“Is this really necessary?” Jumin asked as his father urged him to take a seat. Across the table sat his father’s newest girlfriend. Chairman Han favored more exotic women as of late and this current conquest made her living as a fortune teller. Neither Jumin nor his father placed much stock in such things but Chairman Han insisted Jumin get his fortune read when his girlfriend suggested it.

“Please take a seat and don’t fight it too much!” she instructed, sounding far too cheerful. “Your negative energy could give us a false reading! Now what future would you like me to read?”

“His love life! My son is squandering his time! He needs to meet a woman!” Chairman Han chuckled, leaving Jumin to squirm uncomfortably inside. But only inside. He certainly wouldn’t be allowed to show such discomfort in front of his father.

“Then let us proceed quickly. We have others demanding our time, Father.” Jumin sounded calm but he still hoped his father might put an end to the madness, as unlikely as that was.

“Yes, yes, in due time, son! Now! Begin! I am eager to hear my son’s bright future!”

To be honest, Jumin did his best not to listen. The forecast was as vague as on might expect. The results could be open to many interpretations and the few details could be easily applied to anyone, not just Jumin. Nonsense about a close friend bringing a woman into Jumin’s life. A social event could bring about great change. Look for someone who laughs freely. Nonsense. Gibberish. Jumin immediately put it out of his mind. It was only a matter of days before his father grew tired of her anyways. Soon enough, the entire ordeal was forgotten.

Years later, V found a person. He grew to love a woman named Rika. She was a kind woman, interested in helping as many people as possible. She had a sort of passionate beauty about her. She seemed to understand Jumin on another level, almost as well as V. She and V ended up with the idea of founding the RFA, a fundraising association which hosted parties. They ended up introducing Jumin to many different people. A young student who happened to be Rika’s cousin. A strange hacker who may or may not have had ties to the underworld or even criminal activities. Even an actor with an ego bigger than the entirety of Korea. Somehow Rika brought all of these people together under a common cause. She had a magnetism to her that no one could match.

The time with Rika stirred Jumin in several ways. A close friend, V, brought Rika into their lives. She had the idea of hosting parties (social events) to raise money for others, changing their lives. And changing Jumin’s life. The RFA was important to Rika. It became important to V. They were Jumin’s closest friends and soon, he too had the same sense of responsibility for the group. They didn’t seem like they’d be friends but Jumin viewed them all as irreplaceable. A family of sorts. At least to him. But at inopportune times, he remembered the fortune teller. And he’d think of Rika. And he hated it. Because Rika loved V. And V loved her. She could never and would never love Jumin. It was foolish to look at her in any such way. So why did she fit the fortune teller’s words so perfectly?

When she died suddenly, it rocked Jumin’s world. V nearly lost himself. Yoosung believed V was completely gone. But he didn’t know V like Jumin did. Jumin still saw the faint traces of his old friend and that gave him faith. Though V’s behavior was troubling. Jumin remained strong out of necessity. But he promised to never let himself become compromised any longer. Rika had come too close to shaking him up beyond repair. Even if she was the woman the fortune teller spoke about, she was gone now. It didn’t matter. It never had because she had always been with V. And now, Rika was dead.

But the RFA continued. Rika’s legacy lived on. In more ways than one. V still mourned, years after her death. He became secretive but still cared for the RFA. Yoosung blamed V for her death. The rest of the RFA carried on. Jaehee joined shortly before Rika’s death and she proved to be a capable addition as both Jumin’s assistant and as an RFA member. Seven kept his secrets, some of which he shared with only V. Zen gained popularity as an actor. In short, life moved on. Jumin once again forgot the fortune teller. After all, if she had been actually seeing the future, she obviously meant Rika. So there was no reason to spare the fortune another thought.

Until another newcomer was introduced. A new girl found herself in the RFA chatroom, shaking everyone up. Everyone was suspicious for good reason. Seven had designed the messenger. How had a normal girl simply stumbled onto the app and managed to get into the chat without any difficulty? Her story didn’t make sense. But once Seven revealed she was a cute girl, Yoosung and Zen perked up. They welcomed the stranger. Jumin still didn’t trust her.

Until V came in. He said she would join the RFA. No real reason. Certainly no logic behind the decision. Only secrets. But Jumin trusted V so he had no choice but to accept the girl, who called herself MC. MC joined the RFA that day (perhaps against her will) despite the better judgement and the glaring holes in her story. Seven and Jaehee did their best to uncover the truth but nothing was found. Which either meant she was clean or someone or something protected her.

Although she did seem innocent enough. She befriended them slowly and appeared to be eager to learn about her duties. Several members called and spoke to her, so Jumin did the same on his way home from work. The conversation was nothing legendary but speaking to her wasn’t a chore. The idea of contacting her didn’t fill him with dread. The phone call was all he could ever hope for: simple. It didn’t feel like a business deal and didn’t feel like a waste of time. So all in all, Jumin approved.

Over the next few days, MC remained in the chatrooms, learning her role. She soon began inviting guests and filling the hole Rika left. Even Jumin had to admit she did a good job. So far. She had a peculiar sense of humor, able to joke with Seven, Yoosung, and even Jaehee. Stranger still was when she laughed at Jumin’s jokes. No one ever understood his sense of humor, never even realizing he made a joke. Until MC. She laughed at his jokes, recognizing them easily. Not even Rika would offer a chuckle. She used to simply tell Jumin that no one understood and to just stop trying. It encouraged Jumin to joke more so he could see her reactions. The phone calls with her were simple but often left Jumin calmer.

Soon, Jumin’s father loomed large as a nuisance again. A new woman in his life, Glam Choi. Annoying but acceptable until Sarah Choi showed herself. She claimed to be Jumin’s wife-to-be, at his father’s behest. That would have been unacceptable under normal circumstances. But now he knew MC. He pretended around her, pretended to not see her interest. To not know how he felt. Truthfully, Jumin knew. He knew the attraction. But he didn’t know what to do about it. MC belonged to the RFA. Would it be proper to date a fellow member? Well, Rika and V were engaged but they founded the group. It was a different situation. Jumin needed time to think and decide on a course of action. Sarah distracted him. She was unpleasant on top of everything else, the sort of woman Jumin would never be interested in. Stupid, too.

Who first suggested the idea that MC should visit Jumin? Was it her? Jaehee? Jumin himself? Whoever said it, plans were quickly made to arrange for her visit. Jumin hadn’t expected that but his happiness was obvious. Seeing her in person the first time hit him hard. She had a simple and pure beauty, not like the women his father courted. Her beauty came from her heart and her personality. Having her in his presence served as a balm for his troubled heart. Her shy smile, the look in her eyes when she looked at him. It all made him feel things previously alien to him. Not even Rika had evoked such feelings from him. He wanted to hold MC, to embrace her and let himself drift off to sleep in her arms, confident his troubles would disappear if he did so.

The first night she stayed there, Jumin dreamt. He dreamt of the fortune teller from so many years ago. Her words. A close friend would bring his love into his life. Someone who laughed, And a social event. Jumin had once thought it meant Rika but now he understood that MC also fit those words. The realization brought him peace and allowed him to sleep deeply, not remembering anymore of the dream. In the morning, Jumin would forget again the final part of the fortune.

“The peace brought with this person will be the difference.”

Unfortunately, the bliss did not last long. Between Sarah, Glam Choi, Jumin’s father and his work in general, there was not a moment to rest. No time to talk to MC and figure out what to do. Matters only grew worse when Elizabeth the Third escaped. Suddenly, Jumin’s thin rope keeping him grounded snapped. His cat went missing. MC was in his house, messing up his emotions (in good ways but he still needed time to sort them out). Sarah and Chairman Han were breathing down Jumin’s neck. His phone never stopped ringing with calls from Jaehee. Zen began yelling at him incessantly in chat. Too much. It was all too much. He just needed peace and quiet!

Sarah showed up to taunt Jumin with a fake cat. Honestly. The ploy was pathetic. Laughable. And Jumin had already snapped. So even the smallest provocation drove him mad. He kissed MC, likely frightening her. Her soft lips felt so right to him but something was wrong.

“No. No.” He pushed MC away, shocking both of the women. “Where is my peace?” he asked, the words of the fortune teller returning to him quite suddenly. He looked at MC. “You’ve brought so much trouble with you. Before you, I had Elizabeth. The RFA was without crisis. No Sarah and no forced marriage. I cannot be around you. You bring nothing but chaos.” Jumin pressed the button he always kept on his person that would summon his bodyguards immediately.

Security arrived in no time. Jumin had them escort both women from his penthouse. He called to inform Jaehee, his voice remaining stable. Somehow.

Alone again. Good. The quiet calmed him. It cleared his thoughts. With Sarah’s obvious lie, Jumin could now convince his father to call off the marriage. He didn’t know what would happen to MC. He didn’t care.

He cared. More than he’d ever admit.

The hole formed instantly without her. The center of his chest seemed to throb, like it was missing something necessary. But it wasn’t because of her. Jumin refused to believe someone with so much chaos surrounding her could be right for him.

Alone again.

Jumin secluded himself as much as possible. He did his work from home. He was aware of some dream Zen had about Elizabeth. MC texted him a few times. Seven kept Jaehee updated on the messenger’s security. Apparently Seven found some place where the attacks were coming from and went there with Yoosung. None of it really mattered, except that the chaos storm was beginning to die down. Or perhaps it was the eye of the storm. If it was only the eye, Jumin made the right decision to rid MC from his life. He didn’t want nor need a presence like that. No matter how beautiful she was. No matter how much his heart ached. His life had been empty before and it would remain so. No reason to mourn.

The mission to the headquarters in the mountain resulted in an unlikely guest coming home with Seven. Jumin knew nothing of the trip except that Jaehee said Seven planned to go. Yoosung insisted on going, though Jumin never knew that. Nor did he know that MC made the trip, too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The car ride felt like it took forever. Seven insisted on giving MC the front seat and forcing Yoosung in the back. But he grumbled that none of them should have come. In Yoosung’s case, he felt useless and just wanted answers. For MC, her heart had been broken. Without warning. One second Jumin kissed her and all felt right with the world. The next, she and Sarah were being herded out, Sarah shooting triumphant looks as if she’d won. MC tried calling and texting Jumin but he always ignored her. Jaehee called shortly after it happened, saying she’d spoken to Jumin. While Jumin’s voice had been steady, MC was crying and unable to stop. The rest of the RFA found out shortly after that. Zen was livid, Yoosung sympathetic, Seven made jokes. They all tried to help in their own ways. MC just wanted to find Elizabeth for Jumin. Maybe that would bring her closure. She knew going into the mountains wouldn’t find Elizabeth but she was going crazy otherwise. Sitting and doing nothing. Or doing very little. At least infiltrating meant doing something!

Hours later, they arrived. It looked almost like a castle or a fortress, tucked away in the mountains where no one would see. Seven went in alone (his idea) and Yoosung and MC talked in the car. The moment turned awkward when Yoosung mentioned that if MC were his girlfriend, he’d never treat her like Jumin did. MC had to gently turn Yoosung down and try not to cry again.

A white streak distracted both of them inside the car.

“What was that?” Yoosung shouted.

“I think it was maybe a rabbit? I didn’t get a good look,” MC answered. Then her eyes caught up and she saw the pure white standing nearby. “No, wait. Yoosung! That’s a cat! That’s Elizabeth the Third! It has to be! Look at the white fur!”

“What? No way. Why would she be up here?”

“I don’t know but look! That’s her! I’m sure of it!” MC quietly eased her door open, keeping as low as she could to not spook the cat.

“You can’t leave the car! Seven told us to stay put!” Yoosung protested.

“Shh. It’s okay. Hi, Elizabeth. Remember me? You want to go home? Go home to Jumin?” she cooed, holding out a hand and slowly approaching Elizabeth. At first, the cat was wary and looked like she might run. But then she recognized MC and stayed put, allowing MC to come close enough to pet her. MC ran a hand from Elizabeth’s head, down to her tail. The cat just looked at MC with trusting eyes. She lifted Elizabeth the Third into her arms, hurrying back to the car with the cat safely cradled. She locked the door, coaxing Elizabeth into a comfortable position on her lap.

“What do you think she was doing way out here?” Yoosung asked.

“I don’t know. It’s so far. Do you think it could be related to the hacker? It can’t, right?” MC wondered. “Maybe I really am just trouble…” she murmured under her breath. Just like Jumin said.

MC and Yoosung went into the RFA chat to update everyone. Zen had already logged in so they told him what happened, and that Elizabeth was with them. Zen left to tell Jaehee, though MC texted Jaehee as well.

After a while, Seven finally came back, turning the car on and trying to leave as soon as he could. They tried to ask him what happened but Seven kept silent. The drive back was awkward and not even the prospect of playing with “Elly” could cheer Seven up. He dropped Yoosung off, then MC, then left her alone. He called V. Jumin learned about Elizabeth the Third and asked Jaehee to pass along his thanks. But he wouldn’t be taking Elizabeth back. Not anymore. MC sat and cried again, knowing it had to be the end now. Jumin wouldn’t even take Elizabeth back? How much had MC hurt him, without even knowing it?

The next day, MC awoke to an urgent knock on her door. She cautiously went to the door. No one had visited before, and no one but Seven and V knew the address. She took a peek through the peephole, careful not to make a sound. She recognized V and opened the door.

“V? What are you doing here? What’s going on? Is Jumin okay?” Her mind immediately conjured up terrible things that might have happened. Elizabeth mewed in the back at her owner’s name.

“Hello, MC. No, Jumin is fine. I’m here for Elizabeth the Third. I’m going to return her to Jumin.”

“Jumin agreed to take her back?” MC asked, feeling hopeful that maybe Jumin had changed his mind. Maybe even about MC…

V frowned and shook his head. “Unfortunately not. But I am going there now to talk to him about it. I think once he sees Elizabeth, he will be easier to convince.”

MC nodded. “I’m sure he’ll take her back if he can look in her eyes again. He always liked that. You can come in.”

V entered the apartment, keeping his dark sunglasses on for some reason. Then he stopped. “Oh. I just realized I don’t have a cat carrier for Elizabeth. I can’t carry her myself. I need another person.” He slowly turned his head to look at MC. “Won’t you come and help me, MC?”

She bit her lower lip, wanting to cry. “I-I don’t think I should. I want to talk to Jumin but he should take Elizabeth back and if I’m there, I don’t think he will.”

“Oh, really?” V smiled a small bit. “I think it is as you said. Once he looks into her eyes, he won’t be able to say no.” But the way he said “her” made MC feel like he wasn’t talking about Elizabeth.

“Okay, V… If you think it’ll be okay…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Jumin knew V was on his way up. Security had announced him and Jumin couldn’t convince him to leave. It would be good to see V. He hadn’t seen him in some time. Maybe he could convince V to get the surgery finally.  

The knock sounded and Jumin opened the door. V was right there, in dark glasses and a cane. “Your eyes are getting worse,” Jumin accused.

“Meow!” Elizabeth sounded off, running to Jumin, and rubbing herself between his legs.

“What? Elizabeth? V, I told you.I want you to keep her. It’s the right thing to do.” So far, Jumin hadn’t noticed the second figure standing behind V.

“The right thing to do is to return her to you and for you to carry through on your promise to care for her.”

“I can’t care for her properly any longer. That’s why she ran from me.

“Jumin, that’s not why she ran. She just got startled and ran. I know she wants to stay here with you,” MC spoke up, stepping out from behind V.

Jumin’s head snapped in her direction. A look of relief crossed his face. Then of genuine care and love. Then anger. All in his eyes, but all were obvious to MC as she knew him too well. “MC. I should have known. Very well, V. MC, I will apologize for abruptly asking you to leave last time. It was rude to do that to a member of the RFA. But that is all I will apologize for.”

“I don’t want you to apologize. I want to know why. You kissed me and I thought we were on the same page. I thought everything would be fine. But then you forced me to leave. I’m sorry if I’m troublesome to you but I deserve more than what you gave me.”

Jumin tugged at his sleeves, his nervous habit. He avoided MC’s eyes. “Nothing but chaos follows you. I have no need for that.”

“Does it? You’re saying the issue with your father was because of me? Your work stress? Maybe the RFA hacker was my fault. But I’m a victim there, too. And Seven took care of it now. We went up to the headquarters and put an end to the hacking. The messenger is safe. Elizabeth running was no one’s fault. That’s just what animals do sometimes. Your job as her owner is to accept her back and love her and realize that she is just a cat, albeit an important friend to you. And you have to know that there wasn’t necessarily a reason she ran. It was instinct. Like… Like kissing someone without warning,” she said, trailing off at the end.

Jumin’s expression softened as MC spoke. He pet Elizabeth as she roped her way between his legs. He watched MC, feeling that familiar sense of wanting to be closer to her.

“You came into our lives by accident. But V asked you to stay. My closest friend made you a part of my life. Together, we do important work with the RFA. And these social events change our lives and those we help. You laugh at my jokes. When you joined, so much trouble followed in your wake. But now, those troubles have been solved. ‘The peace brought with this person will be the difference.’ That was what she said. And it’s true.”

MC looked at Jumin in confusion. “Difference in what? What’s going on, Jumin?”

He stood and approached MC. The corners of his lips curled into the small smile characteristic of him. “The difference between the tornado of stress that other woman brought. And the very different flurry of unfamiliar emotions you brought. In short, MC, I reacted poorly. I misunderstood the situation. This is all unknown to me. I behaved very badly.”

MC smiled and put a hand very lightly on Jumin’s shoulder, like she was patting it reassuringly. “It’s okay, Jumin. I know this is all new for you. I forgive you. Maybe we can go back to being friends?” she asked hopefully.

“I don’t think I would be happy as friends,” he said. He looked into MC’s eyes, silently requesting her permission. She seemed to know and agreed. He leaned down and joined their lips. Their second kiss was just as soft as before. But this time, it was perfect without Sarah there to ruin it.

No, just V was there… “Maybe I should let you two be alone? See you at the party, Jumin.”

V made an awkward exit, which made MC giggle a little. Jumin simply nodded his head as his friend departed, before kissing MC again, slipping a hand around her waist. The hand on his shoulder turned into a full embrace as she slid up her other arm and snaked her hands behind his neck.

As the kiss ended naturally, Jumin ran a thumb along her jawline. “MC. I am not one to rely on ambiguous terms. You are now mine, do you agree? You share my feelings and you agree that we belong together, right?”

MC blushed and nodded. “Of course, Jumin. I want to be with you. You’re so important to me.”