In Another Life

Dreams

Jingjing had been trying to contact Mingyue for a week now. It's also been a week since she started staying with the Choi's again, and a week since she was plagued with nightmares again. It's been an interesting seven days for her.

"Moony!" Sunoo yelled, throwing his bag on the floor of the Choi's house and running over to Mingyue. The girl started doing online schooling because Jingjing tried going to the school to look for her.

"Sunshine! Haneul!"

"I think it's our tea time," Haneul said, beckoning the two upstairs to her room.

The three formed a triangle on the floor, sitting criss-crossed. This what they do every time they get together. Plus, now that Mingyue isn't physically in school, the other two feel obligated to fill her in on everything.

Before Haneul could even start speaking, the door creaked open. Jungwon stood outside the room, "can I join you today?"

"You want to hear us gossip?"

"It has to be more interesting than what the others are doing and I've always wanted to know what you guys talk about."

The three looked at each other before nodding. "Come sit," Mingyue patted the ground next to her. She and Sunoo moved so the triangle turned into a square.

"Now, you have to promise that whatever we say here, stays here." Haneul said. The boy nodded in response.

"Wait so Jung Beomseok is the guy that's asking around for Mingyue's number?" Jungwon asked.

Sunoo nodded, "Yeah, you should've seen how irritated Heeseung was when Jungbeom kept persisting. Don't worry Moony, no one gave him anything."

"I'm starting to think that Heeseung likes you Mingyue," Haneul wiggled her eyebrows. Although Haneul had a crush on her best friend, she knew that she needed to move on before it affected their friendship. She was hoping that it was a quick come and go feeling.

"I've been having these weird dreams recently..." Mingyue started saying. She didn't know if she should share her reoccurring dreams that turn into nightmares. It's been happening every night, the same things over and over like a broken record.

"About?"

"Never mind, it's stupid."

"Are these your night terrors?" Haneul asked. The three others looked at the girl confused. "Don't tell me you didn't know that you've been weeping in your sleep? It scared us all, you kept crying out the same thing, something about Baiye and... you kept on crying about Heeseung."

"Those are the nightmares I keep getting. Sometimes it feels like a wake up and I smell gun powder in the air... I still feel the pain of holding Eunwoo in my arms."

"Eunwoo?"

"He was my child and so was Baiye I think."

"Then what about Heeseung?" Sunoo asked.

"I'm not sure, although I remember one time I had a dream that I drew a picture of him. I wanted to see if I could really do it and I could."

Haneul's eyes widen as she rummages through her desk. She pulled out the piece of paper. "Is this the one?"

Mingyue nodded, "Yeah..."

"This is getting weird." Jungwon said.

"Why's that?" Sunoo asked.

"Well, Heeseung told me not to tell anyone."

"You can't just say that and expect us not to be curious. Spill it." Haneul said.

"Heeseung has been having similar dreams. Like really similar dreams. If I didn't know any better I would think they connect. He told me how he has night terrors and they started becoming more frequent once he saw the drawing."

"He saw the drawing?" Mingyue started internally freaking out.

"Mingyue, in the end of your dream, are Heeseung and the little girl alive?"

She shook her head, she remembers finding their bodies in a Baiye's room. Both of their bloods were smeared on the wall, 'I told you I'd get my revenge.'

"That's always when he wakes up. He said that he finds the girl in her bed, he always picks her up only to realize that she's already been murdered. He doesn't remember much except for feeling extreme back pains every time he wakes up." Jungwon said.

Mingyue starts shaking, these dreams do connect, but how? The others can see how freaked out she it, it seems like she's paralyzed from shock.

"I'm gonna feel sick." She ran out of the room and into the bathroom, locking the door. She felt like she wanted to puke, something felt extremely wrong.

"Moony?" There was no response, "Okay, we will be right here when you need us."

"What's up with everyone having nightmares lately?" Kangdae questioned. Heeseung looked like he hadn't slept for days. His eyes were so dark and puffy contrasting his usual well rested face.

"What do you mean everyone? It's only Heeseung. I bet he watched a scary movie." Ni-ki joked.

"Did you and Mingyue watch the same movie? Because every night her screams wake everyone up. Although she doesn't seem to wake up. But it's always at the same time, usually two thirty in the morning."

Heeseung couldn't believe it, that's when he woke up almost every night. It was after he found his daughter's body, then he was slaughtered. The boy didn't know whether this intrigued him or scared him– maybe a little bit of both.



Although he tried to get the thought out of his head, it wouldn't leave. Could the dreams really be connected? He tried rationalizing everything, but he dreams seemed to get more vivid. He would see her dancing at a ball, or under the moonlight in a garden. It was those moments that confused him, but he always awoke with his inevitable death. 

It was a few days later that it happened again, although this time it was more painful. He wanted these nightmares to end, so for the next couple of nights he refused to sleep. Instead he spent his time watching movies and TV shows that would keep him awake. 

It got so bad that he stopped going to school. He felt paralyzed, all he longed for was sleep, but that was the one thing the he couldn't allow himself to do.