One would think that Amber would have gotten used to hearing those very same words spill from his lips, but still the crushing pain that tore at her heart rose forth yet again. Her heart was ripped out and stamped into the ground like the dirt on the back of his shoes. Hikaru squeezed her hand supportively and Ezra pressed a smooth gentle kiss to the back of her neck.
"Don't listen to him," Ezra whispered. "He doesn't know what he's talking about..."
"Ha-Eun's smarter, funnier and she's hotter. She's also a celebrity and she understands me in ways that you won't," JieMi snapped, stepping forward as he growled at Amber. "Plus, she'll focus on me and only me, not like you with the team as your soulmates. I don't understand why everyone is willing to stay with you—"
Da-Hee slapped him.
The sound of her palm against his cheeks rang in the room, sharp and shrill. Amber stared, horrified at the scene, her jaw dropping wide open. The force of her physical attack was so strong that JieMi's head was thrown back and his cheeks were red and mottled from the impact.
He glanced at his mother, dismayed from the attack as he gingerly rubbed his cheeks his eyes wet with tears from the surprise attack. He didn't look so strong or menacing anymore, cowering a little under the fiery glare of his mother.
"You idiot!" The older lady was fuming, her face red as she spoke. "I can't believe you! How can you say that? You're so rude! This is unacceptable behaviour, what have I been teaching you all these years?"
"Mom, I just..."
"I know you are a grown man, but you are still my son! How dare you say all that in front of her?" Da-Hee pressed a palm to her forehead. Then she propped her hands on her hips. "There is a reason why she has seven soulmates. There is a reason why you are her soulmate. Fate chose her for you because the both of you are destined. You were meant for each other!"
"I-I just want to choose—"
"If that was all you had to say, then you better leave right now!" Hikaru was glaring furiously at the younger male. The usually soft spoken man stood, his pretty voice dripping with his loath. "Why did you even bother coming back here if you don't want her? Get out of here! Go back to Ha-Eun. Go back to your choices."
"I just—We need to do the photography project!" JieMi replied desperately with a half-hearted shrug.
Amber inhaled sharply, pain flickering in her chest. So the only reason he was here was because of fucking homework. Why did she care so much? She shook her head. Fuck him. Fuck JieMi and his odd expressions. Who cares if he was acting weird? She just didn't know him well enough to read him, that was all. She was just picking up wrong signals from him.
"And we will do it in a week, as scheduled," Amber said sharply, crossing her legs and hardening her heart. "Nothing has changed. I'm fine and I'll be out of here in no time." JieMi's lips parted at her words and their eyes met once again. Soft brown with black tar. And for a moment she could have sworn that a small, sad smile quirked on his lips.
That look made her want to cry.
Sieon stepped forward moving them to the door in an attempt to end the conversation. "Go, I won't let you bully my soulmate anymore. Enough is enough." Sieon growled, glaring fiercely at JieMi. "If the only thing you want to say to her is stupid shit like that, then there's no point for you to talk to her. Just text us! God damn it."
"JieMi," Casper called from his corner of the room. His low, velvety voice was deep and commanding, powerful in the way it called for attention. The younger man froze, his eyes wide as he stared up at Casper. "Don't do anything you will regret." JieMi pursed his lips together, a wild look in his eye as he shook his head madly.
"I'm just here to—" He was cut off by a harsh grip of his ear from his mother. He yelped as Da-Hee pulled him by the ear dragging him out of the room, with angry stomps of her feet.
"This is not the end young man!" She declared furiously, wagging her finger at him.
The door slammed shut behind them and peace returned to the room in the form of the quiet ambient noise of the humidifier. Amber could still vaguely hear the tongue-lashing that Da-Hee was sending JieMi's way outside of the room. Her soulmates turned to look at her, their eyes tender as they moved to stand closer to her. Sieon knelt down before her, gently taking her hand smiling at her sweetly.
"You okay?" He asked softly, a worried look on his face. "Don't take his words to heart. We're not like him."
"Yeah, I know and I'm fine," she shrugged although her voice sounded off. "I just—" Her words were choked in her throat.
She had suffered so much after all. Almost died because of that incident and some part of her, some sick twisted part of her had believed that maybe her near death experienced would bring JieMi to her side. JieMi was like a toxic ex-boyfriend that she just could not get over because of her brain kept conjuring up possibilities of a life with him by her side.
"We understand," MinJae soothed patting her hair, and kissing her head sweetly.
"We will love you and give you the love you deserve. More than whatever JieMi has to offer to you, okay?" Oliver said softly.
"Okay," she smiled at them, trying to reassure them that she was fine, but the grin came out a little forced. She sighed, feeling her eyes blur with her tears. "I just have something in my eye." She sniffed. "I'm not sad." She shouldn't be with so many soulmates by her side. JieMi was just another piece of her soul. It should not matter to her that much.
God, she hated how weak she was with him. Every single damn time. She would promise to herself that she would get over him, that she would forget about him. That they were over and then he would somehow wiggle his way into her pathetic heart.
"It's okay, you can cry," Ezra murmured, pressing a kiss to her neck. "That asshole doesn't deserve any of your tears, but you'll feel much better if you let it all out." Then she turned to burrow her face into his shirt and she sobbed.