VHope Fluffshots

Unicorn

look up Unicorn by  Xiao Gui 

I was twenty-three years old when I died.

The funny thing about that is I don't remember dying. Maybe I had a medical emergency, or something tragic happened? Maybe I died for no reason at all; I'll never know. 

All I know now is that my soulmate will never recover from my death. 

When I died, I was immediately transported to where my soulmate was. He was sitting in a classroom - he was seventeen - and writing on his hand. He stopped writing, frowning at his left arm; the arm that contained my birthday. Now, directly underneath it, was my death day. 

Even though I was standing outside of the classroom, his scream of anguish and grief was so loud, it was like I was standing right next to him. It was a scream I never wanted to hear. 

The students rushed by me as they were told to clear the room; the literature teacher was trying to calm my soulmate down while they waited for the nurse. No one could control him, so they ended up calling his parents and emergency services. 

I was the dead one, but Jung Hoseok was now dead in a different way.

That night, after he was discharged from the hospital, I sat on the edge of his bed, rubbing his leg while he cried himself to sleep. He couldn't feel me, but I could feel him. I could feel how he shook, each heart-wrenching sob and gasp making his body jolt. 

Finally, he drifted off to sleep with his tears drying on his sickly-pale face. A sad, guilty smile played on my lips as I stood over him, petting his silky black hair. 

"This isn't fair to you, baby. You never even met me, and now you'll never get to. I'm so sorry," I mumbled, kissing his cheek as sweetly as I could. 

I vowed to look after him, even if he didn't know it. 

-------

Hoseok has wonderful friends. They've helped him put himself back together. Sure, he'll never feel completely whole - he'll always feel like there's something missing - again, but he's much better than he used to be and it's all because of his friends. 

They found my grave a year after my passing. They found my obituary in a Deagu newspaper, discovered who I was and where I was buried. 

Hoseok's friends, Yoongi, Jimin, Jungkook, Namjoon and Jin, all took my soulmate to Daegu to "meet" me. 

My parents were there that day visiting my grave; it was my birthday. They asked Hoseok and his friends why they wanted to see my grave, so my soulmate showed them his tattoo on his arm. "I wanted to meet my soulmate. I never got the chance to." 

My mom looked a little to Hoseok's left, noticing me standing right beside him, arm wrapped around his waist. She knew I was there, as well as Jungkook; they were both mediums, but Jungkook thought he was just crazy. 

"You might not have met him, dear, but he's certainly met you," my mom smiled to Hoseok. "Would you boys like to come over for dinner? Taehyung always said that when he found his soulmate, he would bring them over for dinner." 

My dad didn't say anything, but nodded in silent agreement. He was never one for words. 

Hoseok ended up staying the night in my room. At the foot of the bed was a box of pictures, old cassettes and CDs of me singing, dancing, and goofing off, as well as various notes I would write to my soulmate in middle and high school (including the few I wrote in college). There was also my journal; that was all for Hoseok to have, as well as my teddy bear he was holding - it was actually my dog, Yeontan. 

"You've been taking care of him, haven't you?" I turned to see my mom standing next to me in the doorway, a knowing smile on her face. 

I smiled back at her and tucked my hands behind my back. "I am, Mom. He doesn't deserve all this grief. He deserves to be loved." 

My mom waited a beat, then sighed. "His friend, Jungkook, can see you. He told me that a very beautiful man follows Hoseok around. I told him it was you looking after your soulmate. Make your presence known to him, honeybear. Let Hoseok know that he is loved." 

I wrapped my mom in a hug and kissed her forehead. "I will, Mom. I love you. I'm sorry I died." 

"No, Taehyung. It wasn't your fault. I love you, too." 

-------

About two months later, I revealed myself to Hoseok. 

He was getting ready to go out with his friends, checking over his appearance in the bathroom mirror. He noticed me standing behind him through the mirror, my arms wrapped around his waist, chin resting on his shoulder. 

Ever so slowly, he placed a hand over both of mine, which rested on his stomach. Hoseok teared up as he watched me smile at him and kiss his neck, nuzzling my face in the spot afterwards. 

"T-Taehyung?" he croaked, unable to look away from me. 

I kissed his cheek and nodded. "Hello, my love. Don't cry," I hummed, pouting as he wiped his tears away with a sniffle. 

"It hurts, Taehyung. It hurts so much." 

One of my hands slid up to rest over his heart, patting him a few times. "I know it does. This isn't fair, but it was out of our control. But I'm still looking after you. You, Jung Hoseok, are very loved. You're never alone, and don't think for a second that you're unloved. I wasn't able to love you in life, but I can still love you like this." 

A broken smile washed across my soulmate's face at that. "Even though we never met, I love you. I love you so much, Taehyung." 

From that point on, Hoseok became truly happy. He became hope for others. 

And I made sure that he knew I was always there, silently protecting him.