"There you go Ma'am, I hope you find love very soon."
Jungkook had a unique gift.
From birth, practically, he's always had the gift of drawing. Throughout his whole childhood, his artwork was well above what an average kid his age could do, no matter what stage of his youth he was at. Children and adult alike marveled at his work, it was simply exceptional. But Jungkook didn't care about the praise. He just liked to draw.
He spent his childhood on Jeju island. His parents were hotel owners. It was a modern beachfront hotel, perhaps not as flashy as nearby resorts. But it saw quite a lot of traffic, making the island more accessible to those with a bit less money.
Jungkook loved drawing by the ocean. The sea brought him calm no other thing, alive or otherwise, could bring him. As a kid he'd sit in the sand and draw portraits of people he had seen that day. The habit never truly died.
Portraits were Jungkook's favorite thing to draw. He saw people from an outside perspective, as if he were viewing animals in a zoo. They fascinated him. Each crease in their face, each twitch of muscle contributing to a new expression. The light in one's eyes as they speak about something they're passionate about. Passion was Jungkook's favorite expression. It didn't matter how conventionally attractive someone was. If they were speaking about something they were passionate about, they—to Jungkook at least—were beautiful.
At fifteen, Jungkook discovered something peculiar about his talent. One day, he saw a beautiful woman, obviously dripping with class and elegance. He was amazed by her, though, as previously mentioned, conventional beauty meant little to Jungkook in the grand scheme of things. Either way, he knew he needed to draw her.
This happened sometimes. Jungkook would occasionally get an urge to draw a certain person he just couldn't ignore. So he pulled his sketchbook out of his backpack, and began scribbling her down.
Except he didn't.
His hand moved on his own, and by the time Jungkook had realized it, a man he had never seen before was on his sketchbook page. He didn't know how he got there...he was looking at the woman sitting outside the café he frequented. But it wasn't of her, despite his deliberate intention.
He stared at the page, confused. What had just happened?
Jungkook looked up again, at the woman, and just then a man walks up to her, just as elegant, pecking her lips.
It was the man he drew.
Another time, he wanted to draw his good friend Aeri. She sat down, posing naturally as he drew away. But again, he did not draw the subject in front of him. This time, he drew a classmate of theirs.
"How does it look..?" Aeri picks up on his expression, confused.
"Um..." He turns it around, showing his friend an image of a girl who wasn't her.
"W-why did you draw Suyeon?" Her voice was quick, as blood rushed to her cheeks.
"I don't...know," Jungkook confesses. "I thought I was drawing you. My hand is acting up. I don't know how or why."
"But why her?" Aeri asks, staring. "Why her of all people?"
"I don't understand," He admits. "Isn't she just a classmate..?"
"I like her," She puts her face in her hands. "God, I like her so much, okay? More than I've ever liked anyone. But I'll never be able to tell her because no one knows I like girls. Obviously no one does. You know that."
"...I think you should tell her," Jungkook says...for some reason. "I think she'd say yes."
"Are you crazy!?" Aeri yells. "We're the only two gay losers in this entire school! She definitely doesn't like me back."
"Yeah maybe the only two gay losers, but...who knows?" Jungkook shrugs. "Maybe Suyeon likes girls. Maybe Suyeon likes you. I think you should try."
Aeri huffs. "...Maybe. Maybe I'll try. I don't know."
They started going out three months later.
Jungkook's hand began to have a mind of it's own. That's what he concluded. Because this problem continued to happen. It didn't always happen, sometimes he was able to draw people like normal. But more frequently, he started drawing random people.
Or...not so random.
Overtime, Jungkook started noticing a pattern between these odd portraits. More often than not, they were in some way connected deeply to the person he was trying to draw. They were often lovers, or really good friends. With people he knew, sometimes a stranger Jungkook drew would meet the person and they'd become inseparable.
"Soulmates," He realizes aloud one day, alone by the golden sea at twilight. "I'm drawing people's soulmates."
He in fact was drawing people's soulmates. Subconsciously, he knew the person that his subject would eventually be most connected to, if not already. Jungkook had no idea why he was able to do this...he just could. He's been able to for a decade now. Aeri and Suyeon were still together, they've vowed to spend the rest of their lives together. Aeri always thanks Jungkook for it, but he personally finds it hard to take any credit.
Sure, he could draw the soulmates of others, but...it's not like he knew how he did it. And for Aeri it was a complete accident.. Maybe he did have a hand in her fate with her lover...but that was destiny's doing, not his.
He was simply a messenger. He wasn't sure why he was chosen out of eight billion people in this world...but he was.
At 20 years old, Jungkook turned his supernatural talent into a career. On a pier near the sea, he set up a booth next to other vendors, bringing tourists in with his spectacular drawings and promise to reveal their soulmate. At this point, most of his portraits were of soulmates and not the subjects themselves. His ability had simply shifted overtime, and now he couldn't draw anyone unless he knew who their soulmate was first.
Including himself.
He hasn't done a self-portrait in a decade, because he doesn't know who his soulmate is. And he's tried to figure it out! Countless times he sat in front of a mirror, urging his hand to draw someone for him. But nothing. Scribbles. Nothing that represented a human, or really anything at all. It was hopeless. Perhaps he didn't have a soulmate after all.
So he focused on his work instead. Jungkook was 25 now, and business was booming. It turns out word spreads quickly when people later realize the person a random man on Jeju drew turned out to be the love of their life. Whether they believed it or not, humans were curious creatures. He became a well-known tourist attraction on the island.
From open to close, five days a week, Jungkook had a long line of people waiting for their soulmate portraits. It wasn't long before it got overwhelming. Jungkook had never been a big people-person, so being crowded like a celebrity was definitely not his favorite.
Aeri popped in one day, saw how stressed he was, and dropped everything. Her best friend was not doing well, and she had to do something about it. She quit her job that day, and became Jungkook's manager. From that day forward, she managed crowds, dealt with finances, anything Jungkook needed, she did. Suyeon was very supportive of her, she liked Aeri's spontaneity. She was happy with her own job as a preschool teacher, and she wanted her lover to have a job she loved too.
Now the booth moves like clockwork. Jungkook just gets to draw, ten-minute sketches that he's mastered over the course of his life. And Aeri handles business. She was just the best, Jungkook was so grateful for her. He definitely wouldn't have been able to continue without her.
"Alright, next please," Aeri calls, taking money from the man next in line.
"Thank you Jungkook!" The previous customer says again, clutching her soulmate portrait. They knew his name, it's all over the internet.
"Alright, move along, thank you for coming," Aeri waves the woman away politely while simultaneously gesturing for the man to sit. "Keep the line neat everyone!"
Jungkook was getting his supplies ready, so he hadn't yet looked at the customer. But that was a big part of it. He stared at his clients as if he were going to draw them. But his hand drew their soulmate. He goes into a trance when he does these drawings, it's why he couldn't stop when he first started drawing them. He didn't know it was Suyeon and not Aeri he was drawing until Suyeon was obviously on the page, for example.
So he needed to get a good look of their faces. Like all customers before, he looks up at the man.
He was gorgeous.
Jungkook never had much regard for conventional beauty. Like previously mentioned, there were aspects of everyone he found wonderful, and he brought out their best features in his work.
But the looks of this man made him feel something, greater than anyone before him. Sure, he's had crushes before, he's passed people in the streets he personally found attractive...but no one had enamored him in this way.
"Hi," He says, staring.
"Hi Jungkook," The man beams. His smile is breathtaking. "I'm excited. I want to believe it's real."
"Well, if it helps, I believe it," Jungkook huffs out a laugh. "It's why I do it."
"Good to know," He chuckles.
"Alright, let's um, get started," Jungkook catches Aeri giving him a look...damn she knows him too well. He in turn gives he a subtle look, obviously telling her to knock it off. "I'll be looking at you periodically, that's part of the process. Please don't talk to me while I'm drawing. I unfortunately won't be able to respond. Neither of us will know who I've drawn until I'm done, this is a subconscious experience for me. Are you ready?"
"I am!" He's so cheery.
Jungkook nods once, and with one last long look, he puts his pencil to the paper. Pencil has always been his preferred medium. Over the years, he's been able to experiment with many types of pencils, and the ones he has now are very high quality. It's such a simple object, but it creates magic on a page.
Over the next ten minutes, he works. He doesn't think much, he just surveys the man's face. It really is perfect, in Jungkook's opinion. His eyes are a deep brown, small, but fitted perfectly to his face. His nose was slanted down diagonally, a bit flat, the tip of it round. Then his cupid's bow led down to his lips, and wow his lips. As both an artist, and a human being, his lips were Jungkook's favorite feature.
They were soft and plump, two pillows from heaven. They were pink, and pretty, and lovely. At that moment Jungkook was sure 70% of the good in this entire world at least was in this man's lips alone. No pair of lips has, or will ever exist to compete with the ones in front of him.
His jawline could cut glass, his collarbones were sculpted by an artist much better than Jungkook could ever be. This man was just incredible.
Then Jungkook snaps out of his trance. He's done. Destiny has given his hand back to him, and he uses it to set his pencil down.
"Alright, I'm finished," He moves to look at the drawing. "Here you-"
Jungkook stops in his tracks.
"What?" The man notices, concerned.
"I...um," Jungkook stares at the person on the page, rendered speechless.
It was himself.
He had found his soulmate.
Hesitantly, he picks up the portrait, turning it around. "I-I guess you've already met your soulmate."
The man looks down, eyes widening. He then brings his eyes up to Jungkook's. They stare at one another for a few seconds.
Then the man's gaze hardens into a glare.
"I can't believe this," He exclaims. "You really pulled this?"
His heart skips a beat. "W-what?"
"How many other people have you done this with?" The smaller asks. "Do you really think this kind of thing will work!?"
"W-wait," Jungkook stutters. "I never-:
The man stood up quickly, storming off.
Jungkook had to run after him.
He sprinted, barely registering the, "Jungkook?" coming from Aeri. The man moved quickly, he had to work hard to catch up to him. But he managed to grab his wrist, stopping the man. He looks back, up at Jungkook.
"I have never done this before," Jungkook tells him. "Because I have never met my soulmate before today. I am not in control of who I draw, I promise. I believe with all my heart that you are my soulmate, because I have seen proof with others I've drawn. I'm not asking you to love me, I-I'm not even asking you to go out with me. Just...meet me for coffee tomorrow morning. I am making a fool out of myself because I believe this...so please. Take a risk with me. I'm begging."
Perhaps it was the earnest look in Jungkook's eye, but the man sighs. "I...I want to believe you. Because I want to believe soulmates are real. So...I will meet you for coffee. But I don't trust you...I just can't right now. I want you to know that."
"That's okay," Jungkook squeezes the man's wrist...that he only now realizes he's still holding. He quickly lets go. "Oh my God, I'm so sorry for that. B-but anyways, that is okay. I get this is crazy. I just...I really believe it. I hope we find reason to believe in it more."
"I...I hope soulmates are real," He hesitates. "Who knows? Maybe you're mine."
"Yes, maybe," He nods, trying not to be overbearing. "What's your name?"
"Jimin," He replies. "Park Jimin."
"Well, it was really nice meeting you Jimin," He says sincerely. "Do you see that coffee shop over there?" He points to a cute shop just down the street. "Can we meet there tomorrow at 8am?"
"Okay," Jimin agrees. "Let's do it."
"Great," Jungkook smiles. "W-well...I should get back to work then. It was really nice meeting you."
"You too...I think," Jimin makes a face. "I'll see you tomorrow Jungkook."
"See you tomorrow," Jungkook watches him leave.
He walks back to his booth, mind and heart both racing. Aeri was managing the crowd, but she had seen the portrait too.
"Jungkook is coming back now, hold on!" She calls over the noise. "See? Here he is! I told you he'd come back! Just a moment everyone!" She goes up to her best friend. "Jungkook, oh my God! You found your soulmate! I'm so happy for you Kook!"
"He...was the most beautiful person I have ever seen," Jungkook whispers.
"I bet he was," Aeri chuckles. "Jungkookie this is great!"
"He was so skeptical thought," The taller worries. "What if I screw everything up? Damn it, he's not going to believe me."
"Jungkook, he's your soulmate," Aeri reminds. "He is going to love you. Even if he wasn't your soulmate he would. It would be impossible not to, trust me, I know."
"I hope so," He breathes. "I...I should get back to work, hm?"
"Well," She jests. "I didn't want to say it."
"Alright, next in line then," He waves forward the one in front. He stares at their face, he does his job...but wow he can't focus. Jimin...Jimin was his soulmate. Wow was he lucky.
He couldn't wait for tomorrow.
*
Jungkook arrived at the coffee shop fifteen minutes early. He had been up since 5am, completely restless. That morning he had tried to be productive, did chores, ran errands, anything to get his mind off the meeting with his soulmate.
But alas, that is all he thought of. So he walked to the coffee shop early, more nervous than he's ever been. What if...what if he was wrong? He thought Jimin was beautiful, more than anyone he's ever met. He might've drawn himself on accident, because he was so smitten. The thought kept him up last night.
But here he was, in desperate need of caffeine due to extreme sleep deprivation. He walked in, scared out of his mind, hoping he could catch his breath before Jimin arrived. He didn't want to be a fool in front of someone like Jimin.
It was all for nothing though. Because Jimin was already here.
They make eye-contact, and Jimin smiles a happy smile. That was a good sign, right? Was Jimin happy to see him? He just didn't know.
"Good morning Jimin," He greets, smiling back. "Nice to um, see you again."
"You too," Jimin nods. "This...um, is awkward, I won't lie. I don't really know if I'll be able to believe you...and that's not the best way to start things..."
"I know..." He feels sick hearing that. "I don't like that you can't trust me. Let's just not talk about anything related to soulmates right now. Let's just be two people meeting for coffee. That's really just what I want, until we either feel like we may be soulmates or not. I just don't want to make you feel uncomfortable.
"Do...do you really believe we're soulmates?" Jimin questions softly.
"I think so," He confesses. "I'm not 100% sure...but what I do know is I am not trying to trick you. I didn't draw myself on purpose, I promise you that. Maybe soulmates aren't real...but I believe they are. And you very well may be mine."
"I...I trust that," Jimin tells him. "You are either a really good liar, or you're telling the full truth. I'm going to believe the latter for now. I thought about it a lot last night, and I...I researched about you on the internet. Your reviews are so overwhelmingly positive, and I didn't see any other time you've drawn yourself..."
"I never have," He replies. "Me drawing myself means something."
"And I want to believe that," Jimin presses. "So I am consciously choosing to trust you despite my first instinct. Because I want to believe the world is good, and you are good and soulmates do exist."
"Th-thank you for telling me this," Jungkook's eyes widen softly. "I'll work hard to make you trust me. Now...may I treat you to coffee?"
"No, thank you, I'd like to by myself coffee," He declines. "Because this isn't a date."
"Yes, I-I remember, and I respect that," Jungkook blushes. "I promise."
Jimin turns away to hide a bit of a smile he has a hard time controlling.
The two order coffee, and Jimin picks a table by the window. It had started raining while they were in the comfort of the softly lit shop, and the droplets pattered against the glass. Jungkook liked it when it rained, the line at his shop was never as long on days like this.
Jimin was staring out the window while sipping his coffee. He looked so comfortable, so content. Jungkook hoped he could make Jimin feel that someday.
"I love the rain," Jimin says after a second. "Maybe it's because I grew up by the sea, but..."
"It's familiar, right?" Jungkook continues. "Constant, familiar comfort. Jeju is a big tourist destination, but it rains more than it doesn't. I tend to prefer it over anything else."
"Me too," Jimin agrees. "I grew up in Busan, I still live there now. The rain just makes me happy. It may be an unpopular opinion, but I just love it."
"I do too," Jungkook takes a drink. It's quiet for a second. "So...what brings you to Jeju?"
"Honestly?" Jimin huffs out a laugh. "I was just really bored. My life isn't anything worth talking about. I grew up, I got a job, I exist...it was all pretty meaningless. I thought taking a trip, doing something interesting, would clear my head. And, um...in the past two days I've been here, more has happened to me than in the past...I'd say, seven years? If not more? So yeah...maybe I partially took this risk because I was bored. And even if you turned into a serial killer, and I got my eyeballs plucked out, and my nails ripped off, or any crazy thing like that...at least I could say it wasn't boring."
Jungkook can't help but snort. "S-sorry...wow. That's a bit extreme. I promise I won't do any of those things."
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure of that now," He smiles softly. "You seem...sweet. I even noticed that when we first met. You've had thousands of customers I'm sure. How are you still so kind to people?"
"It's all I really know," Jungkook shrugs. "I was raised in the service industry by good parents. Being me is all I know how to do...I'm honestly terrified of being mean to people."
"Ah, you definitely are an only child then."
"W-what?" He stutters. "Well, y-yeah, but-"
"I'm the youngest of three boys," Jimin reveals. "We squabbled all the time as kids. Being the youngest is why I'm so assertive. I had to learn to stand up for myself."
"Yeah, that's one skill I wish I had," The taller sighs. "I'm pretty introverted, to the point it's frustrating. It's why I'm glad I have my manager Aeri. She's so good at her job."
"Does she believe in all this?" Jimin gestures between the two of them. "In soulmates?"
"Her soulmate was one of the first I drew," He confesses. "They've been together for almost ten years. She and her partner are a big reason I believe in it myself."
"Oh..." Jimin trails. "That...changes things a bit."
"Does it?" Jungkook stares softly.
"You drew someone ten years ago, and they're still together," Jimin states. "That's kind of crazy. In a good way."
"Ah," He looks down, smiling. "Cool."
Jimin stares at the taller for a few seconds, but it takes a while for Jungkook to notice. When he does, he flushes a deep red, staring back.
"W-why..?" He starts.
"I'm sorry," Jimin says. But he doesn't stop.
"It's...it's fine," Jungkook assures. "Just...why?"
"I don't know, just," He finally looks down. "I'm having a much better time than I thought I would. Even though we haven't done too much at all."
"I get that," He smiles bashfully once again. "I'm really enjoying your company Jimin."
"I am too," Jimin beams. "I didn't think I would, like this. This is just comfortable, right? I was really worried I'd get uncomfortable, and you'd end up being pushy, and it would all go to shit because for whatever reason you wanted to get with me...but this is so nice. You're just so...nice. I know I already said that, but it's because you obviously are. I just am really glad I came here. Maybe we should meet again tomorrow. Maybe you can show me somewhere on the island tourists don't know very well?"
"O-oh," Jungkook's heart feels so light. It's going well! "Well, I'd have to close my booth for a day."
"Shit, I didn't even think about that," Jimin gapes. "I'm on vacation, but that doesn't mean you are! You know what? Forget it, I-"
"Let's do it," Jungkook stops him. "I'd love to spend a day with you Jimin. I...I really like you. As a person. Your life may be boring, but you definitely aren't."
"Oh, thank you," He breaks into a smile. "...What you said wasn't much, but that actually feels really good to hear. Because sometimes I wonder if my life has made me uninteresting too."
"Not at all!" Jungkook shakes his head. "You're charming. That alone is interesting. And I'm sure you have stories to tell. Everyone does."
"I'll have to think about some tonight then," Jimin chuckles. "Because I can't think of any now."
"I'll look forward to it," Jungkook is so excited. This beautiful man is more wonderful than Jungkook thought someone could ever be.
"You're really cute, you know," Jimin compliments. "There's a pureness about you that is just adorable."
"Thank you," He continues to be shy. "That means a lot coming from you."
"It's refreshing, spending time with an optimist," He sips. "Life is so depressing in general."
"Art helps see the beauty in life," He makes eye-contact. "Now even more so than before."
Jimin smirks. "Are you calling me beautiful?"
"No! I-I mean, I didn't mean," Jungkook stumbles over his words. "What I'm trying to say is-"
"It's okay Jungkook," Jimin reaches for his hand. "I...I trust you now. I don't think you have any ulterior motive, so just be honest."
"You...you're breathtaking," Jungkook says quietly, wrapping his fingers around Jimin's hand. "Just the most beautiful person I've met in my entire life. I don't usually pay attention to how people look besides from an artist's perspective, but I saw you, and suddenly the way everyone else viewed beauty made sense."
Jimin was completely speechless.
"...I am so sorry," Jungkook says after a second. "I know that was intense, I-I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, I-"
He moves to pull back his hand, but Jimin prevents him from doing it. Jungkook looks up, and Jimin has a beautiful smile on his rosy-pink face. "I...I've been hit on quite a few times," The shorter shares. "I thought I had been told everything in the book. And all of it made me uncomfortable. But this? I just...I don't know how to describe it. It's the nicest compliment I've ever been given."
"...I'm so glad I asked you to come here," Jungkook whispers.
"A-and I am so excited to see where this goes," Jimin adds. "I really, really am."
Maybe it was too soon to tell...but Jungkook at this point was 100% sure he had met his soulmate.
A/N: No author's note today. Hmm...I wonder why~?