Maybe in Another Life

I wanna know everything

I woke up in the morning with a splitting headache. I don't even remember getting into bed the night before. In fact, I don't remember much after I...

Me, Yoongi, and the gang. 1856.

I ran to the bathroom and threw up.

While the room eventually stops spinning, my mind is still whirling trying to make sense of things.

First, there was the photo. Me, Yoongi, and the gang. Why did I never think to look at the back of the photo?

Logically, Yoongi could be named after his grandfather.

When I first saw the photo, the only faces I recognized were Halmeoni, Halaboji, and Yoongi's halaboji. But now, just like at Ruby's, the group of unknown faces were suddenly identifiable. Jackson, Vernon, Jeonghan, Jihoon, and countless others I'd crossed paths with in the present were in a photo from 68 years ago. Logically, Brighton wasn't that big, so assuming everyone's family members lived in the area, and looked exactly like their grandparents...

All logic was out the window. Nothing made sense. And I needed answers. Or had I gotten answers and forgotten in my drunken rage?

I took a shower and headed downstairs to talk to Yoongi. If I wanted answers, picking a fight with him wasn't going to help me.

But of course, Yoongi was nowhere to be found.

The picture lay on the side table where I'd left it the night before. I picked it up and slipped it into my pocket before grabbing my jacket and walking out the door.

💜

Not since I had first entered Ruby's had I felt uncomfortable walking in. The place was quieter than normal, but it felt like everyone there had their eyes on me.

When I couldn't find Yoongi at home, I didn't know what else to do but look for Mingyu at Ruby's. While I was sure he'd think I was insane, he was the only person I felt comfortable talking to about all this.

"Uh, hey. Is Mingyu working today?" I asked Lee Seokmin, the bartender on duty, as I sat in my usual spot at the bar. I had been there enough times that he and I were friendly. Mentally I scan through Halmeoni's photo looking for someone who looks like him. I come up short and take a sigh of relief as he poked his head in the back for Mingyu.

"He's not in today. Sorry." Seokmin said as he made his way back to me.

I sigh with disappointment and get up to leave when I remember something. "When you're ready, come see me."

"Is...is Jackson in?"

Seokmin seemed a bit nervous at the request but ducked back into the kitchen once again.

After a few moments, he returned. "He's in a meeting right now, but he said if you want to stick around..."

"No, that's okay." I concede, losing my nerve. "Thank you, though. If Mingyu comes in, could you please let him know I was looking for him?"

Seokmin nods, getting back to another customer. As I'm about to leave, I feel my stomach turn and I feel like I'm about to throw up, again. As a precaution, I excused myself to use the restroom.

After washing my face with the coldest water possible, I looked at myself in the mirror. What the hell was I thinking? What was I even going to tell Mingyu if he had been there? "Hey...um. I think your boss and my roommate are...older than we think." "I think they had...doppelgangers that were friends with my Halmeoni."

And what exactly did I think Jackson was going to do for me? I'd only met him the night before and I was expecting him to have all the answers? And even if he did, why would he tell me? Clearly, he and Yoongi weren't friends anymore and there was a reason for that.