It's the same day and same night routine for you. Nothing unusual. But one morning all of this changes. You find yourself in Seoul. Teleportation or alien abduction you don't know. You try finding ways to go back. But do you really want to?
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None of this makes sense to me, why am I in this dark place with no memory of what followed after I opened the door. I slowly opened my eyes to find my hands and legs tied and mouth covered with a patch. If I am kidnapped why is the kidnapper not here with a knife pointing towards me? But why would I be kidnapped I am a person with no association with loan sharks, I hardly have enough savings to even buy monthly groceries. I try looking around for words written around me to make out where I am as I slowly stand.
Someone grabs my hand from behind and hold me in his arms. I struggle to make him let me go thinking he is the kidnapper but he is tough. He says "Stay put! It's me Kookie, let's go home" in Korean (not sure why I understood him). I nod in relief that he is not the kidnapper, before I ask him who he really is, he starts running holding me tight. We reach outside the building near the trashcans, he puts me down and signals to remain quiet with his index finger. He sits beside me and looks around till I try recalling if I know somebody who goes by Cookie.
After a while, a car passes by in a hurry through the gate. Cookie sighs in relief and looks at me "Ya! Are you okay?" again in Korean. I nod in response. He unties my hands and legs while I pull the patch which stings like hell. After helping me he asks "Ya! Why can't you leave me alone?" and continues "I understand my parents looked after you but this is not Busan. You have your college scholarship, just live your life, go back to the dorm and leave me alone, jebal" he says sounding frustrated. I have heard his voice before but I need to know who he is.
"Umm actually I don't know what you're talking about? Cookie is it? I am trying really hard to recall how I know you, sorry if I have offended you somehow" I say this in Korean which makes me gasp really hard. Man I tried learning Korean but have never spoken so fluently without taking time to translate in my head. He pauses and looks at me from top to down, he places his palm on my forehead and holds my head and searches for something. "Why are you acting so weird? It does not seem like you're injured anywhere, but let's go to hospital and check for concussion. Aissh I am going to get screwed by halmeoni" while he says this I look at his bleeding arm that he tries covering with his leather jacket. Before I even say something he grabs my hand again and run towards a bike parked outside the building's gate. Before sitting on his bike I pinched myself twice to check if this was a dream. My reflection on the bike's mirror catches my attention - My face and hair is covered with dust and sweat and my clothes are not in a good condition. It seems like it's me but it is not me.
As we move past more buildings it starts settling in my head that I am not home, I am not even in my country, I am in SOUTH KOREA. I try recalling what happened in the bathroom? But my head aches so much I let it go.
I take a deep breath and stay quiet for the whole ride, this is the only person who can give me answer to what the actual heck is going around me and I have no choice but to trust him. We reach at a hospital - The nurse sends me for a scan and I request her to check his arm. I don't know what waited for me in that dark and scary building but he actually saved me.
"There's nothing to be worried about, no major injuries, you can take her home today" says the doctor after reading my scan reports. I am on the bed with IV fluid injected in my arm. I am glad that Cookie's arm has been taken care of as I can see him from behind conversing with the doctor. "Are you sure? She doesn't seem to recognize me, she seems different somehow" he replies. I wait for the doctor and nurse to leave so that I can explain to him why I don't recognize him, how none of this is making sense to me. "Hmm... the reports say otherwise, I think it might be due to traumatic experience the patient behavior is changed, I'll write some pills now, let her take complete rest and I would suggest for a visit again after the pills are over. We might need to check her mental health if she does not recover" he says and signals the nurse to follow him.
My jaw drops, heart jumps, mind goes blank when Cookie no Kookie as in Jeon Jungkook, beloved maknae of Bangtan Sonyeondan turns to approach me without his mask on this time. He asks me something but I can't hear a word. I start feeling dizzy - I am in South Korea, don't know how and that too with Jungkook who I first thought was my kidnapper. He gets tensed by looking at me and asks again "Ya, Aare you alright? Should I call the doctor again?" this time I hear him and I reply with a dry throat "No I am okay". He sighs with relief and sits closer to me. "Do you recognize me?" he asks and of course I do who wouldn't and I reply "Of course I do - I have listened to Euphoria so many times, it's my go to song when I am down" I say with the fan girl giggling inside of me.
Instead of giving me a high-five he furrows his eyebrows "What Euphoria? What are you talking about? Hang On I'll call the doctor back" he says and runs out of the room. It's strange the way he talked to me before it was as if he knew me and he does not seem like the adorable maknae from BTS. Something is weird.
He comes back with the doctor and the nurse. The doctor asks "Hello, Can you tell me your name and age?" I see Jungkook standing beside him waiting for my answer. This is my chance to reveal the whole story and ask them to help me, as I open my mouth my head starts reeling and aching so bad that I close my eyes. I catch my head and start screaming and everything goes black.
I open my eyes to find Jungkook sleeping on the couch beside my bed. I see another IV fluid injected on my arm. I see few fruits and flowers on my table with a diary. I hold the diary which has a sticky note on it -
Get well soon my child.
I will visit you again tomorrow. Got this diary, hope it helps to regain your memories. Eat the fruits.
Yours Halmeoni.
I recall Jungkook speaking about his halmeoni, she must have visited when I was not conscious. I open the diary which shocks me with a picture - there is a younger version of me smiling with an ice-cream standing next to two people I can barely recognize. I start reading the entries made. It takes me a while to finish the diary.
As I finish I learn that I am I mean the person I am now is from Busan the same place Jungkook hails from. I lost my parents at a young age and his parents who were my neighbors took care of me. I worked hard and got into the best college in Seoul with scholarship. Instead of staying in dorm I rented a place close to Jungkook's halmeoni house as an excuse to help Jungkook as requested by his parents. And Jungkook is not BTS's golden maknae but a common Korean high school student. I struggle every day to tutor him - not that he's not good with studies, he left Busan after a petty fight with his parents. He lost all his interest and roams around with boys who are in line to become convicts. I close the diary and try to think if any of this makes sense.
Why and How I landed her is out of my reach for now. It can be some sort of science fiction phenomena or alien abduction. Not sure which? For now I decide not to tell this to anyone. I am in a body of a person who is me but not me completely. Jungkook doesn't seem like he has a clue about BTS. To find a way I need to live here for a while, I need to live by this diary and embrace this person till I find an exit which leads back to my home.
While keeping the diary aside the flowers fall off on the ground. Jungkook wakes up and picks them up before I do. He looks at me with the same concerned face tugging my heart strings "Do you need something?" he asks. "No I am good Kookie, Uhm I am feeling better actually. I am sorry for making you and halmeoni worried" I tell him with a smile which changes his expression "Ya has your memories come back, do you recognize me?" he asks and I nod "Sorry took me so long, it was all blank till I took a rest" I tell him pointing to my head.
"Aissh you had all of us scared to death, Eomma and Abeoji are on their way to visit you tomorrow. I think you should rest some more, I'll go and inform the nurse" saying so he goes out. I sit on the bed with mixed feelings - I woke up to do the same routine but ended up in Seoul. If I am here, is this person in my home with my body? I sigh and decide not to think about it for now. I go back to my sleeping position, I decide to find a way out before everyone realizes I am not this person. I could convince Jungkook for now but I won't be able to pull this for a long time.
