𝑩𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 | 정원

31

Jungwon's expression softened, sadness pooling in his eyes as he stepped closer. He hesitated, as though searching for the right words.

"Tell me," Ji-ah urged again, almost pleading. "Who is she?"

Jungwon stood there, silent for a moment. Then, with a deep breath, he spoke softly, his voice thick with regret.

"Her name... was Ae-ra. She was someone I once loved." He paused, his eyes locking onto Ji-ah's. 

"Your first love," Ji-ah said, stunned.

"Yes," Jungwon admitted. He glanced away, as if the sight of the portrait was too much to bear.

"She looks exactly like me."

"Yes."

"You... knew. You knew it the first time you saw me." 

Jungwon looked up then, his eyes meeting Ji-ah's with a weight she could hardly stand. That same gaze again. There was too much in his gaze, and Ji-ah couldn't take it.

"Stop."

"What?"

"Stop looking at me like that." Ji-ah turned away, swallowing hard. His stare—filled with a hundred things left unsaid—was too much, leaving a strange ache in her heart.

At her words, Jungwon looked down, a shadow crossing his face. The silence between them felt suffocating.

Then Ji-ah let out a breathless, disbelieving laugh. "That's why you said I reminded you of her." Her voice wavered. "When were you going to tell me?"

Jungwon took a deep breath, his voice barely above a whisper. "I wanted to tell you, but I didn't know how. I thought it would be better to keep it to myself."

"I don't believe it either," he continued. "When I saw you... I wasn't sure if I was imagining things."

Ji-ah's heart pounded in her chest as he went on.

"I'm confused, Ji-ah. I don't know what this means... or if it means anything at all."

The air between them crackled with tension, unspoken words hanging heavily in the silence. Ji-ah's heart raced, caught between empathy for Jungwon and a growing unease about the implications of their connection.

She didn't know how to process this. Her world had already flipped upside down the moment she learned vampires existed, but this? This felt like peeling back another layer of a truth she wasn't ready for.

Her voice came out barely above a whisper. "Do you believe in reincarnation?"

Jungwon looked up, studying her face carefully. "I don't know," he replied, his words heavy with uncertainty.

Vampires were real. Maybe reincarnation was too. Ji-ah almost wanted to laugh at how absurd it all seemed. Could she really be Ae-ra in a past life? It sounded ridiculous.

But then... her dreams. A girl had called her Ae-ra in those strange dreams. Could there be a connection? Had she been dreaming about her own past life?

The more she thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed. Yet, it would explain those dreams—if she really had been seeing glimpses of Ae-ra's life.

"You know, I've been hiding something from you too," Ji-ah started, her voice hesitant.

Jungwon looked up, his eyes wary. "What?"

Ji-ah took a breath and met his gaze. "I've been dreaming about you." 

She winced, realizing how that sounded, and quickly added, "And... other strange dreams. I was in different places at different times. I even dreamed about this room. You were there, you spoke to me, but it didn't make sense."

Jungwon's expression shifted, unreadable.

"And I was dreaming about this forest," Ji-ah continued, her words tumbling out faster. "I was running through it, the palace was on fire, and..."

Jungwon's eyes widened slightly, unsure of how to take it all in. "You..." 

"And this girl," she added quietly, "she called me Ae-ra."

Jungwon froze, his expression turning unreadable. For a moment, he just stared at Ji-ah, as if trying to piece together everything she'd just said, his breath seemed to catch in his throat.

"I've been having these dreams a lot," Ji-ah sighed in exasperation. "I can't even sleep properly anymore."

Jungwon hesitated for a moment, then finally spoke. "Can you... tell me exactly what you saw?" 

Ji-ah swallowed, the memories a jumbled mess in her mind. "I... I'll try." She took a deep breath, letting the scenes resurface.

"I was in this room. There was an artist, and he was painting a portrait of... me. Or should I say Ae-ra."

Jungwon listened intently, his expression unreadable, but his eyes held a strange, raw intensity.

"You were there too," Ji-ah continued, her voice softening as she recalled the hazy details. "You spoke to me, and you were... smiling. A real smile. One that felt—" She broke off, a strange warmth in her chest.

Jungwon's gaze softened, though he looked away for a moment as if to steady himself.

Ji-ah's voice grew quieter, almost hesitant. "It felt so real, like I was really there. And then... I remember running through a forest. It was snowing heavily, and the palace caught on fire. Everything felt like... like it was falling apart."

"And... I also saw a figure in the forest. I'm not sure..." She shook her head, the confusion swirling inside her. "I don't understand any of it."

Jungwon stayed silent.

The air between them felt thick, their words hanging heavy in the silence. Ji-ah met his gaze, her pulse pounding. "Do you think I've been dreaming about Ae-ra?"

For a long moment, he didn't answer. His gaze held hers, something raw in his expression. When he finally spoke, his voice was low and even.

"Maybe," he said. "It must mean something. These dreams don't just come from nowhere."

"Then..."

"You said you were running through the forest, and the palace was on fire.." 

He took a step closer, his eyes searching hers. "You were probably dreaming of the day she died."