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dc-translator · 5 years

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[ENG TL] K-POP GIRL's Dreamcatcher Interview, Discography

Notice: This translation was completed without any permission or endorsement from the copyright holder. As such, a license cannot be specified. This translation will be taken down if the copyright holder wishes so.

Interview

Our concept is "Nightmare." At first, it was so terrifying that I screamed. Kya!

Dreamcatcher (commonly called Deukae) is a 7-member Korean girl group that made its debut in January of 2017. Their arrival was an impactful one. Though there are countless girl groups in Korea, they generally fall into a few categories: the innocent type, the sexy type, or the so-called girl crush type. However, Dreamcatcher put forth 'Nightmare' as their concept, refusing to fall into any of these categories. The music video for their debut title, Chase Me, is horror themed, and features the ghosts of 7 beautiful girls that appear in an old hotel. Everything about the dance track, laced with a strong rock beat, from its heavy metal style guitar sounds, sinister pianos, to its emotional vocals, was fresh and shocking. Even in their music show appearances, Dreamcatcher kept their performances cold and threatening. Even so, I didn’t fall for Dreamcatcher on first sight. It was at K-CON (a convention that showcases Korean culture, with a focus on K-Pop), held in Bakuhari on May 2017, that I fell for their charm. It was Dreamcatcher’s first time in Japan, and before the main stage, they performed on the convention stage for about 30 minutes. In addition to Chase Me and Good Night, the girls also sang ballads. Their ability to express – their near-perfect group dances, as well their vocal mastery—had done me in. Not only that, the girls, so cold and threatening on stage, were unbelievably cheerful and friendly off stage. This gap is also charming. It’s better if you just see them in real life. You have to see them in real life. Dreamcatcher is made up of 7 members, starting with the Leader, JiU, there's SuA, Siyeon, Yoohyeon, Dami, Gahyeon and the Chinese member Handong. They have diligently built their career in Korea, being nominated as a candidate for first place on music shows with YOU AND I (May, 2018) and again with What (September, 2018). Between 2017 and 2018, they toured in Europe and Latin America. Dreamcatcher is a rising star, with a growing popularity overseas. In that period, after meticulous preparations, they finally made their debut in Japan on November 2018. We interviewed the girls during their stay in Japan at that time. [TL’s Note: I’ll abbreviate names from here on out. JiU will be JU, SuA will be SA, Siyeon will be SY, Handong will be HD, Yoohyeon will be YH, Dami will be DM, and Gahyeon will be GH.] images that feel like being in nightmares Yoohyeon, seated closest, was whispering things into the microphone of the recorder. As such, the interview started with her que. YH: Interview Start!

-First, can you introduce yourselves as a group? ALL: (In Japanese) One, two, Hello! We are Dreamcatcher!

-Great! Could you also introduce yourselves individually? YH: I am the Lead vocal and the puppy of Dreamcatcher, Yoohyeon. DM: I’m the rapper of the group, Dami. HD: I’m the cat of Dreamcatcher, Handong. I’m a vocal. JU: I am the Leader of the group, JiU. SA: I am the main dancer of Dreamcatcher, Kim SuA! GH: I am the lovely Maknae of Dreamcatcher, Gahyeon. SY: I am Dreamcatcher’s main vocal, Siyeon. -I noticed you were all trying to pronounce Dreamcatcher in the Japanese way (Kyatcha-). JU: Thank you! (laugh) YH: That’s a relief. -This is our first interview, so let’s start with the basics. First, what is Dreamcatcher’s concept? ALL: Nightmare! -So what does that mean? (laugh) JU: On stage, our performances are somewhat dark and very charismatic. We show everyone images that feel like being in nightmares. That’s our concept. -When you first heard of this concept, how did you feel about it? SA: At first, I wasn’t sure how to embody the concept. I couldn’t get a feeling for it. YH: I thought that we’d be doing a bright concept for sure, so I was surprised that it was so dark. I thought it would be somewhat difficult. -However, it is a concept that is uniquely yours. SY: Exactly. I think we present a team colour that no other group shares. JU: At first, it was so terrifying that I screamed. Kya! (laugh) -Your debut was amazing, with the lead single being Chase Me. How did the guests and listeners respond to the song? JU: We were worried, but the response was more positive than we thought. We were told that the choreography felt fresh, that the song felt new. The part where we grab our hair during the dance was also well received. -The music video also felt new and different. Chase Me and GOOD NIGHT seemed to be connected. Were they filmed at around the same time? ALL: They were filmed separately. SY: When the promotion for ‘Chase Me’ was almost over, we filmed the GOOD NIGHT music video. -Were they filmed at the same location? YH: No. They were filmed on different sets. -Ah, I see. JU: The director (Digipendi) was the same person. -In the music video, Jo Donghyeok, the actor who starred in dramas such as “Bad Guys” makes an appearance. Within the video, what is his relationship with Dreamcatcher? SA: He is the ‘Nightmare Hunter,’ who tries to catch us. JU: So you could say that mr. Donghyeok is our enemy. -In the end, Dreamcatcher wins. SY: Yes. We trap him in the mirror. This is us, completed - on May 17th, after the release of GOOD NIGHT, you attended KCON in Japan. How was your first visit to Japan? SY: While on the bus, I was looking at the buildings and the towns of Japan. It was as though I’d wandered into a fairytale.

-Was it your first time in Japan, personally? GH: It was my first time. JU: I’d been to Japan with my family before. -It was during this time that I first saw Dreamcatcher in real life. You were unbelievably cute, your dances were great, and you sang well. I fell in love with you girls. ALL: Oh! Thank you! (Clap) -At the time, you sang ballads too. I thought ‘wow, they sing ballads well too.’ SA: Did we sing a ballad number at KCON? -Not during the main performance. It was on the convention stage. ALL: Ah! Thank you. -Moving on, Let’s talk about Fly High. Looking at the music video, it seems to take place before Chase Me. ALL: Yes it does. -The music video was mysterious, but the CD booklet felt a bit refreshing. SY: We have two concepts. The album has two versions, one for each concept. SA: The album’s concept is us before we became nightmares. -I’ve heard that you got cursed for killing the spider in the music video, or something like that. JU: We didn’t mean to kill it. We were curious about what it was, and the spider got killed while we were looking at it through a magnifying glass. By its curse, we became Nightmares. -In a sense, your origin story is like Spiderman’s, then. ALL: Ah. (Laugh) -Also, you have been on world tour since September. How has it been? Which place left the deepest impression? GH: At Columbia, our fans came to meet us at the airport. They screamed loudly, and warmly welcomed us. That was memorable. YH: Since Japan was the first concert of the tour, I found Japan memorable. -Next up is YOU AND I. I felt that YOU AND I basically completed Dreamcatcher’s concept, in terms of the makeup, fashion, choreography and musical style. What do you think? YH: I felt the same way. JU: Definitely. During the production, I really thought that this was us, completed. -In ‘YOU AND I’, Dami revealing the stick while rapping was very memorable. Weren’t there times when you dropped the stick? DM: During the actual shows, nothing happened. But during rehearsals, the stick sometimes wouldn’t open, or get flung up high. It was pretty hard.

-In the same vein, every member waving a scarf during the dance was also very memorable. Didn’t you drop it at times? ALL: Ahh. (Laugh) JU: During the live shows, we are in such a hurry that one time, I forgot to take the scarf with me. I did the dance while pretending to have the scarf. (Laugh)

-With “Nightmare: Escape the ERA”, the album that contains YOU AND I, you reached 7th place on the Billboard world album charts. Aren’t you gaining popularity worldwide? JU: We are just so grateful for it. YH: With YOU AND I, we were also nominated as a candidate for first place on a music show for the first time. -Ah, yes. You can also vote for that music program in Japan using a smartphone app. I voted too. Being able to interact in Japanese would be beautiful -You made your splendid formal debut in Japan with “What – Japanese ver.” Could you tell us more about the track for Japanese listeners? JU: ‘What’ is an addictive song that combines Symphony with Rock, conveying a powerful message. -The Japanese music video was very similar to the Korean version. Were they made at the same time? SY: We filmed on the same day. -Does that mean that by the time of your comeback in Korea, the Japanese version was also completed? JU: We prepared for both versions at the same time. -I see. The regular version of this album also contains “I Miss You”, your first original Japanese song. What are your feelings towards this track? ALL: We love it! -‘I Miss You’ feels like it would be very moving at concerts. JU: Yes. It is a special number, being our first original Japanese song. If we could perform on a concert in Japan, that would make it a very special day. -Now that you’ve debuted in Japan, what are Dreamcatcher’s ambitions? JU: Ambitions? (Laugh) I want us to do be able to do a Dome tour. SA: I’ve heard that Korean styles and fashion have become popular in Japan. If possible, I want to become something of an icon in fields like makeup or fashion. I also want to be involved in those fields. YH: I think it’d be beautiful if I was able to communicate and interact with Japanese Somnies in Japanese. I want work hard to be able to do more in Japanese.

-Thank you. YH: The end! Dreamcatcher released their 4th mini album, “The End of Nightmare” on February 13th. They are currently energetically promoting with the lead track, “PIRI.” At the time of this being written, they were already nominated as a candidate for first place on a music show. Sadly, they did not win first place. It would be great if they won first place by the time this book gets published. In addition, around the time of this book’s release, on March 13th, the Japanese version of PIRI will be released. On May, the group’s Asian tour, “INVITATION FROM NIGHTMARE CITY”, which goes through 6 cities in 5 countries, is planned. As part of the tour, Dreamcatcher will hold concerts in Tokyo on May 2nd, and in Kobe on May 4th. Opportunities to meet Dreamcatcher in Japan will continue, it seems. You need to see Dreamcatcher in real life! November 23rd, Bunkyou-ku, Kawaguchi.

Discography

Nightmare Label: Happyface (Kor) 2017.1.13 Lead Track: Chase Me The first installment of the Nightmare series is a shocker that set Dreamcatcher’s image. In the Lead Track, Chase Me, the members lead the listeners into a dream, while playing mischiefs on them. They provoke us, telling us to “Catch me.” But try as we might to capture them, they slip through our fingers, and play more tricks on us. They sensually grab their hair, as if to goad us, saying “try to touch even one hair on my head.” The track exhilaratingly gallops towards the end, utilizing metal sounds. In a sea of undistinguishable girl groups, Dreamcatcher successfully manages to set itself apart. Nightmare: Fall asleep in the mirror Label: Happyface (Kor) 2017.4.5 Lead Track: GOOD NIGHT Dreamcatcher toys with us again in the second installment of the Nightmare series. If you just listen, you are sure to be encaptivated in a blissful state of sleep paralysis, unable to wake up from the terrifying dream. The Lead track, GOOD NIGHT, convinced fans who suspected Metal to be a gimmick, of the sincerity of the members towards Metal. Though the seven members openly admit to being fans of BABYMETAL, they are no simple followers. Fierce sounds, the horror concept, and the dynamic choreography blend together to open up a new playing field that is unique to Dreamcatcher. Lullaby, a track that seems to calm and gently comfort the listener, is on the B-side. Prequel Label: Happyface (Kor) 2017.7.27 Lead Track: Fly High Released as Dreamcatcher marked their sixth month, their first EP serves as a prequel to their two previous singles. It goes back to a time when the members were all students living in the same dormitory, and shows us how the Nightmare series began. The lead track “Fly High” was written by SEION, the hit maker for female singers. Under his influence, the track features a sprinting feeling, instead of the darkness of the previous singles. It would fit perfectly as an opening theme for an anime. It widens the spectrum of the Nightmare series. On the B-side, Sleep-walking, a song that could be called “the golden standard for lives”, which features cool Drum-and-Bass tunes, and ‘It’s Okay!’ a rock ballad number that comforts fans, are listed. Nightmare – Escape the ERA Label: Happyface (Kor) 2018.5.10 Lead Track: You and I Yoohyeon burning the spider to death was the start of everything... This much was revealed in the previous track, Fly High. This time, Yoohyeon is cursed by the spider, which transformed into a woman. The spider woman takes over her body. To free Yoohyeon, the members form a circle and perform a ritual. On stage, this is translated into magic. It’s like watching Princess Tenko’s (a Japanese female magician) illusions! Dami’s stick tricks and the seemingly magical scarf dance of the members bring Metallic K-Pop into a whole new dimension. Alone in The City Label: Happyface (Kor) 2018.9.20 Lead Track: What In the previous album, Dreamcatcher ended an era of the Nightmare series which focused on the killing of the spider, which happened when the members were young. The Nightmare series enters a new ERA with the lead track of this album, ‘What.’ Even in the visual images which were released before the album, the members, with the night streets of Shinzuku and Shibuya as the background, hint at a new theme. That theme being the distress of young adults living in the cities. Dreamcatcher’s clothing, which had been unified up to this point, became more vivid, rock-inspired and individualized for each member. Dreamcatcher renews its image and conveys a strong will to free oneself from the nightmares of modern life through hard sounds. What – Japanese Ver.- Label: Ponycanyon (Jap) 2018.11.21 Lead Track: What -Japanese ver.- On July 2018, during their Tokyo performance, Dreamcatcher announced their upcoming official Japanese debut, to the excitement of fans. 4 months later, their Japanese debut single, ‘What -Japanese ver.- was released. The sound remained identical to the Korean version, and the lyrics also stayed true to the original Korean lyrics. However, the Japanese music video had subtle changes added, making comparison between the two versions interesting. You can enjoy two tastes with one bite! The B-Side contains the Japanese version of Chase Me. Thus, their first Japanese single contains the song that represents the first two installments of the Nightmare series. With this ‘Best of Dreamcatcher’-esque album, which contains both the starting point and the Latest installment (at the time of writing), Dreamcatcher makes a strong debut. The End of Nightmare Label: Dreamcatcher (Kor) 2019.2.13 Lead Track: PIRI This is the End of the Nightmare Series. The intro elevates your expectations to the max with Drum-and-Bass sounds, and then the album explodes into excitement with the lead track, PIRI. “PIRI” means flute in Korean. On top of a heavily electronic rock base, the flute sounds used in the chorus add a folky taste. Another point of note is Sub vocal Gahyeon creating freshness overload with a cool rap part. Suffering from solitude and uncertainty, Dreamcatcher sends out an SOS call through the sound of the flute. But nobody realizes, and the nightmare known as solitude comes to an end. But the Nightmare isn’t quite over. The End of Nightmare was merely a prologue for the nightmare that is the second Japanese single.

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yoichooseno · 7 years

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Jaytim Soulmate AU

Inspired by the AU where anything you write on your skin also appears on your soulmate' skin (you know the one. Wink wink, nudge nudge) Tim sat in the lecture hall, leaning over his keyboard and typing quickly to keep up with his professor's lecture. "Hey," whispered the girl to his right. Steph, a pretty blonde with big eyes and an inability to sit still. "Can you send me the notes after class? I can't write and listen at the same time or I fall behind." Tim nodded, already opening the key to share the document with her. She grinned. "Thanks." "Me too?" Whispered the dark haired boy to his left. Connor, the exchange student, Clark Kent's son, was looking at Tim with his startlingly blue eyes. Tim shared the document with him quickly, and then began to type twice as quickly to catch up. Steph and Connor smiled first at Tim, then at each other, before settling into their seats to listen to the rest of the lecture. When it ended, Steph grabbed her bag and stuffed her notebook inside. She made to put away her pen, bit her lip, and turned to Tim. "Hey, so, I feel bad for mooching notes off of you all the time. I mean, we have three classes together and I've already asked you for notes in all three of them. Can I take you for coffee some time to make it up to you?" Tim grinned. "I would never turn down a free coffee." Steph laughed. "I know," she said, pointing to the two empty coffee cups on Tim's desk. "Here, gimme your arm." "Don't you have a pad of paper?" "Tim," Steph said seriously. "If you think I'm going to pull it out of my bag again, you are wrong. Besides, I've never once seen you even hold a piece of paper. How do I know you won't lose it?" Tim sighed, holding out his arm. She had a point. He was rather prone to losing papers. Behind him, Connor grunted. "Don't worry, she does this with everyone-" he held out his arm to show Tim the very number Steph was writing on his own arm as Connor spoke- "She's taking me for coffee tomorrow to thank me for lending her the change to buy tater tots." "Oh, hey, that's right! Tim, you should come with us. Then I can hit two birds with one stone." "You mean paying us both back at the same time?" "No, I mean coffee and making new friends." Tim sighed dramatically, teasing Steph. "If I must." Steph giggled. "Great! I gotta run now, boys. See you two tomorrow!" And with that, she ran from the lecture hall, bag bouncing against her hip as she went. Tim turned to Connor. "Is she always so... sociable?" Connor shrugged. "Beats me, dude. I've only known her two days. It's only the second day of the semester. If she IS always so sociable, I may regret spotting her on those tater tots." Tim laughed, smiling down at the phone number scribbled on his arm under her name, which she had written in bubble letters. That night, Tim ambled down to the communal bathroom to take a shower. Unfortunately, the showers were halfway across campus from his dorm. There was no longer such a thing as a "quick shower" in Tim's life. It took fifteen minutes just to get there, he may as well stay in a little while longer than usual. On his way over, he pulled out his phone and dialled the number written in blue ink on his skin. It rang twice. "Hello?" "Hey, Steph, it's Tim." "Tim!" The phone made a noise like wind in Tim's ears as Steph shifted her phone around. "How's it going?" "Pretty good. I'm just on my way to the showers, I thought I should call before your number washed off." "Ah," Tim could hear her smile as she spoke. "Okay, so- coffee tomorrow. It's a Friday so we won't have classes in the afternoon. I was thinking we could go at, like, 12:30? You and I will just be getting out of biology so I was thinking we could pick up Connor and take my car over? I know this great little cafe. Kind of a hole-in-the-wall joint, but great coffee." "Yeah, that sounds good. See you then?" "You betcha!" The phone clicked as Steph hung up. Dick will be so proud of me for making friends, Tim thought. Dick Grayson was Tim's legal guardian. Although he wasn't many years older, fewer than ten, he had battled for custody of Tim after his parents had tossed him out at the ripe old age of 9. Dick had always been a big brother figure to Tim, having grown up down the street from him, and it was a big Fuck You to the Drakes when the 18 year old boy down the street got custody of their young son. They had to see him each and every day, but they couldn't do anything about it. They would be charged if they tried to harass Tim the way they had when he still lived under their roof. Today, Tim still lived with Dick. He was 17 years old, and Dick was 26. Now that Tim was starting college- a year early because he skipped a grade, and holy shit was Dick ever proud of him- he lived on campus with the promise that he would return home on holidays. Of course, it wasn't so much Dick that Tim had promised, but Dick's girlfriend, Koriand'r. Tim really liked her. Kory wasn't from Gotham and she spoke somewhat broken English, but she was sweet and kind and mothered Tim in a way that Dick, as a young man, could not. She made Dick happy, she made killer cupcakes (if nothing else), and knew all sorts of great bands. Plus, she had bright pink hair. What's not to love? Tim slipped through the door into the bathrooms and found an empty shower stall, shaking off thoughts of his family. His strange, loving family. Inside, he shut the door, flung his towel over the top, and undressed. He let the water run over him, warm and soothing. He should call Dick when he got out. He should go grocery shopping tomorrow. He should remind his roommate not to leave his dishes in the sink. He should... He should... The warm water ran these thoughts from his mind. The warm water, and the singing from two stalls down. Whoever was in there had the voice of a rock god and was singing one of Tim's favourite songs, It Has Begun by Starset. Tim swayed on his feet as he listened, scrubbing down his body with soap and water. The singing abruptly stopped, interrupted crudely by a loud, "Aw, fuck!" Tim couldn't help but laugh. "What're you snickering about over there? I just lost a clue to finding my soulmate!" The guy who had been singing had an equally mesmerizing speaking voice. "I'm sorry," Tim said, still trying not to giggle. "You were singing so beautifully and then you just- 'aw, fuck!' And it was hilarious. Sorry about your soulmate, man." "Nah, it's my fault. I knew I should've written it down as soon as it showed up on my arm." And then the stranger continued singing, although a little more aggressively, and Tim continued to sway under the spray of the water. Jason Todd was 19 years old and attending the college of his dreams. He was a little late, due to the delay in his schooling after he had ended up on the streets, but now he was back on track and holy shit was he ever excited to be here. He owed the opportunity largely to his adoptive father, Bruce Wayne. Bruce was Gotham's richest, most elite gothamite and, as Jason saw him, the biggest badass around. Bruce had two kids- Jason, and a younger, biological son named Damian. Despite being hugely busy with running numerous businesses, he made all sorts of time for his two sons. That was not something Jason had ever known. When his mother was still alive, she was working four jobs to pay for the bills and couldn't afford to make time for Jason, regardless of how deeply she loved him. But Bruce made time for Jason, cared for him, loved him, and even payed for his college education. And because of this, it was Jason's mission to do well and make Bruce proud. He wouldn't allow himself to be distracted by trivial things. When the ink had started to bleed into his arm from an invisible pen, the tripping of his heart beats told him that the mysterious writing was coming from his soul mate's skin. Jason had immediately called Bruce. This was not trivial, and he was definitely distracted. "Come on, come on, pick up." Jason bounced on the balls of his feet in the courtyard. Bruce answered on the fourth ring. "Jason? Are you okay? Did something happen?" "It happened." "What did?" Damian asked in the background. "Wait, am I on speaker?" Jason stopped bouncing. "Yes." "Hi, Jason!" "Hi, Dami. Dad, can you take me off speaker? Please?" "Sure, Jay." A pause. "Okay, go." Jason resumed bouncing like one would breathing after holding their breath. "It happened. The thing. On my arm. It's there. It's-" "You mean your soulmate finally-?" "Yes! I'm freaking out, Bruce, I don't know what to do. This has never happened before." Jason chewed nervously on his lip. The thing was, Jason's soulmate wasn't one to use their skin as a canvas. They never made notes, never drew pictures, never tested pen ink, nothing. In fact, they never even got graphite smudges on their fingers. Jason guessed that they typed things, mostly. A few times he had written notes on his leg, or other discreet places people wouldn't see (afraid an outsider would see the note on Jason's skin, or on his soul mate's) , asking if they could see his writing, but they never replied. Jason worried that, maybe, they were his soulmate, but he was not theirs. Perhaps that was why he never got anything special on his skin. Or worse, what if he didn't have a soulmate? But now, now he knew that they were out there. "Well, does it say something?" Bruce prompted. "It's a girls name- Steph- and a phone number underneath." Jason spoke on a single exhale. It was quiet on Bruce's end of the line for a second, and then, "can you call it?" "What?" Jason stopped bouncing again. "Call the number. If someone picks up, ask if it's Steph that you've called, and explain." Jason took a deep breath and held it. That could work. The problem was, his next class started in two minutes, and he wouldn't be released for a couple of hours. From there, he would have to head straight to work. There wasn't time to make that kind of phone call, and even if there was, Jason wanted to be ready for any kind of let down. Suppose the number was a dead end- he couldn't go into work after that. "I'll have to call them later tonight, after work..." "Call me when you know something, okay, Jay?" "Will do." Jason could hear the smile in Bruce's voice. "Good. Now go get to class." "Yessir." And that had been the end of that. Jason had hurried off to his next class and struggled to stay focused through the whole lecture. How could he focus on WWII when his soulmate had just inadvertently sent him a message? He couldn't help but stare at the blue ink. Was this his soul mates writing, or someone writing on their arm? It didn't matter. It was on his soul mates skin, somewhere in this world, and that alone made it the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. At work, Jason was a space case. He was relieved when his shift finally ended. He had barely gotten his apron off before he bolted through the door, buckled his helmet on, swung a leg over his bike, and kick started the engine. He was tearing down the street to get back to the dorms before anyone could even ask him why he was in such a hurry. Unfortunately, upon returning to his dorm, Jason realized that his nerves were too shot to try and call anybody. He couldn't even call Bruce due to the violent shaking in his hands. "Dude, go take a shower or go for a walk or something. You're acting like a crazy person." His roommate, Roy, was sprawled on the couch with a bag of popcorn. "You're gonna pace a hole in the rug." "Shower. Right. A shower would be good." So Jason ducked through the dorm, grabbing his things, and headed out for a shower to calm his nerves. He wasn't worried about washing the number off. It wouldn't come off until it came off of his soul mate's skin, and it couldn't possibly be gone by the time he was out of the shower. But it was. Jason looked down at his arm as he belted out his favourite song, hot water from numerous showers filling the room with steam. "Embracing it's starlit fate as we wait in the night, It's written in the- aw, fuck!" Someone a couple of stalls over laughed. "What're you snickering about over there? I just lost a clue to finding my soulmate!" Jason hadn't meant to snap at the stranger, but he was tremendously upset. "I'm sorry," the stranger said, obviously holding back laughter. "You were singing so beautifully and then you just- 'aw, fuck!' And it was hilarious. Sorry about your soulmate, man." The stranger's voice was oddly soothing, but Jason couldn't focus on that now. "Nah, it's my fault. I knew I should've written it down as soon as it showed up on my arm." Jason ran a hand through his wet hair, sighing loudly. He wouldn't cry here, not if he could help it, but he just met cry when he got back to his dorm. He had been so close. The next day, when Tim's biology lecture ended, Steph grabbed his arm and dragged him out to her car, chattering the whole way. Tim wanted to listen, to chat with her, but his thoughts kept drifting back to the guy who'd lost his chance to find his soulmate. He sort of knew how the guy felt. His soulmate used to write to him all the time, but he could never read the notes through the gnarly bruises his parents left on his skin. There would be more bruises if he tried to tell his soulmate so. By the time Dick had him and the seemingly perpetual bruises finally faded, his soulmate had stopped writing and Tim had forgotten all about it. Occasionally, Tim wanted to write to his soulmate to explain to them why he never wrote back, but he wasn't sure how to go about it. "Hi, it's me, your soulmate. I never replied to you when we were younger because I couldn't actually read your notes since you always wrote them in the places my parents beat me. Also, they would have beaten me twice as hard if I tried to tell you so. I'm not being beaten now so I'll see the thing you send me, but-" he wasn't sure how to continue. Besides, the whole thing was so awful that he wasn't sure he should try. "Okay, seriously, what's with you?" Steph snatched Tim's attention from the drivers seat as Connor leaned forward in the backseat. "Do... Do you guys know your soulmates?" He expected Connor to scoff and Steph to immediately gush, but he was surprised by their reactions. "No," said Steph simply, starting the car. "They've never responded to my notes or anything. I think maybe there may be a language barrier because I always get random little words and reminders in Portuguese." She shrugged as she began to pull out of the parking lot. "I'm trying to learn the language but so far I haven't got enough to talk to them." "I do," Connor said. He sounded surprised at his own words, like he hadn't expected to have an answer to the question. "I know my soulmate," he continued. "Her name is M'gann." Steph squealed. "Oooh tell us more!" Connor blushed, an odd look for his stoic face. "She's not from around here either, but her English is pretty good. Actually, I'm meeting her in person for the first time on Sunday." Steph screamed. Both boys stared at her. "Sorry," she apologized sheepishly. "I'm just... Really excited for you." She was fighting back a huge smile and losing. "What about you, Tim? Do you know your soulmate?" "Hold that thought, Tim. We're here." The odd group piled out of the car and entered the cafe, the delicate bell on the door chiming as they did so. The barista was a tall man, approximately 20 years of age, with dark hair and broad shoulders. Tim recognized his voice, but couldn't put his finger on where he might know the man from. Steph spilled into a booth, Connor following her, so Tim slid into the booth seat opposite them. "So, Tim, tell us about your soulmate." "That's the thing," Tim complained, "I don't know them!" "You mean you never...?" "They used to write to me, but I could never read what they wrote because-" Tim swallowed, backtracking- "I could never read what they wrote, and my parents would beat me if I drew on myself, so I couldn't write back. Eventually, they just stopped writing to me." Steph frowned and Connor took a long pull from his drink, eyebrows knitting. "So what got you thinking about it?" Tim relayed to them the story of the night before. Steph's face puckered. "And I thought my soulmate situation was crappy." "No kidding. So now I can't stop thinking about that guy and his soulmate. What if he never finds them?" Connor spoke up. "He will, Tim. They're literally made for each other. If they weren't meant to find each other, they wouldn't be soulmates." Oddly enough, the brooding boy across the booth made Tim feel a lot better about the whole situation. A lot, but not enough. Jason looked up from the mug he was washing as Roy entered the small cafe. "Hey, Roy." "Hey, Jason. Feeling better today?" Jason sighed. "Not particularly." "Well, when's your shift up? We can hang out when you're off the hook, maybe take your mind off things." "Sounds good. I'm off in ten. You want something while I'm still behind the counter?" Roy grinned. "A large coffee and a pen." "A pen?" Roy smiled devilishly. "I have a plan." When Jason's shift was up, he made himself a coffee, slipped off his apron, and joined Roy at the small table in the far corner of the cafe. "What's this master plan of yours?" "You'll see. Give me your arm." "No, I'm not giving you my arm. You could be planning to draw penises for all I know." Roy snorted. "That's exactly it. See, if I draw enough dicks on your arm, at some point your soulmate has to pick up a marker and tell you/me to fuck off, am I right? So when they do that, we write up all your info on your arm and bam, there you are." Jason sighed. "I guess." He hated to admit it, but the plan was genius. Nothing would get his soulmate's attention sooner than a shit load of dicks drawn on their arm. He held out his arm to Roy, who began to draw. Steph and Connor were trying desperately to distract Tim. Currently, Steph was telling the boys about her vacation in Vancouver a few years ago. "- and they had this epic bioluminescent exhibit. Tim, you would've loved it. Seriously. They had hundreds, if not thousands of jelly fish and all sorts of little bioluminescent fish and- holy shit!" A few people paused to glare at Steph. Connor winced. "Please do not scream in my ear." Steph ignored Connor. "Tim, there are dicks on your arm!" "What the fuck?" Now Connor was leaning forward to take a closer look at the tiny dicks crawling up Tim's arm in purple ink. "Woah. That's a lot of dicks." "Are you fucking kidding me?" Tim groaned. "Nothing for years, and now this shit?" They all paused to watch as more and more tiny dicks appeared on Tim's skin. "WHO THE FUCK IS DRAWING DICKS ON MY SOULMATES ARM?!" The entire cafe quieted at Tim's outburst. Forks clattered on plates. Cups hit tables, spilling. A few patrons giggled. Then, finally, after what seemed like an eternity of awkward silence, "That would be me." A ginger man with tattoos up his arms stood from his seat at the other side of the cafe. The man with him, whom Tim recognized as the barista, was blushing furiously. "And this is your soulmate." "Hi..." The man was tomato red and struggling to lift his eyes to Tim's. "I'm Jason." Steph squealed in her seat, wanting to push Tim toward his soulmate but trapped in the booth by Connor, who was sitting with his mouth open and his eyes wide. "Go!" She yelled, gesturing wildly. With all the speed and elegance of a zombie, Tim hauled himself to his feet and shuffled across the cafe. The ginger man beamed at the two young men and side shuffled away to join Steph and Connor in their booth. Tim took the empty seat across from the barista- his soulmate- Jason. "I-" the boys both began at the same time. "Sorry, you first," Tim whispered. "You're here. You're actually here. You- why didn't you answer me when I wrote to you?" Tim blushed furiously, his cheeks an angry shade of red. "I wanted to. I really, really wanted to. But- see, I couldn't read what you wrote to me because my biological parents- well, anyway, I couldn't read it. And I wasn't allowed to respond. But I wanted to. I did." Jason nodded slowly. "You were the guy in the shower yesterday. The one who laughed at me. I thought I lost you again, but you were right there." Jason was right, of course. That was where Tim had known his voice from. He was aware of the eyes of every person in the cafe on them. "Yeah." All of a sudden, Jason pushed himself from his chair. In a single, fluid movement, he had wrapped his arms tightly around Tim. Tim, shocked at first, gasped. But he immediately knew this embrace to be safe, and he felt warm and happy. And he snaked his arms around Jason's waist, pushing his face against the taller boy's chest, and sighed. The entire cafe burst into applause. Steph and Roy climbed up onto the seats of the both and cheered. Dick will be so proud of me, Tim thought, holding Jason tighter. Dick will be so proud.

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