Chapter 22 - Never Ever Got7
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2971 words Updated 6/14/24
2974 words Updated 11/6/24
3004 words Updated 12/1/24
Juah and Minsook run off into the kitchen. I'm visibly distracted by the others for a moment as Jaeyeon and Gamon move the coffee table against the wall. Then they form a new circle by sitting on the floor instead of the couch. I'm not sure why they decided to relocate, however I have to admit that it feels like we are now on more equal footing with all of us sitting on the floor like this. I wouldn't say it was disconcerting when we were playing Two Truths and a Lie with them in the higher positions they were previously in, just that this felt more fair.
My eyes drift back to the kitchen. I watch as Minsook grabs several emerald green glass bottles, one of those vibrant shades that I personally would have a hard time throwing out once the bottles were empty due to the beautiful, vibrant hue. I can almost imagine myself trying to convince them to let me keep one or two afterwards so I can repurpose them for something else. I had to throw away several of my cobalt blue bottles that I turned into flower vases when I moved in with Raina. No, don't try to start collecting them now. Not until I have somewhere more permanent to live. I know I don't mean the apartment that is currently being worked on either. I mean somewhere I can live with my Soulmates. Somewhere I will feel confident that I can call home. I won't dwell on it now, but I'd be lying to myself if I didn't admit that it somewhat depressed me to know that it wouldn't happen for a while yet.
Juah grabs a tray and places six hefty sized shot glasses on it. I don't have to be able to read Hangul to know that the pretty green bottle contains some kind of alcohol. That fact alone has my muscles growing tight and my stomach churning a bit. I'm suddenly quite nervous for the next game Minsook has planned. I'm not much of a drinker. I don't really like beer or wine, at least not the ones I have tried, and other alcohol costs more than I could rationalize paying for.
The green bottle in question is handed off to Gamon once they get back to our circle, which makes me a bit surprised that it was Juah that went to the kitchen with Minsook to retrieve the bottle of alcohol and shot glasses. Gamon holds the bottle for me to inspect. "This is soju, Lily, and traditionally there is an etiquette that comes with drinking it. First of all, the oldest will almost always be the one who pours the first shot. The only general exception to that rule is regarding seniority in a company business." Gamon explains as he hands me a shot glass. "No one pours their own shot, and when the drink is offered you use two hands to both pour and receive the drink."
Juah is there beside me to show me how to hold it. "Watch how I pour it." Gamon continues. He shows me where to cup the neck of the bottle with one hand and the base with the other. Gamon continues to fill everyone else's shot glass, and I take in the ceremony of it all. When he has everyone else's glass filled he hands the bottle to Juah who fills Gamon's shot glass for him. "When you take the shot you still hold it with two hands and should turn your head to the side away from others; most especially away from the eldest or senior."
I arch an eyebrow. "What's the reason behind the idea of turning your head away?"
"Flashing your teeth can be depicted as a sign of disrespect. The reason you turn your head is to avoid unintentionally doing that." Gamon explains.
"Now that we all have our soju I was thinking we could play a game of 'Never have I ever.'" Minsook's eyes dance mischievously, and I find myself both relieved and mentally groaning.
I doubt they are going to get me to drink much during this game. They are however probably going to get me to indirectly answer some of their more burning questions this way. I mentally go through the reasons for my emotions before I start subconsciously worrying my lower lip between my teeth. Sometimes, I think I kicked that particular nervous tick, and of course it's moments like this I end up proving myself wrong.
"I think we should keep the same lineup." Juah announces.
Minsook shakes his head. "I think Lily should go last this time. Otherwise, I agree the order remains the same."
Gamon looks around the room as he thinks of what he should say. "Never have I ever skipped school to work instead."
Minsook and Jiseong both glare daggers at Gamon as they each take a drink. I wait for a second before sighing and resigning myself to drink also. I remember to hold it with both hands before swallowing the alcohol. The drink is sweeter than I expected, but it also has a subtle kick at the end that has my eyes widening as I remove the shot glass from my lips. My Soulmates all look over at me in surprise at the fact I had to take a shot, and I don't hesitate to explain myself to them while Gamon refills our glasses. "My foster mother once had to keep a doctor's appointment, but the youngest child she was fostering had a fever at the time. I stayed behind to babysit. I got paid for watching the baby, so it would definitely qualify as a job."
Jiseong frowns. "Both Minsook and I have had to miss days to attend Comeback stages."
Minsook nods. "I also had to miss some days for fashion shoots as well. We have always made them up though." As he makes the last statement he gives his eldest hyung the stink eye for the statement Gamon had made to get us to drink.
Jaeyeon rubs his hands together giddily. "My turn." He glances at everyone around the circle before he chuckles and makes his statement. "Never have I ever kissed a guy."
I gasp for a moment in shock that he would target me like that, but then I see Minsook give him an annoyed look and take a drink first. I follow directly after, but I turn to him. He shakes his head before he explains. "One of the canceled dramas I was in was a 'boy love drama.' I was one of the two male leads."
Huh. I think it's awesome that he didn't shy away from a role due to the genre. With the shake of his head I knew he was nonverbally telling me that he isn't bisexual. However, is it wrong that I want to find that footage now? Is it wrong that I am curious what my reaction would be to seeing something like that? I know some women are turned on by witnessing or reading male on male romantic interactions. I glance around my Soulmates and hope that they can't read my thoughts due to the expression I am currently wearing.
Only two shots in and I can already feel the alcohol working its way through my bloodstream. Minsook smirks, and I feel like I know exactly what he is going to ask. "I'm going to get myself with this one, but we all want to know the answer to this. Never have I ever had sex."
Since he gave a precursor to the statement I'm not surprised to watch Minsook take a shot. I glance between my other Soulmates, and notice that the only two who don't drink are Juah and Jiseong. Jaeyeon doesn't look thrilled for this information to come to light this way, but neither does Juah. In fact Juah looks downright uncomfortable which has me immediately frowning in response. I don't think I can comfort him now, but I will do my damndest to remember this other tidbit about my second eldest Soulmate in the future.
Juah takes a deep breath, rotates his shoulders a couple of times, and then looks point blank at Minsook as he retaliates. "Never have I ever gotten lost in a foreign country."
I swallow the drink down and watch as Minsook also drinks. Jiseong looks confused. "Would my situation count too? Even though it wasn't me that got lost, but my driver."
"Yes." My other Soulmates respond.
They quickly explain the situations that led to the other two being lost, and I can't help but laugh at the fact that Minsook somehow even ended up in a different country altogether. "I couldn't read the sign, and I definitely didn't know I was that close to the border!"
"What about you, Lily? You haven't been on any other airplanes. Did you get lost while you were staying here?" Gamon asks.
I nod my head and explain. "I'm horrible with directions. I got a little lost on the way to the 'Meet and Greet' actually. It was only when I realized how late I would be that I finally decided to use an app for directions." I admit.
My two eldest Soulmates glance at each other for a moment. It's almost like they are silently communicating with one another. "You can't get lost again. Please always use an app for directions in the future." I'm surprised it's Juah that verbally responds. His body was already tense after he had to admit he was a virgin, but he has grown even tenser now. I know now that he easily worries about the people he cares for, and he is already extending that to me as well.
I nod my head. "I promise to use one from here on out when I am navigating unfamiliar areas on my own." I don't add that I don't think I will be on my own too often for this to be a concern. It won't add anything to the conversation to say that I doubt I would be doing much driving, because I am sure at least one of the managers or perhaps even Hyungsik would always be with me.
He nods his head. "Good."
Jiseong's turn and the sweet angel has an evil expression on his face. "Never have I ever slept in a tent during a camping trip."
There is a chorus of groans. "Of course you would lord that over us." Jaeyeon complains.
Minsook turns my way after he swallows his drink. "Never ever bet against Jiseongie. He is crazy lucky at almost everything." Then he proceeds to explain that on their only camping trip as a group Jiseongie won the rights to sleep in the solo sized camper.
I sigh before taking a drink. "I think Jiseong missed out. I love sleeping in tents. Especially the ones with the mesh roof where you can see the stars in the sky above you."
Jiseong pouts. "Well, then perhaps in the future we will have to rectify that. I'll brush up on my constellations so we can scout for them side by side."
I grin at my Soulmates. "Never have I ever been on television."
They all groan in unison before taking their shots. Gamon shakes his head. "Teerak, you have a mean streak."
I gasp in shock and place my hand to my chest. "I'm not mean. I'm just playing the game." I can't help but join my Soulmates as they all laugh at my response.
"Never have I ever used someone else's toothbrush." Gamon smirks at the maknae.
Jiseong groans before he lifts the shot glass up to his mouth. "That wasn't fair. I did that because of a dare!"
Jaeyeon smirks at Minsook, so I know that he is planning on getting him with this one. "Never have I ever kissed more than one person in 24 hours."
My eyes widen as I watch both Gamon and Minsook drink their shot. Then I sigh because I happen to remember a night I would rather forget. I take my shot, and Minsook pokes at my knee. "Okay this I need to know and understand."
"It was at a friend's party. I went with my boyfriend at the time. He kissed me as we walked through the door, but after we had been there for a couple of hours I had caught him making out with someone else. I grabbed one of his friends and kissed him. I turned to my boyfriend, well ex at that point, and said something like, 'I guess we are both free agents now.' Then, I asked his friend, whom I kissed, to take me home." I shrug my shoulders. It wasn't a stellar moment in my history, and I wasn't pleased with myself when it happened.
It just turned out that apparently I really didn't like the idea of cheating. It made sense. I knew that Soulmates would never cheat on each other. It wasn't possible to even consider it. Soulmates could find other people attractive of course. It was just human nature to find someone visually appealing, but it practically made a Soulmate physically ill if they even considered kissing someone outside of their bond.
Minsook rubs his hands together. "My turn again." He takes a moment to think over what he wants to ask. "Never have I ever been on a rollercoaster." He laughs because he got all of us with that one.
I glance at my other Soulmates. "Never expect me to ride one again either. The one I rode was enough for a lifetime. I'm not a fan of my stomach feeling like it is ping ponging back and forth in my abdomen."
They all laugh at my explanation, and I can tell that part of that laughter stems from the alcohol making them a bit more giddy than normal. Juah grins at Minsook. "Never have I ever cheated on someone."
He shakes his head and doesn't drink. "I would have to consider myself in a relationship to cheat on someone." Then he smiles at me. "And as far as I am concerned you are my first relationship."
I look at the shot glass in my hands. "Would the situation I described with my ex count?"
All my Soulmates shake their heads, however it's Gamon that further explains. "The minute he cheated on you was the minute that relationship was dissolved."
The second eldest clears his throat to grab my attention. His cheeks are pink and I am not sure if it is from the alcohol or the game at this point. "Honestly I was mostly referring to cheating in regards to sex anyway. Some people don't necessarily even view kissing as cheating, but it's nice to know that you were concerned enough to ask."
Yeah, I'm pretty sure part of the pinkness in his cheek is due to embarrassment. I shake my head at him. "Some people might consider it a small thing to kiss someone else, but not me. I think if you are in a committed relationship you should even keep your lips to yourself." Then I look over at Minsook. "I guess acting would be an exception."
He shakes his head. "I don't plan on doing another drama in the near future. Not until after the world knows you are ours, and even then directors tend to take it easy on those actors in committed relationships. They work out photo angles that might look like the two actors are kissing when they aren't."
I was going to interrupt when he shook his head. I was going to say not to give up on acting because of me. I'm glad he kept talking because I never would have considered camera angles since television and movies in the United States pointedly make it very apparent when the two actors in question are kissing.
"Never have I ever pulled an all-nighter." Jiseong smirks at the others. Every single one of them drinks.
I smirk at my Soulmates. "I think I can get you all with this one also. Never have I ever donated to Charity." I plan on doing it in the future of course, but having to save my money has prevented me from doing so.
Just like I expected they all take a drink. I giggle, and that's when I realize my bladder feels like it is about to burst. I stand up on unstable legs, and nearly fall back down to the ground as the effects of the alcohol rushes to my head. Juah and Gamon are immediately on either side of me. "Perhaps you should sit back down, Baby."
"Can't." I start to shake my head but have to stop when it makes me dizzy. "Have to go to the bathroom."
My two eldest Soulmates nod at each other and help me to the bathroom. Juah looks over his shoulder. "Get pillows and blankets together and make her a place to sleep."
I squeeze his hand tightly and attempt to offer him a warm smile. "Thank you, Juah. I guess I should expect you to always take care of me."
My eyes are a bit unfocused but I am pretty sure he offers me a hesitant but warm smile in return. "I'm sure I won't be the only one, but I can guarantee that I will do my best to make sure you are always taken care of."
I don't really remember too much after coming back out of the bathroom. I know that Juah handed me a bottle of water and some tylenol, and insisted I take the medicine and finish the bottle. Once the bottle was empty, Juah took it from me and Gamon lifted me in his arms in a princess carry. Then I remember something soft underneath my head, and warmth covering my body. After that I remember nothing but darkness, and I can only assume that was because I had fallen asleep.
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