Dreambound Shadows

Chapter 5: Flashback - The Silent Echoes of Longing

It had been a year since the fateful night. Aera had settled into this new home with her family, a place that was meant to be a fresh start, but somehow, not for Aera. It had been only a month since they had settled into the house, yet Aera already felt the weight of unpleasant feels clung to her heart.

In the quiet solitude of the bathroom, Aera stood motionless beneath the shower, her skin kissed by the warm water that dripped down in languid rivulets, tracing the curves of her delicate frame. The steam from the shower curling around her like mist on a cold morning, while her mind was elsewhere, trapped in a loop of thoughts she couldn't untangle. Her eyes, wide and unblinking, were fixed on the cold, tiled floor, where the water pooled at her feet before swirling down the drain. Her mind was adrift, lost in a trance as she tried to grasp the source of the strange feeling she felt.

There was a longing inside her, deep and pervasive, like an ache in her very soul. It was not the simple yearning for a familiar place or a beloved object left behind. No, this was different. She felt as though she was missing someone—someone important—who was no longer there. But who? Who was it that her heart ached for?

Aera furrowed her brow, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't recall who it was. Every time she came close to an answer, it slipped away like sand through her fingers. The sensation gnawed at her, leaving her restless and confused. The feeling had only intensified since they had moved into this house, as though the very walls carried the echoes of a voice she could not hear, a touch she could not feel.

Her reflection in the mirror was ghostly, the water that streamed down her face mingling with the tears she had not realized she was shedding. With a start, she pulled herself from the depths of her thoughts, her heart heavy with unanswered questions. Frustrated, she shook her head and snapped herself out of the trance, she turned off the shower and wrapped herself in a towel, though the chill that clung to her was not one that warmth could dispel.

The night deepened, and the house settled into the quiet that comes only in the early hours, when the world is asleep and the darkness holds sway. It was at this hour, at two o'clock in the morning, that Ji-eun burst into Aera's room, her breath coming in quick, her heart pounding with panic.

Ji-eun's eyes immediately found Aera, lying peacefully in her bed, her chest rising and falling with the even rhythm of sleep. Despite the calmness of the scene, Ji-eun's anxiety didn't subside. Her gaze swept the room, searching, probing the corners, the hidden spaces, for someone who should have been there but was not.

"Jimin?" she whispered, her voice trembling slightly as she stepped further into the room. There was no answer. The room was empty save for Aera, and the silence was deafening. Ji-eun's heart raced as she turned on her heel and began searching the house, her footsteps echoing in the quiet. Each room she entered was empty, every hallway devoid of life, there was no sign of Jimin. Frustration and panic flared within her as she returned to Aera's room, her mind a whirl of dread and uncertainty.

"Where are you, Jimin?" she muttered under her breath, her hands trembling slightly as she clenched them into fists. "Where could he be?" her mind racing. Just as she was on the verge of cursing his name, a thought struck her, causing her to pause. A realization dawned on her, realized that she might know where Jimin was.

There was no time to waste. Without a second thought, Ji-eun sprinted from the house, her destination clear in her mind: the old home, the house that Aera's family had left behind. As she entered the familiar surroundings, her intuition was confirmed. Jimin was there, pacing back and forth like a caged animal in Aera's old room, his expression restless and fraught with anxiety. His movements were frantic, his steps quick and uneven, as if he was trying to outrun the thoughts that plagued him. His nails were bitten to the quick, and he chewed on them absentmindedly as he moved, his eyes unfocused and distant.