Break The Distance

5

Working with ITZY and managing your time with your soulmate is a little strenuous at first- but you make it work. The girls are nice and courteous, and once you were introduced as their personal escort, they wanted to get to know you. You formed a decent semi-professional friendship with them but became closer to Ryujin as she's the closest to your age. You're about 4 months into your probation period and Ryujin's timer is quickly approaching zero.

You watch as the group approaches through your rearview mirror and patiently wait until all five girls are loaded into the SUV. You obtained an international driver's license shortly after starting work with JYP, so driving was added to your list of possible duties. It varies from day to day of course, and before you prepared the car to pick up the girls, you were in the venue with them- only leaving once the rest of the escort began showing them out. The next couple of days will be more lax for you as the group has a short break for Ryujin's timer. Officially, of course, the group is still hard at work.

The chatter in the back seats continues until you arrive at their apartment building. You verify the area is clear before escorting the girl inside. Another successful day and you only had to stop one suspicious person while ITZY was at the venue.

"Hey, didn't our bodyguard, Y/N, already meet her soulmate? Ask her about what to do, Ryu!" Lia says.

You tune into their conversation at the mention of your name, instead of politely continuing to ignore them. You're not fully sure what all you missed before your name was brought up, but Ryujin nods and speaks next.

"Umm... could I ask you some questions about soulmates, Y/N? I get it if you can't, I'm just curious." Ryujin smiles at you nervously.

"Sure, miss. I don't mind," you answer, returning the smile. 

You can't help but relate to the younger girl, you were scared to meet your soulmate, and you didn't have the pressure of being an idol on top of it. You wonder if Jisung felt the same way before he met you as Ryujin is feeling now.

"Ah, that's great! Where can we talk?" Ryujin asks.

The other girls flash her a thumbs up as they head inside, knowing Ryujin probably wants to have a private conversation.

"Give me just a moment, miss. I should check with my boss and verify that I can tell you whatever I know about soulmates."

You pull out your phone and do exactly what you said you would.

"If it's a problem, I can drop it..."

"It's no problem for me, I just have an NDA and need to check how much I can share. I would love to answer your questions, I was nervous meeting my soulmate as well."

You have permission to answer any and all questions as long as you don't reveal your soulmate is Han Jisung of Stray Kids. 

"Could we go to your apartment? I don't want the others to eavesdrop."

"Under normal circumstances, I would have to decline, but as I live within the same complex and you want privacy I will allow it."

You lead Ryujin down the hall to another unit on the floor and welcome her in. You seat her on your couch and bring over snacks and juice before sitting next to her. 

"So what questions do you have, miss?"

"Ryujin," she corrects.

"What questions do you have, Ryujin?" you rephrase your question.

"Well, what's it like to meet your soulmate? Do you think it'd be a good idea for me to meet mine?" Ryujin asks, fidgeting with the cup you gave her.

"I can only speak for myself, but for me it was nerve-wracking. I met him at a concert and I was so scared I wouldn't know who it was but when we met, our hands brushed and I felt electric- I knew it was him. My situation is more or less the opposite of what you have right now. I was the normal girl, he was someone famous. Still is famous, that's why I have an NDA," you chuckle.

Ryujin watches you talk with close attention, nodding at your words and smiling with you. It's almost as if she has stars in her eyes from your words alone.

"Let's call him Peter for the sake of me not slipping up with his name. We had a bit of a rocky start- him being famous means we can't see each other in person but we make up for it by texting and calling all the time whenever our schedules allow it. I can't force an opinion on whether you should meet your soulmate or stay in and let your timer reset, but when I met Peter, my life got better. I don't know what I would have done if my timer suddenly reset, even though I was nervous... I can't imagine my life without him now. I'm not saying it's been easy only communicating through a phone because I want to hold him so bad some days."

You sigh before smiling softly.

"Luckily for you, Ryujin, some companies are currently fighting for more soulmate rights and less shunning of idols' soulmates. What I hope for is that change to come soon so you and your soulmate can spend more time together. It has been hard for me and Peter to be unable to see each other without risking hate from the public, or even risking his whole career. I can't say much other than this, but in case you haven't been informed, JYP will allow you to text and call your soulmate as long as it doesn't interfere with your work schedule- that's a lot better than most companies right now, so this is probably the best place to be an idol with a soulmate.

"I know, if I were your soulmate, I'd want to meet you. And look at me and Peter! We've been managing like this for about a year now- and we can see the changes people are fighting for. Who knows, maybe you two will only have to be apart for a short amount of time. More and more idols are stepping up and fighting for their soulmates and companies won't be able to push back forever without losing people. And the public is starting to realize that just because someone is famous, they can't send endless hate to ruin their happiness with a soulmate."

You trail off, realizing how much you ranted. You've never spoken that much at once to any of the members of ITZY and you worry that she'll take it the wrong way. You don't want to mess up the job.

"Thank you, Y/N. I've never had someone so supportive of soulmates like that. I think... even if we have to wait like you and Peter, I want to meet her. I want to meet my soulmate. I can't believe you met your soulmate at a concert! Was it his? Gosh, I must be so lucky to have time off to meet my soulmate," Ryujin gushes.

"It was his concert," You laugh, covering your mouth with your hands to keep from laughing too much, "It's a funny story, really. He always had his timer hidden so he forgot how much time was left until that morning, and then they couldn't just cancel the concert! Somehow his manager mixed up the days too and thought it was going to be a different day, so he had to scramble to figure out what to do and settled on having security give me a note on my way out. I wish we could have talked in person, but thinking of him scrambling because he forgot something so important as meeting his soulmate just has me laughing and I can't be mad at him."

"That is kind of funny! Do you... do you think my timer takes my sexuality into account? Is that a weird question to ask? I'm bi I think and I'm not really against having a guy as my soulmate but I just really want it to be a girl..."

"I don't know, but your soulmate is supposed to compliment you. They're supposed to be... not your other half because we're all one complete person and you don't need a soulmate to survive... but more of a positive influence in your life. They're meant to challenge you and bring out the best in you, I think. No one gets along perfectly, but they'll be the ones that can most effectively bring out the best in you, and you'll bring out the best in them too. I think that whoever you have will be able to do that and whether gender plays a role in that... I don't know, I think it will be more of a personality thing, but if you believe gender will affect how you are with your soulmate then it may be a factor for you."

You sit in silence, waiting for Ryujin to process your words. She finally nods.

"Will you... will you take me to meet my soulmate? Or escort me? I don't know how I'll meet them."

"Of course."