A/N: Hey!  this will be long so please read it all!

First, we have two very different endings here, however both contain similar scenes that will have some big differences that will affect the story. Whenever there is a scene that is exactly the same for both chapters, I will mark the first few words of it in bold blue (like this) so you guys can skip it if you want.

Second, flashbacks will always be canon, however the memories the characters choose to remember might diverge from one ending to the other, yet everything indeed happened. So if you are interested in the characters past, I suggest you to check both chapters, the flashbacks are marked in italic as usual.

Third and last, we all know I’m very much biased and this story was planned to have 2kyung as focus, but I tried my best to give attention to all the characters and give them some sort of closure.

This is huge and probably has a lot of mistakes, so I apologize in advance. If you read ‘till here, thank you and I hope you enjoy it :)

Friday

Nayoung looked at her assistant who was currently going through one of their books, noticing how upset the younger one seemed. “So, you noticed it.” She said in her usual calm tone, feeling a bit more in control of herself after last week’s confrontation with Fate – that short old lady surely had a temper. “Things are bound to happen. Destiny and you should know it.”

The raven haired woman sighed, not bothering in hiding her feelings any longer. Nayoung and her might not agree on a lot of things, but she didn’t have much option other than being honest now. “Why couldn’t you just allow her in that day? If you had, she could’ve get the book and…”

“And act as reckless as you and Sungyeon have been acting?” Im shook her head in disapproval, crossing her arms. She might be the youngest goddess and make mistakes once in a while, however, she was trying her best to do things right this time around. “Humans have free will for a reason. I’m giving them the right of choice, and you can’t choose things without time.”

Kyulkyung grimaced, closing the book to glare at the older woman. “You say this as if the mark can’t affect their feelings. The longer we wait, the stronger than bond gets.”

Nayoung massaged her temples, an old habit that was getting out of hand with all the stress Fate and her stubborn assistant had been putting her through. One would think that her, as the guardian of the soulmates, would have more freedom to act. “The mark can’t force them to do anything. It doesn’t create feelings, it just helps them to connect and makes things easy.” The soulmate system, like the council liked to call, wasn’t a simple thing, it depended as much of the people as it depended of her choices – that’s why she always felt tired and stressed, overwhelmed by every single choice she ever made. She wasn’t able to create love, to forge it and give it away whenever it pleased her, she could only to give humans a good chance of developing the feeling for someone who could also feel the same. “It can’t change their hearts. The final choice is always up to them.”

Silence filled the air as the chinese girl took into consideration Nayoung’s words, putting the book back into the shelf. They had so many books, she had lost the count of the times she had tried to read it and failed most of the time – Nayoung told her that only who need it, can read it. She felt like she really needed it right now, yet she was only able to check the registry books and nothing else. Kyulkyung wondered if Minkyung would be able to read the red book once she got the chance or if it would be useless.

Ju had put all her hopes into this, believing it was the right thing to do. To know, there was a chance it all would only lead to another mishap was affecting her more than expected. While Sungyeon showed her unhappiness with an attitude, she could only show it by the heavy sighs she let escaped once in a while. Yaebin was a very dear person to her, her first real friend in that country and the one person who had always supported her and Eunwoo in their crazy antics. Yaebin deserved her own love story, one without so much pain and heartbreak – unfortunately, it was out of Kyulkyung’s reach. Just like giving Eunwoo a happy ending seem to be.

“Nayoung unnie?” Her voice was small when she called for the elder, she could feel Nayoung’s inscrutable eyes on her. “Sungyeon told me you are able to see a lot of things to help you choose what is best.”

The older brunette raised her brow slightly, her eyes becoming a little sharper. “I can’t see things like she does. I only catch a glimpse of fate.”

“You can see how it ends.” Such a simple statement also carried so much weight. Kyulkyung knew for a while about it, even before a very annoyed Destiny decide to snap at Nayoung, she was smart enough to presume it. Im needed to know this much to do her work properly, to plan on who should be with who, and when it should happen. However, it took Kyul a long time to accept what it meant to her.

Nayoung didn’t say anything, knowing what was coming next and bracing herself to a conversation she would rather to not have.

“If could see what my destiny was, why did you assign me a soulmate? It goes against the protocol.” There was no anger in the assistant’s tone, she couldn’t blame Nayoung for this. As bittersweet as it was, the woman had granted her the chance of being by Eunwoo’s side, even if only for a couple of months.

The goddess let her eyes wander through the shop, avoiding Kyul’s dark eyes. She had reprimand Sungyeon for meddling in human matter, but how much better she really was? She was in no position to censor the other divinity. All the mistakes she made, every bad decision, would always torment her, but she couldn’t possibly regret that one.

“Doesn’t everyone deserve a chance at love?” Braving up, the older woman looked at Kyulkyung.

The assistant could have argued that it wasn’t fair to her soulmate, nor for her, that loving and losing was much worse than never falling in love. She could have said that watching Eunwoo suffer because of her was killing her all over again. But she didn’t. Because no matter how much it pained them both, how much it made her frustrated and sad, she didn’t regret it. Kyulkyung would never regret having Eunwoo in her life, being with her and loving her. She knew it was the same for the Jung. Nayoung had giving them happiness, even if it was briefly.

So she just listened in silence, a small, sad smile on her face as she took a seat next to her boss.

“Thank you.”

“I’m sorry.”

The simple sentences, filled with sincerity were enough for now. As much as Kyulkyung’s destiny was to cross paths with Eunwoo in life, it was also her fate to stand by Nayoung for the rest of her existence. They had a long way to go.

Sitting at a booth in the corner of a quiet restaurant near Minkyung’s workplace, Yewon stared at her sister with shock, reaching to take Minky’s left hand between hers. Her gaze darting from her conflicted sister to the mark on her palm. “Oh my god, unnie! H-How? I thought you wouldn’t ever…” She began, her tone full of shock and worry.

Minkyung retreated her hand, feeling uncomfortable under her little sister’s gaze. She knew that her family wouldn’t deal well with it, just like herself they had grown used to the idea that she would never get a soul mark, specially one that connected her to a stranger instead of Kyungwon. Yewon hadn’t said anything about her sister in law yet, but they both knew she was wondering where it placed Kang now.

“I don’t know…It just happened.” She shrugged, closing her hand and pulling it closer to her body.

With a deep breath, she gave Yewon a short version of what happened in the last month. As she spoke, she noticed Yewon’s usually bright smile slowly disappearing giving space to a gloomy look.

“So that why you just left that night…You told mom and dad about it?”

The older Kim nodded, refraining from grimacing at the memory. Earlier that day she had sat down with her parents and explained it all, and as expected of her parents they had supported her in the best way they could, albeit none of them knew what to tell her or how to react. They knew her girlfriend since middle school, their families were as tied together just as the girls were, and it was hard to simply act like it wasn’t a huge family matter that could affect them all.

“They told me to be honest with myself and do what I think is the best.” She said, fidgeting with the ring on her hand, finding some comfort on it.  She wasn’t sure how she was supposed to make a decision when all of her choices would hurt someone in the end, including herself.

“It’s a good advice.” The younger brunette’s voice was quiet, her expression thoughtful as if she was trying to form her own opinion on the matter. For her, the soulmate mark was a bless, something that connected her to someone she had loved almost instantly and brought her nothing but happiness. It didn’t seem fair that her sister received one after so long, just to ruin her already happy life. “How is Kyungwon unnie doing?”

Another heavy sigh came out of the taller woman. “I’m not sure. She has been very busy with work, or at least it’s what she tells me.” Minkyung frowned, the grip on her ringer growing a bit stronger. “She is just being Kyungwon, what means that she’s putting everyone but herself first.” Letting go of the ring, Minkyung used her right hand to massage her temple where a headache was making her presence known. “We don’t talk that much anymore and I can’t blame her for it. Sometimes we try but it’s… It’s hard to act like nothing changed.”  

She remembered the last time they sat down to watch her favorite series together, but instead of cuddling in the couch, spending more time making out than actually watching anything like they used to do, they sat far apart and actually paid attention to the TV, filling the empty space with random comments about the show. It was late into the night when Kyungwon had finally taking action and hugged her, for what she could only be glad and clingy into her. They didn’t say much, but it was comfortable being together. Eventually she relaxed enough to allow herself to act like she really wanted and kiss her girlfriend. It seem to be the signal that Kyungwon needed and she had promptly returned the kiss, and before they knew the TV show was only background noise for them as they focused completely in each other. It didn’t last long though, eventually Kyungwon noticed her soulmate mark and it seem to be enough to make them both awkward and ruin the moment. In the end they went to sleep with an invisible barrier between them.

“I don’t know what I would do in her place…I don’t even know if what I’m doing right now is the right thing for us.” Minky spoke, feeling her eyes heavy with tears that wouldn’t fall and her shoulders even heavier with the weight of her unmade choices. She shook her head slightly. “I just wish I didn’t have to drag her into this mess.”

“You don’t have any blame on it, so don’t feel burdened.” She gave her older sister a small, fond smile. “You deserve the world, unnie. Don’t let anyone get in the way of your happiness.” Yewon gave her hands another comforting squeeze before pulling back, giving the older girl some space.

Minkyung returned her smile. She wasn’t sure she really deserved so much kindness of all people in her life, not when she was the one putting them through such a tough time, however she was glad for having them by her side. She slid on her seat, to get closer to her little sister. “Yewon, I love you!” She said, hugging the younger girl tight. Yewon left out a light chuckle, hugging her back and even without looking Minkyung knew that her eye smile was back on her face as it was supposed to be. She kissed the girl’s head affectionately. “I should’ve called you earlier, I miss talking to you.”

“You can always call me, you know that. That’s what family is for.” The smaller brunette reassured, breaking the hug to give Minkyung a gentle pat on the shoulder. “Now let’s eat. I have to go back to my rehearsal and you to your work, and we haven’t even touched the food yet.”

The older Kim nodded, only then realizing that her drink had gone cold and her sandwich was still intact on her plate. They ate in a comfortable silence that somewhat was the most relaxing time Minkyung had in a while – being with any of the Kangs was a pleasure and a pain at the same time, and it was something that they couldn’t help her with.

After lunch, she walked Yewon to the door, ready to wave her goodbye when the brown haired girl took a gentle hold of her hands demanding her attention. Brown eyes, the same shade as hers, faced her with seriousness albeit her sister still had a smile on her face.

“I’m sure Kyungwon only wants you to be happy. Just like I do.” Yewon’s small, warm and soft hands squeezed hers gently, rubbing circles on the back of it to try and calm Minkyung down. There was hesitation in her tone, when she proceeded. “But you also need to think about her happiness. I love you both. I hope you can find a way to work things out, as a couple or….” The younger Kim signature smile was nowhere to be seen now, replaced by a thin line of worry. “Anyway, I’m always here for you, so keep it in mind.” She stepped back, letting go of the elder’s hand to give her a small wave. “Call me if you need anything!”

Minkyung forced her thin lips into a smile, returning her little sister’s wave with a weak one. “I’ll. Take care, Yewonie.”

Kyungwon left out a yawn, covering even though she knew it was useless. Having just made the final touches up in the chapter and sent it in to Sungyeon a couple of hours ago, she was more than just tired. Siyeon, her hyperactive assistant, had helped her greatly, just like her nagging agent encouraging her to ‘not even think about not meeting the deadline’ – Sungyeon could be rather scary at times. Luckily, all of them were satisfied with the results and now they would take a much needed break.

However, she still had some things to do and she was currently working on one of them – if visiting her parents could be called that. The cab left her in front of the house and she made her way to the door, being met by nothing but quietness. The Kangs were a loud family, after all she took after them, so the silent could only mean one thing. She made a face, taking out her cellphone to call her mother and a minute later she entered the house using the spare key that her parents still left in the same place. They would be out until late night, visiting a relative, so she would have to wait for them.

Kyungwon entered the house and she was changing into the comfortable slippers her parents kept in the hall when a ball of white fur came running to meet her. “Kang Kongie!” She greeted with a sincere smile that was hardly seen lately, lowering herself to hug the small dog to her chest. The little guy greeted her with plenty of wet kisses that made her laugh and try to avoid his attempts of her face clean. “I missed you, too!” She caressed his soft fur, hugging him a little tighter.  The last month had been so tough on her that she couldn’t come by to see him, although she would still video call her family once in a while, it was not the same as to hold her dog in her arms.

“When summer finally arrives we are going to that hotel I told you about.” Talking to Kongie may seem a little silly, considering the dog couldn’t really understand her words, but still it helped her relax and feel closer to him. Being around her beloved dog, in her family house had a calming effect on her, bringing the kind of happiness she wasn’t able to feel at her own house anymore. “I bought you some snacks! You want it?”

Placing the dog back on the floor, Kang reached out for something in her backpack, grabbing the dog cookies. Kongie obediently followed her as she searched for his plate and finally gave it to him. “Here you go! Good boy, you are the best boy!” She ruffled his fur a bit, before giving him some space so he could stuff himself with the snacks.

Leaving her backpack on the couch and getting rid of her coat, she made herself comfortable. Her mom had told her where to find food in case she felt hungry, but the brown haired woman couldn’t bring herself to eat anything – albeit she probably should, considering how much her mother would nag her for being too skinny and all those things every mom says. Instead, she walked through the house, smiling at the little details that bring her good memories. Her smile became smaller as she looked at the pictures where Minkyung was also present, as if she was part of the family as well. Shaking her head slightly, she moved, walking towards her room where pretty much everything still remains the same as when she was still in school.

Kongie, who came running as soon as he finished his meal, was once again following her, although he climbed her bed and lay there accompanying her with his eyes instead of running around. He was getting old. “Feeling tired? Yeah, me too.” Giving him a weak smile, she took a seat by her old desk, going through her old notebooks filled with drawings that ranged greatly in quality, but didn’t fail to make her smile nostalgic. The collection of illustrations were mainly from high school, the time where she first went to Seoul to study and would send her parents some drawings illustrating her daily life. Her dad, the gentle and warmhearted man, kept it all with great care and it was the reason for her to keep sending it even when she felt tired and frustrated with her school routine. Surprisingly, there weren’t that many mentions of Minky in her letters or in the drawings, however she knew soon the other girl would start to pop up more and more on it, claiming a very important place in her life.

Tapping her fingers on the paper, she contemplate whether she should put it away before the memories hit her or if she should continue exactly because of it. “I’ve become a fool, Kongie.” She said, glancing at the dog that was sleeping unbothered by his owner internal conflict. Turning the pages, she continue to observe as her drawings improve in quality and slowly introduce Minky to her life – her best friend as she addressed the girl numerous times. There wasn’t that much information, but every time she caught a glimpse of a new draw she would remember vividly making it and how she felt in the moment, it was like her own time machine. She smiled a bit, enjoying the little nostalgic trip until she reached a page with only one a phrase ‘Nothing for now’. It was date November five – her birthday.

The girls sat together at the corner of the tennis court, a place that the students shouldn’t even be at night, but it was one of the only places they knew no one would come to bother them. It wasn’t like them to just stay in silence for that long, but neither knew how to address to the elephant in the room. It was almost midnight, the beginning of a new day and the ending of Kyungwon’s sixteen birthday. It was also the confirmation of what they had feared to receive.

Her birthday should be a happy date, but she had spent it worried about whether or not she would receive her soul mark and the more time passed, less hopeful she was, until there was nothing left.

She hadn’t got a mark, more specifically, she hadn’t get one with Minkyung’s name on it.

Their clean palms were the proof that they weren’t meant to be and any childish illusions they had of a fated meeting were just it, illusions. They both were smart, Minkyung was one of the most intelligent kids in their years and Kyungwon was quite clever as well, therefore they were aware of how the odds were never on their favor. Still, they had hoped that the connection they always felt was more than mere friendship.

Kyungwon’s wrist watch beeped, signalizing the ending of the day and of any hopes they could’ve had.

“We should get going. We’ll be in trouble if someone finds us out here at this hour.” Minky was the voice of reason, as usual. She had a robotic smile on her face that didn’t match her eyes, unable to fool her best friend.

“Let’s just stay a bit longer.” Kang asked in a quiet voice, a serious expression on her face that didn’t sound like her usual loud dork self. She slip her left hand – giving it one final look to make sure nothing had changed –  on Minkyung’s cold one, slowly intertwining their fingers. She wished she could simply confess her feelings, ignoring whatever plans destiny had for them and following her heart only. But it would be too stupid even for her impulsive self. Instead, she only squeezed Minky’s hand gently, giving her a tight lipped smile.

Minky smiled slightly, looking down on their jointed hands. She relaxed, resting her head on the younger girl’s shoulder. Her gaze wandered, watching the quiet surrounds. At night it was only possible to hear the soft claim of the wind against the trees and the noise of cars far away, one or other bug chirping somewhere on the grass. It gave them a feeling of solitude, but a comfortable one, as if they were alone in their little world.

“I like it here.” The little squeeze on Kang’s hand and the fond look Minkyung gave her revealed the meaning underlying her words. I like you.

A glimpse of her usual grin appeared on Kyungwon’s face as she rested her head on top of Minkyung’s. “Me too.”

That same smile graced her face now as she closed the notebook. She had been avoiding things too much lately, lost in a circle of denial that was almost impossible to break. Forcing herself to distance from Minkyung to give her space to take her own decisions and try to shut off all the memories of them as if like this she could prepare herself for the worst case scenario. She had tried to be considerate and think about was the best for everyone, but was it really “everyone” if it was killing her inside? Minky had been with her all the way, was it really fair to leave her alone now even if it seem like the best choice logically?

Even now, hours away from their house and Kim, she couldn’t take her mind off of her completely. A brief look around the room only served to remind her that Minkyung was deeply incrusted in her life. Between her favorite DVDs and books, there were also numerous one that Minky had recommended to her or even that she had gifted her. On the pictures in the wall she could also spot their pictures together, right beside the silly pictures of her and her siblings in funny poses.

As the oldest, she always felt protective of the other two, making sure they were always safe and sound. It was a relief to know they both, her twin sister and her younger brother, had grown up just fine and were already starting their own families now. It was weird, that out of everyone in her family, she was the only one who hadn’t been graced with a soul mark and a fixed fate. She wondered if it meant something.

Standing up, she noticed her old keyboard in a corner. Kyungwon didn’t play since college, her focus switching completely to drawing and forgetting about her old hobbies. She took a step closer the instrument, but gave in half way. She wanted to play again, but she felt like if she did now the songs would only sound as melancholic and torn as she was. Besides, she still had to wait a couple of hours until her parents came back, and it would be better to use it to sleep.

Changing into one of her old clothes, she took a place beside Kongie in the narrow bed and quickly fell asleep.

Kyungwon was woke up hours later by parents coming in. She glanced at Kongie that still slept comfortably on the bed. With a sigh, she stood up, careful to not make too much noise, and left the room. She had come all the way here to tell them what was going on, but suddenly it didn’t seem like the best idea. She would think about it later, for now she would just hug her parents and find comfort in their presence.

Perhaps spending some time out would help her see things more clearly.

Yaebin waved goodbye to her coworkers, locking the bookstore doors. It had been a tough day, full of customers coming and going, her mother calling her inquiring about her soulmate mark – she had no idea how the woman knew about it, but she knew for sure she didn’t want to talk to her about it just yet. While her only reliable confident, Eunwoo, had disappeared since last week, off to work on something – it was easy to drown into her own problems, but Eunwoo was still her closest friend and someone dear to her heart, not knowing where she was or what she was doing wasn’t something she could handle with easily. Nunu wasn’t an investigative reporter, and she tried to remind herself that the other was most likely just trying to get a scoop on some random celebrity and not trying to reveal a new drug cartel. However, it didn’t mean she didn’t miss her loud and nosy friend.

To complete, Kyla suddenly informed her that it would be her last week at work and now Yaebin would have to find a new part time worker that would hardly be as hard working and trustworthy as the younger girl was. Yooa said she knew someone, but they would still have to go through the normal interview process and Kang really hated this part of the work. She covered , yawning as she stepped back. Usually Minkyung would have come over to their usual meeting – was it a date? A reunion? She had no idea, but she couldn’t deny that it was becoming of her favorite things. However, she was too busy with work and Minky was also caught up with something, so they agreed on having lunch together the next day instead.

The small brunette was about to start her walk home, when two arms hugged her tightly, an annoyingly loud – yet very familiar– voice sounding close to her face. “Kang Yaebin!” Eunwoo greeted, giving her an overly energetic smile that could only belong to the blonde. Yaebin chuckled, shrugging the girl off, just to hug her properly right after. She hadn’t seen Jung in days, what for them wasn’t something very common.  “Jung Eunwoo!”

They both laughed, breaking the embrace so they could talk as they walked to the common direction that would lead to their neighborhood. “Where have you been? You haven’t even called me.” The slightly younger woman asked, glancing at the blonde that just shook her head.

“All of sudden I got this huge scoop and had to fly all the way to Jejudo! Can you believe it? I mean, it was nice and free, but I had barely time to breath running after leads before the other journalists get to it.” As usual Nunu explained while making over exaggerated hand gestures, explaining in detail how she had figured out about a scheme that was going on in the place and had to pull all nighters to get to the bottom of it before someone else did. Yaebin couldn’t help but smile fondly at her antics, knowing that the girl was most likely exaggerating everything to make the story more exciting. She hugged the girl by the shoulder, bringing her down to kiss her cheek affectionately. “Ew, what are you even doing Kang?!”

Yaebin smiled grew wider. “I missed you so much, Nunu!” And even though the blonde was making her best acting to pretend being annoyed about the sudden demonstration of affection, she knew Eunwoo felt the same way. After all, they had been through a lot together all these years and there was no one she was closer than Nunu. “Let’s have dinner together.”

Eunwoo smiled, giving up on pushing the girl away at the thought of food. “You are paying.”

The shorter brunette faked a sigh. “Only because we are going to that vegan restaurant at…”

“What? No! This doesn’t count as food!” As expected the refusal came soon and Yaebin laughed out loud.

“Then you are paying!” She replied in the same tone, still clinging to the girl’s arm as they walked. She missed their bickering, the ease going conversation that she could only share with her best friend. They kept arguing for a while, before setting down on a chicken stew place not so far from there. As they walked, an insistent smile was on Kang’s face, as she remembered their first meeting. She could never have imagined that a college project could bring such a good friend into her life.

 “Hey!...Hey you, look over here!” Yaebin heard someone whisper shout, right behind her. She turned around to face the girl who was still waving her hands frantically. Kang frowned, confused with the others actions. It was only their second week of classes, she was having a hard time memorizing all the new faces in her classes.

“Hi?” She tried, unsure of what to say.

“You don’t have a pair, do you? Come here, I’m alone too.” The girl called, her monolid eyes now curved in a smile just like her lips. Yaebin hadn’t even agreed on it yet, but she had a feeling it would be really hard to deny anything to the other girl, so she simply did as she was told – after all she would need to find a partner sooner or later, therefore was better to do it now and start the activities.

“Hm, hey. I’m Kang Yaebin, by the way.” The smaller woman introduced herself, switching seats so she could seat beside the girl. She took a good look at her partner, noticing how bright her dark eyes were, contrasting with her light brown hair and her red lipstick. The girl was tall, even sitting, it was possible to notice their height difference – what was rather funny considering how small her hands were when she offered it for a friendly handshake. “Jung Eunwoo, nice to meet you!” That girl was one of kind, Yaebin decided as she shook hands with Eunwoo.

Yaebin opened her book alongside her laptop, ready to begin the work, but even before she could suggest anything Eunwoo subtly elbowed her to whisper. “I have no idea what we are supposed to do, but the teacher is looking at us so pretend you are typing something smart!”

The younger girl had to purse her lips to refrain from laughing at Eunwoo’s urgent tone. She started to type the works title, feeling the taller girl’s gaze on her back. “Don’t be too impressed. I’ll let you do all the research since I’m already doing the first part of the assignment.”

Eunwoo opened to protest, but Yaebin cut her off. “Don’t worry, it’s easy. Take a look at my notes.” She said more gently, giving the girl a reassuring smile.

With a exaggerate sigh, Eunwoo nodded, return the smile. “Just give me a minute.”

Soon Jung also had her laptop open to search the things Yaebin would tell her.

Yaebin learned that Eunwoo wasn’t exactly the most attentive person in class, yet she was really quick to catch up on the subjects and had a special way with the words that made the Kang regret not having let her write first. Later that day, when Eunwoo dragged her out to have a completely unhealthy lunch at the cafeteria, she learned that Jung was majoring in journalism and although she was a total dork – who had the very terrible habit of talking while trying to gulp down her fries – , she was also an incredibly smart one.

They ended spending more time than it was necessary together, forgetting about the work to just talk about random stuff. Yaebin would hear Eunwoo’s overly exaggerate stories and laugh as she pointed out all the clumsy lies the girl included to make it more impactful. She also talked about her own major and how she was adapting to college and living in a dorm, the taller girl would listen to her with attention, giving out tips and telling her own struggles. They both were freshmen, however Jung seem to know every single corner of the campus already and excited to show it all to her new friend.

Eunwoo was her total opposite, and perhaps that was why they clicked so well.

The house was empty when Minkyung finally came back home after one of the most stressful work days of her life – her annoying boss was being investigated for some shady scheme and she had to spend the whole afternoon and part of the evening helping her superiors go through the woman’s archives. She would have laughed at the irony of such an austere woman that overworked her and the rest of the staff, was only making easy bucks by selling titles to a rival company instead of actually working. But she didn’t. Kim was too tired to express so much emotion, besides now she didn’t even know what they would make with her department at the company, she might even be lay off if they decided to close the department.

She let herself sink into the couch, not bothering to take off her coat or turning on the lights. She wished she could just close her eyes and sleep there for the whole weekend – unfortunately she couldn’t. Although the company had gave her the two days off, she had other things in her mind.

Her eyes went to the corridor that would lead to Kyungwon’s office. Her girlfriend was out, off to see her parents for the day and probably would only be back by tomorrow’s night – if she did as usual, it wouldn’t be so weird if Kang simply decided to spend more time away. Minkyung couldn’t blame her.

If the pressure of the situation was big on her, it was also heavy on the younger woman. Kyungwon hearty laughter hadn’t filled the place in a long time, her grin was less and less frequent and Minky could see a constant worry in her pretty eyes. Even if Kyungwon gave her the chance of meeting Yaebin and getting to know her better, it didn’t mean that she wasn’t suffering due to it.

If only Minkyung could find a solution that wouldn’t hurt anyone…But she knew all too well that hope for it, while doing nothing, was not only selfish but blatantly wrong. Time wouldn’t do them any good, it would be the opposite. 

Kyungwon was distancing herself from her, whether it was consciously or not, turning what used to be a very intimate relationship just a couple of meetings every night when they bumped into each other after work. She knew it was Kang’s way of protecting herself while giving her space, but sometimes she wished her girl could be a little less altruistic. But she was. Therefore, Minkyung should be a bit more as well and take the lead for once.

She never needed to analyze her feelings deeply to know how she felt about her girlfriend, even when she tried to deny the feeling, it was just too big for her to hide it. Kyungwon was there and she knew right away she was special for her, the evolution of these feelings was only natural and she never doubt the sincerity of them.

The cramped college dorm room wasn’t exactly the most comfortable, especially during the cold season, but Minkyung didn’t have much of choice other than stay inside finishing her assignments – or at least it was the excuse she had used to skip snowball fighting with Kyungwon outside. Not that she wouldn’t like to get some shots at the girl’s conceited smile when she claimed to be a ‘god of the snow’ or some dumb thing like this, usually she would have accepted right away and they would spend hours running around and playing like kids. However, this year things were different. They were both twenty now, juniors at college, and pretty much the only two people on campus without soul marks.

After Kyungwon’s sixteen birthday when her fragile hopes had been crashed, she thought that soon enough she would be able to meet her designated soulmate and once it happened, she would be able to forget any inappropriate feelings. But she didn’t, and neither did her friend. So she was put in an awkward situation, where she couldn’t allow herself to want anything more than friendship from the girl, while she had to wait for someone else and hope they would be enough to make her love them as much as she loved her best friend – love seemed like a big word, a dangerous one, and she tried her best to represses it and pretend it wasn’t more than just a crush. It was dumb. She knew Kyungwon felt the same way, she could see every time the girl looked at her with those loving eyes that she loved so much.

Yet, she was afraid of admitting her feelings to the girl. She was afraid to start something and live under the fear of her soulmate showing up out of nowhere to tell her she had been wrong all along and what she thought was love, was only her mistaking friendship as something else.

She was spacing out when the door crack open, Kyungwon’s bright grin greeting her and making her blush slightly as her heart skipped a beat betraying her real feelings. She couldn’t even fool herself.

“Since you are being a lazy fox and refuses to move, I brought you that awful coffee you like so much.” Kang approached leaving a paper cup beside the girl and taking a sit on the spare chair beside Minky. She shook her head slightly to get her brown hair out of her face, revealing red cheeks due to the cold.

“How long were you out there?” Minkyung asked, unconsciously lifting a hand to touch her cheek.

Kang leaned against her palm, her eyes looking incredible soft albeit she still  had a playful grin on her lips. “Worried now, traitor? Should’ve come with me then!”

The taller brunette scoffed at her best friend’s words. She tried to pull her hand back, but Kyungwon’s warm hand was over hers, holding onto it gently – how come it was still so warm even when she had just come from a snowball war? She avoided her gaze, looking for a quirk comeback to give, but she didn’t have the chance to do so.

“Minky, is everything fine? This all is not due until next week, but you decide to take the whole day to do it? Isn’t it a bit too much even for you?” There was no more playfulness in her tone, demanding Minkyung’s attention. She squeezed her hand a little, her fingers gentle against her skin. “I’m not that smart but I can try to help you if you are having trouble with anything.”

With a small sigh, she forced herself to face Kyungwon’s beautiful eyes that seem to reflect her feelings. “Yeah, I just want to make sure I’ve everything under control.” She said with a resolute nod that should’ve been enough to convince the other girl, but clearly wasn’t.

Instead of letting her go, Kyungwon leaned in closer – a bit too close to comfort. Kim had to resist the urge of backing off and giving away her feelings. “You are avoiding me.” The blunt statement took her by surprise, and this time she flinched, pulling her hand out of Kyungwon’s grip. “So you are indeed.” Kang sighed, a hurt and frustrated look on her face.

“I’m not. I just…” She had to refrain from grimacing. Lying to her best friend wasn’t something she liked to do, however how could she be completely honest without putting them in an even more unpleasant situation? “We’re too old for this kind of stuff and I should prioritize my studies.“

Kyungwon stared back at her for a moment, as if she was evaluating what to do next. Taking a deep breath, she spoke:

“I love to be around you, to talk to you and to hold your hand. I love your personality, even when you are being sneaky like now and trying to put on an act...” Kyungwon said in a quiet tone. She spoke fast, but very clearly, as if she had memorized this speech for a long time. “I love you and I know you feel the same. So don’t try to shut me out.” The girl gave her a stern look, before continuing in a much softer tone. “You always get all worked up around my birthday, but this time is taking you too long to go back to normal.”

“So you knew about it.” There was no point in denying. It was embarrassing how transparent she was to the other, albeit hearing such words from Kyungwon was enough to make her feel more at ease. “I’m sorry. I’m just so over my head with it. We are the only ones without a mark, why couldn’t we just…Is it wrong for me to wish we could just have it?”

This time made sure to display her best smile, letting out a soft chuckle. “Marks are overrated. I prefer honest feelings instead.” Cupping Minky’s face on her hand she slowly came closer, giving the girl space to back away if she wanted, and placing a gentle kiss on her lips. “Can you feel it?”

Minky blinked, stunned. The contact was brief, but Kyungwon’s soft lips against hers was enough to make her heart jumped happily on her chest, dancing with the butterflies that filled her chest. She was used to overly long hugs and holding hands, even with small kisses on the cheek, but with this kiss they had entered a new territory. “No...” She muttered, noticing a glimpse of hurt light up Kyungwon’s eyes for a second before she moved closer to hug her by neck. “Not enough.” It was her time to kiss the girl, her clumsy lips searching for her with as much affection as rush. Maybe like this she could leave her own mark on Kyungwon, one not made by fate, but by her own love.

Back then it had taken her courage to take the next step, although Kyungwon had as usual take the lead and allow her to feel brave as well.  This time she should be the one giving the first step to protect their relationship. It wasn’t as simple as when they were in college, now there was another person in the equation and she couldn’t simply ignore Yaebin’s well being.

Minkyung would try her best for them, and hopefully it would be enough.

Suddenly she wished the weekend to go by faster. Kyungwon needed to come home soon and she needed to pay a visit to the eerie bookstore filled with blank books.

It was late, but Kyungwon was still up, staring at the white ceiling of her room. In the end she hadn’t told her parents anything. She didn’t want to see their sad expressions and pity in their eyes. Hiding things wasn’t the best way of solving them, however she didn’t want people to tell her to give up and she was afraid her parents would tell her to do so – not for bad, they would just want what was the best for her, even if it meant go back to live with them with a broken heart. She still hadn’t figure out what she was supposed to do, but part of her refused to simply accept defeat.

Just a couple of months before she had everything figured out. She had plans for her work and personal life, she had Minkyung beside her and she was undeniably happy. Now she was on the verge of losing her girlfriend and work was becoming her copying mechanism.

Time was running out and she had to make some important decisions.

Sitting up, careful to not disturb Kongie’s peaceful dreams, she reached out for her cellphone at the nightstand. Just a couple of touches on the screen later connect her with Sungyeon’s phone – the girl was always up, she doubt she would mind her late night call.

“Kang, hello. I received the material, is there anything you want to change? We only have two days left.” Sungyeon’s voice sounded as nonchalant as ever, not even a hint of tiredness in it.

“Hey, Sungyeon. I’m sorry for calling so late.” Her voice was husky as she spoke and she pressed the device on her hand with a little more strength. “And no, there’s not wrong with the chapter. I reviewed it with Siyeon yesterday and I did it again before sending it in.” Actually she had lost count of the times she reread every line, checked every drawing, verified if they had made no mistakes regarding the plot…Working was the one thing she still had control over and she was putting her all into it.

“Then why the sudden call?” Bae was always straight forward, but there was a hint of something else in her voice. Concern perhaps? The brown haired woman almost sighed. All she did lately was to worry everyone around her.

No, she was putting an ending on it today.

She would take matters into her own hands and hope for the best, it was only fair to give herself a fair chance. She had so many good moments with Minkyung, they had gone through so much together and still came out stronger. They could do it again if she tried, couldn’t they?

“The story,” The one short story she had put so much effort and love into. The one thing she had planned for so long. “The one I asked you to insert at the ending of the physical volume…Make sure to put it as big as you can. Do you think you can get me a copy before official release?”

“So you don’t want to delete it?” Sungyeon’s voice was surprised, but sounded almost proud. It made Kyungwon smile. “Looks like you are onto something, aren’t you?”

She nodded, even though Bae couldn’t see her. A wave of confidence washing over all her insecurities even for only a moment. “We could say so. Can you do it for me?”

Sungyeon chuckled lightly, a rare thing for the woman to do. “Of course. You can have a copy by Tuesday, just stop by office and get it.”

“Thank, Sungyeon. You are the best editor out there, you know that?” She said in a light tone, feeling much better now that she had taken that important step. Standing up for herself, and even being a little egoistic as well, weren’t bad things and she shouldn’t feel bad for doing so.

“Don’t make me change my mind, Kang.” Kyungwon could almost see the younger woman rolling her eyes at her compliments. “Kyungwon? I’m glad you decided to keep it. I’ve a good feeling about, a really good one.”

The brown haired woman’s smile grew into an optimistic grin. “Me too, Sungyeon. Thank you again.”

Like this the call was over and the young artist put her phone aside, laying down on the bed again. While she couldn’t possibly predict Minky’s reaction, just for once she wanted to think positive.

Back in Seoul, a goddess who knew about it all and was feeling as optimistic as her protégée, made sure to start preparing everything Kyungwon had asked. They might not have Love at their side, but they might not need her if Kyungwon and Minkyung did the right choices.

Saturday

Yaebin squinted her eyes, completely focused on the important task ahead. She could feel the pressure on her growing as she looked from one fluff ball of fur colored orange to the other one, a white one this time. How was she supposed to choose?

Minkyung beside her, had to lean in, resting her hands on her knees to take a look inside the cage. “They are cute.” She said with her soft tone, one slender finger adventuring itself inside the cage through the bars to touch the soft fur of the closest kitten. She smiled as she watch the small cat purr, and glanced over to see her soulmate doing the same to the other animal. Yaebin looked adorable with a small smile on her face as she caressed the kitten, she looked relaxed and tense all at once.

Minky let out a light chuckle, leaving the cat to touch the dark haired woman’s face affectionately, her fingers undoing the frown on her forehead. She was getting more used to touching and comforting Yaebin, she was glad their awkward phase was gone. “I know it’s hard to pick only one, but it’s been half an hour already.” Subtly she pointed the cat shelter worker that was at the door looking a bit impatient. “If you can’t pick one now, we can just go back another time after you have made your mind.”

The younger woman glanced over Kim’s shoulder, noticing the worker and made a face. She had no idea it’s been so long since they had come inside to look at the cats up for adoption, although her heavy heart from staring so much at the little creatures should’ve been a sign of it. Kang knew it would be like this once she got to see the animals, after all she had think long before deciding to come get a pet of her own. Still, thinking about it didn’t prepare her for the heart ache of having to choose.

She had taken the day off, although Saturday was quite a busy day at the store, to come to the shelter. It was a pleasant surprise when the brunette offered to go with her. Having Minkyung with her was a good thing, the brunette didn’t say much, allowing her to take her time and make her own choices, giving her silent support.

She straighten her back, reaching out to squeeze her hand gently, giving her an apologetic look. “I had lost track of time. Just give me a minute.” She said only loud enough for Minky to hear and receiving a smile and a nod in return.

The orange kitten had caught her attention right away, making her remember another orange fluff ball she had met so many years ago. Lulu, Kyulkyung’s cat, wasn’t just a small fragile baby, it was a big – and fat – grown cat. She smiled remembering the first time she saw him and deciding she should take the orange kitten with her.

Sitting at one of tables right outside of the school’s cafeteria, Yaebin jumped on her seat when a flustered Eunwoo sat by her side in a rush, not so subtly hiding behind Kang’s small frame.

“What in the world, Jung Nunu?!” Yaebin almost choked on her food, eyes darting to meet her friend’s gaze. They had known each other for a couple of months now, living at the same dorm on campus and having a bunch of classes in common was only normal to get close. Eunwoo’s bright and funny personality attracted the shorter girl right away and they bonded just fine usually, however, sometimes Nunu weird ways were a bit too much even for her best friend.

“Shiu! Just pretend you are eating your lunch like nothing happened, I’m trying to be low key right now.” If there was something Eunwoo wasn’t, it was ‘low key’, and in that moment it couldn’t be different. The girl had her face bright red, thanks to the little exercise she just made – there was nothing she hated more than being forced to move around, no surprise she was the epitome of sedentary now. The girl was holding something, barely hiding it under her hoodie Yaebin was pretty sure it couldn’t possibly be something good.

When the thing started mewing one minute later, just in time for Eunwoo’s signature sneeze, she changed her mind. It was definitely something good.

Yaebin covered , trying to hide a laugh. Eunwoo really had a talent to get herself into trouble.

“How did you even get him…Her? Do you even know what it is?” She asked as soon as she made sure no one was paying them attention. A small fluff being was peeking through Eunwoo’s collar, its cute orange head rubbing against the girl’s neck. The blonde hugged the cat a bit tighter, making sure it wouldn’t run away.

Luckily for them, the teachers weren’t very fond of the campus cafeteria.

“I don’t know! It’s just Lulu! Is Lulu a boy or girl name?” Eunwoo replied, whispering shouting as she frantically looked around. “She just left me with it and run away.”

“She?” Yaebin rose her brows, curiosity shinning in her dark eyes.

“The crazy cat girl!” Eunwoo muttered grimacing, although Yaebin could tell she wasn’t really mad at the girl – after all you don’t simply look after someone else’s pet if you hate them. Especially someone like Eunwoo.

“But you are allergic to cats.” She pointed out calmly, her food long forgotten as she focused all her attention on the weird, yet adorable, duo seated beside her – the cat under Eunwoo’s hoodie made sure to mew once more, not wanting to be ignored by the girls.

“I know!” Now the girl seemed clearly distressed – her ten minutes as a cat mom have been quite rough on her. “I told her, and you know what she told me?”

“What?” Yaebin leaned on her elbows, watching the slightly older girl with interest. However, Eunwoo didn’t get the chance of answering.

“I told her my soulmate should be able to look after Lulu, since we will be family and all.” A new, sweet and clear voice, said as its owner took a seat across the girls at the table. The girl, a foreigner exchange student who was in Yaebin’s sociology class, glanced at her own hand before continuing. “Thank you for looking after him, Eunwoo. The inspector is kind of keeping an eye on me now, you know, dorm rules and stuff…” The raven haired woman shrugged, the relaxed smile on her face didn’t wave not even slightly, showing her disregard for said rules. Kang didn’t know much about that girl – Kyulkyung was it her Korean name? – but all she could recall was that the classmate was an overly energetic, bright and easy going person considering how everyone seem to like her automatically.

She raised her eyebrows, looking from one girl to another. Yeah, these two being soulmates made perfect sense.

“Look here, Ju Kyulkyung, you can’t simply leave him with me whenever it pleases you!” Nunu returned with a huff, however she was still holding the cat with excessive care.

Lulu mewed, aware of his owner presence and the dark haired girl stood up to take him out of Eunwoo’s hoodie with surprisingly skilled movements – Yaebin wondered how often she hid the cat under people’s clothes.

“Don’t worry, I will give you a heads up before dropping him off at your place, okay?” Kyul hugged the cat affectionately, kissing his head before giving Jung her best smile – and it was surely effective.

Eunwoo blinked twice, a light shade of pink coloring her cheeks. “You better!”

“Oh! I should get going, I have to take him home before class. See you around, soulmate! And you too, soulmate’s friend!” She waved energetically, leaning in to kiss Eunwoo’s cheek loudly before leaving with quick steps.

The scene was too hilarious for Yaebin keep her composure and she couldn’t help but laugh at Nunu’s red face – the girl had her hand over her own cheek, her expression a mix of shock and glee.

“She sees me twice a week in class and I’m still only ‘soulmate’s friend’?” Yaebin shook her head, amused by the girl’s quirk personality.

“Is it normal for your soulmate to simply leave her cat with you on your first meeting?” Eunwoo asked, sneezing as she tried her best to get rid of the cat fur on her clothes.

“Honestly? It fits just right with what I would expect from your soulmate.” Everyone always dreams about their fated meeting with their soulmate, and Eunwoo’s couldn’t happen in a more unique and so fitting to her.

“Ei! What is this supposed to mean?” Jung finally let go of her cheek, nudging Yaebin’s arm lightly what just made the shorter laugh.

“I’m just happy for you. You deserve a nice and pretty girl like that.” It was true. Even if she couldn’t find her soulmate, she was glad her friend was able to do so.

“She is a weirdo though.” Nunu said, a smile gracing her face as she hugged Yaebin by the waist, resting her head on her shoulder. “You’ll have your turn soon, Yaebs. And I bet she won’t even be a crazy cat lady.”

“I hope so.” Yaebin rested her head on Nunu’s. “But until then we should get you some antihisminics, I have a feeling you will need a lot of it.”

“I’ll be taking the little orange one.” She said, this time louder enough for the shelter worker hear her. “…And the white one as well!” The young nodded in approval, approaching to check on the animals before proceeding with the paper work.

Minkyung gave her a warm smile. “Good thing I came then. I’ll help you take them home.” Yaebin smiled as well, containing her childish excitement at the idea of taking both adorable creatures home in the company of another equally adorable – but much bigger – creature. She hugged Minky briefly, letting out a small giggle. “I’ll need help to buy everything for them as well.”

Two kittens would probably be a lot of work, but Yaebin felt she was making the right decision. Kyul would have approved it.

That day when she bid farewell to Minkyung after the woman helped her shop for pet products, she called Eunwoo to come and meet the new members of her family. The girl would probably go crazy over the kittens, and also have a sneeze fit – she would make sure to her meds close by just in case.

It was late, even late for her current standards. So she tiptoed, leaving her stuff on the studio and taking a moment to consider the idea of sleeping there, but her tired body demanded her to go and find her comfortable bed. The lights were off in the room, as expected, but she was still able to guide herself only with the dim light of the moon coming through the window. Grabbing some comfy clothes, she went to the bathroom for a quick shower that hopefully wouldn’t be able to interrupt Minkyung’s calm sleep – she had tried her best to not pay attention to the girl, but it was impossible to not notice the gentle fragrance of her hair in the air or the lump under the thick blanket on the bed.

Kyungwon changed into her clean clothes, turning off the bathroom lights before exiting and proceeding to approach her side of the bed, climbing carefully to not disturb her girlfriend. Before all the marks thing happened, she would have been careful simply because she didn’t want to wake Minkyung up knowing she needed her sleep after a long week of work, now, however, her excessive care was due the fear of waking up the girl just to face that horrible tension that always filled the air lately.

It wasn’t like her to stay out until so late, not even for work, she would always try to come home in time to see Minky and talk to her properly. Although it wasn’t like this anymore. It was cowardly of her to keep hiding and pretending to be busier than she really was just to avoid meeting the one person that meant so much for her – it was ironic, really, that her fear of losing Minkyung was keeping her away of the girl. Far from sight, far from the heart? A joke. Her heart ached all day, missing her so much and wishing. She was wanted to see, touch and keep Minky as close as possible.

Just for once, she wanted to lay beside her girl and pretend everything was fine.

Her eyes had adjusted to the darkness, allowing her to discern Kim’s beautiful features from the pile of fluff blankets she was wrapped on. Kyungwon mirrored her pose, laying her head on the pillow and watching as the slightly older girl slept peacefully. In the quietness of the room, with only their breaths filling the air, for once everything seem okay and she could allow herself to smile.

Hesitantly, she reached out to touch ever so slightly the brunette’s cheek, her fingers barely making contact with the warm skin. “I missed you, Minky.” It was only a whisper, charged with fondness and longing as she slowly retracted her hand. However, the said hand was kept in place as the other woman took hold of it.

Minkyung’s beautiful brown orbits faced her, with an expression that she couldn’t quite understand. Kang’s dark chocolate ones stared back at her, her breath caught on . She was afraid of saying anything, even more afraid of thinking that the Kim had heard her words just now, what made no sense. But still, she couldn’t force herself to take action, afraid it would break this little moment they were having even if she wasn’t entirely sure it was a good one.

The taller woman took the decision out of her hands by bringing her closer, eyes still on hers as if was expecting something.

Kyungwon wished she could read Minkyung’s mind, moreover, she wished she could understand her feelings to know what she should be doing. It was becoming harder and harder to put her own feelings in second place. Gathering the remaining courage she still had somehow, Kang pulled the girl into a tight embrace, closing her eyes as she allowed herself to fully enjoy the contact.

“I miss you.” She repeated, leaving her fears aside for a moment. “So much.” Her voice sounded fragile, weak like thin glass, reflecting how her heart felt right now.

Minkyung wrapped her arms around Kyungwon, a relieved sigh escaping her. They might not be connected through soul marks, nor be each other’s soul mate, but when they were together like this and it was enough for her to feel her heart growing stronger and warmer, she couldn’t label it as anything less the magical.  “I missed you too.” Nuzzling into Kang’s neck and breathing her favorite scent, the pansy fragrance that seem so intrinsic to Kyungwon, she felt herself slowly relaxing back to the sleepy state.

“Don’t avoid me, my love. Please.” She said pressing a soft kiss on the younger woman’s skin.

The brown haired girl tensed for a second, her conflicted mind struggling to accept such a simple statement. My love? Minkyung didn’t call her like this very often, and she probably could count the times the older woman referred to her in that way. Perhaps, that’s why it sounded so sincere – Kim wouldn’t have said it if she didn’t mean it. But only gods knew how much she needed these words now, and she holding onto them just like she was clinging to the girl. “I won’t, Minky.” Her selflessness had reached its limit, giving space to her selfish side to take over and demand for her to do something like she wished she had done from the very beginning. “I was wrong, we should go through this together.”

“We will. We always do.” Kim smiled, snuggling even closer to her girlfriend.

Although she was almost falling sleep, her mind seem clear than ever before. Her choice was clear from the start and nothing would change it. Yaebin was someone good, someone that in any other time she could’ve loved, but she already had Kyungwon in her life and everyone else faded in comparison. Maybe they couldn’t have the perfect, ideal soulmate life, yet she wouldn’t trade their simple life together for it. They had their own type of happiness, one that wasn’t found right away, but that came from their efforts in making each other’s life a little better everyday, from the little joys they found by simply being together. 

Kim didn’t put her thoughts in words, not just yet. She would have many things to sort out on Monday, but first she wanted to drown into Kyungwon’s embrace and be surrounded but nothing more than her love and care.

Monday

Sunday went by like a blur for Minkyung. Kyungwon was back home and to her old self, what means they just had a lazy Sunday together in the couch with old movies and a lot of food. It wasn’t exactly how it used to be, but it was nice and she tried her best to enjoy every single moment of their day.

She had skipped her usual meeting with Yaebin, letting her know they needed to talk soon– she felt guilty to treat it almost like it was a business situation, but she couldn’t see a better solution than go straight to the point and tell her decision to Yaebin directly tomorrow. It was only fair for her to be honest to her.  

 Still, Minky had spent the whole day wishing for Monday to come sooner. Her mind insisted on going back to the mysterious bookstore she had visited once, her instinct telling her she should go back there – and no matter how dumb it sounded, she was tempted to do so.

Minkyung got off work earlier on Monday to tryone last time to meet the owner of the Im’s Manuscripts, the creepy place that was closed every time she tried to visit before. Her most rational part told her that she should just forget about that weird place, that Nayoung must be just another nut job that lives off conspiracy theories and her grandma’s retirement money. However, she didn’t have many options regarding the whole soulmate matter, whether she liked it or not, the place was the only one where she could find detailed books on soulmates and if she could have a chance of taking a look at them even if only for a little while, it was worth the try.

This time when she stopped by the bookstore, she found the door wide open, as if it was waiting for her. Raising her eyebrows, feeling a bit uneasy of adventuring inside the dusty room once more, she took careful steps. Just like the first time, the place didn’t have a single customer, the books were still messily located everywhere and the illumination was barely enough for her to read anything at all.

Although there was a pretty blatant difference now, and it took form in the tall brunette that looked at her with a expression that was so stoic that automatically made Minky feel uncomfortable. For a while they just stared at each other, until the younger woman couldn’t stand anymore the silent and spoke.

“Hi. I’m Kim Minkyung.” She bowed politely, not daring to approach the woman. “I believe you emailed me a couple of days ago? You are Nayoung, right?”

“I suppose someone did.” Her tone didn’t have any inflection, it was as flat as her expression, albeit she took a few steps closer to the Kim. “Im Nayoung.” A short, mechanic bow followed.

Minky switched the weight from her body from a foot to another, uncomfortable with the way that Nayoung still kept her sleepy eyes on her. She actually wanted to go and grab one of the books, or maybe a dozen of them, all the it took to find something useful. But she was having a hard time acting under such gaze.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean to sound er…Rude, but you don’t have any new books here. The company for which I work doesn’t deal with antiques.” She looked around, checking once more if there was even a signal of a book that had been realized in the past century at least. Nothing.

“We don’t have this kind of book in here.” Was all Im said. She didn’t seem very talkative.

Minkyung had to refrain from sighing, deciding to put her work etiquette aside.

“What is this place even? This is not a bookstore, is it?”

“It’s a library. We only open for special occasions.”

Special occasions? As if the place didn’t look appropriated for a horror movie already the owner had to add her own gloomy words to its atmosphere.

Enough with the enigmatic talk.

“Then why did you sent me the email? Why was your name on our lists even? A normal library wouldn’t have a bunch of blank books.” She pointed out the said books, expecting to get a reaction out of the woman with that.

Nayoung had prepared herself for this type of conservation for a long while. “Only people who need it can find their way to here. And even if they do, they can only read the book that can help them.”

“Need what?” The human frowned, the uneasiness slowly spreading through her body.

For the first time that evening Nayoung showed some emotion – even if it was in the form of a slightly annoyed sigh. “I thought you would have figured out by now.”

“The soulmate…?” Minkyung tried, the words sounds weird to her own ears. Thinking about finding a solution and actually getting ‘help’ without even asking for it were two very different things. She still didn’t know if she could trust Nayoung, she didn’t even knew what exactly she had got herself into.

“Go ahead. You know the right book, don’t you?” Im gestured one of the shelves, waiting for Minkyung to follow her instructions.

After a moment of hesitation, she did as she was told. You don’t have anything to lose, she muttered to herself trying to brave up. There were so many books in there, small and big ones, all so old that she could bet even the mold on it was older than her. Still, she was drawn by a certain book, its red cover dotted by dust – the same book she had read before, the only one she was able to. Just like the other time, she couldn’t help the urge to reach out and grab it, opening it with motions that were more rushed than graceful. Her finger slid through the pages, looking for the point she had stopped by the last time.

It was easy to find it, the book seem to have its own life as it showed her a page with beautiful gravures of different types of marks, something about it made her feel at ease. Her eyes travelled through the page, capturing every single word as her brain analyzed it with great care. The text talk about how the marks worked, referring to it as an ‘way to reach the right path’. The language was complex, but still she could understand it. For a while, she completely forgot about Nayoung’s presence, focused on the book’s content.

Finally she reached a part that made her stop right away. “Soul marks shall not manipulate, nor affect one’s free will. It shall not profane the purity of true love, but enhance it by connecting two souls who share the same thread.” She read again, this time out loud.

“You can still read it. I see.” Im commented in a quiet voice, nodding slowly. Destiny and her annoying assistant would be ecstatic with the news. She would only have double the work now – albeit deep down she was glad she did, after all she also got her own chance of making up for her mistakes. “Soul marks can’t create love, only you can do it.” She gave the human a small, almost nonexistent smile.

Minky looked from the book to the woman, torn about what to do next. How could such simple words such be capable of fill her up with hope and relief? The mark was only one of the things that make a soulmate, everything else were things that she already had in her life long before – things that she wanted to keep forever.

Maybe it was foolish, maybe Nayoung and those old books were just a scam, but still it gave her strength to own up to her feelings. She was so caught up with the whole soulmate mark thing, afraid about it could affect her and how it could change it all, that she had forgotten the most important: her own wishes and actions were the only thing that dictated her life. And she already had made her choice long time ago.

“Thank you for letting me read it. I’ll make good use of its words.” She closed the book, handing it to the other woman.

Nayoung nodded, although she didn’t make a move to accept the book, instead keeping her arms crossed as her gaze was fixed on the younger woman’s brown orbs. “Are you sure now?” She asked, her words sounding more like a statement than a question.

Minkyung had no idea of how she could possibly know about her personal matters – Nayoung, just like that place seem to have her own ways of working. It was Kim’s turn to nod emphatically. “Yes.” She wouldn’t go back on this decision. Her unsureness had already hurt too many people and it was about time for her to make things right. “I just got confused for a moment, but not anymore.”

The library gently pushed the book back to Minkyung’s hands. “Then it’s done.” She said in a solemn tone, giving Minky a final glance. “You can keep it. I’m sorry for taking so long. I wish you a happy future.” The brunette bowed politely before turning on her heels and walking towards the back of the store, leaving Minkyung behind.

“Thank you.” The girl repeated, hugging the book to her chest and giving the place one last look. She rushed out, her quick steps turning into jogging as the adrenaline filled her veins. She needed to see someone.

Yaebin was greeted by Minkyung’s dazzling smile as soon as she stepped outside the store. “Come with me, I have a place to show you.” She said with a resolute smile. It wasn’t how their meeting usually went, but she didn’t protest, only following the girl as they walked side by side. Minky asked about her day and offered to get them coffee at her favorite place. “I still owe you a coffee if I remember well.” She had said, the line sounding a bit mechanic. Yaebin could feel something in the air, a déjà vu like feeling, yet how could she reject such offer? So she just shrugged, taking a sip of her drink and following as they walked toward one of the quiet places a couple of blocks away from her apartment.

They stopped walking taking a place by the fence, hot coffee on their hands as their eyes watched the movement of the city bellow them. It was a beautiful view, Seoul seem small and full of light from up there, almost like a dream like scenario. Minkyung could’ve smiled at the view, but she didn’t, her mind focused in something else. Kang must’ve noticed it, because she didn’t say anything either, only enjoying the calm breeze as she learned on the fence.

“Yaebin I...I really like you. In these couple of weeks we spent together I could understand why I, or anyone else, should consider a huge luck to have you as soulmate. I mean, you are pretty, and smart, and funny and warm…And even understanding...You are really easy to love.”

Yaebin lips curved in a small smile, tilting her head slightly to face the taller woman. “But?”

Minkyung took a deep breath, keeping her eyes on the girl's. They knew right from the start something like this would happen, she should’ve prepared better for this moment. “But I don't love you. Not like I love Kyungwon at least.” She pursed her lips, giving the younger woman an apologetic look. Being sincere was the best thing she could do for both of them. “Maybe in another time…Another way…But now I can only love you as a good friend. Like someone I want to have in my life and be there for her whenever. But I can't love you like a soulmate is supposed to.”

Contrary to all things Kim had imagined for this moment, the young Kang chuckled lightly, giving her a gentle pat in the arm. “I know. I've known for a while now.” Yaebin could be anything, but a fool she was not. Having Minky around was nice, it sometimes even made her wonder how it would be if they were really together and wish it was true, however she always knew it was just wishful thinking. The small period of time they spent together was enough for her to learn a lot about the other girl, and it included how to read the feelings that her eyes couldn’t conceal.

“You try so hard to not talk about her, but you can't help linking her to almost every subject. You told me that your favorite scent is pansy, the same flower you said she smells like. Whenever we go out you always buy something to take home because you get worried she hasn't eaten. You never pay attention to your phone, except if it is from her, then you don't hesitate to get it and you get anxious if you don’t...” The small Kang enumerated, her voice sounding almost robotic, like she had memorized these words long ago. “You might be with me, but your mind and your heart are always with her.”

Her smile grew a little sadder. She had waited for so long to meet her soulmate, nearly giving up, just to find and lose her in a matter of weeks. It wasn’t like she had picture her life to be. “I wish I could have something like this. I'm glad at least one of us can have it.”

Kim’s heart clenched inside her chest, the sharp pain of guilty and impotence still tormenting her. Kyungwon and Yaebin weren’t objects that she could easily play pick and choose, discarding them to her pleasing. Still, she was forced to pick one of them and she had to be honest with herself – she just wishes she could do it without hurting anyone. “I'm sorry. I really am.”

“Don't apologize.” The shorter brunette shook her head, raising her hand to refrain Minkyung of arguing. She wanted a clear ending, a closure. “Just go and fix things with her now. Our date would end early anyway, I’m planning on seeing Eunwoo today.”

“Really?” Minkyung frowned slightly, her fox like eyes inspecting Yaebin’s ace as if like this she could see through her. And perhaps she could. “Are you sure you don't want to talk it through?”

Kang only nodded, seeming rather calm about it all. She had lived her whole life without a soulmate, she could do it again. “We will have a lot of time to do it another day.”

Minkyung seem torn, hesitating for a moment before pulling her into a tight hug. A hug that smelled like Jasmine and coffee. Yaebin closed her eyes, nuzzling into the girl’s neck one last time, making sure to mark in her mind every detail of this moment. She couldn’t say she it didn’t hurt to lose the chance of having her own perfect happy ending with her soulmate, but she could feel it was the right thing to do and it made her heart a little lighter.

“I’ll walk you back to the store then.” Minky suggested, backing away slowly to give her a small smile tainted by the tears that she had a hard time containing. She reached out to dry Yaebin’s own tears, the ones the girl hadn’t even realized she had shed. “And I will stop by your place all the time. I meant it, I still want to have you in my life.” Her tone was filled with a sincerity she could only hope was able to reach the other girl. It was unfortunate that they met under such bad conditions, but she didn’t regret meeting Yaebin or being around her. She had grown to like and respect the younger girl, not having Yaebin in her life just didn’t seem to make sense. Of course she wasn’t naïve, things would take time to adjust, yet it would be worth it.

So she hold onto tight to Kang’s small hand, leading the way back. Yaebin didn’t say much, only returning the grip with a gentle squeeze.

For a while there was only silence, yet it wasn’t tense, slowly becoming more comfortable as they walked hand in hand to the bus stop, boarding the vehicle and taking a sit at the very back. Yaebin naturally leaned on Minkyung’s shoulder – she had a cute clingy side to her that only with time was revealed, and Kim was glad she still felt comfortable to act like this around her.

“Minkyung? Bring the other Kang over sometime. I don't think losing a soulmate is that bad if I can gain two friends instead.” Yaebin’s voice was small, but the little smile on her face and the gentle glow in her eyes showed sincerity.

The older woman returned the smile, nodding. “I’ll. I have a feeling you two will get along just fine.”

Minkyung punched the password on the door lock, impatiently entering her home. “Kang Kyungwon!” She called, turning on the lights of the room. The house remained silent, no signal of her loud girlfriend anywhere. Moved for the urge of seeing her, she kept moving, reaching the girl’s office just to find it locked and most likely empty since no one answered her knocks at the door. Their room was the last place she checked, leaving a heavy sigh as she confirmed Kyungwon was nowhere in the house.

She just wanted to see her girl and tell her everything about the mark, tell her that they could still be together, not only because the soulmate mark wasn’t as powerful as they thought, moreover because she choose to do so. Taking the book out of her bag, she left it on her nightstand and got a hold of her phone, sending Kyungwon a message asking her to come home as soon as possible – the message was received, but not read even after five minutes. Looked like she had used all her luck earlier and would have to be patient this time.

Therefore, she decided to go ahead and take a shower, hopefully in the mean time Kang would arrive home.

Kyungwon, who had previously been in an unofficial meeting with Sungyeon and Siyeon, planning on a new story short story that could be published in a single digital volume and later released as a physical book, arrived around fifteen minutes after Minkyung sent her that message. Usually that type of text would make her a bit anxious that something bad had happened, however Minky’s unusual use of emojis was a signal that everything was okay. She had replied as soon as she was out of the Sungyeon’s office, making her way back home. Driving had never been a thing she was fond of, but she was definitely getting them a car if it meant she wouldn’t have to use her long legs to sprint home every time Minky texted her.

“I’m home!” The lights were on when she arrived, her eyes darting through the living room in the search of her girlfriend. Kim wasn’t there, but she still could see the faint light coming from the corridor that lead to their room, and she promptly walked towards the room. “Minky?” Instead of the woman, she only found her bag on top of the bed, and the sound of water running in the bathroom.

Kyungwon smiled, siting on the bed. She let out a small yawn, they would sure take a break from work as soon as they could. She loved working on her webtoon, but she loved even more some good sleep and cuddle with her girlfriend. Blinking her eyes, her gaze wandering through the room until it landed on Minky’s nightstand where an oddly old looking book was placed. She reached out to grab it, taking a look at the cover that didn’t seem to have anything written. The brown haired woman frowned slightly, puzzled by the book. It felt a bit too heavy on her hands, its velvet like cover didn’t give any hints of what it could be. Was it something related to Minky’s work? As far as she knew, dealing with antique items wasn’t part of her job. She bite down on her bottom lip, unsure if she should try to give it a better look or just leave it aside. It wasn’t like her to snoop around Minkyung’s stuff, but it wasn’t like the other had tried to hide the book, besides it was just a book, right? Minky’s work was to make people read this kind of stuff, not the opposite.

Shrugging her shoulders, she decided to carefully open the book to check if she could at least get the title of it. Although, in the moment she opened it, she couldn’t help but deep her frown.

Minkyung heard the sound of familiar footsteps when she turned off the shower, and quickly changed into her comfy pajamas,  leaving the bathroom to find her girlfriend staring at the book Nayoung gave her earlier. “Oh, you found it! I really wanted you to see it.” Combing her fingers through her hair to try and fix it, she approached Kang taking a seat by her side. She tried to take a look at what the girl was reading, but Kyungwon closed the book before she could.

“Hey you!” Kyungwon greeted her with a peck on the lips and a warm smile that was only for her. Minky was tempted to pull her in for another kiss, although the other cut her off before she could do anything. “Your company is working with diaries now? Like that one book that tells you to write things and burn the pages after or something?” Her tone was genuinely curious.

Now it was Minkyung’s turn to furrow her brow in confusion. “What do you mean? No, this is not one our books. Haven’t you tried to read it?”

“Well, try is the word. There is nothing here!” The artist said, her fingers tapping the cover of the book that had refused to show her even a single line. Honestly, Kyungwon thought it was a huge waste of paper

A chill ran through Minkyung’s spine. “It’s not possible. I can read it, so you are supposed to be able to do it as well.” A bit too fast, she reached out to open the book in a random page. “Here, look! Can you see that? You need to!”

Kang looked at the book and then at her girlfriend who kept her gaze fixed on her face. “Minky, there’s nothing there. Is it written with those paints that only work with dark light or…”

“No, no! I saw it early, you are not paying attention.” Minkyung said, taking the book into her own hands to read it herself. But there was nothing.

The book was completely blank again.

Her eyes grew wider, as she turned the pages and didn’t find a single line written on it. Was Nayoung joking with her? Was this some kind of twisted prank? Her hands started shaking violently and she closed the book roughly, feeling her chest tighten.  She was so happy, and for what? Just an illusion.

“Kim Minkyung!” Kyungwon’s voice sounded a bit too loud, as if she had been calling her for a while with no success – what was exactly what happened. The brown haired woman couldn’t possibly understand what was happening, but she hated to see her girl in such a state. She throw the book aside, getting closer to the woman. “What is going on? The book was something important to your work? Whatever it is we can fix, don’t worry. I’m here.” She reassured the brunette, her right hand taking a hold of Minky’s chin, gently lifting it up so she could face her. Lifting her left hand to fix Kim’s bangs like she always did, she stopped mid motion when the other gasped in surprise. “Minky, you are scaring me. What happened?”

Minkyung grabbed her hand, her grip a bit too tight as she bring the said hand closer to her face to check something that could only be yet another illusion. However, no matter how many times she blinked, the blue mark was still on Kyungwon’s palm. A cute sleepy fox, so very similar to Kang’s drawings. It had her name on it.

A quick glance at her own left hand showed a new blue mark in the place where her red one once was. Not a snowman, but a smiling wolf instead. Kyungwon.

“Minkyung, what in the world…” Her soulmate, the one she had choose to herself, said bewildered by her girlfriend’s behavior.

A spoken answer wasn’t necessary. Minkyung only lifted her hand, showing where the mark was at the same time she did the same to Kyungwon’s own hand, demanding the woman to face it.

Kyungwon blinked. Once, twice…Maybe ten times. Her mind having a hard time taking in the new information.

Kang was having a hard time breathing, overwhelmed by what was happening. It didn’t seem realistic that after so much time thinking her and Minkyung weren’t destined together and they would have to always fight destiny to protect their love, now so easily she received the greatest gift she could’ve asked for. “How…?” She touched both marks, making sure they were real, and felt the subtly warmth coming out of it. Maybe it was her mind playing tricks on her, but she could swear she could feel a new connection to Minkyung just by doing it. She had always felt like she didn’t have a soulmate, she never felt a magical pull towards anyone other than Minkyung and she always thought it was nothing but her wishful heart. Until now. “Doesn’t matter.” Shaking her head, she reached out to hug Minky, bringing her as close as possible. It didn’t matter how or why the marks where there, just they were and it meant that she wouldn’t ever have to worry about anyone, not even the gods above, trying to take her love away. “I love you. I love you so, so much!” And she probably could have repeated it another hundred times, if it wasn’t Minky’s soft yet demanding lips on hers.

Minkyung cupped Kyungwon’s face on her hands, lifting her face slightly to give her full access to as she deepened the kiss, the gentle pressure of their lips against each other not being enough to satisfy her need of contact now. Kyungwon still had her arms around her and only tighten her grip, bringing her so close that she could feel the uneven beats of her heart. Minky left out a pleased sigh, her lips curving into a smile as she felt the girl correspond the kiss with the same passion. Her hands moved, one firmly on the younger girl’s nape and other travelling through her soft brown hair. Kyungwon nibbled on her bottom lip, tongue swiping the place before slowly making its way to meet hers, promptly Minkyung to moan as the taste of chocolate filled – Minkyung’s favorite taste. They had  kissed so many times before, yet Kim had never felt so many things at once, and she knew it had to do with the mark – no, it didn’t affect her love, nor it create more, but to know they had such big evidence of their connection really took away any inhibitions or barriers that could exist between the two of them. It meant Kyungwon was hers and no one else’s, and the same was truth for the Kang, as she always felt. The unpleasant chill had turned into a pleasant tremble as her heart jumped happily into her chest, lifting a weight she didn’t even knew was on her shoulders and making her feel light and free – the real kind of freedom, the one that allowed her to pick her own destiny and to be with whom she really loved.

They broke the contact reluctantly, sharing small kisses until they had to separate completely to search for air.  Pansy scent filled Minkyung’s lungs, her favorite smell. Many of her favorite things were directly connect to Kyungwon, and while it seem a little foolish and childish, she didn’t mind it at all. She brushed her nose against the brunette’s, resting their foreheads together. “I choose you. I’d always choose you.” She had a lot to explain, a long story that would make very little sense now that they both couldn’t read the book anymore – she didn’t mind it all, if it was the price to have her new soul mark, she was more than pleased in paying it. “Even if I didn’t have a mark on my hand, you were already marked on my heart where it really matters.” She kissed Kyungwon again, unable to control her affection, although now she knew there was no need to rush since they had a lifetime together ahead of them.

“Good, because you were always the only option for me.” Kyungwon smiled, so big that it reached her eyes, making them close into a cute eye smile that made her look so much younger and innocent. She hugged Minkyung, nuzzling her face into her neck, leaving sweet kisses there. Minky smelled like jasmine and her own personal scent, a combination so good that she would never get sick of it. Being in her arms was so comfortable, warm and safe that it would have been easy to fall asleep if she wasn’t afraid of waking up later to find out it was all a dream – if it was, she would stay as long as she could. Albeit, Minky’s hot breath by her ears felt too real to be anything other than it. Kim’s next words were enough to make her melt into the girl with the silliest grin.  “I love you, too, my soulmate.”

The slightly younger woman could’ve combusted out of happiness to hear these words on top of everything that was happening, but she refrained from attacking Minky’s lips once more, checking the mark on her hand instead. It was still there, giving out the weird, yet nice, feeling that it had always supposed to be there. Grinning, she caressed Minky’s back, a sudden burst of confidence telling her to not worry, that the mark would always be there just like her soulmate would be by her side. She kissed Kim’s pale neck, ready to go back from the point they had stopped, but then she pulled away soon after.

“Wait, the book! What was that about?” The brunette was so distraught over it, that it had to be something important for her.

To her surprise, Minky laughed whole hearted. Grabbing the book that the other girl had throw at the far corner of the bed and placing it back on the nightstand. She would have to give it back to Nayoung eventually, maybe she should bring Kyungwon along when she did it – her scared cat girlfriend would hate the place, but it was okay since she would be there to guide her. “It’s a long story, but for short: It would only tell you what we already know.”

“And it is…?” Kyungwon raised her brow, giving the book a suspicious look that Minkyung found adorable.

She decided tomorrow she would explain everything properly, but for now she just wanted to enjoy Kyungie’s presence and the little miracle they had received. “That a mark can’t change how much I love you and you love me.”

Kang wasn’t quite convinced that a random book filled with only blank pages could’ve anything to do with them. However, she couldn’t argue for two reasons: One, she was too happy and relieved to care whether; And two, Minkyung was back at her arms and was being pretty insistent in having her presence noticed. Kyungwon gasped when she felt lips on her sensitive ear, letting out a small giggle.

“You are right. I’m thankful for it anyway, if talking about it is enough to make you like this.” She teased, giving her a playful, yet loving look before kissing her soulmate properly. They would have the rest of their lives to do it, but she didn’t want to waste a minute more.

Yaebin wasn’t used to go to sleep that late, but she was having a hard time resting her mind, therefore she just ended up in the couch with the remote on her hands and a bow of Nunu’s favorite snacks in front of her – the blonde was really a bad influence for her healthy food habits.

Kang couldn’t say she didn’t know it could happen, since the very beginning she knew Minkyung was already someone else’s. That’s why she tried her best to not get too attached or see things where they didn’t really exist. However, it would be a lie if she said she hadn’t thought about how things could be if Kim indeed liked her like a soulmate was supposed to do. Even in the short period of time they spent together, she had grown fond of the older woman and it was easy to picture a future together.

That day she could tell something was off. There was something on Minky’s eyes, a glint she couldn’t really define, but was still was so present. Minkyung was also acting different, looking more at ease than ever, as if she was moved by a strong purpose – and she was. It wasn’t a shock to hear the other girl’s words, yet it hurt a bit to know that now her chances of being with her soulmate were over for good. She kept saying to herself that it wasn’t a problem, that she had lived alone for long that it didn’t really matter, and she should be glad to at least have made a new friend.

She was sick and tired of lying to herself. Perhaps what she wanted wasn’t Minkyung, but someone who loved her unconditionally.

Having a soulmate wasn’t an only way ticket to happiness, it came with so many risks and required you to keep your heart on your sleeve. Still, all the risks seem to pay off. Her dad’s death had almost broken her family entirely, but when she remembered the smile on her mom’s face whenever he was around and how happy they were together, it was impossible to deny that nothing could compare to it. She had seen it happen to Eunwoo and Kyulkyung as well, how much the girl had affected Jung’s life and made her world so much brighter even if it was short lived. Minkyung seem to have something like it with her girlfriend, a bond that was so strong that not even the laws of life seem to be able to break it.

It was too much to ask to also be able to feel like this?

Loud knocks on her apartment’s door startled her, taking her out of her thoughts, and prompting her to stand up to go check what was happening. It was too late for a friendly visit, therefore it could only bad news. Bracing herself, she approach carefully the door, checking the electronic monitor to see who was it and furrowed her eyebrows the moment she saw a restless Eunwoo outside. Not hesitating a minute more, she throw the door open to face her best friend.

“Jung Eunwoo! What are you doing here?” She asked, pulling the girl inside the place as soon as she saw her.

The blonde blinked nervously, taking a deep breath as she stared back at the raven with an weird look on her face. Yaebin had never seeing her like that and was starting to get worried by her silence. “Eunwoo, is everything okay?”

With a slightly nod the girl pulled away from her grip, only to extend her left hand, showing Yaebin her palm. The brunette’s first thought was to think that Kyul’s mark had vanished away entirely and it caused Eunwoo’s state, however when she took a look at the other woman’s hand she could only gasp in surprise.

“It just appeared here! Out of nowhere!” Eunwoo exclaimed, still pointing out the blue print on her palm. It was a soulmate mark, a soulmate mark with Yaebin’s name on it out of all things. A name that shouldn’t be there.

It wasn’t like her to curse, but she left out a small curse due to the shock. Eunwoo, who still seeing to be on the edge, didn’t waste time in pulling Yaebin’s hand to check for herself if the woman also had a new mark – of course she did. Both girls watched in awe as the red mark on her hand slowly disappeared to give place to a new blue one with Eunwoo’s signature.

They exchanged a look before Eunwoo left out a piercing scream and Yaebin went to the kitchen – she would need a lot more of junky food to deal with it. Maybe some drinks as well.

After about a hour, Yaebin was back in her couch, sat beside Eunwoo as they both contemplated what had just happened to them. It took Yaebin two whole bottles of soju and Eunwoo five huge slices of pizza – they had to order extra things – for them to be able to properly talk about it.

“Is Kyul’s mark still there?” She said, voicing out her biggest concern as of now. Eunwoo being her new soulmate was shocking and she honestly didn’t have a clue about what do to, still, she knew how much love the other girl had for her first soulmate and how hurt she would be if the only thing she had left from her just disappeared. She couldn’t help but worry about Eunwoo, after all they were friends.

“It’s here.” Eunwoo’s voice was small, so different from her usual noisiness. She looked down at her hand, observing how both marks stood side by side as if had always been like that. She had always feared the day her mark would disappear, but now instead of one, she had two. “They are kind cute like this.” She tried to give a smile, feeling awkward.

Jung was having a quiet night at her house finishing some editing for her next work when she felt the weird feeling of weight over her shoulders again, the same that always made her wonder if Kyulkyung was putting a prank on her from the other side. But this time was different from the usual, there was no chilling feel to it, instead she had felt a warm sensation on her forehead only a moment before the same feeling irradiated to her left hand. The next thing she knew, she had a new soul mark beside her old one, Yaebin’s name glowing slightly as if it had just been painted on her skin. After an initial freak out that included her slapping her own face to check if she was sleeping and requesting for the old lady next door to check it she could also see the mark – she could and looked at Eunwoo like she was a freak – she had to come meet her friend, hoping to get some answers there.

It wasn’t like she hated it. It was just so…Unexpected. One moment she was clinging onto Kyulkyung’s soulmate mark and cursing all the gods for giving her such unfortunate fate, in the other she had a brand new soul mark and life seem to be laughing at her face. Suddenly her mind was a bigger mess than usual and she was having a hard time adjusting.

“Didn’t you have a soulmate already though?” The blonde glanced at her friend who seem to have developed a new drinking habit.

“I thought so.” Yaebin made a face, because the situation was making her second guess everything and also because she still hadn’t fully adapted to the alcohol bitter taste.  She never heard about someone getting a new soulmate mark, but then again when had her life being typical? “She basically friendzoned me today. So I guess is the same as not having one?” She shrugged, as if it was enough of an explanation. Well, technically it was the only one she had to give.

“Ei, you mean I’m your second choice?!” Eunwoo protested with full of pizza – was it her seventh slice? Yaebin had lost the count. Nunu really had a peculiar charm.

“I could say the same thing, you know?” The raven smirked.

The blonde sighed, sinking into the couch. Yaebin did the same, leaning against her friend shoulder. Bickering with Eunwoo was usually a good way of relaxing and make her feel at ease, it was good that their natural dynamics hadn’t been affect by the soulmate thing, no matter how awkward it was. “I’m relieved.” She admitted, fidgeting with the empty bottle she still held in her hands. “I mean, that is you.” Having a new soulmate all of sudden was a bit bizarre, yet knowing it was someone whom she knew and loved was somewhat comforting. 

Jung nodded slowly, she could understand what the other meant.  She never thought about finding someone else after Kyul, even when her mother tried to push her to date again it always seem so far fetched and useless, however if she was to have a new soulmate, she was glad it was Yaebin. “Hm, I guess you are not that bad yourself.” Her reply was only slightly playful, sincerity underlying it.

For a while they didn’t spoke, only enjoying each other’s company and trying to assimilate their new situation. How did it change things? Their feelings were still the same, right? It was hard to imagine the way they always saw each other changing all of sudden.

“So, what now?” It was Nunu who finally voiced their concerns, her voice sounding as light as if she was just asking about the next movie they would watch. Typical Eunwoo, try to be practical and keep things fun. Yaebin felt her lips curving into an involuntary smile, they were so different, and Eunwoo couldn’t be any more different from Minkyung – the soulmate system was surely eclectic.

“You tell your mom you don’t need to go to blind dates anymore?” She tried, her tone matching Jung’s. Eventually they would have to talk about it more seriously, but she had a tough day and maybe a little too much to drink, besides it seem like they would have plenty of time together from now on.

“You bet I am! She is trying to make me sign up for that dating app again and I still have nightmares about it.” Nunu’s usual fast paced speech, along with her very expressive face was back, a good signal that she was fully back to normal. “But at least the dudes there were over the kids height limit. ” She hugged the smaller woman by the shoulder, giving her a teasing look. Yaebin shoved her slightly, chuckling lightly. “You are not my type either. I asked for tall and dark, not talkative and dork, you know?”

Tuesday

As usual, Sungyeon kept her word and had delivered and handed Kyungwon the printed version of the first volume of her webtoon Tuesday afternoon. Bae had an unusual smirk on her face and her typical know it all expression was replaced for one that Kang could only identify as prideful. The woman didn’t waste time making conversation, instead she almost kicked her out saying she had ‘a feeling’ Minkyung would be at home earlier today – Kyungwon had no idea of how she could possibly know it, but she didn’t argue.

She was grateful surprised to figure out that Sungyeon was right and she was able to meet Minkyung on the way back home. “It’s a gift! But wait until we get home.” Kyungwon said when the taller woman asked about the small book she was carrying. Reaching their house, she was feeling as excited as a kid gets for Christmas and simply pulled Minkyung with her towards the studio.

“Should I feel flattered that you are finally letting me into here after a month?” Minky teased, although the brown haired girl felt that it was a bit of hurt in her tone, and Kang wanted to kick herself for having being so dumb.

“You are always welcome here. You can get the key if I ever forget about it again.” She promised, leaving a quick kiss on the girl’s cheek before leaving the book on the desk and take a seat on the comfortable armchair by the desk. Opening her arms, she gestured for Minkyung to take a seat on her lap.

Kim did as she asked, sitting down only to have Kyungwon’s arms wrapped around her in a tight hug that didn’t fail in making her smile. She had missed small things like this. During work she couldn’t properly concentrate in anything, always checking the soulmate mark on her hand to make sure it was still safely there and smile every time she saw it. Minkyung was just happy everything was back to its rightful place.

Kyungwon rested her chin on the brunette’s shoulder, giving her a mischievous smile. “Go on and look at the last pages.” She said referring to the book and Minky nodded slightly, doing as she was said. “Wait, this is your novel! I thought it wouldn’t be out until next month.”

“Sungyeonie is being especially nice to me lately, so just thank her for this.”

Nodding, the brunette proceed on turning the pages of the volume until she found the ones Kyungwon’s was talking about. She recognized the characters that the girl had shown her before, the ones inspired by them. The short story was a comic featuring the fox and the otter, it was about hunters invading the forest they lived on and menacing them, they had to move away fast, but the otter wanted to go to a warm place while the fox thought a colder place would be the best option. They had little time to argue and had to decide faster whether going separate ways or if they should just stick together and hope for the best. The otter decided for the latter, telling the fox that she needed to stay with her so she could hear the hunters first and keep her safe although both knew the otter was as scared as the fox, still the fox was glad for having the otter with her. It ended with them running away together.

The story wasn’t anything like Kyungwon’s other creations, it had a more sober tone to it and it was heartwarming as well. Minkyung loved it, especially when she knew the characters represented them. It was the kind of thing only Kyungwon would think about and it didn’t fail to get the expected reaction.

She took hold of the artist’s hands, intertwining their fingers and bringing them close so she could lay a kiss there. “Is this your way of saying you want to stay with me for the good and bad?” She asked, turning on Kyungwon’s lap so she could face her.

Kang returned the smile nodding. She always thought she would feel nervous in this moment, but she only felt excited and happy. They had come a long way together, it was just another step in their journey. “This is my way of officially asking you to stick with me forever. Would you?”

“Yes! There’s nothing I’d like more than that.” Minkyung was smiling so wide now that her eyes had disappeared almost totally into crescent, her cheeks hurting from it, but she didn’t even notice, instead she leaned in to kiss her now fiancée lips. However, Kyungwon pulled away before she could kiss her properly.

“Oh, almost forgot about the ring!” It was so typical of her to forget about one of the most important things in moments like this. The brown haired woman clumsy jungled Minkyung’s weight to reach out and get the box from the drawer. Handing it to the brunette with a wide grin, kissing her quickly. She had spent a lot of time picking the perfect ring and waiting for the right time to give it, it was hard to believe that the moment was finally here. “Here, open it.”

“It’s beautiful.” Kim touched the small box, yet not opening it right away.

“Wait, you…?”

“Took you long enough to let me properly see it.” She clicked her tongue, opening the box to see the beautiful ring laying against the blue velvet. She had seen it months ago, and since then she waited anxiously for the day she could call Kyungwon hers and claim it officially. Different from her promise ring that was very simple, this one was clearly more expensive, engraved with little diamonds that made it shine as the light hit.  She didn’t care about how expensive it was, anything Kyungwon had given her would be special. Her smile didn’t wave, although she could feel happy tears starting forming in her eyes. “Tomorrow we’ll go out and get you one too! I want them to match like our old ones.”

Kyungwon only kissed her as a reply, hugging the brunette tightly. They would go and get her a ring, maybe even start to plan things for the wedding. If their little crisis taught her something, it was to take action and value every moment they had, and that was exactly what she would do.

2 years later

“It looks really nice.” Minkyung said with an approval nod as she looked around the place.

“We have so many clients that I’m nearly going insane, but it feels nice.” Yaebin crossed her arms over her chest, filled with pride, the expansion of the bookstore had gone well and business had never been better.

“Did you find new employees already? I heard Yerim and Siyeon are still in Japan.” The taller woman leaned on the balustrade, letting her eyes travel to the first floor where Kyungwon and Eunwoo were having a heated conversation about fishing – although both were terrible at it.

“Sort of. The celebrity over there said she would help me with the interviews, but she always asks weird things to people and then suddenly the interview becomes her and some college kid talking about our cats.” She faked an annoyed sigh, albeit Minkyung could see the fondness in her expression when she talked about Jung.

Minky chuckled, she could easily picture such scene. “I always watch her show, she is surely entertaining.” Eunwoo worked as an announcer delivering the evening news in a very unorthodoxy way. Even Kyungwon had taking a liking a liking for the show, and Kyungwon hated the news.

“That’s her just being herself.” Yaebin said with a soft giggle. Eunwoo’s new position on the entertainment industry was quite unexpected, but fit her perfectly. She got do to what she loved the most: snoop around for scoops and talk too much while being payed to do it.

“How are things between you two? The trip went well, I suppose?” Kim arched her eyebrows, a glimpse of unmistakable mischievousness in her eyes – she was starting to resemble that silly wife of hers. By the way her lips trembled in a playful smile when Yaebin nodded positively, she was sure Kyungwon’s mischievousness had affected her friend.

“Don’t start it. We are still only dating.” She said rolling her eyes at the girl’s smile. “I can’t marry someone whose ideal date is eat friend chicken with soju while watching reruns of old dramas with my cats.”

The brunette covered to hide a laugh. “It doesn’t sound that bad. I know you secretly like it.”

“Maybe once in a while, but every day?” Yaebin made a face, shaking her head. She would need to get Eunwoo into a better diet if she still wanted to have a wife in her 40’s, and taking into consideration how close to home the idea of losing someone hit them both, she was doing it for real. “She is jogging with me twice a week, so I think it’s a beginning.” She shrugged, knowing it would take a long time to Nunu get used to a better life style – her current tactic was to try corrupt Yaebin instead. “What about your celebrity author?” She nodded in Kyungwon’s direction.

“We are bickering every day because she insists in pulling all nighters to meet her deadlines and keeps on nagging about my book.” It was Minky’s turn to grimace, but soon she laughed, dismissing the subject. She didn’t have too much to complain, her life with Kyungwon was happier than she could’ve wished for. They had moved into their new home just last year and adopted a new dog since Kongie was too attached to Kyungwon’s parents to move in with them. They were currently back to a comfortable routine that included Kyungwon picking her up from work every day and they having weekly movie and writing marathons that mostly ended with too much kissing and little work done. “I think we are ready to start a family now…Following Kyungwon’s logic we already did since we adopted Poobie, so maybe I should say a human family?” She chuckled softly, letting her gaze fall on her wife that was still talking to Eunwoo. “They get along well, we should go out together sometime. Didn’t you say Eunwoo likes horror movies? We should go to see one.”

“She says she does, but then she screams at the screen whenever there’s a jumpscare.” Last time Yaebin had got nearly deaf from all the scream, yet Jung had claimed the movie wasn’t scary at all and that was her just enjoying it. In these occasions Yaebin would only hug her closer and close her eyes, hoping the movie could end up already and save both her heart and ears.

Her life with Eunwoo hadn’t changed much. They had always been close, the big problem was to learn to see the Jung as something other than just her frisky friend and it took a while for it to happen. But the transition was nice, slowly they learnt about a new side of each other and things evolved naturally. Just like with Minkyung, she could feel a connection that was probably a direct result of the mark, yet it felt a bit different this time. Kim had told her about her finding on that old book that no one seem able to read. It was a relief to know that her feelings were genuine and the soulmate mark only worked as a little ‘push’ and not the main factor to make you love someone or not.

“Minky, I think I’ve never asked you about it,” She said, a sparkle of curiosity igniting in her mind. “You said you went to a bookstore and that’s how you changed your mark. But you never spoke about the store again. You didn’t try to go back there?”

“I tried to find the place to return the book, but no matter how many times I try, I never find it. It’s almost like it was never there.” Kim furrow her eyebrows with a slightly frustrated expression. If it wasn’t the book that she still kept on Kyungwon’s studio, she would’ve thought she had dreamt it all. “But I guess what the librarian told me was true, they only open for special occasions. Perhaps I was just able to find it because I needed to.”

Yaebin was a very skeptical person, still it was hard to not believe in Minkyung’s word when she had seen for herself the soulmate mark in her hand change into a new one. “Whoever that librarian was, I’m glad you found her and was able to change things…No offense, former-soulmate.”

“None taken. I’m glad I could get both, my perfect match and a great friend, too.” She smiled at the raven. Minkyung meant her words when she had said she still wanted Yaebin in her life, even if in the beginning it was a bit awkward, soon enough they were comfortable around each other again and Minky would try and help the small Kang to deal with her new soulmate situation. “I’m also glad you and Eunwoo have each other now. I’ve never seen you smile so much before.”

A very light blush covered Yaebin’s cheek, although she curved her lips in mockery. “This is only because Jung Eunwoo can’t be serious not even to save her life.”

“Neither does Kyungwon. But that’s one of the reasons why we love them, isn’t it?” Minky grinned, waving at the duo on the first floor.  “Come on. Let’s go to somewhere nice for dinner, before they decide on eating at that chicken place that you like so much.”

 With a scoff Yaebin followed the taller girl downstairs, unable to hide a smile when Eunwoo’s small hand slip into hers the moment she approached the duo. She saw the way Kyungwon back hugged Minkyung with such naturally and her smile grew wider.

The soul marks might’ve caused a lot of trouble in their lives at first, but in the end everything was worth it and she wouldn’t have changed a thing.

“Everything worked out. As expected!” Sungyeon said as they watched the scene on the glass window of the library.

“They look so cute together, don’t they?” Kyulkyung’s nose wrinkled adorably when she smiled, her dark eyes shinning brightly as she watched the couples talking. Instead of jealousy, she was happy to see Eunwoo having a new chance at love with someone as special as Yaebin, she knew they would be good to each other.

“I guess so.” Nayoung who was beside her, took a glance at her face and smiled ever so slightly – she didn’t really care about humans, or at least is what she liked to say, but it was undeniable that she had grown fond of her noise assistant.

“Happy to see the fruits of your manipulations?” Kyla’s question was directed to Sungyeon who didn’t look not even a bit sorry for everything she had done to make sure they reached this conclusion, the small girl had her head up high and a winner smile on her face.

“Obviously. I was right in the ending, wasn’t I?” She raised an eyebrow at Nayoung. The two of them would probably spend the rest of the century arguing about it, but the other two were used to it by now and wouldn’t give them any attention. Nayoung just shrugged, she would rather to avoid any argument that involved her having to admit Destiny was right about anything.

“Right or wrong you still have 48 years of punishment to finish.” Kyla interrupted, amusing flashing in her eyes for a moment that didn’t pass unnoticed by the goddess of fate. Death might act like she is insensible to human emotions, but clearly she wasn’t all that much.

With a snort, Sungyeon waved her hand, making the image on the window disappear. “Then let’s move. Is not like the death can wait, I suppose.” She ironize, her grumpy face receiving an eye roll from her new boss. “See you soon, Kyulkyung. And you too, Stone.” She waved before disappearing beside Kyla who simply bid them farewell with a nod.

“We should get going as well. Do you have everything ready?” Nayoung asked Kyul. The assistant nodded enthusiastically before disappearing in the back of the library for a moment, coming back with a simple piece of paper in hand. “Here are the names.”

The goddess took the paper in her own hands, touching the names carefully and closing her eyes for a moment. “It’s correct.” With a short nod, she opened her eyes and offered her free arm to Kyulkyung.

It was time to fix another one of her mistakes – and hopefully Sungyeon wouldn’t try to mess up with this one as well.