16 Complications

That surely was one good sleep.

Good morning RM. Good morning Kim Namjoon.

Another day for work. Another day to get better.

Hmmmm, what's for today? My schedule doesn't seem too hectic. Usual practice. And oh, yeah, we'll start the mentorship today.

I wonder if Jin Ju is also as bright as Eunjung. Does she have the same passion and spark in her eyes?

I think it's only natural they partnered her with me since we have the same role: leader.

As far as I saw yesterday, she's a strong willed person. Intelligent too and a very eloquent speaker, if she chooses to.

Well, time to get ready.

**********

"Eunjung-ah... Jungie..." Sooyoung eonnie's soft voice was trying to coax me awake. "Jungie wake up."

"Eonnie I don't have classes until around lunch time." I grunted.

"I know. I know but... something's wrong."

"What? Why? What happened?" What could go wrong now?

"That..." Her face was a mix of fear, worry and confusion as she pointed to my hand.

"Huh? What do you..." And there it was. As bright as day. My ring has a streak of red on it. "What the freaking fuck!!!" I'm sure the whole house is awake now.

"Is this even possible Eunjung-ah? Why did it turn red again? Do you think? Yoongi...?" No, not that. I read something that if your partner dies, your ring turns silver. So why, why did it turn red again? Does it mean I have to find another mate? But what about Yoongi?

"No. No. That's not it. I'm sure he's okay since a part of it is still gold. But damn, who is it this time?"

"Eunjung-ah! What happened?" Jin Ju eonnie and Hyunju asked in chorus as they entered the room.

Their faces turned white when I showed them my ring. I'm sure they haven't forgotten the horrors of the past few weeks. Even though we still functioned as normal, you can see the stress and fatigue in everyone.

"No. Not again. But... is that even allowed?" Hyunju asked.

"I don't even know to be honest." And I really have no idea what this means.

"Let me call Byung Ho oppa. I'm sure we'll figure something out. For the meantime, we will proceed with our schedules. You don't feel faint or anything, right?" And as she asked, we heard the doorbell ring. Shit! I completely forgot our daily schedule. But if he's here, atleast that means that he's okay.

"Atleast there's that doorbell. That means Yoongi sunbae's here." Sooyoung eonnie said as she started to go and answer the door. "I'll take care of them while you get ready Jungie."

***********

I don't even remember how I ended up with Yoongi hyung this morning.

It all went by in a blur. Jungkook coming in the dorms from an early jog, the same maknae noticing my hand and asking if I was injured or something. Us finding out I just got matched with a mate without me knowing. To me calling Sejin hyungnim and coming up with the fastest plan possible for finding my mate. They sure learned the first time this happened.

So now, we're at the girls' dorms, waiting for someone to open the door. My thoughts only come to those hazel eyes. I did my best to do what little research I can on the way here. But could it even be possible? And if we are, what about Yoongi hyung? He didn't look bothered when I showed him my ring. Maybe he knew the company will do everything to ensure my safety just like they did for him. Though if he knew my body's reaction towards his mate, I doubt he'd have the same expression.

"Yoongi sunbae, Sejin-nim..." the sweet voice greeted. "Oh? Namjoon sunbae?" Her features immediately changed when she saw me. I guess we came to the right place then.

"Goodmorning Sooyoung-ssi. I'm sorry if we were a bit late. We needed to take care of something. Which actually, uhm, is everyone here?" Sejin hyungnim went on with business right away. The man really doesn't know how to waste time.

It was obvious the question really caught her off guard. "I, uhm, ye-yes we're all home. I'll go call them."

"If you please. Thank you. We'll make ourselves comfortable." And he invited both me and Yoongi hyung in.

So this is where they live. Their living arrangements are certainly better than what we had when we were trainees. Well, JG entertainment has some successful acts under their sleeve so I guess they weren't as pressed for money as we were.

I heard shuffling feet before four of them presented themselves at the receiving area. Wait four? Where is she?

"Good. You guys are here. Thank you for coming in such short notice. We have already informed both CEOs about the situation we had this morning. We're not new to it, we just wanna cover all our bases the fastest. That's why we brought Namjoon-ssi along." I gave them a bow as I was introduced yet again. The girls were already looking at each other. I'm not sure if they're happy or they're worried the way they looked at us. "Is there a problem?" Sejin hyungnim finally asked.

"Let's just all wait for Eungjung." Jin Ju said. Her lips set on a straight line. Eunjung. Wait, could it really be?

Another set of footsteps came and my heart started pounding. One look at Yoongi hyung told me he didn't like where the conversation went. He started fidgeting with his rings. I knew I was anticipating seeing her but my heart certainly galloped harder as I saw her wavy hair then her small, angelic face.

"Hey, what's happening? Why are you all standing..." her soft voice stopped when she saw three of us instead of the usual two. "Sunbae?"

I'm not really sure if it was a smile I was able to give her but she didn't look quite okay. "Hello Eunjung-ssi."

"Eunjung-ah, we will leave you with them." Jin Ju said.

"Wait, girls, why are you..." Sejin hyungnim surely didn't get the subtle sign.

"It's okay hyung. I think I know what's happening." And though my heart was pounding so hard, my chest threatening to pinch me out of air, I managed to stand up and walk towards her.

"What..." She mouthed and as realization hit her, she went speechless. "How?"

"It's not impossible Eunjung-ssi. I guess it was all meant to be." I don't know where those words came from. Is it really just the genetic makeup of soulmates that's talking or did I really fall for this girl?

Her hazel eyes looked surprised as she looked up at me. This is the first time I've seen her up close and she's much prettier. All her features make up the most beautiful face I've seen. And though she looked quite shaken, I can't help but notice the serenity in her stance. Did she hope it was me?

"I... I don't know how this happened." I knew she wanted to just go ahead and hold my hand to bond but her eyes lingered over Yoongi.

"You don't need to explain to me Eunjung-ssi. It's the universe that made us this way." Apparently, he's been watching all along. I know hyung understands but I feel bitterness in his tone. "I guess it's great that it's Joon. You don't have to go through a lot of trouble again. I'm sure the company will make arrangements for the three of us. Is that right Sejin hyung?"

Our manager certainly wasn't entirely prepared for Yoongi's mood. "S-sure. Yes, ofcourse." He blurted out.

"I... uhm, how do we proceed with this? Should we do it now? I mean, this certainly changes a lot of things. What do we do about charging? Our schedules? Your careers?" Why? Why is she so worried? I don't understand why she's on the verge of tears. Is she hesitating? Doesn't she want me as a mate? Why?

Yoongi hyung's shoulders brushed against mine as he walked past and embraced her. How did he know what to do? It's just been roughly two weeks, right? How can he know what she needs? Is it because they were bonded? I felt a prick and my hand twitched when he started whispering comforting words to her. "Ssshhh, Eunjung. It's not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong." I heard him whisper into her hair. "I'm sorry. Joon, Sejin hyung, can you leave us for now? I'll just send a message when I need the ride back."

Sejin hyung immediately understood and nodded. "Okay. We will just arrange everything." He sighed and gave me a tap on the shoulder. "Let's go Namjoon-ssi."

"Hyung will she be okay?" It sent another pang in my chest to have to ask. I wanted to be the one to give her comfort. I am her mate.

"She's just overwhelmed Joon. We'll see you back at BigHit." How he can be so sure with his words? He was just quite pissed about a minute ago. How can his mood change so fast?

********

The moment I heard the little shake in her tone, I knew she was back at square one. I still don't understand why she hates the idea of soulmates so much but I've learned much to expect her to react the way she did.

I need to make sure to catch Choonhee when she's at their dorms again. They're very close and I think she trusts me enough to tell me what might be wrong with Eunjung. I need to know why she's like this if we want to live peacefully. It's not just me and her. Now, we also have Joon.

Namjoon. I certainly didn't care much when Sejin hyung told me he'll go with us today to check if one of the girls is his mate. I just thought it was practical. But as soon as I saw the red streak on her gold ring, it felt like my world suddenly crumbled. I've shared everything with someone ever since I was little. It brought me a certain feeling of ownership towards her when I found her. And now, I need to fucking share her, again.

I was pissed, yeah. But all of it dissipated when I felt her fear. As soon as her eyes welled with tears, my heart started pounding. All of the cells in my body just screaming to run to her. Is this what it means to be mates? To be bonded? I really didn't think about it much and just followed my instincts. She needed someone to tell her it's okay. That there's nothing wrong with her.

I'm just glad Joon and Sejin hyung understood and left us.

"She would really be quite shookt." Hyunju emerged from one of the rooms as I was guiding the now crying Eunjung to the sofa.

"Hyunnie." She whispered.

"Babe, don't be scared. I'm sure everything will be okay. Let's just be thankful that it's Namjoon sunbae. It would've been bigger trouble if it was a complete stranger." Eunjung managed a small smile as she pondered on Hyunju's words.

"I guess..." She's still not quite herself. And here I am still baffled as to why she hates bonding.

I really can't take this anymore. Since it's quite obvious that everyone in this house knows then might as well ask.

"What's wrong with being soulmates though? Why does it terrify you so much?" Her hold on my hand tightened as I felt her stance harden. "Will you tell me?" This one I directed towards Hyunju.

"Jungie, is it okay?" Her eyes showed all her fear. She looked like a caged animal forced into something she totally hated. It hurt to see her pained face, much more when she slowly shook her head.

"Why Eunjung? Why won't you tell me?"

"I'm sorry sunbae. I'm so sorry" And I can no longer fight my own feelings. Seeing her crying gave me anxiety. I just nodded and guided her to my shoulder.

"Okay. It's okay. I'll just be here. I'll wait until you trust me." That seemed to pacify her as she leaned onto me.

"Sorry sunbae. It would really be hard for her. Just give her time. I'm sure she'll open up to you like she did us." Hyunju said. "I'll be sleeping again babe. Just go bust my door if you need me, ayt?" She just hummed in reply, her eyes still closed.

When, Eunjung? When will you start trusting me? What happened for you to be frightened of bonding? Will you ever accept that this is your fate? Our fate?