B A R C O D E

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After the second block, Hyungwon checked his phone. His face went pale and his heart dropped. He immediately ran out of the school and to Wonho's house. He opened the door to the bakery to see Wonho sitting at a table with an ice pack on his face. He ran over to the table and sat across from him. He grabbed the ice pack from his face and tears filled his eyes. He placed his hand on his cheek and smiled a sad smile.

"Wonho," he said softly, "what happened baby?" he rubbed the boy's cheek as a tear escaped from his eye. "Talk to me."

"Well basically when you left the bathroom, these two boys came out of the stall, probably smoking, and started laughing at us. Calling me gay and how because I can't find my soulmate I made myself gay. I just got really angry. Not only because they were insulting me, but because they were insulting you too," he started to cry. Hyungwon got up to sit next to him and pulled him to his chest.

"It's okay, baby. You shouldn't have hit them though. That wasn't the answer," he listened to the boy's sobs as he ran his fingers through the boy's hair and rubbed his back. "I know you were angry, and thank you for defending me, but look at what happened."

"I wanna go upstairs," he said through sobs.

"Okay baby let's go," he lifted the boy's head and walked with him upstairs.

Wonho sat on his bed still crying and opened his arms for Hyungwon to come and hug him. He closed the bedroom door and walked over to him. He straddled the boy and gave him a tight hug. Wonho hugged the boy tightly and cried.

"Hyungwon what if they're right?" he said quietly.

"Lee Hoseok! Do not! You will find your soulmate and you will be fine!" he grabbed the boy's head and ran his fingers through his hair. He lifted his head off of Wonho and met the muscular boy's eyes. "Like I said last time if you can't find your soulmate, I'll be yours."

"Okay, promise?" he looked at the boy with big eyes.

"I promise Hoseok," he softly whispered. He pulled the boy closer and laid down on the bed. He rubbed the boys back until he fell asleep and turned on the tv. Wonho's mother came in to check on the two and slowly opened the door. She looked in and Hyungwon turned his head around.

"Jago?" she said softly.

"Nae," he smiled.

She placed her hand on her heart and smiled. "Gomawoyo," she said softly and closed the door.

"Why was she up here and what did you guys say," Wonho mumbled.

"She just asked if you were sleeping, and I said yes. But apparently, I was wrong," he laughed and leaned down to kiss Wonho's forehead. "Are you feeling better?"

He hummed in response and snuggled closer to Hyungwon. "You smell like vanilla and cherry blossoms," he smiled and gripped Hyungwons sweatshirt.

"You're so cute," he smiled and played with the boy's hair.

"Will you rub my back? Please?" he smiled.

"Of course," he lifted the boy's sweatshirt up slightly and looked at the boy's hip. "Wait, Wonho. Woah."

"What?" he sat up and looked at the boy's shocked expression.

"Your code, it isn't a barcode. It's words."

"What the hell do you mean 'it's words' Hyungwon," he said as he pulled up his sweatshirt. "Wait what the hell what is this? It's in Korean Hyungwon I can't understand."

"넌 너무 예뻐, 슬프도록 아름다워. Wonho this is what I thought when I first saw you. It means 'you're so pretty, so beautiful it makes me sad' it's also my line in one of my songs. Wonho this is insane."

Wonho looked at him with wide eyes. "Wait what the hell? First of all, why were you sad, and second of all, why the hell is this happening?" he looked around and started to shake. "Hyungwon is this good or bad? Are you my soulmate or what is happening?"

"Wonho, I think we have to wait until my birthday to find out."

"Hyungwon, this is crazy. This needs to stop, no, I just need to get my code and everything will be okay and none of this will matter right?" he rambled.

"Wait, you're mad that I'm possibly your soulmate?" he said sadly.

Wonho grabbed the boy and hugged him. "No, I'm happy about that part. But if you are right, and this is how it's gonna work, I want to know why."

"Me too. Well, my birthday is in three days, so we'll find out then. Even if this is how it works, then that's good. Maybe they're testing a new system and you were one of the people they tested. We should tell your mom," he suggested.

"Good idea, let's go Hyungwon," he said as he leaped off of his bed and into the kitchen. Hyunwon followed soon after. He walked into the kitchen to see Wonho explaining everything to his Mother.

"I don't know the words because I can't speak Korean but Hyungwon knows it and Mom you do too look," he pulled up the side of his sweatshirt to show his mother the words on his hip.

"I know that I've heard that somewhere," she looked at Hyungwon with watery eyes, "that's your line in Beautiful, you sing that."

"It was also what I thought about when I first saw Wonho."

"Wonho, what was the first thing you thought when you saw Hyungwon?" she said quickly.

"Uhm I don't really remember but I know I thought he was really pretty," he thought for a second, "yeah that was it just the word pretty."

"Hyungwon when is your birthday?" she said excitedly.

"In three days," he said calmly.

"If you get the word 'pretty' then the test would have worked."

The two boys both looked at her in shock. "What?" they said in unison.

"Wonho when you were a child they placed a different chip in you than the other people. Everyone with a birthday within the same three weeks got the chip,

everywhere too. It was a test to see if it would work better. Hyungwon you'll most

likely have this too," she looked at the boy and smiled. "We just have to wait."