Red String | Tomorrow Fanfiction

07 - A Soul Becomes a Star

The sound of her alarm jolted Jihyeon awake. She turned to her head toward the clock on her bedside table, seeing the time 7:30 a.m.

"What a good sleep," she muttered to herself, smiling faintly as she stretched her arms above her head. Spending time in Jumadeung hadn't drained her energy the way she thought it would.

Her phone rang before she could get out of bed. The name 'Jihoon' appeared on the screen. She swiped to answer and turned on the speaker. "Why oppa?"

"What's your schedule today?" Jihoon asked. From the other side of the call, Jihyeon could hear the lively voices of her niece and nephew in the background.

Jihyeon pushed herself out of bed and walked toward the window. As she opened the curtains, soft sunlight came into the room. "I have a meeting with my editor in the morning. Then I'm heading to the park."

"Ah," Jihoon said knowingly. "Visiting your special harabeoji again?"

Jihyeon chuckled. "Yes. I'm planning to help him today. Is it okay oppa?"

There was a pause. Jihyeon already knew what that silence meant. Jihoon was debating with himself, weighing between trusting her and worrying about her.

After a moment, he sighed. "It's fine. Just make sure you're looking after yourself. And call me if anything happens, okay?"

Before she could respond, a burst of excited voices suddenly filled the line. "Auntie! When are we going to play together again?"

Jihyeon laughed, "How about next week? Auntie can do a sleepover. Would that be fun?"

"YES! YES! YES!" They yelled in unison.

A moment later, Jihoon's voice returned, sounding like he had just wrestled his phone back from his children. "Have a good day, little Jihyeon."

She smiled softly. "You too, oppa."

*

Jihyeon carried several unused boxes from her car, just like she always did. As she made her way into the park, she smiled as she spotted the old man almost immediately. But then she noticed Choi Joonwoong standing beside him.

Her smile faltered for a brief second. Jihyeon stopped walking, watching them from a short distance. The uneasy feeling that appeared in her chest felt familiar. It was kind of feeling that usually meant something about to happen.

Still, she brushed it away and forced her steps to stay light. "Harabeoji!"

The old man looked up. His wrinkled face brightened the moment he saw her. "Oh, Jihyeon-a."

"I brought a lot today!" She said cheerfully, placing the boxes into his cart. "I hope these help." Then she glanced at Joonwoong and raised an eyebrow. "Who's this, harabeoji?"

The old man nodded toward Joonwoong. "Ah, this young man? He said he's a government worker."

Jihyeon almost laughed. "Government worker, my foot," she thought. But she chose to stay quiet. Instead, she gave Joonwoong a look that clearly said they would talk later.

"Harabeoji," she said, turning back to the old man, "let me help you today."

The old man looked surprised and immediately shook his head. "No, no. You don't have to do that."

"Why not?" Jihyeon pouted, putting on her best sad face. "Do you not need me anymore?"

Joonwoong stared at her in disbelief. The old man blinked at her, then laughed. "Aigoo, this child."