WILL the red strings of fate bring two people back in the arms of one another?

 

            Jihoon and Guanlin have been childhood best friends since they were 3 years old. They played together, went to school together and even bathe together. The two were inseparable that their parents knew their bond was something special. But then, Guanlin’s parents decided to move to Taiwan for him to continue his studies.

            “Hoonie-ah, I promise I’ll see you soon! Promise that you’ll wait for me.”

            “Okay, Linlin, I promise. We will play games once you come back.”

            “I’ll return when you turn 17,” says little Guanlin.

            “That’s too long! Come back tomorrow.”

            Little did they know, it was the last time they saw each other again. Jihoon’s parents decided not to let him send Guanlin off at the airport the day he was set to live a new life on another country. They knew it was going to break the kid’s tiny heart.

            Every night, as Jihoon’s mom tucks him in, he keeps on asking the same question over again. “Eomma, when will Guanlin return to play with me?”

            “My little Hoonie, just look at the stars on you window sill. When stars twinkle, remember that Guanlin thinks of you and he will be back home soon.”

            So, at night he never fails to look at the night sky thinking of Guanlin. As the stars flicker, his heart also longs for his awaited return.

 

            11 years had passed, Jihoon is now 17 years old and a senior at School of Performing Arts. During Saturdays, he usually sleeps in ‘til 11 o’clock since he is tired from studying all night long for a university entrance test. While preparing for his breakfast, he the television and there was a new survival show being introduced.

            “Uwah, BoA is really pretty.”

            “One hundred and one trainees? Wow, that is a lot!”

            He flopped on the couch and turned the volume up. He suddenly became interested since he dreamt of becoming an idol once. One by one, trainees entered the set. He kept wondering who is brave enough to take the number 1 seat.

            Then he appeared.

            “Is that really him?”

            “I can’t be wrong.”

            “It is him!

            He immediately searched for his phone and dialed his best friend, Seonho.

            “Seonho-ah! The tv...... I saw him! It’s him! But how? I mean, he’s supposed to be in Taiwan, right? Tell me this is a dream. He’s on the frea-..”

            “Calm down, first! I just woke up and this is how you greet to me. Stop speaking in alien language and tell me everything clearly. This kid!,” Seonho cuts him off.

            “Okay, sorry. It’s just that, Guanlin is on my tv screen right now!,” he yells.

            “Wait wha-! Hold up, I’ll turn on my tv...

            Heol! It really is him.”

            While constantly fidgeting on his seat, “Ahh, what should I do Seonho-ah!”

            “If I were you I’d jump into him and tell everyone I’m his long-lost lover,” Seonho jokingly says.

            “Seriously! I can’t do that.”

         “But really though, if he still remembers you, he could’ve contacted you the moment his foot landed in Korea. Just my two cents.” Then Seonho hangs up. That left Jihoon in a real confusion. He turned the tv off and spent the day staring at his bedroom ceiling thinking he didn’t anticipate that this day would come. 11 years. Time surely flies fast.

 

{at school}

            Jihoon arrived a little early for his first class. Something seemed a little weird today. He notices that the usually quite hallway is crowded with mostly girls. They kept whispering and squirming.

            “Have you heard there’s a new transferee?”

            “I heard he’s a flower boy!”

            “They say he looks straight from a manhwa!”

            “He’s really tall and I heard he came abroad.”

            When he entered the room, he couldn’t believe his own eyes who was sitting at the back row. He had to blink a few times and pinch his cheeks. When he felt a sting of pain, he knew he wasn’t in a dream.

            He looked flustered but went straight to his seat which was a seat at the back row too. Turns out, Seonho who is always late for class, is Guanlin’s new seatmate.

            “Ah, why did we have to be seated in between Seonho,” he murmurs to himself.

            The time Guanlin came back into Jihoon’s life, he knew it was not going to be easy. Neither Guanlin approached him, nor even glanced his way. He did not even dare to talk to him even though they are only a few inches apart and it was hurting him inside. A month went by without any interactions and Jihoon tried to accept the fact that the past will never come back no matter how much he would like to. It is not like the dead can be revived and to him, memories with Guanlin are nothing but good as dead.

 

{few weeks after}

            “I heard he can’t sing. Someone I know says he always do lip-syncs.”

            “Really? That’s too bad. I thought he had a great voice. Such a pity.”

            Jihoon decided to in, “Who are you talking about?”

            “Ah, that Guanlin guy,” the girl coldly replied.

            He hurriedly looked for his name on the internet. Guanlin was the top trending on every SNS sites. “That was why he’s absent these past few weeks,” he realized. Jihoon can’t help but feel sorry for him. There were new articles on how bad he was at singing and his management keeps shut about it. His anger got the best of him and the next thing he knew, he was in front of YMC’s building. Media outlets were all over the place waiting for the company’s comment about the issue.

            While he tries to be at the very front, people were pushing and pulling each other. Jihoon’s body was squished between large bodies that he fell down facing forward. He tried to get up but he realized that his right palm had a scratch and it was bleeding. But before anything else, he became confused when the media were all circled around him. Looking up, he saw Guanlin’s tall figure staring at Jihoon.

            Guanlin did not waste any time. He went straight to Jihoon and hugged him tightly that it was almost his bones would break. Then he pushed him a little to look into Jihoon’s eyes.

            “这就是为什么我一直在躲开你，笨蛋,” Guanlin says softly.

            “我不能忍受看着你受伤,” he added.

            Jihoon couldn’t contain his tears and started crying. Guanlin helped him up and together they entered YMC. He assisted Jihoon and let him sit on a chair while he rummages the room for a first aid kit. As he prepares the bandages and ointments, Jihoon couldn’t help but wonder what did Guanlin told him. He knew it was mandarin but it was not like he understands the language.

            “Linlin, tell me. What did you say to me after you hugged me?,” Jihoon asks shyly.

            “I don’t know. Look it up somewhere,” he replies.

            Jihoon quickly searched online for articles about them. He read the translated texts and could not keep himself from letting out a smile.

            He reads them loudly for Guanlin to hear.

            “This is why I ignored you purposely, you idiot.
            “I can’t stand it when you’re hurting.”

            “Okay, okay! Stop it already,” Guanlin belts out even though he says he doesn’t like to hear it, Jihoon knows from his smile that he, too, is happy that they are together again like the old times.