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If I had a dollar for my sins
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Rin sent Taeyong an awkward smile, instinctively stepping a little closer to Chenle for safety when faced with this unfathomed stranger, and, from what Jaemin had told her, she assumed he happened to have a pretty bad reputation.
Eyes flickering between the two, Chenle could feel the uncomfortable tension that engulfed Rin, despite Taeyong's relatively kind introduction.
Run shifted on her feet as she remained silent, and her eyes twitched towards a familiar figure, Chenle in this case. Accidentally catching her gaze, Chenle sighed exasperatedly, and immediately tore his gaze away, staring at the ground instead.
The second they stood beside each other, Taeyong could tell that they weren't technically romantically involved. They acted like near-strangers- avoiding eye contact, visibly taut, overwhelmingly uncomfortable.
"You two are so awkward," Taeyong pointed out, and a high-pitched laugh that Rin could've swore she's never don't before escaped her lips.
Clicking his tongue in disapproval, Taeyong shook his head at the two, causing Rin's stomach to churn in fear that she had upset a gang lord.
"Let me help you," Taeyong quipped, a languid smile on his cheeks.
Stepping forward, the girl immediately flinched backwards, which encouraged Taeyong's smile even more so.
"You're definitely not a gang member," Taeyong muttered, a small chuckle falling from his lips.
Continuing his initial action, Taeyong grabbed Chenle's arm, which lead the younger boy to grimace at the sudden physical contact. Pulling him towards the slightly wide-eyed girl, Taeyong smirked lightly to himself as he suddenly decided he was a Chrin shipper.
Placing him shoulder to shoulder with Rin, the man turned to Rin, who stared back with eyes the size of plates, her hands subtly shaking.
"Oh relax, I don't bite," Taeyong assured, denting her an amused grin, "Most of the time."
Yet another high pitched laugh rose from the girl's throat, and he found her wariness around him quite entertaining, but that's not why he had put all of them in close proximity; he was 'helping' them get rid of their awkwardness, as he would say.
Chuckling when the girl flinched as he placed his hands on her shoulders, Taeyong directed Rin to stand in front of Chenle, which confused the soulmates.
Then, snatching up Chenle's arms and forcing them to wrap around Rin's waist, Taeyong nodded in approval, clapping happily.
Both were incredibly tense, and Chenle was having an existential crisis, but Taeyong could've cared less. Chenle swallowed nervously- his head hovering next to Rin's- as his eyes darted around the room, unsure of what to do in such a situation.
Noticing Chenle's uneasiness, Taeyong thought back on the numerous occasions that Chenle had proved that work was the most important thing to him, and he played by the rule book, unless he had a better or more efficient way to do something, which he normally did.
"Chenle, stay with her and get comfortable, and that's another order," Taeyong uttered, which made Chenle's heart drop to his stomach.
Lips compressing into a thin line, Chenle's slightly widened eyes unsteadily stared up at Taeyong in an unreadable emotion, almost as if he was asking- no, begging to be given permission to separate himself from Rin. Getting the message, yet refusing to allow Chenle's blatant refusal to properly indulge in the beauty of soulmates, Taeyong said nothing to contradict his initial statement, and Chenle found himself wallowing within his own silence, which wasn't enjoyable.
Releasing a wavering breath that failed to expel any pent-up stress, Chenle glared at Taeyong, but didn't dare to challenge his authority, knowing it wouldn't do him any good.
Rin, who's shoulders were a bit higher than usual due to all of the tension of the moment, was rather lost by Taeyong's interest in their relationship, but didn't complain.
"Perhaps you'll be able to focus now, Chenle," Taeyong articulated, yet Chenle somehow doubted it.
Having a soulmate meant that you were your partners' missing half, and together, they were whole. Being together, not specifically in physical contact, but it especially prevalent whilst touching, was one of the most blissful feelings one could experience.
Molded against his chest- even if both parties were slightly uncomfortable- just felt... right.
It was as if something Rin had lost something, something meaningful and important, that had just been returned to her, and she finally realized how much she missed it; how much she had wished for it. A hole had been filled within her; a piece of a puzzle falling into place with her's.
She felt... complete.
If Chenle has stopped to relish the feeling, he would realize he felt the same. However, his mind was droning out his heart, and he began to overthink it all- everything.
A perfect, contagious smile that tricked everyone into her flawless trap; beautiful, yet painful, lies.
Heart hammering within his chest, the boy's mind dashed through memories and frantic, half-completed trains of thought as they blasted through his brain faster than a race car speeding through a track.
Black wisps of hair caressing pale, porcelain cheeks.
Pushing the thought from his mind, Chenle assured himself that he was safe; nothing could hurt him at the moment, yet the undeniable feeling of fear still remained.
Cold, dark eyes that gleamed ominously in any lighting, even if the sun was shining down upon her serenely.
Perhaps a ghost of his past haunted him; a poltergeist that pulled the red strings in his heart, or perhaps a demon whispering into his ears, lurking in the shadows of his brain.
Orders.
An order was an order, and he couldn't disobey one. When entering NCT, he had vowed to do what's best for the gang, and he pledged loyalty to Taeyong, even if he was only back-hugging Rin.
And so, he was trapped in the Hell of his past that could only be triggered by contact, physical contact.
Worse- it was worse that it was Rin; why couldn't it be anyone other than Rin? Feelings, genuine, heartfelt feelings made it all worse, for it brought an actuality to his mental war.
Whatever his heart declared in his chest affirmed that the screams from his mind were real, and that Iseul's warnings still stood, even in death.
The fact that he was falling, something Iseul would've punished him for, made the girl who had seared herself into Chenle's mind resurface, and the feelings that overwhelmed his heart pushed him to betray her.
Iseul had always prided herself first owning Chenle, but what if he was slipping away from her?
He was terrified of taking ownership over himself, and he knew that Iseul still had him wrapped around her finger, but if Rin was there, his soulmate, it pulled him away from her. Being taken from Iseul's grasp would surely fail- it was undoubtedly impossible, he thought- and that it was wrong to be anywhere near anyone else, would it not?
She had always taught him that he was her's, and that if he ever so much as breathed towards anyone else, that it was betraying Iseul and all that she had done for Chenle.
So what was he doing now?
Taeyong was definitely wrong; having Rin with wasn't going to allow him to focus.