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You’re asleep on the bus home when it happens – not exactly how you’ve imagined meeting your soulmate for the first time.
The countless books you’ve read through the years made you expect something a little more romantic – meeting eyes in a crowded room, meeting in a coffee shop in the morning or, hell, even bumping into each other in the middle of the street. But, definitely, definitely, not like this - and nothing could’ve have prepared you for what it actually felt like.
It starts with a white flash, which makes you believe you’re dreaming. There’s this silver-haired girl running down a busy street, looking like she’s after something – or someone, you can´t be sure. You notice the colorful shop windows and cafés lining up the sidewalk, which make the girl stand out even more in the crowd. The scene changes suddenly and, now, her hair is shorter and darker. You don’t hear the sound of a joke, but you notice she tries to hide her laughter behind a big, red coffee mug. When the setting transforms once more, it looks like she’s crying – and you feel, with a burning certainty reserved for only a few things in life, that you don’t want to let that happen ever again.
Your chest feels heavy and in pain when it all ends, making you gasp for air when you wake up. There isn’t enough time for you to regain your breath before you realize what just happened. It’s her, it’s my soulmate, she’s here, she does exist. You quickly scan the passengers for any sign of her platinum hair, but you don’t find her – which means that, most likely, she was outside and the bus passed right by her.
Oh no. No, no, no, no. You can’t have missed her, can you? What if you never find her again? Is that even possible? What would that mean for the both of you, forever trying to find their way to each other?
Fear overcomes you and you reach for the nearest stop button, your hands trembling. You run as fast as you can to the exit, almost tripping over the steps on the way down. You’re sure you’ve hit someone on the sidewalk with your backpack and you would apologize if you had the time, but you don´t - you have to at least try and look for her. Maybe she’s felt it too and is looking for you, so you decide to try and run - all the way back to school if you needed. You don’t really know how long you had been on the bus when you feel asleep.
Then, it hits you – it’s the same busy street from your dream. The one with the colorful shop windows and cafés. It’s happening, you realize.
“Sorry, sorry!”, you hear someone shout through the crowd. “I really need to get to that bus!”
It takes a few seconds for you to spot the top of her silver hair, blowing away as she runs. The girl comes to a halt a few steps away from you and puts her hands on her knees, trying to steady her breathing.
You drop your bag to the ground when you both lock eyes the moment she stands up again.
“You!”, you both shout at the same time. Your heartbeat fastens as she approaches.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you”, she manages between gasps, “I thought I had lost you even before I met you! Do you know how far I had to run?”
She hits you in the arm before placing one of her hands on your shoulder to gain back some balance.
“What was that for?”, you ask, a bit annoyed. “I came back for you, too!”
“Well, then I guess fate is on our side today, right?”, she comments. “I’m Jungeun, by the way. I’m really happy to meet you – even if it wasn’t in the most practical of ways.”
She smiles at you brightly – and you think it’s one of the prettiest things you’ve ever seen. “I’m really happy to meet you too, Jungeun”, you reply before introducing yourself.
This is it. This is the start of everything.