All your life, you’d been told about it. Your parents had read you stories about it, and when you got to the age to go to school, your teachers taught you about it.

“When you get older, you’ll meet your soulmate. Your soulmate is the person who is meant to complete you, your other half. When you meet your soulmate, you’ll be able to see in color.” You really hadn’t understood it when your first grade teacher explained it, but when you got into high school and teachers began hanging out little color guides to help as your peers began to meet their soulmates, you had a pretty firm grasp on it.

You didn’t find your soulmate in high school, but that was normal. Plenty of people didn’t find their soulmates until they were older, so you weren’t that worried. Plus, you had college to worry about, so you didn’t really have time to worry about your soulmate. Although, that didn’t mean that you weren’t a bit jealous of your friends who had already met their soulmates.

“You’re so lucky that you don’t have a soulmate so you can still go to parties and have fun.” You gave your friend Eunha a weird look in the mirror as you checked out your outfit. She was there to make sure your clothes matched, because unlike you, she could now see color.

“You know, you can still go out to parties,” you said, deciding against wearing the jacket and tossing it back into your closet. It would be way too warm with it on.

“Yeah, but they’re just not as fun anymore. If I’m away from Sowon, I just feel bored.” You gagged a bit and rolled your eyes.

“Oh my god, don’t complain about being happily married to your soulmate in front of your eternally single friend.”

“We’re not married!”

“You might as well be,” you said, taking one last look at your outfit before turning around and crossing your arms. “Seriously, though, if you and Sowon want to come to the party tonight, feel free. You guys know the people throwing the party. Plus, Yuju and Yerin will be there, you definitely know them.” Eunha shrugged her shoulders and flopped back onto your bed.

“I don’t feel like it tonight. Plus, it’s movie night tonight. Sowon wouldn’t want to miss out on that.”

“Then why were you complaining,” you said, pushing her over a bit so that you could sit down and put on your shoes. She just shrugged again and you sighed, shaking your head at your roommate. It was your second year in college, and despite some of your initial fears, you’d made more friends than just Eunha and Yerin, who you’d known from high school. Eunha still insisted on living with you, even though you’d happily move away so that she and Sowon could be alone, and during moments like this, you really wished you had a different roommate.

“Because I was remembering how fun parties used to be. I’m getting old before your eyes, (Y/N).”

“Your dramatic, Eunha. Stop complaining before I push you off my bed.” She pouted at you and you poked her leg, raising your eyebrows at her. You loved her, you really did, but sometimes she tested your patience. “I’m leaving now.”

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she said as you stood up, and you gave her a grin.

“Well, then I wouldn’t have any fun, grandma.”

“You brat!” You ducked to avoid the pillow she threw at you, laughing. Just before you left your room, though, your eyes landed on the little color guide you had sitting on your dresser. ‘Just in case’, you’d thought when you moved in. It hadn’t been moved since, and it was just a tiny bit disheartening. Quickly, you shook your head and left your room, headed for the door. There was no time to be thinking about depressing things. You were going to have fun.

-

Just like every college party you’d been to, this one was a little too crowded, a little too loud, and a little too warm. You moved around the throngs of people standing in circles, saying hello to the ones you knew as you made your way towards the drinks, knowing that it would all be better when you were no longer sober.

There was a little more space at the corner of the table, and you breathed in as you grabbed a cup of who knows what, looking around again. Yuju was standing close by, and she smiled and waved at you when she saw you. You waved back and made your way over to where she stood with Yerin and a group of other friends, joining their little circle in a cheers.

But soon the conversation got boring, so you moved further into the place, sipping on the concoction in your cup that tasted too bitter for your liking and looking for something fun. Just as you were about to give up and go back to Yerin and Yuju, there was yelling at the corner of the room and you looked over to see two girls you didn’t recognize dancing on the table to some Drake song playing over shitty speakers.

Now this was entertaining. Smiling, you made your way over to the table to get a closer look. Just as you had broken the circle and gotten in close enough to see one of the girls start doing the backpack kid dance, the music got faster and the other girl staggered a bit. For a moment, you were afraid that she would fall off and you stepped in closer, sober enough to know to catch her, but she steadied herself and hopped down off the table, pouting at her friend. Still, her back bumped against you, and she didn’t move forward.

“Umji, you got in my space!” The other girl didn’t stop dancing, raising her eyebrows.

“I think you just got dizzy, don’t blame it on me. Look, you even hit somebody, apologize.” The girl in front of you huffed, but quickly spun around, and as soon as you made eye contact with her, something seemed to click inside you. Your eyes widened at the same time as hers, and then you were bombarded with color. Suddenly sober, you blinked your eyes, staring at the girl in front of you. 

“Holy crap,” you said, and she laughed, stepping towards you.

“I was just about to say that. Did I really just meet my soulmate by almost falling off a table into them?”

“I guess you did,” you said, laughing and putting your hand over your mouth. Everything seemed so bright now, and you couldn’t stop looking at the color of her lips. “I’m (Y/N), what’s your name?”

“I’m Sinb. Wow. It’s awesome to finally meet you.” You’d never seen her before, but somehow, it felt like you’d known her forever. Your heart felt full, and all you wanted to do was wrap her up in a hug.

“Can I hug you?” You asked, and she grinned, throwing her arms around you as an answer. Around you, people cheered and whistled, but you hardly heard them, focused on the girl in your arms. Your soulmate.

“Sorry for almost crashing into you,” she said sheepishly as she pulled away and grabbed your hands, cheeks pink. She was so cute, and you wanted to squish her cheeks. The giddy feeling bubbling in your chest wouldn’t go away, but you tried to keep it together, shaking your head.

“It’s fine. Had you not almost crashed into me, we might not have met tonight.”

“True,” she said, grinning at you. Neither of you seemed to want to let go of each other’s hands, and the Drake song had changed into Cardi B, prompting the girl still standing on the table to let out a whoop and begin dancing again, drawing the attention away from the two of you. Sinb looked back at her friend before turning her attention back to you and giving you a sweet smile. “I’ve kind of lost interest in this party. I just want to get to know you.”

“Me too,” you said, wondering if this was what Eunha was talking about. “Come back to my place? We can order pizza and talk all night while we learn our colors.” She laughed, squeezing your hands, and it was the best music you’d ever heard.

Who had decided that going to a corn maze was a good idea anyway? Oh right, it had been her. She hadn’t known that her friends would think it was funny to abandon her, though. Or that all the corn would look so damn similar. At least it wasn’t a haunted maze, so nothing would start jumping out at her.

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, something ahead of her on the trail moved in the corn. She stopped dead in her tracks and mentally reprimanded herself.

“Of course, go and jinx yourself, Sinb. That’s a good idea.” Whatever was rustling in the corn stopped moving at the sound of her voice. She stood still, straining her ears to hear any movement….

And then the thing was moving quicker than before, right towards her. This was not how she’d imagined her death. What would they write on her tombstone? Death by corn maze murderer? Death by corn maze animal? Death by creepy scarecrow that she’d seen at the front of the entrance?

Just as she turned to run, the corn stopped moving and instead of some creepy scarecrow or animal, it was a girl. You stood panting, corn and plants in your hair, staring at her. Sinb’s heart stopped for a second, and she felt lightheaded for the first time in her life. Was this fear?

“What- What were you doing running through the corn? You almost gave me a heart attack,” she said, putting her hand to her chest. You rubbed the back of your neck sheepishly.

“I’m kind of lost and I think you’re the only other person in this corn maze. I decided to try and go through the corn to find an exit but I just ended up in the maze again.” Sinb slowed her breathing, convinced that you weren’t about to murder her or something else weird.

“Oh. I’m lost too. My friends thought it would be funny to leave me here alone.” You pointed at her, jaw dropping in surprise.

“Mine too! Some friends we have.” Without the fear of you being a possible weirdo, Sinb took a closer look at you. You were cute, your cheeks slightly flushed from moving so quickly and the tip of your nose red from the cold. She couldn’t help smiling a bit. Her friends had always told her that she was a sucker for cute girls, and now was no exception.

“Well, we might have a better chance of getting out of here if we work together. Obviously the way you came out is not the way out, and I feel like I’ve been walking in a circle for as long as I’ve been in here.” She held out her hand. “I’m Sinb by the way.” You smiled back at her and shook her hand.

“I’m (Y/N). Maybe if we just go through the corn for a while going to opposite of the way I came we’ll get somewhere?” Sinb looked at the thick stalks of corn beside the two of you, opposite the bend ones you’d just stumbled out of. What did she have to lose?

“Sure. Let’s go, it’s not like my shoes can get any more muddy at this point.” You laughed and grabbed her wrist, tugging her forward.

“Let’s go, then.”

It wasn’t the corn that was annoying. It was the long leaves that kept smacking her in the face and the flies that didn’t understand personal space. She was pretty sure she’d gotten dirt in her eye.

“Any idea of how much longer we have until we reach another path?” She asked. She could barely see you shake your head in front of her, preoccupied with blocking her face from the leaves.

“I don’t know, it’s getting so dark its hard to see anything.” Sinb squinted into the dark, trying to see past your figure. Just as she was about to suggest that you both turn around and try a different way, the corn ended. It ended so abruptly that you tumbled forward into the dirt and sent Sinb tumbling over you.

Butt in the dirt and mud, Sinb looked around. the pumpkin path lay spread out only a few feet in front of her, and the parking lot was to her right. The streetlights were flickering on and people were coming and going. Families and their children leaving as teens and young adults began to line up for the haunted maze.

“Holy shit. We made it out.” You sat up behind her, still a bit dazed, looking around with her.

“Not the recommended way, but at least we don’t have to worry about running into any zombies now,” you said, trying in vain to dust the dirt off your shirt. Sinb grimaced.

“We’re both covered in dirt. We look like we just went mudding or something.” With a laugh, you stood up, looking at the back of your jeans to inspect the damage. More mud.

“Or we tried to take a bath in it.” As Sinb stood up, she spotted her car in the parking lot.

“Hey. I’ve got an idea.” You looked at her, curious, even as you slapped at your jeans to try and get some of the dirt to fall off.

“What is it?”

“What do you say we ditch our friends and I treat you to some coffee? I mean, we both got stuck in a giant corn maze and somehow found each other. If that’s not destiny then I don’t know what is.” You grinned and took one last look at the maze, pulling your phone from your pocket.

“Sounds like a plan to me. I’ll tell them that their plan to leave me alone backfired and I got a date out of it instead.” Sinb thanked whatever romance gods had been smiling down upon her that Sowon had driven her car too, sending a quick text to her friends.

I’m going on a hot date. You’ll all have to ride with Sowon.

She then shoved the phone into her pocket and pulled out her keys instead, guiding you towards her car. The phone began to buzz angrily, but she ignored it.

“So, are there things you like to do other than scaring innocent people in corn mazes?” She unlocked her car, and you laughed.