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Please read the --- chapter that comes before this,
and read this chapter only after you have read that one.
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우린 전생에도 아마 다음 생에도
•

"The window's open. Are you going to change forms and talk to her?"

Yoongi's question made Jimin stop in his tracks in deep thought. After a few seconds, he nodded.

"She... she'll understand. She always has. I just... I can't leave her without closure. I don't want her crying for the rest of her life."

The way he said it made Yoongi want to cry, too. He sounded so sad; he could tell that Jimin cherished his mother as Juseon as any child would, the fact that it was his second mother didn't change it for him.

"Okay, I'll come in with you."

•

Juseon's mother was crying, phone in hand, grip on it tight and desperate.

Her son, her only part of family, was dead.

Crying harder at the thought, she wondered what wrong deed she'd done to get this cursed for the world to kill off such a lovely child of hers.

Sobs loud, they echoed off the walls, all over the house. She'd been like this for hours since she's heard the news.

Amidst her crying, she heard a small creak of the window in the kitchen, the sound of wind humming through.

She froze, eyes wide.

"Juseon?"

She whispered, wiping her eyes clear and searching desperately.

Her eyes landed on a figure just outside the door, and her breath stopped.

Juseon. It was Juseon. Hair black instead of yellow, but she still recognized it was him.

Lips trembling, hoping it's not just a hallucination, she whispered again, voice also trembling.

"Juseon—"

From outside the door, Juseon walked in, standing in front of his mother, his lips trembling and eyes teary as well.

"Mama."

He whispered, and she broke down harder, hands tightly going around him and pulling close.

"Oh my god, Juseon— Juseon, my son—"

Her voice was tight, but also breaking in between. Along with his mother, Juseon cried, too, his arms going around her.

"I'm sorry, Mama. Sorry, I'm really sorry."

All she could do was shake her head as she cried, holding her son closer.

Finally, after a few minutes of crying, she pulled back, looking at Juseon's face, gently holding his cheek with one hand and wiping away the tears.

She realized— if Juseon was dead, then what was this?

The boy in front of her— looking exactly like her son— looked down, biting his bottom lip.

"Mama."

It was definitely Juseon. Everything about him was the same.

"I'm dead."

Her eyes widened, a few old tears slipping out.

"What? But, you're here? There must have been a mistake—?"

Juseon shook his head, eyes looking into hers.

"No, Mama. I really am dead. This... this body, you're touching it for the first time. My living body is dead."

Jiyeon couldn't process anything. What was happening? What was his son saying? Did the accident get to his head?

"We should head to the hospital—"

His mother said, about to head out with Juseon's arm in her hand, but he didn't budge.

"No, Mama. I'll just..."

He took a deep breath, unsure of how to proceed.

"I'll just tell you everything."

She was confused, but she knew she could trust her son.

"I really am dead, Mom. This isn't my living body, the one you raised me in, the one you fed and showered when I was a baby. This is... it's a different body. I know I look the same, but that's the part I'm having trouble explaining."

Now that he said it, she noticed that this Juseon did feel a little different. He looked more glowing, and eyes look a little younger; almost like he had an angel's glow.

"I lived a few hundred years ago, too. And, died, too. Not a lot of people know this before they die, but there is a whole... a whole world beyond the dead."

What?

Juseon took a breath.

"After we die as humans, we become souls— impure or pure based on deeds we've done as humans. And, based on that, we're sent to either Heaven or Hell. And, once we're there, we get a few choices. Beyond Heaven and Hell, there's Afterlife. But, if you choose to become an angel — if you're pure — then, it takes 50 years, and your residence is Heaven; Hell for demons as impure. If you choose neither, then you just go to Afterlife until you pass on to get disintegrated into the environment. Then, the new bunch of energy goes to another human, forming a new soul.

"But, usually, angels and demons don't pass on. And, we did. There's no such case that's recorded So, I think that's why we have the same faces as before, and memories from before too."

Finally, the explanation ended, the mother having a little hard time understanding, but she thought she got the main gist. She nodded slowly, then tilted her head.

"What's... your name?"

It was strange to ask that. It was her own son in front of her. But, at the same time, it felt more than that. She recognized the similarities, but this man had a weird old-fashioned fluency to his words, even more old-fashioned than her own. He knew more vocabulary than Juseon would ever know — some old words that you wouldn't know unless you'd studied etymology — like she had.

"... Jimin. Park Jimin."

The name suit him, she thought.

"But, I'm still Juseon, Mama. I'm still your son, Juseon. Juseon might not be me, but I'm still Juseon."

Jimin's voice cracked, head ducking and leaning into his mama's touch. Mother's warmth was the loveliest.

His mother smiled softly.

"I know, Juseon."

Jimin mirrored the smile.

Then, after a few moments, she realized something. Eyes a little wide, she asked.

"What about Seowon?"

Jimin's face dawned in realization, eyes quickly glancing to his side before looking back at his mother.

"Ah... well."

With a gulp, Jimin looked to the side again, nodded slightly.

"Yoongi."

And, just as he said that, another man suddenly appeared in the room — one that looked exactly like Seowon, except his hair black.

"Hello, Jimin's mother. I'm Min Yoongi, now. You met me as Kim Seowon."

The mother's eyes widened even more, not knowing how to handle all this.

"So..."

Jimin hummed, nodding again.

"Yeah, he's the same as me. We actually... it happened at the same time. We've... we've been lovers for more than a hundred sixty years, including the time we were apart after passing on."

Jiyeon finally snapped out of her small trance and sighed, breathing calmly, hoping she wouldn't get a heart attack.

With a small smile towards Yoongi, she looked a little sad.

"So, you've known my Juseon for longer than I have, yeah?"

Yoongi didn't say anything, eyes just cast down, unsure of what words to pick.

Laughing a little at the small panicked reaction from Yoongi, she softly patted his shoulder.

"It's alright. If you've been together for that long, and even found each other after being reborn, then I'm sure you're good for him."

This made Yoongi look up in surprise, then smiled.

"I would hope so. He's the best for me."

Silence followed for a moment.

"Do you two... have to go, now?"

The words were sad, sounding like she was about to cry again.

With his lips bit, trying not to full-on bawl, Jimin nodded.

"Yes, Mama. I'm so sorry, but staying here would cause havoc. We can't... we can't show ourselves so soon after our deaths. I know I promised you that I'd be here until your end, but..."

If he'd gone any further, he would've started crying again. But, she understood, nodding along.

"I understand. I knew the day would come someday. It's just sad it had to be so soon... I'll just... I'll live on knowing you're happy; it's enough for me. "

Just with that, tears escaping her weak eyes and a small sob escaping. Jimin tried his best to not cry, hoping the last image for his mama of him wouldn't be of him crying.

"I'll..."

I'll visit you.

He didn't say it. It would create too much hope in a situation that was hopeless.

"We have to go, now. I'm really sorry, Mama, I love you."

They hugged one last time. After pulling away, she even went to hug Yoongi, embracing him just as tight.

Yoongi looked like he was also about to cry, but he held it well.

It was time to go.

Juseon's mother held a smile, waving as she said bye, Jimin also waving back, tears almost leaving.

When the two changed formed, disappearing into thin air, she waited for a few moments.

Then, she broke down, once again. She must've gone crazy, her heart denying her sons death, imagining up a scenario like that.

•

Jimin's hands clutched against Yoongi's back, crying into his shoulder, hearing his mother's cries. Yoongi was also crying, but not as much as Jimin.

Hands rubbing comfortingly behind his back, Yoongi's heart fell. This situation was horrible. He remembered all the way back, hundreds of years back of when he had his own parents, and how much he loved his own mother.

After a few minutes of crying, Jimin finally calmed down — Yoongi had slowly tried to walk them away from hearing range of his mother, so the pain in his heart would lessen.

"You ready?"

With a sniffle, and hand wiping his tears away, Jimin nodded, voice sounding a little shaky.

"Yeah, let's go."