Alarm clocks emanate perhaps one of the most annoying sounds in the universe.
Seriously.
I mean, I get it-- the goal is to make sure the consumer wakes up, but geez, at least make the sound more appealing. Give me the right song on my alarm clock and I'll dance out of bed. I rubbed my eyes tiredly and flipped the off switch, ceasing that annoying noise.
The morning sun filtered through the curtains and I sung my feet over the edge of the bed, standing to stretch. Kitty meowed at me from next to her food bowl and I puffed my cheeks, making my way toward her.
"Kitty, you could at least give me time to pee before you get all demanding."
The tabby purred, butting her head against my hand, and as I reached out to pet her, I caught something out of the corner of my eye.

"What even?" My brows furrowed in confusion.

A delicate red string was tied to my pinkie in a little bow. 
That was definitely not there a few seconds ago. 
I tugged at the bow's tiny tail to untie it, but it didn't budge. What was going on?

I left Kitty to eat and followed the string with my eyes; it was slack, trailing out of my bedroom and into the living room. Pursing my lips, I twirled a finger around a section closest to my pinkie and pulled sharply. A shock ran through my hand, up my arm, and into my chest. 

"Ouch!" I hissed.
The thread remained unbroken and I eyed it warily, holding my strung away just a bit. Kitty spared me but an uninterested glance. 
Well, it obviously was't demons, otherwise she would have thrown a fit.

Huh.

I decided to try and change my clothes before I investigated further. It really wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, dressing with the string attached to my finger, surprisingly enough, it seemed to phase through everything but the floor. I dressed in black tights; a mustard yellow, high-waisted skirt; and a black, long-sleeved shirt. I stepped into some boots, and fluffed my hair which, honestly, did nothing to tame it. I mean really, it was like Miley Cyrus.

Humming curiously, I trotted the length of the red thread into the living room and paused, my fingers curled on my jacket and I wondered where the thread would take me.
If I opened my door, would I be stolen away? Maybe the world beyond my apartment would be Narnia or some , I didn't know. 

Slowly, I turned the knob and yanked the door open, expecting to be assaulted by a talking, magical lion--

"Oh. H-hi, Jinki!" I blushed slightly, waving shyly.

Did he see the string, too?

The older boy took no notice, however, smiling his 1000 watt smile, he waved back.

"Good morning, Vanessa! I hope you have a good day today; the trees whispered good things for you." The brunette winked and I laughed, locking my door as he handed over a styrofoam cup.

Awww yis. Hazelnut coffee.

I kissed his cheek and gratefully took the warm cup in my hands.
"You know me too well, Professor Lee."
Jinki blushed and pushed his glasses up, bumping his door open with his hip.

"W-well. I'm um. Just observant."

Jinki was absolutely precious and one of the kindest people I had ever met. 
"Tell Taemin I said hi when he gets home, okay?" I smiled warmly and hugged the taller boy carefully.

"Yes, milady." He bowed after and grinned.

I giggled and waved goodbye, following the thread as it curved and twisted down the hallway. Sipping the warm coffee, I hummed a little tune, carefully side stepping people out on the sidewalk. The air was a bit chilly but the sky was a beautiful crystal blue; the sun shining and the leaves were such vibrant hues. Smiling happily, I watched as the thread stretched across the street, cars driving over it as though it were the pavement.

Yet I received no tug or pull; I felt only a sense of growing excitement and I quickened my pace to make it across the crosswalk before the light changed. The thread curved sharply around the corner and through the gate of the park.

I paused off to the side of the entrance to let a jogger pass and continued on my path. The bow around my finger seemed to grow warm and I glanced at it briefly, before looking around for any people that stood out. Because of the early morning, most people were at work, and children in school; the only sign of bustling existence I saw was a yoga classes taking place quite a few meters away from me, and an elderly couple walking by, arm in arm.

I bowed and smiled at them fondly while we passed each other, and then man glanced down at my hand, a warm smile blooming across his features.

he murmured something to his wife behind me, and I heard her gasp softly. 

Did he see?

Biting my lip and tapping a finger to the side of my cup, I twirled around, ready to ask; but they weren't there.

Poof.

Gone.

I was admittedly a little creeped out at their disappearing act, but thought it was probably best to chalk it up to some sort of super power, elderlies had. 

Tilting my head, I pouted, noticing the thread was tangled up in the moss of a weeping willow.

"Aw, damn." I whined, setting my cup down.

Maybe the string continued somewhere on the other side?
I slowly followed the wide base of the tree around, and noticed where the other end of the string should have came out untangled, was trembling slightly back around the way I came; going slack only to become taught again.

That was weird, to say the least, and I carefully stepped over a large root--

"Oh." I breathed, my eyes widened a bit.

I felt a subtle shift, to this day I still don't know if it was the universe tilting or if the shift was inside me, but that feeling has always stayed.

There stood a Korean boy, a bit taller than me, bowed legs clad in dark blue skinny jeans; messy brown hair with an undercut, and the most beautiful whiskey colored eyes. He seemed just as surprised as me, slowing raising a hand in a tiny wave, the sleeve of his black sweater slid down just a bit and that's when I saw it. His eyes locked on my hand just as I did his, taking in the red bow on his pinkie.

At the end of my string was him.

This person I had never knew, but suddenly felt that I did. Safety, warmth, and love radiated off of him in waves and the boys eyes curled into crescents as his plush lips tugged up into a wide smile, his voice music to my ears as he whispered tenderly,

"It's you."

I stepped towards him, and he mirrored the movement.

My heart swelled and I smiled genuinely, blushing softly and nodded, reaching out for his hand and he laced our strung fingers together.

"I'm Vanessa."

"Jonghyun."


An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place, or circumstances. The thread may stretch or tangle but will never break.