Chapter 15: Nightmare

"Bomi-ya! Wake up! If you sleep here, it's going to be cold!" said Chorong anxiously with worry, changing her gentle shaking to a violent one.

"Mm..i don't want you to leave me ever again....." mumbled Bomi in her sleep, in which Chorong became confused. She then, stopped shaking her and observed if Bomi was going to say anything else. She thought that maybe, Bomi too had a past that she never told her before. Based on her experiences with Naeun, Namjoo and Eunji, she had a gut feeling that she was onto something.

"...it hurts...if i can never see you again...." mumbled Bomi, as tears began to flow out. Chorong who saw this, froze in surprise. She didn't know what was happening, whether Bomi was having a bad dream or it was meant to refer to something. But one thing's for sure, she can't wake her up. Bomi was in a state of sleep that was far too deep and nothing would wake her unless she got out from her own dreams. With a deep breath, Chorong attempted to carry her. The first try, she failed. Bomi was too heavy for her small size, the second time was a failure as well. Chorong stared at Bomi, who seemed to sleep comfortably on the cold floor without even shivering and wondered about this strange girl.

It was at that moment, the door opened and Naeun appeared, rubbing her eyes.

"Oh, Naeun-ah. Please help me take Bomi back into her room."

"What happened?" asked Naeun in surprise.

"I don't know either. I came out of my room and suddenly, she was sleeping outside here."

"Maybe Eunji unnie might know something." said Naeun as she helped to carry Bomi back to her room.

"Why do you think so?" 

"Because Eunji unnie and Bomi unnie are childhood friends."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Thanks Naeun-ah"

"It's fine, I just woke up because there was noises outside the room only to realise it's the two of you."

"Sorry for disturbing you, go back and sleep Naeun-ah! You have school tommorow!"

"And you have work tommorow. Good night" smiled Naeun as the two went back to their rooms.

~X~

The next morning had arrived and it was like any other usual morning except Chorong had to rush everyone to wake up otherwise she would be late. As everyone quietly ate their breakfast in their half-asleep state, she carefully observed Bomi if there was anything wrong with her.

"Is there something on my face?" asked Bomi, instantly noticing Chorong's stares.

"No, nothing." said Chorong, looking away.

One by one, the girls left for school and Chorong was the last one to leave besides Hayoung who said she would stay at home the whole day. She reminded Hayoung that there was food on the table and she was not allowed to go anywhere unless she was asked permission before she headed to the train station. In the cramped tram, all she could think of was what happened last night. She could not shake off the image of Bomi sleeping in front of her door, the words she mumbled and the tears that flowed out. It worried her and she never liked the feeling. But she knew she couldn't let feelings disrupt her working life so she hit her cheeks with her two palms, snapping out of it and going back to reality.

Meanwhile, the two-same aged friends who were at their college stared at their desks blankly. They were far too early for their classes but Chorong had insisted for them to arrive earlier. They were tired and lazy, not wanting to start their lessons.

"You know Eunji-ya, I think I had a nightmare last night." 

"Oh? Did a ghost come after you or a devil ate you or something?" said Eunji with a chuckle.

"No, nothing like that. I dreamt of my sister again." Upon the mention of those words, Eunji became wide awake and her expression turned serious.

"This was only the second time you dreamt of her since high school isn't it?" asked Eunji with worry, in which Bomi nodded in reply.

"Don't let it get to you Bomi-ya. After all, there was nothing that could be done..."

"But if I dreamt of her again...doesn't that mean she's coming back to haunt me?"

"Yah! Don't say stuff like that, it's creepy!"

"Fine, I won't Eunji-ya" said Bomi, smiling. But deep inside, it was simply a fake smile which blocked her worries inside. Ever since that incident, she never wanted to remember her again. She wanted to completely erase her memory, but even at times, she would come back. In an attempt to brush away those uncomfortable thoughts, Bomi decided to head outside to the vending machine and grab a snack. Thinking about food would definitely keep her occupied, since it was a method that worked for her these past years.

After a while, classes began and the same-aged friends went their seperate ways. Eunji had a class in the recording studio while Bomi had to head to the school gym for a practical class. Meanwhile, Namjoo attended school as usual but it felt empty without the company of Hayoung. Sitting inside her class, she noticed a group of girls hiding from the door as if they wanted to say something. With a deep breath, Namjoo walked towards them and they were the girls who bullied her.

"Do you need something?" asked Namjoo.

"Yeah...um...we came here to apologize for what we did to you...."

"We really, really thought you were Sungjae's boyfriend but..."

"I get it. I know you caused me pain and all that, but I forgive you since Hayoung already did what I wanted to do anyways." scoffed Namjoo, her arms folded. Although from the outside, she had a tough look but deep inside she was afraid. Without Hayoung around her, she felt small in front of these girls who bullied her before.

"R-Really? You will forgive us?"

"On one condition...." said Namjoo with an evil smirk.

That school day onwards, Namjoo made use of her "servants" who followed around her, doing whatever requests she asked. Although it did looked embarassing, Namjoo enjoyed it. It was then a sudden thought occured to her before she forgot as she headed to the principal's office and asked his permission to allow Hayoung's participation in the summer dance festival once she had healed. To her delight, he allowed Hayoung's participation but she still can't attend school regularly until her suspension was over. With this news, Namjoo sent a text to Hayoung who seemed to be dying from boredom staying at home.

"Wow really?! I can take part in the dance team?" - Hayoung

"Yes! Proof from the principal! :D "-Namjoo

"Unnie, this is awesome! I'm so gonna come tommorow to start practicing!"

"Hey, you aren't even fully healed yet."

"Who cares, I can't wait to dance again!"

Naeun on the other hand, no longer had to worry about her father coming to the college. Instead, she would receive texts everyday from her father. Still, it was better than him coming personally. Naeun's trauma is completely gone and she could concentrate her classes with ease. Her painting submissions received praise and was even used as an example for other students to view at.

~X~

Days and then, weeks passed by with an everyday life like this. Chorong and Naeun never spoke about what happened that night with Bomi as she seemed normal. She looked happy and energetic as usual, often teasing Chorong with her kissing jokes which often resulted in her getting hit. On one night, everyone was going to their rooms to sleep, just when Chorong was about to head inside her room, she felt a pat on her shoulder. She turned around to see the younger girl staring at her.

"Unnie, can I sleep with you tonight?' asked Bomi, staring at her with a cute expression while pouting her lips.

"What, you're not three years old. I'm sure you are old enough to sleep by yourself...." said Chorong with a stare.

"It's more comfortable sleeping with you. I like to sleep with unnie." said Bomi with a grin. Even with those simple words, Chorong's heart began to beat a little faster than usual. 

"F-Fine....but the last time you slept with me, i was almost kicked out of my own bed..." stuttered Chorong, bringing Bomi into her room.

"Oh really? Alright, I won't make that happen again! I promise!" said Bomi with a laugh as the two slept side by side each other. Suddenly, Bomi's arms wrapped around Chorong's stomach which made her to almost scream in shock.

"W-What are you doing Bom-ah?" 

"Hugging you obviously."

"........" Chorong couldn't say anything. Her face started to turn red as she was embarassed but at that same time, the warmth she felt from behind was comforting. The feeling of Bomi hugging her was like a shield protecting her from anything and it made her feel safe and at ease. The gentle touch of her fingers and the soft sounds of Bomi's breathing was like a lullaby, softly cradling her to sleep. Simply by being in Bomi's embrace, Chorong fell asleep.

It was in the middle of the night in which Chorong suddenly woke up, feeling a pain around her body. Bomi who embraced her, was suddenly placing force on it as if she was trying to strangle her. With force, Chorong broke free from Bomi's embrace and managed to catch her breath. She turned around to see Bomi crying again. This was the second time she had seen her like this, since that night. There was definitely something wrong. Looking at Bomi, Chorong's heart ached inside. No one liked to see someone in pain nor in tears, especially for the soft-hearted girl. Quietly, Chorong observed Bomi wondering if she could find any clues.

"....i'm sorry that i wasn't good enough for you unnie....." mumbled Bomi.

"Unnie?" thought Chorong to herself. Was she referring to her, or someone else? There was still a lot of mystery to this.

"...please..come back..." mumbled Bomi again.

It was then suddenly, Bomi took a deep breath and suddenly woke up which shocked Chorong for awhile. Instead of tears, Bomi was now in cold sweat.

"Bomi-ya, are you okay?" asked Chorong slowly, wiping away Bomi's sweat with her fingers while holding tightly onto her palms.

"I....had the same nightmare again...." mumbled Bomi, looking around still in shock.

"It's okay Bomi-ya, take your time and explain everything to me..."

Bomi simply stared at Chorong. Even though the room was dark, she could still see her through the dark figures. With a little light from the window, a blur image of Chorong's face could be seen. Just by looking at her, calmed Bomi's heart. But, her heart still continued to beat faster than usual. Sweat continued to pour down her cheeks and Bomi felt a weird feeling inside.

"Bomi-ya." said Chorong calmly, as she placed her two hands around Bomi's face. Carefully placing it under her tiny palms, she stared into the younger girl's eyes. Slowly, she lifted her head and gently kissed Bomi's forehead. In that moment, everything stopped. Bomi returned to normal, simply by Chorong's kiss.

"Are you okay now?" asked Chorong with a smile.

"Y-yeah...but why do you feel hot?' asked Bomi, who held onto her hands.

"T-that's nothing! So, are you ready to tell me what happened?" asked Chorong in which Bomi nodded in response.

"I know theres still a lot of things you don't know about us unnie. Even with what happened with Naeun, Namjoo, Eunji and now me, you really are one lucky person who keeps finding all these hidden treasures." said Bomi with a giggle.

"I must be a very lucky girl i guess" sighed Chorong, knowing that the "luck" brought her so much trouble instead.

"I never told you this before. Neither to Naeun or any of the other girls. Only Eunji knows this."

"Why? I thought you don't keep secrets?"

"Because I thought i could withstand it by myself. I thought that I could fight it by myself. But i guess, I can't."

"Tell me everything Bomi-ya, start from the beginning."

"But I can't unnie...." said Bomi hesitantly.

"Why?" asked Chorong as she tilted her head slightly in confusion.

"Because if I do..." said Bomi halfway, avoiding Chorong's strong gaze towards her.

"You will know that I like you."

[END OF CHAPTER 15]

A/N: Confession time? ;) Sorry if this chapter felt sort of sherlock-ish haha Bomi's story is still a mystery~ Thank you for reading and subscribing! See you in the next chapter :)