29 October 2025

“Mr Kang?” I get called out from my nightmare. My breathing is heavy and my body is ice cold. I open my eyes and raise my head and see that I’m the centre of attention as always but not for good reason this time.

I try to sit up straight in my seat but my back hurts. I blink a few times to rid myself of the dizziness but it doesn’t help. I shake my head and regret it momentarily because of a headache brewing. My body starts trembling furiously while something forced its way up my throat.

I couldn’t keep it down so I spat it out on my clean white books. Gasping spreads around the lecture hall as I stare at the blood in shock! My eyes suddenly roll to the back of my head and my body seizes up.

I hear screaming then blackout.

I open my heavy eyes and find myself in a hospital room, an expensive hospital room. I stare at the monitor machine as the haziness feathers out. There’s no one in the room with me as my mind searches for what the fuck is going on.

I had this wonderful dream that turned it a nightmare. I loved a man that treated me like treasure but he died. I’m not even gay yet just thinking about him makes me cry. I take in a deep breath and sit up on the bed.

Pushing the covers off me, I get up slowly and fight the dizziness. Walking over to the nightstand, I pour myself a glass of water and down it. Licking my chapped lips, I pour another glass and drink it. I end up drinking all the water finished and its not enough.

Pressing the call button for the nurse, dig through the draw on the nightstand and find a phone that’s not mine. Picking it up, I click the power button in the side and it lights up. The image of myself resting happily on the man in my dreams is the wallpaper.

My mind suddenly gets bombarded with images and memories that pierce through my brain. I’m left panting on the floor clutching and pulling at my hair. The nurse comes running in and helps me, “Calm down Mr Kang,” she says and helps me back on the bed.

My body is shivering uncontrollably. She covers me with the blanket and holds me tight in her arms, whispering in my ear she says, “I told you, you’d suffer.”

My eyes widen. She pulls away from me and I see it’s the woman from before, “What are you doing here?” I ask her.

She shrugs her shoulders and smiles, “It’s my punishment, I disobeyed the laws of nature and now I am your guardian.”

“How is it possible that I’m back in the past, my phone says it’s the 30^th of October 2025?” I ask her and rub my hands up and down my shoulders.

“I did say that I didn’t like how the two of you ended up no?” she asks me. I vaguely remember our conversation but not the exact words.

“How is it that I still have the phone he bought me?” I ask her and she rolls her eyes.

“I brought it with you, everything in that box, is with you but the box is where you always keep it,” she says to me.

Thinking for a moment I ask, “Under my bed?”

She nods her head, “Yes, in your parents’ home.”

She says she brought all my treasures with me. Narrowing my eyes, I raise my left hand and there it is. I sigh in relief. On my ring finger is the ring Dae Ryeon gave me.

I slip my finger into my mouth and pull it off with my finger, looking at the engraving on the inside of the band, ‘I’ll always love you – CDR & KJH’ my eyes burn as they swell up with tears.

“Oh no no no, don’t cry anymore. You have the chance to fix the mess that occurs in the future. And the necklace is around your neck as well,” she says. My hands fly up and I sigh in relief, my moon necklace is still here but wait. I had Dae Ryeon’s ring and star necklace in my box too.

“Where’s Dae Ryeon’s ring and necklace?” I ask her with a worried frown.

She thinks for a minute as I watch her fill the jug with water with a rise of her hand and nothing else. She brings me a glass of water and I take it since I am so parched.

“It’s with him. He was also affected when you reincarnated. I returned his memories to him but he doesn’t know why he suddenly has the desire to love you and you will need to figure out how to make him love you again since he does not trust others easily,” I nod my head as I place the glass down on the nightstand as I think to myself.

Three weeks from yesterday is when Dae Ryeon and I meet. I’ve already experienced all the trouble in my last life, our ups and downs but maybe if I approach him this time, in better circumstances, maybe, just maybe, I can avoid the hatred that developed between my family and him.

Standing up, I head to the corner bathroom and empty my bladder. Flushing the toilet, I wash my hands then turn around in front of the mirror to view my back. I have five treasures, six, including Cha Dae Ryeon himself:

 First, my cell phone with the recordings and images on it.

Second, the wooden box with the pictures he printed to be framed that I placed in the box.

Third, my engagement ring.

Forth, my Moon necklace with its matching partner the Star that I gave to Dae Ryeon on his birthday because he is the star that lights my way.

And lastly, the tattoo on my back of our initials and the day we met ‘CDR & KJH ~ 19^th November 2025’

My tattoo is on my back so I’ll believe her words to be true.

I walk out of the small bathroom and look at her. After a moment I say with a bow, “Thank you for giving me a second chance.”

She skipped in her step and hugged me to herself. Patting my back she chuckled, “No darling, thank you for showing me that there is more to life.”

I smiled wryly at her, she’s just too odd.

“Does he have the tattoo on his arm as well?” I asked her.

She stops her babbling and looks at me seriously, “Yes, he thought it was a prank pulled by someone and almost killed that person but she proved innocent.”

I nodded my head in understanding. I know how frightening Dae Ryeon is, even I ended up killing someone for him which made him love me more, he also stated that it was a show of loyalty. I didn’t understand it at the time but now I do.

She clapped her hands twice startling me out of my thoughts. I looked at her confused and she beamed, “So when will you go get that man of yours?”

I sit down on the bed and stare at my engagement ring. Fiddling with it I kiss it then look at her, “You said I must make him fall for me, but how?”

She scrunches her nose and sits down beside me, “I don’t know, you know what he likes so woo him as he wooed you.”

I force a smile and nod. I’ll have to plan this out perfectly before going through with it. I yawn and drink another glass of water, “Before I forget, there’s a side effect to having you reincarnate into your old self.”

I turn my head to look at her, “What side effect?”

“You’ll be dehydrated for some time and you’ll need to make sure you are eating properly. These side effects are from the week after his death that you refused to consume anything except the poisoned tea,” she says making me exhale exasperated.

I completely forgot that he died and here she is reminding me. I looked at her irritated making her frown.

“What is it?” she asked.

Running my hands over my face annoyed, “I forgot he died and you just reminded me.”

She looked at me sheepishly, “Sorry.”