“So what is going on?” I ask YongGuk as we walk to Zelo’s middle school.

He paces his steps to match mine. Each foot slowly picks up and then crushes the fallen cherry blossoms. “I dunno. He just told me that if you didn’t come, he was going to make me buy him ice-cream for a month.”

I press my lips together to keep myself from laughing. That kid must only ever think about ice-cream. “So we’re both in the dark?” I ask patting my hands against my sides as I walk. It’s such a stupid habit, but I can’t help it --like when I consciously think about breathing: I breathe through my nose, out through my mouth. I smooth down the sides of my shorts and look at YongGuk.

“I guess you could say I’m in the dark.”

He smiles and I instantly mirror him. He’s too warm, too calming. He sure is handsome, I wonder if he has a girlfriend...maybe two. “Is HimChan coming or is he in the middle of classes?”

“He had a performance earlier today and classes after were canceled. I assume that he’s coming with us.”

The corners of my lips tug upwards and I bite at the bottom hoping to keep the goofy grin from smearing all over my face. I’ve only seen him a few times and we haven’t been alone since our date over a week ago. So I’m a little excited to see him.

“How is your friend? She didn’t look so good yesterday. Did she have a fever?”

Geena, she dated HimChan. She told me that they ended everything on good terms but something about it feels weird. Like she’s hiding something. Even her jokes after we left the shop seemed half hearted. “I had class with her and I think if she survived the exam, she should be fine.”

“Oh, that’s right. How did it go?”

I make a face. “I hate math.”

He chuckles at me. “Well if you need help with Physics don’t be shy. I’m actually doing well in the class.”

“Chincha?” I widen my eyes. “You’re not lying are you? I’m feeling less and less confident about that class. Every time I write down the prompt, my variables get mixed up and I get a completely different answer. It’s the correct answer, if speed was more or less calculated in grams.”

“That’s....” He makes a face, “I’ll help you anytime. If I’m not at school I’m with Zelo and HimChan. We all know nothing productive is being done.”

I jump and punch the air. “Yes! Private tutor!”

He looks at me and just laughs. “You’re adorable. No wonder Zelo wants to hang out with you every chance he gets.”

We arrive at the front gate and I see a familiar face leaning against the stone wall.

“HimChan!” I wave and he perks up with simple grin.

Now why can’t I look like that and not the stupid pabo I am?

“Have you been waiting long?” YongGuk asks.

“Ani, only a few minutes. They should be letting them out soon anyways. Did you two take your time or something?” He exchanges eye-contact between me and YongGuk and then grabs my arm pulling me closer to him. “Bang, I know what you’re doing...it’s not going to work.” The three of us laugh and HimChan decides to tell me about once when the three of them snuck on the school grounds to get Zelo’s skateboard. They entered through a window Zelo wedged open before leaving.

“Nami-neh!!!” A voice yells and I find a hyper Zelo racing towards me on his skateboard.

“Zelo-shi~” I wave and then I hear another voice. One that is totally un-happy.

“CHOI JUNHONG! Get off that wretched thing THIS INSTANT!”

Zelo picks up speed until he reaches the sidewalk and motions for us to run. So we do.

“Get BACK HERE!” the angry man yells. “I’ll get your board tomorrow. JUST WAIT AND SEE!”

“Not if I hide it from you,” Zelo merongs.

“I think we can stop,” I gasp. I was not expecting the sudden eight block run.

“Don’t tell me you’re already tired?” Zelo whines. “We’re going to play in the park.” He pulls a water gun from his backpack and points it at HimChan. “Hyung, do you accept this challenge?”

“Zelo, I know that’s empty. Stop goofing around.” HimChan pushes the gun down.

“We’re playing hide and seek. Winner gets free ice-cream for the rest of the month. Losers pay.” He points the gun at HimChan’s face and squirts water across his nose.

“You punk!” HimChan shouts. He reaches over to grab Zelo but I step in front of him protecting the boy. His arms stretched around my sides and I push him away a little. There is no way I’m going to let them start fighting now.

“Sounds like fun,” I smile and Zelo skates ahead.

“What? You’re just going to let him get away with that?”

I turn to HimChan. “Don’t worry. I’ll get the water gun from him later.” I wink and he bites his bottom lip. I can’t exactly read his expression but no matter, I’m about to win this game.

“Alright, this is how it’s going down,” Zelo announces. “We play Kai-Bai-Bo for the first seeker. Whoever is found last is the seeker for the second game. If they can find everyone in a shorter amount of time than the first, they win. If it takes them longer, they lose and the first seeker wins.”

“That almost seem fair,” YongGuk thinks aloud. “How about instead of winning ice-cream, they chose something they want.”

“I want ice-cream for a month,” Zelo says shortly.

“Yes, we know that,” HimChan scoffs. “Lets just decide who is going to have the first turn.”

We play Kai-bai-bo until It’s me and Zelo...Zelo won. “Yes! You losers go hide,” he smiles.

“Yah! You haven’t won yet.”

Zelo smirks to HimChan. “Let’s just find out. Get the time and go hide.” Zelo turns around and I watch YongGuk set his phone and wonder off.

“Nami-shi, follow me,” HimChan says pulling me off in another direction. I try to see where YongGuk went off to but HimChan is pulling me too fast.

“What are you...uff!” He presses me against him.

“Just stay here. We can see just about everything from behind here.” I feel my cheeks begin to burn and turn my face so he can’t see. “He’ll find YongGuk first and maybe us.”

We wait in silence for what feels like forever.

I feel the thread on my pinky finger move. The space between me and the knot is getting shorter. “HimChan, do you see him or YongGuk? I think I hear one of them.” Suddenly it becomes more relaxed and I sigh. “Never mind.”

“Nami, I know now isn’t the ideal time to talk about it, but we should go out again soon.”

I look up at him. “Chincha? I would love that!”

He covers his mouth and looks away. “How about this weekend?”

I smile. “I’m free. I was going to go the the park again to read, but being with you sounds much more fun.”

He coughs into his hand and avoids my eyes.

The thread feels funny.

“Nami-shi...would it be okay if I kissed you?”

He still doesn’t look at me and then I realize he’s blushing. Kiss me? Here...in the middle of the game? I close my eyes and breathe through my nose. My first kiss, during a game of hide-and-seek? That seems pretty cute.

I feel his breath on my nose and then my cheeks.

“NAMI-NEH!”

I jump and look around the tree all the while dodging HimChan’s embarrassed expression. To be completely and totally honest, I really did want him to kiss me. Zelo just scared me, I feel like I’m doing something wrong.

The thread tightens. “He’s coming this way.”

“You can see that?” HimChan asks trying to gather himself.

“More like I can feel it. Hurry.” I motion for him to follow me but for whatever reason he doesn’t and we get split up.

“Nami-shi,” a voice whispers. I look over my shoulder and see YongGuk hiding behind a sign. “HimChan’s just been caught.”

“No joke?” I ask taking a spot next to him.

“Yes. HimChan stayed in the same place instead of following you and got caught.”

“Oh, I sigh.” Wait. Then that means that YongGuk could see us. Which means that he saw HimChan try to kiss me.

I blush.

“Nami-shi, you’re shoe is untied,” YongGuk points out crouching down to secure the laces for me.

I bend down. “I can get that.” I reach for my shoe but he’s already done.

“Beat you,” he smiles. He’s so close to me that his words tickle my face causing me to fall backwards. I turn a deeper shade of pink and don’t dare look at him. “Nami-shi, are you okay?” He gives me a hand and pulls me up.

“He’s coming,” I say looking at him wide-eyed. The thread becomes tighter and tighter so I grab his wrist and run. I press my finger to my lip as we take our stop behind the slide. I peek around the side to see that he’s still far behind and didn’t notice us. “Time?”

“Seven minutes.”

“Chincha? Beating him will be easy then.”

“Will it now?”

“Yeah, I’ve got a secret weapon,” I smirk holding up my pinky finger.

“And that is...?”

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a secret.”

His eyes disappear as he chuckles. “Guess you’re right.”

“YongGuk-shi...stay right here.” He starts to speak but I cover his mouth. “Now, this is for the good of us all. There is no way that you or HimChan would find Zelo in the amount of time it takes for him to find you. He’s lighter and faster, sneaker and also has the drive not to get caught. This is ice-cream we're talking about. Trust me. If I’m last, I’ll win.”

His eyes soften and I let go of him. “So I’m the sacrifice?”

“Only for today. Next time is HimChan.”

He laughs and looks around the slide. “If you are really sure of your abilities, then I propose a new plan. I’ll get caught and you willingly come forward shortly after. Arraso?”

“Dae.”

He takes a step forward and then looks around before running straight into Zelo. “Hyung, are you stupid or something?! the idea is that you don’t want to get caught.”

“But I do,” I sing stepping out from my hiding spot. “I was the last found so it’s my turn.”

YongGuk tells him his time and we go back for me to take my turn.

“You gonna beat my time?” Zelo laughs.

“I won’t need more than four minutes.” He laughs even louder but in all seriousness, it should only take me a minute or two. He starts talking again but I begin counting loudly and he runs.

“Dul....Hana. Ready or not, Zelo I’m gonna kick your !” I take a few steps until the knot is right at my feet. This is totally cheating...but they’ll never know.

Looking at the threads there are six ends, but two sides go directly through the park gates. I assume they are the other two soul mate I’ve yet to met and choose another thread. It slides through my fingers as I follow it behind a tree. “Gotcha!”

“I’m first again?!” HimChan shouts. “Yah! That’s not fair.”

“Blah blah blah, you’re in the same spot as last time,” I merong. He turns around and I pick up another thread and trace it to behind a monument. “Zelo-shi, where could you be?” I jump to other side and trip over the remaining thread on the ground.

“Nami, watch it!” YongGuk breathes grabbing my waist and catching me effortlessly.

We notice that his other hand is touching my thigh and exchange a brief stare before turning from each other. “Thanks,” I utter as he sets me down.

“Sorry about that, I thought you were going to hit your head on the statue.”

I probably would have.

“Well Zelo is last.” I swallow and try to ease the air. “He can’t hide forever.”

“It’s only been a minute and a half.”

I smile. “My record is three.” Kicking the tangled thread from my ankle I look around for the last thread and find it. “Back at the playground?” Fluffy blonde hair bounces above the guarding for a tower and begin to run.

Of course with all these little kids I should know better than running around. After all, everyone, no matter how young or old, has a soul mate.

A little kid runs in front of me and I turn to avoid the thread but fall over another.

“Zelo, I’ve won.” I yell from the ground. “I know you’re at the top. Please come down.”

“But that’s not catching me,” he whines.

“Zelo. I see you. Please just come down.” I say exhaling as my body eases into the spongy ground.

“Nami-neh, are you okay?” he asks looking over me.

“I just think I twisted my ankle. That’s all.”

“Hyung! HimChan! YongGuk!!! Over here!” he yells.

I try to untangle myself from the threads as fast as possible.

“What happened?” HimChan and YongGuk ask helping Zelo who is propping me up.

“Tripped when I avoided a little kid. That’s all.” I lean my weight against HimChan but my ankle smarts too much for me to move.

“You’re house is too far for you to walk on your ankle,” YongGuk states before picking me up princess style.

“YongGuk-shi! Put me down!” I shriek. No no no....this is NOT happening to me. I am not going to be carried like this when the boy I am dating is not the one holding me. ESPECIALLY if that boy is right next to me. “Please.” I give him the saddest expression I can. He puts me down and then steps in front of me.

“Get onto my back.”

I turn to Zelo and HimChan. What do I do? This is so...awkward.

“Despite that I hate thinking of it, you need to. Bang is the only one who can carry you to your house,” HimChan sighs.

I clench my jaw and get onto YongGuk’s back. My legs wrap around his sides and he lifts me up to his torso. I try not to notice how defined his back is, or how easily he lifts me. “You good?” he asks and I breathe an ‘um-hm’ into his neck. “You’re so clumsy, but you won. What do you want?”

I totally forgot. I did win, didn’t I?! “What was my time?”

“Two minutes.”

I punch the air and merong to Zelo. “Give me that water gun of yours.”

“WHAT?! But that’s nothing! Ice-cream for a whole month...think about it....”

HimChan pats his shoulder. “Zelo, give her the gun.”

Zelo sighs handing me the plastic toy. I point it at his head and he flinches. “This is actually better than ice-cream,” I smile. I press it to YongGuk’s chest and laugh.

Oh, I will find a use for this. Given time...of course.

A/N: I'm going to have no internet access in about a week, so I'll call that a scheduled hiatus. But that does not mean that I won't work on the story. I'm kinda addicted to writing it as of now.

Sorry for the lengthy-choppiness, but I had fun with it. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing! :3 Thank you for reading~

Meng

@toowhiteforkpop actually, the Red Thread of Fate is a Chinese/Japanese folk tale. It has been made popular by Japanese media such as TV programs, manga and books. I really do love it though. The thought of being fated to one person your entire life and being bound to them is beautiful.

I'm going to put a disclaimer in the forward about this. I think it would be awesome for more people to know about this folk tale. ^^

@KristineeVee too late >:D

@Snipesesness *joins in dance*