They had agreed on meeting up at this Chinese restaurant not far from where they work. Actually, it’s just a block away from where they work which makes it a lot more convenient for the both of them. Lay discovered that even in texting there is a big fat chance of getting ignored by the tall guy if you won’t put an insult in every text message and that the tall guy will never miss the chance of insulting him whenever he gets the chance. They agreed to meet at exactly 10:00 a.m. and he was impressed to see the tall guy there earlier than him.

“You’re late.” He heard the other say as he was nearing the table he was seated at.

“Late? For 30 seconds? Really? You serious?” He asked in disbelief. As he took a seat opposite to the arrogant prick he was partnered to.

Kris just looked at him and glared before retrieving all the files they are going to need for their discussion, including a stack of papers and other visual materials they are going to utilize.

"Kris, are you sure on what you’re doing?" Lay asked after several minutes of reading the project proposal his partner has come up with.

"Unlike a certain someone, I can make graphs correctly." The unamused male merely answered.

"Couldn't you give a nice reply even once in your life?" The boy asked, exasperated. "Tell me what I've done for you to keep hounding me and me only? We've only met each other three days ago!"

"I'm not hounding you only." Kris snapped. "Don't think so high of yourself."

Lay opened his mouth as if to reply something, but in the end he merely shook his head and raised his arms out of defeat. It was simply no use trying to have a normal conversation with such an impossible man. Now he only wished for the project to be over as soon as possible so he could be spared from Kris’ more than unpleasant company.

A gentle hand caressing his cheek.

Lay froze, startled as an unknown image flashed in his head. What was that just now? For a mere second, it was as if a piece of memory was brought back from God knows where, only to vanish right after. Except that he had no record of when that memory had taken place.

"Oi, what's wrong?" A grumpy voice brought him back to reality.

"Huh? Oh, nothing." Lay replied absent-mindedly as he resumed with what he was doing. Well, it was probably a mere trick of his imagination.

Warm lips pressing against his own.

Now Lay almost jumped and instinctively raised his hands to his lips as a new image flashed again. Fortunately, Kris was so engrossed in his work, so the latter didn't notice anything and, above all, didn't see the blush on the boy's cheeks. That memory – no, it was stronger than a mere memory, because Lay had almost been able to feel the lips on his – was exactly like the previous one, both familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, and Lay couldn't understand why.

The owner of the restaurant came to inspect her business.  Though no one gave or paid attention to her since seeing a Chinese citizen isn’t quite new to them since they almost look a lot like the general population.

“Good morning gentlemen are you. . .” She suddenly stopped and stared at them with wide eyes. Then she blinked a few times, as if she was unsure of what she was seeing. “You. . .”

“What?” Kris asked, annoyed.

“You. . . both of you are. . . It’s the first time I’ve ever seen it. . . that’s. . .” The woman went on, completely ignoring Kris’ irritated look. Lay was certainly intrigued as his partner by her behavior, but his tone was nicer as he spoke:

“Is there anything wrong?” He asked.

The woman looked startled by the question, and frowned.

“No, of course not.” She replied gently with a smile. “I’m just simply very moved to see you two here.” She added as she stood near to their table.

“But why?” The boy insisted.

“Because you’re bonded to each other, of course.” The woman answered as if it was obvious.

Silence filled the room for a second, before a very incredulous Kris broke it with a dangerous voice:

“What did you say?” He asked slowly.

“The red string. Both of you are linked by the red string of fate. I can see it.” The woman repeated very calmly.

“What’s that crap? I certainly don’t share any link with that idiot and. . .” Kris snapped, but was interrupted by the woman.

“What’s wrong?” She asked worriedly, though she wasn’t talking to the tall arrogant one. The latter turned his head to the side, only to see an immobile Lay, silver eyes opened wide and tears were streaming down abundantly on his cheek.

Lay had no idea what was happening to him. As soon as the woman had pronounced those words, he felt engulfed by a powerful emotion; powerful enough to bring tears to his eyes. It was exactly the same feeling that had seized him after waking up and finding himself unable to prevent the unexplainable tears from falling. And this time, it wasn't only one or two images that came to him; countless of them were flashing through his mind, filling it with memories from a long time ago, memories that brought back to him a nostalgic and melancholic feeling of a long lost love.

The tall figure slowly disappearing behind the curtain of snowflakes.

Being left alone, waiting for his lover to return.

Who never returned.

Despite a promise of coming back.

Death coming near, taking away any hope to meet again.

A god's voice.

Bringing the promise of a yearned reunion.

It didn't make sense at all for Lay, those memories didn't belong to him; yet, the sensations had something familiar, and that's what was troubling the boy the most.

Tears kept pouring out, leaving two thin and shiny trails on his cheeks. The sadness that was consuming him wasn't his, yet it was affecting him to the deepest of his being. What was going on with him? Just what was wrong?

“Oi, Idiot!” A voice brutally snatched him back to reality, and he found himself facing an angry – worried? - Kris. Given the tall guy’s tone, Lay was pretty certain that Kris had been calling him a while now. He was shaking the boy by the shoulders, and as soon as he saw that Lay was finally reacting, he released him and let an annoyed sigh out.

“What the happened to you?” He asked, a hint of irritation

Lay didn't reply at once, trying to dry his tears first. Embarrassment was written all over his face and his cheeks were tainted with a faint blush.

"Are you ok?" The woman inquired with concern. "Do you need something? Water, maybe?"

"N-no, don't worry. I'm fine. I don't know what happened." Lay said truthfully as he shook his head apologetically.

Concern was painted on the woman’s face. She rummaged inside her little handbag and retrieved a handkerchief giving it to Lay, figuring that the young man didn’t bring any, not even a box of tissue.

While Lay was busy drying up his tears, the woman kept looking between them and since none of the two seemed willing to start the conversation, she spoke first:

“I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Yue Lee and it’s a pleasure to meet you. Call me Yue for short. But really, it’s wonderful to see you both here.”

“Don’t give us that crap again.” Kris immediately cut.

"Kris, don't be so rude!" Lay said before addressing the woman: "Could you please explain what you meant earlier when you said we were... bonded?" He asked carefully, not missing the small grunt from his partner. He was still shaken by what had happened to him, and his voice trembled a bit as he spoke.

Yue Lee smiled gently before resuming:

"Have you heard about the legend of the red thread? It's a very common legend in Chinese culture." She asked, then went on as Lay shook his head wondering why on earth he wasn’t aware of such a legend even though he’s from that race, ‘I wonder if Kris knows about this.’ He sighed making a mental note to ask the tall guy later: "The legend says that Yue Lao, the lunar god, will tie an invisible red thread called the red string of fate between two souls destined to be together, and that they will never be separated once the string is tied." She paused, then took a breath in and recited:

"An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet,
Regardless of time, place, or circumstance.
The thread may stretch or tangle, 

But it will never break."

Silence followed her words, before Kris stood up abruptly:

"I'm done wasting my time with this. I didn't come here to listen to such tales. Let’s call it a day and let’s just meet sometime next week. I have other business to attend to.” Kris said while gathering up his things before leaving.

“Stop being a jerk, Kris. It’s a just a legend. There’s no need to get so worked up for that. Just sit down and breath for a moment, working too hard will give you wrinkles.” Lay said calmly. Yet, as he pronounced those words, something stirred in him, a faint but uneasy feeling that was telling him that he didn’t believe his own words.

“No, it’s not a mere legend.” Yue insisted. “Though you are the first ones, I can clearly see the string bonding you and I can assure you of its nature. However, I admit that it can be difficult for you to believe me, so I’m willing to answer any question you have regarding your present predicament.” She smiled at them. “Don’t worry, if you’re busy and all I’ll just leave you to it but if you need me just ask any worker here, I’m the owner of this restaurant so you can just ask for my address and contact number.” She added coolly, waiting for their reply. “But first I should get something from my office here.”

Lay looked at his partner, waiting for the latter to react, and smiled when he replied with a mere ‘Fine’.

For minutes, they silently waited more or less patiently for Yue to return, Lay trying to get rid of that persistent feeling he couldn't identify and which was beginning to bother him seriously. He kept glancing at Kris unconsciously, as if he expected the older male to do something – but what? He had no idea.

Then, he felt an impulse. An impulse to hold out his hand and touch Kris, to...

Run his fingers in that soft hair.

Lay froze. Again. Just what was the meaning of those images that kept appearing so suddenly in his mind; as if to remind him of something he should have never forgotten? And why, why was he slowly feeling drawn to Kris, why couldn't he help but reach a hesitating hand for the taller guy while the latter looked completely oblivious to the turmoil in the boy's head?

"Sorry for making you wait." A feminine voice rose, making Lay quickly pull his hand back. "I brought the tea to keep us company. I hope it'll be to your convenience." Yue said as she put a tray on the table in front of the two young men. She then poured the tea and handed them the cups, before helping herself and sitting back on the chair. She inhaled the sweet fragrance with satisfaction, then sipped at the warm liquid, delighted.

Lay glanced at Kris once more and got the surprise to see him drink his tea quietly as well, instead of getting impatient that the woman still hadn't said anything.

Yue Lee finally put her cup down and addressed the young men in front of him:

“Now, would you like me to tell you bits about myself?” he asked quietly. As Lay nodded, she went on: “I’m just a businesswoman and also a weaver taking over the family business. Until a few months ago, I was just a normal weaver, making my daughter’s prom dress. And then, one day, something miraculous happened.” She paused, a gentle smile on her lips. “Look.” She merely said before presenting the palm of her hand to the two young men.

Lay’s eyes widened when he saw thin, red threads appear in her palm and float in the air.

“I discovered this gift not long ago and I am now called by most people here ‘the weaver of the Lunar God’. See my birthmark? It’s shaped like a moon, some people may see a sign in it.” She went softly. “I don’t know if I really deserve this title, but at least, I can make people happy with these threads.” She added with a kind smile.

“How?”

“I told you about the legend, didn’t I? Well, the strings I create are the same as the red string of fate in the legend. To put it simply, people goes to my shop to buy the clothes I made with these strings and offer it to the people whom they are in love with, and a bond is created between them.”

“This is nothing but crap.” Kris stated, annoyed. “I shouldn’t have agreed to listening to stupid tales like this when we should be finishing the project assigned to us. We wasted a good amount of time that could have been of use in making the project.”

“Kris!” Lay snapped. “Don’t be. . .”

“It’s ok, don’t worry.” The young woman cut him, not offended at all. She then addressed Kris: “This is the truth. And I’m fairly sure that it’s because of my gift that I am able to see the link between the two of you. Believe me, you two were blessed by a God who wishes for you to be together, who wishes for your happiness.”

“I’m fed up with this.  I’m not here to listen to such tales.” Kris stood abruptly and left the room before Lay could even react.

“Kris!” The boy called after Kris’ retreating back. “Please excuse my colleague’s personality. He’s just that arrogant and cold kind of a person.” He apologized to Yue Lee feeling a bit of emptiness he doesn’t recognize.

“Don’t worry. I have a son like him and has a similar personality with your partner so I really don’t get insulted on how he acts.” She said with a smile before standing up. “I’ll be going now, it was nice meeting you. If you have any questions, you can come to me for answers.” She said, extending her  hand with her call card which Lay accepted.

“Thank you, Ma’am.” He said with a bow.

“No problem, young one.” Yue Lee said before leaving him.

Lay was left dumbfounded from the information he have just acquired. Thoughts swirling with the random images and foreign emotions he saw and felt respectively. ‘Now this has been one weird day’ he mentally sighed before gathering all his things and ventured back to his apartment deciding that going to his office would just add up to his tiredness and decided on just going home.