Chapter 8- research in the park

                                    

                                          
(Y/N) POV:
                          
I hurried away from the bookstore, I hadn't expected to bump into not one but two of the Bangtan Boys and that they had been standing right behind me. It was pure luck or habit that I had chosen to wear a sweater and so when Jungkook had bumped into me it was clothes that touched and not skin. That would've been a big problem. From the way my luck seemed to be running out these days, I knew I needed to do some research on soulmates. I had to be prepared should the accidental incident of skin contact happen. Because there was no way I intended to fall into their group, disrupt their balance and make their lives tainted with my presence. They didn't deserve that. Just how I didn't deserve the mark on my side.
                          
I decided to go to the park, hopefully the fresh air would clear my mind and I could do the research there without any of my dormmates accidentally seeing what I was looking up. I didn't need them trying to change my mind or talk me out of it. It was my life and my decision alone to make.
                          
I made my way to a secluded area near the back of the park, no-one really ever came here and there was this large tree that stood on the side behind a cluster of trees which meant I had cover and I wasn't going to be disturbed. Frankly, I didn't think others knew about its existence. But that just meant it became a place for me to retreat to, in moments like these when all I wanted to do was escape from the bustling atmosphere of life.
                          
Just as I was reaching the tree an agonising burn seared through my mark, my knees buckling as I lost balance, the pain was crippling. It was a fiery sear that tore and burnt through my entire mark, my right side feeling as though it was being shredded open. I groaned as a stabbing sensation engulfed my side spreading out beyond the mark, it was like a knife was being plunged into my flesh repeatedly.
                          
I hunched over, trying to curl in on myself as though that would somehow lessen the pain or shield me from it. My eyes closed and I bit my lip trying to keep the sounds of pain from escaping my throat as I tried to level my breathing. For some reason though I couldn't breathe properly, sharp pants tearing through my throat as I gasped trying to breathe in lungfuls of air, trying to breathe past the pain. I slumped against the tree, sliding to rest my back against it, hands cupping my waist through the fabric. The pain started lessening slightly but it remained as a dull throb, reminding me that my mark was recoiling against the physical distance with my soulmates. I had been standing so close to them, but I had walked away to resist the pull before my mark compelled my body to give in. I could feel sweat beading at the top of my forehead, energy having drained out of me as I sat there trying to get my breathing under control again.
                          
I don't know how long I sat there but when my body had finally stopped shivering and the spasms of pain had lessened, I slid out my phone deciding to start the research. Whilst I browsed, I found that the soul can often feel the pull towards their soulmates and so there's an instinctive pull or draw to them and the mark can start experiencing a burning sensation if the person hasn't bonded with them. Knew that. Although I also learnt that the body slowly starts to weaken the longer people go without bonding after the age of 20. I guess I had to mentally prepare myself for that then. I was going to be turning 21 soon and I had no intention of bonding with my soulmates. Scrolling down I saw this new article on soulmate pulls, clicking onto it I scanned it before leaning my head back to rest against the tree trunk. The words from the article ran through my head, phone in my hand which was now on the floor.
                          
'Soulmates feel the pull to each other naturally, it's a sort of gravitational pull, they want to orbit each other in the sense of being in each other's company and their bond settles when they are with their soulmates. However, a person who is yet to find and bond with a single one of their soulmates in comparison to a soulmate who has bonded with several of theirs and are looking for their last soulmate will experience different standards of pulls. A person with bonded soulmates will suffer fewer negative effects after bonding because their bond with their other soulmates lessens the pain and toll on their body. However, if it is the instance where a person is yet to bond, they will experience strong adverse effects on their body and wellbeing because their body and mind both require the bonding to be completed. It is strongly advised that people going through bonding stay in close proximity of each other, the mark recognises the presence and it helps ease the pain.'