The Red String of Fate
The Thread That Joins Us TogetherI was five when I first saw it. It was only my parents and I back then. We were spending quality time together on that chilly winter night. Running along the pathways of the park with my short stubby legs, my father chasing after me and my mother smiling warmly walking behind him. "I'm gonna get you!" he would tell me as I try to run faster, giggling happily and eventually, he would catch me. Picking me up in his arms, he kissed my chubby cheek before putting me down again. We would then start walking home with my tiny hands in his and my mother's in his other.
Despite being shy around people, I had always been a curious child. That day was no exception. Glancing around, I started taking note of my surroundings when my eyes caught onto something I've never seen before. A single red thread, wrapped around my parents' pinky, holding them together as one. I rubbed my eyes, thinking that I was imagining things. But, it was still there, glowing and looking stronger than it was before.
We reached our doorstep and upon walking in, my mother told me to get ready for bed. I turned to my mother, questioning her about the sight I had just seen. They looked at me strangely before peering down at their pinkies. "There's nothing there dear," she told me lovingly. I threw a tantrum when they didn't believe me and ran to find a piece of thread. Finding one, I sloppily tied the ends to my parents fingers. "That's what it looks like," I told them when I was done, smiling proudly at my work. They looked at each other strangely before smiling and nodding quietly.
Later that night, my mother put me in my bed. "How about a story?" she asked me and I nodded my head. She told me all about the red string of fate. How it joins two people who were meant to be together and how it'll never break no matter how far apart they were. "Does that mean eomma and appa are meant to be?" I asked her before yawning. "Of course dear," my mother replied. "But, how come I can see it but you can't?" I asked. "Because you're special. It's a gift, a secret you should keep to yourself," my father replied from the doorway.
I was about to question why but was cut before I could open my mouth."And now it's time for bed," my mother said. "Ok. Goodnight appa. Goodnight eomma," I said as my eyes began to flutter close "Goodnight Jisoo," they answered before kissing my forehead, leaving my bedroom and closing the door behind them.
Ever since then, I could always see those red threads. Some weathered and some glowing, but they always ended up bringing two souls together. However, there was one thing that has always bothered me....
I couldn't see my own red string.
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"Jeongyeon, Jisoo. This is Im Nayeon. She's a new trainee and I want the both of you to show her around."
It was September 2010 and Jeongyeon and I had been called by one of the trainers at JYP to stay behind after practice. The trainer introduced us to a girl around our age. She smiled brightly at us, showing her bunny-like front teeth. That was how I first met Nayeon unnie.
Jeongyeon on the other hand, I had met a few months earlier. She was the first trainee who was around my age and I remember being overjoyed at the idea of finally having a friend; only to get my enthusiasm shot down by the chic girl when we met, as she mEvelyn nodded in my direction and walked off in the direction of the practice rooms. It took a while but we eventually became inseparable, with her even refusing to let me call her unnie since we were only months apart.
Speaking of Jeongyeon, I watched as she nervously smiled back at the bunny-like girl. "That's strange," I thought. Seeing a nervous Jeongyeon was a very uncommon sight since she started being more outgoing when we became friends. The three of us left the office and decided to go for some snacks together at a nearby stall to get to know each other.
By the end of the day, the bunny-like girl had become an older sister-like figure to the two of us. In just a few hours it already felt like we knew everything about each other. Nayeon unnie and Jeongyeon in particular had a very special bond that only I knew about. For, as we went our separate ways, I noticed a thin red line around their pinkies and that was only starting to grow stronger.
"What do you think of Jeongyeon?" I asked Nayeon unnie as we walked home together. "She's nice," she answered my question, blushing slightly. "Why? What's with the sudden question?" I shook my head and smiled while peeking at her the red string that was glowing slightly. "Nothing unnie. I just think that you'll both get along very well."
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There was a flood of trainees who entered the company in 2012. Out of our nine members, five of them joined the company that year.
Momo and Sana were the first two out of the five. They were the first Japanese trainees that I had met in JYP. Coming from the same country, both girls were always seen with each other. Their cute appearances were a contrast to their dance skills - especially Momo, who would often leave those watching her with gaping mouths and even nosebleeds. Both their threads were stretched thinly, but Sana's was always slightly thicker than Momo's.
Chaeyoung joined next. Followed by our resident tofu, Dahyun. They're strings were attached to the most unexpected people. Chaeyoung's was a little half Canadian girl who came in later. Somi was her name. She was a bright kid and got along very well with the tiny rapper. Dahyun's to my surprise was our resident squirrel. However, they wouldn't speak to each other until a few years later. But, out of all the trainees that came in that year, only one had really caught my eye....
"She's pretty isn't she?" I whispered to Nayeon unnie as we watched the new kid. "That's Tzuyu right? Isn't she a bit young?" I nodded awestruck at the foreign beauty. "Rumours say that the company specially went to Taiwan to scout her," Jeongyeon added as she randomly popped up behind Nayeon, scaring her. "YA!!!!!" Jeongyeon just stuck out her tongue at the older girl before running away with unnie hot on her heels. They were always like this. Teasing each other and arguing with each other; just like a married couple.
I sighed at that and suddenly heard a giggle coming from behind me. I turned back only to see her staring in my direction. I lifted up my hand to wave but before I could, her eyes widened and she then ran away; right before I could see her red string. I chuckled at her cuteness before hearing a loud voice call for me. "Yo, Jisoo. Are you coming or not?" Jeongyeon's voice echoed through the hallway. The three of us and some other trainees had been summoned to PD-nim's office. Could we finally be debuting? I smiled at the thought before running to catch up with them. I thought that nothing could go wrong.
Oh, how wrong I was.........
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Everything went wrong the next year.
"The debut is off. I'm sorry girls"
I felt my heart shatter at those words. Eight years of hard work down the drain. I watched as the faces of the four other girls fell. Our hopes destroyed once again. We had lost two members in the span of a few months and the company felt that maybe, it wasn't time for us to debut. We returned to our usual practice room with our shoulders slouched and tears threatening to fall.
"Well, we still have other chances right?" Nayeon unnie tried comforting us. "Right, maybe next time my promise with Momo can finally be fulfilled," Sana added. Jeongyeon tried to help ease the mood too, "Yeah, especially Minyoung and Jisoo. They're still young anyways." Minyoung just smiled half-heartedly. I, on the other hand, couldn't even bring myself to lift up my head. Dark thoughts of giving up filled my heads as my tears began to fall. Eight years, I've trained. Eight years I've watched those who joined later debut. It wasn't fair.
"Jisoo, are you alright?" Nayeon unnie asked, her voice laced with worry. I looked up with bleary eyes to see the other girls looking at me, their faces laced with worry. "I'm fine," I replied a bit too harshly. "I just need some time alone." And with that, I stormed out of the room. They called out for me but I refused to turn back.
I headed towards then up the stairs. It was rather late and most trainees save a few, had already left for home. "There shouldn't be anyone here," I thought to myself as I pushed opened the door to the roof. Alas, I was wrong. Again. I opened my mouth, ready to shout at the person in the corner, but stopped midway as I realised who it was.
"Tzuyu, right?" She turned around, her eyes wide and full of tears. "Sorry sunbaenim," she apologised while bowing before standing up to leave. Just from watching her, I felt my heart ache and my anger disappear. I stopped her before she could leave. "Hey, it's alright. Is something wrong?" I approached her and pulled her down making her sit with me. She just stared at me. I could see her contemplating her choices. Something made me want to take care of her, "It's ok. You can tell me," I told her in the little Chinese that I know.
She smiled softly. And, she finally opened up. Speaking to me in a mix of Korean, Chinese and some English she told me about her homesickness and difficulties with the language here. "Thank you sunbaenim," she stood up to bow again. I smiled and told her to call me unnie. "Let's make this our own little secret," I told her and she nodded, giggling slightly. I watched as she shivered from the cold, her nose turning red. I smiled at her before removing my scarf, wrapping it around her neck before patting her head. "No problem Tzuyu. I gotta go. See you around," I waved at her before walking off.
Maybe I was imagining things but I swear she was staring at my hand. And, I'm pretty sure I also felt a tug on my pinky that day...
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"Ladies and gentlemen, these are the nine members of JYP's newest girl group, Twice!"
Cheers erupted. Ten years of hard work had finally paid off. I had changed my name and gain an insane amount of weight within a span of a year or two. Stress and depression . If it weren't for my friends and family, I probably would have given up before I was given this final chance. Obviously, it wasn't easy. The constant criticisms due to my weight hurt. But thanks to the other girls, I managed to pull through it.
I held unto Momo as she cried. The thread on her pinky started glowing as her soulmate on the other end cried with her. Mina had trained the least out of all of us. We were the same age, born only a month apart but we were polar opposites. She had a dark, elegant aura that intimidated me when I first met her while I was just plain awkward. I didn't even know that she was Japanese until I saw her with Momo and Sana. The three of them were always together and when Momo was eliminated, they couldn't stop crying. They were crying again. Now however, those tears they were shedding were out of joy.
I looked to my right. She was suddenly next to me and we were debuting together. Just ten minutes ago my heart ached. I couldn't tell if it was because Minyoung wouldn't be with us or if it was because a certain Taiwanese girl was still there. I thought it was ridiculous that both girls wouldn't debut. My heart beat faster when PD-nim announced that there would be two more girls and it jumped when Tzuyu was called.
I felt instant relief as she walked to her spot with us. Momo was added in too, much to our surprise. However, Minyoung wasn't. But for some reason it didn't hurt as much as I thought. Shaking away my thoughts, I walked towards Minyoung and pulled her into an embrace. Nayeon unnie and Jeongyeon joined in and we just held each other in silence, crying for the girl who wouldn't be joining us.
We only let go when it was time to go backstage. All sixteen of us headed to the waiting rooms. We spent our last moments as sixteen there, exchanging words of encouragement and smiles all around. When the rest were busy I approached her, patting her head before pulling her into my arms. She was taller now, standing a head taller than me. "Congratulations, Tzuyu," I whispered to her in Chinese. She tightened her arms around me, thanking me for things I never expected her to appreciate. We only pulled away when our families arrived, her gaze once again lingering on my hands. But, before I could suspect anything, Nayeon unnie pulled me into a corner.
"I didn't know that you were close to Tzuyu," she whispered to me. "We aren't," I said, acting innocent. As we walked towards our families she added, "We were about to call Minyoung instead of you. It was Tzuyu who convinced us otherwise." I just shrugged. I already knew, having seen her expression that day when I was asked to perform with the Minor team.
"Maybe we are closer than I thought," I mumbled before walking off to celebrate with my family.
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The next few months went by like a blur. Debut, controversies, variety shows, a comeback. And now.....
"Jung Eunji vs Twice. Who will be our winner this week." I felt Sana's hand slip into mine as we watched the scores as they appeared on the screen. Unconsciously, I grabbed Tzuyu's as well. She was beside me again. We had gotten closer during the past months. The pain we've experienced only brought us closer. The scores began totalling up. "No way," I thought. "AND THE WINNER IS TWICE. CONGRATULATIONS!"
Cheers erupted everywhere. Confetti fell from the ceiling. The emcees passed me the trophy and mic, asking me to give our winning speech. I thanked everyone I could think of at the moment, choking on my words as tears started building up in my eyes. Once done, I passed the mic to Nayeon unnie and she gave her speech, thanking those I've missed. Tears flowed down my face and I stared into space. I couldn't believe it. This couldn't be real.
I felt her pull me into her arms, snapping me out of my shock. I rested my head on her shoulder and closed my eyes enjoying the warmth of her embrace. She wasn't crying. She rarely does, especially in front of the cameras. I pulled away once I remembered that we were still in public and in front of the cameras. Her eyes continued to watch me as the emcees ended the show.
We bowed to our seniors as our song started playing for the encore. I felt one of the members pat me and I turned around to see them coming together for a group hug. I held onto Tzuyu's waist and pulled her into the hug as well. "Let it out unnie," she whispered to me. She continue holding onto me even after pulling away from the group hug. I cried and cried, my tears never ending. I could feel her watching me worriedly, her eyes never leaving my broken form.
And then I dropped the trophy.
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For as long as I've known these eight girls, not a single second has been boring and each girl eventually ended up with their respective soulmates.
Nayeon unnie and Jeongyeon were first. Their feelings for each other was obvious to everyone except themselves. Eventually, we plotted to use Momo to make them jealous of each other. It took a while (and a lot of jealous glaring) for them to realise their feelings. We had to lock them in Jeongyeon and Momo's room before they had the guts to confess to each other. Long story short, there was a lot of shouting and then a long silence before we opened the door to see them sleeping quietly in the bed with their arms around each other. Momo had to sleep in our room that night but it was worth it.
Momo and Mina started dating a bit after that. It seemed that 2Yeon weren't the only ones who disagreed with Momo's constant flirting. On one of our days off, the Japanese members had gone out, only for Sana to return to the dorm smiling proudly and MiMo walking in hand in hand. We had a party that night with extra jokbal, but for the first time in her whole life, it seemed that Momo was more interested in something other than jokbal. We later found, to our surprise, out that it was Mina who took the initiative.
Sana and Dahyun had always been very touchy with each other. Sana had always found the tofu-like girl adorable. And although she had a soft spot for our giant maknae, she made it very clear with her constant kissing and cuddling that she would choose Dahyun over Tzuyu anytime. One day in the dorm, Sana being Sana accidentally confessed in front of the rest of us when we about being the third wheel in MiMo's relationship. Dahyun though speechless at first and blushing profusely, accepted it. And they lived happily ever after.
Even Chaeyoung had her own love story. She would spend most of her free time calling or texting Somi. When Produce 101 was on, she'd watch it on tv or even stream it online just to watch the younger girl. She would then smile every time Somi appeared on screen or try to hide her jealousy when one of the other girls got too close. Somi eventually came over to the dorm one day and both girls told us that they were together. Jeongyeon was particularly proud of her no-jam younger brother and decided to whenever she could.
Tzuyu and I ended up sticking to each other since the other members had a tendency to forget about the both of us while they were busy with each other. We even started appearing on shows together. The others would tease us and tell us to date each other but she would deny it with a laugh and tease them instead. I started denying it too but every denial hurt and my inability to see my own red string only bothered me. The fact that I never had a chance to see Tzuyu's either disturbed me too. Something would always pop up before I get a chance to look.
But, I liked it when I was with her. I liked how much we relied on each other. I was like a mother to her, taking care of her, explaining the Korean terms she couldn't understand, listening to the problems she had. She on the other hand, would discreetly and silently be there for me. No matter how much we tease each other, no matter how others looked at our love-hate relationship, we trusted each other more than anyone would think. And I wondered....
Could she be the one on the other end of my red string?
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"Jihyo unnie, what are you doing out here? It’s cold."
Her voice brought me back to reality. I was standing on the rooftop again. Staring out at the streets below. I turned around only to jump back, shocked at how close she was to me and tripped over my own feet. She grabbed me and pulled me forward before I could fall back and onto the floor or worse, off the building. "Thanks Yoda," I . She glared at me, still not liking the nickname we gave her. "I should have let you fall of the building," she mumbled and I pretended to be hurt by her statement.
I decided to . "Fine then Tzuyu unnie," I said as I began to climb up the railing. She pulled me back again a bit too forcefully. We both fell to the ground. "Ouch, I was joking you know!" "I was too. I wouldn't jump off a building for you." We glared at each other and then burst out laughing seconds later. We just laid there side by side, staring at the beautiful night sky and savouring the silence. "Jihyo unnie, do you believe in fate?" she mumbled and I turned to her wide-eyed. "What?" I asked her a bit too loudly and got up, only to receive a huge surprise. I finally saw it and it was connected to-
She spoke again, snapping me out of my shock as she continued to look at the sky. "Do you remember the first time we met? I watched you as you sighed at Nayeon and Jungyeon unnie. Do you remember that I ran off the moment you tried to waved? I saw something unnie. Something that still confuses me to this day. Then, you appeared to me again, like my guardian angel, being there for me when I was hurt. I promised to stop crying at that moment because I wanted to be strong for you. You gave me your scarf and I almost screamed at the coincidence." She took out the scarf she was holding. A red scarf. Red, like the string itself.
She didn't stop there. She stood up, her eyes looking straight into mine and grabbed my hands. "Ever heard of the red string of fate, unnie? It is said to tie two souls together. Two souls who were and will always be meant to be. And, mine is tied to you. I love you Park Jisoo. Will you be mine?" With that, she wrapped the scarf around me then continued to stare at me our hand intertwined with each other's, waiting for a response.
I was in shock. I didn't know what to do. Then, I felt it. A tingling sensation in my pinky and looked at it. The red string was glowing brightly on my pinky. The other end was connected to her own. "So you can see it too huh?" I looked up at her my eyes wide and my mouth wide open. "Tzuyu-" "Took you long enough," she cut me off before I could say anything. I looked up at her and my eyes met hers. Her gaze full of love. It was like a scene from the movies. "Well, what do you say unnie? Don't leave me hanging," she teased me again. Damn this kid. Before she could open to say anything, I made my move.
I leaned forward, pressing my lips against hers and wrapping my arms around her neck. I felt her lips stretch into a grin before she wrapped a hand around my waist and the other behind my head, pulling me closer as the kiss became deeper. Time seemed to stop and I didn't want it to end. Everything about this moment felt so right.
We pulled away when we ran out of breath, our foreheads stuck together as we panted and gasped for air. We stayed like that for a few moments before I broke the silence. "I love you too, Tzuyu." She grinned before pulling me into her arms again. I buried my face into her chest but pulled away when we hear noises coming from the door to the stairs. We looked at each other, worried that it was the paparazzi or worse, some insane sasaeng fan. She pulled me behind her as we walked to the door. She turned to me and counted to three before pulling it open.
Seven bodies came tumbling out, all groaning in pain.
"YA!!!!! SERIOUSLY?" Jeongyeon shouted. "GET OFF ME!" Chaeyoung screamed from the bottom of the pile. They started shouting at each other, grumbling about each other's weight. I cleared my throat and they all turned to glare at me. Realising their mistake, their eyes widened and they scrambled to get up. I looked at Tzuyu who had her usual blank look on. I opened my mouth to say something but they started shouting before I could.
"It was Nayeon unnie's fault!"
"No it wasn't. "
"Yes it was."
"Jeongyeon ah~"
"It was your idea though."
"Ya! You should be defending me."
"I'm sorry. Stop hitting me."
"Jeongyeon is so whipped."
"Who are you to say that? You're just as bad Momo."
"No it wasn't. "
"Yes it was."
"Jeongyeon ah~"
"It was your idea though."
"Ya! You should be defending me."
"I'm sorry. Stop hitting me."
"Jeongyeon is so whipped."
"Who are you to say that? You're just as bad Momo."
"Unnies, you have three seconds before I start torturing you for interrupting our moment."
They stopped shouting and turned to Tzuyu, going pale as they saw the evil smirk on the youngest's face. "1—" They scrambled down the stairs before she continued, shouting about awakening the greatest evil or something. I chuckled at the scene before turning to my lover, who looked more amused than anything at the members' antics. "So where were we?"she asked as she stepped closer, expecting another kiss.
"We should get going to Tzuyu. It's getting late," I said as I stepped back, away from her advances. "But-" "No buts-" I giggled at her puppy-like expression. I leaned forward again, pecking her cheek before going down the stairs. "You coming?" She grinned like an idiot and chased after me. "Yoda is more whipped than Jeongyeon unnie!!!" I watched as Tzuyu's eyes narrowed. "Son Chaeyoung..." I heard her mumble. I chuckled and slipped my hands into hers. She turned to face me, giving me the smile I fell in love with when we first met, and I blushed. I buried my face into the scarf around my neck as we walked hand in hand back to the dorm.
Guess my red string of fate does exist after all.
A/N: So that's the end of my first story. I hope you guys enjoyed it and I apologise for any mistakes I probably made in the story. Feel free to comment your thoughts on the story. Thank you for reading. :)
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