Invisible String

Red Thread

A/N:

Fiiiinally a chapter written from Joong-Gil's pov
To be honest, I was kinda afraid to post this chapter because I don't know if I got the essence of the character right.
So maybe it's not very true to the character, but I believe that in those situations he would act like that 😅
Also, I struggled a bit while writing this, so It's shorter than usual

* Italic: Joong-Gil's dreams

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Joong-Gil was in his office, sitting at his desk, lost in thought.

Ever since the event in the hospital, he couldn't stop thinking about one thing.
A red thread. Connecting him to that human.

It was ridiculous.

Stupid.

Impossible.

He would know if he had a soul mate. Ah, even thinking about it made him feel disgusted.

And even if he had one, it was irrational that it was a person like her.

Inconsequential.

Idiotic.

Naive.

Weak.

No, it had to be a mistake. Surely this was a mistake.

Getting up, he left the office, walking to the Empress of Jade's office, determined to find out what was going on.

— Why does the human who works on the risk management team have a red string connecting me to her? - he asked the Director as soon as he entered the office.

The woman looked at him, surprised by his sudden presence, and then relaxed again, leaning back against the chair she was sitting in.

— What do you mean?

Joong-Gil took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

— Was this all planned? Her working here?

— Coincidences happen, you know. - The Empress said. - Besides, even if it's not a coincidence, there's no way for me to know.

He tensed his jaw, and then bowed slightly, turning to leave, when he heard the Headmistress speak:

— I wonder why this bothers you so much.

Without answering, he left the office.
Joong-Gil had no rational reason to explain why this bothered him.

Maybe it was because it made no sense.

He didn't remember her, and that probably meant something. He didn't even know of her existence until she started working in Jumadeung. It was strange, to say the least, that he couldn't remember anything related to the human, when she was connected to him by the red thread.

He shook his head.

It was useless to think about that.

While thinking about all this, he realized that he had walked to the office of the risk management team.

Stopping for a moment, he decided to go in, with no real purpose.

The room was empty, except for one person.

The human.

— What are you doing? - he asked slightly curious, raising an eyebrow.

He watched her jump startled, almost knocking over what she was holding.

— I-I... I'm putting on makeup... - she replied, blushing.

He looked at her for a brief moment. She had one eye painted purple, and was holding a palette and a brush in her hands.

— Um, sorry. - She stood up, dropping the objects on the table. - Do you need something, sir? Ms Koo is out, but will be back in a few minutes, I think, if you'd like to wait. - She smiled nervously.

Oh, right. He hadn't thought about that.

— I'll... come back another time. - he said, walking out of the office, leaving her alone.

"Leave me alone!" she shouted.

He ignored her, trying to approach her, but stopped when an object was thrown in his direction.

"You have to stop acting like this! It's been almost a year. You need to at least eat!" he roared.

She laughed helplessly, looking at him with her vision blurred by tears.

"You talk as if what happened is irrelevant, pathetic!" she sobbed. "But maybe it's my fault for expecting you to understand what it's like to love someone."

Joong-Gil opened his eyes.
He hadn't even noticed that he had fallen asleep.

Frowning, he stared at his empty office. That dream had been different.

The woman in his dreams was her. Different, but he was sure it was her.

Running a hand over his face, he sighed. He was more confused than ever.

Looking at the clock on his wrist, he decided it was time to go rest.

Getting up, he started to walk towards the exit, but stopped when he heard a knock on the door.

— Come in. - he said, returning to his seat.

As he saw the human entering the office, surprise filled his eyes, as well as curiosity.

He frowned.

— What do you want?

She stopped only a few meters from where he was standing, looking around the room. She moved her hands nervously.

— I don't have all day. - he said, seeing that she was taking too long to speak.

— I... just came to apologize. You know, for kicking you and throwing a boot in your direction that day. - Her face turned red, and she still averted her gaze.

It surprised him. More than he expected. And it made him feel something strange.

Watching her, he said relutanctly:

— I owe you an apology too.

Hearing this, she finally looked up at him, her eyes slightly wide and her mouth open in shock.

Joong-Gil almost laughed, especially seeing her face turn even redder.
Almost.

— W-well. - she stammered, unsure of what to say. Smiling minimally, she bowed. - Hm, I think I'd better go now. Good night.

— Good... night.

After she left, he stood there, thinking about what had just happened.

The odd feeling he had felt had passed. However, he felt something new, a uncanny feeling, which he couldn't recognize.

He sighed. It was probably just tiredness.