"Noona!"
I looked up to see who the next person was that was sitting at my table, and broke out into a huge smile.
"My favorite little muffin!" I said, reaching across the table to squeeze his hand before pulling mine back. "How are you, Taehyun?"
"I'm good, Noona," he told me with a big smile still on his face. "How are you?"
"I've asked you a bunch of times, please just call me Kit."
"I'm not sure that I can do that," he said, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. "It's a respect thing.
"I'm American," I reminded him. "As long as you don't throw something at me or cuss at me, then you're being respectful."
He laughed at me and shook his head, making his silky hair sway back-and-forth. "No offense, Noona, but Americans are weird."
I shrugged at him. "I didn't make them that way."
"I can't just not call you Noona," he said with a shrug. "But I can call you Kit Noona if you'd prefer."
"I like that better," I smiled. "So...how did you like the cookies that I made you?"
I heard a small gasp from the next table and cut my eyes to the side to see Tae staring at me with his jaw dropped, looking a little offended, but I ignored him and looked back at Taehyun.
"They were incredible!" he told me, his tone excited. "What were they called again? And what was in them? I couldn't quite figure it out."
"They're called spellbinder cookies," I reminded him. "And they basically have everything in them. Oats, chocolate chips, coconut, corn flakes. Then a lemon glaze drizzled on top."
"Did you create them?"
"You have too much faith in me, Taehyun," I told him with a laugh. "I got them out of a cookbook a long time ago."
"Well they were amazing, Noona," he said with a smile. "Thank you for making them for me."
"Anything for my little muffin," I said, reaching over to playfully pinch his cheek, making him blush again. I loved this kid. "I can make you something else if you want?"
"Other cookies?"
I laughed at him. "Or actual food, dude. I can't cook Korean food, but I make a killer chicken lasagna. Or chicken and dumplings. Or I make this awesome taco chicken thing."
I could hear Tae grumbling from the next table, and from the corner of my eye, I saw Yoongi, who's table it was, snap his fingers at him, which made me snicker.
Taehyun glanced at the other table, then back at me before leaning in to whisper to me.
"What's Taehyung-Hyung's deal? Is he mad at you?"
I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "No. He thinks that I'm his soulmate, and I'm not."
Taehyun glanced at Taehyung again, then smirked at me. "Should we make him jealous?"
I laughed at him. "I don't think that we'd have to try very hard."
He reached across the table and took one of my hands in both of his as he smiled at me, raising his voice a little. "I would love it if you would cook dinner for me one night, Noona."
Tae growled, and not softly, making Taehyun turn his head to the opposite side and giggle in his cute, little Taehyun way.
"Actually, you're more than welcome to cook for me anytime you want to."
"I have no problem with that, my little muffin," I told him with a smile. "You're one of my favorite people that I've met since I came here. That's why I made you cookies."
"Because I'm your favorite?"
"Yep."
Tae's chair fell backward as he stood up quickly and reached for my hand, pulling it out of Taehyun's, then tugging me out of my chair.
"Taehyung! Let go of me!" I said, trying to pull my arm away.
He didn't, and he didn't say anything, either, as he practically drug me out of the room while everyone else watched.
"Damnit, Tae! Let me go!" I said, trying to pull away from him. "What the hell is wrong with you? Dragging me out of the room like that in front of everybody and the cameras?"
He still said nothing. He marched us down the hallway and opened a door on the left side. He pushed me inside, not hard, but enough to get me in there. I knew he wasn't trying to hurt me. And as annoying as this whole display was, I do actually trust him.
I looked around, then turned back to him when he shut the door. "What the hell is your deal with closets, Kim Taehyung?"
He spun on me, then pushed me back against the coats. "Are you doing this on purpose?"
"Doing what on purpose?" I asked him, staring up at him. He was so close, and God I wanted to kiss him. I might not think that we're soulmates, but damn...that night we spent together was epic. I wouldn't say no to round two.
Also...he smells really good.
"Making me jealous," he said, like the answer was obvious. "You've sat there and giggled with every single person that came to your table."
"That's not true," I told him with a frown. "The girls wouldn't even talk to me."
"Don't be a smartass, Kit," he told me, rolling his dark eyes. "You know what I meant."
"So now I'm not allowed to be nice to any guy who's not you? Is that it?!" I asked him, pushing him away from me a little bit. "I don't belong to you, Taehyung!"
"You're my soulmate, Kit!" He said, his eyes wide and nostrils flaring. "It is killing me to see you giggling with other guys, and talking about making them cookies. You've never made me cookies."
"I can make you cookies if you want, Taehyung," I told him with a sigh.
"That's not my point, and you know it, Kit," he replied.
I stared at him and he stared back at me. I'm not sure who moved first, but suddenly, his lips were on mine, kissing me hard as he slid one arm around my waist and the other around my shoulders, holding me close.
I wrapped my own arms around his trim waist, then pushed my hands under the hem of his shirt and up over his smooth back, wanting to feel his warm skin. As I moved them up his back, I felt a raised part of his skin under his right shoulder blade. I ran my fingers over the straight lines of it.
Pulling away a little, I looked at his dark eyes. "Do you have a tattoo, Tae?"
He shook his head at me. "I only have one little one. But it's not there. That's my soulmate mark."
I ran my fingers over the lines of it again, trying to figure out what it was. It didn't feel like numbers.
"It's not a phone number, is it?" I asked him.
He shook his head again. "No, Noona. It's not."
I blushed. I had been called that several times today, but Tae always managed to make it sound dirty.
"Is it a country?"
"No. It's not words at all."
I felt it with my fingers again. It felt like... a shape. A diamond, maybe? But not a rhombus diamond. An actual diamond.
"Is it a diamond?"
He shrugged. "Sort of. I would say that it's more of a gem."
"A...gem?" I swallowed hard as he nodded.
"Yep. But it's two different colors," he told me. "Kind of half-and-half."
I pushed him away from me. "I have to go."
"What?" he asked, reaching for me again, but I moved to the door and turned the knob. "Kit! Wa-"
I didn't let him finish before I left the small closet and closed the door in his face.
Then I took off running. Down the hallway. Down the stairs. Out of the building. Down the hill. I didn't stop until I reached Han River.
Because Holy shit.
Kim Taehyung was my actual soulmate.
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A/n: Yeah...we all saw that one coming, right? Even Tae knew it was true. Kit was just in denial. Anyway...Hope you're all staying safe and healthy. Merry Christmas, or whatever it is that you celebrate. -------K