𝑃𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑜𝑛 / 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑛𝑔

S2 ch 70

Jiwon’s nightmare was more vivid than any other he had ever experienced.

It began as it usually did, with darkness surrounding him. But this time, there was something different—something suffocating about the air. His heart beat loudly in his chest as he wandered through an unfamiliar, dimly lit alley, the ground beneath his feet cold and wet. He could hear distant voices, but they were muffled, as though coming from far away.

As he walked, he caught sight of a figure up ahead. A tall man, dressed in all black, moving quickly toward someone. Jiwon’s breath hitched when he realized the figure was none other than Rafayel.

“No,” Jiwon whispered to himself, but he couldn’t move. His body was paralyzed, frozen in place.

Rafayel’s face was a mixture of intense concentration and something darker, something Jiwon couldn’t quite place. He could hear the sharp sound of a knife being drawn from its sheath. The metallic sound cut through the silence, and Jiwon’s pulse quickened.

The scene played out in front of him as though it were happening in slow motion. He watched as Rafayel approached a figure in the alley, someone Jiwon couldn’t make out, but the fear was palpable in the air.

And then, without warning, Rafayel lunged.

The sound of flesh being cut, the sickening sound of a life being taken—it was all too much. The image of Rafayel, his face impassive, holding a bloodstained knife, lingered in Jiwon’s mind.

Jiwon felt a wave of horror wash over him, the feeling of helplessness gripping his heart. His feet felt like lead as he tried to move, but he was stuck, unable to do anything but watch.

The body of the person Rafayel had attacked crumpled to the ground, blood pooling around them. Jiwon felt sick, his stomach turning at the sight of it. He wanted to scream, to run, but his body wouldn’t obey.

Rafayel stood over the body, wiping the knife clean of blood with cold indifference. His green eyes, normally full of mischief, were devoid of emotion. He turned slowly, as if sensing Jiwon’s presence.

“Jiwon,” Rafayel said, his voice calm, but there was something unsettling in the way he said it, as though he wasn’t quite the man Jiwon knew. His gaze was dark, cold—dangerous.

Jiwon opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. His throat was dry, his breath ragged.

Rafayel took a step toward him, his hand still gripping the knife. The bloodied blade gleamed under the dim light.

“You should leave, Jiwon,” Rafayel said in that same cold tone. “You shouldn’t be here.”

Jiwon’s heart pounded in his chest, his mind racing. This isn’t real. This isn’t real.

But the images—the blood, the body, the knife—felt all too real. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from Rafayel. The man he had grown to trust, the man he had begun to have feelings for, was standing before him, a killer in the shadows.

“I... I can’t leave,” Jiwon whispered, his voice trembling. “What did you do?”

Rafayel’s lips curled into a faint smirk, but there was no warmth in it—only coldness. He took another step closer.

“I did what I had to do,” Rafayel replied, his voice low and dangerous. “This is who I am, Jiwon. You knew that.”

Before Jiwon could respond, everything around him began to spin. The darkness closed in, and his mind seemed to fracture as the world dissolved into blackness.

---

Jiwon woke up with a sharp gasp, his body drenched in sweat, his breath coming in ragged pants.

His hands shook violently as he reached out, gripping the sheets as though they could anchor him to reality. The echoes of the nightmare still rattled in his mind—the coldness in Rafayel’s eyes, the way he had killed someone without hesitation.

Jiwon sat up, his heart racing. His thoughts were a whirlwind of confusion and fear. He couldn’t make sense of it. It felt so real, so vivid. But there was no way Rafayel could be like that—right?

His head spun as the memory of the nightmare replayed in his mind. The blood, the knife, the body. And then Rafayel’s voice, so cold and detached, telling him to leave.

“No,” Jiwon whispered, shaking his head. He could feel his stomach churn at the thought of it. He needed to get a grip. It was just a nightmare. It wasn’t real.

But the fear remained, gnawing at him, making him feel sick to his core.

---

The next morning, Jiwon found himself lost in thought, barely able to focus as he ate breakfast.

The others were talking, but Jiwon barely registered the conversation. His mind was still reeling from the nightmare. He couldn’t get the image of Rafayel, standing over the body, out of his head.

“Jiwon? You alright?” Rafayel’s voice pulled him from his thoughts, and he looked up to see the older man standing in front of him, a concerned expression on his face.

Jiwon’s heart skipped a beat, but the fear from the nightmare made it difficult to meet Rafayel’s gaze. He quickly looked down at his food, trying to compose himself.

“Yeah,” Jiwon replied, his voice hoarse. “I’m fine.”

Rafayel frowned, stepping closer. “You don’t look fine. You seem off.”

“I had a nightmare last night,” Jiwon muttered, his voice barely above a whisper. He didn’t know why, but he felt the need to explain. The image of Rafayel holding the knife, covered in blood, was too vivid in his mind.

Rafayel’s expression softened. He sat down next to Jiwon, his eyes still searching the younger man’s face. “What kind of nightmare?”

Jiwon hesitated. He didn’t want to tell Rafayel what he had dreamed—that nightmare. It seemed too personal, too terrifying. But the look in Rafayel’s eyes made him feel safe, like it was okay to admit it.

“I... I saw you. You... you killed someone. Blood everywhere. And you didn’t seem sorry. You were cold. It was like a different side of you,” Jiwon said, his voice trembling.

Rafayel blinked, clearly surprised by the confession, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, he leaned closer, his hand resting gently on Jiwon’s shoulder.

“Jiwon,” Rafayel said softly, his voice low. “I would never hurt you. That was just a nightmare. I’m not like that.”

Jiwon nodded, but he couldn’t shake the image from his mind. The fear, the coldness in Rafayel’s eyes, was something he couldn’t just forget.

“I know,” Jiwon whispered, though the doubt lingered in his chest. “I just... I don’t know what to think.”

Rafayel gave him a reassuring smile. “It was just a dream. Don’t let it mess with your head, okay?”

But even as Rafayel said that, Jiwon couldn’t help but wonder if the nightmare was more than just a product of his imagination. He had no way of knowing, but the fear inside him told him that something wasn’t right.

To be continued....

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