dear soulmate | bang chan

14

Despite the hectic night Jae had experienced, sleep did not come easily to her. No matter how many sheep she counted, or how still she tried to keep her mind, she was restless.

Stray Kids were in their rooms, probably sleeping soundly, leaving Jae alone in the living room. They had converted the couch into a bed with some soft pillows and extra blankets for the cold weather, but sleep still wouldn't come easily.

After a few more minutes of trying she gave up.

Maybe it was jet lag? Or time zones? The other possibilities running through her mind were too scary to even consider.

"Jae, are you okay?"

Speak of the devil.

There stood Chris, his silhouette being contrasted against the harsh lighting of the room he was leaving. The same person who was running through her mind, was now running into her at god knows what time.

"I'm fine, just not used to the time difference yet." she explains. "What about you, why are you still up?"

"I was just working on some tracks for our album, I usually don't get much sleep anyways." he chuckles shutting off the light and walking over to her.

Jae reaches over to turn on a smaller lamp on the table next to her as Chan takes a seat on the chair across the couch.

Chan expects a lecture like everyone else usually gives him, but instead is met with just a smile from Jae.

"You do what you're passionate about, that's everyone's dream." she begins. "I made a piece once that took me 4 days to do, I didn't sleep once but the feeling I got once it was completed was so worth it." they both chuckle at their overworking nature.

Chan looks at how bright her smile had become. Art was her passion like it was his. She was able to put into words perfectly what he always felt.

"But, then I realized something." she looks over at Chan. "It's just a piece canvas with some wood around it. It's creative and looks nice, but at the end of the day it's just fabric and paint." she goes on. "You're the creation of the universe, a billion to one chance of a person; your music is amazing and should be important, but so should you."

The older boy was at a lost for words.

The two didn't have to know they were soulmate to feel the connection between them. Their similarities only made their bond stronger, while their differences balanced out the parts of themselves that needed control.

"Do you have a copy of the painting?" Chan asks in a soft voice.

Chan always took on the role of being the shoulder to lean on. He loved being a support for his team, but even without realizing it, he needed support himself.

Jae unplugs her phone from the charger and shows Chan the piece that took her four days to complete.

The Lovers.

Chan smiles seeing the familiar artwork. It was on a bigger medium now, but he still had the original piece hanging up on his wall only a few rooms away.

"It was just a sketch I did on paper at first." Jae explains as Chan marvels as the sight. The small, aged paper drawing was reconfigured onto a huge canvas. The same two figures were drawn out, but this time the markings were clear and concise, no longer just sketches and etchings. "After I met my soulmate I didn't just have the idea of what love could be, I knew what love was."

Chan almost choked on the spot. He shifted in his seat handing Jae back her phone, not totally sure if he heard her correctly.

"You love Chan?" he asks with wide eyes emphasizing every word.

His heart felt as if it were about to burst out of his chest. He knew he was in love with Jae, but hearing her say it felt like a whole new feeling of happiness.

"Since before I met him." she admits with a slight blush on her face. "It didn't just happen the day I got my soulmate mark, it sounds cliche but it feels like it was written in the stars even before we were."

After being met with silence Jae looks up to meet Chan's eyes.

"It's beautiful." he looks at her with an expression Jae is unable to read. "To believe in love that's worth all the stars and the moon, and to not be afraid to show it. I admire that." he admits.

"Just because you're an idol doesn't mean you can't have love." she teases but still holds her statement as truth. "Soulmate love can withstand any saesang." she jokes.

"Do you really think that?" Chan asks with a hopeful smile.

She chuckles at the sight of Stray Kids leader, one of the most influential 4th gen boy group members, who now was looking at her like she had all the wisdom the universe had to offer.

"I do."

-/-/-

anyways,,, lol sorry this chapter is a little short but I really love how it turned out:)

and yeah have a good day lol