Do you remember that old man the young speedster saw on the plane on the way to Suwon, South Korea?
That was me.
Hello there. I am the first and the only speedster except now there is a new speedster in town. You might not know me well. Ha, you surely don't. I am Alejandro Park, Alejandro's grandpa from father's side. Let us skip the nonsense, shall we?
Here is how my story goes.
21 years ago, 2020
A little after Alejandro turned 3, my son, Jeong Jin, started to change. He became greedy, arrogant, and infuriated that he did not have Park Group for himself. Little Alejandro did not notice what his father had become. I did not want to give him the company yet because I knew his attitude would bring negative consequences to the company of the family from generations. He ignored me and instead framed me by saying that I told secrets and ideas from our products and sold these ideas to other companies for money. This news spread quickly throughout South Korea. Eventually, Jeong Jin kicked me out of the company along with another real briber from China with the vote of the other directors a few days after. He got a hold of Park Group as he wanted, in a despicable way. The only one who knew none of this was happening is Ahn-Jeong, my wife. I left the company walking, hiding, in the dark trying to avoid reporters and paparazzi. I was born in front of the camera from the generation of my father, Sung-Ho which meant successor and greatness. I am so used to being in front of that camera and now look at me, staying hidden.
A few minutes later
I feel someone following me, scared for my life...I ran to the trees. As I am running, I trip on a tree root and fall face first. Now this one hurt. I can't seem to move. Did I break a bone? I am 55 and still kicking. How can I break something so easily? I pull out my phone, it harshly cracked but I can still call 911 but instead, I call Ahn-Jeong. It started to storm so I can't hear what she is saying. My phone becomes wet because of all the rain. Why couldn't they invent waterproof phones? I didn't think I would become electrocuted, sooner than later, I am electrocuted. I checked my body but I wasn't hurt anywhere. The only hurt thing is my phone, it is completely burnt. I felt energy inside of me, a feeling I never had, bringing me incredible and frightening emotions. I look down at my hands are glowing. I began to disappear. I did not know what was happening. What exactly is happening to me? I completely disappear and I end up on a plane next to Ahn-Jeong. I've never been to N.Y.C with Ahn-Jeong. Where am I? A woman is looking at my wife in fear. I can see her energy, the energy I had in my arms, the energy I felt from her is the same as mine. I see a note in my hand.
This is the future you.
Don't be afraid this is the day you become a Time Traveler. The woman in front of you. She is the first young speedster after you. She is trying to save Ahn-Jeong. Which you have failed many times to save. She is also the reason Alejandro dies in the future. Want to know why or how? You will find out as the years pass. But no matter what, do not travel to the past or you will die instantly. The energy you have is strong for the future but not the past.
Sincerely,
Future you
This is someone like me then. She is trying to save my wife. As the note said, I failed countless times trying to save my wife. In a flash, I saw the young traveler 3 times in a second. I couldn't believe my eyes. Am I going crazy? I try to figure out her plan but time passes too quickly in a second. I pick up the pills that drop on the floor but before I could read them, the timeline changed again. All I do is focus on Ahn-Jeong. She looks unwell but I am not a doctor so I can not tell very well. Ahn-Jeong never gets sick; Therefore, I never knew how she looked when she became sick. I look over at her and her eyes are closed.
"Honey, wake up," I shake her softly.
"Leave me alone I just want sleep," She moves my hand away from her head.
"You have to wake up," I notice the woman and just look at her as she walks to the First-class side of the plane. I receive another note in my pocket. When I read it, I get out of my seat and run to her side of the plane. I grab her arm and I pull her to the back of the plane.
"Listen. Stop messing with my family. I know you've been traveling through time. I know you are a Time Traveler. I know by looking at your eyes. One thing I learned about time traveling is...don't ever travel back in time to save someone. It won't help you or the ones around you. It creates dark energy inside of you. When this dark energy starts to accumulate you have bad dreams..." Especially these dreams of hers... "When you have these bad dreams you start remembering events that you don't want to remember" Just like the note said...
This is future you again,
One more thing, I want to tell you is that Gwen's past has to do with Alejandro. Watch over her. Appear and disappear from her giving her tips but just don't let her make a mistake as she did in the past. Don't let her repeat her mistake with our Alejandro. Watch him and stick with this young speedster Gwen even if you have to be harsh. You still have time so don't hesitate. You can't escape the future until you see this time. Like I said don't go to the past. Ahn-Jeong will die soon in this time but you will still be with her in your time. You will have to see her die or you won't return to your normal time. Spend as much time with her as you can when you go back in time. Please don't fail or give up and don't be broken. Ahn-Jeong always wanted you to be happy. Be happy.
Sincerely,
Future you.
"What do you mean 'don't want to remember' Are you a Time Traveler? Is that how you know?" Her expression is so vague. I am now a Time Traveler but I am in the future so I have been for a while. All she does is wait for my expression. I can't tell her the truth. I walk away focused on my future wife dying soon. Hours pass, Ahn-Jeong is still sleeping. I just watch her until we reach South Korea knowing she was going to die.
Hours later
I wake up from a nap that I didn't know I took. The woman on the woman on the speaker says we are landing soon. I look over to Ahn-Jeong. I hug her before I wake her up knowing it was going to be one of the last. I kiss her on her cheek. I softly tell her to wake up. But she doesn't move. She only groans. It's starting, isn't it?
"Attendant, my wife is unwell," I yell uncontrollably. She comes rushing and checks her pulse by her wrist.
"Her pulse is weak. You need to take her to the hospital as soon as possible" The attendant rushes to a phone "We have a weak passenger please speed up landing," The airplane speeds up, I can feel the energy of the plane. The plane lands and the ambulance is already called. I pick up Ahn-Jeong in my arms and we leave the plane first. We get inside the ambulance. She gets connected to machines to control her pulse.
"Her heart is weak," The paramedic says "Did you know she had a weak heart?"
"No," I say. I'm from the past. I don't know any of this yet. Tears running down my face. I close my eyes and wished I could have known what started all of this. Suddenly, my eyes shut, I fall asleep. I am in a dream. I look over and it's Ahn-Jeong. She looks so healthy. She starts looking for something in her purse.
"Do you have my pills, honey?" The pills that dropped?
"You take medicine?"
"What's wrong with you? Already losing your memory like me? Do you have them?" This must be what causes her to be well. I find a note in my jacket pocket in this dream
It's you again,
You are in a daydream, a future memory. Let me explain. On your way to see Alejandro in New York City by surprise, Ahn-Jeong gets into an accident. You see, Ahn-Jeong has terminal weak heart disease. That's what the pills are for. She forgot them in South Korea. You had to go back to South Korea to attain them. This was because of us that she has this disease. When we became a Time Traveler, we affected her in the worst way. Like I said before, don't try to go back in time and avoid the plane. You can't or she will die instantly. I beg you, Alejandro. Think about Ahn-Jeong.
"We have to go back to get them, Alejandro," Ahn-Jeong says in the memory.
"No, there is no need right now," I don't know what I am doing. I don't know how to change the future.
"You know I love planes. I would take them every time and we can't just leave my pills behind" I agree with her and we arrive at the airport and get on the plane again. I don't understand how this is all playing inside my head when I never experienced it. We sit down and wait for the plane to depart. "I found my pills" She laughs. She is always goofy and forgettable. That's when the young speedster Gwen appears.
I come back to reality.
We arrive at the hospital. Nurses come and check Ahn-Jeong. A doctor appears as well to see what is wrong with Ahn-Jeong as she is brought inside the hospital. He waves at me as if he knows me. He hears her heartbeat and the shock on his face scares me.
"Hello, Hyung." Hyung? I'm not his older brother or his older brother figure. I don't even know him. "She needs surgery right away. We need to take her right now," I nod my head to whatever he needs to do for her. They drag her behind the surgery doors. The nurses hold me back from entering. I sit down at the chairs next to the surgery room entrance. I cry and cry until I feel dehydrated. Ahn-Jeong doesn't deserve this. Ahn-Jeong is such a loving and good person. Whenever she entered a room I felt at ease. Whenever I was feeling angry she calmed me. Ironically, her name means tranquility. Doctor Im rushes out of the surgery room.
"She is stable." A wave of relief crashes over me. "She will be taken to the recovery room. Wait at room 5 on the highest floor." I hear his words and walk to the elevator. When I arrive at the elevator, it is out of order. I have to go through the stairs. I reach the top floor and walk to room 5. I hear a flatline coming from one of the hospital rooms. I run to where Ahn-Jeong is, afraid, it's her. When I open the door...
"Ahn-Jeong, Wake up," I yell with tears burning down my face "Wake up, please. You can't leave without me saying Goodbye," I press on her heart giving her CPR. Her eyes open slowly and her flatline goes away. I sigh in relief. "Please," I look at her.
"Alejandro," She says weakly.
"Yes, Honey," I hold her hand between my hands holding them tightly. She reaches for my face with her other hand and places her hand on my cheek and rubs her thumb over it slowly. I feel the softness of her hand. Her eyes become watery.
"I lov-" Her hand drops to the bed. The water in her eyes turned into tears. I hear the flatline sound travel in my head. Shock becomes my eye. No tears fall down my face. I don't move. This was the end. She didn't even get to finish her sente-Those three words alone, she didn't have the chance to say them. I knew she was going to die. Why didn't I say them first? My Ahn-Jeong. I reach for her face and wipe the tears from her cheeks. Nurses barge in pushing me to the side. They give her CPR. They give her an electric shock, repeating words I didn't know.
"One, two, three, clear," A nurse says. Doctor Im barges in the room also. He has tears in his eyes. After a few minutes, they stop. She can't be saved.
"Time of death January 10th, 2021 4:33 pm." Doctor Im concludes wiping his eyes. Still, no tears come out of my eyes. The doctor turns to me and walks to me. He hugs me. The hug is...warm. "We can provide a funeral for your wife in one of the rooms of the hospital if you would like?"
"Thank you," The doctor lets go of me and they take Ahn-Jeong out of the room. I stay still and alone in the room for an hour. Ahn-Jeong is gone. I return to Earth and walk to the room where Ahn-Jeong's room is. As I walk to the room, I start to disappear again, starting from my hands and throughout. I close my eyes and ended up in my time.
Present time, 2000
In an instant I am back on the floor next to the tree I tripped at. I get up and wipe off the dirt I have on me. The first thought that comes to my mind is Ahn-Jeong. I run home as fast as my physical abilities can handle. Ahn-Jeong is still alive in this timeline. I have to see her. When I swing the door open to our apartment, AhnJeong is on the patio not moving a single muscle. I rush to her side. Her skin looked burnt. What happened to her? I thought she wasn't supposed to die yet? That's what future me told me. I become infuriated. I shake her and tell her to say something. Slowly tears fall down my face. This can't be true. She wakes up in a gasp as if she is trying to catch some air.
"What happened? Why do you have burnt black marks on you?" I ask her pulling her in a hug, wiping the tears away from my face.
"I was struck by lightning right when you called," She says placing her hands all over her body and groaning. Her burn marks, hurting her. This is what future me mentioned. We caused this lightning to happen to her when we became a Time traveler but It doesn't seem like something she would die for. It couldn't make sense that she was electrocuted when she was under a roof. I take her to the hospital cautious that she doesn't have anything serious. When we reach the Seoul hospital and we are taken to a room to wait for the doctor to come. When our door swings open, It's Im Jung Hoon. He's way younger.
"Hello I'm Im Jung Hoon," He looks at the paper next to our bed, "Alejandro and Ahn-Jeong Park, What are we here for today?" He asks nicely looking at her legs and arms with all the burnt marks.
"I was struck by lightning and my heart feels a little weird," She says weakly. It's terminal weak heart disease the future me mentioned. Doctor Im hears her heart.
"I see," His facial expression changes, "Mr. Park, May I talk to you for a second?" I nod my head, yes and we walk outside of the hospital room. "There is no easy way to say this..."
"Say it"
"She has terminal weak heart disease. Seemingly this thunder made her heart weak. You can also hear it in her breathing"
"Please save her," I say as my voice broke. Thinking of going through her death experience; I don't think I could do it again.
"I will try but I think the longest she can live is 5 years but maybe I can find foreign medicine from America that can help her," I grab him with my hand.
"Please save my dear wife. I beg of you"
"I will try to extend her years but like I said it's terminal," I cry, placing my head on the wall and slide down the floor. "Hyung, if I can call you that?" I turn my head to him. I smile through all the tears.
"Yeah, Can I call you dongsaeng?" I never had a younger brother before.
"Hyung don't worry. I will look into the foreign medicine and text you," He pulls a card out of his shirt pocket. "Here's my personal number. I'll catch you up on what I find out. I won't tell her for now about her condition but eventually, you will have to tell her," I agree with him and walk inside the room again.
"Ahn-Jeong, we can leave now"
"What's wrong with me?" I don't want to lie. I never lied to her. I just stare at her trying to hold in my feelings of guilt. "Don't worry I heard your conversation. I'm alright," She smiles and gets up from the bed and we head home. That whole night, I hated myself. If I hadn't gone out that night, She would have been okay. Then I would have never been a Time Traveler. It was worst enough my son made me stay hidden now that I'm all of the news thanks to his misconduct. He loved so much when he was younger and had affection. That's what his name meant, precious affection. That's why I picked his name to be this. However, after all of this, I still love and care for my son deeply. He's just lost for now. I hope he finds his way home someday.
Until now I lived all my life hidden finding out Alejandro ran away, how I had granddaughters that are twins and I never met them, to find out soon after my daughter-in-law passed away. All those years that Alejandro sent us texts and gave us calls but we never could respond broke my heart. The only family we had left that cared. I couldn't be part of any of my family's lives. I prepared myself for the death of Ahn-Jeong. I had 21 years to prepare so it doesn't hurt as much when I first saw it. Now she's gone again, forever. I knew it is all my fault but from now on. I will continue to watch that little rascal, Gwen, to control and watch what she does. I want and will try to protect my grandson as much as I can. No matter what it takes me.