KNOT THIS GUY (Romance/Fantasy) ✔

KNOT 1 - THE RED STRING

The two people connected by the red thread are destined lovers, regardless of time, place, or circumstances. This magical cord may stretch or tangle, but never break.
- old Chinese belief
source: http://en.wikipedia...._string_of_fate

SANDARA's POV



Reality can be harsh sometimes.



"Let's break up", Joo Won said once again.



"What?", I stupidly asked. After running like a crazy woman from the university to this fancy hotel restaurant, this is the urgent matter that we need to discuss?



"Let's break up", he repeated.



W-What?



No. I'm not going to cry. I'm not. I am NOT going to cr-..dammit.



"Who the heck is cutting onions in here?", I jokingly said while blinking rapidly to stop my tears. But my eyes started leaking and I couldn't stop the damn tears from falling. I twiddled my fingers on my lap while thinking of something that won't make me look pathetic, despite the steady stream of tears on my cheeks.



"I'm sorry, Dara", he said without even a trace of sadness in his voice.



"C-Can't we work things out?", there it is. My 'pathetic status' has now been established.



"Maybe we're just not meant to be", he replied.



Not meant to be? These lines are sucking away all the calmness in me. I wanted to scream and throw every available plate within my reach at his face. I've done everything in my power to be the girl that he wants. I even went through those stupid cooking classes, tea classes and whatnot so I can be the ideal woman for him! I looked longingly at the fork laid down before me, thinking of how magnificently I can stab his eyeballs with it.



In my mind, here's the series of events that will ensue:



1. Joo Woon saying, "We're just not meant to be"


2. Me standing up, completely losing my mind and screaming bloody murder.


3. Me setting the restaurant on fire


4. Nuclear Bomb



Fortunately, I've mastered the ancient sorcery of calming myself through deep breaths. I never want to show him any side of me that will make him think that we're not suited for each other. I love this guy, damn it. I love him...so why?



"Joo Won-ah...", I swallowed hard and wiped the tears from my face.



"It's never going to work between us"



I slumped my shoulders and stared at him in disbelief.



"Why? Tell me what I'm lacking and I'll fix it", I said in a tiny voice. Once my roommate, CL, hears about how I pleaded for us to work things out, she will surely hang me upside down on the ceiling of our dorm room.



"You're not lacking anything, Dara"



"If I'm not, then why are we having this talk? Joo Won-ah, if I did anything wrong, then I'm really sorry. I won't be late again, I promise. Let's not break up, okay? It's our anniversary so please don't be like this. Here, have some cake. Maybe sugar will help you clear your min-", I abruptly stopped cutting a slice when he held my wrist and looked directly to my eyes.



"I really am sorry. For the entire year that we've been going out, I don't feel like I have come close to knowing you. You've molded yourself to be my ideal woman but things don't work that way, Dara. I've grown weary of our relationship"



I slowly set down the silverware on my plate and lowered my head in confusion.



I don't understand. I did everything that I can to meet his expectations even if I die from exhaustion. Now he's telling me that what he wants is to know the real 'me'? What is there to know about me? I'm boring. I'm a university student and a klutz. That sums up my life.



I looked at him and I know that nothing that I will say or do will make him change his mind. It's over.



Damn it.



I wiped my face with the table napkin to remove any remaining traces of tears. I then pulled out my tight pony tail, letting my hair down and messing it with my hands. The only reason why I keep tying my hair tightly is because of him, since he once said that girls in neat pony tails attracts him. Of course, I had to buy a hundred pony tails in varying colors and tie my hair whenever I see him...because I'm stupid...because I love him.



"Ahhhh, my scalp is finally free", I said to myself and began stuffing food inside my mouth, completely ignoring his flabbergasted face.



"You're paying, right? Can I take home some of the food for CL?", I asked. It took him a few seconds before nodding his head, probably still stunned at the monster appearing before his eyes.



"Can we at least be friends?", I asked afterwards, directing my entire concentration on the food in my plate.



"Of course"



I felt the tightening in my chest again so I dared not look up. As I thought of our memories together, my eyes started to mist again. I was startled when he suddenly reached out and placed his handkerchief in my hand. It would've been easier if I hate him, but I don't.



I chuckled bitterly and looked at him, "I swear, there are some ninjas cutting onions at the corner. Stupid ninjas"



_____________________________________________________________



Bom crossed her arms over her chest while tapping her foot on the ground. She then threw a sharp glance at Seunghyun, who was calmly leaning on the wall with his hands in his pockets while waiting for the elevators situated at a far distance to open.



She was a raging storm inside, not wanting to accept that the Jursa assigned to be her counterpart is none other than Seunghyun, the blacksheep amongst all the Jursas or trickster deities. This is going to be pretty annoying.



Is her ascendant / boss punishing her? Yes, she's known as the troublemaker amongst the Hadanas or string-keeper deities because of her temper but in her defense, she always tries her best to fulfill her tasks!



To distract herself, she just focused her gaze on the elevator doors. Any moment now, the destined couple assigned to them are going to step out of those elevators. Bom stole another glance at Seunghyun and her annoyance grew once again.



The task of the Jursas are to throw challenges at the destined couples to test the bond of the couple while the task of the Hadanas are to ensure that despite the hurdles that they have to surmount, the string of fate will still be fulfilled. For this reason, a Hadana and a Jursa are assigned to a destined couple once the fruition of string of fate is coming.



It was said that the trickster deity breaks the rules of the gods or nature, sometimes maliciously but usually, albeit unintentionally, with ultimately positive effects
source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trickster



Bom twitched her lips upon remembering the ancient human teachings.



Positive effects? Hmpf!



She hates Jursas, period! She always acts coldly whenever she meets the Jursa-counterparts and for this reason, she had received a good amount of scolding from her ascendant, Yang Goon - the lunar matchmaker god.



"I don't understand why you, Jursas, even have to meddle when you know for a fact that nothing you will do will break the string of fate", she arrogantly said.



"They have warned me about you", Seunghyun retorted.



"About me?"



"Hadana Bom possess a temper that can rival that of Aries 'The Ram', they said. If you annoy her, you better jump out of the way before she comes charging like a deranged bull"



D-Deranged bull?! Bom gasped and faced Seunghyun while clenching her fists at her sides. She looked at him like she wanted to melt his face with her glares. Hadanas are often depicted in folklores as fairies while Jursas are often depicted as animals, like coyotes and foxes, so how dare him compare a Hadana to a bull?!



"They even said you have separate set of claws for deities like us", he cocked his eyebrows at her and smirked.



Bom exhaled loudly while staring at him in disbelief. Never has she encountered a trickster deity like him.



It looks like her destined couple will have to endure a lot of hardships from now on. And unfortunately for her, it's also the kind of journey she's going to have.



_____________________________________________________________



Lee Soo Man angrily stood up and pounded the desk with his fists but Kwon Jiyong remained unfazed by his father's outburst.



"Don't you understand? You're the remaining heir of the company! Move back to the house!", he shouted.



"I never regarded myself as the heir. I'm just an illegitimate son who unfortunately has your blood. If your wife and son did not die from the plane crash, you wouldn't have been bothering me. Let's just keep living that way. You, with your empire. Me, by myself", Jiyong coldly replied.



"Are you still blaming me for the death of your mother?"



"No", he instantly replied while looking at the pictures ornamented at the shelves.



"You did what you had to do. You chose to be with your legitimate family. People die, that's just it. My mother's remains are already rotting in the ground so there's no need to bring the past up", he continued.



Lee Soo Man took a sharp intake of breath at his reply. It's as if he's looking at an entirely different person. He couldn't believe that his son would turn out this way.



"Jiyong, I tried to support your mother but your mother kept running away because she doesn't want problems to arise with me and my wife. She felt guilty at what we have done and she owned up to that mistake by living alone and by leaving you in my care. I tried to-"



"I chose to move out of your house after mother died since there's no reason to remain there. I see no reason why we should meet again, either"



Jiyong marched out of the room without throwing a second glance at his father.


_____________________________________________________________



SANDARA's POV



The walking dead woman, formerly known as Sandara Park a.k.a. me, entered the elevator and punched the ground floor button.



Not minding if the elevator walls are transparent and that people from outside the building can see me, I slumped on the floor and hugged the paper bags containing the wrapped food that I was going to take home for CL. Tears continuously fell from my eyes as the elevator slowly descended.



Destiny? Sure, sure. I believe that a person out there is destined for me. I also believe in tinkerbell and leprechauns.



My sobs are turning to hiccups and it infuriates me all the more. I looked at my left and since the elevator walls are transparent, I saw the man at the other elevator with his arms crossed over his chest. His right arm is filled with tattoos and he seemed to be lost in deep thoughts as he gazed over his right shoulder, staring outside the building. As I observed him, I started to wonder what kind of circumstances the man was experiencing and why does he have an angry look on his face.



Meh. What can be a more pressing issue than the problem that the miserable 'me' is facing? I was about to continue my crying saga when the man suddenly turned his head towards my direction and our eyes met. I don't know for how long our gazes locked until both of us were distracted by the elevator bell signifying that we've arrived at our respective floors.



I quickly straightened out and fixed myself.



I sure hope life won't throw another crap at me anytime soon because I feel like I would totally go nuts if I had to endure yet another misfortune.



_____________________________________________________________



"You know what?", Bom leaned back on the wall and crossed her arms over her chest once again while looking at the elevator doors.



"What?", Seunghyun asked while giving her a side-glance.



"All those rumors are true. I do have a bad temper and if you're not quick enough, who knows what I will do to you. So you better watch your back"



"Oh? Pretty tough, aren't we?", Seunghyun tauntingly said.



Bom glared at him and rolled her eyes while praying to please, PLEASE, grant her enough patience to stand this arrogant Jursa and to go through this destined couple without breaking any rules.



"I would've been subtle with this destined couple but since you are the assigned Hadana, I guess a few hellish challenges won't hurt", he said.



'Patience. Yes Bom, you are a patient Hadana.', Bom thought to herself while trying to ignore Seunghyun who is obviously trying to drive her insane.



"Do whatever you want, this destined couple has a strong bond so no amount of your stupid tricks will make them waver"



"You really don't understand the duties of the Jursas, don't you?", he said.



"What is there to understand? You exist to annoy the living crap out of us and make the destined couples miserable", she shot back.



Seunghyun tilted his head and looked at her in puzzlement. "No wonder the destined couples assigned to you almost end up in train wrecks if not for the benevolence of the lunar matchmaker god"



"You're not fit to be a Hadana. Just go sell rice cakes somewhere", he added and started walking towards the direction of the elevator.



Bom's eyes almost popped out of their sockets upon hearing his words.



THAT'S IT!



She curled the fingers of her right hand and an orb of sparkling white light started gathering on her palm. The oblivious Seunghyun was still gingerly walking towards the elevator when Bom threw the ethereal orb at him. But before it hits his back, Seunghyun spun around and upon seeing the approaching orb, he quickly raised his arm and opened his palm, which emitted a black smoke stopping the white orb from hitting him. The black fog encapsulated the white orb and since the weight of the two opposite energies is too much for him to handle, Seunghyun threw the ethereal orb elsewhere. But 'elsewhere' is towards the elevator doors, where Jiyong and Dara are currently exiting.



"OH NO!", Bom shrieked upon seeing where the white orb with black fog is heading.



"Oh no no no no NOOO!!", she screamed even louder as soon as the destined couple was enveloped with a sphere of black and white light although Dara and Jiyong remained unaware of what's happening beyond the human realm. They took a few steps out of the elevator door, looked at each other and was about to go their separate ways but they both stopped on their tracks.



"OH NOOOOO!!! SEUNGHYUN, DO SOMETHING!", Bom screeched.



With furrowed eyebrows, Jiyong and Dara looked at the red cord knotted on their wrists which appeared out of thin air. Jiyong raised his arm and looked at his right wrist in confusion while Dara raised her left arm and tried to untie the knot of the red cord on her left wrist. Dara's eyes widened in fear when the red cord magically tied itself once again.



"W-What happened?", Seunghyun asked while Bom covered her mouth with her hands as they both stared at the couple with disbelief. Jiyong held the cord and curiously yanked it.



Seeing that the cord didn't stretch, Bom totally went nuts. Before Seunghyun can stop her, she crossed the realm of humans and ran towards Jiyong and Dara.



"Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic! Let's not panic, okay? I can fix this!", Bom hurriedly said.



Seunghyun sighed in resignation while shaking his head. He then looked up and grimaced. They sure have a lot of explaining to do with their respective bosses.



"Oh no! It's not supposed to be tied on the wrists! And it's not supposed to be visible! What's happening?!", Bom shrieked.