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Word count: 1835
UNFORTUNATELY, SHE COULDN'T avoid seeing her soul mates forever. Aggie returned to the room shortly after Freya left, telling her that her soul mates would give her a few minutes before coming in.
Madeline needed more than a few minutes to prepare. She was convinced this day would never happen.
Breathing in and out, she collected herself. It didn't matter to her that she was a sight to see or that she desperately needed a bath. Their reactions to her unkept, disgusting state would prove who they were.
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts. She inhaled sharply and readied herself to face them. Jin was the first one to poke his head through the door, a tentative smile on his face.
"Hi," He greeted in English, examining her form. Madeline wondered if he saw Freya storm out of her room. If so, did she reveal anything?
Suddenly, Jin stumbled forward as the others pushed against him. All seven of them ended up in her room. The oldest member blushed in embarrassment and scolded them in Korean. If the circumstances were different, she would have laughed at them. They were quite similar to their RUN and Bon Voyage episodes.
Straightening their postures, they all hovered by the door, unsure of how to proceed.
Madeline kept her face placid, giving nothing away. It took a lot for her to act distant and cold.
"I—I'm glad you...are awake," Hoseok attempted to speak in English, struggling to get his words across.
"It's nice to meet you, Madeline," Namjoon stepped forward as the leader, saving Hobi from humiliating himself. They could have chosen to speak Korean since she had bonded with one of her soul mates but they wanted her to feel more comfortable so they chose to speak her native language.
She hated to admit it but she was a little starstruck. They were global sensations—icons to the world. And they were in her room. She knew they were handsome when she watched their videos but the cameras didn't do them any justice. All seven of them looked like they had been crafted by the gods themselves.
It was extremely unfair.
The auras surrounding them were strong and warm. A complete contrast to how she perceived them. They didn't carry themselves as superstars but as ordinary humans.
Still, it could be a front. She had to be careful around them.
"Why don't we all introduce ourselves?" Namjoon asked the boys in Korean, unaware that Madeline suddenly understood them. She hadn't been able to earlier when she was sleeping. Her eyes snapped to her wrists and she nearly gasped when she caught sight of two golden marks. At closer inspection, she realized it was Jimin's and Namjoon's marks. They had touched her and jumpstarted the bond.
Her mind went into overdrive.
She had bonded with two of them. That was how she was able to understand Korean. When she woke up, the bond must have come into effect.
That meant everything they said—even when they didn't want her to know it—she'd understand.
"I'm Kim Seokjin, otherwise known as World Wide Handsome—"
He never got to finish. "I know who you guys are." It was the first time she had spoken in front of them. They all froze at the sound of her voice. "So, now that we've established that, can we get this over with?"
Not only did the soul bond allow her to understand what was being said, but it also meant she could speak in Korean. She didn't notice she was speaking their language until they all gasped.
Yoongi, the perceptive one who usually hung back, stepped forward and narrowed his eyes at her. "What do you mean 'get this over with'?"
Madeline sighed and dragged her gaze away from him. "The rejection. What else would it be?"
There was a palpable silence between them. Madeline held her breath as if the moment she released it, she'd vanish from this world.
She had never understood how love could be so precious to someone. Sure, she had seen her father and stepmother have a happy relationship—the same with Freya and Della. But she still couldn't see how someone could completely rely on someone. That was why she despised soul mates. She didn't want to be in love and carry around fears of losing her loved one in the future. It seemed too painful.
And yet, here she was. Waiting for her soul mates to finally utter the words she never wanted to hear. It would have been so much easier if she was like her mother—soulless. At least then she wouldn't have to worry about the pain.
"Rejection?" Jungkook gasped in Korean. Slowly, she shifted her orbs back to them. The three youngest all had tears in their eyes whilst the other four stiffened. "I—we—we don't want that."
Madeline didn't believe him. Nothing they said could convince her. The bond between the two of them forced would disappear when they rejected her so it didn't matter. That wouldn't tie them down.
"Jungkook is right. We're here because we want to be with you." Jin stepped forward, speaking in a firm, no-nonsense voice. It all went over her head. She refused to be swayed so easily. She couldn't afford to be weak. Weakness would destroy her.
Resisting the urge to scoff, Madeline's gaze hardened. "Okay then. I guess I'll have to say the words. I reject the bo—" In a flash, a strong hand covered her mouth, preventing her from uttering another word.
Her eyes enlarged as a surprising and euphoric feeling washed over her. She could practically see stars. The feeling of bonding with your soul mate for the first time was unlike anything else. Or so she had heard. Her whole body brimmed with electricity.
Hesitantly, Madeline lifted her eyes from the arm to the owner's face. Kim Taehyung stood in front of her, his expression mirroring hers. He didn't know what to expect from the bond either.
Coming to terms with the situation first, she jerked backward, breathing heavily.
"Don't," Taehyung whispered in a broken voice, showing his vulnerabilities. "D–don't say that again. Please."
She was at a loss for words. She didn't expect that kind of reaction from him. He looked so upset, that it nearly broke her heart.
"Madeline, I think we need to have a long talk about what happened in Seoul," Namjoon stated, leaving no room for her to object. She didn't know where to look—the intense glint in Namjoon's eyes was too much. If she continued to stare into his magnetic orbs any longer, she'd turn into a puddle.
Taehyung who was still close to her, lingered. She could sense he was desperate to touch her again—maybe even comfort her.
A part of her longed to let that happen. It was the part that loved them as a fan and had come to accept them as her soul mate. But that part of her had been buried away after Seoul.
She didn't want to acknowledge that side of her anymore.
"You're referring to the meet and greet, correct?" She asked, blocking out the mental images of that dreaded day.
A few of them frowned at her tone, wondering why she spoke like that. They had yet to fully understand how she viewed the experience.
"I guess we should tell you firstly that we did not ask the team to send away anybody claiming to be our soul mate," Namjoon revealed, watching her reaction closely.
Madeline's tough exterior faltered for a brief moment, exposing her vulnerabilities. However, she refused to let them see her true emotions.
Jungkook and Jin both pinched their lips together in annoyance at her lack of reaction.
"I assume one of our managers ordered them to turn away people due to past experiences. It wasn't our intention to do that."
Inwardly, she was torn. She didn't know what to say to this new piece of information. Just because they told her this, it didn't mean she'd have to believe them. For all she knew, they could be lying. Yet, there was no evidence of it in their faces or tones.
"We've always wanted to meet our soul mate. When we found out we shared a soul mate, it was a shock at first but when we thought about it, we realized it was a blessing." Jimin stepped forward, a small smile forming on his face.
"We've always wanted you, Madeline," Namjoon added. She shivered at the way her name rolled off his tongue. "And now that we're here, we'll always be with you."
Such romantic words. She wanted to fall—she wanted to accept their words. But it was no easy feat. She couldn't trust that easily.
Silence settled around them. "I've never wanted a soul mate," She finally spoke, nonchalantly. "I don't think this will work guys. I'm sorry."
The atmosphere turned sour. She bit her bottom lip and turned her head away. She didn't want to look at their disappointed faces.
"I'm sorry?" Yoongi repeated in disbelief. "So, what? Is that it, Madeline? You don't want anything to do with us?"
Jin attempted to place a hand on Yoongi, to stop him from lashing out, but Yoongi shrugged him off angrily.
"Yoongi," Hobi warned in a low voice. "Be careful."
Yoongi kept his gaze on her form. "Do you really think we'll give up that easily? Do you really think we came all this way to hear that? I don't know what's happened to you in the past but I'm not going to let you go that easily. We're made for each other. I'll be damned if I let the person who was made for me just walk off."
Madeline was dumbstruck. She had not expected the great Min Yoongi to pop off at her. She almost admired him for doing that.
But then, she processed the words. He didn't want to give up.
"You'll give up soon," Madeline muttered, mindlessly.
"Never," Taehyung hovered over her ear and whispered firmly. Her heart nearly skipped a beat at his close proximity.
Madeline gritted her teeth. She doubted they would hold true to her promise. Especially if she didn't give them the time of day. After all, why would they hang around when there were plenty of other people who wanted to be with them?
They were international superstars. They'd have to leave eventually. And when they did, they wouldn't come back.
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