A Decoy

I watched Areum pack all what Hyun Woo had sent to me for preparation for our evening date.

She was happy.

Really happy.

And all I could do was watch her take my place in Hyun Woo's life again.

My husband.

My snow.

Should I stop her from going?

Will I ever get the chance to save my grandmother from the evil schemes of my father and his cartel?

Is the future ever going to change despite the fact that I should be one step ahead of everyone since I have a vast knowledge about upcoming events?

I rubbed my fingers against my temple.

Utterly confused as I was hinged between choices.

Should I let Areum go out with Hyun Woo tonight and have the same fate repeated?

Or should I try to change my grandmother's fate for once by going to Hyun Min?

I clenched my fists tight, suddenly enraged with the fact that I had been clamped to make a difficult choice at that moment.

Hyun Woo or my grandmother.

"Areum!" I heard myself call immediately and she stopped at the door taking slow turns back at me.

What do I say to her?

"What?" She asked her voice calculating as she tried to figure out why I had called her back and I knew she was hoping I wouldn't take my words back, but I couldn't let her etch her stay in Hyun Woo's life.

No!

"Y-you can use my perfumes and spray… you don't want him to find out you're not me, right?" I stuttered a little not believing I had just said that again.

She smiled and cooed like a parrot.

"I will put them to good use. Hyun Woo will be coming here to pick me up by the way. Seeing you around might expose our cute little secret… Do you mind?"

"Of course." I replied nervously and nodded a little. "I will just step out for a moment. Have fun."

And with that, I walked out of my room like I had been banished. Now that I have written the same script of the fate Hyun Woo and Areum will bare tonight just like I did in my past life, I should at least balance the other side of the game.

Do I have any regrets?

Yes, I do.

But I can always make my Hyun Woo stay with me.

I will get my snow back at all costs.

Just a little more time…

I will come for you soon.

I walked down the stairs and made my way straight to the front door. Mother was watching a variety show while chewing on some salad.

I ignored her and continued walking.

She doesn't care much about me anyway.

Why should I be bothered by her presence?

"Estate's curfew starts by 22:30. Be back before then." She said to me, her teeth still grinding on some salad.

I paused and took a quick glance at the exquisite analog clock that was standing in a corner.

'I can make it to him before the curfew starts.'

I said to myself and pushed the door open and a gust of cook night breeze rammed into my face making my hair flutter.

It was a little chilly and warm at the same time.

Just perfect.

I had walked down the street before I realized I had left my phone behind.

It was still in my school bag.

Sigh!

How do I get to Hyun Min?

Unconsciously turning to the side, I noticed a street pay phone. The exact same one I could have gone to the night I got everything stolen from me. The same night I met Hyun Min for the first time.

A little smile of appreciation crept into the corner of my lips and I walked towards the pay phone.

"I guess I should buy this piece so it still exists here in the future." I said into the wind and searched through my pocket.

A few coins.

Ever since the bus incident with Hyun Min, I made sure I had either coins or cash stashed up with me just in case a situation in which I need to pay monetarily arises.

I walked into the booth and chugged down a few coins into the vent.

Dialed Hyun Min's number and…

Ring!

Ring!

Click…

"Hello, who's this?" I heard his voice from the other end.

"It's me, Aera."

He paused and I guessed he was checking the caller's ID.

And to prove my assumption right,...

"Why are you calling me a different number? Are you okay?"

"Can I see you now? Or should I come over to your place?" I asked, ignoring his questions.

°~°~°~°

"It's a little late, is it safe for you to come out of your estate at this hour?" Hyun Min questioned, taking a seat beside me while he served me banana milk again.

"You didn't have to." I shrugged.

"Is something going on with you?"

"I think the future is repeating itself again." I blurted out, ignoring his question for the second time.

"What do you mean by that?"

I silently scratched my finger nails around the little bottle I had in my hand and finally braced myself to tell him what was happening.

Who else would I confine in if not Hyun Min?

I took a deep breath and explained everything I had heard that evening about the plot to silently eliminate my grandmother so her shares could be in my father's watch.

And after being reluctant for a while, not sure if I could tell the story behind Hyun Woo's date that matches the same fate with my future, I finally spilled the beans.

With that, Hyun Min finally learnt the truth about Hyun Woo.

He is my future husband.

And he will be my husband in every timeline.

We remained silent for a long while and I knew my confession about my husband was bothering Hyun Min a lot.

But is that important?

"Because you let Areum face the same fate as you did in your past life doesn't mean your grandmother will also face the same fate." Hyun Min finally said.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Informing your grandparents about this will make no sense to them as you cannot tell them you're not from this timeline, but you can always make other attempts."

I changed my sitting position, ready to pay full attention to what he was about to say.

"What if your grandmother leaves this country for a while till you get some shares in your name? Her departure will definitely pull an abrupt stop to their plans."

Why didn't I think of this?

Hyun Min is right.

If I can get my grandmother to leave, their plans will definitely be destroyed and it will take a while to build back an empire to instigate their attempt again while I will become a barrier to their evil plans.

But also…

This can also serve as a threat to me.

Will my father become a full fledged evil raccoon and tame me at all cost?

Will he try to end my life once I get the 1% share in my name?

I doubt that, but what if?

I shook the feeling off.

My grandfather is still alive and will continue to be for the next seven years.

With this, I will be in his shadow while he protects me like a mother bird would.

Satisfied with this resolve, I raised my gaze at Hyun Min.

"First, I think I need to visit my grandparents' villa."

He nodded and gave me a little smile.

"Let's start from there. Your grandmother will be okay… you too."

I could tell much he wasn't sure everything would pan out right.

But he was trying best to pull my spirit out of the gutter just to keep me alive.

And then, he suddenly said;

"Aera… There's something important you need to know about this timeline we have been dragged back to. The secret to why we are back to being this young… the reason why we were made to cross paths in this new life."

What could be wrong?