~*Your/Hye Ri's POV*~

L.Joe sat in the aisle while I took the window seat. I leaned my head against the cool glass, watching the landscape zip past me. The buildings, the shrubbery, the people, everything. I still hadn't asked L.Joe where we were headed, but I was too tired to bring the topic up. The gentle rocking of the bus was comforting, lulling me to sleep, and I didn't fight the feeling. I let my eyelids fall like shutting shades, welcoming the sleep that had been escaping me for days.

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"Hye Ri-yah. Hye Ri!" I blinked a few times, attempting to figure out where I was and who was calling my name. I turned my head to the side, feeling something brush up against my cheek. I opened my eyes slightly, squinting, and realized, to my pleasant surprise, that I was laying in an open field with the grass tickling my skin. "Hye Ri~" The familiar voice called for me in a sing song voice. She was standing in front of me, waving a hand in front of my now open eyes. "Finally you're awake! You were sleeping so deeply that I thought you wouldn't be waking up until next year!" She teased lightheartedly. Sumi was dressed in an elegant, fitted dress that was fit for a woman of the medieval ages where kings, knights, and damsels in distress weren't simply details pulled out of a children's bedtime story. "Let's go do something fun, Sleeping Beauty! Let's explore!" She suggested excitedly, pulling me up by the arms. I let her bring me to my feet and as I stood up, I realized that I was clothed in a full length dress that matched Sumi's.The fabric was silky to the touch; it caressed my body, and as I stood up, it fell to my feet in flawless rivulets.

Sumi hooked arms with me and together, we ran giddily through the open meadow, laughing. After a while, we slowed down, our pace changing from a jog to a leisure stroll. As we walked along, a familiar face caught my attention. Even though he was dressed in a white blouse with a doublet layered over it, typical clothing for men of the medieval ages, it was impossible to miss his perfectly chiseled jawline and sharp features. Sumi realized that I had stopped walking and followed my gaze, curious as to what or who held my attention. "Ah~ He's a cute one. Come on." Sumi winked and dragged me in his general direction.

"Hey there." She greeted with her outgoing smile. "This is my cousin, Hye Ri. Cute, isn't she?" Sure. She introduced me, but... I don't know. It didn't seem as if she was sincerely trying to help me; it was more like she was mocking me..? I shook the unpleasant thoughts out of my mind. This was Sumi, the cousin I trusted with my life, the most loyal girl in the world, the one I could reveal everything... yet I couldn't repress the doubt as she began batting her eyelashes at him flirtatiously, circling him as if he were a piece of fresh meat. I couldn't help but observe that she looked as if she were a sly cat, rating her prey, deciding if it was good enough for her. She looked at him like he was a fish, one that she simply wanted to dig her claws into.To my surprise, he responded to her, laughing along with her tinkling giggles and shooting her his trademark smirk, making my heart wrench.

Uncomfortable with their chemistry, I shifted my gaze to the side, not wanting to watch the two flirt with each other. In my peripheral vision, I saw pink. Turning my head completely, I realized that another familiar face was approaching quickly. Mounted on a pure white horse, L.Joe was clothed in a knight's gear, the chain mail rattling lightly as his horse trotted along. I perked up, happy to be saved from the uncomfortable situation. L.Joe smiled as he unmounted from his steed and walked the gentle creature over to me, allowing me to it's nose. I began speaking animatedly to L.Joe, comfortable in his presence. Conversing with him drew my mind away from the giggling duo beside me, and they were almost out of my mind completely when Sumi daintily stepped into my line of sight, placing herself in the space right beside L.Joe. She stepped up to him, tiptoeing so that she could whisper a few words into his ear. After she stepped down, Sumi gazed up at L.Joe expectantly and he willingly wrapped his arm around her slim waist, causing her to beam up at him. It felt like a blow to my stomach. 

I bit my lip, once again placed in an uncomfortable position. Shifting my gaze elsewhere, I spotted L.Joe's noble steed. To my shock, L.Joe's white horse, at least I thought it was white before, had blackened. It had acquired splotches of black, and the blackness was spreading, consuming the whiteness of the horse's pelt. A gasp issued from my lips, my eyes widened in utter disbelief, before Sumi called for my attention once more, drawing my gaze from the transforming horse. 

"Hye Ri-yah." Sumi spoke. I looked up at her, expectingly. L had appeared beside her so she was now sandwiched between the two boys. "Don't take this all personally. It's every woman for herself, isn't it? That's how it is during this time period. Besides. I can't help myself when there's so many different fish in the sea to choose from. It's not easy to pick just one. No hard feelings, right?" She giggled her tinkling laugh, making my body go numb. My face drained of its color as I stared into her eyes that were more catlike than ever, star struck, trying to figure out if the woman before me was someone I really knew.

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I woke up with a start, eyes wide and breathing heavily. My body felt tingly, as if there were pins and needles covering every inch of my body. I knew that I had been dreaming, yet I couldn't pinpoint exactly what had happened. The fleeting images flew away like a flock of frightened birds the moment I opened my eyes. All I remembered was meadows and knights and damsels in distress in faraway places.

It was just a dream.

It was a dream that I couldn't even fully remember, yet the bits and pieces that I recollected felt so real... so real that it was frightening. It sent shivers down my spine. I couldn't decide if sleep was a relief from my insomniatic nights or a torture prison in itself, something fit for the medieval ages.

"Hye Ri-yah. It's our stop." A breathless voice entered my thoughts gently, shaking me from my reverie. I shifted my line of sight and spotted the same knight from my dream, speaking to me. "Come on. Let's get you inside." With an amicable smile, he rose from his seat. He stood, expectantly waiting for me to follow in the aisle; however, I stayed put, simply staring up at him blankly. There were a thousand thoughts swimming in my mind that I couldn't wrap my head around already. I couldn't possibly concentrate on what L.Joe was saying. 

L.Joe quickly realized that my mind was elsewhere, preoccupied with other things. With a light chuckle and a shake of his head, L.Joe reached for me, gently pulling me to my feet before guiding me off the bus.

~*L.Joe's POV*~

Arriving at Hye Ri's house, I reached under the welcome mat, searching for the key that Sungyeol described to me. I felt around for a few moments before my fingers came in contact with the cool metal and I fished out my reward. I efficiently unlocked the door and, in one swift motion, the key was already back in its original spot as if it was never missing to begin with.

I led Hye Ri inside before closing the door behind us; she looked exhausted with the dark circles under her eyes so I decided to let her continue her nap from the bus. I walked her to her bedroom, pulling back the covers so that she could lie down before tucking her in and making sure she was comfortable. I looked her directly in the eyes, sweeping the hair from her forhead, giving her a small smile. "Sleep well."

With a final glance, I my heels, about to take my leave when her grasp clasped around my wrist, reminding me of the same incident at my house except this time, she was awake and conscious of her actions. "L.Joe Oppa..." She whispered my name, her soft voice sending sparks up my spine. "Please stay. At least until I fall asleep... I'm scared of the nightmares." She whimpered vulnerably and at that moment, I knew that no matter what I did, I would be unable to refuse her request.

So instead of fighting it, I gave in.

I gave a curt nod, assuring her that I would be staying and slid down, sitting with my back resting against the side of her bed. "Thank you." She spoke, causing my lips to quirk up into a small smile although I didn't say anything in response. She said nothing more and the two of us stayed silent; no words needed to be exchanged for us to be content... at least no words needed to be exchanged for me to be content.

I don't know what you've done to me, Hye Ri-yah. How is it possible that me, L.Joe, the prankster, the punk, the rebel, is content simply because I'm next to you?

She was like my own personal drug. I knew I was supposed to stay away from her; I knew that sticking around her would just make matters worse, but I couldn't help but be drawn to her. I was granted an opportunity to be in her presence. The same way that a child tries in earnest to do what is forbidden to him, the more I pushed myself away from Hye Ri, the more I wanted to be by her, the more I found myself yearning to stand by her side. 

What do I do? What's right or what I want? I should stay away from her. I shouldn't even be here in the first place 'cause the more I stay by her, the more pain she'll be in... but I don't want to stay away... I've always done what I want, haven't I?

Sure. That's what you've always done in the past, but you said it yourself. She changed you. Do you really think you would do things your way now if it hurts her in the end?

...No. But it's so hard to stay away.

I let out an exasperated sigh, caught up in what I should do. It was hard to decide. I leaned my head back in annoyance, my eyes shut and my eyebrows knit together.

What do I do...

Before long, her breathing came out in long even breaths, signaling that she had fallen captive under sleep's spell.  My eyes shot open and the crease between my eyes smoothened out. Gazing up at her from my sitting position, I examined her serene expression, her cascading lashes, her slightly parted lips; my suspicions were confirmed. She was definitely asleep; however, I was still reluctant to leave.

Sorry Hye-Ri-yah, but just for a moment longer, I'll stay.

I laid my head back, and before I realized anything, my eyes fell shut as I drifted away from reality.