Murphy’s Law theorized that everything that could go wrong, would go wrong. And, while Murphy technically never meant anything else than to be funny at the time, history (and somehow thermodynamics) had proven he was right. At least in Soah’s case. And since she realized that fact, Soah had taken a liking to try to predict her future and prepare adequately. It didn’t matter that life never seemed to want to go her way if she was ready for all the possibilities.

This morning was no exception. Boarding the bus on a Sunday morning, Soah took a seat at the back and let her thoughts wander as she was driven to the heart of Seoul. She let her head press against the glass windows and watched the houses passing by. The bus was an express, and soon enough she was back to the richest corners of Seoul, not at all affordable for herself now. From her apart in Eunpyeong, to her workplace in Mapo, Soah sighed as the bus crossed the Han river, bringing her to the South bank. Soon enough, Soah was back to where she used to live years ago, in the district of Seocho. The place Minho and Yuri has chosen for their meeting was in the area, but Soah had more time and wanted to come earlier.

Preparing herself adequately, in that case, meant firstly to be in a good mood. And for that, there was nothing better than get a solid breakfast in her favorite place. Of course, she technically had to go and eat with Minho and Yuri, but what if their meeting went wrong and she had to storm out angrily like lots of actresses did on dramas, then for sure she wouldn’t stay in the area to grab a bite. So yes, eating was very important in this situation and Soah figured she could make a change in her ramen-menu. Because she ate so many bowls, she had became a pro in letting them sit just the right amount of time, a skill she was quite proud of.

Sitting in her favorite café, at a seat by the window, Soah enjoyed her strudel and her cup of hot cocoa. Sugar always knew how to put her in a good mood. Looking through the window, Soah watched the city come to life. Cars where passing her by in an hectic but coordinated pattern and people walked the streets to get to their appointments in time. Nowadays, Soah had realized how much watching people live, people she didn’t know and never planned on knowing, made her feel serene. It helped her consider the rest of the world, shed a part of her natural egoism and open up. And it also comforted her into thinking she wanted nothing to do with these people. Never had Soah believed she would be a good office worker. The wages, the schedules, the over-work… It just wasn’t for her. And she much rather waste time working where she was working than waste time doing a job that would probably kill her.

Step two was about beauty. It consisted in filling her own mind with pretty and happy things, everything she could grab and appreciate. To Soah, being happy made someone more beautiful than any product in the world. In that matter, childish Soah, whom she didn’t particularly liked, was always so carefree and joyous and was probably a thousand times prettier than the current version of herself. Or at least, the version of herself before she had made peace with the fact she was lost few months ago. But gradually, current Soah was becoming happier, making friends with people she worked with or people she worked for and creating ties she never knew she could develop with neighbors or people she only met few times. And the thought she was finally going to make peace with that part of her past made her even happier, though also worried.

Beauty was all around. It was in the way she leaves played with the sunrays when she lifted her head. It was in the way the glass buildings would graze the sky when she stood at the bottom. It was in the smile of a child who held his mother’s hand as they both went to the park. The more she looked for it, the more she seemed to find it.

And so, Soah walked around the district, storing happiness in case she would be deprived of some later that day.

The third step to preparing herself was actually the part where she prepared herself. It was planning all the possibilities in her head so she wouldn’t be taken aback should a totally preposterous incident occur. By the time she did, her steps had led her to the restaurant she was to meet Yuri and Minho in.

Opening the door, she was seated to a small four-person booth and waited. She alternated between looking to the door and to her phone, as she was texting with Baekhyun. Slowly.

I think everything worked out with Boss One. He didn’t ignore me yesterday.

I never noticed anything was wrong. Beside, he’s not the one you should aim for!

It’s not a joke, Baekhyun. I seriously thought he was mad at me.

In my four years of work, I’ve never him being mad. Can he even be?

I’m pretty sure everyone can be mad…

As long as you are pretty…

Very funny, Baekhyun. I’m laughing, now.

I’m glad you are. By the way, what are you doing on this fine day off?

Soah contemplated the answer she should give him. He didn’t know of her sister. Nobody did. And no one knew of Minho, or even her past. For that matter, Jongdae still thought she never had a boyfriend before or that she never fell in love.

I’m having a family meeting. And it’ll probably be boring…

She had lied to her very good friend Baekhyun, but she was so certain he wouldn’t understand. And while she usually didn’t mind lying to get out of bad situations, she tried not to overuse it because she was very afraid all her bad deeds would come back straight to her face.

It was the moment Minho chose to arrive. Getting up to greet him, Soah noticed how Yuri wasn’t by his side.

“She’s running late but she’ll be there soon,” Minho told her, as if he had read her mind.

He stood a meter away from her and stared with a smile.

“It’s been so long and you haven’t changed much. You’ve gotten prettier.”

He patted her head with a warm expression. Picking up a lock of orange hair, he raised a brow but didn’t say anything.

“It’s okay, you are only one year older. No need to play ‘big brother’ with me,” she retorted with a cheeky smile.

Sitting down in the booth, Minho encouraged Soah to do the same.

“How many years since we’ve sat down like this and talked?” he asked.

“Four? Maybe five,” Soah guessed. “I’ve missed you. And Yuri too. I’m glad to know you are still together. I’ve always thought you were good for each other. And I always knew you liked her.”

Maybe she was rambling, but at least she was filling the conversation and it wasn’t going toward something too weird. Well, not that any subjects wasn’t weird between the two.

“Really? You never told me you knew?” He seemed surprised. He thought for sure he had been very subtle with his infatuation.

“I thought you’d tell me when you were ready. Turns out you told her before you told me!” She laughed, trying to erase the accusing tone her sentence could give out, when it wasn’t her intention.

He scratched his head sheepishly. “I was shy, back then.”

“You were really cold to me, you mean,” Soah .

“Sorry about that,” he said as he lifted his eyes to look at her. “I was cold to you because I thought maybe I liked you too and it didn’t feel fair to anyone.”

The world stopped. At least, that was the impression Soah had for at least ten seconds. She stopped breathing and stared at him in astonishment. If she had heard right, then maybe… What if… How? It was now her time to speak, but she wasn’t sure of what to say. She was afraid she could go back to that place, that unrequited love. But sheer willpower made her breathe in and out and she turned her shocked expression into a softer one. He said it in the past…

“It’s okay, I liked you too.”

“I know you did. We were best friends.”

“I mean I liked you the way you liked Yuri. But it’s okay now. It’s all in the past.”

As soon as she said it, she really felt like she was starting to believe it. Better late than never…

Minho stared at her with a smile.

“Thank you Soah.”

“For liking you when we were children?” Soah asked hesitatingly. Why would one be thankful someone else liked him?

“For telling me you did,” he corrected her.

Silence filled the booth, but for once Soah didn’t feel the need to fill it. It was comfortable and it allowed her to bask in the happiness she currently felt.

She was really over it, now. And it hadn’t been an unrequited love since he now accepted it. Soah thought that for now, there was one skeleton missing in her closet and it would never come back. Why had she waited so long before telling someone? It made her feel at peace that part of her past was suddenly starting to fall into place.

When Yuri arrived, the two were still in silence, sipping on their glass of water like they had all the time in the world.

“What are you doing?” she asked, not understanding the need for such quietness.

“We were just talking about the old days,” Minho told her as she slipped beside him on the seat.

Yuri didn’t point out they weren’t talking and made sign for the waiter to take their order. As soon as they were all set, she asked about her sister, trying to see how she was doing.

“I’m all good,” Soah stated. “I have a job and a place on my own and while it’s not the same kind of life I had back then, it’s still perfectly fine with me. I like it.”

“I’m proud of you, Soah. I always felt like you wanted to be free the most out of us both. And if you succeeded, if you are happy, that’s all I could wish for and I’m happy for you.”

“Thank you. Now, what is the big news you wanted to tell me? You are pregnant?”

Minho and Yuri looked at each other with a knowing smile before she announced: “I’m not pregnant! We are getting married next month!”

An exclamation of surprise escaped Soah as she realized Yuri wasn’t going to have a cute baby so soon.

“I’m very happy for you both,” she told them. And she was amazed by the fact she really meant it. “I’ll be looking forward to it.”

“Thank you, sis. It means a lot to us. Actually, I’ve sent you mails about it but you never answered. So I made up my mind about the fact that you wouldn’t be there, but I really want you to be maid of honor!”

“I never check my mails,” Soah guiltily admitted, thinking she would need to do it from now on.

“I know!” Minho intervened. “That’s why we tried your phone too but it didn’t work either. Anyway, what do you say? You’ll be there?”

“Of course. And I’d be really glad to be your maid of honor.”

Yuri squealed and went to give her sister a hug.

The food was brought at that moment and the older sister took her seat back. They ate while talking about recent events and catching up on the past.

Maybe her luck had finally gone right because out of all the possibilities Soah imagined, this was by far the best for all of them. Things were starting to get better and for once, Soah felt herself waiting for a future day to come. And to say she only took life one day at a time before, without anticipating and without expecting.