XXXIV

Yongsun is forced awake by a blinding light in her dream, she discovers herself in her bed, panting heavily and covered in her own sweat. The sheets are tangled around her body in a menacing way, almost choking her. She clutches her chest, breathes deeply, and tries not to panic. The war continues to follow Yongsun from her apartment to her workplace, each step sounds like an explosive going off, her finger gently tapping the hologram-pad sounds like a gunshot.

The distractions, the sounds, the flashes, make it more difficult for her to do her job, she can not focus properly: when she draws, all of her sketches are backs covered by pieces of steel, not buildings, bridges or roads. She curses, tossing the pencil aside, and places her head in her hands, pulling at her hair. Her chest clenches, twisting and turning painfully, threatening to rip apart the seams of her veins and strangle her heart. The world turns blue, Yongsun’s face turns pale, she feels herself falling as the world around her begins to float.

When she wakes, she is in a hospital bed. The walls are white, the floor is shiny, the machine beside her head beeps to the beat of her heart. Yongsun turns her head, surprised to see Moonbyul sleeping in a rather uncomfortable position on a chair. Her head is tilted back, she will get a neck ache, her lips are slightly parted as tired snores escape .

Yongsun pulls the sheets closer to her chest, wanting to disappear. She still fears that Moonbyul hates her. How can she bare to be in the same room as me? Yongsun thinks and frowns in confusion. She straightens herself in the bed and wills herself to not stand up, walk over to Moonbyul, grab her face, shake her awake and demand answers (all with a smile on her face, of course).