It was like diving into the ocean, instead of water the memories of Ji-Min flowed past him. Han noticed glimpses of a little girl clinging to an older woman as they approached a school. Flashes of her working at a part-time job, grumbling about wanting to go home instead of dealing with creepy customers. There were a couple of memories to stuck out to him, the man named Charles who was worried about Ji-Min's group appeared in numerous memories. Judging by how often Han was seeing this man, the two were close friends even before going to the university.
He peeked at a memory where Charles and Ji-Min were in a park, walking along a lighted path. Seeing his expression, it was apparent that Charles was nervous about something. Han felt anxiety from Ji-Min, likely due to her predicting what was going to take place.
"Ji-Min..., I... wanted to say," Charles stammered, appearing nervous about something which led to him stumbling over his words. He walked in a way that made him closer to Ji-Min.
From how Ji-Min was feeling, Han could tell that she was sad and uncomfortable. It was interesting seeing this take place from the woman's side and wondered how many of the girls felt similarly as to what was transpiring in front of him. Even though Ji-Min was aware of what Charles was building up to, she still didn't interrupt him. For some reason, guilt was slowly building up inside of her as she watched Charles work himself up to say what he was thinking.
Charles appeared to be thinking about switching tactics and asked, "Ji-Min. We've known each other for a while, right?"
Before answering, Ji-Min smiled and tried to look happy. "Yeah. You're one of my closest friends." Just looking at Ji-Min's smile, it was evident that she was forcing herself.
Unfortunately, Charles was too occupied to not notice that Ji-Min was not feeling the same as he was, his face lighting up when she confirmed it. There was a slight flinch of his expression as Ji-Min said the word 'friend.' Sighing, he continued. "We've been through a lot, creating a lot of memories, some happy and some sad. But in the end, we've managed to come through and become closer."
Ji-Min's heart began to beat faster, not from happiness but from fear of what Charles was getting ready to say. Based on her emotions and body language, Ji-Min wanted to stop the particular words that were going to come out of Charles' mouth.
"Ji-Min... I've liked you for a long time. When I'm around you, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world. You laugh at my corny jokes, and we like similar things. I love you. Will you be my girlfriend?" He rushed the last part, likely thinking that he'd back out and lose his chance. Charles' face was red, his eyes earnestly gazing into Ji-Min's eyes.
Hearing Charles' confession, Ji-Min's heart plummeted. Though there was no reason to feel such emotions, Ji-Min felt guilty and sad to hear the words coming out of Charles' mouth. She couldn't say the words that she was feeling, knowing that it would devastate her friend.
Han dipped into her thoughts.
"Why!? Why!? I thought you were my friend!" She kept thinking such words in her mind. Inside her mind, she was crying, "I don't feel that way for you, and now I'm going to lose you, my closest friend."
As he listened to her thoughts, Han was startled by the raw emotion she was exhibiting. It wasn't that Ji-Min didn't care about Charles; instead, it was how she valued his friendship. She didn't want to lose something precious to her but knew that lying to him would only hurt him worse than telling him the truth.
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Ji-Min resolved herself to the conclusion of the confession, even if it meant the end of her best friend. "Charles...," She tried to say.
Listening to the tone of her voice, Charles began to back away, shaking his head in denial. "But...," He said, looking to try and salvage the situation but knowing that it was over. The corner of his mouth curled down into a grimace. "We... I...," Charles stammered, emotions beginning to overwhelm him.
"I'm so sorry," Ji-Min said as tears began to form and trailed down her cheeks. Lowering her head and bringing her hands to her face, she cried. Inside of her, it felt like her insides were being torn apart from hurting her friend.
"I... I... I think I need to head home," Charles looked down, combing his fingers through his hair. Before Ji-Min could say anything, he ran away down the path they had taken.
As Han made his way out of the memory, he looked back to see Ji-Min crying alone in the park.
Leaving the memory, he felt like he got a better picture of why Charles was so angry at the news that Ji-Min had died inside of the forest.
More memories passed him by, but they were events that appeared inconsequential. He saw when Ji-Min received the letter in the mail, getting accepted to the university and how happy she was. How her parents congratulated her and all the events that led to her moving to school.
Seeing what he wanted, Han navigated his way towards the memory and dived into it.
"What do you think you're doing?" A familiar voice yelled.
Ji-Min was walking towards the forest, members of what looked like her team close by. Annoyance flared up from hearing the voice, and she stopped to turn towards the source. "Charles! For the last time, this isn't your business. I'm fulfilling what the team was assigned to, by the Captain." She held up her hand with her palm out towards Charles.
"NO! This isn't just because your team has been assigned this mission! You know what's out there, those Modified Humans are adapting too quickly out there, and anyone searching for them is going to be killed!" Charles made a diagonal chopping motion in frustration.
Flinging both hands into the air, Ji-Min said, "Seriously! Stop with the conspiracy theories! There's no proof that those things are Modified Humans. Jason is majoring in biology, and he's convinced that something else is causing all of this to happen. That the appearance of the Modified Beings also showing up is a coincidence, even if it's an unlikely one."
"Jason is going to get you killed! Why are you following that rich twat?! He's taken only a couple of bio classes, one of them being Introduction to Biology! What's the matter with you?" Charles yelled. In a softer voice, he continued, "Please, Ji-Min. This isn't like you. I'll talk to the Captain and get her to change her mind."
"Stop, Charles," Ji-Min said in a stern voice. "I know we've known each other for a long time, but you need to stop."
"What are you talking about?" Charles said confused.
"Your jealous behavior towards Jason. You've been acting like this ever since Jason and I have been dating. It's making me uncomfortable." Stepping back, Ji-Min began to make her way to the group. "I'm not doing this because of Jason. This is something that needs to be done. I'll talk to you after this is over. I think we need to talk about not hanging around one another, considering Jason and I seems to be bothering you." She picked up her pace to catch up with her team. Looking back at Charles, she said, "I'm sorry, Charles."
As the memory continued, Han followed along with Ji-Min as she caught up with the rest of her team. A guy was waiting for her while keeping a respectable distance away. When she got close, he asked, "You okay, babe?"
Ji-Min reached out and touched Jason's arm. "I'm sorry about all of that. I know that you've been really understanding, which I really appreciate." Her voice was filled with emotions.
Taking her hand, Jason held it, and the two of them made their way to the team. "Hey. It's not a big deal. I know that you two have a history. He's a close friend of yours, and I didn't want to get between that."
Relief was felt from Ji-Min after she heard Jason's words. "I'm glad that I met Jason. He's been the only thing I could depend on, even before the world ended. I can't imagine what things would be like if he didn't help me pick up my books that day." Ji-Min thought to herself.
"We should catch up with the other," Jason said as he gently guided Ji-Min towards the ever looming forest just outside of the university grounds.
"Okay," Ji-Min tried to sound confident and ready for the mission.
Jason looked at her. Likely noticing her nervousness, he said, "Don't worry. I won't let anything ever happen to you. I'll be next to you. Always."