dreamscapes - yunjin

chapter 15: crossed wires.

aerin's side —

the ride home from the dorm felt heavier than it should have. aerin stared out the window of her cab, the city lights blurring past as her thoughts ran in circles. her mind kept returning to the moments in the studio—how close she and yunjin had been, how the air had practically crackled with something she wasn't ready to name.

but then chaewon had knocked, breaking the spell. in a way, aerin was relieved. she didn't know what yunjin had been about to say, and part of her wasn't sure she was ready to hear it. not yet.

her phone buzzed in her lap, pulling her from her thoughts. she glanced down to see minji's name flash on the screen, and a wave of guilt washed over her. aerin hadn't spoken to her in days—not since she'd started spending more time with yunjin outside of their music sessions. she had meant to catch up, but somehow, it kept slipping her mind.

with a deep breath, aerin swiped to answer the call.

"hey," she said, trying to sound casual, though her voice came out a little more strained than she intended.

"aerin, finally!" minji's voice was light, teasing. "i thought you forgot about me."

aerin forced a laugh, though it felt hollow. "no, just... been busy."

"busy, huh? with work? or something else?"

minji's tone was playful, but there was an edge to it, like she could sense that something was off. aerin bit her lip, debating whether to be honest or to keep things vague.

"yeah, with work," she said, hoping it didn't sound like a lie. but it felt like one.

minji paused on the other end of the line, as if she were waiting for aerin to say more. when the silence stretched, she spoke again, her voice softer this time. "is everything okay? you sound... i don't know, different."

her chest tightened. she wanted to tell minji everything—about yunjin, about the confusing feelings that had been growing between them. but how could she explain something she didn't even understand herself?

"i'm fine," aerin said, though her voice wavered slightly. "just... tired, i guess."

minji didn't seem convinced, but she let it go. "okay. well, if you need to talk, you know i'm here, right?"

"yeah, i know," aerin murmured, guilt gnawing at her. "thanks, minji."

they chatted for a few more minutes, keeping the conversation light, but the distance between them felt bigger than it ever had. when aerin hung up, she sighed, leaning back against the seat. she had lied—maybe not outright, but by omission. she hadn't told minji the truth, hadn't shared what was really going on. and that felt worse than anything.

the cab pulled up to her apartment, and as she stepped out, the cool night air hit her, grounding her for a moment. she needed to clear her head, to figure out what all of this meant—what yunjin meant to her.

but that answer felt farther away than ever.

yunjin's side —

meanwhile, back at the le sserafim dorm, yunjin lay in bed, staring at the ceiling. the conversation with chaewon lingered in her mind, along with everything that had happened in the studio with aerin. she couldn't stop replaying the moment when their arms had brushed, when aerin had looked at her with those wide, searching eyes.

her thoughts were a tangled mess, emotions she had never dealt with before swirling inside her. the pull she felt toward aerin was undeniable, but it was terrifying too. she had never felt like this toward a girl before, and it was shaking everything she thought she knew about herself.

exhausted but restless, yunjin rolled over, squeezing her eyes shut, willing sleep to come. but when it did, it wasn't peaceful.

yunjin found herself standing in the middle of a dimly lit stage, the spotlight blinding her, making it impossible to see beyond the edge of the light. her heart raced, her chest tight with fear. she was alone, her voice gone, unable to call out.

but then, in the distance, she heard it—a soft, familiar laugh. aerin's laugh. relief flooded her, and yunjin turned, searching for her in the darkness.

"aerin?" she called, her voice echoing.

no answer. just the sound of footsteps, light and quick, moving away from her.

"aerin, wait!" yunjin's voice cracked with desperation as she started to run, chasing after the sound. but no matter how fast she moved, the darkness seemed to stretch further, swallowing her whole. panic gripped her chest, and the laughter grew fainter, more distant.

suddenly, the ground beneath her feet gave way, and yunjin fell, plummeting into an endless void. her heart pounded in her ears, and she reached out, grasping for anything to hold onto—but there was nothing. just empty space and the sound of her own rapid breathing.

and then, just as she thought she was lost, she felt it—warmth. a gentle hand on her arm, pulling her back from the edge.

yunjin gasped, her eyes snapping open, and she found herself sitting up in bed, drenched in sweat. her breath came in ragged gulps, her heart still racing from the dream.

it was the same dream she had been having for weeks, the one that left her shaken every time. but this time, something was different. this time, she knew whose hand had reached for her in the dark.

it had been aerin's.

yunjin sat there in the quiet darkness of her room, her pulse slowly calming. she wiped her damp forehead with the back of her hand, trying to shake off the lingering fear from the nightmare. but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop thinking about aerin—about how even in her dreams, it was aerin she was reaching for.

and now, awake, yunjin couldn't escape the truth that had been quietly building for weeks.

she wanted to reach for aerin, even if she didn't fully understand what that meant yet.

aerin's side —

the next morning, aerin woke early, still unsettled by her conversation with minji and the growing confusion inside her. she needed to clear her head, to figure out what was happening between her and yunjin before it spiraled any further.

grabbing her phone, she hesitated before dialing minji again. maybe this time, she could be honest.