Minjaee

When he turned nine, he decided he had waited long enough.
He retrieved the money he had hidden.
He got on a bus.
And he went to look for Ah-rin.
After searching for a long time, he found the mansion.
He climbed a nearby tree.
And he saw her through the window.
His heart raced.
Ah-rin had grown up.
She was even more beautiful than he remembered.
Later, he met a woman who worked at a nearby restaurant.
Upon seeing an old photograph on the wall, he pointed to it.

• It is me.
  The woman was confused.
  Then Min-jae revealed things that no one else could know.
  She remembered the stories Ah-rin's uncle used to tell about people who were reborn.
  And she believed him.
  A short time later, she allowed him to stay and live with her.

Then Ah-rin's birthday arrived.
That morning, Min-jae handed her a small box.
Don't open it yet.
What's inside?
— A gift.
And the key?
Min-jae simply smiled.
I hid it.
Ah-rin pouted.

• Where?
  — You'll find out for yourself.
  She complained, but kept the box.
  The two of them got into the car along with the driver.
  They were going to celebrate her birthday.
  It was raining heavily outside.
  Ah-rin was chatting animatedly when Min-jae noticed something.
  A truck.
  Coming too fast.
  Out of control.
  It all happened in seconds.
  Min-jae threw himself on top of her.
  The impact was brutal.
  The car spun around.
  The windows shattered.
  And then came the silence.
  When Ah-rin opened her eyes, she was trapped among the wreckage.
  His ear was bleeding.
  Everything seemed distant.
  Min-jae was still alive.
  With difficulty, he supported himself with his arms to look at her.
  A small smile appeared on his face.
• I promise...
  His voice was weak.
  I'll be back.
  Ah-rin tried to listen.
  But the sounds came through distorted.
  I'll see you in the next life...
  And then he fell on top of her.
  Lifeless.
  That day, the driver and Min-jae died.
  Ah-rin survived.
  But a part of her died with him.
  For years, he visited his grave almost every day.
  He never forgot his promise.
  He never forgot her smile.
  Meanwhile, Min-jae had been reborn again.
  His nineteenth life.
  This time in a small, sad house.
  His father was an alcoholic.
  His mother suffered constantly.
  Even as a child, Min-jae used the accumulated knowledge from his past lives to participate in contests and programs.
  But all the money was stolen by his father.

From the moment he was born, Min-jae knew he was different.
While other children were learning to speak and walk, he carried memories of entire lifetimes.
He remembered being a knight who crossed battlefields. He remembered a woman who lived near the sea. He remembered a circus ringmaster who made crowds laugh.
And those were just a few of his seventeen past lives.
When her eighteenth life began, at the age of twelve, she moved to a new school.
That's where he met Ah-rin.
A nine-year-old girl.
She didn't like talking to anyone.
She spent her breaks alone.
And he seemed to prefer books to people.
At first, she didn't even respond when Min-jae spoke to her.
But he didn't give up.
He greeted her every day.
Every day I tried to make her smile.
Eventually, Ah-rin began to trust him.
One day, his mother took him to a huge mansion.
When she entered the house's library, she found Ah-rin sitting on the floor, surrounded by piles of books.
She was so engrossed in her reading that she didn't even notice him arriving.
It was at that moment that their friendship truly began.
The days passed.
The weeks passed.
And the two became inseparable.
They were playing together.
Liam together.
They talked for hours.
On a hot summer day, they ran to the mansion's pool.
The two of them played in the water, splashing each other and laughing non-stop.
Ah-rin held his hand and declared with all the seriousness a nine-year-old child could muster:
When I grow up, I'm going to marry you.
Min-jae laughed.
Are you really going to?

• I go.
  She crossed her arms.
  I will love you forever.
• Forever?
• Forever.
  She raised her pinky finger.
  And I will never abandon you.
  Min-jae intertwined his finger with hers.
  So it's a promise. For someone who had already lived seventeen lives, those simple moments meant more than any treasure.
  That was the happiest life he had ever lived.