After lunch, all the teams were comfortable seated in the rec area, where the teachers would give a short seminar or workshop based on leadership. You all made sure to refresh yourself for the evening because you will have a fun evening around a boma fire and Ms. Shim told the group that it will be 'ghost story' time.

Anyone can come up with an interesting ghost story based on myths and urban legends. The wooden floors of the recreation centre were slightly cool beneath you as you sat at the back of the group, your jacket wrapped tightly around your body.

The side walls of the rec were open, allowing the crisp, fresh air to drift in, carrying with it the scent of lush greenery that surrounded the area. The vibrant colours of the trees and grass were contrasting sharply with the anxiety that knotted in your stomach, your nerves thinly wired as you tried to focus on Mr. Hak's words.

The seminar was duly meant to be a time of leadership, growth, and camaraderie, but your mind was elsewhere distracted. No matter how seriously you tried, you couldn't stop thinking of Yeonjun. You long to be around him, just to feel that comforting pull.

He was seated at the front with Yeji by his side, her watchful, beaming eyes never leaving him. She was whipped for the idol—your soulmate. The sight of her gorgeous self next to him only intensified the pressure on you. There was no way you could approach Yeonjun with her so clingy and close, and you were running out of time.

What are you going to do? Even one touch would activate the bond immediately. One look in the eyes, just near enough, would start the activation process. You already knew this, and it renders you terrified. Like every passing minute that seemed to diminish more of your hope.

It left you with the gnawing fear that you might not be able to pull off this impossible mission as needed. You sighed dejected, feeling utterly defeated, hoping for a divine intervention. Afterwards, the seminar turned into a practice session for the Sunday final night performances.

Each group was busy preparing for their performance. The Visual Arts team was busy with the backdrop for the performances. Luckily, the Sound Team, of whom most are also involved in other teams, will handle the lightning and sound supplied by the resort's events department. The sports team will do a taekwondo performance. You can't wait to see that. You heard the team is quite magnificent.

Your group had chosen to perform an instrumental modern pop song, and you were fortunate enough to be assigned one of the rooms  with guitars, drums, keyboards, and a violin. Eunwoo will play the keyboard. You on the violin, Seulgi on drums, and Chaeyoung and Dahyun will take the bass and electric guitars.

Luckily, you've already practiced at school. Yeonjun and his crew were practicing their dance routine in another room, while Yeji and her team rehearsed their vocal performance. Since the morning breakfast and unexpected encounter during your freetime with Eunwoo, Yeji and her crew made sure Yeonjun was far away from you. You haven't seen them afterwards, and it made you feel strangely relieved.

The drama group, which included Taehyun and Soobin also, was busy preparing a cute comedy skit. It will be a very exciting evening. Even if the rec centre energised with activity, you still felt distracted and disconnected; your mind was consumed by the mission impossible task ahead.

You know that you only had one chance together, and the thought of how you would administer the potion was like a shadow over you, like a dark, ominous cloud. If Yeonjun had contracted a cold, you could have been able to offer it to him as medicine because the dragon fruit had a sweet taste like a cough mixture, but he was so perfectly healthy.

The only option left with you is a kiss. But even the thought of that kiss made your heart race with fear. Being in his arms is the last thing you need. A kiss would activate the bond immediately, and everything would change. He already rejected you once and told you the kiss you shared weeks ago was a mistake.

How can you just go to him and just kiss him? He will be livid and maybe sue you. Yeonjun will demand answers about bonding before your 18th birthday. It will be like a phenomenal occurrence for him.

"Esto es tan loco.This is so insane," you whispered to yourself, feeling the weight of your predicament pressing down on you. The utter madness of the situation made you want to cry, to scream out loud in utter frustration, but you knew you had to keep it all together. Surviving this year without drama is the only thing your thoughts are consumed with.

You only have the Saturday and half the Sunday to come up with a creative way to get that portion inside the system of your soulmate. You already have the portion inside your system. It enabled you to withstand the stinging and the intense pull towards your soulmate. But he cannot resist it.

He will want to be near you or his need to touch you. When free time came around, you quickly excused yourself from the group after your rehearsal. You only claimed that you needed to go take a well-needed nap or just relax in the room. When you walked out of the room, you could feel the fresh afternoon breeze on your tan skin. Unbeknownst to you, a pair of eyes kept their gaze on you until you vanished down the stairs.

The other groups dispersed to the entertainment centre to keep themselves busy at the pool or to play board or PlayStation games, even indulging in the freely available sodas and ice cream from the buffet bar. But you couldn’t join your friends , not when your thoughts were so burdened. 

.....

In the chalet, you lay on your bed, trying to rest, but your mind refused to quiet.

The events of the day were on replay, each thought more anxious than the last. You looked at the small bottle of the red liquid oy play in your hands. Finding your cellphone, you decided to give your aunt Ines a call.

Your heart was irregular in your chest.You felt so overwhelmed with your task. Will it work?

"Aunt Ines, good afternoon," you breathe it out. Aunt Ines was surprised to hear from you; she hoped you did it successfully. You rumbled of in Spanish.

"Tía Inés...No tengo idea de cómo conseguir la parte en él. Aunt Ines...I have no idea how to get the portion in him. He is so busy and always surrounded by his friends. I need a miracle." You anxiously state.

"Luna, dear. Just the fact that you have the portion and your thoughts are consumed with many possibilities but the Oracle and System wants you to get closer. The first sign is the intense and heavy pull you will experience.  Your soulmate will be thoroughly drawn to you. He cannot help it. You like a magnet right now. Both the Oracle and System are fighting for dominance. One of them will show you the way because the Oracle wants you to meet love but rejects him for your destiny but the System also wants you to meet your love and you need to verbally confess your love to each other. The system will win, but the wrath of the Oracle will be ignited. Just follow your instincts. ---" Your aunt informs you with a serious tone.

You inhaled deeply," Aunt Ines...I have already started since Thursday. The pull is unbearable. I can see the pain in his  expression every time he is around me. I think he has suspicions. It's only a matter of time before he will confront me. I never looked him in the eyes and the portion helped me severely to not flinched or show discomfort in his presence. Aunt Ines, I'm scared. I want my soulmate so bad, but I don't want to lose him or my family. I love him, aunt Ines," you painfully strangled it out. You missed just interacting with him. You haven't spoken to him since your return from Mexico.

How can you reject your love when the time comes? You don't want to make that choice. You only wanted to soulblind him for a year until you were 18.

Aunt Ines sighed, "I understand, my dear. Your bond activation unfortunately will happen, but at least the initial pain will be subdued. During the portions of work in his system, he won't even be aware of the activation. That is the beauty of soul-blinding. After the year is up, the initial activation will stir up again for a second time." She comforted you with those words.

You breathe out a sighed of relief. "So when we meet again after a year, activation will be normal as we touch."

Aunt Ines, "Kind of, but it's still an experimental stage with the portion; the duration of the portion in his system is what matters." Let's hope it's still effective for a year."

You groan softly. "So, there is no guarantee that it will be truly successful."

Aunt Ines sighs, " It is the strongest portion thus far. It worked with your soulmark so I believe it can work with the soulblinding. He just needs to get it inside his system, but you must remember the incantation when you see the sign."

"What is the sign?" You asked breathlessly.

"You will see it and you will instinctively know that is the time the portion has it's effect." That was all your aunt said. She wished you good luck and hope to see you on Monday refreshed and free.

After you hung up, you slipped deeper into the duvet cover to take that nap, but just as you began to drift into a restless sleep, you were abruptly awake by the sound of frantic footsteps and loud sobbing coming from the little lounge area.

Sitting up straight with a confused, jumbled-up mind, you try to strain yourself to listen, confused by the sudden commotion in the quiet chalet.

You could hear the sharp voices of Chaeyoung and Seulgi's; you could hear them using strong language as they tried to comfort someone, which could only be Dahyun. Dahyun's painfilled sobs were unmistakable, loud, and heartbreaking as she wailed into Chaeyoung's shoulder while Seulgi ranted furiously, pacing up and down the room.

Your sudden curiosity and deep concern for the situation pulled you out of the warm bed, and you walked out of your room. The scene unfolding in front of you confused you.

"What happened?" you whisper,  your voice laced with concern as you approached your friends. Dahyun's face was wet with streaming tears.

Chaeyoung inhaled deeply as her voice cut through the silence. It was sharp with fury: "Soobin didn’t just reject her. He tore her brutally apart, piece by piece, right in front of our enemies," Chaeyoung said, her hands waving over the place.

"Dahyun was so brave enough to confront Soobin, to finally tell him how she felt about him, and  the bloody idol...he just shattered her. What the flipping hell! He told her she was living in some kind of dark fantasy, that he never liked her and never would even want to date her." She carried on.

You could feel your heart sink deeper at her words; guilt was eating you up, "How could he be so cruel?" you asked, your voice in a faint whisper.
Seulgi was still fuming as she rushed to the kitchenette area to get Dahyun a glass of water.

Chaeyoung's expression was solemn, but her eyes were filled with empathy. "We got there just in time. It was hard to watch," Chaeyoung admitted. "We were so shocked because Soobin’s always been this quiet boy, but this... this was so different. He even told her she was just like a saseang stalker and that she needed to grow up and stop bothering him. He was so tired of her love confession for two years. And when she tried to explain herself, to tell him that she really liked him and she just wanted him to know that , he just shrugged her off like she was nothing, gosh!"

Seulgi returned and handed the glass to Dahyun, who took a sip with trembling hands. You felt more guilty. You could've prevented Dahyun's humiliation.

Seulgi looked up, her expression severe with inner anger as she explained. "Dahyun was so courageous to go to Soobin. I would never but she finally told her crush how she felt, and he was so cold. He told her she was living in a dream world, that he never liked her and never would. He said he was sick of her pushing him to accept her love, that she knew he liked Eunbin for years and that they're dating now, even if it's not really allowed in the music business, but his agency allows them to have puppy-love relationships. He told her to just accept it and move on."

Your heart sank as Seulgi continued; her words were vividly painting a picture of Soobin’s cruel rejection. "He was so irritated by her questions, and the way he spoke to her... I've never seen him like that so fierce. He accuses Dahyun that she’s becoming like a stalker fan and that he hates stalkers. Can you believe that? It was brutal."

Chaeyoung nodded swiftly, her expression sombre as she added, "He just turned and walked away after that. Eunbin was there too, looking smug, and she had the audacity to tell Dahyun that she should’ve known better than to confess love to a boy who was already in a relationship. Can anyone be so stupid also that Soobin never liked Dahyun and that he never will? It broke our friend."

You felt a pitch of sympathy for Dahyun's distress as Chaeyoung continued, "And then, as if it wasn’t bad enough, Lia, Ruyin, and Yeji came over and practically mocked Dahyun while she was standing there crying so sadly. Dahyun couldn’t take it—she just ran, sobbing, all the way to the chalet with us in tow."

The image of the sunny Dahyun, devastated, broken, and humiliated, tore at your heartstrings. The hurt and pain that she had to experience were server for her sensitive heart being rejected so openly and so harshly in front of Soobin’s friends.You wondered if Yeonjun was present.  It was no surprise that Dahyun was now hiding away, trying to escape the ordeal of it all.

Seulgi’s and Chaeyoung's anger were palpable as Seulgi continued to rant and rave about how cruel Soobin had been, but you could only think of Dahyun’s bewildered, devastated eyes as she excused herself and fled to your room. It reminded you how painful unrequited love could be.

As Seulgi’s and Chaeyoung's rants began to fade into the background, your thoughts drifted back to your own predicament. The  burden of your own struggles, linked with the pain of seeing someone else’s heart broken so savagely, made you feel even more hopeless.

Chaeyoung scowled, "And Yeji’s uttered a sneering comment, an obvious jab to you, Luna , that if a boy doesn’t want you, he meant it."

You just snorted because Yeji is in for a big surprise. But then , as you stood there with your own mission  impossible task ahead of you, you couldn’t help but worry if you, too, were headed for an eminent heartbreak.
You looked towards your room, where Dahyun was lying, the burden  of her humiliation too much to bear in front of anyone.

"She didn’t deserve that at all," you murmured as  the deep ache in your chest spread. "No one does." You remember Dahyuns devastated and bewildered expression.

Seulgi's eyes flashed with fury. "Soobin had no right to humiliate her like that," she said fiercely. "We understand; he doesn’t have to like her like that, but he didn’t need to be so... cruel and savage about it. And as for Yeji and Lia to kick her while she was down? It was just a sick move from them."

Chaeyoung nodded, with sadness," We need to be there for Dahyun," she said softly. "Even if we can't take the pain away, at least be there for her, support her, and let her feel she is not alone."
......

As the evening settled in, the soft illuminated light from the chalet's windows contrasted sharply with twilight.
Inside the chalet, the atmosphere was heavy with unspoken tension.

Dahyun sat curled up on the couch, just  staring at the ceiling with a blank expression.

The pain of Soobin’s rejection was still fresh and very raw.She even  had flat-out refused to join everyone at the boma for the BBQ supper; you understood; it wasn’t hard to see why. She doesn't want to be in the presence of ridicule.

You knew that Dahyun would face a lot of haters if she decided to show her face. By now, Yeji and her crew will make sure the whole student body knows about Soobin's rejection of Dahyun.

You just bit your lip and wonder how it will end...

A/n : Soobin brutally rejected Dahyun.

Thank you for all the love and support for this TXT soulmate version. I truly hope you enjoyed the story of Yeonjun and Luna.

Kindly vote or comment on your thoughts. I'll be so happy if you do.
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1. Do you think Luna could've prevented Dahyun's heartache?

2. Do you think Dahyun made a mistake confronting Soobin?

3. What do you think of Aunt Ines's input?

4. If you were in Luna's shoes, what would you have done?