Mina woke up in the middle of the night, her body drenched in sweat and her chest heaving up and down like a ship threatening to succumb to the dangerous storm. The icy wind hit her moist skin, and Mina mentally groaned; She had left the windows open before she went to sleep, too preoccupied with tomorrow’s meeting with Baekhyun.

She knew the devilish boy was unpredictable, but not that unpredictable. Coming up with the most mischievous plans against her was one thing, showing up uninvited at her house later was another. Not only that, but he also managed to charm his way to her mother’s heart, turn her into a self-doubting mess and convince her to work with him on the project in less than an hour.

He’s unbelievable, Mina sighed. Throughout the short period of time Mina had known Baekhyun, she came to find he was as determined as her; if he wanted something, he would go to great lengths to get it. When he suggested the truce, Mina was relieved; if she could escape Baekhyun’s wrath –and he could escape hers–, then all is well. If the war between them hadn’t stopped anytime sooner, they would’ve already fallen into the darkest pits of hell where every flake of dignity and good reputation is burned. It didn’t help that she played dirty first; bringing family business into feuds was something Mina had never thought of, let alone putting it to use when a certain Byun came into her. But at least, she didn’t break his relationship with any of his friends when she knew too much (like an amused Oh Sehun telling her she should’ve gone for the mother instead).

Another fact about Baekhyun that Mina found bizarre is his strange personality switch; there were moments when he tried to get under her skin, enrage her and threaten her verbally. And there were other moments when he was nice to her and helped her. Mina reddened when she remembered that one time when he hugged her to appease her panic attack, and that other time when he tied his jacket around her to avoid getting her embarrassed. Speaking of which, she still hadn’t gave him his jacket yet. It was still lying on top of her left open drawer, freshly washed and screaming to be noticed.

As long as Mina lived, she had always been considering life as black or white, wrong or right, good or bad but Baekhyun was something else: he was the unclear grey yet still vibrating with life, the uncertain part of the answer, the perfect middle between good or bad. Mina came to know that everybody has a bad side, no matter how good they were and vice versa. Life is not an equation; it’s an infinite spectrum in which Baekhyun holds a special spot, a very special spot.

Mina glanced at the clock with droopy eyes: it marked three in the morning. It has been long since the nightmares stopped. When she would sit up shrieking at the top of her lungs every night and have her mother run to her with a cup of water and comforting arms. But sometimes she would be trapped in her mind, unable to escape the doctor’s voice as he gloomily announced that her father died. The ticking clock, the running water, her mother’s sobs… It all came back every night to haunt her.

When Ilhoon reappeared, and the addition of Baekhyun’s stressful presence, Mina found herself basking in another series of nightmares, except they were much different than the ones from before.

One, they were too vivid, Mina wasn’t sure if it was normal how realistic they felt to her.

Two, they were also abnormally memorable, even after hours of waking up. If somebody told her to recite the dream from beginning to end, she would with no difficulties.

Three, they were quite repetitive: She’s standing in a dark bathroom with two hands wrapped around . Mina glances at the broken mirror in front of her, yet it shows nothing but her purple face. She tries to claw at the hands, but they’re tight and unmerciful. Her heart, once beating fast, slows in tempo while her surroundings look like nothing but a blur of black and dark blue to her. For what seems like hours, the suffocating feeling continues until the hands suddenly pull away.

Mina takes a sharp intake of oxygen and bolts out of the room, and she finds herself in a completely different environment: In contrast to the bathroom’s darkness, the house is brightly lit by the protruding sunrays from the windows. Mina trudges in the house, a sense of familiarity taking over her; she has been here before. It’s not until she nears the kitchen that the shrieking starts. It’s loud, continuous and desperate: a cry of help. Mina rushes to the kitchen but what she finds is unexpected: a woman sitting quietly on a chair. Mina steps closer to the figure, wanting to see her face, but as she approaches her, something pulls her back harshly to the bathroom. It’s dark again, the hands are wrapped around again, and she suffocates again. Again and again, like a never-ending cycle, the dream repeated itself until she woke up.

When Mina thought she couldn’t take it anymore, the door pushed open as her mother rushed to her with a cup of water in her left hand. It took her a few minutes to fully calm down, but she didn’t want to go back to sleep; she didn’t want to risk living the nightmare again. She eyed the mystery novel beside her, letting out a heavy sigh.

This is what I came to do: Reading to escape, what a pity.

Yet it didn’t stop her from reading the three hundred pages left, long ater the blaring sun shone through her partly-opened blinds. It took her a minimum of five hours to step out of her bed, take a shower and change into clean clothes.

It was a sunny Saturday, and Mina felt relieved her mother stayed in for the day. She couldn’t stay alone anymore, especially after the series of nightmares that have been occupying her nights lately. She was afraid, no matter how much she tried to deceive herself she was not.

Her mother sat on the couch, the remote control hanging from her pale skinny fingers. Mina stood for a moment, contemplating the laid back figure of the older woman: She had the same brown eyes, except they were messily lined with black eye liner and were surrounded by much darker circles. Her rosebud lips have thinned over time, contrary to the plump, full ones Mina has. Her hair was kept short, right above her shoulder while Mina’s was below her knees. That’s why her mother always insisted she never cuts it; she didn’t want her daughter to lose it just like she did. Mina remembered when she used to brush her hair, braiding it because Mina didn’t know how to at the time. She sang her soothing songs as she combed her hair, muttering, “Don’t ever cut your hair. It’s too beautiful, and I love it too much. You don’t want to waste time growing it, right?” To which Mina would always nod, hands busy playing with the colorful paper on the book her father had bought her.

“Mina!” Her mother called, straightening up, “You’re awa- You didn’t sleep, didn’t you?”

Mina was too distracted by the soft fabric of the woman’s pajamas to respond properly, “No?”

“Do you want me to help?” Mina retreated from watching the fabric, shooting up at her mother’s words. The nightmares were a hassle, but Mina didn’t want to worry her mother. The woman always sacrificed her precious –and short– hours of sleep to take care of her daughter. It had been especially hard after her husband passed away, leaving her Mina in a horrible state.

“No, don’t worry about me.” Mina gave her mother a reassuring smile, “I’ll let you know if the nightmares get worse. I can handle them myself for now.”

Mrs. Kang didn’t seem convinced, yet she reciprocated her daughter’s smile anyway, “Are you hungry? There are some dinner leftovers from last night. The sauce is in the left drawer.”

Mina shook her head, “I don’t feel hungry.” Or not, but she wasn’t ready to eat anything then.

“You didn’t eat at all, yesterday. Are you sure?” The mother insisted further.

Mina nodded, the smile never leaving her face, “I can manage.”

Mina grabbed her red cardigan and slipped it on before exiting the house. Before she reached the gate, the cool wind sent her long plait flying and she had to tie it around her belt. Her hair felt somewhat damp between her fingers, for it takes too long to dry, which made Mina groan; she was definitely going to get sick today.

Seulgi was already waiting for her behind the silver gates, playing with the dyed strands of her hair, “You’re going to catch a cold, Kang Mina. Are you insane?” She said with a serious tone, but an amused smile. Mina only noticed how skinny her legs looked in her black skinny jeans.

“Do you really want me to answer that, Kang Seulgi?” Mina replied with an equally sarcastic voice, her vision fixed on the girl’s unsettling appearance when it finally hit her: Seulgi wasn’t wearing her school uniform. From the new point of view, Mina thought the witch resembled a black cat.

“No.” Seulgi shrugged before turning away, with Mina following her, “I have better questions I’m eager for you to answer anyway.” Mina laughed at her statement before catching up with her.

Seulgi had texted her early in the morning, asking her to hang out. Mina didn’t feel too tired to refuse the girl’s offer, too enticed by her interesting behavior. There was something about Kang Seulgi that pulled her in since day one, and it didn’t seem to change anytime soon.

The two walked side by side until they reached Starry Café. It was their official hang-out spot, just like every other Kyungbock student. Mina was a bit hesitant to go there, not wanting to see Oh Sehun once again, but Seulgi insisted. They took the farthest table and sat quietly.

Mina decided it would be a good time to bring up her repetitive dreams, as she described the nightmare in detail. Seulgi listened carefully from beginning to end, nodding her head in acknowledgment.

“From what I’ve understood, the nightmares are related to the curse,” Seulgi started, “The bathroom is dark and the house is bright, the hands are suffocating but the air is fresh…” She trailed, biting her lip as she thought, while Mina anticipated her answer, “You’re going to face a big dilemma soon, very soon.”

Mina forgot about the chocolate cupcake on her plate, “Dilemma?”

“In the dream, you’re actually seeing things from the curse’s point of view which is why the mirror was broken.” Seulgi also dropped her croissant, eyes fixated on Mina, “The hands belong to you and you’re trying to hold back the curse, but it eventually escapes. For some reason, it runs to a crying woman but before it could do anything, you pull it back.”

Mina nodded slowly, “But why does the house look so familiar?”

A smile appeared on Seulgi’s tinted lips, “Simple: because you’ve been there before.”

Mina furrowed her eyebrows, “Been there before? But I’m one hundred percent sure I’ve never been to a house like that before. I’ve never seen anything like it!”

“You just need to remember.” Seulgi took a bite out of her croissant before widening her eyes in surprise, “Chanyeol!” She called, waving eagerly at the boy who just entered the café.

Mina whipped her head to look at her bestfriend. It has been a while since she talked with Chanyeol, with the boy seemingly wanting to distance himself from the world a bit. But why did he wave back like he knew Seulgi? As far as Mina knew, Chanyeol wasn’t too interested in the girl before.

“You guys kno