Goodbye, my love for you is tied to my heart by a crimson thread
It's broken
Magic has broken it
But i can walk on my own

Goodbye, I won't see you again
But you're tied to my heart
By a crimsom thread
Pinky Promise, it's okay even if you trick me with gentle lies  ― 

                                                                                              真っ赤な糸 - Plastic Tree

If you were told that you only had a few years left to live, what would you do?

Would you stop living your life and just wait until the time come? Or would you keep on living, spending each and every moment of your life as best as you could? 

Seo Jisoo was the latter.

When she was told that she was suffering from Leukemia during her last year as a Junior High School, being shocked and sad was probably an understatement for both her and her parents.

But eventually, Jisoo managed to accept it. She managed to accept that everyone in life has different fate and path. And if it had been her path to live with the illness, then she just had to live that way. It should not stop her from living and continue her life until the time come. In fact, it motivated her to do her best in everything she had to do. Whether it was with family, school, friends, and love….

As a beta, she had always been the more-free type when it came to relationships, because unlike alpha and omega, betas could not form any soulbond with their partners. Back in junior high school, Jisoo had dated two boys and a girl, but none of the relationship worked out.

Somehow Jisoo ended up being very grateful to be born as a beta when it was revealed that she was suffering from leukemia, because it meant if she had to leave the world so soon, she would not have to worry about finding any partner and ended up being too attached to her partner. The last thing she would like to do, after all, was to make someone drown in sorrow because of her. That was until she met Yoo Jiae.

To Jisoo, Yoo Jiae was dazzling. At first, it surprised her how someone with such a cute, baby face could have such a sassy and strong personality. But Jisoo later thought it was what made Jiae attractive. The closer the two got, the more Jisoo fell for Jiae. That was also when she found out that despite having a tough character, Jiae also had a soft, caring side in her.

Eventually, the two began dating after it was revealed that Jiae shared the same feeling as Jisoo. It could happen thanks to Jiae’s sudden and bold confession which occurred when Jisoo was having a sleep-over at the other’s house.

In all honesty, Jisoo was very aware of the risk. The beta knew that with the lifespan she had, she and Jiae would probably have to separate soon. But who was she to reject Jiae? She was falling so hard for the omega, that she ended up following the greed inside her and welcomed her confession with open arms.

“Just please, please let me stay with her like this. Just for now…...”, that was what she thought as she held Jiae close in her arms the night they became lovers.

All Jisoo wanted was to treasure the present, treasure her time with Jiae.

***

It was a chilly winter morning in February, just a day after her weekly check-up. Jisoo found it really hard to get up that morning, she just felt so weak. During the check-up, Jisoo and her parents were told that the herbal medicine that the girl had been taking had not been showing any effect to cure her illness and they were told that it would be better if she underwent chemoteraphy.

But she refused to do so. Because if she chose that path, it meant she would have to stop going to school. And Jiae would find out—her girlfriend would find out that she had been ill. What if she decided to leave her after she found out about that? Call her stubborn and selfish, but she would rather spend the time she had left with Jiae than being stuck in a hospital until God knew when.

That morning, her mom told her to just stay at home for the day and get a lot of rest. But Jisoo refused and insisted on going to school since it was the day of Howon’s and Sungyeol’s graduation, and there was no way she would miss her favourite sunbaes’ graduation.

“Jisoo-ya!” Jiae greeted her girlfriend with a hug as soon as she saw Jisoo walking past the school entrance that morning. As a girlfriend, Jiae had always been the clingy type, and Jisoo didn’t mind that at all. However, with Jisoo’s condition that day, she could not help but taken slightly aback by the omega’s ‘attack’ and almost fell down because she was losing her balance from dizziness.

Thankfully, Sungyeol happened to be there and caught the two girlfriends in his arms before they could fall down to the ground.

“Girls, you okay?” The male beta asked the couple in concern before darting his gaze to Jiae. “Stop being so aggressive so early in the morning, Yoo Jiae.” The boy playfully stuck his tongue out at the girl, earning a glare from the omega.

“Yah, I am not aggressive!” instead of wasting time arguing with Sungyeol, Jiae quickly shifted her attention to her girlfriend. “But…. are you okay, Jisoo-ya? Am I heavy or anything?” She eyed the other girl with a worried look on her face. “You look kind of pale too… are you sick?” the slighthly older girl asked the younger with a frown, her hand cupping her girlfriend’s cheek gently.

Upon hearing Jiae’s question, Jisoo immediately shook her head. “Nah, I just skipped my breakfast, that is why I am feeling kind of weak…” She had no choice but to lie to her. Truthfully, lying had always been one of the things Jisoo disliked to do. But what was she supposed to say at this situation? Tell Jiae that she was weak because of her illness? No way.

After she heard what Jisoo said, Jiae ended up nagging at her girlfriend, telling her that she should never skip breakfast and stuff. That was the caring and motherly side of Jiae which Jisoo had always liked.

The graduation ceremony for the senior students ran smoothly, and the group ended up holding a graduation party for Howon and Sungyeol at Jiae’s house. At first, the others planned to just celebrate it in a fastfood restaurant, but Jiae insisted that she wanted to cook a lot for her favourite sunbaes, which was why they ended up having the celebration at her house, with meals made by Jiae and her personal chef.

As the others were gathered in the living room while Jiae was preparing for the food, with help of her chef and Soojung, Jisoo excused herself to rest for a moment, telling the others that she had a light headache. Why did she have to feel so weak at times like this? She rarely cursed at her illness, but this time, she really hated it.

Jisoo lied down comfortably on Jiae’s bed, and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep by the time Jiae had finished preparing for the food. Noticing her girlfriend’s absence in the living room, Jiae immediately made her way to her bedroom, only to be greeted by a sight of a sleeping Jisoo on her bed.

“Jisoo-ya?” the girl approached her own bed with an eyebrow raised as she noticed that Jisoo was in a deep slumber. Unknowingly, the omega began staring at her girlfriend’s sleeping face as she sat down on the edge of her bed. Somehow, in Jiae’s view, Jisoo looked so peaceful sleeping like that. Yet she also looked pale…so peaceful and pale… as if she was not going to wake up.

She could not help but get scared at her own thought, and soon, she started shaking the younger girl’s shoulder, almost frantically, “Jisoo-ya! Jisoo-ya! Seo Jisoo!” she almost shouted the name as she attempted to wake her up. Jisoo then opened her eyes a few seconds later, the sight that greeted her, however, took her by surprise.

Jisoo was welcomed by a sight of Jiae who looked like she’s on the verge of tears.

 “W-what’s wrong….? What happened, baby?” the girl immediately sat up on her spot to cup the omega’s cheek. Worry was apparent on the beta’s face.

Upon realizing the tears which were threatening to fall down, Jiae shook her head and rubbed her own eyes. She also let out a sigh of relief at the same time as she noticed that Jisoo had waken up. “It’s nothing, Jisoo-ya—I just….” Jiae trailed off in the mid of her sentence, her fingers were clutching the hem of Jisoo’s shirt as silence filled the room.

Jisoo, who was worried of her girlfriend, took Jiae’s hand that was clutching on her shirt and started rubbing her thumb on the top of the other girl’s hand hand gently as she waited for Jiae to continue her words.

Jiae finally began speaking again after a couple of seconds. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me, Jisoo-ya… I somehow—I felt really scared… all of a sudden….” Her answer caused a line of frown to appear on Jisoo’s forehead.

“And what exactly are you scared of, baby…?” the slightly younger girl questioned the omega, her thumb still rubbing on Jiae’s hand soothingly.

Jiae did not know how should she answer her girlfriend. She closed her eyes as she tried to calm herself down, enjoying the touch of Jisoo’s fingertip on her hand as well. She eventually opened her eyes and began speaking again after a few moments “You…. You are not going anywhere, are you?” Jiae’s sudden question surprised the other girl. Why was she asking that out of the blue?

The omega suddenly felt herself being pulled into Jisoo’s arms. The beta’s hand was patting the top of her head gently as she stayed still in her embrace.

“Of course I am not going anywhere,” Jisoo said as she kept hugging her girlfriend. “Not going anywhere without you, my moomin.” There she went, uttering another gentle lie to her precious one. But that was the only way to comfort the other, even though she knew the truth, that she would have to leave the omega, either sooner or later.

Fortunately, her words managed to comfort Jiae. The girl curved her lips into a smile as she let go of the hug so she could take a look of her girlfriend’s face.

“I love you, Jisoo-ya….” Jiae uttered the words ever so lovingly and sincerely. One of her hands was back holding Jisoo’s own again.

 “And I love you too, my Yoo Jiae….” She rubbed her thumb on her hand again as they held hand, something which probably had became Jisoo’s habit everytime they held each other’s hands.

***

Jisoo’s condition only got worse after a few months of becoming a sophomore student. And things got even more difficult because she had to be absent from class multiple times, and that was when Jiae began questioning what was wrong with her girlfriend.

“Are you sure you are alright, Jisoo-ya? Don’t you want to consider having a check-up or something?” The omega took a chance to ask her girlfriend one day, when Jisoo was feeling well enough to go to school. Concern was apparent on Jiae’s face as she talked to the other.

Oh, if only Jiae knew the truth.

Instead of revealing what’s actually happening with her to her girlfriend, Jisoo only shook her head. “It’s okay, really. It’s just my migraine keeps coming back thesedays, that it’s pretty hard to even get up.” She flashed her girlfriend a reassuring smile as she lied to her. She hated it, she hated lying to Jiae like this, but she did not want to tell her the truth either.

But Jisoo’s answer still managed to earn a frown on Jiae’s face. “And that is why you should go to doctor, baby…” the omega heaved a sigh at her girlfriend’s stubbornness. That was when Jisoo really did not know what to say anymore. Thankfully, Sungjong suddenly interrupted the two girls, bringing the book he had been searching since several minutes ago. The boy then joined the two to sit down on one of the seats in the library.

“Got the book you were looking for, Jongie?” Jiae’s attention eventually was shifted to the male omega as she questioned her best friend. Sungjong nodded his head as he showed the two girls the book he was borrowing.

“The Red String of Fate?” Jisoo and Jiae read out the title of the book simultaneously, which was responded with a nod by the boy.

“Yes, it is a Japanese novel about a couple who are tied by an invisible red string around their pinky fingers.” Sungjong delightfully explained it to the two girls, seeming so excited. “It’s said in the synopsis that no matter what obstacles come between the two of them, they eventually always manage to find each other and get back together.” Both Jiae and Jisoo nodded their heads after listening to Sungjong’s summary of the story.

“It’s my first time hearing about that myth.” Jisoo spoke up. “As expected from Lee Sungjong. You really take interest in this kind of stuff!” the boy could not help but smile because of his friend’s words. Jiae on the other hand, complained that Sungjong had been telling her about the red string stuff since long time ago.

“Soooooo, what do you think?” Jiae asked her friend as the three of them finally moved away from their table and made their way out of the library, a cheeky grin could be seen on her lips. “Do you think that Howon oppa is the one who is connected to you with that string?”

Sungjong blinked his eyes upon hearing her question. “About that…. Uh…. I don’t know? I mean, if I were to be honest, I always feel that Howon hyung is the right person to me. Now that we have formed a soulbond…. hopefully, we are really each other’s fated mate….” The male omega could not help the sheepish smile that was appearing on his lips as he revealed his feeling to his two friends.

Mate, that word somehow made Jisoo’s heart ache. As she glanced at her girlfriend, Jisoo thought how she had never been in love like how she was now with Jiae. But she knew it better than anyone, that as much as she wished to be Jiae’s fated mate, she knew she was not the one for her. When it is time for Jisoo to go, Jiae would have to continue to live her life and find someone else, find her true, fated mate.

“Well, so I am.” Jisoo widened her eyes as she heard Jiae speaking up. “If that red string really exists, then I wish Jisoo and I are tied with that red string as well….” The girl trailed off for a moment before she lowered her voice, her gaze was then shifted to her lover, “Because I really can’t imagine myself being with someone else other than Seo Jisoo….” Jiae said it so bluntly, that even though she had lowered her voice, pretty sure Sungjong could still hear it, and the other girl could not help but blush.

As much as her words made Jisoo sad, the female beta managed to curve her lips into a smile. She nodded and held her girlfriend’s hand gently as she responded to her girlfriend’s words. “And I wish the same, my Yoo Jiae.”

Even though she knew her wish would never come true, that was Jisoo’s real feeling. She really wished that they were each other’s fated mate.

***

Jisoo and Jiae hung out together to have some desserts after school was finished that day. Jiae was the one who asked the other out since the girl felt that it had been quite a while since the two went home together. And it was true, because thesedays, Jisoo would go home first without hanging out with Jiae nor their other friends.

“Aaah, I really have missed this, it has been quite a while since we have a small, simple date like this, has not it?” Jiae said as they were seated together inside an ice cream parlor near to the school.

Jisoo could not help but feel a pang of guilt because of her girlfriend’s words. “I am sorry….” She gave the other girl an apologetic look as her fingers were fiddling with her ice cream spoon.

The omega ended up feeling bad as well because of the way Jisoo reacted to her. “Hey, it is okay, Jisoo-ya….” Her lips were curved into a small smile, trying to look as reassuring as possible. “It’s just… I missed this—I missed you… since thesedays you would immediately go home and rarely hang out with me and the rest anymore, so…” Jiae decided to stop as she realized that she had probably used a wrong choice of words.

She then immediately said something else as she was not getting any response from her girlfriend, who just continued to give her an apologetic gaze, although she had moved one of her hands to hold her girlfriend’s own.

“Let’s have a date this sunday, Jisoo-ya!” Jiae beamed her eyes as she said so. It was obvious that she was very hopeful that her girlfriend would accept her request.

But, as much as she wanted to comply with Jiae’s wish, Jisoo knew that the weekend meant going to hospital for the weekly check-up. Feeling disappointed of her ownself, the beta heaved a sigh before she responded to Jiae’s words.

“This Sunday… I am sorry, I can not.” She looked at Jiae with the same apologetic look once again, she felt even more guilty as she saw a frown appearing on Jiae’s face.

“Why?”, was Jiae’s only respond. The disappointment because of her girlfriend’s rejection was very apparent on the omega’s word and expression.

Jisoo let out a sigh one more time. Now she had to lie to her girlfriend, again and again. “There are some family matters, Jiae-ya…” she intertwined her fingers with the other’s, hoping that her girlfriend could feel how sorry she was for disappointing her like that.

But Jiae was still not giving up. “Then how about we go on a date in Saturday evening?” Jisoo felt Jiae holding onto her fingers quite tightly as she questioned her, flashing the hopeful look one more time.

But then Jiae knew that it was not possible the moment she saw her girlfriend shaking her head again.

 “We will have to go to our hometown, Incheon, since Saturday, so…” a lie, again, and again. By that time, Jisoo started getting sick of the lies she continued to utter. But what could she do about it?

However, she never expected that the day when she would have to stop lying to Jiae, the time for her to tell her girlfriend the truth, would come so soon.

It happened right on that Sunday. Jiae, who was upset because of her girlfriend’s constant rejection, decided to go out with Soojung that day. The two hung out in one of the malls which happened to be located not too far from Seoul Hospital. It was almost evening when they decided to go home after they spent the entire day doing window-shopping, watching a movie, ate their meals and enjoyed some desserts. Jiae was feeling pretty content after a day out with her close unnie. Hanging out with Soojung at least helped her to forget her disappointment towards Jisoo momentarily.

But then, as she and Soojung were making their way towards the mall exit, the girl caught a sight of Jisoo. Jisoo with her parents, right there, in Seoul, not at Incheon.

Why is she here? Why did she lie to me about going to Incheon? That was what Jiae had on her mind when she approached Jisoo and her parents, even without any hesitation, leaving Soojung dumbfounded.

Jisoo was as surprised when she suddenly saw her girlfriend standing right in front of her and her parents. They intended to get some dinner at the mall after the daughter of their family was done with the check-up, and now Jisoo felt that they should just have go home immediately instead of going here.

“Jisoo-ya…….” Jiae gazed at her girlfriend intensely. Hurt and distrust were two things Jisoo saw as they faced each other. The omega did not even bother to greet Jisoo’s parents as she was too immersed in the feeling of disappointment.

“J-jiae-ya….” Jisoo on the other hand, did not even know what to say. She was afraid that the girl would get mad—or maybe she was already mad.

“Why did you lie to me???” Jiae almost shouted as tears were b in her eyes, threatening to fall anytime soon. “How could you do that to me? Why… you…” by now, Soojung had also came into the scene, trying to calm Jiae down while flashing Jisoo a questioning look and bowing her head to Jisoo’s father and mother. The omega’s parents were flabbergasted at the way the girl in front of them acted towards their daughter.

“Jiae-ya…please listen to me—“ Jisoo attempted to reach out for Jiae. She would hold her hand just like the usual, she would calm her down and the two could talk about it. Yes, they could talk about it.

To her surprise, Jiae rejected her touch by slapping her hand off. Jisoo’s eyes widened at how harsh her girlfriend reacted to her. Jiae might have sassy and strong personality, but not to the point she would act this harsh and violent. Being too shocked of the rejection, she did not even notice that her girlfriend had already run away from the scene, going away from her and made her way out of the mall as fast as possible without caring about her surrounding, not wanting to hear anything from Jisoo, not from anyone.

A/N : Hello, it's me. lol. Yes, I am not abandoning this story yet.  But writing this is harder than i expected, so it took me quite long to update. I wish more people would ship 2ji, they are precious ; u ;

P.S : please support lovelyz's upcoming comeback! watch the beautiful yet creepy prologue film here!