Jimin woke with a start, head throbbing and body aching. He blinked blearily around his bedroom, unsure of what exactly woke him up because the library was having one of those rare moments where all was still and quiet.
And then he heard it: a loud bang that somehow echoed all the way up to the attic.
Warily, Jimin threw his legs out of the bed and onto the cool, hardwood floor. It creaked under his weight, causing him to flinch because he was trying to be sneaky. With a huff, he decided to give up and sprint down the stairs, practically stomping his feet against the wooden steps to try and show his unwelcomed visitor that he was awake and coming.
Clearing his throat and ruffling his hair, Jimin snapped his fingers and watched as the entrance door flew open, a spray of water blowing into the library. Jimin frowned as he watched a cloaked man stumble into the library, soaking wet and panting.
"Sir," Jimin sighed, hand on his hip, "I know it's raining and all, but that doesn't mean you can just walk in here for shelter."
The man chuckled, sending a familiar shiver down Jimin's spine.
"Please," the man rasped, leaning against the counter. "I believe I have the right to enter my own building."
Jimin's eyes widened and his lips parted. "H-hyung...?"
The man lifted his hood and slowly let it fall, revealing his dashing face. "Good to see you haven't burned the place down, Jimin-ah," Seokjin mused, wide grin on his face.
Jimin rolled his eyes and assisted Seokjin with taking his soaked cloak off, revealing his completely dry robes and pendent. He placed the cloak onto the coat rack and turned his attention back toward Seokjin, but found that the elf had taken it upon himself to tour around the library he once owned.
Yes, Seokjin was (still kind of is) Jimin's mentor. He had brought Jimin up when he was but a teenager--hardly the appropriate age to become a loner that lived inside the realms' most precious library--and just kind of taught him his ways: treat the library as you would any other person, basic magic (they both were rubbish at magic back then), and so on and so forth.
Jimin had a falling out with Seokjin, so to speak. The elf had just up and decided to separate himself from both Jimin and the library after meeting his soulmate, saying something along the lines of, "This is the perfect opportunity to increase my magical abilities!"
Jimin knew that the poor guy probably just wanted to get laid after two-hundred-seventy years of not doing so.
"Jimin-ah!" Seokjin shouted, voice echoing across the empty space. "What have you done with Odengie and Eomukie?!"
Jimin rolled his eyes and followed after where Seokjin's voice came from, soon finding the elf flipping over a table, supposedly looking for his pets.
Odengie was an all-seeing snake that Jimin tended to avoid, since he didn't really feel pleasant whenever he saw his own death in the reptile's glossy eyes. Eomukie was this ghastly miniature dragon that took a liking to Seokjin after bumping into him during one of his searching-for-a-purpose-in-life trips.
Jimin never said Seokjin was the wisest nor most pleasant mentor.
"I don't know," Jimin drawled, flipping the table back onto its legs once Seokjin stopped snooping around underneath it. "They just disappeared after you left, so I always thought they went after you or something to that effect."
Seokjin huffed, plopping down into a chair, pout on his face. "Well, they didn't. I didn't bump into them once while I was training with Yoongi-ah."
"Sounds truly tragic," Jimin sighed, sitting himself next to Seokjin. "Anyways, how'd training go? I sent you letters, but you never replied to any of them."
Seokjin brightened up and began gushing about how sweet and charming Yoongi turned out to be, and Jimin could only smile at how in love Seokjin sounded.
"...and then he pushed me into the river--and why're you looking at me like that?" Seokjin questioned, hands stopping mid-motion.
Jimin hummed, tilting his head in response. "I'm not looking at you like anything, hyung."
Seokjin frowned. "Yeah, you are. You were smiling at me all creepily and stuff."
Jimin shrugged and rolled his shoulders. "Dunno, just been feeling giddy lately."
Seokjin snorted and leaned back in his chair. "What? You somehow managed to get cursed while I was away?"
Jimin sighed and leaned his chin into the palm of his hand, lips turned down into a frown. "That's what Taehyung-ah said, but I don't know. I haven't left the library in a couple months, nor have I met anyone threatening during that time. So a curse suddenly taking its effect on me is kinda strange, no?"
"Wait, hold up. Who the hell is Taehyung?"
Jimin's lips parted in realization; he hadn't updated Seokjin since last month, so none of his recent letters talked about his meeting with the zearx.
He bit his lip, conflicted on whether he should expose Taehyung to Seokjin like that, since he basically promised Taehyung he wasn't going to get him arrested. Then again, he knew Seokjin wasn't the type of elf to go exposing people just because they aren't supposed to exist; he was the one who had taught Jimin that, after all.
So he told him everything: the book, Taehyung, and the random feeling of giddiness.
"You've been a busy person, huh?" Seokjin murmured, creating himself a cup of tea and sipping at it. "Well, I can tell you that I've already read that book, so that much doesn't bother me." He frowned. "Though, I was a bit concerned when you said that your friend is actually a zearx, going with what the author wrote about them and all."
Jimin pouted. "That person was clearly biased since they had happened to only meet a violent one! Taehyung-ah isn't like that."
Seokjin raised an eyebrow and sipped at his tea. "I'm not accusing Taehyung-ah of being anything like that, Jiminnie."
Jimin flushed, ashamed he had let his emotions take control of him like that.
Seokjin smiled at him and placed his tea back down onto the table. "Your little outburst helps me move onto the next subject quite smoothly: the giddiness."
Jimin gulped and waited for Seokjin to explain this sudden attack on his emotions with bated breath.
"It's quite simple, really," Seokjin said, clearly trying to drag out the suspense. "But, I suppose someone as young as you wouldn't be able to understand the signs at first; I'm sure you'll understand them after a few more days, no?"
Jimin whined. "C'mon, hyung, just tell me already!"
Seokjin let out an overdramatic sigh. "Fine. It's the sign your body shows you whenever you're around your soulmate."
Jimin shot up from his seat and stared at Seokjin with disbelieving eyes. "No..."
Seokjin shrugged his shoulders and took another sip from his tea. "Fine, don't believe your mentor. It's not like I've experienced the exact same signs when I first met Yoongi-ah."
"But...Taehyung-ah...?" Jimin whispered, falling back down into his seat and putting his head into his hands. "The zearx? One of the few creatures that are illegal to make...is my soulmate?"
"Sorry, ChimChim," Seokjin sighed, patting his shoulder. "I guess the gods have it out for you."
Jimin groaned.
"Ah-ah, don't lose your composure, now." Seokjin rubbed his neck until Jimin could feel his muscles relaxing underneath his magical touch. "See? Just relax and don't overthink. It'll be fine."
Seokjin gave him one last pat on the neck before removing his hand. "Now, what're you gonna do with this information, hmm?"
Jimin heaved a heavy sigh before peeking over to Seokjin. "I dunno...." Another sigh. "I can't just up and say, 'Hey, found out you're my soulmate!' Isn't that a bit strange?"
Seokjin shrugged. "It worked out rather well for me; Yoongi just kinda went with it." He puffed his lips out. "I think it's because he felt the same, but I can't be too sure with that eternal mind of his."
That doesn't help me, Jimin thought bitterly.
"Well," Jimin sighed, lifting his head from his hands, "I guess I'll just wait until I know he's aware that we're actually soulmates."
Seokjin snorted. "And how do you suppose that? From what you've told me, the poor boy doesn't even experience the normal side-effects."
"Do you know if eternal creatures experience the soulmate side-effects?" Jimin questioned, trying his best to keep his cool.
Seokjin hummed and rubbed his thumb against his chin. "I don't recall reading anything that hinted at eternal creatures experiencing anything soulmate related. But I'm guessing it's because they're, y'know, eternal; numerous amounts of supposed soulmates in their lifetime."
"This sucks," Jimin pouted.
Seokjin chuckled and walked past him, robe brushing up against the back of Jimin's neck. "Don't worry, you'll end up together eventually."
Jimin couldn't help but worry.