IN HA'S SIDE.

 

 

 

Everything was void. My mind felt as if it was hovering on air. I was dreaming.

 

I opened my consciousness to the sight of emptiness. Everything was black. I opened my mouth to reach out for someone, but I discovered I was mute. No sign of echoes. The loneliness veils the aura. Silence encompases the vastness, until I heard a voice.

 

 

'There might be some changes. You can let go, or you can stop it. Once the mission is accomplished, what must be done must be done. We can go back, but we cannot stop what will happen. We can fix, but we cannot be sure if the repairs can be of help with the outcome.'

 

The voice was soothing to the ears, and it gave me a reassuring feeling. It felt like a remedy to the pain. The words uttered engraved my mind, every word memorized. But even though I know them by mind, it doesn't make sense. Who is that voice? What is the meaning of what he said?... Even though I know that it is just a dream...

 

 

Light penetrated through my eyes. I opened them. I was wide-awake. It felt as if I was prepared for a brand new start. I was Sleeping Beauty awakened after a long sleep. I was a plant given water. It was just so overwhelming that I felt I was recharged from an exhausting odyssey.

I sat upright. I was on my bed. For a moment it felt like the silence in my dream was carried in reality, but then I heard voices. Girl voices.

 

"You better keep it down, or you'll wake her up!" A voice said, accompanied with the jangling of kitchenwares. I guess they're inside the kitchen.

 

"You check on her while I make her breakfast."

 

"Alright."

 

Footsteps indicated someone was coming. And from the ajar door, someone emerged. She was wearing blue jeans and white blouse. Her face lighten up upon seeing me. For a nanosecond I cannot recognize her, until she spoke.

 

"Roommateeeee!" She squealed and ran to hug me. I hug her back, sudenly feeling happy.

"Min Ah!" I uttered her name, and she pulled away.

"How long have you been up? Mi Ho and I have been making you breakfast."

"Really? Then let's go and check her out."

"You sure you're fine getting up?"

"I'll be alright." I candidly answered and jumped out of bed. We went to the kitchen.

 

The small apartment I was renting was the cheapest I could find. It has two floors, 3 rooms downstairs and 3 rooms upstairs. Mine is the 3rd and last of the 2nd floor, so luckily I have no neighbors. Min Ah and Mi Ho live downstairs. The room I have is divided to 3 more rooms --- kitchen, bathroom, living room and bedroom.

 

I found Mi Ho lifting up the egg from the pan. She immediately saw me.

 

"In Ha!" She greeted and immediately put down the egg on plate to hug me. Min Ah began setting up the table.

 

"It's good to see you back. Do you remember what happened?"

 

I scratched my head. "Uh, yeah. I forgot. What happened?"

 

"You fell down the stairs of the subway last night and lost consciousness. We had to come and rescue you."

 

"Because you're a careless person, you missed an episode of your favorite TV drama, the 'Secret Marriage.'"

 

I was taken aback. Wait, hasn't that drama ended almost 5 years ago?

 

"What are you saying? I've already known its ending. It has already ended five years ago, right?"

 

They both stared at me as if I lost my mind.

 

"It just started few weeks ago. What are you saying?" Min Ah replied.

 

I became dumbfounded.

 

"Can you tell me what's the exact year today?"

 

They both looked at the calendar hanging on the wall of the kitchen.

 

 

"Have you lost your mind? It's Year 2008!" The answered in chorus.

 

 

I was dumbstruck.