#jinwoo: oh i wonder whom I can give it to—

[hanakihan]

jinwoo: oh i can craft a S class artifact set even though I can’t equip it HMMMM for whom can I create it—

*proceeds to think about jinchul during whole process, ends up having surprised pikachu face at the result*

also my brain sees whole set as smth like that based on descriptions:

[manawari]

As you can guess, I just caught up with your ARISE fics. And it'd be better to leave a comment for each of them separately, but sometimes I get scared of numbers bigger than 20. If you know what I mean.

Kidding.

It just felt right to read them all before saying anything.

It was such a pleasure to read those fics. Especially with Byunggyu and Jinwoo expressing their feelings through art, because both music and dancing are close to me. And I like that all of them are not focused on romantic relationship as such. Yeah, implications, implications are all there peppered over the storytelling, but nothing makes it under the spotlight. Rather paying attention to whatever comes before and surrounds it. Which makes it feel like yet to come, leaving you wanting to see more. Also the atmospheres of the fics are so different, yet they share that thread uniting them like they are perls of a necklace.

The stories felt like a single day, with Jinhae representing dawn or morning, Choibaek daytime or noon and Minlee dusk or evening. Funny thing that I read them backwards. Only (mid)night is missing, oh my—

Anyway.

I'm glad that you decided to write fics on this AU. With them and our fellow SL fans' posts, it really becomes a whole universe :3

Thank you!! I had such a nice time with this AU and especially with the fics. You never stop impressing me, Rei ♡

Hope you're doing well this days. Don't overwork yourself and take rest when possible.

P. S. I admit that at least once I accidentally read "his Haein"

YULIYA!!!!!!

Really, you are certainly one of the most wonderful people I've ever met whom can give the best comments ever! Yes, the boyband au has truly made a place in my heart and deserves its own universe. I miss brainrotting about that au ngl 😂

Oh wow! You made such a nice symbolism! Honestly, that was unexpected, but I like seeing it that way. Yeah, they all share a thread not just the fact that they're in the same AU. I genuinely think that Jinhae is the first ship to form while the rest follow in a gradual blur. Friendship has always been the highlight whenever I write stories where it has romance, yet not officially implied, though the insinuations are palpable. It really shows that Jin-woo and Byung-gyu care about what they currently have with Hae-in and Ju-hee more than what they wished for.

Jinhae - dawn o morning.

Choibaek - daytime or noon.

Minlee - dusk or evening.

Hmm. . . It's probably obvious on who is the midnight 👀

No kidding. I forgot that I should write about Taenoru.

Hehe, THANK YOU SO SO MUCH, YULIYA<33

"his Hae-in"? WHICH PART WAS IT—

[starry-kfics]

at sunset [jinwoo]

word count: 2502

warnings: none, just so much fluff you might puke

“Anyone could tell from here.”

♡

In the past years, you’d been seeing your old childhood friend, Dongmin, less frequently. Mainly because both his acting and singing careers had taken off, and you were in the midst of your last year at university. When you have seen him recently, you had met a couple of his members at a time. They always liked to tag along with Dongmin when you would hang out.

But today, all of ASTRO, you, and their manager were crammed in a car for a beach day on one of Dongmin’s rare days off. He didn’t get as many vacation days as the others due to his acting career, so you cherished whenever you could see your friend.

In fact, there was even a few times that he has to cancel last-minute but sent one of the other members to keep you company. Usually it was Jinwoo that came to spend time with you when Dongmin couldn’t, and you just assumed it was because he was a responsible leader and a good friend to Dongmin. But lately you’d found yourself wanting to text him and ask to hang out all on your own, without Dongmin having to send him to you.

When the car finally stopped at the carefully chosen secluded beach, their manager had a frank talk with the group members while you awkwardly stood off to the side. You knew that them being idols meant they had to stay out of scandals and the public eye when needed; which is why you couldn’t choose the beach, instead Fantagio had selected the beach you all would spend the day at, away from the public.

When the manager had gotten back into the car, and the boys waved goodbye, you felt yourself relax more. As soon as the car was out of sight, Sanha turned to everyone, and with an ecstatic squeal, he dropped his bag and yelled, “Race you to the water, hyungs!”

The youngest took off quickly, immediately followed by MJ and Minhyuk, both of whom had dropped their stuff. As soon as Bin realized what was happening, he too started running after his friends, leaving his bag forgotten.

“Oh jeez.” Jinwoo groaned, starting to pick up all of their bags, in addition to having his own and the cooler.

“Here, I’ll take the cooler and Sanha’s bag.” You offered, rushing forward to take the items from him.

“Thanks, Y/N.” He gave you a pleasant smile, one that made your heart flutter.

You quietly started trudging toward the water with Jinwoo and Dongmin, all three of you carrying the other members’ stuff. Setting it down on the deserted beach, you saw MJ wrestling and kicking Sanha down in the surf, and Bin and Minhyuk laughing as they watched on.

“Don’t drown the maknae!” Jinwoo yelled out, pulling out a large blanket that everyone could sit on.

“You can’t tell me what to do!” MJ yelled back, only causing the leader to roll his eyes and continue setting up camp.

You sat down on the blanket, closing your eyes for a moment to enjoy the warmth of the sun on your face. The blanket shifted underneath you as someone sat beside you, and you looked over to see that it was Dongmin, applying sunscreen to his face. He handed the bottle to you, and you accepted it gratefully, making sure you were protected from the sun.

You hadn’t put your sunglasses back on when suddenly there was a shadow over you. Squinting as you looked up, you saw that it was Jinwoo blocking out the sun, his back to you as he looked at the water. His hands were holding the hem of his shirt as he turned around to face you.

“Do you mind if I…?” He asked you politely, and after momentary confusion, you realized he was asking if you would be uncomfortable if he was shirtless.

“No, go ahead.” You managed to choke out, throwing on your sunglasses so nobody you see the way your eyes were glued to him as he lifted the shirt over his head and tossed it into his bag.

You finally managed to look away as you forced yourself to become too focused on getting a water bottle out of the cooler as he jogged towards his friends in the ocean.

“You like JinJin hyung.” Dongmin teased in a sing-song voice.

Nearly choking on your water, you whipped around to look at your friend. “What?”

“Anyone could tell from here.” He grinned, leaning forward to poke your face. “You turned red as a tomato when he took his shirt off.”

“I did not! I’m red because it’s hot as hell out here!”

Dongmin had an amused smile across his lips, clearly not believing you. “Lies. Why do you think I always sent Jinwoo hyung when I cancelled?”

“Because that’s who was available?”

“Nope, there was even a few times hyung cancelled his own plans to see you.”

You took a deep breath, drinking another sip of your water. “Why are you telling me this?”

Before Dongmin could reply, there was a wail from the water, and you shot to attention, thinking someone had been hurt. You were partially right, Sanha was attempting to run from Jinwoo while still in the water, and had tripped, letting Jinwoo pounce on him.

MJ cheered him on as the leader playfully assaulted the maknae, yelling, “Talk shit, get hit!”

You couldn’t help but laugh at the boys as Bin and Minhyuk watched on, clearly used to stuff like this. “I wonder what Sanha said this time.”

“Probably teasing Jinwoo hyung about his huge crush on you and the fact that he took his shirt off to impress you.” Dongmin said nonchalantly, reaching over you to grab a water for himself.

You responded by indignantly flicking his head. “Shut up!”

“That was rude, Y/N noona.” He whined, rubbing where you had hit him, but still had a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Y/N-ah!” Someone called from the water, and you looked up to see Jinwoo waving you over. “Aren’t you going to swim?”

“Yeah, give me a second, Jinwoo-yah.” You yelled back, standing up and brushing the sand off the back of your legs.

Peeling the tank top you had already started sweating through off your back, you felt exposed as you stood in your swim suit top and the shorts you’d worn. Thankfully, the boys seemed to all be respectfully looking away as you removed your outerwear to reveal the simple two-piece you were wearing. It was nothing special, but it was the only one you owned.

“Don’t eat all my gummies, Dongmin-ah.” You warned your friend as you started walking down towards the surf.

The water was just lapping at your ankles when you heard someone call your name. “Noona!”

When you turned your head to look at them, you were met with salty and cool water across your body. And you knew the culprits.

“Yoon Sanha! Moon Bin!” You screamed, wiping the water out of your eyes.

The boys exchanged looks before taking off down the beach, and you were too done with them to chase them, instead wading further into the sea.

“Do you want me to fight them?” Jinwoo asked as you walked out towards him, and you shook your head.

“No, I just won’t buy them candy later.” You shrugged, trying to look anywhere but the attractive man in front of you.

“Am I still going to get candy, noona?” Minhyuk questioned, knowing that it was a tradition that you always bought the dongsaengs candy when you all hung out.

“As long as you don’t share it with those idiots.”

“No problem.”

Several hours later, the day was coming to an end, all too soon. The boys had to be at their dorms before dinnertime, meaning that you couldn’t watch the sunset on the beach like you wanted to.

Everyone was hauling their stuff back up to the small road where the manager was supposed to pick you all up again. You had your shirt and shorts back on, and you knew that your hair was a mess, but that was something to deal with later.

“Wasn’t manager-nim supposed to pick us up ten minutes ago?” Bin asked, and Dongmin frowned, checking his phone.

“Ah, manager-nim texted me. There’s a huge pileup, he’s probably going to be about an hour late.”

Jinwoo immediately lit up, digging around in the bag on your shoulder.

“Woah, what are you doing?”

“We can watch the sunset now!” Jinwoo said excitedly, pulling the blanket out.

He grabbed your hand, pulling you back down to the beach. You didn’t have time to argue, following him across the sand. The sand was still warm between your toes as you watched him unfold and lay out the blanket again, immediately sitting on it. You nervously sat beside him, and almost yelped when he scooted closer to you to link his arm loosely with yours. It wasn’t that you didn’t like the closeness, you were just surprised.

But soon you were too wrapped up in watching the fiery reds and oranges of the sunset spread across the sky, clouds turning to the most beautiful fire in front of your eyes.

“I love the sunset.” You commented in awe, looking to where the other members of ASTRO had been sitting, only to see that they were gone. Only you and Jinwoo were left on the blanket, your head had ended up resting comfortably on his shoulder.

“Where’d the boys go?” You questioned, mild concern in your thoughts, although you didn’t bring your gaze away from the brilliant image before you.

“Sanha needed to use the bathroom.” Jinwoo’s chest vibrated against you as he gave you somewhat of an explanation, and you let out a soft laugh.

“So they all had to go with him?”

“It’s dark, knowing Sanha he’ll get lost and get kidnapped or something.”

“Who would kidnap a 183cm toddler that screeches like a banshee?” You snorted, and felt Jinwoo laugh in response.

“Good point.”

There was a comfortable lull in your conversation as you became focused on the sunset again. The moon was starting to peer above the horizon as the Sun released it’s hold on the sky. Finally, the colors were gone, and the stars twinkled brightly above you, watched over by the crescent moon.

“Wanna be your star.” You whispered to yourself, but apparently your companion had heard, a small chuckle coming from next to your ear.

“Here,” Jinwoo stood up, offering you a hand up, which you gladly accepted.

“Y/N, do you trust me?” He asked once you were upright.

“What do you mean?”

“I have to cover your eyes. Do you trust me?”

“Uh, sure?” You relented, and he stood behind you, placing his hands over your eyes.

Not like you could see much before, it was nighttime, but now you really couldn’t see anything. You held onto his arms as he gave you directions on where to walk, nerves accumulating in your body. What could possibly be happening?

“One more step, Y/N-ah, you’re almost there.” Jinwoo said after a few minutes of stumbling across the sand in no discernable direction.

“Where exactly is ‘there?’” You queried, taking that last step.

“You’ll find out. Now, when I take my hands away, you have to keep your eyes closed, okay?”

“Okay.”

You felt him remove his hands from your face, and kept your promise, making sure to squeeze your eyes shut. There was some shuffling around you, and the quiet strums of a guitar floated to your ears.

“What is happening?” You laughed nervously, eyes still closed.

“Open.” Jinwoo requested, and you hesitantly did so, in disbelief at what was in front of you.

It was Jinwoo, holding a beautiful bouquet of your favorite flowers, his other members standing behind him, each holding a candle as they softly hummed. Sanha didn’t have a candle, instead he was gently playing a melody on his guitar, a giddy expression on his face.

But you couldn’t even take in the whole scope of it, focused completely on Jinwoo, who seemed even more nervous than you.

“Ah, uhm, Y/N-” He stuttered for a moment, laughing at himself. “Wow I planned this whole thing except what I was going to say to you, I’m an idiot.”

“Take your time, Jinwoo.” You giggled, giving him a reassuring smile.

After a moment, he seemed to finally find the words he wanted to say, “I really like you, Y/N. You’re intelligent, you call me out on my shit and make me laugh, but I also feel like I can talk about anything with you. You make me feel comfortable and safe to be myself. You’re beautiful, inside and out, and I’m starting to get really cheesy so I’m going to stop myself. This is my confession to you, Y/N. I like you.”

At some point you had started tearing up, and nodded fervently. “I like you too, Jinwoo. I accept.”

An ear-to-ear grin spread across his face as he wrapped his arms around you tightly. You buried your face in the crook of his neck, almost shaking with happiness. Park Jinwoo really did like you back. It wasn’t a hopeless dream, he was right here, with you.

“Thank you.” Jinwoo whispered, kissing your cheek.

“Thank you.” You repeated, pulling away to accept the bouquet from him.

The other boys suddenly stopped their harmonious hums to erupt into elated screams, swarming the two of you.

“Yay! Hyung and noona are dating now!” Sanha squealed, jumping up and down around you.

“Were you all in on this?” You accused, but couldn’t wipe the smile from your features, nothing could kill your happiness in that moment.

“Manager-nim too!” Bin proclaimed, pointing at the car parked behind where the boys had been standing before.

Leaning against the vehicle was in fact their manager, who gave a friendly wave when you looked over to him. That’s where they must have gotten the candles, flowers, and guitar. The manager brought them.

“Thank you all, so much.” You sniffled, holding onto Jinwoo’s hand in your free one as to not lose him in the madness called ASTRO.

“So, JinJin hyung, where are you taking our noona on your first date?” Dongmin teased his leader, who huffed in response.

“If I tell you all, you’ll insist on coming too.” He retorted, only making his friends groan in response.

“That’s just means he doesn’t know yet.” MJ cackled, warranting another frustrated huff from his friend.

Everyone was laughing, including you, as Jinwoo rolled his eyes, but his annoyed face faded as he watched you. A small smile came back to his lips when he observed you trying to stifle your laughter.

“That’s okay, we’ll figure it out, Jinwoo.” You grinned, almost melting as he pulled you into another tight hug.

“Yeah, we will.”

[vonseal]

what im weak for this week

so it’s been two weeks AND I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT!!! next week, i probably won’t actually deliver anything either, as next week is when school starts back up and i need to prep for that!

for now tho, pls enjoy this! its long. 

edit halfway through: ITS VERY LONG. READER BEWARE.

clumsy touch by sarangway

i like fake boyfriends. i really like fake boyfriends. it’s a cliche that i am proud to embrace (tho, tbh, i embrace all the cliches). and who better to write socky fake boyfriend than @revetoile!!! it’s a nice, quick oneshot that i was so happy to read! <3

his ray of sunshine by SummerSnowflake

yet another really short drabble, but OH MY GOSH if it isnt just the cutest fluff you’ll probably ever read in your entire life! i loved reading it, and even if it’s short, it really made my heart all fluttery and warm!

sugar and fluff and all that good stuff by jimblejams

whats not to love about this fic??? it’s got the holy trinity of ships, binu and myungjin and socky, all wrapped up in one deliciously sweet oneshot that i’ve read at least three times since it’s been released. @jakganim came into the fanfic community with a bang, and i hope they never ever ever leave <3

where soil lies, a new beginning blooms by parkjinwoes

i’ve probably already recommended this fic before, but im going to do it again because it is the true love of my life! it’s based off of witchcraft, and i’m honestly still so so happy that @vocalpmh decided to write this for me! the myungjin is adorable, and minhyuk’s deadpan delivery is golden! thank you once again!!!

to kiss a rock by jinwoosmile

i, too, stand by the belief that myungjun would be the best kisser, bc have you seen those lips. this fic, tho, is really really fun. i like the creative ways in which minhyuk has kissed every member, and i like the CUTE SOCKY I LOVE CUTE SOCKY. @jinwoosmile blesses us with her fanfics. (go send her love and encouragement to get through these coming school days!)

im a mom by heybinnie

BOY IF YOU CANT SEE THIS HAPPENING THO. it was such cute fluff!!! i always love the creative ways in which @heybinnie writes; it leaves me melting into a pile of goo and happiness. this one’s a little shorter and features moonbin as the title character and it’s worth every single second of reading.

not an ikea story by Maye_C

@maye-c has always been able to capture myungjun’s dorkiness, childness, and yet maturity (sexiness, too, hOLLA) in her fics and this one just swung right into my heart very very very very quickly. it’s adorable and funny (I LAUGH SO MUCH) and every single bit as perfect as all of mayec’s other works, i love her and her writing!

ferris wheels series by aloharoha

i think i’ve recommended the first one in this series; if not, i definitely should have at this point! binu and ferris wheels and absolute precious fluff and it’s one of my favorite things??? also my sweet anon child wrote it, whom i adore, pls go love on all this writing <3

because it’s you by marojehca

did i like the myungjin at the end??? yes. i did. myungjin trash CONFIRMED. but all in all, this WAS a really fun story, and i’ve definitely been keeping up with it since it first came out. good job, sanha, good job.

take a picture (click, click) by floatingquietly

i believe the tumblr page is @floatingquietlyfic, but correct me if im wrong and just tagged someone random lol. THIS WAS REALLY CUTE! it was soft and nice and i loved reading it ;A; let jinwoo live, he has nasal inflammation 

mahogany by yehetno

@yehetno strikes again! she comes when i least expect it and when i most need it, it’s uncanny. this was really PAINFUL TO READ ACTUALLY it made my heart ache, but we have been gifted with the Happy Ending, and i couldn’t be more excited over that! great binu by a great human being!

the cat’s out of the bag by aloharoha

some more from my sweet anon! she’s such an amazing writer and im always in awe of the works! this socky was definitely no exception; i felt really giddy, and i was cheering BOTH sanha and minhyuk on the entire time. bless the cat for causing our two boys to confess ;D (when will my cats get me a cute boy)

hit me up by lee_dongminhyuk

my star anon has arrived! @lee-dongminhyuk wrote some amazing bullet fics (i’ll recommend those a little further down, getting A03 fics out of the way first!) and then this one is just SO GOOD. also it reads like an actual chat convo, with the topic at hand escaping once or twice before it’s reeled back in. also jinidiot. 

insomnia by parkjinchu

i can relate, dongmin! this is written so well and just so nice and pleasant to read??? but then again ,every single fic from @parkjinchu is my new favorite fic, i swear. it’s like god’s gift to earth lies in mary’s fics. bless u <333

the slushie disaster by Lunapie

i need to keep writing sad socky so luna can keep writing happy socky, AMIRITE, LUNA??? nah fam @moonbinpie SRSLY does have some really cute socky up in this here joint; just two teens being teens in the summer, and i loved reading a nice snapshot into their lives!

i want to keep these feelings forever by junhoonie

i like the socky we have recently. i mean, dont get me wrong, im always myungjin trash, but socky is soft and pure and i need this purity to cleanse my soul. THESE LITTLE CHAPTERS ARE THE MOST PURE OF ALL and i love love reading them <3 @donghyucklees is the incredible driving force behind these fics! 

out of the closet by jimblejams

i requested this. i am so happy i requested this bc i cried when it was published haha im weak. BUT SERIOUSLY, MYUNGJIN WEARING EACH OTHERS’ CLOTHES??? WHAT MORE DO U WANT. jordan strikes again with their amazing writing im going to die.

socky coffee shop au by @jakganim

tagging ur main blog BECAUSE I CAN AND NO ONE CAN TELL ME OTHERWISE (but linking your fic blog so ppl can request, go go go request!). i loved this fic. i would give my life for this fic. it was perfect, from minhyuk’s infatuation to my fave part, jinwoo’s ring (keels over) and i need everyone to read this pronto.

puppy love by @jinwoostro

i love me some domestic astro adopting puppies because of sanha. also hiding puppies bc they’re weak for dogs. come on, it’s the purest premise in the world, written by lanna-kokobanna. 

bowling blues by @maye-c

i think i state every day (and multiple times in here) that im myungjin trash, but i REALLY LOVE just astro familial fics. just fics when they’re ASTRO, when they’re friends, when they’re just enjoying life together! and mayec delivers, once more, something pure and gorgeous! also bowling is hard.

college myungjin by @jakganim

i ghost-requested this. i was ghost-gifted this. tbh i was gifted this, along with the rest of the aroha community. I LOVED IT. I LOVE THIS WRITING SO MUCH AND I HOPE WHEN IM ON MY DEATHBED, JORDAN COMES AND JUST BURIES ME WITH ALL THIS WRITING

kid!myungjin bullet fic by @lee-dongminhyuk (part 2, part 3)

to be honest, i actually teared up at this one. especially part 2. gosh i loved it all but it was so rough sometimes, but it had such a nice, sweet, happy ending and i just wanted to clap and yell really loudly because i loved it so much! thank you for sharing it with me, my sweet star anon!

fashion designer binu by @astrofireworks

this was just complete perfection! it was cute and fun and short and also i am 100%$ behind the myungjin at the end. dO YOU HEAR ME, IM HERE FOR THIS SORT OF QUALITY CONTENT

Updated:

dream come true by TheOrgasmicSeke

THIS LAST CHAPTER HAD ME REELING HOLY COW MYUNGJUN GAVE HIM A HEART

stray romance by Alette

tbh if you havent heard or seen this fic, idk where you’ve been living, but there is GOOD REASON why it’s so popular, i cry

hot-line bin by peachybean

i laughed a lot. dongmin is all cool and composed to bin but he’s a literal mess to jinwoo, perfection!

full bloom by peachybean

I JUST NOW REALIZED ITS THE SAME FANFIC AUTHOR, NO WONDER BOTH FICS ARE SUCH AMAZING FICS

centaurus a by astrobinu

reading this always makes me feel like im floating around in space and clenching my teeth in excitement!

and if you ever have anything you think i need to check out, hit me up with that fic, fams. i dont even care if it’s your own. i check a03 regularly, so if it’s something posted elsewhere, pls let me know!

[jaeminlore]

Prove Me Wrong // Cha Eunwoo

-

the prompt: could you write a fluff + angst scenario of Eunwoo from Astro? Eunwoo could be fall in love with an international fan.

words: 1946

category: angst + fluff, soulmate!au

author note: I’ve turned this into another soulmate au bc i liked the idea. please enjoy!

- destinee

-

Eunwoo absolutely hated the tattoo on his skin. He hated the small pink rose that covered just under his palm. He hated how it determine who he would fall in love with.

The soulmate rule was a strange one. Eunwoo didn’t believe in it. Even after seeing Jinwoo and Myungjun find their own soulmates and find happiness with them. Eunwoo still distrusted the entire system.

He wanted to fall in love naturally. Even if the universe had decided before hand, he still wanted to seek his own soulmate out. He wanted to fall in love slowly and surely.

Instead, all he had to do was check the wrists of fans or people walking by. And he did, without really meaning to. At every fansign and high touch, he would look at every fans wrist, wondering if it was them.

He had to keep his own tattoo concealed, obviously. Since fans would go off getting matching tattoos and saying that they were his destined to be.

Eunwoo had yet to find his soulmate. Still, he found himself wishing to fall in love with someone, not for the ink on their wrist, but for the beliefs of their heart.

-

Eunwoo sat in the booth with the rest of Astro after one of their many international concerts. He was starving, and could barely think of anything other than getting food in his system.

“Hello, my name is Y/n, I’ll be your server for today.”

Eunwoo looked up at you the same time you finally noticed your customers. He took in your colorful hair, and the rainbow ink running down your arm. Your eyes were bright and cheery, pulling eunwoo into an unknown smile.

“Oh my goodness, you’re Astro.” You said, finally noticing your customers. You cleared your throat and straightened professionally, “I mean, what can I get you guys to drink?”

Since Eunwoo was the most confident in his English, he ordered for the boys. He watched as you walked away, before turning back to his fellow members.

“Woah,” Sanha breathed, also watching you go, “Did you see all of her tattoos? I wonder if she has the tattoo soulmate link.”

Rocky looked at his own tattoo, his written as the first words his soulmate would ever speak to him. “Some of my friends at school told me that when people with the tattoo link get rejected, they cover themselves in tattoos so that no one can find the original.”

“Do you think that happened to her?” Moonbin asked.

“Guys, stop.” Eunwoo warned, even though he, too, was curious as to why you had so much ink on your arm. “She’s coming back.”

You returned, handing each of them their respectable drinks and then asking to take their dinner orders.

“How long have you been an aroha?” Myungjun asked you.

“Oh,” you seems surprised that they were talking to you as a fan and not a waitress. “Since debut, actually.”

“Wow, thanks,” each of the boys stated.

-

As you waited for the cooks to make the boy’s meals, you pinched yourself. Did you just talk to your favorite kpop group?

You knew they were in your town, but you never assumed you would get to meet them. Let alone in a casual setting like a family-owned restaurant.

Of course, they had to see you in your worst look. Your roots were showing through the pink hair you hadn’t re-dyed yet. And they just had to see your colorful sleeve on full display.

Really, the reason you decided to blend in the pale pink rose was because you didn’t like the idea of soulmates. You weren’t sure you liked the thought of someone picking you because of the mark on your arm.

You wondered if Astro didn’t like tattoos. Maybe they thought you were rebellious or something.

By the time you gave them their food and check, you were ready to bolt. You really did worry too much, especially about what others thought of you.

You tried to avoid them as much as you could, only returning to collect the check and give them back their change.

It was Eunwoo who handed you the check, and you caught it: the small pink rose stark against his wrist bone.

It was smudged, as the sweat of their previous concert must have taken the concealer off.

Still, you understood perfectly. Cha Eunwoo was your soulmate.

-

You didn’t tell him. There was no reason to, really. He might not like you. Actually, you were sure he wouldn’t like you.

You were rough around every edge and Eunwoo was as delicate as a flower. The soulmate link must’ve messed up. The two of you were clearly opposites.

He wasn’t your bias. Your bias was Jinjin, whom you felt you could relate to most. The two of you had similar style and similar taste in music.

Eunwoo… you weren’t sure you had anything in common with him. Even when it was announced that Jinjin had found his soulmate, you didn’t change biases. And if you had, it certainly wouldn’t have been the main visual.

Yes, you were sure this was for the best. You would find another person and so would Eunwoo.

-

The next morning, you arrived at your work, ready for the incoming of business people on their way to work.

You stood where the hostess stands to greet others, when you noticed a familiar face walk through the door.

Eunwoo caught your eye and a shy smile covered his face. “Y/n, if it’s too much to ask, can we talk whenever you have a break?”

“What about?” Your heart beat fast at the thought of him finding out the truth.

“It’s about the soulmate link.”

Does he know? You feigned a smile and nodded, “Okay, I’ll go get someone to cover me.”

You slid into the table across from Eunwoo. The boy was sipping on a coffee and looking around, anxious.

“What do you want to talk about?” You asked hesitantly.

Eunwoo bowed his head, “Tell me if I’m being rude, but the boys and I couldn’t help but notice the amount of tattoos on your arm.”

You unconsciously pulled the sleeve of your jacket over your hands. Luckily, you were still wearing a jacket, thanks to the morning chill that hadn’t let up and the fact that your boss didn’t believe in a heater.

“Why about my tattoos?”

“Well, Rocky said that when someone with the tattoo link gets rejected by their soulmate, they get a bunch of tattoos to cover it up. I was just wondering if that happened to you.”

“Why does it matter?” You asked, suddenly annoyed by his curiosity. “The soulmate link is a stupid concept anyway. People should be able to fall in love with whoever they want.”

Eunwoo’s eyes widened. You took time to study his face. He looked pure at every angle. So perfect that you could only assume he wasn’t real. No wonder everyone called him an angel.

“I just wanted to know, since you seemed experienced in the area, how much it would be to have a tattoo removed.”

Your eyes widened. A strange pang struck your heart and you felt unaware as to whether it was the soulmate link or your actual disappointment. “Oh. Well, I’ve never done it, but I think it goes up to five hundred dollars. I also heard it hurts. You might be better off getting it covered up, if you want to get rid of it.”

Again, more pain struck your heart as you felt yourself getting rejected. Couldn’t the two of you learn to love eachother?

Wait, Y/n, what are you saying? Just yesterday you said you never wanted to see this boy again.

“You’ve never gotten yours removed? Did you cover it?” Eunwoo seemed curious as he glanced down at your wrist. Luckily, the tattoo was covered by your sleeve.

“No, I’ve never gotten it removed or covered it,” you answered. “I’ve got to get back to work now.”

“Oh,” Eunwoo looked at his coffee almost disappointedly. “Well, will I see you again?”

You just indirectly rejected me. Why would you want to see me again?

“If you come back, I suppose you will.”

“I’ll be back then,” Eunwoo said, and the determination in his voice was enough to make your stomach feel all fuzzy.

-

You couldn’t think that entire day. As you locked up the restaurant and began to walk home, you heard the labored breath of someone, along with quick footsteps.

You turned around, rather afraid, before seeing that it was Eunwoo, dressed in a long coat, pulling at the handle of the restaurant. He groaned when he could not open it and leaned his forehead against the door.

“Looking for someone?” You called out.

A huge smile of relief came onto his face as he turned to see you. “I thought I missed you,” he breathed. “We’re leaving early tomorrow morning for the airport and I wanted to get your number.”

“Why is that?” You asked.

“I think I like you,” Eunwoo answered honestly. You knew he was never one to dance around feelings anyway. “And I want to get to know you better.”

Your breath caught in your throat and tears suddenly pricked your eyes. “What about your soulmate bond? What about her?”

Eunwoo stiffened. “Truth be told, Y/n, I don’t like the soulmate bond. I don’t like the rules of that game. I want to create my own future and my own destiny. So I want to go out with whomever I choose to go out with.”

When you show him your mark, will he reject you directly? What if his like for you had just been because he figured you, too, didn’t care about the bond?

“Why are you crying?” Eunwoo asked, walking closer to you and peering down questioningly.

You hadn’t even realized it, but hot tears were streaming down your face. “Eunwoo, I’m you soulmate,” you whispered, pressing your eyes closed and willing yourself not to look at him. “I saw your tattoo and it’s the same as mine. If that makes you want to leave me, I get it. I understand that you don’t like the rule. I didn’t either, but I was hoping we could at least try.”

You wiped more tears away and looked at Eunwoo, “I get it if you don’t like me anymore.”

Eunwoo didn’t say anything for a while, and you could feel all of the hope in your heart shattering, until he finally spoke. “Can I see it? If our tattoos really match, can I see it?”

You wordlessly pulled your sleeve up to your elbow and lifted up your hand. Eunwoo noticed it right away, the pale flower hidden in the garden of flowers tattooed on your arm. It was different from the rest, and there was no doubt in Eunwoo’s heart that it was the one that matched his.

Gently, so as not to startle you, he grabbed your hand and pulled it up to his lips. His lips pressed down on the rose softly, intimately. Your own lips parted from the gesture.

He looked up at you, “I’m willing to let you prove me wrong. I liked you before I knew we were soulmates, and that’s all I’ve ever wanted.”

He wiped the tears away from your cheeks using the pad of his thumb. “Can I have your number? We still have to leave tomorrow but I can come back as soon as I get time off.”

You wordlessly handed him your phone. As he typed in his number, you began to smile. “Take your time, Eunwoo. I’m not going anywhere.”

~the end~