New content and a plot change - welp.

I hope you guys won't be too mad with me, that will probably have repercussions on the future chapters, everything felt so rushed so I'm trying to slow things down a little, to deepen the scenes, the process, there will probably be a few new chapters between the already existing ones, so please be patient with me!

Your POV

Finally at home, I change into comfortable clothes before going to the kitchen to stare at the lunch box on the counter, the sight of it reminding me of just how much of a mess today was.

Jin and Namjoon's words keep swirling in my head and I hate that.

I hate that everything they say takes such deep roots in my mind. It's only the first time we met, yet they already try to have an impact in how I live and my soul is needy for approval, to make them happy.

They'd be happy, sure, but what about me? It's my life we're talking about, my decisions will affect me first, them second.

How could creating a bond with my magic help in any way? They don't know, they don't understand and it shows. Surely they've seen the videos, everyone has, you can clearly see that it's not like regular magics, it's powerful and wild, so how would a bond keep it from doing terrible things?

Removing my collar at home? That sounds way too dangerous, I could never. I don't even want to entertain the thought of doing such a thing.

I sigh and rest my forehead on the cold marble counter, the freezing feeling spreading to my skin enough to numb the headache resulting from an overcharged day.

If it wasn't... if mom and dad didn't do what they did, maybe I'd have a totally normal life right now. I'd meet my soulmates, our magic would reach out to one another and it would be a beautiful story.

We'd get to know each other, we'd be happy, all smiles, no pain. We'd go on little dates, sometimes surprise, unplanned ones, we'd hold hands, shy glances, pecks on the cheeks that would slowly grow towards a kiss on the lips. It would be sweet, romantic, a life made to live with my soulmates.

But they took that away from me. They took that life away from me and in return, my magic took theirs and way more. Nothing good can come from being with me. Nothing good can come from being bonded to such... a disgusting thing.

I leave the lunch box where it is and head to the living room to lie down on the couch, too overwhelmed to process everything properly, yet I don't have a choice but to try anyway because every single piece of information crashes and fights with each other in my head, needing to be organized, understood, planned.

What do I do now? How do I deal with my soulmates? What is the right thing to do? It's clear to me that I'm going to have to be careful from now on when I go outside, when I go anywhere. The soul pull seems to be very intent on having us meet no matter where I go and I can't have that happen too often.

Should I just disappear? That would make everything so much easier to face, or to avoid.

The thing is - I have no idea how my soul would react to putting distance between us. How much would it affect me? Surely my magic would hate that, it would hate me, doing so might make things even worse for me.

If not disappearing, I need to at least keep my distances for now, I need to give my soul some time to recover before I go to them again. I will need to dose the meetings, but most of all, I can't be seeing all of them all at once every single time. Today was too much.

I'm lucky that this week is a week off, I can take it easy, stay at home and just... relax. I know I will have to talk to Sung-kyung about what I saw in the building, about what I heard, it's going to be needed for their case, that I don't mind, as long as it's just with her.

I don't want to have to explain to her that they're my soulmates, I know she'd want to make things 'right' and I'd end up with the guys knocking at my door, their righteous selves trying once again to change my life so it can fit their ideals.

They'd be incredibly disappointed with me because I'm not one to change my mind just because someone says something. It takes a lot more than that.

My stomach grumbles and I sigh, Jin's food calling out to me and begging me to have a taste, to eat something after the heck of a day we had, but I'm afraid of loving it too much.

I'm afraid of loving his food so much that I'll want more, that's just going to be one more thing that I can't have on my mind, one more thing I'll have had a taste of without being able to fully make it mine.

It grumbles again and I know it's futile to resist. It would be even worse to let the food spoil, to throw it in the trash so I sit up and twist my neck to stare at the lunch box, my heart and mind clashing, but I know the former is already winning.

I'm just going to eat the food, then in the coming days, I can give the lunch box back to Hoseok and Jimin so they can give it back to Jin, that way I won't have to meet Namjoon and suffer from his doctor knowledge.

With a nod of my head at that decision, I stand up and walk to the counter with heavy feet, hand hesitant before I grab the box, then head back to the living room.

I sit down and set it on my lap before delicately opening the top lid to find cutely cut pieces of fruits and when I put the lid aside, my eyes notice a note taped to the bottom.

Thank you for saving Yoongi and I, I hope this can be enough to give you some strength back, please rest and don't do anything too demanding. If you need anything at all, please don't hesitate to let us know. We'd be more than delighted to offer you our assistance.

Jin xx

I huff to myself, unwilling to acknowledge the way my eyes sting and set the first box aside to gain access to the other one underneath to find what appears to be freshly made kimbap filled with meat and veggies, the roll already cut in beautiful slices and ready to be eaten easily.

I knew it would only hurt more, but damn... When was the last time I was given homemade food like that?

With a trembling hand, I grab one piece and bring it to my mouth, eyes closing as the flavour covers my tongue and I clench my fists as I chew, chin wobbling as tears start rolling down my cheeks.

Damn it.

---

Sung-kyung looks at the notes she took from me and offers me a relieved smile.

"Thank you so much, this is going to help a lot. I assure you, we're going to confirm that his death is only a result of self-defense so don't worry about anything, you're not ending up in a cell or anything like that. If you remember anything else, just let me know okay?" she asks and I nod, happy to know that this is going to be of use for them.

She came to my place after giving me a full day of rest and I was thankful for that because I slept literally all day. Waking up yesterday morning did not happen, I woke up yesterday early evening and I opened my eyes somehow feeling heavier than before I went to sleep.

She stares at me and purses her lips. "Are you really going to spend the whole week stuck inside? It would do you some good to spend some time outside, maybe take a little walk" she says but I shrug, not really feeling it today.

She hums, eyes staring at me for a moment before she stands up.

"How about you come with me then? We'll just patrol around, keep an eye open for anything that looks strange, it'll keep you out of home without being too uncomfortable, what do you think?" she offers and I tilt my head left and right before nodding slowly.

"I mean... sure, that doesn't sound too bad. As long as I don't end up having to stop an explosion again, I don't think I could do that a second time so soon" I tell her and she grins excitedly.

"Don't worry, no explosions today. Just thugs and drugs".

Great.

Once in the car, she waits for me to lock my seat belt, then drives us towards the station first.

"I just need to give these notes to Yoongi, he took responsibility for the case concerning the explosion, he's working really hard and I already told him that I would be stopping by today once I'd leave from your place, but don't worry, you won't have to follow me in, I won't be too long" she explains and I let out a soft hum in response, head turning to the outside that passes by quickly.

"Is he okay? Since that day I mean" I ask her. I saw Jin so I know that he was more than fine, but I didn't get to see Yoongi after the explosion, I didn't get any news about him. She smiles.

"He is, it takes more than facing death to stop him, the man's a workaholic, he never takes break. Luckily Jin always keeps an eye on him, keeps him from overdoing it, shares his burden, they're good men" she answers before glancing my way briefly.

"Jin told me about the little... argument you two had when he picked you up at the park, he seemed to feel really bad about it" she says and I sigh, head resting back as I stare before me.

"It wasn't really an argument... It's just... you know what it is, they don't understand, him and Namjoon, they haven't experienced what I have, yet they act like they have the right to just say whatever they think is right. It just annoys me a little, I know they don't mean bad by it, I just wish they wouldn't try to change everything just because they feel like they know better" I tell her and she hums understandingly.

"I know, bubs, I know. I told him to be more careful next time, to avoid the subject, he should've shared that info with the others so I'm sure it's going to be fine now. They're... they're really good guys, Y/N, I hope you don't keep yourself from them just because of that".

I look down at my feet as I kick the rug.

"I don't doubt that, Sungnie. They're Jimin and Hoseok's soulmates, I know that they're good people. That day was just... overwhelming. I ended up removing my collar after swearing that I would never do that, I killed a man, a man who my magic absorbed, wearing my collar again felt awful and to have everyone then come at me telling me that what I'm doing is bad? I had no patience left by the time I reached home" I explain and she sighs.

"Right... that does sound like a rough day" she lets out and I huff out a laugh. "You think?".

We stare at each other before laughing lightly.

"I could never live your life girl, it's a roller-coaster from start to finish" she says and I nod at that, eyes turning back to the outside.

"It really is, isn't it? I'm glad at least one person around me is aware of that" I reply, those words ones I mean wholeheartedly.

For Sung-kyung to know about my past? About the worst day of my life? It helps. We don't have to talk about it, just to know that she's aware of that and still by my side, I couldn't ask for more. I wish I could tell Bo-young too, but she lost too much that day, I couldn't do that to her.

Once we reach the station, she turns to me and flips through the notes one more time to make sure that she wrote everything well before humming to herself.

"I'll be back soon, just give me a moment, okay? Get out of the car, breathe in some fresh air, it shouldn't take more than five minutes" she informs me and I nod, willing to do that much at least, so we both step out of the car and I remain by the door while she heads to the building.

I look around me, a few patrol cars parked around but no soul in sight and I relax a little, lungs filling with the warm breeze that caresses my skin.

Doesn't look like I'll be meeting-

"Could it be... Y/N?".

Of course there would be a soulmate around me just as I step out.

I turn around to see the other man who I had yet to get to know personally, Yoongi, the reason of our presence here today.

He stares at the car next to me, then back at me with inquisitive eyes.

"I guess you really are used to patrol cars, seeing as you came here in one. Sung-kyung is here?" he asks, somehow already knowing that I came here with her and I nod, a tight smile as I can only hope that he won't step too close, that his magic might give me a break.

To my relief, it seems slightly distant, not in a bad way, just... non-invading, like it doesn't want to bother anyone by taking too much place.

It helps me relax, the intense pain that I would usually feel at the contact but a low thrum right now because it pulls back as soon as it touches me, just a few pokes once in a while, as if consciously staying back from me, yet still unable to avoid all contacts.

Even my magic seems taken aback by that, the surprise keeping it from trying to crawl out of me by force.

Thank goodness.

Yoongi hums and offers me a handshake, one I'm hesitant to respond to, but I figure it can't hurt me more than when Hoseok touches my hand so I reach out to his hand and at the contact of his fingers around mine...

There's no pain at all. The tension I had in my shoulders at not knowing what to expect from this strange man disappears and I let out a sigh unconsciously.

"I'm officer Min Yoongi, one of Sung-kyung's colleagues and soulmate to Jin, Namjoon, Jimin and Hoseok, who you've met. I wanted to thank you in person for what you did that day, we all owe you our lives. What you did was no easy feat, you performed something incredible, I hope you know that" he says, hand squeezing mine gently as he shares how thankful he is.

I'm about to deny the strong gratitude by saying that it was no big deal, my soul growing sheepish under his intense gaze but before I can say anything to him, a brief spark of pain spreads through me as his magic quickly wraps around me without warning and I harshly pull my hand from his hold with a step back just as it retreats, heart beating loudly in my ears because I really wasn't expecting that.

He tilts his head to the side, feline eyes taking me in. "Everything alright?" he asks smoothly and I blink a few times before nodding, just now realizing how that must have looked like to him.

"Y-yeah sorry, there was... I had a spasm in my arm" I lie, something my soul doesn't like when it pinches me from the inside, a low burn that sours my mood, a warning to be careful with what I say that has me wincing slightly and I turn my head to avoid his suspicious eyes just in time to see Sung-kyung walking out of the building.

My hero.

She notices the man in front of me and waves with a shout of his name to get his attention, something that has him frowning before he turns his gaze to the woman coming to stand by my side with an arm around my shoulders.

"I was wondering where you were, Jin said you went to buy some snacks so I put the notes on your desk. I think you'll find that what Y/N saw and heard is quite interesting, might serve to create some links" she says and only then do I notice the bag he's holding in his other hand.

The man hums and turns his attention back to me.

"Thank you for your help, this is going to contribute a lot. If I may ask something of you, Jimin and Hoseok really wish to see you soon, they didn't have the chance to visit you at the hospital and it was important to them that they thank you in person. Maybe stop by when you have some time? They won't keep you for long" he requests and as much as I'm unsure, the idea of seeing the two men, two friends, I can't help but nod.

"Sure, I'll find some time for them" I reply and he hums, relieved before walking away without one more word.

"So? He didn't make you uncomfortable, did he?" my best friend asks and I shake my head, eyes gazing at my hand.

What was that earlier? His magic had kept a distance and suddenly just lashed at me like an hungry animal for a second. I sure hope he bought my excuse of the arm spasm because if not... he's going to believe I'm a freak or something.

What am I saying... wouldn't that be good? I shouldn't be making friends with them like this, just what am I doing?

"Come on, let's go on that ride, I can drop you at the coffee shop later if you want" she offers and I hum, mind unfocused.

"Yeah, let's do that".

Yoongi's POV

I reach my office, close the door behind me and sit down on my chair after setting the bag of snacks on the floor, tongue poking the inside of my cheek as I remember her reaction to my little magic trick.

After hearing Jin, Namjoon and even Jimin and Hoseok's versions of how she acts with them, how she always seems a little on edge, tensed, emotionally unsettled, I had to test something. I didn't know what would come out of that, but...

I tap the surface of my desk with my fingers.

The way she hesitated before grabbing my hand, the instant relief when she felt nothing until when she startled when I allowed my magic to wrap around her flashing back in my mind.

There was surprise, shock, pain.

And when I pulled back again?

All gone.

All that remained was confusion, a need to hide her reaction and make it pass for something else.

I sigh and lean forward, elbow propped on the desk so I can rest my chin on my palm, eyes finding the notes in front of me with her name written at the top.

Y/N... why are you hiding from us?

I remember all the times the boys tried to invite her over, the way she'd refuse, she was clearly avoiding meeting us. And when she ran away from the hospital, could it have been because of Namjoon?

That day, she had to meet Jimin, Hoseok, Jin and I, then Namjoon multiple times in a single day. That must have been very hard. Her lashing out at our doctor soulmate is not surprising.

When Jin and I came back home that night, Namjoon joined us in my room and explained the situation, needing to share what happened with someone who had faced the same struggles he did.

He didn't tell us what she said, just that he overdid it, that he caused her to get very frustrated with him, something he felt very bad about and when Jin shared what he did as well, what Sung-kyung told him, they both came to the conclusion that we were to not mention this subject to her anymore, at least for now.

What was needed was to understand first, only then would we be equipped enough to comprehend her choice, only then could we see how exactly it is that we can help her.

We have yet to inform our other soulmates of that decision. Jungkook and Taehyung have yet to meet her, it doesn't feel like they will anytime soon anyway. As for Jimin and Hoseok, they're too scared of losing her to say anything that could displease or hurt her.

Knowing what they do? They'll steer clear of the subject, at least for a while. If anything changes about her, we can be sure they'll be telling us so we have that to our advantage.

That is, if she goes to see them at all.

I could see the hesitation on her face when I mentioned them, she would've preferred refusing, obviously, considering the pain she must experience from her magic being unable to respond to ours, yet not going would have hurt her even more, something that shows me that she cares about them just as much as they do about her, maybe more than I can imagine.

To me, that's enough to explain the way they've felt about her for the past year, their fascination for her, a clear sign of their soul reacting to her presence unconsciously, something that we all share ourselves, how we all feel a pull towards her, from before we even met her. Their captured hearts have made us just as captured without even being aware of it.

I'd have to be blind to not realize that she's our soulmate with what I've seen, with all the dots connected.

It concerns me, though, how she's keeping this a secret. Why is she not telling us?

Her reason must have to do with her magic, with how she doesn't like it, the way she refuses to bond with it, something that I can't comprehend because we're so deeply connected with our magic, it is part of us, yet she's keeping herself from that other half of herself.

Her hate towards it is what's keeping her from us, but it's also keeping her from herself.

And as long as she keeps that stance? No matter what we do, it won't change a thing.

She'll keep linking our presence near her to pain and she'll keep driving herself closer to her limit, which could have grave consequences if I base myself on the way her removing her collar sent us flying meters away.

I'll have to keep this to myself for now until I find out more. We can't jump head first, this wouldn't be smart and knowing how emotionally driven our soulmates are? That's exactly what they'd do.

But there is one soulmate who I could turn to for this. I think it would be smart of me to ask for his view on this situation, how he thinks we should act for now.

I hum to myself, this idea one I could handle and decide to focus on reading through the notes, knowing that this is what I can do right now.

I read about the face she saw in the window, how she reacted instinctively and removed her collar to protect us, Jin and I included, the way her fire absorbed the enemy's, the gas that disappeared only to be replaced by barriers, the concern she had about that, how it made her believe that there is more than one person behind the explosion.

But where it gets really interesting is when she entered the dome.

I had wondered about what was happening in there when I saw the videos. The way Sung-kyung was thrown away was pointed at by many people, but considering the situation, the belief that this was to keep her away from danger because of the fire won over the rest, especially when they saw Y/N's body enter said danger only to come out victorious moments later.

Sung-kyung wrote that Y/N talked with him. Apparently, he'd begged for his life, to be spared and when she asked him why he did what he did, he mentioned someone wanting death. Said how he didn't have a choice, that if he didn't listen, if he didn't obey, he would've... he didn't say, but we can easily guess.

That correlates with the other case that was went to the investigators. The man had said something similar too. Could they be related?

I lean back in my seat and cross my arms over my chest. The man Y/N spoke to looked like he was about to open up, but the barriers took that moment to give up on him and that's when her fire took care of the guy before fading out.

That means whoever is behind those two incidents isn't afraid to get rid of his pawns, doesn't care about them, because in the end, from what I'm gathering, all that person wants is death, as they'd said.

That raises another concern I have.

Y/N's magic is very strong, no doubt he saw that. Would he try anything on her?

What she said to Jin, how she could kill thousands of people in the blink of an eye... what if she's right? What if it wasn't just a wild example but also real? If that's the case, she could become a victim as well, a pawn in their plans.

I'll be damned if I let that happen. We really need answers, and those, we can get from the man being investigated. If they really work for the same person, then he must know who it is, or he can bring a trail, there has to be something that links back to someone.

A knock on the door and it opens to reveal Eunwoo on the other side, his face into a frown.

"Hyung... I got news from the investigators".

I straighten up, glad for the timing, but as I process his face, I start understanding that something's wrong.

"The suspect was in a hospital room to clear his blood from the drug, he was supposed to come in for being questioned today but... they found him dead on the bed. He was killed" he informs me and I hit the desk with a swear, hands going to pull at my hair in frustration.

Fucking hell.

"How was he killed?" I ask, thinking that maybe it could give me a hint, anything. Eunwoo sighs as he runs a hand across his neck.

"Magic, but... here's the thing. The hospital's sensors didn't catch anything, there was no reaction to anything outside of the usual healing and the body doesn't show any signs of any precise power. All they managed to find out was that he died from asphyxiation. They did an autopsy to see if it could reveal how it happened, but they had to come to the conclusion that it definitely was magic because there was nothing obstructing his air pipe".

I click my tongue. The same trick again.

"There's someone running around blinding us to cover their acts. There has to be a power or something of the kind that could do that, no? How else can they hide precise magics without disrupting the system?" I ask, not really expecting an answer, knowing that Eunwoo must not be more advanced than I am in finding that out.

"I don't know hyung, but I have a bad feeling. They could be doing literally anything right now and we wouldn't find out. That report about the explosion, I don't even know where it came from, it just popped up in our system. When I checked it properly, there was no source, nothing to explain why it was made in the first place" he says, words that have me tensing up on my seat.

"So someone could have done this specifically to get us on site?" I mumble, mind now heading in different directions all at once.

"That doesn't make any sense, why would they want us there?" I continue as I stand up from my chair to pace the room.

So many things don't add up. Why get us there if it would ultimately get in the way of their plans? They know that we'll want answers, they know that we won't stop until we get to the bottom of this, so why...

I stop in my tracks.

"What if they're testing us?" I say, look up to meet Eunwoo's wide eyes.

"You mean, they're trying to see who they could use next?" he tries and I nod, my heart growing anxious at what this could mean.

"Their goal is to cause death, by any means possible, They're trying to see who can get in their way as well as who has potential to serve. They're getting us to use our magic so they can see what they're up against. On Friday? Y/N's arrival, that wasn't planned, they didn't expect her to be there, they didn't know what she was capable of, but now they do. They just found the perfect toy to play with".

The words that I say horrify me as much as Eunwoo's face falls and a gasp has me turning my head to see Jin standing in the doorway.

"What did you just say?" he asks, shocked, his magic sharp as it slides against mine, his soul unconsciously fighting against the reality that I just offered.

I motion for the two chairs in front of my desk and walk back to mine before sitting down.

"Something big is going on and we need to find out what it is" I tell them as I slide the notes in front of them.

Something big that might now focus on our soulmate, I add to myself, fear gnawing at my soul.