at shinhwa university, two students dominate their respective circles.
san, a popular and talented computer engineering major known for his chivalry and skill, and wooyoung, the arts student and outgoing gossip enthusiast who has his finger on the p...
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the very next morning, san wasn't particularly surprised that yoona's advice had been spot on— for the first time in what felt like forever, he had actually managed to get a decent night's sleep.
if a decent night's sleep meant waking abruptly at 4am, then sure— it had been fantastic.
if he were honest with himself, it was a bit disheartening to realise that he had to overwork his body to feel a sense of achievement, even when it came to something as basic as sleep, a biological and psychological necessity. then again, his brain seemed to go into overdrive during his long, vigorous gaming sessions, yet he never once felt the urge to give in to exhaustion and rest.
but that wasn't the real issue here, nor was it something san had the luxury of reflecting on right now. because for the first time in what had been an even longer period than his sleepless nights, san had dreamt of something distinctly unusual.
considering his 'usual' dreams consisted of plotless, yet needlessly intricate scenarios that he'd forget before even opening his eyes, 'unusual' took on an entirely different meaning this time.
it was unusual enough for his eyes to shoot open as though the world were on the verge of ending, enough to leave him breathless in the early hours, enough to have him sitting upright before he'd even thought to stretch his aching arms.
it was vivid enough to rip sleep from his grasp before he could even begin to process what on earth had just happened.
a dream so strikingly vivid, bordering on something hedonistic, one that refused to leave his mind, keeping him wide awake in the hours that followed. and this disquiet, this absence of focus, this inability to think of anything else but the images his mind had conjured up in the middle of his sleep, clung to him well into the morning. by the time he was wandering across campus after his 8am class, it still hadn't loosened its grip.
that morning, the sun was already high in the sky, casting its warm light across a bright, nearly cloudless blue expanse. yet, despite the clarity of the world around him, san couldn't seem to shake the fog that lingered in his mind.
"another bloody assignment. you've got to be kidding me," mingi muttered, his frustration evident as he stared at the notification on his phone screen. of course, he hadn't been paying attention in class when the lecturer had mentioned the new assignment— but neither had san, which was even more unusual.
"we've got this, man," seonghwa sighed, trying to sound optimistic as he stretched his arms and swung them back and forth in an exaggerated manner. "just a few days left until the break."
he was talking about the one-week break they were getting at the end of the week— a chance for students to catch up on assignments or, more likely, to take it easy. despite the university's well-meaning intentions, no one ever used the break for actual studying. for most, it was an opportunity to live freely, at least until classes resumed and responsibilities came crashing back.
