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It was a calm afternoon, hot due to the imminent summer that was upon them, but windy due to the slight traces of spring that Seoul still had to toast.
Lying on the bed doing absolutely nothing, almost as if not breathing, was Minji, observing every detail of her ceiling with the greatest attention anyone could give to an inanimate object. It had been a few hours since she'd gotten home, tired from work and her college classes, ready to just throw herself on the couch and sleep like dead weight. And that would have done, if not ...
- Hey! Are you listening to me, Minji?
Minji sighed giggly. - I hear you, Bora.
Kim Bora was her lifelong best friend, a laughing, teasing, energetic and sometimes (always) noisy girl. They have known each other since elementary school, when by mistake Minji had been assigned to a class that was not her and Bora, who was passing near the classroom, was in charge of taking the shy girl back to her classroom at that time. Minji still does not explain how they ended up being so close with such opposite personalities, nor at what point in their lives did they begin to think of each other as their best friend. It just happened, and she was happy with Bora.
The blonde turned her head, finding her best friend's thin face inches from her with her gaze fixed on the ceiling and chattering about who knows what. She try to follow Bora's inexhaustible monologue, barely managing to hear a couple of names and anecdotes from the day.
- ... and he drenched me whole with the soda, I mean, how come he didn't notice that I was there? Yooh laughed at me like I was the funniest thing in the world. At least Dami scolded the boy, because I'm sure he wouldn't have apologized if it weren't for the look she gave him. Oh Jiu, you would have seen him trembling with fear ...
Minji laughed, amused by the little piece of the story that she had managed to hear. Bora kept talking, this time about a strange girl who had been staring at them at the fast food restaurant she had gone to with Yoohyeon and Yubin.
Hearing the strange adventure of Bora and the girls, Minji thought about her own day and everything that had happened since she woke up and left the house. Trying to analyze morning and evening events, she couldn't help but notice that a theme had been repeating itself all day, in different ways, but it was talking about the same thing after all.
She remembered this afternoon, much earlier of course, that during her work shift at the cafe a group of three girls had entered the cafeteria and had approached the cashier to order and later to wait for their take-out orders at the counter. Minji had concentrated on making the smothies and macciatos for the girls but, much to her regret, her gossipy side couldn't help but listen to the conversation of those girls, who seemed too absorbed in each other to notice Minji's gazes trying to follow the thread of what they spoke.
"Do you think we are connected by the famous red thread?"
The remaining two girls laughed loudly, strikingly on the shoulder of what they assumed was their closest friend, stating between inside jokes that the three of them had been connected since the day they were born and that, as the legend says, no matter how much the future could make them far away, the thread will stretch, knot or wind, but it will not break.
To Minji it seemed too cliché, because although she was a hopeless romantic, she believed that all that Japanese tale of the red thread was nothing more than that; a tale. She believed that relationships occurred without further ado, only meeting people here and there until you found someone with whom you feel more comfortable and secure, not that there was someone out there with a knot of red thread tied to her little finger waiting for the other end of the thread will come closer until there is no more space. Yes, of course she believed that there was someone suitable for each person, the theory of soulmates or the better half almost confirmed it, but she was also skeptical about it, because even if she was the most romantic person on the planet, Minji had her feet well grounded, having what she could have, wanting what she could want, and loving what she could love.
- ...and you know what? The girl approached us. Dami invited her to sit next to her, I'm sure she's interested in some way, she's a pretty girl, but Dami-ssi is too stupid to notice that girl's shameless flirtation.
Minji laughed loudly, amused by Bora's unique choice of words.
Bora was strangely direct at times. Not in that way that it becomes uncomfortable and you only want to run away after hearing cold words, but in that warm and overprotective way that is needed when you ask something that you are not quite sure about.
"How about green?"
"You look good, but not great. You are too much for that dress. Here, surely yellow is fantastic for you."
And maybe that was one of the things that Minji liked the most about her best friend.
- ... the girl had such pretty pink hair, you would have loved it, Jiu! - She exclaimed, turning her body to face Minji and gently shake her arm.
Minji smiled, happy to know that her friend was still thinking about her and her likes even without being together - Surely yes.
- Dongie has commented that she wanted to change her hair color and, as you know, I loved her red hair. - She said, snuggling into Minji's relaxed shoulder - I told her to go back to the red and she told me that she should innovate. Bah! It seemed like a stupid thing to me.
Again, Minji laughed - And does she have a color in mind?
- She wants it blue - Bora said, in a false tone of disgust - Do you know the worst? I told her that I really wanted to see her with red hair again and she called me pathetic! can you believe it?
Minji's hands went to her stomach immediately, clutching her baggy T-shirt to try and carry the laugh that Handong had caused her. Bora, although indignant, joined in Minji's laughter at how contagious the older girl's laughter seemed, giggling on her shoulder with her little hand caressing her best friend's bare arms.
- I can believe it coming from Dongdong - Minji answered, after a while of elusive giggles.
Bora snorted in amusement and didn't say anything about it, she just continued her story, now staring at what was happening outside Minji's room window.
Minji also continued with her state of partial unconsciousness, listening, and at the same time not, the words that came from Bora's thin lips. She heard everything, but didn't analyze it. Again the conversation of the cafeteria girls came to her mind, bringing with it the fragmented memory of her World Literature class and filling her mind with it.
Minji admired her Literature teacher, he was a wise and interesting man, with many stories to tell and many recommendations to give. The class that day had dealt exclusively with romanticism and its derivatives, eventually talking about the famous myth of the red thread due to a very great recommendation from her teacher regarding a reading that he had had the opportunity to read years ago and from which he still remembered very specific details.
"By general culture it is known that those people who must meet by the thread have one end of the patch attached to the little finger and that, in addition, the thread can extend, bend, get stuck and / or knot, but not break. Well then, You see, there are details that are very exclusive to the myth and of which not everyone is aware. "
Minji, being honest with herself, was not too interested in the direction the class was taking. Her companions looked intrigued, perhaps hopeful, although she did not quite understand why their gestures. Of course, Minji was not going to miss the opportunity to read a good work, much less one recommended by her cultured Literature teacher, so she tried to focus fully on the class, no matter how absurd it seemed.
"It turns out that, to our surprise, the red thread does not always appear tied to ours little finger. There are some versions of the myth that claim that each finger has a different meaning for the person waiting for you at the other end, as well as there are versions in those who say that the number of knots or binges present in your thread will be the years it takes you to get to the other side to find the person your thread chose for you. "
Minji couldn't help but be surprised. Her hopeless romantic soul forced her to know the subject even if it was not to her liking, even more so, that was really unexpected. But that was not all.
"I must also tell you that we do not have a single thread tied to our fingers as is popularly believed, but that there may be more that are linked; two or three, or even five, or even all of your fingers may be connected to someone who is special to you in different ways. In that sense we can become polygamous, although not in the sex-affective way as people who have romantic relationships with more than one person at the same time become. But do not believe, With this I do not want to imply that, if in the case that more than two of your fingers are connected with someone, you have two or more lovers. In fact, this means that you have an affective bond with that other person too deep as so that it breaks, leading her to be sealed with the red thread. Such a person can be anyone; your mother, your brother, your neighbor, your aunt, a friend, your pets, etc. "
The surprised sighs after that information had excited Minji, still not understanding why there was so much interest from her classmates in that particular class. Generally they were oblivious to the classes of the Literature teacher, they went there only by protocol and because attendance was mandatory to pass the class, they were always either texting or sleeping on the stools in the large auditorium on their mobiles.
Just remembering that made her snort.
- Everything okay, Jiu?
Bora had turned her body on the bed to look at Minji, releasing her prison friend's arm in her hands. Minji turned her face slightly downward, laughing inwardly at how small Bora was in comparison to her own physical build.
- All good,- Minji soothed - I only remembered something that happened in the morning.
- Do you want to talk about that? We can talk about the strange girl later, we can even call Yooh and have her confirm what I am -...
- Calm - Minji sighed, touched and amused in equal measure. - It's nothing to worry about.
- Well, are you sure? I-...
With one of her bright smiles, the blonde took Bora's face in her hands, which were too big compared to the shorter's small face, and whispered:
- Bora, really, we can talk about it later. I just want to hear you talk about what you did today - Minji said, still with that joyful freshness that identified her. - It sure is more fun than talking about cappuccinos and espresso.
Their faces were inches from touching, with a slight push they would end up colliding squarely with the other's face, something quite likely if Yubin or Siyeon were there with them.
Her face flushed with embarrassment, or maybe nerves, (Minji couldn't identify it) Bora tried to move away and remove Minji's hands from her face, overwhelmed by the unexpected closeness that Minji put around them and that, even after years, was still wreaking great havoc on her stomach from the incessant fluttering of butterflies and her heart from the rapid beats pounding her chest.
- O-oh..I ... okay - Bora finally agreed, her face bent towards Minji and slightly bulging from the veiny hands that gave her no chance to escape. - Do you want me to continue or ...?
Unable to avoid it, her little brown eyes fixed on another detail of Minji's face, moving away from the loving gaze that held her captive in the tall's blackish eyes, and settled on her pink lips, which were pressed into a fine smiling line directed towards her. She swallowed hard, still nervous at their proximity and Minji's lovely smile on her lips, which she was dying to kiss. She expected a quick and accurate response from Minji, a monosyllable, a grimace, another smile, a nod, whatever, but Minji was just as lost as she was as her thumb stroked her cheek.
Returning to her eyes, the scared face of her best friend almost tore her heart out.
- Minji?
Minji wanted to laugh at first when she saw Bora's face squeezed between her hands, with her cheeks stained red as she had rarely seen and her lips, also red, extended towards her in a pout from having her padded cheeks filling almost all of her face. Bora's bright eyes looked at her with a sincere admiration that made something flutter inside her, (although she did not know what it was) a look that she had never, since they met, seen with eyes other than those of a friend with the same admiration. Her chest felt swollen and her heart thudded abnormally.
Then she saw Bora's gaze disconnect from her own, drawing a disappointed heartbeat from her as she no longer had Bora's soul in front of her, but which soon turned into rapid, excited beats as she noticed Bora's admiring eyes set on her smiling lips.
Unconsciously, or perhaps not so much, her own gaze drifted down Bora's still pressed face, reveling in the beautiful little moles under her eyes that were noticeable by the little makeup Bora wore. She lowered an inch, admiring the imposing nose of her best friend and of which she was so proud. Her eyes followed the contour of her face that her fingers caressed until they reached her reddish lips, parted by the tilt of her head and by the gentle grip of Minji's hands.
They had been together like this a million times in their friendship, maybe even more together when they had hooked up with two and slept in each other's beds during their middle and high school days. But Minji had never felt like this. She had never been admiring her best friend for seconds that she did not even keep track of, she had never felt something that she resembled "wanting to vomit" upon perceiving her heat or her touch, much less had she stared like a silly Bora's always red lips, waiting (or perhaps imagining) an opportunity to be able to touch those beautiful petals with her mouth.
It felt so intimate, so pure.
Having Bora for her within the four walls of her room, with all her attention focused on her, or more specifically on her lips, looking at her with the adoration that she always found in the constellation of her eyes was shattering her mind, her heart.
She had never had feelings for Bora beyond the deep quasi-sibling love she felt for her, but the truth was that not even once had she stood on her two feet on the ground and thought about the possibility that she liked Bora.
They adored each other, of course, but Minji had never, in her short life, noticed Bora's countless efforts to confess to her. Why yes, Bora had tried countless times to let Minji know that she loved her, but the blonde was so… dense.
Still she was the sweetest, so sweet that it could melt any bad emotion in Bora's heart.
Minji, in her small and confused reverie with her best friend's lips, pulled one of her hands away, ready to adjust herself to face the delicacy of those petals. But suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a small bright flash that made her wake up:
On her pinky, tied tenderly and neatly to the bottom of her finger, lay the popular and acclaimed red thread of fate.
Her throat was suddenly dry with a throb, begging for some water, and her eyes stung in shock at the sudden discovery.
"Am I really seeing it?"
Through the haze, she heard her name come from the lips she was dreaming of.
- S-sua ...
All contact ceased immediately. Minji sat on the bed, staring at her hand like it was a ghost and grabbing her wrist roughly.
- You're good? Something happens? - Bora was confused, scared. A moment ago they were breathing the same air, joined in such a gentle way that her heart almost exploded, and now her friend looked horrified to death - I'll get water, wait a b-...
- No! don't go! - The blonde pleaded, unable to take her eyes off the thread around her finger. - Please.
- O-okay ... - Bora returned to her place on Minji's bed, now sitting.
Minji was still in shock, touching her finger with the fingers of her other hand and totally mesmerized by the red color of the thread.
Bora didn't understand what her friend was seeing.
- Everything is alright? Have you hurt yourself? Let me give you a ...
- You can see it?
- What thing, Jiu? - She asked, still confused.
Bora tried to take her hand, not taking her eyes off Minji's expression.
- The red thread.
Bora stopped in her tracks upon hearing her friend and her eyes involuntarily went wide. Like anyone, she had minimal knowledge about that Japanese myth, which was almost part of popular culture by now, so she knew that if Minji had one end of the thread wound around her little finger, there was already another person destined to be with her that it wasn't Bora.
- T-the ... the thread ... do you have it? - She asked, in a small voice.
- You can see it? - Minji repeated, not answering Bora's question.
Minji extended her hand to Bora and she closed her eyes, refusing to see that bloody patch of red around her pinky that she thought was her destined mate.
- Bora, can you -...
- Minji, I ...- Slowly and mortifyingly Bora opened her eyes, pushing the bad thoughts to the back of her mind. Minji's outstretched hand appeared before her, her usual veins marking even more from the accumulated tension, and she saw hit, knotted in such a beautiful and pure way that her head spun. - No, no ...
With her small eyes clenched and her teeth grinding her lower lip in an attempt to hold back the tears that formed at the back of her eyes, Bora shook her head and grasped the fluffy fabric of her oversized sweatshirt.
- Bora ... are you ..?
- You ...- Bora was afraid to ask, but she knew she should. -... do you have someone?
- Someone? What do you mean?
Bora took Minji's hand in her own hands, fighting herself to look away from that thread that marked a difference between her feelings and her duty as a best friend.
- Did you meet your predestined? - Bora forced her gaze away from Minji's hand and their gazes connected, not noticing how Minji's eyes widened as she finally looked into her brown eyes. - Did you fall in love, Jiu?
Minji choked and her cheeks turned red. She had never fallen in love in her life and she did not expect that the discovery that she had someone waiting for her at the end of the thread was just in the moment she shared with her best friend. She coughed, embarrassed by the haze of the situation and the polarized feelings that plagued her agitated heart.
Just five minutes ago she was curled up with Bora in her hands, looking at her as the most precious object in the world (and in a sense, she was) and wishing she could kiss her thin lips, not knowing how much Bora had been dying to do it for so long. And in that moment, if she could, she would like to be able to have Bora in her arms again, just to feel her warmth mix with her.
- No, I don't ... I haven't met anyone. —She confessed, because it was the truth— God! I-I've been here with you when it happened, I ... I don't understand, Bora.
Bora sighed, swallowing her tears.
- Are you sure? I don't know, today at work, on campus, in the auditorium, even on the street! Haven't you felt something strange? - She asked, with her heart in her throat.
Minji thought about it for a moment and did a quick count of her memories of the day, but found no moment with that feeling of nostalgia, as if you remembered something that makes you very happy.
Then something came to mind, in a flash.
With her eyes closed she remembers her way home; all the exhausting feeling of a long day out of her bed and how she felt her feet would explode at any moment from how swollen they felt through the fabric of her socks. She just wanted to lie on the quilt and sleep for a lifetime, but an impending call interrupted her weary thoughts and, without looking at who it was from the personalized tone that reached her ears, she answered Bora with an unconscious smile adorning her pink lips.
Also with emotion, she remembers how lucky she felt to be able to hear her best friend's voice saying that she would stop by her house, dissipating all psychological exhaustion. She feels now the same incessant pounding of her heart in her chest that he felt at that moment when she knew that she would see Bora, happy, exalted and eager to have in front of her the little brown woman who had all the energy in the world in her small body .
At that moment she knew that she would not want to see anyone but Bora when she returned home, to be able to laugh with her, to see her smile, and even to hear her scream loudly at one of her embarrassing dad jokes. And right now, with Bora's presence around her, she knew she didn't want anyone else to be with her or to have their time alone interrupted for the world.
That was the feeling she remembered, and the same one she felt when she discovered the fine thread wound around her little finger, both with and by the same person.
Suddenly a strange tug on her finger made her jump and forced Minji to open her eyes, understanding everything incredibly quickly, too much for her dense personality. She looked at her hand attached to Bora's two smaller ones and smiled, feeling the small tremble with which she clung to her.
- Yes, I felt something strange today.
Minji's heart dropped when she saw the hopeless expression on her face and wanted to back down, but she knew she had to say it so there would be no misunderstanding.
- D-did you feel something? today? At what time? - The questions came one after another quickly. Bora swallowed heavily and vocalized her last question— With whom?
Minji's smile faded a bit upon hearing the sad tone behind Bora's despair, but she tried her best to continue her talk.
- Yes, today on the way home I had a strange feeling in my chest and a ... ravishing happiness. - She replied, linking both hands with Bora's.
- Ha ... happiness? - Minji saw Bora blink and a mischievous tear fell from her tear to her cheek. - I'm sorry ... How ... how is she?
Minji looked at Bora, dreamily.
- She is beautiful. I love her hair, her scent, the color of her eyes. I adore her attitude, how her eyebrows knit when she's angry, or how she laughs when I say something silly. I adore her self-esteem and the confidence that she has in everything she does without having to trample on others to achieve it. I love having her by my side, or in my arms, or just thinking of her and her presence. I admire every part of her and I admire the person I am when she is with me. —Listing every thing she liked about Bora was a mess, and it was even more so trying to describe what she felt for her— But… —Its the time, she had to say it— Above all those things, I love that my predestined partner is my best friend.
Bora looked at her and Minji had a terrible desire to kiss Bora's trembling lips to calm her sadness.
- Your...what?
- Look at your finger, Bora.
Minji smiled, feeling silly and stupid, and all those synonyms for not having realized before, long before, her feelings for Bora and the many opportunities that the brunette had put in the way for her to realize what she felt. It was frustrating to learn that the self-tied blindfold caused her to lose a couple of years of love with Bora, but she guessed what, if the red thread had matched them, it had the reasons why this was the right time to find out.
Bora pursed her lips and lowered her gaze to find the other end of Minji's thread tied to her pinky, as pure and pretty as hers.
- It can't be, Jiu, are you seeing it too?
Minji wanted nothing more than to grab her in her arms, press her against her body and never let her leave her side even if Bora wanted to, however selfish it sounded. Still, she held back, knowing how confused Bora would be after seeing this.
- Yes, I can see it, Bora. - Minji replied, holding back the huge smile that wanted to escape.
Bora's hands fell away from her hands and, although she already missed the comforting touch of her skin, she looked at her pinky extended with the red patch knotted at the bottom of her finger. Bora followed the extension of the thread with her curious eyes (which were still bathed in tears) until she reached Minji's finger, who raised her hand to make Bora see that it was real.
- Oh my God! This can not be real! - Bora stood up suddenly and put her hands to her head, shocked as she went around in circles. - It can't be real, it's definitely a dream, it can't be that Minji is my predestined partner. Damn, I've been dreaming about it for so long! And now this shit is on my finger and on the ... No, it's a dream, yes, it is. If I pinch myself I'm sure I'll wake up - Bora took a piece of her skin between her fingers and squeezed it - Ouch!
Minji laughed amusedly. - I'm here, you know?
- You're still here! - Bora wiped the trail of tears and looked at Minji's figure until she met her finger and the thread.- I can't see it, I feel a terrible urge to vomit. - The brunette took a couple of steps back and saw how the thread stretched out with a red glow without pulling on Minji's finger. - It doesn't cut! Minji it doesn't..! I have to go to the bathroom, I have to vomit, I can't -... - Before she could even walk towards the bedroom door, Bora was dragged by Minji's hands until she was caught between her legs, still standing. - Oh, it can't be that you're still here.
Minji laughed, totally touched by Bora's reaction.
- That's right, I'm still here, waiting for you to come over and give me a hug.- Minji wrapped her arms around Bora's small waist and pulled her closer, yearning to feel her. Their eyes connected and the slight pink blush on Bora's cheeks made her smile. - I can't imagine how confusing and unreal this must seem to you. After all, I'm more than sure that you noticed this ... -Minji showed her part of the thread and quickly returned to its place on Bora's waist- ... long before me.
Bora coughed and another pink tint covered her cheeks. - Well, come on, I didn't know that you ...- the brunette played with a lock of blonde hair, so embarrassed that it surprised Minji -... that you could reciprocate. The thread hadn't appeared before, I don't know why it has now.
Minji gently tugged on Bora and made her sit on her lap, loving the fact that their bodies fit together so well. Bora dropped her hands on Minji's shoulders.
- I do know, and I'm a bit embarrassed to admit it,- Minji reported, feeling her cheeks warm.
- Oh yeah? why?
The innocent curiosity rarely seen in Bora made her heart pound, so overwhelmed by the newly discovered feeling that her heart wanted to leap out of her chest.
- Because I have realized that I love you, Kim Bora. Not as your best friend, but as Kim Minji, your predestined.
To say that Minji had loved seeing Bora's face after saying that was an understatement, as she realized that she liked her even more inches from her and with her lips gently pressing against hers. Minji clung to the fabric of Bora's red sweatshirt, feeling her legs gradually turn to jelly from how good it felt to move her lips in sync to Bora's fine petals, loving every second.
They parted for a moment to catch a breath, but quickly they kissed again, this time a little hotter, more loaded with love, more frustrated, but more sincere by the second. Bora's hands tangled in her hair, just as Minji's hands wrapped around her waist to feel her closer, more her's.
- Bora, Im so -...
- Oh Jiu, shut up. I have been waiting for years to kiss you, do not interrupt this moment with meaningless apologies because you were already forgiven even before you even thought about asking for forgiveness. - Bora scolded, gently squeezing her shoulders and pecking her lips, still unable to believe that she was kissing Minji. - Now, please, kiss me again.
Minji laughed and infected Bora, who had almost kept her girlfriend facet grumpy if not for Minji's lovely melodious laugh that echoed between the four walls of the room.
- Rest assured that I will, Sua. I won't leave you.
They came back together, happy and still in awe of how quickly they came to terms with this whole crazy soap opera scenario.
Minji smiled in between the kiss, feeling that happy longing to find what was missing and hearing the now familiar thumping of her heart against her chest, this time with Bora in her arms and with all her lost feelings already clear in the front of her mind, in the front row saying "Kim Bora is the other end of your line" with a megaphone. She felt whole, happy, and full.
And yes, Bora had been her best friend all her life and she loved her for that, but she realized at that moment that Bora was not only her best friend of all her life, but that she had also been (secretly ) her predestined partner for all that time, and that made her love her even more if that was possible for her heart to bear.
Minji knew since he woke up that morning that it would be a crazy day. Now, seeing Bora's sleepy face next to her sharing their bed and the red thread shining brightly between them and the duvet of sheets, Minji confirmed that indeed that day was something to talk about why ...
Who wakes up in the morning knowing that she has a best friend and at bedtime realizes that now she is not only her best friend, but also her predestined girlfriend?