#theres also namjin and yugbam

[bangtanata-blog]

EXEC_VIENA/. (Jikook soulmate AU) ch.01

- also available on AO3 (listen to EXEC_VIENA/. here)

Summary: When someone turns 21, they will be able to see the red string of fate that ties them to their soulmate. Jungkook has been waiting and dreading for the time to come, only to find out that his soulmate is in fact, his ex, the one whose existence Jungkook has tried hard to ignore for years after their breakup.

In a world filled with soulmates, he wonders, sometimes, if he’ll end up as a Blank, as someone whose soulmate hasn’t been born yet, or who is unlucky enough to have a dead soulmate.

In a world filled with soulmates, he wonders, sometimes, if it’ll be easier to know who he’s bound to be with for life since the very beginning of his life span, instead of spending his first twenty-first years to wander and wonder, searching and guessing on who can possibly be his Only One.

In a world filled with soulmates, it scares Jungkook sometimes: the thought of seeing someone and immediately falling in love with them, to be enamored and willing to do anything to please them, because they’re supposed to be lovers, because they’re supposed to love each other.

(Shouldn’t they work out for it? His heart says, shouldn’t they know each other first, before they decide that it’s true love?)

But in a world filled with soulmates, it also fills him with hope, sometimes; to know that there’s someone out there, for him, someone who can complement him just like he’ll complement them, someone who’ll be and try to be with him even with his faults, and he will do his best to do the same. All because they’re meant to be. All because they’re basically meant for each other.

The thought that someone can love him unconditionally makes his heart beat faster in his chest sometimes, and whenever anyone tries to tease him on how he’s such a hopeless romantic, well, he inwardly agrees.

(The thought of being loved and loving unconditionally—it scares him as much as it makes him incredibly happy).

(He wants to be happy).

However, if people think that simply because everyone are meant to figure out who their soulmates are by the time they turn 21 they will keep themselves single, then they can’t be even more wrong. Especially with the younger generation such as Jungkook, who tries and tries to find and guess someone who could be The One, no matter if it’s just random guesses or mere flings.

‘It’s practice’, the teenagers would say, whenever anyone complains about teens dating other people and having flings before meeting their soulmates. It’s practice before the real thing, they’ll say, because it’s better to know what to do in a relationship before you go throw yourself into the long term one.

That, and it’s probably their libido talking.

It’s a valid reasoning, some would argue; because not everyone immediately meets their soulmates after they turn 21, some has to wait for years, some ends up having their strings suddenly severed, having their soulmates dying before they even get the chance to meet.

And also, just because you’re soulmates and meant to be, doesn’t mean your relationship will be smooth sailing everytime.

There are articles of it, ones that sometimes Jungkook would pour his attention to, a relationship where soulmates’ bond are strained despite their red strings being tied together perfectly, where their relationship is failing, where they’re unhappy, but cannot really leave each other or get into a relationship with another people, because they’re meant to be together.

Having a soulmate is scary, he thinks.

But sometimes, when he sees Namjoon, a hyung he admires, with Seokjin, his soulmate, being happy together and basically being such saps that Jungkook could’ve thrown up in front of them and the atmosphere would’ve stayed sweet—

He thinks he wants that.

He wants that kind of relationship.

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Once upon a time, Jungkook had had a relationship similar to one which he would’ve wanted his relationship with his future soulmate to be like.

It wasn’t his first lover, no, but it could’ve been his best one yet.

Park Jimin was a great boyfriend. He was cheeky, sometimes bordering on incredibly petty, with short bursts of emotions and irritation from someone so small when he was teased, yet still very, very sweet and caring and attentive and just great. They had an interesting dynamic, Namjoon would say, mainly because both of them acted like total brats to each other on a daily basis in between of any other couple-y things, but they worked anyway. They worked, and Jungkook had to catch himself from hoping that they could’ve been soulmates numerous times back then. Because Jimin was a wonderful boyfriend; and he had been happy, and he hoped that Jimin was happy, too.

He couldn’t hope, though, he mustn’t. It would be unfair to each of their soulmates, to hope that their lovers before the strings could be seen by their eyes as their ‘soulmates’. Back then, he didn’t want to feel disappointed when, in a possible future, he found out that Jimin was not his soulmate. He was pretty sure Jimin had the same thought; they had an agreement of sorts, anyway, that if by the time one of them were to turn 21, they would break up, and proceed to look for their respective soulmates.

(He found himself hoping for it anyway).

(He had hoped, foolishly, that maybe, maybe, Jimin could’ve been the one).

(Simply because they worked well together, simply because they were happy).

It was all for naught though, all those thoughts of a ‘future’ where they were still together until Jimin turned 21, because by the time Jimin was 17 and Jungkook 15, the older one went to Seoul to follow his dreams.

Jungkook had been supportive of it, because it was Jimin’s dream, and if it was Jimin’s, Jungkook was pretty willing to say that it was his, too. They were that kind of couple, and Jungkook had to wonder if he was a foolish romantic, to be that invested in someone when he hadn’t known if Jimin was truly his soulmate or not just yet.

It didn’t matter anyway, because Jimin moving to Seoul was the start of the end of their relationship.

(…It wasn’t meant to last anyway).

(They were supposed to break it off when Jimin turned 21, anyway. An early break didn’t mean anything. It didn’t).

The end of their relationship was caused by the typical problem in any long distance relationship: the lack of communication. And the Jungkook of the present thinks, begrudgingly, also the lack of effort and commitment on both sides to keep the relationship going.

Jungkook was a teenager. Impatient, rather impulsive, and perhaps, with Jimin who was slowly reaching his dream and slowly, slowly getting father and farther away from him, he had begun to feel insecure.

It ended a few months after Jimin’s debut, when Jimin was 18 and Jungkook 16.

The chats, phone calls and video calls had reduced significantly, especially so when the older boy was busy with work, and Jungkook tried to understand, really, because this was Jimin’s dream, he was working, and Jungkook wanted to support him.

But sometimes, it got tiring when his messages weren’t replied to until a day later, or when they were only left on read, then replied hours later when the topic didn’t matter for young Jungkook anymore. It got irritating when promises of call schedules had to be moved and moved and moved and moved because Jimin didn’t have time anymore, because he didn’t have time for Jungkook anymore.

That was fine.

It wasn’t like he was Jungkook’s soulmate anyways.

They were just trying out relationship with someone who could be their soulmates.

It was fine.

It was fine, he thought, when he had to be the one who ended it, who requested for its end, because Jimin was too busy to consider ending it, too busy to even talk to him.

(And if his fingers were trembling, if he had been crying when he built the courage to type the words out, well).

(It didn’t really matter).

(It was his fault for hoping, anyway).

(And if he was even slightly bitter that Jimin only messaged him a lot after he asked for the break up, he would never admit it to anybody, not even Jimin).

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[chat log]

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Seagull (9:37 pm): Jimin hyung

Seagull (9:37 pm): hyung

Seagull (9:37 pm): let’s end this

Seagull (9:38 pm): im tired.

Seagull (9:38 pm): i don’t think you really want to continue this anymore too anyway

Seagull (9:39 pm): I don’t think I can do this anymore. Im sorry

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Seagull (10:44 pm): …………

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Seagull (10:49 pm): goodluck on your career

Seagull (10:52 pm): goodbye

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Jiminie (12:12 am): what (read)

Jiminie (12:13 am): jungkook (read)

Jiminie (12:13 am): jungkook what? (read)

Jiminie (12:14 am): jungkook please (read)

Jiminie (12:14 am): please im sorry (read)

Jiminie (12:14 am): lets think about it some more (read)

Jiminie (12:14 am): jungkookie? (read)

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Jiminie (8:21 am): jungkook? (read)

Jiminie (8:21 am): jungkook (read)

Jiminie (8:22 am): jeon jungkook I know you’re reading this (read)

Jiminie (8:22 am): jungkook!!! (read)

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One (1) missed call from Jiminie

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Four (4) missed call from Jiminie

Jiminie (1:34 pm): jungkook please (read)

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Seagull (2:12 pm): it’s just not working out, hyung, not anymore

Seagull (2:13 pm): besides, you’re going to be 21 soon

Seagull (2:13 pm): let’s just end this, yeah?

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Jiminie (3:42 pm): no please (read)

Jiminie (3:42 pm): I love you (read)

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Seagull (3:47 pm): no (read)

Seagull (3:48 pm): no you don’t, hyung (read)

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One (1) missed call from Jiminie

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Seagull’s number has been deactivated.

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Delete [Jiminie] from your contact list?

>> Yes <<

No

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And that was that.

Perhaps it had been overkill to both delete his contact and change his number, but it was logical for him, at the time, who was hurting and just wanted to escape it all. And coupled with the amount of messages and missed calls Jimin had left him after their… breakup, Jungkook was afraid that he would’ve accepted his apology and continued being his boyfriend, because if there was anyone he was utterly weak for, it would be Jimin.

He couldn’t possibly handle reconciling and bearing it until Jimin got old enough to see the string and dump him for the older one’s soulmate, whoever that may be.

And so, it ended.

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That was the past.

Right now though, Jungkook is already a college student, ironically living in Seoul since he followed Namjoon—whom he respects greatly—the very moment he finished high school. He may or may not have bounced through some more boyfriends and girlfriends—in which he will always try to treat them right, ‘flings’ or not, because that’s just what Jungkook is apparently; a hopeless romantic—after he broke it off with Jimin.

He’s nearly 21, though, and here he is, with his current boyfriend Yugyeom, leaning on each other’s shoulders as they gaze at Jungkook’s laptop, the device playing an episode of Haikyuu, more specifically the match between Karasuno and Shiratorizawa. He’s excused himself from the apartment he shares with Namjoon and Seokjin, and Yugyeom’s roommate has kindly let himself out of the apartment to give both Jungkook and Yugyeom some privacy.

It’s nearly midnight, and by the time the clock ticks past 12, Jungkook will be able to see the string tied to his pinky.

That is mostly why Yugyeom is here, to be quite honest. If, by the time Jungkook sees the string, and it’s not tied to Yugyeom, whose birthday is in November instead of Jungkook’s September, they will officially break it off, and Jungkook will start his slow search of his soulmate.

(“Man, I hope I’m not your soulmate, though,” Yugyeom says, grinning and wiggling his eyebrows as he leans back to the couch. “Surely the world coulda given me a sexier person to be my soulmate.”

“I’m still your boyfriend, here,” Jungkook says, his voice purposely flat, though he’s grinning too. “Don’t make me kick you out, babe.”

“You would never,” Yugyeom gasps, pressing a hand to his chest in mock offense. “I’m your boyfriend! For the next 3 hours anyway.”

“Exactly,” he nods sagely, cackling when his last boyfriend before Revelation Day smacks his shoulder.

It’s nice to know someone is taking this eventual promised breakup as easy as Jungkook, really.

He hates painful breakups, after all).

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This is a promise: by the time Jungkook is capable of seeing the string and still having the string tied to his finger (what if the string stops existing, which means his soulmate is dead? What if— …He stops the scary thought before he brings himself an early heart attack), he will not date any random person ever again.

Honestly, he’s seen firsthand on how messy it could’ve been to date someone even after you’ve managed to see the red string tied to your finger. Case in point: Namjoon and Seokjin’s rocky start.

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Namjoon and Seokjin’s initial first meeting story is not something they’ll gladly flaunt to everybody like most soulmates would’ve loved to do. Why, you ask? Well.

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Namjoon, while having this goofy habit to stare at his string right with a smile after he woke up, hadn’t been the type of person to feel jittery and impatient over meeting his soulmate.

If they are supposed to meet, then they will, that was basically what Namjoon believed in, and thus he lived his life as normal and rather happily, waiting leisurely for the day for when he would’ve met his soulmate.

Which was why when he saw Seokjin, he hadn’t been expecting it.

He was walking down the street, a paper cup of coffee in his right hand as he bypassed a kissing couple in front of a rather fancy café. He would’ve ignored it and walked away, if not for the fact that his string had shortened itself to accommodate with the current distance he had with his soulmate… who was kissing another male.

That was his first meeting with Seokjin, a man who, against all odds and norms, was another of those people who continued to date even when they knew their lovers weren’t their soulmates.

Seokjin and Namjoon had stared at each other awkwardly, the string connecting the both of them hanging mockingly between their fingers.

In a rush of unpleasant emotions running through his veins, Namjoon flinched away from Seokjin’s startled glance, and while he could’ve stomped his way to Seokjin’s way, demanding answers, or he could’ve punched Seokjin, or his boyfriend, or both—

The young underground rapper had debated between fight or flight, and upon seeing Seokjin’s shocked and immensely awkward and guilty eyes—

He chose to run back home, curl up on the couch beside Jungkook, and cry to his shoulder, mumbling and blubbering about his meeting with his soulmate to the concerned dongsaeng.

It took the two of them some awkward meetings—the first three times being chaperoned by a pissed off Jungkook, who during the meet ups spent his time glancing at Seokjin with a scary glint in his eyes, basically daring the older man to fuck this up so he could get a reason to kick ass—before they slowly turned into the saps they are in the present.

(Seokjin teases him, sometimes, over how protective Jungkook was (is) to Namjoon, laughing when the youngest splutters and tries to deny that he’s not overprotective, thank you very much!)

(Truth be told, Jungkook would’ve punched Seokjin if the older man hadn’t tried to search for Namjoon—rather frantically at that—and settle things properly with him).

(He won’t tell Seokjin that, though, not when the problem has been solved).

(…Now, he would’ve liked it better if they stop acting like old married couple whenever Jungkook is nearby. He knows they’re all roommates now, but still, there are things Jungkook wishes he can forget ever hearing or seeing, good God).

(He plans to be as gross with his soulmate when he meets them, because sometimes he’s that petty, really).

(That, and it doesn’t sound bad to be like that with his soulmate, when he’s established enough connection with them, whoever they are).

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Thing is, Jungkook is ready. Or, well, as ready as he will ever be, anyway. He knows he won’t immediately meet his soulmate—unless his soulmate is Yugyeom, in which if it is, he won’t be complaining, really. Yugyeom is nice, and he’s his best friend first before anything, so he knows that the other won’t be disappointed no matter the outcome—and that he won’t be actively searching for them either. Perhaps Namjoon has influenced him in that matter, but truly, he thinks, that if they’re really bound to meet, then they will.

(If not—

If his soulmate dies before him—

…Well.

He’ll deal with it later if it ever becomes like that

God, he hopes not, though).

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The match between Karasuno and Shiratorizawa has ended beautifully, and both Jungkook and Yugyeom may have screamed a bit too loud sometimes whenever something amazing happened on screen.

“3 more minutes,” Yugyeom tells him, body snug beside him as they both lean back on the couch, now without anything left to watch. Now, all they can do is to wait for the Revelation Day, or so Yugyeom has dramatically named it with a grin on his face.

“How are you feeling, Jungkook?”

“Nervous,” he admits, licking his lips. Sometimes, he figures that throwing out a joke, however lame, is a nice way for him to loosen himself up (Seokjin may have influenced him on that one. He’s glad he hasn’t thrown any puns or dad jokes yet, though). And so, nonchalantly, he shrugs his shoulders as he says, “I think I’ll throw myself out the window if it turns out my soulmate is you, though.” He gets a smack on his shoulder for that, the both of them sniggering right away afterwards.

“You’re an ass,” his boyfriend whispers dramatically.

“You like me,” the older one says haughtily, his grin still in place.

“Your ass, maybe.”

“Gross.”

They share a laugh one more time, their noses brushing against each other.

“One more minute, Guk,” Yugyeom reaches out to hold Jungkook’s hand in his, his grip comforting, grounding. Gosh, but Jungkook is feeling a bit emotional, though. Because Yugyeom really is a wonderful person. A wonderful best friend, even more so; their relationship only starting after a rather bad breakup on Yugyeom’s part (god, but Jungkook really hates bad breakups, though) and Jungkook’s attempt to cheer his best friend up. Their relationship is casual, easy and sweet. He’s so, so good, that Jungkook dares to think that he may have liked Yugyeom more than his other previous lovers.

(Jungkook may have liked Jimin more than Yugyeom, though).

(Jungkook may have liked Jimin more than anyone).

(He stops that thought before it dampens his mood).

(It doesn’t matter anymore, after all).

“Any last words?” The other’s words are registered in Jungkook’s brain and the black haired man hums.

He hesitates, just a bit. “…Thank you,” his boyfriend snaps his eyes toward him, startled at his words. Jungkook’s eyes are on him, his gaze soft and he dares to think that he could’ve been talking with his eyes alone and Yugyeom would still understand him anyway.

“You were a great boyfriend,” he says, utterly honest.

Yugyeom’s eyes are suspiciously glassy. “Don’t make me cry, you ass.”

“You like this ass,” is his automatic response, which successfully makes the other laugh.

“Maybe,” Yugyeom lets out, rubbing off the moisture in his eyes. He pouts, “You make me get dust in my eyes.”

He scoffs, though not unkind. “Sure.”

He looks at the time then, licking his lips nervously. It can start any second now: he will be able to see a string tied to his finger, linked directly to his soulmate, wherever they are.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he closes his eyes, letting Yugyeom’s close proximity and his thumb rubbing against Jungkook’s knuckles to calm him down. Anytime now, when he opens his eyes, he’ll see the string on his finger. Anytime, now.

“Ready, Guk?”

Yeah.

“Yeah,” he breathes out.

He’s ready.

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Jeon Jungkook opens his eyes, and sees.

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The night ends with one last peck between lover-now-turned-back-to-best-friends, the two of them retreating to Yugyeom’s bed for some cuddles and a good night rest.

He wakes up to be greeted by Yugyeom’s morning breath, and after delivering a playful smack on the other’s cheek, he sits up to stare at the red string tied to his left hand’s pinky, visible only to Jungkook and his soulmate, whoever they are, wherever they are. And thus it is with a light heart and a spring in his steps, his day starts.

His life goes on.

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It takes Yugyeom approximately 3 months after his birthday to find his soulmate, a cheerful guy who prefers to be called as Bambam. He’s from Thailand, apparently, and Jungkook thinks Yugyeom is lucky as fuck to have his soulmate going to university in Korea than in Thailand. God knows how long it’ll take for them to meet if Bambam never goes to Korea.

The both of them get along like a house on fire, and Jungkook is rather exasperated that he’s placed as another third wheel and subsequently gets to watch soulmate PDA, as if living with Namjoon and Seokjin is not enough. He doesn’t really mind though, even if he complains a lot about it. Bambam seems pretty chill despite knowing Jungkook is Yugyeom’s ex-boyfriend, though it’s mostlikely because the both of them made sure to explain the extent of their relationship to the pink haired guy.

It’s a bit weird that Yugyeom wants him to chaperone the both of them sometimes, and Jungkook has an inkling that the pair asks him that because they want to tease him over his third wheeling. He knows he shouldn’t have complained to them about it, but he figures he doesn’t mind it much. It’s fun to hang out with them, and it’s amusing to play the exasperated third wheel friend part sometimes, especially when he gets to do dramatic eye rolls and amuse other people watching “the couple + their friend” spectacle.

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The line has to be drawn when they invite him to a particular concert, though.

“No,” he says, gritting his teeth. He stares at the ticket in his hold, looking as if the piece of paper would combust if he stares at it hard and long enough. In front of him, Yugyeom pouts, but Jungkook is determined not to let it sway him, this time.

“But Jungkook, I already got three tickets!”

“Why did you even get three?” He grounds out, trying to shove the ticket back to his pouting best friend, flashes of old memories already surfacing from the back of his mind. No, no, no, he’s done a pretty good job avoiding this ever since he arrived at Seoul. He’s not about to falter now, he won’t.

He’s spent years trying to forget about the person he probably, mostlikely, most definitely liked more than he should’ve, he’s not going to falter and fall back down the fiery pit once more. He won’t.

“I got them from my friend, remember? She can’t go, so I bought them, and it was basically a buy all three or get none kind of scenario!”

Jungkook grunts, pressing the ticket to Yugyeom’s chest. The other still hasn’t taken back the ticket from Jungkook’s hand, and it starts to piss Jungkook off a little bit. He’s staring at him, no doubt taking in his clenched jaw, his wavering eyes, since Yugyeom’s gaze softens just a bit, and Jungkook hates it a little.

It doesn’t seem like Yugyeom is willing to back down though.

“C’mon, Guk, just this once, please?”

“No.”

“Park Jimin won’t even see you among the crowd, you know.” If that’s his attempt to ease Jungkook, then it’s doing the absolute opposite.

He doesn’t know which one pains him more: the hurt he’ll inevitably feel for being unrecognized among the huge crowd in Jimin’s concert, or the fear that he’ll be seen and recognized, and the things that will follow.

“You can ask for someone else to come.”

“But we both want you to come,” Jungkook curses his weakness for his best friend and everything that makes him soft for Yugyeom, because the other man is pouting at him, purposely making his lips tremble and his eyes bigger than usual. “Please, Gukkie?”

“Ugh,” is all that Jungkook can say. Yugyeom happily takes that as an answer.

“Nothing will happen, I promise,” he reaches out to ruffle Jungkook’s hair, the motion comforting. “Besides, I know you like his songs, and you can see the string now, so it’ll be fine, okay?”

He sighs, looking down at his finger and tugs at his string for comfort, gently, knowing that his soulmate can feel it. He’s developed a habit to play with his string sometimes, twirling it between his fingers and tugging it. Sometimes, his soulmate tugs back. It’s a comfort of a sort, a greeting perhaps, or a reassurance, that they know he exists, simultaneously acknowledging the string of fate connecting them together.

Faintly, he feels his soulmate tugging the string back in reply, and he lets himself relax.

He’s okay. It’ll be okay. He has a soulmate, he can see the string now, and he can look for his soulmate and forget about his ex completely. He can move on from Park Jimin now, it’s fine.

It’s fine.

“Okay.”

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The concert hall is huge.

He’s never actually been to a concert before, finding it more important to use up money for food, basic necessities and his art supplies than something such as concert. He’s spent his money on some other things too, and he may have bought Jimin’s albums before, because he actually does like the elder’s music, go figure.

Thing is, he’s never been to a concert before, and the amount of people being near him is a bit uncomfortable. His introvert soul is already dying a little bit inside, though he figures when he gets into the concert enough, he’ll end up forgetting about the crowd and enjoy the concert altogether.

The three of them aren’t exactly near the stage nor are they too far: it’s close enough to see Jimin and the other stars up close if they ever decide to venture to the left side of the stage, and Jungkook’s heart hammers a little bit faster at the thought.

He doesn’t know if he’s ready for it, if it ever comes down to that.

Fiddling with his string a bit more, he feels steady tugs coming from his soulmate, the action both comforting and grounding him. He feels excitement thrumming in his body, alongside with his nerves over whatever associated with Park Jimin, and he waits. He’s standing beside his friends, shuffling his feet nervously as he listens to their bickering over which pairing is the softest, VHope or YoonSeok? Which is stupid, because Jungkook is pretty sure TaeGi is the softest duo here, really.

Though he won’t know, what with fanservice and all, it’s pretty hard to discern which one is fan service and true PDA when it comes to idols’ relationships, especially with Kim Taehyung, the fan service extraordinarie. And he doesn’t really want to insist which is which, considering how it must be pretty shitty, to have your fans dictate what kind of romantic relationship you’re allowed to have. So he has his favorite pair, sure, okay, he’s not about to force it down someone else’s throat about how it’s far superior and “canon”, no matter if the idols themselves never actually confirm it themselves. There’s something called discerning between reality and fantasy, anyway, and Jungkook’s pretty certain he’s got a real good grip on that one. He can fantasize about his favorite pair all he wants, he just has to make sure he doesn’t overstep whatever boundaries there are when it comes to liking a pair.

(Though if it ends up revealed that apparently none of the three are together, or maybe Kim Taehyung is actually in a relationship with Park Bogum, another idol who keeps their soulmate status a secret, Jungkook is going to laugh, mostly at how disappointed some fans are going to be).

(There’s also rumor about how Jimin and Kim Taehyung are soulmates, and, well).

(Jungkook doesn’t really want to dwell on that thought).

The lights dim, then, cutting off the couple’s bickering, which has somehow shifted to the topic of best ice cream flavor (Bambam is insisting on lemon flavor, and Yugyeom looks so hilariously offended that Jungkook snorts).

“Ooh, it’s starting?”

“No, I’m pretty sure it’s an electricity failure,” Jungkook drawls out in complete deadpan, earning himself smacks on his shoulders from the other two. “Ow!”

“Shh, it’s starting,” Bambam hushes him, ignoring Jungkook’s mutter of ‘obviously’, eyes focused on the stage. The crowd is nearly crazy right now, many of them screaming so loud that Jungkook has to adjust his hearing for a little bit because wow, he knows the people performing today are famous, but wow, his poor eardrums.

The intro music starts out, then, and the crowd’s cheers get even louder than before. Jungkook has to admit he’s actually excited, and the crowd’s enthusiasm has managed to influence him a bit. It’ll be fine, he thinks, he can have fun today. He can just enjoy the songs, the show, and he’ll go home satisfied and he will finally be able to properly let Jimin go.

He’ll be fine.

The artists step on the stage, and he sees Jimin, standing right beside Taehyung looking absolutely breathtaking, with his silk white sleeved long shirt and black pants that’s too tight to be legal, and—

And Jungkook sees a red string.

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He thinks he might have stopped breathing for a short while.

It’s… a red string.

He forces his gaze away from the red string tied to Jimin, frantically trying to look if the other idols are wearing a red string as well, because well, it can possibly be a performance concept, right? It’s not the first time this kind of concept is used, after all.

But he sees no red strings on any of them. Every single one of them doesn’t have any red strings, other than Jimin, who hasn’t noticed Jungkook yet (thank the Gods), and he’s seeing a red string, connected to Jimin, he’s seeing a—

Jimin lifts his left hand, which is holding the mic, near his mouth, and Jungkook very nearly faints right there.

Tied to his pinky, is a red string.

Staggering back a little bit, the college student has to hold on Yugyeom for support, in which the latter is quick to steady him, brows furrowing in worry over Jungkook’s suddenly pale face.

“Woah, Gukkie. What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

Bile rises from his throat, the young man barely managing from stopping himself from barfing all over the place. “I think I’m going to puke,” he says, feeling more sick than anything. Because Jimin is there, Jimin, his ex boyfriend who went off to follow his dream and who forgot about Jungkook in the process, the person whose warmth he’s always wanted to forget for years, the person whose red string is visible and most certainly linked to Jungkook’s own.

“I really, really think I’m going to puke.”

The idols are talking now, probably greeting the fans, but Jungkook can’t really hear anything past his own heart beating and his harsh, quick breathing. He’s overwhelmed, he’s scared and afraid and he shouldn’t have agreed to come to the concert, he shouldn’t have—

Jimin turns to face the left side of the stage, and Jungkook sees the moment Jimin catches his eyes, for his eyes—now blue thanks to eye contacts—widen in shock, the idol’s speech faltering for a brief moment as he takes in Jungkook’s appearance: his face as white as sheet, eyes widened from shock and panic and actual fear, slightly messy hair… He’s pretty certain he looks as unattractive as he can be, at the moment.

He’s also pretty sure he’ll be even more unattractive if he does end up puking right about now.

He lifts his hand to cover his face hastily, in a feeble attempt to cover himself up from Jimin’s view. It registers to him a moment later that he’s using his left hand to do so, because his right hand is still gripping on Yugyeom’s jacket for comfort, and Jungkook jerks the left hand away as if it burns, eyes snapping back up to Jimin and hoping, hoping that Jimin hasn’t seen it, hasn’t seen the string.

It seems to be all for naught, because even Jimin himself looks pale, now.

Jungkook feels really, really sick right about now.

And so he does what he can do best in this situation.

He lets the stress overwhelm him, his breathing getting more and more short and frantic by the seconds—

And promptly passes out.

.

.

Jungkook wakes up on his bed, to the feeling of Seokjin’s hand carding through his hair. The older man is peering down at him with a soft smile, booping Jungkook’s nose with his crooked finger when Jungkook’s eyes have focused enough to register Seokjin’s presence.

“Hey, brat,” he greets, the nickname somehow sounds endearing when Seokjin does it. “How are you feeling, hm?”

��Bad,” is all he can say. There’s a bitter taste in his mouth, and Jungkook doesn’t like it.

Seokjin hums in acknowledgement at Jungkook’s short answer, not judging and not ceasing his movements, fingers steadily going through his hair, the motion comforting.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Seokjin offers, his voice soft.

Jungkook’s breathing catches a little, his mind remembering the events in the concert hall; the string, the pale face of Jimin, shaken and in shock and probably horrified over finding out that Jungkook, the unpopular, totally-not-an-idol, ex-boyfriend Jungkook, is in fact his soulmate.

A sob punches its way out of Jungkook’s mouth, and he grips on Seokjin’s soft pink sweater, the older male easily and quickly settling himself beside the younger to properly hold him, caressing his cheek in a gentle manner, one that very easily dissolves Jungkook into a crying mess.

“I—I—I don’t—I—“

Seokjin hushes him, his thumb wiping away Jungkook’s tears. “It’s okay, Jungkook-ah,” he assures the boy, even though he must not know what the problem is, even though Jungkook hasn’t told him, that Jungkook’s ex boyfriend is his soulmate, that Jungkook is so overwhelmed he just wants the bed to swallow him whole, that he’s so so regretting everything happening in his life and that he wants to forget, wants to forget and move on and live without the knowledge on who his soulmate really is.

Because now that he knows, he’s sure it’s never going to work out.

(They don’t work out once; what can possibly make him think it’s going to work out this time around?)

It’s never going to work out.

“It’s okay, Kookah,” Seokjin’s soft voice reaches his ears, the older man caressing his cheek as he sobs and heaves to Seokjin’s sweater. Vaguely, he registers the sound of footsteps, knowing full well that it must’ve been Namjoon entering his room, undoubtedly seeing Jungkook spilling tears on his boyfriend.

“It’s okay,” Seokjin says, “it’s going to be okay, Jungkook-ah.”

Jungkook cries.

.

.

To be continued.

.

.

Things not said explicitly in the story but are important anyways:

+ It’s possible for soulmates to be completely platonic; it’s just pretty rare, considering how people prefer to marry their soulmates.

+ Jungkook’s—and basically many other people in this particular universe—string of lovers are simply the result of his attempts to ease his loneliness and need of a partner; while some people can wait until they find their soulmate—like Namjoon—some other just wants to have experience before anything. While Jungkook’s relationships before he turned 21 were mostly “casual”, they still involved a commitment (however short-term it would be) and actual fondness in Jungkook’s part. He never dated anyone he didn’t genuinely like/was interested in. He just knew that if they were not his soulmate, he would break it off no matter how fond of them he might have been. This affects his casual and nonchalant attitude toward breakups sometimes. (He still hates painful breakups though). It may be a strange thing, but this is a normal mentality in that universe. If you’re confused, you can ask me for more explanation about his train of thoughts!! Since his feelings and thoughts are actually pretty deep in regards to this whole soulmate thing, that I find it a bit difficult to properly explain and describe it into words.

+ Jungkook’s hatred for painful breakups is mostly caused by his messy breakup with Jimin.

+ Jimin AND Jungkook were BOTH at fault during their first breakup. Jungkook basically acknowledged this in the narrative, too. Commitment and actual effort in communication are needed in a relationship, guys, not just passion and intimacy (of course, they’re important too!). And no, you don’t have to chat everyday every hour every minute for a relationship to work. You can chat once a week and a relationship will still work as long as both party put in actual effort for it to work (it can be hard though. It depends on your relationship’s dynamics). Jikook didn’t, and so it failed.

+++ Please don’t try out Jungkook’s way of breaking up with Jimin. Don’t do it folks. If you want to breakup, do it properly, okay? Speak to each other face to face, if you can.

+ Jungkook’s breakup with Jimin fucked him up a little bit in that he’s become a bit impassive about both dating and having a soulmate; while the concept excites him and makes him happy, the knowledge that 1) he will have to eventually breakup with his lover when he finds out they’re not his soulmate anyway 2) they don’t really care because they’re not soulmates (this hurts him, sometimes, that people just don’t really care much about their current lovers as much as they would’ve if they date their soulmates) 3) relationships between soulmates don’t always work as well as fairytales like to call them; soulmates can fuck up each other as much as they can make each other happy and whole, and Jungkook has been preparing himself for this kind of scenario. He didn’t expect to get slapped in the face by the simple fact that his ex is his soulmate, though.

+++ Sometimes this does happen especially to people who date a lot before they turn 21, and it’s immensely awkward to get back together with an ex simply because they’re soulmates. Some pairs end up agreeing to be totally platonic, some others swear off ever meeting each other, and some try to make it work.

+ Jungkook never really gets over Jimin, and vice versa. Perhaps, during their time together, somewhere inside they’ve known that they’re soulmates—the only difference is that they couldn’t see the string before—and thus their separation hurt them more than other breakups between non-soulmates.

+ Out of all ex-lovers Jungkook has, other than Jimin, he’s softest with Yugyeom. Yugyeom, during their time together, just knew how to turn Jungkook into a puddle of goo, how to make him melt and make him so, so soft you’d wonder where the muscle pig went off to. (Yugyeom used this knowledge to persuade Jungkook into going to the concert).

+ Yugyeom ends up learning how to do the same thing to Bambam too. But it’s mostly Bambam making Yugyeom soft, really.

+ Yugyeom may or may not is a bit crazy about Bambam’s pink hair. He just thinks it’s cute.

+ Namjin and Jungkook live together in one rather large apartment; this exposes Jungkook to soulmate PDA and all the up and downs that come within Namjin’s relationship. He knows a lot about a relatively healthy soulmate bond thanks to Namjin.

+ Namjin does coddle Jungkook a lot, go figure. They’re never afraid to sit Jungkook down for a proper scolding whenever it’s necessary, though. (Jungkook wonders since when he gets a new set of guardians other than his parents, but he never really minds it).

+ Jungkook goes to Seokjin a lot for comfort, and Seokjin is pretty good at handling an emotional Jungkook. It’s probably Seokjin’s experience in studying psychology helping him out, Jungkook doesn’t know. Meanwhile, he’ll go to Namjoon for sound advice. He sometimes go to both of them for any kind of scenarios though, because Seokjin may provide him another perspective on things that Namjoon may not be able to offer, and Namjoon is pretty good at comforting people too (who do you think comforted him when he broke things up with Jimin? It’s Namjoon).

+ Jungkook is the first one to know whenever Namjin has an argument. Which is actually quite a lot. It dissolves pretty quickly too, though; Namjin is pretty good in maintaining positive communication and healthy relationship, another good thing Jungkook actually learns over the years.

+ Jungkook may or may not end up as YugBam’s love councilor whenever they have a big and/or petty argument. He’s sometimes tired and so exasperated at the amount of creativity the two can put into an argument out of all things.

+ Jungkook regrets ever telling YugBam to put that creativity they have in their arguments into bed. No, Yugyeom, Jungkook does not need details on what you’re doing with your boyfriend, oh my god.

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#jikook #jikook au #soulmate au #jikook soulmate au #jeon jungkook #park jimin #misha writes #eh... what else should i tag this as? #theres a brief jungkook/yugyeom in there #theres also namjin and yugbam #for those who may not want to read a fic with those pairs #youve been warned