Pitch black darkness. Glowing pastel colored flowers. White, flowing ends of a cardigan. Misty breaths of air.

Taeyeon struggled to focus on anything. Her head was swarming with things she had to do – things she had to remember. Her eyes scanned the surroundings with what little light the flowers around her offered, but she was too alert to take it all in.

Her heart hammered against her chest. Her hands were sweaty. Her breathing was shaky. Her mind spun. She was ready to jump into every situation thrown at her at any second. She was overworking herself in a situation that didn't need any work.

She fidgeted in place before she finally noticed it. She noticed the silence.

At first it was so strange. She had long forgotten how it felt to be surrounded with utter, complete silence. It had been too long since the last time it had wrapped around her like this – like a warm blanket on a cold winter night.

Strange. It was strange. But it didn't go unappreciated.

Soon Taeyeon felt the constant pounding in her head fade away and her muscles began to relax. Her bustling mind took a while longer to come around but eventually she found herself to be able to think. There was no commotion trying to grab her attention. There were no pleads of help trying to rip her in every direction. There were no sounds of keyboards being smashed or people shouting commands.

It was so quiet.

A breeze played with the strands of her hair before whisking them against her face. The worries she once carried around suddenly seemed so insignificant and small. She pushed them at the back of her mind and gave room for the peaceful feeling to grow. 

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her chest rising with every intake. A hint of smile grazed her features. She felt so at peace.

The air around her was chilly but not freezing – just enough to keep her mind awake. It was rather conflicted with the flowers around her, flowers that had seemed so fine with only a quick sweep of her eyes. She unconsciously pulled the thick fabric around her shoulders tighter.

After reconnecting with the inner calmness she hadn't been in touch with lately, Taeyeon opened her eyes again and saw much more now that she had relaxed.

She saw that the flowers were a beautiful mix of gleaming wild flowers, and she could count every glowing petal of the closest flowers. She heard a whoosh of air right beside her ear as a dragonfly hurried past, nearly pulling some of her hair along.

It was fascinating but beautiful. So, so beautiful. 

Her eyes caught a black path between the flowers – only a narrow trail – leading towards a distant tree. She didn't even have time to register what she was doing before her feet already started on the path. Every step she took created heaps of soft moss under her bare feet, lightening her steps to almost nonexistent. She truly felt like she had finally let go of everything dragging her down, even if for a second.

Although the tree, an old oak, stood several feet away, to Taeyeon it felt like reaching it only took seconds despite her slow pace. She let her hand roam against the oak's rough trunk. Lonely flowers formed under her touch as she circled the tree and came across a wooden swing.

It was childish to get delighted at such discovery, but Taeyeon couldn't stop the small noise of glee. She felt like a small kid again as she sat on it and started swinging. Grass tickled the soles of her feet and she let herself giggle. 

Taeyeon didn't know for how long had she swung  but suddenly something made her freeze. Maybe it was her inner voice that realized that she couldn't keep this up. Maybe it was her gut that told her that she would never return if she didn't do it now. Maybe it was because everything was too good to be true there.

Whatever it was, Taeyeon knew she had to stop this play already.

As if in que, a gate she hadn't seen earlier stood proud and stern at the end of the field of flowers she had been admiring just a second ago. She stared at the gate with sorrow and knew what it meant. She had to go. She couldn't stay there any longer. Her time was up, she needed to get back and get moving. 

With reluctance, Taeyeon stood from the swing and approached the gate.

If only she could jar this feeling of pure bliss and carry it around, then everything would be much easier. There wouldn't be days that felt undoable. She wouldn't need to worry if she got up from the bed the next morning or not. She could survive through it all.

But that was only a faraway dream and reality was calling her from her fantasies. She stepped through and turned to lock her mental sanctuary with a sigh.

Kim Taeyeon, 25 and stressed, opened her eyes to the chaos of her real life. Bright, energy saving LED lights hit her eyes harshly, forcing her to quickly lower her gaze. It took her a while to get used to the brightness but the horrible noise filled her ears even before she could recover. 

It started with the heavy steps of people running around in a hurry, trying to solve as many matters as they possibly could. Thud. Thud. Thud. The floor shook with them. 

Then she heard the beeping of multiple machines, high pitched and constant. It was as if the lifeless boxes of chords and electricity could feel the panicky atmosphere and joined it.

Then came the shouts. All around her, suffocating and obnoxiously loud.

"Taeyeon, have you finished the report I gave you two days ago? The boss will have my head if I don't return it today."

"Taeyeon! We have a problem with the printer!"

"Taeyeon, help me get this done!"

"Taeyeon! Taeyeon!"

The familiar feeling of exhaustion weighed down Taeyeon's mind as she tried to gather everything. Whatever energy she had gained from her mind flew away just like that, leaving her helpless against the world. 

She didn't know if she'd survive through the day but she had to try, if not for herself then for the others. So many people were counting on her, unaware of how incapable she felt. 

She wasn't the Wonder Woman. If no one gave her a chance to rest, how could she ever manage her tasks? Not to mention her co-workers' assignments that they kept pushing to her.

Maybe she could change things if she tried enough, if she said 'no' for a change. Maybe her life would be much better if she put more effort in it. But she was tired of trying. She had tried enough in her past but nothing was ever enough – she was never enough.

She was just so tired that she could only wait for the day she would finally break. The pressure was just too much. People obviously had too high expectations of her. But she couldn't just quit and leave them up creek without a paddle.

"Coming," she shouted but even she wasn't sure who the answer was for. She could only try to cope and hope for the best. Maybe one day, in case of a miracle, everything would change for the better.

At least she could always dream.