Uno
The Red String of Fate
A/N: I forgot to mention that the snippet in the Foreword is sort of a prologue. It was set five years ago. All succeeding chapters will be in the present time unless otherwise stated.
Present
”Ms. Zhang?” Called Luhan before she can close the door to her office. They just went through a lengthy rundown of what’s on her schedule today. Did she forget something?
With a raised eyebrow and impatient tapping of her Jimmy Choo’s, “Yes?”
“This was not business in nature but a certain Ms. Park called and asked for her call to be returned in your earliest convenience. Here’s the number.” She handed her a bright pink post-it note.
Luhan said something else but only one thing stuck. They knew.
Her being in Korea wasn’t a secret or anything. It was probably all over the news anyway. Zhang Yixing, the youngest Asian designer to ever penetrate both the US and the European markets, is back in the country to hold the most anticipated fashion show of the year.
“Call her and ask for her mailing address. Send her front seat tickets for the last day.” It was rather impulsive but the fact that Leeteuk made an effort to contact her first even after not hearing anything from her for the last five years was something she can’t ignore.
“I’ll get to it right away. How many people are we expecting? Can you give me the names?” She was now tapping away in her computer, making sure that she won’t miss out on anything.
“I’ll give it to you later.” Was she ready to face them? She sat on her swivel chair, feeling exhausted. She contemplated on this trip many times over but she still wasn’t sure if she made the right choice. Going back to Korea opened wounds that she struggled to mend for years. It brought bittersweet memories of painful decisions and beautiful mistakes.
She looked around the temporary headquarters of LAY. The fashion show’s promoter and local partner found a spacious penthouse located in the heart of Apgujeong. To rent such an expensive place for a couple of weeks or so was not practical and it was so against her rules but the magnificent view of the Seoul skyline was worth it. And looking at it now, she realized how much she actually missed home.
***
A warning knock simultaneous to the door opening made Yifan look up from signing checks. The intruder strode in leisure nonchalance to his desk and occupied an armchair in front of it. “You look a lot older than the last time I saw you.”
“Good to see you too, Noona.” He rolled his eyes and went back to what he was doing before he was rudely interrupted by this extremely radiant being in front of him.
“I came here to deliver this.” Heechul, his unexpected visitor, chucked a small envelope in front of him and he, more or less, had and idea what it was without touching it. “It was sent to Leeteuk but they left for Japan this morning.” The they that she was referring to was their friend’s small family. Kyungsoo, Leeteuk’s son, didn’t want to throw a party for his third birthday but spend a week in Disneyland instead. “They’ll be home in time for the fashion show and we are all expected to be there.” Her tone didn’t allow for an argument so he chose to keep mum. And she disappeared just as fast as she appeared. How she can bypass his hyena of a secretary was beyond him.
Kim Heechul was one of the few people in his small circle of friends. They lived in the same village since they were kids and went to the same private academy since kindergarten along with Leeteuk and her husband Kangin, Sehun and. . .Yixing.
He picked up the envelope and peeked inside. It was a ticket to LAY Fashion Show and a short note in Yixing’s handwriting. Please give bearer access to the best seat and her delicate signature. It was funny how the never changed at all through the years. How could he remember, you ask? Well, it was not something you forget when you’ve received a gazillion notes from the same person before.
Nonsense notes that he used to hate.
But he definitely missed.
[flashback]
2007
He was out drinking with some friends from the university one lazy evening. It was rare that he had time to unwind especially now that he’s set to finish his MBA right after college. He was swamped with school work and to travel to and fro Philadelphia and New York City everyday was a real bummer. Though it was rather unusual for Yixing, his best friend and girlfriend, to leave him alone on a Friday night, he grabbed the opportunity and gathered his best buds. Kangin was there, too, since he was visiting from the West Coast.
“I called Sehunnie but the brat’s defense is coming up and he didn’t want to be disturbed.” Their maknae was a prodigy. Sehun was younger than they were by a couple of years but he was constantly at the top of the class when they were in high school and this continued when he was admitted to MIT.
“Is he the genius kid you told us about?” It was Jeremy, a classmate from UPenn.
“Oh, I’ve met him once, my girlfriend’s from Radcliffe and she joined an inventions exhibit in MIT once.” Lewis butted in.
“He’s a certified nerd and is the president of the Society of Young Engineers.” Kangin snorted but Yifan can read the pride in his eyes. Who wouldn’t? Their friend has achieved something very few people can at such a tender age. And he, too, was proud not just of Sehun but all of his friends.
Kangin’s doing well in Stanford and will go straight to serve the army next summer before he mans the business empire his father built. Leeteuk was older by a year and currently working as a financial analyst for World Bank after graduating from Oxford with flying colors. Heechul’s Chinese husband proposed to her right after graduation and they impulsively tied the knot in Vegas before Heechul’s tummy becomes noticeable. She stayed in Seoul but was able to juggle her responsibilities as a wife and mother as well as her studies and her part-time job as Lotte World’s imagineer*. And then there’s Yixing. . . Yixing’s another story.
“Your girl is from FDS, right?” Jeremy met Yixing when she picked him up once when his car broke down. Great, do we brag about our girlfriends now? He thought sardonically. He didn’t have to tell his classmates that she got there through connections. Whether or not Yixing had a talent was not an issue when her family practically owned half of New York Fashion Design School through endowments. He nodded tentatively to the question, changing the topic smoothly to something else.
They were having fun, cocktails flowed and Yifan gestured for the waiter to come over for the nth time that night, asking for another round. The waiter got back after a few minutes, not with their drinks but with a piece of paper that he handed to him. He scuttled off even before Yifan can say anything. He unfolded the piece of paper and gritted his teeth once he recognized the handwriting.
Your ears are red. I’m right outside.
Before he can crumple it though, Jeremy snatched it from him and read it out loud much to his embarrassment. He decided to just call it a night and ignore their snickers. It won’t be pretty if he decides to ignore her. He won’t give her the opportunity to embarrass him more. One look at Kangin told him he would rather crash into some random hotel than stay in their place at a time that his girlfriend was again being difficult.
Didn’t we talk about this? Why is she here? He trudged unstably to the exit and there she was, leaning beside his car, face unreadable.
“What were you doing drinking your liver away? How are you supposed to get home without totaling this car if I didn’t pick you up?” Ugh. Here we go. He wanted to say that that’s what cabs were for but held himself. He went straight to the passenger side and got in, chucking the keys to the dashboard.
“This is so irresponsible of you, Yifan! I’m telling you, you’re not allowed a drop of liquor once we’re married!” She kept ranting and nagging and he snapped.
“But this doesn’t give you the right to embarrass me in front of my friends!” It was the first time that he raised his voice on Yixing since they got together save for the few instances of squabble they had when they were kids. He can see that she was taken aback too, not thinking that he will retaliate. The journey home was silent, he can sense her holding back her tears, and he was not the least bit in the mood to play nice.
They slept with their backs facing each other that night. He was alone when he woke up but he found food on the table with a note reminding him to eat before taking the aspirin she also prepared for him. One thing Yixing was very good at was making people guilty. He didn’t know if she was doing it on purpose or not but it always worked to her advantage.
Once showered, he went to buy her yellow tulips, her favorite, and made reservations for an Italian dinner.
“Mr. Wu, the Indonesian investors are here, they’re waiting for you at the conference room.” Key, his secretary, called out from outside the door and cut off his trip down memory lane effectively.
“I’ll be right there, tha—” He said to the door since Key didn’t even wait for his reply. Yifan wondered why he even tries. “—nks.”
***
Luhan first met her boss in Milan almost four years ago. She had a tourist visa and was desperately trying to use the few months to look for a job and a boss that will be willing to sponsor her working visa. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack. Her funds were depleting and the room that she rented was barely insulated. Winter was fast approaching and she if doesn’t find a job and a new place to stay, she’s going to freeze and starve to death and her mom won’t find her body. She was becoming more frustrated each passing day until she met Yixing.
Yixing’s dog peed on Luhan’s boots while they were waiting for the pedestrian light to turn green and she started yelling in disgust. The poor owner panicked and dragged Luhan to a fancy boutique. With her glazed over stare, Yixing snatched things off the shelves and racks, shoes, bags, scarves, coats, name it, and stacked them in her arms. The sales people were stumped too by her actions.
“Miss? Are you okay?” A tentative hand was placed on her shoulder but was quickly swatted away. She glared at the sales person and she stepped back in fear. “Sorry.”
“I will pay for everything she wants.” She chucked her a black card.
“Wait,” Luhan finally found the need to speak. “I am not getting these! You can just take me to a shoe cleaner, for God’s sake!”
Whatever it was that Yixing wanted to say was preempted by a couple of policemen who just entered the boutique. “We were told by a witness that a white dog came from this place.”
“Oh my God, my baby!” Yixing lost all her color and started looking frantically for the dog.
“Was it yours? It got hit by a car.” Luhan caught Yixing in time before she hit the parquet floor.
To be attached to a pet wasn’t uncommon; but Luhan was a living testimony to how Yixing went to extreme depression after her dog died. She felt responsible because if she didn’t throw a fit because of her shoes, the dog would still be alive. The strange woman was admitted to the hospital and she would visit her everyday. Well, the hospital was warm and she was, at least, able to save money from the watcher’s meal. Days passed and patient still wouldn’t talk to her and would stare outside the window and Luhan was getting tired of it.
She thought the only way the woman would open up was for her to do the same. So even it felt like talking to the wall the whole time, she told her her story. The reason why she was in Italy, how bad she was missing her own family, her own financial problems and how badly she wanted to go back to Beijing.
All her efforts must have paid off since the doctor informed her one morning that Yixing started responding again to people but what frustrated Luhan was that Yixing left without a saying thank you or goodbye.
She was literally all packed and ready to go back home when a man in an expensive suit stopped by her rundown apartment. She was being offered a job on the spot and if she was using her common sense, she would say ‘no’ right away since it sounded too good to be true. But desperate times warrant desperate decisions. She would learn later that she will work for the same person she took care of.
“I will help you get settled here in Milan—legally. You will move in to the apartment next to mine and everything you need will be provided for free. Your salary will be deposited to yo--”
“On what condition?" She knew there had to be a catch in there somwhere.
*imagineer - one who engineers all the fun rides and attractions in an amusement park.
A/N: First chapter! Thank you for all the people who gave this story a chance. It means a lot to me since I was really really insecure of my writing skills. Special thanks to my friend Shinyiuhan who lent me hand on deciding which characters to use. Kamsahae!
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