Soulmate

Forty Seven: Jin

February 25, 2020
Seoul, South Korea

Manager Sejin reenters the small dressing room and my eyes are immediately distracted from the temporary NDA form in my hand. I watch behind him and search for the woman I'm so anxious to see. Ophelia peeks her purple head shyly around the doorway and our eyes meet immediately. I'm reaching my hands out to her almost like a child in need of comfort. She seems to be better at holding herself back; she doesn't reach for me, but she does give me her hands quickly and squeezes them tightly before she sits with me on the couch. 

"What's this?" she asks in reference to the document in my hand. 

My eyes widen and I stare at her, completely caught off guard by her stunning Korean fluency. I hear my managers talking quietly to each other across the room, but I just stare at her side profile. I notice how cute her round cheeks are and I want to reach out and pinch them. Or kiss them. I can't quite decide. 

Before I can, she turns her deep eyes to mine. She smiles at me and my chest grows warm at the sight. 

"What are you staring at?" she laughs softly. 

I shake my head. I feel myself almost tearing up at the overwhelming feeling in my heart. "Just you." 

Ophelia shakes her head at me, but I see her cheeks flush beneath the warm color of her skin. 

"Um, this is an NDA," I say, finally answering her. "We have to sign it until the can write up out long term contract. It just says we won't be on social media or talking or saying anything until we're given our full contract." 

"We have a contract?" 

I sigh. "Yeah. Everyone does. It restricts social media, going out together, how often we can visit each other, things like that." I slouch deeper into the couch. "Another aspect of my life being suffocated by my career." 

She takes the papers from my hand and slouches back with me. "Don't think of it like that. You love performing and ARMY, you love your job. Sure it can be suffocating, but it's for the best. It keeps everyone safe." Her eyes scan a little further over the document and she sits up with a small gasp. "I have to dye my hair!" 

I snort and take the papers from her again. "It's to keep everybody safe," I quote her. "I will miss the purple, though." 

"It's all you've seen," she scoffs. 

"Yeah, but I'm sure anything would look beautiful on you." 

Ophelia's quiet and I glance at her to see her rosy cheeks have reappeared. I look at the side of her face again and she ignores my gaze shyly. She's really beautiful, more beautiful than I could've imagined my actual  soulmate to be. Given, I've tried not to imagine too much lately to keep myself from any possible heartbreak in case we never met. It's why I feel so attached to Ophelia already; I'm so relieved she's even real. I feel so comfortable with her, like I've known her my whole life. I suppose our souls have known each other for lifetimes. The connection makes me want nothing more than to hold her, hug her, kiss her, never let her go, but I keep myself in check. I don't know how comfortable she is and after the irrational stunt I pulled on her nearly an hour ago, I won't risk something like that again. Just having her near me is enough. Just to know she's real and she's mine is enough for me. 

"'Delete or disable all social media accounts.'" She sighs at that. "My grandma's gonna freak out." 

My head tilts at that. "Your grandma?" 

"I live with my grandma," she says simply. 

Although I only become more curious after her one-lined explanation, I don't press her any further. She doesn't seem to want to elaborate. I give her the privacy. She'll tell me when she's ready. It's okay to take things...slowly.