CHAPTER 11;

“Hyung, have you passed her the panadol?" Taemin asked lightly, trying to downplay the anxiety in his tone.

“Sure did, kiddo.” Minho raised his hand over to his maknae’s head, ready to give it a tussle like he usually did, only to catch a warning glare from the hair stylist. “She’s resting in our makeup room now.” He sighed, put his hand down and plopped to the seat next to Taemin.  “I made sure she’s lying properly on the sofa.”

“Thanks, hyung.” He threw a grateful smile at Minho only to catch a knowing smirk on his end. “What?”

“She’s special to you right?” Minho grinned and leaned over to the blushing boy. “the type of girl you can’t ignore.”

“What are you talking about?”  Keep it light. The younger boy reminded to himself. “She’s just a friend.”

Minho didn’t seem to hear his words though. “I never knew you’re into the delicate type. She looked like a fragile princess resting on the chair when I found her though. And she still got up to greet me. Good manners.” Minho shook his head up and down, as if approving the girl in his analysis.

“Hyung….” His mood shifted erratically at his words. “Was she feeling that ill?” The idea alone was enough to make him lost his hold on keeping light.

“Hey where are you going?” Minho called out after him as Taemin hopped off his chair and started walking away.

“I’m just going to get a quick check on her!” He answered, not bothering to look back.

The room was quiet when he entered. The white sofa on the left occupied the sleeping Seo-Yun, slightly curled against the inner side of the seat. Her long black hair spread across her pale face, partially hiding her features. Taemin stared at her face, feeling various emotions coursing through him, muddled and churning together, forming a feeling he could not identity.

Was it happiness? Sadness? Or distressed? He really couldn’t tell.

What he knew for sure, as he continued staring, this feeling is growing. And Taemin could not deny it, just like how he could not ignore the lump in his throat.

She groaned and twisted her body restlessly from a side then to another. Her eyebrows fixed tightly, her expression worried, then sad. She shook her head, as if rejecting something strongly.

Was she having a nightmare? He moved closer and sat beside her, feeling anxious as she continued shaking her head, her lips parted, trembling.

“No…” A faint word escaped from her lips. She started shivering.

A warning bell was ringing in his head.

“Seo-Yun…” he called in a gentle but urgent tone. “Seo-Yun, wake up.” He took her arms and shook her softly.

It worked. Her eyes fluttered open and she set her gaze on him.

He looked at her, relieved. “It’s just a nightmare.”

But there was something wrong in her gaze; her eyes looked half-glazed.

 “…Woon?” He heard a soft whimper. “Woon?”

Is she still dreaming?

Watching her pained expression, he could feel an aching sensation building up, pounding together with his heartbeat.

“I’m here.” He did not know why he was answering her. Clearly, he wasn't the 'Woon' in her dreams.

He diffused the thought and pats her head soothingly. “It’s just a nightmare.”

“Nightmare?” Seo-Yun repeated his words faintly, her eyes fluttered close and her body leaned forward.

Taemin opened his arms in time to catch her in his embrace. He looked down. She was sleeping more peacefully now, a slight smile on her lips.

He gazed at her unconscious face and lifted his fingers, gently drying the wet trails on her cheeks.

“Sleep well.” He whispered softly.

This time, it was from his eyes that tears trickled out. 

I was staring at an approaching figure, shadowed in darkness. The background laid the infinite black sky with the full moon perched on, shaded by dark clouds.

“Are you afraid of death?”

He whispered each word slowly and carefully, as if there was a deeper layer beneath its simple meaning.

I clenched my fists, unwilling to let fear overtake me.

“No.”

He was standing right before me; a mere foot distance was the gap between our bodies.

Though I knew I hid my expression well, my heart felt as if it might slam out of my chest at any moment. Fear was surging through my pulses, pulsating every single vein in my body.

Before I could blink, he reached out and grabbed me around the waist, pulling my body against his.

Something cold and sharp stabbed me.

Right in the chest.

I gasped in a breath of icy air, unable to scream out to the silent night.  The fingers around my waist tightened as my legs lost its strength and gave way. I collapsed in his hold.

He placed his lips beside my ears.

“Then die.”

His soft whisper sent a shiver down my spine.

As his words blew into my ears, I fixed my eyes to the vast night sky behind him. The clouds had moved away, revealing the bright round moon once again.

I could feel hot tears swimming in my eyes, falling from my lids, taking away the last remaining warmth of my ebbing soul.

If this is a nightmare. Please let me wake up.  Please…

I prayed to the full moon with teary eyes.

“It’s just a nightmare” The moon answered me.

But how can a moon talk?

The moon continued talking as its round face slowly morphed into a face I knew. I called out his name, but I could not hear the words falling from my lips.

“I’m here.”It’s just a nightmare.”

He assured me with a gentle smile on his face.

**********

Running orange lights greeted me when I opened my heavy eyelids. I groaned slightly and rubbed my sleepy eyes to take a second look. The orange lights belong to a highway of night streetlamp. They were running because I was in a moving vehicle.

“You’re awake?” A familiar voice chirped beside me. I turned my head to see my Unnie, focused on her driving.

“Where are we?” I questioned her.

“On the way home.” She answered, never leaving her eyes off the road.

“Why didn’t you wake me up?” I shuffled slightly in my seat to get into a better comfortable sitting position. A jacket fell to my feet and I picked it up. “And who does this belongs to?”

“I tried.” Unnie emphasized the second word with a scoff on her face. “But you wouldn’t seem to wake up no matter how I shake you. So Taemin-ssi offered to help me carry you back to the car.”

My eyes widened at the s$entence.

“And that jacket isn’t yours?” Her shouldered shrugged slightly. “Well, I guessed it belongs to him then.”

“Wait….” My mind was still reeling from her previous sentence. “He carried me to the car?” It took an effort not to say the words in a shrill voice.

“Bridal style too” Unnie finally turned her head towards me to give a quick wink before darting back to the original position.

The world suddenly seems to tilt crazily in front of me. “Wh-what?” I fell back to the seat, trying to stop my swaying universe. Blood was rushing to my cheeks as her sentence ran through my head.

“Yeah I know right? The charming prince carrying his frail princess...to the car!” She said excitedly. I shot her a look. This was not helping my dizziness at all.

“So did you had a good sleep?” Unnie quickly changed the topic as she sensed my mood.

“Hardly.” I admitted, trying to recall the dream I had.