LET FATE DECIDE

Lena stood in front of her small suitcase, staring at the things she was trying to pack.How much should you take when you might never be able to come back?

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment."I can't think about that… Just pack, Lena."

She heard the door to her apartment open and close."Are you ready?"

Sophie stood at the door, holding a bag with sandwiches and two juices."You're not going on a trip hungry."

Lena smiled through her tears."You're truly the best friend in the world."

"I know." Sophie shrugged and placed the bag on the table.

She looked at the suitcase."That's all you're taking?"

Lena shrugged."I don't know how much I can take. And I don't have much anyway."

Sophie nodded and sat on the bed."Alright… And what's the plan when you land in Korea?"

Lena took a deep breath."I have some savings, enough to pay for a cheap hotel for a few days. And then… I have to find him."

"How?"

Lena thought for a moment."First, I'll go to his company. Maybe I can see him or find out where he usually goes."

Sophie raised an eyebrow."That sounds like stalking."

Lena rolled her eyes."It's not stalking if I have a good reason."

"Oh? And what's your reason?"

Lena sighed."To tell him the truth. To tell him… that I never meant to hurt him. And that… that I'm sorry."

Sophie smiled."Lena, sweetheart, I think it's more than just 'sorry.'"

Lena gave a weak smile."I know."

Sophie sighed and leaned in to hug her."Just promise me you'll be safe, okay? That's the most important thing to me."

Lena nodded."Thank you, Sophie. I couldn't do this without you."

Sophie smiled through her tears."I know. And don't think I won't cry every single day until I see you again."

Lena immediately felt a lump in her throat."Don't cry, or I'll start too."

Sophie laughed, but tears were already streaming down her face."I can't help it. You're going to the other side of the world, and I don't know if you'll ever come back."

Lena swallowed her tears and tried to joke."Don't worry, if they catch me, I'll send you a postcard from prison."

Sophie laughed through her tears and smacked her with a pillow."Idiot."

Lena chuckled and wiped her face with her sleeve."It's going to be okay. I'll find a way."

Sophie nodded, though she didn't look entirely convinced.She glanced at the clock."It's time."

Lena took a deep breath, zipped up her suitcase, and pulled it toward the door."Let's go."

At the airport…

They stood in front of the gate for international departures.

Sophie hugged Lena so tightly she could barely breathe."If you don't text me every day, I'm coming to get you."

Lena laughed."Alright, Mom."

Sophie pulled back and grabbed her face."Be brave, okay? And if you find him, don't just run into his arms. Be… dignified."

Lena rolled her eyes."Sophie, I've never been dignified."

Sophie chuckled and sighed."True."

The intercom announced the boarding for the flight to Seoul.

Lena took a deep breath."It's time."

Sophie hugged her again."Take care."

"You too."

Lena grabbed her suitcase, turned around, and walked toward the gate.

Sophie watched her until she disappeared among the passengers. Then she wiped her tears and whispered:"Go find him."

He was sitting in his apartment in Seoul, next to a large window overlooking the city, which now felt empty.

His hands were in his pockets as he stared at the night lights, trying to shake off the thoughts that wouldn't stop tormenting him. It was clear—he couldn't forget her, no matter how hard he tried.

"Go to hell, Lena," he muttered through gritted teeth, but he knew it wouldn't help.His heart didn't listen. Neither did his mind.

He was angry at her, furious, maybe even hurt, but… he couldn't get her out of his head.

His hand moved toward his phone automatically, as if guided by some unconscious force. He opened a social media app. He knew what was waiting for him, but he couldn't stop himself.

He was mad, but he couldn't stop looking at her pictures. He wasn't doing it out of fear. He wasn't doing it out of hope. He was doing it because, simply, he couldn't stop thinking about her.

"Why am I doing this?" he muttered under his breath, staring at her funny, beautiful pictures—the ones he had already seen so many times.

She still looked like the girl he had met on that ski trip. The same girl who, in the end, was just another one who had deceived him.

And yet, he couldn't stop looking at her.

Her eyes, her smile, the way she posed. It was like a drug.

One second, he could hate her. The next, she was all he could think about.

"No… I won't do this again," he thought. "I won't go back to that. It was all bullshit… just a stupid game. I'm not an idiot."

But even he didn't believe himself.

He couldn't stop his hands as he scrolled through her profile, looking at every picture, every post, every trace she had left online.

Even though he knew she had tried to use him, he still couldn't resist her.

His heart was on her side, while his mind was completely against her.

"She lied to me," he said out loud, but his voice was weak, like he was trying to convince himself.

And yet, another click on her picture. Another moment where he was completely unaware of his own helplessness.

"Yeah, she just wanted money. I won't be stupid."

But he sighed, filled with frustration.

"But, damn it, why does she have to be so beautiful?"

He just stood there, staring at the screen, recognizing all those parts of himself that he had been trying to suppress.

Yes, he was angry. Yes, he was hurt.

But he couldn't get rid of the feelings that ran deeper.

It was impossible not to love her, no matter how irrational it was.

Finally, he put his phone down on the table and leaned back in his chair, trying to gather his thoughts.

He knew this wasn't healthy.

But he couldn't get her out of his head.

"One day, just one day without her."

He walked to the window, watching the lights of Seoul glow in the distance.

He felt empty, like something in his life was missing, but he couldn't figure out what.

"Try to let go. Try to stop looking at her pictures," he told himself.

And yet, he reached for his phone again.

One more look.

One more moment of weakness.

"Shit," he sighed, knowing this wasn't the end.

Lena stood at the airport in Seoul, her worn-out suitcase by her side and her mind racing with thoughts. Or rather, panic and adrenaline more than actual thoughts.

"Okay, Lena, this is it. You're here. In his country. Now you just have to find him. And he has to forgive you. And everything has to turn out like in the movies. Easy, right?"

In theory, her plan sounded perfect. Find him, explain the truth, tell him she loves him, and… then what? He would fall into her arms? Unlikely. More likely, he'd give her that cold stare, tell her to disappear, and turn away.

The mere thought of it made her stomach clench.

But she didn't come all this way to give up.

First step—find a place to stay.

She went to the taxi counter, showed the address she had copied from the ad for the "cheapest apartment in Seoul," and got into the car. The city around her was huge, dazzling—lights, people, neon signs everywhere. Everything looked modern, fast-paced, as if no one ever had a moment to stop.

When she arrived at her destination, she stepped out of the taxi and… just stared.

The building was old. Not charmingly old. More like "might collapse while I'm sleeping" old. The walls had cracks, the door was scratched, and someone had clearly been using the hallway as a makeshift storage space for bicycles and random boxes.

"Great. Perfect. Exactly what I wanted," she muttered under her breath.

She climbed the stairs and found the door from the ad. The man who opened it was an older gentleman, dressed in sweatpants and slippers, with a cigarette in hand. He looked her up and down, as if evaluating whether she would survive in this place.

"You're the one from the ad?" he asked.

"Yes… that's me," she nodded, though she wasn't sure it was the right answer.

"The apartment is inside. Take a look and let me know."

She stepped in and… lost all hope.

The bed was more of a hard bench, the window had a crack (she hoped it wasn't from a bullet), and the bathroom… better not to think about the bathroom. But it was cheap. And that was the most important thing.

"I'll take it," she said before she could change her mind.

The man shrugged, took the money, and handed her the key.

As soon as she was alone, she sat on the bed (if it could even be called that) and let out a deep sigh.

"Alright. First step—done. Now… how do I find him?"

That was the real problem. She didn't have his number, no address, and all she knew was the name of his company.

"Okay, Lena, think. Where could he be? Maybe at the office? Maybe at some fancy restaurant? Maybe… at one of those cafés where rich Koreans drink expensive coffee and look serious?"

She looked at herself in the mirror. Tired, disheveled, with dark circles under her eyes.

"Great, I totally look like someone he'd trust. Or like someone who'll get thrown out of the building by security."

She stood up and started pacing the room, trying to come up with a plan.

"Okay… what do I say when I see him? 'Hey, sorry for breaking your heart, but here I am in Korea because I couldn't forget you, can you forgive me?' No, too desperate. Maybe something more sophisticated? 'I came because we need to talk. Please, just hear me out.' Yes, that sounds serious… but what if he rejects me immediately?"

That thought paralyzed her.

What if he didn't even want to see her? What if he erased her from his life the second he laid eyes on her?

She lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

She was terrified.

But she had no choice. She couldn't live with the thought of never seeing him again, of never telling him the truth.

Tomorrow was a new day. Tomorrow, she would start searching.

And then, fate would decide what happens next.