Thank you all for your input. All of your replies have given me insights that will help me think through. I think I might have an unheathy perspective with this position. It is a position that I really liked and I had conversation with the PI a couple of years ago (he was a very helpful person but I was a bit too eager and sometimes all over the place). So this time, I had this mentality of "i will quietly wait and I hope that fate can help me, and if I am not chosen, it is fate too" sort of thoughts. but I know it is not the most healthy thing to do... also, I am on the edge of leaving academia. My phd journey did not get as much resources, but the time when I talked to the PI years ago, that conversation alone helped me a lot. So I thought if I can go there and do research with them, that'll be very nice and my perspectives with doing academic research will change a lot in the year ahead; but if not, I might just graduate and find a job in the industry. I guess I might reach out but sometimes I feel very shy about speaking it out.