WITH YOU - haechan

| 7 |

— DEVASTATION

Donghyuck suddenly stopped in his tracks, his feet firmly planted to the cement pavement as his fingers pinched his temple. His eyes closed shut, seeing a large room full of people. They were all dressed in elegant and expensive clothes, men wearing suits as the females wore dresses. The large ballroom had gold detailing on the white walls, bright lights coming from every corner, and a large diamond chandelier hung above them. Their faces beamed with joy, chatting with one another, champagne glasses in their hands.

"Donghyuck?" Mark's worried voice reeled the younger back to his own senses, finally being able to open his eyes. Donghyuck blinked multiple times, adjusting to his new surroundings, which were the dark alleys of seoul. The older males gazed at the youngest, seeing his face morph into confusion.

"What the fuck." He muttered, holding his head in his hands. "I swear I just saw the clearest view of a snobby dinner party." An uncanny feeling creeped up onto the teen, as he shook his head, dismissing any further thoughts about the mysterious vision.

"That's what your soulmate is seeing right now." Johnny spoke confidently, swinging his arm over the younger's shoulder, a large grin stretching across his face.

"Woah that's cool! That's your first one today?" Mark asked, becoming interested in Donghyuck's soulmate. The others huddled around him, sharing their experiences with their first soulmate moments. The youngest could only scoff and roll his eyes, shrugging off Johnny's arm.

"I don't need a soulmate." His voice didn't waver, firmly stating his disinterest in his fated lover.

The atmosphere that blanketed the group became grim once Taeyong cleared his throat loudly. His eyes narrowed at the boy, feeling frustrated by Donghyuck's childish behavior.

"Don't take them for granted." Taeyong's deep voice bounced off the sides of the alley, the echo making the group shiver knowingly. Swift on his feet, he turned around, walking out onto the streets. His figure soon disappeared in the vast crowd of bodies. Doyoung hurriedly jogged after the male, not wanting anything bad to happen.

The rest stayed huddled together, reassuringly patting Donghyuck's back.

"He's sensitive when it comes to soulmates. Don't push his buttons too much." Jaehyun explained, bringing up a distant memory of their leader to everyone's minds.

It was no secret that Taeyong would become defensive and tense when conversing about soulmates. He made the same mistake just a few years ago, cursing his soulmate's breath and how he wish he didn't have one. He wished to have no relations to her. The young leader ignored the girl, and denied her love, only visiting her when he was on the verge of death, but he'd leave once he was at his 100 percent, making it clear he didn't want to be in the same room with her.

Until one spring day, they both breathed, yet hers was her last.

Soulmates couldn't live without each other yet the system was cruel. If someone killed themselves, solely because of their other half, the living party would face the burden, the weight of having a deceased soulmate. It was cruel. But Taeyong knew he deserved it.

And from then on, he made sure that his friends wouldn't make the same mistake as he did.