Triumph The Dreams // a Dreamcatcher Story

Chapter 18

Who knew one touch could change the worst possible outcome, prevent the worst case scenario or even see a brighter result.

JiU's knees started to wobble but began to be sturdy enough to get on her feet. "Yoohyeon?! Siyeon?!" she tried to yell but was cut off by a cough. There was a huge pain on her chest, like the throbbing sensation after a huge fall. She tried to press on her chest to make it better while continuously calling out both their names and trying to identify where they were.

Then JiU was flustered. She felt like she had everything under control, everything counted for and aware of, but on the contrary, JiU was lost. She was standing right in the middle of what seemed like a dark and endless corn maze. Where was this place? Where are the others? She kept asking and trying to calm herself, but nothing was processing. She knew she had to get out, but how?

She ran without hesitation towards the nearest path. Her instincts kept telling her someone will show up if she just kept running. "Hello?! Is anyone in here?!"

It echoed through but it did not seem to get anyone's attention. She yelled again, still no reply.

Chatter. JiU heard chattering from the distant end of the path. Her insticts were right; she kept on going, knowing something awaits her there. "Hello?! Is someone there?!" She stopped running in the midst of darkness to catch a breath.

As she got closer, her eyes spotted some sort of light hidden in the dark.

"Yoohyeon?! There you are!" JiU slid down to her knees and tried to dhake her consciousness awake. "H-Hey, wake up." She was chained, she could not respond at all. Cold, pale, lifeless.

"You did this," a voice ran shivers down JiU's spine. It was another Yoohyeon? Although this time she wore something else. The chained up Yoohyeon used a red shirt, similar to the BOCA music video with brunette and highlighted hair, while the one who appeared had a scaly, snake-like jacket with silver hair.

"What have you done?"

"You were the one who left me. You are to blame."

"It wasn't my fault! I'm trying to tell you!"

"You just wanted your lives back, don't you?!" Yoohyeon took the superiority of the conversation, leading JiU to a corner. "I didn't want to leave anyone behind! Yoohyeon please!" At rhe same moment, JiU wrapped her hand around her wrist.

"Don't touch me!" she angrily yelled, but JiU noticed something odd. It seemed like the Yoohyeon chained up had gained color, her pale-ish look was starting to turn normal. "Yoohyeon reacted to that?" The Yoohyeon before her too kept her hold on her wrist, inferring she was hurt. "What did my touch do to her?"

"Now," Yoohyeon grunted and let go of her wrist, "you're going be here, stuck forever. You're going to feel what I felt all throughout this imprisonment!"

"Yoohyeon, we didn't mean all this! We wanted you back, we did!"

"And I bet you're also back to your idol life, right? With the fans---" Yoohyeon did it again. Her body suddenly took a breath and the other acted if she was in pain. JiU gasped. "Yoohyeon!" She stood back up, trying to reach out to her. "Listen, I know you were alone," JiU tried to approach her but she kept avoiding, "but you're not now, and we can get out together. We aren't living our idol lives as you think. We retired because.. Because it isn't the same without you guys! Remember the fans? The fansigns? The concerts?"

"Stop, don't do this." It was as if her body was glitching.

"Remember how much fun we had with each other? That will never go away! We made a promise to be together forever!" JiU stepped forward, cornering Yoohyeon. She grabbed Yoohyeon's hands and embraced them. "Come back, Yoohyeon. It's not over, we can start again, brand new." JiU pulled into a hug and took Yoohyeon into her arms. Shocked at this move, she could not let go because her soft side was showing. Her only weakness in this nightmare world was her soft spot.

"J-JiU unnie," she sobbed.

"It's alright, Yoohyeon. Everyone'll forgive you, just come back."

The hug lasted for a while until that body of Yoohyeon started to fade away. "Thank you unnie," she whispered, finally revealing her true self.