KNOT 28 - THE LAST KNOT

It was a splendid night with the blue moon gracing the sky, the hadanas and jursas lining up her path, flowers blooming on her every step, and a beautiful music playing as her hair swayed with the soft breeze.

***

Jiyong's arms were rigid, his blank eyes staring at the white door in front of them. Seungri was tightly hugging him but he did not even give him a glance. He swallowed hard, trying to even out his breathing. Odd. He could hear his heartbeat, and the noise surrounding him sounded like faraway echoes reverberating on his ears.

She's gone, Mr. Kwon.

That couldn't be right. Cheeseball would not leave him. She knew he was waiting for him.

"Hyung", Seungri lightly shook him.

"No", Jiyong said hoarsely and pushed him. He turned around and began to walk slowly away from there, still clutching the strawberry backpack in his hand. The memory of their first meeting flashed in his mind.

No...

Memory of her following him from behind as they walked on the street.

Dara...

Her beautiful smile as she called him 'hubby'.

Come back to me..

Her peaceful sleeping form next to him as he woke up in the morning.

Please...come back.

***

The ruler of the underworld looked at Dara as they slowly walked towards the gate. The small candle in his hand felt heavier with every step they took, which was odd. He creased his eyebrows and glanced back at Yang Goon and Jae Sang who were still watching them as she accompanied the soul of Heloise.

Suddenly, a swirling glittery white smoke and black smoke appeared behind Jang Hyuk and Dara. Jae Sang smiled when Hadana Bom and Jursa Seunghyun stepped out. They threw their ethereal orbs in the air and the two spheres combined, exploding in a shower of cherry blossom petals.

Dara's steps halted, and so did Jang Hyuk. She stared at the beautiful scene - with the cherry blossom petals flying all around them. But with each petal, she saw flashes of her and a man that she didn't recognize. Memories? Were those her memories?

Cheeseball. That voice. Are you here to do some drama rants again? Why did it sound so familiar? We will grow old together, right? Dara's eyes widened, her fists curling in tight balls. Where's strawberry?

Dara...Please come back.

A strong wind blew and Jang Hyuk shut his eyes momentarily. When he slowly opened them, what he saw was something that would be part of the legends surrounding the Underworld and Upperworld. Dara's pinky finger was now tied with a red string that stretched through an unseen end. He looked at the lunar matchmaker god in bewilderment, but the latter just shrugged his shoulders while smiling. Beside him, Jae Sang was laughing incessantly.

Red string tied to a soul? All the jursas and hadanas began murmuring, some gasping in shock. Bom and Seunghyun exchanged glances and smiled. They had succeeded in gathering the destined couple's memories during their life as a mortal and showering it back to her during the crucial time. It would not be possible if not for the blue moon that magnified the lunar matchmaker god's powers.

The red string danced and sparkled beautifully - a strong bond between the destined couple that no one had ever seen before... A string of destiny that matched the one between Heloise and Abelard nine hundred years ago.

And then, to everyone's surprise, the small candle that Jang Hyuk was holding began to slowly increase in height, a flame flickering on the candle wick and lighting it. The candle's flame danced, illuminating the astonished face of Jang Hyuk. Jae Sang approached him and placed his hand on his shoulder. "There is a power that is greater and beyond us, old friend", he remarked.

The red string tied to Dara's pinky finger moved, as if someone on the other end was tugging her. She looked at the string and slowly, she glanced at Jang Hyuk. "I forgot my strawberry backpack", Dara suddenly mumbled.

The ruler of the underworld could just shake his head in awe and amusement, a tiny smile finally forming on his lips. It was indeed a beautiful night, with a blue moon casting its spell and surprises on all of them.

_____________________________________________________________

"I WANT TO GO HOME!" Dara demanded.

"All right, if you can reach your ear with your right hand, we'll go home", CL said sternly while looking down at Dara whose right arm was in a cast.

"That's unfair!" She exhaled furiously and pouted. CL turned around and prepared her medicine, hiding her smile. She knew Dara was purposely doing that so she wouldn't worry too much.

It was a miracle that Dara survived. She could still remember how her world crumbled when the doctor announced that Dara was dead. She could still remember the blank look on Jiyong's face as he slowly walked away and slumped in the middle of the hospital hallway. And then, to everyone's surprise, the nurses came rushing to inform the doctor that Dara's heart began beating once again. It was a night that would be forever etched in her memory.

CL poured water in the glass and sighed, her mind still wandering. That night was also the time when Bom and Seunghyun disappeared. Seungri and the other Big Bang members searched for them, but to no avail. It was as if they vanished on the face of the planet.

She missed the two weirdos. But somehow, she felt that the two were in a good place - probably doing something weird again and creeping other people. She asked Dara about them, but Dara just assured her that Bom and Seunghyun were safe and had probably gone home.

"CL," Dara called out while staring outside the window. "Where is Jiyong?"

CL's grip on the glass tightened. Yes, where the hell is Jiyong? How on earth would she be able to answer that when even Seungri didn't tell her anything? That bastard better have a very, very good reason for not visiting Dara.

Okay, Jiyong was with Dara everyday when she was still unconscious. But when Dara woke up, Jiyong didn't even bother showing his face to her. She didn't have a freaking clue what was going on in his mind. Even Dara's officemates visited her. Joo Won and Min Young, Mr. Lee Soo Man, and even Jessica visited Dara. All of them, however, didn't know where Jiyong was. Well, he better stay in his hiding place before she runs after him with a knife. That bastard.

"CL?"

"Huh?"

"He's not coming, is he?"

CL was not able to respond.

"It's fine. I'm sure he has his reasons", Dara said and smiled at CL.

"No, it's not all right", CL scowled at her. "How can he not visit you?"

"Maybe he needs time to face me. Or maybe, he can't stand the sight of me in these bandages. He almost lost me, CL."

"That's why he needs to be by your side at this time!"

"He knew you'll be with me."

"What, I'm your lover now?"

"Yeah. Love you!"

"Dara..." CL sighed in exasperation.

"Don't worry. Once I'm better, I'll be chasing after him", Dara said. "And once I find him, I'll cling to him so he won't be able to run away."

_____________________________________________________________

The ruler of the underworld watched as Jiyong stared silently in a faraway distance, lost in his own thoughts. It had been a long day for him - meeting a lot of people and making preparations. He was now sitting alone in the coffee shop after talking to yet another set of people.

"May I join you, young man?" Jang Hyuk asked, holding a cup of coffee in his hand. Jiyong looked around and saw that there were a lot of empty seats. Still, he nodded in response. The ruler of the underworld sat across Jiyong and studied him. He did not recognize Jang Hyuk at all. What he saw was a middle-aged man in a suit and tie, like a normal salaryman.

"You look troubled. Is my presence bothering you?"

"Huh? No. Not at all", Jiyong said. "I'm just thinking about something."

"Must be a woman. Only a woman can make a man form deep creases on his forehead."

They both chuckled and agreed that yes, that was the case.

"May I ask you a bizarre question?"

"Go ahead."

"If your mind is going to be erased of all the memories that you have in this life and you were asked to pick one memory of your loved one, which would you choose?"

"I don't know", he replied truthfully.

Jang Hyuk smiled behind his cup of coffee. 'I don't know.' His response was the same answer that Abelard gave him.

"I don't know which one to choose. It would be like just giving me one piece of the puzzle. But you see, sir, my whole puzzle is her."

The ruler of the underworld nodded in understanding, a tiny smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he looked out the glass wall. It had been very interesting to be part of Heloise and Abelard's nine hundred years journey. One that he would never forget.

_____________________________________________________________

CL

I felt like I was walking on landmines whenever Dara arrived from the office with sagging shoulders. Seriously, where the hell could Jiyong be? Dara had completely healed, but he didn't even bother showing up. He even filed a leave in the office and no one knew where he went. Was he purposely avoiding Dara?

"Dara, I cooked dinner."

"I already ate", she said weakly. It was an obvious lie.

"What did you eat?"

"Food."

"Dara..."

"I'm not hungry."

"Don't make me sound like a mom. Just please, take a bite", I complained.

"Okay", she proceeded to the kitchen, and I could only sigh as she sat there, looking lost. Then, she folded her arms on the table and rested her head on it. OMG! Is she crying? She's crying! I can't handle crying! God! Jiyong, I'm so pissed with you. How hard was it to pick up the phone and call her? Or text her?

I scrambled towards the kitchen and sat next to Dara, unsure of whether to pat her head (like a pet?) or rub her shoulders. In the end, I just placed my hand on top of hers, resting my chin on the table while waiting for her to speak.

"He hates me", she mumbled, wiping her tears with her sleeves.

"Why would he? Don't be ridiculous", I softly said while brushing the strands of hair away from her face. Jiyong better prepare his grave, I swear. I'd  hunt him down with everything I got.

"I don't know. Maybe his childhood trauma was triggered when he heard that I died, that's why he can't stand seeing me."

"Stop thinking that this is your fault, Dara." I was about to say something when I received a message on my phone.

From Seungri: Meet me downstairs.

Great timing, vagina. Great timing. I will beat the truth out of you if I need to. I can no longer stand seeing Dara like this.

"Dara, I need to step out for a while. I'll come back in a few minutes", I said. She only nodded in response.

I immediately rushed out of the apartment and went downstairs to meet Seungri. To my surprise, he had two reinforcements with him: Daesung and Youngbae.

"Sweetheart, we need your help."

What?

_____________________________________________________________

CL kept fidgeting on her seat, glancing at Dara once in a while. Jiyong has gone crazy. She couldn't believe that was what he had been doing the entire time. And he even dragged her into this mess! Urgh.

"Dara...uh...let's go to the hotel and..uh..sleep...there." Damn it. She knew she'd mess up. She knew it!

"Why do we need to go to a hotel?" Dara asked in bewilderment.

"Because, uhm, I need to tell you something."

"Well, can't you tell it here?"

"No. I can only tell you in the hotel." She sounded creepy. Even she was creeped out by what she said. "It's nothing serious, really", she added. To cover up her mistake, she just forced herself to chuckle, but a weird sound came out of her mouth, like a crow. Gosh, she sounded like a crow!

"If it's nothing serious, then-.."

"No, no! It's something serious! We have to stay at the hotel and discuss about it."

What? It was clearly not going on the direction that she had in mind. What the hell was she thinking? She was just supposed to make sure that Dara would stay in the hotel. This is getting out of hand.

"What is it? Just tell it to me. Unless you're planning something that's why you're insisting on staying at a hotel."

Anddd she's busted. Seungri chose the most incompetent person on earth when it comes to lying. CL fumbled the hem of her shirt and avoided Dara's penetrating gaze.

"CL?"

"I miss TinkerBom. It was a lot easier dragging you somewhere when she was here", she said. "I was even able to drag you in a speed dating because of Bom, but now...", her voice trailed off. CL stole a glance at Dara, and seeing that she was staring at her, she glued her eyes on the floor and acted melancholic. She heard Dara sigh before finally agreeing.

"Fine, let's go", Dara said.

A tiny smirk formed at the corners of CL's lips, inwardly praising herself.

_____________________________________________________________

Dara's eyes slowly fluttered open when she heard the alarm clock. She was welcomed by the sight of an unfamiliar ceiling. She creased her eyebrows and blinked a couple of times, events of what happened earlier still hazy in her mind.

She could swear CL asked her to stay in a hotel and forced her to drink a glass of milk. That was the last thing she remembered. Her friend didn't even tell her what 'serious thing' they had to discuss.

Dara glanced at the alarm clock and saw that it was still night time. She then sat up, and her eyes widened upon seeing what she was wearing. After touching her hair curiously, she finally realized that there was a red string tied to her wrist. She gasped and stared at it in bewilderment. What's happening? She crawled off the bed and grabbed the string, tugging it. What is this?

Dara roamed her gaze around the hotel suite. When she caught sight of the mirror and saw herself, she covered her mouth in shock. Tears brimmed on her eyes and she immediately dashed out of the room, following where the red string would lead her to. She ran down the grand staircase and out of the hotel, ignoring the cheers and curious glances of the people around her.

She was gasping for air, and she felt like her lungs were burning as she ran barefoot, her gaze focused on the red string. Dara picked up her speed, wanting to reach her destination as soon as possible. She bit her bottom lip when she saw the beautiful candles lighting up the garden path towards where she was going.

Dara climbed up the stone path which was lined up with candles and upon reaching the top, she abruptly stopped and tried to catch her breath while looking up, lightly tapping her chest and noticing the full moon gracing the night sky. She held the red string, a smile forming on her lips as her gaze settled on the chapel ahead. She could even hear the music playing. With hurried steps, Dara headed towards the chapel, tracing the red string with her hand.

When she finally stood at the entrance, all the guests stood up and started clapping and cheering for her. But she couldn't hear any of those anymore. Her eyes started to mist when she saw Jiyong at the end of the aisle, his right arm raised up in the air, showing her the red string tied on his wrist. Her destination. Dara walked without peeling her eyes off him, which turned into a run. The aisle was just too long, and she couldn't wait to be wrapped in his arms.

"Jiyong!" She sobbed upon reaching him, and he immediately held her in a tight embrace, earning loud cheers from their guests. But the two were too absorbed in their own world to notice. "Jiyong", she called out once again, gripping his suit. She terribly missed him.

"You're supposed to walk down the aisle, not run", he whispered.

"I-..You-..I hate you!" Dara whined, making him laugh. "You avoided me! You didn't even visit me in the hospital! CL? CL!" She turned toward the crowd, her tears streaming down her face while searching for her friend. She saw her smiling beside Seungri in one of the pews where the Big Bang band, Joo Won, and Min Young were seated. "CL! Kill him!" She demanded, earning a round of laughter from the crowd.

"Didn't you like my surprise?" He asked, tugging the red string binding them and admiring Dara in her wedding dress. "I wanted to give you a KDrama setup."

"I hate it!" She shrieked while wiping her tears. "You made me cry like this."

"My dad is waiting for you at the entrance. You literally run past him. And where's your shoes?"

"Oh, my God! I did? Sorry, I was-.. I mean-.."

Jiyong looked at her with a gentle gaze. "I kept you waiting, didn't I?" he softly said. Dara nodded, biting her bottom lip to stop herself from crying again.

"Will you marry me?" He asked. She nodded again.

Jiyong grinned at her, brushing her tears with his thumb. "I love you, cheeseball", he whispered.

"Stop making me cry!" She whined.

"I have a cheesy pick-up line for you", he said.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Do you know what this suit is made of?"

"What?"

"Hubby material", he replied and chuckled at his own cheesiness.

"Cheesy", Dara laughed.

"Shall we get married now?"

"Okay", she answered and grinned at him.

"Cling?"

"CLING!"

The lunar matchmaker god smiled while staring at Dara and Jiyong's name at the Red String Registry. They had surmounted the trials that were thrown at them. They had waited nine hundred years to be reunited and to have the happiness that they deserved.

Heloise and Abelard had proven once again that loving could be quite simple. There was no need to move mountains and cross oceans. Their love flourished through their pens centuries ago, while Dara and Jiyong's love endured through their choices. They chose not to let go, even if destiny wanted them apart.

Beside Yang Goon, Jae Sang was clapping and whistling merrily. The lunar matchmaker god could only sigh at the brave fool that started everything.

Jursa Seunghyun and Hadana Bom, who were standing in a near distance beside Seungri and CL, glanced at each other and smiled. They had another destined couple to take care of.

Dara and Jiyong entwined their hands together, the red string dangling in between them - the red string that Jiyong tied on their wrists, and the invisible red string of fate tied on their pinky fingers. They faced the crowd and smiled, their eyes glimmering of love that promised 'forever'.

Forever may be a lie... but it's a lie that Dara and Jiyong are willing to believe.

To-Do List

5. Spend my last breath with Jiyong.

Writer's Note:

EPILOGUE is up next! Don't forget to VOTE this chapter and FOLLOW me here in wattpad cheeseborgs! Thank you!