It all started with a portrait. A portrait of a young girl in her early twenties. 

 

Jinki could not get the portrait out of his mind.

 

What was it about that picture that had his inside into knots? It was just an ordinary picture, nothing really special but the first time he laid his eyes on it, his entire world changed.

 

She was beautiful. The picture was set from the 1800's, her hair coiffed to perfection, a hat adorning her head. She had dark auburn hair, porcelain skin, dark brown eyes with fine eyelashes. 

 

He found the portrait innocently enough. There he was, in the attic, rummaging through his friend Minho's belongings. His high school buddy was finally entering university this year and had asked Jinki to help him sort out his things. 

 

He was moving boxes full of sports equipment and that was when he found it: the picture that turned his life upside down.

 

It was hidden underneath all the other random family memorabilia that the Choi family kept in their attic. Jinki froze, and the first thing he sees is her smiling face in the black and white portrait.

 

Jinki felt his entire world shake - as cheesy as that sounded but it was the truth. He had a weird sense of deja vu go through him.

 

Something about her was familiar but how could that be when he didn't even know who she was? 

 

He slowly picked up the picture, blew the dust away. He ran a finger down the young woman's face, his fingers trembling.

 

She was gorgeous. Her smile bright, as he traced it with his fingertips. Despite the sunny disposition of her smile, he could see a hint of a feisty personality behind it. There was an unmistakable glint in her feline shaped brown eyes and Jinki felt himself smiling.

 

Why does he feel as if he knew who she was? 

 

He carefully folded the picture and tucked it in his pocket. Maybe Minho will be able to know who she was? After all, it was his attic, his house, his stuff so he must know who the mysterious girl was.

 

Running down the stairs, carefully of course because he was known to trip over his feet easily, he finds Minho in his room, going through some old books and video games of his.

 

"I need to ask you something." Jinki says, panting from the small run down the stairs. Ironically enough, Minho's room was in the basement so it was a bit of a run from the top attic down to his small room considering his house had so many floors.

 

"Jinki hyung are you done with sorting the stuff out in the attic?" 

 

"Do you know who this is?" Jinki says, ignoring the question.

 

He takes the folded picture out from his pocket and hands it to Minho.

 

"Who?"

 

"I found this in your attic, buried underneath. Who is she?"

 

Minho eyes the picture in confusion, not recognizing it. He takes the picture from Jinki's hands and stares at the young woman, brows furrowed in concentration.

 

"I have no idea, she's not related to us if that's what you're wondering. Otherwise, I would know who she was. I can ask my parents if you'd like, but I'm sure I'd have recognized her by now."

 

Jink didn't want to sound overeager but he nodded, asking for the picture back.

 

Minho looks at him strangely, noticing the way he was acting.

 

"Hyung, are you okay?"

 

 

 

 

 

After managing to convince Minho of keeping the picture for himself, he goes home, the folded picture tucked in his wallet.

 

But all he seemed to think about was her and that nagging feeling wouldn't leave.

 

The subway ride back to his apartment felt a lot longer than usual. He wasn't sure if it had something to do with the picture in his wallet but he was pretty sure it did.

 

He had to find out who she was.

 

 

 

 

He lived in a nice complex, the area quiet and peaceful. The apartment was small but affordable, consisting of a small kitchen, one room and a tiny living room. 

 

People always wondered why a kid like him that came from a well to-do family would want to live in a small place like this - but it's what he preferred. He didn't want to depend on his family's money. He wanted to earn things his own way, paying for his own tuition, his own rent.

 

He lived the typical college student's life. If he wasn't at school, studying in the library, he'd be working in his part-time job as a vocal and piano coach.

 

Jinki loved music, he lived and breathed it.

 

But it always surprises everyone when he tells them that he was majoring in veterinary science and not music.

 

He opened the door, punching in the code of his security system. He throws his bag on the couch and heads to the kitchen to cook something. Helping Minho move did take its toll, and all he wanted to do was eat, shower and sleep. Preferably in that order.

 

As he was taking out the prepared marinated chicken from the fridge, the phone rang.

 

He grabbed the receiver, balancing it with one ear as he continued to prepare the chicken and placed it in the oven. "Hello?"

 

"Hyung?"

 

He recognized the voice immediately. "Taemin-ah?"

 

Taemin was his best friend, along with Minho. He was the youngest out of the three of them, so Jinki had a bit of a protective instinct when it came to the younger boy.

 

"Sorry for bothering you Hyung, but I just wanted to say hi. How was the move today with Minho hyung?"

 

"Oh! It went smoothly Taemin."

 

"So sorry I couldn't come and help out. I was a bit tied up with school and dance practices the entire day."

 

They kept talking for awhile longer, but Jinki eventually had to say his goodbye, the ding of the oven signaling the chicken was done.

 

"It was nice talking to you, Hyung. I'll see you you both sometime soon?"

 

"For sure, Taemin-ah. Take care."

 

Once he hung up, he brought out some salad from the fridge and prepared some fruit punch to drink. He ate in silence, the picture in his wallet still very much in his thoughts.

 

It wasn't going to be your typical night.

 

 

 

 

 

 

He laid in bed, staring at the ceiling, finding it hard to sleep. He tossed and turned, hugging his pillow tight. He brought an arm to cover his eyes and with a dejected sigh, his light.

 

The picture of the young woman was still weighing heavily on his mind. He got up and looked for his wallet in his bag, needing to see her again.

 

Once he had the picture in his hands, the feeling of rightness washed over him, his earlier worries gone. It seems that as long as he had her close by, everything was alright in his world, which scared and confused the heck out of him.

 

Deciding that sleeping at this rate was going to be hard, he grabs the remote and turns on the small tv in his room.

 

He was channel surfing, looking for something good to watch, when he stumbles on a segment about soulmates in the psychic channel.

 

Jinki felt his hands tremble, listening in rapt attention.

 

"Soulmates are a popular topic among the psychic community. Clients usually call in, asking psychics if soulmates exist and if they did, they'd proceed to ask whether or not this particular person was their soulmate. What one needs to understand is that there are different types of soulmates out there. One is called your karmic soulmate, and these beings are usually there to help you grow and balance out previous energies present. Relationships with karmic soulmates are never smooth, they are there to teach you a lesson. Another soulmate is known as companion soulmates and these souls are here to make life easier to live. They could be anybody, a helpful neighbour, a best friend, your sibling. The other soulmate is known as a "twin flame" and these soulmates are the most intense and usually what everyone calls their other half... "

 

Jinki felt like something settled right in the pit of his stomach and he knew what he had to do.

 

He had to speak to a psychic and figure out what was happening to him, why he seemed to be attached to the young woman in the picture. He had a feeling that what he just watched had something eerily similar to his situation. 

 

 

 

 

 

The next day went by like a breeze, Jinki barely paying any attention to anything else around him. He went through his day just like usual, going to his classes in the morning, working in his part-time job in the afternoon, going through the motions.

 

By the time he finished his shift, he knew what he needed to do.

 

 

 

 

 

"Her name is Gwiboon, born in 1865. She lived in the same place your friend--what is his name? starts with an M and I feel his energy around you. I have this faint sense that she knew you. Jinki sweetie, I have this feeling that she's someone very connected to you. She's someone very important..."

 

Jinki watched the psychic furrow her eyebrows deeper, still watching the picture. Then she gives Jinki a look and says, "You need to find her, Jinki... because from what I can see in my visions, you and her shared several past lives together. She's your soulmate and you need to get this right this time around, fate is giving you this one last chance to be together. There is a reason why you feel attached to this picture..."

 

Jinki was floored, but not at all surprised considering the depth of connection he felt for the young woman in the picture.

 

"H-Her name is... Gwiboon?"

 

The psychic smiled tenderly. "Yes, and she's meant for you, Jinki. You need to find her because it's time you finish your dance."