The Parallel Universes

Searching for answers

UNIVERSE 1.

Chanyeol woke up drenched in sweat, his heart hammering in his chest. The room was dim, and the sun barely pierced through the heavy curtains. The remnants of another dream—another nightmare—still clung to him. He had seen Baekhyun again, but this time, it was worse. Baekhyun's face had been hollow, his eyes filled with sadness, and his voice... his voice had been so broken. It was like he didn't want to live anymore.

Chanyeol sat up, rubbing his face with his hands, trying to shake the overwhelming sense of dread that had become his constant companion. The dream was different this time—it had felt too real. The way Baekhyun had spoken, the way he had looked... it was like he was asking for help. Begging for it.

But how could Chanyeol help someone who didn't even exist?

For days, these dreams had haunted him, each one more vivid than the last. And it was always Baekhyun—always the same sad, desperate Baekhyun. Chanyeol had never met anyone like him in real life, and yet, there was this undeniable pull, this certainty that somewhere, somehow, Baekhyun was real.

And he was in danger.

Unable to shake the feeling, Chanyeol grabbed his phone and texted Jongin and Jongdae. His friends had been his only connection to normalcy, even though lately, things hadn't felt normal at all. At first, when he'd mentioned the dreams, they'd laughed it off, making jokes about him watching too many movies. But as the days passed, they grew more concerned.

He didn't blame them. He was starting to think he was losing his mind, too.

As the day dragged on, Chanyeol met up with Jongin and Jongdae at the usual bar, the one they always went to when they needed to blow off steam. Lately, Chanyeol had needed it more often. The alcohol helped dull the anxiety, the questions, the dreams. But it never took them away completely.

"Another dream?" Jongin asked, his voice light but his eyes betraying his concern as he took a sip of his beer.

Chanyeol nodded, his fingers fidgeting with the glass in front of him. "Yeah. Same guy... Baekhyun. But it's getting worse. I think... I think he's not okay. Like, really not okay."

Jongdae raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his chair. "And you're still sure you've never met him? Not even someone who kind of looks like him?"

Chanyeol shook his head. "No. I've never met anyone like him. But... it's like I know him. Like, really know him. And the way he looked at me... It's like he's giving up. He said he was tired and didn't want to be here anymore."

Jongin and Jongdae exchanged a quick glance, and Chanyeol could see the worry settling deeper in their faces.

"Chanyeol, man... are you sure this isn't just stress? Maybe you've been working too much, drinking too much... It's starting to mess with your head," Jongdae said, trying to keep his tone light but failing.

Chanyeol shook his head again, more firmly this time. "No, it's not just stress. It's not just some dream. This is different. I know it sounds insane, but I'm sure that somewhere, somehow, Baekhyun is real. And he's not okay."

Jongin leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. "What do you mean, real? Like, another universe real?"

"I don't know!" Chanyeol replied, frustration lacing his words. "But it feels like he's reaching out to me. Like he's... like he's stuck somewhere, and I'm the only one who can help him."