chapter five; {the red string}

"FanFan ge," Miyoung said as she stared out of the window. They were on the bus, on their way to the mall to meet up with Tao and Luhan. But Kris was looking down at his phone, his long legs cramped up behind the bus seat. "Yah," he called. "Wu YiFan."

He looked up at her with those natural puppy dog eyes. "What?"

"Um..." She shook her head, having been momentarily dazed by his good looks. "Do you believe in that old Chinese legend? The Red String of Fate, or whatever it is?"

Kris hummed and tilted his head before nodding slowly. "Mm. I believe in it. Mine," he said with a smile, holding up his pinky. "Is connected to my future wife." He smiled wider at the thought, chuckling. "Why did you ask?"

"Before I left China, my best friend there had been telling me about it," she replied, looking down at her hands. "He told me we were bound by it. That we'd come back to each other in the end." Biting her lower lip, she nodded slowly. "I just don't know whether to believe him or not."

Kris softened as he reached out to gently grab her hand, giving it a light squeeze of assurance. Miyoung gratefully slipped her small hand into his larger one, feeling comforted by the feeling. Kris's hands were large and manly, yet graceful. Nothing like Yixing's beautiful, pianist's fingers. He slightly leaned closer to her, tilting his head. "You were in love with him, right? He's the reason why you always seem sad when I say something that reminds you of him. Correct?"

"Sometimes I hate how you can be so stupid but so smart," Miyoung grumbled, looking down at their laced fingers. "Yeah. We were in love... Childhood sweethearts, I believe is what you would call us." She smiled sadly and sighed. "He was...my best friend. My only friend in China, to be honest."

"So when you had to come back here, it felt like you left half of your heart in China, with him, right?" Kris gazed down at Miyoung, finally understanding everything.

"Exactly." Nodding, Miyoung looked up at Kris and smiled a little bit. "You've helped a lot though. I couldn't be alone forever, could I?"

"Don't know why you would want to be. Especially with this," he said, motioning to himself, "available for friendship." Miyoung smiled and laughed, hitting his shoulder. Kris chuckled in his deep voice, squeezing her hand again. *Keep smiling, Mei. You deserve happiness.*

* * * * *

A handsome Chinese boy gazed around the airport with a smile. He was finally here, Korea. Now he could find his Piglet once more. They'd be reunited, he was sure of it.

Puffing his cheeks out before biting his lip, causing his dimple to deepen, he looked around at the signs, glad his Piglet had taught him to at least read the language before she'd had to leave him for this very country.

"I'm going to find you," Zhang Yixing whispered with a happy smile, a Piglet doll in one hand, his luggage in the other.

The string was becoming shorter. The strain was lessening, and Yixing could already feel it in his heart. He hoped Miyoung could feel it too, and maybe somehow know that Pooh Bear was coming back for his Piglet.

* * * * *

"So pretty~" Luhan sang softly as he put a headband on Miyoung's head. "Wah~" He smiled, petting her hair as he fixed the band. Luhan had quickly taken Miyoung up as his little sister. He acted just like a loving older brother who didn't want boys to look at her. He even glared at Kris when the tall boy would try to fix Miyoung's hair.

"I don't think green suits me though," she said, biting her lower lip, looking in the mirror. Luhan was still fixing her hair, but smiled at her in the mirror at the store's entrance. "You look beautiful," he assured, nodding. "Let gege buy it for you."

"Don't buy me things!" she protested. "You've only got so much money for your time in Korea."

"I have a credit card," he said with a roll of his eyes. "That my rich parents can transfer money into any time. They give me a lot of money as an apology for never being around. I can live with it. I'll probably buy that panda lots of stuff too," he said, jabbing at Tao with his thumb. Miyoung looked back, and saw Tao trying on hat after hat, trying to find the one that suited him best.

"I still can't believe we're the same age," Miyoung sighed, referring to Tao. "Physically, he looks older than me. But mentally, he's a couple years younger."

Luhan laughed and nodded in agreement, plucking the headband off Miyoung's head to go pay for it. "That's true." He looked behind her. "Yah, yah! Kris, what do you think you're doing, looking at couple necklaces, looking back at Miyoung? Tsk. As if I'd trust her to you."

"I've known her longer!" Kris protested. "I don't even know what you're doing, claiming her as your little sister," he grumbled with a roll of his eyes. "Besides, clearly they are friendship necklaces! NOT couple neckalces!"

"They say 'his' and 'hers'," Luhan whispered to Miyoung. "Don't give into that stupid dragon, okay mei mei?" He smiled, gently patting her cheeks before going to yell at Kris.

Miyoung smiled gently, going to Tao. Tao was cute, and Miyoung saw him as a dongsaeng, even though they were the same age, Tao actually being older by a few months.

"Tao, that type of hat doesn't suit you," she said before picking up a different hat and going on her tip-toes to put it on his head. "There! Very handsome." She grinned, fixing his hair.

Tao beamed at her and gave her a quick hug. "Thank you Meixing~" he sang before going to Luhan so the elder boy would buy it for him.

Suddenly, Miyoung stopped. She tilted her head, putting her hand over her chest. Her heart...it was beating faster. She felt happier automatically, and breathing suddenly became even easier than it already was.

"What on earth?" she whispered to herself before shaking her head, walking to the three Chinese boys. 

By the time they'd walked out of the store, Luhan had bought not only the headband for Miyoung, but a white bow that Miyoung couldn't ever imagine wearing anything fancy enough to match. Kris had gotten necklaces for them, though they had to say 'best friends' and nothing else, or else Luhan was going to kill him.

Tao and Luhan left Kris and Miyoung early since they were going to make dinner for their host family. So the remaining two went out to eat, Luhand reminding Miyoung to call him if Kris did anything to her.

"I'm supposed to be the protective one," Kris complained as he munched on a fry, pouting slightly. "Who does that Deer of the Dawn think he is, telling me I can't get a cute best friend necklace because they look like couple necklaces."

"The did look like couple necklaces," Miyoung said, eating one of her chicken tenders. But then she smiled at the necklace around her neck. The necklaces Kris had been forced to pick out were simple puzzle pieces that said 'best friend'.

"Mm." Kris didn't say anything more about it, knowing if he argued with Miyoung, he'd lose. He watched her as she sipped at her lemonade, chewing on her fries. He smiled crookedly. "How is it you make eating look pretty?" he asked.

Miyoung gave him a look. "Don't you even try. That might work with other girls, but I know you don't mean it."

Kris shook his head. "I don't try it on other girls," he said immediately in response. "And I did mean it. I only seem like a player because I'm so handsome." He winked at Miyoung and laughed. "Okay. I didn't mean that part."

"You are handsome though," Miyoung said, surprising him.

Kris's eyes widened fractionally, his heart giving a thump. "You think so?" he asked, voice quieter and more shy this time.

"I do," she said, giving him that gentle, demure smile of hers. Kris smiled, looking down as he tried to cover the blush spreading on his cheeks. He'd always had an ideal type in his mind. Feminine, kind, gentle, demure. He had known Miyoung was all of those things, but he never really thought about it. Not deeply, anyway.

*Miyoung...what do I do? I think I like you.* Kris took a deep breath before smiling, continuing to eat, sneaking glances up at the beautiful girl sitting across from him, not even caring that she was probably still in love with that other boy she'd left back in China.