On the other side

[Prologue]

Jimin
He always wondered what it meant to experience deja vu. Has he visited this place before in his past life? Was there a past life? There were many questions surrounding that topic, when he says something and gets a strange sensation that he's said it before; to the exact same person, in the exact same place, and time. Jimin nibbled on his bottom lip and stabbed the canvas with his wet paint brush.

"Agh! Forget it, i'm never gonna paint anything. Why do I even try?" He sighed dramatically and fell back onto his sofa. Sejin stared at him quizzically. The calico cat began purring as Jimin scratched between her ears. "Sejin, have you ever seen another cat, and thought... ha! I've seen you before." Jimin glanced at the cat who only licked his nose. "No joke, i know 50 other cats that look like you." He sighed heavily again.

Jimin liked talking to his cat, and any other living animal on earth. Springing up from his seat, he slid open his balcony door and inhaled deeply before gazing upon the waning Moon. "Mr Moon, you've lived before any other creature. Tell me, how many times have i walked this earth?" He propped his chin on his hand and stared wistfully at the starry sky "Tell me, how many times have i fallen in love? How many times have i held the same hands... how many times have i kissed the same lips?"

The stars beamed brightly, yet the only reply was the cool wind of Spring. Jimin pouted and looked down to the empty street below him. As soon as he smelt the faint waft of smoke, Jimin scrunched his nose and walked back inside.

His neighbour smoked often, spending most of his time on the balcony inhaling death and working. But Jimin had a timeslot to himself when the man would go for a shower, allowing him to speak freely to the sky.

"Sejin. Its midnight. Should we sleep?" The calico yawned and stuck her tongue out before rolling over, bursting Jimin's heart. He carried her to the bedroom and sat himself down.

Jimin didn't want to admit it, but he hated sleeping. Ever since his 21st birthday, he had been getting strange and unsettling dreams. Though they varied in strangeness, there was one thing that always made itself present: Angels.

He would incessently dream of angels. He would see them, be one, be in love with one. No matter the situation, he always faced a haunting angel. He would see its face ever so clearly but the moment he woke up the details would wither away. Sejin had begun to notice his spiral and pressed her nose against his arm, Jimin smiled softly and pursed his lips. Sleep is sleep.

Taehyung

He draped the towel over his wet hair and grabbed a cigarette before kicking his balcony door open. He could already hear the faint mumble of the boy next door who always spoke to himself. Sometimes Taehyung liked to listen, some nights it was so boring it sent him to sleep. But it seems his neighbour detected a pattern and disappeared whenever Taehyung stepped foot outside. Shame.

He stared at his artwork on the table and growled. There it was again. The same face, but not a face? It has been months and Taehyung couldn't stop drawing the same thing. He even tried painting things that didnt involve a face, he drew ears, eyes, noses, cheeks and anything else. But in the end, the resemblance was uncanny.

Tonight he decided to not paint. Knowing full well what his hands would end up drawing. The same face he's never seen in his life, a stranger's face. Where did all his creativity go? What was his memory trying to tell him?

Taehyung hesitantly looked up at the grey moon and huffed "You better answer him real fucking soon." He pointed the cigarette accusingly "I'm tired of hearing him talk to you every night. I'm too nice to complai- well shit. Look at me, now i'm the one talking to you" Taehyung scoffed.

The man gritted his teeth and sighed. He glanced at his earlier painting and felt a sudden burst of anger. The impulse to punch the work, to rip it to shreds and throw the whole table over the balcony-

Soju jumped up and placed his paws on Taehyung's quivering leg. It snapped him out of the ocean of anger that seemed overbearing at the time. He smiled and ruffled the dog's ears. Earning a cute whine and a lick. "Thanks, Soju." Taehyung didn't know why he decided to name his beloved dog after alcohol. Maybe because the dog always managed to drown his sorrows away in an instant.

He picked up the piece of paper and gave it to the german shepherd. The dog took the painting gently and ran away with it. Taehyung knew the best way to destroy his work without remorse was to let Soju rip it to shreds.

The question his neighbour asked suddenly surfaced in his mind, making Taehyung think. How many times has he kissed the same lips? Though he didn't believe in reincarnation, the thought amused and provoked him. Believing in such a thing is a blessing and a curse. To muse the idea that your past lover has reborn, yet you may never find them sounds like hell on earth.

Taehyung trudged to his bedroom and threw himself onto his cold sheets. Groaning loudly before drifting away. Back to dream land where he dreamt of  the same face he's never met. Maybe he was going insane.

-

Hii!
I hope this went well, a reboot...
I feel anxious. I hope you guys dont hate me for redoing my other book. I promise i will complete this book, its a short story and i really like the new plot.

So please support your dearest author, it means alot!

- Bear