Sejin left a few hours ago after giving us a generic rundown of the large house, pointing out bathrooms, the kitchen and showing us how to work the tv system. Being in someone's home without them is a strange feeling, especially when you don't know them too well. The three of us huddled on the plush, oversized couch and turned on the tv. It was all over the news and I needed a distraction so we turned on Netflix.

"I'm hungry," Minsu said after three episodes of the series. I was too and my stomach was starting to hurt because of it.

"Sejin said we could help ourselves to anything in the kitchen, let's see what's in there" Minji and Minsu left me on the couch to rummage through the refrigerator and pantry.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, I was able to charge it once we got here. I didn't recognize the number but I'm sure it was one of them "Hello

"Ma-ri? Hey, it's Yoongi, I'm calling to check on you. How are you feeling?" Soulmate connections are definitely real and strong, literally hearing his voice soothed me instantly. This some bullshit.

"I'm fine, I guess. I actually feel numb right now" I answered truthfully

"I understand exactly how you feel, we should be home within the hour. Are you hungry?"

"Okay. My brother and sister are in your kitchen now"

"If you guys can hold out we will pick up some food to bring home with us"

"We can, thank you"

"See you soon" I slipped my phone into my pocket again and got up to tell them what he said.

"Hey, Yoongi said they will be here soon and are bringing food so hold out if you can" they had taken out some ramen packs and kimchi

"That was good timing because I was about to make the biggest pot of ramyeon ever" Minsu chuckled as he put the items back where he found them.

"I'll have a snack to hold me over" Minji put some kimchi in a small bowl and found some silver chopsticks in a drawer.

The three of us sat at the kitchen island in a comfortable silence until my sister finished eating and washed her dishes. My mind was going a million miles a minute and I had to figure out how I was going to navigate life from now on. I knew I was going to be the one making 90% of the changes to adjust to my new relationships like moving back to Korea, finding a job, being in the public eye and getting to know seven men who are destined to love me.

So far, I was not off to a great start because two of my mates have already rejected me. That hurt. Literally my heart felt pained when they walked out without even meeting me as if I could control how any of this was happening. Trust me, if there was any way to sever these ties and we ALL live I would do it in a heartbeat but I can't so we need to work together to be at least cordial to one another, which I will have no problem doing.

I frowned "Why couldn't this happen to someone that wanted it? Why me?"

Minji looked at me with sadness in her eyes because she couldn't answer my question. "Ma-ri you may not think you want this right now but I know your feelings will change and I also believe you need them and they need you"

"How can you be sure? What if my relationship turns out like our parents? Two of my soulmates are already rejecting me, and while I do understand their frustration, that hurt my feelings. I know this will be a major adjustment for them but I'm the outsider here; they're all male, they're all full Korean and they've been together for years at this point but I'm accepting that this is my life going forward. I already feel like a burden and it's only been a few hours!"

There I go crying again. The spectrum of emotions I was bouncing around was my least favorite part thus far. I was so tired. My body was physically exhausted and my mind was cloudy. I put my forehead on the counter and groaned loudly. All I had to do was get on the plane, now look at the mess I'm in.

The electric lock on the door clanked, making us look up to see the seven of them walking in with bags in their hands. Some of them greeted me and my siblings with smiles but the same two from before barely paid me any attention. We moved out of their way so they could unload everything. Yoongi was the first to acknowledge me verbally.

"We have plenty of food so dig in. We don't know what you like yet so we got a bunch of different dishes" Yoongi said, engulfing me in a hug like it was the most normal thing in the world. An unknown reflex had me wrapping my arms around him too, shocking myself.

"Thank you guys for everything, I'm sorry to be such an inconvenience" I said as he released me

"You're not an inconvenience, this is just a difficult situation right now" Taehyung smiled while giving me a hug

"Please eat something right now, I know you're hungry" Jungkook said as he pulled out a chair for me "Your pain is my pain, remember?"

"Sorry" I sat down "It smells really good"

"What do you want to eat first?" Namjoon asked giving everyone a bowl

"Jjajangmyeon and Tteokbokki please" he put a hearty filling of noodles in my bowl and placed a skewer of the second dish on a separate small plate for me "Thanks"

"Hyung don't you have something to say" Jimin spoke over the sounds of eating. I looked up to see him returning a death glare to a tall man with lips as plump as his own

"Ma-ri, I'm Kim Seokjin and I apologize for storming out earlier"

"It's okay, I don't like this any more than you do"

"You didn't want soulmates, did you?" Jimin asked me. I shook my head in reply

"No, I didn't. I'm better off alone"

"I don't believe that and I don't think you believe it either, you're used to being alone but you don't want to be alone" Yoongi said combing my hair behind my ear

"Where's Hoseok?" Taehyung asked bringing attention to the fact that he was gone from the dinner table

"I'll get him" Jungkook offered stalking off to find the missing mate

"Being alone means I wouldn't be getting rejected by two of my seven soulmates" she laughed without humor "I don't mean to be a bitch but I honestly think we would have been better off never meeting"

"I agree" Seokjin added "She doesn't belong with us"

"Hyung!" The others yelled

"Fuck you dude!" Minsu barked "Just because you're famous doesn't mean I won't beat the shit out of you for disrespecting my sister" he stared down the man that was suddenly pale and scared-I felt that. Did we also share an emotional connection?

"Jin-ssi, how can you say such a thing when you're all destined to be together? She belongs here as much as you and the others" Minji frowned with a look of disgust plastered on her face

"Everyone calm down" Namjoon said trying to cut the tension in the room "Today has been long and tiring and we all need some rest, Minji-noona and Minsu-hyung are more than welcome to share our guest room. We convinced our team to give us a couple days off to get everything under control and figured out on our end while they handle the press and media"

"Listen, I know what must happen and I will be as flexible as possible but I will not break my back to seek approval from anyone that doesn't want me here as if I have a choice in the matter anymore. We've met and our connections are already taking root so unless you plan to kill me you're stuck with me but I won't force a relationship with you or Hoseok. I'll be cordial to you two and you'll extend the same courtesy to me, if you don't want me then I don't want you either"

"Ma-ri he doesn't know what he's saying, I'm sure he-" Taehyung's sentence was cut short

"I meant exactly what I said" he turned his glare to me "I don't want you here" Seokjin pushed back from the table aggressively and stormed off to his room, I assumed

"This isn't right," Namjoon sighed, looking exhausted. As I looked around I noticed the exhaustion on everyone's faces. "I don't know why Jin and Hope are fighting against this, it's inevitable. I thought they would be excited to finally have our last soulmate"

"Let's get some sleep, everyone is tired and emotions are high right now so we can't think straight anymore. It's well after one in the morning and nothing will be accomplished in one night" Taehyung suggested. He and Minji cleaned up the area we ate while Yoongi took the trash out. I offered to help but was shooed away.

I threw my arms around my brother and sister feeling genuinely grateful for them. "I'm sorry I was trying to push you guys away but I've never had anyone really want to be around me and y'all triggered my flight or flight response. I'm actually really glad you found me and I met you"

"Us too, we love you Ma-ri you're our little sister and I hate that we were deprived of so much time together." Minsu sniffled, squeezing me tight. "Try to get some rest"

"I will, you too" They followed Namjoon to a room down the hallway "Where can I sleep?"

"Would you be uncomfortable sleeping in my bed?" Yoongi asked

"Hyung does have the softest bed in the house" Taehyung added

"No, and frankly, I'm too tired to care where I sleep. Lead the way" he grabbed my hand and pulled me behind him until we reached a closed door on the second floor of the home after saying goodnight.

When he opened it I felt warm and it smelled fresh inside. He flipped on a switch to illuminate the space, a queen size bed sat in the middle

of the room layered with soft sheets, pillows and a fluffy comforter. He opened a drawer and pulled out a few items.

"Here you can sleep in these, I'm not sure if the shorts will fit you. I could ask Namjoon for a pair for you"

I stretched the waistband as far as it would go and held them up to myself "These will be fine, thanks. Where can I change?"

"There's a bathroom two doors to the left" I followed his directions and found it. I quickly changed out of my clothes wishing I could eliminate my bra as well but the situation was awkward enough. I folded my top and bottoms neatly then opened the door to be met with a raised hand that was prepared to knock

"Are you done?" Hoseok asked looking away from me

"Yes, excuse me" he moves aside allowing me to walk by before occupying the bathroom himself. I closed Yoongi's door behind me and crawled into the empty side of the bed. He was already comfortable under the blankets with his phone on hand

he softly chuckles out his phone down and turns onto his side facing me. I mimicked his actions to face him, for the first time I really saw him and how beautiful he is. He places his hand over mine "I know this whole thing looks grim and bleak right now but it will get better soon. You should have seen us when we realized we were each other's soulmates now that was a mess"

"Really? I can't even picture you guys not getting along"

"Yes, it was terrible. We would fight and argue almost every day. We almost broke up before we even debuted three times and once we did debut most of us were constantly struggling with sexuality once our connections started forming. It was especially hard for Namjoon, Jin and Jimin"

"What about you?"

"I always knew I was attracted to men and women, it was awkward to be attracted to my coworkers but I wholeheartedly believe finding each other the way we did was etched in stone. No matter how many times one of us tried to leave, the pull to come back was stronger than any force we'd ever felt before" he explained with a shimmer in his eye "It was rough but I love those guys with my entire being and wouldn't change a thing about our past. It made us the amazing team we are today and our bonds are unbreakable"

"That's amazing" I found myself smiling at him as he talked "I hope eventually you all feel that way about me"

Shit! I didn't mean to say that out loud. I dug my face into the pillow embarrassed. I felt Yoongi scoot closer to me and pull me close to him. His breathing was steady and his embrace was more comforting than I wanted to admit even to myself.

"Ma-ri don't be embarrassed. I promise you we will just give it time and as far as Jin and Hoseok, don't worry too much about them. They reacted similarly to us. They didn't want soulmates either so when we realized that we had an eighth mate somewhere in the world they weren't too thrilled but they will come around. I guarantee they'll both love you like they love us."

"This whole trip has been painful and exhausting. I'm trying to not regret coming here but it's been really hard. It's like every day I find out something new to wreak havoc on my life and I don't know how much fight I have left in me Yoongi. I am so scared and tired" I snuggled my body into his more and wrapped my arms around his waist.

"I know" he sighed "But we're together now, you don't have to rely on just yourself anymore. You've got us and you brother and sister, you're not alone anymore Ma-ri. Never again. Go to sleep, you need rest"