CHAPTER 36: She's not me 

After a few moment, Jinyoung came back while calling Jihyo.

Jihyo turned her head and saw Jinyoung walked with someone. And that someone called her, "Jisoo ya.."

Jihyo opened her eyes widely. "Oppa? Sungjin oppa?"

Sungjin smiled as he held his tears. "Yeah, Jisoo ya.. I'm your oppa.."

Jihyo ran closer and hugged him. Even though his body was through Jihyo's body, but Sungjin hugged her back.

They were hugging for a few minutes before they went back to sit on a bench. Jihyo sat in the middle.

She asked, "How can I see you?"

"I never thought you'll say that you want to meet me. So yeah, I did my best effort to negotiate with The Highers. Then, I got this dispensation." Sungjin told Jihyo excitedly.

Jihyo smiled so bright. "I thought you're still a young boy. Now, you have become a handsome man, oppa.."

Sungjin smiled shyly. 

Then, Jinyoung protested, "I'm handsome too.."

Jihyo turned her head to Jinyoung and said, "Yeah, you're handsome too oppa.. All my oppa are handsome !"

They laughed together.

Then Jihyo stared at Sungjin again, "I can't believe that young boy who apppeared in my dreams, now sitting next to me."

Sungjin nodded and then asked, "How'd you remember me?"

"I don't know, Oppa.. it started from that night, when I walked in Hangang Bridge.. There was a commotion there, turned out that there was someone who jumped from the bridge. I felt terrible. It was my first time seeing a dead body was brought from the river. I directly thought 'aah, Seoul must be a hard city, to make its citizen end his life like that'. After that, I felt scared being in this city, that someday I'll do the same with him.."

"You did try.." Jinyoung smirked.

Jihyo could only grin as she said, "I'm sorry.."

"Then?" Sungjin asked Jihyo to continue the story.

"Then it started from that day, I dreamt of you oppa.. I thought that I was hunted by that man's ghost. But it felt strange, because I wasn't afraid, I was... sad. Like I knew that young boy really well, and I was sad that we were separated." Jihyo paused to looked at Sungjin and continued, " Because I kept dreaming of you, I started to look for who that young boy is. I looked for every news about drowning incident, I went to police department to ask for a drowning case. I did my best to look for it. And after a long searching, I found an article telling me a tragic story of a musical actress who lost her children in Busan. There was a picture of you and me there." Jihyo looked down, feeling sad as she remembered the time she found out about this reality.

"At first, I'm in denial. Ah that girl isn't me. It's just a mere coincidence.. But as I think about it, somehow it answered the question why I have no baby picture in the house. Every picture of me started from me as 7 years old girl."

"Why don't you tell me if you found out about this?" Jinyoung asked.

"How can I tell you, oppa? You treat me like I'm a princess. I don't have a heart to hurt you. So I stayed silent. Moreover I decided to pretend that I didn't know about it. Living with Jinyoung oppa is more than enough for me." Jihyo sent a smile to Jinyoung but then she bent her head down. "It's just.. I still couldn't forget the memory of Sungjin oppa reaching out his hand for me.."

Sungjin held Jihyo's hand and said, "I'm sorry for making you dreaming of me. I didn't know that you found it out since years a go.. But maybe that was how God tell you that I came. I always come to see you, Jisoo ya.. I was there when you cried by yourself after Mina bullied you. I accompanied you when you were waiting Jinyoung to come home. Somehow I played my guitar when you serenaded a song. I always by your side even when you didn't know."

Jihyo cried happily as she hugged Sungjin. Jinyoung then joined them. The three of them were hugging together pouring their love to each other.

Then after that, Jinyoung initiated to take a picture together. 

"Can we?" Jihyo was confused.

"Just do it. Even if we don't show up, you know that we're there. It will be a nice memory for the three of us." Jinyoung smiled brightly.

"That's right!" Jihyo took out her phone and prepared the front camera. With that, she counted, "1, 2, 3, Click!"

Then Jihyo checked the picture they have just captured. Jihyo looked like taking picture of herself only, but she knew her oppar were by her sides. She looked at them and smiled at each other.

Then Sungjin told Jihyo softly. "Jisoo ya.. Mom and dad must have a difficult time losing both of us. Don't you want to forgive them? Please come back to them, and give them happiness that I can't give to them."

Jihyo looked at Sungjin and then nodded firmly.

"Good girl!"

-00-

In the next morning, Jihyo woke up early. She wanted to make breakfast for her parents. Yeah, today she would go to their house and apologised for being rude in the past days. Jinyoung and Sungjin were watching her from the dining table.

"Seems like you take after dad, Jihyo ya.. and me take after mom.." Sungjin told Jihyo.

As she chopped the cabbage she responded to Sungjin. "Please sing for me, oppa.."

"I can sing too!" Jinyoung didn't want to lose.

"Yeah, what if you two sing together, uhm?" 

Jinyoung clapped his hands once, feeling excited. "Okay! What song, Hyung?"

Sungjin looked like thinking for a while but then he gave asked, "Wonder girls nobody?"

"Ya, do you want to tease me??" Jinyoung protested.

As Jihyo stirred the porridge, she asked, "What's with that song?"

"He ever sing it when he possessed you." Sungjin answered.

"Really? Then sing it again, I want to listen.."responded Jihyo.

"No. Just choose another song!" Jinyoung resisted.

But Sungjin has already taking his guitar and played the song. "I want nobody nobody but you!"

Jihyo turned around to see Sungjin singing the song. She also mouthed 'come on sing, oppa!' to Jinyoung.

So, in the next refrain, Jinyoung joined Sungjin to sing and even danced.

Jihyo was laughing happily to see her oppar playing along like that.

-00-

Jihyo went to Park residence with Sungjin and Jinyoung. She tried to normalize her heartbeat before she rang the bell of the gate.

"Are you nervous?" Jinyoung asked Jihyo.

"Yeah, I was so rude to them.." answered Jihyo as she hugged her lunch box so tight on her chest.

"Don't worry.They will smile from ear to ear seeing you here." Sungjin tried to calm her.

"That's right." Jihyo then pushed the bell and after a few moment her mom coming.

"Oh? Jisoo ya?" She looked pleasantly surprised

Jihyo smiled.

"Hubby, Jisoo is here!" She was screaming calling her husband.

"Really??" There heard a voice from inside the house. And soon he came outside. "Jisoo ya.."

"Good morning.. I bring you breakfast." Jihyo smiled at them.

They sat in the dining seat and started to eat the breakfast Jihyo made. 

"Woah, this is really delicious.. You make it by yourself?" Mom asked Jihyo.

"Yes.." Jihyo nodded shyly.

"Of course, she takes after me.." Dad said proudly.

"The Bolognese pasta that you ate in the restaurant was also made by me." Jihyo added.

Mr.Park was surprised, "Really? Woah, my daughter is Jjang!" He gave Jihyo thumbs up.

When Jihyo heard the words my daughter, somehow it made her tear up.

"Ooh, why are you crying?" Mom asked.

As she wiped her tears, Jihyo answered, "It's nice to hear you call me your daughter.." But tears won't stop falling in the middle of her sobbing, she said, "I'm sorry for being rude to you for the past days.."

Mrs. Park moved to sit next to her and hugged her. "No.. We understand you.. We're really grateful that you're here now.."

"That's right.." Mr. Park added, "Don't cry.. You'll ruin your pretty face if you cry.. Just eat and then we will take you to school."

"Yes..." Jihyo wiped her happy tears, and he saw Sungjin and Jinyoung in the room They were all smiling, supporting her. 

-00-

"Should we pick you up after school?" Asked Mrs. Park as they arrived at Jihyo's school.

"Better pick me up in the restaurant, mom.." Jihyo said.

Mrs. Park was teary to hear Jihyo called her with mom. But then Mr. Park asked Jihyo. "Aah, you need to work in Il Mondo?"

"Yes.." Jihyo nodded.

"Okay, we'll pick you up there.. Bye bye.." They waved hands at Jihyo.

Jihyo waved back. "Bye bye.."

"See you later, my daughter.." Mrs. Park said before Jihyo went inside the school.

Once she went inside the school, she met Mina. She directly asked, "Who are they?"

"My mom and dad.." Jihyo answered happily

But Mina was confused, "Mom and dad?"

"Yeah.." Jihyo nodded firmly.

"But I thought--"

"They're my another parents.. I have two parents.." Jihyo cut Mina words.

"Woah.. You need to tell me the details, Park Jihyo .."

"Alright!" 

Mina observed Jihyo for a while and commented, "You look so happy.."

"Really?" Jihyo was surprised by the comment. But she also observed Mina. "You too look happy.."

Mina smiled. "I have met my mom.."

"Really??" Jihyo stopped Mina and asked her in the eyes. "Then, she's going to take you to Japan?"

Mina