What's A Soulmate? ~VERKWAN

What's A Soulmate?

It's saturday morning and as much as I would love to sleep in, I'm awoken by a light- but still too heavy for comfort- weight being thrown on top of me. I let out a low and sleepy groan, muffled by the pillow underneath me, and began peaking one of my droopy eyes open.

"Nari..." I say trying to sound annoyed, although we both know I'm anything but. I've never been a morning person, but since Seungkwan and I had adopted a few years back I had to get used to waking up at ungodly hours.

I hear a few giggles before the warm duvet is pulled up and quickly yanked back down. I then feel cold and tiny arms wrap around my neck and small toes wiggle between my knees for warmth. Smiling softly to myself, I began running my hand through my daughter's tangly, morning hair. "Daddy said he's going to make breakfast, but he told me not to tell you that." She says in a squeaky whisper, her eyes shining in the process. I laugh at the obliviousness of the situation and bring my hand up to catch one of her own and begin swing them mindlessly.

"Oh, is he? Hm, do you know what he's making?" I can clearly smell bacon and assume that Seungkwan will probably make eggs and some rice porridge to go with it, but I play along anyways. It's always fun to tease the little drama queen.

"I'm not telling you! You'll have to get up and see for yourself!" She says moving from her previous position and sitting on her calves; blanket falling off of her completely and resting just below my waist in the process.

Man for a seven year-old, she sure is sassy... she must get it from Seungkwan. I think to myself.

"Now that's just cruel, you know I'm old and can't move well." I complain loudly and throw an arm over my eyes, shielding them from the streaming light coming from the sheer curtains on the other side of the spacious room.

"Nh-uh, you're like 30! That's not old. Maybe if you were a hundred then you would be old!" She tugs my unmoving arm and I groan again, because that's not my age, but again, she's only seven, I'll cut her some slack.

"I'm only 27." I mumble out.

"What's that mean, daddy?"

"That's how old I a-"

"No" Nari cuts me off. "The words on your arm." She says while poking my right inner forearm, where the word 'Soulmate' is scrawled out in black cursive letters; a distinct contrast to my milky white skin. I give her a broad smile at the question.

"It says soulmate, I had gotten a matching tattoo with your other dad, when he and I were younger." My smile softens when I remember the day we both had went to the tattoo parlor to get them done.

She tilts her head and scrunches her eyebrows into a thinking scowl. "What's wrong baby?" I ask out of curiosity.

Lifting her head, "What's a soulmate?" she questions innocently.

"It's a..." I try and think of more simple way to describe the delicate word.

"Well it's like a best friend, but more."

●●

Middle School: 7th Grade

I'm currently trying to catch up on some much needed sleep before class starts for today. I came to school pretty early, so why not?

"Hey tangerine boy, what's with your cheeks?!" I stir, from my little nap, to hear someone ask/yell behind me. "And that accent! Where did you even learn that?" Another boy asks.

Turning my head sluggishly towards the harsh sounding words, I notice a pudgy looking boy holding a bag of, what looks like oranges, and is huddled in the doorway by a few other boys. I make a questioning look, because why would they pick on him? What did he do wrong? I mean, I've never even seen this guy before.