Oneiric Tryst

13. A Knight

San's eye healed nicely. It had lost its angry purple shadows to fade out into a sickly blend of yellow and green that reminded Hongjoong of lint stew. His neighbour had been removed from his flat and sent to prison, so San felt comfortable going out by himself again. As far as Hongjoong knew, he had even invited Wooyoung over once more to catch up on the things they couldn't do last time. When San had told Hongjoong full of joy, the man had grimaced, but humoured the man.

Apparently, Wooyoung had mentioned once more how hard Seonghwa was trying to learn how to lucid dream. Hongjoong found it equal parts endearing and worrisome. Having Seonghwa aware of him and able to direct his dream to his wishes was risky for Hongjoong. He feared getting trapped between the handsome man and a tree once more.

"Ah, and also, I asked. Seonghwa doesn't have a boyfriend." San had grinned deviously around those words. Hongjoong threw a shoe at him.

Hongjoong drove to work on Wednesday without San. Only the early grey of the morning and the condensed dew dripping from the last leaves of autumn accompanied his path.

Hongjoong got to work and greeted Jongho. Without Mingi around and San fashionably late as always, their chef nearly looked lonesome in his chilly office. When Hongjoong brought him some of their horrible coffee, Jongho gave him a soft smile.

By now, Hongjoong had worked out a routine of scrolling through Seonghwa's Instagram account while he waited for him to fall asleep every morning. He was always up to date with the man's newest posts and liked them with shy taps of his fingers until the little red heart popped up. He never wrote comments, but maybe Seonghwa saw his investment still.

Sometimes, Hongjoong also found little clues about him. Yesterday, he had spotted a plushy on top of Seonghwa's bed in the far corner of one of his pictures. It was a stuffed bunny, and it looked worn with the affection it had received over many years.

As Hongjoong scrolled today, he scanned for any sorts of medicaments in Seonghwa's backgrounds. He already knew that the man took no antidepressants, which explained the number of dreams he remembered. Drugs would pull him into blissful ignorance, but since he wasn't allowed those with his job, he instead suffered through his nightmares.

Hongjoong found no medicines, but he found a picture of Seonghwa's pretty hand dangling a tea bag into a cup decorated with pretty blue roses. Likely a green tea that eased his troubles.

When the monitor pinged, Hongjoong put his phone away. A trivial part of him looked forward to seeing Seonghwa again. While still nervous like a schoolgirl around the man, he also appreciated their conversations. Seonghwa was a kind person, and expressing his fears possibly encouraged him.

Nevertheless, Hongjoong found himself regretful of helping the man out. His morals screamed at him to do something good, but his selfish heart wanted to keep dreaming of Seonghwa. To keep encountering him in that idealised world where both of them were versions of each other that were compatible.

Because dream-Hongjoong was a savage and intense man. Just how dream-Seonghwa was courageous and determined. Their real selves, however, were different.

Seonghwa dreamt of a medieval town today. When Hongjoong jumped into the nightmare equipped with a long sword and appropriate attire, he spent a second wondering about the empty wheelchair he spotted in front of a house in the distance. Then the masses took him away.

Seonghwa was trapped in a wooden cage. Pulled by a towering horse, the cart with him on it rolled through a populous street. People yelled insults at him and the unbroken line of other cages following behind. They threw tomatoes, too, but all of them got blocked by the imposing knights guarding the cart.