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Word count: 2202
POV: Taehyung
THEY HAD LANDED in America yesterday evening after filming a video to post on social media. Sejin didn't want their fans suspecting they were not in Korea—he knew it would be havoc if ARMY knew they were in America.
Taehyung stretched his tense muscles as he slid out of bed. On the other side of the room was Jimin, who was snoring softly. He shielded his eyes from the harsh sun rays that filtered through the blinds, squinting his eyes to get a look at the city. His fluffy bed hair was a mess and when he stared at the mirror, he wasn't surprised to see it was all over the place. His mother used to claim when he woke up, it looked like he had been whisked around in a hurricane.
He hopped into the shower and let the warm water soothe his qualms. Today, they would be meeting their soul mate. At least, that was what they had heard. Freya, the woman Namjoon had been corresponding with, had been rather vague on things. Not only did that worry Taehyung, but it worried the others too. The whole week, he had been a little snappy with his family. They were all understanding since they felt something wasn't right.
Taehyung's soul felt...off, to put it mildly. He hadn't slept well over the past few days and when he did, his dreams were consumed with today going horribly wrong. Last night, he and Jimin spoke for hours about their fears. He was thankful for one of the people who was the closest to him.
Jimin was awake by the time Taehyung finished showering. He smiled at his best friend and excused himself to relieve his business. A message from the band's group chat startled Taehyung and drew his attention.
[WWH] Good morning! Breakfast is in my room today. What shall I order?
[SleepySuga] Coffee.
[Hope] Coffee is needed. Kookie is still fast asleep. Maybe some banana milk as well?
[WWH] Yah! You need to wake him up! We've got an interview in an hour.
Taehyung groaned at the reminder. They had decided to do an interview that would be released next week. It was for a national magazine and was on their last album.
[Tae] Do we have to do it?
[Joonie] Yes. It's already been booked. If we cancel it last minute, they could reveal we're in Minnesota.
Taehyung released a long breath. Namjoon, as usual, was right. They wanted to keep their appearance in America a secret. They didn't want the world to find out they were searching for their soul mate, who could quite possibly be in Minnesota.
After throwing on a jumper, Taehyung was ready to head next door. Jimin exited the bathroom at the moment Taehyung went for the door, already dressed and ready to go. It was no secret amongst their fans that Jimin took the longest to get ready. Taehyung was surprised he got ready so quickly.
"Breakfast is in Jin's room today," Taehyung informed him, waiting for his brother.
"Did he say if he was going to order croissants?" Jimin asked excitedly. "I've been craving some since we got here."
Taehyung shook his head in amusement. He was glad Jimin could always serve as a distraction. Usually, Taehyung was pretty good at doing that but his thoughts had been running wild.
"Aish, you're starting to sound like Jungkook." Taehyung scolded, playfully.
The two of them left their room and met the others in Jin's room. Jungkook was up but dozily staring at the others. Taehyung figured the youngest had been up all night again, playing video games.
"Everyone better eat up quickly, we have a busy day ahead," Jin instructed, sitting at the large table provided. The others followed suit. Taehyung's mouth watered at the variety of food. It always astounded him how much Seokjin provided for the group. He really was their elder—someone who always took care of them.
They ate and spoke about what to expect during the interview. Taehyung knew they were all avoiding the topic of their soul mate. They were excited about meeting them but since they couldn't shake that something was wrong, they were also incredibly nervous. Even Jimin, the brightest and most hopeful in the group, was quiet about it.
The sound of a phone buzzing disrupted their light chatter. All eyes shifted to Jin—they all knew whose ringtone it was.
Jin sighed heavily, revealing a tinge of his tiredness. The issues surrounding his ex-girlfriend were affecting him deeply. She refused to let go of him.
"Don't answer, hyung," Jungkook piped up, causing all eyes to drift to his form. "She's only going to keep pestering you if you answer. Jin-Ha did the same to me until I stopped answering and blocked her number."
Taehyung felt his heart pang with worry over Jungkook's ex-girlfriend. They all remembered clearly how bad that relationship was for him. When it was over, he would sometimes wake up from a nightmare, sweating and panicked. She had scarred the golden maknae—not just from the nail marks on his forearm but also emotionally.
It took a lot of courage for Jungkook to cut all ties with her. For so long, he had been afraid that she would retaliate publicly.
However, due to her being a trainee at BigHit, she was under contract. She would be sued and get dropped if she breached it by revealing his privacy.
The situation pissed Taehyung off. In their loneliness, people had tried to take advantage of them. Taehyung hoped Jin would consider Jungkook's advice.
They all watched in anticipation as Jin turned his phone off. He smiled triumphantly, his stress dissipating.
"Wow, hyung. I'm proud of you." Jimin commented, his eyes sparkling with pride.
"I can't have her keep contacting me when we're here. Not when we're trying to find our soul mate." Jin replied, pinching his lips together. Taehyung noticed him glance down at his soul mark—the same one he had. They were all so curious to meet MS.
After breakfast, they all stood ready to leave. To no one's surprise, as Jimin rose to his feet, he tripped on the chair leg and stumbled to the side. They all smothered their laughter whilst his cheeks burned pink in embarrassment.
The interview went exactly how they expected it to go. Thankfully, the questions had been sent to them before they arrived so they had time to prepare.
As usual, Taehyung hung back and let his bandmates answer most of the questions. Since he struggled with English the most, it meant he often misunderstood what was being asked. For some reason, no matter how hard he tried, the language wouldn't click with him.
Once he met his soul mate, he hoped things would be different. Reports suggested that soul mates with a language barrier could immediately understand one another once they met. It was the power of the bond, apparently.
They congregated back in Jin's room after the interview. By then, it was already mid-afternoon and their emotions were bursting. Namjoon said that Freya and her friend would be arriving at four. That gave them two hours to prepare.
Despite being thrilled, Taehyung was also anxious that this person wouldn't be their soul mate. If that was the case, then they would be back where they started.
To prevent his thoughts from spiraling like the others, Taehyung suggested playing a board game. Namjoon sent a message to Sejin, asking him kindly to bring a board game with him.
They only ever played board games for ARMY. Taheyung couldn't remember the last time they had done it because they wanted to.
He sat on the floor with his bandmates, squeezing in between Namjoon and Hobi. Taehyung wrapped an arm around Hobi, pulling him closer.
"Apparently Sejin could only find cards, so what should we play?" Yoongi revealed, shuffling the cards in a professional manner.
"Go fish. It's been a while since we played that game," Hobi answered immediately, smirking evilly.
Jungkook and Taehyung groaned. The last time they played that game, it ended in a blood bath. They all argued about who had the fours and even tackled each other.
"Is that wise, hyung?" Jimin asked, glancing at the two youngest in amusement. "We don't want to start a war."
"Jimin, why are you acting all innocent? You were just as bad as them." Taehyung called him out, recalling how angry Jimin got from being accused of hiding the fours.
"Hey! I wasn't as bad as you and Hobi. Hobi-hyung was so furious he nearly had steam coming out of his ears." Jimin reminded them all, shivering at the memory.
"That was years ago. I'm a different man now," Hobi joked, pulling Taehyung closer to him.
Yoongi rolled his eyes at Hobi's comment, "Sure Hoseok. Whatever you say."
The game proceeded, with Namjoon in the lead. Taehyung pouted as he stared at his cards, aware that there was no way he would win. He snuck a peek at Hobi's cards and grinned internally when he saw he nearly had all of the nines. Perfect.
When it got to his turn, he asked Hobi for the nines. Hobi gasped and threw Taehyung a dirty look. "You cheated!" He accused him, pointing a finger at him.
Taehyung feigned innocence, "I did not!"
"You so did," Hobi countered.
"I saw you sneak a peek, Tae," Jimin threw him under the bus.
Taehyung threw a glare Jimin's way.
"Yah, enough!" Jin scolded the maknae's, shaking his head in disbelief. Then under his breath, he said. "I should never have allowed us to play this game."
"Hand over the nine's Hobi. That's the rule," Taehyung ordered, triumphantly.
Reluctantly, he slammed the three cards into Taehyung's hands. He was the first person who had a set and it boosted his confidence. Until...
Jungkook came out of nowhere, demanding the right cards from everyone. The golden maknae struck again with his luck.
Taehyung should have expected it. Jungkook was good at creeping up on you with his talent.
Checking his watch, Taehyung was surprised to see that they had an hour left until their potential soul mate would arrive. He gasped, drawing the attention of his friends.
"We should get ready."
"What do you mean 'get ready'?" Yoongi murmured, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Taehyung knew his hyung wanted to nap.
"Don't you want to look good when our soul mate arrives?" Taehyung questioned, already forming an image of what he wanted to wear.
"He's right. I don't want to greet our soul mate in joggers," Hobi agreed, flickering his brown orbs to his casual, comfortable outfit.
Jimin pouted, "I don't know what to wear. I don't want to come across as too flashy. Why is this so difficult? Why am I so worried about clothes?"
"You're nervous, Jimin. It's natural." Namjoon assured Jimin, patting his shoulder lightly. "We all are. You don't need to dress up to impress our soul mate. They will love and admire you for who you are."
"Let's just...be wary, okay?" Yoongi cautioned the rest of them. His hopes had been lifted since he bumped into their soul mate at a cafe, but he was still the wariest of them. Taehyung knew that it was for their benefit but he hoped that he would also allow himself to feel happiness.
"We will be," Jin replied, confidently.
***
THE TIME HAD come. They were all jittery with nerves, bouncing on the balls of their feet. Taehyung could feel his heart pounding in his chest, threatening to leap out and fall on the floor.
Sejin had volunteered to meet their soul mate at the entrance to the hotel, where he would then guide them to a secluded area. BTS had set up the area specifically for this, wanting to meet their soul mate in a private area that wouldn't overwhelm them.
Taehyung curled his fingers together and twisted his signature ring around his finger. His eyes flew to the clock for the millionth time. This time, his heart jolted when he saw it was four. They should be here.
Keeping his cool, he assessed his friend's expressions. They were all on edge, feeling the same emotions as him.
"Where are they?" Jimin queried, impatiently.
The corners of Taehyung's lips quirked upwards, "Give them a moment. They probably just arrived. It takes a minute or so to walk over here."
Silence fell over the group again. Anticipation swirled in the air.
And then, the doors to the spacious private lounge swung open, revealing a small, young woman with thick dark hair. Her facial expression was pinched and guilty but also excited.
Taehyung immediately knew that the woman before him was not their soul mate.
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