Some angst, some fluff. Hella long.
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I'm sure you have heard of the red string of fate. Everyone has.
Feeling a tug and following your string until you find your soulmate, running into them in the midst. Kissing when you finally meet one another.
Well, unfortunately that's not how it goes for some people.
And by some people, I mean me.
There are people lucky enough to be born with the ability to see the red string. I am one of those people.
It is both lucky and unlucky.
With the ability to see the red string, everyone comes to me to find their soulmate. At first, I was ecstatic to help others find their one and only.
BUT...It can get so tiring.
"Y/n! How short is my string? Is my soulmate near me?"
"Y/n, can you help me find my soulmate?"
"Y/n! Y/n! Is my soulmate near me yet?"
You know, I always believed in the soulmate system. That once you follow your red string, you will find the love of your life and you two will be happy together forever.
I lost my faith in that after I managed to find my soulmate.
Park Jihyo.
I never understood the meaning of heartbreak when I met her.
It was in high school. She had heard about my ability to see the red string and came to ask me about hers. I was already sick of people asking me for help.
I was going to turn to her and tell her if I could get back to her at another time when I noticed that her string was connected to mine. Butterflies erupted into my stomach as a slight blush spread across my cheeks.
My eyes washed over her and I couldn't help but notice just how beautiful she was. I was going to open my mouth to say she was my soulmate when some guy walked up behind her. He wrapped a protective arm around her waist and kissed her cheek.
It was safe to say that my heart shattered into a million pieces at that moment.
I gave her a small smile and gestured to her boyfriend, "You want me to tell you if you two are soulmates or not?"
She nodded her head in a shy manner.
"I'm very sorry to say but he's not. Your strings aren't attached," I softly muttered.
They both gave me a look of disappointment and nodded their heads.
A look of determination flashed in Jihyo's eyes, "I know he and I are meant to be. There must be some mistake."
"There are no mistakes," I frowned, "Everything happens for a reason."
Jihyo didn't budge, "I don't believe that."
We became friends after that awkward interaction. She and her boyfriend were still going strong. I hated to say it but her boyfriend was actually a pretty nice guy. At least I know she's well taken care of.
I won't lie when I say each time they kissed or hugged in front of me, I died inside.
After highschool, Jihyo and I remained close. Unfortunately, so did Jihyo and her boyfriend.
It seemed as if there was no end to their romance. It was honestly suffocating me. To see them so happy and in love while I'm on the sidelines, even though technically I was her soulmate.
And I never told her I was her soulmate either. I couldn't when she told me she didn't believe in the soulmate system. And because she had a boyfriend.
She even told me and I quote, "I would pick my boyfriend over my soulmate if it came down to it."
While she was still dating Daniel, I couldn't bring myself to date anyone else knowing she was my one true love. It hurt. It hurt a lot.
It wasn't until we were 23 that I realized just how serious Jihyo and Daniel were.
I still remember her excitement when she called me and said, "Daniel proposed!"
That was when I stopped believing in the soulmate system. How can the one person I'm supposed to spend the rest of my life with cause me so much pain?
Adding insult to injury, Jihyo and Daniel came over to my place about two days later and asked me something I never wish I heard.
"Do you mind if you cut our red strings and tie them together?" Jihyo questioned a bit nervously.
I was honestly dumbfounded. Cutting the red string would mean losing the connection to your soulmate. I've heard of people cutting their ties but never had anyone ask me until now.
I quickly tried to collect myself and gave them a tight smile, "Are you two absolutely sure you want to do this?"
Daniel immediately nodded his head, "Yes."
Jihyo took more time to answer but she eventually nodded her head as well, "Yes."
"Okay," I stood up and grabbed some scissors before approaching Daniel first.
I looked at him for confirmation. He nodded his head. I gently took hold of his red string and cut it.
I moved to Jihyo next. I looked for her sign of confirmation. A part of me was hoping she would change her mind but I knew she wasn't going to.
She lightly nodded her head at me.
I took hold of her string and hesitated for a nanosecond before cutting it. Tears were threatening to escape my eyes. I turned away from Jihyo and Daniel's curious gaze and quickly tied their strings together.
"There," I mustered out.
Jihyo seemed to notice something was wrong, "Are you okay, Y/n?"
I wanted to laugh bitterly and say, "No."
But instead, I chuckled, "I'm fine. I'm happy for you two."
They grinned at me in happiness and thanked me for tying their strings together.
Jihyo said she wanted to ask me something else as Daniel went outside to wait in his car.
"What is it?" I questioned lightly.
She gave me a nervous smile, "I was hoping you would be my maid of honor."
I wanted to scream. I really did.
"I really don't think that's a good idea," I mumbled, incredibly uncomfortable and saddened.
She visibly deflated, "Why not?"
What was I supposed to say to that?
I decided to suck it up. She's my bestfriend. I cannot let her down.
Like the way she let me down.
I shook my head, trying to get rid of those bad thoughts. I gave her a smile that didn't quite reach my eyes, "Actually, I would love to be your maid of honor."
She squealed and pulled me into a tight hug. I felt a trace of electricity as our bare arms touched each other due to both of us wearing t-shirts. We were never the cuddly type of friends in high school so our skin never touched one another til now.
Jihyo immediately pulled away and glanced at me in confusion, "Did you feel that?"
"Feel what?" I knew exactly what she was talking about but decided to act oblivious.
She shook her head, "Nevermind. I must've imagined it."
Fast forward a couple of months to Jihyo and Daniel's wedding day.
I had given a speech as the maid of honor and watched as Jihyo walked down the aisle, somehow looking even more gorgeous than she usually does.
I had helped her pick out her wedding dress and saw her wear it a couple of times. But seeing her walk down the aisle in it made me weak. The smile of her face was beaming. She looked happy. And that was all I could ever ask for, even if I'm not the reason she's happy.
The wedding was pretty fun and upbeat. I decided to let loose and actually try to be happy so I wouldn't lower anyone's mood.
I was a pretty okay dancer and had some of Daniel's friends and cousins ask me for a dance. I accepted all of them. I needed a distraction and they provided me with one.
For some reason, I couldn't help but notice how Jihyo's eyes would stare at whoever I was dancing with. Whenever I would catch her do that, she would immediately revert her gaze.
It was confusing me. Was she just being an overprotective friend?
It slipped my mind until I had gotten tipsy. And when I'm tipsy, I normally get handsy. That's right, I'm the one who gets flirty once I get somewhat buzzed.
I didn't even know who I was dancing with but he was handsome. He smirked as we both danced to a slow song. He lightly dipped me and moved in to kiss me when I was suddenly pulled away from him.
I looked at the person who pulled me away to lock eyes with Jihyo. Tilting my head at her, she spared a quick glance at me and said, "Sorry to interrupt but I need to speak with Y/n."
"Wouldn't want to get in the way of the bride," The guy I was dancing with chuckled and left us alone.
Maybe it was the fact that I was naturally handsy when being tipsy but I hugged Jihyo and buried my face in her neck. My lips accidentally touched her neck as I muttered, "What'd you need?"
She shivered as we felt the familiar electricity once again.
"I just wanted to ask if you were having fun. I've noticed you've been a bit down lately," She replied after she got a grip of herself.
I pulled away from the hug and chuckled, the past drinks making me bold, "You pulled me away from the guy whom I was having fun with to ask me if I was having fun?"
"My apologies," I noticed her jaw clenched, "Go back and have fun with him then."
She started walking away. Now I was more confused. I quickly spoke, "Jihyo, wait."
She stopped and looked back at me. I approached her.
"Are you mad at me? Did I say something wrong?" I asked. I did not want to upset her on her wedding day. That would be a terrible move.
She sighed, "No, I'm not mad at you and you didn't do anything wrong. I'm just...I don't know."
I gave her a soft smile, "What's wrong?"
She cleared her throat, "Well I-"
"Jihyo!" Daniel walked up to us with a big smile on his face and held out his hand, "May I have this dance?"
Jihyo looked over at me for permission which made me cock my eyebrow at her. She didn't need to ask me.
"Go," I chuckled and lightly pushed her Daniel's way.
I watched as both of them danced slowly with one another and smiled. If Jihyo was happy, then I'll be fine. I felt someone lightly tap my shoulder and turned to see the guy whom I was dancing with earlier.
"May I have this dance?" He smiled softly at me.
I grinned, "You may."
We joined many other couples on the dance floor and swayed side to side. At the end of the night, the handsome man told me his name.
"I'm Taehyung," He smiled.
"Y/n," I replied.
We were away from the crowd because he asked me if he could speak with me alone.
"So," He cleared his throat and rubbed his hands, "You seem to be a really fun and nice girl. I was wondering if...maybe you wanted to go out with me?"
I was honestly at a loss. Should I just go for it now that Jihyo is married? Or do I continue to wait for her even though she'll probably be with Daniel her whole life?
I bit my lip and looked at Taehyung, completely lost.
He noticed my expression and chuckled, "You don't need to give me an answer right away. I already gave you my number. I also don't mind if we just remain friends."
I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders as I smiled at him, "Thank you."
There was a question in the back of my head though. He seemed to notice and tilted his head, "What is it?"
"Aren't you going to wait until you find your soulmate? I can help you with that. I can see the red string," I questioned softly as I gazed at his string.
Wait a minute. His string. It looked short. Was his soulmate already near?
Taehyung shook his head, "I know who my soulmate is. I can see the red string too."
I tensed up. He can see the string as well? Does that mean he knows who my soulmate is?
"I've pieced it all together. Daniel and Jihyo's strings are tied together but it doesn't seem real," He side glanced me, "It's a pretty accurate representation of a naturally tied string but it's not nearly as strong. Did you perhaps have something to do with that?"
"They asked me to cut their strings and tie them together," I muttered.
"So it was you," He lightly chuckled in almost bitterness.
I nodded my head.
"Daniel is my soulmate," He whispered.
I choked and looked at him in shock, "What?!"
He gave me a sad smile, "I know who your soulmate is as well. We went to the same highschool but I wasn't popular so I don't think you noticed me. I saw your strings attached to one another."
My heart started aching again as I was reminded about who my soulmate was.
"I'd rather not talk about it," I whispered under my breath.
After a silence he spoke again, "Go out with me. We both understand what we're feeling. Maybe we'll fill in the holes that were left in our hearts."
He lightly took hold of my hand and stared softly at me.
"This hole in my heart is what makes me...well... me. As much as it hurts, I'd rather carry the pain. I'm nothing without this pain," I muttered.
He gave me a sad smile, "You're still going to wait for your soulmate? After all your soulmate has put you through?"
"Yes. I'm sorry. I hope you remain true to your word about being just friends," I nodded my head.
"Friends it is then," He let out a dramatic sigh and chuckled.
He did remain true to his word. He flirted occasionally but never crossed any boundaries we set.
Because Jihyo was married, I rarely saw her as much as I used to. I expected her to have children because that was all she talked about in high school but she never called me saying she was expecting.
It made me worry. When I would call and text her, she would always respond quickly. The minute she didn't, I thought of the worst and quickly drove to her and Daniel's house.
They've been married for almost a year. Their anniversary is coming up soon.
I parked my car and rang her doorbell, waiting patiently.
Nobody answered.
I frowned and rang the doorbell again. This time, the door creaked open. I frowned and looked at the body cowering behind the door.
"Jihyo?" I questioned softly.
Once she realized it was me, she yanked the door open and pulled me inside before closing the door behind us. I think I got whiplash because of it. She jumped into my arms and started sobbing.
I hugged her back wholeheartedly and hummed into her ear, calming her down effectively.
"What's wrong?" I frowned and noticed how quiet it was in the house, "Where's Daniel?"
At his name, her body tensed up.
We remained hugging until Jihyo softly pulled away, "Want a drink?"
"Sure," I replied.
We moved to the kitchen as I sat down behind the counter. I watched as Jihyo gave me a glass of water. She grabbed a bottle of whiskey and started pouring a large amount into a cup.
"Wait. What are you doing?" I asked in confusion.
"Getting myself a drink," She answered dryly and started chugging the cup.
My eyes widened as I went right up to her and pried the cup out of her hands. She glared at me and tried to take it back but I didn't let her.
"Give it back! I need it!" She started screaming as fresh tears made its way into her eyes.
"No," I replied, "Jihyo, please tell me what's going on?"
She deflated as tears streamed down her face, "D-Daniel and I got divorced yesterday. It's just me living here now."
"What happened?" I questioned in confusion as I gently used my fingers to wipe away her tears.
It was then did I notice her lonely red string on the floor, no longer tied to anything else. Just like mine.
"We just lost our spark. We tried our best but after the wedding, the high was gone. It just hit me after he left that we're actually done. And I was stupid enough to cut my damn string," She waved her hand with the string with a large frown on her face.
Do tell her?
Is it too soon? I mean they got divorced yesterday.
"You were in love. You cannot blame yourself for that," I justified for her.
She nodded her head, "Yeah I was in love. I didn't need to cut my string though. Now I'll never find my soulmate."
Before I could stop myself, the words were blurted out of my mouth, "You already did."
She and I froze as we processed the words I just said.
"Wait. What?!" She yelled.
I cowered and shook my head, "I...Uhh."
"Who is it?" She immediately questioned, "How long have you known this?"
A frown made its way on my face, "...I've known ever since we first met who your soulmate is."
"And you never told me?!" A look of betrayal was on her face.
I don't know why but the accusation in her voice made me snap.
"No! I couldn't fucking tell you because your boyfriend was there next to you!" I glared, "You even told me that you would pick your boyfriend over your damn soulmate! So excuse me for not telling you shit!"
Tears made its way down my own face, "And to answer your question. It's me. I'm your damn soulmate!"
"How do I know you're not lying to me?" She narrowed her eyes at me.
With a growl, I grabbed her by the waist and kissed her. The recent electricity we felt multiplied into something much more. Her lips tasted slightly like vodka mixed with vanilla ice cream.
When we pulled away, I noticed that our strings that were once alone started mending itself, tying themselves together. Jihyo let out a gasp and I realized that she was finally able to see the strings.
Jesus. I needed to leave before I have a huge mental breakdown. I quickly started running out of the kitchen after catching Jihyo's look of shock and guilt.
"Y/n! Please wait!" I heard Jihyo call and run after me.
I didn't bother listening and hastily threw open her front door. I was about to run out when a grip on my wrist stopped me. I tried to yank it out of her grip but it was too strong.
"Your grip is hurting me," I sniffled.
Almost immediately, her grip loosened. I took my chance and started running to my car once again.
"Y/n! Please! I cannot lose you too!" She yelled after me.
My pace slowed down a bit after hearing the hurt in her voice. She caught up to me and practically tackled me to the ground.
I let out a, 'oof' as my back hit the ground with Jihyo straddling me.
Sobs wracked her body as she buried her face in my neck, "I'm so fucking sorry!"
She repeated the phrase over and over again. I sighed and rubbed her back up and down, trying to calm her down.
"I guess it's my fault for not telling you sooner," I muttered.
She pulled away, "No. It's my fault for making it seem like I didn't care about my soulmate. I always did. It's just I stayed with Daniel because he was a safe option."
"And you agreed to marry him even when you knew he wasn't your soulmate," I couldn't help but sound bitter.
She pulled away from my neck and locked eyes with me. There was so much pain in her eyes, I had to look away. I knew I was being petty and mean but after years of watching her be happy with someone else...I don't know.
"...I always wondered why I got angry whenever I saw someone flirt with you," Jihyo muttered, "I just thought that I was being protective because you were my best friend..."
I suddenly remembered Jihyo's eyes on me at her wedding, "Wait a minute. You pulled me away from Tae because you saw that he was going to kiss me!"
Jihyo had a light blush on her cheeks, "I really don't know what came over me. When I noticed he was going to kiss you, something took control over me and I just had to pull you away."
Fresh tears traveled down her cheeks as she got emotional, "You had to watch me and Daniel kiss and dance. You had to watch me and Daniel get married! I made you my maid of honor. And you knew we were soulmates! Was that why you didn't want to be my maid of honor at first?"
I slowly nodded my head in confirmation.
She got off of me and started pacing, "All of the signs were there! Whenever our skin made contact with each other, I would feel jittery- like I had just gotten shocked. I would always think about you. I tried not to because I had Daniel but you always came into my mind! When you hesitated to cut my string...Yet you still did it because I asked you to."
She turned towards me as I stood up from the ground and started angrily approaching me, "Why the hell are you still my friend? I caused you so much pain! How could you have sat through my wedding, give a speech, and not say anything?! How?!"
I guess my answer shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.
"Because I love you."
Jihyo fell to her knees at my confession as she started screaming at me, tears once again falling down her face, "But how?! I probably broke your heart so many fucking times! I-"
She was on her knees right in front of me. I lightly bent down to her level and lightly moved some hairs from her face. She looked absolutely devastated and guilty. That was probably what hurt me the most out of everything else she's put me through.
I didn't want to see my soulmate in this state ever again.
"Why don't we have a fresh start?" I offered, "We forget the past and focus on the present and future."
She bit her lip, "I'd still try my best to make it up to you. I'll do anything you want."
I lightly pulled her up to stand with me, "I just want you here next to me. I admit, I was hurt that you were dating and married Daniel but I was by your side through it all. We still stayed close friends. I think that's what made me sane throughout all of it."
I buried my face in the crook of her neck and inhaled her scent.
Jihyo started whispering in my ear, "Starting today, I will treat you like the Queen you should be treated as."
I couldn't help but chuckle at her statement, "You always did treat me that way, Jihyo."
"Yeah well this time we're going to be a couple as I treat you like that," She determinedly stated, "I will be the best girlfriend ever!"
She stayed true to her word. She did everything she could to keep me happy. In a way, it was both endearing and annoying. She made it seem like if she made one mistake, I would walk away from her.
I would try my best to tell her otherwise. That I don't need any expensive jewelery or her buying me takeout all the time. I was determined to get her to let loose.
So, we both went to the club. Of course, we brought our other friends (twice members). Jihyo needed to use the restroom and went with Momo and Nayeon.
I was minding my own business when a random guy approached me and flirted with me.
"I'm taken," I said in a bored voice and jumped back into a conversation with Tzuyu and Chae.
He chuckled and suddenly pinned me against the wall.
Anger made its way through my veins. I noticed Tzuyu and Chae were pissed off as well and were about to rip him off of me but I beat them to it. I kneed him in the nuts as hard as I could and kicked him off of me.
"I told you I was taken," I growled, "She's the only one who can lay a finger on me like the way you did just now."
I felt a protective arm wrap around my waist and pull me close to them, "Damn straight. Touch her like that again and I can guarantee that I will castrate you."
Relaxing when I heard Jihyo's voice, I nuzzled myself into her.
She kissed my temple possessively and whispered, "I love you."
"I love you too," I replied gently, a blush on my face.
Tzuyu and Chaeyoung was next to us, looking disgusted at our public display of affection.
Jihyo continued to whisper in my ear, "I love how you told that guy that you were mine."
"Well I am yours just like you are mine," I shrugged.
"You're right," She husked into my ear, "You deserve a reward for that."
A protective and jealous Jihyo was such a turn on.
"What's my reward?" I cocked my eyebrow at her.
She smirked, "Oh you'll see. Prepare yourself babygirl, you're going to be screaming my name all night."
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This was requested by someone who wants to remain anonymous.
This came out wayyy longer than I expected it to 😅
Unedited~
Anyways, I hope y'all enjoyed it!