The Very Hopeful, And I

PROLOGUE: HOPEFUL

Graduation wasn't exactly what I had mapped it out to be in my mind in my early teen years. Sure, I still hadn't met my soulmate, and I wasn't expecting to, but I also didn't have the one person I did expect to be there, watching me. My greatest ally. Whilst I was content with finally finishing high school and ready to move on to the next stage of my life, I'll admit it did feel a little empty in the moment that I thought about him as I stepped up onto that stage to officially graduate. But he is the second name down on my wrist, so I imagine he won't have left my life for good, of that I'm confident, so in my mind, that makes it okay.

On the other hand, I've been living for a solid 23 years, but haven't aged a day since turning 18. I've already put in quite a lot of work, you know, and this is all for someone who I haven't even encountered yet for over 2 whole decades. I've become fluent in English for this person, doing extra classes since forever, not even being able to know for sure if the name is indeed from and English speaking person, or if the person happens to have a name that originates from an English speaking country but they never know or learn a word of it. This person could even be a native Korean speaker like me, however slim those chances, possibly rendering all that effort pointless.

The names do appear according to a combination of native language, where that person was born, where that person is to be brought up, and family. Fortunately, 2 of my names are in Hangul, however the top name isn't. I suppose it could have been worse; I have heard of cases in which only one of the names is in the native language, and the other two are completely different to each other.

Not long ago, a friend of mine, who was actually rather open about his fate, showed me his names. The top name, his native language, Korean, the second name though is in Chinese, and the third in French... Now imagine not being able to comprehend a single word your enemy says to you? Alright, there is a good chance they are your enemy because of something physical they do, but there's also the chance they are in charge of a rival company you need to negotiate with 10 years from now and should you lose, you could be led to great despair.

I've decided to remain in Seoul for at least another year while I earn some extra cash, on top of what's already been saved, to travel with, and then I've made the decision to go out into the big wide world. I've not a clue whether I'm supposed to go to her or if she will find me. Now, I know I could make use of the internet, or I could hire a detective, but I don't want to. I want my story to hold that element of wonder that transcends those national barriers.

So I've been working overtime, buying cheaper food, and I advertised for a lodger at my place to help save on rent. The latter is so there won't be a problem with me leaving my home to live elsewhere, should this happen, and if I don't find her, then I can happily return to a home without having to find another place.

But now, I'm steering more and more towards the idea of finally meeting her.

The names on my wrist come in different styles. My enemy's name in messy writing is sandwiched between a shield and a sword; at first, my parents were terrified to see this kind of imagery on their child's wrist when I was born, and I lived wearily for quite some time. It turned out however that the imagery was of a foil sword and the torso area which can be targeted in a certain type of fencing. Like many people, I discovered my enemy during high school, and it just so happened that he was into fencing. It also just so happened that I had to have several appointments with a psychotherapist following the many "pranks" which that person pulled with me as the target.

Which leads me to the middle name on my wrist, the person I wish could have been there to defend or at least comfort me; my ally. His name is black intertwined with a hint of green and surrounding this name are a few symbols, floating. The sun, and 3 division symbols. One pink, one green, one blue. These symbols, despite their minimalism, and their colours alongside the writing create a very colourful piece, something I guess I feel quite fortunate to have on my skin permanently.

I've been told that the colourings could hold meanings, but I have never been able to come to any solid conclusions; I've in the past spend probably hundreds of hours researching the meanings behind colours, but each source tells a different story. So I just instead appreciate my, what mom used to call, "special" wrist. Special, because more than 2/3 colours overall is generally seen as something unique, as is imagery for more than 1 name. Apparently, it's a sign of our evolution progressing forward as some people begin to create children that are born with these hints as well as the names. Research is being put into it of course, whether we can reproduce results like mine through studying genetics and what not. Personally, I'm not interested and would have been content without any imagery to my names.

That's what holds the extra sense of secrecy and wonder with my destined romance. I have nothing more than just her name at the top of the short list. I don't know where she is from, how she's going to come into my life, or what our relationship and future will be like. Itt remains a mystery, and hopefully a surprise when it happ---

You'll have to excuse me whilst I take this call; it's most likely to do with the advertisement I posted in the paper.

"Yes?"

"Hi, I'm calling about the ad... I've just moved to this town and really need somewhere more permanent to live than my pen pal's place..."

"Wow, that's great actually. You're the first one to contact me about it actually... Would you like to meet somewhere tomorrow to discus..."

"I'm sorry, I can't do tomorrow, but I can do next week if that's okay?"

"No problem. Is there a particular day...?..."

"Not really. Let's just go for Monday, perhaps?"

"Yeah, sure. Do you know where the Namusairo Cafe is?"

"I should be able to find out by then, no worries."

"Great. And may I ask who I'll be looking for?"

"Y/n. Y/f/n Y/l/n."