✓ WHERE IT ENDS | JAY

33 - In Another Life

I think we deserve

a soft epilogue, my love.

We are good people

and we've suffered enough.

If we had met in another world and in another time, I could freely love you all I wanted. So I asked for just one more chance to meet you again, to know you better, and love you without fear or regret.

The young girl woke up from her nightmare breathless and with tears that fell from her eyes without a reason. She could remember her dream very well, and every feeling she felt - the pain, the regret, the guilt, the heartache.

The very same dream that she saw for a week and drained her quite badly.

She allowed a sigh to escape from her lips and looked at her shaking hands, which were bloody in her dream. Every time her eyes fell there, tears forced their way to her eyes and she just cried.

Just like how she did at that moment, at five o'clock in the morning.

"Damn it, what is wrong with me?" She asked herself as she harshly wiped her tears and fell back on her pillow, just so she could force herself to sleep just a little bit more. She knew she couldn't do so, she never really managed to ignore that repetitive to sleep - but she still tried, only to notice her failure minutes later.

Therefore, she just groaned out of frustration, loud enough to wake her dog up and earn herself a bark from the other.

"Sorry, Gaeul. Believe me, I want to sleep as well," uttered the girl before she just gave up on her attempt and just turned to the other side of the bed to grab her laptop. As she knew she could not sleep, she decided to at least do something productive - her assignment.

"Haneul?" The woman muttered as she opened the door. "Sweetheart, why aren't you sleeping?"

"Mom," Haneul pouted. "I had a nightmare..."

"Come here," The woman said as she wrapped her arms around her daughter. "It's okay, it's not real."

But it felt real. Haneul thought as her eyes brimmed with tears. But it was just a nightmare, right? Her mother was there holding her.

"Where's dad?" She asked and her mother smiled.

"He's downstairs getting ready to go to work." She said and Haneul nodded. "Do you want to go back to sleep? There's still some time until your classes start."

"I can't sleep again, mom." She smiled bitterly at her before she got out of her bed. "Let's go down, I'll do my assignment while waiting to get ready for school."

"Okay, I'll make you breakfast with your father." The woman smiled as she ruffled her daughter's hair. As they walked down the stairs, Haneul's heart was still beating so fast. She needed to see her father. Where is h-

"Haneul?" Her father's voice made her stop as she let out a sigh of relief. "Why are you up so early?" 

"Dad," Haneul put down her laptop on the couch before she rushed toward her father and hugged him. And then she started crying as he looked at her and back at her mother in confusion.

"She had a nightmare." She crossed her arms and leaned on the wall as she stared at them.

"My little baby," Haneul's father muttered as he softly stroked his daughter's hair. "I didn't know you're a crybaby." He smiled before he put his hands on her shoulders and made her face him. "Why are you having nightmares? Is something wrong? Do you not feel well?"

"No..." Haneul wiped her tears as she felt a little embarrassed. She rarely cried in front of her parents, but the nightmare haunted her to the point she thought it was real. "But-"

"Why are you awake at five in the morning and why is stinky pig crying?" 

"Sunghoon..." At the familiar voice, Haneul ran to her brother she hugged him and cried again. "You're here."

"Of course, I'm here, but wait. You usually throw pillows at me whenever I call you that, what is wrong?" Sunghoon frowned as he laughed.

"Stop teasing her, she had a nightmare." Their father said as he tidied his tie. "I need to go soon, we're going on a business trip."

"When are you coming back?" Haneul asked, worried.

"Tomorrow. We're going to stay in a hotel in Busan before we come back in the afternoon. Don't worry, I'll come home soon. Take care of your mother and sister while I'm away, okay?"

"Yes, sir!" Sunghoon dramatically bowed at his father as the latter laughed. 

"I'm gonna go. Take care, darling." Mr. Park said as he smiled and kissed his wife, and Sunghoon put his hand on Haneul's eyes.

"You're not supposed to see this." He laughed.

"Take your hands off my face, you dirty little-"

"Look at you!" Sunghoon scoffed. "Weren't you crying and hugging me some seconds ago? You're unbelievable."

"Never mention that again. The nightmare was... disturbing." She said as she sat down and sighed.

"What was it?" Sunghoon sat down next to her, looking at her curiously.

"Now that I think about it... it's ridiculous. Mr. Lee was our enemy and he killed you and... Jay and everyone. And then I killed him?"

"Haneul, you can't hate Mr. Lee just because he gives you assignments," Sunghoon said as he laughed. 

"I don't hate him! But he was so evil... never mind!" 

"You're a really weird girl," He ruffled her hair playfully before he faked a disgusted expression. "You stinky pig."

"I swear if you-" Haneul grabbed the nearest pillow before she threw it his way and he just laughed.

"Yes, this is more like you." He smiled and was about to walk away before he remembered something. "Ah, Jay and the boys are coming over this weekend." 

"I know, he told me," Haneul said as she stuck out her tongue at him.

"Do you even know why they're coming?" He crossed his arms as he raised his eyebrow.

"Of course, to hang out together."

"No, I'm not supposed to tell you this, but they're taking you to Busan." He said and she frowned.

"Why?"

"To go to the beach, idiot. Jay told us about how you're always talking about wanting to go to the beach. So we're going this weekend." He said. "Don't tell him that I told you about it!"

Sunghoon caught his sister smiling as her cheeks turned a soft pink and he scoffed. "Look at you!"

"He remembered."

"Of course, he'd remember, that idiot loves you." He rolled his eyes. "I wouldn't have let you date him if he wasn't serious."

Haneul scoffed as she grabbed her laptop and ignored her brother, and he stood there, looking at her in disbelief.

"Sunghoon... you're here..." Sunghoon said and she widened her eyes before she glared at him. "I'm never not teasing you about this one, just wait."

"You!" Haneul slightly yelled as he smiled mischievously and walked out of the living room.

This was the life where Haneul and Sunghoon could live together with their parents, where they could be happy. Their past life was cruel and unfair, but this one was just peaceful.

Although their past usually come to Haneul as nightmares, she believed that it wasn't real. That way, she could just move on. 

She wasn't Y/N anymore. She could relax.