When I Came Back For You

The blinding sun forces me to open my eyes. I squaint at the surroundings around me, unable to recognize anything I'm seeing. A big lake is in front of me and flowers are blooming all around. So many flowers in different colors and sizes.

And people. Strange people.

I stand on a cobblestone pavement, unable to breathe from the amazement.

My hand clasps over my mouth from the surprise of finding myself in a place that I have never been before.

I think I'm dreaming, so I smile and try to close my eyes again. But when I open them, the scenery doesn't change.

Studying the surroundings, I notice that people are dressed in strange clothes, one that I don't often see everyday. The air is a bit colder too even when the sun is shining full in the sky.

I pinch myself and squeal from the pain. It hurts so I guess I'm not really dreaming at all. Then I notice my hands. It's fairer than the last time I saw it. Fairer, whiter, and soft to the touch of my fingers.

A man passes by the side of the pavement and greets me.

And I almost faint from surprise at what he just said. Not only that the man is Korean but he was also speaking to me in Korean, and God help me, I understand everything he says.

I gasp and the man asks me what's wrong. In Korean again. And I understand it unbelievably.

I answer him, and was surprised again to find myself uttering words I never speak before.

I let this moment sink in: I am speaking in Korean. I know how to speak Korean.

This new language comes out of my mouth naturally. Like it's what I've been speaking my whole life, and it doesn't feel strange at all. I can speak it very fluently, no stammering or forgetting any syllables. Not like when I'm trying to sing the lyrics of BTS songs at home.

And it's getting weirder and weirder.

I ask the man if he knows where I am. In Korean again.

"You're in Ilsandong-gu, miss," he says, also in Korean.

"What?" my voice comes out as a whimper. I don't know if he hears me.

"Ilsan Lake Park," he adds. "East Ilsan."

"Ilsan..., "I ask, my mind processing where the heck Ilsan is. Then I know. I remember the note I was reading yesterday. Or was it really just yesterday? I was just in my bed earlier. I remember myself crying and closing my eyes, drifting to sleep. How did i got here? Sure this must be a dream, a side effect of my crying over the love notes of someone I don't even know.

The man eyes me suspiciously as I stagger back with my hands on my head. He must have thought I am crazy so he starts on his feet and is ready to go. But I catch his arms.

"Wait," I beg. Every word that comes through my mouth now is Korean, because, somehow, I realized that I cannot speak any other language anymore. Neither English nor Filipino.

"Please sir, I think I'm lost." I say.

He shakes my hand off his, and staggers backwards, confused.

"Can't help you," he replies. "But this might help."

He hands me a folded piece of paper from his pocket. I unfold it and realized it is a map. A map of Ilsan, with the designated places for tourists such as attractions, hotel locations, shopping malls, restaurants and it even has a calendar at the back. I drift my eyes to the date of the calendar, and my eyes got wider at a split second.

It says 2012.

"Mr., what day is it?" I ask.

The man laughs and shakes his head, "Are you having a hangover?" he asks, seemingly disappointed. "It's May 12. Sunday."

"What year?"

"Really, Miss?" he looks at me like I just took some drugs that ruin my mind.

"It's May 12, 2012,"he adds before he shakes his head again and heads off, probably thinking that he just wasted his time talking to a lunatic.

I'm left on the pavement dumbfounded. I am really sure this time that I'm dreaming. Looking around, I take in the surroundings again. As I have noticed earlier, there are flowers everywhere. But this time, I look more and realized that the whole place is actually filled with lots and lots of flowers in different sizes and shapes. There are some that are taller than people, one that's formed as a traditional korean woman wearing a hanbok. Others are not that tall but they also resemble human beings.

The whole place is magnificent, I'm sure I haven't seen a sight like this before.

A banner is raised somewhere in the distance. It reads "Welcome to the Goyang International Flower Festival"

So this is really Ilsan. I have read about the flower festival before when I was listening to RM's part in Ma City. But I never thought of seeing it like this. It's kind of beautiful though.

And I love this dream. Not only I can speak Korean, but I can also see the beauty of this place like its real.

"Sun Hee!"

A young man is shouting at a distance. I turn my focus on him, and realize that he is looking at me, with a smile on his face. That's when I recognize who he is.

My heartbeat stops. The world stops. Everything around stops.

But the flowers seem to smile and dance with the wind.

That familiar voice, familiar smile. Those features.

I know where it all belong to. He may have dressed differently but I can still recognize his face. It's him.

I'M STARING STRAIGHT AT KIM SEOKJIN. My bias. My idol. The man of my dreams. And it's never been this before.

He's walking towards my way, eyes still fixing on me. Eyes that's filled with excitement and happiness. And for a moment, I think i finally found my soulmate.

When he's near me enough, he stops in front of me, gazes into me like he never expected to see me in a place like this.

I just look at him, in awe. Unable to move. Unable to breathe.

"Sun Hee," he says that word again. "You came back! You came back for me!"

He sighs and still won't break his gaze.

"Are you real?" I asked him back. I may sound stupid, but he doesn't care. He keeps smiling.

And the world now explodes for me when he pulls me into his arms and hugs me tight against his chest. I can smell his mesmerizing perfume and feel the beating of his heart. He hugs me so tight I couldn't process what's going on.

I have never dream of him like this until now.

But if it's a dream, I don't wanna wake up anymore.