“Our class is doing Romeo and Juliet; let’s kill this for the sake of our final score.” the class president announces the end of semester’s assignment. “Of course we should start from the cast first. Suggestions for Romeo?”

     The class unanimously shouts “Luhan!” Luhan, the Chinese student and the class’ star, smiles to the class from his seat and shows no sign of objection.

     He’s pretty enough to be Juliet, Han Haera thinks to herself. She continues scribbling at her notes, being so sure that she will just end up as a cameraman or producer.

     “Luhan it is. And Juliet will be?”

     “I heard Haera used to act in stage acts and musicals, president.” a classmate says. Haera freezes.

     “Really? That’s amazing. Do you want to be Juliet?” the class president asks.

     Haera smiles uneasily, and waves her hand no. “That’s in the past, though. I don’t act anymore.”

     “People say that you were pretty popular in your middle school days, and your agency even went bankrupt a year after you left them!” another classmate exclaims, and the class oohs and aahs.

     Where did they get that info, Haera sighs.

     “Is that true, Han Haera?” the class president asks. Before Haera can answer, he claps once. “We’ll trust you. Okay, Han Haera as Juliet it is!”

     The class applauds and as the president gives directions for other roles, Haera hangs her head.

     Oh no, oh no, oh no. I can’t do this, Haera thinks. What should I do?

     The class president separates the class into the cast group and crew group for further talks, and Haera joins the cast group with a blank expression. Luhan sits beside her, and smiles.

     “Hi, Haera. Let’s do our best.”

     Haera returns the smile awkwardly, and listens to the scriptwriter who is talking. She contemplates hard on the possibilities to force herself to do this, or just quit it altogether.

     “First shooting will start in a week, the crew will do their things and you guys, the cast, will receive the script in two days and practice before the shooting. That’s all for today, we’ll meet in class again tomorrow.” the class president dismisses the class.

     As she walks home, Haera looks at a paper containing the details of the final assignment. She should have expected this, being a film major, she would be making movies sooner or later. She’s in her first semester and she needs to make a 15-minute mini movie already. She’s ready to be everything but a cast, a female lead to top it off. She grumpily enters her apartment and re-reads the instruction. There are two other classes with similar romance-tragedy titles, and in the end the classes will have an extra awards show to pick best producer, best director, best setting, even best couple. Haera throws the paper to her table and pulling a bit of her hair.

     I can’t do this, but I should, that may help me get over that thing.

     That night, Haera dreams about shooting the mini movie, and she saw a weird, bloody creature when she was shooting for her scenes, in the dream. But in the end the whole cast and crew was in by an unknown force into the darkness, and she could hear hissing sounds between the darkness. She wakes up bathed in sweat, and her eyes are teary.

     Always the bloody creature. Always the black hole. Always the hissing. When will this stop?

     It’s still dawn, but she can’t go back to sleep, as always.

     Two days later, the scriptwriter hands the cast the finished scripts. “It is still subject to change, but the changes mostly will be only on sets or props since we’re doing a modernized version of the story.”

     Haera flips through the script and blushes at Act 1 Scene 5, where Romeo and Juliet kiss at the party. Are she and Luhan going to really do it? She glances at the Romeo, and Luhan is discussing a part of the script with the classmate who plays Mercutio.

     Can I do this? Haera stresses. I made a mistake for not turning down the role.

     Luhan looks at her, and Haera belatedly realizes because she was blanking out. He smiles to her, and she nods nervously. Luhan drags his seat to her side. “Would you like to practice some lines?”

     Haera nods, and Luhan shows her the page for Act 2 Scene 2, the balcony scene.

     “You pick a long one.” Haera anxiously laughs. Luhan smiles, and he starts his lines. Haera is impressed with his tone, and Luhan is just equally mesmerized by her delivery on her lines.

     “Wow, it must be true that you used to do acting before. You’re remarkable.” Luhan looks amazed.

     Haera blushes. “You’re also exceeding expectations. It’s all on point, and your Korean is not awkward.”

     Luhan smiles again. Haera views his smiles as very pleasant scenery, it somehow makes her comforted. “I’ve been staying long enough, I guess.”

     “On our orientation back then, I could see that you had a passion for acting. Did you take lessons?” Haera recalls that one moment that made Luhan an instant local superstar in the beginning of the semester.

     “No, I didn’t take lessons, but yeah I just have a passion for acting.” Luhan answers.

     The scriptwriter calls the two of them to have a joint practice for all the cast and both of them do well. The class president, now the director, looks pleased. “I’m anticipating our shooting. Our Romeo and Juliet, don’t disappoint us, okay?”

     Luhan energetically nods, but Haera just pretends to focus on her script. Although she does well, she still hesitates.

     Later that night, she has the nightmare again, now involving some of her family, going on a picnic, but she spots the same bloody creature peeking from a nearby tree, and it ends again with the black hole all the people and when it turns dark, the hissing sounds covers her dream until she wakes up.

     Haera’s first shooting begins on the second day of the schedule, since the first day was used for shooting Capulet and Montague’s brawl and Romeo’s first scenes. Haera’s shooting ends quickly as it’s just a scene where Juliet talks to her mother and nurse. The rest of the day is spent in a classmate who plays Paris’ house where the party scene will be shot. The cast and crew will spend the night there to prepare.

     The night draws late, and the set and other stuff for tomorrow’s shooting have been mostly finished. Haera enters a big room where everyone sleeps, and the other cast and crew have all gone to their dreamland. There are two futons left near the door, side by side. Outside, Luhan, the director, and the owner of the house are still discussing something.

     Haera can’t fall asleep and she plays with her phone. Someone enters the room, and Haera looks up. It’s Luhan.

     “I guess I’ll sleep here.” Luhan slips inside the futon beside her. Haera gets slightly shy.

     “The director?”

     “He’s going to sleep in another room.” Luhan answers. “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

     “I can’t sleep.” Haera says.

     “I think I’ll fall asleep first, so good night.” Luhan smiles to her, and covers himself with the blanket. Haera returns the ‘good night’ but her voice squeaks a bit, thankfully Luhan has closed his eyes.

     Haera wants to sleep too, but her constant nightmares haunt her. She also worries because she usually wakes up in a mess because the nightmares, and she thinks about not sleeping, but she’s going to feel terrible for the shooting tomorrow, so she decides to sleep.

     Haera wakes up in the morning because a classmate who just wakes up almost steps on her on his effort to reach the door. Haera closes her eyes again, having some extra minutes to sleep, but then opens her eyes in realization.

     I didn’t have a nightmare.

     In fact, she was dreamless. She sits up on her futon, and is both happy and confused with this. That nightmare never misses her nights since high school, in any occasion, regardless her situation is.

     Is it because I sleep with other people? But on a membership training a few months ago, I had this situation and the nightmare came.

     Luhan squirms beside her, and he opens one of his eyes. They look at each other for awhile, and Luhan realizes his surroundings.

     “Oh—I’m sorry.” he buries his face on the pillow, and his hands try to make his bed hair a bit neater. Haera smiles.

     “We still have some time to sleep.” Haera lies down again, whispering so the rest of the people sleeping in the room don’t wake up.

     “Good.” Luhan lifts his head, smiles, and closes his eyes again. Haera looks at his sleeping form, and silently marvels on how pretty he is. He looks really peaceful on his sleep.

     Is it because I had Romeo beside me, that I didn’t have that nightmare last night?

     Haera scoffs at her own thought, and after looking once again at Luhan, she continues her sleep.

-

     They begin shooting the party scene, and it will eventually end in Romeo and Juliet’s first kiss. Haera sweats on the thought of the kiss scene. And that scene has two kisses!

     “Kiss however you want, just don’t make it awkward. Did you guys practice?” the director asks. Both Luhan and Haera shake their head.

     “Oh man, you should have practiced. It’s your first scene together, and we have no time but to shoot this scene today. Can you guys do it right on the set?”

     “Okay.” Luhan answers. Haera turns to him in surprise, and the director already sets their position.

     Romeo and Juliet start their lines, and here it comes. Luhan leans slowly and kisses Haera lightly, but long enough to please the camera. Luhan breaks the kiss, says his next line, but Haera blanks out after it.

     The director says cut, and Haera can’t even look at Luhan in the eye. “I’m sorry.”

     “It’s okay, let’s do this properly.” Luhan says.

     When Haera succeeds to deliver the line after the first kiss, the second kiss needs to be cut because a crew squeals loudly, watching the kiss. The director was half-laughing and half-irritated when this happens. “Well, we gotta admit that you guys kiss each other like pros, though. You guys really didn’t practice?”

     Haera blushes and Luhan laughs it off, and they continue shooting. After more than ten takes, the director decides an OK.

     On break time, Haera slowly smacks her lips together. Just how many times did she kiss Luhan today? She’s now completely getting used to feel his small, soft lips on hers.

     This is professional matter, Haera pats her own cheeks to get herself straight.

     Today’s shooting is a wrap, and everyone goes home. Haera stares at her bed at home, and wonders if she will get the usual nightmare tonight.

     Turns out that she gets the nightmare, and wishes she could have a very rare dreamless sleep like the night before.

     That day’s evening, she goes out to the next shooting set for Act 2 Scene 2, Romeo and Juliet’s balcony scene, at a unit on the second floor of an apartment. The crew is arranging on how Luhan would climb the balcony, and Luhan himself is staying on top of the stairs, sticking to the balcony. He sees Haera from afar, and waves to her. Haera smiles and waves back.

     Haera enters the apartment alone, and prepares for the scene at the balcony. First take is a failure, and Luhan is forced to climb down again. Second take begins, and it goes well. Luhan stays on top of the stairs because the crew is gone for something, and he and Haera ends up chatting.

     They’re talking about random things, until Luhan’s body suddenly stumbles to the front, passes the low balcony, and lands on top of Haera. Haera freezes beneath him, and a memory comes to her head.

     “Oh my God, I’m sorry, the base of the stairs was shaking, and I don’t want to fall back, so I—“

     “Get off of me.” Haera mutters under her breath. “Get off of me!”

     Luhan carefully lets her go, and Haera dashes inside, to one of the apartment’s room. She sits down and puts her hands on the sides of her head, with tears on her eyes.

     “Han Haera…” Luhan finds her inside. “I’m so sorry, are you hurt somewhere?”

     Haera shakes her head, and a tear drops from her eyes.

     “Are you okay? What happened?”

     Haera continues to cry silently, and Luhan can’t make himself to go near her. The director and the crew appear in the apartment, and are surprised to find Haera crying.

     Haera hurriedly wipes her tears. “Can I leave now? Please?”

     “Well the balcony scene is over, you can—“

     Before the director finishes his words, Haera leaves the apartment, and heads home, leaving the present crew puzzled. When she’s a block away from the apartment, someone calls her from the back. It’s Luhan.

     “Han Haera, what happened? Did I do something wrong? Let me apologize.”

     Haera shakes her head. “No, you didn’t do anything. You can leave now.”

     “Let me at least take you home, it’s getting late.”

     “Thank you.” Haera replies.

     They arrive at Haera’s apartment, and she lets Luhan in. Silence ensues after she makes two cups of coffee.

     “I’m sorry to bring this up, but you looked very terrified when I fell on you. Did something happen?” Luhan cautiously asks. “If you don’t want to tell me, it’s okay.”

     Haera inhales deeply, and hesitates. “As you have heard… I was a stage actress when I was younger. And one day… The CEO of my agency tried to do something to me. He just tried so the court didn’t really sentence him anything. I quit being an actress after that.”

     Luhan stays still.

     “What happened back then in the balcony brings back an unpleasant memory, so… Well. But I think I was overreacting.”

     “No, no, not at all.” Luhan shakes his head. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

     Haera just smiles vaguely.

     “After what happened, aren’t you afraid to live alone like this? Did anything else ever happen?”

     “No, but…” Haera pauses. “Ever since that time… I keep having nightmares every single night, involving a weird bloody creature, a black hole that in people I love, and weird hissing sounds in the darkness.”

     “That’s terrible.” Luhan comments and he looks sincerely worried. “Have you tried using dreamcatcher? I saw it in a drama, they say it could filter bad dreams, and only good dreams will come in.”

     Haera points to something behind Luhan, a pink dreamcatcher which is hanging on her window. “I bought it right after I saw the drama a month ago, and it’s pretty much useless. I shouldn’t believe anything comes from a drama anyway.” Haera forms a bitter smile. Haera then remembers something. “But…”

    Luhan looks at her curiously.

     “A few days ago, when we slept in the big room together, I didn’t have a nightmare. That may be the very first time since I start having them.” Haera looks at him. “You were beside me.”

     Luhan blinks. “So you need to sleep in a room full of people to keep the nightmare away?”

     “I did it before, at membership training, at family gatherings… But it keeps coming. Except that one time, when you were beside me.”

     Luhan blinks again. “So am I your dreamcatcher?”

     Haera turns scarlet. “I guess.”

     “Do you want me to stay tonight?”

     Haera feels like her face is already the same color as the red sweater she’s wearing. “What?”

     “I don’t want you to have nightmares. You said you didn’t have it when I was staying beside you. Maybe it can work out when I’m around.”

     Next time they know, they’re lying next to each other on Haera’s bed. Haera is being super tense, while Luhan is slightly more relaxed.

     “I don’t even think I can sleep in this condition to test this.” Haera mumbles.

     Luhan laughs slowly. “I’m not going to do anything, I’m just going to sleep next to you. And based on our experience, we both aren’t messy sleepers, are we? I won’t find, for example, your feet on my face next morning, right?”

     Haera burst out laughing, and they both crack up. Their laughter slows down, and Luhan carefully leans in to kiss Haera’s forehead.

     “Good night.”

     Haera can’t even reply him. Luhan falls asleep short after, and Haera also closes her eyes, feeling protected.

     Haera opens her eyes, and tries to collect her memories from last night. She looks at the peacefully sleeping Luhan beside her, and realizes her sleep was dreamless again.

     She sits on her bed, and stares at Luhan’s sleeping face. So you’re my dreamcatcher.

     A few minutes later, Luhan wakes up. He blinks repeatedly, and sits to face Haera.

     “How? How is it?”

     Haera smiles, hugging her knees. “I didn’t dream anything. You are indeed my dreamcatcher.”

     Luhan smiles widely, and hugs her. Haera gets surprised. “But I haven’t brought in any good dreams, I’m sorry.”

     Haera smiles on Luhan’s shoulder. “It’s okay. I’m happy as long as I don’t get the nightmare. Thank you.”

     “I’m so glad I could help you.” Luhan says, hugging Haera even tighter. “I will be your dreamcatcher.”

-

     After two weeks of shooting, the class sends the movie in, and after final scoring, the students are invited to their own movies’ screening, and the awards announcement between the three classes. Luhan and Haera’s class sweeps half of the award, but the best couple award is snatched by another class.

     “Unbelievable.” the director screeches, as the class gets out from the screening venue. “That class just won that award because they shot an explicit bed scene. The couple’s chemistry was messy on other scenes though! We decided not to shoot bed scene for Romeo and Juliet for the sake of decency, but our couple’s chemistry is no joke!”

     The class laughs at the director’s rant. Luhan pokes Haera’s shoulders, and whispers to her. “We had a bed scene for ourselves though?”

     Haera smacks Luhan’s arm lightly, fearing other people would hear them. Luhan smiles, and Haera looks at him.

     That’s my dreamcatcher smiling.