Dreams are meant to be fulfilled, aren't they? [Koltc AU - ON HIATUS]

Chapter 3

LINH

Linh slammed her head down on her desk.

Her 'sibling' wasn't responding to any of her texts (and hadn't been for months). Linh mumbled under breath and rolled her eyes. She didn't know why she bothered when all her sibling did was ghost her, send a single reply and then ghost her again.

She clicked off the contacts and scrolled through the message threads as she moved to her bed. Linh gently ran a hand over her cat, which she had named 'princess purryfins' when she was younger. Shockingly, her father had agreed and even allowed her to bring the cat with her when they moved out of South Korea.

Linh sighed. She was so tired of being ignored, the argument they had was over 4 years ago, and yet her sibling was still so bitter about it. What was worse is that she only realised she had mental health issues after moving, where it was more talked about.

She rolled onto her back, her cat moving to sit on her again. Her father, Quan Song, opened her bedroom door. Linh sat up, startling the purring cat that was currently sitting on her stomach.

"Linh."

"Yes..?"

"Your mother has blocked my socials."

Linh snorted. It only took 4 years for her mother to block him.

"Of course she did. Didn't you cheat on her or something?"

"I- No. Young lady, respect your elders. I need you to message her."

"What makes you think I would do that?"

"Listen, I need to arrange some living arrangements for your sibling, okay?"

"Why? Last I heard, Tam was fine living wherever they are."

"Yes, that is true. But-"

"Just leave them be. You were the one that got kicked out and dragged me with you."

Her father rolled his eyes at her, and left the room. Linh felt slightly guilty. Maybe Tam and her mother weren't fine, wherever they were at the moment. She sighed. Again. Her phone pinged and she glanced down to see a cluster of messages from Biana and Tam. Wait. Tam responded?

She unlocked her phone and scrolled through to the newest messages.

Tam 🖤

4:57pm

You: Tammmmmmy

Why aren't you respondddding

I want to know where you are thinking of going to uni or somethinggg :3

Or are you going?

How are you?

How is mother?

What have you been doing lately?

5:12pm

Tam 🖤: oh

I've gotten a scholarship to study psychology. In Japan.

Mum is well. She's just been very busy lately.

I'm fine. Just been annoyed at my soulmate mostly.

You: OMG YOU RESPONDED

Tam 🖤: Yes?

You: I don't remember the last time you responded

Also wdym by 'soulmate' did you find them?/

Tam 🖤: oh.

No, I haven't found them. They cut themselves somehow. I got blood all over my essay.

You: Oh no

Do you think they were, yk?

Tam 🖤: No. It was more like they tried to cut a carrot and missed the carrot and cut their finger instead.

You: That is weirdly specific.

Tam 🖤: Is there another reason you are messaging me?

I need to get to my club soon.

You: Oh right.

I forgot the time difference.

Tam 🖤: Yes.

You: So you are staying in Japan, then?

Tam 🖤: Yeah, why.

You: I can't go over anytime soon, so we can't catch up

Tam 🖤: You want to catch up.

You: I mean, yh

Tam 🖤: ..... Maybe.

You: Huh

what?

Tam 🖤 is offline.

Linh frowned at her phone. That was the first time she had messaged Tam and they had been able to have a proper conversation. And yet Tam still seemed slightly annoyed, though it was probably because she was keeping them from being able to get to their club activity.

Tam had mentioned their soulmate accidentally cutting themselves, which did make her remember that time she had woken up with a cut along her arm, back when she had lived in South Korea. It was around that time she had gotten her soulmark (or at least noticed it), which had been a caged bird.

She hadn't really understood the mark, considering that Tam's had been an arrow through a teardrop on their face. It had been confusing trying to come up with a description for whatever it was.

Linh checked her messages from Biana, who was reminding Linh to take her medication. Something about probably forgetting to take it. Honestly, Linh often forgot to take her medication, which did leave her often having those really big manic mood swings.

It did make her feel incredibly guilty when she remembered how she acted around Dex the day before, where she had been so busy thinking about her sibling and how annoyed Linh was with them that she had taken it out on him.

She sighed, dragging her hand down her face. It would be best to get some sleep. Yes. Maybe she could have a nap, quickly before she had to leave to go with her father to some fancy dinner.

Yes, she should nap.

Linh turned onto her stomach, startling her cat again. She closed her eyes, and focused on her breathing as best as possible, slowly drifting into sleep.

⊱ ─── ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ ─── ⊰

870 words

This chapter is just starting to explain Linh and Tam's situation with their parents but I feel like this chapter is so short argh-