Timeless Loves

Chapter 10: Unraveling Threads

The world around Min-jun felt fragile, like an illusion that could shatter at any moment. The familiar scent of coffee, the warmth of Eun-ji's presence—everything was there, yet something about it all felt eerily like it had happened before. 

Déjà vu. But not the fleeting, passing kind. This was deeper, like whispers from the past refusing to stay silent. 

At first, he tried to ignore it. He thought it was just a coincidence, maybe the result of exhaustion or an overactive mind. But after what happened yesterday—after seeing the worry in Eun-ji's eyes—he couldn't brush it off anymore. 

"Eun-ji," he said softly, his voice barely above a whisper. "What if we've... been through this before? Not just vaguely, but... literally?" 

Eun-ji looked up from her cup, her eyes widening in surprise. "What do you mean?" 

Min-jun hesitated. How could he explain something he didn't fully understand himself? Flashes of memories that weren't his, yet felt so personal. Laughter that sounded familiar, the sharp scent of winter air, and... Eun-ji's voice calling his name in the darkness. 

"I don't know," he admitted finally. "But every time I'm with you, it feels like something is trying to come back. Something that should've been lost." 

Eun-ji was silent for a long while, her gaze unreadable. Then, in a soft voice, she said, "There's something I've never told you." 

Min-jun's breath caught. "What?" 

Eun-ji took a deep breath, as if steeling herself. "Before we officially met at that event... I saw you once. A long time ago." 

His eyes widened. "When?" 

"It was raining," she whispered. "And... there was an accident." 

Min-jun's heart pounded in his chest. Rain. A car. A heart-wrenching sense of loss. 

Eun-ji's fingers trembled as she gripped her cup. "I don't know why, but when I saw you again at that event... it felt like I'd been waiting for you." 

Min-jun swallowed hard. The pieces of the puzzle were starting to form in his mind, but the picture they created was something he wasn't ready to face. 

And deep down, he knew—this wasn't just a second chance. 

It was an echo of something unfinished. Something that demanded to be remembered. 

---

Chapter 11: Echoes of the Past

Min-jun's head throbbed as he lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. The déjà vu wasn't just a fleeting feeling anymore—it was like a shadow following him everywhere, whispering secrets he didn't want to hear. 

Every moment with Eun-ji felt like the shadow of something that had already happened. But whenever he tried to grasp the details, they slipped away like smoke. 

Rain. An accident. Eun-ji's voice calling his name… 

Suddenly, he sat bolt upright, clutching his head as the pain intensified. This wasn't just a memory—it was something deeper, something his mind refused to fully uncover. The harder he tried to remember, the more the memories seemed to crumble, like sand slipping through his fingers. 

Eun-ji noticed the change in him. Over the past few days, he seemed quieter, his smiles no longer reaching his eyes. There were moments when he would suddenly go silent, as if lost in his own world. 

"Min-jun, are you okay?" she asked one night as they walked home together. 

He forced a smile. "Yeah, just tired." 

But Eun-ji wasn't convinced. "You've been acting strange lately." 

Min-jun hesitated before sighing. "It's nothing, Eun-ji. Just... nightmares." 

Her eyes studied his face. "About what?" 

He wanted to tell her, wanted to say that every time he closed his eyes, he saw flashes of something both familiar and foreign. But he couldn't. Because every time he got close to remembering, a sharp pain in his head forced him to stop. 

Eun-ji reached out, placing her hand gently on his arm. "You can tell me, you know." 

Min-jun looked at her hand, feeling warmth spread through his chest. "I know," he whispered. "But I think I'm not ready yet." 

As they continued walking, the sky darkened as a storm approached. Raindrops began to fall, and with them, another memory surfaced—a fleeting image of Eun-ji standing in the rain, reaching out to him. 

And just like that, it was gone again. 

Min-jun clenched his fists. The past was trying to tell him something. 

And this time, he wasn't going to ignore it. 

---

Chapter 12: Fragments of the Past

Min-jun had never believed in fate. But lately, his heart seemed to whisper otherwise. Every touch, every glance exchanged with Eun-ji carried an odd sense of familiarity—like a melody he once knew but couldn't hum anymore. 

It all started subtly. The way Eun-ji tucked her hair behind her ear, the way she tilted her head when thinking. Min-jun often found himself lost in those moments, the world around him fading until only she remained. It was as if time had rewound itself. 

One evening, as they sat by the riverside, the sky shifting into shades of gold and purple, Min-jun finally voiced the unease gnawing at his chest. 

"Eun-ji, have we ever... met before?" 

Eun-ji's eyes widened slightly. "What?" 

He exhaled deeply. "I mean, before college. Before all this. Do you ever feel like we've lived through this before?" 

Eun-ji fell silent. Her fingers fidgeted with the edge of her sleeve, her brows furrowed. "Sometimes," she admitted softly. "It feels like déjà vu, but stronger. Like I know what's going to happen before it does." 

Min-jun felt his pulse quicken. He wasn't imagining things. "I've been having flashes," he confessed. "Scenes I can't explain. Rain on glass. The smell of winter air. And..." he swallowed hard, "...your voice calling my name." 

Eun-ji took a deep breath, her hand instinctively reaching for his. "Min-jun... I feel it too." 

Their fingers intertwined, grounding them as an unspoken understanding passed between them. But the harder they tried to chase the past, the faster it slipped through their fingers, like a dream fading at dawn. 

That night, Min-jun lay awake, fragments of memories flashing in his mind. Then, just as he was about to drift off, an image appeared so vividly it made him jolt awake. 

A car. Blinding headlights. A scream drowned out by the crunch of metal. 

He shot upright, his heart pounding in his chest. The vision felt too real. 

And at the center of it all—Eun-ji. 

Tomorrow, he would find the truth. No matter what it took.