Yaebin did what she always did when finally got home after a long and boring school day. She kicked off her sneakers, throw her bag and tie on the couch and ran to the kitchen to try to find leftovers to kill her teenager hunger.

But instead of food she found her mom sitting at the kitchen table. Not her usual mom, a red eyed crying mess version of her.

“Mom? What's wrong?” She asked, fearing what she would hear as answer. She couldn't recall a time where she had seen her mom cry before, at least not like this. The older woman was an easy going type of person, a little bit of an air head that would spend her days distracting herself with do yourself art works and buying useless things that she would regret not longer after.

Her mother didn't reply, her sobs becoming louder as she slammed her hands against the table muttering words the young Kang couldn't comprehend.

Yaebin, whom was only fourteen at the time, found herself completely confused and unsure about what to do. She wanted to comfort her mother, albeit she was scared of what reaction it would produce since her simple question had already made things worse.

Hesitantly she approached the older brunette, her hands gently embracing the woman as she whispered comforting words. “I'm sorry, mom. I didn't mean to disturb you.” She managed to say, caressing her hair, mimicking what the woman would do to comfort her when she was little. “It's okay, I'm here. Just tell me how can I help? Please, mommy.”

Once again her words didn't help at all. Hwang Min, her mother, cry just got worse. Her usually perfect make up was completely ruined, her face becoming bloated due to the crying and marked by the tears.

Yaebin felt like crying as well, even though she had no idea why the other woman was crying, she still could feel the pain in every sob Gwang Min left out.

Her mom never answered her questions. The minutes went by as she cried until she could barely breath, her daughter never letting go of her in a weak attempt of making the woman feel better.

Yaebin only understood what happened when her little brother came home with a mournful expression on his face and a hurt look in his eyes. It seemed like he was doing his best to hold on the tears. The boy came close, hugging both women and apologizing for whatever reason Yaebin didn't know.

Having her brother around didn't help to calm her down, it was the opposite, it made her realize that things were probably far worse than she could've imagined.

Her aunt and uncle walked in after a couple of minutes, their expression mirroring the one on her brother's face.

Yaebin didn't need to be very smart, and she was pretty clever, to imagine what happened.

Later on, sitting on the messy couch where she would usually lay down and lazily watch TV, she heard the worst news of her life. Yet, at this point she was expecting such a thing. Her dad, the short man with a bright smile and intelligent eyes that everyone said resembled hers, was no longer alive.

Violent crimes weren't common in their society anymore. However, it was impossible to stop death. From all possible things, a cardiac arrest had taken her dad away. He was working at the bookstore as usual, then there was a sudden pain on his chest and it was over before rescue could come.

For Yaebin it still sounded unreal.

She had seen her dad earlier, and received a kiss on the cheek as he tried once again to convince her to start working at the bookstore. He always claimed that it would be a good bonding experience and she could also make some extra money, but Yaebin had never been that much of a bookworm and she already felt overwhelmed with school, so she always reject the offers saying she would do it when she had more free time...Now the girl wished she had accept his offers before. Maybe if she was there with him, helping to take care of stuff and deal with annoying customers, he wouldn’t have...A deep, hurtful sigh left her body.

Her rational side knew she it was nonsense, that it wouldn’t have change a thing. Yet, her mind was filled with ‘what if’s’ and she couldn’t bring herself to ignore all the possibilities. Perhaps Yaebin wouldn’t have been able to keep her dad alive, but at least she could have tried to save him somehow.

Even after the hours passes, her mom didn’t show any signs of recovering from her mental breakdown. On the funeral house she was crying even harder than before, holding onto a big portrait of her husband and saying things that didn’t make much sense – Or at least Yaebin liked to think they didn’t, it was better than to acknowledge her whispers about wanting to go with him. She really would rather to not hear it. She could barely function knowing her dad wouldn’t be around anymore, she wouldn’t be able to keep going if something happened to her mom as well.

Her little brother had finally given up on his strong man façade, acting now like the broken hearted boy he really was. Her aunt and uncles were trying their best to comfort him. They would have done the same for her, but the girl was too focused on her own pain to be able to accept their kind words and gestures. Kang was silently crying, sitting in a corner of the large mourning room where her dad’s body arrive soon.

Yaebin was hugging her knees tight, resting her head against it. She could feel the energy slowly leaving her body. Her mind that earlier was filled with memories of her dad now was turning into a blank space. She never thought it could happen to him. What her family was going to do now? How could they keep going when the man wasn’t around comforting them with his kind eyes and warm smile?

To know that she wouldn’t ever see him again was enough to make her heart sink deep into her chest, the pain washing over her as the tears kept falling down from her eyes in a steady stream.

The small girl lost track of the time as the sobs kept on shaking her, the pain too great to allow her to do anything else.

“I know it hurts, sweetie. But you are not the only one. We need to stay together now.” A familiar, steady and surprisingly calm voice, sounded as her grandmother approach her. The older woman squeezed her shoulder in a comforting way, prompting her to stand up so she could embrace her in a tight hug.

Yaebin felt her legs weak, as if she was about to pass out. However, the warm hug was keeping her in place. Her grandma’s scent was slowly reaching her, helping to calm the girl down. The older woman wasn’t crying, she had a heartbroken expression on her face, but there was so much strength on it as well. Yaebin had lost her father, but that woman had lost her kid and it was equally painful, but she wasn’t showing it, instead she was making sure the rest of the family would live through it.

The older woman guided her back to her mother and brother, telling them to get ready to greet the people and receive the condolences as they were supposed to. The younger Kang did as she was told, trying her best to hold the tears and get over with it as fast as she could. Her mom was still out of it and her little brother was doing his best to comfort her. She wasn’t in good shape, but she couldn’t let her grandmother do all the work.

That night was the longest night of her life, albeit the day after wasn’t much better.

Her dad had taken with him all the balance the Kang family had, leaving them broken and lost. Gwang Min couldn’t accept the loss of her soulmate, she would cling to every little thing her husband ever owned, oscillating between moments of silent cries and erratic episodes of denial. She had become obsessed with the kids safety and health, in a way she wouldn’t even allow Yaebin to go to school in the first days. That’s why her grandmother stepped in, urging her mother to leave their old house behind and follow the older woman back to the Kang’s hometown, somewhere near the ocean.

Those were hard times. They had to leave their old lives to learn how to live in this new world where her dad was only a memory. Yaebin had cried her eyes out when they had to leave their house, however she cried even more when they closed down the bookstore. She knew how much her father loved the place and how much effort he had put on it. Her mother would never agree on selling the place, but they couldn’t afford to leave it like that, so they had to pack all the books and keep it in a warehouse and rent the place to one of their neighbors.

Grandmother told her that they could open the bookstore again when things got better, and albeit it wasn’t the intention of the older woman, it had left a big impression on the girl that decided in that day that she would do her best to get the place back to its original purpose.

They moved out to Busan just a couple of months before she began high school, in the hopes that a new place would make things a little bit better. And it did, to some extent, but it was impossible to ignore the pain of losing someone you love so much. This pain seemed much greater to her mom, like a scar that never healed completely and left her forever hurt.

Her high school years weren’t easy, as she had to assume a new position in their family. She had become more responsible and attentive, trying to compensate for her mother’s defeated attitude. Yaebin never blamed the woman for it. People used to say that to lose your soulmate was like losing a piece of yourself and looking at her mother she could see it clearly. So, instead she tried her best to help her get back at her feet and recover, doing all the woman asked her to and hoping it would be enough.

On her fifteen birthday that year she prayed to find her soulmate, but more than this, she prayed that whoever it was, they were safe and happy. She was learning how much pain a connection as powerful as the soulmate mark could bring, but she had also witnessed how much happiness it could bring. Yaebin couldn’t help but think that everything would be better when she met her own match, maybe only then she would be able to feel like herself again.

In that same year, a girl who had celebrate her sixteen birthday with similar hopes, was also waiting impatiently for her mark to appear. However, this girl wasn’t expecting to meet someone new, instead she was counting the days until a certain date of november, in the hope that she could confirm what her heart was telling her all along.

Yaebin had always wait for her soulmate, not knowing that her soulmate was already wishing for someone else. The day her father passed away had took with it not only her beloved progenitor, but also her chance of meeting Minkyung at the right time, and perhaps it had also took away her only chance of having a happy ending with her.

“Eunwoo?” Yaebin asked quietly. She was laying down on the couch, in a position where she could see her sleepy friend seating in a weird pose in one of the armchairs that she had in the room. She was sure the girl wasn’t drunk yet, even though they had a fair share of alcohol – Nunu was a pretty light drinker and Yaebin wasn’t used to it, so they weren’t exactly prepared to drink all night long no matter what the blonde insisted on saying.

The slightly older girl was probably just feeling the effects of all the fried chicken she had eaten with incredible speed. Perhaps she was shocked that a ‘fitness freaky’ like Kang had actually bought junk food for once, and thought it was better to just eat it all before the woman changed her mind.

“Hm?” Eunwoo replied, watching the brunette through narrow eyes. She still had the empty can of beer in hand, too lazy to disposal it properly. She was about to say they should call it a night when Yaebin talked. Her small friend wasn’t acting like her usual energetic self. They had met back on freshman year in college and become quite close, Eunwoo could see that something was bothering the girl even if she didn’t say anything. Jung was expecting that the girl would eventually tell her what was really going on and maybe she could be of some help – Yaebin wouldn’t agree with her crazy plans most likely, but it usually was enough to make the other feel a bit better.

However, she wasn’t expecting the question that came up. Out of all topics, this one was definitely the one that she liked the least.

“Eunwoo, how it feels like when you meet your soulmate?” Her tone was serious, her dark eyes not leaving the girl’s as she waited for the answer. Yaebin had never questioned her about it. It was a delicate and painful topic for both of them, for very different reasons.

Eunwoo didn’t reply right away. She finally let go of the beer can, her hands pressing against each other as she tried to keep her cool.

“It’s like…” She started, trying to organize her confused thoughts. It was so long ago, yet she still could recall the moment with clarity and it was able to bring her both, pain and happiness at once. She could say that it was like someone had just snatched her heart out of her chest and had it in a tight grip and letting her no choice other than trust that they would take good care of it. However, she knew it wasn’t the kind of answer Yaebin was expecting, therefor she answered in the simplest way she could. “It’s just like when you think you lost your wallet and then you panic for a moment and gets all desperate and stuff…Only to find it right after and suddenly you are so relieved and glad to see it even though you always had it.” She left out a small, awkward chuckle. “It’s like receiving the best gift, but it was yours all along and you have no idea why you only got it now.”

Yaebin nodded, keeping her silence for a moment. What Jung said made sense in a strange way. In one moment she was living her routine normally and in the other Kim Minkyung was there and it felt like she had always been a part of her life, completing it like it was meant to be.

But it wasn’t, or at least, it didn’t feel like it now.

It was like fate was pranking her, testing her reactions and ruining her comfortable existence.

She stood up, feeling Eunwoo’s eyes on her back as she moved around the room, looking for the picture frame she knew was exposed on the wall. It was a picture of herself and the blonde, back in their college days. They both had big smiles on their faces, it had been a good day and they were genuinely happy.

The three of them.

Her finger traced down the picture, finding the pretty black haired girl that was between Yaebin and Eunwoo. Her smile was even bigger than the others, a cute wrinkle on her nose revealing she was about to laugh. The girl was always laughing, her bubbly personality was even more beautiful than her face.

She didn’t turn around to face her friend before asking. “But…How it feels to lose your soulmate?”

This time, a heavy, long silence followed her words. She didn’t take it back though.

“It’s like that one time I tried to adopt a kitten just to find out I was allergic and had to return it.” Eunwoo’s intention was to joke to keep the sadness away of the moment, however it sounded more bitter and sarcastic than she intended. The blonde sighed, sitting properly on the armchair.

Her gaze found the picture as well, her eyes drinking in every little detail that she already knew so well. On her closet, inside a box she couldn’t bring herself to open, there were many more pictures telling their whole story. Eunwoo wasn’t brave enough to face it all. She only kept that one picture because Yaebin was also included on it, and somehow to know that at least one of the persons that was the cause of her happiness back then, was still alive and well gave her some comfort. She never meant to hide it all, it was just to hard to face it now, even after so much time.

“You saw it for yourself more than once. I guess you know how it is.” Her tone was lifeless this time. She knew Kang had her reasons to ask it all of sudden, still it didn’t make easier to talk about. “It’s like losing your source of strength. Losing your home. Losing everything that makes you complete.” She ran a hand through her messy blond hair, trying to keep the tears away. She wish she could say that the drinks were making her more emotional, but as Yaebin knew, she was naturally emotive and it was almost impossible to hold back.

“I used to look at it every day, afraid it would vanish someday and take away the memories of her with it. That if the mark was erased, she would disappear from my heart as well.” She said, touching the faded mark on her left palm. Her mark appeared on her first day of college, back then it was of a bright red where a name could be seem in pretty calligraphy, Joo Kyulkyung. Now she could barely see it. She had no idea what would really happen once the mark was gone completely, and she tried her best to not think about it. “You know, it’s funny because if it really happens all the pain would go away, but still, I guess I’d rather to live with the painful memories than to don’t remember her at all.”

Yaebin gave the picture one last look before turning around to go sit closer to Eunwoo again. She hated how hurt her friend sounded, how much losing her soulmate had broken her. Eunwoo was better at dealing with it than Yaebin’s mother was, but it was still something terrible to go through.

“I don’t think you would ever forget her, you guys were too good together.” She hugged the girl by the shoulders, giving her a small smile. Eunwoo returned it after a moment, leaning in to rest against Yaebin’s shoulder.

Kang allowed the girl to recover completely before talking again.

  “I’m sorry for asking about it today, but I…I need to tell you something.”

Eunwoo’s eyes were still a little red when she looked at her with a glimpse of curiosity. “And what about it?”

Yaebin’s answer was a simple gesture, opening her left hand to show her newly received mark. The blonde’s eyes grew wider as she looked at it, taking Kang’s hand between her own to look at it more closely. “Oh my god!”

“And that’s not all.” She retrieved her hand, getting ready to tell the girl everything that had happen that night.

When she finished her narrative, Eunwoo decided they needed a lot more fried chicken to help deal with such a messy situation – Yaebin didn’t see how it could help with anything, but considering that it was her only day off of her diet, she didn’t try to refrain the other girl from buying more food. She even suggest for them to get pizza instead.

Eunwoo was shocked at how calm Yaebin was, if she was in her position she would probably have ran after the girl and demand some explanations. She wanted to help the brunette and she couldn’t just sit around and to nothing. “What is wrong with this girl? I mean, you are not that bad all! Is it because you are short? Because I can totally fight her!” Throughout the years she saw Yaebin go from a hopeful girl that still believe in love and the power of fate, although she already had strong reasons to not, slowly become more and more skeptical about all that. That girl should’ve popped up in her life long time ago, and now when she finally does, she simply leaves her best friend like she was no good? Eunwoo couldn’t understand and she didn’t like it at all.

The way the girl war arguing using her slice of pizza as a weapon was totally unintimidated, besides Yaebin knew all too well that Eunwoo’s to go strategy in a fight was to run as fast as she could (and she wasn’t very fast to begin with). However, she was glad for the protective reaction. It was good to know she had someone on her side and to talk about it made her feel a little better.

 “I think it won’t be needed, but thank you for the offer anyway.” Kang left out a small laugh, chewing on her own slice of pizza. She could always count on Eunwoo to lift her mood.

“I think she might have someone already.” The shorter girl said after finishing her food and before Nunu could crack another joke.

Eunwoo stopped midway while chewing her food, looking at her with curious eyes and puff cheeks full of pizza that she forceful swallowed down. “Yaebs, it can’t be. She is your soulmate, she can’t have another.”

“Well, she might not have another soulmate, but she still can have a girlfriend. Or a boyfriend. Or even a fiancé…I don’t know.” She sighed, scratching the back of her head in distress.

Jung considered the idea for a moment, shaking her head slightly. “Maybe. But still, doesn’t everyone already have their own soulmates by our age? Believe me, it is not that easy to date around anymore. I know that. Mom tried to put me on a dating service once and they could only find old widower men!”

It was Yaebin’s turn to nod. “I know. But she also had plenty of time to look for someone, I mean, I don’t even know if I can blame her for doing it.” Think about it still gave her an unpleasant feeling, something that she was starting to associate with jealousy.  She didn’t like it at all. Whatever Minkyung had been doing with her life prior their meeting wasn’t her problem, actually, even now she shouldn’t be prying into the older girl’s life. With or without mark, they weren’t more than acquaintances at best. “And I guess…No, I’m sure, I saw something. She had a ring on her hand and the way she ran away after she noticed the marked…She seemed crushed.”

The shorter girl grimaced, taking a sip of Eunwoo’s soda – Another thing her mother wouldn’t approve if she ever knew about it, but well, her mother wouldn’t approve anything she had done that night.

Life had brought her soulmate and took it away within a minute, yet here she was eating junk food and drinking all she wasn’t supposed to as a way of ease the pain. Very mature of her part.

“And what are you going to do about it? There’s only one way to know.” Eunwoo claimed her cup back, finishing its content before Yaebin could do so.

“She was the one that ran away, not me. Is not like I can just show up at her doorstep…I don’t even know where she lives.” She sighed. All info she had about the girl was the small things Minkyung told her, that was mainly about books, and the fact that she worked for a big publishing company.

“I was talking about stalking her social media accounts and stuff, but this could work too.” She shrugged, making it look like it was that simple. Yaebin rolled her eyes, it wasn’t the time for Eunwoo’s weird plans. “No, listen! You should try to check it, even if only to know if she is not married or something. Do you really want to live with the doubt?”

Or perhaps she should listen to her only this once.

Yaebin pressed her lips in a tight line. She couldn’t deny the idea was tempting and part of her was urging her to do as the blonde said and get over with it already. But another part of herself was still feeling afraid and insecure.

Kim Minkyung was no one for her, only a girl she met for a couple of hours. Yet, she knew deep down that when she had the confirmation that her soulmate was already taken, it would break her heart and she wasn’t ready for it.

“I’ll think about it. But I guess now we both need some time.”

She stood up, beginning to fix the mess that she and Eunwoo had made, leaving no room for the other girl to argue.

The blonde bite down on her bottom lip, refraining from saying that if Yaebin wasn’t doing it, she would get some information herself. She needed to make sure her friend would get her happy ending, even if it was one without her sneaky soulmate. Yaebin had lived just fine until now, Eunwoo wouldn’t allow anyone to ruin it.

Jung groaned when she pulled her up to help out, but the girl started to clean up as well.

They finished cleaning up, storing all the leftovers on her fridge, Eunwoo would probably be eating that for the rest of the week.

“Can I crash here tonight?” Kang asked, already walking towards Eunwoo’s bedroom. She had been there way too many times, and they both knew her request was only a formality.

“As if it wasn’t your plan since the beginning! Just don’t wake me up before noon.” The blonde agreed, following her down the hall. She even handed out one of her pajamas to the brunette, but not before reinforce her previous warning. “And don’t even get me started on how morning runs are good for you!”

Yaebin just shrugged, taking the clothes out of her hands and heading to the bathroom to change. However, she stopped at the doorstep, turning to face her blonde friend. “Thank you for today. I’ll make you breakfast tomorrow.”

The blonde’s expression softened, making her sleepy puppy face look even more cuter. “Non healthy breakfast?”

Yaebin smiled in return. “It will be healthy! But won’t taste like it, I promise.” Nunu made a face, muttering something in response, but she didn’t listened to it already entering the bathroom to take a much needed bath.

A/N: I know, I know. I'm super late with this and is not even what I promised. However, I've been pretty busy, so I decided to divide the chapter in two parts. This one is very important to explain why Minkyebin never met and why Yaebin acts the way she does now. And now Eunwoo's story has been introduced...What you guys thought about it? 

I hope you liked it and I apologize for any mistakes. Thank you a lot for all the subscribers ans comments!