Y/n POV

"Y/n ah, are you done chopping the onion?" Eomma hollers from the other side of the kitchen.
"Yesss. Just a bit more." I quickly put down my phone & continue chopping.
Jimin & I have been texting each other quite frequently these days. It's mostly him who initiate the talk, but without realizing, I begin to anticipate his texts as well. Although we only talk about superficial topics, like what we're doing & such, I somehow feel closer to him now than I ever was.
"Eomma, what are you cooking? Ommo, seollongtang (ox-tail soup)? What's the special occasion? You rarely cook this dish." I peek over her shoulder into the pot.
"It's weekend. Call that friend of yours & tell him to come have dinner with us." She says without taking her eyes off the pot.
"My friend? Which one? Nami?" I ask in confusion.
"No. That guy who brought you porridge from last time."
"Jimin? Why would you invite him for dinner?" I exclaim in surprise.
"Ya, he brought you food when you were sick. The least I can do is return the favor by treating him to a home-cooked meal. Go on, give him a call." She turns to me & says.
"There's no need to do that. Besides, he's busy. I don't even know if he has time tonight." I try to find an excuse.
"Just call him first. Quick." She urges.
"Fine. But I can't do anything if he's busy." I groan.
I pick up my phone & open up the chat box with Jimin again. Come to think of it, eomma's seollongtang had always been Jimin's favorite back then.
I try to think of the right words to invite him, but in the end, I decide to just be straightforward.

Although I refuse to admit it, I'm quite excited of the prospect of seeing Jimin tonight.
Ya, stop it. It's only Jimin, your annoying ex-husband.
"What did he say?" Eomma takes a peek at my phone & asks.
"He's coming."
"See? I knew he would say yes. No one can reject my seollongtang." She smiles excitedly.
"Why are you so happy? You're grinning like a high school girl." I nudge her arm teasingly.
"Tsk. I'm doing this for you, you silly girl." She lightly taps my head with her forefinger.
"For me?"
"Who knows, he might become my son in law in the future." She chuckles.
"Eommaaa! How can you say that?" I exclaim, heat creeping on my cheeks.
"왜 (wae=why)? He's handsome, polite & he seems like a nice guy. It's difficult to find a guy like him these days you know."
My heart flutters at her words. I remember that she had always gotten along so well with Jimin.
"Eomma, you won't let me marry a bad guy, will you?" I ask.
"Of course! You're my precious girl & I've spent so much energy bringing you up to this big. Any guy who wants to take your hand must go through my meticulous inspection first."
And Jimin passed with flying colors.

Flashback, Y/n POV
That day, when he first came to our house to ask for my parents' permission to date me, Appa was hard on him but eomma only observed quietly the whole time, so I was very worried. Her approval meant so much to me.
After Jimin was gone, I pulled her to the side & asked her honest opinion about him.
"Eomma, why didn't you say anything? What do you think about him? You can be honest."
"He's.. ok. He seems responsible & kind, which are the most important traits that you need to find in a man." She answered nonchalantly.
"Really? You're not lying just to make me happy, aren't you?" I looked at her skeptically.
"Why would I do that? If I hadn't approved of him, I would have kicked him out already. I like him, so don't worry." She gently patted my cheek & smiled.
And she really did like him.
She treasured him as her son-in-law & I knew Jimin loved her just as much.

Present, 07:05 PM, Y/n POV
I anxiously check my watch for the umpteenth time & stretch my neck looking for Jimin outside of my house, but there's still no sign of him.
Did he lie to me again?
Disappointment sits heavily on my chest as I walk back into the house.
I guess I expected too much.
"Sorry I'm late." Jimin's voice makes me turn around.
He's panting heavily, his two hands full of bags big & small.
"I went to get these & it took me a lot longer than expected." He mutters in between heavy breaths.
"What are those?" My eyes widen in surprise.
"Oh, just a few things for emmoni & abeonim." He grins.
Warmth spreads inside me at his thoughtfulness.
You always judge him too fast, don't do that.
"Let's go in. They're waiting for you already." I help him carry the bags & open the door.

Jimin POV
"Annyeong hasimnikka. I'm Y/n's friend, Park Jimin imnida." I bow nervously at Y/n's parents.
I saw them a lot of times back then, but I still feel extremely nervous.
"Please sit down Jimin ah." Her mom smilingly says to me, easing my nerves slightly.
Her dad still has the same stern expression, but her mom seems to be much friendlier than she was the first time I met her years ago.
"Eommoni, I bought this for you. I hope you like it. And this one is for you Abeonim." I quickly hand them the bags of gifts that I've been carrying before I sit down next to Y/n.
"A leather jacket? Woah, thank you so much Son." Abeonim's frown instantly turns upward into a smile as he sees the gift I brought him.
"Ommo, what is this?" Eommoni pulls out a purple cashmere sweater & a box of ginseng supplements from the bag.
"I heard you like the color purple & the weather is starting to get colder so I bought you the sweater. I hope you like it." I sheepishly say & glance at Y/n who's staring at me with an unreadable expression.
"Thank you so much. But they look very expensive, we can't accept these." Eommoni frantically puts everything bag into the bag & throw her husband a death glare.
"Ehm.. Yes, these are too expensive. We can't accept them." Abeonim clears his throat & reluctantly puts his gift back into the bag as well.
"Please. I really want to give them to you. Eommoni, I heard that this ginseng supplement is very good for your body. You need to stay healthy so that you can stay with Y/n for a long time. She loves you so much." I push the bags back into her hands & plead earnestly.
I couldn't buy them anything expensive with my measly salary back then, so I really want to give them the best now.
Eommoni stares at me for a long moment, a light shimmer of tears glazing her eyes, before she smiles & takes the bags back.
"Thank you very much Jimin ah. I truly appreciate your thoughts. We will use these well."
"You're welcome eommoni." I grin happily.
"Let me put these in the bedroom first." She rises from her seat & I abruptly stands up too to be polite.
As I sit back down, I sense Y/n's gaze on me, so I turn to her. She looks like she's about to cry.
"What's wrong?" I whisper to her in panic, thinking that I've done something wrong.
"Thank you. Thank you so much Jimin ah." She mouths as she squeezes my hand under the table.
My skin tingles at her touch & I want nothing more than pulls her into a hug right now, but I can't do that. So I just smile at her & mouths,
"You're welcome."
The dinner goes on smoothly. I still can't believe that I get the chance to talk to eommoni & taste her cooking again. Thinking back of that day she passed away, her radiating warmth now feels so surreal.
"Thank you abeonim, eommoni for the delicious dinner. It's getting late, I should get going." I bow at them & take my leave.
"You're welcome Jimin ah. If you ever feel like eating seollongtang again, just let Y/n know. I'll cook it for you." Eommoni smiles at me & says.
"Yes eommoni. Please take care of your health."
"Eomma, I'll accompany him to the bus stop. I'll be back soon." Y/n says.
"There's no need. I can go on my own." I whisper to her.
"The weather's really nice. I feel like taking a walk anw. Let's go." She pushes the gate & steps out.
We walk side by side towards the bus stop. I glance at her & my heart flutters a little. I almost forgot how beautiful she was before life exerted a lot of pressure on her, stripping off her youthful charm.
"Jimin ah, remember this park?" She suddenly stops & turns to me.
"Of course." I answer as I look at the small neighborhood park where she & I used to spend a lot of time sitting on the swing just talking about whatever. The place where we had our first kiss.
My cheeks blush at the memory so I immediately lower my head & pretend to rub my nose.
"Do you want to sit here for a while?" She asks.
"Uhm.. Sure.. Why not?" I agree.
"Woah, it looks the same as I remember it." I exclaim as I sit on the swing beside her.
"It is."
A long stretch of silence follows as we enjoy the night breeze blowing on our faces, losing in our own thoughts.
"Jimin ah.." She calls out without looking at me, her dark brown eyes fixated on a point in the horizon.
"Hm?"
"If we really are stuck here forever, what should we do?" She turns to me & looks straight at me in the eyes.
"Honestly, I don't know. Just go with the flow I guess." I shrug.
"When I first realized that I'd gone back in time, I wanted so desperately to avoid you & your friends so that I wouldn't go on the same path again as before. But recently I've been thinking, what if this second chance is not given to us to change our fate? Because look at us. I've been trying so hard to not let my life intertwine with yours, yet we're back here again. To where it all started."
"What exactly do you mean? I tilt my head in confusion.
"Like I told you before, what if we're here because we're given an opportunity to learn from our mistakes & do better this time?"
"I still don't understand. What are you implying?" I act stupid, heart racing in anticipation.
Is she talking about reconciling?
"Do I have to say it out loud?" She frowns, cheeks flushed, as she turns away & averts her gaze.
It only takes me less than a minute to decide, because I've clearly known what my heart wants. And it's her. Despite everything that has happened, I still crave for her.
"Y/n ah.." I abruptly stand up & steps in front of her.
She looks up at me, her pink lips gaping slightly, & I can't hold it in any longer.
I grab both her hands, which are holding onto the chains of the swing, & lean forward.
Our lips touch & it feels like a deja vu, but this time it is much sweeter.