Destiny

Chapter 3

Mina stands in front of the bridge with the coin in her hand, a pensive look on her face. She's not the kind to believe in superstitions but she'll do just about anything to see her just one more time.

To tell her how much she means to her, to ask her why she never came back, to yell at her, to fight with her and maybe hold her close one last time.

She flicks the coin into the water and watches it sink with empty eyes and blank gaze.

Tzuyu joins her side as they stare at the little waves rippling in the water in the cool evening breeze. Behind them, the camera crew is packing up for the day.

"Ready to go?"

"Yeah."

Mina sleeps with the bunny sweater again that night.

"Wake up."

Mina stirs from her sleep confused as she stares at the endless gray in front of her. She searches for Sana who was sleeping by her side, but she's nowhere around. Just infinite grey and white mist that engulfs her.

A tall cloaked figure appears from behind the mist, their face hidden behind a mask.

"You made a wish." The cloaked figure states, their voice neither masculine or feminine, in a tone that's not frightening but it's not comforting either. "I'm here to grant it."

"I must be dreaming." Mina mutters to herself.

"A dream of today can be reality of tomorrow." The cloaked figure utters. "Do you know how Nayeon died?"

Mina lets out a dry laugh. "You can make my wish a reality, but don't know how she died?"

The cloaked figure remains speechless for a second. Then they repeat the question. The mist around them gets stronger making it hard for Mina to see clearly.

"An artery rupture in the heart." Her voice is meloncholic, because even saying this out loud in her dream pains her.

"She died of a broken heart." The cloaked figure reaffirms.

Mina nods.

"Do you know why she had a broken heart?"

Mina stares at the figure for a moment. "I already told you."

"She had no will to live." The cloaked figure exclaims. "I had to cut her life short."

Mina refuses to believe it. Nayeon is always full of life, why would she have no will to live?

"She lingers between the light and the shadows, between heaven and earth." The cloaked figure croaks, their image begins to appear fainter and fainter as the mist grows thick around them. "Because a soul that has a last wish can not leave this world."

"A wish?" Mina whispers.

"A dying wish." The cloaked figure repeats.

"This one here grants your wish , so you can find her wish and set her free."

The mist is almost impenetrable in its thickness and Mina squints her eyes to have a look at the cloaked figure.

"This one forbids you to reveal the conversation you had with me." The cloaked figure commands, "If you do so, you will cease to exist."

"I don't understand." Mina tries to take a step towards the cloaked figure who is slowly dissolving into the mist.

Before the mist completely envelops the cloaked figure, it says, "To realize every dream, you have to wake up."

"What?" Mina mumbles.

"I said wake up." A voice sound in her ears.

"Huh?"

Chaeyoung jumps on her bed and Mina's eyes open slowly.

There's no cloaked figure, it's just Chaeyoung and her. She closes her eyes back shut when the sunlight blinds her vision.

Of course she's been dreaming.

"We're going to be late for our shoot." Chaeyoung whines. There's a cheerfulness in her voice that's been missing lately. "I bet ten bucks with Nayeonnie I won't be late."

Mina's eyes fly open.

"What did you say?"

"I don't want to lose to Nayeonnie." Chaeyoung frowns at her. "You know she went to shoot for her subunit with Jeongyeon and Jihyo on time at 2 in the morning."

Mina almost snaps her neck turning to look at the digital clock by her bedside table.

The time reads 6.00 and the date reads 1.12.2020.

Exactly a month before the car crash that took away Nayeon from them.

She feels dizzy and leans her hands for support on the bed. Her eyes grow wider when she realizes where she is.

She is back in the room she shares with Nayeon, their beds laid adjacent to each other to make more space to move around.

And the room smells of Nayeon.

It's not faint anymore, it's gentle but strong, the smell of citrus and ocean breeze lingers and invades her senses and Mina briefly wonders if she's still dreaming.

"Tell me I'm dreaming." She mutters.

Chaeyoung pinches her side. "You're not." She chuckles when Mina yelps softly. "Hurry up, I don't want to be late."

Mina's heart begins to pound loudly in her chest when the struggle to accept the reality fades with time and a realization strikes her.

She is going to see Nayeon again.

Her eyes grow large when she grasps the idea in her head.

She gets dressed quickly and hops in the van not wanting to waste another second to see the face she's missed for 400 days.

Mina feels like she's going to faint because the pulse in her neck is racing, her heart is beating erratically and her breath comes out in short shallow gasps.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Momo throws a concerned glance at her ex girlfriend who is sitting across her in the van looking pale and shaking slightly. "We can cancel the shoot if you're coming down with something."

"I'm fine." Mina lies even as her heartbeat echoes in her ears as the studio comes into view slowly.

It beats so loudly as if it wants to escape her chest and run to the older girl before her legs could take her to their destination.

"You're late." Jihyo wiggles her eyebrows at Chaeyoung who pouts petulantly. "Nayeon is going to have fun taking your money."

Mina feels another wave of dizziness come over her as the mention of her name only serves to increase her heartbeat.

Beads of sweat begins to form on the sides of her face. She swallows thickly as her gaze searches for the face she has longed to see among the sea of people.

"Son Chaeyoungah." A familiar loud cheerful voice booms from behind her. "You lost."

Mina daren't move. She daren't breathe. She's frozen to the spot. She's  aware of every single pounding in her heart, every single hair on her body standing to attention and the chill racing down her spine.

She spins on her feet slowly, hands trembling by her side. The sound of her thrumming heart becomes intolerable as she looks into the bright eyes of Nayeon who's approaching them with a toothy smile on her dazzling face.

With every step she takes, Mina's heartbeat becomes louder and louder, breath heavier and heavier and when Nayeon finally comes to a stop in front of her and Chaeyoung, Mina lets the dizziness envelope her and succumbs to it.