It's after a very boring morning of doing the usual tasks with Hwasa that my phone makes a sound, and then another before going silent.

Hwasa looks up from her work laptop to quirk an eyebrow at me, anticipation settling over her face as she motions for me to have a look. My phone never receives any notifications during the day so this can only mean that someone wrote me a message, and since it's not from her, it automatically has to do with my soulmates.

"Why do you look more excited than I am about this?" I let out with exasperation as I stretch a hand to grab the device, to which she shrugs while resting her chin on her hands, her work forgotten as she waits for feedback about my love life.

"I'm not more excited about this than you are, babe, you're simply not honest with yourself. I can see with the way you're blushing nervously that you really want this to be from one of them, it's kind of cute actually".

Damn it.

I turn my face the other way so I can hide from her, my phone quickly unlocked to have a look at what - or who - this could be, and when I find out that it's indeed a message from one of my soulmates, Seokjin, my heart skips a beat, nervous butterflies fluttering in my stomach all the way up to my brain, what do I do?

"It's one of them" I utter in panic, and Hwasa cheers with a proud "Yes!" before nodding her head with bright eyes, her hands tapping impatiently on the table - she'll even answer for me if that's what it takes to have me finally experience love with my fated ones.

"What does it say? Come on, don't make me wait, babe".

I gulp before opening the private chat that waits for me right above the quiet group chat, heart beating even faster when I read what he wrote.

---
Y/N and Seokjin

Seokjin:
Hi sweetheart ❤️
I somehow ended up near your workplace after driving all morning, do you think you could see me for a moment? I'm in the parking lot, though I'm not sure which door it is that I can see, there's a big tree a few meters away.

---

"Seokjin's in the parking lot" I blurt out before staring at the reception's door, are they all going to tell me that they're here after they got here all the time? At least give me some time to mentally prepare myself!

"And you're still inside? What are you waiting for? Go see him!" Hwasa exclaims while motioning for me to get going, work really has no worth in her eyes when the opposite choice has anything to do with soulmates - though I can't complain about it, I would hate to send Seokjin away without seeing him.

I write a quick message saying that I'm on my way to him, then thank my best friend before running out of the building and towards the parking lot to try and find his familiar face, thank goodness that I know what they look like now, that video call served its purpose well.

After looking around me for a bit, I eventually release a sigh of relief when I find Seokjin leaning on his car from behind a bigger van, and I pause for an embarrassing amount of time when I get to see him from up close.

Both the camera and the archive did not do him justice, I repeat, they do not do him justice at all!

Slender, tall and elegantly built with all the right muscles, Seokjin is perfection itself as he blinks softly before glancing at me, recognition flashing across his face when he notices me staring before a shy smile stretches across his lips, wow.

"You're here... thank you for coming to see me on such short notice, I wasn't sure if you would have the time" he muses gently before pushing himself off of his vehicle to get rid of the remaining space between us, and shit, he's even taller when he's holding himself with a straight back, he's almost on par with Namjoon and I didn't think it was possible.

"N-no, it's fine. Hwasa would rather take on all of my tasks for an entire week rather than have me miss a soulmate's visit, it makes me wonder what she even has to gain out of all of this" I answer him with a nervous laugh, she would probably handle these meetings much better than I do, she's always been good with new people.

He chuckles warmly at my comment, eyes creasing pleasantly. "That's nice of her. I'm sure seeing you happy is all she wants out of this, no one would go that far if they didn't care about you. That's a good friend you have there".

I nod my head softly and we fall silent after that, myself staring a the ground while shifting from one foot to the other, why did he come here? He doesn't look like something bad happened but he can't possibly have made it all the way to this school randomly, he lives almost an hour away from here.

"Actually... that's probably going to sound a bit weird, but I came because I really wanted to hug you" he finally reveals the truth of his visit after building up his courage and I stare up at him in surprise, what?

He smiles a little bashfully as he meets my gaze.

"I woke up this morning and knew right away that I wouldn't be able to focus on work, so I took the car and went for a drive, just to change my mind. I didn't even know what I'd do here if you couldn't see me, I just knew that I couldn't go back home without hugging you at least once".

I observe him for a moment, this is so sudden... it feels like I'm missing some information here, why me and not one of our soulmates? I'm sure Namjoon or Hoseok could find time to see him, maybe even Jungkook, yet he came here to see me specifically?

"Did you... have a dream?" I ask him carefully, I don't need to explain myself more for him to understand what I mean with this, this is me asking him if he dreamed of my past, or if he didn't.

Though I would've preferred for him to say no, I am not surprised when the smile in his eyes wavers, the happy crease turning sad with the smallest curl of his eyebrows, and when he blinks only to have tears rise up over his lower lash line, bottom lip jutting slightly out with a nod of the head, my heart squeezes painfully in my chest.

So it did happen in the end, just as I'd feared. This explains his being here, it wasn't as random as he tried to make it sound like. I swallow a hard lump before asking the next question. What did he dream about?

"Which one was it?".

Answering this question seems to be the hardest thing he's ever had to do, the hand he brings to his face when more tears push the first ones out and down his cheeks telling me that it wasn't anything small, it makes guilt flare to life in my chest.

That's why I didn't want to have soulmates, this is exactly it.

"The mark. It was the mark with the lighter".

I close my eyes with a defeated sigh, a hand unconsciously lifted to where the burned stamp resides still to this day. It healed without causing any infection, but the X is so clearly outlined by the red lumpy skin that even if I try to avoid looking at it, I can always see it in the corner of my eyes.

It stares back at me every time I undress myself and it feels so threatening, as if staring at it for too long would cause Siwoo to appear again in my life. I have never once forgotten about his words from that day, and every day I wake up fearing that he might be there, waiting for me when I come to work.

"Of all the memories to get, you had to experience this one... I'm so sorry, Seokjin, it must have been very painful" I apologize with a deep bow, how can I hope for everything to go well when having me as their soulmate opens the door to this world of abuse?

Seokjin quickly makes me stand tall by pulling on my shoulders, his brows furrowed in disagreement - he didn't come here to hear me say those words - and after taking in my avoiding gaze for a few seconds, he wordlessly invites me into a hug that I cannot refuse when he opens his arms for me.

I slowly rest my cheek against his broad chest, arms meeting at his back in a gentle embrace that makes his chin wobble softly, and when he closes his arms around me with a strength that silently screams of how painful it was for him, I tear up in shame.

I didn't want that for them, I didn't want them to experience that kind of pain.

"I'm really sorry" I apologize again as he holds me tightly, and he shakes his head with a soft hum. He knew that hugging me was exactly what he needed to get over this burdensome feeling that took over his soul upon waking up.

"It's not your fault, sweetheart, you didn't choose what happened to you. I only wish we could've met a lot sooner, I would've helped you, I wouldn't have ignored you like all those people did, never. I felt such regrets as I was driving, I kept thinking of all the things I could've done to keep you safe and it made me mad to know that I couldn't, that there's nothing I can do to change the past. What good are we as your soulmates if we couldn't protect you from all those horrifying events?".

This... that's what bothered him the most? He felt angry, not because I made him go through the same thing I did but because he couldn't be there to help me when I needed them the most?

"There was nothing you could do, Seokjin, nothing at all. We didn't even know that we had soulmates so you don't need to feel guilty about anything. I'm more sorry that I couldn't defend myself properly, you're exposed to this horrifying past of mine because I failed to do so".

He rests his chin over my head before sighing softly, the remains of his uneasiness due to the dream dissipating slowly now that he gets to feel my warmth against his own, he's glad that he took the chance to see me by coming to my work.

"You were a victim, Y/N, you didn't fail in doing anything - it's the adults that were in charge of you that failed you the most, but I'll make it up to you starting now. I'll love you a thousand times more than you need and I'll treat you better than royalty, we all will. You're not alone in this anymore, baby, we're here now. We're late, but we've finally found our way to one another and we're not going to let you handle this on your own, okay? We're in this, all of us together".

I blink the tears away before snuggling deeper into the gentle warmth of his embrace, how can he say that so easily?

"I really had to get soulmates with the gift of eloquence... you're all saying things like that as if it's as easy as breathing, no one warned me that I would have my heart and soul hugged so often in such a short amount of time" I complain softly with a pout, and that makes Seokjin chuckle before he hugs me even tighter with a smile taking place on his face.

"It sounds easy because you're the one we're talking to. You make us come up with such words because of the emotions we get to feel when we stare at you. My mind is blank when I stare at strangers but it's bursting with confessions of love when I get to hold you like this".

I flush with a palpitating heart at his words, this really isn't fair at all.

"So you're saying it's my fault then?".

"Absolutely. You need to take responsibility, I didn't know I could speak like that until now, it's all because of you".

"H-how? I'm not even doing anything".

Another chuckle.

"Nor am I, sweetheart, yet here I am, so with that said... how about having lunch together? It would be such a shame to miss this opportunity after I came here to see you, Saturday is still a few days away and I can't skip work like this everyday, my wallet will start to cry before long".

I feel myself smile despite everything, how did he turn this heavy atmosphere into something so playful and light?

"... that was your plan all along, wasn't it? Lunch together sounds great, Seokjin, I just need to work one last half hour before I can take my break so you'll have to wait a little, but you can come inside if you want. There's a bench where you can sit that's right in front of my workspace, you'll be able to observe and listen in as I take all those boring calls, unless you'd rather do something else in the meantime".

"No, I like the first option better. Watching you work sounds interesting".

"Alright. Just... don't distract me on purpose. Please".

---

I look up through the large gap in the wall - which is where students and parents normally stand to talk to us - to see Seokjin and Hoseok sitting side by side and smiling sweetly when they find me staring at them.

Apparently, Hoseok had the idea of inviting me to eat lunch together after he got done with his work this morning and came here to ask me in person, not knowing that Seokjin was already here.

Needless to say that he was the one being invited to come with us in the end, and now there are three pairs of eyes staring at me as I try to fight against the never-ending blush that keeps coating my cheeks, Hwasa having the time of her life taking in the way they look at me and how I'm reacting to that.

If I see another grin appear on one of their faces because I'm embarrassed and stuttering on every calls... I'll sue one of them for emotional damage.

"Y/N, I'm starting to feel pity for you at this point, even your handwriting has turned all shaky. Why did you invite them to sit right where they can keep staring at you if you're going to be that nervous?" Hwasa eventually speaks up loud enough for them to hear, which does not help my situation, and I hiss under my breath before glaring at her.

"Oh~ now that's a scary face, I apologize for speaking up about this, babe. I guess anyone would want such handsome men nearby, no matter how intimidating it may feel to have their eyes on your form constantly, without ever taking a break-" I push my chair back menacingly and she breaks into laughter before patting my head, a wink sent to the two men who observe the scene in amusement, they have to say that this has been much more entertaining than they first expected.

"I'm just teasing you, babe. You can go now, it's pointless to have you keep trying to form sentences that make sense anyway. There's only a few minutes left before the bell rings so take these two snacks out of here before the kids jump on them, else you'll lose precious time trying to make it out of this school in one piece".

I have decided.

I'm suing Hwasa.

"I'm going then" I grumble before saving my files on the computer while she smiles brightly, her brain tickling with all of the things she could say to make fun of me - in a friendly manner, of course. She doesn't say anything though, she's done enough for the moment.

I grab my bag, then glare at her one last time in place of a see you later before walking out of the room to join my two soulmates who are already standing and waiting patiently, and they relish in the blush that regains in intensity when they both grab one hand each to pull me with them out of this gigantic building.

Would they eventually be banned from showing up here if they were to come by from time to time just to observe me work like this? It has surprisingly therapeutic effects on them, they arrived here feeling slightly nervous, yet now they feel relaxed.

"What should we eat? Is there anything you've been thinking about that you never made a move to get recently? Like... sushi? Hotpot? Seafood? Burgers?" Seokjin asks as we make our way to the parking lot and to his car, and Hoseok makes a sound before shrugging.

"Anything's fine with me, but I can't say that I feel very hungry right now so as long as we go somewhere where I can get a small meal, I'll be fine. Namjoon chose last night so we'll go with what you want today, dear".

I purse my lips when I realize that the choice has now fallen on me, and I make a sound too before deciding to be honest. If they're giving me the power of decision... then I shall take it.

"Sushi" I utter solemnly, gaze lifted to the blue sky. "I have been craving for sushis for weeks now, but I never found the time to eat any because I've been lazy".

Seokjin and Hoseok's lips stretch into a wide smile at my acceptance of my situation, one they relate to only too well because laziness is real, and now if anyone were to say that this wasn't adorable, they'd be lying.

"Let's go for sushis then, that sounds good" the eldest chirps a little too happily, and Hoseok mimics his joy with a similar chirping noise, the both of them way too excited about fulfilling this desire of mine.

"Let's go again with everyone next time, I know a great place where the rice is excellent and the ingredients are always fresh. Lunch is going to be on me for today" the latter decides for us, and though I gasp my refusal immediately because this is way too expensive, Seokjin cheers loudly, delighted that he won't have to use his own money for this feast.

"I'll be eating a lot then! You should do the same, sweetheart, let's eat until we can't anymore" he exclaims unashamedly and Hoseok bursts into laughter before nodding his head happily, that's the reaction he wanted to get, his eldest soulmate certainly knows how to make someone feel good about their generosity.

I send my soulmate a bashful glance, already feeling bad that I mentioned the sushis, I should've said burgers instead, or even simple sandwiches would have done the job, but he squeezes my hand reassuringly with a warm smile, not looking bothered by this in the least.

"It's fine, sweet bun, don't hold back for my sake. I can handle that much, buying my soulmates good food is the least I can do".

"... only for this time then, thank you Hoseok. I'll take care of the bill the next time we go eat somewhere though, I can't always be on the receiving end".

A snort comes from the both of them and I feel myself begin to sulk, what's so funny about what I said?

"Yeah, maybe in another life if you insist hard enough, sweetheart, but I don't think that's going to happen in this one. Now who's sitting next to me while I drive?".

Jungkook's POV

I'm nervously standing where I told Namjoon I would wait for him when my last class would end, my hands sweaty in anticipation as I hold my bag over my shoulder because I still can't believe that this is happening.

I'm really moving into a soulmate's house. I'm going to live with the most handsome man I have ever met - not to say that my other soulmates aren't handsome, he is just... wow - a rapper and composer, one whose music has millions of views on every music platforms.

Both he and Hoseok laid it out overly simple for Y/N and I because they are much more popular than they let us know and I can't believe that I'd never heard of them before yesterday. A few of their songs I have heard on the radio in the past and I remember loving them.

I shouldn't have to mention that I have been listening to them all night and day long already.

The expensive car I'd noticed in front of Namjoon's house comes over while slowing down to a halt and I remain exactly where I am with a frozen stance, round eyes blinking at the window until I see it open to Namjoon's beautiful dimple smile from the driver's seat.

"Hey, sweet pup, you can put your bag in the back, the doors are unlocked" he muses in stead of a greeting and I nod my head quickly before following his recommendation, heart shaking in my ribcage with how nervous I am, my cheeks flushed because of the pet name.

When sure that my bag won't go falling over with every turns, I close the door before sitting at the front next to him, and it's incredibly hard to keep my cool when I can feel his contented gaze locked on me while I pull on my seat belt, how is he so calm?

"How was your day? Did it go well?" he asks once I'm done clicking the belt into place, his car slowly accelerating to leave the campus under the other students' shocked glances - I don't know if it's the car that's surprising them, or if it's the fact that I accepted to get in one for the first time since I got here.

Many people tried to give me rides before but I never felt comfortable enough to accept.

A soulmate is different though.

"It went well, Namjoon hyung. It was a little hard to focus because I couldn't stop thinking about moving out of my apartment, but other than that, it was pretty calm for once. I have a few art assignments I need to get done before next Monday so I'll have to get started tonight, I hope that's fine with you?" I ask the end with a worried pout, but he simply hums with a gentle smile.

"That's okay, pup, do what you need to do. What's your schedule for work? I can drop you there and pick you up once you're done, it'll be faster than if you take the bus" he offers easily, his eyes focused on the road as he drives smoothly, and while I'd love to accept, I can't burden him anymore than I already have.

"Thank you for offering, but I think I'll be fine. The bus near your place brings me straight to my destination so it's going to be easier to commute on a daily basis, and I like taking the bus anyway. I can just... forget to exist for a while, it's nice".

"Mm, that does sound nice and peaceful, I used to enjoy it for a similar reason before. If that's what you prefer, I wont insist, just know that you can call me anytime you need a ride and I'll come to you. I do have the occasional meetings with other producers and singers that I can't cancel, but I should be free to help you most of the time" he assures me easily as he follows the trajectory I showed him this morning, did he really memorize all of it by heart?

"Thank you... I'll let you know then".

We remain silent after that, a comfortable silence taking place in the vehicle as I look out of my window, the call I had with my landlord earlier coming back to mind. He wasn't exactly happy to have me move out, but we both know that someone else will take my spot in the blink of an eye so he let me go easily.

I just have to leave the keys behind after making sure that I grabbed all my stuff, then I'm good to go.

"This is the place, right?" Namjoon eventually speaks up as we near a building and I nod my head, it sure looks cheap now that I got a taste of his house, they don't even compare.

"Yeah, that's the one. Thanks for doing this with me, hyung, and I'm sorry for the things you might hear and see, it's really... you never know what will greet you when you open the door with them" I utter sheepishly, to which he sighs before petting my head softly.

"Don't worry about me, we're doing this to get you out of there and that's what matters".

It's the toothy shy smile of mine that greets his gaze at his words, and he melts right there and then at the sight, hand ruffling my long hair a bit more before he beckons me to get out of his vehicle so we can get started on packing my stuff.

He walks to the back of the car to open the trunk and I watch as he pulls out a luggage set and a few bags and boxes, a proud grin on his face when he shows them to my surprised eyes, like he just did the greatest trick of all time.

A giggle leaves me as I join his side to help him hold everything and together, we start our walk towards what will soon be a glimpse of my past.

Taehyung's POV

I hum happily while working on the first steps of baking a pie to recover from an arduous mental day at work when my phone suddenly rings with an incoming call, and when I look at the caller with a curious tilt of the head, my heart skips a beat in joy.

"Yoongi, I wasn't expecting to get a call from you so soon, what can I do for you?" I muse as I put my phone on speaker with a hand covered in flour, a large smile on my face and my soul fluttering happily.

I really wanted to talk with more of my soulmates after spending a lovely night and morning with Jimin, I wanted to get to know the other souls who would be part of my future starting now, but it's so intimidating to break the ice that I ended up baking instead to ease my nerves.

I'm glad that Yoongi made the first step because his voice is incredibly soothing and I was longing to hear it again.

"Oh, yeah, I hope I'm not bothering you? Do you have a moment to talk?".

I resume working on the pie with a hum. "You're not bothering me at all, hyung, I'm at home right now so I'm not that busy. I'm making a strawberry pie".

"I see, that's good. I was actually calling you to talk about that - baking. I've been looking at your side of the archive during my breaks today and I couldn't help but to be amazed. The desserts and pastries you make look delicious, they're original, colourful, even the smell made me drool. I followed one of your recipes when I got back home earlier and fell in love with the taste right away, you're very talented" Yoongi begins talking very seriously and I feel myself blush under the onslaught of compliments, did he call just to tell me that?

"T-thank you... that makes me very happy, I didn't know anyone would try them, I mostly store them there for myself. I should try your recipes too when I have the time, that hadn't even crossed my mind" I mumble shyly, I've never been very good at receiving such compliments.

"Don't worry about it, Taehyung-ah. I was calling you because I have something I want to ask you".

The way he speaks makes me pause what I'm doing to better focus on what he's going to say, he sounds so serious that it's making me nervous.

"You see, I've always wanted to open my own bakery one day but doing it alone... that's not really a realistic option and I'm not a big fan of trusting strangers with my recipes, I worked hard to create all of them, as you probably have yourself. You said last night that you've been thinking about getting another job so... what would you say about working with me? What if we were to open a bakery together?".

My eyes widen at how sudden this is, lips parted in shock as I try to process his words, what?

"A-are you serious, hyung? You'd want to do this with me?" I blurt out, dumbfounded, that offer sounds... too good to be true. If it were coming from anyone else, I probably wouldn't believe them, but since this came from one of my soulmates...

"Very serious. You don't have to answer now, I know that it's a lot to ask of you so suddenly. Getting started would be a lot of work until we figure out how things work, but I do have a diploma in business management and a few other related matters so it's not like we'd dive in blindly. If you're willing to trust me... I think we could do really well together. We could settle the shop a little closer to Y/N and the others since they all seem to live in the same area, it'd be easier to meet up after work".

He's really given this a lot of thinking... it sure would be great to be closer to the others, and doing a job that I've always dreamed of doing with Yoongi? That sounds wonderful, I can't pass up this opportunity.

"I want to do it, hyung, let's open a bakery together" I muse instantly, this is the most confident I've ever been about taking a life-changing decision, I can't work in a regular office anymore, it's not what I need, what I want to do.

"Y-you will? For real?" he gasps after a moment of panicked silence, as if he wasn't expecting to make it this far, it makes me chuckle before I nod my head, I would be crazy to refuse to work together with my soulmate when we both seem to love baking.

"For real. Let's do it. Together".