«Η αγάπη δεν φαίνεται με τα μάτια, αλλά με το μυαλό, και ως εκ τούτου είναι φτερωτό Έρως βαμμένο τυφλό.»

❝Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind, and therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.❞

⁂ ⁂ ⁂

"Yoongi! Open the fucking door, or I'm gonna ask Namjoon to break it down!" 

"What the fu- why me?" Namjoon grumbled in annoyance, and Mina giggled, wrapping her arms around his waist. 

Ara was knocking on Yoongi's bedroom door for the last ten minutes, asking him to come out. The moment Ara came home this morning to ask him to get going to Hobi's house, he'd excused himself to go to the bathroom but shut himself in there since then. 

"Yoongi!" 

"Go away, Ara!" 

Ara sighed as she placed her forehead onto the door. "Yoongi?" Her voice was soft and tired. Hearing no particular response, she continued. "You'll be fine," she closed her eyes, and there was a silence that lingered between the four best friends before a click of the lock was heard. 

Ara moved away from the door to see Yoongi pouting at her. His lower lip stuck out as his eyes watered with tears. "I-I'm scared. Very scared, Ara." 

Hearing his confession, Namjoon smiled and patted his hyung's back. "Soulmate stuff is scary, hyung. We all know that cause all four of us have been through the worst. But in the end," he pulled Mina towards him by her waist, holding her close, "all the struggle and pain will be replaced with only love and belonging." 

Mina blushed and nodded at Yoongi, who then looked at Ara. 

She was tired. Her bond with her soulmate had just begun to blossom, but he had to leave. It weakened her, for some reason. His absence was getting to her. The invisible string that connected her to Jin was extending to a longer distance than it's supposed to. "He's right, Yoongz," she muttered, almost painfully putting on a smile. 

"Ara," Yoongi walked closer to her, placing a hand over her shoulder. 

"I'm fine, Yoongi. You should get going now. Please take care, Yoongi. I gave him my word," she mumbled, and Yoongi sighed. 

"Will you be okay? Soulmates are not supposed to stay so far away from each other after partial bonding and before complete bonding. You know that." He stroked her shoulder. "I'm sure he knew that too! Why would he still leave?" His grumbling got louder, and Ara sighed. 

"It's not his fault, Yoongi. His mother is sick. Stop blaming him or his mother, in fact." Ara clicked her tongue, and Yoongi nodded, not wanting to fight with her. "Now go! Before I kick your ass out of this house," she laughed, and Yoongi rolled her eyes, trying to hold in a smile. 

"And don't come back without a contented smile on your face," she yelled as he went into his room to get dressed. 

- - -

"You'll be fine, come on. It's not like you're alone. Yoongi's going with you, Hobi!" Jin's voice and a light laugh were heard from the phone on Hobi's bed. Hobi was getting ready to go to his parents' house. It was only a fifteen-minute drive from his home, but he was pacing around his room with anxiety. 

"What if Yoongi hyung doesn't come? What if he ditches me at the last minute? Worst of all, what if he comes, and then my parents hurt him? What do you think they'll say when they see me walk into their house with a guy beside me. Do you think they'll disown me like how Hyung's parents disowned him? Will I be homeless? Will I become an orphan? Will Dawon Noona stay on my side or my parents-" "JUNG HOSEOK!" 

Hobi froze. 

"Sorry, hyung." He sighed as he flopped down onto his bed. "I don't wanna go back there," he shook his head, running his hands through his hair. 

Jin sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry that you have to go through all this, Hobi. I wish I was there beside you to tell you that it'll be fine, but I can still say it over the phone, so that's what I'm doing. Thanks for calling me about this, but Hobi..." he paused, thinking of the right words. 

"We're always gonna be there for you, Hobi. All of us," he smiled. "We'll be beside you, if not physically, at least mentally, we'll always be right there. When I say we, I mean all of us. We'll always be there for you, Namjoon, Mina, Yoongi, me, and Ara. You never walk alone, Hobi. You will never have to," he completed, and Hobi's lips curled into a smile. 

"Ara told me almost the exact same words. It really is true when people say that soulmate's brains and minds are wired together," Hobi laughed, and Jin furrowed his eyebrows. 

"Wait, really? Oof, I was struggling to find the right words, though." He laughed, and Hobi smiled, finally feeling okay and ready to go. "See, you're smiling again! That's all I needed to see. Now go get your soulmate, and get going already! Make me proud, Hobi! Stand up for yourself and show your parents who you really are!" 

"Okay, hyung. I can do this..." Hobi hesitated, "I guess." 

"You can, Hobi." Jin smiled his worldwide handsome smile, and Hobi sighed with a slight nod. 

- - -

Yoongi knocked on Hobi's door. The door opened, revealing a young girl who looked his age, or maybe a little older. 

'Wrong house?' He thought to himself, his palms sweating with anxiety. Either way, he quickly bowed, and Dawon tilted her head in confusion, but before either of them could say anything, a brown Shih Tzu puppy came running in front of them, barking at Yoongi. 

"Mickey, no, stop." She took the pup in her hand and stroked his fur, then turned to Yoongi. "Hello, I'm sorry about him. He gets cranky when he sees strangers," she chuckled. "Oh, and how can I help you? Are you a friend of Hobi's?" 

Yoongi nodded, "Uhh, yes. Can I see him, please? He, uh, actually called me to go with him to meet his parents," Yoongi explained, and Dawon's lips parted, and she nodded in understanding. 

"Ahh, so you're the friend he was talking about last night. Come on in. I'm Jung Dawon, by the way, Hobi's older sister." She walked in, and Yoongi followed, closing the front door behind him. "Hobi! Your friend is here!" 

- - -

"I'll call you later, hyung. I better start getting ready before hyung-" "Hobi! Your friend is here!" His sister's voice interrupted him, and Jin hummed. 

"Great, bye then. I'm guessing your knight in shining armor has arrived," Jin laughed, and Hobi glared at him through the phone before muttering a bye and ending the call. 

Hobi sighed and then opened the door to his room as he walked down the stairs. "H-hey hyung," he greeted Yoongi, and he smiled back at him. 

"H-hi. Umm, you ready to go yet? I bought my car, so we don't have to walk," he said. 

"Ohh, you've got a driver's license. Right," he nodded and pursed his lips, the atmosphere suddenly turning awkward. "Yeah, so..." Hobi scratched the back of his neck, "I'm gonna go get dressed quickly. Sorry to keep you waiting, but I'll be out in five," he apologized, bowed, and then ran back up the stairs, not waiting for a reply. 

Yoongi sighed and sat down on the couch, patiently waiting for Hobi. 

"He didn't tell me he was bonded," he heard his sister speak, laughing as she poured out two glasses of orange juice. Yoongi turned around to face her as she walked over to the couch and handed him a cup. "Drink up. It'll help your nerves around him," she smiled, and Yoongi blushed as he thanked her. 

"So, have you guys kissed yet?" 

Yoongi choked on the orange juice and started coughing as Dawon winced. "Omo, are you okay? I'm so sorry, I didn't-" "No, no, it's okay." He kept coughing but soon stopped as he calmed down. 

"Is everything okay down here? What happened, hyung?" 

Both of them turned to the staircase to see Hobi wearing a plain white T-shirt with blue sweatpants and a puzzled look on his face. "Yeah, everything's alright, Hobi," Yoongi answered. "Are you ready to leave now?" He stood up, handed the glass of orange juice to Dawon, thanking her for it, and turned to Hobi again. 

"Uhh, yeah, I'm done. Noona, I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?" Hobi asked Dawon, and she nodded with a smile. 

"Wait, tomorrow? A-are w-we... I mean, are y-you staying at y-your parents' house t-tonight?" Yoongi questioned with jaws dropped. 

All three of their eyes widened, and Dawon coughed awkwardly. "No, no! I-I... We'll come back after dinner, but Noona has to go somewhere tonight. She'll come back tomorrow, so I-I... yeah..." Hobi spluttered. 

"Uhh, right. Sorry," Yoongi muttered, letting out a silent sigh of relief, and Dawon smiled in amusement. 

"Yeah, so let's go then." Hobi smiled and walked to the door, waving at his sister. The two of them walked out of the house and got into Yoongi's Hyundai Sonata Turbo. 

"Here's the location," Hobi handed Yoongi his phone with his parents' house opened on GPS maps. 

"Oh, great. Thanks," Yoongi took the phone from him, and set it on the car phone holder. A fifteen-minute drive from Hobi's house and they'd reach the front doors of his parents' house. 

What could possibly go wrong?  

"Hobi," Yoongi called out to him once they pulled up at their destination. "Are you okay?" 

"Y-yeah, I'm fine, hyung. Are you sure you're okay with this? I have no idea how they'll react. They may hurt you, hyung. I don't want you to get hurt-" "Hobi," Yoongi interrupted him as he placed his hand on his. 

His breathing was heavy, and his hair was messy from running his hands through them. Hobi looked at him, and Yoongi's eyes held concern, nothing else. Hobi could tell Yoongi was scared too, but he wouldn't show it. He couldn't show it. 

"H-hyung," his lips quivered, and Yoongi sighed before hesitantly bringing his hands up to Hobi's hair and brushing a few strands off his forehead. Hobi's eyes shut close as he sighed deeply. Yoongi took this silence to stare at his beautiful features. His eyes then shifted to his lips. He wondered how his soft, plump lips would feel on his own. 

Hobi then opened his eyes and met Yoongi's. His eyes too shifted to Yoongi's thin, wet lips as his heart skipped a beat. 

"Uhh..." Yoongi suddenly pulled away, coughing and gulping, and Hobi felt a pang in his chest. What the fuck was he doing? 

"Uhh, yeah... we should get going," Hobi said, clearing his throat and opening the door and getting out of the car. 

Walking and standing on the porch, Hobi took a deep breath in and rang the doorbell. A few more seconds of silence and the door swung open, and there stood a middle-aged woman wearing a maid's outfit. 

"Ahh, Master Jung. Welcome home, Master." 

The woman bowed and moved aside to let them in. Hobi walked in with Yoongi behind him. Yoongi looked around and took in the surroundings of the luxurious house spent in grandeur. 

"Hoseok, my baby!" A woman who looked like she was in her mid-forties came running towards the two. 

Hobi turned to her and smiled, "Hey, Eomma." She embraced her son, and then Yoongi's eyes darted to a tall man who looked only a little older than the woman, walking down the stairs with a proud smile on his face. 

As Hobi pulled away from his mother's hug, he faced his father and bowed in respect. "Appa," he greeted. 

"Hello, Son." His eyes then shifted to Yoongi, making eye contact with him. "You didn't tell you'll be bringing a friend along for dinner, son." Hobi tensed up, but he chuckled nervously, trying not to make Yoongi uncomfortable. 

"Yeah, Appa. This is Min Yoongi, he's a friend of mine and Jin Hyung's," Hobi introduced him, and Yoongi bowed, smiling nervously. Hobi's father maintained a straight face as he hummed. 

"Hello, Mr. Min. It's nice to meet you," he greeted and then walked away. Hobi sighed, and his mother patted his back. She then guided the two of them to the dining room, which was another room, almost as large as the living room. 

"So, Hobi, are you two leaving after dinner? Why don't you stay the night?" His mother asked as the maids bought in the food and set the table. Yoongi and Hobi sat down at the large dining table, along with Hobi's parents. 

"No, Eomma. I have to be there at the café tomorrow morning," he simply denied, and his mother hummed. 

During dinner, there was a comfortable silence as the four of them ate dinner. There were a few words exchanged between Hobi and his parents, but Yoongi felt like an outsider. 

He never asked to be here. No, he didn't. He was never good with gatherings, be it his own family or with people he doesn't know. 

"So, Mr. Min..." his father suddenly spoke, and he lifted his head to face him. 

"Yes, Sir? Y-you can c-call me Yoongi," he replied, and his father hummed. 

"Right. Yoongi," he spoke, silence filling the room as both Hobi's and Yoongi's hearts picked up their pace. "Why do you and my son share the same soulmark?" 

Shit. 

x Chapter Twenty Six x

[A/N]

Probably the last or second last update for this year. Gonna go on a hiatus, till heavens know when. 

Bye, and take care, loves! 

💜