*this is the beginning of Part 3: Complete. Please Ignore the chapter number on the posters. Thanks for the comments and upvotes!! :)

CHAPTER 25. CHASING DESTINY

The sun settled in the horizon as sheets of thin clouds hang overhead with marshmallow colors of almost pink on one side and bluish on the other. She put an elbow on the table and gazed out of the open sky. The Han River flowed smoothly and silently underneath the floating Cafe Sun. She decided to be there instead of her friend’s since she wanted that little silent time alone and it was the perfect place as she unfolded the letter again. Only a few people were on that humble coffee shop and she was one of them. A couple was sharing a cup of tea laughing cautiously by the open balcony and a woman, maybe older than her, was leafing through a magazine and sipping her smoothie in silence. A while ago, a man sitting three tables away from her was giving him that look but she chose to ignore him until he settled in to his work and the clicking of the keys on his laptop seemed to harmonize with the solemn afternoon.

“And in this small chapel by the beach in Malibu, we got married...”

That was a beautiful sentence and it seemed like her happiness traveled across the continent towards her. Tiffany added that she would have wanted her to be the maid-of-honor but because of the circumstances she has to drop the idea. Maybe if they decide to have another one in Korea it would be possible. She folded the letter and gently placed it back inside the envelope and took the box again. Her Unnie never failed to give her birthday presents and this year, it was a charm bracelet and she explained on the letter that it was something that attracts love. She smiled at the thought as she slipped it on. The powdery pink beads were something she would have wanted to buy for herself and the note with it made her giggle, “Who knows Prince Charming is on his way?”

She took her cup and let the semi-hot surface touch her lips before throwing a glance at the horizon as night was about to blanket the land. It was her favorite time of the day, sitting there after a long hours of work before going to school. She works as a Research Analyst in one of Seoul's top broadcasting companies and attends the night class for her Master's on International Relations. It was Fany who insisted for her to apply in that company since she knows someone working there and it was a sort of compensation when she declined the latter's offer to study in the US.

Only from Fany she got updated with what's been happening to his life. She learned that after military service, he followed them to the US since their stepfather was there already. He graduated from Business School and was currently working in a multinational company in San Francisco. Seo Hyun felt truly proud of him. She would still imagine seeing him one day, though it has been long overdue that Yoona even make it as a constant joke that if ever he still cared for her, he wouldn't have waited that long.

Eight years.

Yes, it was really a long time of waiting. Not that she was really waiting but maybe hoping. Hoping that one day she could explain why she did not show herself in the train station. But Tiffany doesn't mention him much through their correspondence or even when they get to catch each other online. She only gives her, more or less, the general information about him. Sometimes it would play in her mind that he was probably married by now, the thought would somehow bring a tinge of pain in her heart but she reminded herself that it was her fault after all. Their phone conversation before he left was the last they had and all the what-if's are haunting her now.

After finishing her coffee, she stood and left. She still has a few hours before school since her first class for the night was canceled so she decided to take a cab to Myeong Dong and walk around for a while. It was dark now but the busy city lights were inviting and everybody seemed to be in a frenzied rush-- not literally but just the way she felt. She smiled studying the faces of people she met on the street and those young couples gave her that bittersweet feel. She used to be like that, dreamy, wide-eyed and seeing all the colors of the rainbow but once it all happened, her life was nothing but black and white.

She did attempt to give her heart a try. Trying if she could find the same love in someone else's eyes and the only one close enough to get through her was Jin Woon. After Yong Hwa left, Jin Woon remained to her tearing down his own walls by declaring his unspoken love for her. It came as a surprise since it never even crossed her mind. She declined upfront but he insisted with, “No, don't say no. You can never tell my heart to stop loving you.”

So she let him be. Let him show her his heart-- his love and she even tried to at least reciprocate his feelings. But love, indeed, can never be dictated. The heart can never be commanded to give itself to someone. She was so sorry for him but he said no again, it was him who chose to be like that. In the end, Jin Woon decided to leave. It was for his best, he said and it took almost a month for Yoona to forgive her.

It was another blow. There was really something wrong with her. It seemed like she has been driving away those people who love her. Jin Woon told her before he left, “Now I understand and accept the fact that we can never be more than friends. And I am happy to still have you in my life.”

But Jin Woon now is okay with this girl he met on his travels-- yes, he became a nomad. Not a literal nomad since he works for an international social support organization. She is so happy for what he has achieved. Now, it was only her and Yoona. Funny, but destiny took its sideways turn when Nichkhun conceded to his family's wish to marry the Chinese woman from years ago. She knew how hard it was for her friend but Yoona accepted her faith by standing strong and smiling through the ordeal. They tried to fight for their relationship but as the saying goes again, “Some things are not really meant to be.” And, they were part of the some that will never be, just like her and Jin Woon. Despite of it all, Khun never broke his communication with them and she could tell that her Unnie has forgiven him and accepted their fate.

She entered a bookshop and only then she realized that she has an incoming call so she hurriedly took her phone from her bag.

“Yoboseyo?”

“Hi, I have been calling...”

“Oh, I'm sorry. I did not notice. Are you in school now?”

“Yeah, I did not know Professor Kim will be absent today.”

“I forgot to tell you last night? I'm sorry.”

“Where are you?”

“At Myeong-dong but I will be there soon.”

“Okay, do you want me to pick you up?”

“Oh, no need. I'm just walking around. Just wait for me there.”

“Okay, I'll see you later...”

“De...” she ended the call and noticed that she missed five calls from him. She smiled to herself and placed the object inside her bag. After checking the new arrivals, she decided to leave and go to the University feeling guilty for not telling him. As she passed through one street, she noticed a girl crying while the boy beside her looked like pacifying her. Then she noticed the hut by which they have been and she recognized it. Eight years ago, she cajoled him to try to see their luck and the memory made the hairs on her skin rise. She struggled to keep her feet away from the place but it was too late. She found herself being there again.

Although there was really nothing creepy inside and she hardly recognized the interiors, the effect of being there was not making her feel comfortable. Suddenly, the woman appeared-- the same one before, only now she looked older and weirder than the last time with her white attire and this visible decline of her body size.

The woman deliberately took her right hand without even asking why she was there. It was pretty obvious, anyway.

Her heart started to beat fast as she could see how her hand trembled gently on the woman's grip.

“Winter has ended; spring has begun. Like a flower after a bud; like a babe and pure. Life will come back to you. There are moments of confusions but only the heart will tell and the eyes will say. Look into them and you will find your answers. Don't hide away again for the past is not a mistake but a lesson. Learn to love more and hate less. Life is about love.”

After that, she let her hand drop and stared at her with a smile. Seo Hyun swallowed hard. She understood her words but questions started popping out of her head that she doesn't know which one to ask first. “I... am... going to have a new life?”

“Not really,” the soothsayer stood and sat on her chair and started shuffling her cards, “Instead you will welcome your past life into your future again.”

“What do you mean?”

“This year is eventful for you, make use of it. Divide this deck into three,” she dictated and the young girl followed. After that, she flipped open the one in the middle, “Ahhh, someone will come back. A close friend maybe? Someone from your past and this person will affect your present just the way he or she did in your past.”

“Affected my past?”

“Yes, maybe some issues bothering you before and this person will help you solve them.”

“This person is a...?”

“I'm not sure. The cards are ambiguous for you, my dear.”

The woman has a gentle smile after all. What she was saying doesn't seem to make sense to her, “Uhm, years ago, I was here with my... my boyfriend and you were reading for us but then he-- he doesn't like the idea and we left before you could finish.”

The woman laughed, “Well, those things happen a lot so I really can't remember now. I am a fortune teller but my memory is not good. You are no longer together with this boy?”

Seo Hyun hesitated for a while then nodded, “Yes, and we haven't seen each other for years.”

“Oh, do you want to know if the person on my readings is him?”

“Ah... yes... maybe...” she mumbled unsure of herself since she doesn’t want to sound too eager.

She flipped another card. “One woman, one man. The card only says. Twins but the cards are never literal. This could be one person bringing forth two effects in your life.”

Seo Hyun nodded it was more confusing now.

“But the stars always align and destiny has a way of going through the barriers. Your future will always intertwine with this person. Your destiny more than your soulmate.”

“My destiny more than my soulmate. What's the difference?”

“Destiny is your other half. The person that will complete your being and make your stars on their proper positions. Soulmate is a person that would show you your dark side. They are the people that makes us reflect on who we are and who we reflect to other people. They are more of a guide to a better us. Soulmate and destiny can be one person or two different individuals the heavens prepared for us.”

~~~

She was there