"Why isn't she waking up?" Jungwon's strained voice broke the heavy silence in the room.
The hypnotherapist stood nearby, her brows furrowed in deep concern. "I'm afraid... something's gone wrong."
Jungwon's head snapped up. "What do you mean? What went wrong?"
"Is she still... in that place?" Heeseung asked quietly from behind. The other princes had gathered after hearing the news, their faces etched with worry.
The therapist glanced down at Ji-ah's pale, unmoving face. Her chest rose and fell steadily, but there was no sign of her waking.
"I've called her name multiple times," the therapist said, her voice low. "I even tried shaking her, but she's unresponsive. I'm afraid... she's trapped."
Jungwon knelt beside Ji-ah, his hand trembling slightly as he clasped hers. "Ji-ah... please. Wake up."
The therapist hesitated before speaking again. "I suspect someone might be manipulating her mind."
A cold silence fell over the room.
"What?" Jay's voice broke through, sharp and incredulous.
Jungwon's face darkened as he turned back to the therapist. "What makes you think that?"
"Because under normal circumstances, she would respond when I call her back. But something—or someone—is blocking her from returning. These dreams aren't just occurring naturally... they're being controlled."
"Who would even do something like that?" Ni-ki asked.
The room fell silent again as an unspoken realization rippled through the group. Slowly, Ni-ki's gaze shifted toward Sunoo.
"What?" Sunoo raised his eyebrows.
One by one, the others turned to look at him.
"Why are you all staring at me?" Sunoo's eyes narrowed, his usual lightheartedness gone.
"There are only two vampires we know of who can manipulate minds this way," Jay said carefully. "Eugene... and you."
"But Eugene is dead," Sunghoon said flatly.
"So you're blaming me now?" Sunoo snapped, his voice rising with frustration. "Are you serious? What possible reason would I have to do this to her? What do I gain from this?"
His voice echoed in the room, sharp and raw.
"Guys," Jake interjected, stepping forward. "Let's not jump to conclusions. This isn't helping her."
The tension hung heavy in the air, but the accusing silence finally broke.
Jungwon pinched the bridge of his nose, exhaling slowly. "Enough. This isn't getting us anywhere."
He turned back to the hypnotherapist. "How do we wake her up?"
The therapist's expression remained tight with worry. "I'll try again... but if someone's blocking her path, we'll need to find a way to break that connection. Quickly."
The room fell quiet again as they all turned their eyes back to Ji-ah, her face peaceful yet hauntingly still. Time was running out.
"Who on earth—"
"What if there's someone else who can manipulate dreams?" Jake cut in, his voice uncertain.
"Who?" Ni-ki asked, his brows furrowed.
"There's literally no one else," Heeseung said, his eyes flickering to Sunoo for a moment. "As far as we know."
A heavy silence lingered until Sunoo spoke, his voice low. "What if... Eugene isn't dead?"
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𝑩𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝑷𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒆 | 정원
Fanfiction𝕭𝖑𝖔𝖔𝖉 𝕻𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖈𝖊─── "Dance for me." The figure on the throne said. Her throat felt dry. Even in the dark, she could sense his eyes on her, tracking her every move. She couldn't place what it was, but something about his intimidating aura made...
