TAEMIN

The ringing has stopped on its own and I’m relieved. I look up again but the old me isn’t there anymore. Maybe he ran away. I wouldn’t blame him. I get up too and squint my eyes to try and make out what’s around me.

But there’s just emptiness, until there isn’t. Now there are bright lights everywhere, and small tables, people sitting at them, and a fancy-looking bar. Those people look weird. They’re wearing bright clothes that don’t go together and have their faces painted with weird shapes.

But as I walk through the room, they’re looking at me like I’m the weird one. I check my hands and arms for anything abnormal, but everything is as I expect it to be—normal. A shiver goes down my spine when I see two people whispering things to each other while glancing at me. There must be something wrong with me.

I sit at the bar, but I feel very uncomfortable. I feel exposed. I look around, but there aren’t any exits to the room. I’m stuck here. I can feel my heart beating faster at this conclusion. I hate this dream.

I can see something reflective from across the bar and I shiver. A reflective liquid is approaching me, running over the surface of the bar, going back down on the ground, and I take a step back to create some distance between that thing and me. 

When all the liquid is on the ground, it suddenly jolts up, and strangely, I’m not so afraid anymore. The reflective liquid forms itself into a familiar shape, even though I can’t