Midnight Tales | ✔

16

Jaehyun

I wasn't able to sleep that night. I couldn't sleep. So I waited for Soyoung to fall asleep and walked over to the study, I was about to open it when Lola suddenly appeared beside me, acknowledging me with a loud meow.

"Shhh, I'll let you come, just be quiet"

Both of us went inside. I slowly closed the door behind me and turned to the bookshelves, taking out the journal then settled on the chair. Lola climbed up to the table and lay there to sleep.

I flipped the book to the page where I stopped and continued reading.

The second time it happened was when Lola got hurt. She accidentally had a wound on her right paw, normally her wound doesn't stay and just disappears the next day. But the day after that, her wound was still there. It took her the whole week to heal.

I turned to Lola who was sleeping soundly on the table. There was indeed a tiny white scar on her right paw.

I thought of ways to prevent it. Thought of ways to save her. I thought of bringing her out of there but it was impossible. Soyoung was stuck in that time loop. I dedicated my last week to find out a way to stop the change. And I think I've found one possible way to save her, but I didn't have enough time. I had to go back.

So I am telling this to you, in hopes that you could do it. Please save Soyoung's reality, save her existence.

After reading I went back to the living room to rest. As I wait for sleep to come I couldn't help but think of the last words I've read. The words repeated again and again inside my head. I just stared there lying, facing the ceiling, thinking until I finally surrendered into sleep.

I must have stayed too late at night because it was almost lunchtime when I woke up. I went over to the dining table to find food already prepared for me, and a small note.

I'm at the study if you need anything.
:)

After eating and cleaning up. I walked towards the study. The journal was hidden well so I am confident that she won't find it. Pushing the door open, I found Soyoung kneeling on the carpeted floor, Lola sleeping in the corner as multiple books scattered around the room. She was reading a book while turning a pen around her fingers.

"What are you doing?"

She quickly looked up at hearing me.

"Oh Jaehyun"

I closed the door behind me.

"I'm looking for something"

I walked over to her side and crouched down to see what she was reading. It's a science book.

"What exactly are you looking for?"

She smiled and turned to me. "You need to go home right? I'm finding ways to help you go back"

I stopped and turned to her. Soyoung turned back to the book and continued reading in concentration.

As I watch her, the words played again inside my head.

For Soyoung's reality to continue to exist. Another anchor must stay with her, an anchor coming from our reality to balance the time in this place and the time in ours.

For her to continue to live, someone else must stay in her reality with her. Someone coming from the real world.

You must stay in order to save her.