The world was bound by a fate called "The Red String", a belief that every person had a red string tied to their finger, leading them to their soulmate.

It was a beautiful notion, one that promised true love and companionship to all those who sought it. But for Karina, it was a cruel fate. 

Ever since her string manifested, it had always been leading directly towards the sky, a constant reminder that their soulmate was somewhere beyond the reach of their grasp. 

At a young age of six, Karina once stood quietly in the back of a funeral hall, her eyes fixed on the weeping woman before her. 

The mournful wails of the widow filled the air, punctuated by the sound of her tears hitting the polished wood of the coffin. 

Karina couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness in her chest as she watched the scene unfold before her. It was her first funeral, and she didn't quite know how to process the emotions that were coursing through her body.

As she looked down at her finger, she felt a sudden pang of sorrow. Her red string pointed straight up towards the ceiling, as it always did. But this time, it felt heavier, as if the weight of the entire world was pulling it towards the sky. 

Karina shuddered as she noticed the similarity between her and the weeping woman. 

They both have their strings pointing towards the sky.

The idea was a crushing one, and tears began to prick at the corners of her eyes. She knew that it was just a silly theory, but the thought of never finding her soulmate was too much to bear. 

When the funeral came to a close, Karina slipped out of the room and made her way outside. She looked up at the sky, wondering if her soulmate was up there, watching over her.

For a moment, she felt a sense of comfort, as if she was being held in the arms of a loved one. But the feeling was fleeting, and soon Karina was left standing alone in the cool evening air.

She wiped away her tears and took a deep breath, resolving to keep searching for her soulmate, no matter where their string may lead.

Time passed and Karina, in all of her capacity, had searched far and wide, hoping to find someone who could understand their predicament.

Karina heard all of the wildest musings a man could conjure regarding her fate. One once said that her soulmate may be a celestial being such as an angel or a deity. Others insisted that it may be because her soulmate may not exist in the physical world and could be a manifestation of the person's inner self.

In the end, Karina was resigned to their fate, knowing that they may never find the love that others took for granted. 

It was when Karina was going about her day like any other, lost in the humdrum of daily life. 

She reached for the doorknob to leave her apartment when something caught her eye. Her red string, which had always pointed resolutely towards the sky, was now perfectly horizontal, stretching endlessly into the horizon. 

Karina gasped in wonder and excitement, her heart beating wildly in her chest.

She stepped outside and Karina felt a sense of purpose like never before. She knew that she had to follow her string, no matter where it may lead.

Winter violently woke up and was sweating so hard, a heavy feeling trapped on her chest. 

She sat up so fast and looked for Karina. She scanned the room she's in and knew that it was the first time she ever saw that room in her life. 

Winter is greeted by a cacophony of sounds. The hum of computer fans, the beep of incoming calls, and the murmur of hushed conversations blend together into a symphony of white noise. 

She saw how the walls are a sterile shade of white, adorned with motivational posters and charts displaying call metrics. Rows of identical cubicles stretch out before me, each one housing a call center agent sitting at their desk. 

The desks are cluttered with computers, headsets, and notepads, and the agents are hunched over, typing furiously and speaking into their headsets with a sense of urgency. The fluorescent lights overhead cast a harsh glare, making it difficult to discern the time of day. It's a room designed for efficiency, with little thought given to aesthetics or comfort.

Disoriented yet determined, Winter scrambles to find a phone among the mess of the office cubicle she just woke up from. 

"Karina, hello, are you okay?" Winter frantically asks when their home landline finally connected. 

"Hello? Who's this?" A man asked from the other line.

"Who are you? Where's Karina?"

"There's no Karina here, ," the man says before hanging up.

Winter stood up and loosen the buttons from her polo that's been choking her this whole time. Her supervisor tried to block her path but Winter hastily bumps against his shoulder to clear her way.

When she reached the outdoors, Winter realized she's entirely in a different country. 

There are colored jeepneys everywhere. The bustling cityscape towers above Winter, with skyscrapers and billboards reaching towards the sky, their neon lights illuminating the streets below. 

The air is thick with the scent of diesel fumes and the sounds of car horns blaring. People jostle past her, each one in a hurry to get to their destination, and Winter swept along in the tide of humanity. 

Winter weaves her way through the throngs of people, dodging puddles and potholes as she makes her way to any familiar place she could find.

"Winter!" 

Winter looked back, searching for the source of the voice. She got distracted when she caught a glimpse of her reflection on a storefront's glass. 

Her hair is cut short and instead of blonde, she's sporting a jet black hair. 

There's also a red string tied around her ring finger and it endlessly spans across