Intertwined Destinies

Chapter 1

"Thank you so much, Hae-in," my friend's mother expresses her gratitude. That day I had been helping her and Min-ji rummage through the burnt house that used to be their home, there were a few belongings still intact.

They were to move to another house in a nearby neighbourhood.

"It's no trouble at all, I'm glad I could atleast do something productive today," I respond.

"Such a kind soul, even on your birthday when you should be celebrating with your friends being young, you choose to help, you remind me so much of her," She smiles.

"I remind you of who?" I ask.

"An old friend of mine, her name was Kim Hae-in aswell, infact you look a lot like her, she met the heavens around your age too," Her expression changes from a warm smile to a faded one.

"Oh, do u mind if I ask, how did she pass away?" I ask another question as it piques my interest.

"She was found drowned in the pool at her place, around two days after her birthday, it was determined to be a suicide, she had cuts on her wrists, and the autopsy showed that it was two days before, on her birthday, early year 2000," She replies.

Shivers ran down my spine, for a moment it felt as if I lived through it as if I died, the memory remained incredibly vivid in my mind, she died at 24, how young.

"I always thought she was content with her life, she was rich, always smiling, however every time I brought up her family, she immediately shutdown the subject, perhaps it had something to do with that, I was too young and naive to think that through," She continues.

As she was speaking I found a box that seemed burnt to a crisp, it was written something on the outside, barely able to read it I could tell it was 2001.

"Perhaps she didn't want to burden you with her problems," The only response I could think of.

"Perhaps," She sighs. She then focused her eyes on what I was doing. I was rummaging through a burnt box... maybe I seemed a bit crazy.

"What is it you are looking for?" She asks.

"I don't know, I can't help it, " I say right before I find a book titles Hae-in, it seemed like a diary and was untouched, not a single scratch or burn, nothing.

Min-ji's mother's eyes widened as she saw the book unscathed.

"It's Hae-in's diary," I am interrupted by her. "I've never seen that book here, but I think you should take it as a gift from me and her since you found it," She says as she shed a tear.

That's when Min-ji decided to join the conversation, "From me too!" she shouted from the kitchen where the fire broke out.

They bought me a lavish gift in the past year, this one seemed to be from the heart that is why accepted the gift. Although it also kind of felt like it was mine in some sort of strange way.