“This is it,” Yumi smiles opening the door for me and Yukiko. “I’ll see you two in a bit. Try and find Oka-san if you can.”

I look to my cousin who just shrugs. “I think her and Hikato-kun are going to formally announce their engagement.”

I part my lips sighing an “Oh.”

“Much of this is the same,” Yukiko says walking around the gallery and showing me the art work. “I’ve seen her pieces before.” A smile dances at Yukiko’s lips. “Yumi-neh is really amazing. I fell in love with her work simply by watching. The time and effort she takes disassembling traditional Korean instruments...only to use them as a way to create her work, it’s beautiful.”

We look above to see the pieces of instruments hanging from the ceiling. Unsurprisingly, the pieces of these instruments have dried bits of paint and other medias.

“My favorite of hers, it’s towards the end...I’ll show you when we get close. You’re sister is really talented.”

I hear the admiration in her voice. There is no pain or sorrow that her fated, her soul-mate, is getting married to the girl she’s praising. It’s enough to make me want to cry. “Yukiko-chan?” She looks at me. Before she can say a word, I’ve wrapped my arms around her.

“Nami-chan, is this about...? ...Uh...oh...is this about that thing? It’s fine, really. We didn’t even date.” She tries pulling me away and I reluctantly separate from her. “You’ve got to see this painting. It’s my favorite!”

I turn around and find myself face to face with a large portrait.

“I really love this one,” she sighs. “Look how gorgeous this boy is. Every angle of his face is cared for and thought out. That look in his eyes, it’s like he’s in love. That’s why it’s my favorite piece.” Her fingers hover over the lines of his silhouette. “Maybe I could find someone as beautiful as him to love me.”

I look from the painting to her and then back.

“It’s a shame he died.”

I choke on my breath. “Say what?”

“The boy in the painting. Yumi-neh said that he passed away right before she moved to Japan. She said ‘The spark of life left his eyes.’” She smiles sadly. “It’s a pity. I would love to have met him. He’s very sweet looking.”

My fingers trace over the hangul title. “Hime-chan.*” I snort. So this was the embarrassing name. My fingers slowly grip into a fist. He’s not dead at all. I can’t help the stinging of moisture in my eyes. “Hime-chan?” My front teeth bite down on my lower lip. “Unni, you’re kidding me right?”
 

**Princess-chan

“Nami-chan, we should find your Obaa-san now. I think I just saw Hikato-kun walk towards the back. They must be getting ready for the announcement.” Even with all of this, this heartache, Yukiko smiles. She’s excited to hear the official news. “Ah, there she is! Oba-san!”

The three of us gather around a cloth hanging from the ceiling. I look to Yukiko. “What’s this exactly?”

She shrugs with a glow in her eyes. “Oneh-chan didn’t tell me. Before, at the first opening, it was just a room full of artwork by another artist. He moved his pieces a few weeks later and Yumi-neh started working on the room. She hasn’t told anyone but Matsumoto-kun. The only thing I know is that I helped inspire it.”

I smile. My cousin, she might be the strongest person I have ever met.

“Everyone is gathering around,” Oka-san says as the viewers crowd to the front.

Yumi walks out from behind the curtain. “Arigato for making it out tonight.” She bows to us all. “For anyone that didn’t come to my opening night, I’ll give you the rundown about my show. If you were here, I’m sorry, you’ll hear it again.”

The crowd laughs. I’m sure the majority of them had seen the opening.

“My name is Lee Yumi. I am a transfer student from K-ARTs University in Seoul, South Korea. I was given the opportunity to study abroad because there is a sister school in Tokyo. My major was Visual Arts with a minor in Gak, traditional Korean music. A dear friend of mine in Korea inspired me to take a class or two in the subject while I was at K-ARTs.  When I transferred, there were no Gak classes for me to take so I began to disassemble the instruments I brought with me. As I did so, I realized the beauty of each instrument and the potential each part had to become something more. So I played around with the materials and thus this exhibition was born.

“If you are really here to see the exhibition, tonight is the last night to do so. I’m leaving for Korea tomorrow and bringing all of the pieces with me.” She holds the side of the curtain to let Hikato out, taking his hand. “IF you are here for the new installation I’ve been working on, which will remain in Tokyo, you’re in luck.

“While staying in Japan for the past few years, I’ve learned a lot. I’m one fourth Japanese, but I knew very little about the culture. I’ve learn much of what I know from my cousin, Sado Yukiko.”  She smiles widely in our direction. “I owe a lot to her. A few months ago she decided to tell me about the red threads of fate. She told me that everyone of us is bound by threads tied at our pinkie fingers. Each end is connected to one half of fated souls...or soul mates. The string can stretch and tangle but it will never break. The thread does not care about what is convenient for the lovers, it simply follows destiny.” She grips Hikato’s hand. “I’m sure you can gather what my installation is about now. I’m happy to announce that I, and my soul mate will now pull the curtain and later tie the knot.”

I nearly fall over.

What did she just say?

Does she really believe that she is fated to Hikato?

I look to Yukiko who has tears streaming down her face.

“Yukiko-chan?” I utter.  

“Nami-chan, it’s beautiful...this thing called love.”



I sat there next to Yukiko and stared at the back of Yumi’s seat as we fly to back to Seoul. It feels like Unni’s declared war ignorantly without thinking of the repercussions. What about Yukiko? I’m so conflicted. So angry. And there isn’t a thing in the world I can do.

“Nami-chan?” Yukiko asks leaning into my seat.

“Un?”

“Stop looking so upset,” she hushes.

I turn to my cousin. I don’t understand why she can be like this. He’s the man she is fated to. The one she is supposed to end up with. He’s her soul mate for Amaterasu’s* sake!
 

**Like how I brought it back. Yeah, I did. If you don’t remember, she’s a Shinto goddess. And Nami is Shinto (Japanese religion).

To be clear, she is THE Shinto goddess. She's the god of the sun and Universe and from her, all the emperors of Japan have (been said to have) been born. In the Shinto myths, she was said to have saved the world from death and gave it a new life. (She was also the reason it was dying in the first place...but hey, I guess it's tough being an immortal god.)

“You act like this is your fate or something.” She rests her head on my shoulder. “Nami-chan, I love seeing the people around me happy...so I told her they were tied.”

My heart dropped from my chest, through the floor and into the Korea Strait*. “You did what?”
 

**Uh...if you need you, look at a map. It's the body of water between Korean and Japan.

“I found a fortune teller who sees the threads. I convinced her to tell them both that they are fated. It’s better this way. If they both believe they are meant to be together then there will be no conflict. They’ll live happily.”

“You...baka*...” I cry. The happiness I feel when I’m with YongGuk is so close to her fingertips that she can literally touch it. To know that she has this chance...
 

**Japanese for idiot, or pabo.

“Love is funny you know. It’s simple and not really thought out. It just happens. Don’t feel bad for me.”

I can’t not.

“Your parents aren’t tied. I’ve seen it, but still they were in love for a time. They had two beautiful daughters right? Then nothing was lost.” She takes my hand. “Nami-chan, I can only wish for your happiness, so please...stop worrying and wish for mine.”

Yukiko, for your selflessness...you deserve the world.

A/N: OTL I wanted to put this up for "Hajima" but I had to study for two midterms TT_TT

I'll be posting more soon! I'm going to the BigBang concert and want to put up at least another chapter or two before I leave >v< I'm debating on how I'm goint to break up the next chapter, but restassured, if I divide it or not, it's still going to e the same amount. (I just think it'll be too much for one chapter..and I think there's a nice place to break it up ^^).

Hope you all enjoyed~ i feel like it was too heavy.

The next one (depending on how I break it up) has my favorite scene in it. :D You'll know what I'm talking about this weekend. I love kids and asdfghjkl; that's all I'm saying. It's all I'm saying meng shutthefreakup because I don't want to ruin anything. Nothing at all. /sigh

I feel like this chapter was full of .

Sorry about that.

PS. I wrote a DaeHyun oneshot:

please check it out! or not. I'll just be in the corner of my room creying. Because I've been asked, I'll be writing a sequeal to this oneshot called "Bambi" or something of that nature. I'm working on both of these stories, but feel free to message me/pester me about which one I should worry about.

Lol I love chatting with you guys! ^^

sorry if it takes me a while to reply..I work..and study..gross.

THANK YOU FOR READING, COMMENTING, SUBBING, UPPING (what ever you call clicking that arrow...) OR JUST STOPPING BY!

I'M TYPING IN ALL CAPS BECAUSE ZELO IS IN THE NEXT CHAPTER AND I GOT TO BULLY HIM BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!~

see you all soon in the next update ~^^~

I did try the reply thing...but I think you guys might miss out on Karama points...so I'm not going to replay that way anymore. plus I got this weird alert. it's just easier to reply here. :< sorry guys. you can reply to eachother though ^^ start a conversation, you know? :D this author would LOVE that.

@lovely-fox : wait for her!!!!

@pyjamagirl : aw...reports are much more important! please, do your best with work and your studies! *bows deeply* I'm so honored to have you are a reader. I love your analyses and break downs of my characters/plot. I awlways think that maybe I'm not coming across well in my stories, but you writing this means that I am, if not just a little. So thank you! and please, don't ever feel like you need to comment *although I love reading them ^^'*

@toowhiteforkpop : asdfghjkhl; I just decided on how I'm going to use Yukiko in the second to last chapter /creysbecauseit'scloseenoughtoconsider/ I think it would make you happy. if only a little. Her happiness will come in some shape or form...