❄️
———
"Do you have a favourite season?" Haneul asked.
Winwin and Haneul had been filling their night with conversations that seemed unimportant but served as a great distraction for both of them. Random questions that aren't too personal seemed perfect for the situation.
"Definitely Autumn...it's just so comfortable." Winwin answered honestly. They had finished their drinks too long ago, so Haneul went and got them some small cakes that the store sells, not caring what Yoonbin would think of her stealing from the store.
"You must love this weather then." She smiled as he gave her a nod.
"How about you?"
"I love winter." She said without hesitation. "Wearing layers, the crisp air, and snow is just amazing." She marveled, making Winwin smile softly at the expression on her face.
"Snow is so pretty, I love it." He added. He stabbed a piece out of the small cake before eating it, letting the cream melt in his mouth. It was a nice simple cake, though it was a lot colder than he anticipated.
He looked up from the cake, only to notice Haneul staring at him, a loud snort leaving her throat before she covered her mouth with her hand. Winwin lifted his brows, unsure of why she was laughing, though he had to admit, her laugh is really cute.
"You got some cream on your face." She giggled as she pointed to her own, guiding him to the corner of his mouth. He turned his body towards her as he wiped his mouth with his hand, looking at Haneul for reassurance. "Just a bit more." She said wiping the side of her mouth as he attempted to copy her actions.
"Is it gone now?" He asked before she leaned in closer to his face, causing him to move back slightly, surprised by the sudden action. He tried to ignore the sudden speed of his heart as he has a close up view of her. Looking up at the way her hair fell messily around her face, the tint of red that surrounded her bright brown eyes that were fixed on the corner of his lip, determined to get the cream off of his face. He swallowed hard as he felt her thumb gently stroke his face. The sides of her eyes lifting as she grinned.
But something inside him shifted at the touch, a warm shiver rang throughout his body as his heart continued to beat faster. An intense feeling crushed his chest as his stomach began to whirl. He felt like he was being electrocuted but the pain was delightful.
Everything seemed to have stopped as he stared back into her eyes, evident specks of gold appearing from behind them, performing a beautiful dance behind her pupils as they tell him one thing.
This shouldn't be happening.
His mind went into panic. Despite loving the feeling, it had felt too foreign to him and he just couldn't handle it. He was being suffocated by the sudden rush of sparks between them. He coughed out a breath as he forced his eyes away from Haneul's.
She looked like she was going through the same thing, her mouth was agape, her face was red and her breathing was uneven, and the way her eyes had stared into his, he knew she felt the same.
Without saying a word, he stood up.
And ran.
🏠
———
"Dude you look like you just saw a ghost." Yangyang commented as Winwin rushed into their dorm, breathing heavily as he ignored the stares he was getting. He made his way into the kitchen, grabbing a water bottle from the fridge and downing it in one go. He dabbed the small beads of sweat off of his face, gasping for air as he slams the empty bottle against the table.
"Did you go for a run or something?" Kun asked as he walked into the kitchen, grabbing a mug from one of the drawers. He looked at his watch before filling his mug with freshly boiled water and a tea bag. "At midnight."
"Something like that." Winwin muttered as he began to walk out of the kitchen, passing Kun who lifts a questioning brow as he eyed the him.
"You're just going to ignore it won't you?" Kun said as he took a sip of his tea, making Winwin stop as he turned back to look at Kun, knitting his eyebrows together.
"Ignore what?" He gulped. Kun's calm expression made him anxious without reason.
"Your snowflake is glowing." He gestured using his mug before bringing it back to his mouth. Winwin lifted his wrist, examining the tattoo that tingled against his skin. Kun was right. It was gold. His eyes widened at the sight, his breath hitching.
No.
This can't happen.
The gold had seeped back into his skin, sealing the bond. It had been done. And there's no going back.
"Welcome to the club." Kun smiled, walking up to Winwin, giving him a pat on the shoulder as the boy continued to stare at his wrist. "I'll be here if you need help. It'll be hard bu--"
"Yes." Winwin spoke, bringing his head up. "I'll ignore it."
"Ah I see." Kun sighed. "You're that type."
"I can't do this." Winwin swallowed.
"Sicheng that's a terrible idea."
"You wouldn't know if it is. You found Rushi and fell in love because that's all you wanted. I don't want that." His thought are jumbled up and all he wants is to sleep. If this continues he's scared he might say something he'd regret. "Didn't you always say that I should be brave and not be scared of saying no?"
"Yeah I did but that doesn't apply to this." Kun argued. "I understand that this isn't a simple change, but avoiding this would lead to a lot of pain. I just don't want you to hurt yourself."
Winwin stared at Kim's genuine look of concern, not sure whether to take in his words or not. He's knew what he wanted. And what he wanted wasn't a soulmate.
"Yeah whatever. I'm just going to sleep." He said before he stormed into his bedroom, the sound of Lucas' light snoring welcomed him as he took his sweater off, chucking to the side of the room. He ran hand through his hair as he slumped into his bed. Pulling the covers over his head, hoping to wake up in a world where the bond had never happened. A world where he had never met his soulmate.
☕️
———
"AHHH!!" Yoonbin screamed, waking Heneul up from her night of unproductive sleep. She could barely sleep, something that she desperately needed if she wanted to function properly throughout the day.
"Ugh you didn't need to scream." She groaned. "It's just me."
"WHY ARE YOU HERE?" He continued to yell as Haneul rubbed her eyes from the bright sunlight that seeped into the room.
"I didn't want to go home last night." She answered as she sat up on the old couch. She had slept in her work clothes and in the back room, knowing Yoonbin wouldn't mind. She doesn't like changing her sleep location, knowing it would alter her sleep schedule or her dreams, but she was too emotionally exhausted to go back to her empty flat.
"You could have asked me, I would have let you sleep over at mine." He shook his head setting his bag down and fetching his work clothes out of it. He began to lift up his shirt, giving Haneul a full view of his abs. His cat-shaped soulmate tattoo on full display. She simply rolled her eyes before leaning back into the couch, the memories from the night before flooding back. "Your shift isn't until midday so you should probably head home and freshen up."
"Can I work Aera's shift today?" Haneul asked, looking up at the ceiling.
"I mean sure if she's okay with it. She said she needs some extra money cause of some illegal protest she's gonna participate in." Yoonbin shrugged as he straightens his shirt.
"Yeah pay her even if I take the shift. I don't do this job for the money anyways." She mumbled the last part. She gave her co-worker a quick text, receiving a reply straight away.
"Yeah she's cool with it." She showed him the text message as he squints his eyes at the phone. "I'll go freshen up."
The morning was quiet. There usually aren't any customers this early in the morning, especially on a Sunday. It gave Haneul time to hide the evidence that she served some guests last night. She slipped in some cash into the register, not wanting to steal from him more than she already has.
The welcome bell chimed, grabbing both of their attention. Haneul put on her best service smile, which only became genuine when she realised the person who entered was Jaein.
"Good morning." Haneul greeted as Jaein walked up to the counter.
"Hey~" Jaein smiled back warmly. "How are you feeling?" She asked, her voice was soft, showing her concern.
"Better." Haneul answered, earning a glance from Yoonbin.
"Uhh I'll order a coffee milk tea if thats okay." Jaein pointed at the menu, Haneul punched in the order, passing it back to Yoonbin who began to make the drink. "We should talk." Jaein whispered as she payed for the drink. Haneul nodded as she followed Jaein to a nearby table.
"Are you really okay?" Jaein asked seriously, looking into Haneul's eyes. "Be honest."
"No." Haneul admitted, louder than she had anticipated. She looked over at Yoonbin who was unbothered. She was weary about him finding out about anything that had happened last night. He doesn't know about that side of her life, her ubringing, her dad. Which makes her so comfortable knowing that he is one of the few people who has always seen her as a normal uni kid. Him finding out would only worry him and that's the last thing she wants.
"You can tell me anything Haneul." Jaein offered genuinely, something about her voice is so calming, it's no surprise that someone like her can be a singer. Haneul let out a sigh before running over everything she should tell her.
"I'm getting engaged." She said, the words felt gross coming out of her mouth. The thought was of it happening was even worse.
"What?" Jaein's eyes widened.
"Engaged to an asshole. Against my will." Haneul's lips were in a straight line. She had come to believe it. But her hatred towards the idea just grows bigger and bigger. "Hence why I was a mess last night."
"Wow that's shit, I'm so sorry." Jaein looked as shocked as Haneul had the night before. "But why?"
"It's good for business apparently." Haneul sighed.
"Seriously?" Jaein scoffed. "What century is this?" Haneul felt a sense of relief as she told Jaein her situation. She's glad Jaein isn't freaking out as it gave her the chance to have a conversation about with anyone but her own head.
"Yeah I really hate my dad."
"Does it look like there's a way out of it?" Jaein asked, reminding Haneul that she has less than two months to get her soulmate to accept her and invite him to a dinner with her family as proof.
"Soulmate. I need to find my soulmate by the end of the year, otherwise the engagement is happening." Haneul explained, massaging her temples.
"That--" Jaein started but was cut off when Yoonbin put her drink in front of her. "Thank you." Yoonbin gave her a small smile before walking back to the boba bar.
"That's insane he can't expect you to find your soulmate like that!! It has to come naturally. Forcing yourself to find your soulmate never works! It's like they set you up to fai--"
"That wasn't the hard part." Haneul announced As Jaein's eyes widened, calming down from her rant.
"You found your soulmate."
"Yeah." The image of last night played in her mind. The way her chest ached as she stared into his eyes. The ones that showed her gold specks, signifying the start of a bond. It felt amazing. But then he stood up, breaking their contact before he ran.
"And I think I got rejected."
well that was something.
anyways i would very much appreciate if you guys could leave some comments hehe i wanna know what you guys think :))
have a good day everyone !! 💕💕