Shin Hye debated, she twisted the problem around and around trying to find a solution.  There just didn’t seem to be one or not a logical one.  She talked to her friends about reincarnation, she talked to her minister and she talked to her family.  No two people had the same views or beliefs when it came to reincarnation. 

She made an appointment with Dr. Yong Shi Mu of the Edinburgh College of Parapsychology located in Edinburgh, Scotland.  Shin Hye did not know such a college existed or that it was so famous.  She had just googled it and was impressed.  She was more impressed with the resume of Dr. Yong Shi Mu.  Dr. Yong was in Seoul on loan to the Samsung Medical Center located in Irwon-Dong of the Gangnam-Gu, Seoul district and in partners with Sungkyunkwan University.  It was an impressive validation of Dr. Yong.

“Dr.Yong, thank you for agreeing to see me on such short notice; I understand you are a busy woman.”

“Miss Park, you are welcome.  I understand this has been going on for a while?  Miss Park, would you mind if another client joins us today?  He is experiencing some of the same situations you are and he is in the throes of past regression flashbacks just like you.”

“When you say it like that how can I refuse?  Of course he may join us.  All I ask is no reporters or paparazzi. And please call me Shin Hye.”

There was a knock at the door and Dr. Yong pulled the door open and welcomed someone.  Shin Hye couldn’t see the person but she certainly heard his voice.  She stood - an automatic reaction to his voice.  He saw her and looked confused.   Dr. Yong looked back and forth exclaiming, “Oh my goodness, I didn’t know who you two were till just now.  I have seen your commercials.  I’m honored to meet you, how do you do?”

Min Ho looked at Shin Hye as she looked at him.  She thought, now what?  He thought, now what?  Both were thinking, “How do I get out of this situation?”

Dr. Yong smacked the palm of her hand against her forehead.  “Oh for crying out loud, don’t tell me you two are part of the same regressive memory?  Don’t tell me you are connected from the past?  Oh this is too good to be true.  I have truly searched for two people having coinciding collective memory flashes.  I understand you two might not be happy but for the sake of research and increasing my knowledge base, this is phenomenal!“ 

Evidently, both Min Ho and Shin Hye thought, she is happy. 

Shin Hye took a deep breath and addressed the situation.  “Dr. Yong, why would you think we share a collective memory between Min Ho and me?  I haven’t told you anything yet.”

Dr. Yong, “Perhaps you haven’t but Dr. Yeh filled me in on what you do remember.  Ms. Park, Shin Hye, this is not just coincidental.  You are both dreaming something similar so the natural assumption is that it might possibly be a shared memory.  Why don’t we get started and see what we can find out?”

Shin Hye wasn’t so sure she wanted Min Ho to find out how vulnerable she was where he was concerned.  She wasn’t sure herself why she felt the way she did toward him so she would prefer he not know at least till she knew first.

“Uh, I don’t know about this.  No offense, Min Ho, but I don’t know that I want to share something this personal with anyone.”

“None taken, Shin Hye.  I don’t want to share this information with anyone else either or not till I know what I am sharing.’

“Stop!  Both of you stop!”  Dr. Yong said quite firmly.  “Is there a problem between the two of you I need to know about before either of you start regressing?  Do you feel animosity toward each other?  These are important questions for they could help clear up what is going on inside your memory, inside your dreams.  Aren't you two in the middle of an Etude House commercial filming now?”

“No and Yes,” said Shin Hye.

“No and Yes,” said Min Ho.

“Fine, this will work then.  Now, Min Ho I understand you have a second set of written notes I need to read.  May I see them?” Dr. Yong held her hand out for the sheets of paper where he had written such damning words.  He hesitated.  Dr. Yong cocked her head to the side exclaiming, “This won’t work if you two decide to clam up simply because of who you are and refuse to cooperate.  Tell me what you want to do so we can get started.  Or do you even want my help?”

Shin Hye and Min Ho were silent.  They nodded yes.  Dr. Yong stared at them both for a moment saying, “All right then, let’s get started.  I need to explain something to you first.   The Parapsychological Association refers to paranormal phenomena as “The scientific and scholarly study of certain unusual events associated with human experience.  In spite of what the media implies parapsychology is not the study of anything paranormal or bizarre.  Nor is it concerned with astrology, UFOs, Big Foot, paganism, vampires, alchemy or witchcraft.  It is the study of mental phenomena not explainable by accepted principles of science.  However, interesting and entertaining all that is I do not concern myself with such – I am interested in the study and documentation of past lives.  The theory is that most people have a soul that continues onward.  We have 3 levels of consciousness:  the conscious mind, the sub-conscious mind and the super-conscious mind.  I am interested in the 3^rd level.  I try to access this level by hypnosis allowing you to talk about your former life.  It seems that what one experiences in their past life will be passed down to each subsequent life.  By bringing that life into the open you allow yourself to correct say a harmful behavior.  You will find that the people you were connected to in your previous life are the people you are connected to now.  In some form, however limited, each life revolves around the same people.  It has been discovered that a couple in today’s world were more than likely a couple a thousand years ago.  Our souls continue forever and our souls are connected for eternity to the same souls."

"This is not necessarily a popular or accepted belief in the Western world that is predominantly Christian.  The world is much larger and much more complex than we can imagine.  Reincarnation is an old belief while Hinduism and Buddhism believe this at the core of their religion.   So whether you believe or not, we need to see what you have stored deep within your super-conscious mind to help stop your nightmares and incomplete flashes of memory.  Perhaps we will succeed.  Shall we try?”

Min Ho stole a glance at Shin Hye.  He felt his senses heighten the moment he looked at her face.  He knew that face for he had traced its contours many times in the past.  He remembered the night bed scene he had written and his face burned.  His mind swirled around the beauty of the woman before him now but he reveled in the memory of this same woman from his life so many centuries ago.  Was this real?  It certainly seemed real to him.  He felt such a feeling of pain when he remembered he had lost her in the past and he suddenly realized he didn’t want to lose her in this life.

Shin Hye felt his eyes on her.  She had always been able to feel his eyes on her.  She had an immediate reaction to him everytime she met him.  She wasn’t sure about this past life experience or regression therapy but she knew she had to try something to stop the nightmares.  She had to do something so she didn’t panic each time she saw him.  She finally realized it was not the panic of seeing him but the feeling she had deep within that she would not see him again.  That her life would suddenly end without him.

Dr. Yong held her hand out again to Min Ho and he reluctantly handed her the sheets of paper.  She smiled at him saying, “That didn’t hurt that much now did it?”  She began to read and Shin Hye watched her expressions closely.  Dr. Yong would look up many times during each page.  She had this look of utter amazement on her face.  She finished reading and taking her glasses off she rubbed the bridge between her eyes.  She looked at Min Ho and said, “Wow.”

“Min Ho, I have no idea but I read real history among your written pages.  I have a feeling a historian would be able to verify almost all of your writing minus, ahem, a few details.  Do you, as you say in your written words, really remember what the Princess looked like?  And you think you have seen her since?”

Min Ho glanced quickly toward Shin Hye and then back to Dr. Yong.  “I fear it is probably true, all of it.  And yes, I do recognize the Princess as someone among people I am acquainted with – I see that person occasionally.  Is this good or bad?”

Dr. Yang said, “It will be easier to accomplish our goals with you because you have been able to remember much of your dream.  It will be harder with Shin Hye because she does not remember in this kind of detail.  It will be necessary to try to get her to remember and tell me what it is she remembers.”

“I need to know if you two will be comfortable hearing what the other says under hypnosis or do you want to set up separate times to work through the regression?”

Shin Hye glanced at Min Ho to find him looking at her as if questioning whether she existed or not.  How strange he is, she thought.  Min Ho said, “I have no problem if Shin Hye doesn’t have a problem.  I can accept her hearing it.”

Shin Hye was not so fast to agree.  She was thinking.  She looked at Min Ho and he stared back at her.  She really wasn’t seeing him because she was wondering how he would react to anything she said – would he think her crazy?

Shin Hye seemed to come to a decision.  She nodded her head yes and said, “I can live with that if he can.”

Dr. Yang remarked, “I can too so let’s get started.”

Dr. Yang advised Shin Hye to go to the bathroom because this initial hypnosis session would last 45 minutes.  She told them both it would be unusual to get the whole story in one session.  So they would take this in baby steps and work through it for a solution. 

Dr. Yang had Shin Hye decide how she wanted to relax for the maximum effect.  Shin Hye preferred to not lay flat but rather to recline in Dr. Yang’s recliner.  Shin Hye got comfortable and Dr. Yang began the process of hypnosis.  Shin Hye was neither an easy sleep nor was she difficult.  She went under at 3 pm in the afternoon and at 4 pm she was sitting up drinking the cup of hot tea Dr. Yang insisted she finish.  She was curious why Min Ho looked at her so strangely.  She hoped she had not said or done something embarrassing while under hypnosis. 

Dr. Yang was busy typing notes in her tablet.  She would occasionally glance at Shin Hye and then Min Ho as if contemplating something she had suspected before hearing confirmation.  Shin Hye wanted her to tell what she had said and done.  She needed to know especially since Min Ho was giving her some sort of fisheye. 

Dr. Yang told them both, “Min Ho heard and saw the same thing I did so he can correct me if I forget.  Now, Shin Hye, your first session was interesting for you touched on not one but three past lives.  The first one you gave the date as 1933 and your husband’s name was Kim Joong Dong.  You described him as tall perhaps 6’2”, black silky hair, lean muscular build with the most amazing eyes in the world.  Ahem.  The second one you gave the date as 1864 and your husband’s name was Yi Min Hye.  You described him as tall about 6’2”, black silky hair, lean muscular build with the most amazing eyes and the best kisser in the world.  Another Ahem.  The third one you dated as 1423 and you said your name was Princess Jeongseon and your lover’s name was The Dragon.  He was tall, slender and had beautiful black silky hair.  You said he left you and never came back, that you were carrying his child when he left and your brother, the King, had you executed.”

“Shin Hye, my dear, I have discussed this briefly with Min Ho while you were waking up.  Would you be kind enough to read Min Ho’s account of his two dreams?  The relevance will be evident once you have finished.  Please?”   Dr. Yong looked a bit puzzled but more concerned.

Shin Hye took the papers with trepidation.  She had a bad feeling about this.  She read for a half-hour, going back and re-reading sections with either a blush or a loss of color.  She finished the pages stunned with what she had read.  She didn’t know whether to be afraid or embarrassed.  She was avoiding Min Ho’s eyes.  OMG, she thought, I described him each time but what he wrote is the long version of what I said.  Am I connected to Min Ho?  Is that why my heart beats like it does when he is near?  Why him Lord?  Why Lee Min Ho, Male extraordinaire? Aisshhhh, why did he have to write that scene in ink for someone to read?  I will not look at him, I will not.  She was thinking and telling herself she would not look at him while slowly turning her head to look him squarely in the eyes.  Her face burned a bright red as she remembered his words.  She remembered.  She didn’t remember everything but she remembered.

“Shin Hye, let’s schedule a time you both are free.  I think it is imperative you both be included in this each step of the way.  We probably would not have gotten as far as we did today if Min Ho had not been here.   You two talk about the scheduling and one of you text me with the time and date you are free.  I will rearrange my schedule to correspond to yours.  Now I need to run for I have a lecture to give.  Please make sure you shut the door tightly when you leave.  I will see you both soon.”   Dr. Yong left.

“Shin Hye?  I am sorry for whatever we have been through in our past lives.  I am sorry if I caused you harm.  This is new to me also and I don’t even know where to begin or what to think or do.  So please forgive me.  And Shin Hye?  I think I have known you forever – just so you know.  So, what does your schedule look like for Tuesday of next week?”

She was hesitant to acknowledge his words.  She wasn’t sure she wanted to validate her words during hypnosis yet.  She wasn’t sure she could deal with being the soul mate of Min Ho because wasn’t that what it boiled down to?  Her soul was tied to Lee Min Ho throughout eternity and she had no idea how to deal with those words.  She was excited but horrified at the same time.  She thought Min Ho was one of the top 4 or 5 gorgeous men in the world.  She knew he was a gentleman and she knew he was nice.  She just didn’t know how to deal with him – the y man him.  She blushed everytime she thought of him so how could she handle this? 

However, what she said was, “Min Ho? I am free after 2 pm next Tuesday.  Will that work for you?”

He grinned saying, “Oh you would be surprised how well that works for me.  Sorry, don’t take it wrong but you have been on my mind since you were about 16 years-old.  It is a tale worth hearing sometime and I have a feeling you have a similar one concerning me.  So shall we meet same place new time this coming Tuesday?  Say 3 pm for safety’s sake?”

He stood and walked toward her.  She was seated so she couldn’t escape.  She felt trapped but giddy with excitement.  She had been in this same situation with this same man so many times in the past.  How fascinating, she thought.  As she looked up to see exactly what he was doing, he bent down and landed a soft tingly kiss on her lips.  She was surprised but did not resist.  When he increased the pressure of the kiss, she responded.  His hand was cupping the side of her face where jaw meets cheekbone.  It was a gentle soft caress.  He pulled away, turned and walked out the door.