2

The Awakening in the Past Life

Ana’s eyes fluttered open. At first, everything was blurry, and her body felt heavy and strange. A small hand shook her shoulder.

“Ana! Wake up! We have to work!”

She sat up, confusion flooding her mind. Her room — or what looked like a room — was unfamiliar. The walls were old and worn, the air smelled faintly of soap and dust, and through the narrow window, the sun filtered in weakly.

Ana blinked rapidly, looking around. This… isn’t my room. This isn’t my house. It must be a dream, she thought, her heart pounding in her chest.

The building was old, almost forgotten, with many children moving about in sleepy confusion. She walked slowly down the corridor, her feet hesitant on the creaky floorboards. Passing by a cracked mirror, she caught her reflection and froze.

Her hair was long and black, cascading like a waterfall. Her eyebrows were thick, framing her eyes — hazel green, but different somehow. There was a strange depth to them, a sharpness she didn’t recognize. Her face was younger, smaller… she was twelve years old.

Ana’s mind raced. This can’t be real. Did Allah answer my dua?

A voice called out behind her:

“Ana!”

She turned quickly and gasped. Standing there was Saba, her cousin’s best friend — someone Ana hadn’t seen in years. Saba’s face was familiar, warm, but her eyes held a strange, hardened look.

“Ana! Let’s go! Mr. Park will beat us if we don’t do the work!” Saba grabbed her hand, tugging her forward.

Ana’s mind spun. “Where… where are we, Saba?”

Saba looked at her, surprised at the question. “Yaa, Ana… we live in the orphanage, Dumbo.”

Ana’s heart skipped a beat. “Saba… why are you here?” she whispered, confusion and fear creeping into her voice.

Saba’s eyes widened. “Ana… have you hit your head or something? We’ve lived here for years! Don’t you remember?”

Ana shook her head, a cold fear creeping through her chest. She… she doesn’t remember… she doesn’t know anything about what I prayed for. Maybe this is my new chance… my second life. Everything is real. I’m really here.

Her heart both ached and swelled with hope. This was her new life, a life she had begged Allah for for more than ten years. And now, everything depended on what she would do next.

Ana took a deep breath, glancing around the orphanage, feeling the strange mix of fear and possibility. This is it… my chance. My second chance.

-

The First Meeting

Days passed slowly in the orphanage.

Ana swept the cold marble floors, the scent of soap and old wood filling her nose. She worked quietly, lost in her thoughts, still trying to understand this strange new life Allah had given her.

As she hummed softly, she suddenly realized something — she was speaking and thinking in Korean.

She paused, her broom frozen midair.

“How… how do I know this language so well?” she whispered to herself.

It was as if the prayers of her past life had come with her — every word, every dream, every wish.

That night, when everyone slept, Saba curled up beside her, hugging her gently like a little sister. The room was silent except for the sound of soft breathing and the faint whistle of the wind outside.

Ana got up quietly, spread her small prayer mat on the cold floor, and raised her hands to the sky.

“Alhamdulillah… Ya Allah, thank You. You heard me. You gave me another chance. Please guide me now.”

Her eyes glistened with tears as she performed salah, feeling closer to peace than she ever had before.

The next morning, sunlight peeked through the cracked windows. Ana turned to Saba.

“Saba, can you tell me where we are? I mean… which city?”

Saba looked confused. “We’re in Busan, Ana. Why?”

Ana’s heart skipped a beat. Busan.

That was his hometown. Jeon Jungkook’s.

Her lips trembled with a small smile. “SubhanAllah...” she whispered under her breath. “Saba, let’s go to the park today!”

Saba gasped. “Are you crazy? Mrs. Park will never allow it!” she said quickly. “She says we have goddess beauty — people might kidnap us if we go out!”

Ana sighed, looking out the window longingly. All she wanted was to see him — even from afar, even once.

Weeks passed before fate opened its door.

One morning, Mrs. Park, the strict caretaker, called out, “Ana! Saba! Come with me. We’re going to the supermarket for groceries.”

Ana’s heart fluttered — it would be her first time outside.

“Cover your faces, my little angels,” Mrs. Park said, handing them scarves.

They wrapped their faces, leaving only their eyes visible, and stepped outside.

The sunlight touched Ana’s skin, warm and alive. She whispered softly,

“Alhamdulillah… thank You, Allah.”

When they reached the market, Saba helped Mrs. Park pick vegetables, while Ana wandered near the candy shelves. Her gaze fell on a packet of chocolates on a high rack. She reached up on her toes, struggling to grab it.

At that exact moment, another hand reached for the same shelf.

A boy — maybe her age, maybe a year older — tall for his age, with messy dark hair and bright, curious eyes.

Both stretched their arms, fingers brushing against the same packet. The box wobbled — and suddenly slipped.

They both leaned forward, catching it at the same time — and in that instant, their eyes met.

For a moment, the world around Ana stopped.

His eyes were warm, deep, and kind — eyes that felt strangely familiar. The kind of eyes she had seen a thousand times before… on posters, in dreams, and in her heart.

The boy blinked, speechless, staring at her hazel-green eyes that shimmered under the store’s lights. Neither of them spoke, but something in the air changed — quiet, magnetic, fated.

Then Mrs. Park’s sharp voice broke the silence.

“Ana! Come here!”

Ana startled, quickly bowed her head, and whispered,

“Sorry!”

She placed the chocolate packet back and ran to Mrs. Park, her heart beating wildly.

But as she glanced back one last time, she saw the boy still standing there — staring at her, frozen, the chocolate packet in his hand.

And though she didn’t know it yet, that moment — that single gaze — had just tied their destinies together forever.

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