Falling for Fate

The night air was cool in the quiet town of Queenstown, New Zealand, but Lalisa Manoban felt nothing but warmth. Not because of the few glasses of wine she'd had with her friends during her farewell dinner, but because of the excitement thrumming beneath her skin. She was finally leaving for Korea tomorrow—her big chance, her new beginning. Everything she’d been dreaming of for years was finally within reach.

Lalisa tugged her jacket tighter around her as she strolled through the town's cobblestone streets. She wanted to take one last look at the lake, at the place she’d called home for years, before she left it all behind. The lights from the shops reflected on the water, casting a warm glow against the starry night.

As she rounded a corner near her favorite coffee shop, she noticed a woman standing in the shadows just outside the doorway. Her face was hidden beneath a wide-brimmed hat, but something about her posture—rigid, yet oddly graceful—caught Lisa's attention. The woman seemed out of place in this laid-back town, dressed in sleek black from head to toe like she’d stepped out of a fashion magazine.

Lalisa, never one to resist talking to strangers, approached with her usual carefree stride. “You know, you’re standing in the perfect spot if you want to look mysterious,” she quipped, flashing a bright grin.

The woman slowly lifted her head, and the moment Lalisa saw her face, she froze. Sharp, feline eyes regarded her with a mixture of curiosity and indifference, framed by dark, perfectly styled hair that fell just below her shoulders. Her lips, painted a deep red, pressed into a thin, unreadable line. If her outfit made her look like a model, her expression made her look like she wanted nothing to do with anyone.

“Excuse me?” the woman said, her voice icy and controlled, the single question dripping with disinterest.

Lalisa blinked, her grin widening despite herself. “I said you look like a detective or a spy or something. Are you here on a secret mission? Because if you need help, I’m great at sneaking around,” she added, voice playful.

The woman raised a single eyebrow, unimpressed. “I’m not on a mission.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” Lalisa continued, undeterred. “I’d make a terrible accomplice anyway. I’d probably spill all the secrets the second someone bribed me with pizza.”

Silence.

Lalisa laughed awkwardly at her own joke, but the woman remained stone-faced. Clearly, humor wasn’t her thing. But instead of feeling embarrassed, Lalisa only felt more curious. Who was this person? And why did she seem so… untouchable?

“So, what brings you to Queenstown?” Lalisa asked, her usual brightness refusing to dim in the face of the woman’s cool demeanor.

“Nothing that concerns you,” the woman replied flatly. Her gaze flickered down to her phone, but she made no move to leave.

“Well, that’s ominous,” Lalisa teased. “Are you going to break into one of these shops? Because I’m warning you, the café owner here will fight you with a broom if you even think about touching his pastries.”

This time, the woman’s lip twitched, almost imperceptibly, but Lalisa caught it. A crack in the ice.

“Are you always this… persistent?” the woman asked, her tone still cool but slightly less distant.

“Only when I meet fascinating strangers,” Lalisa responded with a wink, leaning casually against the wall beside her. “I’m Lalisa, by the way. But you can call me Lisa. Everyone does.”

The woman’s eyes flicked over her, sizing her up for a moment, before she finally spoke again. “Jennie.”

“Jennie!” Lisa repeated, grinning wide. “Nice to meet you, Jennie. So, what’s your story? Wait, let me guess… secret agent on vacation?”