talking to their cats.

Not long after, he feels something warm and heavy drape across his body. Lisa adjusts it for a bit until it covers every inch of his skin, and then with the most careful of touches, she lifts his head to place a pillow under it, making sure it's all fluffed up and cozy.

Resisting the urge to open his eyes, he struggles to keep them close as Lisa's hand moves to ruffle his hair gently, slightly tugging at the strands, and then suddenly, something soft is pressing on his forehead.

It's quick, but Jeongguk's mind blanks for a second.

His heart quickens its pace when it sinks in that it was her lips--she just kissed his forehead, and it left him feeling breathless. Jeongguk has no problem with intimate touches at all, what with his arrangement with Hwayoung, but the innocent gesture makes him feel suddenly sweaty and his chest hurts just a small bit.

(With everything that's been going on, he doesn't even know what to do anymore honestly.)

He finally opens his eyes when the footsteps fade away, and he sees that Lisa has placed her favorite blanket around him--a plaid beige that she liked to snuggle into whenever they watch movies. She has also tucked him in so nicely that he feels all sorts of warm and comfy.

Jeongguk lifts himself up on his elbows to stare at the hallway leading to Lisa's doors, wondering if he should go in to tell her he'd leave, or that he'd stay for the night.

He doesn't do either, though.

The movie is still playing, the actors are still saying their dialogues, but Jeongguk finds that he can't even hear what they're saying over the fast-paced beating of his heart.

A person's bedroom represents their intimate self. It's their safe space; the place where the can feel like themselves and not feel an ounce of judgement from anyone.

Lisa's bedroom screams of her. There's no distinct theme to it; it's honestly just a clash of various colors that you can't expect to mix well, and somehow the combination actually looks good. It's neat enough that it shows she takes care of the space, but messy enough to show that she lets her creativity roam free.

There's a queen sized bed in the middle with beige sheets and several Disney plushies, and next to it is a lamp that according to her, doesn't work anymore. Nearby the bed is a desk with stacks of papers and notebooks on top, with a music sheet filled halfway through. And of course, there's music instruments everywhere.

Jeongguk smiles at the sight, remembering the time when she taught him how to play the guitar.

"Hey, you wanna sit down?"

He turns to see Lisa making herself comfortable by the bed, patting the space next to her. On the outside, everything seems fine, but Jeongguk has an odd feeling in his gut. There's something wrong with how she carries herself today, he notices. She's usually bubbly, always smiling and teasing, but now, she seems down, looking nervous and fidgeting constantly.

Jeongguk ignores it. Maybe she isn't feeling too well. We all have our bad days, after all.

"Sure," he says and sits at the spot next to her. "What's up?"

He expects her to reach out for him or card her fingers in his hair, but nothing comes. Now he knows that something is definitely wrong. The atmosphere seems heavier now that they're face to face, and he doesn't like it one bit.

Earlier, Lisa had brought him here as soon as he came in because they apparently had something private to discuss. It's just the two of them in her apartment, though, he didn't get why they had to do it in the bedroom.

"Um," she begins. "I know this isn't the right time and place, but... I just feel like I need to let this out before I burst."

He raises a brow at the choice of words. Burst. "Hmm, okay. What is it about?" When she doesn't reply, he scoots closer, a frown marring his face. "Hey, are you okay? Are you feeling well?"

"No, no! I'm fine, it's just, I... um." Lisa looks at anywhere but him, still in that nervous state, and it's starting to claw at his curiosity. "I just... fuck."

"You good?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's fine. Just a bit scared, that's all," she clarifies, waving a shaky hand around. There's a forced smile on her face, and Jeongguk thinks he doesn't like seeing her like that. What's making her act like this? "Jeongguk, you... do you wanna see my tattoo?"

Now this makes him widen his eyes. "You have a tattoo?"

"No, uh, it's my soulmate tattoo," she adds, the tips of her ears red. "Our soulmate tattoo."

Oh.

Our soulmate tattoo.

He realizes he's never actually seen it before; it's always hidden underneath layers of clothing. He supposes it's fair, since he hasn't shown his either.