http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xg89zwT1th4 -My Destiny by Lyn

“Hey In Na, you guys are here already!!” Mrs Oh exclaimed as her best friend and her family entered the house.

Finally, it’s the time of the year again. Christmas, the most anticipated festival of the year. As usual, the Park family (neighbour of the Oh family) is over at the Oh for a Christmas eve dinner.

“Hi poop head!” Chanyeol said as he make his way to Cheh Eun.

“Stop calling me poop head, you idiot!”

“Hehehe too bad but I like it!”

“Aigoo, look at this two kiddos” Mrs Park mocked teasingly.

 After the hectic greeting, both families finally settled down at the dining table for a Christmas eve dinner.

“Sigh, this will probably be our last gathering and last dinner before you all migrate.” Mrs Park sighed

“It’s not like we won’t be coming back to visit, Yoo Mi ah…” Mrs Oh replied as she soften, looking at her bestfriend.

“Welll that might take some time…”

“The time will come alright?”

“Yeah Yoo Mi ah, stop being all depressed on a Christmas eve! You’re pulling the entire atmosphere down!” Mr Park whined jockingly.

The four bestfriends sat at the balcony reminiscing about how they met, confessed, proposed etc. well, basically their past as they have been together since middle school. Meanwhile, the two children were at the living room playing games until Chanyeol broke the fun atmosphere.

“Ya Poophead, what is migrate?”

Cheh Eun glared before explaining to him, “Migrate means moving away from a country to another country. Aish do you even pay attention in class? And excuse me, will you just stop calling me poophead, you idiot.”

“Moving away… Does that mean that I will not be able to see you anymore?” Chanyeol asked with a tinge of sadness in his tone, ignoring the last two sentences in Cheh Eun’s reply.

“Yeah I guess so…” Cheh Eun muttered.

Chanyeol stopped playing and started discussing with Cheh Eun. Right after the discussion, Cheh Eun ran back to her house and her bedroom while Chanyeol ran to his bedroom. After a short while, they met with boxes filled with toys, diaries, books, pencils etc.

“Mummy, we will be going to the park!”

“Okay, remember to be careful!”

 

At the park, they started to remove their things from the boxes and arrange them in their time capsule.

“Ya idiot, you haven’t tell me what is a time capsule.”

“A time capsule is a box that resembles a treasure box which contain things that is cherished.”

“Ohh”

With that, everything fell in silence with a pleasant breeze sweeping by while the two of you focus on arranging the things in the time capsule.

Time: 11:59PM

Date: 24^th December 1998

“Alright, done! Let’s make a promise!”

“What promise?”

“We’ll leave this here and open it only when we are 20 years old. Same time, same date. Promise?”

“Promise.”

 

“Have a safe flight…” The Park family wished as they group-hugged with Oh family.

“Remember to take good care of yourself alright… Especially you, Jin Kyung ah! Better take good care of my In Na, or else… I’ll fly to Canada and break your neck.” Yoo Mi said as she hugged In Na and Jin Kyung (Mr Oh) while holding tears in her eyes. Jin Kyung lightly chuckled and replied, “Yes I will, don’t worry . I will make sure that I don’t go to an orthopedic surgeon.”

While the adults are giving each other their goodbyes, Chanyeol and Cheh Eun are running around and chasing each other. Before the Oh enter the departure hall, In Na suggested taking a group photo. After the photo, the Oh proceeded to the departure hall while the Park proceeded home.

Time: 11:59PM

Date: 24^th December 2004

CHANYEOL

Chanyeol is holding yet another letter and is heading towards the time capsule again. The same tree, the same soil texture, the same time, the same date, but different companion. He opened the time capsule and sighed while putting his 6^th letter into the time capsule. All of a sudden, a cold breeze brushed against his skin making him shiver.

CHEH EUN

Her vision was cut and all she could see was black. The next thing she saw was lights, white ceiling and teddy bears. She was on a hospital bed in a child’s ward and is surrounded by 4 faces of wall furnished with teddy bear printed wallpaper. The door opened and a lady with head and arm bandage, and a crutch walked in hastily to her side.

“Eun ah! Are you alright? Is she alright?” the lady asked Cheh Eun and the doctor.

“Who are you? Where am I?” Cheh Eun asked.

“Mrs Oh, I need you to be mentally prepared. Cheh Eun is suffering from amnesia which means she has lost her memory.”

“O-oh my goodness… W-will she ever be able to regain her memory? Is there a certain percentage of chance?”

“Technically, yes. Try to talk to her about the past but note not to force her as she might get agitated or frustrated which can affect her mental health.”

“How about my husband? Where is he?”

“I’m sorry Mrs Oh. Mr Oh lost the battle while they were trying to rescue him in the emergency room.”

/thud/ Mrs Oh fainted on the sopt upon hearing two disastrous news. It was too much for her to endure. Her husband is gone and her daughter has lost her memory. Two of her dearest and most important people in her life are gone, in one car crash, in one second.

 

Mrs Oh was finally awake the next morning.

“Good morning, Mrs Oh. Please take this vitamins and antibiotics after you’ve taken your breakfast.” The nurse said as she put a bowl of congee and a small cup of medicines on the table. Instead of heading the nurse’s instructions, Mrs Oh scrambled and struggled to get out of her bed.

“What are you doing? You’re injured! Please don’t move around!”

“I need to see my daughter and my husband!” Mrs Oh cried while shouting.

“Mrs Oh, please calm down. Please. You need to eat in order to get the energy to see your daughter and husband. I promise you to bring you to your daughter and husband after you eat this food and medicine. I promise.” The nurse told Mrs Oh.

Mrs Oh quickly scooped two spoonful of congee and poured the cup of medicine into . “Can we go now?” Mrs Oh asked the nurse.

 

“Cheh Eun ah, mum is here.” Mrs Oh shakily as she entered Cheh Eun;s ward. Cheh Eun turned towards her and asked, “Mum? You are my mum? Finally! I was looking for someone that is related to me since yesterday. It’s so scary to not have anyone dear to you by your side.” Cheh Eun said, sounding rather cheerful.

“Eun ah, do you know what has happened? Do you know that you’ve lost your memory?”

“Yes, the doctor told me yesterday. I’m sorry that I can’t recognize you but I will really try my best to recall the past. Don’t worry, I have already accepted that I’m suffering from amnesia.  They have also told me everything. I know it’s hard to accept but mum, we need to be strong. I just want you to know that I will be here by your side. Let’s lean on each other, okay?”

Mrs Oh hugged her immediately and sobbed.

After a week, they were discharged and the funeral of Mr Oh was also already carried out in low profile. Everything feels different. The fact that her dad is already gone and the fact that she has lost her memory haunted her. She couldn’t accept all these. But she has to be strong. For her mum, at least. Mrs Oh has became the sole breadwinner and Cheh Eun has also became a part timer at a café to lessen the burden. They had to support themselves. Mrs Oh stopped keeping in touch with her friends and changed her phone number after the accident. One reason was she felt that there’s no point in doing it anymore and another reason was she had to focus on working in order to support Cheh Eun and herself.

Year 2010

CHANYEOL

“Mum, why don’t Aunty, Uncle and Cheh Eun ever comes back? Don’t we always have Christmas gathering and dinner?”

“I have no idea too… I can’t seem to reach out to them. Most probably due to some technical problems I guess.” Mrs Park replied while furrowing her brows.

 

Mrs Oh will wake up in the morning at 5 to prepare breakfast for Cheh Eun and herself. Right after, she will head to work while Cheh Eun will wake up to prepare for school. After school, Cheh Eun will then head to the café and work. In the evening around 7, Cheh Eun will head home and revise her school work. Mrs Oh usually comes back at 8 in the night and soon, Cheh Eun and Mrs Oh will turn in for the night. The routine repeats itself and just like this, a few years passed.

Year 2014

“Mum, I remember you said that we were originally from Korea but we moved to Canada when I was 4 right?” Cheh Eun asked while Mrs Oh merely nodded.

“Why don’t we move back to Korea? I’m hoping to find my childhood memories back again and also, I hope that you will be able to find your friends again.”

“I’ll think about it first. Come on, let’s have our dinner and out we go to visit your dad.” Mrs Oh replied while smiling slightly.

While working, Mrs Oh keeps thinking about what Cheh Eun mentioned to her. *Maybe moving back might be a good idea. What’s more that Yoo Mi, Hyun Shik (Mr Park) and Chanyeol is there too. There is also a possibility that Cheh Eun will be able to recall her past.* Mrs Oh thought.

“Eun ah, I gave it a thought and I also think that we should move back to Korea.”

“Really? Yay! Then we should do it as soon as possible! There’s like only one more month left til Christmas and I really wish to spend it there!” Cheh Eun exclamined.

“Alright alright, we’ll go and do the procedures this coming weekend.”

Date: 20^th December 2014

Cheh Eun and Mrs Oh touched down in Korea and is on their way to the migration building to receive their new house.

“Ahhh the air in Korea is so fresh. Don’t you agree, mum?” Cheh Eun exclaimed while turning towards her mum. Mrs  Oh just chuckled in response. *Jin Kyung ah, we’re back in Korea again…* Mrs Oh said as she held to Mr Oh’s ashes. Cheh Eun softened at the site and hugged her mother.

 

“Yoo Mi ah! I’ve found the whereabouts of In Na, Jin Kyung and Cheh Eun!” Mr Park shouted as he entered the house. He explained everything to Mrs Park and out of nowhere, Chanyeol appeared.

“Oh my gosh! What do you mean by Jin Kyung has passed away and Cheh Eun has lost her memory?! What happened to them? Oh my gosh I can’t believe this!” Mrs Park bellowed on the verge of crying.

“What?! Uncle Jin Kyung passed away and Cheh Eun has amnesia?” Chanyeol shouted at the same time as Mrs Park.

“Yes Chanyeol. It’s been hard on your Aunty and Cheh Eun.” Mr Park sighed.

After a few good minutes of silence to accept the shocking news, Mrs Park finally spoke up.

“Hyun Shik ah, do you know where In Na and Cheh Eun are now?”

“The investigators told me that they have just moved back to Korea a few days ago but their residential address is not confirmed yet.” Mr Park replied and Mrs Park sighed in response while placing her forehead on her palm.

“Don’t worry, we will be able to find them.” Mr Park hugged Mrs Park.

Time: 11:00PM

Date: 24^th December 2014

Cheh Eun and Mrs Oh finally settled in their new house and was getting ready to head out for a Christmas Eve shopping. Cheh Eun wore a long black jeans paired along with a cream coloured sweater and a light brown trenchcoat. She wore her high cut Dr. Martens and stared out the window while waiting for her mother to get ready.

Time: 11:59PM

Date: 24^th December 2014

Jingle bells, jingle bells! Jingle all the way! Christmas songs were playing all around and the vibes were so strong. Cheh Eun and Mrs Oh were in a shop until something caught Cheh Eun’s eyes, a beautiful tall tree standing alone with a few leaves almost falling.

“Mum, I’ll be over there.” Cheh Eun told Mrs Oh who just nodded in response.

Cheh Eun walked over to the tree and stared at it with awe. *Looks like this tree has been around for a long time. It’s so breathtakingly beautiful.* Cheh Eun thought. It was not long until she took notice of a tall figure sitting down.

“Hello, excuse me?” Cheh Eun whispered while approaching slowly.

The person’s eyes shot opened and he stood up hastily while bowing. “H-hey!” he stuttered. Cheh Eun chuckled.

“What are you doing?” Cheh Eun asked.

“Oh nothing much, just doing what I enjoy the most and what I’ve been doing for every year since I was 4.”

“Ohhh” Cheh Eun cooed as she sat down beside the person. The person stared at her and felt a gush of warmth. He then start to dig and remove the soil.

“What are you doing? Don’t hurt the plants!” Cheh Eun shouted as she went nearer to the person and held his wrists. The person was taken aback and laughed before saying, “Relax, I’m not. I’m just taking out something.”

He opened a box and took out some of the items inside to show Cheh Eun.

“This is a time capsule. It was buried by me and my best friend who migrated. Or maybe you can say my first love? We promised to open this together when we are 20 years old. Well, as you can see, I broke the promise…” the person said while scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

“Where is that person then?” Cheh Eun asked.

“Well, my family lost contact with her family a few years ago but my dad is trying to locate them at the moment.”

“Ahh I see…”

Suddenly, Cheh Eun reached out her arm to a photo and exclaimed, “Isn’t this me? Oh my gosh! No wait. Does that make me your…”

The person was startled and stared at her with wide eyes before grabbing her shoulders, “Cheh Eun? Are you Cheh Eun?”

“How did you know my name?” Cheh Eun whispered while looking at the photo and the person alternately. She felt so confused. Her head was throbbing all of a sudden and memories came rushing into her head.

Chanyeol

 Aunty Yoo Mi

 Uncle Hyun Shik

Time capsule

 “Alright, done! Let’s make a promise!”

“What promise?”

“We’ll leave this here and open it only when we are 20 years old. Same time, same date. Promise?”

“Promise.”

Cheh Eun opened her eyes and whispered, “I recalled… everything… Chanyeol…” She looked up to the person and shouted, “Chanyeol ah!”

“Cheh Eun! It’s really you! Oh my gosh do you know how much I miss you and how hard my dad is trying to look for you?! Wait, this isn’t a dream right?” Chanyeol exclaimed and pinched himself.

“No Idiot, it’s not a dream. It’s real!” Cheh Eun said while holding tears.

“Ya Poophead! Stop calling me Idiot!” Cheh Eun lightly chuckled upon hearing it.

“Well, we did it. We opened the time capsule together at the age of 20. We did it.” Cheh Eun said while Chanyeol lightly smiled and ruffled her hair, pulling her into his embrace for a hug. The snow started to fall and there was a cold breeze, but it warmed them up instead. Or maybe it was their warmth.

The same tree, the same soil texture, the same time, the same date, and this time, the same companion.

Author's note:

Hello readers, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed this Christmas special story! I put in a lot of effort in this and had a really great time plotting the storyline. I'm actually planning to add a sequel to this but I'm not sure what you guys think so please drop a comment down below to let me know! Lastly, Merry Christmas! Enjoy your holidays! ♡

PS: Upvote is much appreciated! :)