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“Big brother, you have to get up!” shouts a voice from behind the door.
It's an unfamiliar voice – a young girl, no older than 20, and she speaks with an accent that is unique to people who were born and raised in Seoul. Cha Hae-In does not recognize her but given her words, she is the little sister of the man who is made for her. The girl on the other side of the door is her soulmate's little sister. And oh god, she's not ready to meet her future in-laws without even having a clue about who her assigned person is.
Cha Hae-In knew it could be today. She just turned 22, so there was a chance it was today! That’s how it works: when the youngest soulmate reaches their 22nd birthday, the duo swaps bodies for a specific 24-hour period. Some legends claim that it is because too few people destined to be together were able to find each other before, and so, one god (or another according to the religions of each) changed the rules a little to allow everyone to meet their ideal person.
And Cha Hae-In is 22 years old!
She is 22 years old, and she is in the body of a man she has never seen before but whom she already appreciates because this person is made for her and she can't wait to meet him! She knocks a little on the door so that the young girl (her future sister-in-law!) knows that she is awake and can go on with her day.
When the way is clear, she runs down the hall to open the door opposite hers (which is the wrong one – it's an adult's bedroom, maybe that of her future mother and father in-laws), then the one right next to it which turns out to be the bathroom she was hoping to find. She switches on the light without difficulty and can finally observe the reflection of her soulmate in the mirror.
And god, how beautiful he is! Hae-In feels herself smiling and the reflection of the man lights up in front of her so she starts laughing and her reflection – the reflection of her soulmate – laughs with her. She touches her cheeks, her hair, her eyebrows, her lips and she ends up looking at her hands (powerful, so powerful) before observing herself entirely in the mirror (from the feet to the head, passing by her back and what is just below). The man is tall, the man is imposing and he is hers!
Oh, Hae-In grew up with stories of eternal romance, and love burning like flames, as powerful as a blaze but as warm as a fireplace after a long winter day. She grew up watching her parents make sweet eyes at each crossing in the hallways of the house; she grew up seeing them kissing and whispering “I love you” to each other at each separation and each reunion; she grew up eager to meet the one made for her.
It's her important person, it's her soulmate and she hasn’t been that happy for a long time!
"What the hell are you doing?”
Hae-In turns her head at breakneck speed toward the open bathroom door, which reveals a young girl dressed in a high school uniform. The little one (her future sister-in-law?) has a raised eyebrow and a slight grimace on her face but she's cute like an angel, and Hae-In already knows she's going to protect her with the snarl of a dragon. She drops her soulmate's t-shirt that she had pulled up to her chin to wave at the young student.
“Um, hello, sorry to bother you…” She begins, a little startled by her soulmate's gravelly voice (it's his morning voice, and Hae-In realizes she'll soon be able to hear it every day – how lucky she is!).
"You are not my brother.” The girl interrupts, losing some of the grimaces she was making previously. "Shit! You are not my brother!"
The young girl in front of her laughs, almost incredulous, something between amusement and doubt. She rests a hand on her waist before lifting her chin towards Hae-In, as if asking for an answer to a question she didn't actually ask.
“No,” Cha Hae-In graciously reveals, “I am his soulmate.”
And saying it out loud, acknowledging it loud enough for the world to hear gives it an air of certainty. There was so, so, so much chance that it wouldn't happen, that her soulmate had already died from a dungeon-break or from the first monster invasions or from one of the horrible human beings who prefer to act like monsters without biologically being one.
But he is alive. He is alive, in good health, and given the patience in his younger sister's eyes, he must be a good person and take care of her! Oh how much time Hae-In has spent hoping for this day to turn out the way it does!
"Please don't smile like that, it's weird.”
And Hae-In tries to stop smiling, really, but it's complicated because she's so happy that her face doesn't even listen to her anymore. She hides her smile in her hands, so as not to force the young girl to actually see it.
“Huh…Happy birthday I guess?” Continues the high-school student, scratching her neck a little. “Jin-Woo is 24 years old, so it must be your birthday.”
Jin-Woo. Jin-Woo. Jin-Woo. The name of her soul mate, the name of the person made for her. Her smile grows in the palms of her hands and she can't stop the little bursts of laughter she has, but she at least manages to stop herself from jumping on the spot. Oh, everything is going just like in her sweetest dreams, she wouldn't have believed it if someone had told her it would turn out so well.
"Thank you," she finally said. “My name is Hae-In.” She adds, holding out her hand to the young girl, who raises an eyebrow when she notices that she hasn't given a last name.
“Sung Jin-Ah.” The student ends up shaking her hand and she has a good grip and a warm palm. She is adorable. Hae-In keeps her hand in hers for a bit longer than social norms require, but she doesn't really care. Jin-Ah has no scent – not a hunter.
Hae-In waited a long, long time to finally have a family again.
"Do you want something to drink, Hae-In?" Jin-Ah asks.
She nods, and lets the girl direct her to the living room. It's not a big apartment, but more than enough for a small family. There is a good atmosphere, something very warm in the living room of the apartment – those who live there have done everything to make the apartment their own, to make it reflect who they are, and it shows. There are children's drawings on the walls, photo frames everywhere.
“Does Jin-Woo have a girlfriend?” She finally asks, sitting down on the couch, face on her knees, and she stops herself from laughing again when she says her soulmate's name aloud for the first time.
"Not that I know of," Jin-Ah replies, offering her some tea.
"A boyfriend then?" she asks again, after taking the drink and realizing that the smell is great.
“Nope. I mean, I don’t think so…” The student informs her, sitting down next to her – her presence is already comforting. It had been so long since anyone had sat next to Hae-In to share breakfast.
“A person close to his heart for whom he has more than friendly feelings?” Hae-In proposes, just to be sure her presence isn't about to ruin a couple. She wouldn't forgive herself.
“Niet, Jin-Woo is not dating or about to date anyone.” Jin-Ah finishes with a nod, before drinking her own tea.
And oh that's perfect! She has a soulmate who is not romantically tied to anyone – someone she can hold on to without shattering someone else's hopes and dreams. Hae-In is so lucky! Swapping bodies between soulmates are often joyous times, but there are so many cases where people have found themselves in the middle of a married couple. She's so lucky, too, to come to such a calm and quiet area - some have swapped places in the middle of a battle, of a war, or worse, smack in the middle of a dungeon (and if soulmates change bodies, they don't swap power; how many civilians died because their soulmates were raiding at the time of the swap?)
"What about you?” Jin-Ah asks, with a raised eyebrow. And oh, that's really sweet, she worries about her brother to the point that she immediately inquires if Hae-In is a good soulmate for him. Jin-Woo is lucky to have her, she really is way too cute.
"No, I'm single.”
Jin-Ah sniffs a little, happy and satisfied with her answer. The two young women fall into relative silence, continuing to drink their tea. It's nice, quite simple and even if her soulmate's little sister gives her two or three questioning looks, she doesn't ask Hae-In any more questions. Maybe she thinks she needs to let Jin-Woo meet her, before getting attached to her.
"Do you think I should go get him?" Hae-In ends up asking, because even though she's dreamed about that day hundreds of times, she doesn't know what she's supposed to do now that it's really happening.
"No need.” Jin-Ah explains, after taking a big sip of her tea. “Jin-Woo wouldn't leave me alone for long with a stranger. He will arrive quickly.”
And how adorable it is, a big brother who takes care of his sister, to the point of wanting to protect her from the possible danger that his soulmate may represent. It is true that even if fate has decided to bind them, even if they are made to be together, they do not know each other. Maybe she'll hate him (impossible), maybe he'll hate her (and she's praying he doesn't).
(She spent ten years waiting for her soulmate, she doesn't know how she would do if Jin-Woo were to dislike her.)
“Jin-Ah!” Hae-In's voice screams, without the girl really saying anything. Their eyes shift to the front door where Hae-In's body lies, dressed in sweatpants and a track jacket, her hair not brushed. The person walks towards them. “Did she hurt you?”
It's her soulmate. Her soulmate is there – in front of her, in her body. They found each other, Jin-Ah was right! Of course, she knows her brother, it makes sense that she's right, but Hae-In didn't really dare to hope. She didn't know how long she was going to have to wait before she could meet him, if they could even meet within the allotted twenty-four hours or if they were going to have to leave a message so they could meet up afterward.
“You are Cha Hae-In!” Jin-Ah exclaims, her mouth hanging open as she turns to her, both eyes wide. Hae-In just gives her a knowing wink and the student giggles.
Jin-Woo walks up to them and forces Jin-Ah off the couch, pulling her away from Hae-In and getting between them. For a few seconds, he stares at Hae-In, his eyes hard and icy, and she follows suit, doing her best not to look threatening. She knows it's hard. She is an S-rank hunter. Of course her soulmate is worried about his sister's health.
After his examination, Jin-Woo turns to Jin-Ah and examines her from head to toe, both hands on her shoulders. The girl's eyes didn't leave Hae-In, and her surprised expression quickly changed to something much more akin to admiration.
"Jin-Ah, did she hurt you?" Jin-Woo asks again, when he doesn't have an answer. Jin-Ah shakes her head a bit and Jin-Woo's (or Hae-In's) shoulders relax in the second. Her soulmate turns to her and Hae-In gets up from the couch too. Jin-Woo's eyes land on her and they aren't as icy as they were when he first arrived. Behind him, Jin-Ah starts laughing.
“We’re keeping her!” Jin-Ah orders his brother.
Hae-In feels herself blushing, but she knows she's scoring points. Whoever his soulmate is, he is very clearly very attached to his sister. That Jin-Ah likes her is a good point for Hae-In.
"We don't keep human beings Jin-Ah!" Jin-Woo sighs, not refusing, and Jin-Ah slaps him on the shoulder, seeming to hurt herself (which is normal, Hae-In's body is that of an S-rank hunter.)
“Fuck that! Jin-Woo, you don't understand, I made cosplays of her!” Jin-Ah exclaims as she puts her hands on every accessible part of Hae-In's body with small bursts of laughter, "I've been running a fan account on her since I was fifteen!"
Hae-In feels herself blushing again and bows a little.
"Thank you." She whispers softly, but her soulmate and sister immediately turn to her. She's not active on social media but when the comments aren't mean, she always appreciates knowing that her work is appreciated.
"Thank you!” Jin-Ah responds, emphasizing the last word a bit, before turning back to Jin-Woo, pointing her index finger in the middle of his face. “We’re keeping her.” Jin-Ah circles around a bit, still with a big smile on her face. “Look how pretty you are!”
Jin-Woo pinches her cheek, with a little more force than necessary but Jin-Ah just laughs harder (“Cha Hae-In pinched my cheek – I’m so lucky!” she exclaims and Hae-In claims to remain worthy in front of so much cuteness). He quickly sends his sister out of the apartment, giving her her backpack and something to eat, so that she can go to class. Right before the door closes, Jin-Ah gives her hand gestures with a big smile and Hae-In does the same in response.
This is how she finds herself alone for the first time with her soulmate.
It's a little more awkward than she imagined, honestly. Neither she nor Jin-Woo knows what to say and the silence is a little heavy. Hae-In takes the opportunity to detail him a bit. Even if it is not his body (since it is hers), certain expressions are unique to him and he has a slight odor.
“You smell…” She ends up saying, because her soulmate is a hunter like her, but she has never seen him. But above all, because he smells good and it's something that has never happened. All Hunters have a foul smell, and the stronger they are, the stronger their smell is. Jin-Woo's smell is strong but it's pleasant. She gets cut before she has time to finish.
“Uh… I didn't shower! And I closed my eyes when I put on the clothes!” Jin-Woo begins to explain, scratching the back of his neck as his sister did before him. “I mean, I could have closed my eyes in the shower too, but I thought it was a bit weird, so I preferred to avoid it!”
"Thank you.” The question would not even have occurred to her, but she still appreciates the confidence, the trust she knows she can have in him. "But I meant to say that you smell good."
“Oh,” Jin-Woo finally replied after three seconds of silence, “Maybe it’s more you than me then – well, your body I mean. Because you smell good. Well, not you. Your body. Smells good. Not to say that you don't smell good. I’m sure you do.”
Jin-Woo eventually stops and pulls a small face, probably embarrassed by the situation. Hae-In just thinks it's cute. Her soulmate is adorable. Silence settles in the living room again and they both stare into each other's eyes not really knowing what to say, not knowing what topic of conversation they can use. It's reassuring to know that they're both equally bad at this sort of thing.
“Hey.” Jin-Woo finally greets her, when he eventually decides that it's better to say something a little bit stupid than nothing at all. He has a small smile on his face, and a slight blush on his cheeks.
And Hae-In grew up alone after the death of her parents, who disappeared as soon as the gates arrived. She grew up in a house full of children in the same situation. She grew up falling asleep hungry every night. She grew up withdrawn into herself, whispering to herself the stories she heard when she was younger; to think that one day, someone would get her out of this hell.
She made it on her own in the end, but she’s still happy to meet him.
And she was right. It's right, it feels right.
"Hey," she replies softly, and her soulmate gives her a small smile.