[CONTENTID1] [/CONTENTID1] 

[CONTENTID2] hanseungbi posted [/CONTENTID2] 

[CONTENTID3] 6 August, 2020 [/CONTENTID3] 

[CONTENTID4] moment of tangency [/CONTENTID4]

[CONTENTID5] 

In a park, a young mother sat down with two children: a young five-year-old girl and a fifteen-year-old teenager. The sun's glow began to paint the sky with red, orange, and purple streaks. The once warm spring-breeze began to settle down into a brisk, cool caress of the wind. The family sat down on a large picnic basket. The plates were recently emptied from the early dinner that the family had decided to partake. The young five-year-old girl laid in the arms of the fifteen-year-old. The fifteen-year-old girl had long black hair, her face relatively small, and she had fair skin, while the other child had sun-kiss skin and short black hair. The family enjoyed the brisk wind as it caressed their cheeks. A soft hum escaped the mother's lips as she looked at the two. "Should I tell you a story?" the older female finally spoke. She could see the wonder and excitement light up in the eyes of the two children.

A soft laugh escaped the woman's lips as she straightened her back, "Okay, Eunbi, Yujin, listen very carefully."

In this world, everyone experiences a total of seven-lives. For some, they can live in luxury for one, and for another, they could live in poverty. For each of these for a person to get through their lives, the gods decided to bestow a blessing. For each person, they created what people refer to as a "soulmate." A person that will make another happy, someone who they are entirely compatible with.

The gods saw that it had become a struggle for the mortals on the ground to find their soulmates, and therefore, they gifted a select group of people with an ability called Sonder. The ability to realize and see the other stories of the people around them.

These special people could see into people's past lives, their connections, and help others find their soulmates. To see into a person's past experiences, those who had the ability must be within three feet. Within the eyes of the individual, as if it were continuous tape, the individual's past life would play.

To see a person's soulmate, if they engaged in eye contact with someone, the reflection of that individual's soulmate would appear. They could also know when the correct timing for the lovers to be together would be. The clearer the image would signify when the best time to confess would be.

However, to prevent those with this unique ability to selfishly only pursue their soulmates, the

gods set limits.

1. Those who have this ability cannot see their soulmates, or the soulmates of other Sonders, or their past lives until they were twenty-one.

2. For the Sonders to discover their past lives, they had to kiss their soulmate.

3. People who are on their first life out of their seven will not show a connection with their soulmate till they are twenty-one. The rule was to prevent the Sonders to narrow down who their possible soulmates were.

4. Sonders will not be able to use their ability until the sunsets on their fifth birthday.

To see a person's connections when people were engaged in a conversation, a line would connect them. There were three different lines, a yellow line, a purple line, and a black line. The yellow line signified companionship, family, or even acquaintances. A purple line would mean past lovers. And a black line, signified a dangerous relationship, such as a connection between a killer and their victim. However, the black line was the most dangerous one of the three. If a pair with a black line ever become involved again in their lives, destiny would have it that history will repeat itself.

The child and the young teenager looked at the older woman that was telling the story. However, of the two, the young five-year-old's eyes sparkled, her attention was entirely on the story. Her lips curled into a bright smile.

“Yujin, listen to me and listen to me very carefully. You have to understand that you’re special.” The mother looked down with warm eyes, but there was a hint of concern and worry in her voice.

"Special?” the young child looked up at her parents with eyes of admiration and confusion.

"Your eyes are extraordinary. Like everyone in this family--"

"Eunbi unnie included?"

"No, no. You and Eunbi are step-siblings. You get this from me, your mom. Listen to me, and listen to me carefully, please." the young mother reached over for her daughter's hand. Her lips pursed into a soft frown as her thumb gently rubbed the back of the young child's hand.

"Anyone you make eye contact with, anyone, you can see into their past lives, the connections they have with people, and their soulmates."

"Then, how is it bad if I help someone find their soulmate?" the young girl's brows furrowed in concern, and her lips pursed into a soft frown.

"No, no baby. It's not bad." the mother's eyes seemed to soften with what could only be guilt.

"I just don't want you to be discouraged when everyone around you seems to be so close to their soulmates, but you won't be able to find yours for a while."

Yujin’s brows furrowed in as she let out a soft laugh and shook her head. “But if they’re my soulmate, that means they’ll be worth the wait, right?”

With a dumbfounded look, the mother looked at the child before letting out a soft laugh. "I guess you're right. I'm sure whoever gets to be my baby's soulmate will be super lucky." the young female reached over and gently patted the female's head. The sky that once had red, purple, and orange streaks were now dark, and a soft smile formed on the mother's lips. "Eunbi, can you watch Yujin play while I pack up?"

The young teen, Eunbi, gave the older female a small smile as she reached over for Yujin's hand. She gently squeezed their hand as she tugged the female along with her. "Come on, Yujin. Do you want to ride on the swings with me?"

Eunbi stared at the young girl who began to swing on the swingset. A soft smile curled onto her lips. "Are you happy, Yujin?"

"Of course!" the young female exclaimed in excitement as a satisfied hum escaped her lips. "That means I can help people be happy and prevent them from being unhappy, right?" Yujin looked at the older female. Her brows soon furrowed in as a soft smile curled on her lips. In the older female's eyes, there was a faint but fuzzy image that Yujin could not make out, but there was one thing that she could tell: they were pretty. "Eunbi, your future soulmate, they're beautiful!" A faint yellow line connected the two siblings.

"Yujin, Eunbi! Let's go home!" a motherly voice called out. Yujin's lips pursed into a bright smile as she jumped off the swing. Her small hand immediately reached out for her older sibling.

“Let’s go!” the child exclaimed as she tugged the older along with her.

“Did you have a good birthday, Yujin-ah?” the teenager questioned as their hands swung together in sync, a soft hum escaped her lips.

“Of course!”

The family of three made their way down the busy residential streets. Some families were walking around to enjoy the night breeze. Others were heading out to grab dinner— some heading to catch the next train or bus to make it to a late shift. However, for Yujin, she was on cloud nine. Her lips curled into a bright smile to reveal her deep dimples. With each step, the young girl skipped happily. Her hands were gripping tightly on both her older sister and her mother's hands as she stood in between them.

"There's a cake at home, right?" Yujin questioned as she looked up and over at the oldest female. A soft and teasing hum escaped her mother's lips as she looked up at the sky and gently tapped her chin.

"I'm not sure… Eunbi? Was Yujin good enough this year to receive a cake?" as if it was a sign of betrayal, Yujin stared at her older sister, her eyes pleading with them, and a soft gasp escaped her lips before she hastily responded.

"Eunbi! Choose your words carefully, or I'll get back to you on your birthday!" Yujin's comment caused the two older females into a burst of loud laughter as Eunbi looked at Yujin.

"Unlike Yudings, I have friends that can buy me a cake, so that kind of threat doesn't work on me!" the older sibling rebutted as she stuck her tongue out in a playful and teasing manner.

The family stopped in their tracks as they arrived home. The house next door to their own had a moving truck right in front of them. “Ah, are those our new neighbors?” Mrs. Ahn questioned as she peaked over at the truck.

At the house next door to their own, a husband was carrying the boxes into the house. A wife took the boxes off the truck and a child who kept themselves occupied with the rocks on the side of the road. Between the husband and wife, there was a purple line that connected the two. Yujin's attention focused on the young girl who kicked the rocks to the side.

“Mom, can I go say hi?” Yujin questioned as she looked up at her mother with excitement in her eyes. A soft laugh escaped her mother’s lips as she gave her a short nod.

“Of course, sweetie.” Yujin’s eyes grew wide with excitement as she made her way to the young female. She approached the unknown girl with a bright smile. Her hand extended out to the other girl.

"Are you moving in?” Yujin questioned enthusiastically, which startled the other girl. The young girl seemed quiet, almost scared as she stared at the hand that Yujin extended out to her.

“Minjoo, don’t be rude!” a soft, but almost commanding voice called from the truck. The other young girl, Kim Minjoo, had pure brown eyes, her hair was slightly long and she had dark raven hair.

"You're pretty," Yujin firmly stated before giving the girl a bright smile, which revealed her dimples once more. "Let's be friends! The name is Ahn Yujin. I just turned five today!"

The other girl finally spoke up in a soft tone as she looked up slowly at Yujin. "Minjoo, Kim Minjoo. I'm seven years old…"

"Ah, is that so? I have a cake at home! Do you want to come over?" Yujin questioned with a bright and pure smile. The older child looked at her mother, who gave her a short nod before looking back at Yujin with a soft smile. "Sure."

Eunbi and Mrs. Ahn looked at the exchange. A soft chuckle escaped Eunbi's lips as she watched how enthusiastic Yujin was. "Looks like Yujin is still as sociable as ever." The teenager stated with a soft and playful laugh. She turned her head to her mother's direction, who seemed to have a puzzled and concerned look. "Mom, what's wrong?"

“That girl, I can’t see her lines,” Mrs. Ahn stated.

Sixteen Years Later…

In the small bedroom, a female slowly rose from her slumber. Her hair disheveled, and her lips pursed into a soft pout. She ran her fingers slowly through her hair as she stretched ever so slightly with a small and soft pout as her arms stretched out, and she let out a loud yawn. Her eyes scanned through her bedroom. Various posters hung on her wall. Her bed took up a small portion of her room, accompanied by various sports memorabilia, trophies, and medals. She paused as her eyes moved towards the direction of her desk, and the date on her calendar caught her eye — September 1st, it was her 21st birthday. The female, Yujin's eyes, moved towards the blue blinds that blocked the sunlight from entering her room. However, there was another sight that she was looking forward to seeing that the blinds blocked.

"Is she up already?" she questioned, her lips couldn't stop curling into a bright smile. She reached for the baseball bat that rested against the side of her bed. She gripped onto the wooden bat as she rolled off her bed and pushed the blinds over to the side, and her eyes squinted from the bright sunlight that "attacked" her. However, the view on the other side of the window caused a bright smile to form, which revealed her deep dimples. On the other side, a female with long brown hair, soft eyes, and fair skin sat down on their bed. They seemed distracted as they softly strummed their guitar.

"Minjoo! Kim Minjoo!" Yujin called out as she tapped on the window. Her eyes grew big as she saw that the brown-haired female looked up from her guitar.

The other, Minjoo, set her guitar down and made her way to the window. The brown-haired girl pushed open the window, her lips curled into a soft smile, and her eyes formed into small crescents. "What is this? Ahn Yujin is up before I have to wake her up?" Minjoo teased as she rested against the window sill.

"Hey! I'm an adult now. I should be able to wake myself up!" Yujin retorted as she stared at Minjoo. Her eyes were searching for the other's before her lips curled into a bright smile. Her dimples were revealing themselves once more. Minjoo stared at Yujin with a curious look on her face.

"Ah, don't tell me you're planning on pulling a prank now. Ahn Yujin! You're an adult! Don't be a child!" Minjoo retorted playfully before letting out a soft laugh. "Are you going to the cafe today?"

"Of course, unfortunately, someone is calling out today, so I have to cover their shift," Yujin set the baseball bat down against the foot of the window. Her eyes softened as she stared at the older female.

"Ah, so I'm working with you today? Maybe I should call off today," Minjoo's lips pursed in before she let out a soft laugh. "You should work too. You shouldn't slack off because your sister owns the cafe and because I'm on shift!"

"Kim Minjoo, don't you have something to say to me before complaining about my work ethic?" Yujin questioned with a playful pout and whine escaping her lips.

The older female stared at Yujin. Her eyes softened as she gave them a bright smile and let out a soft but teasing hum. “Mmm? I don’t know? Do I?” she let out a soft laugh before making full eye contact with the younger female. “Happy birthday, Ahn Yujin.”

Yujin couldn’t hold back her smile as she stared into Minjoo’s eyes. She had been in love with her best friend, her next-door neighbor, and her childhood friend, Kim Minjoo, for the last sixteen years, but even on the morning of her twenty-first birthday, she still could not see their lines or the reflection of Minjoo’s soulmate.

“I have to get ready for work, but can I come over to your place for breakfast?” Minjoo questioned as she brought Yujin back to reality. Yujin’s lips curled into a soft smile as she gave the older a short nod.

"Geez, I don't know if you want to be over at my place!" Yujin teased playfully.

"Yah, Eunbi isn't that bad of a cook. I'll be there in fifteen!" the older female responded with a bright smile as she waved the other off.

Yujin watched as the older moved away from the window, closed it, and then proceeded to pull the curtains. She soon followed ensuite as her fingers ran through her short strands. How could she see everyone else’s lines but Minjoo’s?

A few minutes later, the younger girl made her way down the stairs. A bittersweet smile formed on her lips as she saw the picture frames on the way down. As she made her way down the stairs, each memory captured showed her growing, and near the end of the stairs, it showed a family of four slowly became a family of two. Yujin made her way to the kitchen, where she could hear the familiar sound of someone arguing in frustration.

"Yah, Kang Hyewon, how do you expect me to be free today? It's Yujin's birthday!" the female whose voice was usually soft had a hint of frustration. "So what if she's twenty-one, she can't be spending it by herself!"

Yujin walked into the kitchen, and she couldn't help but let out a soft laugh as she watched her older sister, Eunbi, talk to their best friend on the other line. Her lips curled into a soft smile when the older realized that she was there. "Hyewon, I'll call you back later. Yujin is up. My answer is no. You can't come over to have dinner with us! We're not a charity, pay for your meal!" And like that, Eunbi had ended the call.

"Was that Hyewon?" Yujin questioned as she sat down at the table, and she watched as the elder ran over to the stovetop to grab a hot bowl of seaweed soup. The table already lined with all of Yujin's favorite foods.

"Yeah, it was Hyewon. She wanted me to go out with her to watch a movie and then suggested that afterward, we meet up with you to eat dinner, but I told her no."

"Why can't you?"

"It's your birthday. We should be spending it together as a family, you know. Plus, knowing her, she might have just wanted to get a free meal!"

"You should just go ahead and go on a date with her," Yujin stated with a soft smile, her gaze slowly moved up towards her older sister's eyes. She could see the image of the female they were talking about slowly becoming more apparent. "Besides, I have a date with a thing called work," Yujin looked down at the piping hot bowl of seaweed soup that set before her.

"Ahn Yujin! I gave you the day off for a reason!"

The younger girl let out a soft laugh before she slowly shook her head, "I switched shifts with Yena today! So go ahead and enjoy your date! We can always eat cake at home," Yujin stated with a bright smile on her face. There was a soft knock on the door, soon accompanied by a door swinging open.

"Did you invite Minjoo over for breakfast?" the older female questioned as she looked at her younger sister.

"Who else would come into someone else's house like it's their own?" Yujin teased as she saw the older female standing at the kitchen doorway, a bright smile plastered on Yujin's face. Her dimples revealing themselves as she raised her hand and waved the older one over.

"Hey, I come over because you always talk about how you don't like to eat breakfast!" Minjoo retorted with a playful smile on her face as she walked to the table and made herself at home, a bright smile on her face. "Are you going on a date today?" Minjoo questioned as she turned her head towards the eldest female in the room.

Yujin stared at the girl who sat across from her. There was a faint frown on her face as her brows pushed inwards towards her forehead. She looked at her childhood friend. She was always puzzled as to why she couldn't see the lines that Minjoo had, much less the reflection of her soulmate.

"Does that sound good with you, Yujin?" the soft voice of her childhood friend bringing her back from her thoughts. Yujin looked up and stared at the brown-haired female. A soft laugh escaped her lips as she rubbed the nape of her neck.

“Sorry, what were we talking about?” Yujin questioned as her lips curled into a soft smile.

"Well, since Eunbi doesn't know what time her date will end, I told her that I could just spend time with you after work for your birthday."

"What? Homebody Minjoo wanting to socialize?" Yujin teased, her eyes formed into soft crescents and her lips curling into a bright smile, which revealed her deep dimples once more.

"Why would I need to leave the comfort of my home when I need time to decompress? Plus, Eunbi needs time to take care of herself, too, and it gives me an excuse to spend time with my best friend."

"You don't need an excuse to hang out with me, just pick up your phone and call me then say," In her best Minjoo impersonation voice, Yujin continued, "YAH! Ahn Yujin! I’m bored, hang out with me!”

"Hey, our Minjoo is softer than that!" Eunbi let out a soft laugh before her eyes noticed the time. "I have a meeting with an investor. Yujin, don't let Minjoo clean up by herself and open and lock up the cafe before you go out!" Eunbi responded as she grabbed her bag on the counter and made her way out of the room.

Yujin let out a soft laugh as she saw her older sister rushing out of the room. However, she was more taken back by the sight that began to form in front of her. Within a few seconds, a faint yellow line connected both Minjoo and Eunbi, for the first time in sixteen years, she could see Minjoo’s lines.

"Ah, we should get going too, the cafe is going to open in thirty minutes," Minjoo stated as she got up from her seat. Within a few seconds, Yujin grabbed Minjoo's hand, gently gripping at it as she stared at the older female.

"Yeah, Kim Minjoo, look at me for a second."

The older was slightly startled and taken back by the demand as she looked over at Yujin with a puzzled look that plastered on her face. "Why?" Minjoo questioned as she stared back at the younger. Yujin slowly moved her eyes up, her lips pursed in as she made eye-contact with the older. There was still no reflection in Minjoo’s eyes.

"Ah, you just…" Yujin let out a soft laugh as she raised her hand, and her eyes searched for an excuse for her strange demand. Before finally spotting a small grain of rice that stuck to their hair. Her hand slowly lifted as she gently picked off the rice grain from the older's strand of hair. "You had food in your hair. I didn't know your hair was hungry too."

“Geez, you’re so strange, Ahn Yujin,” Minjoo stated with a soft laugh as she brought the empty bowls to the sink.

“I’m stranger than you can imagine…” Yujin muttered softly to herself.

For some reason, the cafe was busier than average, with the line leading out of the building and wrapped around the corner. Yujin, who was usually covering the cashier position, had now taken up the responsibility of being in the back making the drinks. A deep and exasperated sigh escaped her lips as she looked over her shoulder to see that Minjoo was standing by the cash register. For Yujin, it was understandable, especially when Minjoo was the clumsy type who would read a matcha drink as mint.

“Is there some type of promotion that your sister didn’t tell us about?” a frustrated sigh escaped one of Yujin’s coworkers that were next to her. The female had a small face and a light brown bobbed-haircut.

"If there were some kind of promotion, Eunbi would be here instead of at a date or a meeting!"

Yujin responded as she finished topping off the drink with whip cream before setting it on the tray. She gently called out the number for the order as she waited for the customer to come and pick it up. Her eyes searched across the room as she saw the various lines that connected people, some were yellow, and some were purple. There was not a single black line in sight. Yujin's eyes soon wandered over to Minjoo once more, where she saw her bobbed-hair coworker, Kim Chaewon, made her way over to the older. There was a faint purple line that connected the two.

“Yah! Kim Chaewon, it’s not time to flirt!” Yujin exclaimed as she walked over to Chaewon. Her hand wrapped around their wrist as she tugged them away from Minjoo almost in a possessive manner. “Let’s get back to work!”

When Yujin tugged Chaewon off to the side, she looked over her shoulder. A black line appeared. Her eyes wandered over as she tried to connect the two points. Her eyes widened as she saw the black line connecting Minjoo and the male customer. She could see that the gentleman reached over the counter as if he were trying to take her hand into his. Minjoo had become uncomfortable as she pulled her hand back countless times, but the customer would reach over the counter to grab her wrist.

If a pair with a black line ever become involved again in their lives, destiny would have it that history will repeat itself.

Almost as if it were an instinct, Yujin made her way back to the register then pulled Minjoo away from the male who stood on the other side of the counter. “Kim Minjoo, go back into the kitchen. I’ll handle the register.” Yujin stared at the male as she gently tapped on the counter. “So just the milk tea for you today, sir?”

“That girl, what’s her name?” the male questioned as it seemed as if his eyes wandered to the back of the counter, searching for Minjoo and ignoring Yujin’s question.

"Sir, will that be all for you today?" Yujin questioned once more, and she slowly became more irritated.

“Can I have her number?”

“YAH! We have a line behind you, do you want anything else besides your drink today?”

"I said that I want her number," the male stated firmly. Yujin stared intensely at the male, almost threateningly. Her eyes moved to the corner of the screen as she saw the name of the customer typed into the order. "Excuse me, please get out of line if you're only here trying to pick up a girl's number. She's not interested."

And before the male could respond, a shocking sight occurred before the two. The male was now soaking in ice water.

"Ah, I'm sorry. I didn't realize it. I thought there was a trashcan standing right in front of me." a familiar voice rang in the room. Yujin looked up as her eyes moved up, and she saw Hyewon standing next to the gentleman. Her older sister's former roommate's water bottle now opened and the gentleman was soaking in th