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"I hope things turn out well for Taehyung and Eunbee...and Hayoung too, she clearly looked stressed about something," Naeun says, while Hoseok's driving her home. 

He looks at her, smiling and takes her hand in his. "It will, it always does. Don't worry."

Naeun looks hesitant to speak next. She does, her voice was small. "I was meaning to say this before too...you know you can prioritise your work before us. I can wait, we can wait and you can focus on your work, I mean you are already so busy and I suddenly came out of nowhere...So I get if you–"

"Hey hey calm down," Hoseok interrupts, stopping the car on the side of the road. He turns towards her and places his hands on her shoulders before trying to look into her eyes, "Where's this coming from all of a sudden?" he chuckles, "We will make it work, okay? Don't be so worried about it."

Naeun nods and Hoseok pulls her into a hug. Everyone's worried about something or the other, aren't they? Soulmates are supposed to make each other happy so when did things get complicated?

When Hoseok lets go of her, he places a small kiss on her forehead and then takes her hand, bringing it near his lips. "Let's get you home, that brain of yours is too tiny to take so much stress."

"Sounds good." Naeun smiles. 

Hoseok starts driving again when Naeun speaks up again, "How do you know if what you feel is yours or my emotions?"

Hoseok hums, "I don't really know but I think it's because I know myself enough? That, when I am supposed to be happy or when I am supposed to be sad. Even if it's not really reliable, if it's not a feeling from within, like from you, then my body or heart just starts rejecting it. If I am feeling sad when I am actually happy then I kind of just know that you're the one who's sad..."

"But feelings aren't that simple," Naeun says, squeezing his hand out of instinct. It makes Hoseok smile. "I feel a mess of emotions sometimes, in that case, you should feel everything I do."

Hoseok laughs, "I guess the bonds are a little considerate in the end, they only project the major feelings to the soulmates and not the whole bunch."

Naeun smiles, nodding. 

. . .

The silence is unpleasant.

Jungkook is driving the car with Yerin sitting in the front and Arin sitting in the backseat. Era and Arin had come to the dorm by their scooter, so Namjoon insisted he'll accompany Era instead. Jungkook wasn't sure if he should let his Hyung go but he thought Hyung needed time to talk to Era. After all, he must have not found it appropriate to talk to her about them being bonded when the situation wasn't good.

"Do you have an exam tomorrow?" Jungkook says, his voice scratchy for not speaking so long. He clears his throat and clarifies who he is talking to when Arin doesn't look his way. "Arin."

Yerin looks back at Arin, the younger is still quiet. 

She won't deny the pain she feels on her cheek, around the tattoo every time Jungkook calls Arin's name. She doubts how these urges work, wonders how much of it she encourages to let her get affected by them. Yerin knows Jungkook is more comfortable and close to Arin than they are, which makes sense because he knew her before her and has met her more than they have. She hopes her thoughts are just her overthinking.

"Arin, I am talking to you." Jungkook says. Arin sighs, "I'm not taking the exam."

Jungkook widens his eyes, "Why–"

"If I take the exam, will you take the responsibility when I fail? It's better to call in sick and get passing marks. I will ask our neighbour to make me a false medication certificate."

Jungkook blinks his eyes in amusement. She seems so ready and planned that he cannot even convince her otherwise. It's as if she knew what his next question would be, "He is a doctor."

She is not going to listen to him, there is no use in arguing with her then. The GPS announces they have arrived at the destination and he looks at the empty lane of houses in surprise. He unbuckles the seat belt and looks at Yerin, "I will be back in a few." and he gets out of the car. Arin is already out and walking towards her house.

"Arin wait," Jungkook says, stumbling as he makes her way to her.

At this point, Yerin really wishes to punch something hard.

Arin turns around, halting her steps. Jungkook sighs, stepping forward and taking her into his arms. Arin whines for a minute but Jungkook pinches her cheek to keep her in place.

Yerin sees that and tries to soothe herself, that they are just friends, he is her soulmate, but nothing works. She feels suffocated and gets out of the car, pacing back and forth. 

"Are you okay?" Jungkook softly asks. Arin chuckles and nods against his chest. "I'm fine, can you stop being worried for nothing?"

"You can cry if you want," Jungkook says, nonchalant.

"I don't want to ruin your hoodie."

"That means, you do want to cry?" Jungkook pulls away to look at Arin.

Arin rolls her eyes, "Do you have to twist my words like that? Hey, I am a money-minded person Jungkook, this hoodie costs more than my house." She pinches his waist and Jungkook hisses. "If I want to or not, crying isn't exactly an option."

"I wore an old one, you can use it as your napkin." Jungkook nods.

"I am so touched, Jungkook." Arin fake cries, before scoffing, "Do you want to see me cry so much? I don't wanna cry, I am used to it. People talking down to us. What she said isn't even that much compared to what I have heard before."

Jungkook gives her a sad smile, unsure of what to say. He just ruffles her hair, "Aww little one, didn't I raise you to be so strong?" he sniffs, fake crying.

"Who's the little one?" Arin suddenly says, not playing along. Jungkook winces at the tone before he's stepping back, "Rest enough, see you later."

Arin nods, waving him off. "Bye Jungkookie, Arin loves you."

Then Jungkook hears a thud from the back. Arin stops, looking over too but Jungkook urges her to go home before he's rushing towards the car.  "Oh my god Yerin, are you okay?"

Jungkook says when he sees Yerin's fist against the door of his car. Her chest is heaving and Jungkook panics. His beautiful car, his little flower, his gorgeous car, his little flower, his dream car, his little flower.

Yerin seems to be in a daze when Arin's words repeat in her head. She feels a pang in her chest, a headache, the words echo in her brain, overtake her senses and she launches forward to punch the car again but before that Jungkook notices her movement and wraps his arms around her from the side. 

"Hey hey, easy there," he whispers in her ear. That is enough to bring Yerin back to her senses. She looks at him then looks at the car in front of her. There's a small dent if you look closely and it is big enough to make her feel bad.

"I'm so sor– Oh my god, I will pay for that," 

When Jungkook says nothing, she looks back at him. Jungkook sighs. "What happened?"

Yerin purses her lips, embarrassed to say the truth. She's older than Jungkook, she should be more careful and mature than him but she's clearly failing at that. She can't even curb simple feelings of jealousy either. It's pitiful to get jealous over the smallest things, she knows.

"Is it the urge?" Jungkook asks, curious. Yerin looks away and Jungkook sighs, "I didn't mean..."

Jungkook tightens his arms around her, hooking his chin on her shoulder and resting her forehead against the side of her head. He doesn't know where he's gotten this confidence to touch her like this but he likes it. He thinks he would want to be like this always.

"I understand...but if you are going to hurt yourself like this," Jungkook let's go one of his hands to take her bruised one and brings it to his lips, murmuring against her knuckles,"'It is not alright then." 

His lips momentarily brush against her skin which makes her go stiff, breath hitching. "Can't afford my little flower getting hurt."

It makes Yerin's heart flutter. She wonders if this is what people mean when they say they find a home in their soulmates.

When was the last time she's heard someone tell her to not get hurt.

Not in the school when she was the tallest and strongest in her class, despite there being boys twice her size. She won against each in the arm wrestle and people thought that bruised knees when she fell down or got punished for coming last in the race— it did not hurt. 

She cried but soon enough she knew crying wouldn't change her failure.

Not at home either, when she fell down while trying to take a book from the tall big shelf, and bruised her elbow, knocking a few books off the shelf with her. 

Can't do anything right, it's not even worth crying, she was told. She was told to stop crying, and that the bruise was nothing compared to the books that were knocked over.

Then she went to train for the army, there, getting hurt was part of her daily routine. In training, by her seniors, anything. Getting hurt was a way to become stronger. Get right up, it's just a small bruise, her senior said when blood oozed continuously from her knees.

So, someone saying that they can't afford her getting hurt? It pains her heart enough to let those tears flow down her cheeks.

"Hey, don't cry, I said it was alright and you don't have to pay for it," Jungkook says, voice slightly panicked and wipes a tear with his thumb, clueless as to why she was crying. He's never seen someone look so vulnerable in his arms before. He doesn't know how he can comfort her but he wishes to kiss her pain away, her fears away but then he is afraid, he is afraid to become the one who pains her. He knows it's not easy being with him.

A stinging sensation on Jungkook's knuckles causes him to let out a hiss. He unwraps his arms from her and there they were, Those little blooming flowers on his knuckles.

Yerin let out a defeated sigh. She forgot they share such pain now. With guilty eyes she looked up at him, "I'm so sorry, I–I should have been careful–"

"It's okay, I understand, really." Jungkook shakes his head. "And as far as Arin goes, you don't have to worry about her. I don't know when I grew so comfortable with her but whenever she's around, it's like having a little sister. I have never had someone younger than me you know? So I enjoy it when she annoys me by stealing my clothes, poking me when I am asleep but nothing more."

Yerin parts her lips. 

Hayoung's words echo in her mind. Oh she messed up big time, didn't she? She let her words affect her. It's her, the urge only works if she lets it.

"But trust me when I say this," Jungkook licks his lips, turning her towards him and placing a hesitant hand on her chest, "My heart belongs here, with you."

Yerin parts her lips. That's your soulmate. A voice inside reminds her. Having him beside you, makes you feel safe, it says. He is so warm, his arms make you feel so warm, it makes her realise.

You always wanted to hug him tight. Yes, I wanted to.

He makes you happy, whenever you are with him. Yes, he does.

Then trust me, bonded or not, he is your soulmate, isn't he?

"You are my soulmate," Jungkook says, smiling. "Aren't you?"

She can't help but pull him close and pause just before their lips meet. "Can I kiss you?" she asks.

Jungkook's heart stops, or so does he feel because the next moment he can feel the blood rushing in his veins, screaming yes. But what if it's just an urge of hers? 

"Do you want to?" he whispers against her lips, eyes staring down at them.

"I want to..." she says and her eyes flicker close before she even knows it, "Can I?"

Jungkook shudders seeing her eyelids flutter and looks at her lips. He brings his hand up to brush her hair that hid her cheek. Then gently placing his hand on her jawline, he rubs his thumb on her scars. 

He can't see them but he can feel the roughness against her finger.

He places his forehead on hers and for a few moments, they stay still, just like that. Jungkook's eyes are closed while he continues rubbing his thumb on her scars as if he was trying to commit them to memory. 

Then, his other hand softly skims down till her waist, before bringing down the other too, wrapping it around her waist, until they intertwine on the small of her back. 

Yerin opens her eyes. Jungkook smiles softly at her and finally nods. "Please. Kiss me."

Yerin tip-toes slightly to place her lips on his. 

The kiss is unlike what Jungkook had imagined before. It was soft and gentle. 

There was no hurry, no want to rip each other's clothes right there and no wish to let go either. But when they do, Jungkook smiles at the fact that he now knows, how his little flower feels in his arms, against his lips.

"Let's get you home," Jungkook says, stepping back.

My home is you, Yerin thinks when Jungkook's dropped her at her place and is driving away.

She hopes the next time he says that—he pulls her into her arms again to whisper, 'Good night, my little flower.'

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