"is it me, or is donghyuck more excited than when he arrived here?" jaemin asked, seeing donghyuck dancing on one of the tables.

"and he was already very excited when he got there." jisung commented.

"you don't see us commenting on your boys when they are as excited as donghyuck." mark declared, pointing at chenle and renjun who were in a similar state as donghyuck.

"yeah, but donghyuck seems more... huh... you see?"

mark and jeno exchanged a look, the older pulling his boyfriend close by the waist.

"i guess the kisses we both gave him today are part of the reason why he's like this." jeno explained, making jisung and jaemin look at both him and mark immediatey.

"you kissed him? on the lips?!"

"that's what happens with your boyfriends, yeah." mark snorted.

"yeah, we know..." jisung rolled his eyes.

"but, yeah... we're shocked." jaemin nodded.

"well, don't be. us three kissing each other will be a normal sight to see from now on." jeno declared.

"gross."

"don't act like you and renjun won't be like that soon." mark scoffed.

"which makes me think that it's your birthday in... an hour." jeno said, looking at the clock on the wall.

"yeah..."

"still reticent about your soulmate?" jeno asked.

"depends on who it is." jaemin shrugged.

"my little finger knows who made you change your mind..." jisung teased.

"shut up." jaemin shut him. "my little finger knows that chenle will be your soulmate, and yet, i don't bother you with that?"

mark and jeno laughed as jisung blushed. "n-no..."

➶

one hour later, the three dancing boys were very tired.

chenle was sprawled out on a couch, jisung sitting next to him; donghyuck was lying on both mark's and jeno's laps; and renjun was sitting on an armchair, his head leaning backwards as his eyes were closed.

they had been in this position for a while because of all the energy they had consumed dancing madly for so long.

"i'm going to the bathroom." jaemin declared, in the middle of his conversation with mark, jeno and jisung.

jaemin locked himself in the bathroom, sitting against the door and pulling his phone out of his pocket and switching it on.

11:59 p.m.

one minute before his 19th birthday.

one minute before knowing the name of his soulmate.

jaemin sighed, placing his phone on the floor as he rested his head against the door.

his heart was beating so fast at the moment.

what if renjun wasn't his soulmate?

jaemin had spent the last months glued to renjun.

it had been as if he was drawn towards the chinese boy.

but what if his name didn't appear on his wrist?

jaemin had seen renjun's wrists on their first day being seatmates at school.

he remembered his mother asking jaemin if renjun was his soulmate when they got to his hosue for a project.

he had denied it at that time.

he knew very well renjun couldn't be his enemy, not when he was such a kind soul.

but he didn't want to accept either that this boy could be his soulmate.

but let's say he had grown accustomed to it.

flirting with him had become natural, and every night, jaemin found himself wondering if renjun did think about him.

he was always so happy to see the tiny chinese boy.

he truly had grown fond of him.

maybe even developped feelings for him.

and this was about to get confirmed.

"oh, fuck..." jaemin whispered as he felt a stinging sensation in his right wrist.

jaemin look at it, seeing a red 'h' getting engraved there.

h

hu

hu i

jaemin gulped.

renjun's last name wasn't 'hu'. it was 'huang'.

and renjun's name didn't start with a i.

jaemin looked at his wrist, a lump forming in his throat as he read the words 'hu ilsung' on his right wrist.

he had no idea who this man was.

but could that mean that renjun wasn't his soulmate?

tears were about to escape jaemin's eyes as he felt a burning sensation on his left wrist.

how could he forget about this?

jaemin looked at it expectantly, his heart racing in his chest.

h

hu

hua

huan

huang

huang r

huang re

huang ren

huang renj

huang renju

huang renjun

jaemin's heart skipped a bit.

he couldn't believe his eyes.

so, it was true?

renjun was his soulmate!

jaemin slid his finger on the newly tattooed name on his wrist, feeling his insides getting all jittery.

he smiled, not hesitating to pick his phone up and exit the bathroom.

he speed-walked to the living room, not giving a glance to his friends who were looking at him weirdly.

jaemin almost ran towards the armchair where renjun was still resting.

he placed himself behind the furniture where renjun had his head leant back, bending and setting his lips on renjun's soft ones.

renjun's eyes opened as butterflies erupted through his stomach, and he found himself kissing back someone that couldn't be anyone other than jaemin.

when the boy pulled away, renjun turned around in his armchair, looking at jaemin with widened eyes and flushed cheeks.

"j-j-jaemin...?" he let out confusedly.

jaemin lifted his left hand, showing his tattoo to the whole room.

"your one and only soulmate." he said.

renjun gasped, jumping into jaemin's arms as the younger boy hugged renjun tightly.

"y-you're my soulmate?"

"i thought you knew this." jaemin chuckled.

"i wasn't sure..." renjun explained.

"well, now you are..." jaemin told before kissing renjun's lips.

behind them, mark, jeno, donghyuck, chenle and jisung clapped their hands loudly, cheering on the newly found soulmates.

"so..." mark spoke. "you're the last two..." he said, wrapping an arm around donghyuck's shoulders.

"you could date already. this would prevent you to lose time." jeno commented, doing the same as mark on the other side.

the boys laughed as chenle and jisung flushed red.

"at least, they already know each other." donghyuk added. "this will be easier than us, having both of you as boyfriends, and me not knowing any of you."

mark shrugged. "at least, what we lived was unique."

"and perfect." jeno commented.

"yeah. i'll turn back time for nothing in the world..."

"neither do we, baby." mark and jeno both kissed his cheeks.

"we may have faced a love maze, we've been strong enough to go through it and solve it in the end..."

➶ the end ➶

thank you so much to all of you for reading, voting, commenting and showing support to this story!
i never imagine it could become this popular in so little time!
i enjoyed writing it, and i hope you enjoyed reading it too. sadly, all good things have an end...
the epilogue will be posted tomorrow, and after that, this will be the official end of 'love maze' !

thanks again!
lots of love <3<3<3