A/N: So sorry that I didn't update last week. I was still sore and tired from my vacation.
Side notes, first of all I am considering, at least temporarily, updating this story every week instead of every other. I've noticed I am having difficulty remembering where I am in the story when I'm actually writing. While I am currently posting Chapter 14, I'm writing Chapter 25. I think it would be easier on me to close that gap a bit more, maybe try to be 5 or 6 chapters ahead instead of more than ten.
Also, 7 more votes and this story will hit another milestone. It will have 200 votes!!! So, I do have the next chapter ready if/when that happens.
Side characters that appear for the first time/mentioned for the first time in this chapter plus their pronunciations.
Jeong Boram
Jung Boh-rahm
Updated 8-19-22
5008 words
Being with my Soulmates now felt like living within a surreal, yet whimsical, sort of dream. Or even one of those waking moments where I don't feel actually physically present for, where my mind tries to convince itself that it has to be a dream. I caught myself almost reaching for the skin above my elbow a few times with my forefinger and thumb, considering pinching myself there just to make sure I wasn't dreaming; it was one of my Soulmate's eyes straying to my own that would stop me.
Now, I'm sitting down in a seat in a large conference room about to meet the CEO and other higher ranked staff of the company. I can't help but feel grateful that it is only the two individuals, outside of my Soulmates, in the room with me. I take a deep breath and assess how I am feeling. This still feels like a dreamlike moment, but it is making me more apprehensive and uncomfortable than it is giddy. Once again I know I am present in the real world, but it doesn't feel like I am really present or a part of it, but I take a deep breath and tell myself to pretend like this is a job interview. Be business appropriate with these strange men around you. You can do this!
After the introductions were made, I knew there was no way I would be able to remember all the names of the people I was introduced to right away. For some reason though, I latched on to the name of the Vice President, Lee Chiwon right away. It's probably because, no matter how odd it seems, Lee Chiwon strikes me as strangely familiar. The urge to speak up and ask him directly about it tickles my mind, however I also don't want to set off any alarms with the head people of the company that might end up having them thinking that I might be irrational, or worse yet crazy. So, I don't say anything. If I can come up with the reason he looks familiar to me on my own then I will ask him about it later.
Soon after everyone was seated the conversations took off around me, and while I could catch half of them thanks to the second injection, Minsook, who sat beside me, offered to translate for me. "I'm sorry my English it isn't great. I mean it's... harder to... think of the words on my own. If I hear something in Korean, I tend to remember the English word for it... easier."
I considered suggesting he just repeat the Korean words used, since I would understand him. I decided against doing that though because I figured it would be good practice for him to use the English he knew.
He wasn't necessarily quick at remembering the words, but he did his best to fill me in on the half of the conversation I wasn't able to understand. "They are holding this meeting to discuss your presence with us. Also the actions we will need to take and explanations we will have to make to the rest of the company and public."
Kim Kwang-Min switches to English and questions me directly. "Where are you staying at the moment?"
I rattle off the name of the hotel that was within walking distance of the convention center that the 'Meet and Greet' was held at. He turns to his personal assistant and rattles off something rapidly in Korean. I turn to Minsook asking him what is going on without saying a word. He nods and smiles at me. Not his sly smile that gives me, and his fans, heart palpitations, this one is more neutral in nature, but because he is so damn handsome it still makes my heart flutter in my chest. "Kim-nim is arranging to get you a semi-permanent lodging in a hotel close to the location of our dorm."
I pause for a minute to admire the lack of hesitation in Minsooki's words. He really did mean it when he said that he could translate better if he heard the Korean words out loud first that he was translating. One word confuses me though. "Dorm?" I'm used to the word 'dorm' meaning the place a college student would live on campus during their education, and I know that can't be what they mean here.
This time Minsook looks to Gamon for help. "It's still an apartment; not college dorms if that is what came to mind."
I nod my head as I both accept the arrangement and understand Gamon's explanation. The thing is that I can't stay in a hotel forever though, and I definitely wouldn't want to. It's true at some point in the near future they will more than likely be touring, living out of hotels as well, and I am sure I would be joining them when that happens. I will still need something more permanent than a hotel while I am here in Seoul though. Damn this is something I should have been considering myself. Raina even told me that the entire group lived together in a small apartment, but I hadn't really given it a second thought. No, I was too consumed with the worry about getting over here at all just so I could be with them. No, so we all could be together
Gamon, who sorts out for himself that a hotel was only a temporary solution, voices his concern. "I imagine that she will only be staying in the hotel for at most a couple months. What do you have planned after that? Or rather do you have a more permanent plan in place?"
Minsook relays the CEO's reply. "I do. I'm honestly hoping her temporary residence in the hotel won't even have to last for a couple of months. I'm hoping it will end up being more like a couple of weeks, or a month at most. I planned on relocating her to Ru-ssi's former apartment in your building. I just have to get some renovations done since he left the apartment in shambles before he was evicted."
"Who's Ru-ssi?" I ask Minsook.
A fierce scowl forms on Minsook's face before he answers me. "Ru Naehyeon was my manager."
I know I don't have time to address what his obvious anger is about right now. However, I do make a mental note to ask him about it later. It must be something big since he dropped the honorific.
For the first time during the meeting Juah speaks up. "I hope you don't expect us to live in two separate apartments from our soulmate forever."
The CEO shakes his head before once again answering him in Korean.
Minsook clears his throat and focuses on translating for me once more. "I only think this is a solid move while we are keeping the truth behind her presence under wraps. Once we come closer to making the announcement of her true existence in your lives then we can make another plan for your future together."
"Speaking of keeping her presence under wraps. What public reason are we going to give to the rest of the company, and the outside world for her reason for being within the company building and our apartment building?" Gamon asks. I can tell that he isn't really posing this as a question rather he is using it as a way to get the meeting refocused on other important factors. Then he goes on to add, "I realize the other managers aren't here, but I definitely think they should know what is going on as well. Mengrai already knows of course. "
They had briefly explained to me that because they were really close to their next comeback that it probably wouldn't be wise to announce that we found each other yet. Especially since I wasn't only Gamon's soulmate, but the rest of the group's as well. They didn't think it would go over well with their Currents, and because they didn't want it public knowledge with them they also didn't want a good chunk of the staff in the building to know who I was either. Good thing I only had to worry about hiding one of my soulmate marks. I would probably have to buy more turtlenecks and scarves to get by though. It would take way more foundation and concealer than I was willing to use/spend money on to cover it up cosmetically.
Juah, who is seated on my other side, announces his concern out loud. "My first thought is that we say she is our English tutor or translator, unfortunately the problem with that is the fact that she doesn't speak Korean."
Yeah, that wouldn't make sense to me either. The only way I could get them to understand what was said in English was if I repeated the words to them after they got their own Wernicke's serum injections. It would only take an overly keen reporter to be able to suss out who I was to the group after openly displaying such actions.
The CEO once again addresses me in my native tongue. "What kind of work related skill sets do you have?"
I frown. "Honestly, not many. I really only worked the two jobs as a café barista and a waitress. A few summer time jobs while I was still in high school, but they were of the same variety. I worked in fast food as well as a local diner near my small hometown."
Minsook startles me when he jumps out of his seat. "She should take over as my manager since we haven't replaced Ru Naehyeon yet!"
I frown at him. "But... I don't know the first thing about being a K-Pop Idol's manager!"
I don't know if An Junghee understood my last statement or not. It almost seems so when Minsook translates what he rapidly said after my own near explosion. "Junghee volunteered to do more of the managerial type of stuff like scheduling and such. You would only have to take on the personal assistant chores. Which, trust me, is still part of the managers' job description even though they aren't overly fond of that part."
Gamon interjects. "If she is going to take on the role of manager she is going to need a business cell phone. She is currently using a prepaid account, and that will only be suitable for so long." When we went to his studio and he handed me my 'disguise' he asked for my phone so he could program their numbers into it. When I handed it to him I explained to him that it was only temporary, and that I planned on getting something more permanent later when I could.
The next thing I know Minsook is grinning slyly at me and telling me that the CEO's personal assistant is going to take care of my cell phone before the day is over. I'd really like to say that I argued this point. I didn't though because I was able to easily rationalize a fair reason that made sense to me. I am technically going to be on the payroll due to this 'job' I will be undertaking, and I am sure that anyone in a similar position would probably get the same benefit as well. If I'm wrong about that I wouldn't be surprised if it was my soulmates that end up footing the bill for my cell phone account, and while that fact may annoy me later right now I will just have to accept it. If that does happen and they end up being the ones to foot the bill, then I will just arrange to pay for it myself when I have the financial means to do so.
Before the meeting is over a beautiful Korean female comes in; she could probably be an Idol herself with her heart shaped face, luxurious black hair, dark wide doe eyes, and flawless pale skin. She has a mountain's worth of paperwork in her hand so I immediately figure out that she isn't an Idol herself, but rather Kim Kwang-Min's personal assistant. They have a rapid discussion in Korean before Kim Kwang-Min turns my way. "This is Jeong Boram, she's my assistant and aside from us here, the other managers, our media liaison, and our two members of security she is the only other one that I trust with the truth. I hope you don't mind if I share with her what is going on."
I take a minute to study Boram closely. I'd like to think that initially when I meet someone I have a good judge of character. Nothing about her seems to set off any bad vibes. However, I can't be too cautious. I don't want to assume that she can't understand me so I address her rather than him. "How long have you worked for the company?"
She grins widely at me, and I can tell she immediately appreciated that I didn't look over her shoulder and ask Kwang-Min instead of addressing her directly. "I've been with the company since its inception. I haven't always been Kim Kwang-Min's assistant, but I have been working by his side for a majority of my time here."
I glance at Kim Kwang-min. "What happened with your previous assistant?"
The CEO's face grows cold; his jaw locks tight and his eyebrows furrow immediately forecasting his irritation regarding the former staff member in question. "She had a big mouth."
"So, you let her go because you didn't think she could be trusted with sensitive information?" I ask him.
He takes a breath through his nose, and his face seems to release some of the tension from his fierce expression before he nods to me in response. "Precisely."
Instead of letting him share the sensitive information with his assistant I stood up from my seat. I immediately pull the collar of my shirt down so my soulmate mark is visible. Her eyes widen in surprise, but that is her only outward reaction. Then I take off my blazer and show her the mark on my left arm. I glance at Jiseong, who smiles at me as he catches on to what I am doing. He too shows off his left arm. I could pull out my phone to show her the pictures of the rest of my marks, but that doesn't seem appropriate so I chose a different route to take. "And I'm not just the soulmate to the two of them. I'm the soulmate to all the members of the group." I move closer to Minsook's chair and touch the back of it with my left hand, since he was seated on my left side. Then I use my right hand to touch the spot below my collarbone. "Minsook's mark is right here." I stand behind Juah's chair next and touch his mark on my right thigh. "Juah's is here." Then I move down to where Jaeyeon sits a few chairs down. "And Jaeyeon's runs along my spine." I smile down at him before going back to stand by my own seat. The expression on my face changes, and I am sure I am now conveying my apprehension about being so transparent and vulnerable with the idea of sharing this information. "Will you keep my secret?"
"Of course." Then she looks back at her boss and rattles something off in Korean.
I sit down and look to Minsook for guidance. "She told him that she completely understood if they had to revise the NDA she signed when starting her job here to reflect the secrecy of your position."
I smile widely back at her. "Thank you."
"You are very welcome." Then she hands me the mountain's worth of papers. "And I'm sorry, but these are for you."
I frown as I take in the paperwork. Juah stands up quickly. "I request the chance for Gamon-hyung and I to go over the paperwork before she signs anything. I would do it now on my own, but I am sure that all this paperwork has been translated to English. I may be intelligent but I am not skilled at reading the language, hence why I need Gamon-hyung's help. I realize I could ask for it in Hangul, but that just seems like an unnecessary waste of paper." I think I get why he didn't ask for it in email form either; staring at that amount of text at a computer, phone, or tablet would be straining to the eyes.
Kim-nim nods and Minsook once again translates to me how he responded to Juah's request. "He said that was fine, but he expected the paperwork back, signed, and on his desk in two days. Until then he doesn't feel comfortable issuing you a permanent pass for the building. You will still be able to use your temporary pass in the meantime, and he will still be working on obtaining a business cell phone for you." That concluded the business they brought us in for so the meeting ended after that.
Just because we got through that meeting didn't mean that we could leave yet. My soulmates still have a few hours left of practice before it's time for them to head back to their apartment, and none of us wanted to end our day together quite yet. So we headed back to the dance studio. We passed another dance studio on our right that I didn't notice on our way to the meeting since I had been so nervous. Inside another group is working hard at their own choreography. "Who's that?" I find myself asking.
Gamon smiles affectionately toward the younger group in the room. "Silex. I'll have to arrange for you to meet all the other groups at some point." He leans closer to me and speaks softer. "First, though I will have to ask Kim-nim if he wants the other groups in on the secret."
"Hmm. How many groups are there under the label?" I find myself asking.
"Wow!" Minsook exclaims before sharing a look with Jiseong.
"You didn't know us?" Jiseong asks. Surprisingly this wasn't something that came up with the others before the impromptu business meeting was announced.
I shook my head. "No, a couple of my friends are Currents, otherwise I wouldn't have known anything about the group. Without them I wouldn't be here now."
Gamon clears his throat before he explains to me. "When Essentials Music was first established they decided they wanted to sign on four groups to start out with. They also decided that those four groups should have a similar theme so when or if we collaborate all together it can be under the same name. Together all four of our groups will be known as εlεmεnts." He taps on his phone really quickly before showing me the logo for the name. Instead of regular E's they are the Greek letter Epsilon, and I only know that because Raina had a lot of Greek row college stories to share with me. Even though she went to college for only a year and decided it wasn't for her. "Each of the groups' names represent one of the elements."
"Well I know Alluvion is flood, and your group's fandom name is Currents. Raina at least educated me that much; so I know that your group is water."
Gamon continues on with the explanation. "Silex is the only other group of the company's to have already debuted. Silex means flint. So, I'm sure you can derive that their element is earth from that information." I nod my head in understanding. "The other two groups that haven't debuted yet are Breeze and Blaze."
"Oh yeah, Raina said something about how Blaze was supposed to debut before you, but someone got injured." Suddenly I'm surrounded by dark faces. "Okay, I'm going to go out on a limb and say there is a story there. Don't worry I won't ask about it now. I don't know what all I can be privy to before I sign that paperwork." After that we continued on to the same dance studio they were practicing in before.
My stomach starts fiercely growling and practically attacking me with how empty it must be. Had the music not been playing while my soulmates practiced the choreo again then they probably would have perked up at the loud sound.
Immediately after the last step in the choreography performed and the last note of the music plays, my soulmates are falling into exhausted heaps on the floor; even Jiseong, who has been coming over to my side to keep me company while they take small breaks to rest. At this point my stomach feels like it is pretty much eating me, and there is no way I can hide the large animalistic sound that comes from it due to the amazing acoustics in the room.
The twins haven't been very vocal directly with me yet, and that is part of the reason I am initially surprised when it's Juah that speaks up. "Lily, when did you last eat?"
I think back and frown at myself. I know before I utter the fact that I haven't eaten since breakfast that he won't be pleased. I already know from the fanmade introduction guides I watched that he is basically the nurturing mother-like figure of the group and right now I can definitely see that.
He sighs when I don't respond, but I can tell that he is able to figure out the answer due to my expression and the blossoming pink of my cheeks. "I want to offer to take you back to the dorm and cook something for you, but honestly I'd rather have time to plan out a proper meal. You are hungry enough that I think we should instead do something about it after we all get a really quick shower." He gives a pointed look at Jiseong who looks contrite for a moment before nodding his head in agreement. I don't know what that was about exactly, but I don't ask about it since I am sure I will learn the reasoning in the future anyway.
I understand why they would want to change out of the sweat drenched clothing. But I end up having to try to turn off my brain before it can conjure up any lucid daydreaming of each of them as they peel the clothing from their bodies before getting underneath the water cascading from the showerheads above each of them. I am only mildly successful since I am unable to keep from thinking about it; the pictures won't completely form in my mind which I am beyond thankful for. That is probably mostly due to my already ravenous stomach persistently growling at me, but is assisted by the fact that they come back into the studio about fifteen minutes later.
Jaeyeon is the first to make a suggestion when we are all congregated together in the dance studio room once again. "How about we order pizza delivered to the dorm? It will take us a few minutes to get there after we place the order, and we shouldn't have to wait too long after we get home for the pizza to arrive."
Gamon nods. "Not a bad idea. I'll let Junghee-hyung know so he can drive us home and pick up the pizzas from the driver once he drops off."
They don't have to discuss which restaurant they are going to order from. They have already decided on one that leans to brick oven baked pizza in a classic New York style. "We tend to order three large pizzas simply so we both have a variety, but also potential leftovers." Juah explains to me.
Jiseong smiles widely at me, his stunning exuberance will take me some time to get used to. "We also order a decent amount of sides though as well."
"I think we should probably get four pizzas this time so Lily can choose her own pizza." Minsook adds.
When it comes to pizza, generally I often make up my own specialty pizza from the toppings offered, but as I stare at the English version of the online menu I'm not sure I will have that liberty here. I still decide to test them though when I settle on my selection. "Hm. How about a BBQ chicken pizza with pineapples on it?"
Minsook laughs at my choice, his humor laced smile making my core tighten similarly to the dangerous smirks that he has already tossed my way. Gamon simply gives me a wide-eyed and open mouth shocked expression. Jiseong, for some reason, is even more excited than he was before. "You like pineapple on pizza too?"
"Sometimes. It's not a pizza I order often. I realize that traditional Hawaiian pizza tends to have ham or bacon on it, but I like to think a bit outside the box. I got the idea when I ended up in a pizza place where the sauce on their Hawaiian pizza was barbecue instead of red sauce." Jiseong doesn't understand all of the words I say since he's not proficient at the language like Gamon is, but Gamon is nice enough to translate for everyone. I learn quickly that while Jiseong and Minsook both love Hawaiian pizza, that the others simply haven't been willing enough to try it yet. The two youngest have tried to coax their hyungs into trying a bite, but their attempts simply haven't been successful.
The others all settle on their choices. One pizza that has beef, pepperoni, sausage, onions, and mushrooms on it. The second is a white sauced pizza with chicken, bacon, spinach, sweet peppers, and tomatoes on it, which I am pretty sure Juah selected, and I'm definitely tempted to try a slice of myself. The last is something called 'Devil's Delight' which has spicy tomato sauce, hot Italian sausage, salami, fresno chiles, and onions. That one was Gamon's selection, and I realize immediately that he must have an iron stomach. On top of the pizzas they also order garlic cheese fries, fried chicken wings, and Korean BBQ meatballs.
Not too long after that we are heading to the same underground garage and escorted into a large SUV. For a brief moment they try to argue who will sit beside me when I interrupt them. "How about I sit in the back beside Jaeyeon and Juah for the time being? I've mostly spent time with Gamon, Minsook, and Jiseong at this point. It feels more fair to try to spend equal time with each of you." I frown for a second. It will be so much easier when they all can understand me though too. I think until they get the shot that the language barrier is going to be a problem.
Gamon quickly translates for me. The twins both get pleased looks on each of their faces, and I'm even more surprised when Jaeyeon takes my left hand in his and pulls me into the SUV. I register the same electrifying sensation running through my veins at our skin to skin contact. Once I sit down in the backseat I turn and smile up at Juah as he brushes past me to sit on my right side. He looks at me and offers a sweet shy smile in response. Huh. The second eldest seems to be the shy one. Interesting, I wouldn't have expected that.
Gamon turns back as he gets in the passenger seat. "I think we are going to have to get the company to invest in bigger SUVS. I don't think I should be sitting here in the passenger seat often. It feels like a security risk."
Mengrai rambles off something to him from the driver's seat. Due to the growing familiarity of some words I can tell that he spoke in Korean this time instead of Thai. Minsook turns to me from his seat in front of Juah. "He was simply saying that we probably would only need one larger SUV. You aren't going to be with all 5 of us all the time."
I nibble on my lower lip to keep myself from frowning. I don't like that. I understand it on a logical level, but on an emotional one I'm not terribly happy about it. Oh, but I wouldn't want us to go on dates all together though, at least not all the time anyway. Whoa. Wait... Dates? Why didn't I think of that before? And how hard is it going to be to arrange one-on-one dates with celebrities?
I push those thoughts away for the time being. The five of us try to hold a conversation as best we can. I feel horrible that Minsook and Gamon have to translate so much. Jiseong offers simple sentences once in a while in his broken English, which I find endearing. However, I hope they can get the injections soon, because I think continuously having conversations this way might start to annoy me after a while.
Gamon must sense what I am thinking because he turns his head towards the back of the SUV. "I'll see if Junghee-hyung can get the doctor's appointments set up as soon as possible. It shouldn't take long after all." Then he casts a glance at Minsook. "Well, not long for most of us."
Minsook starts muttering to himself. I scooch forward a bit on my seat and reach out to touch his shoulder. "I said I would be with you if you needed me, and I meant it."
Not long after we are pulling up to the apartment building. I looked out the window to see it for myself for the first time. It looks to be a five floor building, which surprises me with how tall a lot of these apartments are. Chicago has skyscrapers, sure, but the city definitely doesn't hold a candle to the amount of buildings that touch the sky in Seoul.
I chose Jeong for the assistant's surname because it means tablet or chisel. I chose Boram for her first name because it means valuable or worthwhile.
You can find the website I used for the pizza ideas in the comments on this paragraph. Well at least the "Devil's Delight" although I did also have to do an additional search to find what was on it.
I lost some of my notes over time, but I think the website in the comments of this paragraph might be the site I used for the description of Gamon's pizza, although I am not sure where I got fresno chiles and spicy sauce from, but both make sense to me.