dreamscapes - yunjin

chapter 3: the divide.

yunjin's side —

yunjin woke up again to the sound of chaewon's soft voice calling her name. the morning sun filtered through the curtains, casting a warm glow over the dorm room. yunjin blinked groggily, her body feeling heavy from the restless night.

"yunjin, we need to get ready for practice." chaewon said, already dressed and pulling her hair into a neat ponytail.

"yeah, i'm up."  yunjin mumbled, pushing herself out of bed. she rubbed her eyes, trying to shake off the lingering fog from her nightmare. it felt distant now, like a half-remembered blur, but the anxiety still clung to her chest.

the morning flew by in a blur of schedules. dance practice came first, then vocal lessons, with barely any time to catch her breath. yunjin fell into her usual rhythm, focusing on the choreography and harmonies, but her mind kept drifting back to the dream—the maze, the fear, the girl. the intensity of it still clung to her, despite her efforts to shake it off.

during lunch, the other members chatted around her, but yunjin stayed quiet, pushing her food around her plate. she smiled and laughed when needed, but her thoughts were elsewhere. by the time they moved on to their afternoon activities—interviews and photoshoots—yunjin had plastered on her professional idol smile. she answered questions with ease, the perfect image of the confident yunjin everyone expected her to be. but inside, the exhaustion weighed heavily on her. each time she glanced in the mirror during touch-ups, she felt like she was looking at someone else. someone pretending to be okay. someone who felt like she was losing control.

aerin's side —

across the city, aerin's morning began in much the same way, though her world was a far cry from yunjin's. she groaned as her alarm buzzed sharply next to her bed, dragging her out of sleep. the soft glow of the city filtered through the blinds of her small apartment as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. she couldn't shake the feeling of unease from the night before. the vividness of the dream had left her shaken. she couldn't stop thinking about yunjin. was she well today?

7:15... it was already 7:15. that was as late as she could afford to be in bed before getting ready for work. she had to get up, get dressed, and face another day in the corporate world—a job she barely tolerated, but one that paid the bills. aerin sighed, pulling on a sleek blouse and black pants, her usual office attire. her morning routine was efficient, if not a little monotonous. she made a quick cup of coffee, skimmed through her phone for news, and then grabbed her bag before heading out the door.

as she walked to the subway station, her mind wandered back to her dream, to the feeling that had stayed with her even after she woke up. by the time she arrived at her office, the bustling energy of the corporate environment greeted her. the familiar hum of keyboards and ringing phones filled the air as she made her way to her desk.

how did I even end up in Yunjin's dream? aerin wondered as she settled into her office chair, the fluorescent lights flickering above her. it felt surreal, almost impossible. she had always been careful with her abilities, entering dreams only when she sensed someone needed her help. but this... this was a whole new level.

throughout her morning at the corporate office, aerin found it difficult to concentrate on her work. her coworkers chatted about mundane office topics, but her thoughts kept returning to yunjin—the way she had looked, the way she had screamed, the palpable fear radiating from her. aerin remembered the urgency in her own voice as she tried to calm yunjin, the way their connection had felt electric, as if she could actually reach through the dream and pull her to safety. aerin was aware of yunjin's fame; after all, she was one of the biggest names in k-pop right now. she had seen her performances, admired her talent from afar, and followed her rise to stardom on social media. but in the dream, yunjin had felt so real—so vulnerable—that it made aerin want to reach out, to help her in her waking life.

but she hesitated. how could she contact yunjin? what could she even say? she was just a stranger to yunjin, a girl who had entered her dream uninvited. what if yunjin thought she was crazy?

as the hours passed, the urgency grew. aerin knew she had to do something. she could sense the girl's distress, and she felt an inexplicable need to help her confront whatever was holding her captive. but how? aerin thought. we don't know each other. how could i even make contact? Aerin leaned back in her chair, feeling a mix of curiosity and concern. it was rare for her to connect so deeply with someone in a dream, and she couldn't shake the feeling that yunjin was in danger—not just in her dreams but in her waking life too. what if the nightmare was a manifestation of something she was dealing with?

suddenly, her phone buzzed with a notification, pulling her from her thoughts. it was a reminder for an upcoming meeting, but she barely registered it. her mind was elsewhere, swirling with the possibility of what she could do to help yunjin. i could watch her performances, aerin thought, see if there are any clues in her lyrics or interviews that could point to what she's facing.

with a newfound sense of purpose, aerin decided to dig deeper into yunjin's public persona.