The Familiar Devil || Minsung

Chapter 2: Shadows of Reality

Jisung sat on the edge of his bed, his thoughts racing in circles. The dreams, the eyes in the mirror — was it all real, or was he just losing his mind? He had been living alone for so long, ever since his parents vanished. Maybe the loneliness was finally catching up to him. Maybe he was just... imagining things.

The glow of his phone screen pulled him out of his spiralling thoughts. Felix had sent him another text.

Felix:
Meet up tomorrow? Cat café, same time?

Jisung started at the message for a moment. Maybe he should tell Felix about everything — the eyes, the unnerving feeling that something was watching him. After all, Felix always knew how to keep him grounded. He quickly typed a reply.

Jisung:
Yeah, tomorrow it is. There's something I need to talk to you about.

As soon as he sent the text, a strange sense of calm washed over him. Maybe sharing his thoughts with Felix would help him make sense of everything. He fell asleep more easily that night, the weight of the world no longer pressing as heavily on his chest. Strangely there was no dream at all that night. No demon, no forest, just peaceful darkness.

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The next day, Jisung arrived at the cafe a little bit earlier. He ordered his usual americano and sat by the window, waiting for Felix. The café was quieter today, the soft hum of conversation blending with the gentle purring of the cats wandering between tables.

Felix slid into the seat across from him with a warm grin "So what's up? You said you had something to talk about."

Jisung hesitated for a moment, fiddling with his cup. "It's about these dreams I've been having... and some weird things that happened recently."

Felix leaned forward, his expression serious now. "Weird how?"

With a deep breath Jisung told him everything — the recurring dreams he had about the demon, the strange world he was trapped in during his sleep, and how the eyes from his dreams appeared in the mirror last night. He even confessed the thing that had been weighing on him the most: his parents. How they left him without a word, a simple note promising they'd be back, that they're doing it for him, but never returning.

Felix's face softened as he listened. "Jisung that's a lot to deal with. Why haven't you told me you've been living alone for so long, you could've lived with me... Maybe these dreams are just result of that loneliness, you know?"

"Yeah, that's what I've been thinking." Jisung admitted. "Maybe my mind is just playing tricks on me because I'm always by myself, even though sometimes I'm enjoying not having parents around."

Felix reached across the table and squeezed Jisung's hand. "Well, you're not alone. We're all here for you, and if these dreams are freaking you out, let's have a sleepover at my place. We'll figure out if it's just in your head or not."

Jisung felt a wave of relief. He had never told anyone about the strange things happening, but now that Felix knew, it felt like he wasn't carrying the weight alone anymore. "Yeah, that sounds good, I'll tell the others about it tonight."

Felix grinned, leaning back in his chair. "Great. We'll make a night of it—movies, pizza, the whole thing. And no creepy dreams, okay?"

Jisung chuckled softly. "I hope so."

Their conversation drifted to lighter topics, and Jisung was staring to relax, when he saw Minho behind the counter. He was wiping down the counter, his expression unreadable. As if sensing Jisung's eyes on him, Minho glanced up and caught his gaze. For a brief moment Jisung's heart skipped a beat. Then, Minho raised a hand and gestured for Jisung to come over.