1: The Red string of fate.

"Hey! Over here, Minho." Hyunjin waved his hand at the tall figure who was coming towards them through the dancing mobs.

"What took you so long?" He asked the moment the latter sat beside them, handing him a new beer and watching him drink it.

"My assistant called." Minho simply answered, taking a sip again and eyeing his best friend Hyunjin, who was talking almost gently with his soulmates, Felix and Changbin.

Soulmate. He thought, bitterly.

There was a time when Minho loved the word soulmate, but he despises it now.

It all started on his fifteenth birthday, the age where the world he lived in finds their soulmate. He waited for days, which turned into months then years. He grew tired of waiting as the years passed by hope crumbled like the paint on the walls.

Now he was twenty-seven years old, a film director, and a fine, desirable young bachelor, yet no one had approached him as expected, making him live alone. He gave up, believing that he would die alone without his soulmate beside him.

Their antecedents are the one who created the red string of fate to avoid one to end up soulmateless. It was said that the red string would appear on his or her wrist when they met their soulmate, who was with them in the same place at the same time.

However there were one percentage of people who still ended up soulmateless which was the fidelity of such concept and Minho determined himself that he was indeed among that one percentage population.

He eyed their wrist, wondering whether they could see that red string tied on the wrist or not, like the legends claimed it to be.

Hyunjin was a music producer, and his friend Changbin was a stylist—an idol stylist, to be specific—while Felix was a competent choreographer.

The three of them got to meet each other at a party provided by their company three years ago, when their company hit the top of the charts.

When Hyunjin entered the party hall, he saw the red string appear on his wrist and extend, making him feel excited yet nervous. When his friend Changbin walked at the centre, Hyunjin was surprised to see the string connected to his friend but they were baffled with another extended string. Soon after, they saw another man coming toward both of them with a red string around his wrist. Their red strings tangled up, making them feel connected and surprised.

When all this was happening, Minho was there, and he started believing again that maybe his soulmate was somewhere far away from Korea, and he claimed that's why he doesn't have the red string around his wrist.

"Is the red string still there?" If it were other people, they would have felt offended by his words. Asking this to soulmates was seen as highly offensive, and punishable but not for his friends, who know how much their friend is going through.

"Yes, it's still there," Felix said, lifting both their wrists that had the red string, but only the three could see it. They looked at each other, smiling ear to ear, making Minho wonder,

How would he feel if the one he loved was beside him? Would he feel happy and loved? Would he be able to cherish them? Would they accept him for who he was? Would he act just like his friends? Like his friends, who are crazy in love?

"Wait... Don't tell me you started seeing yours too. Tell me! Tell me!" Felix asked excitedly, squealing a bit in the process, making Changbin ruffle Felix's hair. Minho smiled, but soon it turned into a frown.

He looks at his pale wrist and frowns more. He hoped he could see them, but there were none.

"No, it's not there, and I'm losing hope." He sighed helplessly. Felix pouted at the elder's reply but tried to cheer him.

"Oh, come on, hyung. Don't give us that face! Everyone has a soulmate in their life, and you have one too. It's just taking a bit longer than usual, that's all." Minho shook his head, looking at him.

"Everyone does have their soulmate, but not for me, because my life isn't always fair with me." He said gulping down the bitter liquid made his friends sad.

Minho lost his family in a plane crash five years ago, making his already broken heart break again. This was the main reason Hyunjin, Changbin, and Felix always made sure that the latter was okay and didn't feel left out or alone. They always stuck with him, and Minho was thankful for that.

"Well, life isn't always sweet, hyung. It can flip unexpectedly and give you something more than you expected."
__________

"Jisung, please don't cry; I can't bear watching you cry anymore," said Seungmin, patting Jisung's back, whose body was turned away from him, his back facing Seungmin.

Jisung can't stop the tears while glancing at his face in the small pocket mirror.

His half-burnt face

His cheek has a big burn mark, making his face appear unapproachable. His chest tightened at the thought of his soulmate, whom he had yet to meet. His mind was filled with negative thoughts, like his soulmate leaving him.

No, he wasn't like this; he always tried to find positivity in everything, but one night changed everything. One rainy night.

He was an orphan. Since childhood, he has struggled a lot. There were times when he fainted due to malnutrition. When he reached the age of seventeen, he started looking for part-time jobs. He majored in modelling, and at the age of twenty-one, a huge company offered him to be their model, and his life took a huge turn from there.

There he met Seungmin, the friend he hadn't had until now. Seungmin was a model—the Greyhound model, in short.

Unlike other models, who are pretty much obsessed with money and fame, Seungmin was a Hyunjinson who was down to earth. A simple individual with a great personality He helped the needy, and he was very kind and bubbly.

He was there for him through thick and thin. He guided him into the modelling world, making him one of the most sought-after models within a few weeks. Seungmin, along with his soulmate Chan, were the two people who made him like this, and he was grateful for that.

However life, or in precise some jealous people, didn't like his sudden growth. They planned something that would make the rest of his life miserable.

He can still remember the incident, which occurred four months ago, like yesterday.

It was a busy night, and as usual, he was driving toward his apartment, thinking about his future. He flinched, watching a bright light coming towards him, and the next thing he knew, he got hit by the truck, which was the source of light. His car flipped away and landed on the road upside down, and it got caught in the fire. He can still remember his helpless cries and the pain he felt when the fire started slowly burning his skin.

Four months passed since the miserable incident happened, and after the incident, he was admitted to the hospital. Seungmin's soulmate was a dermatologist, so with his assistance, they helped to patch up the skin, but still, the big burn scar is there.

As his skin was extra sensitive, it's a bit difficult to do treatments that are highly effective.

Jisung wasn't sad about his face; in fact, he was scared about what his soulmate would think of him. Because of his unhealthy beauty ideals, he is scared.

And the sadness started engulfing him, making him scream in dread.

It's not that kind of sadness where you cry all the time, but more like the kind that overwhelms your entire body, leaving your heart aching and your stomach empty. Making you feel weak and tired.

"I'm not sad about my face, Seungmin. I'm scared... How will my soulmate react to my face?" Seungmin sighed, heartbroken again to hear his friend crying.

"Seungmin... " The said person glanced up to see his soulmate leaning against the door with crossed arms. Chan sighed and then walked towards them. Seungmin smiled sadly and then left Jisung's side. He stood in front of Chan, leaning forward and pecking his lips.

"Please look after Han for me." Chan nodded while Seungmin left the room to make dinner for the three. Chan glanced at his elder friend's back view, then walked towards him. He knelt in front of him.

"Han?" Jisung glanced up, making Chan's heartache worse, catching a glimpse of his red, teary eyes. He grabbed Jisung's trembling hands in his and leaned his face into them, looking straight into Jisung's eyes.

"Didn't I tell you before coming here that you shouldn't cry over what's already happened?" Jisung nodded, sniffing. "Then why are you crying?"

"I'm scared, Chan hyung. What if my soulmate hates me? Will they accept me after seeing my face?" Tears start streaming from his almond eyes. Chan rubbed the tears away.

"Beauty isn't about having a pretty face, Han. It is about having a pretty mind, a pretty heart, and most importantly, a beautiful soul." Jisung looked up, while Chan glanced straight into his eyes.

"Not your appearance, but your modesty and power of love define your beauty. I'm sure your soulmate will love you for your heart, not for your appearance, and who in the world said you weren't beautiful? This scar?" He questioned her, lightly tracing the scar.

"This scar doesn't show you that you are ugly; it shows a big part of your hardships, struggles, and success, Han. Don't doubt your worth. Know your worth." Chan said, tightening his hold around Jisung's hand.

Jisung smiled, nodding. He ruffled Chan's hair, making him smile widely, his eyes disappearing and forming in the shape of a crescent moon.

Seungmin slowly peaks from the door: "Everything set?" The two people in the room looked at him with a smile, which he returned.

"Dinner is ready."
____________

"Arum looked at her soulmate with teary eyes. She asked him whether he was leaving her alone, and Jai said yes, he was leaving because he was feeling embarrassed to even say that she was his soulmate," Minho hummed, uninterested as the scriptwriter continued reading the new storyline.

The writer looked up and gulped, seeing the director's uninterested face. He then looked down at the papers and proceeded to read further.

Currently, they are both sitting inside Minho's office building. The building consisted of two floors. The ground floor consists of the reception area and workers who worked for Minho, and the top floor is where his office was situated.

They are both sitting on the sofas, facing each other. The scriptwriter was narrating a new storyline for a new movie while Minho was listening to it, uninterested.

"She asked him then why he lied that he would accept her for her heart, not for her beauty, but our hero Jai said that beauty was something we could worship all our lives, and without it, nothing matters. Bad luck will happen, and we have to hear comments from people too." Minho raised his eyebrows at the bullshit.

"Jai then looked at his current girlfriend and pointed at her. He says, 'Look at her; she has everything: money, fame, a body, and a pretty face, not like our heroine, who has a burnt face.' "

"Okay, stop right there." The scriptwriter stopped, looking up to see Minho glanced at him coldly.

"What type of utter bullshit is this, huh? Are you sure this is an inspirational story? I felt like it was offensive."

"I mean, sir, who doesn't wish for a beautiful soulmate?" He stopped blurting out after catching a glimpse of Minho's glare.

"Do you have a soulmate?" The scriptwriter nodded. "If your soulmate by chance had burned skin, would you think about leaving them?" The scriptwriter nodded again, making Minho enraged.

"Of course, sir, I don't want people to look at me with pity."

"Get out."

"Huh?" The writer muttered but shivered, seeing an enraged Minho. "Sir-"

"I said get the hell out, or should I call the securities?" Minho yelled angrily, making the writer flinch. The writer, without uttering a word, picked up the papers, ready to leave when

"Wait there." He froze, hearing Minho's order. The director walked towards him, then took the paper from his hands and started tearing it all apart.

"Never write something like this ever again. Got it? Or else say goodbye to your profession. Now get out." Gulping, the writer fled from there.

Sighing in tiredness, Minho sat on the sofa, arms and legs spread wide, leaning his head against it.

"People who don't value others' feelings have soulmates. People like me who want someone to lean on don't have any. What type of sorcery is this?" Minho gritted his teeth and then closed his eyes. He snapped open his eyes when he heard a knock.

"Come in," He declared, sighing, sitting straight. The door was opened by his assistant, Lisa. "What is it, Lisa?"

"Sir Hyunjin told me to inform you about a surprise plan, sir." Minho frowned.

"Surprise plan...Oh?" Minho stood up suddenly, startling Lia. "Tell Hyungjin that I have a tight schedule today."

"But, sir, you don't have any."

"Do what I say!" He exclaimed, getting up, taking out his phone, wallet, sunglasses, and a black bucket hat from the table.

"I'm going out for a walk." Lisa nodded, watching her boss leave from there.

Minho came out of the building wearing sunglasses and a bucket hat. He took a deep breath and then walked on the sidewalk, hands inside his pants pocket.

Yesterday, Hyunjin texted him after the party, declaring that he wanted to surprise his soul mates as their 4th anniversary was nearing. It's not like Minho doesn't want to help his friend, but seeing and getting reminded about how lonely he was made him troubled.

It's no one's fault, but still, it irked him to the core.

So to clear his mind, he has a safe place where no one visits. It's a small, isolated lake nearby his office building. No one has ever visited that place, as some people claimed it was haunted. But he knew better.

Sighing, he kept going, letting his legs lead him. Finally, the lake caught his eye, making him smile slightly. He walked to the pier and crouched down, running his hands through the water.

The lake's water was clear of all the city pollution. He slipped his sunglasses and hat down, placing them on the ground, then continued playing, staring in a daze.

Suddenly, his wrist area started gloSeungming, making him freeze. His wrist started glowing even more, and finally, he saw it.

The red string.