The unseen memories
TILL OUR NEXT LIVESThe old man was walking back and forth the front gate, waiting for his expected guests. He was excited to see his hyung and noona again, but more than that he was excited to tell their story. When he saw the couple coming, a big grin quickly surfaced in his face.
He ushered them inside and started recalling. “You were just born months apart so you practically grew up together. Added to that is also the fact that our parents, I mean Dara, your great great grandparents, and my parents, were bestfriends. Literally, we all grew up having two sets of parents. Uncle and Aunt Park were our second parents, that’s same for you noona to our parents. Since you’re an only child, you will usually go here to play with hyung, me, and Minzy, our youngest sibling. There are also some nights where you sleep with us. Though, we are all cramped in a small room, we still like it.”
“Did you know, before I thought that it was always okay to hold a girl’s hand though you’re not in a relationship with her because I always saw hyung and noona do it. Hyung will fetch noona in the morning for school, and they will automatically hold hands. Same with everywhere they go.”
“Will you believe that they were also classmates every single year, no missed. We all know that both hyung and noona are smart, but I think the real reason is because the teachers, themselves, wanted hyung and noona to be together.”
“Aside from being smart, they both love music too. Noona played the piano while hyung played guitar. The person you met the other day, Daesung hyung, he’s one of their friends. All of them including Chaerin noona and Youngbae hyung play music, they are our town’s representative to performances and competitions in the city.”
“Here, in this living room. Noona will usually waits here for hyung while talking or annoying me. They often wander around, going to the plaza, chatting or joking around with our neighbors. They do all sorts of thing together.”
“They were inseparable since birth so they thought that they were just playmates, bestfriends. But we on the other hand, the people around them, we knew better. We know there’s something going on with them that’s more than just being friends, but they haven’t realized yet. We didn’t how it happened but they just came home one day with entwined hands. It was the usual sight but that day we knew something was different.”
Jiyong and Dara’s faces were full of admiration but there’s still something that was bothering them.
“But how did it happen, how did I die?” The old man’s face turned gloomy from Jiyong’s question. Until now he was still traumatized, remembering how his brother died right in his arms.
“Our family is out in the market to buy some supplies. When we finished, hyung saw a store across the street, it sells strawberries, noona’s favorite fruit.” The old man glanced at Dara sadly. “It’s my favorite too.” Dara mumbled.
“I went with hyung and we bought some. We were about to go back to where our parents and Minzy were when a man bumped into hyung causing some of the fruits to roll on the streets. Hyung quickly followed those, and everything just happened too fast. A car lost its control and the next thing we knew hyung was already bathed with blood. The scene was terrifying, it’s still haunting me up to now. I just cried and cried.”
“It’s my fault.” Dara barely whispered before breaking down into tears. She was blaming herself, the past Jiyong died because he was thinking of her.
The old man clenched his fist, trying his best not to succumb into cries, seeing Dara in her state as Jiyong soothes her with his hugs. Flashback of how broken his noona was when he told her about his hyung was repeating again. “I’m sure during those times when noona was helpless, hyung can see it and wanted to comfort her like what this Jiyong is doing.” He thought, trying to comfort himself.
KWON SEUNGRI’s POV
“By the way, noona likes my poems. Before I started doing novels, I spent years writing poems. She praised me a lot. Whenever she visits here, she will always read it. She always asked me to teach hyung too so she could receive some from him but what she didn’t know it was hyung who taught me.”
That day when his brother died….
“Hyung, why don’t you show the poems you’ve been doing for noona? She’s always nagging me whenever she saw me writing one.” Seungri asked while they crossed the streets.
“It’s not yet the right time.”
“As a wedding gift to her, your future wife?” Seungri teased.
“Maybe.” Jiyong grinned which he took an understanding that it really is.
No one knew that Jiyong has a talent in poetry. It just happened that his younger brother sneaked into his room while he was doing one, and eventually he taught him how to write.
What made him write? It was Dara. Everytime he thinks about her, words and lines just started forming unconsciously as if it was how his mind was programmed.
My brother’s poems for noona, he wasn’t able to give it. I wanted to do it for hyung before noona moved but I don’t know where he hid it. It was just ten years ago when my grandson found it in a hidden floor compartment on hyung’s old room. And now that Jiyong and Dara are here, the next lives of my hyung and noona, it will not be hidden anymore. Noona will finally have the chance to read it.
I got the box where it was all safely sheltered, and gave it to them. “Here, I supposed these are all yours.”
“What are these?”
“Hyung wrote it for noona. He kept it from her since he wanted to give it as his wedding gift. But that didn’t happen. And now look at the both you, your fates really played well.” The couple bowed down, scanning what’s inside.
“It’s your memories. Treasure it.”
“We will sir. It’s our love story.”
JIYONG’s POV
“It was the best decision we go here.”
“Very. It's quite sad we need to go back home soon.” Dara replied as we spent our last afternoon, strolling around the plaza.
“Good afternoon little boy.” I greeted a random kid, playing around. He gave us his toothy grin, and quickly resumed on playing. We continued on walking when I noticed that the little kid was already following us.
“Babe, wait.” I halted Dara, and waited for the kid to reach us.
“Do you need anything?”
“No. Hyung and noona just remind me of something, and it makes me happy.” The kid giddily replied.
“Really?” Dara sat down, leveling her gaze to his. He suddenly grabbed both our hands, and dragged us on a bench. Dara and I looked at each other curiously, not knowing what this kid is planning to do.
“I will tell you a love story, one that I really adore.” The kid started with twinkling eyes. “Long long time ago, in this town, there’s a boy and a girl. They are always together. They play together, eat together, go to school together, play music together, celebrate the festival together, they do everything together. I’ve heard their families are very very close.”
“Soon, they fell in love. They were just in their teens but they’re already so much in love. Some envy them but not the bad envy, the good envy; everyone just loves them. Their love brightens the day of everyone.”
“Then one day, the boy suddenly died from an accident. This whole town was mourning but the girl, she refused to accept it. She was acting like the boy was not yet dead, spending her day looking and waiting for him.”
“The girl was holding all the pain. She tried to act strong but deep inside she was lost and empty. Everyone was worrying for her but it was only her that could help herself.”
“Then after some time, the girl’s family decided to leave this town. People were sad because the girl was the only memory left from the young love they’ve always admired. On the day the girl was leaving, someone overheard the girl while she was saying her goodbye to the boy’s brother. She promised him that on her next life she will find his hyung again, her lover, and that she will still love him.”
I glanced at Dara. She was smiling while playing with the kid’s chubby fingers. “Do you know their names?” She asked.
“No. My grandparents forgot it already. But noona, hyung, do you think the girl has already found him? Everynight, I always include them in my prayers. I want them to have a happy ending.” Dara and I both chuckled on his question.
“If the girl promised, I know she have already found him.” Dara replied, looking at me.
“But is it really possible to live again?”
“We’ll never know. But one’s love is very powerful. That’s for sure.” I replied back. The kid’s face was clearly in deep thought, probably wanting to understand what I just said but can’t really figure it out. But one will never be too young to understand love. With the way he told us our story with so much admiration, I know his heart understands it. It might be complicated but it was simple to feel.
“Anyways, I just remember it suddenly when you were walking hand in hand a while ago. There’s this feeling like I felt what the people from the past felt whenever they see the boy and the girl together. You’re a couple, right?”
“We are married.”
“Ahhhh, how perfect could it be if you’re the next lives of the boy and the girl.” The kid smiled dreamily.
“Maybe, we are.” I grinned at him while Dara started pinching his cheeks.
“Hyung, noona, I’m going. Mom must be looking for me.” He stood up and ran.
After the kid left, Dara scooted beside me. “Babe, our love has really lived for so long.” She said. I kissed her temple, savoring each moment with her. “And let’s make it live forever.”
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