CHAPTER THREE: THE UNIVERSE LED ME TO YOU ONCE MORE

The air was suffocating.

    She could only see red lights, continuously blaring as she could feel her entire being shake.

    Her vision was getting blurry, feeling her senses starting to go numb. How many hours has it been since she had last seen the faces of her fellow crewmates? Was it one? Maybe three? She wouldn't know, as time works differently in space. She had lost control of her spacecraft a long time ago, and whatever was coming to her, let it be landing on an unknown planet or death, she would gladly accept it.

    She knew that joining this expedition was going to be an arduous task, especially when you consider the fact that she barely had any experience. Years of being ostracized by the community had pushed her to participate in such activities, and she wouldn't mind dying if it meant that she could pass on and perhaps be reincarnated in a kinder time when she wasn't continuously pushed down and mocked at.

    Liquid secrete started forming on her forehead as the aircraft continuously accelerated. Her breathing started to become more shallow.

    Was this really the end of her existence?

    It seemed like it was.

    This was her final farewell.

    Or not.

    She felt the violent force of her aircraft having impacted on some sort of surface. It was the secure nature of her space pod that kept her from flying out, but it wasn't enough to protect her head from getting hit by the glass shield. A groan escapes her lips, as she owlishly blinks, each time she could feel her consciousness slowly drift away. She struggles to break free from the pod, randomly pressing the buttons that were embedded inside. Her wandering hands finally had a hold of the right button, as the glass shield opened in one swift upward motion. Smoke from the overheat of the engines started oozing out, and she found herself slumping forward as she went into a coughing fit.

    A sharp exhale escapes her lips, as she shakes her head and blinks while slipping in and out of consciousness. The curtains have been drawn, but only for a quick moment as if a play was transitioning into the next scene, like another chapter of the story; and just like our female alien friend, she is diving headfirst into an entirely new segment.

    As she came to, she could feel a sharp pain in the back of her neck. The nauseating smell of the aircraft's energy source had now leaked into the pod, causing her to take slow, calculated breaths so as to not inhale an unhealthy amount. She struggles to get up on her feet, holding onto the metal handles. She managed to get up once she grabbed a hold of one handle. She then pauses, her hearing senses heightened as she could now hear splashes that seemed to be approaching the fallen craft. She then looks down and sees liquid beginning to pool underneath her.

    Whatever negative thing she had been saying seemed to have vanished as she finally recognized the fact that she had survived a horrifying crash.  With a new profound will and determination to live on, she decided to use the inhuman strength that her very own kind was infamously known for. Clenching her fists, she straightens herself before getting into a stance, she then lands a powerful punch, blowing a hole into the side of the aircraft, which causes a few parts to combust into flames.

    She clambers her way out, stumbling a bit in the process, causing her to bump into a few stray wires and pipes and even scraping her forehead; she finally manages to get out of the broken craft after a while. She lets out a groan in pain, feeling blood trickling down her forehead, causing her to drop to her knees. She gazes to the night sky, taking a whiff of the new air of this new planet, however, the serene atmosphere had been cut short as loud blaring sirens resounded from the distance. She whips her head to the source of the sound, and she could see blue men in some sort of vehicle that continued playing the blaring noise over and over again.

    Before she even had any time to blink, she was already being surrounded as the men quickly surrounded her, pointing something - and what she assumed to be a weapon - at her. From the years of being scorned for simply being herself, she had grown accustomed to hostility, and she could definitely tell that these men were definitely showing it.

    "Put your hands up!"

    What?

    She flinched back instinctively, being high on guard. Confused as she couldn't understand what the man was saying.

    "I don't know what you're saying."

    She gulped and felt a bit relieved as they lowered their guns however she could see that they were also confused with what she was saying. They seemed to regain their posture and pointed their guns at her once again.

    "I said, put your hands up!"

    Fear struck her entire being as the hostility escalated. She had no clue what was going on, and it seemed like they were seriously going to harm her.

    "I can't understand you. Please! I don't know what you're saying, and I don't know where-"

    Her pleas were cut short as a gunshot was heard. The bullet barely missed her. She inches backwards until she could feel the hard metal in the small of her back. The man in charge, who was the one aggressively asking, seemed to be scolding the one who fired the shots, momentarily taking his eyes off of her. She decides to take the opportunity to flee, using her enhanced strength in her legs jumping high up into the night sky, defying the laws of physics as she seemed to be floating now.

    She then proceeds to propel herself to the opposite direction of the ocean, as she zooms through the dark streets, hopping from one building to another. Her mind was racing, not being able to process anything that was going on. Everything happened so fast.

    The adrenaline was rushing through so much that she did not notice the number of bruises and scrapes that were in various spots on her body. The only thing she was dead set on doing was escaping from the blue, hostile men. She then hops to another building that was across the street, before the street lights went back on.  She stops momentarily, stumbling a bit as she loses her balance. She takes a deep breath, putting a hand on her chest to check one of the six hearts that were embedded in her chest. She then decides to take a quick look at her body, seeing that nothing had been punctured from the shooting dispute that happened a while ago. For a moment, she felt a wave of relief, being able to escape unscathed but the sudden realization that she was basically stuck on a whole different planet dawned over her when she heard another aircraft flying over her head.

    'I abandoned my airship that was basically my only source of communication...' She thought to herself, 'I'll get it back somehow, but for now, I need to hide.' Without any hesitation, she resumes her building-hopping looking for secluded areas that could possibly serve her as a temporary home. However, it seemed like wherever she went, there would be other beings there. With the pace she was going at, it was going to take her a while to be able to find a place, so she decided to move faster, steadily picking up speed with each hop until she was finally adjusting to the gravity of the place. She accelerates at an inhumane speed, causing her to give off a faint, luminescent glow, which was a common occurrence in her species back at home.

    'I really hope the other two are okay...' She thought, thinking back at her comrades who were on the ship with her for the expedition. Unlike others who treated her with much scrutiny and discriminatory looks, she was met with nothing but acceptance and encouragement. They were both equally pleased to have someone like her on board, and it made her feel warm. She promised them that after this "successful" expedition, she would move in with them, away from the town that was too ashamed of her existence. However, the poor being was reminded once again that she should no longer expect happiness, for it is nothing but a momentary feeling that rarely stays.

    Being too caught up in her own thoughts, she accidentally slips up, missing the next building by a little which made her lose her footing. She falls down, tumbling over the trash cans that were situated in the dark alleyway. She feels the pain of the fall, causing her to hiss in pain as she moves. She decides to close her eyes, deciding to rest a bit despite the putrid smell that was beginning to fill her nostrils. So many mishaps have happened to her in a span of a few minutes that it was beginning to look comedic. She lets out a sigh, feeling utterly useless and tired at the moment. "What did I ever do to deserve this..." She mutters, before opening her eyes.

    A flash of light could then be seen, and she froze. Thankfully, only her legs were exposed. She stayed still for a while, hoping that whoever- whatever was shining a light at her, would go away. However, the approaching footsteps told her otherwise. She had no choice but to confront this obstacle, so she decided to poke her head out of the trash cans. The light wasn't as harsh, so she could see what was behind it, and to her surprise, she could see a tall figure standing just a few feet away. They shared a gaze, and somehow, the feeling of familiarity was there despite this possibly being their very first encounter. However, before she could take a good look at the figure's features, they seemed to rip their gaze away.

     Was it her unsightliness that caused them to look away from her? She had always been compared to different standards back at home, and she hated it since her looks were absolutely beyond her control. "I... I'm sorry." A deep, baritone voice says, and just like how the whole debacle with the blue men, she couldn't understand a damn thing. "Please, I really do not understand what you're saying." She says, hoping that this time, the figure would be able to understand her. Instead of a response, she could see the figure fumbling before handing over some sort of fur clothing to her. This confused her and she stared at the piece, with no knowledge of what to do. Silence then followed, and after what seemed to be like five minutes of that silence, she could hear footsteps approach her.

    Only when the figure was close to her was she able to get a good look. Chestnut-colored hair that was slightly disheveled; tired yet concerned dark hazel orbs looking at her; facial features leaning more unto the masculine side, and boy, looking at him was... aesthetically pleasing to the eye. He spoke once more, "Excuse me, but... are you okay?"

    'I can't understand a single damn thing on this planet.'

    "I really cannot understand you..." She replies, masking her annoyance by being slightly passive-aggressive. Once again, the language barrier was evident, judging by the way the man grimaced at her response. She watches him in silence as he begins fiddling with the device that he was using to light the way. Something was telling her that whatever the man was going to do, she needed to get out. Instinctively, she approached him until she was only inches away from him. Her pointer finger lightly taps on the device, pushing it down a little before placing her free index finger on his lips; she was hoping he would be able to get the memo with her simple gestures.

    They locked gazes, and at that moment she could sense a feeling of familiarity in his eyes. As if they met somewhere...? She shrugs off that feeling, knowing how impossible it would seem considering the fact that this man resided on an entirely different planet. So many questions, yet so little time to make sense of everything. Once it seemed like the man was in a trance, she decided that now was her time to escape. She sprung up, feeling the wind in her face once again. Without looking back, she zoomed through the buildings once again.

* * *

    One day.

    She was now stuck on Earth for one day.

    After hours of wandering around the city, hopping from building to building, she was able to grab a few fragments of information of the planet she was stuck in. The first thing she was aware of was that the components of the air on this planet were very much different, which caused her skin to transition from being a dark shade of pink to a pale peach. Second, she knows that she was light years away from her original galaxy after finding out that the people living here call this planet 'Earth'. She could vaguely remember the lessons she had when she was still young, and it seemed to like returning home was going to become more impossible to accomplish. Lastly, she apparently has become a fugitive, well... sort of. Though it was not explicitly said, she could see that the blue men have been scouting so many areas, probably looking for her.

    Regardless of the circumstances, she was going to make it a priority to get home. No matter what, she needs to go home. She then feels her stomach rumble, and only then did she realize that she had already gone on for hours without any meal intakes. Her supplies were all in the aircraft, to which she no longer had access to. Exploring the area was out of the question, as it was daytime on Earth and so many humans were flooding the streets; she did not want to risk the possibility of getting captured.

    With only limited options, the alien decides to wait until nightfall.

* * *

    As the sun began to set, Taehyung was beginning to grow more tired and concerned for a certain someone. He sighs as he takes a glance around the café., seeing that Joohyun was still busy with her homework. He knows how dangerous it is for women to be walking home alone at night, and he wished she had just gone with her friend who left two hours ago.

    "You've been looking at Joohyun-ssi ever since her friend left," Jimin points out, walking right beside him, "Are you that in love with her?" Taehyung gave him a quick side glance before shaking his head, "Just worried for her, that's all..." He responds.

    Jimin looks at his friend, "Then why don't you ask to walk home with her? I'm sure she wouldn't mind, plus, you worked with her in the past so I see no problem."

    "It's not that simple," Taehyung responded, quick to shut the offer down. He wasn't that good at communicating, and it was harder on him since it was going to be the love of his life he was going to talk to, yet he simply couldn't shake off the feeling that perhaps Joohyun needed his company for tonight. So many creeps and bad people were out and about in the night, and there were so many cases of women going missing, never to be seen again. 'What the hell, it's not like I am going to ask her out on a date... Might as well.' He thinks, before going around the corner and walking towards the woman. He started to sweat a little when he was near enough to be clearly seen and acknowledged by Joohyun.

    "Is there anything you need?" Joohyun asks, looking up at him as she removes an earbud to listen. "Uh..." Taehyung began, "It's getting a bit dark, Joohyun-ssi. It'll be dangerous... So, if you don't mind, is it okay if I walk you home?" He asks. He couldn't help but feel tensed under the young woman's gaze, as she occasionally switched glances from him to the view of the sky from the café. A small smile makes its way to her lips, as she props an elbow on the table, resting her chin on the palm of her hand.

    "Thanks, Taehyung, I appreciate the thought." She responds, "I'll just finish things up in the next hour and a half. What time is your shift ending?"

    "Uhh..." He felt like the temperature in the room was getting hotter, despite the air conditioners working perfectly fine and had been running since this morning, "In forty-five minutes..."

    "Alright, well, I'll ask for you at the front cashier once I'm done."

    "Cool... Awesome... See you."

     He then backs away before making a beeline towards the 'Staff Only' door, avoiding the snickering of Jimin who abandoned his station just to tease him. "Not now, Jimin." The taller man says, waving his friend off, but he knew that was not happening anytime soon, especially when a smile was plastered on Taehyung's face.

    'That felt great.'

* * *

    As the sky transitioned from a canopy of orange, purple, and light pink colors to a beautiful shade of dark blue, our little alien friend knew that the night had finally arrived. The streets were as bustling as ever, with people from different walks of life occupying them. She stands at the edge of the building, scanning through the heights of the variety of buildings that stood tall and proud within her perimeter. She makes a move to lunge, but just before doing so, she looks back at the makeshift 'house' that she was able to form with the leftover cardboard that has been conveniently discarded and stored there.

    "You have done me well, makeshift cardboard house." She says, giving a two-fingered salute before lunging up into the night sky, hopping onto the highest building she could see. Slowly, and ever so carefully, she maneuvers her way through the rooftops, lunging to greater heights in order to cover more ground. This went on for ten minutes before finally stopping on one of the buildings, where the nightlife of the city was lively as ever. With every turn of her head, she could see flashy billboard signs and huge screens displaying colorful advertisements. Just as she was about to leap onto another building when the huge screens started to show news footage of the incident from last night, a.k.a her crashing down from outer space and scaring a bunch of law enforcement. She had seen it already, and it seemed like the humans made a big deal out of something so trivial, was it not normal for them to have foreign visitors from different galaxies?

    Nevertheless, the wisest decision would most likely be to avoid being captured. She makes another great leap, her figure stealthily avoiding the gazes of the bystanders from below. Adrenaline was flowing into her system, her heart rate increasing with the idea of getting caught with each jump from a building to another. She then spots an area within the city that was vastly covered with green, trees, and bushes that seemed to be great hiding spots for the meantime. Her legs were growing tired and she hadn't eaten anything for hours, so she adamantly opted for the rest, quickly landing on one of the branches of a tree that seemed to be strong enough to carry one person. She was careful to not let her feet dangle, letting both of her feet rest haphazardly on the tree. Her back then rests against the strong bark, a soft sigh escapes her lips before slowly beginning to doze off.

'I'll just rest here for a few minutes'

* * *

    The park around this time of the evening was usually still crowded, with people roaming around the concrete roads of the park, some accompanying their dogs for a midnight stroll whilst others were with their significant other just enjoying their company. Now, South Korea is a great place for lovers; most of the time, you can easily spot couples donning matching outfits and showing off their great chemistry by walking around public areas and holding hands. Though this did not bother Joohyun in the slightest, Taehyung was silently panicking and overthinking everything as they walked through the park.

    He was walking close to her, his hands ever so slightly grazing hers. Taehyung was on the verge of shutting down, inwardly telling himself to be composed whenever Joohyun asked him a simple question or a sentence that was a conversation starter. He was never this close to her, and whenever he saw her, they were always surrounded by colleagues. His palms were beginning to sweat slightly when Joohyun decided to stop their little walk for some drinks.

    "What do you want?" She inquires, looking at him. Taehyung pondered for a moment, before promptly replying with "Strawberry yogurt milk". The woman nods before looking at the vending machine, rummaging through her tote bag for her coin purse. He then suddenly feels something rubbing against his leg, and to his surprise, a white cat could be seen purring around his right leg. It had no collar or nametag, so Taehyung looked around to see if the owner was around, but so far, it seemed like there was no other person nearby their area. Perhaps they have wandered off to the more secluded and quiet area of the park, which made the man a little bit more wary of his surroundings than before. He bent down, reaching his hand out to the cat so that it could let itself purr into his fingers.

    "Is that a stray?" Joohyun asked, and Taehyung looked up, seeing that the woman was now holding their drinks in both of her hands. He stood up and gratefully accepted his drink, "Yeah, I think it's hungry" He replies, before taking out the small plastic straw from the back. He shakes the drink before puncturing the sharp end of the straw through the small foil, before turning to Joohyun, "I'll pay you once I get you home."

    Joohyun shakes her head, "No, just think of it as payment for walking me home." Taehyung could feel his chest tighten, and he couldn't say anything anymore, so he just nodded and took a quick sip. The woman's attention was now on the cat, and her heart swells at the sight of it. The streets of Korea were a harsh environment for strays, and she felt like she wouldn't be able to sleep if they were to leave it there after seeing it.

    "Don't you live off-campus?" Joohyun asks, and Taehyung almost immediately answers, "Uhh, yes, why?" A wave of relief washes over her, "Then, is it alright if you can take care of this cutie? I promise I'll feed it too!"

    Taehyung was taken aback, he did not know what to say, he really wasn't willing to take care of the cat since he wasn't that much fond of them; he prefers dogs. But the way Joohyun was insisting compelled him to say 'yes', even if he did not want to. Just as he was about to answer, the cat proceeded to scurry away, swiftly climbing onto a nearby tree and disappearing into its branches.

    "Aw, it ran away." The disappointment was evident in her voice as she looked longingly at the tree. Taehyung then proceeds to look at the sky, "I suggest we get back to your dorm before it gets really dark..." But it seemed like Joohyun was not budging one bit. He inwardly sighs, looking down at defeat as he scratches the back of his neck, "Maybe we can come back tomorrow and look for it? I'm pretty sure it'll be here when it comes back."

    Joohyun looks at him, then to the tree, and then back at him. She nodded in agreement, "Alright, just give me your phone number so that you could accompany me back here." She then starts to continue in the direction of her dorm, with Taehyung silently following her. As they were meters away from their original spot, they could hear the sound of the cat's loud hissing, followed by a woman's yelp and a loud thud. Both of them immediately looked back, surprised by the voice.

    'The hell was that?' They both thought, before warily inching closer to the branches that were nestled under the tree along the concrete path. They could then see the cat emerging from the bushes, yet, that wasn't their main concern. Taehyung was pretty sure that he and Joohyun heard the same thing, so he turned to her, who also was looking at him. Confusion and slight fear were visible on their faces. They were quiet for one moment, letting the sound of the wind caress their ears before a pained groan was then heard. Again, it was coming from a woman. Taehyung puts his arm before Joohyun, as if silently telling her to wait for a moment. She understood and just stood there, letting him continue on with silently inching forward. Once he was close to the bushes, he peered over. Due to the fact that the next lamp post was a few feet away and that it was night time already, he couldn't get a clear look, but the feeling of familiarity was there.

    Only when the stranger behind the bushes finally sat up did he finally recognize the face. It was her, the mystery girl from before. They have met once again, but this time, it felt like the universe had played with their strings and led them to each other for the second time.