Lisa jolted awake. Her eyes surveyed the room where she was in panic. Realizing she was safe and not sitting inside a car which was upside-down, she relaxed a bit although her heart was still pounding. Her hands immediately went to her face to wipe her tears away. Then, she began to take calming breaths.
The dream she had felt so real and was so terrible that she woke up crying!
But was it only just that?
There was a nagging thought at the back of her head...
Why would she dream of dying of all things? God, how horrible! She could still remember in perfect detail what happened in her dream, especially the feeling of loneliness and her death. Her death... the memory made her shudder.
And then, the thought of her soon-to-be ex entered her mind. Lisa could not stop the hatred and anger brewing in her heart.
'Jeon Jungkook, you piece of shit! I'm signing those divorce papers so we'll finally be free from each other!' Lisa cursed him in her mind.
The fuming blonde blinked her eyes a few times. It was already nighttime. There was very little light coming from the sliding door leading to the balcony so it took Lisa a few seconds to adjust her eyesight.
Her jaw fell open in shock and disbelief.
'This... This isn't possible!'
The pounding of Lisa's heart was again deafening.
'What the hell is going on?!'
She got up and searched blindly for the light switch.
Click!
Her eyes went wide as they swept over the queen-sized bed, giant fluffy round rug, crystal chandelier and her collection of unicorn stuffed toys and merchandise displayed on one corner of the room.
This was... Her old bedroom...
How could she be in her old room?! In her old house?!
After her mother died, the bank seized the house and it was immediately bought by someone else. So, how could she be here?
Moreover, the furniture and items she sold off to earn money to move to a smaller apartment was still there.
What kind of sorcery was this?!
There was a knock on Lisa's door which startled the blonde.
"Lisa, are you awake?" She heard a voice she had been longing to hear for a long time.
Unshed tears blurred Lisa's vision. Was she hearing things? Despite thinking it was impossible for the person at the door to be who she was hoping for, she quickly rushed to it anyway. Upon throwing it open, Lisa was greeted by a face she didn't think she would be able to see again.
"Mom?!"
Sandara's hand flew to her chest. "My god, Park Lalisa! You startled me!"
"Mom..." Lisa's hand moved to touch Sandara's face.
The older woman's beautiful features showed her confusion. "What? What is it? Is there something on my face?"
Lisa shook her head. She wrapped her arms around Sandara as she cried. "I missed you so much."
"What are you talking about? We saw each other a couple of hours ago." Her mother said. Although Sandara was concerned about Lisa's strange behavior, she returned her daughter's hug. Her other hand softly rubbed the back of her daughter's head. "What's wrong?"
Lisa responded by hugging her mother tighter.
Was she still dreaming?
Her mom died in a car crash years ago.
How could this be?
How could her mom still be alive?
"If this is a dream, I don't want to wake up." She said, burrying herself in Sandara's embrace.
'Oh my god.'
A thought occured to her which made her stiffen.
The memory of her car tumbling a couple of times before landing on the side of the road, upside-down. The smell of gas, fire, her passing out...
WAS SHE DEAD?
DID SHE DIE?
WAS THIS AN AFTERLIFE REUNION?!
Lisa pinched herself a few times, still unconvinced she was alive but... She felt pain.
Pain.
So... She really didn't die and this wasn't a dream... She was alive!
Oh my god... She was alive... Her mother was also alive... But how could her mother be alive and hugging her at this moment?! Park Sandara definitely died! Lisa saw her body! They even held her funeral!
The blonde woman was starting to feel faint.
She heard footsteps and another voice she had been missing as badly as her mother's.
"Aigoo. Young Miss must have had a bad dream."
The blonde looked up to see an old woman. She was looking at Lisa and her mother with warmth in her eyes.
"Nana?" Lisa whispered and then, "Nana!" She removed herself from her mother's arms and ran towards her Nana.
"There, there, child. It was only a bad dream." Nana was startled at the young miss's sudden display of affection but wrapped an arm around her regardless and patted her on the back to comfort her. The corners of the nanny's eyes crinkled as she smiled at the young lady. "Sometimes you still act like a child but I'm not complaining!"
Sandara looked at her daughter, wondering what had happened. She decided Nana must be right. Lisa must have had a bad dream.
"I love you, Nana." Lisa whispered, finally calming down.
Nana smiled at the young woman she considered to be her grandchild. They were not blood related but she had been helping take care of Lisa since Lisa was born. "Nana loves you too." She wiped Lisa's tears away. "That dream must have been dreadful."
Lisa could only nod.
That was no dream.
Had she gone back in time?
Oh god.
"It's a good thing the cook prepared your favorite tonight. Perhaps eating it will make you feel better." Nana stood to the side and motioned for the mother and daughter to move to the dining area.
Dara nodded. "Nana's right. There's no way good food won't make you feel better."
"Okay." Lisa held Nana's hand with one hand and her mother's hand with the other. The elderly woman and Sandara looked at each other quizically before smiling at the blonde woman in between them. Lisa flashed them a dazzling smile in return.
The three walked hand in hand to the dining area where they were greeted by a few maids. Lisa greeted them back with a smile, confusing all the servants.
She remembered she never really payed them any attention in her past life. Starting today, she was going to be kinder to them.
After seating themselves, Lisa was doted upon by her mother as Nana stood to the side, waiting upon them. Sandara piled food on Lisa's plate, like she used to do before she died, which made Lisa almost start tearing up again.
She finished all of her food and chatted with her mother and Nana happily. She even included some of the servants present in their conversation. This was the first time she felt like this... Lisa wished to stay like this forever. She was content and happy.
Nana seemed to remember something important. The elderly woman looked at Lalisa and said, "Oh, Miss Lalisa, Young Master Jeon called earlier to remind you about the party to be held a week from now."
'Jeon? That asshole?'
'Party?'
'What party?'
Sandara cast Nana a look and facepalmed. She knew for a fact that Lisa and her fiancé had gotten into a fight. That was the reason why her youngest daughter was here instead of her apartment in the first place. Dara sighed. Lisa was in such a good mood, which was rare ever since she had gotten engaged to the heir of Jeon Enterprises. She should've given Nana a reminder to not mention Jeon Jungkook's name.
To Sandara's surprise, her daughter remained calm.
"Fiancé?" Lisa asked, confused.
She and Jungkook... Weren't married yet? They were still engaged?
"Yes, your fiancé. Jeon Jungkook of Jeon Enterprises." Sandara encased her daughter's hands in hers. "Park Lalisa, what is going on with you? Do you have a fever?"
Lalisa started pinching her arms again.
Sandara grabbed her daughter's hands. "Why do you keep doing that?!"
SHE... SHE REALLY HAD GONE BACK IN TIME!
What else could it be if it wasn't a dream? Also, the dead could never come back to life!
"You're acting strange! Park Lalisa, are you high?! Are you on drugs?!" Sandara's dark eyes were blazing.
"What?! Of course not, mother!" Lisa looked genuinely offended.
Sandara breathed out a sigh of relief and glared at her daughter. "Then why are you behaving oddly?"
Lisa looked at her mother, Nana, the helpers, around the stylish dining area...
This was amazing!
She was finally convinced.
She had gone back to five years ago, when she and Jungkook had just gotten engaged!
Lisa's plump lips formed a huge grin. "I've always been weird, mother."
"Is this one of your pranks again?!" Sandara frowned. "You're always making me worried."
"Sorry, mommy." She tossed a bit of aegyo in there. "I'll stop pulling pranks."
"You had better!" Her mom was frowning but her eyes were twinkling. She wasn't really mad.
"So... About that party..."
Ah! She suddenly remembered what they were talking about. That was her first fancy shmansy party after getting engaged to Jungkook. It was also where she had first been humiliated.
This time she was going to make sure that didn't happen.
She had been through a lot.
She was no longer the naive Lisa.
Nobody was allowed to bully her this time.
Glancing at her mother and beloved nanny, a look of determination flashed across her eyes. She was going to make sure to protect her loved ones.
She refused to stay weak.
This time, everything was going to be different.
___