Genre: Comedy, Fluff

Summary: It was more than just a series of random thoughts. The sense of nostalgia in that fleeting moment inside her dream felt too real to be something as simple as that. Chaeyeon felt that there was a meaning behind her strange dreams.

Word Count: 4998

Hashtag: #KwonChaeng_TheMissingHalf

The Missing Half

“...and when one of them meets the other half, the actual half of himself, whether he be a lover of youth or a lover of another sort, the pair are lost in an amazement of love and friendship and intimacy and one will not be out of the other's sight, as I may say, even for a moment...”

– Plato, The Symposium

It was unexpectedly hot that day. The woman can feel a slight pain on her feet as the heat of the extremely rocky road permeates through the leather soles of her boots. She cannot bear to stop even for a while as she tried to wipe off the sweat on her face with her equally sweaty hands. With nowhere to go and nothing to drink nor to eat, she kept on walking until finally a small house came into sight. After a few more minutes of walking, her sight started to become a bit hazy due to heat and dehydration. With shallow breaths, she staggered on weary legs and saw a faint image of a person before finally falling to the ground.

The intoxicatingly unfamiliar scent of flowers brought her back to her senses. She was a bit surprised to see roof tiles the moment she opened her eyes.

“I guess it wasn’t a delusion.”, she thought to herself as she sat on the bed.

“You’re finally awake.”

The woman immediately turned her head towards the speaker upon hearing that striking voice. It was as if her heart skipped a beat at that moment she first laid her eyes on this woman. And as if breaking the intensity of her gaze, the other flashed a smile which immediately made her feel flustered and a tint of redness became evident on her face.

“How are you feeling right now?” The other woman said as she walked closer, putting a pile of clothes on the table near the bed. “You fainted on the road. Where are you going?”

“The truth is… I don’t know.”

The hostess sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her while she was avoiding the intense gaze. She can feel her heart racing fast all of a sudden and it was probably because she was a tad nervous of the proximity of their bodies. The atmosphere suddenly became awkward since no one was saying a word nor moving from their positions. Until, out of the blue, her stomach growled loudly and the other woman laughed hysterically while she covered her face in embarrassment.

“I figured that out a while ago.” The woman said as she tried to compose herself after laughing too much. “Can you walk to the kitchen? I am making stew for dinner.”

“I do not want to impose so much… Water would be fine. I should leave now.” She said, not wanting to cause any more inconvenience to the hostess.

“But you don’t even know where you are headed.” The woman face-palmed. “Also, your feet are sore and blistered all over. Can you really go?”

She finally looked at the other woman after hearing those words. Her face was truly beautiful. She cannot help but to stare at the smooth, white face with the salmon pink lips, adorned by her silky, long black hair.

“But-”

“Don’t worry. You should rest here at least for the night. You probably haven’t eaten anything for days.” Another smile flashed upon her eyes. “By the way, my name is Anna… and you are?”

Her name. It was just at that moment when it came into her mind.

Chaeyeon.

That was what she wanted to say but she was unable to. It was as if has a thought of its own as it uttered an unknown yet seemingly familiar name.

“…Natasha.”

"Natasha."

Lee Chaeyeon woke up in the middle of the night after a strange dream. She could vaguely remember the premise yet she couldn't remember the image of the girl in her dreams. She looks so familiar yet she cannot figure out who is it that looks like her. It was unlike all the dreams she had before. She can still feel her heart racing wildly...

*****

Αναστασία

*****

Plopped down the couch, still with her necktie on, Chaeyeon sighed as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the transitory peace she was having at the moment.

The day has been very hectic for her. She was too occupied with her work that it drained all her energy throughout that eight-hour shift. She was feeling too exhausted since she didn't really sleep well last night because of her strange dream.

"Anna..." she murmured as she tried to recall the girl's face but to no avail. Sighing due to frustration, she loosened her tie and the TV thinking that it could distract her from her own thoughts.

The noise from the TV suddenly felt too relaxing that she couldn't bear to keep herself awake. Instead of being distracted, she finally succumbed to sleep away her exhaustion.

Upon entering dreamland, she found herself inside that same house on her dream last night.

Is this a continuation of that dream?

She roamed around the brick-walled house in search of Anna. It was a small house but it was well-maintained. It quite resembles that of a merchant's house with the abundant collection of porcelain plates and varnished furniture.

The search didn't take that long but the girl was nowhere inside the house. She walked over to the back door, opened it and immediately saw Anna in a distance hanging the clothes to dry under the sun.

The girl was cheerfully humming a song as she tried stretching a large blanket. Natasha approached her in a whim and Anna screeched in shock. Her face looks so funny and Natasha couldn't hold back her laughter. The other girl giggled as she couldn't help it because Natasha's laugh is so contagious!

"Let me help you." Natasha said as she reached for the large blanket.

"Are you feeling any better now?", asked Anna as they both struggled hanging the blanket over the string.

Natasha replied with a nod and a smile while casually reaching for another piece of cloth in the basket. "Thank you for letting me in for the night."

"Oh, no problem at all!" The other girl shyly replied. "Y-You can stay here anytime. Besides, you don't know where you are going, right?"

Embarrassed, Natasha scratched her head and nodded. "But it feels odd. I feel like I need to go somewhere and look for something... but I do not know what it is."

"...maybe you have found it already?" murmured Anna but the other girl didn't catch what she was saying.

"Hmm?"

"N-Nothing!" Anna smiled at her and looked into the now empty basket. "Could you help me with something else?"

She gladly accepted and followed Anna anywhere she went.

The two of them started walking into the forest after getting empty pails from the storage. The sun was high up in the sky but the trees provide a good shade as they traversed the narrow road across the forest. The sunlight filtering through the trees looked so beautiful and Natasha could spend hours just watching it dance along with the wind.

It didn't take long before she saw a river in a distance. She could hear the water as it flows along the shallow river, clashing through the small rocks as the sound gets louder the closer they get into the river. The sight beyond her eyes looks as if it was taken out of a movie. The water sparkled as it flows down the river. It looks so clear that even the little rocks could be seen at the bottom.

Anna filled the two pails with clear water before taking her shoes off and sitting on a large rock by the riverside and then dipping her feet on the river. She looked over at Natasha and signaled her to come closer. The other complied and removed her boots before sitting close to Anna. The water feels cool and soothing as it reached up to her legs. She was careful not to drench the hem of her skirt and held it up above her knees, revealing a small portion of her pale white thighs. On the other hand, Anna, who was either a bit reckless or unmindful at all, suddenly jumped into the water, drenching her dress and even splashing a bit of water on Natasha.

The water level is just above half a meter deep. Anna laughed at the stunned girl and cupped water using her tiny hands before lightly splashing it into Natasha. The smile on Anna's face shone even brighter as she tried to tease the other girl.

Natasha was amused by how surprisingly interesting this girl is -- like how she randomly does something and the way she looks totally immersed and happy upon doing it. She couldn't resist just watching this girl play over the distance. This time, she paddled her feet to splash water back to Anna.

The latter didn't expect her actions and now even the top of her dress has been soaked with water. She responded with a bigger splash of water, now bending over and using her arms to scoop out more volume. The attack had a direct hit on Natasha's face and Anna chuckled at the shocked expression of the other girl. Whilst she was busy celebrating over her small victory, the other splashed water back at her and some of it got into as she was laughing heartily at Natasha.

Natasha, in turn, laughed hysterically at Anna's fazed expression and both of them continued to exchange splashes and laughter over a few minutes of playing around the river. They exhaustedly sat back on the riverside and looked at each other, trying not to laugh at how drenched they’ve become.

They were looking at each other intently. Their gazes being drawn to each other. It was as if it was reality that Natasha could feel the irregularly racing beat of her heart. Nobody wanted to break the stares as if there's no tomorrow.

“That was fun!”

"Natasha... I-"

"Hmm?"

"I like you."

Panting from that dream, Lee Chaeyeon woke up suddenly. Her back hurts from her bad sleeping position on the couch. She removed her tie as she could still feel the loud pounding on her chest. Who wouldn't be nervous when you're being confessed to?

"Anna..."

Chaeyeon whispered as she was still trying to picture out Anna's face but she couldn't. All that she could remember is her long, black hair and small stature. Also, the slight lisp whenever she speaks is so adorably cute. It was all she could remember... At least for now...

*****

Μετενσάρκωση

*****

It has been a month since Chaeyeon started having those odd dreams which somehow felt real. It felt too real -- as if a gaping hole in her heart was re-opened... like there was something missing yet she couldn't seem to find it.

Just like how tonight’s dream felt really, really weird yet nostalgic.

The moment she opened her eyes, she saw the white, fluffy clouds drifting over the vast blue sky.

Where am I…?

She thought as she stared at the view – as if she is being lulled back to sleep again. The windy breeze which continuously hit her face felt refreshing. Along with the breeze, she smelled a whiff of unfamiliar, floral scent. She got up to sit on the soft, green field. She roamed her eyes around and saw Anna standing in the middle of a sea of blue flowers meters away from her.

The girl turned around and waved her hand with a smile b on her face.

“Natasha!” She called up on the person sitting by the green field.

Anna looked so beautiful standing there as if the sun was shining upon her and making her blinding beauty sparkle even more. It looked like she was Aphrodite who emerged from the sea; with the field of blue flowers being her ow