The Way I Loved You

Nightmares

She was back in the forest. Beneath her feet, leaves crunched and she could hear the deafening sound of cicadas singing. Despite the mist, her neck was damp with sweat, and her hair stuck to her face. Where was she? Where did everyone go?

Her heart raced, her blood temperature rising. What was she doing here? How did she get here? Where was the way out? Her gun was nowhere in sight. Did she drop it somewhere?

A familiar grunt sounded from behind her and her blood ran cold. She'd just heard that sound this morning. Except this time, there was no Baek Hyunwoo to run in and save her.

Face to face with the aggravated boar, she couldn't move. If she did, it would definitely charge, but even if she didn't, it might still attack her either way. It grunted again, and the sound made her flinch. The sudden movement seemed to make it lock onto her as a target, and it rushed forward suddenly, feet kicing dirt into the air.

This was it. This was how her life would end.

She let out a muffled scream, her arms blocking her face to brace herself for impact.

Please, let this be over quickly.

But it never came.

One moment she felt the boar's wet breath against her face and smelt the strong scent of fur, the next moment it was gone.

She released a shuddering breath of relief, her legs crumpling beneath her. Adrenaline coursed through her veins and her legs felt numb. This wasn't good, her head was spinning and it felt like an invisible entity had a vice grip on her chest. Why couldn't she breathe? Why were her lungs still burning even as she gasped for air?

The ground... why was it cold?

Haein opened her eyes, her vision taking a moment to adjust to the brightness around her. It was... snowing. The boar had disappeared, but the forest ground was now covered with snow, and snowflakes continued to rain down in a white flurry.

The reflection of the sun off the snow blinded her. Fingers gripping the cold, wet ground, she tried to support her upper body as her chest heaved.

It was cold. So cold.

One moment ago, she had been sweating in the forest, but now she was freezing. Her hunting clothes did little to protect her from the harsh winds that bit at her cheeks like knives.

She sat on the ground, her senses completely overwhelmed. The white snow and dark tree bark seemed to blend into each other as the world around her spun faster than she could keep up.

"Haein ah!" A sweet voice laughed merrily.

Haein looked up to see a familiar face. One that hadn't aged since the last time she saw him.

"Oppa."

Her brother laughed cheekily, before running off as if he were playing hide and seek with her.

"OPPA WAIT!"

Haein stumbled to her feet, dizziness forgotten. Where was he going? She must get to him no matter what.

He was fast, much faster than her. He almost seemed to fly over the uneven forest ground while she struggled to keep up.

"OPPA! PLEASE! WAIT FOR ME!" Haein screamed desperately.

She was losing sight of him. It was impossible for her to run so fast, especially when her legs felt like jelly, ready to give way at any moment. Her legs ached as if she'd just run a marathon, while the cold wind stung her lungs and made it even harder to breathe.

"OPPA!" She cried once more as she lost sight of him when he darted behind a tree.

A sudden force jerked her backwards, and she found herself sprawled on the ground, the impact knocking the air out of her lungs. She'd tripped on a tree root.