New Neighbor

Jimin woke up again on the same snowy field.

She decided not to get up yet. At least she didn’t wake up at the train station again. Maybe it was a sign that if she ended up here, then nothing bad was going to happen.

The snow underneath her was cold, yet soft, wet and numbing her palms. Like the first time, she fisted a handful of snow just to feel its texture, so she could feel something else aside from the dread that remained in her heart for so long.

She lifted her fist and let the loose snow fall from it, it trickled down her arm and landed on the spots next to her head. Then slowly, she released the rest, watching the snow fall off and melt in her hand.

It felt real. Even if she knew they were still at the start of March, it felt weird to be surrounded by this much snow. Spring was supposed to be just around the corner, but it felt like it was still at the end of January.

Jimin dropped her hand again, hearing the muffled crunches from it. She stared at the sky again and tried to take deep breaths. Her heart wanted to feel safe, that it was okay to take the small steps into getting better.

There was nothing at that moment that could trigger her. Then a thought came to her. Maybe she died and she was actually in heaven all this time. She didn’t imagine that it would be snowing in heaven, but she didn’t mind. Because instead of panicking, she felt at ease.

She knew very well that she didn't mind dying. Being a police officer always reminded her that in order to save people’s lives she had to be ready to sacrifice hers.

The thought stung again, and she felt like crying. She didn't want to remember. She didn't want to relive that moment again. Jimin was in this snowy haven for a reason, and that was to try and move on from the nightmares, from the truth of her past.

When things got too heavy, she brought her arm up to cover her eyes, already feeling her tears wanting to escape.

“Hey,” the familiar voice called to her, and Jimin was surprised with how close it was. When she took her arm away, her eyes went wide when she saw the exact same woman staring down at her.

Jimin immediately sat up and scooted away from her.

It was the woman again. The short, brown hair, the puppy eyes, the faint moles and her plump lips. She wasn’t smiling this time, she looked worried. Why was she worried? Was she worried about her?

Before she could register what was happening, Jimin realized they were both sitting on the snowy patch of land, right next to each other. Jimin could see her clearly again and she wasn’t sure if she should say something or reach out and touch her.

Because when the woman cupped her cheek the first time they met, she felt every single bit of it. The softness of her palm, the comfort her thumbs brought as it caressed her cheek. There was something forming inside of Jimin’s chest, and she was hoping she could swat it away because it was starting to scare her.

Jimin tried to speak, she wanted to ask who this woman was, but when she opened her mouth to express her question, nothing came out.

She lost her voice. Jimin tried speaking again, hurriedly saying words but she couldn’t hear anything. It was like someone grabbed a remote control and muted her.

But when she looked at the woman, she didn’t seem bothered by it. Like she wasn’t seeing Jimin’s struggle to speak.

Instead, the woman scooted closer to her again, her expression stayed the same, worried and confused. She cupped Jimin’s face, and the feeling was electrifying. Her soft palms, the pad of her thumb, the look in her eyes.

It was shaking Jimin to her very core, her heart was beating fast, and her breathing picked up.

“Jimin, it’s not your fault.”

She woke up again, and managed to keep her voice in this time. Which was good. Because she didn't want to make another ruckus that would make Chaeyoung go into her room like the other night.

Jimin sighed, clutching her shirt again because of how fast and hard her heart was beating. She took a deep breath and exhaled out slowly. Aeri and Doctor Im’s voices were playing in her head, trying her best to remember each breathing exercise they taught her.

Her hands tried to reach her back, and to no surprise, it was drenched in sweat again. Jimin clicked her teeth in annoyance.

Didn't make sense why she was so sweaty when her dreams have been about her lying down in snow. Maybe Jimin should just air out the spot since she wasn't so keen on changing the sheets again and detergent wasn’t getting any cheaper.

So Jimin managed to pick herself up, walked towards her wardrobe so she could change her shirt into a new one, then returned to her bed, lying down on the colder side where it was dry. She got herself comfy and tried to close her eyes in an attempt to go back to sleep.

Despite the minor inconvenience and the fact that she woke up again from the same dream, she felt slightly relieved. It was another night without a nightmare. However, she was just getting even more nervous with how close the girl was towards her this time around.

They met when she was standing from a distance and then ran towards her. This time, she was suddenly right beside her. Jimin was starting to worry about where this unknown girl was going to show up if she dreamt the same thing again.

She sighed, maybe she should sleep this off. But she was, once again, thankful that this woman invaded her dreams. Jimin was starting to look forward to these nights.

Maybe it did felt a bit strange that all Jimin had been seeing at night, and in her dreams, was the woman. A part of her felt like her unconscious self was able to find a date in the dream world and that was the unfortunate soul that decided to meet with her every single night.

It would make sense because the girl knew her name. If only Jimin knew hers. Or more of, if only this woman was real.

But Jimin couldn't shake off the feeling that this had been happening for days straight. Probably turning into a week soon. And it wasn't like she was complaining, because she was thankful that they weren't nightmares.

There were parts of her dreams where it distorted from the snowy plain to a field of daisies then to the train station. And to her relief, it had always been either the snowy plain or the field of daisies.

The universe might actually be on her side for once.

However, it didn’t stop Jimin from expressing her concern about having the same dream over and over again. She did voice it out to her friends, but not in detail, and Tzuyu messaged her the other day suggesting Jimin could try sleeping on her side rather than on her back. It might lessen the chances of her sweating through her clothes too.

Jimin was always thankful for Tzuyu’s suggestions. Her logical mind had always been a big help since Chaeyoung and Aeri tend to give her close to useless tips. Jimin always took note to talk to Mina and Tzuyu whenever she needed a serious answer.

She exited the bathroom, placed her uniform on and walked towards the mirror in their living room to fix her badge.

Chaeyoung was also quietly preparing to go to work. Jimin noticed that she left the apartment pretty early that morning and came back an hour after. But Jimin wasn’t one to pry, since it was none of her business. Though, it still made her wonder since her roommate hated getting out of bed before eight in the morning.

She left at around six.

“Heads up,” Chaeyoung suddenly said as she was zipping up her vest, she glanced at Jimin, “We got a new neighbor. No roommate.” Chaeyoung fixed her vest and then opened her toolbox to double check the contents. Jimin raised a curious brow at the new information. “I met her earlier. She moved in a couple of days ago and was only able to get out of her apartment today,” Chaeyoung added.

Jimin jutted her lips out and nodded. “That’s cool. I’m assuming she’s nice?”

Chaeyoung nodded as well, a smile crept onto her face all of a suddenly. Jimin tried to ignore it, since she had an idea where Chaeyoung was going to go about this. “Yeah, she actually asked me to help fix her panel board. Turns out one of the breakers wasn’t working so a part of her apartment had no lights,” Chaeyoung glanced at Jimin again. “She’s nice and cute.” Her roommate took a good long pause, before she added, “She’s totally your type.”

There it was. There really was no end to Chaeyoung trying to get her back on the dating horse and as much as she appreciated it, she knew she was not ready. Jimin simply laughed at how silly the conversation Chaeyoung was building up to.

“Yeah, sure,” Jimin said dismissively as she fixed her belt and looked at herself in the mirror. But she had to admit, she was curious about her neighbor, so she looked at Chaeyoung carefully, wondering if she was going to regret asking. “What’s her name?”

Chaeyoung wore her messenger bag and grabbed her toolbox, she was about to head out the door but stopped when she started to ponder. “Forgot her last name, I know she said it. But I do remember her first name.” Chaeyoung already opened the door to their apartment and looked at Jimin before she stepped out. “Her name is Minjeong.”

Minjeong.

Jimin repeated it in her head. That was a cute name. That made her even more curious, but she shouldn’t indulge in it. She could probably just be another neighbor who didn't want to deal with anyone’s business, Jimin had dealt with a handful of people that were like that.

“Anyway, gotta go. See ya later for dinner.” Chaeyoung waved at her and closed the door, not waiting for Jimin to respond. They were both used to it anyway, so it didn’t matter if someone got a response.

Maybe when the universe permitted, she would be able to meet Minjeong herself. Maybe if she was lucky, she could strike up a conversation, maybe a little small talk and then understand Chaeyoung’s underlying message about this neighbor being her type. Though, she didn't want to indulge in that. Her mind wanted to focus on being a nice neighbor and welcome her with a warm smile and simple words.

Sounds about right. Jimin was definitely able to do that.