Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Just something lighthearted and funny to write during holiday! Because SoSoo can only have happy ending in the modern days. And Goblin is a good inspiration, especially on the notions of reincarnation, remember and forget, ect...
It was told that the dead spirits who were ready to be reincarnated, would be offered the broth of oblivion so that they didn't remember their previous life. Having been purged of all previous sins and knowledge, the dead spirit was sent to be reborn in a new earthly incarnation, and the cycle began again. This was an act of kindness from gods as oblivion was part of the blessing. Mean while, choosing to remember meant to live in torment with every memory of the past life, to live a life of eternal suffering.
Because of an unfinished love, he chose to remember, to be haunted by all the ghosts in the past, to never live a complete new life.
For more than 1000 years, his spirit lived then died plenty times only to look for her. He had passed 11 lifetimes, 11 times of reincarnation. Each lifetime, he met a girl who looked exactly like his lover but not her. He had to watch that girl live and grow old happily with another man while imagining he and his lover could also have had a happy life like that.
Even in his 12th lifetime, he hadn't found her yet. And he had thought 12 was a lucky number. The girl in this lifetime named Go Hajin. Like 11 other girls in his old past lives, this girl wasn't his Soo. She had already had a boyfriend and he believed, once more time, he had to watch her live a happy life in the arms of another man again.
However, 12 was indeed a lucky number, because gods sent him another girl in this time life, a girl who knew his past life, the life of 4th prince Wang So who then became Gwangjong - 4th king of Goryeo. She had been willing to share his burdens and the most important thing, she had the ability to make him forget, forget all the past lives and also forget his Hae Soo.
Her name was Konikishi Asahi, Japanese, 18 years old, high school student, moved to Korea to live with her half-brother Konikishi Akira after the death of her parents 6 years ago. She was the girl who had the ability to see the past life of people in Goryeo era. And she believed she was sent here to help him overcome the haunting ghosts of the past. Her brother Akira, in his past life, had been Gwangjong, the 4th king of Goryeo who chose to live with the memories of the past lives to find his lover.
Never did Asahi truly know how painful it could be to live with the memories of the past. She only knew every single night, her brother woke up in cold sweats because of nightmares, calling the name Hae Soo. It happened every. single. night, until one day, 2 years ago, she had asked Akira if he had ever wanted to forget all those painful memories because she had the ability to make him forget, not forever but at least in his 12th lifetime.
He said yes.
For 2 years, Asahi had been proud of herself for helping her brother block all his nightmares. However, that day when she had a visit to the exhibition "Goryeo era culture" and saw a young woman crying before the portrait of Gwangjong, she knew she was doomed. She had just messed up with her brother's life. Akira meant to find his lover here. They were meant to remember their past lives and meet up again but she had destroyed everything. She made him forget before his Hae Soo could remember. Screw her life!
"Hae Soo?" The high school girl approached the woman, offering her a handkerchief. The older one looked up with her big teary eyes, Asahi couldn't help feeling sympathy and sorry for the woman "Follow me!" Asahi abruptly seized Soo's hand and pulled her up in the older girls's shock. "I will bring you to him" She dragged Soo toward the main entrance then looked around searching for the needed man.
"So hyung" Asahi cried out loud for her brother. The man turned back and quickly she pulled Soo along, running toward him. "This is Hae Soo" Asahi said while panting after showed her brother the girl.
The two finally met after 1000 years apart. Hae Soo froze in utter shock, stared at the man before her eyes with tears streaming down her face while the man only looked at her in confusion. He averted his eyes to his younger sister, silently asked what was going on.
"She is Hae. Soo." His sister stressed the name as if he would know who Hae Soo was, but he truly didn't. So turned back to the crying girl then awkwardly broke the ice.
"Excuse me, but do we know each other?"
The girl didn't answered and only cried harder. So never felt so awkward like that in his entire life with one strange girl crying before him and his sister was acting unbelievably weird. He flashed a social smile to the girl then turned to give his sister a furious glare before pulling Asahi asides.
"What the hell did you do?" So hissed at his sister "What have you done to her that made her cry?"
"It's not me. It's you" Asahi explained in urgency. "She is your Hae Soo. She has finally remembered you because of the portrait of Gwangjong." But So only looked at her as if she was possessed by evil spirit and not his sister. Asahi tugged him toward the grand picture of the Goryeo king and pointed at it "See. He was Gwangjong. You look exactly like him. You chose your Korean name Wang So like him so that if you've ever met Hae Soo again, she could easily realize you"
So felt his blood boiling at the sister of him who was blabbering nonsense "Are you making fun of my Korean name again?" He didn't remember the reason why he chose such an old-fashion name. Most of his colleagues said his Korean name was weird so the name Wang So became a sensitive topic to the man.
"No. I'm not. It's me who made you forget. You have to remember again" Asahi shook his arm, pleading in desperate. But So jerked his arm away.
"That's enough" He nagged at her in a stern voice "I won't take you home. Take the bus yourself" So walked away, left behind the agitated sister who wanted to cry out loud in frustration.
"You will regret it, obnoxious hyung" Asahi shouted after him but So just waved his hand, didn't bother to glance back.
"I don't hear a thing, ungrateful younger sister"
It took Asahi a while to cool down her anger then all of sudden, she remembered Hae Soo. Fortunately, she was still there at the exhibition. She seemed to have overcome her mental breakdown when Asahi found her again.
"Don't worry. I will help you making him remember." The younger girl assured.
The two were sitting in a coffee shop when Asahi told Hajin about her brother's life and what had happened to him two years ago. If it was someone else they might never believe the words of an high school student talking about past lives and reincarnation. But it wasn't someone else. It was Go Hajin who magically remembered she had lived in the body of Hae Soo 1000 years ago. And the high school girl before her here happened to be the sister of Hae Soo's lover in this lifetime. Somehow, Hajin felt like they had been friends for a long time.
"You don't get mad at me, do you?" Asahi carefully asked "It's all because of me that So hyung doesn't remember you"
"No, not at all" Hajin gave her a weak smile when turning away to hide her tears. Her heart ached terribly, thinking about what So had gone through over 1000 years to find her again.
"So you must not give up on him this time" The younger girl said as if reading her mind
"No. I won't" Hajin firmly claimed. Gods granted her wish, to meet him in a different world, different period. This time she would definitely never leave him.
"A kiss" Asahi suddenly hit the table, which pulled Hajin back to reality "In fairy tales, the lovers wake each other up by a kiss. Maybe your kiss can help So hyung regain his memories" The girl grinned happily while the Hajin didn't appear against the idea. She would want to give So a million kisses if her kisses could compensate all the hardships he had been through.
"Why do you call him So hyung? You are supposed to call oppa". The question came out of blue but Hajin couldn't help herself when the girl kept referring her brother as hyung.
"Oh, old habit dies hard" Asahi laughed it off "I learned Korean from Jung. He calls So hyung as hyung so I did the same. I thought hyung meant onichan in Japanese, didn't know that the girl must call her older brother oppa"
"Jung?" Hajin widened eyes surprised "You mean?"
"Wang Jung. 14th prince. Your so-called husband in Goryeo." Asahi grinned brightly. "You will be surprised once seeing him. He looks exactly like Wang Jung of Goryeo, has the same name too. It's very rare that someone reincarnated with the same faces from their previous lives. So hyung is an exception. And you too are an exception in this life time. The other girls So hyung once met in other lifetimes may have the same face as yours but it wasn't your soul in that body, I believe"
"I wasn't reincarnated. It's my soul who was transferred back in time, living in Hae Soo's body." Hajin timidly confessed. She was still confused with the whole things of reincarnation or past lives.
"Even more magical" Asahi chimed in awe. "That means you're destined to each other, it's fate" Hajin shuddered at the words fate and destiny. In Goryeo, it was fate that separated So and her. In this modern time, would fate be on their side?
"Telling about Jung, he is So hyung's half brother." Asahi continued without noticing the older girl's concern "After my father and his mother divorced, So hyung returned to Korea with his mother. Both of the parents remarried so Jung and I were born. Except for So hyung, Jung and I have nothing related" She was saying when suddenly a book flew toward their table and hit Asahi's head. "What the..." The girl hissed in pain while turning around to look for the one who threw that book.
"You, ungrateful younger sister" A young man walked toward them with books on his arm. "How dare you say we are not related."
The new shown up face rendered Hajin speechless. Tears started forming in her eyes again as she recalled the youngest prince and their old memories in Goryeo era, wasn't aware of the two unrelated people before her bickering at each other like old foes.
"You are not my brother" Asahi gave Jung a dead glare but the man just beamed at her
"We live under a same roof, share the same brother. You are the younger sister of my brother, so you are my sister too" Jung raised his hand to pat Asahi's head but the girl quickly ducked and avoided it. At that moment Jung had the chance to have a look at the companion of Asahi. "And who is this beautiful flower?" He whispered to his sister's ears, which only made the girl cringe in distaste.
"She is Hae Soo" Asahi replied and immediately Jung pushed her aside to take a step closer to Hajin
"The Hae Soo?" He yelled in surprise "My wife in the past life?" Asahi had never regretted telling Jung about his past life in Goryeo like that before. The man jumped forward in an attempt of hugging "his wife" but being pulled back by the younger girl.
"Sorry, Soo unnie. He is an idiot" Asahi turned to Hajin, apologized in embarrassment.
"Who do you call idiot, annoying sister" Jung wiggled to break free from Asahi's grab
"You are an idiot, unrelated stranger" The girl released him so Jung fell ungracefully on the floor.
Hajin looked at the two in bewilderment. These two were the strangest people she had ever met. Jung in front of her eyes appeared like 14th prince but his comical behaviors were nothing alike the prince she had known. She just wondered if the spirits changed when they reincarnated and had non knowledge of their past lives. While Hajin was thinking, Jung had got back on his feet, extended his hand toward her.
"I'm sorry for all the fuss with my sister. My name is Wang Jung, third year student in Business Administration department of Seoul National University. Nice to meet you" Hajin looked up at the man then at his extending hand. Now he appeared more like the old Jung. She hesitated before shaking hands with him, still lost in bewilderment. Jung winked at her when withdrawing from the handshake. His eyes averted to the younger girl "There is a small party with my teammates at Moonlight tonight. You are invited" Jung said indifferently then turned to Hajin with a big warm smile "You are invited too, Hae Soo noona. Would you mind coming to a university students' party?"
Hajin was at loss for word when Asahi quickly jumped in "She will come. I will make sure that she comes." The girl tried to pushed Jung away "Now get lost, since I am having an important talk with Soo unnie right now"
Jung didn't want to leave, yet once hearing Asahi's angry growl, he quickly fled, but only after saying goodbye to two girl. "See you tonight, Hae Soo and Woo Hee"
"Woo Hee?" Hajin gaped at the girl. Didn't she introduce her name was Asahi?
"Woo Hee is my Korean name." She answered her question. "Just like my brother, I chose a Korean name too but Woo Hee is a beautiful name right? Not old fashion like So. Who in these days named So anyway?" Hajin didn't pay attention to what the girl said. All her mind was full of the images of her female friend in Goryeo. Woo Hee, was she the Woo Hee she knew. Apparently she didn't have the same face as her old friend. But not everyone reincarnated with their faces of the previous lives. Asahi or Woo Hee was still talking "The most important thing is So hyung will be at Moonlight tonight. He drinks there every Friday night. You can meet then kiss him to wake his memories up"
Hajin was reminded about the kiss. Everything was happening so fast that she didn't have time to process what was going on. Just earlier this afternoon she remembered her past life, then she met So but he forgot her. And now she was sitting with present So's sister who was highly the reincarnation of her friend Woo Hee, talking about the party of Jung tonight. For all that, all Hajin had in mind was that she could meet So again. She could meet So again and that was the only thing mattered.
Moonlight was a small cozy bar full of people every Friday evening. Hajin and Woo Hee joined the party with Jung and his friends. But when the older girl introduced her name as Go Hajin, both Jung and Woo Hee cried in surprise.
"Your name is not Hae Soo?"
Jung immediately turned to his sister, giving her a question look "She is your friend, why are you so surprised?"
"Hae Soo was her past life's name. I forgot to ask her modern life name" She mumbled loud enough for only Jung to hear, then received a snicker from the brother.
The party began with Jung and his friends soon ignoring two girls but Hajin and Woo Hee didn't mind it at all. They came here for another purpose: waiting for So.
"Are you nervous?" Woo Hee asked once seeing Hajin fidgeted with the drink in her hand.
"Yes" Hajin truthfully admitted. Anxiety was growing inside her with just one mere thought of So. She still hadn't digested all the memories of the past yet. She didn't even had time to think clearly with Woo Hee/ Asahi keeping pushing her toward So. Hajin gulped down the drink then pour another one. She felt intoxicated but the alcohol appeared useful to calm her nerves.
"Don't drink too much" Woo Hee held her hands to prevent Hajin from drinking. All of sudden, a familiar warmth spread over her body.
"Do you remember your past life?" Hajin asked, wanted to distract her mind from the prince she was waiting. And she also wanted to know if this girl was her friend in Goryeo era.
"No. I don't" Woo Hee shook her head. The girl had wondered who she was in her past lives but she had no idea. However, maybe it was a bless. She didn't want to suffer like her brother, but to live a carefree life like Jung with no memory of the past. The special gift of seeing others' past lives only a little touch to make her life more interesting.
"Are you sure? Because in Goryeo I had a friend named Woo Hee, the princess of Later Baekje." Hajin tried to remind her but this modern Woo Hee only shook her head to dismiss that thought.
Suddenly a flashback came to Asahi Woo Hee. The image of a Goryeo spiritual ritual flashed before her eyes. This wasn't the previous life memory of anyone, she was sure. It was her own memory as if she had been there to witness it. Her pulse picked up as her mind tried to figure out what was happening. She looked at Hae Soo and once again the flashbacks returned, but a different one. It was a rain ritual. Who was her in the past life and why did it appear just now? Something must have triggered them, the past memories. Woo Hee was in her deep thoughts when Hajin knocked down the last drink on the table. The younger girl didn't even notice that her companion had stood up and reeled away.
Hajin felt the need to go to the toilet. Maybe it was a bad idea to use alcohol as a calming draught. She knew she was drunk, though not many drunk people realized themselves drunk. She walked unsteadily pass the crowd, tried to find a way to the restroom when suddenly bumped into a hard chest.
"Ow! Ouch!" Hajin yelped in pain, holding her throbbing head which got hurt because of the drink and not the bump
"You bumped into me" A familiar voice raised and all of sudden the noise around her stopped. Looking up, she was greeted by a familiar face. She immediately forgot everything in the world. At that moment there was only her as Hae Soo standing before Wang So, her lover of 1000 years ago. And she wanted to kiss him. Action did Hajin take. The man was caught off guard when she forcefully grabbed his collar and pulled him down to press his lips on hers. His lips tasted like wine, the finest wine she had ever tasted. And that was Hae Soo's final thought before her world twirled around then dissolved.
Woo Hee was pulled back to reality by a loud screech. Taking a look around, she discovered the source of the sound. It was her brother who was holding a very drunk Hae Soo in his arms after she forced a kiss on him. It appeared that the kiss didn't work in reality like what they told in the fairytales. But it wasn't the worst part, because a forced kiss from a drunk girl could not render her brother enraged, yet a drunken Hae Soo puking all over his body could do.
"ASAHI" Wang So cried out loud in outrage.
Woo Hee knew it was the end of the world when her Japanese name was shouted out by her brother. Because at that moment, Asahi wasn't her name but his swearing words. A very very very bad swearing word, which was only used in some special cases. She was doomed!
A/N: why Japanese name? Because birth name is not something you can choose. The only way for So to keep his name Wang So in the modern day is that he has the choice to name himself.
