Summary: Mi Young is just your ordinary Ren-loving fangirl. Except she has the power to create alternate worlds to dwell in during her dreams. Not illusions, but actual worlds with no sense of time. Just eternal happiness with their imperfections.
Chapter 1 - Dreams Come True
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a glimpse of a pikachu backpack. Rushing quickly before she left, I pulled at it. As she looked back, I saw her eyes widen. I could only giggle.
"I found you!~"
"Mi Young! What the hell?! You scared the shit out of me..."
"Is this how you say annyeong to a dear friend? How cruel.." I feigned a hurt emotion as she just poked my forehead really hard. "Dude.."
She pulled back her finger. "What?" I grabbed her hand and lifted it to eye level.
With the most straight face I could muster up, "You have fingers of steel. The pain from the poke of death shall forever remain in my mind."
She rolled her eyes at me. "Stop being so dramatic and suck it up."
I crossed my arms, "Yeah, keep rolling your eyes like that and they'll get stuck like that." She smacked her palm against my head. Instinctively, I put my hands to hit her back.
"Oh, be quiet. Hurry up or we'll miss the subway!" We both nodded our heads in a silent truce and rushed down the stairs, often skipping steps. In our haste, Hyori tripped over an especially long scarf of a passerby. The moment she lost her footing on the stairs, I saw her reach her hands out to me. I dived forward to at least break her fall.
"HYORI!" Her name ripped out from my lungs. I heard people gasp and cover their faces in shock (or is that fear?), and some even walking away as if they saw nothing. Shit! Why isn't anyone helping?! Why are they just watching her? At this rate, she's going to bust her head open! "SOMEBODY SAVE HER!"
At that moment, I saw a body shoot out in front of me. He can't be...That pitch black hair... It is him! My eyes widened as her body collided into his, knocking them both into the ground, skidding across.
I ran to the bodies, neither of them moving. Prying off his arms around her waist (which proved to be difficult; the man had a strong grip!), I laid her body next to his as I checked both of their pulses. Alive... I whipped out my phone and called an ambulance. With the help of a person (the one with the scarf), who was apologizing for her ignorance in clothing choices, we managed to carry them to a nearby bench. I turned to check on Kwangmin's head, when I saw a movement from Hyori. I looked at her arm that was grabbing mine.
"W-what the hell happened?" She was holding her head in her arm, struggling to get up. Helping her up, I gave her the best reply I could.
"Kwangmin saved you and he could possibly have brain damage. I need to check up on him so I can see if anything is fatal. The ambulance is on their way." She let go as I rushed to the older male's side. Checking for any abnormalities, I quickly ripped off the bottom of my shirt to wrap around the gash on his head, having already stitched it (rather crudely dare I say). The white fabric soon blossomed into crimson as I secured it tightly around his head. That should stop the bleeding.. I glanced at his arms, small scrapes scattered across. Now to stop it from getting bacteria. I searched my bag for Neosporin, but to no avail. I turned to the girl with the scarf. "Watch them. I'm going to the store to get some disinfectant."
She could only nod, replying a 'got it.'. I made a dash to the nearest pharmacy, searching past the oncoming cars. Found one! Crossing the street and barging through the doors, I searched the aisles for disinfectant. Finding the label, however, did not solve my problem. Why? Because they were out of stock. Growling at the store's lack of such a common item, I rushed back to the unconscious duo. Forget the disinfectant.. I'll rinse it out with water! Kneeling down on the ground, I reached for my water bottle. Thankfully, it was insulated so all the ice had not melted and kept it cool. As much as I wanted to drink it (I'm thirsty, dammnit! I've been running everywhere!), I knew that it was not as important as keeping him virus-free. Wouldn't want him to get sick now would we?
Dripping the liquid on his cuts, I could see him wince at the sudden change of temperature. Dabbing the blood with a paper towelette, I bandaged everything in gauze. And Hyori laughed at me for keeping a mini first-aid. I thought bitterly.
"When are the ambulance coming? Kwangmin could have a serious head concussion!"
You should learn how to not speak to yourself out loud in public, dear. People will get the wrong idea.
Turning my head around, I took notice that the scarf girl was nowhere to be found. I told her to watch them! Everything that was surrounding me suddenly began to fade away into a canvas of pitch darkness. I now stood on top of a lake of black water.
Ah, watch that nasty temper of yours. Anger will only make you look repulsive. She held out a hand as she seemingly pulled a fan out of thin air. You'll scare oppa, you know?~
My head snapped into her direction. "And just who exactly is your oppa and who the hell are you, pray tell?"
Don't be silly, I'm you! She smiled as she slowly made her way over to me, stopping just a few feet away.
"You're not me, because I'm right here! And who is oppa?"
Closing her fan, she put her hand over her heart. You don't believe in your own self? And you don't even know our oppa? It's Ren!
I instantly had her pinned against a wall that sprung up from underneath, nails digging into the skin of her neck. I brought my face to the side of her's. "Maybe you forgot but you didn't answer my first question seriously. Who are you." It wasn't even a question at this point. It was a demand, laced with malice in every word. She smirked as I felt something ooze out between my fingers. She liquified herself? How is that possible? My eyes widened.
Ooh! She clapped in amusement, the fingerprints on her neck slowly disappearing. I instantly turned back at her. You're scary when you're mad, you know dear? Maybe talking about oppa is not good around you... She put a finger to her mouth, as if thinking.
"Answer me, woman!" She snapped out of her thoughts, smiling as she did so.
I'm the you of this world! Anyways, my time is running out, so better meet oppa before it's to late! And with that, she began evaporating into nothing. I reached to grab her, to stop her from leaving and to answer my damn questions straight but she just slipped out, again might I add. Calm.. Be calm and think rationally. Meet Ren before time runs out.. Will this world end up being destroyed like the others or will Ren die... I slapped my cheeks with my palms. There's no way I would have planned this. It's just a mean joke by myself... Yeah, that's it.
As soon as I left my consciousness, I was hit by a sterile smell. After adjusting, I happened to find myself sitting next to Hyori around Kwangmin, who was resting peacefully on the hospital bed together. Him hugging her like a teddy bear, and the latter blushing as red as a tomato, how cute. I snapped a picture on my phone and chuckled lightly to myself, to which she glared at me for.
The room was filled with silence and emptiness, until I decided to break it. "What's his condition?"
"We don't know yet. They had run some x-rays and CT scans on his skull, but we're still waiting in the end." I nodded my head thoughtfully, not before noticing her face turned even redder. Did something happen when I was gone?
The door opened to reveal a doctor that was probably not a day over twenty-five. Flashing a bright smile, she walked in holding a manila folder, which I could only assume was his results.
"Hello, I am and how are you today?" She's stalling. Must be new...
As politely as I could, "Hello, I am Mi Young and this is Hyori. We are doing fine, but we have more important matters at hand, as do you I assume." I could feel Hyori nudge me in the side (which tickled more than it hurt), as if telling me it came out more rude than intended.
"You are right, so I will just say it straight," Did something bad happen? I grew worried for Kwangmin, even if I didn't know the man as much as Hyori. Peering over my shoulder, Hyori had a look of absolute guilt. Well I suppose, since she was partially responsible for this. "He has no head concussions, however we discovered a growing tumor inside his brain." Hyori gasped from the side, whom I can only comfort quietly at this point. nodded in understanding and continued, "however it might be possible to remove it since it's still in one of the early stages." Hyori's eyes brightened considerably.
"The tumor is probably not near something extremely sensitive, I hope."
"Unfortunately, it'll be dangerous to remove the tumor entirely without performing an operation to have a better view. We have all the preparation ready, so I would like to start the operation as soon as possible."
"We can not just send him into surgery without his permission, can we? We'll have to wait until he awakens."
"You're correct. Do you happen to be a medical student? Your vast amount of knowledge isn't your everyday thing."
Nodding my head, I answered. "Yes. I happen to be earning a double major in neurosurgery and biology, including a minor in biomedicine."
She looked surprise. "That's quite the menu you have on your plate right now, you're even younger than me! How old are you? About 19?"
"Do I look that old? I'm actually 16! I skipped middle school due to family issues and took all the extra free time to study, as did Hyori. Although she majors in the fashion industry."
"So you must be the one who cleansed and stitched his wounds...albeit it was rather rushed, which is understandable in your current situation. One major rule we must not forget, doctors never lose their cool in such situations, especially in front of patients."
"Yes, thank you for the advice. And actually, I finished my biology major and my minor, I'm just getting my neurosurgery major than I'm out of college."
"Oh, then would you like to view the surgery when its being preformed? It wuld be a great chance to learn firsthand and I will arrange everything, should Kwangmin agree. Hopefully it will add up to your college credits and help you finish up faster." My eyes widened, but I tried to hide it. This would be the perfect opportunity! Dream or not, this is heaven... At that moment, my soul had died and gone to heaven. Forget her poor skills in straight-forwardness, this woman is awesome!
"Thank you for such an amazing offer, but everything relies on Kwangmin's answer. I cannot accept, nor deny anything without his approval."
"Hmm. I understand. You guys may wait here with Kwangmin for the night or whatever that you wish. I'll make sure this room remains undisturbed by unnecessary interruptions. My offer will still stand tomorrow morning, Mi Young. You clearly have a prodigious mind." She left the room, her heels clacking against the tiled floors.
We were left in a comfortable silence to our own thoughts.
Now, why is Kwangmin in my dream? Do I like him too? Oh god, what will Hyori say if she knew.. I felt guilt eat at me until realization dawned on me. Wait, Hyori! This is her dream too, so of course her idol or whatever would be in here! But why isn't Ren here then.. I was somewhat sad that Ren didn't come, but you're supposed to save the best for last right? Or shouldn't it be sooner then later?
Time passed, minutes ticking by like years. Hours of waiting and soon the idea of Kwangmin waking up began to disappear like distant memories. Maybe I should take a nap... My vision became blurry and the energy to keep them focused was tiresome. Resting my head on Hyori's thigh, I drifted off.
My eyelids were heavy but I forced them open anyway. It was dark inside the room. The lights had been turned off (by , presumably) and the cool breeze from the opened window caressed my cheeks gently. I rested the side of my face on top of my arms, only to see bright blonde. So pretty.. I thought as I ran my fingers through the golden locks. The moonlight peeked from the curtains, shining on it, giving the mysterious person a angelic halo. I doze off again, my fingers still entangled in their hair.
Blinking open my eyes, I saw that someone was laying on my lap. Looking down, I nearly shoved him off onto the ground. Ren, the Ren with amazing vocals and a pretty face, was sleeping on my lap. My face heated up as I started growing more aware of his presence. My fingers lost in his hair and his arm holding onto my hand, fingers intertwined. He was mumbling something too low for me to pick up. Bending down closer to his face to listen more clearly, he suddenly shifted his face towards the ceiling, brushing his lips against mine. I instantly shot up, my blush intensifying tenfold.
"Nice wake up call, huh Mi Young?" Hyori was practically laughing, her phone in her hand, camera pointing at me. I gave her my hardest glare, but instead of crumbling, she just smirked. "How much did you record?" Still no signs of speaking or deleting it, she just flipped the screen side to me, showing her progress to uploading it on YouTube. That's one of the flaws of this world. It can actually send data through the magical portal called the Internet.
"You can delete it off my phone but its also backed up on Facebook, YouTube, Picasa and everything else you can think of." She tossed it to me. Carefully moving to catch it without disturbing his sleep, the video automatically started once in my hand.
The last few moments of my life were being replaced, to forever be engraved inside my mind even more so than Hyori's poke of death. I could see everything clearly, my facial expressions, his slight movements in his slumber, the rate of our breathing harmonizing to match each others.
Snapping out of my haze, I turned to Hyori. "Why is Ren-ah here?"
"I'm surprised that you didn't hear him coming in at night, being the light sleeper in the house you are. He had the courtesy to turn off the lights and ask me for permission to sit next to you."
"You were awake? So let him in?" She nodded her head.
"As you know, almost everyone in the Korea music industries are somehow connected, one way or another. Ren happened to be near the hospital when he heard the news, so naturally he rushed over to give Kwangmin his best wishes. If he ever awakens seeing as how he's so comfortable in your lap."
I threw the phone at her face, which she blocked skillfully with the hospital pillow.
"Nice try, Mi Young." She lowered the pillow, which I took the liberty of throwing a remote at her. Being completely unaware of my quick attack, she got hit.
I laughed, her nose reddening at the impact. "You always let your guard down on the first try and you're always so quick to brag.."
"Thanks for pointing out my weak spot, I really appreciate it."
I laughed and offered a 'your welcome.' Feeling Ren stir around, I focused my attention at him in curiousity.
"Sweet..." He opened his eyes, revealing a beautiful onyx.
"De?" I was confused, what did he mean by sweet?
"Your laugh.. It's like an angel's..." He blinked away the tiredness from his eyes.
"Kamsahmida..." I turned my head away shyly, Hyori pretending to sleep. Kwangmin pulled her into a tight embrace, to which she blushed. Lucky bitch..
He seemed to notice my jealousy, and so he sat up and carried me bridal style. My eyes widened and let out a squeal.. "Even your squeals are cute.." With the utmost care in the world, he laid me on the empty hospital bed beside theirs. "Let's sleep together!" he said, clapping his hands in child-like manner. Hopping onto the bed, he pulled the covers over our bodies. His arms wrapped around my waist, pulling me closer to him. My hands were curled against his chest and our legs were tangled into the bed sheets. I struggled for a little space, only for him to force our bodies against each others, chest to chest. And if possible, his grip got tighter, and his arms snaking its way up back and into my hair. My face grew hot at his actions and I averted my eyes to the fabrics of his shirt. So warm...
"Um, why are you so nice to me? Mian-hae if I sound rude." He put a hand on my head. I looked up at his face since my face was buried in his shirt, inhaling his sweet scent.
"You're too cute for your own sake... I couldn't resist to see how many adorable reactions you could make!~" Eh? I instantly went back to snuggling my face into his chest. I could feel his chest vibrate when he chuckled. "Say, can I be your boyfriend?~"
"Eh? T-there's no way you would like to go with me... We barely know each other!"
"You're right..." He sighed. And then as if an idea came, "Let's go on a date! And I won't take no as an answer."
"If you say so Ren-ah.."
"Call me oppa! It's much cuter..." I looked back at him, surprised. "C'mon, say 'Ren-oppa!~'"
"Ren-oppa..." It came out as a quite mumble but he smiled nonetheless.
He then let out a small frown. "I wish I brought my camera with me.." Are those.. tears forming? Did I do that? Oh no... I should fix it!
I sat up, him following my movement. "Um, I'll say it however many times you want, so please don't cry.." He instantly popped back to his bubbly personality.
"Then can I record you for my ringtone?" Did I just get set up? There was no way I could refuse when he had that special glimmer in his eye.
"Sure.. oppa.." He pulled out a pink iPhone 5 that practically radiated the word 'fabulous'.
"Okay, when I record it, say 'Ren-oppa!~ Pick up the phone! I miss you... Don't you miss me?" I nodded, having already memorized it. Seriously, if I couldn't remember a few words, how would I remember the rate formula for how much blood the heart can pump (without including all the other health factors like family genetics and such) or what medicines I could use to neutralize neurotoxins.
He signaled for me to start talking. "Ren-oppa... Pick up the phone!~ I miss you..." I said that part, getting quieter and mumbling just to tease him. I saw his eyes widen and his face flush pink. "Don't you miss me, oppa?" I drawled out his nickname just for fun.
He finished recording me, and I suddenly began to feel tired. With some mysterious power of his, he managed to sense my fatigue.
"Let's go to sleep since you're tired. After all, its still 6:30 in the morning."
"Eh? This early?" No wonder I'm tired.. I usually don't wake up until one in the afternoon, if not, later.
"Yes, so good night my little angel." Angel? What's with all the pet names.. Did I forgot to introduce myself? Thinking back on our previous conversations, he had never asked about my name. No duh.. I'm an idiot.
"Wait, I haven't told you my name.. It's Mi Young, so don't call me anything else, okay?"
"Okay, Mi Young-chagiya.." Ah, whatever.. I closed my eyes and relaxed my breathing. "Sweet dreams.." I felt his lips press against my forehead and I smiled warmly.
Waking up was especially nice. The annoying buzz of the alarm clock wasn't ringing as it usually does and the sun peeked out from the curtains, shining away from our sleeping faces (to which I am thankful for). Outside was lively with the chirping songs of the birds and the laughter of children playing at the nearby park across the street.
"Oppa!~" I shook his shoulders, but he didn't budge. "Oppa.." I flicked him lightly in the nose and he just scrunched his face.
Click!
I turned over to the door to see holding a Nikon camera, her face was smiling like yesterday.
"Please don't tell me you took a picture of us.."
"Actually, it wouldn't matter if I took a picture or not since the entire hospital is always being monitored. If I wanted too, I could pull up all that's happened since Kwangmin's arrival."
"Let's just keep this moment to ourselves, fellow citizens of the medical world, okay ?"
"Oh, almost forgot! Since I'm only 4-5 years older than you, just call me Siyeon-sunbae!"
"Okay, Siyeon-sunbae..." A few moments passed. "Did you need something from us particularly?"
"Kwangmin woke up last night." My eyes widened. "I spoke with him and he agreed to the operation. Hyori was awake too." Why does everything happen when I'm sleeping?
"Why didn't you wake me up?" She sighed.
"You know this better than any one here, without including me of course. Sleep is important because deprivation of it will lead to weaker immunity functions and that can cause diseases. Plus there's many more I'm sure you can think of.."
"Let's go shopping chagiya.." Peering over my shoulder, I saw Ren rubbing his eyes in an innocent way.
"Umm, let's go with Hyori and Kwangmin-ah then..." He nodded his head and pulled me back into his arms. "Uh, Siyeon-sunbae, do you mind waking us up in 20 minutes? It's still a bit to early for us.." Smiling, she left the room but not before snapping another picture.
Sleeping next to Ren-oppa, waking up to Ren-oppa, and shopping with Ren-oppa. I let out a breath. I guess dreams really do come true..