Hoseok's POV

Now standing in front of the tall building where I am to work very soon, at least after they figure out which department they want me in, it's more unnerving than I thought.

I'm still in shock that they called back at all to let me know that I passed the interviews and that they were expecting me with everyone else today, in the auditorium where we would be greeted by the CEO herself before being handed the test papers.

This is the kind of place that every hybrids want to work at because of the way they're treated with worth, and I'd expect that they would get priority over a human like me, so I was very surprised to know that they'd wanted me at all, though it's a welcome feeling.

Feeling more confident as I nod to myself, I follow the crowd inside through the revolving doors with determination, smile unable to remain hidden as I enter inside the most magnificent lobby I've ever seen until now.

The walls are tall and the room is luminous, but the decoration is very friendly and welcoming while also being professional enough to not look childish. It's sophisticated, but also fun. Which are exactly the words that employees use to describe what their working here is like.

I'm so excited to find out what it's going to be like!

"Every new employees, welcome to BeyondGold! Please follow this corridor and take the door at the far end, which is where you will find the auditorium. The CEO will be there shortly, so please make sure you are seated before she comes. Anyone who gets there late will be kept from entering the auditorium, so make sure you're on time if you decide to wait outside".

I look to my right to see the lady who just spoke those words surrounded by other people like me who look just as amazed as I am by our surroundings, and I follow them with quick feet, her words urging me to secure a seat before the doors close in front of my face.

I would hate to miss the CEO's speech, I heard only good things about her and I'd love the honor of seeing her in person. It's not everyday that we get a boss who's that invested in greeting their employees, let alone the new ones who haven't proved themselves yet.

I wonder what she's like. Pretty, surely, but I bet she's also kind. One has to be to create the kind of place that becomes one of the safest spaces for hybrids.

Lead by the other people heading for the auditorium, we eventually reach a pair of open doors that open to a large and dimly lighted room filled with seats, and I immediately notice how every one of them are equipped with little desks on which are pens, a bottle of water and... is that a candy?

The sight puts a smile on my face, and one look around me shows that I'm not the only one to have noticed.

This almost feels like too good of a dream to be true.

"Have a seat around, everyone! Make yourselves comfortable and feel free to use what's on your desk, courtesy of miss Choi herself. We will let you know when she is ready for her speech, so you may get acquainted with each other in the meantime" a friendly voice speaks from a corner of the room that I barely see, though every hybrids seem to see him just fine as they smile happily, it's so obvious that they feel safe here.

Chatter begins to fill the previous silence as people take seats and introduce themselves to their comrades, and I look around me for a brief moment before heading for the seats closer to the front of the stage, aware that if I get too far back, my eyes won't be able to see the CEO that well, which would be a shame.

Who knows when I'll be able to see her again? I want to know what the growing legend looks like.

My smile widens when I see what's on the desk of my chosen chair from closer, this candy seems to be caramel, and I sit down before drinking some of the fresh water provided, a hum of relief when it cools my nervous body with the expensive liquid.

I look around me curiously as everyone find seats around the huge room, with many taking place in either my row or the one behind me. I guess we're all trying to have a close sight of the woman who built this new empire so quickly.

It was impressive to see the new jewelry brand grow in size throughout the last two years during my business studies and I would've loved to participate in that growth sooner, but there weren't any job offers available back then, which makes sense considering that they were just getting started and building up their work system.

I'm just happy that I finally have the opportunity, it's a special feeling to be able to take part in making BeyondGold more successful, and I'm sure a lot of great things will await us from here on out.

I don't notice right away the strange itch that begins to course across my skin so suddenly, but then I'm looking down at my itchy palm with the intention of scratching it, thinking there might be a bug crawling over it, but when my eyes catch sight of a new mark that wasn't there just a second ago, I pause.

My entire being actually pauses, as if stuck in a glitch.

Huh?

Unable to tear my gaze from the new mark that continues to gain in darkness the more it takes roots into my skin, I stand from my seat with a gasp, ignoring the looks I get from others in the process, is this a dream?

I'm not imagining this, am I? Could this mean I have a soulmate here?!

At that thought, I quickly look up from my precious mark to let my gaze roam the room to find who could have triggered the bond's connection, and then my eyes fall on a tall man near the auditorium's entrance who seems to be equally as surprised as I am as he keeps staring at his own hand.

His dark wings flutter behind him as he remains frozen in place, and despite not knowing this hybrid and having never seen him before, I can already feel it deep in my soul that he is the one.

My soulmate.

My feet begin to move on their own, and soon, I'm standing in front of him, eyes sparkling with marvel as I take in the handsome face that sits upon large and strong shoulders, his black hair shining with the same glow as the feathers of his large and magnificent wings.

What kind of bird is he? He looks so beautiful.

His sharp golden eyes fall on me as soon as he senses my staring, and I immediately feel small in front of him, heart quivering in my chest as I try to will myself to stand tall and confident, I can feel my knees trembling and it's so embarrassing.

Unsure of where to start, I slowly show him my hand, hoping from the bottom of my heart that I didn't misread this and that he is in fact not my soulmate.

"Are you..." I utter softly, voice trailing off when his eyes snap down towards the new mark over my palm, and the gentle shiver that spreads across his feathers mirrors the nerves that covers his face, one that must echo my own as well.

He shows me his own mark, and we both stare at one another in silence, in need of a moment to register what this means for us.

We finally met each other after so many long years of being alone.

"My name is Kim Seokjin, a... I'm a black eagle. I'm sure I don't need to ask since you're being hired here too but... life has taught me to be more cautious than not enough" he speaks with a smooth voice that sends tingles right into my heart, and I gulp when his intense eyes meet my own.

"Are you going to reject me?".

His question feels like a dagger pushed straight into my soul, and I don't believe I've ever denied something with as much fervor as I currently am. "Absolutely not, I would be completely stupid and insane to refuse my soulmate when all I've ever longed for was to meet them".

I blush when a smile finally pulls the corners of his plump lips upwards, and I clear my throat before adding, "I'm Jung Hoseok, by the way".

"Hoseok" he murmurs my name as if doing so allows him to taste the sound itself, and my eyelashes flutter at him as I fail to keep myself from admiring him once more. Everything about him is... enchanting.

We both take a look at our soulmark again, and only then do I take notice of something that had escaped my attention earlier despite the obviousness that now meets my gaze.

"Why is one of the flowers paler than the others? It's almost white".

Seokjin frowns as he too can see the same flower on his palm, something that baffles the both of us because of what it can mean.

"How many soulmates do we have, Hoseok?".

I stare up at the eagle, then back at my hand with furrowing brows. Is he trying to say... that each flowers represent one soulmate? Do we have seven? Then what about the white flower? What happened to that soulmate?

"I-" I open my mouth to share my observation when someone finally walks onto the stage with a raised hand to calm the crowd into silence.

"Everyone, please take your seats now, the CEO, Choi Y/N has arrived for her speech and will be here in a few minutes. I repeat, please reach a seat now as the CEO, Choi Y/N, has arrived for her speech. Thank you".

Seokjin's frown remains, and his wings show of his discomfort as they flap slightly behind him.

"Let's continue this conversation after the speech. I think it would be smart of us to register our mark into the registry for more insight, something tells me that our bond already has some history that we're not aware of yet".

I nod my head, and together, we make it back to where I'd chosen a seat of my own, and he sits to my right as our minds begin to spin with endless speculations, no more focused on the reason of our presence here because of our unexpected meeting.

It takes a few minutes before anything else happens, the quiet chatter that we can still hear in the large room only breaking and coming to an end when we find a silhouette appearing in front of us up on the raised stage.

And then we feel it again, though it's different this time.

A burn, as if a fire is currently licking at our skin.

Seokjin and I both look down at our marks to find them reacting similarly to the new presence, and to see the once paler flower now glowing a bright and worrying red that feels hot to the touch only rises more questions.

I look back up to the stage where I find the most beautiful woman I've ever seen standing speechless as she clutches onto her right hand with round eyes, and when I notice a similar red glow showing from underneath her thin white glove, her eyes glued onto Seokjin and I's with shock... I stop breathing.

It feels too unreal to believe, and yet, here she is, seeing us with what seems to be both fear and hope in her eyes.

"E-excuse me, I-" she stutters out when she finally sees the many eyes that stare at her in confusion, like she only now remembered why she's here in the first place, the speech that she was supposed to give going blank in her mind because meeting two of her soulmates was the last thing she was expecting today.

She recovers quickly though, or she tries to anyway.

"How embarrassing, seeing all of you beautiful people in front of me seems to have rendered me speechless, and that would be a first. This makes me even more excited to see how you're going to become a part of our family. Welcome, everyone, it's a pleasure to be here this morning to greet you all in person. My name is Choi Y/N, CEO of BeyondGold, though I am also a part of this family, just as you are, so there's no need to be intimidated".

She speaks with a friendly smile that I would've believe to be natural if not for the clenching of her right gloved hand, and the crowd reacts with brighter smiles, all already forgetting what just happened in the blink of an eye, something I cannot do, not with the burn that doesn't relent.

Seokjin and I share a worried glance as the flower continues to glow and pulse in our palms, our minds already making links that have us a little on edge, because the flower's state can only mean one thing, though it's hard to imagine how it could've happened.

Our soulmate was either rejected, or she rejected the bond herself.