This story was part of the Kkubi OS Festival (Go check the other stories, they are amazing!!!)

Everything was perfect, and perfection cannot exist in this world. So, Fate decided to play with their love, trying to seal their bright shared future and crush their hopes.

Two souls connected to each other, one fighting to avoid the end, one fighting to enjoy every moment with her soulmate. Can Eunbi and Sakura be destined to be with each other?

"I will always love you unnie, never forget that…"

"Stay with me forever…"

Hongdae, an area of Seoul, always animated by several luminous shops where young people cannot wait to get into. Because it is Friday evening, one PC bang is crowded, filled mostly with teenage boys, coming after school to relieve some stress on online games and to celebrate the upcoming weekend. The shouts are loud, the gamers are playing excitedly, screaming at their teammates to shoot some enemies encountered in the battlefield. Defeat is unthinkable for them, their honor being at stake, they do not want to lose.

In the midst of this chaos, two young women are on a bench, calm, peaceful, totally in contrast with their surroundings, without any computer in front of them. It is quite an unusual situation in a PC bang, but since the two girls are friends with the owner of the shop, she lets them be. Staying here for almost thirty minutes, Eunbi watches quietly the customers enjoying their time, heating the atmosphere of the shop. She puts her arms around her lover, securing her grasp, not wanting to lose her heart. She then dares to come closer to her girlfriend and whispers gently her next words, like she casts a spell on her.

"Baby, do you still remember our first encounter here? Tell me, do you still feel this love?" the Korean woman reminisces the first time she met her girlfriend here. Back then, she had a part-time job in the shop and held the cash register after her classes. Never did she think at this time that she would meet her half in this kind of environment.

One year ago

Eunbi could not avert her eyes from the girl who was silently playing so seriously. It was the night, during her shift in this PC bang for her part-time job, since she decided to enter college again to complete her knowledge in science after successfully obtaining her master degree in economy. From her seat, she could see the screen of the computer and how the girl was so skillful to beat her opponents on Fortnite. It was clear as crystal that she was going to be victorious, as her hands sped up on the keyboard. Eunbi could not believe how could the girl be this good, when she was supposed to barely have time to play games, being a student as well (the girl had her school bag with her, hence her conclusion).

But what surprised Eunbi the most was the beauty of the girl. Like a character coming from an anime, delicate with a pale skin and ash blonde hair, but also fit and subtly powerful with a sharp jawline and a slim athletic body, the girl looked like a cat ready to bewitch you with her big round eyes. In short, she was perfect in the eyes of the Korean woman who was mesmerized by the view.

Since it was raining outside, the shop was almost empty except one or two regular customers, the girl and Eunbi. That is why, she had all the time to look at her, smiling softly and feeling her heart beating faster as time went by. She already knew that she got a crush on this beautiful stranger and that she will think about her several days after.

One hour passed when the girl stood up abruptly of her chair, and went ahead towards Eunbi, with a serious expression. "Damn it! Did she catch my stare on her all this time? Oh my God! What kind of creepy stalker am I? What should I say?" The girl stopped in front of her, cleared and watched her intensely. The employee did not know what to do, so she waited the other to speak first, gulping with apprehension. That was when the girl started to grin widely, like a cute Cheshire cat.

"Like what you see?" Huh? What was going on? Did Eunbi hear correctly? The girl put her elbows on the counter and came closer to her. Eunbi could even smell her perfume, a mix of vanilla and monoi that were refreshing compared to the scent of the rain outside. The girl wiggled her eyebrows and kept flirting with the worker.

"I know you've been looking at me for the past hour, haven't you? It is okay though, I know I am beautiful. So, what should we do now, pretty unnie? You are older than me, right?"

"What the…" Eunbi gasped at the confidence the girl was showing her. Usually, both men and women were too intimidated by her aura to even try to start a conversation with her. So, she was surprised at how comfortable this stranger seemed to be with her. But she felt also flattered when she heard her calling pretty and blushed instantly. After several seconds, she thought, maybe it would be nice to keep the flirt sensing how the younger is interested in her. She then came to her senses quickly and put on a seductive smile, gently running her hand through her dark black hair.

"Hum… Why don't you tell me your name first, beautiful lady with a so high esteem of herself? Then maybe I will think about it." The girl laughed, happy to see that Eunbi is okay with her presence and her flirt. She straightened up and flashed her famous smile.

"Sakura. Miyawaki Sakura. But you can call me Baby, I don't mind." This time it was Eunbi who laughed.

"Did you come here to play games or to flirt with the staff?"

"Hey, I'm not a playgirl, I swear you know! It's just you are so pretty, and I can't go away without having a chance to talk to you!" Sakura pouted, faking to be offended. "I came here to play but now, I'd rather see you smile than facing a screen. I think it is a better way to spend my evening, right?" The Japanese looked at her fondly.

The last customers had already left the PC bang, allowing them to be left alone. Eunbi also did not want to stop this conversation and ponders what to do. She told Sakura to wait and headed to her locker room next to the register, grabbed two cans of beer and came back to the Japanese girl, offering her the drink.

"If you really want to spend a good evening, then you should relax with me. What do you say… Baby?" Eunbi winked at her. Both the women smiled to each other, feeling that this first time was only the beginning of something more special in the future.

"And my name is Eunbi. Kwon Eunbi."

Back in the present

The Korean cries without a sound, seeing how things have changed since then. She rushes to the exit door to leave the PC bang, still holding on Sakura who remains silent, as if the crying of her lover no longer had any effect on her. Time has passed since this fateful day and many obstacles came on the road to their happiness as a couple. They stand proudly against them at first, but Life can be so cruel, Love cannot be enough, and in the end, they could not stop the rift appearing between them.

After getting over her emotions, with Sakura waiting patiently, Eunbi calls a taxi and together, they go to the airport for the last flight of the day to Tokyo. They only bring one baggage with them, with the intention of a very short stay in Japan, the time of a day. Arriving to the right hall, the boarding in plane is fast, as if everybody does not have the time to wait more and wants to see the end of their destination. Eunbi sends a message in the chat group of their mutual friends, saying that they are in the plane, ready to take off and promises to keep them informed of the following events. She quickly has the time to see the message of Chaeyeon, wishing them good luck and a safe journey.

Chaeyeon is Sakura's best friend since high school. She is a nice girl, who only wants to see her relatives living happily. When she heard that the two women decided to be a couple, two months after their first meeting and several dates as well as some hot nights together, she was ecstatic and blessed them like the other girls in their friend group they called IZ*ONE, meaning their wish to become one.

Sakura and Eunbi lived fully their love, still amazed to see how compatible they were. They moved in together rapidly and started a life many of us would be envious. Sakura was the mischievous but cute and lovely one and Eunbi the responsible but clingy and hot one. Their personalities