By the end of the semester, Chaewon was just done with her finals. Having Minjoo by her side made things easier, they helped each other in the best way they could and whenever they had any free time, it would be all about cuddles and kisses – by now it was almost like they were living together and albeit Yuri nagged them more than once, Chae would only insist for the brunette to go back to her dorm when they were too distracted with each to study properly; Minjoo would whiny, but she also had to pay attention to her school obligations.

Today, Chaewon only came to school to get her final grades, expecting some not so great results in that one subject that had haunted her throughout the semester. However, she didn’t expect things to go so horribly.

Getting bad grades when she did her best wasn’t something new to her, she was used to it. But getting a zero when she had spent a whole week working on that assignment and studying for her test was too much. Chaewon could feel frustration and rage washing over her as she stared down at the red mark on top of her paper, the same one her final test had. Why? Just why that woman hated so much? What had she done to deserve something like this? She waited for a whole month to hand her the results only to smirk at Chaewon in a superior way as she told her she wouldn’t accept cheaters in her class.

“I did not cheat.” Kim said, her voice deep and heavy with hatred, eyes on the much older woman who never looked back, pretending to be busy putting away her own stuff.

“Do you want me to believe someone like you could get a perfect score when the others can’t? You should’ve accepted your place and not be so greedy.” The woman’s husky voice only made her want to hit the teacher across the face, yet Chaewon only tensioned her jaw to refrain the hateful words of coming out of . Her hands grasped roughly on the papers, but she took a deep breath, managing to keep her composure and not rip it apart. No, she wouldn’t prove that woman right by acting like the lowly being she seemed to think Chaewon was.

“I don’t need you to believe anything, ma’am. I can prove it.” Straightening her back to assume a more commanding posture, she carefully took her phone out of her pocket to take pictures of the papers before putting it inside a safe case. “I’ll ask for a new grading. I know I have the right to do so.”

The older woman scoffed, her lips still holding a sarcastic smirk. “Cheaters don’t get rights, Kim. I already reported you.”

“You reported me for doing well?!” It was her turn to give her a humorless smile. That woman would go to such extents when all Chaewon ever wanted was to have a peaceful time. She had worked the double to be able to pass that class peacefully, but it looks like all her effort only made things worse. “All right. I’m still asking for it, even if I have to redo the test. Because believe it or not, I deserve a good grade, and I worked hard for it.”

“Its easy to talk, kid. But it won’t be easy to face the consequences of your actions.” The threaten wasn’t subtle at all, but clearly the teacher didn’t mind her words. She was probably convinced her twisted theory about Chaewon was correct.

Chaewon once more took a deep breath before bowing politely to her, resolute in not losing this battle. “I hope you are willing to apologize, ma’am. A person is more than just a scar, you should know it by now.”

Turning her back to the woman, she left the classroom with heavy footsteps.

All her life she had to deal with people like this, all her life she had to rely on her own persistence and the few people who were by her side to keep going – her parents tried so hard to give her a happy, safe life, raising her as far away as possible of other people’s prejudice and ignorance. Still, they couldn’t protect her forever and the outside world was harsh.

She felt a hot, painful feeling behind her eyes as she tried to contain her tears, making her way to the other floor where she would have to fill a long request to have her work revised. Again, she asked herself why things had to be so hard for her? Why she had to work to satisfy people’s petty egos? Would it ever stop? Was there even a point in continuing trying?

Swallowing her tears, she kept her steady pace focusing on her task. She couldn’t give up, she wouldn’t.

It took her half an hour and a long series of questions and curious looks, some skeptical and some empathic ones, for her to be done with filling the request, submitting the papers for re-evaluation. Chaewon knew the chances weren’t on her favor and she would probably have to take that test again to dismiss the cheating accusation – more studying, more stress and pressure over her.

Part of her just wanted to go home and have a good crying, however Minjoo would be waiting for her there and she didn’t want to show such a pathetic side of her to the girl.

Just like her – lack of – luck, as soon as she stepped outside the rain started to fall, making the pavement wet as she tried to get her umbrella from her backpack to make her way down the steps – she never got to do so, the umbrella opening in a weird angle, completely useless, and as she tried to hush her steps after throwing the broken umbrella into a trash can, she was met by a group of students who passed by her in a hurry, shoulders and arms shoving her aside.

The combination of the rain and the rude students led her to an unpleasant fate: she lost her balance, tripping over the steps and falling, her arms and face meeting the cold and hard pavement as she reached the bottom of the steps. It happened so fast that she couldn’t even try to protect herself properly, her hands instinctively coming to try to cover her face and receiving the majority of the impact of the fall, albeit her forehead still hit the ground.

Pain filled her body as she tried to seat up, the taste of blood on , and her hands burning as a thin line of blood made its way down her forehead. She felt dizzy and lost – and so freaking unlucky.

Even though it hurt, it didn’t hurt as much as watching the students walk past her without even hesitating, no one asked how she was doing or tried to help – the same people from her class earlier, they probably had for her as little sympathy as the teacher.

Warm tears filled her eyes again, and she didn’t try to hide it, letting the rain wash it away.

Bearing a scar made her existence a constant battle, but never a fair one.

“Chaewonie? Chaewon!” Nako's voice came accompanied of long, strong arms helping to lift Chaewon up, a smile with deep dimples and concerned eyes welcoming her as she looked up to see her savior.

“Oh man! Are you okay?” The stranger asked, but Nako shouted again before Chaewon could bring herself to answer.

“Yujin, cover her with the umbrella! Let’s take her to the nurse’s officer!”

Minjoo was pacing back and forth, phone in hand and eyes on the dark afternoon sky filled with fat grey clouds. Chaewon was supposed to meet her there, they would go out to try and get some last-minute photos to help her finish her portfolio for next week – she already had so many, but it was better to have a lot to pick from than struggle to find a decent one. However, as the clouds gathered to turn the bright day into a lifeless, grey one, there was no signal of her girlfriend. She tried to text her first, but as the minutes went by and she received no reply, a nervous energy filled her body, worry washing over her in waves as she started to think about worst case scenarios.

Her neck nearly snapped, how quickly she turned to look at the door as she heard someone opening it and she didn’t even wait before taking big strides to come to Chaewon’s meeting. “Chaewon, what took you so long? I saw the rain starting and…” Her voice died down as she watched her girlfriend’s precarious state. Chae’s clothes were wet and dirty, her drenched hair sticking to her head, a visible swollen area on her forehead and on her bottom lip, her eyes shot red without a glimpse of the usual glint – Chaewon looked broken, as lifeless as the grey sky. “Chae…” Gingerly, she lifted a hand to carefully touch her face, but the girl stepped back, avoiding her touch.

Chaewon raised a hand, trying to cover up how swollen her lips were – she had bit the soft skin hard during the fall and only noticed when Yujin, Nako’s loud and kind friend, handed her a cold drink to apply on it to ease up the swollenness. She knew how much of a mess she looked like right now, seeing it reflected on Minjoo’s dark eyes made it seem much worse. She wished she could fake a smile and tranquilize her, but it would be of no use now. “I had a little accident, you know how I am.”

“It doesn’t look like a little accident!” Minjoo’s voice was higher than usual, her concern evident as she tried to reach for Chaewon’s hands to pull her towards the couch – the older winced in pain as soon as her fingers met the wounded skin of her palms. “Oh my god, I’m sorry!”

“No, no! My hands are just…A little scratched. I fell on the stairs.” The older showed her palms, the red scratched skin would slowly turn into purple, having received all her weight when she tried to protect her face earlier. Nako and Yujin had helped her clean up, but she insisted on coming home instead of seeing the campus nurse. “Don’t worry about it. Nako and her friend helped me and gave me a ride…I must’ve ruined her car seat. I should probably pay her back for it.”

“I’ll thank her for it later, but I’m sure she doesn’t want your money.” Minjoo frowned, carefully tugging into her sleeve, making the older follow her to the bedroom. She would indeed thank Nako for helping, but also ask her about what really happened, because she highly doubted it was just a simple fall. Chaewon could be clumsy sometimes, but it didn’t explain the dejected look in her eyes at the moment. “It’s raining and it’s easy to slip and fall.” She added in a sweet voice, grabbing a first aid kit from Chae’s bathroom cabinet, to aid to her wounds.  She knew how much the bad luck stigma affected her and the last thing she wanted was for the girl to think even more about it. “I hate seeing you hurt, but everyone falls once in a while.”

 “Yes…” Chaewon allowed her to take her left hand, her eyes watching as Minjoo skillfully cleaned up the palm, applying some ointment on it. She was grateful for having Min in her life, someone who was always ready to ease her burden and provide her with care and protection, however she also felt like she was burdening her with her problems. Minjoo could’ve left for her photoshoot hours ago, instead she was there waiting for her and now she had to take care of her. With a heavy sigh, she felt her eyes burning as the words left . “But does everyone get a perfect zero in all assignments because they were born with a mark on their face?”

The younger stopped to look up, realization slowly hitting her. “What? But you did everything, even extra activities!”

“That teacher she…I guess she just despises me…People like me.” Taking her hand off of Minjoo’s, she tried to keep herself calm as she spoke. It was selfish, but she felt the need to rant to someone about it and Minjoo was the one person she had started to rely on for the last couple of months. “All that work and she still thought I’m nothing but a cheater. She even reported me.”

“She reported you?!” The taller girl felt her heart skip a beat, but not for the right reasons. She had seen how hard Chaewon worked to keep her grades, how much effort she put on it to prove people she was as good as the others, still all she got was blatant discrimination instead of praise. “Chae, I’m so sorry!” She said, sitting by her side and lifting her hand to rub her back in calming motions. “She is crazy! This is not your fault.”

“Funny thing is, it’s not the first time.” The older brunette just shook her head, her lips twisted in a sarcastic smile that only hurt more the swollen skin. She had always knew that for some people she would never be more than the mark on her face, no matter how hard she tried – yet, she was never completely ready to face it. “They always doubt me, always think that I can’t do anything on my own, that I’m no good…That I will never be.” She muttered the last words, her lips quivering, breaking the smile as she looked down to her wounded hands – Salty tears fell on it, the burning in her eyes only getting worse as her chest hurt, the air coming out to give place to pain.

It wasn’t only for today, but for every day she had to face this kind of treatment, for every day she had to hold in the tears and put on a strong façade.

“I was home schooled because the other kids at school bullied me and the teachers didn’t even try to stop them…One of them even said I didn’t belong there…” It was so long ago, but still hurt like it had just happened, maybe because the teacher had helped to bring back her old, hurtful memories. “And I cried so much when I got home that my mom never allowed me to come back there.” Even as an adult, she would still run to her mother if she could – but wasn’t running to Minjoo similar to it? She was looking for comfort in the presence of someone she loved and she couldn’t deny she had learned to love Minjoo. “I thought things would be different now, that I was strong enough to face it…That maybe people were different now, but…” She let out a humorless chuckle. “But it won’t ever change.”

Seeing the older girl so crushed pained Minjoo, her arms coming to hug Chae, holding her in a safe embrace. Biting on her bottom lip, she tried to contain her own tears, as she tried to comfort her girl. She liked to think they could change things, that if they were together, they could overcome anything – but at the end of the day, there was no way for her to protect Chaewon of everything, they couldn’t simply change people’s opinions and change years of prejudice like that. Still, it hurt. More than any physical wound, the harmful words and actions had hurt Chaewon deeply and it wouldn’t disappear anytime soon – no matter how hard Minjoo hugged her, or how many kisses she left on her head with soft words…All she could do was try to give her some comfort and hide how much it affected her too.

“I love you, Chae.” She couldn’t promise her everything would be okay, or that they would be able to change her grades or that professor’s opinion, but she could cover her with all her love and affection, and hope for the best. “And I’m so sorry for everything, but I’m here now.”

Chaewon slowly relaxed in her embrace, the older felt tired and out of breath due to the crying, resting her body against Minjoo’s and sinking in her warmth and protection. It hurt so much, but Minjoo’s presence helped to ease the pain, her gentle touches and soothing voice were enough to make her feel better.

“I love you too.” Her words came out in a whisper, yet they carried so much weight. She loved Min, so much that her heart almost couldn’t handle, so much that her wounded hands still wanted to hold her tight and her swollen lips still wanted to kiss her, because she knew that if Minjoo was there, it would be okay.

After all, Minjoo was her safe haven now.

It took Chaewon several minutes to calm down completely, and Minjoo was there, patiently caressing her back and leaving light kisses on her head. She could feel her heart heavy, a sharp pain on her chest every time she heard the older woman sob quietly, almost as if Chaewon’s pain was hers too – she hugged her a little tighter, closing her eyes and wishing she indeed could take away all her pain and suffering, that she could heal her and make her whole again.

“You should take a hot shower before you get sick.” She finally suggested, slowly pulling away to face Chaewon. “Take your time. I’ll get you something warm to drink after you’re done.” Giving her a small smile, she received a slightly clumsy kiss on her cheek as Chae muttered a ‘thank you’ before standing up to head to the bathroom.

Minjoo waited until she heard the water running in the bathroom to leave the room, her steps slowly leading her to the living room. She wanted to make them some tea, but she stopped before reaching the kitchen, her hands shaking as she reached for Chaewon’s backpack in the couch – it was also wet and a little torn, dirty. Chae’s notes were probably ruined too.

She tried to organize it, but her hands were trembling.

Her shoulders were also shaking now, all thanks to the sob trapped in , wanting to get out urgently. She tried so hard to contain her tears earlier, but now she couldn’t help but cry her heart out. It felt so unfair that someone like Chaewon had to go through this, so unfair that she couldn’t have what everyone else took for granted, so unfair that Minjoo couldn’t do anything but try to pick up the pieces once someone else had broken her again…Hugging the backpack to her chest, she let her tears fall, allowing her pain to dissipate along with them.

She had always been sensitive, always cared too much about others and crying wasn’t a rare event for her. However, it was more than simple empathy, it was almost as if she could feel all of Chaewon’s pain from all those years, as if this burden was now hers too. Her chest hurt, it was almost like she couldn’t breathe, like needles were pricking her heart over and over again…She never had felt something like this before.

Her weak legs gave up, making her take a seat on the couch as she allowed herself to cry her pain away – even if only for a little while. Chae would be done with her shower soon and she had to be ready to show her a calm façade, she should be the one providing comfort and not the other way around. Later she would also have to meet with Yuri and Yena and see if they could come up with anything to help Chaewon.

She was wrong to think she would be able to hide it from the older Kim.

While Minjoo was in the living room, Chaewon had taken a quick shower and was now changing into comfortable clothes, she still felt tired but it didn’t hurt as much now. She just wanted to cling to Minjoo and sleep, even though it was still afternoon – unfortunately, she didn’t get the chance of doing it.

Chae had barely slid into her soft dark green sweater when she felt a sharp pain on her chest, making her bend forward, her hand came to grip on it, kneading the soft fabric of the sweater. It was like someone had punched her hard, taking the air out of her lungs. However, the pain disappeared as quickly as it came, now there was a sudden burning feeling in – her upper lip, to be more precise. It wasn’t like a real burn, more like a discomfort that quickly turned into numbness as she tried to touch the sensitive area. She felt her body shivering as she took a long stride to be in front of the bathroom’s mirror, her fingers still trying to feel the slightly rough skin under it – her birthmark.

Albeit it didn’t feel like it was supposed to.

The numbness increased in her skin, but panic start spreading through her body as she looked into the mirror and watched as one of the thin lines faded away slowly, the white-ish skin turning back to her natural skin tone as if it was never there to begin with.

That was it, not even a full minute and it was gone. Three lines becoming two, the scar wasn’t as easy to spot now that the most prominent line was gone.

She should feel relieved, she should be happy for that little miracle and pray for it to happen again, to finally be set free from the marks that cursed her life. But she didn’t. Only one thing was on her mind right now.

“Minjoo.” Chaewon whispered as realization hit her. Hyewon’s words echoing in her mind.

“You know, I heard that if you get to break the heart of someone who really loves you, the scar will disappear forever. Just like that, poof!”

Just like that. Was Hyewon always right? She only had to hurt Minjoo to get rid of the scar for good?

Running out of the bathroom, she searched for Min in the bedroom and then went to the living room, finding her wiping some tears as she hugged her backpack – she didn’t try to break her heart, but somehow she had done it. Somehow, she managed to hurt her and the result was one less line on her face.

“Min?” She called gingerly, the hesitation in her voice revealing her fragile state of mind. She had promised herself, promised them, to try to make things work out, but if this was the outcome, she would regret it forever. A life without a scar would be a blessing, yet it was not worth sacrificing someone she loved – and she loved Minjoo, much more than she ever thought she could, to the point that her heart was beating fast on her ears now, scared of facing the younger girl and see the hurt on her face. “Minjoo…A-Are you okay?”

Minjoo didn’t reply right away, trying her best to compose herself before she could face Chaewon again. She shouldn’t be crying right now, she didn’t want to make the older Kim feel even worse. Forcing a smile into her face, she stood up, looking at Chae who was staring at her from the other side of the room – she had a concerned look on her face, and she looked even more pale than before. Standing by the doorframe she looked small and vulnerable. “Hey! I thought you’d take longer in the shower.” Her smile became more natural as she stared at her girlfriend with fondness, she just wanted to give Chaewon a big hug and that’s what she tried to do walking up to her. “Just give me a minute and I’ll make u-”

“No need.” Chae stopped her before she could touch her, averting her gaze to the floor. Part of her was relieved that Minjoo’s face was as flawless as before, that whatever damage she made couldn’t be seen, but a bigger part of her felt like her world was falling over her head. She could see Min’s swollen face and red eyes, she could see the hesitation in her smile – how ironic was it that she hadn’t broken her heart, but instead Minjoo had done it herself by pitying her so much? She couldn’t risk it happening ever again. Chaewon wouldn’t pass her burden and pain on someone else. “You should go home and work on your portfolio. I made you waste a lot of time today, I’m sorry.” Her words were said in a soft voice, she didn’t want to hurt her even more, however she couldn’t ignore what had just happened.

A frown was formed on Minjoo’s face as she let her arms fall to her sides, by now they were way too close for her to not notice when something was wrong with Chaewon. Her dark eyes looked for Chae’s lighter ones, failing to meet her gaze as the older just stood there, keeping a stiff posture as she avoided her. “Chae, are you still feeling bad? It’s okay…I mean it’s not, but we can figure a way to prove your innocence and get your grades back.”

Taking a deep breath, Chaewon shook her head slowly. “I already filled a request for another grading, but I’ll probably have to do all assignments again. You don’t need to worry about me, I’ll be fine.” It was her turn to force a smile, one much less convincing one. Hugging Minjoo and apologizing for hurting her was all she wanted, still she kept her instance, refusing to let her weak side win again. It was all her fault, if she hadn’t allowed Minjoo into her life again, it wouldn’t have happened. “I’m fine now, so I should probably start studying.”

“No, you are not. Why would you pretend to be?” Ignoring her body language, Minjoo took a step closer so she could cup Chaewon’s small face in between her hands, not allowing her to avoid her gaze this time. The chestnut eyes that looked back at her were opaque, lacking its natural light, full of guilt and pain. Minjoo felt her heart shrink inside her chest. “Just talk to me.” Her words were almost a whisper, if not a spoken reply, she expected to see something change in her eyes – Chaewon refused to look back at her, she didn’t push her away or tried to break the contact, but there was no reply.

As the seconds went by, Minjoo felt the same pain from earlier hitting her, the need of receiving comfort was there too – why couldn’t they just find it in each other’s embrace like it had always been? Why would Chaewon refuse to give them it?

The answer came in the form of a sad smile, one that forced Minjoo to pay attention to the curve of Chae’s lips, instead of her eyes.

The living room wasn’t well illuminated, there was only the weak light of the grey afternoon coming from the windows, giving everything a melancholic tone to it. Maybe that’s why it took Minjoo so long to notice it, or perhaps it was because for her the scar on Chaewon’s face had always been such a minor detail that her mind couldn’t pay it much attention in a moment like this – one way of another, now she saw it.

Instead of three lines, there were only two. Minjoo’s breath hitched, her lungs out of air all of sudden. “Your scar…” Her thumbs brushed lightly against the skin, proving what her eyes already knew.

“Min…Please.” Chaewon asked with pleading eyes, feeling the scar warm up under Minjoo’s delicate touch. There was a connection between them, one Hyewon didn’t mention when she told her about that theory. This connection seemed able to make or break them and she wasn’t ready to face the latter. “I think I need some time alone now.”

Minjoo heaved a deep sigh, her hands letting go of Chaewon’s face, albeit she didn’t step away from her. Now the pain in her chest made sense, all the hurt she had felt…It was starting to hurt again just to hear Chae speak like that. Being away wasn’t the solution, but she doubted she would be able to convince her now. “Do you think being alone will fix anything?”

No. Chaewon thought it would make her miserable, that would turn this terrible day in many others. But maybe being away from her would make their bond weaker, maybe it would slowly turn love into indifference and she wouldn’t ever be able to hurt Minjoo again. “I’m hoping it won’t break anything else.” She was hoping it wouldn’t break her heart.

She expected a quick reply, a protest or even one of the tight hugs Minjoo seem to think could fix everything – but she only got a long, pained stare as Min waited for a long moment for her to change her mind. She didn’t, she only muttered under breath. “I’m sorry. For everything.”

Shaking her head slightly, the taller girl finally gave up, slowly stepping away from Chaewon to go and grab her things so she could leave. It wasn’t her apartment, but as she walked towards the front door, she felt as if she was leaving her everything behind – maybe she was.

She stopped by the door, hand on the knob, her ears trying to pick the sound of steps – nothing came, Chaewon didn’t move from her place, keeping her head low and shoulders curved in defeat. Minjoo grabbed onto the knob with more strength, a different kind of tears threatening to run down her face now, frustration and sadness hitting her. “You’ll only put us both through more pain. I just hope it doesn’t take you too long to realize it.” With these final words, she opened the door to leave.

Chae didn’t stop her, she only heard her footsteps getting farther and farther away after the door closed, taking Minjoo away from her. It was for the best, wasn’t it? So why was it so hard to breathe now? Why she felt even worse than when she noticed the missing scar? Would it break their hearts even more or keep them safe?

For the second time that day, Chaewon just broke down, cursing the bad luck that hard awarded her such complicated life – this time Minjoo wasn’t there to comfort her and she could only feel emptiness as her tears dried and she found herself in a dark room.

Minjoo sighed, resting her chin on her arms that were crossed on top of her desk, her eyes looking into the distance through the dirty window of their dorm room. It would rain today again, she felt like it was raining ever since that day.

Her phone screen lit up with a new notification, but she had only taken a look at it, before ignoring the device. Chaewon was texting her, asking her if she was okay – again, it seem like the only thing she would tell her for the past week. Chae didn’t disappear on her, although she avoided her presence at all costs, her text messages would come every day to check on her as if the older girl was worried something could happen if she didn’t. Knowing the reason for her behavior pained Minjoo even more, and although she understood her reasons, it didn’t hurt any less.

She missed seeing her every day, sharing cheap convenience store food as they talked about their classes and made plans for the week. She missed seeing Chaewon’s eyes lit up whenever she saw her after a long day, right before the girl welcome her with a hug. She missed going to sleep in her arms and waking up to sweet ‘good morning’s and clumsy kisses full of affection. She missed Chaewon.

“Aren’t you going to answer that?” Yuri asked, her voice quiet, not really pressuring her, just curious. The younger girl was in a complicated position there, between her roommate who would spend her days sighing and her cousin who would spend her days hiding at the library – with her own number of pitiful sighs. She had tried to talk to both, but there wasn’t much she could do when Chaewon was being thick-headed and Minjoo suddenly decided to not act like a determined stalker for once – honestly she didn’t quite understand what was going on, even talking with Yena didn’t help since her girlfriend was as clueless as her. There was more to it than the two girls were letting them know. “She gets pretty worried when you don’t reply.”

“She is always worried. But never enough to actually come here to see me.” The Kim replied with a heavy sigh, slowly reaching for her phone to check the text again. She hated the way Chaewon was dealing with that, and she hated herself a little bit for not being able to ignore her. ‘I’m staying at the dorm the whole day. Don’t worry.’ She replied and right away a simple 'thank you, take care’ message arrived. Another sigh, Chaewon wasn’t coming to see her today either. “I’ll go back home tomorrow. You told her right?”

“Not yet…” Yuri admitted, giving her an apologetic look. Trying to help those two was giving her a headache. “Should I?”

“I guess it doesn’t matter.” Minjoo tried to shrug her shoulders nonchalantly, but her indifference was clearly not real. She expected Chaewon to have given up on this stupid idea by now, such a noble idiot she had fallen for – still, she couldn’t get mad at her for it, not when she knew the situation so well. “Maybe it will make things easier for her if she can focus completely on studying.”

Jo sighed – maybe she was getting infected by the sighing epidemy –, standing up to pat Minjoo’s back in comfort. “She will come back to you, Min. I don’t know why you two are acting like this, but clearly is not like you don’t love each other.”

The taller girl gave her a small, thankful smile. She wanted to believe it too, but as the days went by, she couldn’t help but feel more apprehensive. “Unfortunately, the problem is exactly that.”

“Eh?” Yuri raised her eyebrows, giving her a questioning look.

“It’s complicated, we…” Minjoo’s phone screen lit up with another notification, this time a different name popping up, immediately taking her mind off of the conversation. “I will explain it to you someday, but not now. I have to pick this up.” She informed before leaving a confused Yuri behind, getting out of the room to call the familiar number.

She took a deep breath before dialing the number, it only ring once before the older girl picked up. “Hyewon? Hi. I know you’re busy, but I really needed to talk to you…It’s about Chaewon.”

Chaewon had been drowning in books and self-pity for the whole week.

Taking a seat by one of the most isolated tables, at the far back of the library, she practically camped there, studying a semester’s worth of material, while the rest of the students were already leaving to go back home. Her request for a new grading was granted, and although she got good grades for her assignment as the school board confirmed none of her papers was plagiarized – shutting down the teacher’s accusation and her ego –, they couldn’t attest her innocent regarding the exam as there was no way to prove she didn’t cheat and the professor’s word was still against her, therefore she would have to take a new test under another teacher’s supervision. Getting a bad grade was out of question for her, so she had to study everything again to make sure her score would be nothing less but perfect.

Part of her was glad she had something to do, otherwise she would be at home thinking about Minjoo and searching about birthmarks like a maniac – even though she knew she wouldn’t find anything other than crazy, baseless theories. It was hard enough looking at the mirror every day and noticing the missing line, a constant remind that she had a good reason to stay away from Minjoo, no matter how much she missed her – she still showed it, through awkward text messages that probably looked like a robot had wrote them, all her longing put into small sentences carefully crafted to try to hide her pain. She wondered if Minjoo was getting tired of her by now, feeling annoyed and confused by what she was doing – she couldn’t blame her if it was the case, Chaewon never gave her a proper explanation after all.

It occurred her to talk to Yena, her best friend, but knowing Choi she would probably just tell her to stop being such a coward and talk to Minjoo already. Yena couldn’t possibly understand her inner struggle, the same goes for Yuri and even her parents – they all loved and cared about her, she knew it and was grateful for them, but it didn’t mean they could understand. If her, the one carrying that damned scar, could barely understand what was going on, how could anyone else know?

 It was weird, but all she wished for lately, was for her scar to never disappear – at least not if it meant hurting the person she loved. Minjoo was a good thing that happened to her, regardless of all her bad luck she had met someone as loving and warm, if only she could keep her, bearing a scar wouldn’t be so bad. Life was playing a twisted game on her by giving her such fate.

Her gaze fell over her phone, the screen dark, indicating she hadn’t got any new messages. She sighed, disappointment washing over her as she rested her head over one of her books. Of course, Minjoo wouldn’t reply to her again – what was there to say? It wasn’t like she gave her any space to talk, and for once Minjoo wasn’t willing to be the one doing all the work. Chaewon grimaced, maybe she should apologize, her girlfriend deserved better than being treated like this…If she could still call her like that.

“Kim Chaewon?” The sound of a voice so close to her almost made her jump from her seat, her eyes growing wide as she recognized a face she didn’t think she would see ever again.

“Hyewon?” She tried, her voice almost breaking as she stared at the brunette. She still looked pretty much the same, but there was a big difference now – there wasn’t a scar on her face anymore.

The older woman gave her a smirk, nodding. “Good you remember me. I think we need to talk.”

Chaewon couldn’t say anything, just nod as she precariously packed her stuff to leave the library.

The place they choose to visit, was a quiet park outside the campus, a place only old people seem to visit to feed the pigeons – not so surprising, considering how cold the days were getting now. Chaewon didn’t really like coffee, but Hyewon had insisted on picking up a warm drink before they head to the place, and the younger was in no position to refuse – she expected to receive some answers and Hyewon was the only one who could have it.

“Have you ever thought about what the scars really mean?” Hyewon was the first one to talk, her dark gaze hovering over Chaewon’s face, inspecting it as if she was about to analyze her answer – however, she didn’t give her the chance of saying anything. “The bad luck thing is just one of the versions.” Hye proceeded with a stern tone. “Some say they used to be an icon of luck instead, that people just got annoyed not everyone could have it, so they tainted the meaning…I have studied a lot about it in the last few years.”

The younger woman moved on her seat, slightly uncomfortable. Hyewon always had a way with the words, as if she knew too much and was never telling everything – it hadn’t changed, albeit her tone wasn’t as mischievous now, Chae could still sense something was off about her words. Therefore, she only nodded slowly in response.

Glancing back at her cup, Hyewon took of the cap to take a sip before continuing. “Actually, some people say it was the way for your soulmate to recognize you.”

Chaewon pressed her free hand into a fist, taking a deep breath. After what happened, she was pretty sure that scar was nothing but bad luck. “There is no such a thing as a soulmate.”

Hyewon glanced at her, nodding as well. “Yes. I guess for some of us there isn’t.” Shrugging her shoulders, she played with the cup sleeve for a moment, before lifting her gaze again. “Titles don’t really matter in the end.”

“I wish they didn’t.” Kim said more to herself than to Hyewon. Soulmates didn’t exist, but ‘cursed’ people like them did, and this was the title she would have to live her whole life with.

The wind was blowing as the two of them stayed in silence. Chaewon had a lot to ask, but the beginning of the conversation had made her forget her curiosity for a moment, the melancholic feeling taking over as she watched the lifeless park.

She wondered how different her life would be if Hyewon had never told her about that, she wondered if she would have been able to live a better life and accept Minjoo easily…Now Hyewon was talking about soulmates, it was almost funny how her narrative had changed since then. Chaewon wished the girl was right this time, but they both knew her former theory was correct.

Sighing, she turned to face Hyewon, her eyes going to the point where her scar used to be, watching with attention for any traces of it – none.

“I know what you’re thinking. I didn’t go to a doctor, I’m not that dumb.” Hyewon said in between sips on her hot coffee, a small cloud of hot air forming whenever she breathed. She had taken a seat at one of the wooden benches, Chaewon following suit as she heard her. “It would be a waste of time and money.”

Of course, they both knew that. You’re not supposed to get rid of your birthmark, by any meanings, therefore if Hyewon had done it, it should be a very special case.

Unconsciously she took a hand to her own scar, fingers brushing against it – yeah, she knew about special cases now. “Then how did you get rid of it?”

Hyewon side eyed her, a glimpse of impatience in her eyes. “You know the answer.”

“Did you really…?” Chaewon trailed off, refusing to put her thoughts into words.

“Yeah.” The reply came without any hesitation, the older woman was ready to talk about it – she wouldn’t have looked for Chaewon if she wasn’t. That, however, didn’t mean it was a pleasant topic for her. “Not my proudest moment, but it worked.”

Putting down her coffee, she prepared to tell the story, while Chaewon only watched her with attentive eyes – she had a lot of questions, but she would listen to Hyewon first, and hope her words could bring her the answers she needed.

“I met her when I was still in high school, she was helping out with summer classes and she was just nice to everyone. No matter who, even me. At first it wasn’t about the scar, I didn’t even think I had an actual chance with her, but…” Hyewon’s lips curved into a bitter smile, guilt on her dark eyes as she thought about the past. “Someday she just confessed and we started dating. Being with her was nice, really nice, it made me feel happy…Happier.” She sighed, immersed in the memories of days long gone, days Chaewon could only compare to her own, spent with Minjoo.

“But you know, everything else was still bad. My scar wasn’t as small as yours, I couldn’t hide it even if I tried, so everyone else still treated me the same way and it was just so hard all the time…I felt more and more like I needed to break free from this curse and…And I eventually did.” Hyewon let her gaze get lost in the distance, her tone as cold as the weather as she spoke. “As I said, not my proudest moment, but at the time I thought it would be worth it, that it was the only way for me to have a better life.” With a sigh, she older brunette finished her story, picking up her cup once more to down the rest of the lukewarm coffee. 

Chaewon nodded slowly, taking in all she heard. It wasn’t that different from her own story, only that she had never allowed herself to be seduced by the idea of a live without the mark – if anything, it was quite the opposite, it was the reason why she was there now instead of cuddling with Minjoo back in her apartment. However, she couldn’t really judge Hyewon’s actions, not when she knew how hard life could be for people like them. “The person…What happened to her?”

“She hates me. As she should.” Hyewon shrugged her shoulders, nonchalant. It wasn’t anything new. “You know, back then I didn’t know it all. I thought that finding someone to use would be okay as long as I could erase the scar for good.” Turning to face the younger girl, she made sure to make eye contact before adding. “I was wrong. Ridiculously wrong.”

Asking if she regretted doing it seem silly when she could tell by her look how guilty and tired the woman was. Chaewon hadn’t seen her in years, but she still remembered the glint her eyes used to have. “I always thought a life without a scar would be better, but I guess it’s not all that matters.”

“It is better, in some ways. All bad luck, all dirty looks and free insults are gone. You know, just poof.” Hyewon’s tone carried a note of sarcasm now, her smirk didn’t match her eyes. “But I still regret it. Breaking her heart broke me too. It doesn’t go only one way, my scar may be in her heart now, but it is in mine too, and sometimes I can still feel whenever she hurts.”

The younger girl exhale feeling her chest heavy, tearing her gaze away from the raven-haired girl to look down at her hands. Would she still be able to feel when Minjoo was hurting even if they were apart? She had felt something that night before the scar disappeared, was it Minjoo’s pain? She closed her hands into fists, frustration and sadness mixed in her heart. That mark had too much power for something you could barely see, even more than she ever thought – or did it really? Maybe it wasn’t the scar, but the love they shared that caused it all…Either way, it pained her that they were now stuck in this situation.

Hyewon’s voice took her out of her thoughts, her tone flat, but with a hint of interest now. “What about you? Your scar doesn’t seem the same.”

“This…” Her hand instinctively went to touch the two lines, before a sigh left her lips. “I never meant for it to happen, but somehow it did. I don’t want her to get hurt because of me.”

“So, you didn’t do anything to break her heart, but you still did?” Hyewon arched her eyebrows, turning slightly on her seat to have a better look at her younger companion. “How come?”

“No, I…” She tried to explain, a grimace on her face as she remembered the scene from that night. She never meant for it to happen, but still felt guilty regardless. “I guess she cares too much and maybe that’s even worse. I’m not even trying and she still suffering.” Chaewon curved her shoulders in a defeated posture. Could she even win against this curse? With or without a scar, it would always torment her. “I’m keeping my distance now. I don’t want to lose the scar if it’s on her expense.”

Hyewon didn’t reply right again, shaking her head slightly as she heard the Kim speak. “This sounds…Pretty dumb.” Was her conclusion, a smirk on her face as she looked at the younger girl with a knowing gaze. “Kim Chaewon, are you dumb? Are you pushing her away for loving you too much?”

The offense was clear, she was trying to knock some sense into Chaewon and her harsh words hit hard against Chae’s fragile determination, making it crack under her strong gaze. “I don’t want us to have the same fate you and your girlfriend did.” Kim admitted in a small voice, more afraid of attracting such fate, than to offend her old friend.

“You won’t.” Hye didn’t even hesitate, her smirk was no longer there, but she wasn’t annoyed at the younger girl – she looked solemn, guilt back to taint her pretty dark eyes. “What happened was my fault, I purposely did that to her. I ed it up. But you’re not like me, are you?”

“I’m not.” Chaewon frowned, she may not be the best for Minjoo, but she always wished to be – she couldn’t imagine doing what Hyewon had done, it was never a possibility to her. “I’m trying my best to not be.”

“Well you’re not doing a good job!” Hyewon snorted, giving her a judgmental look that made Chaewon wince in her seat. “Don’t you think pushing her away will hurt her too? That it will make her feel sad and make her cry? That it will break her heart again?” The older woman seemed genuinely irritated now – or maybe frustrated would be a better word, as if she couldn’t believe how dense the Kim was being. “Is that what you want for Minjoo? What she deserves?”

“N-No! Of course not!” Chaewon stuttered, straightening her back to stand up to Hyewon. Her words were like a slap on her face and she didn’t like the feeling of it. All she ever tried to do was the best for the both of them, but it all seem so wrong when Hyewon put it in this way. “I’m just…” She stopped halfway through, noticing something off. “H-How do you know her name?”

Hyewon rolled her eyes at Chaewon’s words, getting impatient now. “Why do you think I came to find you?”

Of course, for Chaewon it didn’t make much sense at all. Not when she hadn’t seen this girl in ten years and as far as she was concerned, they had no connection besides carrying birthmarks once. “How do you know about her? About us? Hyewon what-”

“Just tell her the truth. Everything. Let her choose whether or not she wants to stay. Even though I’m pretty sure you already know the answer for it too.” Standing up, Hyewon gave her a small smile, giving up on her tough act – she knew she had gotten to the girl already. “You’re a nice person, Chaewon, maybe that’s why you have such a small birthmark. Don’t act like a fool and deny you and Minjoo the happy ending you guys deserve.”

Chae tried to hold her back, by pulling on her arm gently. “Wait! You didn’t tell me how your mark disappeared!”

“It was completely gone the morning after I broke up with her, only the pain left.” Her eyes were like onyx now, dark and unreadable – maybe her actions would haunt her forever. “Again, we’re not similar at all.” Patting Chaewon’s head lightly, in a very uncharacteristic action, she gave her a smirk. “I got to go now, but we’ll meet a lot more often in the future, so take care and make sure to keep your soulmate happy.”

Chaewon looked back at her, nodding slowly. “That’s all I ever wanted.”

“Then do it. It’s up to you turn this mark in a good luck icon instead of a bad one.”

The older brunette left before Chaewon could oppose again, leaving the Kim with a confused expression behind. Hyewon had indeed given her some answers, as well as some important advice, but she also had brought with her even more doubts – maybe Chae wouldn’t ever get the answers for all of them.

However, she knew she shouldn’t take Hye’s words lightly. Soulmate or not, Minjoo deserved to be happy and she had to decide quickly, if she should try to be a part of this happiness.

It was ridiculous really, after all, the answer was obvious.

A/N: Special thanks to Cherry for the idea. I’m probably posting the final chapter in a couple of hours.