Yu Ri arrived a little later, since she was driving the car, excited to tell her husband the good news.
When she found him in the living room of their apartment, she immediately knew something was wrong.
„Hey. Don't make such a face! You know what?" she knelt down in front of Shin Ju, took his hands and ginned. „Guess."
„Yu Ri... I'm not.."
„Guess!" she interrupted and he dropped his gaze. „Woo Bin-nim.. I think he's gone."
Now Yu Ri's smile vanished. „What are you talking about? Yi Jeong-nim and I... we found the bead. It's all gonna be okay! Woo Bin-nim is going to come back for sure!" she smiled, her eyes bright with happiness, but Shin Ju couldn't share that feeling.
„You found the bead? Yeon called me to lure Yi Jeong away, so Woo Bin could go alone with the fairy. But he was already gone when I..." his eyes widened and he stared at his wife. „He left before he got the bead..."
Yu Ri's smile vanished. „Does that mean it was all for nothing? Yi Jeong-nim gave up a lot to get the bead. And now he's gone without it?" she asked but Shin Ju was already on his phone, calling Yeon. Maybe it wasn't too late yet.
It was. Yeon told him on the phone, that Woo Bin was really gone and asked him to prepare the room for Yi Jeong to move in and to cook Rang's favorite meal.
Yu Ri was biting her fingernails while she watched her husband on the phone, barely able to breathe. Shin Ju ended the call and buried his face in his palms.
„He didn't make it in time. The fairy took Woo Bin..." he mumbled, then took a deep breath. "But he has Yeon's bead. Yi Jeong wants to move back in. He doesn't want to stay in his apartment without Woo Bin."
Now Yi Ri's face lit up. „Yi Rang-nim is coming home?" she whispered and a weak smile flashed over Shin Ju's lips. „I guess so."
-
In the evening, everything was prepared for Yi Jeong to move back into his old home. He hadn't told them yet, that his memories were back, because that's nothing to tell on the phone.
It took him all his strength to think of Woo Bin as just being temporarily gone. If he would just think for a second, that he died that day, his heart would shatter into a million pieces and never recover.
Yi Jeong was wearing his boyfriend's leather jacket over his new sweater, had a shoulder bag in one arm and his plush fox in the other, when he arrived.
He looked like a lost boy who was just meeting his foster parents for the first time, but when he saw Yu Ri and Shin Ju, a little weight fell off his chest.
The apartment suddenly smelled familiar and he stepped inside. Yu Ri was the first who greeted him with a tight hug.
„I'm so sorry.." she whispered, „I had no idea what they were planning."
„I wouldn't have told you either.. You would never have let them do this behind my back.. not my Yu Ri.." he mumbled and tried a smile when she stepped back and stared at him with wide eyes.
„Yi Rang-nim.." she breathed, now looking into the eyes of her mentor and savior instead of a stranger who just looked like him. „You.."
„I remember it all. My past life.. You..." he looked over to Shin Ju. „Him.." He tried to look annoyed, but he couldn't fight back a smile and Shin Ju jumped into his arms. „Hyung!" he yelled and Yi Jeong laughed.
„Where's my dog?" he asked but Su Ho wasn't around.
„He's still out, trying to get your favorite dessert. Are you hungry?" Yu Ri asked and Yi Jeong nodded though he wasn't. He remembered it was Rang's favorite. It smelled good.
„I bring my stuff into my room." he announced and just walked straight to it, without waiting for a reply.
Inside, he leaned against the door and closed his eyes for a moment. It was hard to believe that this was really happening. That he was reunited with the family of his past life. But he was without his mate. Woo Bin was really gone and all he had left was a jacket and his heart full of memories. He couldn't even remember how his life had been before he found Song Woo Bin.
And now he should just be without him? Just like that?
Yi Jeong dropped his bag on the ground and himself on the bed. There were no stars at the ceiling. There was nothing to count.
He rolled up to a ball and closed his eyes. Pictures of Woo Bin flashed through his head. Smiling, making breakfast, asleep on his desk, caring, angry, joking, upset, laughing. How he always leaned in the door frame, waiting to pick up Yi Jeong from work. He was always 10 minutes early, so he could watch him around the kids. Yi Jeong couldn't go back to work and Woo Bin wouldn't wait to pick him up.
He hugged a pillow and pressed his face into the soft feathers to keep himself from crying, but the pain overwhelmed him once again.
He had no idea how long he was crying, but at some point, he felt a warm body, snuggling up next to him.
It felt good. Familiar. Yu Ri...
Yi Jeong stopped crying. He was so tired.
"You don't have to come out and eat.." Yi Ri whispered after a while. "Shin Ju will cook that every day for you anyway."
A smile flashed over Yi Jeong's lips. "I can't count the stars.." he whispered and felt Yu Ri making a face. He rolled on his back and pointed up.
Yu Ri's eyes followed, but it wasn't helping.
"I can try punch a hole into the ceiling, but there's an apartment above this so... instead of seeing stars you might have a neighbor fall on your head.." she said dryly and Yi Jeong chuckled.
"I'm glad you're here.." he mumbled and rolled into her arms, closing his eyes again.
"Me too.." she whispered back and smiled with tears in her eyes. Rang wouldn't have let her comfort him like this. When Yeon died, he was angry and desperate and sent everyone away. It hurt, not being able to take care of a loved one.
"We will find him.. You sleep now and tomorrow we start looking, okay? Right now, he's already with you. You carry his light.. Since you met him for the first time.. there wasn't a day you've been without him. Imagine that.. It's so romantic, it should make you sick.." she smiled and stared at the ceiling.
"Shin Ju really messed you up.." Yi Jeong said and both laughed, but then her smile vanished.
"I know how you feel. I felt the same when you died.. It doesn't matter how many people are still around you, when you lose your soul mate. Woo Bin might be yours, but you're mine. Always."
Yi Jeong looked at Yu Ri for a while. She was still staring at the ceiling, though she felt his eyes on her.
"Maybe we can have only one true love but... more than one soul mate? One for each life? Rang never had a chance to get to know Woo Bin.. But he knew you. I know you. Now that I remember it all.. I'm still in this life so.. it adds up instead of replacing.. does that make sense? I mean.. Shin Ju wasn't replacing me, right?"
"That sounds good.." she agreed and closed her eyes. "Try to get some sleep... I won't leave you alone."
And she never did.
After one year, she only slept by his side every second night.
After two years, only once a week.
After three years, Yi Jeong was finally able to sleep alone.
His ceiling was covered with countless glow in the dark stickers by then, but he mostly fell asleep before getting to count half of them.
He had to give up his job as a teacher and artist, but on popular demand, he was still allowed to give fun week end courses for children.
His skill was entirely gone, but his mind was still remembering the basics. The official version had been a hand surgery that never gave him his full control back to be able to do pottery. But his passion for working with children was still the same and with that opportunity, he still had something to look forward to. Something that got him through countless weeks of endless disappointments.
There hadn't been the tiniest sign of Woo Bin, but he refused to give up. They had looked through hospitals, tried to get in contact with the afterlife, no one was able to help him.
No one had seen Song Woo Bin.
Giving out a missing person report was impossible as well. His mom was expecting the worst anyway, since Woo Bin hadn't been back after a year. Chi Un got along well with Yi Jeong's new, second family, but Woo Bin was always on her mind.
They also didn't know if he was back but without his memory... Or if there was someone who looked like Woo Bin but wasn't him.
Yi Jeong would have freaked out if his face would have been on a milk carton or anything else while he was living a perfectly normal life without any knowledge of his past.
He had to have faith and took every day as a new chance to finally meet Woo Bin again.
Shin Ju was working with a patient, a depressed dog, when Yi Jeong entered the animal clinic like so often, his hands cupped around something, his eyes full of hope.
Shin Ju rolled his eyes when he saw him, knowing exactly what he was carrying.
"Another one?" he asked but Yi Jeong looked so excited, he couldn't even be mad. It was a miracle, that he was more or less functioning and still so much kinder than Rang ever was.
"Come on, take a look at it! It came to me!"
"Hyung... you can't bring every cockroach that is not running from you here."
"This one looked at me especially friendly. Please?" Yi Jeong asked with a cute pout and opened his hands.
Shin Ju took a quick look at the bug and shook his head. "Not Woo Bin. But this one likes you. Maybe you should keep it as a pet."
Yi Jeong lifted up his hands and made a cute face at the cockroach. "Should I keep you as a pet?" he asked sweetly and put it on his shoulder.
"Suits you. But please don't bring it to the apartment."
"You're bummer." Yi Jeong mumbled and peered at Shin Ju.
"Come on, Cheesecake. I release you. Shin Ju doesn't want you."
"Why?" Shin Ju asked helplessly, "Why is his name Cheesecake?"
"Found him near an empty box." Yi Jeong replied as if it was the most natural thing in the world and turned around. "Maybe I should hide you in Shin Ju's bed.." he whispered to his little friend and Shin Ju turned around. "I heard that!"
Yi Jeong gave him a mischievous smile and left the clinic.
Outside, he let the cockroach down and sighed. "You know.. I would be totally fine if you were my Woo Bin."
Feeling the sadness crawl back into his system, he stood up and decided to go home. He suddenly felt the urge to cook something he hadn't eaten for a very long time. Something Woo Bin always made for him when he wanted a favor or just some extra love.
Maybe... just maybe.. If he stopped looking, and just kept living, maybe he would cross paths with Woo Bin all naturally.
Maybe he should try that for a while.
Yu Ri was lying on the couch, zapping through the TV channels, when Yi Jeong returned. He had picked up a few groceries on the way home and was ready to ruin the kitchen.
"Hey. I'll cook today, okay?"
"Hmh.. whatever.." Yu Ri murmured lazily and Yi Jeong shook his head with a smile.
Somehow, cooking something Woo Bin always made for him helped him feel connected to his boyfriend.
Usually, he was avoiding everything that reminded him too much of how terribly he missed him and he also never started following his promise to collect good memories to share with him one day.
Maybe it was time to change that.
Woo Bin's voice was in his head when he started unpacking the ingredients. He was always singing along to the radio or free style rapping, while cooking.
The memory made Yi Jeong smile.
But why didn't he remember that song...
Yi Jeong dropped the pack of eggs he was about to open and froze.
That voice wasn't in his head.. It came from the living room.
"Yu Ri!" he yelled but she wasn't even paying attention to the TV and looked up from her phone.
"What?"
He snatched the remote and turned up the volume before he dropped on his knees in front of the TV, staring at the screen.
A new music act was performing and the guy who was rapping like a pro...
"Is that.." Yu Ri settled next to him and he grabbed her hand, squeezing it tight.
"Woo Bin..?" he whispered and exchanged a look with Yu Ri before he looked back at the screen, not believing what he was witnessing.
"My boyfriend is an idol?"