Sōrumeito (Soulmate #2)

Day 2: Shibuya

Quickly checking my phone, I saw that he hadn't called or left any messages yet. Maybe he was still finishing up some things in Roppongi.

Should I cancel? But I shouldn't hold this off if he was for sure going to be my backup plan. I needed to talk to him as soon as possible.

It was almost time to call it a night with Jin Yeong, anyway. I'd go to Roppongi after I showed him the crossing.

"Offered to what?" he urged, when I didn't continue.

I blinked as I looked up at his expectant face, coming out from my reverie. "Ah, right." I put my phone back inside my pocket, before answering in a casual tone, "He proposed to me."

His eyes turned into saucers, clearly not expecting that.

"If I agreed to it, we'd elope," I explained, turning my eyes to the neon lights ahead. "Papa will have no choice but to call off the wedding he was forcing me into."

Jin Yeong's pace slowed until he was behind me. I faintly noticed because I was too caught up in thinking about what my future would be and what would happen if Mikihito and I ended up going through with it.

I raised my head and looked at the starless night sky. "No harm will come to Mikihito-kun because he's from one of the main clans."

"Do you love him?"

"No," I answered quietly. "But at least it'll be my choice, and I know him enough to be sure that he'll be by my side no matter what. That's the best I could hope for at this point."

I could learn to love him. Mikihito was hard not to like, after all.

Neon lights grew brighter within my vision, making me look towards it. A soft smile made its way to my lips as Asia's version of the Times Square came into view.

"We're here," I declared, beaming at Jin Yeong.

I glanced back at the red stop sign, waiting for it to turn green.

Three bars...

Two bars...

One bar...

The moment it turned green, the sea of people started walking from every distance. I waved for Jin Yeong to follow me.

"Ikko, Jin Ye –" Let's go, Jin Ye –

A warm hand grabbed my arm to stop me. I turned to face him, and saw that he had a crease on his forehead. It was as if he was fighting with himself, like he couldn't decide on something.

"Jin Yeong?"

When his eyes locked with mine, my heartbeat went crazy fast. His gaze was intense like earlier, and I couldn't look away. He looked different. He looked determined. He looked... predatory.

And just like that, something inside him snapped. He pulled me closer to him, cradling my neck with his free hand and then he... kissed me.

In the middle of a rushing crowd, I felt time slow down.

The wave of bodies ceased to exist.

As my eyes closed, I felt myself...

...melting...

...giving in...

...falling...

His lips were softer from what I remembered. With a slight tilt of his head, he deepened the kiss. He was gentle about it, though, like we had all the time in the world. I wished we did.

"I'm here," he whispered, brushing his lips against mine. "I'm not going anywhere."

"No," I refused, shaking my head as I covered my face. Now able to think clearly about this, I didn't want him to face the consequences of being with me. "I won't ask you to risk your life."

His thumb stroked my cheek, soothing my nerves. "Don't worry about me."

I raised my head to look at him. "But –"

"I'm not changing my mind, Yuki."

My jaw clenched, after seeing the resolution on his face.

"I'm done waiting," he stated firmly. "I lost you once. I won't lose you again."

I felt my lower lip tremble as a warning that I was about to cry. Squeezing my eyes shut, I dropped my head on his chest to hide my face.

"I'm scared," I whispered.

His arms wrapped around me, embracing me with the feeling of security and warmth.

"You don't have to be," he assured me. With a sigh, he added, "Yuki, you need to know something."

I didn't speak, waiting for him to continue.

"I haven't been entirely honest. There are still some things about me that you don't know."

What could he possibly hide from me at this point? Wait, did he mean he would finally tell me the reasons behind his vague answers?

When he didn't say anything more, I pulled away and stared up at him. I couldn't read his expression. He'd gotten really good at keeping a straight face.

"What is it?"

He looked down and took a deep breath. Then, he nodded as if he was encouraging himself from within. When he raised his head, his jaw clenched.

"I'm –"

Rrrrriiinnggggg!

I jumped in startle. Jin Yeong and I exchanged surprised looks, before I realized that it was my phone that was ringing. I gave him an apologetic look.

"Ah, chotomatte." Ah, wait a moment.

The call might be important. In this kind of life, I learned early on never to ignore calls. You never know what might be happening.

I pulled out my phone and looked at the caller ID.

It was Mikihito.

Crap, I was supposed to meet him!

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Did you listen to the song?! LISTENING TO THE SONG WHILE READING THAT LAST PART IS SO BEAUTIFUL IT'S MAKING ME CRY. HUHU.

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