I looked back and forth between my soulmates. I couldn't believe that they had completely lost their voices because of me. I had done this to them. It was all my fault. I was squished between them on a couch in the studio that the guys had been working in. They both held one of my hands like they never wanted to let go.
Of course, I couldn't take it for the sweet gesture that it was. My insecure mind wondered if it was because they loved me, or because they needed their voices back.
Jungkook took out his notebook and pencil and began scribbling in it. After a few minutes, he held it in front of me to read.
저 예쁜 요루스 머리에 무슨 일이?
'What's going on in that pretty head of yours?'
So...I couldn't read English. I hadn't been able to in over a week. But, apparently, I could read Korean. Which is strange, since I never could before. This soulmate stuff was weird.
I shook my head at him and lowered my voice to a whisper that only he could hear. "Nothing, Jungkook. I'm okay."
He pulled the notebook back and started writing again.
넌 거짓말하고있어.
'You are lying.'
I frowned at him and he started writing yet again.
내가 눈치 채지 못할 것 같아?
'Do you think that I can't tell?' Well...it was either 'tell' or 'Do you think that I won't notice?' Korean is a difficult language, and even with my new fully-fluent brain, I still couldn't figure out which it was meant to be. I could only do my best and try to make it make sense in English.
He started writing again.
난 널 알아, 자기야
'I know you, baby.'
I sighed at him, leaning a little closer so that I could whisper. "Then what do you think that it is?"
He stared at me for a moment, his dark, wide, doe eyes scanning my face before he started writing.
당신은 우리가 목소리를 되찾기 위해서만 당신과 함께 있고 싶다고 생각합니다.
'You think we want to be with you only to get our voice back.'
Damn. How did he know that?
He rolled his eyes and wrote again.
당신을 알고 있기 때문입니다.
'Because I know you."
Was he a fucking mind reader now? What do I even say to him? He was right.
내가 옳다는 걸 알아
'I know I'm right.'
I sighed and stared at him before whispering.
"Fine. You're right. And also, apparently a mind reader," I tell him. "But so what?"
그것이 우리가 당신과 함께 있고 싶은 이유가 아닙니다.
'That's not why we want to be with you.'
I cock my head and stare at him, a frown on my face.
우리가 당신을 얼마나 사랑하는지 모르십니까?
'Don't you know how much we love you?'
"Are you speaking for Hoseok now, too?" I ask in a whisper.
나는 그가 같은 마음이라는 것을 알고 있습니다.
'I know he feels the same way.'
"Jungkook..."
He shakes his head at me as he turns the page in the notebook and starts scribbling again.
우리가 하는 일은 우리가 당신을 얼마나 그리워하는지에 대해 이야기하는 것뿐입니다. 우리가 당신을 얼마나 사랑하는지.
'All we do is talk about how much we miss you. How much we love you.'
I bite at my lip as I read it, then look up at his handsome face. He reaches out to touch my cheek, then starts writing again.
우리는 당신 없이는 완전하지 않습니다.
'We are not complete without you.'
My heart melts. Actually melts inside my body, the warmth from it running through my veins. "I love you, Jungkook."
He smiles and pulls me into his arms, kissing me softly before hugging me as close as he can.
***************************************
*******Namjoon's POV*******
I sat in a small conference room next to the studio we had been using all day. Kris and Jin were sitting at the table with me, but none of us wanted to start talking first. It had been almost ten minutes, and it was long past the stage where it became awkward.
I guess somebody has to start. I cleared my throat. "I guess we should talk about this."
Jin shot me a look. "How did this even happen? I never got the Elixir when I was born. I was born at home."
"Neither did Kook," I reminded him.
"I don't understand," Kris said. She was staring at the soulmate mark on her wrist. "Mairette has two soulmates, and so she has two marks. I only have one. Are you both of our soulmates, but we're not each other's?"
"I don't know," I told her. "I wish that I had all of the answers, but I don't."
"You're not my soulmate, Joon," Jin insisted. "I don't have one."
I turned to glare at him. "Who said that not getting the Elixir means that you don't have a soulmate? Isn't it just supposed to help you find your soulmate?"
He dropped his jaw for a moment, but recovered quickly. "I never thought of it like that."
"Do you think that the soulmate bond is evolving?" I asked them.
"How does that even happen?" Kris asked me.
I shrugged at her. "I really wish that I knew."
"Should we call a doctor?" She asked, looking from Jin to me.
"Do you want to become a science experiment?" Jin asked her, rolling his eyes.
"Hey, don't be a jerk," I tell him. "None of us know what to do here. I don't see you throwing out any brilliant suggestions."
"I'm the pretty one," Jin insists. "I don't have to be brilliant, too. That's your job, Mr. 148 IQ."
I look at Kris and she's staring at her hands, a frown on her pretty face. I reach over and cover her hands with one of mine. "Hey...ignore him."
"It's not him," she tells me. "I just don't know how I'm supposed to act here."
"Neither do I," Jin tells her. He takes a deep breath and lets it out. "I'm sorry for being rude. It's not your fault."
Kris frowns and shrugs her shoulders at him, but doesn't say anything. I look at him, and try to gesture with my eyes for him to try and ease the tension between the two of them.
"I think that you're pretty, too," Jin tells her.
I roll my eyes. "How is that what I was trying to get you to say?" I ask him. "You're ridiculous."
"What else am I supposed to say?" He asks.
"Anything that would help defuse the situation," I tell him. "Basically anything else other than what you said."
"How was I supposed to know?" He huffs back at me. He reaches up and runs a hand through his hair, pushing it back off his forehead. "I like when people tell me that I'm pretty. I assumed she would like the same."
Kris stands up from the table so quickly that her chair falls backwards. She looks behind her, but ignores the chair in favor of heading towards the door. "I'm going to go."
"Kris, wait," I say, standing up to stop her.
"No, just..." she holds both of her hands up in front of her to stop me. "I need a few. I'll be back, okay?"
I frown and my shoulders slump at her words. "Okay."
After she walks out of the door, I turn to glare at Jin. "What the hell is the matter with you?"
"Me?!" He asks, his eyes going wide in shock. "What did I do?"
"You're being an ass."
"I resent that," he tells me, crossing his arms. "I am pure joy and sunshine every moment of my life."
"That's Hobi," I remind him.
"Pssh. No. He's just reflecting off of me."
"You're ridiculous," I tell him again. "And you'd better find a way to fix this. That girl is at least my soulmate, and probably yours, too. If you push her away, I will never forgive you."
"Fine. What do you suggest?"
"I suggest you stop kissing your own ass, and start kissing hers," I say. "You've known her for half an hour, and you've already got some serious making up to do."
"I don't know how to do that," he tells me, tapping his finger impatiently on the table.
"You don't know how to apologize?" I ask.
"Oh. Is that what you're talking about?" Jin asks back. "I can do that."
"And mean it?"
He sighs and nods his head once. "And mean it."
"I don't want to lose her, Jin," I tell him again.
"I'll take care of it," he says. "I don't know why I was acting that way, anyway."
"Jin..."
"Fine," he says, rolling his eyes at me for around the 17th time in the past 30 minutes. "I'm jealous. I'm not used to sharing you."
"Seems like you're going to have to get used to it, though," I point out to him.
He stands up and walks over to where I'm standing and puts his hands on my hips. "I've had almost nine years of having you to myself," he says. "I've been spoiled."
"Are you going to be able to let somebody else in?" I ask him. "I don't want her to look hurt like that again."
"I said that I would take care of it," he tells me. "Give me at least some trust."
"You have all of my trust, Seokie," I say as I raise my hands to rest on his shoulders. "You know that."
He leans in and gives me a quick peck before pressing his forehead to mine.
"I'll figure out how to earn hers, too," he promises me.
*********************************************
A/N: Look...I'm just going to apologize now for the Korean not being correct. I translated it on google, then translated it back to make sure that was she was reading was the correct wording. But still...if it's wrong, I'm sorry. I tried. Hope you're all staying safe and healthy, my friends. -------Kat