20 Again

Part 3

"Are you going to keep staring at me like that?" My mom uncomfortably shifts in her seat as she puts a piece of kimchi into her mouth.
"네 (ne=yes).." I answer lazily, the smile not leaving my lips even for a second.
"Weird girl.. Go on & eat. Your eonni will pick you up very soon. She'll throw a fit if you're not ready yet when she arrives." She says while focusing back on her bowl of rice.
"네.. Eomma, saranghae." I get up from my seat & kiss her on the cheek.
Completely startled by my sudden display of affection, she touches her cheek & stares at me wide-eyed.
"What in the world is going on with you today?"
"Nothing. Just continue your breakfast." I smile at her & pick up my chopsticks.
I've come to a conclusion that I must be drunk shitless in real life & having a very vivid dream, because there's no way that I could really go back in time, right? This kind of stuff only happens in movies or dramas. I'll treat this as a break from my miserable reality. If I can't turn back time for real, let me do it in my dream.
But what about Jisung?
My heart stops as Jisung's innocent smiling face filled my mind.
Jisung ah, wait just for a little while for eomma. I'll come back to you again once I wake up from this dream.
"Btw, where's appa?" I redirect my thoughts & bury the guilt inside me.
"He's going out for morning walk with his friends as usual. He-" She suddenly stops talking & clutches her chest.
"Eomma?! Are you okay?" Panicked, I abruptly stand up & rush to her side.
"I'm fine. I probably swallowed too fast & the food got stuck in my pipes." She pats my shoulder to reassure me, but I know that it wasn't that simple.
"Yeobo! Look what our neighbor gave us. Dongman's wife made some radish kimchi & it tasted so good. You should learn how to make it from her, yours is a bit too sour." My dad barges into the dining room with a box in his hand.
"What's wrong? Why are both of you staring at me like that?" He asks when he notices that we're looking at him in annoyance.
"Nothing. Finish your breakfast Y/n ah." My mom urges me to go back to my seat.
"Appa, eomma experienced pain in her chest earlier. You should bring her to get it checked." I straighten my back & approach my father.
"Really? I bet her food just went down the wrong pipe." He glances at her & immediately dismisses my concern.
"Appa! Can't you be a little bit more attentive to eomma?! You'll regret it when it's too late!" I can't contain my emotion & yell at him.
"Why are you yelling at me? Did I say anything wrong?" He looks back & forth between me & my mom quizzically.
"Y/n ah.." She stands up & tells me to shut it, but I won't. Not this time.
"You need to take better care of her. She's done so much for this family, yet all you do is complaining. If you like Dongman ajusshi's wife so much, why didn't you just marry her?!"
"Kim Y/n! That's enough. Apologize to your father now. What's wrong with you this morning? You've been acting so weird since earlier." My mom slaps her chopsticks on the table & scolds me.
I turn to look at her & tears inadvertently escape my eyes.
"I don't want to lose you again." I mutter under my breath.
"Mwo (what)? What is she talking about? Are you going somewhere yeobo?" My dad asks in confusion.
I know that it wasn't his fault, but I still couldn't let go the resentment I have for my dad.
If only he had taken better care of her.. If only I had done more..
In a swift move, I snatch the box from his hand & throw it in the garbage bin.
"Ya Kim Y/n.." My dad tries to stop me but he isn't fast enough. The box drops with a loud thud inside the bin.
"I don't need Dongman ajusshi's wife's kimchi. I think eomma's kimchi tastes one thousand- no, one hundred thousand times better than hers. Eomma, I'll be going first. Saranghae." I say before I stomp out the door.
"Ya! You haven't finished your breakfast!" I can hear her calling, but I continue walking while wiping away the tears from my face.
I won't let it happen again. Not in my dreams.

The morning breeze cools down my heated cheeks as I walk briskly out of the neighborhood. I take in my surroundings & am amazed by how real all of this feels.
This sure is one VERY vivid dream.
The sudden sound of car honking makes me turn my head.
"Ya! Where are you going? Have you forgotten about your promise?" A red Mazda stops right beside me & a woman wearing a pair of huge sunglasses shouts at me from inside the car.
"Eonni?" I barely recognize her with the trendy short haircut & eccentric outfit.
Ahhh now I remember. She used to have that period of trying too hard to be fashionable.
"Get in the car. We're running late already." She commands.
"Where are we going exactly?" I ask her as I get on the passenger seat beside her.
"Ya Kim Y/n, did you lose your memory or something? I'm organizing my friend's restaurant opening today & you promised to be my assistant." She shoots me a weird look before hitting the gas.
Wait.. I feel like something important is going to happen today. But what is it?