「 only the rain 」 • TAKA

「 s e v e n 」

"Could've been my child."

Taka feels like he's one step away from a landmine. He only went back to the bar to ask about the girl with the Daito tattoo. He didn't anticipate the family drama that he was hearing. Although it isn't bad to listen because Jin is sharing it, Taka feels like he's imposing nonetheless.

It should be the other way around. With the customer drinking and spilling to the bartender the story of his life. But Taka doesn't mind. He doesn't because he could sympathize with Jin. He believes that befriending the bartender would lead him to the girl. The girl who's seventeen damnit. Taka swears inwardly and angrily gulps his beer. The night can't get any bitter than this.

"Was Sansa... your soulmate?" Taka asks slowly and then he hears a sigh.

"Ike." Jin turns around and Taka looks at him weirdly. He is stunned with the current events because Jin is suddenly kicking him out. "Ike. Ike dayo." (Get out. Get out. I said get out.)

Shit, wrong move. Too personal. Taka thinks as he finally realizes that he crossed the line with his question.

"I'm sorry." He mutters and starts to fish his pockets for his wallet.

"That was her first words to me." Jin adds and Taka's hands freeze in their search for his wallet.

"Oh." He places his palms back onto the bar counter after the revelation. I thought you were kicking me out.

"My soulmark." Jin explains, tapping his left chest, where his heart is--where ike dayo is surely written in dark ink.

"What was hers then?" Taka's head lolls to the side in curiosity.

"Do you speak English? I have a question." Jin answers and taps on the fourth finger of his left hand.

Taka smirks at that because he thinks that Jin was probably trying to impress Sansa by speaking in English.

"We were in the same university. She was the famous cheerleader type, every guy had a crush on her. I did too. The first time I met her it was by accident." Jin chuckles. "I entered the wrong shower room you see."

"Ahh." Taka laughs along. "So that's why it's get out."

"Yes. I didn't have any idea what it meant until a soap bar was thrown at my face and she was literally kicking me out." Jin smiles fondly at the memory.

"That's cool, how you asked her if she speaks English." Taka says with a chuckle but quiets down when Jin doesn't respond as expected.

"My first words to her were Sansa-san gomenasai."

"But you said her soulmark--"

"I'm not her soulmate."

"What?"

"Petyr is."

"Who?"

"The girl's father."

"How?"

"Petyr is an American. He met Sansa here in this bar." Jin says impassively and Taka is left with a mouth hanging open.

"Then..." He mutters looking at Jin and holding onto his mug loosely.

"Yes, but before you ask try our beer first." Jin continues. "Is what's written on the fourth finger of his left hand."

"And that was Sansa's first words to him?" Taka tries to clarify.

"Indeed."

"What about you?" What a mess, is what Taka really wanted to say.

He's never heard of a soulmate being nonexclusive to a person before. Never even thought that it would be possible to share their soulmate. Taka thinks that he and Jin are alike in a way. Unusual cases of a soulmate being late and another not completely his. He's not sure if this is fate bringing them as if to mock their circumstances, but he is certain that the beer has something to do with it.

Yes, blame the beer and not this goddamned soulfate or whatever this shit is.Taka reckons viciously and chugs his beer.

"What about me? I attended their wedding. Sometimes babysat for Sansa. Even took the kid to this place once when Petyr said it's alright. But six years into their marriage Sansa she... she fell out of love for him. For the girl. And then Petyr..." Jin paused.

Taka waited eagerly.

"Petyr got so heartbroken because not only did Sansa reject him. She did their daughter too."

"What?" Taka stares at Jin in shock. "Her own child? Why? How could she?"

"I don't know." Jin closes his eyes resignedly, shaking his head softly.

Taka only looked stunned, speechless at such irresponsibility and dispassion of the girl's mother.

"I feel sorry for Petyr. More so than I do Sansa." Jin says wearily with a sigh. His shoulders are finally slumped, as if he's lost a battle. "That girl isn't at fault but she thinks she is. Now she's looking for her mother. Petyr must have sent her here."

"She'll be back then?" Taka asks hopefully and Jin takes a long time to study him.

"What do you need her for?" He asks sternly and Taka's left hand flies to his right shoulder.

The vocalist traces the words on his skin, staring at his beer mug with a bare expression as if he's only lived innocently his whole life.

Jin sees longing, fear, uncertainty, and somewhat joy in Taka's face, and also how the younger man's fingers immediately ghost over his unique soulmark. Jin wonders what the mark's color meant. An ice white soulmark the same as the girl's, an age gap he's not sure by how much, so he asks again before Taka can answer his first question.

"How old are you?"

Taka's eyes jump to his immediately and Jin sees the panic in the vocalist's mind. He raises a hand placatingly to ease Taka's mind.

"I'm not gonna judge you. She could've been my child but you are her soulmate. There's nothing I could do to get you away from her. Even if I feel responsible for her while she's here, I will not question the marks and their paths." Jin says kindly. He discreetly eyes Taka's soulmark with pity and smiles forlornly at it.

"Now, how old are you?"

It takes a while before Taka answers but when he does Jin amazingly beats him to it.

"Twenty-nine?"

"How did you..." Taka mumbles, eyes wide in astonishment.

"You forget. I'm a bartender. I'm supposed to know who's seventeen and twenty-nine. I don't serve minors." Jin smiles cheekily and Taka nods, amazed.

"Twelve years isn't much, I think..." Jin tells him and Taka cringes.

"Please don't remind me." He takes a long swig of his beer.

"She'll be back tomorrow." The bartender says with a serious expression and with all the mugs he's had, Taka sobers up immediately.

"I want to know her." He says and Jin nods.

"Then tell me what it means if you ever find out. Tell me why they're white and why she's only seventeen." The bartender says and Taka resists ordering for another mug to wash that 17 down his throat.

He resolves to come back the next day and fishes for his wallet. He pulls on every pocket in his person but the leather fold is nowhere on him.

"Shit." Taka curses and turns to Jin with a shy smile. "I think I... my wallet... I forgot it."

Jin laughs heartily and flashes Taka a grin. "You'll be back tomorrow. Don't worry about it!"

Taka grins back and bows low in gratitude.