Catch me if you can

As he looked at her, his mind traveled back to their high school days. He could still picture her—always finding ways to escape the noise of the world.

It was a late afternoon when he'd found her on the school terrace. He had skipped class that day — for some reason, his feet had carried him upstairs, drawn by an odd sense that she might be there.

As soon as he opened the creaky rooftop door, he heard her voice — soft and laced with sadness.

"Do you know, little one... I had a dream last night."

Hyunsu paused, hidden behind the wall, watching her crouch down beside a stray cat. The little tabby blinked lazily, tail flicking, as if truly listening to her.

"But I don't remember what it was... not a single thing," Luna's voice wavered.

"I only remember that when I woke up... I cried. I wonder what it was. Do you think it was something related to my forgotten past?"

Hyunsu's fingers clenched around the doorframe.

She cried... over a dream?

"What if... there is some kind of machine..." Luna continued, brushing the cat's fur.

"...a machine that could show me what I dreamt... then I'd know why I cried."

A soft, wistful smile flickered on her lips. "Wouldn't that be amazing?"

Hyunsu's heart ached at her innocence — at the quiet sorrow she always hid from the world. Back then, he hadn't understood why those words lingered in his mind for so long.

A machine to see dreams... 

Maybe it was that moment — that small wish from her fragile heart — that had carved itself deep into him without him realizing.

Maybe... that was the first time he'd ever wanted to protect her.

Hyunsu's throat tightened as the memory faded, his fingers still tightening around hers.

I chased that impossible dream for years... and you don't even know it was because of you.

His eyes flicked back to her sleeping face — the faint crease between her brows, the ghost of pain still lingering even in unconsciousness.

What had they done to her?

What secrets were they burying, leaving her to suffer alone?

Hyunsu's chest ached with something he couldn't name — a mix of regret, helplessness... and the quiet promise he'd never spoken aloud.

I wasn't there for you back then... but I'll never let you face those dreams alone again.

Without thinking, he leaned closer, brushing a stray strand of hair from her forehead.

"You still talk to cats like a weirdo?" he whispered, the corner of his lips tugging into the smallest smile.

Luna stirred faintly, her lashes fluttering.

Hyunsu's heart leapt — just for a second — before she settled back into sleep.

He let out a slow breath, his fingers brushing against hers once more.

Wake up, Luna...There are so many things I want to tell you.

Luna's eyelids fluttered shut, the warmth of Hyunsu's hand still lingering against her skin as exhaustion slowly pulled her under.

Darkness wrapped around her mind, but it wasn't the suffocating nightmare she was used to. This time... it felt strangely warm.

***

Soft sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the grassy garden behind the old house. The familiar scent of fresh earth and blooming flowers filled the air.

Luna stood at the edge of the garden — she looked gorgeous in that pink dress, her heart light with laughter.

"Catch me if you can, Jae!"

Her own voice echoed through the dream, high-pitched and full of innocence.

Jae was right behind her, his bright smile stretching from ear to ear. His messy hair flopped as he chased after her, both of them giggling without a care in the world.

"You're too slow!" she teased, sticking her tongue out.

"Oh really?" Jae grinned, picking up speed.

Elder Lee sat under the shade of the old persimmon tree, watching them with gentle eyes — a faint smile at the corners of his wrinkled lips. His hands rested on his cane, tapping rhythmically as if he was counting the seconds of their little game.

Everything felt so distant... yet painfully familiar.

Luna's heart ached even in the dream — caught between the happiness of that time and the hollow space it had left behind.

But then...

A chill swept through the air. Someone was watching them from behind.

Jae was the first to sense it, his gaze darting around, instinctively on alert.

His steps slowed, smile fading as his sharp eyes scanned the garden. His protective instinct kicked in.

Luna didn't notice. She kept twirling under the sunlight, unaware of the shadow lurking behind the stone wall.

Jae's gaze locked onto a dark figure — hidden between the bushes at the far end of the garden.

For a second, the figure stood still.

Watching.

Too close.

Jae's breath caught.

Without a word, he took a step toward the wall — shielding Luna with his body.

The figure shifted.

Jae's sharp eyes caught the movement — but the moment their eyes were about to meet, the figure vanished.

Gone.

As if he'd never been there.

Without thinking, Jae bolted after him.

"Jae?" Luna called out, confused. "Where are you going?"

"Stay with grandpa!" he shouted back, disappearing into the trees.

Her little heart raced, panic creeping in.

Why did Jae look so serious all of a sudden?

Why did he leave her behind?

Elder Lee's eyes narrowed, his hand tightening around his cane.

But before Luna could understand what was happening...

The dream began to blur.

Shadows stretched across the garden, swallowing the warm sunlight.

Luna's chest tightened — that same suffocating feeling pressing down on her heart.

She tried to run after Jae — but her legs wouldn't move, her voice wouldn't come out.

The harder she tried to reach him, the farther he slipped away into the darkness.

Just like that night.

Just like every night in her nightmares.

But this time...

Before the dream could drag her into that endless black void —

A warm hand suddenly wrapped around hers pulling her back to the reality.

Luna's breath caught — her eyes snapping open.

Hyunsu's fingers were still holding hers tightly.

Her heart pounded against her ribs.

Tears threatened to well up — but she blinked them back, swallowing the ache.

In the unseen corners of Luna's dream, a faint ripple stirred through the air — a presence neither light nor dark.

What is this...?

Jae's voice echoed within the dream — a whisper only he could hear.

For ten years, he'd wandered through the shadows of Luna's dreams — watching silently, guarding her from the nightmares that wrapped around her fragile mind.

He watched and experienced every dream of hers.

A helpless guardian bound to her restless nights.

But this...

This was the first time in all those years that felt something different.

The moment that unfamiliar warmth wrapped around Luna's hand — something foreign slipped into her dream.

A presence he had never felt before.

Someone was here...

Jae's eyes narrowed, lingering in the unseen layers of the dream — hidden in the folds of Luna's subconscious like a ghost.

He could sense the faint trace of another soul — flickering at the edge of her mind. It wasn't hostile.

But it wasn't him either.

Who are you?....

His mind revisiting the dream, watching the way her fingers curled around that invisible hand in her dream — holding on as if it was the only thing anchoring her to the light.

Her expression was softer tonight.

No suffocating fear.

No silent screams.

Instead... there was warmth.

A fragile smile across her lips — the kind of smile he hadn't seen on her face since that night everything shattered.

Jae's chest ached at the sight.

Is she... okay?

He wanted to believe it.

He wanted to convince himself that maybe... she was finally started healing.

Or maybe she was simply missing Elder Lee. That would explain why the dream had pulled her back to this distant memory.

But then...

His sharp eyes flicked toward the wall.

The faceless figure.

Something is happening to you, Luna.

Jae clenched his fists, his translucent form flickering as his emotions tangled with the fabric of her dream.

What are you going through out there?

He couldn't see beyond the walls of her mind — trapped between the living world and this endless dreamscape.

But if someone was reaching her now... If someone was trying to pull her out of the darkness...

He had to know who.

For a moment... Jae almost smiled.

He didn't know who it was.

But whoever he was — He was saving her just like Jae always wished he could.

Yet deep down... a quiet unease coiled in his chest that this new presence could step into Luna's dreams...

***