Hyunseong stood at the intersection of the busy street, watching the cars move this way and that. He didn’t know how he got there, didn’t know what time it was, and didn’t know where the rest of Boyfriend was. Judging by the towering buildings around him, he was in the heart of Seoul, but he didn’t know what he was doing there.

His feet moved as though they were on autopilot, taking him down the packed sidewalk. He had no control over where he was going and realized somewhere in the back of his mind that he was dreaming. Hyunseong rarely dreamed, so he was curious to find out where it would lead him. This dream felt oddly familiar though.

He walked down the street, passing a salon and an expensive restaurant. A corner store caught his eye, and his feet took him inside. The owner greeted him, and Hyunseong looked around at the various snacks on display. He ordered a small bag of kimbap, thanking the owner as she passed the food to him.

As Hyunseong reached over to accept the bag, it slipped from his fingers and fell to the floor. Kimbap rolled everywhere as Hyunseong and the owner stared in shock at the spoiled food.

“I’m so sorry!” the owner apologized, “I’ll get you a new order.”

“It’s okay.” Hyunseong couldn’t take his eyes off the kimbap. Another feeling of déjà vu washed over him. He tried to remember when this had happened before, but his mind remained a blank slate.

He left the shop a couple minutes later with a new bag of kimbap in hand. His arms moved to hold the food close to his chest, but Hyunseong didn’t eat any as he continued his pleasant stroll through the city.

His phone suddenly chimed. Reaching into his pocket, Hyunseong pulled out the device and checked his notifications. Donghyun had texted him with a reminder to buy some meat on his way home. Were they running out of meat? Hyunseong couldn’t remember, but he felt as though Donghyun had told him this before.

He reached another intersection and stopped in front of it, leaning against a lamp post as he surveyed the people crossing the road. After several minutes of waiting and looking, Hyunseong found the person he was supposed to meet. Jeongmin was standing on the other side of the road, waiting to cross. The two of them waved to each other, smiling as they waited for the light to change.

Then, chaos erupted. Tires screeched as cars spun out of control. Vehicles slammed into each other, shoving other vehicles onto sidewalks. Screams pierced the air as people scrambled to safety, but some were too close to the cars or too slow to react fast enough.

Hyunseong watched with horror as a truck veered off the road and slammed into Jeongmin. Frozen, he could only stare as the blood pooled around Jeongmin’s broken body. His chest felt constricted, and he struggled to breathe until he was convinced he was hyperventilating.

With a cry, Hyunseong jolted awake, covered in sweat, panting, and as pale as a ghost. His arm immediately flew outward, reaching for the other side of the queen-sized bed. “Jeongmin, I…!”

His words stumbled to a halt, but his hand still desperately searched for their target. The other side of the bed was cold, empty, and relatively undisturbed. No one had slept there that night. No one had slept there in months.

It all came crashing back to Hyunseong. Jeongmin was gone. Hyunseong was supposed to meet Jeongmin for a date several months ago. He remembered walking into the humble corner store, buying kimbap, and accidentally spilling his order on the floor. The owner had been kind enough to give him another bag for free.

He had received a message from Donghyun that day, too. They had been low on chicken after Kwangmin raided the fridge and cooked all the chicken to satisfy a sudden craving. The group had to eat beef for three days in a row because their schedules hadn’t allowed them time to go to the store and buy other meats.

He also remembered the drunk driver who killed Jeongmin. Jeongmin had been walking across the street, but the driver had ignored the red light and barreled into the idol at forty miles per hour. Jeongmin was already dead by the time the ambulance arrived.

Hyunseong buried his face in his pillow, letting his silent tears wet the cloth. It had been three months since that accident, and he could remember that day better than anything else.

And now, his memory had become his nightmare.