bedsheets (neighbor's son)

🗒 ❛ second ༉‧₊˚✧

"Can I?" Haechan asked in a whisper tone. Their lips were approximately 4 centimeters apart. "Kiss your lips."

"Are you crazy?" Yun, who was bewildered by the question, asked. She scooted away from him, but he pulled her back, even closer to him.

"Maybe I am," Haechan smirked, his eyes concentrated on her lips. In her eyes, he looked like a person craving for something they desire. "I think I might go crazy if I don't kiss you."

"The fuck?" Yun cursed under her breath and glared at the boy in front of her. Catching the perfect time, she leaned close to him. Instead of kissing him, she placed her hand over his lips and whispered into his ear. "Then go crazy. That's not my problem, bitch."

"Your bitch," Haechan whispered back and backed off. He chuckled and laid down on the bed. "We should probably sleep. I'll sleep by the edge. It's better if I fall off than you, I wouldn't want you to fall for me that easily."

"In your dreams," she rolled her eyes and made her way to the other side of the bed. She sat up and placed a pillow between them as a border.

"I'll make sure to dream about you well," he teased and laid on his side. The two teens faced the opposite of each other, making their backs face each other.

It had been ten minutes since Haechan spoke. Yun was unable to fall asleep due to the new environment, especially since she couldn't trust the boy she was sleeping with on the same bed. Thoughts started entering her mind as if it was free of rent. Her thought about the system popped up again.

"Hey, you still awake?"

"Why? Can't sleep? Want me to sing you a lullaby?"

"No, I just have a question. A serious one," Yun clarified. She bit her lips as she waited for Haechan's response. "Can I ask?"

"Give me your best shot," the casual response left his lips.

"Do you like the system? The soulmate system," the unexpected question that Yun had asked left Haechan thinking carefully about his answer.

"No, I hate it. I loathe it," he confessed. His eyes wandered around his room while thinking about it. "We don't have the freedom to choose our lover. We'll never experience heartbreak because our feelings will dissipate once we turn 20."

"I know, it sucks," Yun lamented.

"You know what hurts the most? Imagine falling in love with someone before finding out about your soulmate. The two of you love each other so much, but once you hit 20, your feelings will disappear," Haechan expressed his opinion by letting the girl imagine the situation he explained. "You'll slowly fall for your soulmate. You'll end up marrying them and the person you loved will marry theirs. It wasn't their fault they fell out of love, but the system's fault. You'll have to remember that for your whole life."

"That's... awful," only by imagining it, Yun could feel all the emotions. Sadness, pity, anger, regret, and pain. "Maybe they were a soulmate that was never meant to be. A tragic love."

"Do you believe in reincarnation? Past lives?"

"Why do you ask?" suspicious, Yun asked first before responding.

"I think I had a past life, before this one," Haechan confessed. Stressed, he laid on his back and stared at the ceiling. It was something he never really told. "So, before I continue, do you?"

"I mean, it's plausible," she commented and laid on her back as well. The two were now staring at the ceiling. Looking closely, she noticed painted outlines on it. There were stars, the moon, and the sun. "The whole galaxy above us. Seems like a sight to see, even though it's artificial."

"I had vivid dreams of myself. At first, I thought it was just my imagination or even a coincidence. It was never that. That's when I started searching about past lives when I was eight," Haechan gave a brief introduction to the lengthy story. "My past life was sad. I pitied myself while I saw almost every significant memory. I had those dreams for years."

"How was it sad? What happened?"

"My family was a mess. My father had three children, I was the youngest. We, siblings, were only related because of our father. I had gotten into an accident when I was a kid. That led my father and mother to shut me out," Haechan spoke as if he had experienced it firsthand. He was living his present life with memories of two lives. "I admired this girl who played the piano. My nanny would take me to her recitals. Years later, I found her again. It was at the time I was craving affection and love."

"Then what happened?" Yun was deeply immersed in the story.

"I was reckless in my past life. My second eldest brother ended up pursuing her. I still hung out with her, did everything, and made sure that I handled her with a lot of care and love," Haechan's words made Yun soft. It seemed like he was sweeter in his past life. "I loved being with her. I wanted her happiness. I didn't confess right away. I ended up losing her to my brother. Shortly after, I reconciled with my mother when she was in prison."

Turning to her side, Yun faced Haechan. Everything that he had told her, fascinated her. It was far from the past life she had imagined him to have.

"Do you know what happens after?"

Haechan, who felt the lingering eyes that stared at him, turned his head to meet eyes with Yun. She was innocently staring at him, interested in his past life.

"It was pretty vague after that. The clearest memories my past self had were with her. Every detail was shown, but everything else wasn't as clear. It was like watching through the fog," Haechan explained. He knew his past self wasn't able to see everything around him when everything he ever wanted to see was in front of him, the girl he loved. "I don't think I loved anyone else in my past life. I remember working until I couldn't lift a finger. While working, all my thoughts were about her. In everything I did, I still thought of her."

"Her name, do you still remember it?"

"Byeol," he answered without hesitating. He sighed after mentioning the name of the girl. Laying his eyes on the girl beside him, he examined her features despite the lack of light. "You don't look like her, but I feel like you're her."

Stunned, she froze on the spot. Nothing could come out of her mouth.

"I'm sorry if I came off direct earlier. The kiss and the deal. Unlike my past life, I want to be bold. Take the risk. I don't want to end up regretting the same things as my past life," Haechan apologized. His eyes still on her, he smiled. It was a genuine smile. "If you saw my past life, you would know how much pain and sadness I went through. That's why this lifetime, I'll make sure to be happy."

Silence.

"We never really introduced ourselves properly, did we?" he questioned which Yun responded with a shake of her head. A grin then appeared on his face before speaking. "Hi, I'm Lee Haechan, your number one candidate for your soulmate. I've taken interest in you ever since I was nine. I hope that we can become close thanks to our current situation."