Seoul, South Korea. 2016.
The young man was blinded by an unbearable white light that seemed to pierce him like he had no substance.
Maybe he didn't have any after all. Maybe he was just a soul wandering in the limbo, waiting to be reincarnated in whatever he deserved to become.
That would have been plausible if only indescribable pain wasn't hitting him like a truck. He was obviously still locked in a burdensome body.
The young man forced himself to drift off to sleep again but the intense light was still perceivable through his closed lids. An uncomfortable feeling churned his insides. His eyes stung, his mouth was dry, his brain felt compressed between two walls and the air circulating in his chest made an annoying noise that made his ears burn.
He got agitated which resulted in him inadvertently opening his eyes.
Crap. He couldn't deny being alive anymore.
– Taeyong ? a blissful voice said close to him.
Taeyong ? This name seemed oddly familiar but strangely enough, he couldn't put a face on it.
He cautiously turned around to discover the owner of the voice.
A girl. She was older, and beautiful too. A wave of love rushed through him, love his soul couldn't forget. The powerful feeling was accompanied by an interrupted flow of memories.
He was Taeyong, he realized. And this girl made his life on Earth better.
– Noona ?
A tear of happiness slipped across her cheek. She tightened her hand around his.
– Don't move, I'm going to call a doctor.
She exited the room, spreading her floral perfume behind her.
He suddenly felt empty. His stare wandered around the room. None of his personal belongings was in sight, which meant he was admitted a short time ago.
Less than a minute later, his sister went back not only with a doctor but also with their parents crying of emotion.
– Good evening Mr. Lee. My colleagues are going to check your vitals very soon. You were found drowned in the Han River yesterday night by a passerby. He was alerted by the barks of a puppy, otherwise no one would have spotted you on the river bank. You are very lucky, Mr. Lee.
– Ah it survived, he tried to mumble.
Good lord, his throat was so sore.
– As we suspect your accident to be a suicide attempt, we can provide psychological assistance if you'd like.
His sister tore up behind him just at the mention of this.
The young man felt rather offended that his family believed he'd give up on them so easily but in a way, he couldn't blame them. After all, he miserably failed at hiding his sadness and despair about his future. He was a source of worry instead of a pillar for them to rely on. A wave of guilt hit him: he felt like a bad son and a bad brother.
–That's not it, he weakly protested. I just wanted to save a puppy from drowning but got surprised by the tide.
Further justifications were muffled by his exhaustion and the dryness of his throat.
This explanation didn't seem to convince any of them but nevertheless, they nodded as a sign of understanding, not wanting to shake him more than necessary.
– This is relieving news. (The doctor smiled but didn't want to linger too much on the topic so he promptly changed subject.) When you arrived at the hospital, you suffered from severe hypothermia, the cut on your right foot was infected because of the filth in the water and you still had liquid in your lungs. It's a miracle that we managed to save you in this state. We suggest that you stay one more day in observation and take a few days off to get back on your feet after such a traumatic experience.
Taeyong nodded, memories of his accident progressively clouding his mind.
At least, the puppy survived, he didn't scare his family for nothing.
But something was disturbing him, actually. Something happened between the moment he almost died and the moment he woke up at the hospital. Something extraordinary that he couldn't quite point out. This continued to bother him throughout the evening, even when his sister fed him delicious jjajangmyeon and strawberry macarons.
The answer came along with the night : the truth unveiled itself under his very own eyes.
🌹🌹🌹
Hello everyone !
I hope you enjoyed this second chapter even though it was short. Next chapter will be an important step into the theory so please, wait for it !
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NCT : The Dream Lab
RandomA young man almost drowns in the Han River. After the incident, his perception of reality is altered to such an extent that he nearly sinks into madness. Meanwhile, halfway around the world, a respected scientist hungry for recognition detects the...
