The Wicked | WooSan

2

trigger warning: mentions of suicide

"So, tell me about these visions of yours."

Yunho has his journal out, ready to write down everything I say. We're currently in his room, which is slightly bigger than mine but still not enough space for anyone to live in, although he never complains about it. To be fair, neither do I, because I learned that lesson the hard way.

"They're not visions," I say, twirling around in his swivel chair. "I've just been having the same dream."

"Well, what's the dream?"

He leans forward and I almost laugh at the absurdity of the situation until I remember Jongho's face when he came up to me after Mars had left.

It's suddenly way too cold in his room, so I get up and rummage around in his closet for a hoodie, finding my favorite one and slipping it over my head before falling back down into the chair.

I take a deep breath. "It starts with me standing on a cliff, and I'm looking out towards the ocean. I don't know where I am in the dream, but something about the ocean seems to be ... calling to me, almost? So I step off, and I start falling, and when I'm about to crash into the ocean, some kind of dragon catches me."

Yunho's adopted some kind of curiosity as he leans forward in his seat, urging me to keep going.

"It, uh, it speaks, or at least, it talks to me telepathically. Tells me to trust it, but I don't. I keep wanting to get off but it won't let me until we reach some kind of cave, and then the dream ends and I wake up."

For a few seconds, the only sound in the room is Yunho's pen frantically scribbling on paper until he finally looks up at me.

"What does the dragon look like?"

"Black scales with a few white ones, and its wings are black as well." I sigh and lean back in his chair. "I think you're right, I'm probably too stressed."

He looks up and gives me a tiny smile, gesturing for me to sit on the bed next to him. "If you want to talk, I'm here."

I walk over and lean my head on his shoulder.

"I wish our parents lived."

"I know. I do too."

"I miss the beach."

"Me too."

I felt tears prick my eyes. "Why does our life have to be so hard?" I whisper, gingerly reaching up to touch the spot that Mara hit earlier today.

"I don't know, Woo." Yunho gives me one of his sad smiles, and his eyes flicker with some kind of deep emotion that passes by so quick I almost think I imagine it.

But it's there.

He wipes my tears away with a thumb and strokes my hair, the way our mom used to when she would tuck us into bed.

Sweet dreams, she'd say. I'll see you in the morning.

She'd give us a kiss on the cheek and turn the lights off, but Yunho and I would stay awake for God knows how long, talking and giggling until we would get too tired and fall asleep.

"I miss them."

His gaze flickers again as he looks at me, almost like he's hiding something big. "So do I."

"Can I sleep here tonight? I'm really tired, and it can be like the old days."

He laughs, and just when I think he's about to reject me like he has every other time I've asked, he says, "Sure," and turns the light off, taking me by surprise.