TANTIANA UNIVERSITY | RED

CHAPTER 9: THE UNSEEN TUG

Gayoon had convinced herself that things would get better. At least a little bit. That maybe, just maybe, things would move forward—if only by 0.01 percent. But with each passing day, the faint glimmer of hope she had been holding onto seemed to flicker and fade. The phone call with Donghyuck that night had lingered in her mind, echoing through her thoughts even as she slept, the words replaying like an endless loop until the sun rose again.

She had thought that the soulmate bond, the strange, invisible connection between them, was finally starting to work. That maybe she was starting to reach him. But as the days passed, it became painfully clear: the bond, for all its magic, was only working for her. She was the one who could feel the pull, the ache, the tightness in her chest when she thought of him. He, on the other hand, remained a distant figure, one she could barely touch, let alone understand.

"You've been down lately," Ryujin said, waving her hand in front of Gayoon's face. "And you're spacing out."

Gayoon snapped out of her thoughts, offering a quick smile. "I'm fine. Just a lot of work," she replied, brushing off the concern.

"Yeah, you're like that when you're stressed with work," Yuna chimed in, glancing at her friend with a raised brow. "But your eyes aren't puffy red like they were at the start of classes."

Gayoon forced a chuckle, the sound hollow in her chest. "I haven't slept much last night," she admitted, taking a small bite of her food. "Go on, eat, you two."

Ryujin and Yuna exchanged a quick glance, their eyes narrowing with concern before they turned their focus back to Gayoon, who seemed to be struggling with every bite.

Her throat felt tight, dry, almost as if the very act of swallowing was a challenge. The weight of the tears she had shed during the early classes—tears she hadn't realized had been gathering for days—felt as though they were still pressing down on her chest. The soulmate bond, which had seemed so beautiful in theory, had become a torment she hadn't expected. She had thought it would bring them closer, but instead, it felt like it was only drawing her further away from the person she needed to reach.

The day seemed to drag on longer than usual. Or maybe it just felt that way because Gayoon was barely paying attention, her thoughts drifting to the weight on her heart. She hadn't been home in two weeks, though it wasn't as though she was particularly missing it. Her mom was busy at the hospital, and her dad was still overseas. Sometimes, she forgot just how much she was on her own.

Her parents hadn't always been there for her; she'd grown up with her grandparents. They had been the ones who raised her, who taught her about love, about patience, and about life. But they weren't around anymore, either. Her grandparents had passed away, and now it was just her, navigating a world that had suddenly seemed far lonelier than she remembered.

Ryujin and Yuna's families had always been close, so the three girls had grown up together like triplets, always together, always in sync. That was until Ryujin met her soulmate on her 18th birthday and Yuna found hers last year. Both of their soulmates were attending the same school, and so the boys often came together to meet the girls, creating a tight-knit group that always seemed to have a new adventure on the horizon.

"You can always come with us, you know," Jisung said, flashing a warm smile at Gayoon. "I'm sure Yuna will be relieved if you do."

Gayoon laughed lightly, trying to push the sadness that had started to settle into her bones. "I'm fine; it's your date."

"Final answer?" Doyoung teased, giving her a sideways glance. "Ryujin and I are going to this chicken place. You love chicken."