Y/N POV:
After the dream with Yoongi and his absolute rage at me, I tried to push the thoughts of soulmates away from my mind. Was this really all true? Or was it just a sign of too much stress and not enough sleep? I was starting to doubt the whole soulmate thing. This really couldn't be true, could it?
As much I wanted to believe it wasn't real, I knew it was simply a defense mechanism for dealing with Yoongi's anger. I could understand why he was angry, I really did, but the fact was we hadn't even met each other. How do I know he wasn't doing the exact same thing? I hated thinking that way about someone who is supposed to be my soulmate, but I knew deep down it was a way for me to try and protect myself from the hurt I was feeling over his reaction. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't help it.
And if things couldn't get any worse, I'd been dealing with some of the worst menstrual cramps of my life. I had always been pretty lucky, never really have to deal with the pain and laughing when Arely would complain about her pain, but now it felt like it was all coming back to bite me and I didn't like that. I knew if I called her to complain, she would definitely rub it in my face. I loved my friend, I really did, but she would always take the opportunity to say I told you so.
Forcing myself to get up, I finally pulled myself from my bed and stumbled my way to the bathroom, wanting some pain medication and a nice hot shower before making my way to work. The cramps had been off and on for the last couple of days and luckily today they were starting to fade. Not bad enough to render me completely incapacitated, but enough to make me flinch a little when one hit. The pain meds would be enough to take the edge off and the hot shower would help the rest of the pain fade away.
After stepping out of the shower, I grabbed a towel of the rack and dried myself off. I pulled on my undergarments then turned to hang the towel back on the rack. A black mark on my shoulder caught my attention in the mirror and I tried to see what it was. When I got closer, my mouth dropped open in surprise. It was a collection of three stars, small enough to be hidden under my clothing. I stood there, staring at the mark for a moment, unable to believe what was happening. I had another soulmate? How could this be real? The reminder of Yoongi's anger and the sights I was having of the sexy man on the stage at the concert made me stumble, grabbing onto the doorframe for support. Is it possible I had three soulmates?
Running into my room, I flopped down on my bed and grabbed my phone, opening it up to the Google homepage. I searched more than one soulmate and the results loaded quickly. I opened up the first testimonial and read everything I could.
Rebekka Althaus of Wiesbaden, Germany has recently found out to be the soulmate to four different men. The four men, all close friends from the nearby town of Kastel, discovered the woman to be their soulmate when one of the friends, Kiefer Stein, received a vision of the woman. His best friend, Ivon Kuhn, saw the same woman in his dreams. When they ran into each other during a fall festival in Biebrich, Kuhn and Stein spotted the young woman near the beverage stands and after explaining who they were, they introduced Althaus to their friends. It was revealed soon after that Althaus was the soulmate to all four men.
Laying there in shock, I tried to process everything I had read. Could it be possible? Knowing that there were others with multiple soulmates, it's possible that I had more than one, but how do I figure it out? How do I determine who they are? Was the handsome singer from the concert really one of them? And how do I figure out the other two?
Tugging out my scrubs from the drawer, I quickly got dressed, wanting to get to Arely and see what she said. I wanted to know her opinion on it all and see what she thought. I knew she was really going to say I told you so, but I needed an extra set of eyes, an extra open mind. I pulled my hair into a ponytail, wanting to get it out of my face. After I grabbed my keys and phone, I picked up my bag and hurried out of the house, ready to head to the hospital.
Starting my car, I drove the short distance to the hospital then parked in the faculty lot. I got out of my car, locked it and hurried into the doors of the emergency room. "Hey Y/N!" A voice called my name and I turned to see Becky waving at me as though we were long lost friends. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and just smiled. Although she was pretty nice, the laziness and the tendency to call off drove me crazy. "Uh hi Becky." I gave her a polite smile and a wave. "How are you?"
Becky pushed her blond bangs off her face and sighed dramatically. "Ugh. It's been such a long day. We've been so busy."
Looking at the clock, I said nothing. I knew her shift started only an hour ago so I wondered how busy she could have actually been, especially considering there was not a hair out of place and not a spot of sweat decorated her face. Was I being petty? Probably. An hour into my shift, especially in the ER, and I looked a hot mess. Becky looked as though she stepped out of a magazine ad for scrubs. I couldn't help but be a little jealous.
"It's just going to be you, Arely and me tonight." I picked up my clipboard and studied the notes from the day shift, getting additional information from two of the nurses from the day shift, Allison and Liliana. At least it didn't seem too bad. There had been a car accident, but the only injuries were a broken wrist and a concussion for the driver. There had also been a fire at a clothing boutique. The manager was able to get all the customers out with no injuries, but suffered from smoke inhalation. They had both been released since no additional observation was needed.
Standing there, I looked around the ER. It was suspiciously quiet, but I didn't want to say it out loud, not wanting to jinx the strange silence. The day shift was finishing up, turning over notes to Becky and I. The doctors were changing shifts, Dr. Saah, one of my favorite ER doctors to work with, coming in while Dr. Delany was checking out. I caught a head of dark hair coming in and I grinned, recognizing Arely anywhere.
I went to call out to her when Dr. Delaney called out to us. "Incoming from the interstate. Twelve-car pileup. They've sent half to Rush University and the other half are coming to us. Several serious injuries so check rooms five, six, and seven. Day shift? If you can stay a little bit longer, we're going to need all the help we can get." Carla, along with Liliana and Allison from the day shift nodded.
As soon as he finished speaking, the chaos began. Nurses from the day shift began rushing around, setting papers aside and heading towards empty rooms. I dropped my clipboard on the desk and headed towards ER #5, one of our critical care rooms. I did a quick scan of supplies, making sure everything was in order. I would have liked to speak to Arely, but I knew this was much more important. Once I checked the room, I moved onto the next. Conversations were quick, short questions about needed supplies, recommendations for others. Despite the fiasco soon to arrive, the emergency room ran like a well-oiled machine and I was proud to say I was a part of it.
***
Four hours later, I collapsed into a chair in the staff lounge, popped open a can of Coke that I had purchased from the vending machine, and chugged half of the contents. Leaning my head back, I closed my eyes and thought about the last few hours. It had been crazy, to say the least, but we had been fortunate. It was touch and go with the driver from one of the cars, but he had pulled through and Dr. Saah was confident he was going to make a full recovery.
From the story we got, the lead car in the pileup, a 2009 Chevy Impala, had blown a tire, causing it to lose control. When it cut across the lanes of traffic, the driver behind had tried to stop, but it was too late. The Impala was hit on the (thankfully) empty passenger side by a pickup truck, causing it to flip. The driver had been lucky, or blessed, whichever one he believes and only suffered minor injuries. The serious injuries had come from an older minivan full of guys from a local fraternity. The lack of seatbelts was a deciding factor and after telling one of the guys about the severity of his injuries, a break in both his tibia and fibula, we saw the regret in his eyes for the choices he had made. Unfortunately he was currently attending college on a soccer scholarship and it was a good chance he would lose it since he would be unable to play. It would be devastating for him, but unfortunately, without seatbelts, these kinds of injuries were inevitable.
A hand on my shoulder had me opening my eyes to see Arely standing in front of me. "Hola amiga! You good?" The same tiredness I could feel in my own body was written all over hers. She had been working with Dr. Saah with the critical patient and I knew the idea of him not making it had bothered her. Despite her sassiness and harsh manner sometimes, she was one of the most caring people I had ever met.
I nodded my head, wondering how to approach the soulmate conversation with her, wondering if it was even a good time. "Arely? I need... I need to show you something."
Arely's eyes turned worried. "What's going on?" Standing up, I checked to make sure no one was coming in. I pulled down the neck of my scrubs, revealing the black mark on my shoulder. "Cute tattoo. When did you... wait... hold the fuck up! That's not a tattoo amiga! ¡Mierda! ¡Esa es una marca de alma gemela! ¿Por qué no me llamaste de inmediato? ¡Muchacha! ¿Qué demonios te pasa?" Her words came out fast, the Spanish taking over.
Turning around, I grabbed Arely's shoulders. "Yo! Calm down! English please!"
Arely took a deep breath and closed her eyes. After a moment, she opened them and focused them on me. "Okay. Okay. Estoy bien. When did this appear? Holy shit! You have a soulmate! And there's... there's no getting around this one chica. This? This shit is real!"
Sitting down at the table, I put my head in my hands. "I know. What do I do?"
Arely sat next to me and put her arm around my shoulders. "It's going to be okay. We'll take a photo of it and get it put on the Soulmate Registry site. Maybe... maybe someone put theirs up too and we'll get a match. We're going to figure this out and I will be with you every step of the way. I promise you."
Giving her a small smile, I nodded. Even though the idea of finding my soulmate scared me, knowing I have Arely in my corner made the whole process way less intimidating. She was right. It's going to be okay.
Namjoon POV:
Settling into the plane, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. We were leaving Toronto and heading back to Los Angeles to prepare for the Grammys and I couldn't help but be a little nervous. Although the Grammys had gone well the year before, I knew it wouldn't always be the case. If we didn't win, I couldn't be too upset. We had worked hard, the sold out concerts evident enough of that, and that was enough for me. Personally, the support of ARMY was way more important than an awards show that wasn't based on fan votes anyways.
Thinking of ARMY made me laugh. Over the last few weeks, they had been spamming social media with wishes of good luck and threats to boycott them again if we didn't win. I couldn't help but laugh as I read their boycott threats and feel touched as I read their messages of good wishes and love. It was no secret that ARMY supported us. It was because of their undying love that we had made it this far in the first place. They were behind us from the beginning, even when our talent was questioned and we were only playing in front of audiences of less than three hundred. Now we were playing to sold out stadiums and it helped me realize how far we had actually come.
Jin took a seat next to me and I could see the stress all over his face. Despite Jin repeatedly telling her not to, he had just received word that Mi-suk had booked a flight to Los Angeles and was currently sitting in a hotel, waiting for him to arrive. He had tried to make it clear that he wouldn't have time to spend with her, but she refused to listen. I had wanted to be supportive of my hyung and his choice, but this? This was taking it too far.
"How are you doing Jin-hyung?" I looked over at him, placing a hand on his knee.
Shrugging his shoulders, Jin gave me a smile, one that didn't quite reach his eyes. "I'm good."
Sighing, I squeezed his knee then turned completely in my seat to face him fully. "No Jin-hyung. How are you really doing? Talk to me, Joon, your friend."
Running a hand through his hair, Jin let out a deep breath, a sound that seemed to be so full of tension, so full of frustration that I wanted to just hug him and tell him it would be okay. "It's frustrating. I specifically told Mi-suk not to come, that I am too damn busy, too damn worried about everything else, and... and just too damn tired to do anything but sleep when I have a spare moment. She... she just doesn't listen. I call her to see how she is, but all I get is complaints about the wedding. This photographer isn't available. This dress had too many rhinestones. This particular entrée isn't plated pretty enough." The agitation was obvious in his voice as he spoke and I stayed quiet, letting him get out what he needed to.
After letting out his concerns, Jin's went quiet and I said nothing, knowing he needed to process. He had so much going on that I didn't want to add to it, but I knew there were things that needed to be said.
"What if...? I don't know if I'm doing the right thing. If I'm this frustrated with her now, how is it going to be after we're married? Am I doing the right thing?" Jin's voice was soft and I knew he hated questioning the choice his parents made for him.
"What if you're not?" Jin's head whipped towards me at my words, the shock clear on his face. Since he started dating Mi-suk, the rest of the members and I had been silent about his relationship. Although we didn't like Mi-suk, their relationship was not our business. Yes, he was my friend and my member, but it was also his choice. We had not expressed our opinions, but seeing his own hesitations was enough for me to speak up.
The rest of us had noticed over the last year that Jin's smile had gotten a little dimmer, his loud laugh had become quieter and less frequent, and those broad shoulders that ARMY loved seemed to be carrying a whole lot of weight that was threatening to pull him down, pull him into a place that he may never get out of. Although he was my hyung, I still felt the need to protect him, to make sure he was the happiest he could be.
"What are you trying to say Joon-ah?" Jin's voice was curious and I knew he wanted me to be honest with him, to tell him the truth.
I hesitated, but knew he deserved to hear it. "I'm just reiterating what you said. Are you sure you're doing the right thing? Are you really marrying Mi-suk Noona for you? Or is it for your parents?" I paused, not sure how to continue. Jin's insecurities had never been a secret. He had made it clear from the beginning that all he wanted to do was make his mom proud, to give her something to brag about when she met with her friends, to be the son that she could show pride in. "Are you only doing this because you want your parents to be proud of you?"
Jin was silent for a moment as he thought about my question. I could see it was something he had been thinking about already and the idea that he was hurting so much, experiencing so much stress over this woman made me hurt as well.
"You know we will be supportive of you. If this is what you really want, to marry Mi-suk Noona, then we will stand behind you, be there for you, but Jin-hyung? If this isn't what you want, and I mean completely want, then you need to make that decision. You need to step up and tell your parents that this isn't what makes you happy. Your parents love you; there is no doubt about that. I can guarantee that they would want to see their son happy, no matter what."
I could see Jin processing my words. "But what about you, Joon-ah? You and Amiah? I know you're having the same frustrations with her. Do you really want to marry her? And now considering the mark? I know you posted it to the Soulmate Registry. Have you even checked if there was a match?" Jin sighed again then rubbed the back of his neck. "You're questioning me about Mi-suk, but you need to do the same. DO I want to marry Mi-suk? No. I don't."
Jin's words stunned me and when I raised my surprised eyes to his, he gave me a dry laugh. "You don't?"
Jin shook his head. "No. The Mi-suk that I knew as a child, the sweet girl I had a crush on, is not the same one I know today. I know it sounds silly since she's grown up and of course not going to be the same, but the Mi-suk I knew? She was caring, compassionate, not this self-indulgent, conceited woman that she is now. I hate to think of what the rest of my life is going to look like with her. Especially..." Jin's voice trailed off and I could see something else was on his mind. "Especially now since I think I have a soulmate."
For the second time in as many minutes, Jin's words stunned me. "A what?"
Jin gave me a small smile and this time, I could see it in his eyes. "A soulmate. I've... during a few meals, I've... the food I'm eating is not the food I'm tasting." Jin looked around, his eyes searching for anyone who was overhearing our conversation. "I've... I've looked it up Joon-ah. I've got a soulmate."
I didn't know what to say. The idea that my brother had a soulmate, one who wasn't his fiancé made so many emotions crash over me. Hope that this could be what he needed, worry for him since there has been so much stress over the wedding that might not even happen now, and a feeling of happiness that this might be the push to get him to end it with Mi-suk. "What are you going to do?"
Jin shrugged and I could sense the uncertainty in him, feel it coming from him in waves. "I don't know. Am I silly to want to know who she is? To want to know that I have... have a soulmate? To want to end my relationship over a woman I've never even met? Over a woman that I might not meet?" His last words came out sad and I wanted to reassure him that everything would be okay, but I didn't know how to. How do I tell my member, my friend, my brother that things will be okay when I don't even know myself?
"You're not silly. That's a definite. It's not silly to want to be happy and we know you haven't been. We can... we can see it in your face. It's clear that Mi-suk is not the woman you're supposed to be with." I felt a huge weight begin to lift off my chest, a weight that had been sitting there since the first day I met Mi-suk, a weight that grew heavier when he said he was marrying her. Part of me wished I would have said something from the beginning, but it wasn't my place.
"What do I do now?" Jin's words were quiet, but I could sense a tinge of happiness that I hadn't seen much in the last two years.
Squeezing his hand, I gave him a reassuring smile. "Well, I can't tell you what to do, but I know you need to think about all this. If you don't want to marry Mi-suk then you need to call off the wedding and end the relationship. Don't put it off any longer."
Jin nodded and I could see him thinking about what I said. "Okay. What... what about my soulmate?"
I grinned at him, feeling hope that he was finally going to get his happy ending. "We need to figure out who she is. That's what we need to do."
Giving me a sly smile, Jin pointed towards the tablet in the case by my feet. "Well... why don't we see about your soulmate first?"
Looking down at the tablet, I could feel my stomach clench in nervousness. What if there were no matches? What if there was and she didn't want me? Nodding my head, I reached down and picked it up, knowing he was right. As I waited it for to turn on, I tried to push down the worries. Things are going to be okay. She's my soulmate. She's biologically compatible with me. It's going to be okay.
Logging into the Soulmate Registry site, I held my breath, letting it out slowly then typing in my information. While my username and password were authenticated, I closed my eyes, wishing for things to turn out right. When I opened them, the little icon in the corner was read, indicating I had a message. Clicking on it, I opened the message to see a short message: Your soulmate mark has a match. Please click to see the match. My heart stopped then started to race at that those two sentences.
Looking over at Jin, he nodded reassuringly and I clicked on the link. An image appeared of a trio of stars identical to mine. They were even in the same place, on my soulmate's shoulder. Scrolling down, I saw the verification from a doctor that the mark was real and not a tattoo. Further down, I saw a few details about her since my soulmate had agreed to have her information shared with her match. It listed her first name (Y/N) and the country she lived in. The country I was currently heading back to.
Jin squeezed my shoulder and I looked over at him. "Shit Jin-hyung. She's... she's real. I have a soulmate!"
Smiling, Jin nodded. "Yes. You do. Now send her a message."
Taking a deep breath, I clicked on the link to send her a message. What even do I say? After thinking for a moment, I wrote the only thing I could. My name is Namjoon and I think you're my soulmate. I crossed my fingers and sent the message.