Soulmates - k.yc • p.jh

•xvi•

Saying goodbye to Chan after a few days here was scary. I didn't want to leave him and I was scared I wouldn't be able to keep him nearby. "Take good care of him," Chan said as he walked away.

"Wait," Sehyoon furrowed his eyebrows. "Which one?"

Chan smiled that mischievous smile he always had on him. "Yes." My lips curled into a smile as he got into the car and left.

Sehyoon sat down on the porch swing, sighing softly. "Talk to me," I said, sitting next to him. He was still very fragile and I didn't know how to handle him.

"I'm just worried, Jun," I sighed. "I'm worried about you, Euni, the kids, me."

I sighed a bit. "You need to worry about yourself before anyone else." I didn't lie. "We cannot almost lose you like that again. And the way Changkyun and Kihyun treated you can't happen again." Sehyoon nodded, falling silent.

This neighborhood was quiet. No arguing to be heard from neighbors. It was peaceful, almost too peaceful. "Hey, Jun?" Sehyoon asked.

I turned to look at Sehyoon and he just took the opportunity to kiss me. "Whoa!" I pulled away. "What are you doing?" I asked, backing away from him.

"I-I don't know... I'm sorry," he said quickly, turning red with embarrassment and regret. I got up, going inside. I didn't want to give him a cold shoulder but that wasn't okay. If anyone saw us, that'd be more trouble than it was worth. "Wait, Jun don't walk away from me."

I shook my head. "I'm in love with your best friend... don't just kiss me like that." I said a little too loud before checking to see if anyone was around. Luckily everyone was away.

Sehyoon scoffed slightly. "You are barely in love with my best friend. You just met him. You didn't grow up with him. You're best friends with his cousin and he didn't know you existed until after it was too late. You're only in love with him because the System tells you that you are." The way he spoke, I could tell it came from a passionate place.

And that's when it clicked. "Oh my God?" Sehyoon glanced away from me. "Are you in love with Chan?" I asked.

"Do you know how much I pray and pray that when I finally am a Civilian, I get matched with him? Because everything I know and love and where my home is doesn't vanish suddenly? I helped him find you so I could finally stop loving and wanting him." He... really loved Chan. "I-I don't want to get close to another person. I don't want to trust someone else with my life. And then you come along and throw all of that out of the window. Me hoping Chan turns out to be my soulmate and no, he's yours. You become a Deviant and you take care of me and damn it, I fucking fall for you too!"  I was speechless. "Say something!" He yelled, tears falling.

I shushed him, leaning to wipe his tears away. I didn't know what to say. I don't want to push him off the edge again. "Hey, listen... I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry that you're in this situation. But I'm not going to stop caring for you. I'm not going to stop being a good friend to you. The feelings, they will pass. They're crushes, at least for how you feel about me."

Sehyoon sat in the couch, crying softly. "You guys are too good to me. And for the shit hand I got in my life, it made me fall in love. Deeply in love. And part of the reason why I tried to end it is because of this. Because I know that I can't get past this. I love you guys more than I should. More than a friend. I love you guys." I nodded, taking a seat next to him.

I decided to call Chan, maybe he can calm him down. I texted him before I called to let him know what was happening. "Sehni," Chan sang lightly when the call picked up. "What's going on, buddy?" I handed my phone over to him.

"Jun tell you what I said?" He asked, looking up and taking my phone. Chan nodded. "I'm sorry. It's true. I'm sorry..."

Chan smiled a bit. "Would you believe that I thought you were my soulmate before I started seeing everything from Jun's eyes?" Chan had told me that before, so I wasn't surprised at all that he'd chosen to admit it. "I just thought my vision was grey for so long because you wouldn't be able to match with me. I would be lying to you if I said I didn't feel some type of way about you. Even after I found Jun." I was hoping that this was putting Sehyoon at ease, not riling him up more.

Sehyoon sniffled, curling up into the corner of the couch. "I just... I want my freedom from Deviant status. But the way my mind and my heart is working, I feel like it's not even worth it. I'm effectively committing adultery, which is a sign of Deviance. Because I swear, if we could just... leave this place. Can we? Channie, we said we always would. When you found your soulmate and I got out of these foster homes... we said we'd leave."

Chan thought about it for a second. "What would you do if we left?" He asked.

Sehyoon looked at me before looking at his phone. "Be where my heart wants to be. Be home." Chan nodded again.

"Is that with me?" He asked.

Sehyoon nodded. "You and Jun... you're all I have and you're all I want. I mean it. Guys, let's leave? My birthday is soon and I can appeal and we can go. You know what technology they're watching us under. Let's leave and start fresh in a place where synced up microchips don't take away our senses. Where our hearts beat for who they want to beat for." While that sounded beautiful and perfect, I didn't expect it to be easy.

"Okay," Chan smiled. "We'll do it. Right Jun?" I was caught off guard. I nodded to appease Sehyoon for now. "I'm guessing you have a headache so use Jun as a pillow and take a nap. We'll talk later, okay?" After they hung up, Sehyoon handed me my phone back and did just that.

I texted Chan, asking him why he fed Sehyoon a false ideology. He told me he didn't. That this was something he'd promised Sehyoon when they were kids. And he always came through on his promises. It all still left me on edge. Was this going to be possible? Leaving?