Chapter 3: chapter two
i quickly got up with the sound of my alarm and went straight to take a shower. i got ready for another day at the university, slipping on my jacket.
my gaze landed on the couch, the pillow and the blanket were there. the blanket seemed like it was used by someone, what really happened yesterday?
i headed downstairs where i saw my two brothers having their breakfast. both greeted me with a short goodmorning and proceeded to finish their food.
"you're safe for today and tomorrow. dad and mom won't be coming home from their trips so go and have fun, hanbyeol." my eldest brother, hyunjun, told me.
i nodded, "its not like i have people to hang out with." i said, taking a bite from my toast.
"live a life sometimes, you don't always need to follow them. look at us, they gave up on controlling our lives." he chuckled. my other brother, seojun, gave a quick thumbs up.
i smiled at the sight of the both of them. even if things are already as bad as it is here, atleast i still have the both of them.
after having breakfast, hyunjun drove me to the university and went ahead to his work.
"goodmorning, hanbyeol." taehyung greeted me, a cheerful and sincere smile playing on his lips.
i nodded and flashed a small smile.
classes started and i unconsciously found myself writing a name on my notebook. park jimin.
"who's is he?" i snapped out of my thoughts and looked at taehyung whose eyes were focused on my writings, "you've writing the same thing for a while now, you should hide it before our professor sees it." he pointed at my notebook.
i then turned the page, hiding the page full of doodles and writings.
lunch came and i decided to gather up the courage to talk to taehyung, "taehyung-ssi," i called out for him. he slowly turned his back, facing with a face filled with excitement and disbelief, "can i talk to you for a second, if you don't mind?" i asked him.
he eagerly nodded and a smile continued to play on his lips, "of course, you can always talk to me." he grabbed my hand and dragged me somewhere else.
we then reached the cafeteria, him dragging me towards his group of friends. i stopped, not knowing where to look when all of their gazes landed on me. i bowed, taking my hand out from taehyung's hold.
"hanbyeol, right?" jin asked, a smile playing on his lips as he munched on his food, "taehyung talks about you all the time." he muttered.
i glanced at taehyung, "please don't take it the wrong way, i just want to brag about your artworks to them sometimes." he defended himself, his hand on the nape of his neck.
"oh, okay." i mumbled and pursed my lips.
"you said you wanted to talk me? let's talk." taehyung said, taking a seat and patting the empty spot next to him, "oh, you mean just the both of us?" he asked, finally getting the idea.
i nodded, "if it's alright."
he got up and grabbed his sandwich before following me outside. we both headed to my spot and we took a seat.
"do you know anyone with a name of park jimin?" i asked him.
"no, haven't heard of that name." he answered, taehyung then glanced at me, "am i supposed to know him? i'm sorry." he pursed his lips.
i was about to say that it was alright and he didn't have anything to apologize for when my eyes suddenly found the same jimin from yesterday.
my eyes went from taehyung to jimin. this will be such a big embarrassment but then, it's taehyung, he would just laugh it out if he doesn't belive me. well, here goes nothing.
i pointed at the jimin's direction, "that's him. can you see him?" i asked, my voice raising for a second.
taehyung moved from his spot, trying to follow the direction i was pointing at. he shook his head no and turned to look at me, "i don't see anyone passing by though, are you alright?" he asked me, grabbing me by my shoulders.
"i'm not crazy, taehyung. yesterday, there was this boy named jimin but then no one else seemed to see him except from me, i thought that maybe i was just going crazy but that's impossible. i might be a freak and all but i know what happened." i stopped myself from rambling, "you do believe me right?" i stared at his brown orbs.
"calm down." his eyes were warm and filled with sincerity.
"do you believe me, taehyung-ssi? i feel like i'm going crazy but i just know he was real." i told him, my stomach taking a turn as i wait for his answer. his eyes were full of doubts and worry, "you're the only one i'm talking to about this because i know you'd believe me. do you believe me?"
"of course, i don't know exactly know how to take all of those in but i know you wouldn't lie about something like that." he smiled at me, his eyes meeting directly mine.
"you don't think i'm crazy?" i questioned him but he only shook his head no and laughed a bit.
"the story sounds crazy, but the good type of crazy. i wouldn't mind hearing those everyday so please stop looking like you're about to cry." taehyung's smile widened, his hand reaching out to cup my cheek but then quickly retrieved it.
"hanbyeol?" a voice called out. and right beside me, i saw jimin. he was smiling at me and waving his hand when his gaze landed on taehyung, "he can't see me, right?" he asked.
i nodded.
"classes are about to start, let's go?" taehyung said, his hand on my wrist as he slowly dragged me back inside the big halls of our school.
my eyes went to jimin who was silently watching me and taehyung. he didn't follow, all he did was nod and mouth three words. "i'll wait here."
i nodded back and followed taehyung inside. we attended the remaining classes that we had before i quickly exited the room to talk to jimin.
"why are you in such rush?" taehyung asked.
"i just don't want to waste any second." i answered, slinging my backpack and heading out to the tree where i know he'll be waiting at.
"hey, i don't know what happened yesterday. one moment i was just at your couch but the next thing i know, i was back in my world." jimin explained, his hands going frantic as well.
i smiled, "it's fine, atleast i know you weren't just something my imagination had made up. let's talk at the park?" i asked and he nodded.
we both headed to my ride and went straight to the park. both me and jimin sat at the swings and waited in silence.
"tell me more about parallel universes." i turned to look at jimin who had eyes expecting for me to answer his questions.
"they said that there is still so much more that we can't see out there, some said that the universe that astronauts see when they go to space isn't the only universe that exists." i started off, "according to some, there's a universe out there for every choice or decision a person can create in his life. some who had dedicated some part of their lives in researching about parallel universes found that it was connected with quantum mechanics."
"quantum mechanics?" jimin asked, his eyebrows furrowed.
"you know the one we study in physics, it explains how atoms work." i stopped, thinking that it was pointless explaining to him because of the look he had on his face.
"please don't talk about physics, just go ahead and tell me more about parallel universes." jimin muttered, his face making an unreadable expression as he mentioned the word physics.
"what i'm saying is parallel universes are made the exact moment we choose what decision or choice we want." i glanced at him and checked if he was still listening.
"and that's what's happening to us? i don't get it though, if we're both from parallel universes and we all know the same people, why is it that we haven't seen each other?" jimin asked me, his hand pointing at the both of us.
"like i said parallel universes happen when a person makes a decision. you and me might just exist because of someone who made a decision." i paused, thinking of a reason of why we didn't seem to know of each other's existence.
"if taehyung's mom didn't tell my parents to enroll us at the same school, then i might never knew him. this universe i'm in now might just be one of the outcomes of a decision taehyung's mom did." i tried to explain further to him, "somewhere out there is another me, the version of me who didn't enroll with taehyung to the same school." i told him.
"this is too much, so you're telling me there's a bunch of timelines and worlds out there that has versions of us?" he asked, his eyes wide as he continued to speak.
i nodded, "of course, the only thing we need to find out now is why you're here and what seems to be causing this." i said.
"hanbyeol, did you know that when i came back to my universe, the memories of yesterday seemed to be vague? i knew i was with you, but i couldn't exactly remember what we talked about and what i did while i was here." jimin stopped and stared at me, "you don't understand me, don't you?" he asked, a tint of pink on his cheeks.
"no, but please continue." i told him.
"all i'm saying is, this is all either an illusion or a dream we're both into. when i came back to my world, you just seeemed like a fragment from a dream, i knew you were there but i couldn't at the same time. why am i even here?" jimin said, his eyes suddenly displaying sadness.
"we don't need to find the reason why you're here, all we have to know is how to get you back to your world." i smiled at him, my eyes directly meeting his.
he nodded, "you'll help me, right?" he asked.
" i guess will, tell me how i can help and i'll do it." i assured him, placing my hand on his shoulder as i tried to console him.
i wasn't good in comforting people, i don't know what's the right thing to say at this kind of circumstances. what can i even say that could make things better?
"when do you think you'll be going back to your world?" i asked him.
he shrugged, "i don't know." he stood up from the swing and stood in front of me, "let's take you home." he lent out his hand, i took it and smiled.
we walked my way home, both of us engulfed in silence. we found each other glancing at each other from time to time, both of us looking like we were trying to find the right words to say to each other.
"where are you staying? you're always welcome at my house." i glanced at jimin who was standing just a couple of inches from me, his hands on the pockets of his jeans.
he looked at me, "if you don't mind?" he pursed his lips, biting the insides of his cheeks as his gaze then went somewhere else.
a smile unconsciously played on my lips, "of course i don't."
we both got inside and went straight to my room. our house was quiet, none of the members of my family were present.
"i'll go change, you can head downstairs and wait for me there." i was about to head to my bathroom when i realized i forgot to say something, "and jimin, please wait for me before doing something. the maids might think there's a ghost or some kind of supernatural being here." i let out a small chuckle.
jimin nodded before exiting my room.
as i got downstairs, jimin was nowhere to be found. i searched around the house, his name escaping my lips as i tried to find him. i felt an unknown feeling at the pit of my stomach, why can't i calm down?
"what are you looking for, hanbyeol?" one of our maids had asked me.
"someone only i can find." i muttered that caused for our maid to look at me weirdly, "i can do it, please go ahead." i said.
i went back to my room and sat on my bed, "maybe he's back in his world." i whispered to myself, jimin's voice echoing in my head.
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