Chapter 5 — The Memory in the Rain

That night, Seungmin couldn't sleep.

Rain tapped softly against his bedroom window, filling the quiet apartment with a steady rhythm.

He lay on his back, staring at the ceiling.

One name kept returning to his mind.

Chris.

He didn't understand why.

He had met the man only once.

Yet something about him felt strangely familiar.

Not familiar like a classmate.

Not familiar like a friend.

Something deeper.

Something he couldn't explain.

Seungmin turned onto his side and pulled the jade pendant from beneath his shirt.

The strange warmth from earlier had disappeared.

Now it looked completely ordinary.

"Why do I feel like I've seen you before?"

He closed his eyes.

And sleep took him.

---

The Dream

Seungmin stood in a field covered in white flowers.

He looked down at himself.

He wasn't wearing his usual clothes.

Instead, he wore a long traditional robe.

The wind carried the scent of spring.

Someone was standing beneath a cherry blossom tree.

A young man.

Dark hair.

Warm eyes.

A smile Seungmin somehow knew.

"You're late."

The man laughed.

Seungmin's heart began beating faster.

"Sorry, Chris."

His own voice sounded different.

Older.

Softer.

But the name came naturally.

Chris.

The young man approached him.

"You promised you'd never make me wait."

Seungmin smiled.

"I know."

Chris reached for his hand.

Their fingers intertwined.

For a moment, everything felt peaceful.

Then—

The sky turned black.

The flowers withered.

Chris's smile disappeared.

"Run!"

Seungmin turned around.

A figure dressed in black stood at the edge of the field.

A sword flashed.

Blood stained the white flowers.

"Chris!"

Seungmin screamed.

Chris rushed toward him.

"Min-ah!"

The sound of that name echoed through the field.

Seungmin froze.

Min-ah.

Who was Min-ah?

Why was Chris calling him that?

He reached for Chris—

But their hands slipped apart.

"Chris!"

---

Seungmin woke up gasping.

His room was dark.

His heart pounded violently against his chest.

He immediately touched his face.

Tears.

He was crying.

"Why..."

His voice trembled.

"Why am I crying?"

A sharp pain suddenly struck his head.

Images flashed through his mind.

A temple.

Five glowing stones.

A young man kneeling in front of him.

Blood.

A promise.

And Chris.

Always Chris.

Seungmin grabbed his head.

"Stop..."

The pain faded as quickly as it had appeared.

He sat there in silence.

Then he looked down.

The jade pendant around his neck was glowing again.

But this time, something was different.

Tiny symbols had appeared across its surface.

Seungmin stared at them.

"I've never seen these before."

---

Across the City

Chris woke suddenly.

He sat upright in bed.

His chest felt strangely warm.

The jade pendant around his own neck was glowing.

His eyes widened.

"No..."

He immediately knew what it meant.

The soul was remembering.

Chris stood and walked toward the window.

Rain poured over Seoul.

A century ago, rain had fallen on the night he lost Min-ah.

And tonight...

Seungmin had dreamed of him.

Chris closed his eyes.

For the first time, hope felt dangerous.

Because if Seungmin remembered everything—

He would also remember how Min-ah died.

And Chris wasn't sure he could survive watching Seungmin experience that pain again.

---

The next morning, Seungmin arrived at university looking exhausted.

Felix noticed immediately.

"You look terrible."

"Thanks."

"I mean it lovingly."

Seungmin laughed weakly.

Han leaned across the table.

"Did you sleep at all?"

"Not really."

Changbin raised an eyebrow.

"Nightmare?"

Seungmin hesitated.

"Yeah."

Felix's expression softened.

"What happened?"

Seungmin looked down at his hands.

"I dreamed about someone."

"Who?"

Seungmin opened his mouth.

Then stopped.

He didn't know why, but saying the name aloud suddenly made his heart ache.

"...Chris."

The three friends stared at him.

Han slowly smiled.

"Oh?"

"It's not like that!"

Seungmin's face turned red.

"I just dreamed about him."

"Sure."

"Han!"

They laughed.

But across the courtyard, Chris stood watching from a distance.

He had come to make sure Seungmin was safe.

Then he saw Seungmin suddenly look in his direction.

Their eyes met.

Seungmin froze.

Chris froze too.

For a brief moment, neither moved.

Then Seungmin smiled.

A small, familiar smile.

The exact same smile Min-ah had given him a hundred years ago.

Chris's heart broke and healed at the same time.

Perhaps fate had finally given him another chance.

But somewhere high above them...

The cloaked stranger watched from the rooftop.

Their eyes narrowed.

"The reincarnation has begun remembering."

A second figure appeared behind them.

"And Chris has found him."

The stranger smiled.

"Then we don't have much time."

Below, Seungmin touched his glowing jade pendant.

And for the first time...

A single memory returned clearly.

A promise whispered beneath a cherry blossom tree.

"If we lose each other..."

"Find me again."

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