It's cold. I have no idea where I am. I can't see anything. All is dark except a shining bright light across the way from me. It seems close yet infinitely far away. As if I could simply reach out and touch it but could also walk for hours and never reach it.
"Jimin."
I jerk my gaze towards the hooded figure before me. Why had I not noticed I wasn't alone?
"Y-Yeah?" My voice cracks.
"Do you know where you are?" The voice is soft and gentle. I can't tell if the figure is male or female, though. It's an androgynous tone.
"No."
"Do you remember what happened?" It asks.
"No."
The figure lowers its hood and I'm stuck by the beauty of it. Her.
My jaw drops. "W-who are you?"
She smiles. "I go by many names but you may call me...Miya." She comes and sits by my side. "Do you remember the accident, Jimin?"
I shake my head mutely.
"I'll make it simple for you. You were hit by a car and drowned in a river. You're dead, Jimin." Her smile dims slightly as she clasps my hand.
I gasp. "N-no, that's not possible." I argue.
Instantly, images assault my mind of being left alone to walk home in the snow, a car speeding my way, glass breaking and then freezing water...a hand reaching out for me much too late....
A tear slips down my cheek. "I'm dead."
"Yes."
"What is this place?" I refuse to dwell on it. I don't know how to feel. Is it bad to be...relieved?
"The inbetween. Usually when someone dies they are given two options. Based on the choices they've made in life, they can either ascend or descend to heaven or hell...or they are allowed one do over." She explains.
I frown. "D-do over?"
She nods. "We give everyone the option of changing their actions to determine their ultimate fate. If a murderer is regretful, he shall be given a chance at redemption and go back to spare the life taken. That would be taken in account of his ultimate destination into the afterlife."
Oh. Wow. That's...really amazing. "What about those that have nothing to repent on?"
She shrugs. "Some choose do overs anyway to relive their lives one last time while others simply choose to go on to the afterlife."
"I want a second chance." I whisper.
She stares into my determined gaze. "You must know that having this second chance will not change your fate. You will still die within the year or your 30th birthday but you will not remember the exact date. No actions will change this. It is inevitable. That is the only unshakable certainty." She says.
I take it in. My death wasn't so bad. It wasn't very torturous and went decently fast from what I recall. I could surely handle reliving it for this opportunity. "Okay. I want it. H-how does it work."
"You are given the option of when you want to be placed back in time. Some choose to just be completely reborn and relive everything while most just choose a specific moment in time to go back to. It is up to you."
Swallowing, I think through my life to when everything went to shit for me. It's simple. I could go back to high school. The best time of my short life. The time before I accepted my husband and still had free will...
"Fifteen." I whisper. "I want to go back to when I was fifteen." I plead.
She nods and snaps her fingers revealing a long parchment looking like a contract. "Sign it. I will then place you in a deep sleep and when you wake...you will be where you most want to be. Please remember that you only have 15 years to live. Keep that in mind." She kisses my cheek softly before standing and placing her hand on my head.
"Good luck, Park Jimin. May your life have meaning and happiness find you. I will see you again soon."
Within seconds, Miya is gone and everything goes black.