Since the creation of the universe

Everything was destined...

Ruby pov

It felt as if a pack of werewolves were chasing you as you run through the wind with your long red tressors. It was so painful to feel your heart pounding in your ribcage. You couldn't breathe properly. Your classmates were amused when they noticed you sprinting as you wondered if you had forgotten something at home. The scene you just witnessed was beyond comprehension.

It was your ex. Very handsome, cheating ex. He abruptly left you for someone else he found out wasn't his soulmate. You were wounded so severely that you couldn't function for a whole month.

You wanted to hate him with a passion, but there was no emotion in you. Yeah, maybe shock from seeing him unexpectedly.

You reach your dormitory and can't wait to get to the 8th floor. Fortunately, there is no life in the common areas—your quickly key in the hallway code and dash for your dorm around the corner.

You couldn't get into your apartment fast enough. Samantha, who was rearranging her book bag, was shocked and concerned when she saw your wet eyes and unsettling demeanour.

After passing her, you rush back to your room and lay on the bed groaning in frustration. You were followed into your room by Samantha.

She eased herself down beside you while you buried your face in a few cushions, asking, "Holy Dooley ! What's up? Why the long face?"

"Why? Why's life so harsh?" you vented in frustration.

She gave your shoulder a pat, urging, "Come on, spill the beans, what's got you in this state?"

Samantha was taken aback, seeing tears rolling down your cheeks when you turned around in a sudden panic. "Greg's back!" you croaked out.

"But he wasn't meant to show up today, supposed to be here on Monday!" She observed, straight to the point.

You gave her a stunned look. "You knew! Yet you didn't give me a heads up for his return? How could you, Sam!" There was a hint of feeling betrayed and a dash of fury in your voice.

"I'm really sorry, love! Brendon filled me in a few days ago, but I didn't wanna upset you or drag all this up again. We weren't sure if he'd rock up at our uni. My bad for not spilling the beans earlier. I didn't know how to bring it up," she confessed, looking a bit guilty. "That's the truth, though," she added, confirming the truth.

"Samantha, why's he back? I can't handle being at the same uni as him. The haters and gossipers will swarm my life. Have I done something to deserve all this? Please, tell me, Samantha, why do I keep going through all this pain? Feels like it's written in the stars for me to be hurt like this. Please, tell me!" Suddenly, tears flowed uncontrollably, like a floodgate had opened. Samantha held you close, trying to soothe you. You were itching to go a bit crazy.

She knew seeing him again would absolutely wreck you. You'd be shattered all over again. Your first love had turned his back on you, and his carefree, happy-go-lucky demeanor brought back all the hurtful memories.

As Samantha gently explained, "Ruby, I dunno why, but he kept pestering Brendon for your contact details through texts. But we shut it down. Seems like he's keen on getting you back."

Your wet eyes widen, " ! Why? He reckoned his heart belonged to Willow, and I was like a square peg in a round hole. Samantha, I moved on 'cause I wasn't keen enough and not ready for that closeness... but him being here's just stirring up dramas I don't need. Can't you remember the haters here? I don't need that hassle."

Samantha clenched her lips and replied, "We'll keep him clear of you. We'll get Melissa and Janice in. Stick close, never be alone. Always have one of us around you."

Nodding, you refreshed yourself and redone your make-up. By the time you reach your first block, you'll already be late. Argh! You were looking forward to the design class.

You received several calls and text messages from your programmer friends asking why you didn't meet up with them. Samantha talked to them and told them about the events of the morning. You were too rattled to respond.

Samantha called all your lecturers and told them you would take a sickie (taking off but not really sick), and she needed to take you to the doctor.

You give her a surprised look, "Seriously, thanks for that?" She seemed pretty chuffed with herself.

"Well, you're not looking or feeling great. Not letting you out of the flat today," Samantha grinned triumphantly. "Greg will be searching for you, and you'll be in a right stressful mess. Stay home, chill, read, relax, play games, or binge some flicks. It's good that two of your profs are off at a seminar today, and the other three are cool with their hardest worker taking a day off. The day's all yours... so make the most of it, right? Don't bother cooking, alright? I'll grab takeout when I'm back. It's my shout. Let's forget about that loser, alright?"

You smile and give her a tight hug, "Okay, what am I gonna do without you when Brendon whisks you off to Perth? I'll be so lonesome," you pout.

"Still up in the air. I'm' not jumping into marriage so fast. No way. Brendon's hoping for a family soon. Not on my watch! Catch you later!" She grabbed her bag and dashed out the door.r.

As you sit on your bed and work on your laptop, you sigh deeply.
Your part-time game testing work catches your attention. Work on it for at least an hour and a half. After writing and rechecking your review, you emailed the final report to the game company.

At least one of your applications should be successful. You want to send your internship applications to other international companies as well. Hopefully, they'll hire you after the internship. In your mind, you have been considering working near your famous friend in the USA. There are lucrative jobs there. You are moving on from all the painful memories. Make a fresh start.

As soon as you got up from your bed, you walked into the kitchen to make yourself a cuppa of tea. You don't feel hungry since you already ate some cocktail pies. You heard your phone ring loudly.

You quickly sprint to your room and pick up your phone when you check your ID-caller. It was your dear mother. Strangely, she called so early today. I hope all is well with your family.

G'day, ma!" you call out as you take a quick sip from your hot beverage.

"Er...How' you Ruby-red...!" It is not mom...what the... You'll recognize him as your old-timer. What does he do with your mom's phone? You could already feel the irritation building up inside of you.

"Bye!" Before you could end the call, a pleading voice reached you.

"Please, Ruby-red, don't hang up. I... miss you heaps. This is real important," he began, but you didn't want any of it. You weren't up for listening to lame excuses.

"Yeah, right! You didn't miss me for fourteen years. I...I was never a priority for you and your new spouse..." you bitterly retorted.

"Ruby-red... I'm so sorry for hurting you that much. Please, let's catch up so I can explain what went down, and you can let out all your anger and frustration... but just meet up with me," he pleaded, his voice breaking.

"What else is there to talk about?... you didn't want us in your life... why now? You've got your perfect family now. The blonde bombshell and two good-lookin' kids. Living  it up in a different country, in a luxury home, and enjoying all the perks while Mum and I are struggling  against all odds just to get by. We had to sell our beautiful home for a tiny apartment, now stuck in a house we can't afford 'cause of all the debts. When Mum had to start anew, the burden fell on her. I'm working  two jobs to support us. Mum's got student loans to repay. Why now?" You poured out all these emotions with intense fervor.

He sounded desperate, "I know Ruby-red... I know I don't deserve forgiveness... but I want to say sorry for all the hurt I caused the family. I wanna meet up," he pleaded, hoping to revive a relationship that no longer exists.

"There's nothing  to apologize for. I was nine when you left without a word. You didn't even have the guts to sit us down and explain your affair. You couldn't wait to bolt off with your soulmate, the one you adored. We weren't important then, so why now? I don't wanna see you or need you. Leave me out of your life. Had enough of men who can't stick to one woman after pledgin' eternal love," you fired back harshly before ending the call. Dealing with your father was just too much, or it hurt way too deep.

The phone rang repeatedly; you pressed cancel several times, later switching your phone off out of irritation. Taking your attention back to the laptop, you browsed through YouTube.

You just watched some random videos of gamers reacting to good games. Since you are passionate about games, you loved everything about them. You can't afford to buy yourself the latest PlayStation console since you need to save more money if you hope to work in the United States one day.

You decided to sleep for an hour after watching gamers on YouTube. Sam wants to throw you a party with the 8-floor dormmates to celebrate your 23rd birthday. It is something you will consider. You did not want to celebrate your birthday during the past two years, but Samatha insisted this year. Your girlfriends wanted to plan a trip to Tokyo to attend a BTS fan meet.

Your throat almost choked, and you vigorously refused the offer, saying it was too expensive and you couldn't afford it, etc... etc.

They said they would pop up the money since it's your birthday. However, you cannot do that. You don't want to be spotted by any Bangtan member of the group. You swore to management that you would keep your word, and you are keeping that promise.

You will be too emotional to see your stud muffin for the very first time. You must not set yourself up for heartbreak by longing for him again. You want to remain a great memory from the past, and he might have found his soulmate.

The love you had for Jimin grew even more intense as the months went by, and after that, you were very puzzled by it, making you feel so tense. You don't want to see him because it will bring back all the past hurts and regrets.  Gosh, you still dream about him constantly, and you can't understand why your feelings for him didn't fade. It has been a long two years. He has already forgotten about you. Why can't you move on as he did?

Maybe it's just your heart that can't let go because he fathered your child, which you lost. That's regarded as another failure in your life.

As you sigh, you open your phone to see what text messages you have received. Then, you'll skim through which ones require more attention.

There were several missed calls from your mom's phone, probably from your old-timer (dad). Today you are not in a forgiving mood. Janice and Melissa sent you a few texts saying they will make sure the loser of your ex won't be able to harass you again, and they will make sure he doesn't get close to you. He asked around about you on campus. He was surrounded by girls who were so excited to see him. A lot of attention was given to him.

Then Sam and Brendon sent you a text message asking if you were still ok and enjoying your day off. That makes you grin.

Seeing unknown miss-calls makes you furrow your brows. Three of them were from an international number. You wonder if it is from the game companies you've applied to overseas.

You just shook your head and hoped that they would call back because you wouldn't want to make another call just to be disappointed.

To keep yourself from worrying about Greg's return, you decided to watch a television show. You just wish it was a nightmare, and you'll be able to wake up very soon. Then why now? You don't like him or love him anymore. You're not that gullible, innocent girl with stars in her eyes anymore. Having been through hard lessons in life, you want just to try to lay low without drama—exciting experiences like this last a lifetime.

You took a little blanket from the drawer and draped it over you as you watched your favorite afternoon soap opera while eating snacks. 

As soon as it rang again, you unintentionally grabbed it and answered.

As you wipe your mouth and lower the TV volume, "Hello... Ruby speaking?" you answer quickly.

"Miss Wallace, is that correct?" A professional voice sounded somewhat hesitant, speaking in a soft, businesslike tone. There's a hint of urgency, and your attention is on high alert.

"Hey, I'm Ruby Wallace. How can I assist you?" You ask politely, noticing the call is from Sydney. You feel a pang of concern, wondering who might be calling.

"I'm Charlene Anderson, the editor of Esquire magazine. We're planning a story featuring a linked BTS member, Park Jimin, as our cover story in two weeks. You've been linked in the past as one of his girlfriends... and we'd like—" You feel your blood drain at the realization of who's calling and why. You'll be exposed as one of his former partners in the magazine. Oh no! This isn't good. You're a university student, and UTS has a huge community of ARMYs supporting BTS. You'd be swamped and targeted if that magazine gets out. Why didn't Bighit management catch wind of this? Did they get any incriminating photos of you and Jimin? Tears start to well up. What will you say to your friends, Samantha... Janice... Melissa? Holy Dooley, you're in a pickle.

"I am NOT a former girlfriend!" You snap, then quickly calm down, "I'm sorry, Miss Anderson, but I'm not acquainted with BTS Jimin... where are you getting your information from?"

"Miss Wallace, we've obtained images of Mr. Park taken by a tabloid photographer, anything related to BTS sells like hotcakes... we've investigated and gathered all your details... but we're giving you a heads-up first," she informs you smugly.

"How can you just do that to someone? This is a complete invasion of privacy," you protest. It's actually happening. Journalists are only interested in money. Oh my goodness! You were advised not to talk to any journalists or discuss your past relationship. You could simply deny it.

"Miss Wallace, we're being considerate. Could you provide us with all the details before we publish?" She responds as if talking to a child. It's official. You despise tabloids.

"You're ruining lives..." You try to salvage something, but they insist they'll proceed anyway. "I'm not a celebrity who can handle this mess, and I'm a full-time student. Any false information will wreck my career and reputation... aren't you concerned about the repercussions if their agency finds out? Your magazine will lose all credibility. You'll be labeled as one of Sydney's sleaziest publications...."

"Miss Wallace, we've reached out to everyone involved... in fact, his management readily agreed to a private interview with Mr. Park right here in Sydney. There's no one more popular in South Korea than him, and he's been winning top Brand reputation awards month after month. Our magazine and his agency will benefit from all aspects about him," she informs you. You feel like you're frozen in place. No, no, no! It'll be all over the news, online, and newspapers will want to profit from it too. Your face will be plastered everywhere.

Your life has been turned upside down today. You kept your hand on your mouth to prevent yourself from crying. Will you be able to escape this mess? He is coming to Sydney. He will fly to Australia for a discreet interview if his agency approves. It's full-on (intense). 

"Miss Wallace, I know dropping this bomb about your relationship might catch you off guard... but we still reckon you two are an item. From all the photos we've snagged, it looks like he had a romance with you. He's never been snapped holding hands with other gals in public... seems like the stories were fake... but I reckon you're our scoop 'cause you're an Aussie dating a global superstar—" She tries to explain.

"...I'm not involved with him, Ms. Anderson, please believe me. There are loads of redheaded girls in Sydney. You've got the wrong girl..." you say with a hint of sob in your voice.

"Miss Ruby... Please get that we're an entertainment mag, it's our gig to keep folks updated on their fave celebs. BTS is a massive deal, and after their mega Wings concerts in Sydney, the public's keen to know if he's found love with a local. An Aussie girl... you'll be a sensation!" She sounds all hyped up and thrilled, overly excited about how their mag will sell millions of copies.

You felt like screaming your lungs out when you said, "I don't want to be famous!" 

As she explains the cover story, her voice trails off as she asks, "Can we schedule a meeting to discuss your involvement? It is not only about his career. It is about his family, relationship with his band, and romantic encounters.  When can we meet?"

A/n: Here's another update for the Chimmy-stans.  I hope that all of you are still healthy and safe. Additionally, good luck with the exams to those studying. 

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Jimin seems to be heading back to Australia.

Thank you again for reading, voting, commenting and adding this book to your readers' list.

Question 1:  What is your opinion about Greg attending the university?

Question 2:  How should You respond to the potential exposure?

Question 3: Would you consider giving your dad a second chance?