22
Give Me 120 More Years
. . . . .
“You’re ambitious, which brings a positive outcome,” Raina started, “you’ll be happy in the future when you’ve found the path that you belong to.”
“I’ll be happy? With the one I love?” Krystal asked growing excited.
“Of course, if it’s someone you love, you’ll be happy, however, before happiness you’ll experience some hardships. It’s only right to experience such pain and misery before finding the happiness that solely belongs to only you,” Raina explained.
“Can you tell me who he is?” Krystal asked. “The one that I’ll be happy with.”
Raina looked at the girl before her.
“Even I don’t know who he is,” Raina honestly told.
Krystal frowned a bit.
“When you’re seeking love,” Raina added, “it’s alright to be selfish sometimes, but it’s only right to be selfish when he is yours.”
. . . . .
“I’ve seen you in 9 different forms,” Onew told. “I don’t know if you’ve realized it, but it gets kind of strange when I think that we’ve had 9 pasts together.”
“9?” Nana repeated feeling bewildered.
Had everything just become even more absurd?
“And the case regarding the daggers,” Onew backtracked, “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to continue with it.”
Nana glanced at him silently wondering why he’d said that.
“There’s something about it that makes me uncomfortable,” Onew complied.
A sense of rebellion reigned inside her.
“Those daggers mean something to me,” Nana said, “I can feel it and it’s just that way. Why we’re having these dreams, I’m not yet sure, but it’d be nice if we can also maintain a safe distance from each other.”
Nana turned back to see that Raina and Krystal had finished their session.
She turned back to Onew, “Is this all you stopped by for? To tell me what you were thinking and that we’ve spend 9 lifetimes together?”
Onew’s mouth opened a little as if to speak but nothing came out.
“Oppa,” Krystal walked over. “Lets go. I’m hungry.”
Onew didn’t budge but finally got up after a moment.
“About the show, I hope you can put it into consideration.” he said before walking out.
Nana watched him go feeling a sense of confusion come over her. Their conversation had no focus at all. She couldn’t understand why he’d said what he’d said. None of it made sense to her. It felt as if he had just barged in and started talking about random topics to her.
She didn’t understand him at all.
Or had he wanted to say something else?
A few hours later when the afternoon rush died Nana made her way to the back and dropped down onto the long couch pulling her legs up for a rest. Raina who was sitting in her chair turned to look at her.
“That girl he was with,” Raina began, “she’s too young but she doesn’t understand. I felt sorry telling her the things I did.”
“Oh yea?” Nana said turning to look at her friend who was currently busy at work.
“But it was easy to tell she’s crazy about her oppa,” Raina pointed out, “it’s a little saddening to see that he doesn’t even see her in the same light.”
Nana glanced at the coffee table quietly.
“But why did they come by?” asked Raina. “Did he have something to tell you?”
“You ask him,” Nana replied playing with the pen she’d discovered.
. . . . .
“Who is she oppa?” asked Krystal asked following Onew into his home after breakfast.
“No one big,” Onew said.
“What do you mean? You were sitting alone with her talking,” Krystal pointed out, “do you know her? Is she someone who works with you?”
Onew walked into the living room to sit down on his couch and the TV.
“Oppa, you didn’t even introduce us back there,” Krystal stated. “Is she someone important?”
“I don’t know.”
Krystal stared at Onew’s back and walked away after she got no response. When her footsteps faded Onew set down the remote control unable to pay attention to whatever was showing on the screen.
He’d said it. 9 lifetimes. Was it possible?
Onew cleared his thoughts.
He had had no purpose making a trip there.
No purpose at all.
He’d just wanted to see her even after he’d assured himself that she couldn’t be the same person he’d been seeing in his dreams.
Now even his actions weren’t making sense.
His logic about not pulling the feelings from the past into the future was breaking apart if he couldn’t maintain his safe distance from her.
. . . . .
Her apartment was empty and clear of any intruders. After a simple breakfast alone she paused at the entryway into the living room. The room where she’d struggled with the intruder and witnessed the blade of the dagger being raised high in the air. And the roar…
Nana stared hard at the wall as if what had happened yesterday would happen again. However, the plain wall just stared back at her. Yet, the roar echoed in her mind.
Could it have been possible at all? That sudden ripples had appeared in the wall as if it were the surface of a lake?
Unable to answer many of her questions Nana slowly stepped toward the wall and when she came face to face with it she reached her hand out and touched the solid surface. It was just a solid wall. She edged her hand further from her to where she remembered the first ripple had appeared. A smooth surface was what she touched.
Had she really seen her mountain lion Lin? Or had her imagination really just been playing tricks?
The murderer didn’t strike at all. Nana kept her eyes on the news and concentrated hard on her phone, however, there was also no call from the police station. Had Chief Jung really replaced her with another psychic without consulting her first? Or had nothing come up at all?
Monday morning after waking up drenched in another pool of tears Nana ate an unappetizing breakfast with her decision made. She was absolutely confident about her decision. It was something she would have to do no matter what.
Nana had never imagined that she would ever be walking through the place. Even the sudden decision stunned her. However, she was already there walking through the empty modern halls full of large portraits of successful reporters and announcers.
When the elevator opened Nana found herself facing the same hall she’d been standing in front of the first time she’d stepped foot there. But this time she knew better than to turn down the wrong hallway.
“Ah…Nana!” a voice shouted.
Nana spun around to find a familiar woman walking toward her.
“Hello,” Nana greeted. “Min Ah, right?”
“Of course, what are you doing here?” Min Ah questioned with a clipboard in hand.
“I’m looking for Onew, do you know where he is?”
“Oh…Onew?” Min An repeated. “He’s just about finishing up his segment right now. Why don’t you go take a seat over at the lounge and I’ll have him come meet you there.”
“Over there?” Nana pointed down the hallway that led to a large window.
Min Ah nodded, “I’ll see you in a bit.”
With that Nana watched as the woman walked away and made her way to the lounge as she’d been directed. Refreshment machines had been placed next to one another and round white tables each with a couple of chairs had been placed around the small square area. Nana found a seat by the window and waited silently while she left her thoughts to put themselves in order.
The white walls accommodating the shiny tiles on the floor of the lounge made the room seem like a prison. But the large window reflecting the large world outside kind of dispelled that feeling of isolation. It was bright out and sunny as well. On a day with clear skies Nana found it a pity that so many people were working and focusing on building their careers instead.
“I’m surprised,” a voice broke her thoughts, “you actually made a trip here.”
Comments