***

There was a simple, day to day routine he made sure to follow no matter what. Since his schedule was always busy, save for the weekends, he relied on his routine to make sure that he could keep up with all of his activities. 

It went a little like this:

- Wake up at 5 AM sharp;

- Do pushups and squats, 10 times each;

- Go out for a jog and be home by 5.30.

- Jump in the shower, get dressed, and have a relaxed breakfast. He made sure to enjoy his coffee. Never hastily gulp down a good cup of joe!

- School was a given since it took up most of the time. 

- Depending on the day, he’d either attend science club, soccer club or kendo. 

- Go home and spend an hour or so on homework. 

- Have dinner and spend some time with the family before spending time with his other family. 

- Sleep and repeat step one. 

Xiumin liked order. It kept everything organized, especially during more busy schedules, when tests came up or when he was asked to attend social gatherings that usually wouldn’t easily fit into his routine. It wasn’t like he was obsessive about it, but he’d be lying if he said that it didn’t relax him. He liked to come prepared, know what to do. He barely left things up to chance since that had a way of messing everything up. Not that he wouldn’t be able to adapt, of course, but he preferred it if things were- predetermined, for lack of a better word. 

It was no wonder, therefore, that he was hardly taken by surprise, unless someone would purposely throw him a surprise party, or something. But it was just another way of saying that he always came prepared for anything. It helped minimize the amount of weirdness in his life, since discovering that he was a wolf that could freeze things did definitely throw him off for a while. Ever since then, nothing would faze him, not as intensely as having found out that he had magical powers and could turn into a wolf, that is. 

Except, maybe, holidays like Valentine’s Day or White Day. He never quite knew how to prepare for those. He thought he had survived Valentine’s Day relatively well without things being too awkward. He just never knew what to say other than ‘thank you’ and ‘I’ll enjoy the chocolates’. He just wasn’t a man of many words, and preferred to let his actions speak for him. White Day was the day that he could prove that, but even that made him feel awkward. Xiumin knew that he could prepare a nice gift, obeying the Threefold Law, of course, and even practice what he could say to each girl that gave him a Valentine’s Day present, but once he would actually stand face to face with her- he’d blank out. 

Always. Always. He’d hear Baekhyun or Kris charm the girls they speak to with so much ease while he’s left with a mouth full of teeth, not knowing what to say. It made him appear so ungrateful and cold, but that wasn’t the case at all. He learned not to mind too much what others would think of his distant personality, because he knew that those who mattered knew how he really was, but sometimes he wished the words would come out easier. He’d like to be able to say what was on his mind and in his heart, especially to those who cared enough to think of him on days like Valentine’s Day. Xiumin felt that he could buy a girl something expensive, but it probably wouldn’t mean anything if he didn’t say anything or write a note- it was the thought that mattered, but if he couldn’t even voice or write that out, how was he going to convey his feelings?

That’s why this year, he was going to make sure not to blank out. He had already carefully prepared gifts for the girls that got him something on Valentine’s Day, and even though he would be broke for the rest of the month, he thought that each of the gifts would be worth it. He had written notes in case he did choke, but he made sure to prepare a personal speech for each girl to show them his gratitude. 

Xiumin breathed out as he looked at the rows of gifts lined up in his room and wondered how he was going to take them to school. Maybe he could borrow his mother’s car. 

Amongst the line up of pastel boxes, heart-shaped gifts and lollipop bouquets, stood one small gift on his desk. He kept this one separate from the others because it took him longer than the rest to get. He swallowed and opened the little box, since it wasn’t wrapped yet. On the outside, it looked simple, just a shiny wooden box, decorated with mother of pearl roses and butterflies, but once opened, it would reveal a porcelain ballerina dancing on a mirror. She had pale skin, blue eyes and blue lips and silver hair. Her little dress was made of glass and blue crystal. She was Winter, dancing to the music of Vivaldi’s Winter. 

Xiumin had hesitated whether he should get the jewelry box or not. Maybe the gift was too extravagant? But, every time he passed the store, he couldn’t help but stop a moment to admire it. He had stuffed the jewelry box with mobile keychains of ice creams, small pieces of wrapped chocolates and coffee-flavored hard candies. 

He sighed as he picked up the note beside the jewelry box and draped himself over the desk. There were exactly two words written on the note: 

Dear Jae,

That was it. Even though he had the gift ready and memorized what to say to the other girls, this one was giving him trouble, and he was getting even more nervous than he already was. White Day was tomorrow. 

Ridiculous. Why was it so hard for him to express himself? If only there was a way for him to be able to learn how to talk easily, without feeling shy or socially awkward. 

Come on, Xiumin, just write it down and then say it out loud, he thought to himself, letting out another huff when he realized that he couldn’t even speak to himself out loud. 

This is so hopeless- “This is hopeless,” he practiced, feeling like an idiot. 

He startled lightly when he heard his phone buzzing on his nightstand. 

“Hello?” he greeted. 

“Baozi-ge! What’s up?” came Luhan’s voice on the other end. Xiumin walked back to his desk to admire the porcelain ballerina and sat down. 

“Nothing much. What’s up with you?” he absently grabbed the note and started flipping it around with his fingers whilst jamming his cell between his ear and shoulder. He kinda disliked it that phones these days were so super thin. He was a 90’s kid, so he remembered the awesomeness that was the Nokia 3310. All of the phones now were so fragile and dainty. 

“If I see one more pink thing I think I’m going to go insane,” Luhan complained. “Seriously, my room looks like a bunch of pixies threw up in it. There’s glitter and cute stuff everywhere,” he said.

“Well, that’s what you get when you’re Mr. Popular. Gotta obey the Threefold Law, I didn’t make up the rules, man,” Xiumin teased, grinning to himself when he could imagine the discomfort Luhan was in right now. 

“Threefold Law, that’s another thing! How am I going to pay for lunch at school after this? I’m going to be broke for the next two months in the least!” 

“Oh come on, what are you whining about, Princess Lu? Your parents are loaded,” Xiumin replied dryly, whilst wondering what else he could write on the note to Jae. Luhan always called him the night before White Day to complain about the holiday.   

“Shut up, Baozi, it’s about the principle!” Luhan sighed deeply. “Anyway, are you taking your mom’s van tomorrow?”

“Let me guess, you need a ride?” Xiumin stated, amusedly shaking his head. 

“Please? I’ve no idea how I’m gonna take all of this stuff with me on my bike,” Luhan pleaded. 

Being the good hyung he was, Xiumin feigned a heavy sigh. “Alright. I’ll pick you up, but I’m not going to help you carry any of your stuff. I don’t want a repeat performance of last year,” he stated, shaking his head at the embarrassing memory. Luhan laughed. 

“Aw, why not? I thought it pretty funny seeing you try to explain to your admirers how those amazing gifts you were carrying weren’t for them at all,” he chuckled. 

“That wasn’t funny,” Xiumin groaned.

“Hey man, like you said, Threefold Law. Girls always expect their gifts from you to be three times more expensive or extravagant than the ones they gave you.” 

“Yeah, well, some of us have to work with what they got. I was flat broke this time last year,” Xiumin pulled a face when he heard Luhan laughing again. 

“Told you not to spend so much money on coffee.”

“Shut up,” Xiumin replied, starting to scribble on the note, absently drawing on it. 

“So…” Luhan trailed off. Xiumin simply waited until he would say more, still drawing. “Eh, so- what did you get for your fan girls?” 

“Oh, you know, stuff they sell at the candy shop and toy store. In case you were wondering, my room is far less pink and cute than yours, though,” he answered casually. 

“Hm, ah, r-right. Well, good. Good,” Luhan sounded awkward on the other end and Xiumin frowned at this. 

“What?” he asked. 

“Hm? Oh, n-nothing. Those sound like good presents, got mine from the same stores…”

“And?” 

“And? And nothing, was just curious, you know.”

Xiumin ceased his drawing for a moment to pay full attention to the conversation. “Luhan,” he only said and that was enough to get his best friend to talk. 

“Fine! I was just wondering what you got for Jae, that’s all.”

“And that matters, why?” Xiumin asked, continuing his drawing again, though he did close the jewelry box. 

“I-it doesn’t. Just curious. So, uh, guess I’ll see you tomorrow, yeah?” Luhan immediately changed the subject. 

“I’ll be there,” Xiumin promised. 

“Cool. Sleep well, Baozi,” Luhan greeted. 

“You too, Lulu. Bye,” he hung up the phone and leaned back on his desk. He had doodled all over the note, but the words ‘Dear Jae’ was still visible. He smiled lightly to himself as he looked at his impromptu drawing and then signed it with ‘Love, Xiumin’. Just writing the four letter word before his name made him blush and feel incredibly shy, so he had very little hope that things would go well tomorrow. 

He clicked off the light on his desk and started getting ready for bed. 

- Change into pajamas.

- Brush teeth, wash face.

- Get into bed and try to drift off to sleep. 

He added a little something new to his bed routine, which was praying that everything would go smoothly for him tomorrow. That something would be done so that he could speak easily, and that the girls would like their gifts and not think it too extravagant. 

He opened his eyes again to stare at the silhouette of the jewelry box on his desk. Would Jae like it?

Xiumin fell asleep as he imagined what her reaction would be like, though sweet dreams would turn into nightmares when he stood face to face with her and wasn’t able to utter a single word. 

Xiumin jolted awake when his alarm sounded at 5 AM sharp. He heaved a deep sigh as he knew that today was the big day. He knew that he should be starting his morning routine soon, but reluctance kept him in his bed. He took a few calming breaths before he ran his hand over his face. He frowned. 

“Huh?” Xiumin felt something strange on his hand and the light by his bed to get a closer look. “What the-?” 

There, clear as day, around his right pinky, was a red string. He tugged at it and touched it to confirm that he was really seeing this and that the string was real, but how did it get there? 

Clacking his tongue, Xiumin went to untie the string from his pinky, thinking that it must’ve been his sister playing a prank on him, but he startled slightly when he found out that he couldn’t remove it. 

“Hey, what’s wrong with this thing?” Xiumin tugged at it and attempted to break it, but the string wouldn’t move. If anything, he thought it tightened around his pinky. 

“Ugh,” he grunted in annoyance as he got out of bed to grab a pair of scissors. He carefully placed the string between the scissors and snapped it shut. His eyes went wide with confusion and astonishment, when the string wouldn’t get cut. 

“What?!” he exclaimed, continuously cutting into the stubborn piece of string. “Hey! Get off already,” he grumbled, but the string still didn’t break. Xiumin shook his head in bewilderment, giving up on using the scissors and following the long thread of the string. It went out of his bedroom, but when he tugged, it felt loose. 

What kind of elaborate prank is this? 

Intrigued and a little freaked out, he picked up the red string and followed it out of his bedroom. Xiumin’s eyebrows flared up when he saw the string splitting up into different directions. One part lead to his sister’s room, while two more strings went to his parents’ bedroom. He scratched his head as he saw one more string go all the way down the stairs and he shook his head. 

“I’m still dreaming,” he decided. “Okay, Xiumin, change of plans. Lay in bed for another hour or so, wake up properly and then head over to pick up Luhan and try not to humiliate yourself for White Day. Okay, that’s good,” he mumbled to himself, going back to his room. Everything should be back to normal if he rested for another hour. His nerves were getting to him. He made sure to put the jewelry box in a fancy, pastel pink paper bag and threw in the note he scribbled on just for the heck of it. Then, he went back to bed and promptly fell asleep. 

Xiumin woke again with a start. He blinked his eyes sleepily, stretching himself and checked his alarm clock. He gasped at seeing the time and jumped out of bed. Crap! He was running late. 

“Oh no, oh no,” he chanted as he hurried to get himself cleaned up and gathered all of the gifts. He ran down the stairs and headed to the kitchen to get a slice of toast. 

“Ah, good morning, honey. Are you excited for White Day? Did you get gifts for all the sweet girls at school?” his mother greeted, handing him his coffee. 

“Eh, sure, Mom. Sorry, I’m late,” he apologized. “Think you can get me coffee to go?” 

“Coffee to go? Minseok, I’m not a coffee shop,” she tsked, but put his coffee in a travel mug anyway. “Don’t rush when you drive!” she told him as he pecked her on the cheek and grabbed the coffee from her hand. 

“Got it! See you later!” he greeted, rushing off to get to the van. However, once he started driving to pick up Luhan, he only now just noticed something being terribly off. 

As he looked around, at his environment, Xiumin abruptly stepped on the brake and the van came to a skidding halt. 

“What. The. Hell?!” he gaped as he looked outside, seeing hundreds, maybe thousands of red string slung haplessly over the asphalt, the streets, criss crossing over each other, intertwining with one another, tied in knots, high strung and hanging loose. He swallowed, lifting his hand to run it through his hair when he noticed, to his horror, that a red string was still tied firmly around his pinky. 

“WAH!” he startled, trying desperately to remove it from his hand. The string wouldn’t budge, however, and stayed firmly on his hand. “What-?” Xiumin whispered, staring at it in disbelief. What the heck is going on? 

A car honked behind him, startling him from his thoughts. He lifted his hand to apologize and continued the drive to Luhan’s house. 

It’s in your head, Xiumin. Calm down. This isn’t real. 

He repeated those three sentences over and over again until he got to Luhan’s place. The boy himself was already waiting for him, waving as he approached. 

“Hey, did something happen? You’re running a little late, Baozi,” Luhan grinned, putting three bags and a large paper bag in the van before he got into the passenger seat. Xiumin hadn’t responded much and still didn’t do anything when Luhan was strapped in and ready to go. 

He looked at the older boy in anticipation, but frowned when Xiumin didn’t do anything. He gripped the steering wheel tightly, staring ahead of him. Luhan followed his gaze, but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. 

“Yo, Baozi, let’s go, we’re gonna be late,” he urged, but Xiumin still didn’t respond. “Yoohoo, earth to Baozi,” he waved his hand in front of Xiumin’s face and this was effective to get the boy’s attention. 

“There we go. Come on, what’s gotten into you?” Luhan asked, leaning back a bit when Xiumin turned sharply towards him. 

“Tell me you’re seeing this,” he said, but Luhan only frowned. 

“Seeing what?” he asked, pulling a face. 

“That!” Xiumin pointed outside, but Luhan couldn’t see anything. He narrowed his eyes at Xiumin and the older boy sighed, lifting his hand to point at his pinky. “This,” he clarified, showing him the red string, but again, Luhan squinted his eyes at Xiumin’s pinky and shook his head. 

“You had a manicure?” Luhan guessed randomly, receiving a punch in the arm. “Ow. Uncalled for,” he rubbed the soreness away. Xiumin’s eyes widened when he saw Luhan’s pinky. 

“Whoa!” he exclaimed, startling the younger teen. “You have one too!” he stated. “Wait. Why is it attached to mine?” 

“Okay, what’s going on? You’re acting really weird,” Luhan finally prompted looking at his hyung. He reached out to touch Xiumin’s forehead. “Are you sick? Maybe you should stay home.”

Xiumin slapped Luhan’s hand away. “I’m not sick! I don’t understand why you can’t see this,” he muttered in frustration. 

“See what?” Luhan asked. 

“The- the-!” Xiumin sighed. “Never mind. I didn’t sleep well,” he reasoned, taking a gulp of his coffee. 

“If you say so,” Luhan shrugged, looking outside, not a care in the world. 

Xiumin took off, swallowing when he saw the countless red strings outside, but pretended not to notice them. He moved his hand uneasily, seeing the string split, leading to who knows where. Was he under some kind of magic spell? Why could he see it and Luhan couldn’t? Was Luhan pranking him? No, not likely. Chen would do so, but not Luhan. He knew how extra nervous he was this day, so he wouldn’t do something to stress him out even further.

“So, you’re ready for White Day?” Luhan asked carefully, proving what Xiumin had thought before. 

“I’m never ready for White Day,” he replied flatly, the freaky red strings aside…

“You’ll do fine, Baozi, just say what comes to mind,” Luhan patted him on the shoulder. 

“Y-yeah, just like that,” Xiumin nodded, but felt a lump form in his throat when he parked the van near the school. They got out of the car and Xiumin grabbed his stuff. Luhan unloaded the van himself, heavily packed as he attempted to walk towards the school building. Xiumin couldn’t help but grin in amusement at him. 

“Hey, aren’t you gonna help me out?” Luhan asked. 

“Nope. Thought I made that clear?” Xiumin chuckled. 

“Yah, Baozi-ge! Come on, man,” Luhan pleaded, but Xiumin shook his head when he noticed that students had noticed Luhan hauling so many gifts. He did not want to be at the center of attention along with him. 

“Good luck! See you in class!” Xiumin easily walked away, still grinning to himself. He happily chose to ignore the red strings in the building as well, though he found himself watching his step now and then. 

“KYA! Did you see Luhan-oppa, Jae-yah, did you? Did you? DID YOU?!” 

Xiumin stopped abruptly and turned around to follow the exceptional voice of excitement, seeing Jae being shook around like a helpless rag doll as her friend, Lili, jumped around in pure glee. 

“Uh, what’s so exciting about that, Lili?” Jae asked in confusion, her almond-shaped eyes blinking innocently at her, though they shone worriedly at her friend. 

“He brought so many gifts!” Lili squealed. “I wonder what he got me! Oh, I wouldn’t care much, I’d be so happy if he remembered to get me something- he’s so popular,” she cooed in exasperated defeat and Xiumin was endlessly amazed at how she was able to switch moods so easily, and express all of them like it was the most natural thing in the world. 

He sighed and checked the clock. He had some time before the first class would start, and since Jae was already there, maybe he should just get the biggest hurdle over and done with and hand her her gift. He bit his lip, straightened himself and gathered up his courage as he started to walk towards her. 

“Whoa!” Xiumin was caught by surprise when the string around his pinky was suddenly yanked with much force, making him turn around. “What? N-no, I’m going this way,” he turned towards Jae’s direction again, but something yanked on the red string again. Trying not to put too much attention on himself, he futilely tried to break it again. “Wah!” his hand was pulled again, so Xiumin had no choice but to follow. The pull of the string brought him all the way towards the indoor gym where a group of students had already gathered. 

Xiumin stared in confusion and mild embarrassment at them, still trying to walk away, but the string wouldn’t let him. “Hey, what gives?” he whispered quietly, suddenly noticing a group of girls laughing loudly nearby. At first he thought they heard what he said and were laughing at him, but their laughter wasn’t directed at him at all. 

“I just got a new cover for my phone as well,” a girl with pigtails said to the group of girls. She showed them her phone, but the cover looked cheap, and this caused the girls to laugh again. 

“Is someone talking to us?” A snobby girl asked out loud, obviously to taunt the girl with pigtails. 

“I don’t see anyone, all I see is an ugly, cheap phone cover floating in the air, like it’s been plucked from the garbage bin,” another girl with red hair said. 

More laughter. 

Xiumin frowned at seeing the interaction, starting to feel a little angry at seeing these girls gang up on the girl with pigtails. He felt even more sour when he recognized one of the bullies, the snobby one, to have given him chocolates on Valentine’s Day as well. 

“Look at it. It’s not cute, it doesn’t even have bling on it! Who are you trying to impress?” Snobby girl asked, the girl in pig tails nearly bursting into tears. 

“I- I just want to make friends,” she said quietly, holding the phone close to her chest as though she was ashamed. 

The red string tugged at his hand again and watching the girl with pig tails made him realize something. On Valentine’s Day, a girl had suddenly stopped him in the hallway when he was in a hurry. She had to tug on his sleeve for him to even notice her. 

Xiumin-oppa, h-happy Valentine’s Day. I know it’s not much, but I hope we can be friends.

She had smiled at him and Xiumin felt a little embarrassed that he had nearly forgotten about her. He knew he had bought the right amount of gifts, as much as he had received, but this girl went completely past him. 

Time to remedy that, he suddenly decided. He grabbed the gift he intentionally wanted to give to the snobby girl and followed the red string to lead him to the girl with pig tails. 

The laughter died down when he came into sight, but Xiumin didn’t feel nervous this time. It hurt him a little when the girl with pigtails immediately shied away, as if she knew that he had forgotten her and that he was only there for the other girls. 

“Xiumin-oppa!” the group of girls suddenly squealed, all sweetness and rainbows. “Happy White Day!” they greeted, the snobby girl straightening her hair as if she was ready to accept his gift. He felt a little bit like a jerk, but after seeing how she treated her classmate, he didn’t feel too guilty about it. 

“Happy White Day,” he greeted casually, then turning towards the girl with pigtails. She naturally startled as he approached her and for a moment he hesitated in his step. What am I supposed to say? The red string tugged again, and he could see that a part of it lead to her. That had to be there for a reason, right?

“Hello,” he started, knowing that a greeting was the right start. 

“X-Xiumin-oppa? Uh, I mean- h-hello,” she replied ever so shyly. He smiled and extended the gift to her. 

“I’m not good with words, but I remember yours,” he continued. “The chocolates were delicious and I hope you still want to be friends,” he said sincerely, chuckling a little at seeing her stunned expression. “Happy White Day.” 

The girl moved slowly when she accepted his gift, opening it with a slight tremble in her fingers. He was surprised himself when he realized that the gift he gave her was a bunch of brand new phone covers and accessories. Her face lit up immediately and he heard the girls behind him gasp in awe at the gift. 

“Oh, Xiumin-oppa! Thank you! Thank you so much!” she smiled gratefully, making him smile as well. He blinked when the red string around his finger felt a little lighter and saw to his surprise that the string that linked him with her had broken and disappeared. 

When the school bell rang, he was hit with sudden realization. Maybe there was a way for him to get the red string off his finger. He just had to follow where it lead him to and maybe it would break the links he had with other people and everything would be back to normal! 

Just like Valentine’s Day, the school offered the students half a day off so they could give and receive their White Day gifts and have some fun and relaxation afterwards. Xiumin didn’t have to relax though, as the red string had started tugging endlessly throughout the day. 

“Baozi! Where are you going?” Luhan had called after him when he hastily walked out of class to follow the red string. 

“Can’t talk, gotta go!” Xiumin replied, walking quickly to see where it would lead him next. He passed Chanyeol, Baekhyun and Chen on the school grounds, seeing the red strings entwined around them. Three strings from his pinky lead towards them too, but he didn’t think too much of it. 

“Xiumin-hyung! Fighting!” Chanyeol called after him, waving. 

Xiumin returned the gesture and suddenly found him in front of the next girl. Time to put my theory to the test. 

“Hello,” he greeted the girl that was reading on the bench. A pair of blue eyes met his gaze and she smiled. 

“Xiumin-sshi, hey, you remember me,” she beamed. 

“Of course, Kira-noona,” he replied, seeing a part of his string being attached to her pinky. This couldn’t go wrong. 

“Happy White Day! Thank you so much for the Valentine’s Day gifts. I hope it wasn’t too much trouble making those chocolate pralines,” he said gratefully, handing her a bouquet of lollipops and a stuffed bear. 

Kira’s smile widened as she accepted the gifts. “It was my pleasure, Xiumin-sshi. Thank you for giving me these sweet gifts. I’m happy that you can speak more freely with me now, kinda heartwarming,” she winked.

“Guess your chocolates managed to unfreeze my tongue,” he replied casually, making her laugh in delight. Xiumin’s own smile widened when he saw the red string break again, and loosening up around his pinky. 

To his own pleasant surprise, he was able to make full sentences as he spoke with each girl. As long as he saw that they were linked by the red string, he didn’t feel like anything could go wrong. He was still the only one that could see all the red strings though, which was sometimes amusing. Kai’s red strings were thick and tightly strung. Sehun’s red strings were countless, fanning out to every direction, breaking easily and reattaching themselves just as quickly. Tao’s strings were as thick as Kai’s though fewer in numbers, but they all looked very strong. 

Xiumin still didn’t know why he was the only one to see them, but he started to get accustomed to it. He was a little confused as though why the strings that connected him with his admirers would break when he had expressed his sincere gratitude, but he also knew that this year was the most confident he had been in interacting with girls, or other people, for that matter. Soon, his bags filled with White Day goodies were slowly emptying, until only a pastel pink paper bag was left, containing an unwrapped jewelry box and a scribbled note. 

Sighing, Xiumin sat down on a stone bench to catch his breath and rub his throat. He couldn’t recall a time that he had spoken so much in one day. He wasn’t used to voicing himself, and apparently, his throat agreed. As he took a moment to rest, he looked at the red string around his pinky and wondered why it hadn’t started tugging yet. There was still one gift left to give. 

“Ugh. I’m exhausted!”

Xiumin looked up when Luhan plopped down beside him, wiping the sweat from his brow. If anyone else had done that, Xiumin would’ve thought that the person had been exaggerating, but he knew that Luhan wasn’t. 

“You’re done for today?” he asked, an amused smirk on his lips. 

“Not by a long shot,” Luhan murmured, embarrassed. “Do you wanna give some gifts to girls in my place?” he suddenly asked, voice full of hope. All it earned him was a cuff on the head by their strongest hyung. 

“Ow! Again, uncalled for!” Luhan rubbed the soreness away and pouted. “Yeah, I know,” he said when he caught Xiumin simply looking at him. “I’m not ungrateful, you know, but there’s still so many gifts to give, and- and…” he trailed off. “I still haven’t given Jae hers,” he mumbled softly. 

Xiumin watched him for a moment and then nudged him with his elbow, lifting up his paper bag and pointing at it. 

“Same,” he stated. 

Luhan huffed out some air, nodding in understanding. “Hey, Kris,” he then greeted as the taller teen sat himself down on Xiumin’s other side. 

“Whassup?” he replied, stretching out his long legs before him and leaning back on the bench with both hands supporting the back of his head. Xiumin grinned when he noticed the red strings draped over his body, while Kris had no clue that they were there. 

“Did you guys give your gifts to Jae yet?” he asked without beating around the bush. “I keep waiting for the right time, but I can’t seem to go for it.” 

“I heard Sehunnie beat everyone to it. He gave her a bubble tea six pack and two Rilakkuma dolls,” Luhan stated with a scoff. “He keeps boasting that she gave him a long, warm hug in return, as well as a kiss on the cheek.” 

“What? Oh, the brat,” Kris shook his head indignantly, while Xiumin just listened to their conversation, still waiting for the red string to start tugging already. It knew that he still had to give Jae her gift too, right? 

“D.O. gave her two movie tickets,” Kris then said, startling Luhan so that the boy jolted up. 

“What?!” Luhan nearly shrieked. 

“Yeah. Even said that she could go with whomever she wanted, and of course, she said that she’d like to go with him. Fell right into his trap,” Kris shook his head again, as if he was mourning Jae’s gullibility. 

“It’s always the quiet ones,” Luhan grumbled.

“Yeah,” Kris agreed. 

Xiumin looked straight in front of him when he felt the two boys on either side of him slowly turn their heads to look at him. He took it as his cue to go.

“I’m gonna be somewhere else,” he stated, standing up, but being too late to walk off as Luhan and Kris grabbed his shoulders and pushed him back down. 

“Where’s the hurry, Baozi-ge?” Luhan asked. 

“Yeah, what did you get for Jae?” Kris asked curiously. 

Feeling his shyness kick in, Xiumin held the paper bag tightly and just shook his head. “Nothing impressive,” he stated, but Luhan and Kris didn’t believe him. 

“Come on, show it to us, what did you get?” Luhan reached out for the bag, but Xiumin stopped him. 

“It’s nothing! Shouldn’t you two get going to give your presents to Jae first?” he tried to shoo them away. 

“She’s hanging with her friend Lili, I’m sure there’s hurry. Show us!” Kris replied, trying to snatch the gift away. Xiumin held it tightly. 

“You sure about that? I think Suho just worked up the courage to give Jae’s gift. You know how he takes the Threefold Law seriously, right?” Xiumin then interjected, having seen the boy in question walk up towards Jae in the distance. 

“Oh no,” Luhan and Kris mused in unison, watching their leader walk confidently to her. 

“Ah, that box looks like it contains a gigantic diamond,” Kris pulled a face. 

“Or a bar of gold,” Luhan suggested. 

“Whatever the case, any gift that comes after Suho’s probably won’t impress her much,” Xiumin mused to his own benefit, chuckling when both dongsaengs exchanged glances and ran off, calling Jae’s name to catch her attention. 

“Crap, I still need to get my gift!” Kris almost soared off to get it and reappeared from the building moments later, carrying a gigantic Tuzki doll with him.

Xiumin thought to himself how funny it would be if Kris could have been able to see all the red strings laying about and tripping over it. He shook his head at the sadistic imagery, when another funny scene appeared before him and he tried his best not to laugh. 

“Xiumin-hyung, annyeong!” Lay approached him, red strings entangled all over the boy’s body. Xiumin had never seen a more chaotic mess of knots and tangles, coiling over arms and legs. He resisted the urge to reach out to the strings so he could untangle them. 

“Hi Lay,” he greeted, looking down a moment to regain himself. 

“Is there something funny, hyung?” Lay asked as he sat beside him, watching his older brother with a smile on his face. 

Xiumin slowly looked up while pursing his lips together, but couldn’t help but let out a chuckle when he noticed a long piece of string draped over Lay’s head, hanging over his face. 

“Eh, n-no, it’s nothing, Lay,” he shook his head. 

“Okay, hyung,” the younger boy sat quietly beside him, watching his friends and fellow classmates enjoy themselves. Lay started humming to himself, a look of utmost relaxation on his face. 

“So, I take it you’re done for today?” Xiumin asked.

Lay nodded. “Yep. I just gave Jae-yah her gift,” he answered, looking happy. Xiumin waited for him to say more, but he didn’t. 

“How was it?” he then asked since Lay was perfectly fine with staying silent. 

“Good, hyung. It makes me happy to see Jae-yah happy,” he grinned and Xiumin saw the red strings swaying when Lay moved. 

“That’s nice. What did you give her?” he asked out of curiosity, seeing Lay blushing slightly, suddenly looking at his left hand and Xiumin startled. 

“Hey! Red stri-,” he abruptly shut his mouth when Lay blinked at him and he turned away awkwardly. “Never mind.” 

He felt Lay staring at him for a moment before he heard the kid laughing. “Xiumin-hyung, you’re familiar with the red string?” he asked casually, though Xiumin’s eyes widened before they darted to the string that was strung around Lay’s left thumb. This one looked a little different though. It had a different shade of red and only seemed to be tied around his thumb. There was no string that lead to anywhere. 

“Uh, it’s red, and it’s a string and it’s tied to your hand,” Xiumin stammered. 

Lay chuckled and nodded. “You’re not wrong, hyung,” he jested. “There’s this old Chinese legend that my grandmother always likes to tell me about. According to the legend, the gods have tied invisible red cords around the ankles or fingers of those that are destined to meet one another. People who are connected by this red thread are destined to be together, no matter what the circumstances are. She said, ‘Xingie, the red string may stretch, tangle, twist into a million knots- but it will never break. It is a unity blessed by the gods’.” Lay chuckled again after impersonating his grandmother’s voice. “So I tied a red string around my thumb and tied another string around the horn of a unicorn plushie that I’d given Jae-yah. It has a pocket too, so I put a USB in there where I tell the story of the red string and sing her a song,” he mumbled shyly, playing with the red string. 

Lay suddenly covered his blushing face with both his hands and let out a moan. “That’s so stupid, isn’t it, hyung?” he groaned out embarrassment, making Xiumin laugh. 

“No, it’s not, Lay. It’s sweet,” he tried to soothe, but the younger man still heaved a sigh. Xiumin wondered whether one of Lay’s strings would connect with Jae. He then looked at his own pinky and wondered if one of the strings would connect with hers as well. He felt a little worried then, since the red thread would break once he had given a girl his gift to her. Would that happen to the cord that connected him and Jae as well?

“So what did you get for Jae-yah, hyung?” Lay asked, changing the topic. 

Xiumin scratched his cheek and shrugged his shoulders somewhat. “It’s nothing fancy. Just a jewelry box that plays music,” he answered quietly since he knew that Lay wouldn’t make a fuss about it. 

“Wow, that sounds like a wonderful gift! As expected from the island’s trend,” Lay clapped his hands together, letting out a throaty chuckle when Xiumin shook his head out of embarrassment. 

“Don’t call me that!” he protested. 

“Why not? You are the main trend, hyung. You hardly have to put in effort to be admired by others,” Lay said sincerely, trying to prove a point, though it only made Xiumin feel even more shy. Now it was his turn to bury his face in his hands. 

“Stop talking, please,” he begged, amusing his dongsaeng with his behavior. 

“Xiumin-hyung, how are you going to sweep Jae off her feet if you get shy when people compliment you?” he pretended to scold. 

Xiumin sighed deeply, rolling his hand over his face. “I just don’t know what to say to her,” he started, playing with the string around his pinky. To Lay, it would only look as though he was twisting his own finger. 

“What do you mean, you don’t know?” Lay asked, tilting his head to the side. 

“You know, I don’t know,” Xiumin replied, making Lay chuckle again. 

“Well, how have you been giving gifts to girls so far, hyung? This is the first year where I haven’t seen you moan and groan about how you embarrassed yourself in front girls,” Lay pointed out. “You must be doing something right. Just keep doing that when you talk to Jae-yah, hyung. You’re the trend, she’d like anything you’d say,” Lay teased again. 

“I-I guess,” Xiumin shrugged, having lost his confidence. 

Lay watched his oldest brother for a moment, dimpling his cheek as he did so. Then he clapped his hands once and got up. 

“Hao ba, let’s go, hyung. I’ll take you to Jae-yah,” he decided. 

Xiumin blinked in bewilderment, flustered at Lay’s sudden action. “W-what? N-no, I’ll wait a moment, gather my thoughts so I’ll know what to say.” 

“Ey, hyung!” Lay whined in disapproval. “Didn’t you listen to my story? People who are destined to be together always know what to say comfortably. Your red string is connected to Jae-yah, too, isn’t it?” he prompted, confusing Xiumin a bit. Did Lay see the red strings as well, then? Was he pretending? Or was this Lay just being Lay? Xiumin could never quite tell. 

“Um…” Xiumin started. 

“Of course it is, hyung!” Lay answered in his stead. “Now, come on, let’s march over to Jae-yah.”

Xiumin smiled at Lay and looked towards where Jae was still talking to Kris, as Luhan had also handed Lili his gift to her. Just watching Jae from a distance made him blush all over again. 

“Maybe we should wait when she’s done,” said Xiumin, but Lay wouldn’t hear it. 

“No better time than the present, hyung, come on,” Lay grabbed Xiumin’s arm and pulled him up, dragging him along with him. 

“W-wait! Lay-ah!” Xiumin protested, but there wasn’t anything that would stop his dongsaeng from marching up towards Jae. 

Xiumin didn’t feel right about this. He felt like he could easily talk to the other girls because the red string was tugging him towards them. That made him feel secure. It wasn’t doing anything now that Jae was left. That had to have a reason, didn’t it? What if the red cord breaks? Would that mean that we’re not destined to be together?

“Kris, the doll is lovely, really, but how exactly do you expect me to take it back home with me?” Jae’s voice called out rather desperately as she attempted to keep the gigantic plushie standing. 

What was Kris thinking? That thing’s almost as tall as Jae! 

“Not a problem, I’ll carry it while walking you home,” he winked, shooting her a gummy grin. Lili giggled beside her, holding a big heart-shaped box and fluffy teddy bear in her arms. 

“You know, Luhan-oppa, maybe we could walk home together too?” she asked shyly, Luhan’s face quickly turning red. 

“Wow, that is a great idea, Lili-ah! I’m sure Lu-ge won’t mind carrying your stuff for you,” Lay interjected as Xiumin tried not to snort at seeing Luhan’s startled face. He shot Lay a look that was accusing him of being a traitor but Lay smiled it off and turned to Jae. 

“Hi Jae-yah,” he greeted easily. “Sorry for bothering you again, I was looking for Kris-ge,” he explained smoothly as Xiumin stood back to watch. 

“Me? What for? I was gonna walk Jae home,” Kris argued. 

“Aiyah, and I thought I was forgetful,” Lay shook his head. “We have a basketball game coming up, remember? You said you wanted me to help you think up a strategy,” he said easily, leaving Xiumin amazed at how casual Lay was in making this up.

Kris was obviously confused and shook his head. “What? It’s White Day today, Lay, I’m not gonna brainstorm about basketball on White Day! Besides, who is gonna take Jae home?” he challenged. 

Lay grinned and walked back towards a quiet Xiumin, wrapping his arm around his shoulders. “Xiumin-hyung can do that,” he replied. 

“Baozi-ge?” Luhan asked, bewildered. 

Lay nodded. “Hmhm,” he mused. “He’s got that big van, after all. Tuzki-ah can easily ride along in the backseat, right, hyung?” Lay asked Xiumin, subtly winking at the older teen. 

“Uh, y-yeah, no problem,” he murmured. 

“Ah, well if you really don’t mind, Xiumin, that’d be great,” Jae smiled at him. “Well, problem solved,” she beamed at Kris, who was smiling a bit uneasily after realizing that he was tricked by a not-so-slow-of-mind unicorn.

“It’s settled! Let’s go, Kris-ge! Oh, Lu-ge, make sure Lili-ah gets home safely, it’s starting to get late. If you go now you can make it on time for dinner,” he added and Xiumin just realized how sneaky Lay could be if he set his mind on something. He didn’t know if he should be worried or impressed. 

“Oh, only if oppa won’t mind, of course,” Lili said shyly, shuffling her feet, though her excitement was obvious. There was no way that Luhan could refuse. 

“O-of course I don’t mind, Lili,” Luhan then conceded. “I’d be happy to take you,” he added more convincingly, smiling at the cheerful girl and extending his arm towards her. 

“Wow, such a gentleman! Thank you, oppa! I guess I’ll see you later, Jae-yah,” Lili nearly squealed, waving at everyone before they left off. 

See? Told you it’s always the silent ones, Luhan shot at him as he passed him by, feigning a look of suspicion his way. 

Xiumin smirked and only lifted his shoulders. 

“Ugh, fine, okay, let’s go,” Kris then sighed and it seemed like Lay had quietly updated him on the situation. “See you two later, I guess,” he greeted a bit flatly. Jae chuckled. 

“Thanks for the gifts, guys,” she said. 

“You’re welcome, Jae-yah!” Lay said happily, leaning in to give her a quick embrace, and then turned to Xiumin. “Hyung, remember, you’re the trend,” he whispered as he hugged him too. “See you!” Lay grabbed Kris by his sleeve and pulled the taller, reluctant teen with him so that Xiumin was left alone with Jae- and the gigantic Tuzki doll. 

Come on, red string, why aren’t you moving yet?

Xiumin smiled at Jae, who smiled back, the silence becoming gradually awkward. Crap, Xiumin thought, why am I choking? I was perfectly able to talk to all those other girls and it’s not like I haven’t had a conversation with Jae before, so what gives? Come on, Xiumin, pull yourself together! he tried, prepping himself.

Jae shuffled her feet a bit, holding the Tuzki doll up and checking on the other gifts she had received, lying on the ground in paper bags. Xiumin saw Lay’s unicorn horn peeking from one of the bags, the red string waving in the breeze. He swallowed as he saw the threads fanning out from Jae’s pinky. She had them too, the red strings. They looked strong. None of them were tangled or knotted, but there were many of them and it was difficult for Xiumin to check whether one of those cords was connected to his. 

She’s still smiling at me. Is she expecting me to give her something? Should I just hand it over to her? Damn it. If Lay had given him just a little bit more time, then maybe- I’d still be sitting on that bench until nightfall and I still wouldn’t know what to say to her. 

“So,” Jae finally broke the silence. “You came with a van, Xiumin?” 

“A-ah, yes,” he nodded. Lord knows he wanted to say more, but the words simply refused. He didn’t understand one bit of it! Everything had gone so well up until now! Why am I so nervous? Why isn’t the string pulling me towards her?

“Cool,” Jae said. “Think you could help me with this guy?” she then asked, gesturing at the Tuzki. “I’d carry it myself, but I got the other stuff to carry as well, and I’m pretty sure this thing has the ability to squash me if I’m not careful,” she joked and Xiumin relaxed. 

“Of course, no problem,” he answered, immediately grabbing the oversized doll and waited for her to gather her things. Go on, say something, Xiumin!

“Um, you’re ready to go? I mean, you got a lot of gifts,” he mentally slapped himself. That’s not what he meant to say. 

“Hm? Oh yeah,” Jae chuckled shyly. “The guys were really sweet. I told them that they shouldn’t get me anything, I know the chocolates I gave you all were terrible,” she grinned sheepishly. 

“Right,” Xiumin nodded seriously, suddenly making her laugh and realizing what he had said. “N-no, I didn’t mean it that way! Your chocolates weren’t that bad, really, I mean- um…” his fumbling made him feel worse, but Jae’s laughter didn’t seem to be directed at him. 

“It’s okay, Xiumin, they really were horrible,” she shook her head and sighed. “I still have a lot to learn when it comes to making chocolates.”

“Yeah,” he nodded absently, startling again when he heard her chuckle. “No, that’s not what I mean at all,” he tried, wanting to sink into a hole and have the Tuzki doll stand guard for him. Why was everything he saying not right?

“It’s okay, Xiumin, don’t stress,” Jae urged, noticing his discomfort. “I appreciate your honesty,” she reassured, but he still felt bad. He decided then to do what he always done when he felt this way; he shut up. 

By the time they got to the van, Xiumin had lost all his courage to give Jae her gift. He placed it in the backseat next to the gigantic Tuzki doll before helping her get into the car too. 

“Ooh, a gentleman, nice,” Jae commented with a sweet smile. “Thank you.” 

“You’re welcome,” he muttered and got into the van as well. As they drove off, Xiumin couldn’t help but notice the red string still tied around his pinky as he gripped the steering wheel. It was silly of him to think it, but he kind of felt betrayed by it. Right when he needed it to guide him, so he could properly convey his feelings towards Jae, it bailed. He wouldn’t mind the silence at all if he didn’t have to share it with anyone, but Jae was sitting right next to him and who knew what she might be thinking right now?

She must think I’m ungrateful, not giving her a gift, he thought ruefully. Then again, she probably thought very little of him to begin with. She could talk with the others, even with D.O., who was normally just as quiet as he was. Xiumin’s stomach turned. He didn’t like the idea that he and Jae were the least close amongst their pack, but there isn’t much I can do about it either. Oh man, why can’t you just open your mouth to speak?!

“Xiumin? Is everything alright?” Jae suddenly asked, breaking the silence once more while glancing worriedly at him. He cleared his throat. 

“Hm? Oh, uh, y-yeah,” he nodded, but he’d be damned if he didn’t keep the conversation flowing. “Why?” he continued. 

“I don’t know, you seem a bit stressed,” she noticed. “You’re not still worried about the remarks I made regarding my chocolate-making skills, are you? Because I really don’t mind,” she added. “But, I promise you, I’m gonna work on those skills so next year, you’re gonna get really tasty chocolates,” she crossed her heart and smiled at him. 

Well? Say something, you idiot, don’t just smile back at her! 

“Um, thanks,” he ended up saying, cringing to himself once he heard the word escape his lips. Maybe he had to face facts and accept it that perhaps he wasn’t connected with Jae. Why would everything seem so hard otherwise? 

He pulled over in front of Jae’s house, still feeling uneasy. 

“Wow, that was quick,” Jae commented and Xiumin wondered whether she was pulling his leg or really meant it. To him it nearly felt like they were in the car for hours. 

“Thanks for the ride, Xiumin. Hope it wasn’t too much trouble,” she said, getting her stuff and putting them on the curb before going to the back to grab the Tuzki doll. 

“Here, I’ll help with that,” he managed to utter, getting out of the car to put the Tuzki with the other stuff on the curb. 

“Thanks again,” Jae said. “You’ve been really helpful today, Xiumin,” she remarked with a gentle smile. 

He only nodded, still struggling with himself. 

“Did you have a nice White Day?” she suddenly asked and he gulped.

“It was okay,” he eventually answered with a lopsided grin. 

“Good. Well, I should get all of this stuff in the house. Thanks again for bringing me home, Xiumin,” she hesitated a moment whether she should just wave him goodbye or reach in for a hug. They ended up going in for the awkward hug where neither party quite knew where to put their arms and just ended up patting each other’s bag lightly before parting again. 

“Alright, see you!” Jae greeted as Xiumin stood by the van, giving a small wave. He watched her open the door, putting the bags inside one by one before she tackled the Tuzki doll. He really wanted to walk back up to her to say something, but he didn’t know what and he didn’t know why he couldn’t. 

There’s always next year, he thought in defeat opening the door of the van. He looked down when he felt the red string tighten. Xiumin frowned at the piece of thread and huffed, subtly starting to freeze it in hopes that it would shatter and disappear from his pinky. He continued freezing it, until he heard a soft squeal behind him. Turning around he noticed Jae standing by the doorway, rubbing her own pinky. 

“Xiumin, is there something wrong?” she asked, approaching him again. “Was that you, just now?” 

His eyes widened as he looked at his pinky. No way, it can’t be! 

“What do you mean?”

“I just felt this cold touch around my pinky, I thought it was you,” Jae explained in confusion, shaking her head. “Is there something wrong? Did you forget something?”

Xiumin stared at her pinky, at the red threads that lead up to it. One of them was solid ice, a dust of frost sparkling over the cord. He felt breathless then, wondering whether it would break too, like it had with the other girls. Only one way to find out. 

“Actually, Jae, I did,” he stated, making up his mind. “Wait here one moment,” he jogged towards the backseat and grabbed the pastel pink paper bag. Jae watched him with interest, blinking at him when he handed her the paper bag without a word. 

“What’s this?” she asked with a bashful smile, looking into the bag as Xiumin waited. She let out a soft gasp, glancing up at him a moment before reaching down the bag and carefully taking out the jewelry box. 

“Happy White Day,” he stated with a soft smile. 

“Oh, Xiumin, you didn’t have to,” she started. “My chocolates were terrible, remember?” she joked, carefully tilting the lid open to reveal the porcelain personification of Winter as Vivaldi’s melody played. “Oh my gosh, Xiumin, this is beautiful!” she exclaimed, watching the ballerina dance on the mirror. He could tell that this was his cue to tell him what he felt and why he had chosen a gift like this for her, but the right words still didn’t come. 

“And there’s a note too?” she questioned, but here was where Xiumin’s panic kicked in. 

“Ah! I’d forgotten about that, you don’t have to-,”

Too late. Jae had already grabbed the note and looked at it. Xiumin scratched the back of his head as he winced, but was surprised when Jae had continued looking at the note with a touched smile on her face. On the note that contained only four words in total, Xiumin had drawn a heart in the shape of a snowflake, ending the note with Love, Xiumin. 

Jae’s smile had widened while the light red dusting of a blush had covered her cheeks. Before Xiumin was aware what was happening, Jae had wrapped her arms around him for a real embrace. A  pleasant, awkward-free embrace. 

“I always knew that you had the warmest heart, Xiumin,” she said softly into his ear. “Thank you,” she said sincerely, as he was still processing what had happened. His brief elation and happiness then made way for shock and concern as he eyed the red string that connected them together. Was it going to break? Was this it? 

To his surprise, the red thread thawed and cleared away the cold, but instead of breaking, it vanished altogether. As he looked at his pinky, the red string was gone, and looking around the environment, Xiumin saw no red cords anywhere. He blinked at Jae. 

“I guess it takes someone with a warm heart to recognize the warmth in others without exchanging words,” he said a little breathlessly, chuckling, when he looked at Jae. 

“Wow, you get extra points for being smooth, though that was to be expected of the island’s main trend, right?” she nudged him as he groaned out loud. 

“You’ve been hanging out with Lay too much,” he grumbled. 

“Aw, come on, Xiumin, you’re obviously the king of cool, no reason to deny it,” Jae teased. “Hey, do you wanna come in for some snacks and a beverage or something?” she then offered. 

Xiumin’s smile widened further and he simply nodded. 

“Cool. Come on in,” Jae lead the way and as she turned around Xiumin saw a last glimpse of red string tied around her pinky. There was only one this time and as she walked further into the house with Xiumin still standing on the porch, his hand was suddenly lifted and tugged. Nothing could wipe the smile off his face then. 

When he closed the door behind him, the thread had gone invisible again, but he knew that it was there, ensuring that they would always stay linked with one another no matter what. 

Xiumin laughed quietly to himself as he sat down on the couch when Jae went to get them some drinks. He spent all this time trying his best to be something that he wasn’t - which was talkative - and ended up spending time with Jae just by being his awkward self. Was it fate? Maybe. What he did know for sure, was that the boys were right; it’s always the quiet ones- but you know what? Maybe that wasn’t such a bad thing. 

“Tada! Totally self-bought chocolates and cookies with some iced lattes to celebrate White Day,” Jae winked at him, handing him his drink. 

“Oh! Thank you,” Xiumin grinned, seeing her smile and starting to talk about the chocolates she bought. 

Yeah, he listened to Jae’s voice and memorized how she looked like and how her eyes sparkled when she was telling a story. Not a bad thing at all.