Through Her Eyes ✔

3. YEARN

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There are many pieces of souls who are fortunate to find each other, but there are also those few unfortunate ones who never know the whereabouts of the other till their death. They can only yearn.

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He is restless. His mother has been nagging him to finally have the soul ceremony. He is already in mid twenties and a high time to tie the knot. He could not tell his mother that he has to fulfill a promise first before doing it. Plus, it will be difficult to do as being an idol. It would cause an uproar in the entertainment industry.

"What's wrong hyung?" A soft but manly voice asks.

He smiles bitterly to the youngest who is sweating after his afternoon boxing routines. His wearing a sleeveless shirt showing his tattoos and the soul mark -- a Tiger Lilly, a flower that means "love me". The young man rarely shows it to the public since it vividly appeared when he turned twenty-one. It was there already when he turned nineteen, but it looked washed out and very easy to conceal. Just recently, he decided to disguise it as a tattoo with some doodles. It so happened that it was also his birth flower. Their fans never thought it as a soul mark. They just assume it as one of the indications of the youngest telling the world that he is mature and free to do on whatever he wants.

No one knows, except the seven of them, their doctor, their family, and their trusted CEO that they have the same mark in their bodies that vividly appeared at the same time three years ago.

At first, it created confusion. Though rare, it was not impossible to have multiple soulmates. The highest number of multiple soulmates recorded was even thirteen. They knew from the start that they have a connection from their unexplainable bond. They have been more like brothers than strangers as they formed the group. However, they have been together for six years before the mark appeared. It should have had appeared even when they were trainees, once their skin touched, which often happened as they tumbled with their "puppy chaotic" bond... or when the youngest turned eighteen. It should have been glowing golden whenever the seven of them are together, but the mark remained black.

The soul experts could not find a definite answer. They had a theory that perhaps, Jungkook was not the youngest among the soulmates. Perhaps there were more of them. Perhaps they are missing the catalyst of their soul bounds.

"Mother." He says. The single word gives a bitter reminder to them -- that they are incomplete.

A groggy sigh is heard. "Why not just tell her Joon-ah?"

"You know I can't." His mother is traditional. She believes that soulmate bond is incomplete without the soul ceremony.

His mother was so devastated at first when she thought that he was a Soulo since there was no mark when he turned eighteen. When the mark appeared three years ago and when he excitedly told his mom, she was so happy and in fact even more elated that his brothers are his soulmates. She believes that soulmates should be accepted accordingly as it is a gift and a promise from Fate. Whether it's on the opposite sex or same, one, or multiples, it is destined and divine.

However, it has been years since he started to avoid her. He does not want to break his mother's heart. He could not tell her that they are missing one or perhaps two. No one is sure. Not one of them know how many pieces were they in a soul, where they belong, after all.

"We have a promise Joon-ah." Another voice reminds him. There is a hint of hurt and hopelessness. The seven of them have been living like a Soulo. They have prepared themselves for the solitary life and promised to be together forever since the seven of them are the same. They jokingly renamed their band as the Bonds to Soulo. This in fact gave them time to succeed more as artists as they were not distracted with soul pull or soul yearning between soulmates that could hinder them during tours. Though painful, thinking that they were one of the 0.0001 percent of the population to have no soulmates, they had each other to share the loneliness in their hearts.

This all changed three years ago and the eldest cannot help but relive the dreams of family and happiness. They only need to find their other piece.

"I dreamt of her again last night." A hopeful voice announces. His smile boxy. "It was a bit blurry. I couldn't see her face. But I know it was her. I can feel that meeting her is near."

Namjoon sighs. He wants to believe the younger. But they have been searching high and low. It was the reason why they had their concerts beyond the confines of Korea, hoping that their missing piece was somewhere out there. As the years passed, as they are more known, they happily planned to perform in more countries. More places meant more chances of meeting him or her, they don't care the gender. They had done lots of fan meetings, attended more award ceremonies, accepted more interviews that they can handle. It exhausted them but they had to. They had secretly hired experts to search for anyone to have the same soul mark, but no one had succeeded so far.

As times passed, they became hopeless. Each year, their hearts became weary. They had even tried to release the feeling of loneliness with other means. Just to release the pent-up frustrations, from soul yearning that aches now and then, they tried hooking up to some willing lonely souls. This once caused a great argument in the group but opted to settle it with a very long emotional talk with a booze. How else, they understood each other. Each of them had this longing that neither of them could fulfill. Even though they have the same marks, but they had never had any sexual desires to each other, thus having a theory that whoever is the other piece, it would definitely a she. They have this agreement, that no matter what they do, once they see her, they must stop from their foolery.

With the worries of their soulmate, with the fear that perhaps she does not exist anymore, they had been refraining themselves on fantasizing about their completion. But Taehyung's recent soul dreams indicate that she is real and is just waiting to be found.

"I believe you Tae Tae." He murmurs. "I believe you."