The Crimson Hybrid

Midnight Reverie

As the night went on, Sook-won's only sounds coming from his flat were his worn-out sighs. The taste of frustration lingered on his mouth as he picked at his little dinner while seated at his small dining table. He was quite worn out, and both his body and mind yearned for a break.

Sook-won mumbled, "Damn it all," the words departing his mouth like a sour litany. Will I ever experience a moment of tranquility and why does everything seem to go wrong?"

In the muck of his own discontent, he carelessly shifted the food around on his plate as his dinner turned cold. He was exhausted and discouraged as a result of the day's events.

He finally succumbed to tiredness as midnight drew near, pulling him into the depths of sleep. A change took place in the dream world, engulfing his sleeping mind in a kaleidoscope of vivid pictures and sensations.

Sook-won was in a dimly lit alleyway in his dream when he felt a shiver run down his spine. The outlines of the towering structures were illuminated by the moonlight's eerie shadows on the cobblestones. His breath caught in his mouth as he looked down at his hands and noted a strange change: long, slender fingers and pale skin.

Sook-won stumbled, his voice shaking in shock, "What... what is happening?" His eyes caught glimpses of others who were glistening with an otherworldly intensity, much like him. It was an association of beings about which he had only heard rumors—a secret society of vampires.

Sook-won's heart raced in his chest as he staggered along the alley, terror and curiosity entwined within him. He walked up to a shadowy man whose face was hidden by the darkness.

Sook-won asked, his voice quivering, "Who are you, and what is this place?"

With their eyes glowing with an otherworldly crimson hue, the creature turned to face him. The sound of a silky voice reverberated around the room. "Welcome, Sook-won. You have learned who you really are. Accept it."

The vampire who was standing in front of him grinned, his eyes brimming with wisdom and humor. "Your adventure has only just begun, Sook-won, so embrace your talents and explore the full extent of your own potential."

As soon as those words were spoken, Sook-won's dream world changed, and he suddenly found himself sweating profusely in his tiny apartment. The dream's lingering images caused his heart to accelerate and his breathing to become labored as he processed them.

He said, "It was just a dream," his voice tinged with a mixture of relief and incredulity. "A purely imaginative construct of mine."

But a small seed of uncertainty persisted within of him. Was the dream really only the result of his subconscious mind, or did it have a deeper meaning? Its vividness and the resonance it had in his soul. Sook-won shook his head in an effort to push away the ideas that were threatening to devour him.

He said it again, more firmly this time, "It was just a dream. I have to keep my attention on the obstacles I have to overcome."

Sook-won got out of bed with a sigh, his weary body aching from the struggles of the day. The dream persisted as an intriguing mystery in his thoughts, one that he would either write off as pure fiction or pursue more in the days to come.

But for the time being, he had to confront the uncertainties that awaited him outside the realm of dreams as well as the reality of his everyday existence. Sook-won prepared for the day ahead with a firm resolve, pushing the ghostly meeting to the back of his mind, but he couldn't get rid of the nagging impression that his life had changed unexpectedly, even if it had only happened in his dreams.