soulmate • h.rj

12

"Glad to see you're feeling better Jaein." The choreographer comments, after Jaein successfully did their dance without any mistakes. Jaein smiles, appreciating the comment. Though she is still living on the soulmate pill (as Renjun has been in Japan for the past three weeks), it felt great to dance without feeling pain all the time, a feeling that she had almost forgotten. She had always loved dancing, even when she was in pain. She had grown up with it as her grandmother was a dance instructor and taught her to dance at a young age. She had always wanted to be a dancer, until her brother did too. Getting scouted changed his life for good, but it did the opposite to her. She remembers hating him for it. She loves her brother a lot, but because of his dream clashing with her own, his popularity, his looks, she had always been inferior.

"When are you going to find a boyfriend?" Her dad asks, as the sounds of chopsticks and chewing echoed around the room.

"I can't because of my job." She had answered the question many times, often saying that she never will, but this time she changed it up a bit.

"Hear that honey, it's not because she doesn't want to." Mr Jung nudges his wife who simply scoffs at him.

"That's because she's sick of you asking. Jaein, you don't need a boyfriend, just focus on you and make lots of money, don't waste your time on them." Her mum sends her a warm smile. Her mum was confident Jaein doesn't have a soulmate, mainly because her mother didn't have a mark either, and she never found her soulmate. Thinking it was genetics, her mum had told her not to go around taking advantage of not having a soulmate, something she should have listened to.

"Well as long as you're successful." Mr Jung smiles shortly."When is Jaehyun going to arrive?"

"He'll be in Seoul at eight tonight." Jaein answers, remembering what Renjun had told her, not surprised by the quick change of topic.

"Ah well he should be careful, coming out of the airport always looks like a hassle with all the fans and paparazzi."

"Our son is just too famous for his own good." Her mother laughs as her dad joins. Jaein laughs awkwardly, not sure what's funny. Again, feeling overshadowed. This time it's over nothing. Her parents are always proud of her brother, they care about everything he does but when it comes to her it's just "do whatever you want".

Jaein wipes her mouth with a napkin before clearing her throat. "My group is having a comeback soon."

"That's great honey, I hope they don't put you in something too short like last time." Jaein tries her best not to show her frustration. They would have simply told her that she's too old to be wanting their attention constantly. She never had it in the first place, she's always felt the need to do something they wouldn't expect. Maybe her soulmate might just be the answer.

-----

The cafe at sm town is close to empty. They had only allowed a small number of customers as there was filming going close by, Jaein was part of that small amount. She scoopes a piece of ice cream into her mouth as she waits for her brother to receive the food her mother wants to give him, as well as a small gift from their father. Jaein smiles as the sweet flavour of strawberry ice cream enters her mouth. She has been so happy ever since Renjun arrived yesterday, she isn't even sure why as the two are yet to meet, though she is very excited to. The two had called and texted each other while he was in Japan, learning more about each other than they had for the past year. Though she can't say the awkwardness is gone, she's glad that they are finally getting somewhere.

"Oh! Is that Jung Jaein?!" A high pitched voice asks, laced with fake excitement. Jaein pauses, a shiver rushing through her spine, not daring to look in the direction of the voice. The voice is too familiar, one that she tried hard to forget. She stares down at her ice cream, mounds of memories unfolding in her mind.