Kang Chi: Beyond Life and Time

Chapter 21: Beyond Life: Resurgence of the Past

It was past midnight when Yeo Wool arrived in her apartment. She came into Han Wool sleeping on the couch with the television on, his books and writing pad scattered on the center table. Apparently, he gave up on his homework sometime earlier.

She draped the wrapped dress that she wore earlier that night on the backrest of a chair, put the take-away food on the table and noticed the empty bowl of instant ramyeon. She was conflicted between waking Han Wool up to have his second dinner or let him sleep until the morning. She decided on the latter and took out his blanket from his bedroom to cover him up and arranged his books on the table, only after then she sat down to relax.

She recapped the events of the night earlier. Kang Cheol Daepyonim hired her service as a security officer, even coordinating with Captain So about it, but how come she felt like she went on a blind date?

It was not that it was bad...honestly, she liked it. She had not been on the dating game lately, and getting on it again was a good thing. It could mean that she had overcome the trauma of her past relationship.

She woke up, unaware that she fell asleep on the floor, at the foot of the couch, parallel to it. Han Wool was still sleeping soundly.

It's another dream...again?

She did, in fact, dream again. She was wearing a Hanbok, all dolled up, sitting on the side street, waiting for someone who was obviously running late. Then, the man she was waiting for came running towards her direction as she stood up to meet him. Unexpectedly, he bumped into her, her jang-ot falling to the ground as he passed her by.

"Mian." He apologized immediately after turning to face her, his hands opened, and arms stretched out in front of him, as if calming her down. Then he turned away to continue on his way.

"Kang Chi-ya." She called out, realizing that he did not recognize her.

Then she woke up.

Kang Chi? The man in her dream is Kang Chi? Jamkkan....

The only Kang Chi she knew of was Kang Cheol's father. And she only knew of him through the articles that she had read about him. If the man in her dreams was indeed Kang Cheol's father, how could she be connected to him to make her dream of him? If they really were indeed connected somehow?

She spent most of the wee hours wondering. She tried her very best to recall what the man in her recent dream looked like, but ended up the same as before. Until now, the man in her dreams remains faceless. Not remaining nameless, then, was indeed a consolation.

Is Kang Chi the same man from her previous dreams?

For now, she would rather think that he is. Doing so would lessen the anxiety of trying to remember. If Kang Chi were the same man in all of her dreams, then it would mean that she would only have to remember one man.

Morning came, though she was still lacking sleep due to her last dream dilemma. She could feel the onset of a headache by the lightheadedness that she was experiencing at the moment.

She went to work, as usual, but the way she did her job that day was far from it. She was absentminded most of the time, and Jung Ju had to make up for it. It was a good thing that her partner is a very dependable and capable one, thus they were saved from Captain So's 'endearing' sermon.

The entire day was a torture, not just physically and mentally, but also emotionally. She did not know why, but she kept expecting that Kang Cheol would somehow get in touch with her.

I mean...He seemed to have a good time last night...Because I did.

Since they parted ways last night after he drove her home, she had not received a message from him. It would be nice to know that she did a great job, but after that 'good night, sleep well' cliché, she had not heard anything from him the entire day.

But...Why am I feeling so disappointed? Last night was supposed to be pure business.

She shook her head and released a heavy sigh to get rid of the thoughts. Last night was a job well done, and whether he acknowledged it or not, she knew she did. If he would not commend her for it, she would do it herself.

She stopped by at the chicken restaurant before coming home to Han Wool watching TV while doing his homework. He excitedly stood up to greet her, all smiles as he tried to tell him something. But instead of giving her brother her attention, she gasped in surprise at the sight of a large bouquet of pink and white roses occupying most of the table. She absentmindedly put the chicken dinner on the sink, instead of the countertop.

The card...There must be a card.

There it was. Propped on the center of the bouquet. The card that would tell her that the flowers were....

"...From Kang Cheol hyung!" Han Wool exclaimed excitedly, ruining the surprise for her. Apparently, he was relating the story of how he received the flowers, but she was too startled to listen. It was indeed, from Kang Cheol, as indicated by the card.

Officer Dam,

Your last night's presence was a grace. Your exceptional elegance was a delight.

Choi Kang Cheol

It was a short and sweet message that summed up everything he wanted to say. She felt her blood flow to her ears and cheeks.

Hmmm...Daepyonim definitely has a way with words.

She did not know anything about flowers and what each particular kind meant, but she did not care because receiving it was pleasant enough.

"Nuna!" Han Wool exclaimed which startled her.

"Mwoya?!" She answered irritated.

"You're not listening!"

She was not, honestly. She was too busy savoring the moment...and the flowers.

"Eo! Your face is all red!" Han Wool continued. She knew it.

"I have a headache. I'm going to bed." She told her brother as she headed towards her bedroom. "I bought chicken for dinner. Help yourself." With that, she closed the door shut behind her. She leaned on it, wondering.

So, this is why he didn't even call...Should I, then?

She decided not to. She did not want to imply something other than what she really meant. The way she dealt with similar situations in the past few weeks suggested that she was not capable of sound reasoning, judgement, and reaction whenever Kang Cheol is involved. She resorted to a simple 'thank you' message via text instead.

She expected he would call, or at least text back, but he did not. The imaginary headache became a reality as she paced around her room waiting for a reply.

She took a warm shower and got ready for bed, hoping that if she ever dreams of the man again, she will remember his face.