When Kibum feels his body immersed in cold water and opens his eyes to a sky full of clouds, he immediately feels a sense of confusion rather than the usual melancholy he knows… His mind can only pace wildly now trying to access his not so new situation—one he was no longer expecting after his last slumber.

There’s no way he could be having the same dream as always, could he?

For now, all Kibum figures is that he shouldn’t waste any time and starts to paddle aimlessly into the ocean waves surrounding him. This time, he decides to swim at the fastest pace he thinks he ever has… He swims swiftly and with a blinding determination, but it is also hard to achieve as it takes all the might he has to ignore the waves pushing him as he goes. They grow tremendously over him, and fight back against his body as if the goal were to stop him in his tracks… The ocean proves to be the loser of the battle, however, as Kibum makes it to an island at almost impossible speed.

He crashes upon the shore with a push of a monstrous wave, causing him to choke on salt water and scrape his knees as the waves only continue to fall over him. Crash after crash, it takes him more of his strength to get up and finally walk onto the dry sand ahead of him... After no longer feeling the ocean beating him, he stops to vomit every bit of salt water he feels in his lungs and catches his breath from almost being drowned. Taking another minute to relax, he does his best to also shake his hair dry and wring out his shirt.

With his heart returning to a normal rate, and his determination failing to falter with it, he begins to run wildly across the beach. He runs erratically, and without direction but as soon as it’s clear to him nothing human is upon the shore or sands, he decides to make a run into the jungle present on the island. His mission to find his soulmate again was all that screamed at him in his mind—he didn’t care to do anything but look for them now as he was dreaming.

Once in the island’s jungle, Kibum enters a maze of vines and giant tree trunks as far as the eye can see. The sounds of bugs buzzing, birds chirping, and other creatures can be heard all throughout the vast greenery. He takes the new scenery in, deciding which direction to head in before starting to frantically run again. Without direction like on the beach, he jumps over every branch and boulder he comes across in his haste. Trying his best to search as he goes on, Kibum starts to feel more anxiety than confusion. 

How was he going to find anyone in a place like this?

The deeper he feels he runs into the jungle, the more he can feel his body want to give up on him, and it isn’t soon before his legs get caught on a giant branch he no longer has the stamina to evade… Kibum takes a harsh fall and lands onto the wet dirt below him. He decides to take his defeat for a moment and lies there—taking an advantage to properly catch his breath again, and perhaps even get his mind in better order.

The sounds of nature surrounding him never cease despite his tumble—they ring in Kibum’s ear like an odd soundtrack meant to . He tries to only focus on his breathing, and even closes his eyes in an attempt to tune out the loud mixture of animal calls and bustling until something breaks that focus... The sound of a voice, far off somewhere above (so it seems) calls out to him.

“HEY! You okay?”

Kibum jumps in surprise at the call, immediately feeling his heartbeat quicken at a drastic pace once more.  

“Hey, you down there! Are you okay?” 

This time, he manages to actually catch what the voice is saying, and it causes him to hastily look around his surroundings. He looks up and slowly rises to his feet again, searching within the tree branches clouding the sky to find the source of the voice he hears.

“Helloooo?” The voice calls out again in a concerned and questioning voice, “Are you mute?”

“Oh, hi! I’m okay... Thanks. Umm…” Kibum replies nervously and still unsure of where he should be directing his voice. He continues to look upwards when he speaks as he’s sure it’s coming from above him, “Are you up in the trees?”

“Yes! Can’t you see me?” The voice laughs after replying, and the sound alone somehow tug at Kibum's heart strings. It was a unique-sounding laugh, one Kibum is sure he has never heard before… It reminded him of his dog’s squeaky toys so he quietly chuckled to himself at the thought. He likes unique things…

“I’m trying to see you…” He choses a tree he thinks the voice is coming from and walks up to the base of it. This time, he squints his eyes to focus when he looks through the branches. It isn’t long until he’s sure he sees some leaves rustling above to his left. The sound of his heart is so loud at this point, Kibum can no longer hear any animals... “Is that you moving around in the trees?”

“Yes! You found me!” The voice finally shows its face, revealing the same person Kibum dreamt the night prior—they pop their head out of the same patch leaves he was so focused on. “Oh, and I’m glad you’re okay, it looked like it hurt when you fell.”

This time, Kibum finds it hard to speak, let alone think of a reply. Being faced with his soulmate like this was truly overwhelming for him… Why did they have to be so damn beautiful? 

He can’t help but gulp as he thinks and stares back at the dewy eyes sparkling at him… The large lips smiling for him… The soft soul Kibum can just feel emitting from this person shining onto his own being… 

Oh how he wishes to get closer to it already…

“Do you have trouble speaking?” Kibum’s soulmate speaks up again, “You’re kinda freaking me out by staring like that…” 

“Oh , I’m so sorry!” Kibum snaps out of his gaze, unrealizing he was even doing so. It feels embarrassing to him, especially after being spoken to the way he just was… His soulmate is blunt, he thinks and notes to himself.

In order to save himself from seeing more of this unexpected side (and of any more embarrassment), he decides to finally reply to the question that probably doesn’t matter to his soulmate anymore.

“It didn’t hurt by the way… When I fell, I mean.”

“Hmmm…” The person squints their eyes at Kibum with a curious look, then disappears back into the leaves. In a matter of seconds, they appear among the main body of the tree and carefully make their way down to where Kibum is standing before saying another word.

“You’re kind of strange, Kibum.” They giggle.

“You’re one to talk! You were just up in the trees like a little monkey! Why were you even up there so casually?” Kibum replies back, flustered, and feeling himself getting red by how his soulmate is so clearly outspoken… 

That trait, however, was the least concerning thing for him now, “Wait…” Kibum starts with his mouth agape.

“I was bored and the tree looked fun to climb… What’s wrong with—”

“How do you know my name?” Kibum interrupts his person, no longer caring why they were in the trees after realizing this development.

“What do you mean… I–” The person squints their brows together at first, but then looks back at him with a funny expression, mouth also agape, “I don’t know… I just do?”

Kibum sighs at the answer, believing the person in front of him due to their sheer confusion at the question alone… He figures to himself that perhaps this is just another factor of dreaming of your soulmate. But if this is the case, why doesn’t he magically know anything about this person too? In his opinion, it felt unfair, and he even starts to feel a knot in his stomach at the unanswered thought.

He retorts, trying to gain control of his circumstance, “What’s your name then? I think I deserve to know!”

Sadly, the only response Kibum gets in return is the same confused face with a newfound shrug of the shoulders.

“You’re kidding with me, right?” 

Yet again, this time with the shake of their head, Kibum is met with another confirmation that his soulmate indeed does not know their name. This isn’t how things were supposed to go, were they?

At this point, Kibum feels so confused about the type of emotions he should be feeling, he almost wishes to wake up and forget about it… He’s happy to finally know his soulmate, yet unable to actually know them is so aggravating to him… It’s a lot to handle in both his body and mind.

“I need to sit down…” Is all he can say in a deflated tone. He slowly squats down until he plants his on the roots of the tree, and pushes his hair back with a sigh escaping his lips.

“I am being honest.” His soulmate takes a seat next to him, “If I knew I would tell you.”

“Oddly enough, I truly believe you… But how does that make any sense?” Kibum looks back towards the person sitting next to him, on the verge of laughing from madness.

“To be fair…” The person pauses, looking around before continuing, “Does any of this make sense? I’m not even sure why we’re in a jungle—that’s why I was messing around in the trees to begin with…” finishes his soulmate who slowly turns their face back to Kibum. This time, their face looks modest, and kind…

At that moment, Kibum remembers this is only a dream—a fact that was almost impossible to forget and yet, he somehow did... 

Sighing another time and facing awa