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English
Series:
Part 1 of Beyond Fate : Stories of Eternal Bonds
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Published:
2024-11-14
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2,099
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1/1
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Line of Fates

Summary:

In a world where love lines appears on people's wrists to signify the nature of their relationships - pink for soulmates, red for unrequited love, blue for crushes and black for loss through death

Notes:

(See the end of the work for notes.)

Work Text:

In a world where love lines appears on people's wrists to signify the nature of their relationships - pink for soulmates, red for unrequited love, blue for crushes and black for loss through death

 

___

 

Seoyeon had always been skeptical of love. She had grown up watching her parents’ marriage unravel, her mother eventually leaving for another man. This left her with a deep distrust of love and relationships, and as if in affirmation, no lines ever appeared on her wrist. She worked as a photographer, pouring her heart into her art instead, capturing moments and beauty without entangling herself in emotions.

 

One day, she was hired to work with EVOLution, a popular K-pop group. Her task was simple enough which is photograph the members for their latest comeback campaign. But as she stepped into the studio and met the group, her heart skipped a beat when her eyes landed on Yooyeon, the leader of EVOLution. Yooyeon had an ethereal beauty about her, but it was her gentle presence that captivated Seoyeon.

 

Yooyeon, like the other members of EVOLution, was no stranger to the lines of fate. She had only ever borne blue lines on her wrist, fleeting crushes that never became more. As an idol, she was used to brief, surface-level attractions, but they never settled in her heart. As such, she wore her blue lines without much thought until she met Seoyeon. Something about the photographer was different, but Yooyeon couldn’t put her finger on it.

 

Their first meeting was professional, with Seoyeon directing Yooyeon through various poses, capturing her grace and beauty. Yet as the camera clicked, their eyes met repeatedly. Yooyeon noticed something rare in Seoyeon’s gaze—a softness, a genuine warmth, and an understanding that felt strangely familiar. Seoyeon, for her part, felt her heartbeat quicken every time Yooyeon smiled shyly at the camera.

 

Their paths began crossing often, as Seoyeon was hired for multiple shoots with EVOLution. Each encounter felt more significant than the last. Yooyeon, usually the quiet one, became more talkative when Seoyeon was around. For the first time, she wanted to share parts of herself she usually kept hidden.

 

After one particular shoot, they both found themselves lingering in a cafe, neither quite ready to part. Yooyeon took a deep breath, gathering the courage to speak.

 

“You know, everyone thinks I’m this mysterious, quiet person,” she said with a small smile, “but with you, it’s easy to talk. You just… listen.”

 

Seoyeon smiled, her gaze soft. “It’s not hard to listen to you, Yooyeon. You have a lot more to say than people think.”

 

Yooyeon’s face flushed at the compliment, but she pressed on. “Do you ever wonder if you’ll have a line? Like… if someone will come along and change everything?”

 

The question caught Seoyeon off guard, but she shook her head. “No, I don’t. Love isn’t something I believe in. I’ve seen what it does to people, and it’s not something I want for myself.”

 

Yooyeon felt a pang at Seoyeon’s words, but she nodded in understanding. “Sometimes, I think the same way. But I still find myself hoping… even if it’s silly.”

 

Their conversations became a quiet sanctuary for both of them. Yooyeon found herself letting her guard down, speaking freely about her life, her struggles as an idol, and her dreams. Seoyeon, though hesitant at first, eventually opened up about her past and her fears about love. They spent hours together, sometimes talking, sometimes sitting in companionable silence. Their moments together felt timeless.

 

One evening, Seoyeon returned home and rubbed her wrist absentmindedly. She felt an odd, faint sensation, as though something had surfaced there. When she looked down, her heart froze. A red line had appeared on her wrist. Red, the color of unrequited love. She realized, with a painful clarity, that she had fallen for Yooyeon. The girl she could never have. The girl who could never reciprocate her love.

 

On the other side, Yooyeon noticed her own line beginning to change. At first, she ignored it, telling herself it was just another blue line which means a crush that would fade with time. But this time, it didn’t fade and it's turn to red. She started hiding it under bracelets, especially during public appearances, not wanting her unrequited feelings to become fodder for the fans or media.

 

Despite their growing closeness, neither Seoyeon nor Yooyeon could bring themselves to confess. They were bound by the constraints of their circumstances and the silent fear of rejection. The weight of their unspoken emotions became too much for Seoyeon. She decided to leave South Korea and accept a job opportunity abroad. Maybe distance would heal the ache in her heart.

 

Yooyeon was devastated to hear the news of Seoyeon’s departure. She had never imagined how much Seoyeon meant to her until she was about to lose her. After Seoyeon left, Yooyeon felt empty, as if part of her heart had left with the photographer. She threw herself into her work, using her pain as fuel for her music. But the ache in her heart never fully faded, and the red line on her wrist remained, a constant reminder of the love she had lost.

 

___

 

The air was different in the new city. A foreign blend of scents and sounds that felt like a clean slate, just what Seoyeon thought she needed. She had come here hoping to escape the past, to distance herself from the feelings she carried for Yooyeon. But despite her best efforts, the memories lingered, sharper than ever.

 

Seoyeon had taken on a demanding job at an international magazine, diving into assignments that took her across various cities and landscapes. She buried herself in her work, spending long nights editing, scouting, and planning shoots. She was constantly surrounded by beauty, the kind she usually found peace in capturing, but now, it felt hollow. She couldn’t shake the image of Yooyeon’s face from her mind. Yooyeon’s soft smiles, her quiet voice, the way her eyes sparkled when she talked about something she was passionate about—all of it haunted Seoyeon, following her like a shadow she couldn’t escape.

 

Most days, she tried to ignore the red line that marked her wrist. She hid it under long sleeves, just as Yooyeon had done back in Seoul, though for a different reason. The line felt like a brand, a constant reminder of a love that could never be returned. Sometimes, as she worked late into the night, her hand would drift to her wrist, tracing the line absentmindedly. She could feel its weight, as if it pulsed with the memory of everything she had left behind.

 

Occasionally, she would scroll through her social media and see news about EVOLution. The group was thriving, and Yooyeon was everywhere whether it is magazines, music videos, interviews. In one video, Yooyeon was laughing with her members, her face radiating a happiness that made Seoyeon’s heart ache. She felt a pang of regret, a desperate longing to be back in Seoul, if only to see Yooyeon’s face one last time. But she knew it was impossible; she had made her choice, hoping the distance would heal her.

 

Yet, despite the miles between them, Yooyeon was always there, lingering in Seoyeon’s thoughts. The ache in her heart never faded. She would visit cafes similar to the ones they used to go to, hoping for some sense of familiarity, but it only made the emptiness feel heavier. She often caught herself turning her head, half-expecting to see Yooyeon sitting across from her, smiling that shy, knowing smile. But each time, reality would settle in, harsh and unyielding.

 

One day, Seoyeon was photographing a sunset over a misty hillside. The scene was breathtaking, with hues of orange and pink spreading across the sky. She thought of Yooyeon then, of the quiet moments they’d shared. A tear slipped down her cheek, and she hastily wiped it away, frustrated with herself. She had left Seoul to escape these feelings, yet here she was, unable to move on. She wondered if Yooyeon ever thought about her, if she ever missed her in the same quiet, painful way.

 

As the weeks turned to months, Seoyeon tried to convince herself that the red line would fade. After all, feelings could disappear, couldn’t they? But every time she checked, the line remained, unchanging, a stubborn testament to the love she still carried. She became restless, throwing herself deeper into her work. She traveled to remote areas, worked long hours, and filled her schedule to the brim, hoping that exhaustion would numb her heart. But no matter where she went, she could never outrun her feelings.

 

One night, after a particularly long day, Seoyeon sat by the window of her apartment, watching the city lights flicker below. She poured herself a glass of wine, trying to drown the emptiness that filled her. She stared down at her wrist, at the line that was still as vibrant as ever. It hurt to look at it, to be reminded of the love she would never have. And yet, she couldn’t bring herself to wish it away.

 

A part of her was grateful for the red line—it was a connection to Yooyeon, a mark that proved what they had shared, even if it was only in Seoyeon’s heart.

 

Sometimes, she would replay their moments together in her mind, wondering if things could have been different. If she had been braver, if she had confessed her feelings, if she had chosen to stay, would Yooyeon have understood? Would she have accepted her love? These questions circled endlessly in her mind, a painful, unsolvable riddle.

 

Despite her resolve to move on, there were days when Seoyeon felt like she was drowning. She had once believed that love was a choice, that she could simply walk away from it. But now, she realized that love was something far more powerful, a force that gripped her heart and refused to let go. She felt trapped by it, bound to Yooyeon in a way that was both beautiful and agonizing.

 

Her friends and colleagues noticed the change in her. They saw the way her eyes would grow distant, the sadness that seemed to linger in her gaze. When asked, she would laugh it off, brushing aside their concerns with a casual smile. But deep down, she was breaking, piece by piece, under the weight of her unspoken love.

 

On the rare nights when she allowed herself to remember, she would whisper Yooyeon’s name into the silence, as if saying it aloud might lessen the ache in her chest. She missed her—missed the quiet understanding they had shared, the simple joy of being around each other. She longed to see Yooyeon just once more, to tell her everything she had kept hidden. But she knew it was impossible.

 

Eventually, Seoyeon grew weary of fighting her feelings. She accepted that the red line was part of her, a reminder of the one person who had managed to break through her walls. She stopped trying to hide it, letting it become a silent testament to her love for Yooyeon.

 

But then, one night on her way back from a shoot, fate took a cruel turn. The road was winding, the weather stormy, and visibility was poor. She was distracted, her thoughts once again drifting to Yooyeon, wondering if the idol ever thought of her. She barely noticed the oncoming vehicle until it was too late.

 

In those last moments, as the car swerved and skidded, Seoyeon felt a strange calm settle over her. She wasn’t afraid. Her mind was filled with Yooyeon’s face, her voice, her smile. If this was the end, at least she could carry Yooyeon’s memory with her.

 

Across the sea, Yooyeon sat in her dressing room, preparing for another performance. As she scrolled through her phone, a headline caught her eye. The words blurred as she read them, her heart stopping in disbelief. “Famous Photographer Seoyeon Involved in Fatal Accident.”

 

Yooyeon felt her chest tighten, her breath catching as she re-read the headline. Her hands trembled, and her vision grew blurry with tears. Slowly, she looked down at her wrist. The red line, which had once been her secret reminder of Seoyeon, was turning black, fading into a deep, painful permanence. Yooyeon choked back a sob, clutching her wrist as tears streamed down her face. The black line felt like a weight, binding her forever to the memory of Seoyeon, the girl she had loved in silence and had seen her for who she was.

 

 

Notes:

What is ppotoz without angst right?

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