Make Me STAY

by DayDreamRomantic

Summary:

Rose was 22 when she found her soulmate.
She was 25 when he found her.

Chapter 1: Hellevator

Rose was a little overwhelmed by the sound coming from the crowd. She was on holiday in Korea and had managed to get a ticket to a K-pop concert which was on while she was there. Although she didn't know the group that well, she had heard some of their music and was obsessed with their song Hellevator.

The show was dynamic and powerful and Rose watched it with amazement. It was impressive, how talented these boys were. From what little she knew about them, she knew that it had only been less than two years since their debut, but it was obvious to her that this was only the beginning for them. There was no doubt in her mind that big things were going to happen for them.

It wasn't until near the end of the concert that Rose started to feel a bit odd. A funny feeling suddenly came over her, as if it wasn't her own. On stage the Idols were walking around the outskirts of the stage, trying to get as close to their fans as possible. She wasn't that close to the stage, but now that the boys were so close that she could almost make out their faces.

Rose tried to focus. She wanted to get the most out of this experience and she hoped she would be able to remember it all clearly tomorrow. As she looked at the member who was on the bit of the stage closest to her. The strange feeling that had come over her got stronger. Now she could recognise what it was, hope.

A gasp had her covering her mouth with her hand and Rose was grateful that the fans were too focused on the stage to notice her. She stared at the boy on the stage unbelievingly, but there was no mistaking what was happening. She had found her soulmate, and he was an Idol.

Rose had always had a bit of an obsession with finding her soulmate when she was a teenager. Once she reached her 20's she realised that the reality wouldn't quite be the fairy tale she had been dreaming of. However, she never thought things would turn out like this. Not only was her soulmate an Idol, but he was younger than her. This came as a surprise to Rose as she had always preferred more mature men.

Her eyes didn't leave her newly found soulmate until he left the stage after the group said their final goodbyes. If she hadn't been so confident in her discovery, Rose might have worried that she was wrong. Obviously, he had not felt her presence. Although, she wasn't too surprised as she was in a crowd of people and his emotions would have been high whilst performing.

As the fans began to leave, Rose was at a loss of what to do. Usually, a person could approach their soulmate and they would feel the bond too, but her soulmate was an Idol. An Idol surrounded by bodyguards, managers, and group members. How would she ever get close enough for him to feel their bond too?

Trying to think logically, she knew that the performers usually left through the back entrance, and it wants usual for fans to wait there hoping to see them. Hoping she would find someone she could talk to, Rose decided this was the best course of action. However, when she got there, she found she wasn't the only one with the same plan.

"Hyunjin is my soulmate! You need to let me in!"

"Let me see Felix! I felt our bond during the concert. I know it!"

"Bitch, who are you? Hyunjin is mine!"

"If you don't leave, I'm calling the police and having you all forcibly removed. Now."

Rose watched the interaction in horror, and then it hit her like a bucket of cold water.

They must have fans telling them every day that one of the Idols is their soulmate. No one will believe me.

After a few more big security men came out, the crazy fangirls finally left. When one of the men looked her way, Rose quickly walked away. Clearly, this plan wasn't going to work. She just needed to think of something else, a different way.

By the time she got back to her hotel, it all felt like a dream and Rose broke into tears.

Two days later Rose's holiday ended, and she was due to travel back home. She had come to Korea, not only because it was somewhere she had always wanted to visit, but because she had been offered a job there. The holiday was to help her decide whether she could see herself living in the country. Being close to her soulmate sealed the deal.

Thus, Rose came up with a plan. She accepted the job, moved to Korea, and waited for her chance. However, things rarely go to plan. As the months passed, she watched her soulmate from afar and got to know him and his group mates as a fan. But the more she learnt about them and what they had gone through to get to where they were, the more she doubted herself.

The life of an Idol was hard. Late nights. Early mornings. Sweat and tears were shed every day to reach their dream. How could Rose interrupt that? Wouldn't she just be a distraction? She would never be able to live with herself if she somehow stopped her soulmate from fulfilling his dreams.

She could see how fast their popularity was growing. They were steadily climbing their way up to the top. It was a critical time for her soulmate and his group and Rose couldn't, wouldn't, disturb that.

So, she continued to watch her soulmate from afar. She celebrated the group's successes, cried at their hardships, and smiled sadly as she watched their life through a screen instead of being there beside her soulmate.

And then the world panicked.

When things opened up again it was with the knowledge that not finding your soulmate by the time you were thirty put you at risk of getting ill and possibly dying.

While her soulmate had at least five years before he needed to worry, Rose had less. If they didn't meet in the next few years and she got sick, then her soulmate would be at risk as well. She had to find a way to get close enough to him that he would be able to feel the bond.

It took longer than she had hoped for an opportunity to present itself. While she was waiting and planning, the world had been rocked by the news that BTS had found their final soulmate and the eight of them were a soul-group. Soul-groups were rare, but Rose wasn't surprised that BTS were one and she was happy for them. As an ARMY she knew how much they deserved to be happy.

Learning how BTS had searched for their final soulmate using their world tour, Rose wondered if her soulmate had ever thought of searching for her. She knew it was unlikely. The oldest members of BTS were a couple of years older than her. Finding his soulmate probably hadn't even crossed her young soulmate's mind yet.

This led her to think whether her soulmate would be happy when they finally met. Over the past couple of years, she had learnt a lot about him. Saying he was hardworking was an understatement, but he was also kind. So kind, that Rose often found herself tearing up during his weekly chats with the fans.

Bang Chan was an amazing person and Rose could only hope that she would be worthy of him.

Chapter 2: Mirror

"Noona, have you found your soulmate?"

"Wooyoung! You can't ask stuff like that. Sorry, Noona."

Rose smiled slightly as leader Hongjoong told off his younger group member while sitting in the chair in front of her. She had been at KQ Entertainment for two years now and had been assigned to ATEEZ as their makeup artist, stylist, and general assistant to the group's staff. During that time, she had grown fond of the boys as if they were little brothers.

"Yeosang was the one who wanted to know."

She glanced over at Yeosang in surprise. He was one of the quieter members and also one that Rose thought wouldn't ask such a question just because he was curious about her personal life.

"Why did you want to know, Yeosang?"

"Soulmates have been on my mind recently. After we met BTS's Anna at the MAMA's, I was wondering..."

Yeosang bit his lip as he looked down at his hands in his lap. Noticing his soulmate's mood, Seonghwa walked over to the younger singer and stroked his hair comfortingly.

Rose had stopped doing Hongjoong's makeup to ask Yeosang the question, but a movement turned her attention back to the leader. He was smiling sadly at his left hand which he had held out in front of him. She understood what Yeosang meant.

Held to the highest levels of secrecy, Rose was one of the few members of staff who knew about ATEEZ's soulmate situation. While San and Wooyoung's bond had not been a shock to anyone, Hongjoong, Seonghwa, Yeosang, and Jongho's incomplete bond had been a bit of a surprise. They had yet to meet their final soulmate.

"I have... found them. My soulmate. But we haven't bonded. He - he doesn't even know about me yet."

"What? Noona... why haven't you told him?"

She smiled sadly at Yunho.

"Sometimes it's not that easy."

"Can we help, Noona?"

Unknowingly, they had already tried to help her. When she found out that ATEEZ would be participating in KINGDOM with Stray Kids, Rose had taken it as a sign. Every time she was in their dressing room for the show, her heart would race at the thought of her soulmate being so close. Yet, they never crossed paths.

Instead, she had to listen as the boys from ATEEZ talked about the new friends they had made. Observant Hongjoong had noticed her interest when he talked about working with Bang Chan and the rappers from Stray Kids. A couple of times he had tried to organise for her to meet them, however for one reason or another, things never worked out.

"Thank you Hongjoong, but I have a plan. If- if that doesn't work, then perhaps I'll take you up on that offer."

"You're a part of our family now, Noona, and we will always help each other."

Hongjoong said it so sincerely that Rose felt herself get a little emotional. When she first started working there her Korean had barely been passable. The leader had helped her a lot in the first few months when she struggled with the language barrier.

"Aww, you boys are too sweet! Come on, let me finish. This is your last show before you go on tour. Are you excited?"

"We finally get to see ATINY in person again!"

"I'm so excited, but also a little nervous."

"We'll miss you, Noona!"

"I can't believe Noona's not coming with us."

They all laughed at Mingi's pout, including Rose.

"You'll be having so much fun you won't even notice I'm not there."

It was lucky that she hadn't been part of the team chosen to go on tour with them. Her plan to finally reveal herself to her soulmate was taking place while they were in Europe. At least, if everything worked out it would.

"What will you do without us, Noona? Will you miss us?"

"I have plans... and of course, I'll miss you, boys!"

Hongjoong caught her eye and Rose could tell that he understood what her plan was.

"I hope it works out for you, Noona."

She sighed as she put down her makeup brush.

"Me too... Okay, boys, you're all done. Off you go. Fighting!"

Rose plastered a smile on her face as she waved the boys out of the room. Once they had gone, she collapsed in the chair Hongjoong had been sitting in. She stared at herself in the mirror for a moment. Perfection was what she saw.

Every day she painted herself as close to perfect as possible. Not a hair of her carefully styled hair was out of place. Her outfit was professional but modern and stylish. Over the years she had curated this persona of herself, and it had all started when she started wearing makeup. Now, no one saw her with it.

Tearing her eyes away from her reflection, Rose reached for her tablet where she kept her concepts for the boys' stage makeup and saw she had a V Live notification. Her soulmate had started another episode of 'Chan's Room'.

She hesitated for a moment before clicking on the link and watched as her soulmate's smiling face appeared on the screen. It was Christmas Day so she was surprised that he had the time to do this today. It made her smile, thinking about how much he loved his weekly chats with his fans.

It was because it was Christmas Day that she was ATEEZ's main, and only, make-up artist for the day. The boys' main make-up artist had a family to spend the day with whereas Rose had no one and so didn't mind working solo for the day.

"Mingi forgot his jacket."

Rose was startled by Hongjoong's suddenly entrance. She looked behind her and watched as the boy noticed what she was watching.

"Is that Chan-Hyung? You really are a fan of Stray Kids... Oh, Noona. Is he...?"

It was surprising that he had never figured it out before, but then again, they had never discussed soulmates with her before today.

She bit her lip, one of the only flaws Rose hadn't been able to train herself out of doing. While she couldn't deny the truth, she wasn't sure whether to confirm Hongjoong's suspicions, but part of her longed for someone else to know her secret. So, she nodded her head.

"Why didn't you say something? All those times that I met up with him, oh, Noona. It must have been so hard for you."

The look the young Idol gave her was so caring that Rose wanted to blurt out the whole story to him right then and there. However, it wasn't the time nor the place.

"I - I have my reasons, but now is not the time to discuss them. Go before someone comes looking for you. You have to be on stage soon."

Hongjoong looked as though he was going to say something, but instead nodded, grabbed Mingi's jacket. Before he left the room, Rose called out to him.

"Oh, and Hongjoong, please don't tell anyone, not even the others. I know some of them have close friends in Stray Kids and, well..."

"Don't worry, Noona. It's not my secret to tell."

Rose smiled gratefully at the leader and watched as he left the room. She glanced back down at the screen to see the sight of her soulmate laughing.

He looks so happy... without me.

She watched it for a few minutes. Chan's Room was always so wholesome, and Rose enjoyed discovering new music from Bang Chan's suggestions each week. For her, it almost felt like she was spending time with her soulmate as she gradually got to know him better. Although it made her happy to see and hear that he was doing well, sometimes it also made her tear up.

With a sigh, she turned off the tablet. This wasn't the right place to watch it. Instead, she started cleaning and tidying up her workspace, while she waited for the boys to come back for touch-ups. As she did so, she caught her reflection in the mirror. Her watery eyes had caused her makeup to smudge.

That's what I get for not using waterproof makeup.

Instead of correcting it right away, Rose let one of the tears that had been building spill over and roll down her cheek. She had been glad to work today, just to distract herself from the fact that she had no one to spend the holidays with. The boys asking her about her soulmate was a reminder she didn't need.

Memories from the past two years played through her mind. For months she had sought out every opportunity there was to get close to Stray Kids in the hope that her soulmate might recognise her. Then for the next year, she watched them from afar.

Rose had thought that Kingdom had been a sign, a sign that fate was providing them with a chance to meet. After Hongjoong's failed attempts to organise a meeting, although he didn't know why at the time, on the last day she had desperately gone looking for Bang Chan herself.

It was one of her worst memories. Sometimes it still kept her up at night and even as she created her latest plan, she wondered whether she was doing the right thing.

Rose had made it as far as Stray Kids' dressing room backstage. The door hadn't been closed properly and she could hear her soulmate's voice coming from inside. However, before she entered, she overheard the conversation he was having with Felix. They were talking about soulmates. Rose left in tears without seeing her soulmate that day.

By the time ATEEZ came back to the dressing room, Rose was once again perfectly put together and smiling as if nothing had been wrong. While the other members told her excitedly about their performance, Wooyoung watched her intently.

What Rose didn't know was that one of the other members had followed after Hongjoong when he went to retrieve Mingi's jacket and had heard their conversation. When he got home that night Wooyoung made a call.

"Changbin, I have a favour to ask you."

Chapter 3: WHO?

Rose knocked on the door of ATEEZ's apartment. The boys were leaving to go on tour the next day and she had been asked to deliver some things that they had left at the company to their house.

"Noona! Come in, come in. Thank you so much for bringing this."

"You're welcome. I couldn't let my boys travel halfway around the world without everything they need, could I?"

Wooyoung looked through the bag Rose had brought and pulled something out.

"Sannie can't sleep without Shiber."

She smiled in amusement. Sometimes these boys were just too cute.

"Well, we can't have that. You boys need your sleep. Look after yourselves while you're away, okay?"

"We'll try, but you know we're hopeless with you, Noona."

"You flatterer."

"Have you eaten yet? I won't see you for a few months, why don't you stay for dinner? We ordered too much anyway."

"I'm not sure. I don't want to interrupt your last night at home."

"Please, Noona."

"Wooyoung, it's not appropriate."

"Are we not friends, Noona? Is there a rule against eating a meal with a friend?"

"No..."

"So, you'll stay."

The Idol phrased it as a statement rather than a question and Rose had no choice but to follow him as he walked further into the apartment. When they entered the kitchen, she discovered that when Wooyoung had said 'we' he hadn't meant him and his group members.

Sitting at the table were two Idols that she recognised straight away, Changbin and Felix, from Stray Kids.

"Oh, you didn't say you had company already. I should go -"

Rose turned to leave only to bump into someone behind her. She looked up to see Yeonjun from TXT.

"Oops, sorry."

"This house is like a fangirl's dream."

"Are you a fangirl?"

Wooyoung smirked at Changbin's question

"Oh, Noona's definitely a fan."

"Noona? Are you Rose-Noona?"

Rose looked up at Yeonjun with a puzzled expression.

"How did you-?"

"Wooyoung talks about you."

"Oh, dear."

"Hey! I only have nice things to say about you, Noona."

"Yeah, we're jealous. Wooyoung has you, now Yeonjun has his Anna-Noona..."

"I'm happy to share."

Rose's eyes darted over to Wooyoung, wondering if there was a deeper implication to his words.

"Wooyoung!"

The other three boys looked at Rose, wary of how she would react.

"Don't worry. I'm used to his ways by now. But it does make me sad to think that he would just give me out like that. Maybe he doesn't deserve to have me as a Noona."

She put her hand over her heart and shook her head sadly as if she were really upset.

"I agree! Come and sit with us."

Changbin moved over one seat and gestured for Rose to take the now empty seat between him and Felix. As she walked over to them, Felix jumped up and held the seat out for her, pushing it in as she sat down.

"Now this, is much better treatment."

All the boys, other than Wooyoung, laughed, which was what Rose wanted. Inside, she was a mess. Not only was she sitting in between two members of her soulmate's group, but one of which she knew he was particularly close to. She needed to make a good impression.

Wooyoung's retort was cut off by the sound of the doorbell, and he left the room to collect the takeaway they had ordered for dinner. Rose found the silence a little awkward as they waited for him to return.

"Sorry, I'm intruding on your night. You probably don't get to meet up together like this very often."

"Actually, we're glad you're here to keep Wooyoung in line."

"I don't think anyone can do that."

The boys were laughing as the Idol in question returned.

"Do what?"

"Pizza!"

Yeonjun helped Wooyoung place the boxes on the table and the boys immediately dug in. Meanwhile, Rose hesitated. She never ordered takeaway for herself, as she focused on cooking herself healthy homemade meals. However, pizza was her weakness, and she was sure it wasn't a coincidence that Wooyoung had ordered it for them tonight.

"Rose? You better take a piece quickly, before they eat it all."

She turned to Felix next to her who was holding a box of pizza and gesturing for her to take a piece. 

"I..."

"Would you prefer the other one?"

The young Idol went to put the box down and reach for the other.

"No! This one's fine. Thank you."

"Are you sure?"

"Noona's worried because she only eats healthy food"

"Healthy food? You mean no takeaways?"

"No ramen?"

The boys gasped as if just the thought caused them pain.

"I'm just watching my figure. Not all of us do hours of dancing to help keep in shape."

"But you're stunning!"

Wooyoung almost choked on his food.

"Felix!"

Both Rose and Felix were blushing.

"Although none of us would have said it so bluntly... we all agree with Felix. So, what shall we do after dinner?"

"What about a game?"

Changbin and Felix looked at each other before shouting.

"UNO!"

The boys relayed stories of past UNO games while they ate. The atmosphere was so comfortable that Rose hardly noticed herself reaching for another slice of pizza as she laughed with them.

After they had all finished eating, they started clearing the table. Rose, as she was used to tidying up after ATEEZ, wiped down the table and started doing what little washing up they had created

"Noona, I can do that, you're a guest."

"I'm almost done."

"Fine, I'm going to grab my cards."

As Wooyoung left, Changbin appeared next to Rose with a kitchen towel and began drying what she had washed up.

"Was Wooyoung telling the truth when he said you were a fan of Stray Kids?"

"You don't believe him?"

"We all know that there are different levels of fans. Are you just a fan of our music, or are you STAY, or...?"

"The first time I came to Korea, I went to your concert."

"When was that?"

"Two years ago. After that, I accepted the job at KQ Entertainment."

"So, if you had to choose... ATEEZ or Stray Kids?"

"Or TXT?!"

Apparently, the other two boys had been listening to Rose and Changbin's conversation from their seats at the table.

"Ooh, that's a tricky question! I would have to choose..."

Rose glanced between the boys who obviously thought she was going to say ATEEZ and smirked.

"BTS."

"Did some say BTS?"

Wooyoung re-entered the room and the other boys stopped looking surprised to answer him.

"We asked Rose to choose between our three groups and she chose BTS instead."

Wooyoung looked from Yeonjun to Rose and back again.

"And? That's the correct answer, isn't it? ARMY forever!"

Changbin groaned, realising that his best friend and Rose had bonded over their mutual love for BTS.

"Of course, you'd agree. Never mind. Let's play."

"Oh, wait. I brought brownies."

They all sat back down around the table and ate Felix's brownies while Wooyoung dealt out the cards.

"Hold on. Wooyoung-Hyung, are these...?"

"I have BTS UNO cards as well!"

"See Rose-Noona has great taste too!"

"I'm so getting a set of these for Chan-Hyung and me to play."

"That's my boy, Felix!"

The game started out fairly civilised. When there was an onslaught of +2 and +4 cards, it reminded Rose of Bang Chan's vlog when he played UNO with Felix and the younger boy ended up picking up twelve cards. Both boys' reactions had made her smile in amusement.

When the first dancing wild card went down, Rose realised she was at a disadvantage.

"This isn't fair. You're all dancers!"

"No excuses, Noona!"

But Rose's mind was blank. Not a single move from any of BTS's choreographies came to mind. Noticing her panic the other boys tried to help.

"You can always pick up three cards instead."

"Ha! And you call yourself ARMY!"

Rose narrowed her eyes at Wooyoung, she wouldn't let him win. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Yeonjun lean back in his seat out of Wooyoung's line of sight and start making hand gestures. It only took her a second to catch on. He was doing the universal choreography that was made for anyone to be able to do, Permission to Dance. She sang along lightly as she danced to the chorus.

"Did you ever think about becoming an Idol?"

"Oh no, I'm much more comfortable behind the scenes."

"Did you always want to become a makeup artist then?"

"Yes, ever since I was a teenager really."

"Really? What got you interested in it?"

"Even I don't know why, Noona?"

Wooyoung looked at her expectantly along with the other boys.

"Let's just say I wanted to learn to make myself look pretty and leave it at that, shall we. Now, whose turn, is it?"

The Idols didn't push her for any more details, but they could all tell that there was more to the story.

After a long game that Felix won, Rose decided that it was time for her to leave. She wished Wooyoung good luck on his world tour and said goodbye to his friends. Then it was just the four Idols. Not long after Changbin and Felix headed home too, leaving just Wooyoung and Yeonjun.

"Yeonjun, I need to tell you a secret. I couldn't tell the other two, but I also feel bad for not telling them."

"What is it? Are you sure you want to tell me?"

"Rose-Noona thinks Chan-Hyung is her soulmate."

Yeonjun gaped at Wooyoung in shock.

"Chan-Hyung? As in Bang Chan the beloved leader of two of our closest friends? I understand your dilemma."

"I asked Changbin if they could give her a backstage pass for their fan meeting next month."

"Woah."

Wooyoung ran his hand through his hair with a sigh.

"Am I interfering too much? It's just, Rose-Noona has been really good to us and, well, doesn't everyone want to meet their soulmate?"

"Not everyone is as lucky as you and San."

"Rose-Noona has her own plan to meet Chan-Hyung anyway and I'm pretty sure it has to do with the fan meeting."

Yeonjun's eyebrows furrowed.

"How do you know all this?"

"I overheard her and Hongjoong-Hyung talking."

"She told him?"

"I think Hyung figured it out."

"Well, let's hope this all turns out well, for everyone involved."

Chapter 4: YOU.

To Rose, it had felt as though fate finally wanted her to meet her soulmate. Her plan had not been failproof. Attending Stray Kids' fan meeting would not give her any guarantee that Bang Chan would feel their bond. Just like he hadn't the first time she had seen him.

On the day that the tickets went on sale, Rose was nervous. Her best chance was to get a seat as close to the stage as possible, but just getting a ticket was going to be hard enough. Whether it was fate or pure luck, somehow, she managed to snag a floor seat.

The weeks leading up to the day Rose spent varying from excited, to nervous, to downright terrified. So much could go wrong, and even less could go right. She had imagined this day so many times over the past two years and now she wondered which of those scenarios will come true.

It was a few days before the fan meeting when something was delivered to Rose at work. It was a VIP backstage pass with a note.

Tell Wooyoung he owes me one. - Changbin

Now Rose didn't need to worry so much about catching Chan's attention during the show since she was now guaranteed to meet him and the others afterwards, but in a way that made her even more nervous.

When the day, she distracted herself from the thoughts of meeting her soulmate, to what she should wear. Even as she sat in her seat in the concert venue, she fiddled with the edges of her top and ran her hands over the material to smooth out the non-existent wrinkles.

It was a good thing that Wooyoung had asked for a favour from his friend because despite getting a floor seat Rose was nowhere near as close to the stage as she had hoped. It was also a relief because she hadn’t wanted to distract her soulmate while he was on stage.

As the lights dimmed, Rose could hear her heart start to race. She took some measured breaths to calm herself, but when Bang Chan walked on stage, he took her breath away.

Wow, he looks good.

Her soulmate was sporting his new hair colour, silver, and was wearing dark skinny jeans with a white top and a pink jacket. Rose liked his look very much. However, the more she studied him the more she realised how different he looked, and it wasn't just the hair.

I saw him on Chan's room two weeks ago, how much weight has he lost? Seeing his fans in person after so long... he must have gone on a diet, especially for this.

Rose had personally watched as the members of ATEEZ had gone on diets for comebacks and performances. Unable to convince them that it wasn't needed, she instead kept a close eye on them to make sure they didn't go too far. It made her heart ache slightly that her soulmate had felt the need to do this for his fans.

After the initial performances, the first half of the fan meeting was a series of games. Their answers were generally cute, but a couple were more surprising, like Seungmin's. However, it was Changbin that caught her attention the most, other than her soulmate of course.

When the MC left, Stray Kids announced that they still had a lot left to show STAY, and it was time for a costume change. The theme of the fan meeting was a chocolate factory, which was fitting as it was the day before Valentines Day. The group’s outfits, in the beginning, had fit this theme, cute and pink. Apparently, they decided to ditch this for the next part of the show.

She knew from the VCR that she needed to prepare herself, but nothing could have prepared Rose for her soulmate in a cropped shirt. Standing still, the bottom edge barely met the top of his trousers. When he moved, it would rise up just enough to tease STAY with a peek of bare skin. However, when he danced, they got more than just a peek. Rose barely managed to stop herself from swearing out loud at the sight.

Perhaps it shouldn’t have surprised her, since she had watched the performance of WOLFGANG on Kingdom where Chan took his top off. Yet, he always acted so shy and embarrassed afterwards, that his body confidence on stage shocked her.

Since it was very unlikely that Chan would be stripping on this kind of stage, Rose thought that the cropped shirt would be the most that she would have to deal with that day. However, when they came back with new outfits to perform a cover of EXO's Call Me Baby, her jaw dropped.

While the cropped shirt had been loose and fluttered around as he danced, this new outfit consisted of a tight-fitting asymmetric cropped jacket. This time Chan didn’t need to move an inch to show off his abs.

It's a good thing I'm not a jealous person. How do soulmates of Idols cope?

And then Chan sang 'baby girl'.

Oh my... I think I just died. Yep, I'm dead.

Unfortunately, they only did one song in those outfits before changing for the last part of the show.

After an emotional ending, Rose followed the instructions Changbin had sent her and after most of the audience had left, she showed her VIP pass to a member of staff. They took her to a room backstage that was empty apart from one member.

"Hi, Felix."

"Rose! It's nice to see you again. Did you enjoy the show?"

"It was awesome. You did well. I bet it was hard not to dance though, how are you feeling?"

"Thank you. It was so hard! I'm okay though."

"Do you know how long it will take to heal?"

"Not for certain. Weeks. Maybe months."

"I wish you a speedy recovery and if you ever need anything, let me know."

"Thank you."

"And you can call me Noona if you want."

"Thank you, Rose-Noona."

"How have you -"

They were interrupted by the arrival of the other members. Rose's eyes glanced over them all looking for one in particular, but Chan wasn't with them. Trying not to show her disappointment, she smiled and greeted the rest of the group.

"Hello!"

"Hello?"

They looked a little confused as they greeted her back until Changbin stepped forwards.

"This is Rose. She works with ATEEZ and is also our fan."

She could see them all relax a little after learning who she was, and Jisung stepped forwards with a friendly smile.

"STAY? Nice to meet you! Did you enjoy the show?"

"It was amazing. You all worked hard."

"Thank you!"

Felix spoke up from next to her.

"Where's Chan-Hyung?"

"Oh, he's right behind us."

Seungmin turned to look behind them at the door and as if he had heard them, Chan walked in.

Rose's heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. She had been waiting for over two years for this moment, so it felt like a dream being in the same room as her soulmate.

She waited with bated breath for him to notice her. As they locked eyes, Rose felt almost euphoric. The feeling of hope she remembered from that first time she had seen him, stole her breath away once more. She had to restrain herself from reaching out but hoped that perhaps he would offer to shake her hand, knowing that touch would make the feeling stronger.

"Chan-Hyung, this is Rose-Noona, who works with ATEEZ."

"Oh, hey. Nice to meet you."

Chan gave her his usual friendly smile and a casual wave of his hand along with his greeting. He acted as if he were meeting just a random person and not the one with the missing piece of his soul.

For Rose, it felt like she was having deja-vu of that day two years ago, as she suddenly felt cold. 

Does he not feel it too? Am I imagining it? Or worse, is he just ignoring it?

Rose was half confused and half heartbroken. This wasn't how she imagined them finally meeting, but she put on a brave face and made small talk with all the members.

"Well, I should go. Thank you for letting me say hello. You've made this STAY's dreams come true. Goodbye."

Rose was walking towards the door before she even finished talking, but she allowed herself one last look at her soulmate as she waved goodbye.

And then she left the room, Stray Kids, and her soulmate.

Chapter 5: MIROH

Stray Kids waved goodbye to Rose as she left the room. They met a lot of people, a lot of fans, and those meetings were usually short, so this one didn't seem out of the ordinary. At least, not to most of them. It was only a few minutes later when Chan ran out of the room without a word.

"Chan-Hyung? Where are you going?"

"I'll follow him."

"Felix, don't strain yourself. I'll go."

Before anyone could protest, Changbin had run out the door after their leader. Only a few seconds later, Felix walked out of the room as well despite the others telling him to stay put. However, he wasn't going after Chan as they believed. Instead, he hoped to catch up with his new friend before she left, and he potentially never saw her again.

He would have missed her if he had been rushing. In a dark corridor off to the side, Felix spotted Rose sitting on the floor with her back against the wall, looking to be in pain. As someone who always seemed to be smiling, she almost seemed like a different person with this broken expression on her face. Not only did it alarm him, but it made him wonder what had caused her so much sadness and what he could do to comfort her.

Rose had stumbled out of the room with a million thoughts running through her mind. Needing a minute to gather herself, she rounded a corner and leant against the wall for support. She slid down until she was sitting on the ground, her eyes glazed over as she replayed the first and only words her soulmate had said to her.

None of her scenarios had worked out this way. She had been caught off guard. Her confusion had clouded her mind and led to her needing to walk out of that room, to think, but now she needed answers. It had taken her two years to get this chance. She couldn't let it be another two years before she saw him again.

Why didn't he feel it? Is there such a thing as an unrequited soulmate? But if he did, how did he not react to it? Did it not affect him?

Rose made a plan. She hoped that skinship, along with directly asking him, would answer all of her questions. She was about to stand up and march back down to that room when she heard Felix's voice.

"Rose? Noona? Are you okay?"

She scrambled to stand up and brushed down her clothes to make herself more presentable.

"Felix? What are you-? I'm fine. Just getting over the shock of meeting one of my favourite groups."

The young idol looked at her strangely. He had seen that she was upset just now before she had known that he was there, and there was also the way she left the room. She had said such happy words but in a sad, almost sarcastic way. He felt as though he was missing something.

"Really? You could've stayed a little longer if you wanted to."

"No, you must all be exhausted. That was a three-and-a-half-hour show! What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be heading home?"

"Oh, I was looking for Chan-Hyung."

"Looking for...? But he was just there with you."

"He suddenly ran out of the room, a few minutes after you left. I don't know why."

Rose stared at Felix in shock for a moment and a little bit of hope returned to her heart.

Did he run after me?

"I'll help you find him. I need to talk to him. Would that be okay?"

"Okay. Sure, I'd appreciate the help."

They smiled at each other before continuing to walk down the corridor to begin their search. What they didn't know was that Chan had already been found.

Although he was worried about his leader, there was a part of Changbin that hoped he would run into Rose. It hadn't escaped his notice that she was acting strangely before she practically ran out of the room. Something didn't seem right, and he wanted to make sure she was okay. He had enjoyed spending the evening with her at Wooyoung's and he wanted to get to know her more. Something about Rose intrigued him.

When Changbin found Chan, the leader was sitting on the stage looking out at the empty audience seats.

"Hyung, are you okay? Why did you run away like that?"

When the leader didn't answer, Changbin sat down beside him. It was then that he noticed the tear marks running down Chan's cheeks. It had been an emotional few days, but it was still unusual to see him cry.

"Channie-Hyung? What's wrong?"

"As a young trainee, I grew up watching my sunbaenims pray that they wouldn't meet their soulmates because if they did, they would have to choose between their careers and the person who was meant for them."

It wasn't often that the leader talked to him like this. Chan was too busy taking care of everybody else. So, Changbin just let him talk.

"That must have been hard."

"They couldn't always choose their soulmate, even if they wanted to. It left them... brokenhearted. They were never the same after meeting their soulmate."

"But things are different now. Because of the sickness, they have to let us bond with our soulmates, to keep us alive."

"I know, I know, but for ten years I lived thinking that my soulmate was someone who would only bring pain and misery. I never wanted to meet them."

"Oh, Hyung... Do you still believe that? Think of all the people we know who are happy. Wooyoung and San. Hongjoong and his soul group. BTS found their final soulmate and they've never looked happier."

"I don't know. I don't want to think like that. I see what others have and... it's just hard."

Changbin reached out his hand and gave his leader's shoulder a comforting squeeze.

"What brought this on? Why are you suddenly thinking about all this? Did something in the fan meeting trigger -"

"Because I met them."

"Who?"

"I just met my soulmate."

His initial reaction was a giant smile as he felt happy for his Hyung, and then confusion as to how he acted earlier. Changbin's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts as he started to piece it all together.

"Really? Hyung, that's great! Who...? Rose? Why didn't you -? You ran after her."

"Yes, but I was too late. She's gone. I met my soulmate and I let her slip through my fingers. I should have grabbed her like I wanted to when I walked into that room. Binnie, our connection… it was so strong! It took everything I had not to react to it."

"Don't worry she's not a stranger. We can find her again. I'll ask Wooyoung..."

The younger trailed off as something else occurred to him.

"What?"

"It's a strange coincidence. I wonder if Wooyoung knew."

Changbin frowned at the thought of his friend keeping such a big secret from him.

"You said she works with ATEEZ, how long?"

"Um, let me think... two years! She said she took the job after visiting Korea and -"

"And?"

"Attending our concert in Seoul. Do you think...?"

"Even if she didn't know back then, how did our paths not cross during Kingdom?"

"Right, if ATEEZ knew they would've said something back then, not almost a year later."

"How close are they? Would she have told them? If she knew I was..., why didn't she ask them... urgh!"

Chan ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. He was so confused about the whole situation. He didn't know how to feel or what to do.

"They're pretty close, but she is still a member of staff. She's really nice too. She spent the evening with four Idols and didn't ask any personal questions, or even for autographs."

"Maybe she didn't care who you were?"

"Oh no, even if Wooyoung hadn't told us that she was a fan, she was so flustered when she first saw us. Wooyoung didn't tell her he had guests."

The leader rested his chin in his hand as he listened to the younger Idol talk about his soulmate.

"What else do you know about her?"

Changbin smiled at Chan showing interest in getting to know his soulmate. It was a step in the right direction.

"Why don't we go home, and I'll tell you everything I know?"

"Sounds good. I'll text the others to let them know we're leaving."

The pair headed out, not knowing that the girl they were talking about was still in the building.

Felix and Rose were still walking around the venue when his phone buzzed. It was a message from Chan on the group chat saying that he and Changbin had headed home. Felix's face fell knowing that this news would upset the girl next to him.

"What’s wrong? Who is it?"

"It’s Chan-Hyung. He's gone home."

"Oh."

Felix watched Rose's expression carefully. As someone who regularly had to put on a mask to deliver the perfect performance on stage, he recognised when someone else was wearing one, and Rose was right now.

"Maybe we could -"

"Never mind. Lost my chance. Thank you, Felix. You really are as sweet as you appear on camera."

The young Idol hoped Rose didn't notice that his ears were turning red at her words.

"Thank you, Noona."

"Good luck with your comeback. I'll continue to cheer for you. Goodbye."

As she walked away, Felix couldn't bring himself to say goodbye. He didn't want this to be the end. He wouldn't let it be the last time he saw or spoke to Rose.

"Wait!"

She turned around at his shout and he walked up to her with his phone in his hand.

"Can I have your number?"

"What?"

"You said I could let you know if I ever need anything."

"Oh! Sure. There you go. Now, look after yourself, okay?"

"Yes. You too, Noona! Bye!"

Rose smiled fondly at the boy as she waved goodbye. His warm and friendly demeanour had been just enough to stop her from completely falling apart after being rejected by her soulmate. This only lasted until reality hit and she realised that Felix could never be in her life when his best friend and leader was the person who had taken away all of her hope.

Chapter 6: After Effects

The weeks following the fan meeting, Rose tried to keep herself as busy as possible at work. This was difficult sometimes, since the company's biggest act, ATEEZ, was still on tour. She felt more like an assistant than she usually did, and she couldn't wait for the day that she became a full-time makeup artist.

Something that had become an unexpected part of her day was the messages from Felix. Rose wasn't sure what she had thought when the Idol had asked her for her number, but she had been surprised the first time he contacted her. Yet, it couldn't be considered a distraction as the young Australian often reminded her of his older counterpart, and that was without including all the times that Felix had talked about his beloved leader.

Rose wasn't sure what had been thinking when she had invited Felix over for dinner. In a way, it was all her fault as she had been reluctant to meet up with the Idol in public. Working in the entertainment business she knew how important an Idol's reputation was and she didn't want to do anything to risk Felix's, or Stray Kids's, career.

In the end, she had wanted the young Idol to at least have one decent meal whilst his group was busy preparing for their comeback. Rose had made sure to swear Felix to silence about any details as she wanted to be completed surprised like the rest of STAY when the content dropped. Although he had only had enough time to stay for dinner, he had much appreciated the homecooked meal. Sometimes Rose felt like a mother with all the young Idols she seemed to always be looking after, especially now that she was expanding outside of ATEEZ.

When ATEEZ finally arrived back from their tour, Rose didn't know whether she was smiling because she was happy to see them, or because of how happy they were as they told her all about their travels.

"We had so much fun, Noona!"

"So many ATINY came to see us!"

"I miss their screams already."

Before Hongjoong could ask her about how her plan went, privately, Wooyoung spoke up.

"So, Noona, do you have any good news to tell us?"

It didn't escape Rose's notice that the young dancer was looking at her expectantly as if he was expecting her to say something in particular. At the time, she had been distracted by everything else that she hadn't analysed exactly why Wooyoung would have asked his friend for a favour like this. His currently knowing and smug expression gave her a hint that he somehow knew more than she thought. 

Since she knew that Hongjoong would never have shared her secret, perhaps it was possible that she hadn't hidden it as well as she thought. Whatever the reason, whatever Wooyoung had been expecting to happen hadn't, and Rose didn't feel like sharing the details of that day with him.

"No, nothing interesting happened here. I just waited around for my favourite boys to come home."

"Aww, Noona, you really missed us that much?"

"Of course, I -"

"Really? Nothing happened while we were gone? Didn't you go to Stray Kids' fan meeting?"

Rose had watched Hongjoong's frustration grow every time he had to try and get Wooyoung to behave. She was well versed in his methods. Her no-nonsense personality and unphased exterior annoyed him, but also generally stopped him from misbehaving around her. 

"Yes... oh, and Changbin says you owe him one."

"I owe him! More like he owes me! So, what happened? You got to meet everyone?"

Wooyoung was very determined. He knew something had happened since Changbin had asked him for Rose's number, but he didn't know what since his friend wouldn't reveal anything on the phone. It didn't make sense that she wasn't telling them that she had met her soulmate, and he wanted to know why she was still hiding it. After all, it was his plan that had allowed her to finally meet Bang Chan.

"I did. You know, you really didn't need to do that for me, Wooyoung, but thank you."

"Noona, why aren't you saying anything about -"

Hongjoong cut off his troublesome group member and gave him a dark look.

"Maybe Rose-Noona doesn't want to talk about it, Wooyoung."

"What? I just want to make sure that even if Noona's soulmate works at a different company, we'll still be her number one group. Right, Noona?"

He said it jokingly, but Wooyoung had failed to notice the staff member who had entered the room.

"Your soulmate works at a rival company, Rose?"

She hesitated. Did Chan count as her soulmate if they hadn't bonded, or even acknowledged the bond, yet? What about the small part of her that was convinced she had created the whole thing in her head? If it was right, then the answer would be no.

"I, er, well you see-"

"Yes, or no?"

"Yes."

The other stylist sighed.

"I have to report this."

"I understand."

Rose bowed her head as the staff member left.

"Noona, I -"

"I don't want to talk about it."

The boys of ATEEZ watched in various stages of sadness, shock, and confusion as Rose left the room. Some of them were still processing the reveal of Rose knowing who her soulmate was, let alone that he worked in the same industry as them. Others couldn't believe how suddenly the atmosphere had changed, minutes ago they had all been happy and laughing. Hongjoong, however, was worried about what exactly had happened to Rose when she had met her soulmate.

"You went too far this time, Wooyoung."

The leader shook his head in disbelief, he didn't understand why the younger had felt the need to keep pushing Rose for answers and then to reveal part of her secret like that. Hongjoong was disappointed.

"I didn't mean for her to get in trouble, Hyung."

Wooyoung was on the verge of tears as the consequences of his words sunk in. San wrapped an arm around his soulmate in comfort.

"What do we do?"

Yeosang grabbed Hongjoong's arm, staring at his leader and soulmate with hopeful eyes. Rose was their favourite staff member. They felt comfortable with her, and she was always looking after them more than she was required to.

Hongjoong ran his hand over his younger soulmate's head and wished that he could give Yeosang the answer the leader knew he wanted.

"I don't think there's anything we can do."

Quicker than she thought, Rose was called for a meeting with HR and the head of her department.

"How long have you known that your soulmate works at a different entertainment company."

"Since before I worked here."

"You didn't mention this when you were hired."

"I didn't think it was relevant. We technically hadn't met yet, and we're not bonded. We don't have any relationship at all, so it won't affect my work."

"Your loyalty is to your soulmate. You can't guarantee that you won't share information with them at some point."

"I would never do or say anything to hurt ATEEZ or this company."

"I'm sure, but we can't take that risk. I'm sorry, but we're going to have to let you go."

The next few minutes were a blur and Rose barely remembered how she ended up in the boys' practice room. They all gathered around waiting to hear what had happened with bated breath.

"Never forget how amazingly talented you all are. It has been a pleasure working with you and watching you grow-"

"No! No, they can't do this. It's all my fault if I had just kept my mouth shut... Noona, I'm so sorry!"

"It's not your fault."

"But-"

Rose rested her hands on Wooyoung's shoulders.

"Wooyoung, listen to me. I don't want you to blame yourself, okay? Promise me that you won't."

The young dancer pouted slightly but nodded his head.

"Okay. I promise, Noona."

"Good. If you ever need anything, I'm just a phone call away."

"We'll miss you."

"I'll still be here cheering you on, just from a little further away."

Sobs broke out and everyone looked at the culprit in surprise.

"Oh, Jongho... come here."

The Maknae waddled over to Rose as he wiped away his tears. She held her arms out, asking if he wanted a hug, and was a little surprised when the young Idol wrapped his arms around her with some strength. She stroked his hair soothingly with a small smile, she was going to miss these boys so much.

"Not fair! I want a hug from Noona too!"

Suddenly Rose found herself in the middle of a group hug. A tear ran down her cheek, the past few months she had cried more than she ever had in her whole life. She tried not to analyse why that was and instead appreciated the love and comfort that she felt at that moment.

Because who knew what was going to happen next.

Chapter 7: Astronaut

It had been a stressful few weeks as Bang Chan waited for ATEEZ to come back from their World Tour. Changbin had asked Wooyoung if he had Rose's number, but he hadn't, so they had to wait until the other group came back to Korea to talk to her. Luckily, Stray Kids had been extremely busy preparing for their comeback. Truthfully, Chan was grateful for the distraction as he still wasn't sure what he was going to do about his recently discovered soulmate.

The leader had yet to share what had happened at the fan meeting with the rest of the group, even Felix. If he had, he might have discovered that the younger Australian had been messaging his newest friend. The dancer had been surprised when Rose had revealed that her native language was also English and the two had bonded over the fact that they had both moved to Korea for work and to pursue their dreams.

When ATEEZ had arrived back in Korea, Wooyoung had messaged Changbin to tell him that Rose had been fired. The dancer was blaming himself and when he mentioned that he was planning on visiting her Changbin asked if he could come along. They decided to hold off on getting Rose and Chan to meet again. After losing her job they thought that she might not appreciate the soulmate who had ignored her turning up at her door uninvited. 

Wooyoung had raised an eyebrow at his friend when Changbin turned up in front of Rose's building carrying Dwaekki.

"What?"

"You brought Rose-Noona a present?"

"It's to comfort her!"

"Sure."

Wooyoung smirked and reached to ring the bell for Rose's apartment, but Changbin stopped him.

"Wait, before we go in... I know."

"You know what?"

"Why you asked me to get Rose a backstage pass."

Wooyoung was inwardly panicking. It was obvious that whatever had happened at the fan meeting wasn't the fairytale meeting he had been imagining. If his friend knew that Rose was Chan's soulmate then he would have guessed that Wooyoung had already known, so he only hoped that Changbin wasn't upset with him for keeping it a secret.

"I wanted to do something nice for Noona, that's all."

"No. You wanted her to meet her soulmate."

With the confirmation that Changbin knew Rose's secret too, Wooyoung decided that there was no reason to play dumb anymore.

"Fine. Yes. You're right."

"So you knew that Rose was Chan-Hyung's soulmate?"

"What?!"

The pair turned to see Felix staring at them with wide eyes.

"Felix? What are you doing here?"

"Is it true, Changbin-Hyung? Rose-Noona is Chan-Hyung's soulmate?"

"It's not our secret to tell -"

"Answer our question first."

Changbin and Wooyoung glanced at each other before turning their attention back to Felix.

"I brought Noona brownies. She really liked them, so I thought they might cheer her up."

"You know that she lost her job? Did she tell you?"

"What?! No, she just said that she'd had a bad week. Wooyoung-Hyung, why did she...?"

"Our company found out that her soulmate works at another entertainment company, and they were worried about her loyalty, or something stupid like that."

"No way! They fired her for that?"

"We can't believe it either. Noona was our favourite staff member, it was almost like she was part of the group. The whole of ATEEZ is distraught."

"Do you think she's okay?"

"She acts all tough, so it can be hard to tell with Rose-Noona. That's why I've come to check on her."

"Shall we go in then?"

"Hang on, how did you know where Rose lives?"

"Oh, I've been here before."

"What?!"

"When - How?"

"Um, we kept in touch after the fan meet."

"You mean, you have her number?"

"Yeah..."

Changbin was speechless and Wooyoung just patted him on the shoulder.

"Come on. We don't even know if Noona will let us in uninvited. Unless she's expecting you, Felix?"

The youngest Idol shook his head and smiled sheepishly.

"Actually, she might have specifically told me not to come over..."

In her apartment, Rose was curled up on the sofa with a blanket. She didn't know what to do with herself because everything managed to remind her either of ATEEZ and her lost job, or Stray Kids and her unrequited soulmate. Currently, she was watching BTS's soulmate Anna's YouTube videos, but even then, she wondered what it was like for the other girl being the soulmate of Idols.

The sound of her doorbell ringing made her jump. Rose wasn't expecting anyone, so she almost ignored it but ultimately decided to see who it was.

"Who is it?"

"Noona, it's Wooyoung... and Changbin and Felix. Can we come in?"

"Wooyoung this really isn't a good time."

Since she wasn't planning on going out anywhere, Rose had no makeup on, her hair wasn't styled, and she was wearing loungewear. Ever since she was a teenager, she hadn't let anyone see her in such a state.

"Please Noona. I brought brownies."

Felix's sweet voice made her pause. She could really do with those brownies. Rose had no snacks in her apartment. She reasoned that if she didn't buy it then she couldn't eat it.  She was a stress eater, and she had spent all day fighting with herself not to buy any junk food.

"Fine. Felix can come up. What are the other two bringing?"

"I have a present for you."

"Is it edible?"

"No, but it's soft and cute."

"Okay, you can come in. Wooyoung?"

"I bring you my wonderful company."

"Eh, I'm not sure..."

"Noona!"

Rose chuckled to herself as she buzzed them in.

The three boys were so cute, even over the telecom, that for a minute she hadn't forgotten about her situation. For a moment she seriously considered making them wait while she got changed and made herself up, but she was tired. Not only did Rose feel drained because of her current situation, but she was also tired of putting on her mask.

She just hoped the Idols weren't too shocked when they saw her in this state for the first time.

When they knocked on her door, Rose took a deep breath before opening it. Wooyoung was hiding behind his two friends who were holding out their gifts while giving her puppy eyes. All three of them looked very nervous.

Rose took the box of brownies that Felix was holding out to her, immediately opening it and eating one of the small delicious chocolatey squares.

"You really did bring brownies! I thought it was a ploy to get me to let you in."

Felix looked panicked at her suggestion.

"Noona, I would never -"

"I know you wouldn't, Sweetie, but that one behind you would."

"Rose-Noona! I think you've got me mixed up with someone else. I'm an angel."

"Well, your halo's a little wonky."

Changbin was usually as talkative as his best friend, but this situation had not turned out at all as he had expected it to. Rose was making jokes and teasing his friends as if she hadn't recently had two major upheavals in her life.

"Changbin, it’s nice to see you again."

"It's nice to see you too, Rose. Oh, this is for you."

The dark rapper handed over the plush that he had brought with him.

"Dwaekki! Thank you, and you can call me Noona if you want. Now that I've got what I wanted... why did you think that you could turn up at my door uninvited?"

"Umm... I..."

"It was Wooyoung's idea."

"I just want to make sure you were okay!"

"Do you want us to leave?"

Rose knew from the expressions on their faces that if she said yes, the three of them would leave straight away. Yet now that they were here, she was very much enjoying their company. They made her realise how much she didn't want to be alone.

"No. Please, come in."

They hesitated in the doorway until she encouraged them to enter. The three Idols shuffled into the apartment, and she led them to the living room.

"Make yourselves comfortable. Would anyone like a drink?"

While Rose was in the kitchen, the boys silently argued over where to sit. As the youngest, Felix grabbed the beanbag chair which was tucked away and placed it next to the sofa. Wooyoung was quick to jump onto the only chair, leaving Changbin to share the sofa with Rose.

"Wooyoung, swap with me!"

"What? You don't want to sit next to Rose-Noona?"

Unsuccessfully, Changbin tried to dislodge his friend from the chair. He was about to turn on Felix when Rose entered the room and he quickly sat down on the sofa.

Rose carefully put down the tray of drinks on the coffee table in front of everybody and then went to sit down next to Changbin. As she moved past him, she managed to trip, and he reached out and caught her by her hips. Once she was steady, he quickly let go and she finally sat down.

"Are you okay, Noona?"

"Yes, thank you. I'm afraid I'm a little clumsy."

"It's true. I can't count how many times we've saved her from almost falling over at work."

Wooyoung bit his lip as soon as the word left his lips and there was a silent pause for a moment.

"Is that BTS's Anna?"

They all looked at the open laptop on the table.

"Huh? Oh, yes. I was watching some of her videos."

"Did you see her cover of Phobia?"

"It was awesome. Did you know that she's a trainee?"

"That and her fan meeting must have been the biggest news in K-pop."

"We already knew. Yeonjun told us."

"I wish I could go to her fan meeting. I'd love to meet her."

Wooyoung and Changbin shared a look before going back to sipping their drinks.

"Noona, you look cute today."

The other two Idols almost spit out their drinks at Felix's forwardness.

"Thanks..."

Noticing Rose's strange reaction, Changbin turned to her in concern.

"Did he make you uncomfortable? I can beat him up if you want?"

"No. It's okay."

"Felix is right though, Noona. I don't think I've ever seen you not all done up. It's not fair that you can still look so pretty without even trying."

"Uh, thank you...?"

"Yah! What was that?"

"I was complimenting Noona!"

"I'm sorry, Noona. I think what Wooyoungie was trying to say, is that you always look beautiful."

Changbin's words caught Rose off guard. While she had brushed off the other two, the way the rapper had looked at her as he spoke made her blush.

They spent the rest of the time before they had to go back to work making lighthearted conversation. Rose consumed Felix's brownies at an alarming rate, which concerned Wooyoung as he had never seen her eat so much sugar. The other two didn't share his worries as they didn't know her as well as he did, and Felix was just happy to see her enjoy what he had baked for her.

"Sorry, we have to go already, Noona."

Inside she was dreading being alone in her apartment once again, but there was no way that she would tell them that.

"Nonsense, you must be so busy with your comeback just around the corner. Take care of yourselves. Fighting!"

After they left the boys shared glances before speaking.

"She's not okay, is she?"

"I wasn't expecting her to be, but she puts up a good front."

"So good that I'm wondering whether she's always been wearing a mask like that."

"At least we have one way to cheer her up."

"What's that, Hyung?"

"I have a phone call to make."

Felix watched curiously as Changbin got out his phone.

"Yeonjun, I need to ask you a favour."

Chapter 8: Blueprint

---

Felix didn't understand why Chan hadn't told him that Rose was his soulmate. The two were so close that they usually told each other everything. Felix reminded Chan of the familiarity of home and Chan was Felix's rock in a once unfamiliar place. So it hurt the younger that his best friend hadn't shared such an important discovery with him. 

 

Two weeks before their comeback and only a few days after visiting Rose, Stray Kids were in the practise room perfecting their choreography for the new songs. Minho and Hyunjin were going over a particularly tricky part with Seungmin and Jeongin. Chan was sitting at the front of the room watching their progress. Changbin and Felix were to the side grabbing a drink of water. 

 

Felix stared at Chan. All he had thought about the past few days since he found out was how Rose was his leader's soulmate. He was torn because Chan was his leader and best friend, but he had formed a connection with Rose so quickly and he felt protective of her. He had to know what Chan was thinking about the whole situation. 

 

"Changbin-Hyung, I'm going to get Chan-Hyung to tell me about Rose."

 

"How?"

 

Changbin watched as the dancer made his way over to their leader without answering his question. With a sigh, the rapper followed and the two sat down beside Chan. 

 

"Channie-Hyung?"

 

"What's up, Felix?"

 

"Do you ever wonder about your soulmate?"

 

The leader glanced at Changbin before turning to the younger Aussie.

 

"Why do you ask?"

 

"Wooyoung-Hyung talks about what it's like to have a soulmate a lot. It just got me thinking."

 

Following Felix's lead, Changbin comments too. 

 

"Yeonjun's been talking about Anna a lot too."

 

Chan frowned in confusion. 

 

"Who's Anna?"

 

"BTS's soulmate.

 

"Oh! Of course, she was at the MAMA's."

 

Changbin laughed as he thought about that night. 

 

"Wooyoungie still won't shut up about the fact that he met Jimin from BTS. Any of the others and he would have been ecstatic, but Jimin-Sunbaenim is his bias."

 

Since they were getting slightly off-topic, Felix tried to subtly prompt Chan again. 

 

"So, do you think about your soulmate?"

 

"Well, sure. I guess I think about them as much as anyone else, but we're still young and super busy. We've got plenty of time for all that."

 

"Last time I asked you, you weren't so sure you wanted to meet them."

 

The leader looked confused.

 

"Really? When was that?"

 

Felix stared at Chan as he answered, wondering if the older Idol was just pretending not to remember. 

 

"During Kingdom."

 

"I don't remember..."

 

"You said, you had seven kids and you couldn't imagine needing anyone else."

 

Changbin almost choked on his water.

 

"Hyung? Seriously? But what about -"

 

"Are you sure I wasn't joking? Either way, I've got five years until I need to worry."

 

"What if they're older?"

 

"What?"

 

"Your soulmate. What if they're older than you? You might have less time than you think."

 

"What's with the inquisition today?"

 

"Just curious, Hyung. You're the oldest in the group, so it's most likely that you'll find your soulmate first. Things could change."

 

"Whatever happens, Stray Kids will stay strong. No one could replace my seven kids in my heart."

 

"Aww, Channie-Hyung. I love you too!"

 

Changbin rolled his eyes at the pair and checked his phone, smiling widely at what he saw.

 

"Yeonjun did it!"

 

Felix gasped and leaned towards the rapper. 

 

"Really?! Rose-Noona's going to be so happy!"

 

"Rose-Noona?"

 

Chan looked to Changbin for confirmation that Felix was talking about his soulmate, Rose.

 

"Hyung! Funny story. You know how Wooyoung and I were going to check up on Rose because of the whole getting fired thing. Well, guess who else was paying her a visit."

 

Felix waved. 

 

"Why would Felix be visiting... you know?"

 

"Yeah Felix, tell Chan-Hyung why you were there."

 

"Rose-Noona is my friend. At the fan meeting - after you ran off - I went looking for you but found her instead and we've kept in contact since."

 

"You've been in contact with Rose this whole time."

 

"Yes... Why? Is that a problem?"

 

"No. Yes. I mean, why didn't you tell me."

 

"I didn't hide it from you, Hyung. I'm not the one who's been keeping secrets."

 

"I don't know what you mean."

 

"Hyung, Felix knows."

 

Chan sighed in defeat. 

 

"Look, it's not that I didn't want to tell you, I just needed to think some things through on my own first."

 

"It's okay, Channie-Hyung. I forgive you, but if you ever hurt Rose-Noona again..."

 

"I hurt her?"

 

"Of course you did! You met your soulmate for the first time and you didn't even acknowledge them! It must be so hard for soulmates of Idols. We get so many fans claiming to be our soulmates, what happens when it's actually true?"

 

"I hadn't even thought about that. Do you think she knew before that day?"

 

"According to Wooyoung, yes, she did."

 

"How long do you think she's been trying to meet Hyung?"

 

"No idea... Wait, she did tell me that the first time she visited Korea she came to our concert."

 

"When was that?"

 

"Our first concert in Seoul. Almost two and half years ago?"

 

"Two and half years!"

 

"We don't know that she knew back then, Hyung."

 

"But she definitely knew before the fan meeting."

 

"Would you have been ready to meet your soulmate back then, Hyung?"

 

"Probably not. Okay, no, definitely not, but..."

 

"It still hurts to think about."

 

"Yeah."

 

"So, you want to meet Rose-Noona again?"

 

"I wanted to ever since I watched her walk out of that room that day, but until now no one we knew had a way of contacting her."

 

"You see, Hyung, this is why you shouldn't keep secrets from me."

 

"Yeah, yeah, I've learnt my lesson. Aussie bros for life."

 

The two Australians fist-bumped. 

 

"Aussie bros forever."

 

"I feel left out."

 

"Aww, Changbinnie-Hyung, come here and give me a kiss!"

 

Changbin pushed away the younger boy as he leaned against him. 

 

"Once was quite enough thanks."

 

Chan smiled fondly at the interaction between his two group members. 

 

"So, Hyung, did you want to hear about our visit to your soulmate's place?"

 

The leader rubbed his hands against his trousers. The question wasn't quite as simple as it sounded.

 

"Tell me everything."

 

The two younger boys smiled. 

 

"So, we turned up - uninvited - and rang the doorbell. At first, Rose-Noona didn't really want us to come in, but I had brought my brownies with me."

 

"And no one can say no to your baking."

 

"Exactly! As soon as she opened the door, she grabbed the brownies like they were her lifeline, which is strange because Wooyoung-Hyung says she only eats healthy food, no snacks, but it was so cute."

 

Felix and Changbin took turns telling Chan every detail of their visit. 

 

"I feel like I know her already."

 

"And...?"

 

"I think I'd like to get to know her more."

 

Changbin clapped his leader on the shoulder. 

 

"I think that's a great idea, Hyung."

 

"Felix? You don't look so sure."

 

"It's not that, Hyung. I just - I want to make sure that you know what you're doing, what you want."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"You basically rejected Rose last time you met. When you meet again, she's going to be confused that you suddenly want her."

 

"I get that and I'm going to explain why I reacted the way I did before."

 

"Soulmates don't have to have a romantic relationship, you know."

 

Changbin turned to study Felix, wondering where he was going with this comment. 

 

"I guess that's true."

 

"I'm just saying that you were, are, rather anxious about the whole soulmate thing. It might be beneficial just to be friends, to start with at least."

 

"You're right. I had a few reasons for being unsure about finding my soulmate. I've often wondered how they would fit into my life. I mean, I barely have time to sleep, or even eat, how can I make time for a soulmate in my life? Right?"

 

Changbin frowned. While it was true that some soulmates kept things platonic, most people - and he was sure Rose was one of them - dreamed of finding love with their soulmate. 

 

"But that's just part of being in a relationship. It takes work and compromises, but it's worth it. It's a once in a lifetime kind of love."

 

"Perhaps, but I can't risk Stray Kids' future by spending less time working as a compromise. If Rose is my soulmate, then she'll understand that."

 

"What if that's not what she wants?"

 

Changbin and Felix both held their breath as they waited for Chan's answer. 

 

"That's all I can offer her."

Chapter 9: The Tortoise and the Hare

Rose was shocked when she got the email saying she had won a ticket to Anna's fan meeting. She had heard that due to its popularity they would be releasing more tickets, but she hadn't thought that she would be one of the lucky ones. 

She had first become interested in Anna because she was BTS's soulmate. It was hard not to compare their situations. Rose wondered what life was like for her having Idols as soulmates, how did they meet, how did they react. Now that they've shown how happy they are to the world, Rose imagined having that for herself.

On the other hand, she wasn't sure she would want the kind of attention Anna has, good or bad. Rose was a rather private person, and although she worked with Idols, it was behind the scenes. She was there to make the artist look good, not to be noticed herself. It was something she had thought about a lot of the years, knowing that her soulmate was becoming more and more well-known around the world. However, it seemed she wouldn't have to worry about that for a while anyway.

As she queued for Anna's fan meeting, there was an atmosphere of anticipation running through the crowd. As Anna had only been seen on her YouTube videos and a few of BTS's V Lives, no one was sure what the fan meeting would be like, and everyone was curious to see what she was like in real life. They weren't disappointed.

During the first performance, Rose thought that it made sense that Anna was the soulmate of the members of BTS, she had the same talent and passion for music that the boys did. Anna was also as cute and sweet in person as she had come across in her videos.

In a way, Anna meeting ATEEZ at the MAMA's had been the beginning of Rose's latest rollercoaster ride. Meeting BTS's final soulmate had got the younger group talking about soulmates and ultimately asking about hers. If it hadn't been for that, Hongjoong might have never put two and two together and figured out how her soulmate was, and then Wooyoung wouldn't have tried to help her meet him. 

So, when Anna did a cover of one of ATEEZ's songs, Take Me Home, Rose got overly emotional. She missed the young Idols that she had spent the last two years with.

When it came to her turn to have her minute with Anna, she was ready with her question. It had been difficult to decide which question to ask, knowing she would probably only have time to ask one. However, what she hadn't expected was the question that Anna asked her.

"Rose? You worked with ATEEZ, right? Yeonjun asked me to look out for you."

"He did? Oh, did Wooyoung ask him to get me a ticket?"

Rose couldn't believe that the Idol had done this for her, again.

"Um, no, I believe it was Changbin, from Stray Kids. You seem to have a lot of friends in the industry."

"Friends of friends. ATEEZ are great and really kind, too kind, considering I was just a member of their staff."

"Oh, I'm sure that’s not true - Listen, if you're free after the show, stick around, I'd like to talk some more. Okay?"

Rose barely had time to agree before she was being ushered away so that the next fan could take their turn. As she made her way back to her seat, she was a little dazed at what had just happened. Anna was as nice as she appeared in her videos and Rose was hopeful that she could make a new friend. 

Rose was also thinking about the fact that she now owed another Idol, and she didn't know how she was ever going to pay them back. At least, with Wooyoung he did it so that she could meet her soulmate, but Changbin had no reason to go out of his way to get her a ticket for a show she just wanted to go to.

Between Changbin and Felix, Rose wondered why the two Idols were so nice to her. She also wondered how they would react when they found out that she was their leader's soulmate. Since they hadn't said anything, she assumed that Wooyoung hadn't told them yet. If they reacted well, then she hoped it would mean that being a part of Chan's life would be easier. That was if she ever got the chance to be a part of it.

Although she had seen the vlog on Anna's YouTube channel of her 24-hour song cover challenge, seeing her perform Phobia by Stray Kids was impressive. The video showed BTS's soulmate putting together a cover of her chosen song from scratch, ready to perform in front of HYBE staff to keep her spot as a trainee, all within 24 hours. Rose knew the original song very well, as she knew all of her soulmate's songs, and she loved Anna's version of it too.

After the fan meeting ended, Rose hung back until everyone else had left before approaching the staff member who had been watching over Anna during the meet and greets. She was led to a room backstage where BTS's soulmate was waiting.

"Rose! Come in. Do you want a Hotteok?"

"Hotteok?"

"Yes. It seems someone sent a food truck for everyone to enjoy after the show."

"That's so thoughtful of them."

"My soulmates are the sweetest."

Rose smiled politely as she sat down. Although she was tempted, she didn't take a Hotteok. After eating so many of Felix's brownies on his last visit, she had been on a strict diet as a consequence.

"So, I have to confess my reason for asking you to stay."

"Okay?"

"I was hoping we could become friends? Yeonjun spoke very highly of you, and well, I hope you don't mind that I know that you lost your job."

"Oh."

"He told me that ATEEZ are very upset about it, but he didn't know - do you mind if I ask why they fired you?"

"Sure, why not. They fired me because they found out that my soulmate works at a different entertainment company."

"Work? As in...?"

"He's an Idol, yes."

"Wow."

"Yep."

"How are you dealing with that? It's a lot, I know."

"Yes, well, it didn't turn out quite as I'd hoped it would."

"Oh, if you need anyone to talk to about having an Idol as a soulmate, I'm your girl."

"I'll keep that in mind, but you see we're not bonded."

"It's okay to take your time. It took me two months before I bonded with -"

"It's not like that. When we first met, he didn't do anything. It was like he didn't feel..."

"Oh my - I can't even imagine what that must have been like for you."

"Sorry to lay this all on you."

"No, it's okay, but only if you want to talk about it."

"Actually, it's really nice to talk to someone about it. I don't have a lot of friends - apart from ATEEZ and their friends apparently."

"I feel the same way. I only have my soulmates, the younger groups, and a few of the trainees at the company."

The two girls smiled at each other, feeling that they understood one another.

"Noona!"

Suddenly a cry echoed down the hallway outside the room, before a body came running through the door. Anna stood up and Rose watched as a loving smile took over the other girl's face.

It was Jungkook that came rushing in. The singer wrapped his strong arms around Anna and lifted her up. She let out a gasp of surprise before laughing. When he didn't put her down straight away, Anna wrapped her legs around him.

"You were amazing!"

"You saw?"

"Of course! I wouldn't have missed this for anything."

"Was it really okay?"

Jungkook leaned his head forward and rested his forehead against hers.

"More than okay. You were born to do this and today was only more proof of that."

Rose couldn't look away as she watched the couple and how they gazed adoringly at each other. Jungkook rubbed his nose against Anna's making her giggle before caressing his cheek with her fingers. At first, she smiled at the sight and the obvious love the two shared, but then she had to look away at the thought that she would never have this.

"Jin-Hyung, I think we're getting old."

"Speak for yourself!"

Jin and Taehyung appearing in the doorway brought the couple back to reality. Anna blushed, realising Rose was still in the room and indicated for Jungkook to put her down.

"Did you three sneak out?"

"Of course not, Darling."

"It was Jin-Hyung's idea!"

"Yah! Taehyung, watch who you're accusing!"

"You see Rose, being the soulmate of an Idol can also be a babysitting job."

"Noona, I know Jin-Hyung can be a lot sometimes, but don't you think that's a bit harsh."

"Yah! Come here you little-"

Jungkook hid behind Anna, using her for protection from his oldest soulmate.

Rose watched the whole interaction with interest.

"It's obvious that you're made for each other, and you love each other very much."

"Thank you. It was a lot at first, but we worked it out eventually. I like to believe that everything happens for a reason. You'll get your happy ending too. In the meantime, I might need a makeup artist soon. I can get Jin to pull some strings if you're interested?"

"Really? That's very kind but I don't want to owe anymore favours."

"I've been told recently that it’s okay to accept help. Even so, let's keep in touch, okay?"

"Definitely. Thank you for taking the time to meet me and for giving me a ticket for today. It was a great show."

"Thank you for wanting to come and now Stray Kids owes me a favour. Win-win."

Taehyung wrapped his arms around Anna from behind and hid his face in her neck.

"I better get these three home. See you soon!"

Rose watched them leave after waving goodbye. Taehyung was still wrapped around Anna and Jin jumped on Jungkook’s back, who carried him as if it wasn't a full-grown man he had clinging to his back.

She wondered what it must be like to be a part of a soulgroup of eight.

I bet you never get lonely.

Chapter 10: ALL IN

When Rose had lost her job, she had advertised herself for work as well as reached out to the contacts she had made over the past two years in case something came up at their companies. Yet, she was still shocked when JYP Entertainment called her to invite her for an interview.

Rose had a feeling that one of her new friends may have had something to do with her getting an interview. However, it wasn't an opportunity she could pass up. If other companies had the same stance on soulmates working in rival companies, then JYP may be the only place she could work with Idols.

"This job will involve working with our group Stray Kids. Their comeback is days away and for various reasons we need a new staff member. The position is a little bit of everything for now. You'll mostly be like a personal assistant for the group, making sure they have everything they need, helping out the makeup artists and stylists. Do you think this is something you would be good at?"

"Yes. My last job was similar. Although I was mainly the makeup artist's assistant, I helped the other staff when needed."

"You were there two years? We already contacted them for a reference, and they had nothing but good things to say. Hard-working and dedicated. Why did you leave that job?"

"The truth? They fired me because they found out that my soulmate works at another entertainment company. They were worried about loyalty."

"I see. Well, our contracts are such that we wouldn't share those concerns. None of our employees would take the risk of breaking their contracts. You understand?"

"I do."

"Good. We'll be in touch once we've made our decision, most likely by the end of the day as we will need you to start straight away."

"Thank you."

Rose wasn't expecting to be abused as soon as she stepped into the hallway.

"Noona! How did it go?"

The sight of Changbin's smiling face brought a smile to her own face.

"Hello, Changbin. How did you know I was here?"

"It's one of my superpowers. Come on, I want to show you something."

The rapper grabbed her wrist and started leading her through the building until they stopped outside a door.

"What are we doing?"

"This is Chan-Hyung's studio. You can say no, but he would really like to talk to you."

Rose hoped Changbin didn't notice how her body stiffened at the mention of Stray Kids' leader.

"Oh? Why would he want to talk to me?"

"We both know why, Noona. I know your first meeting must have been upsetting, but can you give him a second chance?"

"You know?"

"Yes."

"How long?"

"Since the fan meeting. After you left, Chan went looking for you. He didn't find you, but when I found him, he told me that he had just met his soulmate."

"So, he knows?"

She pointed towards the closed door and Changbin gave her a small nod. Rose took a deep breath as she tried to process what the new information she had learnt meant.

"Will you talk to him?"

The answer was always going to be yes. At the very least Rose needed the closure, the confrontation that she never got to have the last time that they met.

"Okay. I need to talk to him anyway."

"Great. Did you want me to go in with you?"

"I got this. Thanks, Changbinnie. I'll see you later."

"Y-you're welcome, Noona. Bye."

Changbin walked away as Rose turned to the door. The rapper stopped partway down the hallway and turned back to watch as she entered the room.

Although she knocked, Chan had his headphones on and was busy working when she opened the door. Rose kept hold of the door handle as if it were her lifeline. She wasn't sure how she felt being face to face with this Idol once again. While a slither of hope was starting to rise within her, the way he had spoken to her before replayed in her mind.

Once she had regained control of herself, Rose stepped into the room so that she could close the door. She was sure that neither of them would want anyone to overhear their conversation and according to Changbin, his leader was expecting her.

As Chan still hadn't noticed her presence in his studio, too emersed in his music, Rose waved her arm in an effort to catch his attention. It worked. The Idol caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and when he turned to look the sight of Rose standing there made him jump. He fumbled about as he tried to pause the music that was playing, took his headphones off, and stood up.

"You came. Uh, I mean, hello. Thank you for agreeing to speak with me."

"No need to thank me. I wanted to speak to you too."

"Come in and have a seat."

Chan stepped towards her, and Rose knew the moment that he felt their connection. He didn't hide his reaction this time as he stared at her with wide eyes.

She held up her hand as if she was asking for a high five, which he hesitated to return.

Please.

When their hands touched, Rose almost cried out in relief. She had truly begun to believe that she had imagined everything that she was just another crazy fan who wanted her Idol to be her soulmate. Finally, she had confirmation that this Idol was her soulmate, the only problem was that she thought she would be happier with that knowledge.

As she had felt it twice before, granted that it wouldn't have been as strong as with skin-to-skin contact, Rose was able to stand her ground as the feeling of hope that their soulmate bond provided washed over her. However, Chan had a different experience. When the feeling that the bond provided hit him it was overwhelming, and he felt his knees buckle. His hand slipped away from her as he knelt down.

Perhaps if he hadn't tried to ignore the bond last time it would be affecting him so badly now.

However, the feeling itself took his breath away and he found himself looking up at Rose in awe.

Rose held out her hand to help him stand again.

"Are you okay? It's a bit overpowering the first time you feel it, right?"

As he accepted her hand and stood up, the feeling hit him again and he couldn't decide whether he wanted to push her away or hold her closer.

It was Rose that broke their physical connection first. Holding her soulmate's hand was making her head spin and she stepped away, taking a seat on the sofa while she tried to focus on the conversation she wanted to have with Chan.

Chan stood for a moment as he processed the loss of contact with his soulmate. It hadn't been at all what he had expected and now he couldn't believe that he had ever been so afraid of meeting his soulmate. He was starting to think that he had been wrong about everything, and he only hoped that it wasn't too late to fix things.

The Idol joined Rose on the sofa rather than sitting back in his desk chair, wanting to be closer to his soulmate. He tried to remember what he had wanted to say, but before he could apologise, she spoke first.

"I guess that means that you can feel it. You see, I wasn't sure after our last meeting."

There was a hint of bitterness behind her words that made Chan's chest ache with guilt. 

"I'm really sorry about that. I panicked and decided to ignore what I was feeling. There's no excuse, but I would like to explain why I reacted that way."

"Yes. An explanation would be nice."

As Chan told her what he had told Changbin after the fan meeting, Rose felt her walls falter. While she had heard rumours that years ago Idols weren't allowed to be with their soulmates, it didn't affect many of the recent generation Idols. She hadn't considered how the Idol had grown up as a trainee in the industry since he was young.

"This doesn't have to mean anything if you don't want it to. We can just be friends, or I can leave and come back in a few years before the sickness starts. It's up to you."

Chan was taken aback by Rose's words. He didn't want any of that.

"What do you want?"

"Just knowing that I have found my soulmate is enough for me. I want you to be happy."

"I don't want you to leave."

"Then I won't."

"I think we should get to know each other first?"

"I agree. That's a good idea. I was here for a job interview, but I won't take it if you're not comfortable with me working here."

"You should take it. It will be easier to get to know one another if we both work at the same place."

What Chan didn't say was that he had been the one to make sure she got an interview in the first place.

"If I get the job, I'll be working closely with your group. Other than Changbin and Felix, do the others know about me?"

"No, I haven't told them anything yet."

"Are you going to? I just want to know how to introduce myself to them."

"I - I'll introduce you to them, as my soulmate."

"If you're sure?"

"Yeah, they'll have to know eventually anyway, right?"

"Right."

For some reason, Chan's words hurt Rose. He might not have meant it that way, but it sounded as if he didn't want his group members to know about her and was only introducing her that way because he had to.

Inside, Chan was kicking himself. It seemed like everything he said came out wrong. He had never been so nervous around someone before. He didn't think things could get any more complicated.

At least if shes working here I'll have plenty of opportunities to make things right.

Chapter 11: WOLFGANG

Rose left Chan's studio with a mix of emotions. First and foremost, it was a relief to know for a fact that the Idol was her soulmate and that he knew it too. However, that didn't take away from the bad memory of their previous meeting. She was frustrated at how complicated the whole process of meeting her soulmate had been. It wasn't at all how she had imagined it would happen as a young girl.

Now she was uneasy about how her future would look. While Chan and Rose had decided to get to know each other, she wasn't sure whether their relationship was going to be strictly professional, friendly, or more. As much as she tried to convince herself that she would be fine just being friends with her soulmate, her heart ached at just the thought.

As she walked through the corridors of JYP, Rose tried to think of anything else other than her soulmate to get rid of the pain in her chest. Yet she couldn't rid her mind of the picture of his face when he finally felt their bond fully for the first time. The way he had looked at her during that moment had been everything she had ever dreamed of, and for a second, she'd had hope that this would be her happy ending.

"Noona? Rose-Noona!"

Finally, Rose was knocked out of her thoughts by a familiar deep voice calling out to her. When she turned to see Felix approaching her with a warm smile on his face, she immediately returns it with her own. The ache in her chest lessened until Rose all but forgot about it.

"Felix. Fancy seeing you here."

The young Idol looked so happy to see her that Rose had to look away before she blushed under his attentions. It was then that she noticed that he wasn't alone, Hyunjin was with him. The other Idol was regarding her curiously and she wondered whether Felix had ever mentioned to his group mates that he was friends with her.

"What are you doing here? You didn't tell me you were coming to the company. Oh! Hyunjin, you remember, Rose-Noona, right? You met her after our fan meeting."

Rose bowed her head politely towards the other Idol.

"I wouldn't expect you to remember me, Hyunjin. We only met briefly before. It's nice to see you again."

Hyunjin's curious eyes had lit up slightly in recognition and a small but friendly smile appeared on his lips.

"I remember every fan I meet, but especially if they're a friend of Felix's. It's nice to see you again too."

"So, Noona, what are you doing at JYP?"

"You mean you don't know?"

"Should I?"

From Felix's oblivious expression Rose knew that he hadn't had anything to do with her getting an interview today.

Perhaps it was all Changbin's doing.

"I was here for an interview."

"You're going to work here!"

"Don't get too excited, Lixie. I have to get the job first."

Hyunjin's sharp eyes darted to Rose and then back to Felix at the use of the nickname. He hadn't realised that the two were that close and it only made him more curious about the woman in front of him.

"You will, Noona. I know you will."

"Rose, have you eaten? We were just heading down to the cafeteria. Would you like to join us?"

Rose tried not to let the surprise she felt show on her face. She wasn't sure why the other Idol was inviting her to eat with them, and she wasn't sure about hanging out with more members of her soulmates group until Chan had spoken to them about her. On the other hand, she was already friends with two of them, so what was one more.

"Oh! Please join us, Noona! You'll love the JYP cafeteria, everything is very healthy."

"Well, how can I say no to that."

And that was how Rose found herself eating with two Idols in the JYP company building.

She had to admit that it was rather surreal. Although she had hung out with the members of ATEEZ while they were working, being at JYP was on a whole other level. Rose tried not to stare at she saw a couple of members of Twice walk through the cafeteria.

"So, Noona, what have you been up to? Did you go to Anna's fan meeting?"

"I think you know I did. That reminds me I must thank Changbin for getting me a ticket. He really shouldn't have."

Hyunjin's eyes widened. It hadn't been too surprising that Rose was friends with Felix, the boy made friends with everyone he met, but Hyunjin was surprised that she was close with Changbin as well.

"Changbin-Hyung just wanted to do something to cheer you up. We all did."

"And I appreciated it, a lot. You boys are too sweet."

"Rose knows Changbin-Hyung as well?"

"Yep. We both met her at Wooyoung-Hyung's. Don't you remember me telling you, Jinnie?"

The slightly older dancer nodded thoughtfully as he pieced it all together. He remembered now that Changbin had introduced Rose as someone who worked with ATEEZ. Hyunjin wondered why she was looking for a new job if she was on such close terms with the other group.

Rose stiffened under Hyunjin's calculating gaze. Perhaps this hadn't been such a great idea after all.

"The food here is great. So, are you excited about your comeback? Not long to wait now."

"Did you watch the teaser videos, Noona? Did you like them?"

"They were amazing! I didn't think I could be any more excited than I was after watching the main trailer, but... wow."

"What was your favourite?"

"Lonely St., I was singing it afterwards without realising, but the concept for Freeze was cool as well."

"You didn't like Venom?"

"It’s not that, it’s just... spiders freak me out."

Both boys began to laugh, and Rose put her hand to her chest as if their reaction hurt her.

"What are we laughing at?"

Rose looked up at the Idol who had approached their table. She didn't know why she was so surprised to run into yet another member of Stray Kids today, she was in their company building after all.

"Rose-Noona is scared of the spider in our Venom video."

Jisung nodded his head in understanding.

"And rightly so. That thing is huge!"

While the other two boys broke out into giggles once more, Rose chuckled at Jisung's response and smiled gratefully at the rapper. 

While Rose had followed her soulmate and his group over the past few years, she had become a true fan of their music. What she would never admit though was how Chan wasn't the only member to have caught her eye. Although it was full of fangirl innocence, she was sure that anyone who had watched Han Jisung perform Silent Cry at the fan meeting had instantly fallen in love with him.

As Jisung looked down at her, Rose noticed the moment when he recognised her.

"STAY!"

"Jisung, this is Rose."

"Nice to see you again."

"Not to sound rude, but... how did you get in?"

"Hey! Rose-Noona was here for an interview."

"Interview? To work here? Doing what?"

The rapper rested his chin in his hand as he waited for her answer.

"Actually, I would be working with - "

Before she could finish, Rose's phone rang. After excusing herself, she walked away to a quiet corner to answer the call. It was the hiring team at JYP, they had made their decision and were offering her the job. Her eyes glanced over at the Idols she had just been sitting with.

"I'm afraid we can't give you too much time to think about your answer. We need someone to start tomorrow."

"No. That's okay. I don't need any time to think."

When Rose sat back down at the table, Felix looked at her expectantly.

"Was that about the job? Did you get it, Noona?"

"I guess you'll be seeing a lot more of me."

"Yay! When do you start? I'll bake brownies to celebrate, or would you prefer cookies, Noona?"

"Tomorrow, and I'm still recovering from the last batch of baked goods you made me! They're too good for even my self-restraint."

"Really?"

"Fine. I choose cookies. They're Ch- your leader's favourite, right?"

"Chan-Hyung? Good luck getting him to eat any. He's still on his diet."

"Still?! But he's so thin... Sorry."

"Maybe Noona can convince him."

Rose met Felix's gaze and she was as sure as she could be that he knew that she was Chan's soulmate. She wished that they were alone so that she could ask him about it.

"I can't believe that anyone could resist your baking, Felix."

"True. Just the thought of it is making my mouth water."

Jisung licked his lips and grabbed one of the drinks that were on the table and took a mouthful.

"Um, Sungie, that was Rose's."

Hyunjin's smirk was replaced by an expression of disgust as the other Idol spit a bit of the drink at him in surprise. He had thought the drink was one of his group mates.

"I'm so sorry! I'll buy you another one."

Rose waved the rapper off before he could jump up to fetch her another drink.

"It's quite alright. I should be going now anyway. It's a big day tomorrow."

While they thought she was referring to the first day of her new job, and in a way, she was, Rose was more focused on the fact that Chan would be introducing her to the rest of Stray Kids as his soulmate.

Chapter 12: My Side

For the first time, Chan didn't know how to talk to his group. Introducing his soulmate was not only personal to him, but as much as he might wish it wouldn't, it was also going to affect the whole group. He wasn't sure how they were going to react. Changbin was someone who tended to go with the flow and Felix had gotten to know her before finding out their connection. However, the other members were more prone to dramatics.

As Rose stood in the practice room beside her soulmate and in front of seven other Idols, it seemed as though the day she had been waiting for had arrived. Here she was with her soulmate, with the boys who were like family to him, and all she hoped was that they accepted her into their lives. She knew that without their blessing, then her relationship with Chan was going to be difficult, or non-existent.

Sensing her soulmate's struggle to start what they both knew was going to be a surprising conversation for the other Idols, Rose began by introducing herself.

"Hello, I'm Rose and I am your new assistant. If you need anything just let me know. Please look after me."

After bowing she waited for Chan to say something while the other boys greeted her back.

"I - There's something important I need to tell you all."

Minho, who hadn't really been paying attention and instead was doing some stretches to get ready for their last day of rehearsals, suddenly looked at Chan. Rose noticed as his eyes focused on the leader, obviously sensing that what Chan was about to say was important.

The other members just looked a little surprised, apart from Changbin and Felix who must have known what was about to happen. Rose glanced over at her soulmate out of the corner of her eye. He was tense as if he was forcing the words out of himself.

"Rose is my soulmate."

Hyunjin's face flew up to cover his mouth as he gasped, his eyes wide. He started to jump up and down while pointing at the couple with his other hand but ended up tripping and then staggered a bit before finding his balance.

"I knew it! I knew something was going on!"

Jisung's jaw dropped as he stared at his leader, then he turned to Minho as if to say, 'can you believe this?' The dancer was keeping his thoughts to himself as he studied the pair in front of him silently. He could sense an underlying tension between the soulmates, and it made him wary of Rose.

"Congratulations, Hyung! Welcome to the team, Noona!"

Changbin walked up to Chan and gave him a pat on the back and then smiled at Rose.

"Noona! You didn't tell me the job was working with Stray Kids! This is so great!"

A beaming Felix bounced in front of the two soulmates. He'd had a lot of time to get used to the idea, but he was happy that his closest Hyung had found his soulmate and the younger Aussie was glad that it was Rose. He knew Rose would be good for Chan.

"We've met you before..."

Jeongin had his head tilted to the side as he tried to figure out where he had seen Rose before. Seungmin stepped forwards.

"At the fan meeting. Have you known since then, Hyung?"

Chan shifted uncomfortably at the reminder that he had met his soulmate over a month ago and was only just saying something now.

"Yes, but we only talked properly yesterday, so this is still very new."

Why didn't you say anything back then?

Everyone was thinking the same thing, but none of them voiced the question out loud. They knew their leader must have his reasons and if he wanted them to know then he would tell them.

"What a coincidence."

"Minho-Hyung?"

"What a coincidence that the fan Changbin invited backstage just happened to be one of our soulmates."

"It's like something out of a drama!"

"The work of fate."

"How romantic..."

The four in the room that knew it was thanks to a someone's plan, rather than luck or destiny, stayed quiet.

"The magic of soulmates bringing people together."

"So, Rose, tell us about yourself. How do you know Changbin-Hyung?"

"And Felix!"

"Well, I used to work with ATEEZ and I was dropping off some things at their apartment when Changbin and Felix were visiting."

"Wooyoungie invited Noona for dinner without telling her that he had guests. She was a little star-struck!"

"Yah! I walked into a room full of Idols that I had only seen from afar before with no warning! Anyone would've reacted the same way."

"It's okay, Noona. We don't mind if you fangirl over us."

Felix grinned cheekily at her.

"I'm sure there will be plenty of that when the new album drops tomorrow."

"Speaking of, we should get back to work."

Before they could move, it seemed one of the members still had questions for Rose.

"Why don't you work for ATEEZ anymore?"

"Minho -"

"Their company fired me when they found out my soulmate worked at a rival company."

"Really!"

"Oh no, that's so sad!"

"So, you got a job working with your soulmate instead."

Chan didn't like Minho's line of questioning, so he stepped closer to Rose and rested his hand on her shoulder.

"Rose got a job here because she is highly skilled, and we needed someone to help out during our comeback. We are lucky to have her on our team."

Rose was so focused on the feeling of her soulmate's hand resting on her shoulder that she almost missed what he said. She glanced over at him in surprise. When he met her gaze, she could see the sincerity in his eyes. The whole interaction confused her, and she stepped away, letting Chan's hand fall away.

"Well, I'm going to meet the rest of your team, but before I go, do you guys need anything?"

There was a moment of silence while each of them waited to see if anyone spoke up.

"No, thank you, Rose."

"Alrighty. See you guys later then."

"Bye, Noona!"

All eight of them watched as she left the room.

"I can't believe Rose-Noona is working with us! She was so sad after having to leave ATEEZ, I hope that she's happy here."

Changbin patted Felix on the head.

"I'm sure she will be. She's a part of the team now. Right, Hyung?"

"That's right. Does anyone else want to say something before we start rehearsals?"

"Since she's your soulmate, do we all get to call Rose, Noona?"

While some of the boys chuckled at Jisung's question, Minho scoffed, making Chan frown.

"What is it, Minho?"

"Your soulmate seems to be hiding something and I was just wondering whether you knew what it was."

The air in the room turned tense at the dancer's words. Chan and Changbin were thinking about their theory that Rose had known she was the leader's soulmate for a few years already. Seungmin was inwardly agreeing with Minho that there was something either Rose or Chan wasn't telling them but was content that if they needed to know then Chan would tell them.

Felix stepped towards Minho with his hands on his hips and an angry look on his face.

"What exactly are you accusing Rose-Noona of, Minho-Hyung?"

The rest of the group was shocked by the tone of Felix's voice. When he wasn't performing, he was always their sweet, happy fairy. They rarely ever saw him angry.

Minho stared at the younger dancer for a moment. He found it interesting how protective Felix was of Rose and wondered if it was just because she was Chan's soulmate or something else. He took a step back with his hands raised in surrender.

"Nothing. Nothing. I guess I'll need to spend some time getting to know your Rose-Noona, Felix."

"Right... Is it okay with everyone if we start working now? Yes? Great! 24 hours until comeback guys. Let's go!"

The next day Rose was on standby backstage for Stray Kids' comeback performance. Everyone was in their stage outfits and the stylists and makeup artists were adding the finishing touches. Rose helped out wherever she was needed, fetching items for the staff and Idols, and fixing smudges and stray hairs.

"Did you enjoy your first day, Noona?"

"You're about to have a comeback and you're asking me how my first day at work was?"

"Yes. Of course, I am. Why wouldn't I?"

Because you have more important things to worry about?

"I got to spend the day looking after my Lixie. Of course, I enjoyed it."

"Noona!"

"You're so cute! Are you ready?"

"Yeah. I just wish I could dance."

"Things happen, it's unavoidable, and no one's fault. Just do your best."

"Thanks, Noona."

Felix pulled at the hem of his top.

"Is your outfit uncomfortable?"

"What? No. It's fine, Noona. I'm not dancing much in it anyway."

Rose examined the clothing, adjusting it to sit more comfortably.

"I hate it when Idols are put in outfits that aren't suitable for dancing in. I know you've got to look good, but still, it’s stupid if you can't dance your best."

When she stopped fiddling with his outfit, Rose noticed that Felix was smiling at her.

"What?"

"It's nice, how much you care, Noona."

"As much as it warms my heart to hear that, it also worries me that you don't think your staff cares about you."

"Oh no, I didn't mean it like that! But they're not like you, Noona."

"Well, I am your friend, so that does make me special. I'm going to check on everyone else, okay?"

Felix smiled and nodded, watching as Rose went around the room to check that the other members' outfits were comfortable.

There wasn't much she could do without the stylists' approval, but the rest of the boys assured her that they were comfortable with their outfits. Although, when she pressured a few of them, Jeongin admitted to being tickled by a stray thread and Seungmin had a strap that was done up a little too tight. 

However, when she reached Minho, Rose hesitated to approach him. She hadn't been blind to his not exactly welcoming attitude towards her yesterday. Instead, she studied his outfit from a distance. She knew that as the main dancer, he would typically be more forcefully with his movements, meaning that his outfit needs to be able to withstand that.

Minho's outfit consisted of a short jacket with a belt around his waist. The belt didn't look too tight which was good, but Rose noticed that it was loose, there were no belt loops to hold it in place. When she approached a stylist to raise her concern, she was rebuffed with the reply that she was not a stylist and the outfit had been fine in rehearsal.

But they don't dance full out in rehearsal...

As Rose watched their performance on the screen in the dressing room, she noticed as Minho's top kept riding up above the belt. In pauses, he would pull it back down and once he tried pulling it over the belt, but it must have been more uncomfortable to have the belt against his skin as the first chance he got it tucket the top back underneath it.

It was painful to watch, and Rose swore that she would work harder so that nothing like this ever happened to her boys again.

Chapter 13: DOMINO

Rose was trying not to laugh as she watched Stray Kids record a zombie version of the Maniac choreography. While Felix was taking the performance very seriously, the others were having a great time pretending to be zombies. It was nice to see them having so much fun.

To begin with they were just doing the choreography with zombie-like movements: clawed hands, jerky body movements, and growls. Hyunjin almost looked cute when he waved his hands about in what was supposed to be a scary gesture. However, once they got into it, it turned into typical Stray Kids chaos.

It was obvious that Changbin in particular had watched a lot of zombie shows. Rose was impressed by his growls and twitchy movements but also noticed when the rapper smiled at himself after his solo.

At one point they all started to bite each other. It started with Changbin biting Chan on the side, taking the leader by surprise and making him cry out. Then Hyunjin pretended to bite Jeongin’s neck, who retaliated by chomping back at him, and finally, Felix pretended to take a small bite out of Seungmin's neck as he walked past.

Rose almost shrieked in surprise at the end when Minho started running towards her in a zombie-like fashion, but he barely spared her a glance as he straightened up and walked away. She had her hand over her heart when Felix approached her with his normal grin.

"Did we scare you, Noona?"

"You were so good that I thought you'd turned into real zombies. So scary!"

"I think Changbin-Hyung has turned into a zombie."

The group member in question turned towards them at the mention of his name and stumbled over to where Rose was sitting, still in zombie mode. This time she really did squeal as he pretended to attack her. Felix and Jeongin held the rapper back and he tried to bite her, making her lean back as far as she could.

"Are you not a fan of zombies?"

"Don't tell anyone, but I'm actually a scared cat when it comes to stuff like this. I can't watch horror movies."

At her admission, Changbin immediately dropped his act.

"Sorry, Noona."

"No, no! You're fine. Really. You make an excellent zombie, Binnie."

The rapper's chest puffed up at her praise.

"What about me?!"

"You too, Innie. Very scary."

"Who was the scariest, Noona?"

"Oh, definitely you, Felix. Seriously terrifying. Especially with your hands."

"It was kind of cool having this kind of makeup put on."

"Do you know how to do stuff like this, Noona?"

"Special effects makeup? No, but I'd love to learn."

"It looks cool, but I bet it's going to be a pain to get off."

"I'll help you if you want. I have my own special makeup remover."

"Really? Thank you, Rose."

"Call me Noona."

"Okay! Thank you, Noona."

Rose helped the boys clean up, or at least the ones who would let her. She focused on cleaning Felix's arms while the other boys used her special remover.

"Whoa! This stuff is amazing." 

"My skin feels so nice after using it!"

"Noona, what is this?"

"Ah. It's my secret recipe."

"Since your Chan-Hyungs soulmate does that mean we get access to a lifetime supply."

"Oh, is that how it works?"

"Yes?"

Jisung pouted cutely at Rose, and she imagined that no one could say no to that face.

"Do well in your performance later and I'll think about it."

"No problem!"

Once again Rose was watching Stray Kids perform from their dressing room backstage. Ever since the issue with Minho's outfit she had made a special effort to check that every member was comfortable with what they were wearing. However, she didn't think she would ever get used to seeing Chan in a cropped top.

She remembered back in the days of Kingdom when he got embarrassed for showing a lot of skin on stage. Even at their fan meet where they first met properly, he got a little shy about his outfits. Rose didn't know what had changed, but this comeback every single outfit he wore showed a slither of skin, or more when he danced. She tried not to pay too much attention as the stylists dressed him, after all, she had no right to be jealous. Chan was just her co-worker, a friend at most, but a platonic relationship either way.

Another thing she noticed was the butt grabbing during performances. Rose didn't know what it was with Idol groups and their fascination with slapping each other's butts, but her boys seemed to have taken it up a notch and on stage. What surprised her most was that Minho seemed to be the instigator. Although since she had been a fan for years it shouldn't be that surprising. Rose knew what Minho could be like, she just hoped that one day he would warm up to her.

As the performance ended, the camera landed on each of them for the ending close-up shots. Rose watched as Felix knelt down out of the way as he blocked the camera's view of his fellow member. It was so cute that it made her smile at how considerate the young Australian was.

Rose walked out of the dressing room with towels and water bottles for the boys and met them as they walked from the stage to the dressing room. She handed them out to Hyunjin, Seungmin, and Jeongin as they passed her by, getting a tired smile and thank you from the boys.

Felix looked a little sad and Rose knew that not being able to dance was killing him. She knew the boys did their best to cheer him up, even on stage during the performance, but nothing could make up for having to stand on the sidelines and watch the rest of the group perform.

"You did amazing, Sweetie."

"Thank you, Noona."

Since he wasn't as tired as the others, Felix decided to wait with Rose for the stragglers.

Changbin took a bottle of water gratefully and thanked Rose in a cutesy tone.

"Ah! I'm overheating in this outfit!"

"What? Why didn't you say something?"

"Noona, we get hot in all our outfits. I think it's inevitable."

"Debatable. Go on, go get changed."

When Minho walked past, Rose thought he was going to completely ignore her, but instead, he reached out to take a towel and a bottle of water.

"Good job today, Minho."

The dancer paused as he took the items from her and stared into her eyes. Rose felt as though she was being studied, scrutinised. It was the first time that they had made eye contact and she felt her heart race as she held his gaze.

"Thank you."

As Minho walked away, Rose almost held her hand against her chest but stopped herself.

"See! Minho-Hyung is warming up to you already."

Rose raised an eyebrow at Felix's overenthusiastic optimism.

"If that's him warming up to me, then give it another week and I'm sure we'll be best friends."

Her sarcasm made the boy snort with laughter as Jisung bounced over to them.

"Rosie-Noona! Did I do well?"

Before she could answer, Rose was distracted by Chan appearing around the corner. He was fiddling with his inner ears but that wasn't what caught her attention. Her soulmate was walking around with his top unbuttoned, his whole chest on display. It took her so much by surprise that she wouldn't have been shocked if her jaw had dropped open.

"Noona? Do I get the lifetime supply?"

"Huh? What? Yep. Sure..."

Jisung's sharp eyes noticed that Rose was distracted but only smirked to himself before running after Minho.

"Lee Know, me know!"

On stage is one thing, but just walking around like that... No one should get to see that but me.

"Show off. It's not fair. I'm going to lose my abs because I can't work out properly."

Felix linking his arm with Rose's and resting his head on her shoulder pulled her attention off of her soulmate. She shook her head to get rid of her thoughts.

Friends. Just friends. I can do that.

Using his grip on her arm, Rose turned them around and started walking back to the dressing room, leaving Chan behind.

"Aww, don't worry, Lixie. STAY will still love you, and anyway, you'll get them back."

Chan looked up to see his best friend and his soulmate walking away without waiting for him and sighed. Looking down at his feet he considered running after them but ultimately decided against it. He was glad that Felix and Rose got along so well. This whole situation would've been even more difficult if she hadn't been accepted by his group members, or at least most of them.

As he walked back to the dressing room, Chan ran his hand down his chest before loosely doing up his top. With renewed determination, he told himself that he would just have to work harder to catch Rose's attention. He worked hard to win his fans' affections, but it was obvious that it would take more than that to win over Rose. He just needed a plan and perhaps some help.

Chapter 14: Waiting For Us

ATEEZ had been a hard-working group. Hongjoong especially would spend hours in his studio, often late at night and sometimes even spending the night there. However, Rose was sure that no one was quite as dedicated as her soulmate.

Currently, it was gone midnight and Chan was in his studio with no signs of leaving. It was Sunday and he had just started his V Live. Rose felt sorry for all the fans that would undoubtedly still be up at this time, but she knew Chan was upset with himself for not having the time to do it earlier.

From an empty room nearby where Rose had set herself up, she watched Channie's Room on V Live. Unknown to the leader, she was staying at work with him in case he needed anything. While she told herself it was part of her job, truthfully, she just wanted to be there for him. She knew that he often forgot to eat, brushing it off as saying that he didn't have time. Now that she was around Rose was going to make sure that Chan ate and looked after himself properly.

When he started talking about relating to lonely songs because he had felt lonely without Stray Kids, it hit her deep. Rose had a similarly lonely childhood, spending her school days being teased and bullied. Only once she had moved to Korea and started working with ATEEZ had she finally learnt what it meant to have friends who genuinely enjoyed her company and cared about her.

Now we've found each other we never have to be alone again.

When it was approaching the early hours of the morning, Rose wearily made her way down to her soulmate's studio and knocked on the door. Chan was obviously startled when he opened the door to see her standing there. He was tidying up the food she had brought him earlier.

"Let me do that. Go home and get some sleep. You have interviews with America in a few hours. Don’t make Felix do all the talking because you're too tired to think straight."

Chan didn't dare argue against Rose's no-nonsense attitude and thanked her before gathering his stuff and leaving. With a sigh, she cleaned up the small mess her soulmate had left behind and then she couldn't help but straighten out the rest of the room a little.

Looking at the time, she calculated that she wouldn't have enough time to go home before she had to come back again. Rose lived further away from the company than the boys did, and she liked to get in early to make sure everything was ready for the day. Sitting on Chan's studio sofa, she wondered if he would mind if she took a nap here. Just the thought was enough to send her to sleep.

They all had an early start the next day because of the time difference between Korea and America it was the best time for both sides to hold virtual interviews. When the boys arrived to get ready, Rose had made sure everything they and the staff would need was already set up.

"Noona, you look like Chan-Hyung after spending an all-nighter in the studio."

Unfortunately, there were some things that makeup couldn't cover-up, but her tiredness must have been really bad if it was that obvious.

"Thanks for pointing that out, Changbin. Just what every girl wants to hear."

"I didn't mean -"

"What Hyung meant to say was you look as beautiful as always, Noona."

"Thank you, Sweetie."

"How come Felix gets a cute nickname?"

"Is Jinnie jealous?"

Hyunjin swayed back and forth as he tried not to pout.

"No..."

"When you find your soulmate, they'll call you all the cute nicknames you want."

"But Lixie hasn't found his..."

The awkward atmosphere was broken by both Rose and the boys being called by members of staff, Rose to help finish setting up and the boys to get ready to go on camera.

However, Rose could barely focus on what she was being told to do. She and Felix had built a close relationship in such a short amount of time, and she felt almost at home in his presence. It was a feeling she hadn't felt with anyone before. It was the kind of happy and safe atmosphere she had hoped to have with her soulmate.

On the other side of the room, Felix was also lost in thought. Was it wrong that he was so close to his Hyung's soulmate? He was a people person, he made friends with everyone he met, but with Rose it was different. They had a connection and while he wasn't sure exactly what he would call it, he enjoyed her company. There was also a small part of him that felt like she needed him.

Chan wasn't unaware of the relationship between his soulmate and his best friend, his fellow Aussie. He knew that they were close, that they had been becoming friends while he was freaking out about finding his soulmate. It made him wonder what it would be like now if he had reached out and acknowledged their bond that first time that they met. In the end, what Chan wanted most was for both Rose and Felix to be happy.

While the young ones teased each other by coming up with the most sickenly sweet and cute nicknames they could, the other members were thinking about how much Rose coming into their lives had changed their group dynamic. 

Changbin, although not as close to Rose as Felix, had established a friendship with his leader's soulmate. Although he had known about who she was, Rose had caught his attention that first time they met at Wooyoung's apartment. He found her intriguing, almost like a puzzle he couldn't quite fit together. Yet, every time he looked at her, he felt a little pang in his heart as he remembers when Chan told him that Rose was his soulmate.

A dark cloud hung over the lead dancer. Minho had watched and listened very carefully to everything that was going on around him. The members of Stray Kids meant the world to him, and he would stand in the way of anything that might hurt them. Rose seemed to appear from nowhere. One night she had been a lucky fan and a few weeks later she was his leader's soulmate. From the moment Chan introduced her, Minho hadn't trusted her. His gut told him that something wasn't right, and he was determined to find out what.

The next time Chan went on V Live for Channie's room, Rose was working away in the room down the hall again. Although it wasn't as late as last time, that didn't mean that the hardworking leader wouldn't be staying in his studio until the early hours of the morning again. She had already stayed late a couple of nights this week, but nothing like the time Rose had ended up sleeping over at the company. 

Many STAY had commented that Chan's weekly V Lives were like therapy sessions for them. In this particular one, Rose could see what her soulmate was trying to do, comfort his fans, but that didn't stop it from hurting to hear him talk about himself like that. After he had given his goodbye hug and turned the camera off, she couldn't stop herself from checking on him.

"Rose? What are you still doing here? Shouldn't you have gone home by now?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Rose studied Chan's face trying to get a read on how he was really feeling.

"You just pointed out all your 'flaws' live on camera."

"If I can make STAY feel better about themselves, then it's worth it."

"STAY wouldn't want to hurt yourself for their sake."

"I'm not - It's important to show that Idols are just ordinary people. Relatable."

"There's such a thing as being too honest. Make sure you don't share something that you'll regret later."

"Life is full of regrets. What's important is that we don't focus on them."

"If only it were that easy."

The two stared at each other until Rose had to look away. This conversation had gotten deep fast, but it was long overdue. Chan gestured for her to sit on the sofa while he turned his desk chair around to face her.

"So, you were watching? I bet you found it hard to relate."

"What? What do you mean?"

"Well, you're perfect."

Rose laughed.

"I'm far from perfect."

"Not to me."

Rose felt like her heart was caught in her throat. She crossed her arms, like a shield against his sweet words, or to hold herself together.

"This is all an act, a mask I put on. I pretend to be perfect to hide all my complexes."

She spat out the words as if they were bitter as if she were ashamed to even say them out loud.

"You hide yours. I show off mine. Either way, we both still have them. They're only a problem if they have a negative impact on you."

"Are you secretly studying to become a therapist?"

"Hm, thought I needed a backup back in case the whole Idol thing doesn't work out."

The two soulmates smiled at each other. Chan leaned forward and reached out, resting one of his hands on Rose's. Her eyes widened at the contact, and she realised how her mask tended to break around her soulmate the more time she spent with him. He was so open, and she wanted a little taste of that freedom.

"My name is Rose. Like the flower. Some would argue the most beautiful flower. The flower of love. I - I used to be teased at school for not living up to my name."

The gentle squeeze of Chan's hand gave her the strength to keep going.

"That's how I got into makeup. I wanted to be beautiful. Perfect. But at the end of the day, I take off my mask and... and I become that lonely, ugly, little girl again."

"You're beautiful. With or without makeup."

"You've never seen me without makeup."

"But Felix and Changbin have."

With a groan, Rose closed her eyes and rested her head in her hand.

"I almost didn’t let them in that day for that very reason."

"They came home and immediately told me all about their visit. How cute you were. How it was unfair how naturally beautiful you were."

"They didn't!"

"They also told me how sad you were. I'm sorry you lost your job. I know you were close with ATEEZ."

"Yeah. They're good boys. So are Stray Kids."

Chan wanted to know if she had been sad because of him as well, but he couldn't bring himself to bring it up.

"I hope you're happy here. With us."

With me.

"I'm glad I'm here."

With you.

Chapter 15: Maniac

It was the last stage for promotions. The next time Stray Kids performed would be on their World Tour. Chan was trying to keep the younger members focused for this last performance, but they were very excited to finally go on Tour again. He sat down in the makeup chair with a sigh, thinking of all the things he had to do after they finished here.

"You're bouncing your leg again."

"Huh?"

Chan looked up to see Rose standing behind him. As he took in her perfect appearance, he was reminded of the conversation they had in his studio that night. How she used makeup as a mask to hide her flaws. He didn't understand how she couldn't see the beauty beneath. His soulmate was kind and caring, but also tough and funny. It made him sad to think that she didn't see these things.

"When you've got a lot to do, you bounce your leg. It's as if you need time to speed up so you can get started."

"Really? I've never noticed that before."

The habit had caught Rose's eye because she did the same thing.

"Okay. I will be doing your makeup today since Unnie is out sick."

Rose placed her hands on Chan's shoulders for a moment before she realised what she had done and quickly removed them. She masked the movement by clapping her hands together.

"You’re doing my makeup today?"

"Yes. Is that a problem? I can get the other-"

"No! I mean, no, I'm happy with you."

"Good because I had to beg a little to let them give me a chance. Now, let's get started."

Rose walked around Chan so that she was standing in front of him and began studying his face. The leader was a little confused at first as well as a little uncomfortable at her staring at his bare face.

"What are you-?"

"Done. I don't think you need anything. You're handsome just as you are."

"What? You must be joking, Rose."

"I think STAY would agree with me. You don't need any makeup to look handsome."

"Yes, I do! I do need makeup. Be serious."

Rose picked up her tools and began working on Chan's makeup. Of course, she was going to apply makeup on him. As he was going on stage under heavy lights to be captured on camera, he would benefit from it.

However, what she was trying to get across to him was that he was handsome without makeup. Apparently, the fact that she had called him handsome had completely bypassed him.

"I am serious."

Chan mulled over Rose's words as she did his makeup. He watched himself in the mirror as he was transformed into what an Idol should look like.

The differences were subtle, but the leader could see how Rose had done his makeup differently from the usual makeup artists. Instead of feeling like his flaws had been covered up, they had been highlighted but in a good way. She had corrected his lopsided face, made his eyes look bigger and his nose look smaller. Overall, he still looked like him but without the things that annoyed him every time he looked in the mirror.

"Wow."

"You're acting like this is the first time you've had your makeup done. Is it that bad?"

"What? No! It's... It's perfect."

"As long as you're happy. Now... I was going to say you’re ready for hair but the stylists seem a little busy. I guess you're stuck with me again!"

Rose grabbed some hair products and started brushing Chan's hair.

"You know the concept for my hair today as well? Are you going to dress me too?"

"Of course. I study everyone's style concepts before each schedule. And only if you ask me to."

Chan blinked stupidly as Rose's words took time to sink in.

"Uh..."

"I would love to style your naturally curly hair. Are you going to let it grow out?"

"Umm, yes!"

While he hadn't had any plans to grow out his hair and definitely not enough to let his curls take hold, the smile on Rose's face made him answer positively.

Once she had finished styling his hair, Chan wondered why on earth his talented soulmate was working as their run around assistant rather than their head stylist. 

"Chan? If there's anything I can help you with, to lighten your workload, just let me know. Okay?"

Again, the leader was stunned by the thoughtfulness of his soulmate. Rose was always ready to help even without being asked. She often had things for them before they even realised that they needed them.

It also hadn't escaped his notice that she had been making sure that he ate properly by bringing him food while he was working. She took care of him, but he wanted to take care of her too.

After their last show, the boys were making plans to celebrate tonight.

"Minho-Hyung, what's your vote?"

"Movie night."

"Yay!"

"But only if I get to choose the movie."

"Hyung! Fine, you can choose."

"Rosie-Noona, are you joining us?"

"Am I invited?"

"Of course, you are! You're part of the group, it won't be group movie night without you!"

"Okay then. Count me in."

"Yay, Noona's coming!'

"This will be your first visit to our dorm."

"You'll be the first girl to visit, even our family hasn't seen our new place yet."

"Really? Then I feel honoured."

Rose was thinking very differently when they were watching the movie. Minho had chosen Train To Busan, a zombie movie. Although some of the others had protested as they remembered that Rose had mentioned that she didn't like scary movies, she insisted that it was fine. While there was a part of her that did want to see the famous film, it was the challenging look on Minho's face that made her agree to watch it. 

It started off fine as she managed to contain herself at the jump scares. What Stray Kids didn't know was that Rose was very easily startled. ATEEZ had discovered this by accident one day and ever since they would creep up behind her and make her jump. She knew that these boys had the potential to be so much worse with their teasing, so she hoped that she would be able to stop herself from jumping.

Rose believed she would've been able to as well if it weren't for Changbin. The rapper, who was sitting next to her, proceed to make zombie noises in her ear right at the scary parts. At one point she jumped so much that everyone noticed and started laughing.

"Don't worry, Noona! I'll save you from meanie Binnie-Hyung!"

Felix moved from where he was sitting and wormed his way between Rose and Changbin on the sofa.

No longer having Changbin whispering in her ear didn't help as much as they thought it would as Felix was just as scared as she was.

"I thought you weren't afraid of zombies, Lixie?"

"I'm not. I'm not! It's not the zombies that scare me, it's... Everything else."

During a zombie attack, Changbin pretended to eat Felix making the younger boy giggle and wriggle around trying to escape. Rose leaned away from the fight going on next to her into Chan who was sitting on her other side.

The leader had spent the movie being more aware of how close his soulmate was rather than watching the screen. He noticed when the actions of his younger members were causing Rose to lean away to avoid getting hit. He reached his arm behind her and pushed the two away, using his hand as a barrier between them and her. Chan told them off before whispering in her ear.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"Not too scared."

"Ask me tomorrow if I had any nightmares."

On-screen was a particularly gory bit and instead of just closing her eyes, Rose turned her head and hid her face in Chan's shoulder. The leader glanced down at his soulmate and prayed that she would be able to feel how fast his heart was beating at her touch. Feeling brave, he let his hand rest on her arm and rubbed soothingly.

Rose spent the rest of the movie that way, just turning her head towards the screen and then back again into her soulmate's shoulder. Chan thought to himself that he should thank Minho for picking a scary movie. Meanwhile, the dancer was thinking that the night hadn’t quite gone to plan.

Chapter 16: Back Door

One of the best - and worst - parts of Rose's job was that she got to see behind the scenes. For a fan of the group that meant a lot of spoilers. The day she walked into Stray Kids' practice room and saw them rehearsing for their World Tour was one of those days. The bags of drinks and snacks she had brought slipped out of her hands at the sight before her. Luckily nothing was spilt, and she quickly bent down to pick everything up before the boys noticed.

"Noona!"

"Food!"

Felix and Changbin were the first the run over to Rose, closely followed by Jisung and Jeongin. Felix linked his arm with hers while Changbin took the bags and started taking out the food.

"Yah! Thank her first, you animals!"

Felix giggled next to her at the pout on Changbin's face from being told off by their leader.

"Thank you for the food, Rosie-Noona."

"You're welcome, Binnie."

She smiled fondly as the rapper smiled at her with his cheeks puffed out full of food.

By now everyone had joined them around the table at the back of the room where Changbin had spread out the containers of fruit and bottles of drink. Chan spotted on the other side of Rose to Felix and rubbed the back of his head while smiling sheepishly.

"Sorry about them."

"You don't think I've been ignored in favour of food before?"

"No one should ignore, Noona."

Rose ruffled Felix's hair in thanks, making the dancer crinkle his nose in delight.

"So... was that - are you doing an OT8 version of Red Lights?"

"You saw that? Yeah, what did you think?"

"I think STAY are going to die... happy."

Her heart warmed as Chan burst out into laughter.

"Wah! Seungmin, no!"

Changbin's shouts were mostly ignored by the group as if they were a common occurrence, but Rose looked over.

"He keeps stealing my fruit!"

Seungmin leaned over and ate the piece of fruit direct off the fork that the rapper was holding.

"See! Did you see that, Noona!"

"What? I didn't see anything. You should really stop being so mean to Seungmin, Changbinnie."

"But - But - Rosie-Noona!"

The younger boys laughed at Changbin's expression of dismay before teasing him that he should be nicer to them.

"Lixie, I have an idea for the choreography!"

Hyunjin jumped on Felix who was still holding onto Rose's arm and so almost knocked her over in the process. Chan caught her as she stumbled backwards, wrapping an arm around her protectively and pulled her into his side and out of the path of his overly exuberant teammates.

"Thank you."

"They should be more careful."

"They're fine. I'm not that fragile."

Chan frowned slightly but changed the subject.

"Where are you assigned this afternoon?"

"I'm accompanying Minho to Music Core."

"They asked you to go with him?"

"Actually, I volunteered. I - I was hoping we could spend some time together."

Chan glanced over at the others before turning his back so that he was between her and the others. Removing his arm from her back, he gently held her upper arm.

"Do you really think that's a good idea? Minho hasn't exactly been..."

"Welcoming? I had noticed, but that's exactly why I asked. I want us to get along. I want him to like me."

"I want that too, but -"

"But what? Do you think something bad is going to happen?"

"Of course not! Minho is a great guy. I don't know why he's been acting so strange with you."

Her soulmate looked so sad, that Rose couldn't resist the urge to comfort him. She rested her hand on his chest.

"He's protective of you. I'm a stranger that's suddenly integrated themselves into your life and his. But once he gets to know me..."

"He'll l-like you too, just like the rest of us do."

Chan stuttered on the word 'like', almost saying something else instead and then overcompensated by making it sound as if his feelings for her were the same as everyone else's. Rose felt a little twinge in her heart at what to her was a reminder that they were nothing more than friends and her hand fell back to her side.

Stepping away from her soulmate, Rose grabbed her bag which had been put to the side earlier.

"Minho. It's time to go to your next schedule."

The dancer looked her way at the sound of his name and stared at her for a minute. For a moment, Rose thought he was going to refuse, but then he nodded and went to gather his things. This was a typical interaction for them. Minho was never openly rude to her but instead tended to pretend that she didn't exist.

Putting her game face on, Rose opened the door and followed behind the Idol as they walked through the building to the garage and got in the car.

"I got you your favourite drink."

She almost winced at hearing herself. It sounded as if she was sucking up to him, which in a way she was, but Rose knew that Minho wouldn't respond positively to such actions. He spent the car journey on his phone, and she appreciated the fact that he was on his way to a job and probably needed to get into the right headspace. On the way home, she would talk to him.

It turned out there wasn't a lot for Rose to do at Music Core. She went over the boys' schedule for the next few days while Minho got ready to MC. He was waiting to be called when she noticed that his shoulder strap was twisted. She walked over to him and reached out to fix it. Rose stepped back when Minho violently flinched away from her.

"Don't touch me."

"I'm sorry... Your top is twisted."

Rose pointed to her own shoulder before walking out of the room. 

Minho watched her leave before letting out a sigh. Leaning his hands on the table in front of the mirror, he looked at his reflection in the mirror. He hated how casually she touched the other members and hadn't wanted her to be so familiar with him as well, but he regretted reacting so strongly. After all, he had promised Jisung he would at least try and play nice with Chan's soulmate. Before he was called away to start the show, he told himself he would talk to Rose on their way home.

While Minho was MCing, Rose wandered around for a while before discovering a back door and going outside for some fresh air. Leaning back against the wall of the building she closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. 

Hearing a sound, Rose's eyes snapped open. Not far away were three girls who were staring at her and whispering. They were obviously fans.

"This is a restricted area. No fans allowed."

"Who are you?"

"I'm a member of staff. Now, please leave before I call security."

"I recognise you. You got out of Minho's car earlier."

Rose glanced nervously at the girls who were walking closer to her. Her old job had never included riding to a location with the Idols, so she was never seen with them. Now she was kicking herself for forgetting to wear a mask earlier. She had heard stories of sasaeng fans and wondered if she could make it to the door before they reached her.

A hand grabbed her arm before she had taken more than a few steps and Rose was flung against the wall. Her vision blurred as she banged her head and then was shaken.

"Who gives you the right to be so close to them? Minho is mine!"

She dropped down to the ground as something hit her in the stomach and gasped for breath.

"Stay away from them!"

Seeing one of their hands aiming for her face, Rose barely had time to raise her arms over her head before she felt the girl's nails scratch her skin. She stayed tucked up in a ball as they continued to hit and threaten her. Until suddenly they stopped. 

Slowly, Rose uncurled herself, and when she couldn't see them, she tried to stand up wincing in pain and grabbing her side. She was taking stock of her injuries when she saw the girls return with cups of liquid. Knowing she wouldn't be able to avoid it, she threw up her arms, closed her eyes and waited for impact.

When nothing happened, she opened her eyes only to meet Minho's. The Idol was standing in front of her, covering her body with his own, and Rose could see droplets of liquid running from his hair and over his shoulders. Somehow, he had found her and protected her from the sasaengs' last attack.

Recent events caught up with her and Rose started to slide back down the wall, her legs struggling to hold her up. Minho reached out and grabbed her arms to hold her up.

"Whoa! Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

"I'm fine. Just a few scratches."

"Oh, really?"

The dancer let go of his grip on her arms and Rose almost collapsed. Minho touched her side when he caught her, and she cried out in pain. Adjusting his grip, he frowned in thought as the security guard he had come out with approached him.

"Mr Lee. I'm sorry, but they ran away. We lost them."

"Can you open the door for me?"

Minho scooped Rose into his arms and carried her inside. When they reached his dressing room, he placed her on a chair before getting his jacket and wrapping it around her shoulders. He ignored her protests that he was the one who needed the jacket since his clothes were wet. 

A staff member fetched him a first aid kit and Minho tended to the scrapes on her elbows and hands. He also gave her some pills for her headache. Rose sat quietly and let him do this. It felt nice to be the one being taken care of for once.

Carefully, he helped her into the car.

"We'll take you home."

"No! I - I don't want to be alone."

"You live alone?"

"Yes. Just take me back to the company. I've got work to do anyway."

"Rose, you need to rest. Do you want me to call Chan-Hyung for you?"

"No! There's no need to worry him."

"He's your soulmate. He should know that -"

"I'm fine. He's busy working. There's no need to disturb him. Please."

"Fine, but you're coming home with me. You can have my bed."

"What? No -"

"It's that or I call Chan-Hyung?"

"But - I can't take your bed. I'll sleep on the -"

"I'm dialling..."

"Okay. Okay. I'll do as you say. Happy?"

"Ecstatic."

Chapter 17: Hoodie Season

"Minho-Hyung? Why are you sleeping on the couch?"

Felix stood over the older dancer who wasn't fully awake and mumbled under his breath.

"Hmm...my bed."

"What was that?"

"Rose is -"

"Rose-Noona? What has this got to do with Noona?"

Minho groaned and rubbed his eyes as he sat up. Technically, Rose had only asked him not to tell Chan.

"Rose is in my bed."

"Okay... why?"

"She slept over last night."

"And you let her have your bed? Hyung, why didn't you tell me? You know I would've happily - what's wrong?"

"Huh? How do you know something’s wrong?"

"Hyung!"

"Rose... well, she had a run-in with some sasaengs."

"Oh god, is she okay?"

"I didn't think it was a good idea for her to go home alone - not that she wanted to."

"Does Chan-Hyung know? Why isn't he here?"

"No. She wouldn't let me tell him."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know. She didn't want to disturb him while he was working."

"Hyung’s going to be so mad."

"That's why you should tell him."

"Me? But-"

"He's going to find out sooner or later. The company will be putting out a statement today. Rose's attackers were caught on camera and once the police find them... I think it's better if it's your sweet face that he's looking at when he finds out."

"Rosie-Noona's been attacked?"

The two dancers looked towards the door to see that Changbin had just come in.

"Morning, Binnie -Hyung!"

"Minho-Hyung? What's happened?"

"Sasaengs. Rose is asleep in my bed... wait, Changbin!"

The rapper headed straight for the older dancer's bedroom and knocked gently on the door. He opened the door ever so slightly while calling out Rose's name to see if she was awake. When he got no reply, he opened the door wider and peeked inside.

Rose felt like she hadn't slept at all. Which wasn't completely a lie. She had spent the night flitting in and out of sleep. In the early hours of the morning, she hadn't gotten up. She ached all over, but her side was the worst. Walking over to stand in front of the mirror, she lifted the T-shirt Minho had given her to sleep in and a tear ran down her cheek. The whole of her side was covered in a deep blue bruise.

A gasp had her turning her head towards the bedroom door before dropping her top so that she was covered up. Changbin was standing in the doorway, staring at her with a look of shock at what he had just seen. Rose quickly wiped away the tear from her cheek.

"Changbin? What are you-?"

"Noona... I'm so sorry."

"What-? You have nothing to be sorry for. It looks worse than it is. Promise."

"I do. They hurt you because you were close to us."

"A risk of the job I suppose."

Rose tried to laugh and when she raised her hand to run it through her hair, she noticed that her hands were shaking. Changbin gently took her in his arms and held her close.

"I'm never letting you out of my sight. I'll protect you. No one will ever hurt you again."

When Rose broke down into tears for the first time since the attack, Changbin just held her tighter and if he released a tear or two as well, he would never admit it.

The boys tried to convince her to take the day off work, but just like last night, she didn't want to be alone. Just this once she allowed herself to be selfish. She borrowed some of Minho's clothes until they got into work where she kept a spare set of her own. Felix and Changbin had offered their own clothes, but Minho had teased them that they were too short and Changbin was too broad for their clothes to fit Rose properly.

She was called in to talk to some senior staff who updated her on the investigation and the statement they had already released that morning. After confirming that she didn't want to visit the hospital to get checked over and didn't want to take any time off, they let her go.

Rose found most of the boys gathered in the lounge and she could hear them arguing from outside the door.

"Well, someone has to tell him. No doubt he'll see the news soon if he hasn't already, and management all know who the staff member was. It'll be worse if he finds out from them instead of us that his soulmate got hurt."

"You're right, Minho-Hyung. I think this is a job for the oldest."

"His soulmate got hurt on my watch. He'll kill me. And I already delegated this to Felix."

"But I hate making Channie-Hyung sad!"

Rose didn't know whether to sigh or laugh, but she knew how to solve their problem. When she entered the room, they stopped talking and Felix immediately ran over to her and tried to get her to sit down in a chair.

"Are you really all that afraid of Chan?"

"We like to say we have a healthy respect for him as our leader."

"Right... Anyway, I'll tell him so you can all relax, okay?"

"I'll go with you."

"But you just said - "

"I was there. I don't want you downplaying what happened."

When the two entered Chan's studio, the leader was reading something on his phone.

"Hey, guys! Have you seen the statement the company released this morning? I can't believe that there are people who would go so far - What’s wrong?"

"We have something to tell you?"

"To tell me?"

"Yes. It's me. The staff member they're talking about that - that -"

"That got attacked by crazy fans."

"You? My Rose? What? Sit down! Are you okay? It says you were hurt. Why are you at work when you should be at home resting?"

"I'm fine."

"She's not fine and she insisted on coming into work."

"Tell me what happened."

Rose told the story up until the point where Minho appeared and then he took over. At first, Chan looked worried and sad, but by the end, he was frowning.

"And you didn't think to inform me that all of this was going on?"

Minho hesitated to answer when Rose cut in.

"I asked him not to."

"Thank you, Minho."

The dancer glanced at Rose who nodded slightly before leaving the two soulmates alone.

Chan leaned against his desk with his arms folded across his chest.

"Why? Why didn't you want to tell me?"

"I'm telling you now, aren’t I?"

"So, you preferred to be looked after by Minho rather than me?"

"No... I just didn't see the need to disturb you while you were working."

"Don't tell me that you really think that I would prioritise work over you... over you being hurt."

Rose didn't say anything because that was exactly what she thought. She jumped when Chan banged his fist on his desk and didn't say or do anything as he walked out of the room. Instead, she curled up on the sofa and a wave of exhaustion came over her. She went to lay down but looked around to see if there was a blanket somewhere, all she found was her soulmate's hoodie on the back of his chair. At first, she hesitated to touch it, but she needed the comfort. Laying down she covered herself with the hoodie, holding one of the arms in her hands and immediately fell asleep.

Chan had gone to the gym, needing to work out some of his frustration. When he got back to his studio, he found Rose fast asleep on his sofa. She looked so peaceful, so beautiful, that he couldn't help but just stare at her for a moment. Not wanting to wake her, he sat down and did some work while he waited.

Every so often he turned to check on her. Rose looked so cute hugging his hoodie to her cheek that it made him smile every time he saw it. After a couple of times, he decided to take a picture of her, just for him to look at. After a couple of hours, he turned to see that she was awake.

"Hi."

"Hi."

"I'm sorry I lost my temper earlier."

"No, I'm sorry I didn't tell you last night. I didn't expect you to react so strongly."

"Why wouldn't I react strongly to the news that my soulmate had been attacked?"

"Because we're not... I mean, just because someone's your soulmate doesn't mean that you have to feel anything for them."

Chan sighed and leaned forward in his seat to take Rose's hands in his.

"I know we haven't known each other that long, but I care about you. Rose... I like you, a lot, probably more than you would believe, and I know that we got off to a rough start and that's all my fault, but I hope that you can learn to trust me and rely on -"

"It's not your fault."

He was interrupted by Rose's finger pressed against his lips, shushing him. She had leaned forward to reach him and her closeness caused him to lose his train of thought. Chan wanted so badly to kiss her, but Rose was in a vulnerable state, and he felt like he would be taking advantage of that. He leaned back in his chair.

"Just promise me that next time something happens, anything at all, that you'll tell me. Okay? Or I'll order the others to go against your wishes and tell me anyway."

Rose burst out laughing and looked up at Chan who was smiling fondly at her.

"They'd do it too. I don't understand why they're afraid of you. You're like the least scary person I know."

"What? I can be scary."

"Hyunjin and Minho are the scary ones. This face is just too cute."

Chan blinked in surprise when Rose poked his cheek. If he was cooler, he might have shown her a darker side of him, perhaps by pinning her against the sofa, but instead, he blushed and tried to hide his reaction by tickling her.

When she reacted more strongly than he had anticipated, Chan got a mischievous glint in his eye. Noticing this, Rose tried to move away.

"No!"

"This is your punishment!"

The studio was filled with the sounds of the two soulmates' laughter.

Chapter 18: Behind the Light

Minho and Jisung were lounging on the sofa in the practice room when Rose entered the room. Jisung sat up from where he was lying with his legs across Minho's to greet her.

"Hello, Noona! How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay. I, um, I realised that I never thanked you, Minho, for finding me the other day and looking after me afterwards, so, thank you."

"It never should have happened. I just wish I had gotten there earlier."

The rapper tried to disperse the tense atmosphere with a small joke.

"Changbinnie-Hyung's already planning to be your personal bodyguard, so you'll be well protected from now on."

"He's so sweet. You all are. Anyway... thank you, Minho. I'll leave you two to get on."

After Rose left, Jisung turned to Minho with raised eyebrows.

"You seem to have changed your tune regarding Rose-Noona."

The dancer fiddled with the sleeve of his jumper, avoiding the other member's gaze.

"I don't know what you mean."

"Hyung, before you couldn't have made your dislike for her any more obvious."

Minho stared at the rapper for a moment before sighing in defeat.

"Fine, but I wasn't trying to hide it."

"And now? You let her sleep in your bed. Even I'm not allowed to do that!"

"Jisung..."

"You like her don't you."

"I'm not blind. She's gorgeous, but the ones that look like that are the most dangerous."

"Hyung..."

The older Idol ignored Jisung's pitying gaze and carried on.

"So, I didn't think she could be trusted, but..."

"But?"

"She's good for Chan-Hyung, and he deserves someone who will look after him. Needs it. The workaholic insomniac."

Jisung chuckled.

"Well, none of us will disagree with you there."

"But she needs looking after too."

"What do you mean?"

"I get the feeling that she's been by herself a long time. She spends all her time looking after others but forgets about herself.

"Chan-Hyung will look after her."

Minho hummed, but all he could picture was the look in Rose's eyes that day as he stood between her and the sasaengs. She had looked so lonely, so vulnerable, nothing like the tough, independent, perfectionist that she appeared to be normally. It had made him second guess his assumptions about her and her intentions with the people who were like family to him.

Rose found Jeongin in the break room, sighing with his head resting on his hand. The table in front of him was covered in books and papers which looked like notes.

"Is everything okay, Jeongin?"

"Hello, Rose... Noona. I'm okay."

The youngest member was still a little shy around his leader's soulmate, but she smiled warmly at him.

"Are you studying English?"

"Yeah. I wanted to practice before we go on tour, but it's so hard!"

"Have you asked the others for help? Two of them are fluent, you know."

Jeongin shook his head.

"They've got their own stuff to do, I don't want to bother them."

"Then, can I help you?"

"You speak English?"

"Born and raised in the UK."

"Oh! Sorry, I assumed..."

"That Rose was a nickname? Don't worry about it. So, what are you struggling with?"

That evening, Felix found Rose in the room she spends the evening in when Chan works late. She was watching something on the computer to pass the time while she waited for Chan to start his V Live.

"Noona, what are you watching?"

"Nothing..."

"That's strange I thought I heard an Australian accent."

"Were you talking to yourself?"

Felix laughed mockingly before grabbing the computer mouse before Rose could stop him.

"Bondi vet?"

"It's an old show I used to watch, but it stopped playing on UK channels. I just found all the episodes on YouTube, so I've been re-watching them."

"Noona! Why did you hide it?"

"I don't know... because the main vet is a 6ft 5 hunky Australian?"

She whispered the last part, but that didn't stop Felix from hearing it and bursting out in laughter.

"What - Noona! What will Chan say?"

"That he's a 5ft 7 hunky Australian?"

The two of them laughed together for a few minutes before calming down.

"You've made an impression on Innie."

"A good one?"

"Of course, Noona! He's been talking about how nice and funny you are all afternoon."

"He's a sweet boy. It's hard not to baby him though. He's so cute!"

"He is, but he's also our muscular baby."

"I think every STAY knows how he was supposed to flash his abs after you on KINGDOM. Either way, that performance was awesome! Definitely my favourite."

"Really? I would've thought WOLFGANG was your favourite."

"Why?"

"Shirtless Chan."

"Felix!"

As Chan ended another episode of Chan's Room, he waited for Rose to join him. It had become a routine of theirs for her to pop in after he finished his V Lives. When she didn't appear after a few minutes, he looked at his to-do list, scribbling some notes and thoughts he'd had so that he wouldn't forget them.

When she still hadn't appeared, he decided to go looking for her. He knew that Rose spent the evenings in one of the rooms next to his when he stayed late. After searching a few rooms, a sound caught his attention, it was someone singing.

As he listened outside the door, Chan thought that the voice sounded familiar, although he was sure that he had never heard it singing before. Then he recognised the song, it was Never Enough from The Greatest Showman. Although it could have been a coincidence, he was sure that this person had watched his V Live. 

It must be Rose.

Pushing open the door, he found Rose seemingly having a mini karaoke session. The soundtrack to The Greatest Showman was showing on the screen of the computer in front of her and she was singing along with her eyes closed. 

As he listened, he wondered if this particular song spoke to her as he could feel the emotion, she was pouring into it. He watched her, glassy-eyed, as the thought that she did in fact want more filled his heart with hope. He let her finish before making himself known.

"Never enough, for me."

While her eyes were closed, Rose had pictured her soulmate and every moment which had caused her feelings for him to grow. Seeing his smile, hearing his laugh, watching him work, and feeling so proud of the wonderful person her soulmate was.

"I didn't know you could sing."

Rose jumped slightly at the sound of Chan's voice. Opening her eyes, she quickly stopped the music and turned to smile at her soulmate who was standing in the doorway.

"Technically, everyone can sing."

"You know what I mean. Did you ever think about becoming a singer?"

"No. I love music and I love singing, but I've never wanted to be a performer. I think I'll leave that to you guys."

"Fair. So... you watched Chan's room."

He gestured to the computer screen and the music which had been playing.

"Of course. Brilliant, as always."

"Maybe you could give me some recommendations for next week."

"Really? Uh, yeah, sure. I'd love to."

"Cool."

Chan hovered for a while trying to think of a reason to stay and hang out with Rose for a little longer.

"Are you finished for today?"

"Oh. No, I've still got a lot to do."

"Did you eat the dinner I gave you?"

"Umm..."

"Chan!"

"Sorry! I got distracted and then just forgot."

"Do I need to stand over you to make sure you eat? Come on, you're going to eat your dinner before you get lost in your work again."

Rose got up and started leading her soulmate back to his studio, not noticing the pleased grin on his face.

The next morning, Chan spoke to his manager.

"Why does Rose always seem to be the staff member assigned to be on duty when I do my V Lives? I understand management wants someone to be there, but it seems a little unfair that she always has to stay late."

"Chan, I don't know what you're talking about. We haven't had anyone watching your V Lives for a while now. Apart from the fact that JYP trusts you, no one wants to stay at work that late."

"But Rose...?"

"If she's staying late, it isn't because we've asked her to. Do you want me to ask her to stop?"

"No! I mean, no, that's okay. Thank you."

Chan had a lot of thinking to do.

Chapter 19: Silent Cry

Stray Kids were starting off their world tour with three nights in Seoul and Rose was trying to focus on her work rather than the fact that she would be meeting Chan's mother after the first show tonight. When Chan had first told her that his mother was coming over from Australia for the concert and would like to meet her, Rose's first thought was: she knows about me?

Not only had Chan mentioned Rose to his mother, but he had also told her that Rose was his soulmate. This surprised Rose since she and Chan didn't have the typical soulmate relationship. Yet, they had been getting closer recently and she might call them good friends. They spent many evenings together talking while she made sure that he ate dinner and ever since the movie night with the other members, they had shared more skin-ship.

Although she enjoyed the skin-ship with Chan, it also made things more difficult for Rose. The more affectionate her soulmate was towards her, the more her desire for a relationship closer than friendship grew. Every time he patted her on the head, she could feel her cheeks begin to turn red. Every time he hugged her goodbye, she desperately failed not to think about how his body felt pressed up against her. Every time she reminded herself that they were just friends, and he acted the same way with the members of Stray Kids.

Before the first concert, Rose was doing a final check on all of their first performance outfits. It had become routine for the boys to get a once over from her before they performed ever since the time that Minho had difficulties with his outfit.

"Shouldn't this be Chan's outfit, but without the t-shirt underneath?"

Rose was adjusting Changbin's jacket. It was very cropped with straps that wrapped around and tied up at the back, but he wore a black t-shirt underneath so that minimal skin was exposed.

"Yeah Chan, where's your crop top today?"

It was hard not to notice that Chan had been favouring cropped tops this comeback. Every stage performance they had done his outfit had consisted of a cropped top or jacket, allowing the leader to show off his abs easily and frequently.

"I thought Red Lights was sexy enough without showing some skin."

Smiling as she listened to some of the other boys tease their leader, Rose turned back to Changbin and ran her hands over his shoulders.

"It accentuates your broad shoulders, that's why. Comfy? You're all done."

The rapper looked as though he was going to say something more but changed his mind.

"Thanks, Rosie-Noona!"

Each time they came to change their outfits the boys stopped by Rose for a once over before heading back onto the stage. It gave her a nice feeling. She felt as though she was being accepted as part of the family, but also that they trusted her to look after them. It was also fun to be included in their antics.

"Noona, untuck Changbin-Hyung's shirt! Otherwise, how is he going to be able to show STAY his abs?"

"Yah! You little -"

For the last performance, Chan was wearing a particularly cropped jacket with a belt attached below the hem to provide the illusion of being fully covered. Rose felt her mouth go dry as she took in the sight of her soulmate.

"Chan, isn't this too much..."

Running her hands over the fabric to straighten it out, Rose brushed her fingers across the exposed skin of his stomach and felt the muscles beneath tense at her touch.

"You- You don't like it? Does it not look good?"

"No. No, it's not that... You look great. GO on, STAY is waiting for you."

Chan looked back as he walked away and saw Rose fanning her face with her hand. He cocked his head curiously but before he could think more of it, he was rushed back onto the stage.

After fanning herself for a minute, Rose grabbed a bottle of water and gulped it down. Collapsing into a chair, she wondered if working with her soulmate was the right decision. Every time he performed, she had to see him in these revealing outfits and the rest of the time he opted for sleeveless tops which showed off his bulging biceps.

Rose wasn't sure how much more she could take. While she was happy that she got to be around her soulmate, being close like this was torture. He was supposed to be hers. She wanted him, so why didn't he want her like that.

Once she had calmed down enough, Rose started to tidy up to distract herself. After the concert, she would be meeting Chan's mother and she was very nervous. When she had asked Chan what he had told his mother about her and their relationship he had said 'She knows that you're my soulmate.' Rose doubted that Chan had told his mother the details of how they met, so she was unsure how to act in front of her.

Will she be expecting us to act like traditional soulmates, a couple in love?

"Rose, it's so nice to meet you." 

Rose bowed in greeting, hoping her smile didn't betray her nerves.

"It's nice to meet you too, Mrs Bang."

The woman ruffled her son's hair.

"Channie's told me so much about you. I hear I should thank you for looking after him."

"Well, someone has to since he refuses to take proper care of himself."

Chan received a light whack on the back of his head.

"You hear that, son. Everyone knows what you're like. If you won’t listen to your own mother then I hope you listen to your soulmate. Now, Rose, tell me all about yourself."

Chan's mother linked her arm with Rose and chatted with her as they walked out to the car. The rest of the visit went surprisingly well. They went out to dinner but didn't stay out too late as the boys had their concert the next day.

The second concert went similarly to the first. The boys had forgotten the feeling of performing like this and they were getting hyped up at the thought of the rest of their world tour.

On day three, Rose was surprised when Chan told her she would be watching from the audience. She didn't take much convincing as while watching the past two nights on the screen backstage, she had wished she could see it with her own eyes.

The stage had looked impressive on-screen but seeing it in person was immense. As the show started and the crowd buzzed with excitement, Rose felt like she was just a fan again. Which is how she acted as the boys appeared. She screamed, shouted and sang along with the rest of the audience. The show was amazing.

When it came to the encore and things started to get emotional, Rose tried to hold it in as long as she could, but eventually, she started crying along with them. As she watched each of them begin to tear up, she wished that she could run to them and comfort them. Felix breaking down was hard to watch. Once the young boy started, he couldn't seem to stop sobbing even through the last few songs, and it broke her heart to see. 

Although she knew that Chan could get angry and passionate, generally he was a rather calm person. She also knew that one of his main priorities was taking care of the other boys. So, when he began shouting that he would protect everyone - the members, the staff, and STAY - Rose made a promise to herself. She would protect the man who would protect those around him without a thought for himself.

Even though she tried to gather herself before she joined the boys backstage, they could tell that she had been crying too.

"Oh, Noona, you too?"

Rose smiled at Jisung but looked around the room for Felix, who had lifted his head at the mention of her presence.  

"Come here, sweetie."

Rose stumbled back a couple of steps as the small but powerful Idol ran into her arms. Changbin caught her from behind and she smiled gratefully before focusing back on Felix. She hugged him tightly as he sobbed, and she couldn't stop a few more tears of her own from escaping.

She stroked the young Idols hair and kissed the side of his head before looking around the room. She spotted Hyunjin sitting on a chair with his head down. When he looked up Rose waved him over and after a moment's hesitation, he joined them.

Chan watched as his soulmate held two of the boys, whom he affectionately called his children, in each arm. Seeing her try to blink her tears away, he walked over and brushed them away. Wrapping his arms around all three of them, he kissed Rose on the forehead before looking into her eyes.

"I'll protect you too."

Chapter 20: Red Lights

Rose walked into the practice room with some snacks and drinks for the boys. She was worried about some of them dieting to look good for the concerts, so she had been plying them with food whenever she could. By now, she had learnt all their favourites, so she knew what best to tempt them with.

"Noona, save me!"

At Jeongin's cry, Rose's head snapped towards him looking for danger. The youngest was being chased around by Minho, Hyunjin, and Felix who were all trying to kiss him. She left out a sigh of relief before smiling as she put her bags down. The Maknae was doing a rather good job of holding off the other three boys as she walked over to them. 

"Come on, boys. Leave poor Innie alone."

The boys pouted but let Rose pull Jeongin away from them. The youngest boy relaxed in the safety of her arms, letting his guard down as the others did as they were told.

"Thank you, Noo- Hey!"

Jeongin stepped away from Rose, his hand to his cheek as he looked at her in shock. She had taken the opportunity to do what the others had failed at and kissed the Maknae on the cheek. Hyunjin and Felix broke out into giggles.

"Noona, you're the best!"

"I thought I could trust you, Noona, but you're just as bad as the rest of them."

Luckily, Rose had watched enough Stray Kids content to recognise when Jeongin broke out into fake crying, otherwise, she might have felt bad for joining in with the teasing.

"Are you saying bad things about your Hyungs, Jeongin?"

"No? No, Minho-Hyung, no!"

The room was filled with laughter again as Minho tickled the youngest.

"What’s going on in - Oh, snacks!"

Changbin, Jisung, and Seungmin walked into the room and the oldest immediately started rummaging through the bags.

"Hey! Those are for us!"

"Don't worry. I brought enough for everyone."

Rose walked over to where she had left the bags and began handing out the food until there was only one thing left.

"Where's Chan-Hyung?"

Changbin answered while happily opening his snack.

"I think he's in the gym."

"Again? He's been working out a lot recently."

"He's trying to bulk up again after he lost all that weight."

The boys glanced around at each other as they noticed Rose frowning.

"Luckily, he has Rosie-Noona looking after him now, so that won't happen again."

"That's right, and if any of you start any crazy diets..."

The boys quickly spoke up.

"We won't, Noona. Promise!"

Jeongin nudged Felix, who looked up to see Rose staring at him. The dancer began eating the snack she had just given him and smiled at her whilst munching away.

"Good. Do you know how long he's been in there?"

"Umm, I'm not sure. He was gone before I got up this morning... came back after I went to sleep as well."

Hyunjin wrapped an arm around Changbin's shoulders and leaned on him.

"How do you know he came home then?"

"He did."

Rose gritted her teeth after speaking up too quickly.

"Oh, okay. Wait... Noona, how do you know that?"

Jisung gasped dramatically.

"Woah, has Channie-Hyung been getting some company on his late nights in the studio?"

"What? I don't know what you mean. It's my job to look after you all and know where you are."

"Yeah, but most people gave up on Chan-Hyung because other people need more than a couple of hours of sleep each night."

Felix looked worriedly at Rose.

"Noona, is that why you've been looking tired?"

"I look after you remember, not the other way around. I'm going to make sure your leader doesn't work himself into exhaustion."

The boys watched her leave in silence, unsure what to do and then Minho ran after her. Rose stopped when he called her name.

"It might be your job to look after us, but we care about you. You're part of our family now, so let us take care of you. Okay?"

Minho wished that he could see past the mask Rose was wearing so he could understand what she was thinking at that moment. After a moment she smiled and nodded. The dancer watched her walk away as he thought about what he had really wanted to say to her.

Rose did find Chan in the gym, which luckily, was empty apart from her soulmate. She stopped dead in her tracks as she laid eyes on him.

Of course, he works out shirtless.

After a few minutes, she caught herself staring and decided to leave before she got caught. Rose wasn't sure what she would do if Chan saw her and came closer. She wasn't sure if she would be able to speak if he talked to her either. So, to avoid embarrassing herself, she carefully backed up, almost tripping over some equipment and then ran out the door.

Later, when Rose was sitting in her normal room waiting for Chan's Room to begin, all she could think about was what she had seen in the gym. Of course, she had gotten glimpses of his muscular body before - as it didn't always stay hidden by his clothes - but seeing him working out had been a whole new experience.

During his V Live, Rose was listening to Chan read out comments when she almost choked.

"Can you pin me up against the wall? What the - Umm... Say please."

Rose blinked at the screen as she tried to process what her soulmate had just said. In the end, she was imagining what it would be like to be pinned up against a wall by Chan and her mind wandered back to him at the gym. She shook her head trying to rid herself of the picture she had created. It only hurt more to daydream this way when in reality they would never happen.

By the end of the V Live, she had calmed down and thought she was safe, but then for his final song, Chan played the OT8 version of Red Lights. It wasn't the first time that Rose wondered if she should be embarrassed at how worked up this song got her. She couldn't imagine that Chan and Hyunjin had planned for this type of reaction when they wrote the song. Hyunjin had a hard time just admitting that it was a sexy song at first.

However, this was the final straw. Rose couldn't take any more of her soulmate's teasing, whether it was on purpose or not.

Chan groaned as he collapsed in his chair after ending another episode of Chan's Room. He was a little embarrassed after playing Red Lights because he knew the creation it got, but he did it because he also knew how much the fans loved it. He jumped in surprise when Rose barged into his studio.

"You're such a tease!"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Say please. Really? What are you trying to do to STAY?"

"Say please? What...? Oh!"

Chan studied his soulmate. She looked a little ruffled compared to her usual put-together appearance. He thought back to the comment she was referring to. Was she worked up over the idea of him pinning someone against a wall? Did she want him to pin her?

The leader wasn't completely oblivious. He knew Rose had watched him working out in the gym earlier. While he had pretended not to notice her, to see what she would do, he had seen her reaction and seen her run away. He was glad that she was affected by his body as the memory of her hands brushing his skin as she adjusted his stage outfits made him need to work out harder.

With a sudden burst of confidence, Chan rose out of his chair and walked toward his soulmate. This was his chance to push for more, to change his relationship with his soulmate. He only hoped that he wouldn't mess it up.

"What? What are you-"

Rose backed up until her back hit the wall next to the door and gulped as her soulmate moved ever closer.

"Was that you saying please?"

She watched speechless as Chan rested his hands against the wall on either side of her. Her mouth was dry as she waited for him to start laughing. While part of her thought that he must be joking with her, a bigger part hoped that this was really happening.

As she stared into his eyes, Rose realised that this wasn't a joke. In fact, she wasn't sure she had ever seen this look in Chan's eyes before. She could hear her heart beating as she stood trapped between the wall and her soulmate. Her breath hitched as she watched his gaze lower.

"Can I kiss you?"

"Please."

The kiss started off softer than Rose expected, but it soon went from a light sizzle to raging fire, until she felt as though she was drowning in the feeling of Chan. As she felt their bond form, she clung to his arms to keep him close. It was like a puzzle piece clicking into place. She finally felt as though she could breathe even though she didn't know she had been struggling before.

Rose had been waiting, dreaming of this moment for so long, but her imagination could never have done it justice. Before she had worried about what it would mean, to complete the bond with her soulmate, but in the moment, nothing else mattered other than the joy she was feeling.

When Chan pulled away, she barely restrained a whimper at the loss.

"I don't want to be just friends anymore."

Rose couldn't help the grin which took over.

"Well, I'd hope so after that kiss!"

Although he wanted nothing more than to cuddle on the sofa with Rose for the rest of the evening, Chan had a lot of work to do. Instead, she ended up sitting on his lap, curled up against his chest as he worked while pressing kisses to her lips as often as possible, but it was still perfect to her.

Chapter 21: Victory Song

They were in a meeting room discussing their upcoming schedule on Jeju island. Chan was leading the meeting, with Rose chiming in with some of the finer details if he forgot anything. Chan had his hand resting on her knee under the table, his thumb running in distracting circles. 

On Rose's other side was Felix, who was feeling particularly cuddling today and was clutching onto her arm. When he reached down to grab Rose's hand and fiddle with her fingers he let out a gasp before squealing, interrupting Chan mid-sentence. 

"Chan-Hyung, show me your hand!" 

The leader waved his right hand. 

"No! Not that one. The other one!" 

Chan removed his hand from Rose's leg and raised it above the table. Felix moved Rose's hand, which was still in his grasp, closer to the leaders. 

"You bonded! When did that happen?" 

There was a pause while everyone took in the sight of the tattoo-like rings around the soulmates' fingers. It was made up of two intertwining lines: a zigzag and a wave. The two lines avoided and crossed each other as if they were dancing around. Rose couldn't help but see the symbolism of their relationship in their mark but tried not to read too much into it. After all, the past is the past. 

Minho stared at the black marks on their hands blankly. He was happy for Chan, of course, he was. Their leader deserved this, but completing their bond came with an air of finality that made the dancer uneasy. As much as he had come to like Rose the mystery around her appearance still sat in the back of his mind. However, now finding out the truth may bring around more harm than good. 

Changbin's eyes widened at the news, but after a moment he put on a big smile. It wasn't so much that he needed to pretend to be happy, he had been the one to help them get together in the first place, but for some reason, it still shocked him to see them bonded. Rose wouldn't need him to protect her or listen to her when she needed someone to talk to, now she had Chan for all of that and more. 

Hyunjin jumped out of his seat and started jumping around in excitement. Their leader had bonded with his soulmate, the first one in their group to do so, and he thought the whole thing was very exciting. Noticing the faces of the others boys he tried to keep the excitement going by himself until they came to their senses. 

Jisung was intrigued by the mark. They had always fascinated him, how they suddenly appeared after soulmates kissed for the first time. He wondered why that was, what was it about a kiss on the lips that connected two souls together. Nevertheless, he was happy for them. Although, he had been hoping to get to know Rose better which would be harder now as he was sure Chan would monopolise all her free time now that they were official. The thought made him unintentionally pout. 

Felix hugged them both as he congratulated them. His Chan-Hyung and his Rose-Noona were finally together, and no one else deserved to be happy more than them. As he watched them get blush as Hyunjin asked them how it happened, a thought crossed his mind. Would things be the same now? His face fell for a brief moment before he pushed the thought away. Why would anything change, Chan and Rose would still need him as much as he needed them, right? 

Seungmin was happy that the two had finally stopped dancing around each other. If they had taken any longer he was planning on intervening somehow because had been getting ridiculous. It was in everyone's best interest that their leader and his soulmate worked things out. He just hoped that everyone in the group felt the same way. 

Jeongin was smiling brightly at the news. Chan and Rose had bonded and that was something to be happy about. Being bonded meant that they had kissed. The Maknae thought back to the kiss Rose had given him on the cheek and felt a little strange. He wondered what it would be like to find his own soulmate and hoped that they would be as great as Rose. Shaking his head, he pushed those thoughts away and focused on the smiling soulmates. 

Now that Chan convinced Rose that the staff at the company really needed to know about them being soulmates. She has admitted that it would be nice not to be looked at a little strangely for how friendly she was with the boys. However, she didn't realise that this would end up with meeting JYP himself. 

Apparently, Chan had forgotten to mention that he had already told JYP that they were soulmates not long after she started working at the company. 

"Although he did wait until after you were hired to let me know you were his soulmate... I decided that as long as it didn't interfere with either of your work, then I had no reason to do anything, and it hasn't." 

"Just like I told you, Sir." 

"Now that you've bonded, I agree that all your staff should know. Don't worry, they are all sworn to secrecy, unless you wanted to make this public?" 

Rose spoke up before Chan had even thought about his answer. 

"No, Sir. I think it's best for everyone if this stays between us. Friends and family only." 

"I quite agree. Don't you, Chan?" 

"Um, yeah, sure. Whatever you think is best, Sir." 

"Wonderful! You'll have to cover your mark in public, Chan, but other than that... Congratulations." 

"Oh, yes. Thank you, Sir." 

It was something he hadn't considered before, the fact that his soul-mark would have to be covered up. The first time they did it was before they went to the airport to go to Jeju Island. It was hard to watch the mark disappear like that. He kept turning his hand this way and that trying to get a glimpse of it to reassure himself that it was still there. Chan couldn't wait until he could remove the heavy-duty makeup they had used to cover it up. In the meantime, he tried to be excited about the trip. 

It was Rose's first time going to Jeju Island and all the boys were excited to show her around. Although they were there for work, they still had time to taste the Jeju delicacies and most importantly go to the beach. 

As well as taking some scenic shots and selfies for Instagram, the boys had a lot of fun playing around in the water. Rose was reluctant to join them at first. Felix and Jeongin had to drag her down to the water, but even then she only dipped her toes in. When Changbin started walking towards her with a manic grin, she backed up. 

"No... Changbin! Don't you dare!" 

Rose bumped into something behind her and turned to see Chan. She relaxed thinking her soulmate would protect her, but instead, she found herself being swept up into his arms before he ran into the water. With a scream she clung to him, determined not to let him drop her in the water, but instead, he flung himself and her into the water. When they both righted themselves, Chan held his breath waiting for her reaction and sighed in relief when she started laughing. 

That night Rose was reading in bed when there was a knock on her door. 

"Felix? Everything okay?" 

"Can I come in, Noona? I knocked on Channie-Hyung's door but he's working and I didn't want to disturb him." 

"Chan's working? I told him not to - never mind, come in, Hun. What's up?" 

"It's nothing really... Can we cuddle, please, Noona?" 

Rose got back into bed and held her arms open for Felix to snuggle into. She stroked his hair and once he was relaxed she spoke up. 

"I don't want you to think I'm complaining, but what has brought on this sudden need for a cuddle session?" 

"The beach. It made me think of home, back in Australia. It's been so long since I was last there... I miss it." 

"I've never been to Australia, but hearing you and Chan talk about it makes me want to. Despite the giant spiders." 

The young boy giggled and Rose smiled down at him, placing a kiss on the top of his head. They stayed like that happily for a few moments. 

"What book are you reading, Noona?" 

Rose leaned over and picked up the book she had left on her nightstand. 

"Gone With The Wind. I love the film, so I thought I should finally get around to reading the book." 

"I think I've heard of it. It's pretty famous, huh? What's it about?" 

"Unrequited love. It's a beautiful but tragic love story set during the America Civil War." 

"It's sad?" 

Rose looked down at Felix again to see him staring up at her with sad eyes. She smiled gently and started to brush her fingers through his hair again. 

"Not all love stories have happy endings."

Chapter 22: My Pace

It was their last chance to spend time at the beach before returning home tomorrow. This time Rose had come suitably dressed for any surprise trips into the water. She has always preferred the Korean style swimsuits to the tiny bikinis the girls back home preferred. While the price she was wearing today looked rather modest from the front it was practically backless. Either way, it was by far the most revealing thing she had worn in front of her soulmate and she was a little nervous. 

However, she had nothing to worry about. As soon as Rose removed her cover-up, Chan froze where he was and just stared. While he had secretly been hoping to see her in a more western-style bikini, when he saw her now the last thing he felt was disappointment. He had guessed that his soulmate had a nice body as she always more fitted clothing and he had felt it when they hugged, but he was a little surprised at how toned she was. She obviously exercise and the idea of them working out together crossed his mind. 

"Chan, can you get my back? I can't reach." 

The leader's focus was pulled back and it took his brain a moment to process the suncream that Rose was holding out. Apparently, he took too long because Jisung, who was setting up beside them, answered instead. 

"I can help, Noona!" 

Rose was about to hand Jisung the suncream when it was snatched out of her hands. 

"I got this, Sung, thanks." 

Jisung held up his hands in surrender as he backed away, but muttered under his breath just loud enough for them to hear. 

"Didn't look like you had it..." 

Rose sat down on her towel and Chan sat behind her. After he had applied the suncream, he leaned over her shoulder and whispered in her ear. 

"I like your swimsuit." 

"Really?" 

"Yes. You look gorgeous." 

"Thank y-you. Chan!" 

Rose stuttered over her words when Chan began kissing her neck and shoulder. 

"What?" 

"Y-you, you can't do, uh, that here!" 

"Why? Nobody's watching. The boys are busy playing." 

"It's a public beach! Someone could see you." 

"I don't see anyone. Besides this is a quiet spot. It's why we came here." 

Chan had done his best to distract her, but eventually, she moved out of his reach and turned towards him. 

"All it takes is one photo. I don't want you to get wrapped up in a scandal. It will hurt the group." 

"Fine." 

Rose's heart clenched uncomfortably as her soulmate stood up. 

"Chan..." 

"No, I get it. You're right. I'm going for a swim." 

She gulped her took off his t-shirt right in front of her, leaving him just in his swim trunks. Now it was her turn to stare as the perfect specimen of a man that was her soulmate jogged down to the water. Part of her wanted to run after him, jump on his back and give him everything he wanted. She was so close to doing it too, but she hadn't watched him from afar these past years just to mess everything up now. 

Rose held her book open in front of her but barely read a word. Instead, she watched her soulmate have fun with the others. She smiles when he smiles, laughed when he laughed and dropped her eyes downward whenever his abs flashed above the water. When he came running out of the water towards her, she quickly turned her attention to the book. 

Chan grabbed his towel from beside her and dried himself off a bit before handing it around his neck. 

"Rose? Could you take a picture for me, please?" 

"Yeah. Of course." 

As he posed with the sea in the background, still shirtless but with the towel around his neck covering most of his chest, she inwardly shouted at him to take the towel off. Chan took back his phone and looked over the photos. 

"I'm thinking of posting this on bubble for STAY. Do you think it's too much?" 

"I - I think the more important question is are you happy with that being out in the universe? We both know STAY would go crazy over it." 

"Hmm... Do I look good?" 

"What?" 

"If I'm going to post a shirtless photo I need to make sure it's a good one. Do I look good?" 

Chan stepped closer to her until they were almost nose to nose. He stared into her eyes making her flustered. 

"I, er, yes. You look hot, I mean, good. You look good." 

"I look hot?" 

The cocky look on his face and tone of his voice helped Rose get back into control. She reached her hands up and tugged on the towel he was still wearing around his neck. 

"Yep. Although... I'd prefer you without the towel." 

Chan raised his eyebrows before breaking out into a grin. Suddenly a spray of water cooled them down. With surprisingly quick reflexes, Chan took the towel and held it up to protect Rose. Then he took advantage of the situation to steal a kiss. Rose's hand was still resting on his bare chest when he pulled away. 

When they got back to their rooms that night, Chan invited her in for a drink.

"Only if you mean that literally."

"Literally? What do you - Oh. Perhaps we should talk?"

Chan held his door open for her and she nodded before walking in. Rose sat down in one of the chairs while he got them both a drink. Neither one knew how to start the conversation, so she just started talking. 

"So, I've heard your song Drive, and despite your claims that it's actually about driving... I'm guessing that you have at least some experience?"

"Would it bother you if I did?"

"Not if it doesn't bother you that I'm not completely innocent either."

As Chan stared at her, Rose wasn't sure what he was thinking. 

"When?"

"A long time ago. I... I regret it."

"You do? What happened?"

"You - are you sure you want to know?"

Chan took one of her hands in his. 

"Only if you want to tell me."

"You remember how I told how I was teased at school?"

"I think bullied would be more accurate."

"Well, after I learnt how to do my makeup I got a rather different reaction, especially from guys."

Rose felt Chan's grip on her hand tighten. 

"Go on."

"I'd never had attention like that before. I was niave. All he wanted was another notch on his belt. He didn't - he never cared about me."

"I'm sorry that happened to you. You didn't deserve it."

"It was a long time ago, but I'm not ready for things to move that fast with us yet."

"Of course. You set the pace. Whatever you're comfortable with."

Rose smiled at Chan and leaned forward to give him a sweet kiss. 

"Thank you."

They were on the plane back to Seoul and when Rose walked past Felix's seat she noticed that the boy looked worried. 

"Felix? You okay, Hun?" 

"I'm fine, Noona. Just a bit anxious about landing." 

"Landing?" 

Rose didn't know that Felix was an anxious flyer so she looked at Jeongin who was sitting next to him. 

"He's worried about the crowds, Noona. Felix-Hyung fell over last time." 

Her heart clenched that something that shouldn't even be thought about caused Idols to get anxious. Rose also felt guilt that she could walk through a crowd without worrying. 

"You'll be okay, Lixie. I'll make sure of it." 

"Thanks, Noona." 

Rose went back to her seat next to Chan.  

"What's the plan for when we land?" 

"Huh? What do you mean?" 

"For getting through the crowds, do you have a plan or something in place? Felix is a little on edge." 

"It's something I worry about too, but I worry about them. I wish there was something more I could do, but security has to be planned in advance. It's too late to change anything. Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to him, to any of them." 

"I know you won't, but you can't control everything. Next time you fly you won't be subjected to fighting your way through a crowd, but for now, every little helps." 

"What are you going to do?" 

"Anything. Everything I can to help you all happy and safe." 

Chan blinked after her as she left her seat again, wondering exactly what she meant. 

Rose crouched down by Changbin's seat and smiled sweetly at him. 

"Yes, Rosie-Noona? 

"Binnie, my strong, handsome bodyguard who's not afraid of anything..." 

Changbin sniffed, acting snobby with his chin held high. 

"Go on." 

"When you exit the airport and the crowds descend, can you make sure Felix is by your side and just... Hold onto him? Look after him for me?" 

The rapper's face softened. 

"Of course, Noona. You don't even need to ask." 

She gave his arm a squeeze before standing back up to return to her seat. 

"Thanks, Changbin. You're the best." 

Rose waited in the car anxiously for the boys to make it out of the airport. She didn't let out a sigh of relief until she had checked that each of them were okay. It was until a bit later that she saw the videos of what had been watching for the boys at the airport and she confronted Chan. 

"What is this? You didn't tell me it was that bad!" 

"I didn't think it was... Nothing bad happened." 

"But why were you by yourself? Something could have happened to you!" 

"I wanted the kids to be safe. I was fine by myself." 

Rose sighed and her fighting spirit disippated. 

"I'm going to spend my whole life worrying about you, aren't I?" 

Chan smiled at her. 

"Your whole life? I hope so."

Chapter 23: CIRCUS

"Rose? You're staring?"

Rose was in the practice room watching Minho dance. It was late at night, but Chan was still working, so she was still at work too.

"Huh? Sorry."

"It's late. Why don't you go home?"

"Why don't you?"

Minho sighed and crossed his arms after turning off the music.

"I'm going over the new choreo for the Japan concerts."

"Well, it looks awesome. I love watching you dance."

He stared at her with wide eyes.

"What?"

"Um, ha, I must be more tired than I thought. I'm going to go before..."

She moved to get up but before she could leave the room Minho's voice stopped her.

"Do you dance?"

"Do I or can I? I can't I'm afraid."

"I don't believe that."

"No, it's true. It's like I have no control over my body. I wish I could though, it's always fascinated me."

The dancer walked over to her so that they were only an arm's width away from each other. His penetrating stare still made Rose nervous around him.

"Maybe I could show you a few things."

"I wouldn't want to waste your time."

"You wouldn't be."

"I know how busy you are. I handle your schedule."

"We're free now, aren't we? You can always make time for things."

"I don't think I'm up to dancing tonight."

"No, not tonight. Go on. You're going to see Chan, aren't you?"

"What? How'd you know?"

Minho raised an eyebrow.

"That you don't go home until he does? Was it a secret? If it was, you didn't do a very good job of hiding it."

"He forgets to eat when he's working."

"I know. I'm glad he has you to look after him."

"Well, it is my job..."

"I didn't know being a soulmate was a job. Anyway, you've had an impact on him. He's been coming home earlier recently. Perhaps that wasn't for his benefit."

"What do you mean?"

"You should go. He looked exhausted in his V Live earlier."

"I noticed. Hopefully, he won't get angry at me for telling him to go to bed. Poor STAYs."

"Good night, Rose."

"Night, Minho. Don't stay up too late, okay?"

The dancer had already turned the music back on before Rose left the room.

When she reached Chan's studio, she found her soulmate just the way he was when he ended his V Live. Barefaced and wearing a cap, Chan was sitting at his desk working. He was rubbing his eyes when she came in.

"Hey, Baby."

"Hey, handsome."

"Are you teasing me?"

"What? Why would you think that?"

"I know you watch my V Lives."

"I do, and I spent this one thinking how handsome you look today."

Chan stared up at her, a conflicted expression on his face. With a frown, Rose stood in front of him, took his hat off and ran her hand through his hair. 

"You don't believe me. You don't believe your own soulmate?"

She leant down so that her face was close to his.

"You look tired."

"Now, that I believe."

Rose stood up and moved to sit on the sofa.

"Lie down with me?"

"I can't, I've got work to do."

"Please. Just for a few minutes."

Chan couldn't say no to his soulmate's pout and puppy eyes. He was sure Felix had been giving her lessons.

"Okay, but only a few minutes."

Rose arranged them so that Chan was lying on his side with his back against the back of the sofa. She laid down in front of him and he had to wrap his arms around her to make sure she didn't fall off.

"Cosy."

"You just wanted cuddles, didn't you?"

"Guilty. This is nice."

"Come here. I keep feeling like you're going to fall on the floor."

Chan shuffled them around a little and pulled her closer so that she was half laying on top of him. Rose was glad that her makeup hid the blush she felt on her cheeks. He guided her hand to rest on his shoulder and kissed the top of her head before stroking her hair.

"I'm going to fall asleep on you so that you have to rest."

"You're going to fall asleep? I thought I was supposed to be the tired one."

"You're so comfy. Could you be any more perfect?"

Rose was mumbling but Chan could still hear her. As he played with her hair, he felt her drift off. The Idol didn't know how long he basked in this moment of closeness with his soulmate, but eventually work was calling him. Only he had a little problem, he couldn't move without waking her up.

While he debated whether he could manage to move them so that Rose was lying on the sofa, there was a knock on the door. Chan managed to stop himself from calling out and covered his soulmate's ear first.

"Come in."

It was Changbin and Jisung. The younger rapper stopped dead when he saw the couple on the sofa, his eyes wide.

"Whoa, Hyung, if we're interrupting something then we can do this another time."

"Yeah. Come on, Chan-Hyung. We don't want to see this."

"Shh! You'll wake her up."

Jisung tiptoed closer and leaned over to see Rose's face.

"Aww, did you tire her out, Hyung?"

"Ew, Han!"

Chan just rolled his eyes at his younger members' antics.

"Can you two help me? I don't want to wake her."

"Why not? Just wake her up so she can go home and sleep."

"Didn't you know, Binnie-Hyung? Rose doesn't go home until Channie-Hyung does."

"Yeah, but surely not all the time. I mean sometimes you're here until... Hyung, seriously?"

"I know. I know. You see why I don't want to wake her. At least if she's asleep here, I know she's getting some rest."

The leader rolled his soulmate into Changbin's arms, who lifted her while he got off the sofa. The rapper tried to ignore the way he felt when Rose leaned into his body as he held her. Gently, he placed her back on the sofa.

"Where am I going to sit?"

The other just stared at Jisung until he grumbled and perched on the armrest of the sofa while Chan sat in his desk chair and Changbin took the spare chair.

"So, let's get to work -"

Jisung interrupted his leader's whispers with his own.

"Hyung, how are we going to work without waking Noona up?"

"Quietly."

Changbin said it with a deathly serious face but couldn't help breaking out into a smile afterwards.

Somehow, they did manage to work without waking Rose, at least for a while. When she did wake up it was to the sound of music. It wasn't a track she recognised but it had that recognisable Stray Kids vibe. Suddenly it stopped and was replaced by voices.

"You see! There's still something missing."

"Play that part again."

Rose snuggled into the material of whatever item was draped over her. It smelt like her soulmate, so she guessed it was one of his hoodies. She listened as they played the same part of the song over and over, trying different things, but not liking anything that they came up with. Unconsciously she started humming along.

The boys were close to pulling their hair out in frustration when they heard it. Looking at each other they tried to figure out where the new sound was coming from. When they realised it wasn't any of them, they turned to Rose and Jisung leaned down to listen.

"It's Noona!"

The sudden shout jolted Rose out of her sleepy headspace and made her physically jump too.

"Jisung!"

"Sorry!"

"Hello, sleeping beauty."

"Um, when did you two get here?"

"When you and Chan-Hyung were -"

"Shh! Let me add this before I forget it..."

The two younger boys sat in silence as Chan fiddled around on his computer. Rose sat up properly and shivered as the air conditioning hit her blouse. It occurred to her that maybe she should have a set of comfortable clothes to change into for when she works late. For now, she picked up the hoodie that had been her blanket and after a moment of consideration put it on.

"How long was I -"

"Done! Listen to this."

Chan played the part of the track they had been working on. He had added the extra part that was inspired by Rose's humming and was happy with the result.

"Awesome! Thanks, Rosie-Noona."

"Huh? What did I do?"

"Can we go home now?"

The leader ignored Jisung's pouting face as he smiled at Rose's confused one.

"Sure. I think that's a good idea."

Rose happened to be in the dance studio while the boys had a group practice when the music video for Your Eyes dropped. She put in her headphones to listen to, but she had no idea what to expect from the video as the filming had been a closed set. 

At her first gasp, the boys didn't pay her any mind, but when she started squealing, she caught their attention.

"Noona?"

Seungmin, who was closest, walked over to where she was sitting and glanced at her screen. He wrinkled his nose once he saw what she was watching but walked away without a word.

"Minnie? What is she watching?"

"One of our music videos."

"But why would that make her... oh."

"Music video? What - did it get released today?!"

"Oh no! She's watching Your Eyes!"

"Ah!"

Felix started running around the room with his hands over his face. He only stopped when Rose called out his name.

"Felix! How could you? You tease!"

"Noona!"

"We should have warned her not to watch it."

"No! You want to deny me seeing the best music video ever! I bet your fans are dying."

"We didn't choose our scenes! The scenarios were given to us."

"Really? But they fit each of you so well."

"Noona! How can you say that? Mine was so embarrassing!"

"Perhaps it was a little forward of you, Lix, but I can't imagine anyone pulling it off quite as well as you."

"What did you think of Chan-Hyung's part?"

"That’s how he acts normally."

All the other boys burst out laughing.

"What about everyone else's?"

"I'm never going to be able to think of you all the same way again."

Chapter 24: Hero's Soup

"Hyung? Oh, hello, Rose-Noona."

At hearing someone in the apartment, Hyunjin came out of his room to see if it was Chan or Changbin who had come back home. After having a nice lie-in and whatever food they had in the kitchen for breakfast, the dancer had settled down to finish off a painting.

"Hey, Jinnie. I'm just picking up something for Chan. You've got the morning off?"

"Oh. Yeah."

Hyunjin blinked at Rose as she smiled warmly at him. It was a little jarring to see her in his home. He hadn't spent any time with Rose just the two of them before, so he felt a little awkward without anyone else around.

"What are you up to? Painting?"

"You know that I paint?"

"Of course! Your artwork is amazing. You're so talented."

"Really? Thank you, Noona."

Hyunjin was surprised. Rose was Chan's soulmate, and she was close friends with Felix, but he didn't think that she cared much about him outside of her job. However, he also wasn't blind. He had noticed how hard she worked to take care of the group. Whether it was her job or not, none of the other staff took such good care of them.

"Could I - Would you show me what you're working on?"

"Umm..."

"Sorry, you don't have to."

"No! It's okay. You can see."

Hyunjin led Rose into his room where he had his easel set up. He had a lot of his work scattered around his room, on his desk and on the walls. She pointed to one of his most recent pieces.

"Wow! Ooh, it's the beach. Is that from our trip to Jeju?"

"Yes."

"The reflection on the water is beautiful. I love your technique."

"Do you paint, Noona?"

"I did art at school. Sometimes I sketch, but generally, the only painting I do nowadays is on people’s faces. You make me want to pick up a paintbrush again."

"You should! What's your favourite medium?"

"Watercolours. I love the way they can have a mind of their own. As much as you try to control it, you never quite know how it will turn out. It's freeing."

"I like watercolours too. Although, I don't think I use them how they're supposed to be used."

"There's no right or wrong in art, but I know what you mean. Me too. Who cares as long as it works for you?"

"Maybe we could paint together sometime?"

"I'd love that. I'd suggest today, but I don't want to monopolise the rest of your morning. I'll find some time in your schedule, okay?"

"Don't you have to get back to Chan-Hyung?"

"Huh? Oh, he doesn't need this until later."

"Then... you can stay if you want. 

"You sure? You really want to hang out with boring, old Noona on your morning off?"

"You're not boring Noona!"

What Hyunjin really wanted to say was that he had wanted to spend more time with her for a while. He had heard much about Rose from the others, especially Felix, and he wanted to get to know her better.

"If you're sure... what shall we draw?"

They ended up drawing each other. Hyunjin gave her a sketchpad and pencil and they sat facing each other silently as they worked. Rose asked if she could put on some music and the dancer laughed when she played her Stray Kids playlist.

After an impromptu singalong session, Rose decided to make them some lunch. Hyunjin followed her out to the kitchen.

"Noona... I don't think you'll find what you need."

"I can make do with whatever you have - or not."

The fridge was basically empty and when she checked the cupboards all she found were a couple of packets of ramen. Rose turned to Hyunjin who got nervous at the expression on her face.

"We usually eat out?"

"Still, this is ridiculous."

With a sigh, Rose got out her phone. 

"Are we ordering in?"

"No, I'm ordering groceries. Is the other apartment the same?"

"Umm, no. I think Felix keeps supplies. For baking."

"You can't live on brownies and cookies. No matter how good they are."

When the groceries arrived, Hyunjin watched as Rose cooked several dishes. She gave a bit of everything to him to try, as well as some for herself, made up a lunchbox and then put the rest away for the others to have later.

"Is the lunchbox for Chan-Hyung?"

"Yes. If someone doesn't bring him food, then he won't eat."

"I'm glad you're his soulmate, Noona. You're so good for him."

Rose looked over at Hyunjin when he said this, but the dancer had carried on eating his lunch without realising the weight of his words.

Do you really think so?

The words were on the tip of her tongue, but she held them back. She knew what he would say, and it wasn't that she disagreed with the reasons. Rose knew that everyone was glad that Chan had someone, mainly to look after him, but just someone outside of Stray Kids to talk to without being their leader. 

And while she was happy to be that for him, the longer Rose stayed with them the more she thought about the effect she could have on their lives. Chan continued to try to convince her to let them publicly announce that he had found his soulmate. She knew he hated covering up his mark every time he was on camera or out in public. 

Some days she wanted to throw all caution to the wind and take that leap with him, but then her sensible side kicked in and she continued to deny him. She told him she would think about it, that she needed more time, and that they should at least wait until after the tour. However, Rose saw how much it hurt him when fans asked him his thoughts on soulmates, and he had to try to answer without lying to them. She wasn't sure how long he would be able to continue keeping her a secret.

Rose was jerked out of her thoughts by Hyunjin's voice.

"Huh?"

"Thank you for lunch, Noona. It was delicious."

"You're welcome, and there's plenty of leftovers to keep you going for a while."

"You're the best!"

"I better get back to the company."

"I'll come with you, Noona. I've just got to get my stuff together."

"Okay. No rush."

On the way to the company, they talked about the upcoming trip to Japan for their concerts. Rose knew she was only going with them because she was Chan's soulmate as her Japanese wasn't very good. She had never been there before and was looking forward to it.

The two parted ways as Rose went to find Chan to give him his lunchbox. She went to his studio first, but he wasn't there. So, she checked the practice rooms and the gym, but he was nowhere to be found. She double-checked his schedule to confirm that he should be at the company before asking around.

When her soulmate got back, she was waiting for him in his studio. Chan jumped when he walked to see her sitting in his chair. He gave her a happy but tired smile and when to greet her but stopped at the look on her face.

"What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? Where have you been?"

"I, um, well, you know I have that sinus problem, I decided to spontaneously go and see a doctor about it and -"

"You went and had surgery without telling me!"

"It was just a minor operation..."

Rose stood up and walked towards him. Chan gulped but his soulmate just wrapped her arms around him and held him tight.

"You idiot. Do you know how worried I've been about you? Are you okay? Shouldn't you be resting? Why didn't you go home?"

"I've got Chan's room to do and then that meeting... did you pick up my flash drive?"

"Unbelievable."

She got it out of her bag and gave it to him along with the lunchbox.

"Thanks, Baby. Is this for me? Did you make this?"

"Is there someone else who forgets to eat? Yes, I cooked it. The leftovers are in your fridge since there was so much room."

"Oh, right... You didn't have to do that. Wait, why were you looking in my fridge?"

"To make lunch for Hyunjin and me."

"You had lunch with Hyunjin."

"Yes. We had a nice time together this morning. Now, stop distracting me and eat your food. Then you can tell me what the doctor said."

Once the lunchbox was empty, Chan started talking.

"You know I've had this sinus problem for ages, well, recently it's been waking me up because I can't breathe."

Rose was shocked at hearing what her soulmate had been going through.

No wonder he stays up all night if that's what happens when he sleeps.

"What?! Sorry, continue."

"I've been meaning to go to the doctor's and today I had some free time, so I went. They did a small procedure so that I can breathe easier. Hopefully, it will help, but the doctor said if it gets worse again then I might need a bigger surgery."

"Wow. Okay. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I told you, it wasn't planned -"

"No, I meant about the sleeping thing."

"I... I don't know. I guess I'm not used to having someone to tell things to. Usually, I'm the one people come to. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Just tell me next time, okay? I can't help you if I don't know what’s wrong."

"Really? But you always seem to know exactly what we need."

"Is that so?"

"Yep. I bet you know what I need right now."

"Hmm, let me think."

The pair grinned at each other as Rose leaned in for a kiss.

Chapter 25: For You

"- I've been assured that there will be extra security with us when we get to the airport. You guys know the procedure after that. Once we land, we'll head to -"

Rose tuned Chan out after that. They were in a meeting room again, this time discussing their trip to Japan for the next concerts of their world tour. She started scribbling furiously on her notepad, so much so that she ripped a hole in the paper. This didn't go unnoticed by those sitting next to her and her soulmate paused as Felix laid his hand on her arm.

"Um, Noona? Is everything alright?"

"Huh? Oh... Sorry."

"No need to be sorry. Is something bothering you?"

What was bothering Rose was that she hadn't been able to deliver on her promise. She hadn't been able to get anyone to agree to Stray Kids bypassing the usual entrance into the airport. Apparently, it was too important to be seen by fans and the press regardless of the dangers such crowds bring.

"Nothing that you boys need to worry about. I'm fine. Carry on, Chan."

After sending him a reassuring smile, Chan continued discussing their schedule whilst in Japan. Rose put down her pen to stop herself from wasting any more ink. On her other side, Felix leaned his head on her arm. The young boy looked up at her with a smile and she couldn't help but smile back. 

Rose lived for these boys. To keep them safe, to make them happy, to help them achieve their dreams. Sometimes it was hard to come to terms with the limits of her position. While she made want to move heaven and earth for them, reality meant she could only do so much. However, this meant that any little thing that she could do for them, she would, no matter the cost.

The two weeks in Japan passed by quickly. Both weekends of concerts were successful much to Rose's relief. As much as the boys enjoyed performing, the organisation behind the tour was exhausting. She was looking forward to going back home, even if it was only for a little while before they headed to America.

Between the concerts, interviews, performances and other schedules that Stray Kids had whilst in Japan, Rose still had time to do a bit of sightseeing. While she did have to do some on her own, or with some of the other staff members, she had also gotten the chance to spend some time with her soulmate. It was nice to spend some time together outside of work, even if some of the other boys liked to invite themselves along too. They almost felt like a normal couple.

The worst part of travelling with her Idol soulmate for work was the times when they were separated. After landing back in Korea, Rose was waiting in the car for the boys to join her and the wait was an anxious one. They had made it through their Japan trip without any major incidents, all they had to do was get from arrivals to the cars waiting outside. She wished that she could be with the boys, not that there was much she would be able to do to help, but at least she would know that they were safe with her own eyes.

What's taking them so long?

When the boys did appear, Rose could tell straight away that something was wrong. The security seemed particularly on edge and the crowd was more riled up than usual. Jisung and Seungmin were at the front, and the singer had his hand on the older boy's shoulder. Jisung was led to one car while Seungmin got in the same one as Rose.

"Something happened."

"Jisung fell over."

"What?! Is he okay? Is he hurt?"

Seungmin looked at Rose with his steady gaze, not allowing her to guess how he was feeling about the situation. He took a moment before answering, not wanting to worry Chan's soulmate, but ultimately decided that it was unavoidable.

"The crowd was pushy, as usual. It happened very quickly. One second, he was behind me and the next, everyone had stopped. I turned back and saw Jisung on the floor. He was clutching his arm."

By this time, they had been joined by Hyunjin and Felix. Chan was the last member to arrive, and he got in their car and sat in the seat next to Rose. He looked furious. Rose felt her heart pounding in her chest. She almost jumped when Felix clung to her arm on her other side. In the back of the car, Hyunjin was doing the same to Seungmin.

Rose hesitated to reach out to her soulmate. It wasn't often that Chan got angry, and she was torn between giving him space to calm down and her need to comfort him. In the end, she didn't need to choose. He reached out and linked their fingers, raising their hands he pressed his lips to the back of her hand. They sat in silence for the rest of the ride, but the reassuring touch of her soulmate's hand in hers kept her calm.

When they reached their apartments, they all gathered in Jisung's living room. The rapper sat on the sofa while the others checked on him. Minho sat next to him with his arm wrapped around the younger boy to help him relax.

After checking that Jisung was sure he didn't need to go to the hospital, Rose went out into the hallway, while the boys were gathered inside. Closing her eyes, tears began to fall. It was her job to look after these boys and she felt like she had failed them. 

Seungmin came out of his apartment next door and Rose quickly wiped away her tears. He looked at her but didn't say anything as he made his way into the other apartment where everyone else was gathered. Once inside he looked back at the front door before standing beside Chan.

"Chan-Hyung?"

"Are you okay, Seungmin?"

"I'm fine, Hyung, but..."

"What is it?"

"Rose is crying in the hallway."

"What? Thanks, Minnie."

Chan quickly walked to the front door and opened it, peering outside. When he saw Rose, her eyes still wet with tears, he stepped out into the hallway and gathered her into his arms.

"I'm sorry."

"Rose? What? You have nothing to be sorry about."

"I promised last time that I would make sure that this would never happen again."

"You did everything you could. The increase in bodyguards was a big help."

"But Jisung got hurt!"

He had to stop himself from saying that Jisung was okay because he wasn't. Physically, the rapper may just have a bruised elbow, but mentally, he was rather shaken up.

"It's not your fault."

Rose pulled back slightly and looked up at her soulmate.

"It’s not yours either."

"I'm their leader. I'm responsible for them."

"For keeping them focused on work and happy, maybe, but not for their safety."

Changbin had noticed Chan leave and had followed him to the front door. The rapper overheard part of the two soulmates' conversation and it hurt his heart that Rose was upset over something out of her control. Not wanting to eavesdrop any longer, he went back into the apartment. Felix noticed his return and the strange look on his face.

"Binnie-Hyung? Is everything okay?"

Changbin opened his mouth but hesitated to answer for a moment before sighing.

"Noona's crying."

"What? Noona's crying! Why?"

At Felix's cry, the whole room was now paying attention.

"She blames herself for Jisung getting hurt."

Minho frowned.

"How is it her fault?"

"It sounded like she promised Chan she'd do something about the airport situation, but she didn't have enough power to make any big changes. She's the reason we had more bodyguards this time, but she wanted to do more."

"And she really thought she'd be able to achieve that? We all know that Chan's demanded better security, if he can’t get it done then what made her think she could."

"Minho-Hyung, don't be mean. Noona just wants to help us."

"I'm not being mean. I just don't want her to blame herself."

They all sat in silence for a minute until Chan and Rose come back in. The other boys tried to be obvious in the fact that they knew she had been crying, but they hated the fake smile she had put on to try to hide it. Jisung got up off the sofa, walked over to Rose and wrapped his arms around her.

"Thank you, Noona."

"What...?"

"For everything you do. You take such good care of us, and I feel like we don't tell you enough how much we appreciate it, and you."

"I... I'm just doing my job."

"We all know that's not true, Noona."

One by one all the boys joined in the hug.

"Ah, watch my arm! Injured person, remember?"

Over the tops of the boys' heads, Chan could see Rose smiling in the centre. It made him so happy to see his members and his soulmate getting along like this, that they thought so highly of her. He only wished that the whole world knew how wonderful his soulmate was too.

Chapter 26: Boxer

They weren't back in Seoul long before they were off again. This time they were heading to America for the next stretch of their world tour. They would be there for around three weeks before having a short break and then finishing off the tour back in Japan. Before they left their full Japanese album had been released and Rose had been playing Fairytale on repeat.

Before the concerts started, they had a few days in New York. These were mostly spent doing interviews and promos for the Maniac album and world tour. Stray Kids were one of the most impressive groups when it came to speaking English, or at least Rose had always thought so. Having two Australian members obviously helped, but almost all of the members were able to contribute a couple of sentences and she knew how much STAYs appreciated it.

The night before the first concert, Chan did his first Chan's Room in America. The biggest difference with this V Live was that Rose was in the same room - off-camera - instead of being next door. This was because, firstly, they two had been hanging out in his room when he decided he needed to do his weekly show. It was also no secret that she had been watching him as he did these lives and with plenty of room for her to hide off camera, it seemed silly for her to leave. 

Apparently having his soulmate in the room didn't affect what Chan said. As he played the new song by Nayeon, from TWICE, Pop!, which Felix featured in, the leader spoke about growing up around the female Idol as trainees. 

Once he finished the live, Chan turned to Rose with a smile only to be greeted with raised eyebrows. 

"So you think Nayeon-Unnie is amazing?"

Chan blinked owlishly. It was getting late and he had gotten up early this morning so he was a little tired as many STAY had pointed out during the V Live. 

"Uh, yeah. When we were both trainees I thought she was really talented."

Rose looked away and tried to act nonchalant. 

"Huh... Okay."

As he observed his soulmate it dawned on him. 

"Why do you ask? Wait, are you jealous?"

She scoffed but looked at Chan expectantly. 

"What? No. Do I have something to be jealous of?"

He tried to suppress his smile. Rose generally kept her emotions close to her chest and sometimes it was hard for him to figure out how she was feeling. Due to his job he was often touched by the stylists and makeup artists as well as being screamed over by their fans. Chan often wondered if any of it ever affected his soulmate, so seeing her jealous like this made him a little happy. 

"You know, if we were public it would be you I'd be gushing over on my V Lives."

"Did you just admit to gushing over another woman?"

"That's the part you decide to focus on?"

Rose sighed. It had been a little while since Chan had brought up making their soulmate bond public. She thought perhaps he had decided to leave it alone for now, but apparently not. She tried to shut it down before it started because it hurt to argue with him about it. 

"We've already had a conversation about this."

"And that means we're never going to speak about it again? I understand where you're coming from, I do, and I'm sorry that you ended up with a soulmate that no one can know about without you losing your privacy -"

Her heart dropped and she bit her lip. 

"Chan... don't - don't say that. I'm not sorry that you're my soulmate."

He looked at her with sad tired eyes.

"Really?"

She tried to give him a reassuring smile. 

"Really."

"Sometimes it doesn't feel that way."

Seeing that there was no avoiding the conversation, Rose tried her best to convince her soulmate why going public with their relationship was a bad idea. 

"Look, it's not just about that. Think about what effect it would have on your career, on the rest of Stray Kids."

"We'd get through it. I know we could and the kids would agree with me."

He said it so confidently that she almost believed him. 

"But have you asked them?"

"I don't need to."

"Chan."

"Of course, I need to, but I know what they'll say."

"This isn't something to take lightly."

"I think you're underestimating STAY."

Rose smiled wistfully. She had to admire Chan's persistence and determination. 

"Perhaps."

"Does that mean you'll think about it?"

When she nodded, Chan wrapped her in a tight hug, kissing the side of her head. Rose's chest felt tight. She didn't know whether she was telling the truth or not, but all she wanted was for her soulmate to be happy. 

The next day the boys were a mixture of nerves and excitement. They were excited to be performing in front of a new audience and to meet American STAYs. They were nervous for a few different reasons. While most of the boys were practising their remarks in English and asking Chan to check them, Felix was freaking out over something else. 

"Noona?"

Rose turned to the young Idol and immediately noticed how pale his face was. 

"Lixie? Sweetie, are you okay?"

She raised her hand to feel his forehead, making him smile briefly. 

"I - can I show you something?"

"Of course."

Felix led her to an empty room and took some deep breaths to calm down. He chuckled nervously, feeling silly about what was wrong. 

"You know we take turns doing little performances while the others get changed?"

"Yes, it's a great idea. STAY love it."

"Yeah, well, today I'm singing solo."

"And your nervous."

"Yeah."

"I'd tell you not to be, but I know that doesn't help. You have a beautiful voice. STAY love hearing you sing. They're going to be so happy. Trust me."

"I know, but I'm still not confident. Can I practice with you?"

"Of course! What song are you singing?'

"Break My Heart Again by Finneas."

Felix sang it through a couple of times with Rose giving him encouragement. She held his hands and once she got a feel for the song began singing along with him, which made him sing a lot more confidently. 

When he sang it on stage later that night she was so proud of him. Although she planned to scold him later about putting himself down, calling himself a little talent compared to Jisung's big talent. Rose made a mental note to work on Felix's self-confidence with him. 

Without the need to travel to work, Rose had been taking advantage of the extra time she had in the mornings and was making use of the hotel's gym. While most of the boys were still asleep at this time, Changbin had joined her one morning and every morning since. 

The rapper had been a little shy at first as he usually worked out shirtless, but he also couldn't deny the satisfaction he felt when he caught Rose glance over his body appreciatively. He was very proud of his physic after all. 

"Binnie?"

He looked over at Rose who was standing by the weights. 

"Yes, Rosie-Noona?"

"I, er, I usually work out at home so I'm not sure if my form is correct. Would you mind...?"

"Of course, I'll help you, Noona. I am the workout expert in the group. What exercises do you usually do?"

"I'm doing arms today. Sometimes I worry my back isn't straight, or I'm not quite doing it right."

"You don't go to a gym."

"I prefer not to be watched while I work out."

"But I've been here every morning... You should've said something, Noona."

"It's a public gym. At least it's you and not a stranger."

"Shall we start?"

Changbin had to make a few adjustments as Rose went through her exercises. After checking it was okay, he used his hands to correct her posture. He gulped as his hand rested on the small of her back and reminded himself to be respectful of his leader's soulmate. 

"Thanks, Binnie."

"No worries. You should see more of an improvement if you remember those adjustments."

"Maybe I'll have to book you in for some personal training."

"Anything for you, Noona, but you're doing pretty well by yourself."

"Ah, thank you."

"Chan-Hyung is a lucky guy."

"Aww, you're so sweet! Your soulmate will be the lucky one, getting such a sweet, polite, handsome man."

"Noona, stop it. You're making me blush!'

Changbin held his hands against his cheeks making Rose giggle. 

"Go on, I've monopolised you enough. I'll let you get back to your own workout now."

She started putting the weights away when Changbin called out to her. 

"Noona? When do you think I'll find them?"

"When the time is right."

On their last morning in New York, Rose was in the gym wondering where Changbin was. 

Perhaps he's skipping this morning. He might be packing. 

However, it was someone else who joined her for her workout that morning. When she heard someone enter she turned to greet Changbin but instead found her soulmate. 

"Chan? What are you - I mean, you're up early."

"My sleep schedule has changed since we've been here. Early to bed, early to rise. I've been fitting some work in. "

"Oh, that's good. What made you decide to work out this morning?"

"A dwaekki might have mentioned you've been here every morning."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. So I thought I'd better check it out for myself."

"And?"

"There's a very nice view."

Rose glanced out of the windows which showed a view of the city. Turning back to Chan she realised that his gaze wasn't on the view outside but on her. He grinned as she realised what he meant. 

"Chan!"

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close, giving her a kiss which left her feeling a little dazed afterwards.

"Morning, Jagi."

"Did you come here to work out or just to admire the view?"

"Well... Both!"

He laughed as Rose pretended to give him a smack. 

"Go on then. You've got to keep that body in shape to show off with all your cropped tops."

"You keep joking about my stage outfits, but I know you love them."

Chan began his workout and Rose did some yoga stretches as she watched him. When he caught her she just continued to stare, eventually making him laugh nervously and look away. Once he had finished he walked over to her and held out his hand.

"Do you want to order breakfast to my room?"

"Okay. Let me wash up and change and I'll join you."

As they made it out into the hallway, Rose released Chan's hand before anyone could see, but he wouldn't let go. After a moment's hesitation, she curled her fingers back around his. She figured if they did come across anyone on their way back to their rooms then they could quickly let go. 

Chan walked Rose to her room and was still holding tight onto her hand as she opened the door and stepped in. She looked back at him and saw that his gaze was on their joined hands which were stretched out between them. He was smiling sadly. 

"I won't be long."

With his hold on the hand to keep her in place, he leaned in and gave her a peck on the forehead. 

"Do you trust me to order for you?"

"Hmm, think of it like a test. Can you order the right thing?"

"Challenged accepted."

Finally, he released her hand and started walking down the corridor to his room. 

"And you can't just order everything!"

They were sitting eating their breakfast in Chan's room when there was a knock at the door. 

"Channie-Hyung, Jinnie won't get up and he hasn't even packed yet!"

Rose heard Jeongin's voice come in the direction of the door. 

"Go and ask Minho to get him up."

"But I don't want to disturb Minho-Hyung... Oh! Hello, Noona!"

"Morning, Innie."

"I - er, I'm sorry for disturbing the two of you. I'll go..."

As he left the soulmate heard the faint sound of the Maknae shouting as he ran down the hallway.

"Hyung and Noona spent the night together!"

Chapter 27: Question

"What do you think of me doing a Nirvana song for the Seattle show?"

Rose was lounging around in Chan's hotel room. The past few weeks of the tour had flown by and now they were in their last city. Ever since that morning when the Maknae had told everyone that they had slept in the same room, the soulmates had decided to make it true. So, for the past two weeks, they had been sharing a bed.

"Nirvana? Really? I think that would be awesome!"

"Yeah? Cool. I'll do it then."

"Can I get a preview?"

"I don't know..."

"Please! I want to see rockstar Chan."

"Since you asked so nicely."

Chan gave Rose a peck on the lips before picking up his phone to play the song. By the time he reached the chorus, she had joined in and the pair of them were jumping around the room, head banging, and playing air guitar. Afterwards, they both collapsed on the bed.

"I don't think that was good for my sore throat."

"Perhaps you should do something that won't hurt your voice."

"Hm, do you have a suggestion?"

"I might have one..."

Rose rolled over onto her side, propping herself up on one elbow. She hovered over Chan, taking his face in her other hand she leaned in slowly until their lips met. The kiss started off slow and sweet as he moved his hands to rest on her hips. Rose let out a small gasp as he pulled her to rest on top of him and Chan took advantage of that to deepen the kiss.

Time ceased to exist as the soulmates lost themselves in the feel of each other. Rose let her hand move up until she could run her fingers through his fluffy, curly hair. Then she felt Chan's hands start to wander. All she felt was safe and loved.

All of a sudden, Rose was on her back, her eyes fluttered open to see Chan hovering over her. He brought one hand up to caress her face. She leaned into the warmth of his palm with a smile. After a moment, she raised her hand and put it over his. He moved to lay down next to her and she turned so that they were facing each other. They linked their hands together and stared into each other's eyes.

"Sometimes I can't believe you're real. My beautiful Rose. What did I do to deserve you?"

"You deserve the world and everything in it. No one deserves happiness more than you."

As he played with their hands, the soul-mark on Rose's finger caught Chan's eye and he rubbed his thumb over it.

"Have you thought any more about us becoming public?"

"Chan, baby, I -"

"You can stay anonymous! We won't release your name, just that I have found my soulmate and that we are bonded."

The grip he had on her hand was tight and Rose could see the desperation in his eyes.

"I... Let's discuss it after the tour is over. Okay?"

"Okay."

She let him pull her closer, hugging her against him tightly as if to make sure she wouldn't disappear. Rose bit her lip to try and keep her tears at bay. Chan was a beautiful human being, kind and caring, genuine and hardworking. He deserved so much more than her and she prayed every day for the strength to help him achieve his dreams.

Before they left the US, Stray Kids did a group V Live. Rose was the staff member to monitor the Idols. As she set up the camera, the boys were talking loudly over each other. Once she was finished, she waited patiently for them to be ready. 

Changbin noticed first and sat with his hands in his lap smiling at her. When the others didn't follow suit, he frowned and leaned forwards with a finger to his lips.

"Shh! Rosie-Noona's waiting for us to start."

"Why are you shh-ing us? You're the nosiest one!"

Changbin rose up in protest, but quickly settled back down and whispered.

"Yah! I've been sitting here quietly."

Felix wrapped his arm around the rapper's shoulders, smiling teasingly at him.

"He's trying to behave in front of Noona."

"That's okay, Binnie. I already know what you're like."

"Noona!"

The others laughed as Changbin pouted and crossed his arms. After a few minutes of getting the rapper to cheer up, they started the V Live. As she watched the boys together, Rose's smile didn't leave her lips the whole time.

After America, they went back to Japan to finish the tour with another two concerts in Tokyo. On the first morning, Rose attended various meetings regarding the next few days. When she went back to the room where Chan was.

When her soulmate had woken up this morning, he had completely lost his voice. So, when he greeted her now, Rose was surprised when Chan's voice came out really deep.

"Oh, sorry I was looking for Chan, not Felix."

"Ha, ha, very funny."

"At least you have a voice now."

"Yeah. Actually, it's kind of cool."

"What have you been doing?"

"I don't know what you - VENOM!"

"You're such a dork."

"But I'm your dork."

"Yes, you are. I bet you've been singing all of Felix's lines too."

"Cookin' like a chef I'm a 5-star Michelin."

"Do another one."

"Maniac. Crazy like a screw is missing. Maniac."

"Wow..."

"You're really liking this, aren't you? Maybe I should get a cold more often? Or should I be worried about you and Felix?"

"Well, not if your voice stays like this - Chan!"

Rose giggled as her soulmate tickled her as punishment.

"Would you like to try that again?"

"Get well soon?"

"Better, and hopefully true because I've got concerts to sing in!"

"I'll personally nurse you back to health."

"Oh?"

Rose raised an eyebrow at the strange look on her soulmate's face.

"But not in whatever way you're picturing."

Chan's eyes widened.

"I wasn't picturing anything!"

Thanks to her drowning him in soup and forcing lots of rest on him, Chan's voice recovered in time for the concerts. After the two concerts were over it was time for them to head home to Korea, or at least most of them were.

Rose held Felix's face in her hands as she frowned.

"I don't like this."

"Noona! I'm just staying an extra couple of days, and Minho-Hyung will be with me."

"It feels like I'm leaving you behind."

"You can't get rid of me that easily, Noona. I'd chase after you!"

Rose smiled at the young Idol and dropped her hands.

"Good. Now, behave yourself."

"Don't you trust me, Noona?"

"Of course, I do, Sweetie. It's that one I'm worried about."

Everyone glanced over at Minho who pointed to himself and mouthed 'me' with wide innocent eyes.

"She's got a point. Ouch! Hyung!"

Jisung rubbed his arm while pouting at Minho who laughed and slung an arm around the younger's shoulders.

"Everyone, enjoy a couple of days off and I'll see you all back for STAY's birthday!"

"Don't forget ISAC, Noona."

Rose wrinkled her nose and muttered under her breath.

"I can't believe they're making you do that... Anyway, we better get going. Bye!"

"Bye, Noona!"

"Bye other members who I will miss so dearly. Goodbye to you too, Felix."

Everyone laughed as Felix chased after Changbin.

Chapter 28: Muddy Water

Rose wasn't expecting to end up in JYP's office on their first day off. When Chan had told her that he had booked an appointment to discuss going public, she had immediately made her own appointment with the big boss.

"I understand Bang Chan still wants to announce that he has found his soulmate."

"Yes, sir. He's getting rather insistent."

"Yes, that's not unexpected. I have already had a team looking into possible outcomes if we went ahead."

Rose unconsciously leaned forward in her seat. A small part of her hoped that she was overreacting and that her existence wouldn't be the downfall of her soulmate and his group's career.

"And?"

Park Jinyoung smiled sadly at her and shook his head.

"Not good I'm afraid. While it might not destroy them completely, this, how they are now, will be the peak of their careers. Perhaps in a few more years, they'll be more stable and able to withstand the backlash..."

"I see."

"I never wanted to be the kind of person who restricts his artist's freedom when it came to soulmates, but it also wouldn't be fair to let the rest of those boys and the whole team who have helped them get this far, see their work go to waste."

"I agree with you, sir."

"Good. Chan won't take this news well, and while I'm reluctant, I will play the bad guy here."

"Sorry, sir, but I don't think it will be enough. Chan is sure that letting the world know he had found his soulmate won't affect their career and he's convinced the other members of it too."

"You have a suggestion?"

"You said in a few years it might be possible, yes?"

"That's right."

"When he comes in later, tell him you'll get the staff to look into the best way to handle this. I'll convince him to put it off until it won't be so damaging to his career."

"Okay, but if you can't convince him... It would be a last resort, but Stray Kids might have to lose another member."

"I'll make sure that doesn't happen."

There was no mistaking the determination on Rose's face and Park Jinyoung had an inkling of what she planned to do. It made him a little sad that it might come to something that drastic, but he was also impressed with how she was able to put her soulmate's dreams before her own happiness.

"Then I'll count on you, Rose."

When Chan arrived, he looked so happy as he greeted JYP and then gave his soulmate a quick peck on the cheek as he sat down. He believed that after this meeting he would be one step closer to being free to talk about his soulmate and stop covering up his soul-mark, so he was very excited.

"You're here already, Jagi."

Rose tried to smile back, but her mind was reeling with thoughts of how she was going to convince Chan to change his mind. She sat quietly during the meeting as JYP and Chan discussed what they had planned to tell him.

"I'll know you know when I hear back from my team. In the meantime, keep up the good work."

"Thank you, Sir."

Chan took Rose's hand and led her back to his studio. When they got there, she braced herself for what she was about to do.

"Chan..."

"Well, that went well, don't you think?"

Rose could barely look at her soulmate and his grinning face as she spoke.

"Chan, why can't you leave this alone?"

Her question confused him. He thought that she had come around to his way of thinking.

"What do you mean? I just want us to be free to be happy without restrictions."

"But I told you that I didn't want to go public."

Chan tried to keep his spirits up as his soulmate repeated the same line, she had told him weeks ago. She hadn't said anything against the plan in JYP's office, so why was she arguing against it now?

"We'll keep your name out of it."

"They'll find out anyway."

"And they could find out about us anyway too. I know I'm asking a lot, but please... I need to do this."

It was then that Rose realised that Chan was never going to give up. She saw it all flash before her eyes. The announcement, the hate, the backlash, the broken dreams, and all because of her. She shook her head in disbelief and ran her hand through her hair. If she had waited a few more years before trying to meet her soulmate, everything would be fine, and they both would be happy together.

"This is all my fault. I should've waited longer. I got spooked by the stupid sickness and now I've ruined everything."

Chan felt a prickling at the back of his neck. They had never talked about if Rose had known that they were soulmates before they met, but he had a feeling he was finally about to find out.

"Waited longer? What do you mean?"

"I knew you were my soulmate a long time ago and I stayed away... On purpose."

Rose met Chan's gaze as she said those last two words. As he spoke his next words it was with the hope that his soulmate's reasons wouldn't be as bad as the ones his spiralling thoughts were coming up with.

"What? Why?"

It suddenly occurred to her that what she said now could change everything. She could undo all the damage she had done before the consequences set in. Stray Kids would continue their path to world domination, and Chan would be safe. They would all be safe.

The mask the Rose hadn't worn for months slid into place. She needed to harden herself for what she was about to do next.

"I... I didn't want you as my soulmate. As an Idol nothing in your life is private and I didn't want to live in the public eye like that."

"But you did come to me, you sought me out?"

"I was scared of getting the sickness. I saw an opportunity to meet you and I took it. All I need was for us to complete the bond and then I would be safe."

Chan stared at her, eyes wide and mouth dropped open. He felt as though he was having a bad dream.

"I - what - never mind, you don't feel that way anymore right? We... I thought we were..."

"I won't say I didn't have fun. It's been a blast, but then you had to go and make things all serious. You have to go public, and it just reminded me that this wasn't what I wanted."

"What are you saying?"

"I want out. I'm leaving."

At first, Chan wanted to laugh, but he could tell that Rose was serious. He reached out and grabbed her upper arms.

"What? Rose, no, let's talk about this. I'm sorry I pushed about going public, we don't have to, ever, if you're not comfortable with it, just don't leave! I love you."

It took everything in her not to break down and run into his arms. Instead, she removed his hands and stepped back before putting the final nail in the coffin. She was going to end this.

"I'm sorry, but you're not worth it. You can't dance like Minho, rap like Changbin, or sing like Seungmin, and yet all you do is work. You're just... not enough."

Every statement had felt like a knife to the heart. Rose only waited a moment to make sure that the message had sunk in before leaving the room. She had to rapidly blink away the tears that were threatening to fall.

"Rosie-Noona?"

She looked up to see two members of Stray Kids walking down the hall, probably on their way to Chan's studio to work on a song. She put on the fake smile that she hadn't needed since she first started working with them.

"Hey Changbin, Jisung. Um, Chan needs you right now."

They looked confused but Jisung ran off down the hall when she waved him away. Changbin hesitated, reaching out to Rose. He could tell that something wasn't right.

"Noona? Are you -"

Rose cut him off. Her mask was slipping and if he asked her if she was alright with that kind face of his she might have broken down in front of him.

"Look after Chan for me, please."

Changbin nodded, but his eyes watched her as wondered what was wrong.

"Of course."

Rose's eyes softened as she memorised the presence of the Idol that she had become so close to. It was hard not to say goodbye to him, to all of the members, but she was doing this for them.

"Thank you."

As Changbin watched her walk away, he didn't know that later he would regret not running after her.

Chapter 29: Awkward Silence

The members of Stray Kids don't know how they made it through the next few weeks. It took a little while for Chan to tell Changbin and Jisung what had happened and even longer to say why. Jisung did his best to comfort their leader while Changbin was in shock. He couldn't believe that his sweet Rosie-Noona had said all those horrible things to her soulmate.

When Felix and Minho arrived back from Japan, they were the only two that hadn't heard about what had happened. Changbin took Felix aside, while Jisung spoke to Minho. Felix couldn't believe what he was hearing. There was no way that Rose had left them, left him.

The young dancer stormed out of the room and started searching for her. Changbin followed him, telling Felix that Rose wasn't at the company. He started phoning her but got no answer. When he headed for the stairs, the older rapper asked him what he was doing, and Felix replied that he was going to Rose's apartment.

Meanwhile, Jisung was caught by surprise when Minho collapsed to the floor after he told the dancer what Rose had done. The rapper crouched beside him and waved his hand in front of the dancer's face as he sat zoned out on the floor. When he came back to reality, he grabbed Jisung's arms and looked up at him.

"I didn't want to be right."

"Oh, Hyung."

The younger wrapped Minho in a hug as a couple of tears ran down the dancer's cheek.

When the other two Idols comeback from their search, they both had red eyes. They hadn't found Rose at her apartment, but a neighbour had seen her leave the day before with a suitcase. They didn't mention her anymore after that. 

That night, Jeongin couldn't sleep and shuffled into Seungmin's room. The older singer accepted the Maknae into his bed even though he preferred sleeping alone. Neither of them wanted to be alone at the moment.

Hyunjin lay awake in his room staring at a painting on the wall. It was the one he had done of Rose when they had spent the morning together. He stared at it until his vision blurred.

"How could you do this to us? To Chan-Hyung, to Lixie and Binnie-Hyung. To Minho-Hyung, Sungie, Minnie, and Innie. To me. Why?"

They had schedules to get through over the next few days, but their main worry was their leader. However, as they got ready to go to ISAC, Idol Star Athletics Championship, Chan appeared and acted as if nothing had happened. As if his soulmate hadn't broken his heart and disappeared.

Jisung couldn't pretend though. Since Rose had started working with them, he had felt calmer, less anxious, and more secure knowing that she was taking care of them. In the loud stadium, it got to be too much for him. Grabbing hold of Seungmin he managed to ask for help before his anxiety took over. Once Seungmin had taken him inside and made sure he was alright, the singer left Jisung with their staff. 

Rose had been good at watching out for him and noticing if things started to get too much. She would take him aside and sit with him quietly and had even shown him some exercises to do to help him not go all the way into a full-blown anxiety attack. They were things that she used to do a lot as she had bad anxiety as a teenager, and he had felt closer to her after she had shared that with him.

The next day was STAY's birthday. By focusing on their fans, they managed to get through the V Live. If it was a little more chaotic than usual because they were trying to hide that something was wrong, then thankfully it wasn't that noticeable. Chan was a little quiet, but the younger ones had no problem being extra loud and causing distractions.

As the days passed, Stray Kids continued to work hard despite their busy schedules. It would have seemed like things were back to the way things were six months ago before Rose came into their lives if it hadn't been for Felix. The dancer hadn't been acting like himself at all.

Felix was known for being friendly, kind, and caring. He usually always had a smile on his face, but these days he was angry. He was angry at Rose, for leaving and for hurting Chan, but he was angrier at himself for wanting her to come back.

Every time he saw a funny video and wanted to share it with her, he threw his phone. When the staff wouldn't bring the drinks and snacks that he liked, he asked for the correct items, commenting that Rose knew what the liked. He complained when they ran out of water because Rose always made sure their water bottles were full. It wasn't just that nothing was the same without her, but that everything seemed to be worse, and it made him angry that she had such a big impact on their daily lives.

One of the groups' dreams came true when they got to perform at the Olympic Stadium for the Seoul FESTA's K-pop Super Live concert. In a past vlog, Changbin and Felix rode bikes outside the stadium and said it was their goal to perform there one day. Although it poured with rain, all the members were so happy to be performing on that stage. It was the perfect distraction and gave them the motivation to work hard so that they can hold their own concert there one day.

Changbin didn't really feel like celebrating his birthday, but Wooyoung insisted on doing something, even if it was only hanging out at ATEEZ's apartment. So, the night before his birthday he headed over to his best friend's place and was greeted with a big grin at the door. They sat down in the living room and Wooyoung passed him a drink.

"Everyone else is out. Sannie took Yunho and Mingi out even though I told him he was welcome to join us and the other four are with Zoey."

"Zoey?"

"Their final soulmate. She's visiting for a few weeks. It was good timing that Rose-Noona needed someone to home-sit. She stayed with us last time and it was a bit awkward. Now they can have some privacy -"

Changbin almost choked on his drink.

"Wait. What did you say?"

"Zoey stayed with us a few months ago."

"No. She's staying in Rose's apartment?"

"Yeah... She told Hongjoong-Hyung that it was going to be empty until her lease finished and he asked if his soulmate could stay there for a couple of weeks. You - You didn't know? I assumed she had moved in with Chan."

"Woo... Rose - she left us. She left Chan."

Changbin watched as his friend's eyes widened in shock.

"What? What do you mean left? She can't have -"

"She told Chan that she didn't want to be with him anymore, that she never wanted to be his soulmate, but she had been worried about getting the sickness."

Wooyoung jumped in his seat, shaking his head forcefully in denial.

"No... no way! Rose-Noona would never! She's not - she's a good person. I know her!"

"We thought we knew her too."

"Oh, Binnie... I'm so sorry. How - how's Chan-Hyung?"

"Pretending that nothing’s wrong, like she never existed, and working harder than ever."

"I can't believe it. And you? How are you holding up?"

Changbin shrugged.

"I'm not her soulmate. It wasn't me who was left heartbroken."

"Binnie... We both know that's not true."

The two Idols stared at each other for a moment, before the rapper looked down at the drink in his hand.

"It doesn't matter anymore. I just want to forget. Let's drink!"

The two boys clinked their glasses together and finished off their first of many drinks of the evening. Wooyoung's group members had to help the rapper home when they got back to find the two friends had drunk quite a bit. Jisung and Seungmin helped the birthday boy into his own bed after thanking ATEEZ for bringing him home. The younger rapper arranged the covers over him.

"I hope he's alright tomorrow."

Seungmin looked down at Changbin with an unsympathetic expression before they both left the room.

"He'll be fine. As long as this was a one-off. We all need to be at the top of our game while Chan-Hyung... recovers."

"We've all been affected by Rose-Noona leaving. It's going to take time to get back to normal. Healing isn't a process which can be rushed. We're not all like you, but I guess you weren't that close -"

Jisung stumbled back, taken by surprise when Seungmin gave him a small shove.

"Shut up! You don't know how I'm feeling."

"Oh, Min..."

The rapper wrapped Seungmin in his arms and rubbed his back as the singer sniffled. There wasn't one member of Stray Kids that wasn't affected by the loss of their leader's soulmate. The real question was if they would be able to recover from it.

Chapter 30: Sorry, I Love You

I didn't want you as my soulmate.

All I needed was for us to complete the bond.

I want out.

You're not worth it.

Not enough.

Those are the words that circled in Chan's mind in the days after Rose left. He barely remembered those first few days. It was as if he was watching a movie of himself as he participated in ISAC and celebrated STAY's birthday.

At first, he believed every word his soulmate had said to him that day. Why would she have wanted him as her soulmate, he hadn't wanted her when they first met. The sickness had scared a lot of people, it made perfect sense that she wanted to bond with her soulmate and save herself the worry.

Chan agreed that he wasn't worth it, that he wasn't enough for her, or for anyone else. He had always tried to be. He had worked hard every day to improve himself, to make sure that he would be an asset to whatever group he ended up in. When he was put in charge of Stray Kids all he felt was pressure. He had to do better, be better, to lead the others to debut. It almost wasn't enough. He wasn't good enough to keep their team together. The feeling of inadequacy never went away.

After the shock had worn off. Rose's words still circled his mind, but now he was analysing them. If she hadn't wanted him as a soulmate, why did she stay with him so long? If all she wanted was to bond with him, then she could have kissed him and left that very first day. If he wasn't worth it, then why did she stay late at work whenever he did and take care of him the way she did?

Then he thought back to how it started. It began with him wanting to announce that he had found his soulmate to the world. He remembered what she had said every time he brought it up.

Think about the effect it would have on your career, on the rest of Stray Kids.

Rose was so sure that going public would impact negatively on him. There must have been more to it than just her opinion. The company was researching this, but they hadn't heard anything back yet, or at least Chan hadn't. He needed to talk to JYP.

Chan barged into Park Jinyoung's office as politely as possible.

"Chan, my boy, is something the mat-"

"What did they say?"

"Who are we talking about?"

"The team you put together to look into the best way to announce that I found my soulmate."

"But you don't need - I mean, they're still researching."

"Did they tell you it would be harmful to Stray Kids' career?"

The older man considered Chan for a moment before answering.

"Yes."

"And R-Rose knew this?"

It was the first time he had said her name out loud since that day and it hurt more than he was expecting.

"She did."

"Did you ask her to leave?"

"No."

"Did you know that she was going to leave?"

"I had an inkling that she might, yes."

"Thank you, for being honest with me."

"Of course, Chan. I know you must be going through a hard time right now, but I just wanted to tell you how proud I am of you. You haven't let it affect your work and that's very professional of you."

"Thank you, sir."

One thing was clear, Rose had been told that if the world found out that Chan had found his soulmate, it would negatively affect Stray Kids. This led to her thinking that the only way to stop that from happening was to leave and break his heart in the process. She was clever. Rose knew just what to say to make Chan doubt her so that he wouldn't stop her from leaving or come after her.

However, Rose had underestimated Chan's feelings for her. How could he believe that she really thought those things when she was the one constantly giving him reassurances? Every time he said something negative about himself, he got a lecture on how he was wrong, that either what he said wasn't true or was actually a strength. With these daily affirmations from his soulmate, Chan had started to feel a lot better about himself.

This couldn't have been an easy decision for her to make, but if Rose truly believed that the best thing for Stray Kids was for them to be apart, then the least he could do was make sure that her sacrifice wasn't in vain.

All though he managed to keep it up for a while, eventually Chan started to fall apart. Everything reminded him of her. Everywhere he looked he saw memories of the time they spent together.

He tried to focus on his group members, but all he noticed was how much Rose leaving had affected them - seeing them hurting like this only made him feel worse. In a way, he felt as though it was all his fault. If he hadn't insisted on telling the public about finding his soulmate, if he had listened to Rose's concerns then she wouldn't have resorted to such drastic methods.

The whole group wasn't their usual selves, and their bad mood was noticed by the staff. They were late, unfocused, and irritable. The staff had voiced their concerns to Stray Kids' manager. KCON LA was coming up and it required a lot of fan engagement. In their current state, they worried that it would be obvious to fans that something was wrong.

After the worst rehearsal the group had ever had, which ended up with the boys tripping over each other and landing in a pile on the floor, their manager came to a decision. He gathered all the boys together to talk to them. The Idols' heads hung low as they knew that their performance had been below par recently.

It was hard for the manager to see them like this. When Rose had left, he had expected Chan to take it hard, but the effect it had on the rest of the group had been unexpected. Minho was frowning, which wasn't strange, but seeing Felix so angry was. Jisung looked lost as he stared blankly into space. Jeongin, who wasn't usually one for skin-ship, was currently clinging to Seungmin like he was afraid he would disappear if he let go. Seungmin had stopped teasing the others, Hyunjin had his arms wrapped around himself, and Changbin sat quietly. Chan was barely holding himself together, although he tried to cover it up by working as hard as possible.

Their manager hoped that he was doing the right thing as he handed out envelopes to each member.

"Before you open these, you should know that you don't have to read them. It's entirely your choice."

Chan frowned in confusion and looked from the letter in his hands, up to his manager.

"What do you mean, Manager-nim?"

"These are letters from Rose. She gave them to me before she left."

The room was silent as they all processed this. Minho was the first to speak.

"Why are you only giving them to us now?"

"I hoped I would never have to give them to you. She told me only to give them to you if I thought you needed them. I hoped that you would move on, forget her, hate her even, but it seems that when she left, she took your hearts with her. Now I hope that these letters will make you whole again."

Their manager left the room, leaving the Idols alone. At first, no one moved to open their letter. Minho pushed his envelope away from him, crossing his arms as he glared at it. The younger members watched their Hyungs for a sign of what they should do. 

Chan stared down at his envelope, rubbing his thumbs across the paper. Inside contained words written by his soulmate. He wasn't sure whether they would be similar to the last things she had said to him, or what he hoped was the truth and the complete opposite.

Changbin was the first to rip open his envelope and read his letter. The others watched until tears started rolling down the rapper's cheeks and then one by one, they started reading their own letters. Each letter was different and personal and made their hearts feel heavy and light at the same time.

Once Changbin had finished, he banged his fist on the table and cried out in despair.

"I knew it! It was all lies! She never wanted to leave! She loves us!"

.

.

.

Perhaps in a few years, when I'm no longer a threat, we will meet again.

I only hope that you can forgive me.

Chapter 31: The View

Rose had been listening to Chan's SKZ-RECORD song, I hate to admit, on repeat.

How could I forget. The day you lied to me.

"How long are you going to spend moping in your room? I'm getting sick of this song."

"Mum!"

It was a form of self-torture as if Chan was singing directly to her. Every moment since she left Chan in his studio that day, Rose had wondered if she was doing the right thing.

He probably hates me now after what I said to him.

That day she had gone home and cried herself asleep. When she had woken up and made a plan. She couldn't stay there. The boys knew where she lived and if they came for her, she wasn't sure that she would have the strength to say no.

So, after sorting a few things out, including telling JYP of her departure who was very understanding if not a little too gleeful at the news and had told her not to worry about anything, Rose booked a flight.

Deciding where to go had been a little difficult. She hated to leave Korea as all her friends were there, but ATEEZ were close friends with Stray Kids and Anna had just debuted. Plus, she wasn't sure she could face seeing her friend living happily with her Idol soulmates at the moment.

So, Rose had headed home and now she was back at her parents' house. After two weeks of feeling sorry for herself, it was time to accept what she had done and move on.

"When do you go to LA?"

"In a couple of days."

"Good. You need to go out and have some fun. You said you're meeting a friend out there?"

"Yep. Anna."

"That’s nice. Girls' weekend away."

Rose was going to KCON in LA. Her mum had no idea that the soulmate she had run away from would be there or she might not think it was such a good idea, but Rose had to see her boys again. She needed to make sure that they were okay.

As she gazed out of the window of the plane, Rose couldn't help but get lost in her thoughts. Here she was about to secretly see her soulmate and the boys whom she had come to love more than anything, and she had disappeared from their lives without even goodbye. 

When she thought of her sweet Felix and how he must have come back from Japan to find her gone, it made her throat close up. At the time she thought she had to do something drastic to remove herself from their lives, but she hadn't considered how that would affect her returning to them. When that time came would they even want her back?

After landing in LA, Rose made her way to the hotel and waited for Anna to arrive. BTS's soulmate was coming to KCON to support their company's youngest male group, ENHYPHEN, but since she wasn't there official for work, she was arriving a day earlier. Rose had booked her room in the same hotel that Anna would be staying in. So, they were planning on ordering room service and having dinner together to catch up once she arrived.

Once she arrived at the hotel, Anna messaged Rose her room number. When the other girl opened the door, she immediately wrapped Rose in a tight hug. After somehow managing to walk in and close the door behind them, they stayed like that for a good few minutes.

"I thought you could probably use a hug."

"Thank you."

Anna pulled away and they went and sat down in the comfy chairs in the living space of Anna's suite.

"How are you holding up?"

"Okay, I guess."

"Really?"

"No... This trip is the first time I left the house since I went home."

"Why did you go home? You could've come and stayed with me. The boys wouldn't have minded."

"For how long? It seemed silly to stay with you when I had a perfectly good apartment in the same city. It was nice to see my mum."

"You said Hongjoong's soulmate is staying there at the moment, right? So, technically you don't have anywhere to live... you could come back and live with me for a bit."

"Yeah, Zoey. I think they were hoping I could spend some time with her while she's visiting. She's English too."

"Yeah? Cool! I'm not that close with ATEEZ but let them know I'd be happy to take Zoey out and show her some sights or something."

"I'll let Hongjoong know."

They spent the rest of the evening chatting about anything and everything other than Chan and Stray Kids. Rose had already told Anna what had happened over the phone once she had gotten to England. Anna had been a supportive friend about her decision as she partly understood being an Idol's soulmate herself.

The next day they went sightseeing around LA while Anna did a vlog. Like when they went to Lotte world together, Rose made sure not to appear on camera. That night they were talking about what would happen tomorrow when Anna felt like she had to say something.

"You know, you're lucky they're not staying in the same hotel as us. Both Stray Kids and ATEEZ."

"I know and thank you for not telling them. I know it's going to be hard for you when you see them tomorrow."

"Hopefully they won't ask me about you because I don't have a poker face. Are you going to be okay? Seeing them, I mean."

"Ask me again after I have. I just - I needed to see them, but now I'm thinking that it might be worse being so close and then leaving again."

"Do you have to?"

"What?"

"Leave them again."

"Anna..."

"I could take you backstage or find out what hotel they're in and you could just bump into them."

"And then we all live happily ever after? I can't just go back otherwise what was the point of leaving in the first place? Has anything changed? Well, yes, they probably all hate me now."

"I doubt they hate you. They might be a bit upset, but I'm sure they miss you just as much as you miss them."

"You don't know - I didn't tell you everything... I said some horrible things to him, Anna."

"I'm sure it not -"

"I played on his insecurities. I know his deepest darkest thoughts and I used them against him. He won't forgive me for that. He shouldn't."

"Rose... oh, come here."

Rose willingly fell into Anna's open arms and cried as the other girl comforted her.

"I miss him so much! I miss all of them."

Anna respected Rose's choice and knew it wasn't her place to interfere, but she wanted her friend to be happy. Nevertheless, it was going to be difficult to see the members of Stray Kids tomorrow.

KCON was amazing. Rose dressed in disguise with a hat and mask on as she attended the ATEEZ fan events during the day. She was so proud of them. For the concert, she was sat far away from the stage, so she didn't need to worry about being recognised by any of the Idols.

When Chan appeared as the first special MC, Rose did her best not to start crying. There was her soulmate, in person, and he looked so good. He was shining like the star she knew he was. This is why she gave him up so that he could soar unhindered.

She felt so proud whenever she saw any of the boys appear on stage and even more so as they all came out to close the show. They were amazing which was not surprising, but it was interesting how they adapted to the 360-degree stage. Although Rose did wonder what the view was like for fans who were close to the stage when the Idols were dancing with their backs to them.

As they said goodbye it was hard knowing that she couldn't go and see them. Even more so because she could tell that they weren't quite themselves. They did a good job of hiding it and the hype of the concert must have helped, however, Rose knew them well. Jisung in particular seemed to be more subdued than usual which worried her. 

It had been three weeks since she left, so surely, they weren't still affected badly enough to let it affect their work. Rose had always imagined that she was having the hardest time other than Chan. She thought most of the other members would be angry but forget about her quickly. If her leaving negatively affects their career, the opposite of what it was meant to do, she would never forgive herself.

Chapter 32: Road Not Taken

Giving Stray Kids the letters Rose had written for them was definitely a good decision by their manager. A light had returned to the Idols' eyes: hope. The last few rehearsals before they flew to LA were a lot better than they had been before. The boys seemed to have a renewed determination.

They hadn't discussed exactly what had been written in each of their letters. Each member felt as though it was too personal to share, at least while their emotions were still fresh. However, each member found the words on that piece of paper either comforting, heart-warming, or inspiring.

Jeongin kept his letter in his bag so that he could read it whenever he needed to. Seungmin kept his in the back of his diary, so it was safe and always with him. Felix had his tucked away in his bedside drawer and would read it every night before he went to sleep. Jisung's was in his pocket It was the most worn as he held it a lot whenever he needed strength. Hyunjin had taped his letter to his wall next to his drawing of Rose. Changbin had his hidden underneath his pillow and like Felix, he often found himself reading it while he lay awake at night unable to sleep. Chan's was in his studio and every time he looked at it he worked harder. Minho had been the only member not to read his letter.

KCON was a little hectic. Minho barely made it before the concert started as he had a schedule in Korea so had flown out a day later than the rest of the group. Not having their performance leader had been a little jarring, but Chan had done his best to get the rest of the group ready. 

It had been nice to see the other groups who were performing. Obviously, they were all close to the members of ATEEZ since participating in KINGDOM together. However, there was one Idol that Chan was very happy to have finally met. The fellow Australian, Jake from ENHYPEN.

Other than ISAC, this was the first big event that the group was doing with Rose. They all felt her absence and it made them realise how comforting her presence had been to them. It also made them notice all the little things she would do for them to make their lives easier. A weight she had helped carry returned to Chan's shoulders as it became clear how much he had started to rely on her.

They did their best to put on a high-level performance for STAY. No matter how they were feeling, they wouldn't let it stop them from putting on a good show for their fans.

After KCON, Chan did his usual V Live in the hotel room. Minho was hanging out in the room at the time but didn't want to be seen and so stayed off camera. Afterwards, the two continued to hang out. The dancer stared at his leader, who despite his best efforts, looked tired and obviously had a lot on his mind.

"You should do it."

"Do what?"

"Tell everyone that you've found your soulmate."

Chan looked at Minho in shock. This was the last thing he had expected the dancer to say.

"What? Are you serious? What about the fallout? The whole reason she left was to stop me from going public and save our career!"

Minho shrugged.

"You told us yourself that JYP himself told her that she was going to ruin our career. We already told you that we were willing to take that risk. This is your soulmate, Chan-Hyung. Is the possibility of losing a little popularity more important than her?"

"No... but she thought it was."

"I never said she was clever. She's so stupidly in love with you that she sacrificed her own happiness to make sure you achieved your dream. In a way, it's sickeningly sweet although very much misguided."

"Our dream. She didn't do it just for me. She did it for all of us."

The dancer looked down and picked at the hem of his top.

"I know. I - I feel guilty that I'm part of the reason she left you."

"Don't - Don't think like that. I don't blame you, or the others. I don't even blame her."

"You shouldn't blame yourself either."

Minho made sure to look at Chan as he said this, but when the leader met his gaze, he saw the haunted look in the leader’s eyes.

"She told me so many times that she didn't want to go public, that it was a bad idea, a selfish one, but I wouldn't listen. I pushed and pushed her until she saw no other option but to remove herself from the situation."

"She didn't have to hurt you in the process. The things she said..."

"Gave her time to escape. Otherwise, I would've chased after her and never let her go. She knows me too well."

"You're going to fight for her, right? We've got some time off now. You could go and find her and bring her home. I'll even help you."

Chan tilted his head as he stared at Minho.

"What made you change your mind about her?"

"I... I read her letter on the plane."

The leader smiled understandingly.

"I have no idea where she is. Where would I start looking?"

"I know who we can ask and there nearby."

Chan shook his head.

"ATEEZ don't know where she is. Changbin already asked."

"I didn't mean them. I think you should give your new Aussie friend a call."

"Why...? Anna! How could I forget that they're best friends!"

As Chan looked through his phone, Minho suddenly had a thought.

"Hyung?"

"Hm?"

"Did Anna seem particularly helpful at the concert?"

"What do you mean?"

"Backstage. Since I came straight from the airport, I was a bit in a rush to get ready and she asked if there was anything she could do to help. Also, I think I heard her ask everyone if their outfits were comfortable."

"That's sound just like -"

"Rose. Do you think she asked Anna to look after us?"

"Even from a distance, she's still making sure that someone's taking care of us."

Minho put his hand on Chan's shoulder.

"We're all behind you, Hyung. Make the announcement and bring Rose home to us."

The leader smiled at the dancer gratefully. He looked down at the screensaver on his phone and his gaze turned soft. It was a picture of Rose from the day she had fallen asleep on the sofa in his studio.

"I will."

After KCON, Rose went back home to England. She was rather impressed that she had managed to avoid running into both Stray Kids and ATEEZ because if Wooyoung had seen her then everyone would have found out she was there. Yet, she was also a little disappointed. A small part of her wanted them to find her, hold her, and never let her go again.

About a week later, Rose's phone went off. It was a message from Anna.

I don't know if you've seen this, but I think you should watch it.

It was a clip of Chan's Room. Although Rose had been keeping up with Stray Kids content, she hadn't been able to watch any episodes of her soulmate's weekly V Lives. At the moment it was just too hard to watch, but she had seen clips. This one was from earlier that day.

Chan looked tired and distracted in the video. Then he read a comment out loud, and Rose's heart stopped.

"Have I found my soulmate?"

The Idol had lost count of the number of times he had seen this question pop up on a V Live. He always ignored it, until today.

"Yes. I did find my soulmate, or she found me, but then she left. She didn't want to ruin my career. She didn't want Stray Kids to lose fans. But STAY wouldn't do that, right? You want me to be happy, don't you? Why can't I be happy?"

As he read more comments, he shook his head violently.

"No, no! Don't hate on my Rose. She's the sweetest. She brought me food and made sure I ate properly. She stayed at work late when I did and made sure I got enough rest. She looked after the kids, and I didn't worry about them as much because I trusted her with them. She was beautiful inside and out and I miss her. I miss her so much!"

When the clip ended, Rose blinked rapidly as tears pooled in her eyes.

A few days later her mother came into her room and started packing her suitcase.

"Mum? What are you doing?"

"Packing."

"Why? Am I going somewhere?"

"Yes. Home."

"Home? What do you - I can't."

"I've booked you a ticket we need to leave in the next hour."

"What?! Why would you do that?!"

"Because your soulmate loves you and misses you as much as you do him and it's stupid to stay apart like this."

"But I -"

"You think I don't know how to use social media? You left so that your relationship wouldn't be revealed. Chan announced it anyway. Fans are calling for you to go back to him, so just do it already!"

"Um, okay..."

Her mum came over to her and held Rose's head between her hands.

"Hold on to him this time. Okay? Not all soulmates are as perfect for each other as you two are. Promise me."

Rose nodded with watery eyes and a smile on her lips.

"I promise."

Chapter 33: Winter Falls

"Australia?! I thought I was going back to Korea!" 

 

Rose and her mum had turned up at the airport, only for her to find out that her destination wasn't what she expected. 

 

"Why would you do that when your soulmate is somewhere else? Surely you knew that he'd gone home." 

 

"Yes, but I don't know when he's leaving! We could miss each other." 

 

"Fate wouldn't be so cruel. Go on, off you go, and good luck!" 

 

"I think I'm going to need it." 

 

It was a long flight, but she was excited once she arrived. Rose had always wanted to visit Australia - after Felix reassured her that the spiders weren't that big. She took a moment to take in the country before making a game plan. 

 

Chan had mentioned a couple of places he liked to go in Sydney on his V Live, so she decided to start there. She did have his family's address, but she wanted to keep that as a last resort. Turning up unannounced was already going to be interesting without including his family. 

 

I could always just ring him. 

 

It could only have been a work of fate that when she was walking around the harbour she spotted someone who looked very familiar. Rose was torn between running to him and running away. Now that she was here, the fear of the unknown kicked in. Would he be happy to see her, angry, upset? There was only one way to find out. 

 

He was leaning against the railing looking out to sea as she approached. Almost as if it was planned, once she was closer he turned towards her. She knew the exact moment he spotted her. He stared at her for a moment, probably wondering if she was real before starting to walk towards her. Rose met him halfway and they stopped in front of each other. 

 

"Hello, Chan." 

 

Realising that he wasn't imagining her, Chan stepped forwards and wrapped his arms around her. 

 

"Rose. My Rose." 

 

She didn't know how long they stayed like that for, but there was no way she was going to pull away first. When eventually he did pull back he held her face between his hands. When he didn't say anything, Rose began to feel uncomfortable. 

 

"Surprise..." 

 

"I can't believe your here." 

 

"Are you happy to see me?" 

 

"Happy? Rose, I..." 

 

Chan couldn't find the words to describe how he felt right then. Instead, he leaned in and captured her lips in a heartfelt kiss. Pulling back, he leant his forehead against hers. 

 

"I missed you." 

 

Rose felt a tear run down her cheek. 

 

"I missed you, too." 

 

Chan kissed the tear away before kissing her lips again. 

 

"Are you here to stay?" 

 

"Forever, if you'll have me." 

 

"You know I will." 

 

Rose was almost sure she was dreaming. Her soulmate's welcome had been unlike anything she had imagined. The thing that made her sure she was awake was the weather. 

 

"It's freezing here!" 

 

"Did you forget it's winter here in Australia?" 

 

"No... This trip wasn't exactly planned. It's summer everywhere else." 

 

"Here." 

 

Chan started to take his coat off and Rose's eyes widened in alarm. 

 

"No, Chan! Then you'll be cold!" 

 

"I'll be fine. At least I've got a hoodie on, all you've got is a thin cardigan." 

 

"But..." 

 

She was lost for words as he draped his jacket around her shoulders. After she had put her arms through the sleeves, he took her hand. 

 

"Come on, I'll show you the sights." 

 

Chan showed her all his favourite spots and told her all about growing up here as a kid. However, one thing he didn't talk about was anything to do with her leaving. They had a lot to talk about, but she figured it could wait a little while. Today they could just be happy to be together again. 

 

At the end of the day, they ended up sitting on the beach. Chan guided her to sit between his legs and wrapped his arms around her. He had barely let go of her all day as if he was afraid if he didn't hold on to her she might disappear. 

 

"You should tell Felix you're here." 

 

"Does he hate me?" 

 

"He could never hate you..." 

 

"But?" 

 

"He was very upset after finding out that you left... Without a word." 

 

"Chan, I -" 

 

"I don't want to talk about it right now. Just... Let him know you're here. He deserves to know that you're in the same country as him." 

 

"Okay. When are you both going back?" 

 

"End of the week." 

 

"Are you -?" 

 

"I haven't got a return flight." 

 

"We'll book it when we get back to the house." 

 

"Chan... Your family, what do they know?" 

 

"As far as they're concerned you couldn't get time off with me, well, that was before..." 

 

"You announced to the whole world that I abandoned you? I won't expect a warm greeting then." 

 

"My mum's on your side. You made a great impression when she came to the concert. She said I must have done something wrong if you felt like you had to resort to such measures." 

 

"I'll talk to her. Explain that it's all my fault." 

 

"No, you won't." 

 

"What? But I -" 

 

"It was my fault as well. Now, stop talking about all that and let me enjoy being here with you." 

 

"It really is beautiful here." 

 

"More so now that you're here." 

 

Rose messaged Felix first thing in the morning to let him know that she was in Australia. She waited nervously for a reply. After Chan, Felix was the person she had hurt most with her actions. They had a special relationship and she hoped that she hadn't ruined what they had forever. 

 

"He's messaged me." 

 

Rose turned to Chan. 

 

"Who? Felix?" 

 

"Yeah, he's asking if you're with me."

 

"Does he want to see me?"

 

"He's on his way round."

 

"What, now?!"

 

"I'll leave you two to talk "

 

Chan gave Rose a kiss on the forehead and ruffled Felix's hair as he left. 

 

"You didn't say goodbye. I came back and - and you were gone."

 

"I'm sorry, but I knew that if I saw you I wouldn't have been able to leave. I know you must hate me -" 

 

Suddenly Rose was holding the young Idol in her arms. Wrapping his arms around her tightly, Felix cried into her shoulder. 

 

"I don't hate you, Noona! I missed you so much! Don't ever leave me again!" 

 

Rose hugged him back and kissed him on the top of his head. 

 

"I promise. I promise I'll never leave you again." 

 

"I love you, Noona." 

 

"I love you too, Lixie. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." 

 

The two stayed like that for a while, until Chan came back in and joined the hug too. 

 

Rose couldn't get a seat on the same flight as Chan so he changed his to a later one that they could both get. The two soulmates said goodbye to Felix at the airport as he got on the earlier flight. They still hadn't spoken properly about why she had left and it was bothering her, but every time she tried Chan shut her down. 

 

When they landed in Korea, they both had masks, caps, and their hoods up as they made their way out of the airport. Chan had a tight grip on Rose's hand as he glanced from side to side. As this wasn't an official trip, he didn't have security, but that also meant that no one should know when his flight was. 

 

Unfortunately, they were spotted and immediately surrounded by people and fans. Cameras were shoved in their faces as everyone tried to get a glimpse at Chan's soulmate. It was a hot topic because of the way he had announced that he had found her and also that she had left him. 

 

Rose did her best to keep her head down as she experienced what the Idols went through every time they travelled through an airport. Suddenly someone pulled on her arm and she lost her grip on Chan's hand as she fell to the ground. Once she had recovered from the shock, she bent her knees and hid her face in them, holding her hands over her head to keep her hood up. 

 

"Everyone step away. Now." 

 

Chan rarely got angry so everyone knew that when he did it was serious. The crowd did as they were told and he crouched down beside his soulmate. Scooping her up, he carried her in his arms as they made their way to the exit. By now, security had arrived and escorted them to the car. 

 

Once they were in the car, Chan immediately started fussing over her. 

 

"Are you hurt? Rose? Are you okay? Oh my god, you're crying! Did you get hurt? I swear I'll -"

 

"I'm fine! Chan, I'm okay. I promise. It's just the shock. I'm okay."

 

"Sorry, I should've organised security."

 

"Don't apologise. I've seen you walk out with no security before completely untouched."

 

"But this time you were with me. This is what you were afraid of wasn't it."

 

Rose didn't need to answer. Instead, she leaned her head on his shoulder, cuddling up to his side as much as she could in the car to try and comfort him. 

 

This was what Rose had been afraid of, and only a small part of it, but as long as Chan was with her, they could face anything together. 

Chapter 34: Entrance

As Chan and Rose walked into the JYP building, Changbin was waiting to greet them.

"Rosie-Noona!"

The rapper ran towards her and picked her up, spinning her around in excitement.

"Binnie!"

"You're back! I missed you so much!"

Rose laughed as he put her back down on her feet.

"If only everyone was so happy to see me."

"What are you talking about? Of course, they'll be happy."

Chan walked over and placed a hand on the rapper's shoulder.

"Changbin, can you take Rose to the dance studio? I've got... something to do first."

"Sure, no problem, Hyung."

Chan pulled the rapper aside and whispered in his ear.

"Don't let her out of your sight."

Changbin looked a little puzzled but nodded. Linking his arm through Rose's, he led her towards the elevator. He kept up mindless chatter as they travelled through the company building. When he held open a door, she walked in but was a little confused when she saw that the room was empty. She turned to the rapper to see an unusually serious expression on his face.

"Binnie?"

"The whole time you were gone, I haven't been able to stop thinking about that day. The day you left. And how I shouldn't have let you leave. I could've stopped you. Instead, that was almost the last time I saw you... Why? Why did you do it? And don't tell me it was to save our careers. Do you know what you leaving did to us?!"

He had just wanted to talk to her before they joined the others. He wanted to hear from her why she left so that he could understand better. He had a feeling she would need someone on her side to help defend her from the less forgiving members. However, he didn't mean to get so emotional, but it was hard to think of how they almost lost her.

"Do you think it was easy for me to leave?! That I wanted to go and leave the people I love in that way? I hate myself for doing that to you. I feel guilty every day and constantly question whether I made the right decision. But JYP said - I mean, I -"

Rose cut herself off. She didn't mean to bring up their boss. She hoped that the rapper didn't catch it, but she wasn't that lucky, and his eyes narrowed.

"What did JYP say?"

"Um, he, er -"

Changbin grabbed her arms, leaving no room for escape.

"Noona! Tell me. What did he say?"

Rose sighed but looked Changbin in the eye as she told him.

"He said Stray Kids would lose a member."

Suddenly it all made sense to him. Changbin knew there had to have been a bigger, more immediate threat to make Rose take such drastic actions. Although he wasn't sure if he believed that JYP's threat was real, he believed that Rose thought it was.

"He what?! He threatened to kick Chan-Hyung out of the group?! Stray Kids wouldn't exist if it wasn't for him!"

"Don't... Don't tell the others. I know how much you look up to him, especially Chan. I - I don't want to hurt him."

The rapper laughed bitterly, still angry from what Rose had just told me.

"A bit late for that. He told me what you said to him that day."

"I know I went too far. I hurt Chan. I used his own fears against him, and I'll never forgive myself for it, but I had to save him, all of you because I know that Stray Kids is going to do amazing things."

"Oh, Noona. You should've just talked to us. To Chan, or me, any of us, rather than do what you did."

"Do they all hate me?"

"No. They don't hate you. They might not be happy with you at the moment, but they could never hate you."

"And you?"

"I was shocked, confused, sad, but deep down I knew you must have had a reason for leaving. Most of all, I missed you."

"I missed you, too."

He gave her a hug.

"I'm never letting you leave again."

"Chan's already got me on a short leash. He barely lets me out of his sight."

"I don't blame him. He acted as if he was fine after you left, but when we first found him... I've never seen him like that."

Rose wiped away a tear that fell at the thought of what her soulmate must have felt that day.

"I don't know why he welcomed me back so easily. He should hate me."

"He loves you. Even if we don't agree with what you did, we know that you were trying to do what was best for us. For him."

"I don't deserve him."

"Chan-Hyung is the best of us. No one is as kind-hearted or as selfless as he is, but you're his perfect match. His soulmate. You deserve to be happy together and nothing is more important. We all agree on that."

"All of you?"

"Stray Kids is a family. Did you not believe us when we told you that you're a part of it?"

After a heartfelt reunion, Changbin took her to where the rest of the members were waiting. He paused outside the door.

"Ready?"

As she stood in front of the other members of Stray Kids, she saw their less-than-welcoming expressions. They had all known that she was coming. Even if Chan hadn't told them, the news was full of clips of their leader's and his soulmate's arrival at the airport.

"You made quite the entrance."

No one else spoke. Although Changbin stood next to her and Felix was smiling at her, Rose could tell that the other members would need more time before they welcomed her back happily.

Meeting Minho's stern gaze, Rose knew what she had to do. Lowering herself to the floor, she knelt down and bowed.

Seeing what she was doing Felix moved to stop her, but Minho held him back. When Changbin went to do the same, the older dancer gave him a look that stopped him in his tracks.

The other members felt uneasy at seeing their leader's soulmate bowing to them. Both Jisung and Jeongin were itching to help her up, Hyunjin was trying to stay mad at Rose but seeing her on the floor was too much that he had to look away. Seungmin was watching Minho.

When she made no signs of moving, it was Minho that approached Rose and got her to stand up. They stared at each other for a moment before the dancer wrapped his arms around her.

"Don't think this means that you're forgiven. I'm just glad you're back, for Chan-Hyung's sake."

"I missed you too, Minho."

"Did you miss me too, Noona?"

The only person brave enough to interrupt Minho's moment with Rose was Jisung. She pulled away from the dancer and held her arms open to the rapper who immediately stepped into them.

"Of course, I did, Sungie. How are you? I've been worried."

She stroked his hair as he pouted, mumbling into her shoulder.

"Nothing was the same without you. I didn't like it."

Rose squeezed her eyes shut to stop herself from tearing up again.

"I'm so sorry. I won't ever leave again. I promise."

"And we're supposed to trust that you won't abandon us again when things get tough."

Jisung felt Rose wince at Hyunjin's words and Felix rose up in her defence.

"Noona didn't abandon us! She planned to come back."

"And she told you that when she said goodbye, right? If Manager-nim hadn't given us those letters, we wouldn't have known that, and you would've stayed the angry, moody Felix that you've been since she left."

Felix looked down, upset at the reminder and he felt Rose's shocked gaze on him at the news of how her leaving had affected his behaviour. Changbin stepped forwards.

"Yah! That's enough, Hyun-"

Rose placed her hand on Changbin's arm.

"No. It's okay. Hyunjin's right."

"That doesn't mean he can say mean things."

"Who's saying mean things?"

The whole room went silent as Chan walked in. Walking to stand beside Rose, the leader wrapped his arm around his soulmate as he glanced around at the others waiting for an answer.

Seeing Hyunjin's nervous expression, Rose turned to Chan with a smile.

"No one. I was just telling everyone how much I missed them."

"You missed a lot, Noona. ISAC, STAY week, Seoul FESTA, KCON."

"She didn't miss it all."

Rose froze. Jeongin cocked his head in confusion.

"What do you mean, Minho-Hyung?"

Minho stared at Rose and just from the look in his eyes she knew that he somehow found out that she went to KCON. If he told the others, then she was sure that they would be more upset with her. Before the dancer could answer, Chan cleared his throat.

"She was with us in spirit. Now before we start our meeting about our next comeback which is being announced next week, I have another announcement to make, and I hope that none of you objects."

Everyone, including Rose, looked at Chan curiously. They were all wondering if it would have something to do with Rose's return.

"What is it, Chan-Hyung?"

"From now on, Rose will be living with us."

"What?!"

It was Rose that shouted as she stared at her soulmate with wide eyes.

"Is that a problem?"

"You - you didn't even ask me first!"

"You told me the lease on your apartment ended and all your stuff is in storage. Where were you planning on living?"

"I... Anna's. Until I found a new apartment."

"No need. You can stay with me."

"What about your roommates? Have you asked them?"

Chan turned to Changbin, Jisung, and Hyunjin.

"Do you guys mind if Rose lives with us?"

"Of course not! I think it’s a great idea."

"Me too."

"Hyunjin?"

Everyone looked at the younger dancer waiting for his reply. Hyunjin pursed his lips, not looking particularly happy at the idea.

"Whatever our leader wants."

Chapter 35: Case 143

It wasn't until later that day that Rose managed to catch Minho alone. She had to confirm what his earlier comment meant and if she was correct, how did he find out that she was at KCON?

"Minho, what did you mean earlier?"

"I think you know."

"How do you know?"

"Your friend was a little too helpful."

"Anna."

"We guessed that you had spoken to her, which she confirmed. Why else would she check that our outfits were comfortable?"

"I may have asked Anna to look out for you for me. It was hard not being there."

"But you were there."

"Why do you think that?"

"It was just a guess, Chan had this idea that you wouldn't be able to stay away. I wasn't so sure but..."

"But?"

"Now I am."

"What?"

"Your reaction convinced me."

Rose stared at Minho who smiled smugly back at her.

"Fine. You're right. I went to KCON. Being away from you all was killing me and I had to see you for myself."

"You were at KCON?"

The pair looked to the side to see Jisung with a distraught expression on his face.

"Sungie? I'm sorry. I -"

"Why didn't you come and see us?"

"I wanted to... I didn't think -"

"You were right there the whole time and didn't tell us. We needed you. I needed you, and you weren't there. I didn't think you were there."

Minho walked over to Jisung and wrapped his arm around him. Rose's throat was tight with emotion as she watched them walk away. She barely managed to choke out the words that she had already said so many times that they felt like they had lost their meaning.

"I'm sorry..."

Going home with Bang Chan was odd. While she had been to his apartment before, she had never gone home with him at the end of the day and had never stayed there overnight.

Hyunjin and Jisung went straight to their rooms without a word from either of them. Changbin tried to diffuse the tension by making a big show of welcoming Rose and giving her a tour.

After bidding the rapper goodnight, the soulmates went to Chan's room where her luggage was already waiting.

"Let me make some room so that you can unpack."

"That can wait until tomorrow. You must be exhausted."

"I might as well do it now. I'm not sure I'd be able to sleep now anyway."

"Do you mind if I wash up?"

"No. Of course not. Go ahead."

Rose grabbed her toiletries and pyjamas out of her suitcase before heading to the bathroom. The door was closed. She wasn't sure was protocol the boys had, whether the door was always kept closed regardless of whether it was occupied or not. She knocked on the door to check.

"Almost done!"

Rose tensed up when she heard Hyunjin's voice. Before she could decide if she should make herself scarce for the boy's comfort, the door opened. Hyunjin looked shocked to see her there, perhaps forgetting for a moment that she was now living with them. He quickly put on a neutral face and walked to his room without a second glance.

After a sad sigh, she entered the bathroom and stopped just inside the doorway. It was a mess. Towels littered the floor, every available space was covered in toiletries and a pair of boxers hung over the shower. Rose took a closer look and was relieved to see that the actual facilities were rather clean. They must have a cleaner, she thought.

After changing into her pyjamas, washing her face, and cleaning her teeth, Rose left the bathroom.

"Woah, Noona sexy!"

Rose looked down the hall to see Jisung staring at her. She looked down at what she was wearing. It wasn't anything special, just shorts and an oversized t-shirt. Actually, the top might have been one of Chan's that she had borrowed.

Looking back up at Jisung she watched as he realised that he was supposed to be mad at her.

"I - I mean... Nevermind."

Her lips twitched into a smile as the Idol went to go back into his room but almost walked into the wall beside it instead in his haste to escape.

She headed back into Chan's room where she found him holding up two black t-shirts.

"Need help choosing? They're very different."

"Haha, I've heard that one be...fore."

Chan turned to look at his soulmate to see her barefaced, bared-legged and wearing one of his t-shirts that had gone missing.

The past few days were the rare times that he had seen her bare-faced. He knew that Rose felt the need to 'perfect' herself by putting on a face every day, an armor. The first time had been when they were on tour.

After being reunited, she hadn't any on during the day. When he asked why Rose said that she had spotted wearing makeup every day since she left him. No amount of makeup could hide the ugliness she saw after hurting her soulmate.

Chan had made sure to reassure her that she was nothing but beautiful in his eyes. Looking at her now he could still see the nervousness in her eyes from feeling vulnerable in front of him.

He holds the two t-shirts back up.

"I can't choose. Why don't you have them?"

"Me? But they'll be too big?"

"Wear them as pyjamas. Here this is your side of the wardrobe."

Rose watches as Chan hangs the tops back up in the newly cleared section of his wardrobe. Then together they emptied her suitcase and hung up her clothes.

"I'm going to get ready for bed. I sleep on the right if that's okay."

To be honest Rose hadn't considered that they would be sharing a bed. She had thought that she would be sleeping on the sofa and had been about to ask for a pillow and a blanket. Instead, she just nodded at him.

"Sure..."

As she lay in bed waiting for her soulmate to return, Rose's mind replayed the day in her head. Seeing all the members of Stray Kids again had been brought up a lot of emotions for both her and them.

As she remembered their reactions she thought about how Minho knew about her being at KCON and suddenly she realised that the dancer had implied that Chan knew as well. Her soulmate stopping that line of questing in front of everyone else implied the same thing.

Rose wondered why he hadn't said anything or asked her about it. She decided to mention it to him before she forgot so it wasn't hanging over their heads.

When he came back and joined her in bed they laid down facing each other and there was an awkward silence. While staying at his family's house in Australia she had slept in the guest room. When one of them finally spoke, Rose's voice was only a whisper.

"You knew."

"I know many things."

"That I was at KCON. I spoke to Minho."

"What did he tell you?"

"That you spoke to Anna."

"She didn't tell us you were there. She wouldn't say much about you at all."

"I asked her not to."

"I know. I forgive you."

"Chan... You can't - you shouldn't!"

"I think I forgave you to moment you walked out of my studio that day. It took me a little while to think it through, but I understand why you did it."

"But... What I said... I knew it would hurt you."

"I know. I am very aware of how I consider myself, whether I'm right or not. I still forgive you."

"I don't deserve you."

"I think the same thing about you, every day."

"What?! Why?"

"I ignored our bond the first time we met, pretended not that you weren't my soulmate... And it was the worst mistake of my life. You are so kind and passionate and the thought of what could have happened - if you hadn't forgiven me..."

"I never even considered not forgiving you. Oh."

The two stared into each other's eyes in understanding. Chan leaned in and gave Rose a kiss full of feeling. Pulling back he touched their foreheads together.

"I love you, my Rose."

"I love you, too."

-

"Hello?"

"Hello, Anna. It's Bang Chan of Stray Kids."

"Hi! No need to be so formal, Chan."

"Right. Sorry, Noona."

"So, what can I do for you?"

"Um, I need to ask you something."

"Of course! Anything for Stray Kids' Bang Chan."

"Where is Rose?"

"Anything but that."

"But you've spoken to her?"

"I have."

"She was here, wasn't she?"

"Chan..."

"You don't have to answer. I know I've put you in an awkward position. Sorry."

Anna sighed.

"She went back to England, to stay with her parents."

"Thank you."

Before he could hang up the phone, Anna panicked.

"Wait! She... I don't know what she said to you, the day she left, but whatever it was, she doesn't think she deserves your forgiveness."

"She deserves better than me."

Chapter 36: ice.cream

Living with her soulmate was an experience, or perhaps Rose should say living with her soulmate and his group members. With Chan, they got into a routine. It took a while to get used to sharing a bed. She even asked him if he was sure it was okay, offering to sleep on the sofa, but his reply was that if she wasn't comfortable then he would sleep on the floor. Since that wasn't the issue, the subject was dropped and not mentioned again.

The other three occupants of the flat were another matter though. 

Rose and Changbin grew closer. The two would hang out whenever the rapper was free or if Chan had a meeting or somewhere he couldn't bring Rose along. Her soulmate still wouldn't let her out of his sight, and only seemed to trust leaving her with Changbin. If it went on for much longer, she knew she would have to say something because it was starting to get ridiculous.

Jisung being mad at her didn't last long. The first morning Rose made breakfast for everyone and as soon as the younger rapper entered the kitchen and saw her, he made a beeline for her and wrapped her in a tight hug. He made her promise not to disappear on him again. 

A couple of nights later, they got to spend some time just the two of them and he told her everything that had happened while she was gone. How he hadn't felt as safe without her looking out for them, and he remembered to do the calming exercises she had taught him. In return, Rose told him her side of the story, or at least most of it, leaving out what Mr JYP himself had threatened.

After that Jisung tended to follow her around like a lost puppy, watching her while she cooked for them, trying to snag the seat next to her in the car, and constantly asking her opinion on things. It was cute and Rose really didn't mind, but between him, Changbin and her hovering soulmate, she barely had a second alone and it was starting to wear on her.

Hyunjin, however, hadn't changed his attitude towards her. He continued to ignore her, refusing to even speak to her. Every time he pretended that she wasn't there, she felt a pang in her chest. Every meal she cooked for them, she had to watch as he didn't eat what she had prepared. When he wouldn't eat the snacks - his favourite ones - during a rehearsal break just because she had bought them, it was the last straw for Chan.

"Rose, babe, could you go get some water, please? We've run out in here."

"Of course. Be back in a minute."

"I'll go with you."

Chan watched Changbin and Rose leave the room before he turned to Hyunjin.

"This has got to stop."

"What?"

"You know what."

"So? I don't want to eat the snacks. What's the big deal?"

The atmosphere in the dance studio was tense. The rest of the group froze as they looked between their leader and Hyunjin. The tone of the younger's voice had them on edge. Chan was generally easygoing, but this was verging towards disrespectful. 

Minho stepped closer to the two, angling his body towards Hyunjin, showing that he was backing Chan up.

"Hyunjin..."

"You're angry. I get it. We all do, but I will not tolerate any more of this behaviour towards my soulmate. Rose has apologised and the rest of us have forgiven her or are in the process of doing so. Whatever the case, none of us are treating her harshly and you have no reason to do so either."

"But -"

"I'm not asking you to forgive her, or like her even, but you cannot pretend she doesn't exist. You need time, take it. You need to talk, to her, to me, come to us anytime and we will listen. But Rose is here to stay, so deal with it."

Hyunjin's fists clenched at his sides and his shoulders were shaking, but he didn't say another word. His head dropped as he stood there for a moment before suddenly, he rushed out of the room.

"Hyun-"

Seungmin placed a hand on Chan's arm.

"I'll go after him, Hyung."

The main vocalist left the room and spotted Hyunjin entering the stairwell. Following him, the found his slightly older groupmate sitting on a step with his head in his hands. Without a word, the singer sat next to him and waited.

After a minute, Hyunjin sat up a little and leaned into Seungmin, resting his head on the singer's shoulder.

"Minnie... if I tell you something, can you promise to keep it a secret?"

Hyunjin didn't really need an answer - he already knew that he could tell Seungmin anything - but the singer gave him one anyway.

"Of course."

"I think... I think I love Rose. I-I didn't realise it before. I enjoyed her company and of course, I thought she was pretty, and funny, and kind. But after she left... it hurt, so much, more than it should."

Hyunjin sat up and looked at Seungmin before continuing.

"Min, how could I fall in love with Chan-Hyung's soulmate? What kind of friend am I?"

"Those two things have no relation. That's why you've been treating her like this. You've been trying to keep your distance."

"I feel awful every time I see her. On one hand, I'm so happy that she's back, but on the other... I don't know how to act around her."

"Normally. Hyunjin, love comes in many forms. Just because you love her doesn't mean that you want to steal her away from Chan-Hyung."

"It doesn't?"

"You do want to steal her away from Hyung?"

"What? No! Those two are made to be together. Rose has been so good for Chan-Hyung. He's happier and less stressed and - oh, uh, right... but... what do I do?"

"First, apologise to Rose. Try spending some time with her, be her friend, and see how you feel. Okay?"

"Okay. Thanks, Minnie."

"Anytime. Come on, let's go back in."

Seungmin waited for Hyunjin to nod in agreement before standing up and heading back to the practice room.

When they entered the room, the rest of the group were sitting on the floor chatting while Felix was in front of the mirrors with Rose. Everyone tensed up a little as Hyunjin entered but tried to carry on as they were. Felix tried to distract Rose whose expression had dropped by returning her focus to the dance steps he was trying to teach her.

Hyunjin hovered by the door for a moment before heading to the table and picking up the snacks Rose had bought them. As he sat down with the rest of the group, he caught Rose's eye in the mirror and held up the snack with a thumbs up and a hesitant smile. Relief flooded through him as she smiled at him in return, obviously happy with his gesture. 

As he looked away, desperately trying to hold back the blush he felt, he felt someone else's eyes on him. Hyunjin gulped as he locked eyes with Chan. The leader had watched the exchange between his group mate and his soulmate. He nodded at Hyunjin, and the younger Idol shuffled closer to him.

"I'm so sorry, Hyung."

Chan ruffled Hyunjin's hair in response and the younger relaxed. 

As he started eating, Hyunjin tried not to think about what he had just confessed to Seungmin. He felt a bit better after having spoken to someone about the confusing feelings he had been dealing with for the past couple of months. For now, he would focus on treating Rose just like any other of the members of his Stray Kids family, because really there wasn't anything else he could do.

A couple of days later he showed Rose the painting he had been working on. He had been hesitant to invite her to spend time with him at first, as he worried that he wouldn't be able to cope. However, it wasn't weird like he thought it might be. He just felt happy. 

Hyunjin felt relieved. Perhaps he had been stressing over nothing. He could do this. He could just be friends with Rose. That could be enough for him. This could be as much as he needed. After all, she was his Hyung's soulmate, and she would always be that to him.

 

Chapter 37: i hate to admit

It was bound to happen eventually. 

Rose had been expecting, waiting, for Chan to finally have a proper conversation with her. She knew that her soulmate was a busy man but as weeks passed by the weight hanging above their heads got heavier and she watched with bated breath for it to drop.

It still managed to take her by surprise though. 

"Stop it! Just stop... being okay with this all the time!"

Rose blinked in shock at her soulmate. They were in his studio and Chan had just told her that he had to cancel their date night to attend a last-minute meeting. They hadn't had anything special planned, just a movie and takeout at home, but this wasn't the first time this had happened. Every time Rose said the same thing.

"That's okay. I understand. Your work is important."

But apparently, that wasn't the reaction Chan wanted from her.

"You're important too! How can you be okay with me constantly cancelling on you? Don't you want to spend time with me? Why did you even bother coming back?!"

It took a moment for her to recover from the hit she felt from Chan's words. The hurt morphed into anger, and she shouted right back at him.

"Maybe I shouldn't have! Your right. What was the point if we are not going to spend any time together? I mean, since I returned it's just been one mess after another. Don't you care?!"

Aside from the whole Hyunjin thing, videos of Chan and his soulmate at the airport had gone viral. The reaction had been mixed. While there was support for them, the hate was louder. Arguments were made that Rose had put Chan in danger, that she was weak for needing him to rescue her, that the reason she hid her face was that she was so ugly Chan was embarrassed to be seen with her, and the classic: she wasn't good enough for him.

"Care? Oh, I care. You're the one who cared so little that you left me!"

"I was trying to save your career!"

"You! - wait, what?"

The two stared at each other, Chan in confusion and Rose like a deer in headlights, while their anger fizzled out.

"Rose... what do you mean?"

"Nothing."

Part of her wanted to confess everything she had been keeping from him, but instead, she put on a mask to keep herself from breaking. Chan stepped towards her and cupped her face in his hands.

"No. No mask. You promised."

One of the things they had talked about after being reunited was the mask Rose would wear to disguise how she was truly feeling. Chan had asked her not to use it, at least with him, and she had agreed.

"Sorry."

"I had a feeling, more than a feeling really... I was pretty sure that was why you left."

Rose looked at him with wide eyes.

"What? How...?"

"JYP said something to you, didn't he?"

"He said a lot of things."

"It must have been bad if you thought the only way forward was to leave me."

As she stared into her soulmate's eye, Rose broke. Tears started running down her cheeks and Chan pulled her into a hug. After she had calmed down and they had gotten comfortable on the sofa, she told him everything JYP had said to her. Chan listened without interrupting as his suspicions were confirmed and afterwards, he just had one question.

"Why did you think that my career was more important than my relationship with you?"

"Don't you understand? What you do is important. Music is important. The influence you have... you could change the world. You have already changed people's lives. I know, because, well, you changed mine."

"And you didn't think that I could still do that with you by my side?"

"With me, but without them... would you want to?"

"Either way, was it your choice to make?"

"No. I know that it was wrong of me but at the time I thought - I didn't see..."

"I know."

Rose looked down at her lap where their hands were linked, and she played with Chan's fingers as she spoke.

"I would've come back, after a few years when your position was stronger, more stable... I already waited two years for you I thought I could manage a few more."

"But I couldn't."

Her head shot up to look at her soulmate.

Chan freed one of his hands from her grip and tucked her hair behind her ear before gently stroking her cheek, a sad smile on his lips.

"You find that surprising - have I not made it clear how much I love you? Rose, my sweet, sweet Rose, you - you are my life. Although it might not seem like it, you stole a piece of my heart the first moment I saw you, and now... and now I give it to you freely."

For a while, Rose just stared at Chan. Just when he decided to speak again, she grabbed his head in her hands and captured his lips in a passionate kiss. After his initial surprise wore off, Chan wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to him. But it wasn't close enough. Her hands fell to his shoulders, and she rearranged herself so that she was straddling his lap.

It was the most passionate moment between the two since Rose's return. Even sharing a bed, the most they had exchanged were light kisses and hugs. Although Chan had liked to pretend that everything was forgiven and forgotten, there was a distance between the two that hadn't been there before.

Rose wore that she could feel their bond starting to heal as they kissed. The spark between them from before began to fizzle back to life. She was smiling as she pulled away.

"I love you, too. So much it hurts."

More tears ran down Rose's cheeks and Chan wiped them away.

"I don't think I've ever seen you cry so much before."

"I didn't think I could feel. Before you. I didn't think anyone could make me feel anything. It was like I had built up these walls that I couldn't knock down by myself and it worried me. I worried that I would never to able to connect to anyone."

"And now?"

"They crumbled the minute I met you. It was scary and overwhelming, but... you're worth it."

Chan brushed his lips against hers before resting their foreheads together.

"I'll be your wall. I told you; I'll protect you."

"And I'll protect you too - by your side! We can protect each other, side by side."

"Forever."

For a while, they lay on the sofa together, wrapped in each other's arms, basking in the feeling of their newly strengthened connection. Rose rested her head on Chan's shoulder, her hand on his chest, as she listened to his heartbeat. The feeling of his muscles beneath her hand and his arms wrapped around her brought one particular word to mind. 

If any word could be used to describe her soulmate it was strong. Not just physically. He had an inner strength that was reassuring to those around him. It was part of what made him such a great leader. Rose couldn't believe what she had but this beautifully kind man through.

Rose pushed herself up so that she could look at her soulmate.

"Chan... I'll never lie to you again."

"I'll be honest with you too."

"I... I have to tell you. You may have forgiven me, but I haven't - can't - forgive myself for what I did to you, how I treated you, what I said -"

"Rose, I'm sorry."

"- to you - what? Why? You didn't do anything wrong."

"Didn't I?"

"No. Chan -"

"This all started because I wanted to go public and despite you telling me over and over that, you didn't want to, I selfishly put -"

"What? No, that's not -"

"- my wants before yours and pushed you until... until it broke us. I'm as much to blame as you are."

"I - I - "

"Do you forgive me?"

"Of course, I do! I knew why you wanted to go public so badly. I understood it. I did. I saw how it affected you every time you had to cover your soul-mark in public... I'm sorry I couldn't give you what you wanted."

"I can't blame you for not wanting to be in the public eye. I don't. I know I forced your hand."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well, you left so that I wouldn't go public with my soul-bond, but I did it anyway, and I did it because then I knew you wouldn't have a reason to stay away."

"I... I thought it was spontaneous."

"I'm so -"

Rose sat up and moved off of Chan so that they were sitting separately on the sofa.

"You mean, it was planned?"

"I know it was bad of me, but I was desperate, not that that's an excuse... I'm so sorry. I promise I'll do everything in my power to keep you out of the limelight. No one will find out who you are -"

"It's okay. What's done is done. Whatever happens, I can handle it, if you're beside me."

"Thank you. Are you still you for our date night?"

"I thought you had a meeting?"

"Some things are more important."

They stared at each other for a moment before Rose reached out and whacked Chan on the arm.

"You charmer. Was there ever a meeting?"

"There was..."

Rose looked at him disbelievingly.

"You didn't make it up?

"I promise! They were very happy when I said I already had plans tonight."

They picked up food on the way home and settled on the sofa to watch a movie. After eating, Rose lay down with her head in Chan's lap and tried not to fall asleep as he ran his fingers through her hair.

"Ooh, movie night! Can I join?"

The soulmates glanced at each other, and she just shrugged and smiled, making Chan sigh.

"Fine."

Rose went to sit up so Changbin could sit on the sofa too.

"No, no, don't move."

She let out a little yelp in surprise as the rapper lifted her legs and sat down before placing them over his lap.

A few minutes later someone else entered the apartment. Rose looked up as Felix came and sat on the floor in front of them.

"I heard it was movie night with Noona!"

Rose ruffled his hair, while Chan made a noise of contempt.

"Um, your favourite Hyungs are here too, Felix. Don't you care about us anymore? It’s always Noona this, Noona that."

"That's because Noona gives better hugs than you, Hyung."

Chan gasped at Jisung's words. The rapper had just walked in and decided to join them.

"Is that so?"

After gently pushing Rose to sit up, the leader grabbed Jisung from where he was standing next to the sofa and pulled the younger Idol onto his lap and wrapped his arms around him tightly. As the younger rapper squirmed trying to escape, Rose moved out of the range of fire and closer to Changbin. The older rapper decided to copy his leader and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his lap and trapping her in a hug making her laugh.

"Binnie! Lixie save me!"

Felix failed in his attempt as Changbin got an arm around him. Holding both of them with one arm each, the rapper kissed them both on the cheek and cackled evilly.

"Aha, I have you both now!"

On the other end of the sofa, Chan was mostly in the same position but with Jisung and Hyunjin. The dancer had heard the commotion and tried to help. The leader was having a little more of a struggle to hold onto his captures as they both fought back.

"If you hadn't stopped going to the gym you could get out of this, Sungie."

"Shut up."

Jisung pouted as he gave in and sat still as Chan kissed his cheek.

Hyunjin, however, managed to escape his hold before the leader could land one on him. Unluckily for him, he ran straight into Minho who had come looking for Felix. The dancer caught Hyunjin, who didn't dare fight back against him, before turning to the others with a raised eyebrow.

"Seems I'm missing out on all the fun."

Chapter 38: Hug Me

"I can't believe you all had movie night and cuddles without me."

Jeongin was pouting as the boys warmed up for dance practice the next morning. 

"Seungmin wasn't there either."

Chan tried to placate the Maknae but that only made him frown. 

"So? He doesn't care."

Rose couldn't help but smile at how cute the youngest was acting.

"Aw, I'm sorry, Innie. Next time I'll make sure you don't miss out, okay?"

Jeongin beamed at her. 

"Thanks, Noona."

She glanced over at Seungmin who was trying to act uninterested. 

"You too, Seungmin."

The singer smiled briefly in reply.

"Let's get started! Rose-Noona will be my second pair of eyes so stay focused."

Rose nodded along to Minho's words as she moved to sit in front of the mirrors. She pointed at her eyes and then at the boys in an 'i'm watching you' motion. When she locked eyes with Changbin they both started laughing. 

"Don't you mean your third pair of eyes, Hyung? You already have a second pair in the back of your head."

"I stand corrected. Thank you, Hyunjin."

Dance practice was going well. Rose ended up being more helpful than anticipated. She had a detail-oriented eye and due to her perfectionist nature, ended up being just as critical as Minho. Despite not knowing anything about dance, she could point out when something wasn't in sync.

When Rose's phone rang she slipped out of the room to answer it. Chan watched her go and missed a step. 

"Chan-Hyung! Focus!"

After finishing their run-through once more, Rose still hadn't returned. 

"Let's take a break since our leader can't focus without his other half in the room."

Chan ignored Minho's teasing and went to the door to find Rose. They both opened the door at the same time. 

"Is everything okay?"

"That was a call about my visa. It expired and wasn't renewed since I'm not working."

"I'll get the company to sort this out."

"It's not a problem, Chan. I told them my soulmate lives here and they said if we go to the Soulmate Registration Office then I can get a soulmate visa and live here as long as you do too."

"Oh, okay. I'll make some time later today for us to go."

"Are you sure you're not too busy?"

"For you? Of course not."

"Good because apparently, they've been trying to get a hold of me for a while. They sent letters to my old address, so I only have until next week."

Chan wrapped his arms around Rose. 

"You're not going anywhere."

She smiled as she leaned into his embrace. 

"No. I'm not."

The two stayed like that for a minute until Felix approached. 

"Is something wrong?"

"Nothing to worry about, Lixie."

"Rose's visa expired so we need to go sort it out later."

"What?! They are going to let you stay, aren't they, Noona? Hyung?"

Rose pulled Felix in for a hug and the dancer held on tightly to her. 

"Of course they are, Sweetie, my soulmate lives here so there won't be a problem. Don't worry, okay?"

"Okay, Noona."

Chan ruffled Felix's hair as the young boy still looked worried. Changbin came over and poked the younger boy's cheek. 

"What's with the sad face?"

"Noona might get kicked out of the country!"

"Felix..."

Chan went to reprimand the dancer for needlessly worrying the others but it was too late. 

"No! They'll have to get through me before I'll let them take Rose-Noona!"

Everyone looked at Hyunjin in surprise. 

"While I'm glad you've had a change of heart, that won't be necessary. As Rose's soulmate - me - lives here, she can get a soulmate visa, no problem. Let's get back to work shall we."

Chan walked back into position and the others followed apart from Changbin. 

"Is that true?"

"Yes. At least that's what they told me on the phone. We just need to go and show our marks as proof."

"Good. We'd do whatever it took to make sure you stayed, but I'm glad there's a simple solution."

Changbin wrapped his arm around her shoulder and gave her a squeeze. 

"Changin, leave my assistant alone!"

"Yes, Sir!"

Rose stifled a laugh as she sat back down in her position as the boy's audience. 

Late that afternoon, Chan and Rose entered the Soulmate Registration Office. They met with an officer who got them to fill out some paperwork, answer some questions and tested their bond. 

"And how long have you been bonded?"

The two soulmates looked at each other before trying to work it out. 

"Umm, 4? 5 months?"

"Nearly 6 months."

"Okay, so you're registering your bond now because Rose's work visa expired?"

"That's correct."

"That's fine... Right, now I just need to confirm the bond. If you could hold out your left hands, please."

The officer looked over their marks with a device. 

"What does that do?"

"Confirms it's genuine."

"You mean people get fake soulmarks?!"

"Unfortunately, yes. Especially to get visas. I just need to speak with my colleague. I'll be right back."

Rose looked at Chan in alarm and he squeezed her hand. 

Another officer entered. 

"Hello, I'm a soulmate specialist and I've been asked to consult. May I?"

Chan and Rose had their soulmarks examined again. 

"Has anything upsetting happened between you two recently?"

Neither said anything but the answer must have been written on their faces. 

"I see. Now there's no need to worry, but your bond is weak."

"Weak?'

"That can happen?"

"Yes. With time it will heal if whatever happened is resolved of course."

"So we shouldn't worry?"

"No -"

"What if it isn't resolved?"

"You mean if your bond doesn't heal? Then there is a possibility that it would break."

"Break?"

"Don't panic! It's very rare. Something extreme would have to happen to cause a soulmate bond to break. Usually, while the bond is weak you could feel ill, like having a cold. The longer it goes without healing the worse you might feel."

"Is that the only side effect?"

"I'll admit that this is a fairly new field. Not much is known about weakened soulbonds. So this is all I can tell you for certain to expect."

"How do we... How do you know if your -"

"How do you know if your bond breaks? It will be the same as when someone's soulmate dies before they meet them. Do you know...?"

Rose nodded while Chan shook his head. The leader looked at his soulmate curiously for a second before paying attention to the specialist. 

"In the case that a person's soulmate dies before they meet them, they will feel their loss. It's quite painful, but short, as the bond that was never formed is made and broken. The soulmark they would've had appears, but fades until it is all but invisible to the naked eye. A similar thing would happen to you."

Chan and Rose left the Soulmate Registration Office hand in hand. They clutched each other tightly as they thought about what they had just been told. 

They didn't talk anymore about it that day, or the one after as Chan was busy preparing for the release of the next album. 

When the time came for Stray Kids' comeback stage a few days later, Chan and Rose had a bit of a disagreement. 

"Chan, I'm not staff anymore. I can't just follow you everywhere."

"But you have been coming everywhere with me all this time! Why is a TV studio different?"

"The company doesn't count! You work there, so you have special privileges. That's not the case here."

"Then I'll get you a staff badge, okay? You can be my personal assistant."

"Chan, baby... You can't keep me within your sight for the rest of our lives."

"Oh, I think I can."

Rose cupped Chan's face between her palms. 

"I'm not going anywhere. I promise you, I am not going to disappear. Never again. We talked about this. There's no reason for me to go anywhere. I love you."

"I love you, too, but..."

Rose's hands dropped. 

"But?"

Chan took her hands in his and kissed them. He held them tightly as he looked into her eyes. 

"I love you, but I don't trust you. Fully. Yet. I want to. I really do. I think I just need time."

Rose nodded, a tear running down her cheek. Chan pulled her in for a hug, holding her tightly and although it was meant to comfort her it only opened the floodgates. 

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Shh, shh. It's okay. We're going to be okay."

"Chan... What if our bond doesn't heal?what if I - what if what I did -"

Chan stroked Rose's hair as he squeezed his eyes closed to stop his own tears from falling. 

"No. That's not going to happen. I promise."

 

Chapter 39: Limbo

"What are you doing?" 

Rose barely glanced at Minho as she replied. 

"Listening to SKZ-REPLAY. Chan wants my opinion on the track order." 

"I worked that much out myself. I meant why are you lying in the middle of the floor?" 

"Why not?" 

Minho shrugged before lying down next to her. 

"How far have you got?" 

"Over halfway I think. Limbo was my favourite." 

"Ha! Like I'd believe that." 

"Why wouldn't you? I love your singing voice." 

There was a moment of silence. 

"Thank you."

The two lay quietly for a while as the songs played one after another. When Chan's song, I hate to admit, came on, Minho heard some sniffling. He turned his head towards Rose and saw a tear running down her cheek. She sat up and he followed, looking at her in alarm. 

"Noona! Why are you crying?" 

"Since when did you start calling me Noona?" 

"You can't change the subject." 

"I know he wrote this before - before he even met me - but it still hits me right here." 

Rose puts her hand over her heart. 

"I thought you two had got past all that?" 

"That was before we found out that our soulbond is damaged." 

"What?! Damaged? What does that mean?" 

"It means... I hurt him so badly that - that -" 

"Okay, okay, shh, shh... But it can be fixed, right? You two will be fine. I'm sure of it." 

Rose stared at Minho who didn't let his confident expression waver. 

"He said that he doesn't trust me anymore." 

"Well, yeah, that's not surprising... But that doesn't mean that he never will!" 

Minho tries not to laugh, but the expression Rose gives him is so cute that he can't stop the corner of his lip from curling up. 

"Do you?" 

"Do I what?" 

"Trust me. You've been wary of me since we first met. Do you trust me now?" 

Minho stared at her expressionlessly. Rose sighed, taking that as her answer. 

"I trust... that you don't have bad intentions. I'll admit that when we first met I thought you were suspicious. I was sure that you were hiding something. Chan... Chan is always protecting us, this time, I wanted to make sure that someone was looking out for him." 

"And you were right to. I ended up hurting him." 

"You were trying to protect him too. I - I'm sorry, for how I treated you when you first arrived. The whole situation seemed too good to be true, but I shouldn't have found you guilty without getting to know you first." 

"What? No! I - it's okay, I mean, it would've been weird if you all accepted me with open arms. A stranger suddenly invading your life." 

"But it wasn't sudden to you." 

"Huh?" 

"Chan told me - that you already knew, for years, that he was your soulmate." 

"Ah. Yeah... the problem with having an Idol as a soulmate, is it's very hard to get close enough to tell them and then there are all the saesangs claiming they're your soulmates. Why would anyone believe me? You can't prove it." 

"So you what? Entered the industry and hoped for the best?" 

"Actually that was not planned. I like to think it what fate." 

"Fate that you ended up working with a group who we're close with. You could've told them, met Chan earlier... Or KINGDOM! Why didn't you approach him then?" 

"I did. Or I was going to." 

"Huh? But..." 

"I went to your dressing room, but I overheard Chan talking to Felix - about how he didn't want to meet his soulmate... That was before the whole getting seriously ill and possibly dying if you didn't meet them came to light." 

"Oh, I see. Does Chan know that?" 

"Um, no, actually. I don't think he does. But it's not important. He explained why he was so wary about meeting his soulmate." 

"Yeah, but I think it's important that he knows that you tried to meet him, not because it became a life or death situation, but because you wanted to." 

"I hadn't thought of it like that." 

"Just because you're older doesn't mean you're wiser." 

Rose shoves Minho playfully and the dancer laughs. 

"Where's your respect for your elders?!" 

"Are you feeling better?" 

"Yes, thank you. I can see why Chan likes to talk to you." 

"Yeah, well, he has you now." 

"That doesn't mean he doesn't need you. Who is he going to complain about me to?!"

"There's nothing to complain about."

It took a moment to process the meaning of Minho's words. She felt her cheeks heat up at the implication, especially since it was from Minho. Rose looked at him to try to determine his sincerity, but the dancer was looking away.

The two sat in silence for a while before the rest of Stray Kids entered for rehearsal. Rose quickly turned to the mirrored wall to check if it was obvious that she had been crying. She stood up, planning to sneak out to the bathroom, but instead, she suddenly found herself in the air. 

"Rosie-Noona! I heard Channie-Hyung finally let you out of observation!"

Changbin twirled her around before setting her back on her feet. 

"You mean he dropped me off in this room and told me not to leave until he gets back? Sure. I'm free."

"Didn't you say you needed some alone time? Aren't you being - Noona, have you been crying?"

"What? No!"

"Don't lie to me. Please."

"Don't let Felix see."

"Come over here."

Changbin led her over to the corner of the room for privacy. She ducked her head, letting her hair fall in front of her face, but the rapper tucked it behind her ear. 

"I'm okay, really."

"Now, perhaps, but what made you cry?"

"I was listening to the tracklist for SKZ-REPLAY..."

"And it was that bad?"

Rose pushed Changbin jokingly. 

"No! It's just, when Chan's song, I hate to admit, came on... It hit a nerve."

"Ah, okay -"

"But Minho was here and we - we had a nice talk, so I'm feeling better."

"Minho made you feel better? That's... Good. I get the feeling there's something more that you're not telling me."

"I..."

"Go on, tell Binnie what's going on in that cute little head of yours."

"When we went to the Soulmate Registration Office, they told us that - that our soulbond is damaged."

Changbin couldn't keep his shock and horror from showing on his face. 

"But, they also told you how to fix it, right?"

Rose nodded, but before Changbin could reassure her, she changed the subject.

"What does Maxident mean?"

"Huh?"

"I've been meaning to ask. Max-"

"Maximum Accident. It's about how love is the biggest accident that could happen to us."

"You think falling in love is the worse possible accident that could happen?"

"What? No!"

"But you just said it's the maximum accident. As if it would completely disrupt your lives."

"Just because it's an accident doesn't mean it's a bad thing or something we don't want to happen. Accidents aren't always bad. Meeting you was a happy accident, Noona."

"I don't think how we met could be classed as an accident. That sneaky Wooyoung had a plan."

Changbin laughed. 

"True! But I owe him for life for doing so. Don't tell him that though!"

Rose looked at the rapper sharply. What did he mean by that? Was she such an important part of his life, or did he mean on behalf of his leader?

"Binnie-Hyung! Noona! What are you doing over there?"

Felix came bouncing over and Rose made sure to make her smile extra big to negate any redness left around her eyes. 

"Rosie-Noona was asking for tips on how to seduce Chan-Hyung."

Rose's eyes widened and she whacked the rapper on the arm. 

"Changbin!"

"Noona! Why would you ask Hyung? I know Channie-Hyung best. What have you told her so far?"

"Umm..."

Changbin glanced and Rose with raised eyebrows and a questioning gaze. She shook her head and laughed at the absurdity the rapper had created. Then an idea sparked in her mind, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to get some tips on how to seduce her soulmate. 

Chapter 40: Connected

Rose didn't know what was weirder, that Changbin and Felix knew what she had planned for their leader, or that they were excited to help her with her plan.

What started out as a joke had turned into a serious mission. Her soulmate's fellow Aussie group member was full of ideas of what Chan might like. Rose and Changbin were both surprised at the younger's enthusiasm.

To make sure that the two soulmates had the apartment to themselves, Changbin got their other two housemates to spend the evening at the other apartment with Felix's help. Now Rose had the apartment to herself and didn't need to worry about interruptions.

While she waited for Chan to get home, Rose had changed into lingerie and covered herself with one of her soulmate's t-shirts. Not only would Chan love seeing her in his clothes - as Felix had assured her - but it was so big that he wouldn't be able to tell that she wasn't wearing shorts until he got close enough to feel.

Taking Chan by surprise seemed to be the theme for tonight's plan and Felix had seemed upset that he wouldn't be able to see his leader's reaction. Rose had immediately shut down Changbin's idea to record it.

Rose was looking around the bedroom, second-guessing herself. She had set up some candles and used Chan's wall lights to give the room a gentle, romantic glow.

Is it too much? Will he like it?

There was no time to change anything as she heard the front door open and close. In a panic, Rose suddenly didn't know what to do. She laid down on the bed and tried to pose before giving up and sitting up. She crossed her legs and then moved them beneath her so that she was kneeling. She was about to stand up again when Chan walked in.

"Rose?"

Rose watched as Chan stopped just inside the door, his eyes on her in his clothes and legs bare.

"Welcome home."

"Are - are you ready for bed?"

"Hm, not quite. I was waiting for you."

"Oh, er, you were?"

"Come here."

Chan walked towards her, and she patted the bed beside her. Her soulmate cocked his head, obviously wondering what she had planned. He sat down on the edge of the bed and turned to look at her, but she was already moving. She straddled his lap, sitting on his thighs, her arms resting on his shoulders as her fingers gripped his hair at the nape of his neck.

Rose smiled, trying to cover up her nerves, as her soulmate's hands rested on her hips. He stared at her, glancing down her body before looking up again. She felt his grip tighten and saw his Adam’s apple Bob as he gulped.

"Um -"

Chan was interrupted by Rose tightening her grip on his hair and leaning in to capture his lips in a kiss. It was deep and passionate as she poured all her feelings and desires into the kiss. They hadn't been like this since before she left, and they had both missed the intimacy. Chan moved his hands to wrap an arm around her waist so that he could pull her closer to him. His other hand ran up to grip the side of her face as he took control.

But it wasn't enough for Rose. She let her hands run down her soulmate's chest until she reached the bottom of his top. Her fingers peeked under the material until they reached bare skin. She shivered as she felt his abs. Apparently, she was being too timid for Chan. Her soulmate broke their kiss so that he could pull his top over his head, revealing his toned body to her.

Rose drank him in and took a moment to appreciate how lucky she was. Her soulmate was a fine specimen of a man, but she couldn't decide if she was pleased that everyone knew it or if she would rather keep his body hidden for her eyes only.

After exploring the panes of Chan's defined chest, Rose took his hands and rested him on her bare thighs. As their lips met again, she felt his hands move up under the material of the t-shirt she was wearing. His lips stopped moving against hers as he got high and higher without meeting any resistance. She felt him stretch his finger, searching for the material of her shorts, but instead, he found the lace of her underwear.

He growled against her lips and suddenly Rose found herself on her back with Chan looking down at her. The dark look in his eyes sent a thrill down her spine. The position made the hem of her top ride up revealing her underwear to her soulmate's hungry eyes. He leaned down and kissed her again as he ran his hands over her hips, and then her waist under the material of her top. She broke their kiss only long enough to remove the offending material, giving her soulmate unrestricted access.

This was easier than Rose thought it was going to be. She had expected at least some resistance, a conversation, before he would allow it to get even this far. Perhaps she was wrong, and he had wanted this all along but had been holding back, either for her sake or his own.

Feeling confident, she reached down to the waistband of Chan's trousers and started tugging them down, but before she could get very far her soulmate pulled away from her. His pupils were blown, but there was the start of a frown between his eyebrows.

"Wait, we should stop."

"What? Why?"

Chan sat up, the distance between them making Rose panic.

"I think this is far enough for tonight. We shouldn't rush this."

"But... Don't you want me?"

Chan glanced down at her body before quickly looking away.

"Of course, I do."

Rose wrapped her legs around him in an attempt to pull him closer.

"Then have me. I'm yours."

Chan stared at her for a long moment and Rose felt her heart drop.

"This is because our bond, isn't it? You think that sleeping together will mend our bond?"

She wanted to deny it, but they had promised never to lie to each other.

"Chan... I - well - I thought that it wouldn't hurt to try."

"Rose..."

Chan moved to get off the bed, removing the grip Rose's legs had on him. Rose sat up her heart racing as he grabbed his top and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?!"

"To get some air. I only have so much self-restraint."

"Chan? Chan, wait!"

In the other apartment, the rest of Stray Kids were gathered for game night.

"Changbin, what’s up with you?"

"Huh? Nothing."

"You've been pouting all night, Hyung. Did someone steal your food?"

"I'm not pouting."

"What's going on, Hyung? You dragged me out of my room and over here for 'bonding', but you're all sulky while Felix keeps giggling to himself."

"Yeah, why are you all here? Get out."

"Minho-Hyung..."

"We can't go to our apartment."

"What do you mean, you can't?"

"So, we are all here for a reason! What's going on?"

"It's private."

"Obviously it's something to do with Chan-Hyung and Rose-Noona."

"How do you know that, Minho-Hyung?"

The dancer raised an eyebrow at Hiding.

"They're the only ones not here."

"Oh, right."

Everyone turned to the Maknae when he gasped.

"Oh! Chan-Hyung and Rose-Noona are having private time!"

"Yes, we just said - oh, you mean..."

"Stop talking about it!"

"Woah, Binnie-Hyung. What's wrong?"

The rapper stood up.

"I think we need more snacks. I'm going to go to the store."

As Changbin walked to the door, the others shouted out requests to him. When he stepped out into the hallway, he was very surprised to see Chan leaving their apartment.

"Chan-Hyung? Where are you going?"

"To the gym."

Before Changbin could question him further, Chan was already walking down the corridor. If all had gone to plan his leader wouldn't be looking so conflicted and he certainly wouldn't have enough energy for another workout.

Abandoning his original plan, Changbin cautiously entered the apartment that Chan had just left.

"Rosie-Noona?"

Not getting a reply, he headed towards Chan's room and saw that the door was open. Looking inside he saw a lot of bare skin and quickly turned around.

"Sorry!"

Rose didn't say anything, but Changbin heard sniffles. Looking around the room, without looking in the direction of the bed, he spotted a t-shirt on the floor and picked it up. He held it out towards her.

The t-shirt was taken from his hand and after a few minutes, he turned around. Rose was sitting in the middle of the bed, her knees drawn up to her chest and her arms wrapped around her legs. She had her face hidden on her knees. Changbin sat on the edge of the bed.

"Rosie-Noona?"

She didn't move or say anything other than the continued shaking of her shoulders and suppressed whimpers. Rose didn't want Changbin to see her like this.

"Can you look at me?"

Rose shook her head.

"Please."

She peeked up at him. There was a smear of black under her eyes where her makeup had run. The makeup she had put on as part of her outfit to seduce Chan.

Changbin smiled kindly at her.

"I'll be right back."

He went to move off the bed, but a hand on his arm stopped him.

"Wait! Where are you going?"

"I'm just getting something from my room."

"Take me with you."

"Noona..."

"I don't want to be alone, and I don't want to stay here."

It broke his heart to see her like this. She looked so small and vulnerable.

"Okay. Can I?"

Rose nodded and Changbin picked her up and took her to his room. Putting her down on his bed, he finds a pair of sweatpants and hands them to her. While she puts them on, he gets out what he came for.

Sitting in front of her on the bed he takes out a makeup remover wipe and holds it to her face. When she doesn't move away he begins gently removing her makeup. Once he's done, he puts the wipes aside and moves to sit more comfortably on the bed. He opens his arms and she falls into his embrace. After a good cuddle session, he would ask her what had happened and help her and his Hyung fix their bond. Somehow that seemed to have become his role when it come to them.

Chapter 41: Here Always

Changbin was brought out of his thoughts by his phone buzzing in his pocket. Trying not to disturb Rose he gets it out. It's a message from Minho.

 

LM: Dude the children are whining. Where are you?

 

The rapper had forgotten he was meant to be out getting snacks. Looking down at Rose he notices that she has fallen asleep. He brushes her hair away from her face as he thinks about what to do next.

 

SC: Change of plan. Something came up.

 

LM: What's happened?

 

SC: It's Chan-Hyung and Noona. 

 

SC: Hyung went to the gym. Noona fell asleep crying.

 

LM: These two need to sort it out... 

 

LM: Noona was crying? Are you with her?

 

SC: Yeah, I'm with her now.

 

LM: Good. 

 

LM: I'll distract the little ones. Let me know if you need anything. 

 

Changbin smiled at Minho's words. Despite their rough start, the dancer had become very fond of Rose. The whole group had. The rapper, especially, since he and Felix had met her before the others. 

 

However, after Chan told him that she was his soulmate he told himself that he would be their cheerleader. That he would do anything and everything to help them be happy together. Yet, he couldn't help feeling differently as he watched them struggle. Seeing both of them hurting made his heart hurt too. 

 

Changbin hated himself for the thought at the back of his mind. 

 

Could I make her happier?

 

He tried to slide away from under her so that she could sleep, but she held onto him. 

 

"Binnie, don't go. Stay with me."

 

The words were whispered and he wouldn't have heard them if he hadn't been so tuned in to her. 

 

As such he couldn't bare to leave her. He settled back down after pulling a blanket over her and tried to both ignore and savour the feeling of having her in his arms. 

 

When Rose woke up the next morning for a moment she had forgotten what had happened the night before. She felt the warm muscular body beneath her hand and the lingering feeling of being cared for and assumed it was Chan. But something was off, not in a bad way, but as if she was forgetting something. 

 

It wasn't until she opened her eyes that she realised who she was in bed with. Rose looked up at Changbin's sleeping face with a smile until she remembered why she was with him and not Chan. She almost snuggled back into the rapper, not wanting to face the world or the events of the night before. 

 

And it was very tempting. She remembered how Changbin found and took care of her last night. Apart from being embarrassed, it made her heart clench. The rapper had always been there for her ever since they first met at Wooyoung's surprise dinner party. Rose felt grateful to have him as a friend. 

 

It felt funny to wake up in his bed though. She couldn't explain the feeling, but the obvious rationale was that she should be sleeping next to her soulmate. Yet that hadn't been possible. If she left Changbin's room where would she go? She couldn't face Chan's room and she didn't want to explain to any of the others why. Chan was their beloved leader she didn't want to put any of them in an awkward position like Changbin was now in. 

 

Rose looked back at Changbin before laying back down in his arms. As she did, the rapper wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. She held her breath as she waited to see what would happen next. After a moment she relaxed and settled into the embrace. Although she knew she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the comfort of being in his arms brought. 

 

When she felt him move, Rose pretended to be asleep. She felt him stretch as he woke up and then still as he realised that she was curled up into his side. There was a gentle tug on her hair as Changbin stroked her head. 

 

"Pretty Rosie deserves to be happy."

 

Rose tried hard not to react as she felt him move and then warmth on the top of her head where he kissed her. His next words made her heart skip a beat. 

 

"Don't worry, I will always be by your side. I promise."

 

She was in such an emotional state already, that this caused a tear to escape. 

 

The atmosphere was broken by a phone going off. 

 

Changbin groaned as he grabbed his phone and answered it. 

 

"Morning, Hyung. 

Yes, I have just woken up. 

What?! 

I'll be right - no, I won't be in today. 

I can't leave her alone."

 

"You have to go in. You have schedule this afternoon." 

 

Changbin jumped at the sound of Rose's voice. 

 

"Um, but -" 

 

"I'll be fine alone. As long as you don't mind me hanging out in here." 

 

"Of course not. I guess I'll see you soon then, Hyung. Bye. Love you too!" 

 

"Wasn't that Minho?" 

 

"Yep. Why?" 

 

"He said I love you?" 

 

Changbin grinned. 

 

"He doesn't say that to you? Aw, poor Noona."

 

"He didn't say I love you, did he?"

 

"No, but I'm hopeful that it will happen one day. Okay, I need to get going. We slept in late."

 

They both sat up and the rapper got out of bed. 

 

"Could..."

 

"Yes? What do you need, Noona?"

 

"Could you get some of my things for me? From..."

 

"Yes! Anything in particular?"

 

"My laptop?"

 

"No problem. I'll be back in a minute."

 

Once Changbin had left the room, Rose fell back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. Now that she was alone, her mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, but she did her best to push most of them to the back. 

 

Instead, she focused on what she was going to do next. Food? Shower? That would mean getting out of bed. Rose stretched her arms above her head and wiggled into the mattress. Why was Changbin's bed so comfortable? 

 

"I picked out some clothes in case you feel like going out." 

 

The sight that greeted Changbin as he entered his room made him stop. Rose was in his bed, stretched out, looking very much at home. He cleared his throat. She opened her eyes and smiled at him before sitting up again. 

 

"Thank you." 

 

"I'll see you later then. Call me if you need anything." 

 

Rose smiled at the rapper who was hesitant to leave. 

 

"Bye, Changbin." 

 

For a few minutes after he left, Rose sat there wondering what she should do. Looking around the room a thought occurred to her. Grabbing her laptop she started researching. 

 

A few hours later, Rose finally left Changbin's room. She took her laptop with her into the kitchen, placing it on the table while she made herself something to eat. To fill the silence she put on some music. That paired with the fact that she had her back to the door, she didn't hear someone come home. 

 

"Noona? What's this?"

 

Rose jumped and turned around. Hyunjin was standing in front of her laptop, a sad expression on his face. 

 

"Jinnie, you're home."

 

"Why are you looking at apartments? You're not leaving us, are you, Noona?"

 

"I... I think it might be for the best if I find my own place. This was only meant to be temporary anyway."

 

"No! I like having you here. I don't want you to leave. You promised you wouldn't."

 

"I'm not leaving. I'll just be living somewhere else."

 

Hyunjin pouted. 

 

"Same thing."

 

Rose sighed and walked over to the dancer, pulling him into a hug. Hyunjin hugged her tightly as if he were afraid that she would disappear. 

 

"Will you ever forgive me?"

 

"I do forgive you, Noona. I love you."

 

Hyunjin could feel his heart pounding after he said those three words. To Rose, he meant it the way any of the members other than Chan would. However, the dancer wasn't so sure that he did mean it that way. Ever since he told Seungmin about his feelings he had been thinking of nothing else, especially when he was around Rose, trying to figure out the truth behind them. 

 

"I love you, too."

 

He smiled sadly, knowing that she didn't mean it the way he wished she would. 

 

"Stay. Please."

 

"Jinnie..."

 

"You belong with us."

 

"I need to find a job first, anyway."

 

Rose pulled away. 

 

"Why?"

 

"To earn money. I'm not your assistant anymore."

 

"Oh. Yeah. Then you're hired again!"

 

"You can't hire me, Hyunjin."

 

"Why not?"

 

"JYP might have something to say about you hiring people on his behalf."

 

"Don't mention that name. Then I'll hire you as my personal assistant."

 

"What if I don't want to work for you?"

 

"Why wouldn't you?"

 

"Well, what would I have to do? How much would you pay me?"

 

"Noona!"

 

Rose laughed at Hyunjin's lost expression as she placed the dishes of food she had made on the table. 

 

"Come on. Eat with me."

Chapter 42: M.I.A.

Rose spent that night with Changbin as well and the next with Felix. Hyunjin spilled the beans on her looking for an apartment to the younger Australian. So Rose had decided to tell him why - that her and Chan had a disagreement. Instantly he invited her for a sleepover. 

 

The two of them watched a movie and spent the evening talking in English. The young Idol made her smile and laugh, so much that she almost forgot her troubles. If it wasn't for his accent reminding her of Chan she might have. 

 

She ended up spending more time at home than ever before. While the boys were at work, Rose stayed behind. Her and Chan hadn't spoken since that night and she didn't feel like hanging around at their company while they were at odds. It made her realise that she needed to get a job. 

 

Getting her job back at JYP didn't seem like a good idea, if it was even an option. The constant closeness and her involvement in Chan's career was what put a strain on their relationship. Working at another entertainment company wasn't an option either. Outside of that, opportunities for makeup artists seemed to be far and few between. 

 

That was what led her to working as an English teacher. She knew that the Soulmate Registration Office helped foreign soulmates find jobs and they pointed her in the direction of a company who provided English language services. It wasn't her dream job, but it was something to do and all she needed was to complete a teaching certificate. 

 

When Rose went for the interview she met one of the other English teachers. Eleanor was also from England and had moved to Korea six months ago. The two became instant friends and Rose realised how much she had needed a friend who wasn't involved in the Idol world. 

 

Rose felt alot happier. She spent her free time with either her new friend Eleanor, or any of the boys, usually Changbin. It seemed as though she had finally let go of the guilt she had been holding onto. She had done everything she could. Now it was up to Chan. 

 

For a while, Rose was bed hopping. The other members of Stray Kids sharing so that she could have one of their beds. Other times she had sleepovers, but only with Changbin and Felix as they were the only ones who felt comfortable to do so. 

 

Which made sense. Rose ended up getting a lot closer to all of the members, but especially those two. She had very different relationships with both of them. While she had fun with Felix who was like a best friend who she could gossip and feel young with, Changbin had a different effect. The rapper looked after her, but he also felt like her equal. She couldn't help but compare it to how she had looked after Chan.

 

Soon weeks had passed. With them all being so busy time seemed to fly by and then Stray Kids were back on tour. However, this time Rose couldn't go with them. Now that she had her own job she couldn't just take time off to travel around the world with them. This was met with a lot of feedback and grumbles from the group, but surprisingly not from Chan. The leader had gone from monitoring her every move to seemingly not caring about where she was. 

 

At least that is what it appeared like to not only her, but some of the other members of the group. Eventually, Changbin confronted his leader. 

 

"Why are you ignoring Noona?"

 

"I'm not ignoring her."

 

"Hyung, before you wouldn't let her out of your sight and now you're rarely in the same room together."

 

"It was pointed out to me that I was smothering her, so I'm giving her some space."

 

"Who said that?"

 

"Minho."

 

The dancer, who had been innocently stretching nearby, looked over with a raised eyebrow. 

 

"I said space, not whatever you've been doing."

 

"I didn't mean to! I just... It's been so busy!"

 

"Hyung, you're going to fix this right? You do want to fix it, don't you?"

 

"Of course I do! I love Rose... I love how much she cares about you guys. I love how she appears all serious and mature but can be goofy and silly behind closed doors. I love that she doesn't nag me about working too much, but instead makes sure I remember to eat. I love that she can spend just as much time in the gym as me. I love listening to her hum when she doesn't even realise that she's doing it. I love everything about her."

 

"Don't tell us! Tell Rose-Noona!"

 

Changbin snorted at Minho's response to their leader's heartfelt confession. The rapper felt guilt that although he was happy for Rose, hearing how Chan felt made him a little sad too. He swallowed it down and narrowed his eyes at Chan. 

 

"Do it and soon, or I'll lock the two of you in a room together until you do!"

 

"I'll help."

 

Changbin and Minho fist bumped. 

 

Meanwhile, Rose was taken by surprise when Seungmin asked her out for lunch. Out of all the members of Stray Kids, the singer was the one who she was least close to. They had never spent any time alone together so the invitation was usually, but she took it as a good sign. 

 

"I don't want to you think that I'm not happy to be here, but is there a reason you wanted to have lunch with me?"

 

"I just wanted you to buy me a meal."

 

Rose let out a laugh. It had taken her a little while to understand Seungmin's personality, but she had come to realise that he was both blunt and funny. He also had the ability to keep a poker face, something she herself had put a lot of effort into being able to do. 

 

"Oh, okay. Then, eat well."

 

But instead of continuing to eat, the singer put down his chopsticks. 

 

"I wanted to talk to you. About Chan-Hyung."

 

"Ah, I see."

 

It wasn't totally unexpected. Rose had expected someone to speak to for their leader, but she wasn't expecting it to be Seungmin and she definitely wasn't expecting what he said next. 

 

"Have you ever considered that you might be happier with someone else?"

 

"What? Chan's my soulmate."

 

"People have this idea that being with their soulmate is what they're meant to do. That they can't be happy with anyone other than their soulmate. Personally, I don't agree. A soulmate can be a friend as much as they can be a romantic partner."

 

"You think I should leave Chan and be with someone else?"

 

Rose couldn't believe what she was hearing. 

 

"I'm saying you shouldn't disregard it as an option. I know you two love eachother, but sometimes live isn't enough. I love Chan-Hyung and I hate seeing him so sad."

 

"Oh..."

 

Rose frowned as she thought about how Chan had looked recently and ever since she had inserted herself into his life. 

 

Was he happier before he met me?

 

"I don't like seeing you sad either."

 

She gave him a small smile. 

 

"I know we're at odds at the moment, but we can work through it. We can be happy together."

 

"Good. I just wanted you to know that you have options."

 

Rose gave him a funny look and Seungmin's eyes widened. 

 

"Not me! I didn't mean me."

 

"Okay..."

 

"If you can be happy with Chan-Hyung then that's great. All I want it for you both to be happy."

 

"Thank you, and thank you for talking to me like this. I bet it was hard for you."

 

"I hope you don't think badly of me for it. I didn't want to interfere, but since things are tense at the moment."

 

She had been so focused on herself that she hadn't really considered how Chan and her were affecting the rest of the group. 

 

"I'm sorry. I've put not just Chan, but your whole group through a lot since I turned up."

 

"Don't apologise. You didn't plan for things to happen this way. If we had the option to go back in time, we wouldn't change anything. You brought alot of good into our lives"

 

They spent the remainder of lunch talking about lighter subjects and Seungmin had just ordered a car to take him back to the company building when Rose received a text from Minho.

 

LM: I need my assistant. Come to the dance studio now. 

 

She showed the message to Seungmin who was just as clueless as to what their lead dancer needed her help with. 

 

"Guess I'm travelling with you."

 

They took the car together before going their separate ways in the JYP building. 

 

When Rose entered the group's dance studio she was met with a mischievous looking Minho and an apologetic looking Changbin. 

 

"What?"

 

Changbin reached out and held her arms so that she couldn't move, which Minho disappeared out of sight. 

 

"Sorry, Noona. It was Minho-Hyung's idea."

 

"What was -?"

 

Suddenly she couldn't see as a blindfold was placed over her eyes. 

 

"We have a surprise for you."

 

Changbin's grip released her arms. He took her hand instead and started leading her out of the room. 

 

Rose felt a presence close to her ear as the rapper whispered to her. 

 

"Don't worry, Noona. I've got you. You can trust me."

Chapter 43: The Sound

Rose knew where she was as soon as she entered the room. Changbin and Minho had led her through the building, probably taking a long route just to confuse her, before opening a door and sitting her in a chair. It was Chan's studio. Her soulmate spent so much time in there that the room smelt like him: the comforting scent of home.

She didn't say anything as she waited for her blindfold to be removed, but her heart was racing. However, instead of her blindfold being removed, a pair of headphones were placed on her head. Someone adjusted them to make sure they were placed comfortably over her ears and in doing so brushed their hand against her skin.

Rose couldn't stop her breath from hitching at the contact. It was Chan and he was right in front of her. She hadn't been so close to her soulmate since the incident. When he had rejected her and left her alone and naked on their bed. She felt nervous around him now, unsure of what to expect from him. Yet she still longed for him. Even now she had to stop herself from reaching out for him.

Music poured through the headphones, a song that she had never heard before. Chan's voice started singing and Rose felt her heart clench with every word. He had written a love song for her. He still loved her. He was just as scared as she was.

The song ended and after a moment she spoke.

"Play it again."

She didn't listen to the whole song again before she was removing the headphones and her blindfold. Chan looked hesitant as he reached forward and wiped away the tears that were running down her cheeks. Rose laughed as she looked into her soulmate's eyes.

Holding his head between her hands, she pulled him forward as she pressed her lips to his. The kiss was full of love and forgiveness from both sides. Rose was sure she felt a sizzle as their bond started to heal. Time lost its meaning as the soulmates reunited as Chan refused to be the one to pull away. He never wanted Rose to feel like he was rejecting her ever again.

When she finally pulled back, it was her turn to wipe away the tears running down Chan's cheeks. Rose pecked him on the lips, but he stared at her as if he wasn't sure that what was happening was real. He looked so unsure, his eyes were full of pain, but also hope. All she wanted was to see him smile.

Rose leaned back in and rubbed their noses together until Chan started laughing.

They stayed that way for a while, holding each other and basking in the happiness being together again brought them. Once their positions became uncomfortable, they moved to the sofa and the serious talk began.

They held hands as Chan began.

"I feel like you're only with me because you have to be. You stayed away until you had no other choice."

"Not by choice. I tried, I tried to tell you... You're the one who didn't want me."

"Wait, what? What do you mean?"

"I heard you. You told Felix that you didn't want to meet your soulmate."

"When?"

"During KINGDOM. In your dressing room."

"KINGDOM? In our... how did you...?"

"I was coming to talk to you, to tell you that I was - that I'm your soulmate."

"Oh."

"Yeah..."

"I'm sorry. Back then... I wasn't - I didn't know -"

Rose leant her forehead against Chan's and stroked his cheek.

"It's okay."

They spent the rest of the day together, wrapped up in each other in Chan's studio. Starting from before they first met until today, they talked about everything each of them had been through, their thoughts and feelings. By the early hours of the morning, they were as close as two people could be. They understood each other, forgave each other, and trusted each other.

After delivering Rose to Chan, Changbin did everything he could to keep himself busy. He spent some time in the gym, worked on some music, he practised their choreography in the dance studio, but he couldn't focus on anything. The only thing on his mind was Rose and what might be happening in Chan's studio.

He was hoping that they would talk and sort things out. He wanted the soulmates to be happy together. Of course, he did. Yet, the memories from the time he had gotten to spend with Rose recently echoed in the back of his mind. He didn't want to lose that, and he hated himself for the thoughts that it inspired.

Eventually, Changbin couldn't help himself. He had to see how they were getting on. He had to know what was happening in the room. He needed to mentally prepare himself for what this would mean for him.

"Chan-Hyung? Rose-Noona?"

He knocked on the door but got no reply. Slowly opening the door, he peeked inside. At first, he didn't see them and thought that they had left the studio, but when he stepped inside, he froze at the sight of them. The soulmates were laid out on the sofa, asleep. Rose was lying on top of Chan, her head resting on his chest.

Changbin swallowed roughly as he stepped forwards towards the pair. They looked so perfect together. He hated the way it hurt him to look at them. 

Focusing on Rose, he had to stop himself from reaching down and moving a strand of hair off of her face. Instead, he backed away until the door closed between him and them. There was no space for him in that room.

The rest of Stray Kids were happy to see that their leader and his soulmate were happy together again. They had been torn between acting as if everything were normal and making a big deal out of it. Obviously, they had decided on the latter.

The soulmates were greeted by balloons, streamers and a cake. Rose hid her face in Chan's shoulder, embarrassed at the fuss the boys were making. Felix hugged them both making them laugh with his enthusiasm. Hyunjin and Jisung also hugged Rose. They were all glad to see her laugh and smile again. Minho gave her a pat on the head and Chan a pat on the shoulder. Jeongin grinned and Seungmin smiled happily. When Rose looked at him strangely, Changbin gave her a thumbs up.

"I'm sorry, everyone."

They all looked at Rose in surprise.

"Noona?"

"It's been hard for you all recently... because of me - us."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Noona."

"Maybe if you hadn't just thrown a celebration... I might have believed you."

Felix smiled sheepishly.

"We're just happy for our two-favourite people."

There were nods and sounds of agreement around the room.

"Does this mean you're not going to move out, Noona?"

"You're moving out?!"

Changbin looked up and scratched the back of his while everyone turned to him at his outburst.

"Um, no... Chan told me you told him that if either of us were moving out then it should be him."

Hyunjin's eyes widen.

"I... I don't want either of you to move out!"

Chan rolled his eyes and waved his hands in a calming motion.

"No one's moving out."

Hyunjin's shoulders visibly dropped as he sighed in relief.

Luckily, they were able to finish early and head home because Chan and Rose had only gotten a few hours of sleep on the sofa in his studio in the early hours. When they got home, Rose realised it was her first-time entering Chan's room since the night of the incident. 

She paused in the doorway as the memories of that night resurfaced. Chan noticed her reaction and his heart dropped at the look on her face. He wrapped his arms around her as he whispered in her ear over and over.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

After a minute, Rose pulled herself together and leaned back so that she could give Chan a kiss.

"No apologies. Remember? All is forgiven... if not forgotten."

Chan smiled gently and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Let's get some sleep. You must be exhausted."

"We can't all be you. Some of us need beauty sleep."

"In that case, you can stay up all night with me."

Rose gave him a light whack for his cheesy line. It felt good to be like this again. Talking, teasing, and laughing with her soulmate. Yet, as she drifted off in his arms there was a niggling in the back of her mind that she was forgetting something.

Chapter 44: Piece of a Puzzle

Things with Chan were resolved, their bond was on the mend, and everything was right in the world again. Or at least that's how Rose should have felt.

Two of those things were true. After their talk, Chan and Rose's relationship had been better than ever. They hadn't needed to visit a soulmate specialist to know that their bond was healing. They could both feel it.

However, Rose could feel that something wasn't right. It was strange because somehow, she could tell that it had nothing to do with Chan which only confused her more.

Yet, what really worried her was the way Changbin had been acting. Ever since she had sorted things out with Chan, the rapper had been distant. Rose was even starting to consider the idea that he was avoiding her.

While she was at odds with Chan, Rose had spent most of her time with Changbin and the two had gotten even closer than they were before. The rapper had become her safe space. At the end of each day, she had started to long to have his strong arms wrapped around her. His presence was comforting. She had always felt happy around him and he was constantly making her laugh, but they had also talked about their innermost thoughts and feelings.

So, Rose thought that it was just a temporary thing and that things would go back to normal soon. The boys were busy with work. 3RACHA were particularly stressed as they had started work for their next album. It was going to be their third full album and there was a lot to do.

However, things didn't go back to normal. Changbin continued to keep his distance. Months went by where he avoided being alone with her, never sat next to her when they had movie nights, he always found an excuse not to work out with her. He barely talked to her let alone gave her hugs anymore. Rose missed his hugs.

Rose missed him. She missed him so much that it hurt and that hurt scared her. It scared her because it felt familiar. It felt the same way as when Chan had been avoiding her. Changbin made her feel the same way as her soulmate.

The old Rose would've pushed this aside and never mentioned it to Chan, but the two soulmates had a deeper bond now. They had promised to always talk to each other. Anything could be worked through as long as they communicated with each other.

So, when Chan got home one night, Rose was waiting for him in bed thinking about how to start the conversation.

"You waited up?"

"Did rehearsal go well? Are you ready for next week?"

"We might have overdone it a bit. This MAMA performance is definitely the hardest choreography we've ever done. Everyone's struggling a bit."

"You'll pull it off. I have faith."

Chan got into bed beside her and kissed the top of her head as she snuggled up against him.

"Something's on your mind."

"Chan, I need to talk to you about something."

"Is everything okay?"

"No, not really. I..."

"You can tell me anything, remember?"

"I know. I just don't know how."

"Take your time."

"Well, it – it’s Changbin."

"Changbin? He has been acting strange lately... he looked a bit sickly at practice today, but I asked him, and he said he was fine."

"He's been avoiding me for weeks. Ever since - since..."

"Since?"

"Since we fixed things. He's been avoiding me since we fixed things between us."

"Come to think of it, he's been a bit distant to me as well."

"Chan, I don't know how to say this, but I want to be honest with you. I feel strange."

"Strange?"

"Like something’s wrong or missing. It's not us! Things between us are good and I'm sure of that, but I've been thinking about Changbin and - and -"

"Go on. It's okay."

"Being away from him feels the same way as being away from you did."

There's a brief pause when Chan doesn't say anything in reply. Rose squeezed her eyes closed as she spoke again.

"I'm sorry."

"I did a lot of research into soulmates after we met. There's a lot we still don't know, but there are many theories. Most people think soulmates are black and white, fixed. You have one and they are predestined. However, some people think it's not as simple as that. Life can change things. Someone who isn't your soulmate today could be your soulmate tomorrow."

Rose sat up so she could turn around and look at her soulmate.

"You can't mean -"

Chan smiled gently at her. Raising his hand to her face, he brushed his thumb across her cheek.

"It's just a theory, but I would be happy to share you with someone I loved, who loved you as much as I did, my Rose."

"Chan..."

He leaned in and rested his forehead against hers.

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

One evening, almost two weeks later, the two soulmates were curled up on the sofa together. A movie was playing in the background as they fed each other popcorn.

"Ah! My eyes!"

"They're so sweet my teeth hurt!"

Chan and Rose looked behind them to see that the rest of the flatmates had arrived home. They laughed at Hyunjin and Jisung who were covering their eyes and pulling funny faces, but their smiles dropped when Changbin went straight to his room.

Jisung sighed and scratched the back of his head.

"Changbin-Hyung is still acting weird."

"And he's still not well. We came back early so that he could rest."

Rose ran her fingers through her hair and looked from the younger two Idols to her soulmate.

"He can't keep going like this. We can't keep going like this... I'm going to talk to him."

Chan rubbed his thumb over the back of Rose's hand.

"Are you sure? I can talk to him instead."

"No, I'll talk to him. Enough is enough. I've let this go on far too long."

Determined, Rose got up off the sofa and walked to Changbin's bedroom door. Hyunjin and Han watched her wide-eyed and then looked at Chan.

"Are you sure that’s a good idea?"

"Do you have a better one? No one else has gotten a word out of him. It can't make things worse."

Rose knocked on the door.

"I told you -!"

Changbin opened the door with an angry scowl on his face with disappeared the moment he saw who had knocked on his door.

"Hi, Binnie. Can I come in?"

For a moment Rose thought he was going to say no, but he turned and walked back into his room, leaving the door open, so she followed. She found him leaning on his desk chair, coughing violently. Spotting a glass of water by his bed, she quickly took it over to him. As he took a sip, she looked him over. She had never seen him, or any of the boys, look so ill.

"Thanks."

"You should get into bed. You don't look well."

"I'm fine. I don't need babying."

"You are? Okay, then you're well enough to have this conversation. Why have you been ignoring me?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't do that. Man up and admit it."

Changbin's head was pounding. He could barely concentrate on what Rose was saying, but he needed to push her away. He couldn't cope with being around her. Before she had made up with Chan, he hadn't realised how attached he had gotten. For the sake of the two people he cared about the most, he needed to keep his distance. At least until he got his feelings under control.

"Admit what? You got your soulmate back. You're happy. I don't need to cheer you up anymore."

"Is that all it was? All that time we spent together was just you cheering me up? I thought our relationship was more than that."

The rapper almost scoffed at the word relationship. He remembered when she had called him her friend and how much it had hurt.

"I was acting as a good friend should, and now I'm giving you space to reunite with your soulmate."

"I don't need space."

"Maybe I do."

"For how long? It's been weeks, months!"

"What difference does it make?"

"You said that you'd always be there for me."

A pained expression flashed across Changbin's face.

"Rose. Chan is your soulmate. He's the one that should be there for you. You don't need me."

"I'll always need you."

Changbin had reached his limit. If Rose didn't leave now, he was going to break down and admit everything to her. He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't cause trouble for not only the two soulmates but for Stray Kids as well.

"I can't do this. I can't be around you. Please leave."

"Binnie..."

"Please."

She wanted to test out Chan's theory, but they hadn't discussed that yet. So all she could do for now was what Changbin asked of her.

Rose's heart broke when she looked back to see the rapper sitting on his bed, head in hands, shoulders shaking. It took everything she had to leave that room.

Now she only had one thing on her mind. She needed to talk to Chan.

Chapter 45: Collision

Rose was cooking dinner when her phone rang.

 

"Hi, Hun. Are you on your way home?"

 

"Not yet."

 

"What's wrong?"

 

"How did you - Never mind. Don't panic when I tell you where I am."

 

"Where are you?"

 

"The Hospital."

 

"What?! Are you okay? What happened?"

 

"I'm fine. It's not me... it's Changbin."

 

"Binnie?"

 

"He collapsed while we were working out. Since he's been out of sorts for so long I decided it was best to get him checked out."

 

"Oh god... Um, what hospital? I'm leaving now."

 

"Rose. They're keeping him overnight. They want to run some tests to see why he's been ill recently, but mostly like he'll be home tomorrow."

 

"Okay, but I still want to see him. He's - he might be -"

 

"I know. I will stay with him, but I need you to stay with the kids. They should be home soon."

 

"Why do I -"

 

"Jisung and Felix were with him when it happened. They're a little shaken up."

 

Rose leaned against the wall behind her.

 

"They saw Changbin..."

 

"Yeah. It gave them quite a shock."

 

"Don't worry. I'll look after them."

 

"Thank you, Sweetie. I'll keep you updated."

 

"Okay."

 

"I love you, my Rose."

 

"Love you too."

 

After she ended the call, her shock wore off and she slid down the wall until she was sitting on the floor.

 

"Hannie sit on the sofa with Lixie. I'll be right there, okay?"

 

Rose hadn't heard the front door open but the sound of Minho's voice alerted her to the fact that she was about to have company. She only manages to wipe away her tears before the dancer finds her about to get up.

 

There was no judgement in his eyes as he helped her up and gave her a hug. Most of the boys gave her hugs and did so on a regular basis, but this was unfamiliar. 

 

"Chan-Hyung called you?"

 

"Yes. He told me to look after Sungie and Lixie."

 

"They're in the living room. Are you going to be okay?"

 

"Yeah. It was just a shock."

 

The pair went back into the living room and Jisung and Felix looked up at her from the sofa with worried eyes. Rose sat between them and they cuddled up to her while she stroked their hair. 

 

"Changbin's going to be okay. He's going to be fine."

 

It was hard for Rose to go to work the next day as she wanted to be there when Chan and Changbin got home. Her soulmate had kept her up to date but had refrained from sharing any details until she got home. As soon as she stepped into the apartment she questioned Chan.

 

"Did they find out why he collapsed? Why he's been ill recently?"

 

Chan seemed reluctant to tell her.

 

"Tell me, Chan. Whatever it is, tell me."

 

"They couldn't find anything wrong and then they checked his soulmate mark."

 

"But he doesn't have one."

 

"Apparently they can still check stuff even if the bond hasn't been made. Anyway, they said that he's been ill because he's purposely been distancing himself from his soulmate."

 

"What? So if we're right, then if I had confronted him earlier he wouldn't have gotten this bad."

 

"Well, no time like the present."

 

"Seriously?"

 

"I'll give you two some space. He's in his room."

 

It must have shown on her face that Rose was a little nervous. Chan held her head between his hands and kissed her forehead. He smiled down at her.

 

"Go get him."

 

Rose smiled back.

 

"You're so weird."

 

"I take that as a compliment. Now, I'm going for a walk. Call me when you're done, okay?"

 

She nodded and watched him leave before heading to Changbin's room. She knocked on the door before entering. 

 

"I'm fine, Chan-Hyung. You can stop checking on me. Oh, Rose."

 

"You're not fine, Binnie. You can't keep avoiding me."

 

"I'm not -"

 

"I think I know why you've been keeping your distance."

 

"I don't think you do."

 

"I feel it too."

 

Rose stepped towards him. 

 

"What? I, er, I don't know what you mean."

 

"Binnie, it's okay."

 

Changbin backed up until he couldn't anymore and she stepped closer and closer until she was standing right in front of him.

 

"Noona, please, don't -"

 

Rose cupped his face in her hands and she no longer felt any doubts about what she was about to do.

 

"Shh. How did I not notice before?"

 

And then she kissed him.

 

It was short and purposeful. When she pulled back she didn't even get to look down at their hands before Changbin's lips were back on hers.

 

Rose let out a sound of surprise as the rapper made her forget everything but the feeling of his lips on hers.

 

After they pulled away to catch their breath, Changbin's whole demeanour changed.

 

"Oh no... what have I done?! Chan-Hyung's going to kill me! Why did you - How could you -"

 

"It's okay. Changbin. It's okay. He knows."

 

"I kissed my best friend's soulmate... I deserve to die!"

 

"Changbin! Chan told me to kiss you!"

 

The rapper blinked at her in shock, whether it was because Rose had shouted at him or because of the words she shouted at him, she didn't know.

 

"What?"

 

Rose grabbed his left hand and held it up in between them along with her own. On his left ring finger was a soulmate mark and on hers was the same one, above the one she shared with Chan.

 

"Binnie... we're soulmates."

 

She was thankful that she had kept up with her workout routine. It meant that when Changbin collapsed Rose was able to lower them to the floor safely instead of immediately collapsing under his weight. After checking him over, she managed to get her phone out and call her first soulmate.

 

"Chan, you were right."

 

"I'm glad we've sorted that out. I bet Changbin's happy."

 

"Um, about that. Could you come here? I need your help."

 

"Huh? Sure, but what do you need my help with?"

 

"I can't lift Changbin onto his bed on my own."

 

"You can't - what?! Why do you - What happened?!"

 

"I think he fainted... when he saw our soulmate marks."

 

"Oh man, if the others find out he's never going to live it down."

 

"Yeah, well I'm not telling them, are you?"

 

"No, Sweetie. Of course not."

 

"This is your fault. He just got out of the hospital. Now was not the time to do this. The shock made him faint."

 

"He was in the hospital because you hadn't done this. There was never going to be a good time. He'll get better now."

 

"I know. You're right. It was a shock to have him collapse in my arms. Come quickly."

 

"Almost there, my love."

 

When Changbin woke up, he saw Chan sitting on the edge of his bed. The leader was talking to someone and that was when the fingers running through his hair registered. Rose was sat beside him on the bed, leaning against the headboard as she stroked his hair.

 

"He's awake. Hello, sleepyhead."

 

Rose moved to sit mirroring Chan on Changbin's other side so that she could look at him better.

 

"How are you feeling?"

 

"Good. Better than I have in ages."

 

The rapper tried to ignore the way his heart sped up a little when Rose smiled down at him. He moved to sit up, to try and distract himself. Chan and Rose both leaned forward to rearrange the rapper's pillows.

 

"Take it easy, mate."

 

"What happened?"

 

"You don't remember?"

 

Changbin felt pressure on his hand. He looked down to see that Rose had his left hand in between hers and that is when it all came back to him. He had kissed Rose and his soul mark had appeared. Rose was his soulmate. Chan's soulmate was also his soulmate.

 

He froze, staring at their hands for a while before looking up at Chan.

 

"How?"

 

The leader shrugged. 

 

"Does it matter?"

 

"But aren't you... mad?"

 

"Mad? At you? No!"

 

"But... Rose... She's yours."

 

"Ours. Look, Bin, I know how much you care about her and that's all that matters. Okay?"

 

Changbin didn't look convinced. 

 

"Binnie? Are you upset that you have to share me?"

 

The rapper looked at Rose and he couldn't believe that he could have her. After longing for her and burying his feelings for so long, the idea that he could be with her, hold her, kiss her, was overwhelming. 

 

"What? No! Of course not."

 

Rose was worth whatever small piece of her he could have. Sharing her with his leader was no hardship. 

 

"Then we can work out the details later, but for now can we just be happy? Together?"

 

Changbin nodded and Rose leaned forward, wrapping her arms around him. He returned the hug and the last of her worries disappeared at the feeling of being in his arms.  

 

"Mwah! Mwah!"

 

Rose giggled at the feeling of Chan kissing her head and apparently Changbin's as well. She had a lot of questions and worries about what would happen next and how it was going to work between the three of them, but for now, she trusted that they could make this work. Rose would do anything to make sure that her boys were happy. 

Chapter 46: ROCK

"Rosie! You're finally home!"

Changbin's loud voice was what greeted Rose as she stepped into the apartment. She had been out late with her colleague, Eleanor telling her about a new job opportunity that they should both apply for. If she got the job she would be working as a makeup artist again, so she was very excited, but she wasn't telling the boys about it unless she got the job.

"What's wrong?"

Her new second soulmate pouted at her from where he sat on the sofa.

"I missed you."

She breathed a sigh of relief and smiled as she walked over to him. 

"I missed you too-ooh! Uff!"

The rapper caught her by surprise by pulling her down into his lap. Changbin wrapped his arms around her and nuzzled her cheek.

"I need snuggles with Noona."

"You can have them anytime you want."

Rose wrapped her arms around Changbin's shoulders and stroked his hair.

"Ahh, this is nice."

It was nice. Things had been nothing but nice since Changbin and her had bonded. Along with Chan, the three of them had a harmonious relationship. So harmonious that it was weird. The guys were so respectful of each other that they had yet to have any fights or misunderstandings. There had been no jealousy from one when she was spending time with the other. It was - and she felt bad for thinking it - boring.

Her soulmates were so respectful of each other that neither of them dared to do anything more than give her sweet gentle pecks. Although she had managed to get a make-out session out of both of them on occasion, they never let it go further and Rose was frustrated. In a way, she understood why Changbin might be holding himself back as he might feel like he was stepping on Chan's toes, but she had no idea why Chan was acting this way. She thought they had sorted everything out between them.

"Noona? Are you okay?"

Rose was knocked out of her thoughts by Jeongin. They were at a fan event in the Philippines to celebrate being the new endorsers for Bench. The boys were just excited to see Stay again. It had been a long time since they were last here.

This time she travelled with them since her bond with Changbin was new, and she didn't want to risk being apart yet. She had also gone with them to Bangkok for the Golden Disc Awards Show two weeks ago. However, they were going to Japan in a few days, and it would be the last time she would be able to travel with them. If she got the new job, that is.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. I'm okay."

"How are things going with my Hyungs?"

"Fine."

"Just fine, Noona?"

"Do you really want to hear about my relationship with your Hyungs?"

"Of course, I do."

"I think I'll spare your innocent ears, Innie."

"What you do - oh! Yeah, maybe not then... But Noona, if you really need to talk to someone then I'm here for you."

If the young Idol hadn't already had his hair styled, then she would have ruffled it.

"Aww, that's so sweet of you. I appreciate you saying that and the same goes for you. I know you have all of your Hyungs, but if you ever need a different perspective... Don't hesitate to come to me."

"I'll keep that in mind, Noona."

"Good. Now, are you all ready for today? Outfit comfy?"

"Yes, Noona. The stylists are extra careful to make sure everything we wear fits well and is comfortable to dance in thanks to you."

"I'm glad to hear it."

"But I am a little nervous."

"About today?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"It's all in English. Everyone else has gotten better, but I still struggle."

"It's okay. Chan and Felix are there to support you and there's the official translator too."

"I know. I'm okay, it just makes me a little nervous."

"If you want to improve your English, I can work on it with you?"

"I think that would be nice, Noona. The last tour was okay, but I want to do better on the next one."

"I'll take a look at your schedule and mark out some time for us, okay?"

"Thank you, Noona. You know there's someone else who worries about English events like these."

"Who?"

"Minho-Hyung. He doesn't say it, but I know he gets as confused as me when everyone's talking in English. It's not just when we have to say something but to know what's happening."

"I see what you mean. That must be kind of scary... It would help if you knew exactly what was going to happen. I know you get told briefly, but if the games were explained beforehand things would go more smoothly on stage."

Rose realised she was thinking out loud and focused back on Jeongin to see him pouting at her.

"Can't you work with us again, Noona?"

"That's not up to me, or you -"

"Chan-Hyung could make it happen. It would make things much easier."

"No, it wouldn't."

Jeongin rested his head on her shoulder.

"Sorry, Noona. I just miss having you around like this. It's nice."

"I like spending time with you too, but this is your work. I shouldn't get involved. It makes things messy. Besides, we're going to have English time together now, right?"

"Just us two?"

"If that's what you want."

"Yes please, Noona. You've spent time with everyone else individually except me."

Rose thought about it. Obviously, she had spent time alone with Chan and Changbin, as well as Felix and Jisung.

Dancing with Minho, painting with Hyunjin, lunch with Seungmin...

"That can't be - oh! I'm so sorry, Innie."

"It's okay, Noona. I'm the youngest so we have the biggest age gap."

"Nope. That's no excuse. I'll make it up to you, okay?"

"I'm glad you're Chan-Hyung and Changbin-Hyungs' soulmate. You're so nice, Noona."

Their moment was interrupted by the boys being called to get ready to go on stage and she waved them all off.

As Rose watched from backstage, she noticed that the translator was only translating when the boys said something in Korean or if it was obvious one of them didn't understand what to do. She walked over to one of the staff members.

"Can you ask the translator to translate everything that is said please? So, all the members understand what is going on."

"Of course."

"Thank you."

She watched as the stagehand went out and spoke to the translator. From then on, he translated everything that was said by both the MC and the English-speaking members into Korean and not just Korean into English. Rose hoped that this made Minho in particular feel more comfortable.

When they got back to the hotel after the fan meeting, Rose went with Changbin to his room. The rapper jumped onto the bed with a sigh before rolling over onto his back and holding his arms open. She laughed and crawled onto the bed, cuddling up to him with her head resting on his arm.

"You make such a good pillow."

Changbin glances down and pats himself on the chest.

"Really? The guys say I'm too firm."

"Well, you're perfect for me."

"Aw, Noona!"

Rose giggled as Changbin wrapped his arms around her and peppered her face with kisses. Once he stopped, she reached up and pinched his cheek.

"How are you so cute?!"

The rapper pouted and his soulmate reached up to give him a peck on the lips. Rose stayed in that position, looking up at Changbin as she played with his hair. He closed his eyes and hummed in contentment. 

Taking the opportunity to stare at her new soulmate, Rose once again found herself in disbelief at how lucky she was. She had two extremely handsome and kind soulmates. Sometimes she felt guilty for getting to have both of them to herself.

"I can feel you staring."

"Sorry."

"No. I like it."

"Good. You're just so pretty that I can't look away."

"Why are you stealing all my lines today, Noona?!"

"You should say them first then. Slowpoke."

"Slow? Slow!"

Rose's eyes widened at her soulmate's mischievous grin. She wasn't quick enough to move away before Changbin started tickling her.

"No! Binnie, stop!"

Try as she might, there was no way of winning against Changbin's muscular strength. Since she couldn't push him away, Rose tried a different tactic. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders she pulled him towards her, the action took him off guard and he ended up lying on top of her.

Their playtime was interrupted by Changbin's phone pinging.

"Chan's doing his live."

He rolled off of her and they sat up. Turning on the live, they watched as a head of hair appeared at the side of the frame.

"That's not Chan. It's... Why is Felix with him?"

They watched the two Australians banter with each other for a bit.

"Three burgers?!"

"That's what you're focused on? Why is he in his bathrobe?!"

Changbin looked over at Rose with a smirk.

"Is this what you were like when he wore crop tops on stage?"

"No... maybe. That's different though. That's for a performance, this... this is just indecent."

"I don't think Stay's will agree with you about that. You're so cute when you're jealous."

"Shut up!"

There was a knock at the door.

"Go away!"

"Changbin!"

"What? It's one of the guys - No, Rosie! Don't let them in!"

Rose didn't listen as she got up and answered the door.

"Noona!"

"Lixie? What are you doing here? You're meant to be washing up."

The dancer pouted.

"I'm lonely."

Rose could never deny Felix's puppy eyes.

"Okay, come in then."

"Yay! Hey, Hyung."

"Hey, Felix. We were just talking about how Noona gets jealous when we show skin on stage."

"Really?!"

Rose sighed. She and her soulmates were never alone. No wonder she wasn't getting any action. 

Chapter 47: Cover Me

The next few months flew by. Stray Kids were busy flying around the world as they started their world tour. Rose was a little sad that she couldn't join them, especially when they travelled to Australia, Chan's and Felix's home country. However, her soulmates were more upset and they made sure to show it every time they video-called. 

 

"I wish you were here with us."

 

Rose couldn't help but smile at Changbin's pout. 

 

"Me too."

 

Changbin disappeared and Chan's face filled the screen.

 

"How's the new job going?"

 

"Good! It's nice to be working behind the scenes again."

 

"If any of those young Idols give you trouble, tell them I'll be coming for them."

 

"Chan!"

 

Changbin leaned in so that he was in the frame and nodded solemnly. 

 

"You can be very scary, Hyung."

 

Rose smiled amused and shook her head at her soulmate's antics. 

 

"Channie's the friendliest person I've ever met."

 

"You think that because Hyung could never be mad at our Rosie."

 

Our Rosie.

 

Her heart felt full at hearing those words from Changbin. 

 

Chan rolled his eyes but nodded. 

 

"You're ridiculous, but that's true. Our kind, beautiful Rose could never anger me... you on the other hand."

 

Changbin's jaw dropped and he pointed at himself.

 

"Me? I'm an angel!"

 

Chan ruffled Changbin's hair. 

 

"You're my troublesome child."

 

"Nuh-uh! Noona! Channie-Hyung's being mean!"

 

"Play nicely you two. And in any case, Wooyoung is worse."

 

"Yeah, I exchange coping methods with Hongjoong, but I think the rest of his kids are fairly well behaved and he has Seonghwa to help. Whereas all of my kids like to cause mayhem."

 

Rose tilted her head in confusion. 

 

"What? They're not that bad."

 

"They behave when you're around."

 

Changbin stayed quiet at that because Chan was right. Having Rose around kept all of them calmer and happier. 

 

"After this job is finished, I can travel with you... if you clear it with your company."

 

"Done. No problem."

 

The next two months continued much the same way. Rose briefly saw the boys in between them flying off to different countries on their tour. 

 

Meanwhile, she worked on the set of the new reality Idol competition show, Peak Time. It was only a temporary job, but at least it was using her skills. She enjoyed watching all these Idols work so hard and she felt proud to see how they improved from week to week. 

 

It had also been a good way to make more connections and she hoped to get more work in the future.

 

During one of their breaks at home, Rose and Changbin were having some alone time in the apartment. They had been watching a movie, but they were no longer paying attention to it. Instead, she was throwing popcorn into Changbin's mouth. 

 

"You're good at this."

 

"It's my special skill."

 

"You mean eating?"

 

Changbin frowned and suddenly Rose found herself under attack. Her soulmate was tickling her. 

 

"No! Binnie!"

 

As she tried to get away, Rose slid off the sofa and as he tried to catch her Changbin ended up following after her. After the shock wore off he tried to pull back and get up, but she pulled him closer. He looked down at her in confusion. 

 

"We seem to end up like this every time we're alone together."

 

"Are you complaining?"

 

She stroked his cheek before slowly leaning up and pressing her lips against his. It only took a moment for him to react and deepen the kiss. 

 

Rose hitched her leg around Changbin's hip to hold him in place. It worked for a while until her fingers started exploring underneath his top and then he pulled away with a pained expression. 

 

"Rosie... Please don't tease me."

 

"It's not teasing if I intend to follow through."

 

"Noona."

 

"Changbin."

 

"We can't."

 

"Why? Don't you want me?"

 

"So much, but..."

 

"But?"

 

"Umm..."

 

"What is it?"

 

"You haven't been with Chan yet."

 

Rose released Changbin and they both sat up. 

 

"So? That's his fault. It has nothing to do with us."

 

"You were his first."

 

"You're not serious? Did he say something to you?"

 

"No. It's just..."

 

"What?"

 

"It's polite."

 

"Polite?"

 

"Respectful."

 

"What about me?"

 

"You?"

 

"You're denying me something that we both want! Why am I being punished?"

 

"Noona... I didn't - I'm sorry. You're right, but Chan is my Hyung, my leader, and your first soulmate. Sometimes I feel like I have intruded on your relationship. I don't want to steal anything else from him."

 

"Oh, Bin... I didn't know you felt that way. Everything has been going so well. Too well."

 

"Sorry."

 

"It's fine. I - I also don't know how to navigate this - having two soulmates. It would be easier if you two were in a relationship as well..."

 

Rose watched Changbin's eyes widen comically and burst out laughing.

 

"Noona...?"

 

"I wasn't suggesting it. Oh, my, your reaction was so funny."

 

The rapper pouted.

 

"I don't think it was funny."

 

"Sorry, baby."

 

She leaned in and pecked him on the lips. When he pouted more she smiled and kissed him a few more times until he started giggling.

 

"I just meant that I wouldn't be so aware of splitting myself equally between you two... if you had each other."

 

"Have we made you feel pressured? That you're spending more time with one of us than the other?"

 

"No. You've both been wonderful. I guess I'm still trying to figure out how this will work. If anything, it sounds like you're the one who feels pressured. Why didn't you tell me before?"

 

"I've been meaning to talk to Chan-Hyung about it, but it's not the kind of conversation I've had with him before and we've been busy with tour and recording for S-Class..."

 

Changbin ran his hand through his hair with a sigh. Rose reached out and took his other hand, holding it between her own.

 

"We'll talk about it together. All three of us. If that's okay with you?"

 

"Yes. I want this to work. I want to make you happy. Whatever it takes. However, that looks."

 

"Me too."

 

The rapper pulled her into a hug and they stayed like that for a while. Eventually, they pulled back to move onto the sofa and watched the end of the movie.

 

Rose's phone buzzed and she looked at it. 

 

"Chan's on his way home."

 

"Should we talk to him tonight?"

 

"We can, but let's see what his mood is. It's not normal for him to come home this early."

 

"You think something has happened."

 

It wasn't a question. Changbin could see the worry on his soulmate's face. 

 

"Call it a soulmate's instinct."

 

When Chan arrived home Rose could instantly tell that she was right. Something was wrong. 

 

"Chan?"

 

He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. 

 

"They cancelled Chan's Room."

 

Rose got up and walked towards him. 

 

"What?! Who?"

 

"The company. They said it's too controversial. It causes too many problems."

 

"Why would - is this because you talked about younger Idol groups not greeting you? Unbelievable!"

 

"That was just the last straw."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"They've been wanting to shut it down ever since I told everyone about you."

 

The leader's voice cracked at the end as he broke down into tears. Rose stepped closer to Chan and wrapped him in a hug. 

 

"It will be okay."

 

"I promised STAY I would keep up Chan's Room. Some of them rely on it. I've let them down."

 

"No, you haven't and STAY would agree with me. They would hate to see you blaming yourself for this."

 

Chan shook his head. 

 

"But it's my fault. I should've kept my mouth shut. How long have I been in this industry? I should've known better."

 

Rose pulled back and looked Chan in the eye. 

 

"Stop it. You have a right to your own opinion and most people agree with you. Respect is a key value to Koreans. That makes this a big deal."

 

"Then why am I, and STAY, the ones being punished?"

 

He looked so sad that it broke her heart. 

 

"I don't know, but we'll fix this. I promise."

 

"Okay."

 

"Are you hungry? Let me make you something to eat."

 

As Chan disappeared off to his room, Rose and Changbin looked at each other. 

 

"Another time."

 

She smiled gratefully at him before heading to the kitchen. 

 

"Noona?"

 

She turned back to see Changbin giving her puppy eyes. 

 

"Feed me too please."

 

"Aren't you full of popcorn?"

 

"I don't want to miss out on your cooking."

 

"Flatterer. Fine, but you can help."

 

Changbin grinned as he jumped up and joined Rose in the kitchen. 

 

When Chan joined them Changbin was sitting at the counter just watching her cook. The leader gave the rapper a curious expression. 

 

"Noona, banned me from the kitchen because I made a mess."

 

Chan burst out laughing and Rose relaxed at the sound. 

 

They would be okay. All three of them. Together. 

Chapter 48: Collision

"What are you watching, Noona?"

 

Hyunjin laughed as Rose jumped at the sound of his voice. She turned around to look at him from where she was sitting on the sofa. She hadn't heard him come in and sneak up behind her.

 

"You're home early."

 

He smiled at her as he sat down beside her on the sofa. 

 

"So this is what you do when we're not around."

 

The dancer pointed at the TV as he sat next to her. On the screen was their cover of EXO's Call Me Baby from last year's fanmeeting.

 

"It's not my fault that YouTube recommended it."

 

They looked at each other and both burst out laughing.

 

"I don't think that's how it works, Noona, but if you say so it must be true."

 

Hyunjin stretched and snuggled into the cushion, resting his head on the back and closing his eyes. 

 

"You look tired."

 

He opened one eye.

 

"Thanks."

 

"Seriously. Is everything okay at work? Are you sleeping okay?"

 

"If you worry so much about us, Noona, you should work with us again."

 

Although she kept denying that she wanted to and argued that it would be a bad idea, Rose's resolve was being worn down every time one of the members asked her to come back. Either way, she didn't want to encourage them and get their hopes up. 

 

"I like your hair long like this."

 

She reached over and played with a strand of his hair. Hyunjin felt his cheeks heat up both at her compliment and at her touch. 

 

Since finding out that Rose was also Changbin's soulmate, he had buried his feelings even deeper. He had tried his best to only think of her as a friend and treat her like one too. 

 

Seungmin, his only confidant, had suggested that since Rose had two soulmates it was possible she could have three. However, Hyunjin wouldn't entertain this idea. This was for a number of reasons. However, he had seen how difficult things had been for Rose and Chan, he knew more challenges had been added with Changbin, and he didn't want to complicate things further. At least not right now. 

 

Rose had confided in him at how guilty she had felt about her feelings for Changbin before they considered that he might be her soulmate. Hyunjin didn't want her to feel worse by splitting her affections three ways. But he was getting ahead of himself. She had given him no signs that she saw him as anything more than one of her soulmates' group members. 

 

"Me too, but I'll have to cut it eventually."

 

"Put it off for as long as possible, please, for me."

 

"Okay, for you, Noona."

 

Rose smiled up at him and stared until Hyunjin started to get uncomfortable.

 

"What?"

 

"It's not fair."

 

"Huh? What's not fair, Noona?"

 

"That you're so naturally pretty and also so talented."

 

Hyunjin hadn't had any schedules on camera today so he wasn't wearing any makeup. His heart fluttered as she pouted whilst complimenting him. 

 

"But you're those things too. You're pretty and talented too."

 

Rose scrunched up her nose and it was the cutest thing Hyunjin had ever seen. 

 

"Nah. You can sing, dance, rap, and paint! Is there anything you can't do?"

 

"I don't think Hyungs would be happy to hear you putting yourself down."

 

"Are you going to tell them?'

 

"Not if you repeat after me."

 

"Fine."

 

"I am just as pretty and talented as Hyunjin."

 

Rose rolled her eyes but repeated the dancer's words. 

 

"I am just as pretty and talented as Hyunjin."

 

"And my soulmates are lucky to have me."

 

"And my soulmates are... Lucky? Are they lucky?"

 

Rose's gaze wandered off the the side as she frowned. 

 

"Yes."

 

Hyunjin's answer startled her and she glanced back up at him.

 

They were interrupted by the door opening. 

 

"Honey I'm home!"

 

Her soulmates walked in and Changbin made a beeline for her. Bending down he reached for her, giving her a surprise when he picked her up off the sofa.

 

"Binnie!"

 

She clung to him even though she knew he wouldn't drop her. 

 

"Mwah!"

 

He gave her a kiss on the cheek and Chan came over and placed one on the other cheek. It was like a soulmate sandwich and Rose loved it. 

 

Hyunjin slipped off to his room while the three soulmates were distracted by each other. 

 

Yes. Her soulmates were lucky. 

 

.

 

Usually, it didn't bother Rose - the noise.

 

ATEEZ had been noisy too, although that was mostly Wooyoung. However, it didn't take long after she started working with Stray Kids to realise that they were louder, much louder. 

 

She loved that they felt comfortable enough to express themselves and to have fun whilst working. And usually, it warmed her heart. But not today. 

 

Her soulmates had convinced her to come to the company with them and she had felt fine at first, but gradually every shout began to irritate her. 

 

Currently, she was in a cuddle pile with Jisung and Felix on the sofa in the dance studio. Then a shout from Changbin sent a piercing pain through her skull and was followed by an equally loud reply from Minho which made her wince. 

 

"Noona? Are you okay?"

 

Reluctantly, Rose removed herself from the cosy comfortable spot and rubbed her head. 

 

"I'm going to get a drink? Does anyone want anything? Snacks?"

 

Jisung grabbed her wrist. 

 

"No! Don't go!"

 

She smiled reassuringly. 

 

"I'll be back in a minute."

 

Rose walked along the corridor and stopped at the bathroom to splash some water on her face before heading out to get some snacks. However, before she got very far, one of the managers stopped her. 

 

"Rose. We heard you were here today. Do you have a minute to talk?"

 

"Of course."

 

They went into an empty meeting room.

 

"How have you been? We haven't seen you around here in a while."

 

"I'm fine. Thank you. Since I don't work here I didn't think it was appropriate to hang out here, but I can't deny both Chan and Changbin."

 

"Of course. That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about. One of the other managers has had a family emergency and we need a replacement as soon as possible. Stray Kids' schedule is too full for us to handle for long with one man down."

 

"Oh dear, but what has that got to do with me?"

 

"We want you to fill in."

 

"As a manager?"

 

"That's right."

 

Rose's eyes widened. 

 

"But I'm not qualified! Last time, I worked just as an assistant."

 

"We both know you did a lot more than that. The boys made sure to let everyone know how well you looked after them."

 

"They shouldn't have."

 

"Even if they hadn't, we still would have known it. That's why I'm asking you to come back. We need you. The boys need you."

 

Rose frowned and shook her head. 

 

"I... I don't think that's a good idea. Not after what happened last time I got involved in their work."

 

"That won't happen again. It can't."

 

"I could still cause problems. It could affect my relationship with my soulmates."

 

"Is it worth the risk of them not getting the support they need at work? I wouldn't be asking if we had another choice. The boys told me you didn't want to come back."

 

"Is it really that desperate?"

 

The manager sighed. 

 

"You know what their schedule is like. I'm hoping to be able to slow things down next year, but for now, I can't change anything. To be honest, we barely manage fully staffed, so I'm worried that with one person missing things will slip through the cracks. That's why we need you. You notice things others don't."

 

"Okay, but on one condition. Chan's Room."

 

The manager grimaced. 

 

"Rose..."

 

"I'll monitor it. Give it structure so he focuses on the song reviews like he used to. STAYs need it. Chan needs  -"

 

"I don't disagree with you, Rose, but when I said we were desperate I meant the staff. I had to ask to hire you otherwise we would've been left to manage as we are."

 

Rose pointed up and the manager gave a small nod. 

 

"I see."

 

"But as a manager, you'd be in a better position to make that happen."

 

"Okay. I accept."

 

"Great! Thank you so much, Rose. I'll gather the paperwork work and bring it by later... Manager Rose."

 

Rose wandered back to the dance studio in a trance. She worried if she had done the right thing. 

 

As she entered the room Felix bounced over to her. 

 

"Noona? Are you okay? I thought you went to get snacks?"

 

Changbin rushed over. 

 

"Snacks? Where are my snacks?"

 

Rose pretended to frown. 

 

"Is that any way to speak to your new manager?"

 

"What? New manager? Are you? Noona?"

 

Rose nodded. 

 

"Really?!"

 

Suddenly she found herself in the air as she was picked up and spun around. What was more surprising was that it wasn't one of her soulmates, but Minho. Changbin frowned, he wanted to be the one holding his soulmate in celebration. 

 

"Yah! Put her down!"

Chapter 49: Blind Spot

"I didn't know it was in your job description to ogle us, Noona?"

Rose was brought out of her daydream by Changbin's voice. She was in the gym with her two soulmates. They were working out and she was supervising. Or at least that was her excuse.

She hadn't meant to stay so long, but the sight of her soulmates' bulging muscles had sent her into a daydream. This had been happening a lot lately and it was worrying because these dreams were not work-appropriate.

"It's in my job description to keep you safe and provide you with anything you need."

"Anything?"

Rose gulped as Changbin stepped towards her, there was something about the look in his eye that sent a spark through her body.

She stepped back and bumped into something. Turning her head she saw Chan standing behind her. The leader put his hands on her hips and held her in place as Changbin stopped right in front of her, his body pressed against her. She was sandwiched between her soulmates.

Chan whispered in her ear.

"You'll give us anything we need, Jagi? What if we need you?"

Changbin leaned in until their lips were almost touching.

"Can we have you, Noona?"

Rose's mind was fuzzy, and her heart was racing, but she knew what she wanted.

"Yes. Please, yes."

"Jagi? Rose!"

"Huh?"

As Chan walked towards her with a concerned look, she realised that she had been daydreaming again.

"Are you alright? You look flushed."

"I - I'm fine! I just realised that I have a meeting to attend. I'll see you two at home!"

Her soulmates shouted after her as she raced out the door.

Rose wasn't completely lying. She had an English lesson with Jeongin, but that wasn't for a few hours. 

As she wandered the halls the sound of music caught her attention. Looking into one of the nearby practice rooms, Rose saw Xdinary Heroes rehearsing. She hadn't had much interaction with the band, especially since she hadn't been coming to the company a lot over the past year, but Chan had talked about them, so she had heard some of their music.

"Miss Rose? Did you want to come in?"

Rose hadn't heard someone coming up behind her and their voice made her jump. With her hand over her heart, she turned to greet the staff member she recognised as the band's manager.

"Oh, no. I don't want to intrude. I was just passing by and heard them playing."

The manager waved her off. As the youngest manager at the company, Rose had worried about how she would be received by other staff members. However, everyone had been very kind and treated her respectfully.

"Nonsense. If you have a few minutes, I know the boys would appreciate you coming in."

"Oh. Okay then."

The manager opened the door, and she followed him inside. It was obvious as each member of the band spotted her.

"Rose?"

"Is that Bang Chan Sunbaenim's soulmate?"

And then the music stopped. Rose bowed her head in greeting.

"Hello! Please don't stop on my account. I hope you don't mind me stopping by to listen."

The Idols stared at her for a moment before glancing between themselves.

"Of course not, Rose-nim! What would you like to hear?"

"Oh, no. Just continue with your rehearsal, please."

"We're going over our new album. Do you have a favourite song?"

"Hey, you can't assume she's listened to it!"

"Of course, I have! I would say... Good Enough is my favourite."

"Really?! Okay! Then we'll play it for you."

As the song ended, Rose had to quickly wipe away a tear before she burst out into applause.

"Awesome! You boys are so good!"

"Thank you, Rose-nim!"

"I should get back to work now -"

"Come back anytime!"

Rose laughed.

"Okay, I will! Bye!"

She headed for the break room where she was meeting Jeongin for his lesson later and was happy to see Felix there. He was glued to his phone and didn't look up until she sat down beside him.

"Noona! I missed you!"

"Lixie, I see you every day. How can you miss me?"

"I miss you whenever you're not next to me."

"Aww, that's so sweet of you. What do you want?"

"What? What makes you think I want something?"

"I know you know how to use that cute face to get your way."

Felix pouted.

"Fine. Hannie and I want to see a movie, can you make some time in our schedule please?"

"You shouldn't take advantage of my being your manager."

"I'm not -"

"Would you ask one of the managers to do this?"

"Maybe. Probably not. No."

"Exactly. What movie do you want to see?"

"The new Indiana Jones."

"Oh! I want to see that! I think I've got a free evening coming up..."

"Noona!"

"I'm just teasing. I'll see what I can do. Maybe when you don't have an early morning, we can see a late showing?"

"Thank you, Noona! You're the best!"

"Anything to make you happy, Lix. You know that."

"Not that I don't enjoy your company, but shouldn't you be doing manager-y stuff?"

"I couldn't sleep last night, so I'm a little ahead of schedule."

Rose sighed and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Is everything okay, Noona?

"I've been wanting to ask you; how do you feel about Changbin being my soulmate? Everyone seemed to take it in their stride and then it's so busy we haven't got to talk much lately."

"I think it's great. Three of my favourite people have found love. Why would I feel any differently? Is everything okay between you three? Because whether it's Chan-Hyung or Changbin-Hyung, I don't mind giving them a talking to."

Rose had to stop herself from bursting out laughing. The picture of Felix asking her soulmates why they wouldn't sleep with her was too funny.

"I appreciate that, Sweetie, but I don't want you to get involved."

"So, there is something wrong."

"Felix..."

"Noona, I understand that there might be things you don't want to talk to me about, but you should talk to someone."

That night, Rose was hiding out in Bang Chan's room. The leader was working late, so she had chosen his room to call her friend and vent her troubles.

"Anna!"

"Rose? What's wrong?"

"I can't take it anymore!"

She was lying across the bed trying to work out how to put her problem into words that didn't make her cringe.

"What?"

"My soulmates. They won't..."

She closed her eyes. It was so embarrassing to say that she struggled to get the words out.

"Won't what? Do you need me to get Jungkook to talk to Chan?"

Rose sat up suddenly.

"No!"

"Okay... Then what's wrong?"

"I can't say it out loud. Urgh! This is so embarrassing."

She hid her face in her hands.

"Rose, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on."

She took a deep breath.

"I... I - how do I seduce my soulmates?"

Rose bit her lip and closed her eyes as she waited for her friend's reaction.

"Oh! I see. Well, there was a time when my soulmates wouldn't stop teasing me, so I decided to tease them back."

"Really? What did you do?"

"Sexy dance."

Rose deflated.

"Dance? But I can't dance."

"I got Jungkook to help me. Maybe you could ask one of the others to teach you some moves."

Rose tried imagining asking one of the other members of Stray Kids for help seducing her soulmates - their friends - through dance. There was no way she could do it.

"Sexy moves? I can't ask them that!"

"Can't you? I guess it depends on how desperate you are."

Apparently, Rose was very desperate. A few days after talking to Anna, she found herself seeking out Hyunjin. When she had been deciding on who to ask for help it had been between Minho and Hyunjin. It had been a tough call, but no one could deny that sexy dancing was Hyunjin's style.

"Hyunjin?"

The dancer had been rehearsing alone in the dance studio. She had checked the schedule and Hyunjin had booked it out just for fun, so she wasn't interrupting anything official.

"Hi, Noona. What's up?"

As he smiled at her, a little out of breath and sweaty, she had second thoughts.

"I wanted to ask... never mind. As you were."

Rose had turned and started to walk towards the door, but Hyunjin caught up with her easily with his long strides and stopped her.

"No, Noona, what were you going to ask? Do you need help with something?"

"Yes."

Hyunjin had never seen Rose like this. It worried him, but he was also curious about what would cause her to come to him instead of one of her soulmates.

"What is it? I'll do it."

Rose shook her head and looked away.

"No, I can't. It's not right."

"What? Come on, Noona. Tell me."

Hyunjin still hadn't let go of her arm, so she couldn't run away. With a sigh, she gave in.

"I wanted to ask you to teach me to dance..."

"Yeah, okay, why -"

"...sexy."

"What?! Sexy dance?"

With a groan, Rose pulled her arm free and tried to escape, but Hyunjin caught her again.

"Wait! I'm sorry, Noona. You just... Caught me by surprise. Of course, I'll help you."

"Really?"

"Anything for you, Noona."

The smile that graced Rose's lips made his heart flutter.

But Hyunjin hadn't thought it through. Teaching Rose to dance was torture. As he guided her movements, she was so close. He had never been this close to her before, and he could barely think over the sound of his heart racing.

Rose hadn't told him why she wanted to do this, but Hyunjin guessed it was for her soulmates and was sure that whatever she had planned would work. He knew for sure that if this was directed at him, he wouldn't be able to keep his hands off her.

Before his control could be tested any further, they were interrupted. Seungmin paused inside the door, feeling as though he had walked in on something, before walking in and pretending nothing was amiss.

"Rose-Noona! I didn't know you'd be here too."

"I was just leaving. Thank you, Hyunjin, for your help."

Hyunjin said nothing as he watched her leave the room. Seungmin waved his hand in front of the dancer's face.

"Hyunjin? Are you okay?"

He met the younger's eye.

"No. No, I'm not okay."

Chapter 50: Lose My Breath

Rose was in shock after her lesson with Hyunjin. Was she so horny that she was lusting after other men now? She felt awful that she must have traumatized Hyunjin.

The memory of the dance lesson replayed in her mind. She had asked Hyunjin for help, hoping his dancing skills could teach her a sexy routine that would finally break the ice with Chan and Changbin. His hands had been gentle but firm as he guided her movements, his voice low and steady as he gave instructions. He had been professional and supportive throughout, but Rose couldn't shake the feeling that she had crossed a line and made things awkward.

Days later, Rose was in her living room, practising the sexy dance once more. She had spent hours in front of the mirror, trying to get every move right. She wanted to impress Chan and Changbin, to show them how much she wanted them. The music pulsed through the room as she swayed her hips and rolled her body, lost in the rhythm.

She didn't hear the front door open, nor did she hear Chan's footsteps as he entered the house. It wasn't until she felt his presence behind her that she realized he was home. Rose spun around her heart racing.

"Chan!"

Rose gasped as her face flushed with embarrassment. She had been caught in the act, and there was no way to hide it.

Chan's voice was husky, his eyes dark with an intensity she hadn't seen before. He took a step closer, and then another, until he was right in front of her.

"That was... incredible."

Before she could respond, Chan's lips were on hers, his kiss urgent and demanding. Rose melted into him, her hands clutching at his shirt as she returned the kiss with equal fervour. This was what she had been longing for, what she had been dreaming about. She felt Chan's hands roam over her body, pulling her closer, and she moaned into his mouth, her desire igniting like wildfire.

But just as things were getting heated, Chan pulled away, his breath ragged.

"Wait, Rose, we haven't talked to Changbin yet. We need to discuss this."

Rose couldn't take it anymore. She was so frustrated that she burst into tears.

"Rose! Hey, what's wrong?"

Chan's voice was filled with concern as he cupped her face, wiping away her tears with his thumbs.

"You and Changbin... You won't. Have... Sex. With me."

The words were mumbled as she cried, but Chan understood them well enough. He gathered her in his arms and tried to comfort her.

"I'm sorry, Rose. I didn't mean to upset you. Can I call Changbin in here so we can sort this all out? Hm?"

"Okay."

Chan grabbed his phone and called Changbin. Seconds later, the rapper rushed into the room and headed straight for Rose. He knelt down beside her, his eyes filled with worry.

"Rose, what's going on? Are you okay?"

"She's upset. We need to talk."

Changbin's expression softened, and he reached out to take Rose's hand.

"Tell us what's wrong, Rose."

Taking a deep breath, Rose tried to gather her thoughts.

"I just... I feel like you two don't want me. I want to be with you, both of you, but you keep holding back. It makes me feel like there's something wrong with me."

Chan and Changbin exchanged a look, and then Changbin squeezed her hand.

"There's nothing wrong with you, Rose. We want you, too. But we've been trying to be careful. We didn't want to rush things and make you uncomfortable."

"But I'm not uncomfortable. I want this. I want you both."

Changbin sighed, looking down at the floor for a moment before meeting her eyes again.

"I was worried, Rose. Worried about taking what was rightfully Chan's. You're his first soulmate. I didn't want to overstep."

Chan nodded, his expression serious.

"And I felt the same way. I thought you deserved to be with Changbin first because... well, because I hurt you in the past. I thought he should have that chance."

Rose looked between them, her heart aching at their words.

"You both were trying to protect each other, and me. But I need you to know that I love both of you. I need both of you. It doesn't matter who comes first."

Chan and Changbin exchanged another look, this one filled with understanding. Then Changbin spoke, his voice firm.

"We hear you, Rose. And we're sorry. We should have talked about this sooner."

"Yeah. We should have. But we want to make you happy, Rose. We want to be with you. Both of us."

With that understanding, the three of them finally allowed themselves to give in to their desires. The night was filled with passion and tenderness, their connection deepening in ways that words couldn't describe. It was everything Rose had hoped for and more.

The next day, Rose walked into the practice room with a mixture of satisfaction and soreness. Her body ached in the best way possible, but she tried to hide it as she joined the rest of Stray Kids.

"Noona? Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

It was Jeongin, the youngest member, who noticed first. His eyes were wide with concern as he approached her.

Rose winced when her soulmates immediately looked her way.

"You're hurt?!"

"No, no. I'm fine."

She was quick to assure them, but the discomfort was evident in her voice.

Unfortunately, Jeongin wouldn't leave it alone.

"Then why do you keep wincing?"

Before Rose could come up with an excuse, Minho, another member of the group, chimed in with a knowing smirk.

"Maybe she's just a little... sore. You know, from all the dancing last night."

The double entendre in his tone was unmistakable, and Rose's face turned bright red. She glanced at Chan and Changbin, who were both trying to hide their amusement.

"Yeah, dancing."

Chan echoed, giving Minho a look that was half warning, half laughter.

Minho just shrugged, clearly enjoying the teasing.

"Sure, dancing."

Rose could only bury her face in her hands, embarrassed but also happy. Despite the teasing, she knew she was loved and cherished by her soulmates. And that made everything worth it.

Across the room, Hyunjin watched the exchange with a tight feeling in his chest. The realization that the woman he loved had been intimate with her soulmates hit him hard. He knew he could never be a part of that, could never share that connection with Rose. His heart ached with unspoken longing and resignation.

Seungmin, noticing Hyunjin's discomfort, moved closer to him. He placed a comforting hand on Hyunjin's shoulder, offering silent support. Hyunjin gave him a small, grateful smile, but the pain in his eyes was unmistakable. Seungmin's quiet presence was a small solace in a moment of overwhelming heartache, and Hyunjin clung to it, hoping that time would ease the ache in his heart.

As Rose observed the interaction between Seungmin and Hyunjin, a pang of concern tugged at her heart. Hyunjin looked so sad, and she couldn't help but wonder if she had missed something between them. There had been a moment during their dance lesson when she had caught something in his gaze, something she couldn't quite place at the time. She had brushed it off then, but now, as she thought back to all their interactions, she couldn't shake the feeling that she had been missing something important.

Her mind drifted back to a conversation she had with Seungmin when she had been at odds with Chan. He had told her she had other options, that there were other people who loved her. At the time, she hadn't understood what he meant, but now she couldn't help but wonder if he had been referring to Hyunjin. The thought was both impossible and dangerous. She didn't want anything more to disrupt the team dynamics, especially not her own complicated feelings.

Pushing aside her thoughts for now, Rose forced a smile and joined the rest of the group, determined to focus on the present moment and not let her insecurities cloud her judgment. But deep down, the uncertainty remained, lingering like a shadow in the back of her mind.

 

Chapter 51: COMFLEX

Rose woke up early, her mind already buzzing with the day's to-do list. Stray Kids' new album, "5-STAR," had just been released, and the promotional whirlwind was in full swing. As one of the group's managers, Rose had a lot to do and wanted to ensure everything ran smoothly.

The first stop was the JYP Entertainment building for a series of interviews. Rose arrived early to coordinate with the PR team, ensuring that the interviewers had everything they needed and that the boys were prepped for the questions ahead.

Rose greeted the members as they trickled into the practice room, still a bit sleepy but excited.

"Good morning, everyone! We've got a busy day ahead. Let me recap today's schedule. If you need anything or have any questions, ask me."

The group nodded, and Chan gave her a grateful smile. He leaned in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek. 

"All I need is to see your beautiful face."

Rose blushed slightly but maintained her professional demeanour. 

"First up is interviews."

Today was a round of overseas interviews done by video call. Rose watched from the sidelines, taking notes and making sure everything went according to plan. During a break, she handed out water bottles and encouraged the members.

"You're doing great. Just keep being yourselves."

As the interviews wrapped up, Rose checked her watch. 

"Alright, we have about thirty minutes. Let's take a quick break, and then we'll head to the studio."

Next on the schedule was dance practice. The boys needed to perfect their choreography for the upcoming music show performances. Rose knew this was critical, as their complex dance routines were a significant part of their performance.

Naturally, Lee Know was directing, his sharp eyes working at 100%.

"Alright, let's go through the routine from the top."

Rose watched closely, offering feedback when needed. 

"Felix, your timing on the second chorus is a bit off. Try to match Hyunjin's movements."

Felix nodded, concentrating harder. 

"Got it. Thanks, Noona!"

During a break, Changbin came over and gave her a quick peck on the lips. 

"You're a lifesaver, Rosie."

She smiled, feeling a bit of the tension from the pressure of the day melt away. 

"Just keeping you all in line."

"Yeah, those guys are such troublemakers."

Rose smiled wider at Changbin's pout.

"And you never miss behave?"

"Me? No! Never!"

"Changbin stop flirting and get your butt over here!"

The rapper frowned at Minho's shout, but Rose shooed him away.

"Go on."

Changbin squealed when Rose caught him by surprise by smacking his bum as he walked away.

After lunch, it was time for a recording session. The group was set to record some promotional material and re-record parts of their tracks to be used in various promotional content.

In the studio, Chan decided to give Rose a crash course on how the equipment worked. 

"Sit next to me, Rose. Want to see how things work in here?"

"Ooh! Yes, please."

Chan pointed to the mixing console. 

"So, this is where we control the levels for each track. See these faders? They adjust the volume for different parts of the song. And over here, we have the EQ settings."

Rose watched intently as Chan explained the various knobs and buttons. 

"Wow, this is more complex than I thought."

Chan grinned. 

"It's a bit overwhelming at first, but once you get the hang of it, it's pretty straightforward."

While Changbin was in the booth laying down his verses, Rose observed how Chan adjusted the settings in real-time. 

"See, I'm boosting the mid-range frequencies here to make Changbin's voice stand out more."

"That's amazing. Thanks for showing me."

"You know I'd do anything for you, Jagi, just ask." 

The day ended with a photo shoot for a fashion magazine. The boys changed into stylish outfits, and Rose ensured the wardrobe transitions were smooth and timely.

Rose encouraged the members as they posed for the camera.

"Looking good, everyone!"

The photographer snapped away, capturing the charisma and energy of each member.

As the shoot progressed, Minho took a moment to joke around. 

"Rose, do you think I should try modelling on the side? I mean, look at these poses."

Rose laughed. 

"You'd definitely give the professionals a run for their money, Minho."

The rest of them laughed as Minho showed them some unusual poses, but she noticed Hyunjin seemed a bit distracted, his usual vibrant energy slightly subdued. She made a mental note to check in with him later, wanting to ensure he was okay.

As the day finally wound down, Rose found a quiet moment to sit with Hyunjin. 

"Hey, you seemed a bit off today. Everything alright?"

Hyunjin looked at her, a mix of emotions in his eyes. 

"Yeah, just a lot on my mind."

Rose nodded, offering a reassuring smile. 

"If you ever need to talk, I'm here."

He gave her a small, grateful smile. 

"Thanks, Noona. I appreciate it."

Throughout the week, Rose continued to support the group through their various promotional activities. She helped coordinate their schedules, managed logistics, and provided moral support, ensuring that each member felt valued and taken care of.

During one particularly hectic day, Rose found herself spending more time with Minho and Seungmin. They were filming a variety show segment, and the energy was high.

"You guys are hilarious. I don't know how you keep up this energy."

Minho grinned. 

"It's all for the fans."

Later, Seungmin pulled her aside. 

"Thanks for everything, Rose. I know managing all this isn't easy."

"It's my job, and I wouldn't trade it for anything."

After an exhausting day, the boys were finally heading home. Rose had left the studio a bit earlier to prepare dinner for them, wanting to surprise them with a homemade meal after their long week.

When they walked into the dorm, the delicious aroma of home-cooked food greeted them.

Jisung's eyes widened.

"Wow, what smells so good?"

Rose appeared from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel. 

"I thought you all could use a nice dinner after such a busy day."

The boys gathered around the dining table, the atmosphere filled with gratitude and warmth. 

"You look after us so well, Noona."

Rose put some more food on Felix's plate.

"The best way you can show your appreciation is to eat up."

As they dug into the meal, the conversation flowed easily, filled with laughter and shared memories. Rose couldn't help but smile, feeling a sense of fulfilment from seeing them all so happy and relaxed.

After dinner, Rose stepped out onto the balcony for a moment of quiet. She looked up at the night sky, reflecting on the day’s events and the subtle shifts in the group's dynamics. She heard the balcony door slide open and turned to see Jeongin stepping out.

“Mind if I join you?” 

“Not at all,” she replied.

Jeongin wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a side hug. Rose couldn’t help but smile at the gesture.

“You’ve done a lot for us, Noona. I just wanted to make sure you know how much we appreciate it.”

“Thanks, Innie. I’m just glad I can help. But I have to say, you don’t usually go for hugs.”

Jeongin chuckled softly. 

“Yeah, I guess it’s been a busy couple of months, and it’s been a long time since I went home. Just needed it tonight.”

Rose’s heart warmed at his honesty. 

“Well, you can come to me for hugs whenever you need to. Anytime.”

He gave her a shy smile.

“Thanks, Noona."

She gave him a playful nudge. 

“Speaking of which, you’ve gotten pretty muscular. How much time are you spending in the gym?”

Jeongin blushed and looked away. 

“Uh, just a bit more than usual. Trying to keep up with everyone.”

Rose laughed. 

“Well, it shows. Keep it up.”

Their moment was interrupted by the sound of the balcony door opening again. Jisung and Felix stepped out, grinning.

“Hey, what’s going on out here?” 

Rose raised a brow as Jeongin stood to the side feeling awkward that he had been seen by the others.

“Just some quality time.”

Felix pouted. 

“We want in on the hugs too!”

Rose laughed and shook her head. 

“Nope, it’s Innie's night. You two can wait your turn.”

Jisung and Felix whined in unison, causing Jeongin to step back towards Rose and wrap his arms around her.

“That’s right. Noona is all mine tonight.”

They all burst into laughter, and Rose felt a wave of contentment. Surrounded by her friends, she knew that no matter the challenges ahead, they would face them together.

Chapter 52: Social Path

Once Stray Kids' fan meeting ended, Rose waited patiently as the crowds died down, knowing her friend Anna (BTS's soulmate) would be trying to make her way backstage. She glanced around, and her eyes lit up when she saw a familiar face.

"Rose!"

"Anna!"

The two friends greeted each other with a warm hug.

"I didn't know you were here! You didn't give me your seat, did you?" 

When her friend had asked for a ticket to Stray Kids's fan meeting after failing to secure one herself, Rose had given Anna her seat. 

"Yes, but don't worry. They're doing this all again tomorrow."

They started walking backstage to where the members of Stray Kids were getting ready to leave.

"It's been ages since I last saw you. How are you? Are things better with your soulmates?" 

Anna's eyes sparkled with curiosity and genuine concern.

Rose blushed, a small smile creeping onto her lips. 

"Yes..."

"So? The dance worked?" 

Anna nudged her playfully.

"Anna!" 

Rose's face turned an even deeper shade of red, but she couldn't help but laugh.

"I'll take that as a yes. Did you do 'Red Lights'? That got my soulmates riled up."

Rose groaned.

"No... Why didn't I think of that? I could've learned the choreo without asking anyone!"

"Who did you ask for help?"

For a moment, Rose hesitated. 

"Hyunjin."

Anna's eyes went wide.

"Really?! Oh, wow."

"Exactly."

"What happened?"

Rose glanced around.

"That is a conversation to be had another time, somewhere more private."

Anna nodded, understanding. 

"When's your next day off? You can come over. Or we could have a sleepover?!"

A familiar voice interrupted them.

"Who's having a sleepover?" 

By now, they had reached the green room where Stray Kids were. The two girls looked at each other and then at Bang Chan, who stood with a curious expression. It was Anna who spoke first.

"I'm stealing your soulmate for some girl time!"

The two girls burst out laughing, which caught the attention of the rest of Stray Kids. They quickly gathered around, recognising Anna.

Felix pulled her into a friendly hug.

"Anna-Noona! Long time no see!"

Seungmin greeted her with a warm smile.

"It's great to see you again." 

Changbin patted her shoulder.

"How have you been?" 

Anna beamed, feeling welcomed. 

"I've been good, just busy with work and all. It's so great to see all of you again."

Jisung came bouncing over with a teasing smile.

"Hey! It's our favourite Noona. How are your soulmates?"

Anna crossed her arms, pretending to be upset. 

"Excuse me? Is that all I'm good for? BTS gossip?"

Rose laughed, playing along. 

"Oh no, Anna is going to tell on you. You guys are in so much trouble."

"Oh no! Mercy, Noona!" 

Changbin joked, clasping his hands together in mock pleading.

"Please don't tell BTS on us!" 

Jisung chimed in, his expression exaggeratedly worried.

"Yeah, Jungkook-sunbaenim will never let us live it down." 

Hyunjin added, dramatically covering his face.

Anna and Rose couldn't stop laughing at their antics. 

"Alright, alright, I won't tell on you. But you better be on your best behaviour."

 The boys spoke together, saluting playfully.

"Yes, ma'am!"

Backstage at Show! Music Core was a whirlwind of activity. Staff members hurried around, Idols rehearsed their routines, and the atmosphere buzzed with anticipation. Rose felt a familiar excitement as she navigated through the chaos.

"Rose, over here!" 

Chan waved her over to where the rest of the members were gathered, preparing for their rehearsal. Rose greeted them with a smile.

"Hey, everyone! Ready to kill it out there?" 

Minho sent her a wink.

"Always."

The energy backstage at M Countdown was just as intense. Rose was busy coordinating with staff to ensure Stray Kids' performance went smoothly. Music shows always took a long time. As she flittered between jobs while Stray Kids prepared, rehearsed and recorded their performance, she got to see a lot of other groups as well. She made sure to greet them warmly and give them words of encouragement.

As the week came to an end, Chan and Changbin returned to the dorm, expecting to find Rose waiting for them. However, the dorm was unusually quiet, and Rose was nowhere to be found.

Changbin frowned as he came out of his room after checking if Rose was inside.

"Where do you think she went?" 

Chan nodded his head towards the door.

"Let's check next door."

They headed to the other members' apartment next door and heard laughter and music coming from inside. They opened the door to find Rose doing karaoke with Seungmin, both of them belting out a lively tune.

"There you are!"

Rose turned, a microphone in hand and a wide grin on her face. 

"Hey! We were just having some fun."

Changbin chuckled, the tension in his shoulders easing. 

"Mind if we join?"

It was Seungmin who replied.

"Yes. This is my time with Noona. Go away." 

Chan approached Seungmin, his arms open threatening to hug the singer.

"Come on, Minnie, give Hyung some love."

After a bit of chasing and struggling, Seungmin agreed to let Rose's soulmates join them if Chan would leave him alone.

They spent the next hour singing and laughing, the stress of their busy schedules momentarily forgotten. Chan and Changbin were glad to see Rose so relaxed and happy, and they joined in with full enthusiasm. It was moments like these that reminded them why they worked so hard because they were not just a team, but a family.

After the lively karaoke session, Rose, Chan, and Changbin finally returned to their shared apartment across the hall. The energy of the night had left them with a contented calmness, the kind that followed after a day filled with laughter and music.

As they entered the living room, Rose sighed softly, sinking into the sofa. Chan and Changbin followed suit, each sitting on either side of her. The atmosphere shifted into something quieter, more intimate, as the three of them settled into the comfort of each other’s presence.

Rose rested her head on Chan’s shoulder. He gently wrapped an arm around her, his fingers tracing soft circles on her back.

“Today was a good day, we needed that after such a busy week.”

Changbin reached out to brush a stray lock of hair from Rose’s face.

“It was, but I’m glad to have you all to ourselves now.”

Rose chuckled softly, her heartwarming at the tenderness in his voice. She leaned into his touch, feeling the familiar surge of affection that always bubbled up when she was with them.

Chan kissed the top of her head, his lips lingering against her hair. 

“You’ve been amazing this week, Rose. Managing everything, keeping us all in line… we couldn’t do it without you.”

Rose tilted her head up to meet his gaze, her heart fluttering at the sincerity in his eyes. 

“I’m just doing my part. You both work so hard, the least I can do is make things easier for you.”

Changbin leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to her temple. 

“You do more than that, Rosie. You’re our anchor, always keeping us grounded.”

Rose smiled, her eyes shining with emotion. 

“I’m just happy I can be here with you, through all of this. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

Chan cupped her face in his hand, his thumb gently brushing her cheek. 

“We’re so lucky to have you. I hope you know that.”

Rose could feel the love radiating from both of them.

“I’m the lucky one.” 

Changbin’s hand found hers, their fingers intertwining. 

“How about we make tonight all about you, then? A little pampering, a lot of cuddles… what do you say?”

Rose laughed softly.

“I say that sounds perfect.”

Chan and Changbin exchanged a glance, both of them smiling before turning their attention fully to her. 

As they settled in, Rose felt a sense of peace wash over her. The weight of the day melted away, leaving only the sweet, quiet moments shared between them. Chan pressed a tender kiss to her lips, slow and lingering, while Changbin traced gentle patterns on her arm, his touch grounding and comforting.

“I love you both.”

Chan and Changbin replied in unison, their voices a perfect harmony of sincerity.

“We love you too.”

The night stretched on, the three of them wrapped in each other’s embrace, sharing soft words and even softer kisses. It was in these moments that Rose felt the depth of their connection, the love that tied them together in ways words could never fully express.

And as they drifted off to sleep, hearts entwined, Rose knew that no matter what challenges lay ahead, they would always have this—an unbreakable bond, a love that was as steady as it was true. 

Even if something was missing.

Chapter 53: Love Untold

Hyunjin wasn't sure how he managed it. To get through each day. Seeing her, but not being seen. Being close, but never close enough. Watching as his family members got to show her how much they loved her, while he maintained his distance. It was torture, and he wished that he didn't feel this way.

Ever since their dancing lesson, Hyunjin had kept his distance from Rose. Not enough to be noticeable in front of others, but he avoided spending time alone with her. The closer he was to her, the longer he spent in her presence, the harder it was not to act on his feelings.

He didn't understand why he felt this way. Why did it have to be his members' soulmate that he fell in love with? What would happen when he met his own soulmate? Would he forget about Rose, or would his feelings for her still be there?

Hyunjin stared at his reflection in the mirror. He had stayed behind after group practice claiming he wanted to work on some personal projects. Which he did, but it was mainly just a way for him to distract himself.

Now that Rose was working as a manager she seemed to be everywhere. Everywhere he turned there she was. With her cute professional outfits that showed off her figure and a beautiful smile that soothed his soul.

Whenever she was close enough to touch his heart would race and his hands would sweat. The more he saw her, the closer he got to reaching out, to feeling the warmth of her body beneath the palm of his hand.

But he stopped himself. He had been impressed by his self-restraint these past few months. However, it was only a matter of time before his control slipped. Especially since he was keeping this all to himself. He needed to talk to someone.

Hyunjin grabbed his phone and texted Seungmin.

"Are you still at the company? Can we talk?"

The reply came almost immediately.

"Yeah, I'm here. Come to my usual room."

Hyunjin didn't waste any time. He grabbed his bag and made his way through the company to Seungmin's usual practice room.

Seungmin opened the door, his usual calm expression giving nothing away. Hyunjin wondered whether the singer knew why he wanted to talk to him.

The two of them sat down, the silence between them thick with unspoken words.

"So, what's going on?"

Hyunjin leaned back, running a hand through his hair.

"I don't know how to do this anymore, Seungmin. I don't know how to be around her without... without feeling like this."

Seungmin's gaze softened.

"You mean Rose-Noona."

Hyunjin nodded, his throat tight.

"It's getting harder every day. I thought I could handle it, that I could just... push it down and move on, but I can't. It's like every time I see her, it just gets worse."

Seungmin didn't say anything for a moment, just watched Hyunjin with those steady, understanding eyes.

"Have you thought about telling her?"

Hyunjin's eyes widened in shock.

"No! I can't do that. She's with Chan-Hyung and Changbin-Hyung. They're my brothers. I can't... I can't come between them like that."

Seungmin nodded slowly.

"I get that, but bottling it up isn't helping you either."

"I know, but what am I supposed to do? Whenever I'm around her, it's like I'm suffocating."

Seungmin let out a soft sigh.

"Hyunjin-Hyung..."

Hyunjin laughed bitterly.

"It's pathetic, isn't it? She's right there, in front of me, and all I can think about is how much I want to be the one she looks at like that. But I'm not. I never will be."

"Are you sure? I mean, we've already seen that it's possible to have more than one soulmate, and from what you've described, maybe you're her s-"

"No! That's not possible. We would've known by now if I were."

"Yeah, but you've been suppressing your feelings this whole time."

"Don't - please don't get my hopes up."

Seungmin frowned but didn't press the matter any further.

"Fine, but you have to figure out what you want to do about it because you can't keep going like this. It's going to tear you apart."

Hyunjin nodded, his heart heavy.

"I know. But what can I do? I can't tell her. I can't tell Chan-Hyung or Changbin-Hyung. I just... I don't know how to make it stop."

Seungmin leaned forward, resting a hand on Hyunjin's shoulder.

"Maybe it's not about making it stop. Maybe it's about finding a way to live with it. To accept that you feel this way, and that it's okay to feel this way, even if nothing comes of it."

Hyunjin looked up at Seungmin, his eyes filled with pain and uncertainty.

"How do I do that?"

Seungmin gave him a small, sad smile.

"I don't know. But I'll be here to help you figure it out."

Hyunjin felt a little bit of comfort from Seungmin's words, but the ache in his chest remained. He knew this wasn't something that would be resolved overnight, or even in a few weeks. It was something he would have to learn to live with, no matter how much it hurt.

The two of them sat in silence for a while, the weight of Hyunjin's confession hanging between them. Finally, Seungmin spoke again, his voice quiet but firm.

"You're stronger than you think, Hyung. And whatever happens, you're not alone in this."

After their talk, the two headed home. They bid each other goodbye and went into their separate apartments. Hyunjin ended up regretting coming home.

As he walked into the apartment he was greeted by the sight of Rose on the sofa with Chan. She was sitting on her soulmate's lap facing him. Her hands tangled in his hair. His hands were roaming her body. But what shocked Hyunjin was that neither of them were wearing tops.

Both were so lost in their passion that they hadn't heard him come in and Hyunjin was stuck in place. Unable to look away, but also desperately wanting to leave.

It ended up being Rose who spotted him after coming up for air.

"Shit! Sorry, Jinnie."

She pressed herself against Chan as she glanced around for her top. Chan looked around at Hyunjin looking equally as embarrassed.

"Sorry, Jin. We didn't think you'd be home so early. Umm... Hold on."

Rose squealed as Chan stood up, holding her tight, and carried her into his bedroom.

Hyunjin didn't move for a few more minutes despite the room being empty. He was in shock. He felt raw after his talk with Seungmin, which only made what he just seen more painful.

But maybe it was a good thing. This was a sign. Rose wasn't his. She didn't need him. He needed to find a way to accept that. Not just for his peace of mind, but so that he could live with seeing Rose and her soulmates every day and not let it affect his work.

For as much as he might love Rose, he loved Chan and Changbin just as much.

The next morning Hyunjin paused before opening his bedroom door - wondering what he might find on the other side. His dreams had been filled with images that would make it hard to look Rose in the eye.

However, only Jisung was waiting for him in the kitchen.

"Come eat, Jinnie. Chan-Hyung wants to have a group meeting."

"Group meeting? What about?"

"Don't know, but you know Chan-Hyung likes to check in, talk about things."

"Hmm."

It was true. It was what made Chan such a good leader. Before something could become a problem, he was already getting them to talk it out.

A part of Hyunjin wondered if the talk was about what he had witnessed last night. And he was right.

They all gathered in the dance studio before rehearsal.

"I wanted to pass an idea by all of you. Our living situation. How would everyone feel about moving?"

"Moving?"

"Into smaller apartments. Two members in each."

"I want Changbin!"

Chan sighed and shook his head at Minho.

"Obviously, Changbin and I will be living with Rose. The rest of you work it out within yourselves."

Hyunjin didn't know whether to be happy or sad at this news. Distance from Rose would be a good thing, but it didn't mean he wouldn't miss seeing her at home.

Jeongin gasped making everyone turn to look at him.

"Does that mean Rose-Noona won't cook for us anymore?"

Jisung's eyes widened.

"What?! No, I don't like this idea."

Chan groaned.

"Calm down. I'm sure Rose will still cook for you since she believes you are incapable of looking after yourselves."

"Yay!"

While the younger members cheered, Hyunjin's throat grew tight. The others were able to love Rose as their Hyungs' soulmate and enjoy her company without feeling bad. 

Why couldn't he?

 

Chapter 54: MOUNTAINS

Rose was worried about Hyunjin.

She had noticed he looked a little sad recently and she would often catch him zoned out. He looked very deep in thought as if something was weighing heavily on his mind.

He'd also been acting a little distant again. They hadn't painted together for a long time, and she missed hanging out with him, just them. Once they moved into their new apartments it wouldn't be as easy to hang out.

The others seemed okay with the idea of moving. Although Jisung had already asked her about mealtimes. As if she would leave them to fend for themselves. She remembered the state of the kitchen when she first arrived. Empty apart from ramen and brownie ingredients. Of course she would still cook them meals.

Rose decided to try and organise a chat with Hyunjin. She wanted to make sure everything was alright, that he wasn't upset about something to do with work. She didn't think that she had upset Jim because it wasn't as if he was avoiding her. He had withdrawn, not just from her but from everyone.

She managed to catch him early one morning. The group had a late start. Chan, Changbin, and Jisung had been working in the studio until the early hours, so they were sleeping in. Hyunjin, she guessed, would be going in to use the dance studio before their schedule started for the day.

Hyunjin paused when he came out of his bedroom to find Rose in the kitchen.

"Morning, Jinnie! Will you have breakfast with me?"

"Oh, uh, I was going to go in early..."

"Please? We haven't spent any time together recently."

Hyunjin couldn't deny Rose, especially when she asked directly like that.

"Sure. I'd love to."

"Awesome! What do you fancy? Pancakes? Waffles? Eggs?"

The dancer came and sat at the kitchen counter. Rose passed him a glass of orange juice.

"Ooh! Can you do that English breakfast?"

"Full English? Of course, I can. Anything for you, Jinnie."

Rose didn't see the look on Hyunjin's face after she said those words. He knew they weren't true. He couldn't have anything from her. At least not what he really wanted. The dancer sat in silence for a while watching her cook.

"I guess I won't be having my dance session this morning."

Rose waved her spatula around.

"Ah, ah, ah. Don't blame me. You chose something heavy."

She glanced over the counter at Hyunjin, trying to get a read on him.

"So, have you done much painting recently?"

The dancer shrugged.

"A little."

"I can't remember the last time I picked up a brush. Managing you boys keeps me busy."

Hyunjin smiled.

"You take great care of us, Noona. We don't thank you enough."

"Aww, you're so sweet."

Hyunjin looked down at his glass, twisting it between his hands. The room was silent other than the sound of sizzling as Rose finished cooking their breakfast.

As they ate breakfast together, Hyunjin couldn’t deny that he felt lighter being with her. For a moment, everything felt normal. It was just the two of them and all his worries disappeared. Rose told a few funny stories of things that had happened the past week, and everything was great. Until they finished eating.

"Jinnie, are you okay? You seem... off lately."

Hyunjin shifted uncomfortably in his seat, looking away. 

"I’m fine, Noona. Just... tired, I guess."

Rose wasn’t convinced. 

"You know you can tell me if something’s wrong, right? I’m here for you."

He felt a pang in his chest hearing her words. He wanted to tell her everything - how he felt conflicted and confused whenever she was around, how being near her made his heart race, and how it scared him. But he couldn’t. He couldn't risk it.

Instead, he gave her a smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Thanks, Noona. But it’s nothing you need to worry about." 

Rose sighed but didn’t push any further. 

"Okay. But if you ever want to talk, I’m here."

She reached across the table, placing her hand over his. The gesture was simple, but it sent a jolt of warmth through Hyunjin’s entire body, and he wasn't the only one.

Rose could feel the connection between them, and it felt familiar. There was no mistaking what she was feeling. However, it confused her. If she was right about what she was feeling why had she never felt it before now? She looked over at Hyunjin to see if he could feel it too.

Hyunjin looked down at their hands, his heart pounding. He wanted to pull away, to protect himself, but he couldn’t move. He felt drawn to her, like a force he couldn’t resist. However, he was still caught in denial. He told himself that it couldn’t be a soulmate bond. Rose already had her soulmates. He pulled his hand away.

Picking up his plate, he got up and walked around the counter into the kitchen to clean up. Rose didn't move until he picked up her plate too.

"I can do that that."

"You cooked, Noona. The least I can do is clean."

"Then we can do it together."

As they cleaned up, Rose’s mind raced. She knew the feeling that had passed between them, and it wasn’t something she could ignore. But for now, she would keep it to herself. She had some research to do.

Later that day, when she had a moment to herself, Rose pulled out her laptop. She searched for information about soulmate bonds and the possibility of multiple connections. There was information on soul-groups - like BTS - of people who found another soulmate after their first one died, but nothing on anyone having two or more soulmates at the same time.

She read stories of people who had discovered second or even third soulmates later in life, despite believing they had already found their match. Her heart quickened as she read about the different ways bonds could manifest and the intensity that came with each connection.

Maybe Hyunjin is another one, she thought, her fingers hovering over the keys as she delved into more forums and articles. But if that’s true, what does it mean for us? And why hasn’t he said anything? Does he know? Is that why he's been acting so strange? Is he upset?

She bit her lip, feeling the weight of her growing curiosity and concern. If Hyunjin was her soulmate, she needed to figure it out - and soon.

It was possible the stories she had found weren't true. People had just posted them on the internet, so they could have been made up. She hadn't found any proof of people having more than one soulmate. There were studies, but they hadn't revealed anything concrete yet.

Rose would have to seek out experts for more answers. First, she contacted the Soulmate Registration Office where she and Chan had gone to register their bond. She explained what she was looking for and asked if anyone there could help. She also found some emails of researchers around the world and emailed them too.

Until she heard back, Rose would conduct her own research. She began by writing down things she had noticed about Hyunjin's behaviour and intended to keep a close eye on him to see how he reacted to her. She needed to know if he felt their connection too, and if he did, why hadn't he said anything.

The next thing she needed to do was talk to Chan and Changbin. She hesitated at first, debating whether she should wait for more proof, but she and Chan had agreed no secrets and no lies.

Knowing her soulmates would be spending another late night in the studio, she decided to speak to them before she went home for the day.

Rose knocked on the door of Chan's studio and let herself in.

Inside, Chan was fiddling about on his computer with his headphones on. Changbin, who was scribbling notes in his notebook, looked up when she walked in.

"Rosie-Noona!"

The rapper got up and pulled her into a hug, the movement alerting Chan to the presence of his soulmate. After she was free, Rose leaned down to give the leader a kiss.

"Hi, love. Are you heading home?"

She smiled, but there was a furrow between her eyebrows. They had only just gotten used to having the three of them in this relationship and she was worried her news was going to upset that.

"Yes, but I wanted to talk to you both first."

Both her soulmates tensed.

"What's going on?"

Rose sat down on the sofa and Chan turned his chair around to face her.

"It's about Hyunjin. Have you noticed him acting strangely recently?"

Changbin tilted his head.

"Not particularly, but he's been off for a while now."

Chan nodded.

"I tried talking to him, but he got more closed off each time, so I've been giving him some space."

"Well, I had breakfast with him this morning and something... unexpected happened."

"Unexpected? What?"

"I - I..."

Both of her soulmates reached towards her and placed one of their hands over hers.

"Rose, whatever it is, you can tell us."

She looked up at Chan and then at Changbin who nodded. Taking a deep breath she decided just to get straight to the point.

"I think Hyunjin is my soulmate too."

There was a moment of silence where Rose could only hear her racing heart as she waited for their reaction.

"I told you, Hyung."

"I never said I didn't believe you. I said it makes sense."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Chan and Changbin glanced at each other and the leader rubbed the back of his neck as he chuckled.

"Well, Changbin and I once had a conversation about how it was odd that two of us - two members of Stray Kids - ended up being your soulmates."

"And?"

Chan seemed unsure of how to explain it.

"And we discussed the idea of it not just being the two of us?"

Rose's head began to spin.

"What? I don't understand."

Chan gripped Rose's hand in both of his and looked into her eyes.

"What I'm saying is, we're not surprised Hyunjin's your soulmate. And we won't be surprised if he's not the only one."

Chapter 55: Falling Up

"This is a very interesting case."

Rose was at the Soulmate Registration Office. They hadn't been able to get an appointment when Chan and Changbin were also free, so for this first appointment, it was just Rose.

She had explained when she booked the meeting what it was about and so was meeting with a soulbond specialist. She had just been explaining that she seemed to have multiple soulmates, but they hadn't felt the bond when they first met.

"Have you ever seen anything like this before?"

"Personally, no, but I have heard of some similar cases from elsewhere in the world. I will reach out to my colleagues and get the details of their situations. For now, you came in last year and were diagnosed with a weakened bond, is that right?"

It hurt Rose to be reminded of that time. After she had returned to Chan, and he no longer trusted her. They were miles away from where they were back then. Their relationship was strong.

"Yes."

"So, your weakened bond may have allowed for another bond to form. I imagine it was somebody you were already quite close with."

"Yes, I suppose so."

"Hmm, then it fits, but I can't say for sure that was the case. Soulbonds are much more complicated than people assume. For most people, it is black and white. Someone is your soulmate or they're not. However, it's not always that simple. Timing and circumstances are factors. Change can happen."

"I see. What about my third soulmate? Why have I suddenly felt a bond with him?"

"It's hard to say. It could have been dormant. As with your second soulmate, you could have been so focused on the first and believed that he was your only soulmate so strongly that it became true."

"So, it's my fault."

"Not at all. This is just one possibility. They would have been equally repressing the bond because they believed you had already found your soulmate and had no more. However, it could also be that you formed such a strong connection over time that it manifested into a soulbond."

"Can we find out what one it is?"

"I can run some tests, but they aren't likely to be conclusive. A lot of research still needs to be done on soulbonds, especially multiple bonds. But does it really matter?"

"I guess not, but it would be nice to know how many soulmates I have. My current ones think I may have more. All three so far have been part of a group and they think I might form a bond with others in the group."

"Ah. Too much of a coincidence? They're not wrong to think that, but I understand why that would be disorientating for you. It must be quite jarring to suddenly feel a soulbond with someone you've known a long time."

"I just... I worry about changing their group dynamic."

"Of course, understandable. Let's book another appointment for when your soulmates are free and in the meantime, I'll ask around and do some research. We can do some tests and hopefully get some answers for you."

"Do I need to - I mean, I haven't spoken to my third soulmate yet..."

"Just bring your first two soulmates next time and then we'll go from there. Sound good?"

"Yes, thank you."

"You are most welcome. And try not to worry too much. There's no such thing as having too much love."

The doctor’s words replayed in Rose's mind as she made her way back to work. She had to rush a little to make a meeting with Stray Kids and their staff, so she didn't have time to talk to her soulmates.

She sat next to Chan who reached out for her hand, and she gave it a reassuring squeeze. Looking down the table she met Changbin's eye and gave him a smile. Everything was okay, for now anyway.

The meeting was about their trip the following week to KCON LA. They were going over the schedule so that everyone knew what was happening and confirming everything was organised correctly.

After the meeting, Stray Kids left, but the staff - including Rose- were staying to discuss a few more things. Rose whispered to Chan.

"I'll come and find you after we're done."

"Okay, if we're not in the practice room then we'll be with the stylists for our costume fitting."

"Right. Remind Minho to do the move."

The move she was referring to was something Rose and Minho had come up with to test his outfits for dance compatibility without needing to do the whole dance wearing it. It involved doing some crazy movements, but it tested whether the clothes would hold up under extreme circumstances.

Chan chuckled.

"Will do. See you in a bit."

Chan dragged a pouting Changbin out of the room with him. Rose wasn't comfortable with showing affection at work. She wanted to keep it professional, but it was hard sometimes, especially for Changbin.

After her meeting, Rose went to the dance studio first. Opening the door, she looked around the room to see a few of the members dancing and some chilling, but neither of her soulmates.

A pair of arms wrapped around her and their face nuzzled her neck. She leaned back in Changbin's embrace for a moment, relishing in the comfort his presence brought her before she stood up straight and tapped his arm.

"Not in the hallway, Binnie."

Instead of letting go, he shuffled them into the room, letting the door close behind them. Since only the members of Stray Kids were in the room, Rose didn't protest, but she took this opportunity to study Hyunjin's reaction to them.

It was almost unnoticeable, but for a split second, Hyunjin froze while dancing as he caught their reflection in the mirror. If Rose hadn't been focused on him, she wouldn't have seen it, or the painted expression on his face.

Changbin mumbled into her neck.

"How was your appointment?"

Rose turned around so that her back was to the room, and she could whisper her response.

"Interesting. I suppose reassuring. We need to book a time for us all to go back. The doctor has to do some tests."

"What are we going to do now?"

"I don't know. I need to talk to Chan first and then we can discuss it all together?"

"Sounds good. Chan-Hyung is with the stylists. He's the last one."

"Okay, I'll go find him. See you in a bit."

Rose went to give him a kiss on the cheek, but Changbin turned and captured her lips with his own. She indulged him.

"Hyung! Noona! Get a room!"

It was Rose who pulled away at Jisung's voice and Changbin scowled at him.

"Yah! Why don't you close your eyes?!"

Rose laughed and kissed his cheek before leaving the room. She made her way down to the room she knew they were doing the fittings in. She knocked and entered to see Chan in one of his outfits. She managed to nod hello to the stylists before concentrating on staring at her soulmate. She was blessed to have such a fine specimen of a man bonded to her.

Chan noticed her and glanced her way. Rose saw him try to hide a smirk and she knew that her expression must have revealed what she was thinking - not that she was trying to hide her ogling.

"And that's it. Thank you, Chan."

"Thank you."

Chan began to remove his top and Rose raised an eyebrow. The boys were used to changing in front of the stylists, and Rose understood when it was between sets during a concert and time was of the essence, but that was not the situation here. 

Catching her eye, Chan stopped and moved behind the changing wall. He handed the costume back and the stylists left.

"Um, is my shirt out there?"

"Why don't you come out and see?"

"Huh?"

Peeking his head around the changing wall, Chan saw that the stylists had left, and he was alone with his soulmate. Now he confidently stepped out, allowing Rose to ogle the shirtless leader.

Her heart raced. No matter how many times her soulmate showed off his physic, Rose never got used to it, and she hoped she never did. She walked over to him, reached out her hand and ran her finger over the dips of the muscles in his arms.

"You know, sometimes I get jealous that I have to share you with the world, but then I remember that there are bits of you that only belong to me."

Rose ran her fingertips down his chest until they rested on the waistband of his trousers.

"That's definitely only yours, but you have a special part of this too."

Chan took her hand and pressed it flat against his chest over his heart.

"There's no such thing as having too much love."

"Where's that from?"

"The doctor said it to me this morning."

"What else did the doctor say?"

Rose explained what she had learnt during her appointment.

"Chan, I think we need to talk to Hyunjin. He's been suffering and I... I can't let it go on any longer."

"You're amazing. I love you."

"I love you too."

Chapter 56: Chk Chk Boom

Hyunjin had been spending a lot of time in the dance studio - outside of group practice. It kept his mind off things, but eventually, he had to go home.

 

He tried to spend as little time as possible in the apartment because it felt like everywhere he looked he saw Rose with Chan-Hyung or Changbin-Hyung. It hurt to see them being so in love. This made him feel guilty. He felt like a bad person for not liking seeing them happy. What was wrong with him?

 

Rose was waiting for him on the sofa when he walked in. She patted the space beside her. 

 

"Can we have a chat, Jinnie?"

 

He thought about refusing, claiming tiredness, but he had a feeling this was unavoidable and he could only delay it for so long. 

 

"What are you still doing up, Noona? Are Chan-Hyung and Changbin-Hyung in bed?"

 

"I was waiting for you and no, Chan and Changbin aren't here, neither is Jisung. It's just you and me."

 

Hyunjin chuckled uncomfortably. 

 

"Why? What's going on, Noona?"

 

Rose was going to lead into it more gently but the dancer looked as though he was ready to run away at any moment.

 

"Jinnie, something's on your mind, isn't it? You haven't been very happy recently?"

 

Hyunjin avoided looking Rose in the eye and scratched the back of his neck. 

 

"What? No - that's not - I'm just tired, Noona."

 

"Don't lie to me. Can you look at me? I know what's going on."

 

Hyunjin looked like a deer in headlights. His eyes were wide, his expression panicked and his shoulders were up by his ears. 

 

"I..."

 

Rose held out her hands and waited for him to do the same. Once they were connected his shoulders dropped as she stroked the backs of his hands with her thumbs. 

 

"Hyunjin, you're not the only one who feels something."

 

His jaw dropped. 

 

"What? I don't understand."

 

"I'm not sure what's been going on inside your head, but this is real. I'm sorry it took so long for me to notice. Hyunjin, I can feel our bond. We're soulmates."

 

It hurt to watch his face crumble as he processed what she had said. The relief was evident. Hyunjin broke into tears and Rose gathered him in her arms and held him close. 

 

Eventually he calmed down and started talking while Rose continued to stroke his hair. 

 

"I thought I was a bad person. Why would I fall in love with Hyungs' soulmate? I didn't understand why I couldn't stop feeling this way. Instead it only got worse."

 

"When did it start?"

 

"When you... came back, I realised I missed you in a different way to the others."

 

Rose pulled back, so she could see his face. 

 

"Hyunjin... That was so long ago! How did I not notice?! I'm so sorry!"

 

"It's okay, Noona. You'd already found your soulmate. I understand why you wouldn't look at me that way."

 

"But after Binnie I should have opened myself up to the idea. Chan and Changbin already had suspicions... How could I be so oblivious?"

 

"It's not your fault, Noona. I hid my feelings not believing that we could be soulmates. Maybe my denial is why you couldn't feel it."

 

"It's not your fault either. It's no one's fault. What matters is that we know now. So only happiness from now on. Yes?"

 

Hyunjin reached up and stroked the side of her head. 

 

"Is this real?"

 

Tears built up in Rose's eyes. She couldn't imagine how much Hyunjin had been suffering for the past year. 

 

"It's real. I'm yours."

 

Hyunjin dropped his hand and looked down. 

 

"Do Chan-Hyung and Changbin-Hyung know?"

 

"They knew before I did. Well, they suspected." 

 

"We're they upset?"

 

"What? No! Not at all! I understand how you feel. I was there a few months ago. I didn't understand how Chan and Changbin could be happy sharing me, but there's no such thing as too much love. Loving Changbin didn't mean I loved Chan less and having you won't mean I love them any less. There's no limit on love."

 

Hyunjin stared at her.

 

"Wow... Noona's so wise."

 

Rose whacked the dancer's leg at his teasing and they both laughed. She reached out and took his hand again.

 

"How are you feeling?"

 

Hyunjin rested his head of the back of the sofa, a soft smile on his lips. 

 

"Happy."

 

Rose echoed his position so they were both sitting sideways staring at each other. 

 

"I'm happy too."

 

After a few minutes of just basking in the knowledge that his feelings were allowed, Hyunjin couldn't hold back anymore. 

 

"Noona, can I kiss you?"

 

"You can kiss me anytime you want."

 

In a smooth rehearsed-like movement, Hyunjin reached out, grasped the back of her head as leaned in and captured her lips. 

 

"Ouch."

 

The connection sent an electric shock through both of them, causing them both to pull back in suprise. 

 

"I think that was a punishment for waiting so long."

 

Hyunjin seemed to hesitate on trying again so Rose gave him some encouragement. 

 

"Hyunjin, kiss me."

 

That was all it took for his lips to be back on hers. 

 

Kissing Hyunjin was different to kissing Chan or Changbin. It was less powerful, more subtle. He started slow and gentle and built up until she was consumed by him. Kissing Hyunjin was sensual, or perhaps that was because of the pent up tension between them. 

 

Despite that, Rose didn't want anything more than kissing to happen today. So, she pulled back and was left panting as she stared in Hyunjin's dark eyes. As the longing look faded, he became shy. 

 

"Was that okay?"

 

Rose gave him a peck on the lips as reassurance. 

 

"Jinnie, that was more than okay. It was perfect. You're perfect."

 

Hyunjin blushed and looked down. It was then that he noticed his hand and gasped. 

 

"Our soulmark!"

 

Rose looked down at her left hand where a third ring had appeared on her ring finger. The edges were rough like a paint brush had drawn it. It was a perfect representation of their connection. 

 

"It's beautiful."

 

"Can I take a photo?"

 

They interlinked their fingers so that both marks were visible. While Hyunjin admired the photo and planned ways to incorporate it into a painting, Rose was wondering if now was an okay time to bring up her other soulmates. 

 

"Jinnie, Chan and Changbin are waiting to hear from me... Are you ready to talk to them?"

 

Hyunjin froze. 

 

"Um, what about?"

 

"Don't look so scared! They want to welcome you... to the Rose's Soulmate Club, or whatever they've named it."

 

"Club? Do I get a t-shirt?"

 

"Don't suggest that to Changbin because he will make one!"

 

"Okay, Noona."

 

"I know this will take some getting used to, but for this to work we have some rules. We must always be honest with each other. No secrets. Communication, good communication, is the only way this relationship works. If you can't talk to me then please talk to Chan or Changbin. Does that sound okay?"

 

Hyunjin understood why honest communication was so important to Rose after what she had been through with Chan. 

 

"I promise never to lie to you, Noona, or keep things from you ever again."

 

Rose text Chan and him and Changbin appeared a few minutes later. They had been waiting in the other members' apartment. 

 

Seeing happy faces they knew things had gone well and congratulated the new soulmates. 

 

"Happy to have you aboard, Hyunjin."

 

Changbin elbowed Chan. 

 

"Noona's not a ship, Hyung. Welcome to the club, Jinnie!"

 

Hyunjin put his arms up to defend against Changbin's attack as the rapper tried to ruffle his hair and they spotted his mark. 

 

Chan wrapped his arm around Rose's shoulders. 

 

"You've bonded! How was it?"

 

Rose smirked. 

 

"Electric."

 

She looked over at Hyunjin who seemed a bit weirded out. 

 

Changbin noticed too and patted the dancer on the back. 

 

"You'll soon realise we share everything."

 

Before Hyunjin could properly digest this, he was given something else to think about. 

 

"Right! Bedtime, I think. So, tonight Noona is all yours, Hyunjin."

 

Rose stepped forward. 

 

"Only if you want to. It's okay if you're not ready."

 

Changbin raised him hand. 

 

"If not, Noona can sleep in my bed!"

 

Hyunjin didn't reply straight away, so Chan decided to give him and arose some space. 

 

"Goodnight, Hyunjin."

 

As Chan walked towards his room, he grabbed Changbin

and dragged the rapper away with him. Then it was just Rose and Hyunjin. 

 

"It's up to you. But to be clear we'll only be sleeping."

 

Hyunjin smiled. 

 

"Noona, do you want to sleep in my room tonight?"

Chapter 57: So Good

Hyunjin was being clingy. 

Her recently bonded soulmate barely strayed from Rose's side. When he wasn't holding her hand, he was giving her cuddles or kisses. But she didn't mind. She was happy that felt comfortable to act that was with her. After suppressing his feelings for so long it could've become instinctual to keep his distance from her. 

However this led to teasing from the younger members. 

"Hyunjin, would it kill you to give Noona a little space?"

"Hyunjin? Noona? They no longer exist. They have become Rojin!"

"Noona? Blink twice if you need rescuing from Hyung."

The reaction from the members when they revealed Hyunjin was also Rose's soulmate was underwhelming. Seungmin wasn't surprised at all. Felix and Jisung were just happy that Hyunjin was happy and back to his normal self. Jeongin was surprised but very happy for them. Only Minho was quiet, but still congratulated them. 

The difference in Hyunjin's mood was immense. Hyunjin had a constant smile on face. The atmosphere was light and cheerful. Hence the teasing by the younger members. However, Rose noticed that Minho didn't join in on the teasing which surprised her. It was out of character for him not to at least make a comment.

However the next few days were very busy preparing to travel to America for KCON LA. Stray Kids were concluding the two day festival and there was a lot to prepare and organise for it. 

Even when they got home in the evenings, Rose continued working. She was sitting on the sofa with her laptop making sure every part of the schedule for the trip was finalised. 

After getting ready for bed, Hyunjin came and sat next to her. He stared at her for a few minutes without any response. 

"You're neglecting part of your job, Noona."

This got Rose's attention. Her head turned towards him. 

"What?"

Hyunjin tapped his cheek. 

"Kiss."

Rose relaxed and her lips twitched up into a small smile. 

"Oh? Since when is that part of my job description?"

The dancer put on a very serious face as he responded. 

"Since now."

Rose closed her laptop and put it to the side before shifting to turn towards Hyunjin. 

"Well, I take my job very seriously."

She rested a hand on his chest as she leaned in. Hyunjin closed his eyes and pursed his lips. At the last moment she diverted and landed a kiss on his cheek. His eyes opened but before he could voice his disappointment, Rose kissed his cheek again. And again. And continued to place kisses all over his face. 

The two ended up in a pile of giggles on the sofa and that is how Changbin found them. 

"You two are too cute!"

Rose gave Changbin a flower pose. It had become their thing, doing aegyo at each other. 

"I was just fulfilling my duties."

Changbin looked confused. 

"Huh?"

"Providing kisses to my soulmates."

"Where's mine then?"

Rose sighed.

"Come here then."

Changbin happy plopped down on the other side of Rose and puckered his lips. She laughed and kissed his cheek instead. When she didn't do anything more, he pouted and looked at her sadly making her laugh. Rose gave him a kiss on the lips and Changbin sighed happily. 

"Now, it's bedtime."

Rose shook her head. 

"I've got work to do."

"Noona, it can wait until tomorrow."

"Where's Chan?"

"In his studio... Fine, I'll call him."

This was a common conversation between them. Rose looked after Chan and Changbin looked after Rose. Sometimes the easiest way to get Chan to stop working was for Rose to refuse to go to bed either. Obviously she didn't always do this, such as if he really needed to work. However, when their schedule meant they needed to be up early then Chan couldn't stay up all night working. 

"Hello?"

"Hyung, Noona's refusing to go to bed. Are you on your way home?"

"Um, yeah, definitely. I'm almost there."

"Can't you be more convincing, Hyung?"

"I'm leaving now. Promise."

Changbin hung up the phone. 

"See. He's on his way. Come on. You're with me tonight. Night, Hyunjin."

The rapper took Rose's hand and pulled her up. 

"Goodnight, Hyung. Goodnight, Noona."

"See you in the morning, Jinnie."

Later, once they were in bed, Rose was in her favourite position using Changbin as a pillow. 

"Things seem to be going well with Hyunjin?"

"I think so. It's still a little bit of a shock. He's getting used to this being real, being allowed."

"And you? How do you feel? We haven't have a moment alone like this since you bonded with him."

Rose took a moment to think about it. 

"I feel happy. Loved."

Changbin kissed the top of her head. 

"Good."

The next morning was reserved for packing. They had an early evening flight. Despite doing this so many times, Rose would never get used to the chaos that happened when Stray Kids went travelling. 

Rose, organised as she was, finished packing first. The boys were eating the breakfast she made giving her time to get herself ready. Now she was free to help them. 

She walked between the two apartments making sure they all had the essentials and helping them find things they had lost. 

Jeongin approached her first. 

"Rose-Noona, I can't find my charger?" 

"Let's see... If worst comes to worst, I have spares... Ah, here it is. Still plugged in. Does your phone need charging?"

"Oh. Maybe."

"Plug it in then and don't forget to pack the charger afterwards."

"Thank you, Noona."

"Noona!"

The shout came from the other apartment. Jisung came running in looking panicked. 

"Noona! I can't find my passport!"

"I have it. You gave it to me yesterday so you wouldn't have to worry about it."

"Oh. I forgot. Oops. Sorry, Noona."

Changbin appeared next, carrying a stack of snacks. 

"Does anyone have room for some of these?"

Rose sighed. 

"Changbin, they have food where we're going. I think you can survive without bringing all of that."

Her soulmate gasped. 

"How could you say that?!"

"I'm not saying you can't bring it, but it's got to fit in your own bag."

"What? That's not fair."

Rose left and heard the others offering to pack some of Changbin's snacks in their bags as she went back to the other apartment.

She went to Chan's room first and laid down on side of the bed that was free of his belongings waiting to be packed. Chan spared her a glance as he sat on the floor in front of his suitcase. 

"The Kids stressing you out, Jagi?"

Rose sighed. 

"No, they're fine."

"The airport walk then."

"You know me too well. I'm working on a solution but it's going to take a while to implement."

"We'll manage. We always do."

"It scares me and I'm not even a part of it! Are you almost packed? Have you got your passport?"

"Yeah, I'm all sorted."

"Okay, I'm going to check on Jinnie then. He was having trouble choosing outfits earlier."

In Hyunjin's room, his bed was covered in piles of clothes and his suitcase was empty. 

"I see you've made progress since earlier."

Hyunjin missed her sarcasm. 

"Yes! I've narrowed it down to these outfits. Plus those ones if I have room."

Rose smiled at her newly bonded soulmate. He was so cute when he was talking about something he loved, like art or fashion. 

"Good. Shall we put them in your suitcase?"

As they packed, Rose noticed Hyunjin sneaking glances at her. Finally, she turned to him. 

"What? Do I have something on my face?"

He shook his head, a soft smile on his lips. 

"No, I just... I can't believe this is real. That you're mine."

Her heart skipped a beat. She reached over and took his hand. 

"This is real, Jinnie. You have me and I have you. Forever."

Chapter 58: Hold my hand

Once all their cases had been collected, Rose had all the members of Stray Kids gather in one apartment while she did a sweep of the apartments for any forgotten items.

"Last chance to check you've got everything."

The guys all patted their pockets before nodding their heads, apart from Jisung.

"Wait! My headphones!"

Minho, who was standing behind him, lifted the headphones which were around Jisung's neck and placed them over his ears. The rapper's eyes widened.

"Okay, let's go!"

Hyunjin was still in his clingy phase.  He sat next to her in the car and rested his head on her shoulder. The younger members teased him endlessly for his public displays of affection.

"Hyung, let Noona breathe!"

"She's mine, why should I?"

Hyunjin shot back without hesitation, squeezing Rose's hand tighter.

Jisung gasped dramatically.

"Oh my God, he's so gone for you, Noona."

Rose just rolled her eyes playfully, but she couldn't deny the warmth that bloomed in her chest.

The journey to LA was just as chaotic as Rose had expected. Between keeping track of everyone and getting through the airport in a timely manner, she barely had a moment to breathe. When they finally got on the plane she sighed in relief.

Hyunjin sat next to her.

"Noona? What do you have in your bag? It's so big."

"The things you all forgot."

"Did I forget anything?"

"No, but I did help you pack."

"Whose stuff have you got then?"

"Jeongin's phone charger, Felix's fluffy socks, Seungmin's earplugs, Chan's adapter, and don't tell him, but I grabbed some of Changbin's snacks."

Hyunjin laughed.

"That still doesn't warrant such a big bag."

"Well, I've got things for every situation. Medication, pens and paper, spare t-shirts, stuff like that."

"Do you always take all those things when you travel?"

"Only when I'm travelling with Stray Kids."

Felix leaned across the aisle.

"What was that?"

"Noona, has your fluffy socks."

"What? Really?!"

Rose got the socks out of her bag and passed them to him.

"You left them on your bed."

"I put them out to pack them. Thank you, Noona. You're the best!"

The flight was long, but Hyunjin made it easier. He played with her fingers absentmindedly as they watched a movie together, occasionally turning to steal glances at her. Every time she caught him, he grinned sheepishly and squeezed her hand.

At one point, he dozed off and she pressed a soft kiss to his hair, as she tucked the blanket around him.

By the time they landed, she was exhausted, but she still had work to do. After checking into the hotel, Rose was immediately pulled into coordinating schedules, making sure everyone knew their room assignments, and confirming details with staff.

She had barely been in her room for five minutes when there was a knock at the door. She didn't even have to guess who it was.

"Jinnie."

Hyunjin stood there with his hands in his pockets, his face a little pink.

"I missed you."

"We were just together."

"Yeah, but I couldn't cuddle you on the plane."

Rose rolled her eyes fondly but let him pull her into his arms. They sank onto the bed, Hyunjin wrapping himself around her and pressing his face into her hair.

"This is nice."

Rose hummed in agreement, running her fingers through his hair.

"You're clingier than usual."

"Is that a problem?"

"Not at all."

They stayed like that for a while, tangled together, simply enjoying the moment. But before they could completely relax, Rose's phone buzzed. Hyunjin grumbled.

"That better not be work."

"It's - oh! It's ATEEZ!"

Hyunjin sat up slightly.

"Oh, right! They're here too."

Rose shot him a grin before answering the call.

"Yunho!"

"Rose-Noona! Where are you? We just got to the hotel!"

"Same! Let's meet up!"

Hyunjin watched as Rose's eyes lit up in excitement. He knew she had worked with ATEEZ before and was close to them. Seeing her so happy made him smile.

Less than ten minutes later, Rose found herself practically tackled in a hug by Wooyoung and San as the entered one of ATEEZ's rooms.

"We missed you!"

"It's been too long."

Rose beamed at them.

"I missed you guys too."

Hyunjin, who had been standing off to the side, suddenly felt a little self-conscious. These were Rose's old colleagues, her friends. He was happy for her, but he also felt a tiny pang of jealousy at how easily they embraced her.

Then Yunho noticed him.

"Hyunjin! Hello!"

Hyunjin perked up. The rest of Stray Kids were rather close with ATEEZ after working with them on KINGDOM, but Hyunjin had missed that experience.

"Good to see you guys."

"Noona, what's that?"

Jungho was staring at Rose's hand. Yeosang peered over his shoulder.

"What happened to your soul-mark, Noona?"

Rose chuckled nervously and glanced over at Hyunjin.

"Well, you see, we have a lot to catch up on. It turns out I have more than one soulmate."

"No way! Wait, does this mean...?"

Wooyoung glanced between Hyunjin and Rose, eyes widening.

Hyunjin held up his hand, showing his soulmate mark.

"Yup."

The reaction was immediate. They were all shocked at the news and Wooyoung nearly fell over.

"OH MY GOD. You bonded?!"

Hongjoong ran his hand through his hair.

"Wow. Okay. Did not see that coming."

Hyunjin ducked his head, blushing, and Seonghwa smirked.

"Looks like we have another member of the 'Hopelessly in Love with Rose' club."

Hyunjin groaned while Rose burst into laughter.

Jongho linked his arm with Rose's and lead her to sit down.

"Start at the beginning. How many soulmates do you have, Noona?"

Everyone got comfortable and Rose told them the story. They ended up spending a couple of hours with ATEEZ before saying goodbye.

The next day, Stray Kids headed to the KCON venue for their rehearsal. As the others warmed up, Minho remained focused on adjusting his stage outfit, irritation evident in the way he tugged at the fabric. Rose caught the subtle crease of his brow and immediately walked over.

"Minho, what's wrong?"

Minho sighed, rolling his shoulders as if trying to shake off the discomfort. 

"This jacket is too stiff. It’s restricting my arms too much."

"Let me see," she said, stepping closer.

He stayed still as she moved around him, examining the way the material bunched up near his shoulders. Carefully, she tugged at the straps, adjusting the fit while smoothing out the tight seams. Her fingers brushed against his collarbone briefly, and he inhaled sharply before looking away. Once she was done, Rose stepped back.

"Better?"

Minho rotated his arms, testing the flexibility. 

"Yeah… that actually helps a lot. Thanks, Noona."

She smiled. 

"Of course. We can’t have you stripping mid-performance because it's bothering you too much."

He huffed out a quiet laugh but didn’t step away. Instead, he studied her for a moment, his expression unreadable.

"You take care of everyone so easily."

Rose tilted her head. 

"It’s my job."

Minho scoffed, but it wasn’t unkind. 

"No, it’s just who you are."

The way he said it made Rose pause. There was something lingering beneath his words, something she couldn’t quite decipher. But before she could press further, Minho glanced away and shrugged, returning to his usual teasing self.

"Anyway, if Hyunjin doesn’t let you breathe at least once this weekend, let me know. I’ll pry him off of you."

Rose laughed. 

"Noted."

Still, as she walked away, she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more to that conversation than Minho had let on.

After rehearsal, they returned to the hotel for some much-needed rest before the weekend of events started. While the others went to their rooms, Rose decided to step out onto the hotel’s rooftop terrace for a moment of quiet.

The city lights sprawled beneath her, glowing softly against the night sky.

She took a deep breath, letting the cool air clear her mind.

"You always disappear when you're thinking."

She turned to see Chan standing there, hands in his pockets. His hair was still damp from a post-rehearsal shower, making him look even softer in the dim light.

"You caught me."

He walked over, sliding his arms around her waist from behind and resting his chin on her shoulder. 

"What’s on your mind?"

Rose leaned into him, watching the city below. 

"Just… everything. The performances, the fans, the way Minho was acting earlier."

Chan hummed. 

"Minho?"

"He was quiet when the others were teasing us earlier. And then just now, he looked like he wanted to say something, but he held back."

Chan was silent for a moment before sighing. 

"Minho’s complicated. He sees more than he lets on."

Rose turned her head slightly as she leaned back into his embrace and the feel of his firm body pressed against her.

"Do you think he—"

"I don’t know, but whatever it is, he’ll tell you when he’s ready."

She nodded, trusting her soulmate's words.

For a while, they just stood there, wrapped up in each other’s warmth.

"I love you, my Rose."

Rose turned fully this time, cupping his face. 

"I love you too."

And under the LA night sky, they sealed it with a kiss.

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 2 of My Idol Soulmates