"You're joking, right?"
Sari gave Riyoung a deadpan stare when she asked that. "Do I look like I'm joking?" She even pointed at herself.
Riyoung shook her head and sat on the chair opposite hers. While Seoha and Sejin chuckled as they also settled on the other vacant chairs of the table they chose in the cafe.
Their work shift was done for the day and Sejin decided she should treat her friends with some pastries and coffee while they were out. But Sari knew it was her friends' way of checking on the group as they didn't have that much time to hang out while working at Gangbeodeul University.
"But why decide something like this all of a sudden?"
Sari remained silent even after Sejin asked the question.
"Do the visions still bother you? I mean, it did affect you a lot when you woke up after that incident," Seoha inquired as he took a sip of his espresso.
She sighed instead and straightened herself up. "It's more than just the visions. The sketches that Professor Kang Soohoon drew, according to Professor Kang Geunhee, were from his dreams ever since he was young. And believe it or not, some of those items appeared in the visions I saw in his eyes that day. Not only that, they also appeared in my dreams of that mysterious woman several times."
"Are you saying that his past life and your dreams were connected in some way?" Even with the confusion, Isona still managed to ask.
Before Sari could answer them though, Seoha spoke again.
"Wait, wait! If you saw all these strange things in your visions, how come you never told us about it?"
"Because I couldn't bring myself to talk about it," she answered truthfully.
"What do you mean?" Riyoung leaned forward.
"It's because... I'm still unsure about the approach that I'm going to take with this. And for some strange reason, Professor Kang Soohoon would appear in front of me when I was in the midst of dealing with confusions about my father, the visions, the sketches —- everything."
"Maybe he's your guardian angel of some sort. Who knows." Riyoung really had to joke around like that before shrugging with a smile.
"I have a feeling that it's the other way around, though."
Seoha's statement made Sari frown. "What do you mean?"
It took a while before Seoha spoke again. He sighed and faced Sari. "You know I don't usually rely on what I feel, right? At least, about someone."
"Does that include romantic or just intuition?"
"Since when did I trust anything that involved romance if it's not about you, huh?" Seoha asked back, stunning Riyoung.
Sari and Sejin struggled not to laugh after that. They knew what was going on between Seoha and Riyoung even before Sari left the town five years ago. But there were certain situations that made the two unable to fully express their feelings to each other and they were aware of that.
Even so, it doesn't really stop Seoha and Riyoung from letting each other know that they cared. Only done in their own ways.
"Fine. You made your point. But what do you mean with what you said earlier? About Sari being the professor's guardian angel."
"It's just a feeling, but Sari suggested the idea of getting close to Professor Kang Soohoon because she wanted to know more about the visions." Seoha faced Sari. "Right?"
Sari nodded. "Well, that's one of the reasons."
"One of them? You mean there's more?"
She sighed before responding to Sejin's question. "Yes, there's another reason related to a different vision."
Sari hesitated whether she would tell it to her friends. But one look at them and she could see that they were willing to listen. As it had been for a long time now.
She took a deep breath before speaking. "I saw a vision of a man's past life... as a killer. And this killer... appeared to be the one who killed the woman important to the professor in his past life."
xxxxxx
The revelation did shock Sari's friends when she told them what she saw that one night when she was about to go home. But in the end, she didn't hear anything from them that would amount to stopping her from proceeding with her plan.
Of course, she was aware that it wasn't going to be easy getting close to Professor Soohoon even with the intention of possibly stopping another killer rage directed at him. But Seoha assured her that he and the others would do what they could to help her in that department. That didn't stop her from wondering what exactly they would be doing.
"I hope Seoha doesn't get into trouble for helping me out, though."
When she got home, she immediately went to bed. The events of the afternoon drained her and she was glad that she managed to stay awake doing more analysis on her clues about her father's disappearance until the very end. Though it was not that late in the morning yet. She still had to make sure that she had enough energy to go and do her work during the day so she wouldn't compromise her job.
As usual, she closed her eyes but found her mind blank. Her visions about Professor Kang Soohoon's past lives flashed in her mind once again, making her think about it again. It was weird. There was no sense of déjà vu when she met him the last time in the park. Or rather, when she first laid her eyes on him. At that moment, she felt as if she had seen him somewhere before. But she dismissed it as a figment of her imagination.
Even so, the feeling of familiarity never left her ever since then. And that was what she considered strange in so many ways. Especially since the only familiar thing in those barrages of visions she saw in his eyes that day was the woman he was mourning at.
The woman that had constantly appeared in her dreams since she was a child.
A woman that was always by his side.
Was that woman important to him? Did he have a previous life together with her? Did he love her? Was she his wife?
Why does it matter if he has a past life together with that woman? What was it that mattered so much about her anyway?
"I just need the answers. That's it."
Or was it just like that?
No matter how much she kept telling herself that, her gut didn't let her relax. And once her gut acted that way, she knew something was bound to happen. Whatever it was, only time could tell.
xxxxxx
Sari woke up on her bed after her long and restless sleep. The sun had risen up high already. She groaned as she stretched lazily, making her whole body aching afterwards.
It was a good thing that it was her day off that day so she didn't need to worry about getting late. But she had to prepare something to eat as her friends said yesterday that they would go over to her house and discuss the steps that they had to do to put her plan into action.
Thinking about it now made her groan. What was she thinking to blatantly announce to them that she had to get close to Professor Soohoon in order to know more about his past lives and the related sketches he drew?
But she promised herself to keep the secret, even if it meant going against Seoha, Sejin, and Riyoung to do so. She owed it to all of her friends.
Just as she finished changing into clothes and brushing her hair, her phone rang. She immediately saw Isona's name on screen so she answered it without hesitation.
"About time you woke up, Miss Yoon."
Sarina laughed at the way Riyoung started that conversation. "Sorry. My mind wouldn't let me stay late."
"Yes, we figured. So don't bother cooking something for us. Sejin brought some food for us to eat while we're there and talked about some plans."
"Why are you talking as if we're about to embark on a big mission or something?"
"Well, aren't we? I mean, you're planning on getting close to one of the most sought after bachelors in Huijin. Not many people succeeded, though. Even some guys."
She rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Riyoung, I'm not sure where your point is heading. But my reason for deciding to approach Professor Soohoon and be close to him is different. And I mean, 'psychic-related' different."
"Even so, it's not something easy to do. Unless, of course, you saving him might have done something to touch his heart and show some interest in you somehow."
That comment caused Sari's face to flush red, making Riyoung giggle. It was a good thing that they were talking on the phone so Riyoung couldn't see how red her cheeks had become because of those statements.
"Don't say such things! It's not the case and besides, why do you sound so smug when you're saying it?"
Riyoung continued laughing on the other line. "It's nothing special, Sari. I've said it before. If you decide to try and get close to the professor, then just do whatever you think is right and leave the rest up to fate."
Sari was about to reply that she was not going to get closer to Professor Soohoon if she didn't absolutely have to. But she found herself speechless. She couldn't come up with anything she wanted to say to counter Isona's advice.
She sighed. "Alright. I'll think about it later."
Riyoung seemed to sense that something was bothering Sari and she became worried. "Sari, are you alright? You seem bothered."
"The only thing bothering me right now is thinking of a plan without embarrassing myself in front of the professor. And yes, that 'fate' thing, as well."
"Oh, so is that all? Well, I guess that's just your way. Just don't be too reckless with your feelings, okay? That's all."
Sari scoffed at Riyoung's response. "What feelings? Don't be ridiculous!"
Riyoung snickered at the reaction. "Oh ho ho ho. Your reactions. Hearing them is so funny. Alright. I'll call back when I think of something better to tease you with, then."
"You can try, Riyoung."
"We'll get there to your house before you know it. So you can do your best not to show your blushing face to Seoha and Sejin when we arrive."
"Riyoung! Seriously..."
And with that, the call ended. Sari looked at the screen of her cellphone. She couldn't believe what she had just heard.
'Feelings, huh? But the only feelings I have about all this is... desire.'
Desire to know the answer about her father's disappearance.
Desire to realize the true story about the professor's past lives that she knew had still haunted him to this day.
And desire to understand the true reason for her to possess this ability to see past lives among people.
Just where would it lead her?
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