Yuri

I need to find out.

Why did that happen again?

I sat on my bed in the dorm, staring at my trembling hands.

"That wasn't supposed to happen..." I whispered shakily. "I-I wasn't supposed to see the past again..."

How were my parents there?
Who is he?
Why is he involved?
Was that memory even meant for me?
Is my ability just... breaking?

I shut my eyes, trying to piece things together.

I couldn't sleep. Not like this.
I needed answers. Desperately.

But how was I even supposed to begin?

What if he asks how I knew them-my parents?
What if he figures it out?
What if he's dangerous?

Aaaaghh. I'm so freaking stressed right now.

Okay. Sleep. I need sleep.

"Just sleep, Yuri. Don't think for now," I mumbled to myself.

And well... I tried.
It took two hours and a dull headache later, but eventually, I drifted off.

---

The world felt still.

Too still.

I found myself walking on a narrow path. Trees stood tall around me. The sky was cloudy, and the wind was cold.

I didn't know where I was or why I was here, but my feet kept moving.

Then I heard something.

A voice.

A boy's voice.

"Please... wake up..."

I followed the sound.

That's when I saw them-two kids. One was lying on the ground. The other one, a boy, was kneeling beside her.

They were young. Around seven or eight. I couldn't see their faces clearly, like they were hidden behind a fog. But I could hear everything.

"Come on," the boy said again, his voice shaking. "Don't do this. Please don't do this."

He gently shook the girl's shoulder. She wasn't moving. He looked scared. Like he didn't know what else to do.

"I'll do anything," he whispered, "just... just please wake up..."

Then-something strange happened.

The wind stopped.

The air around him began to glow. A small light-barely there-slowly spread from his hand, like it was reaching for her. Reaching for the girl on the ground.

And then-I saw her face.

It was me.

The girl... was me?

I was lying there, not breathing. Still.

And that soft light was flowing into my chest.

My fingers twitched.

My eyes moved just a little.

I was waking up.

The boy leaned down closer. I couldn't see his face, but his voice was gentle this time.

"You'll be okay now," he whispered. "Even if you forget this... just promise me you'll keep going."

The wind blew again.

Everything around me started to fade.

And then-

I opened my eyes.

I was back in my room.

Heart racing.

Breath unsteady.

I sat up, gripping my blanket tight.

What... was that?

A dream?

A memory?

Or something else entirely?

---

The next day, as soon as classes ended, I stepped out of the room quickly.

I'd made up my mind.

I'm going to watch him a bit more. Observe. Learn something before I ask him anything.

Maybe if I ease into it... get to know him better... the tension might lessen.

"Yuriii~ where are you going?"
Maya latched onto my arm, smiling like always-completely unaware of the nervous wreck I was inside.

"Restroom," I said quickly.

"I'll go with you!"

"No!" I blurted without thinking.

She blinked. "Oh. Uh-"

I tried to cover it up. "I mean... I just need a quick minute alone."

She raised her brows at me, clearly unconvinced.

"Fine," I sighed. "Actually, I'm going to look for Sunghoon. I need to talk to him about something."

"Ooh~ Sunghoon?" she grinned, wiggling her eyebrows. "No idea where he is, but-wait!"

Her eyes darted around until they landed on someone across the hallway.
"There! His friend-Ni-ki's right there. Maybe ask him?"

I followed her gaze.

A boy, tall for his age, dressed in all black with headphones slung around his neck. He looked like he belonged in a K-drama scene. Or a mafia webtoon.

I gave Maya a nod and mouthed, thank you, then made my way over.

"Uhm, hello?"

He lowered his headphones. "Yes?"

"Sorry to interrupt. Do you know where Park Sunghoon might be right now?"

He looked me up and down before chuckling. "You must be Yuri. The new student who took the Yang Jungwon's spot."

I squirmed a little, uncomfortable at the mention. "Uh, yeah... maybe."

"I'm Ni-ki, by the way," he said, smile still playful. "I saw Sunghoon heading toward the calligraphy club room earlier-with Rin."

"Oh. Got it. Thanks."

I left quickly before he could say anything else.

The calligraphy club? I've never even been there before.

When I arrived, I knocked gently and peeked through the door.

Rin and Sunghoon were seated side by side, quietly focused on their work.

"Yuri?" Rin noticed me first, setting her brush down. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, uh..."

I panicked.

"I wanted to... join the calligraphy club?"

What the hell, Yuri?! What was that!?

They exchanged glances before Rin smiled politely, and Sunghoon handed me a piece of paper.

"Here's the application form," he said. "Fill it out and I'll get you enlisted."

I took the form awkwardly, unsure whether to actually stay or bolt out the door.

But the words came tumbling out again.

"Sunghoon... can we talk?"

Even I was stunned. Why couldn't I stop blurting things today?

His expression shifted, surprised, but calm.

"Sure," he said, starting to stand.

"Wait-uh! Tomorrow. Rooftop. After classes!"

He paused, glanced at Rin, then slowly sat back down.

"...Okay, Yuri. Of course."

Then, without another word, he returned to his brushwork like I hadn't just barged in, panicked, and dropped a spontaneous meeting request like a dramatic anime character.

I walked out of the room with my heart weirdly... lighter.

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow, I'll talk to him.
You can do this, Yuri. You'll be fine.

---

I don't know what's wrong with me today.

After I left the club room, I've been a mess.

Sunghoon. Jungwon. Exams. Guilt. My mind kept spinning.

I kept glancing at Sunghoon. Not even on purpose.

Maybe I looked at him too many times because... well.

It caught on.

"YURIII~!"

Maya grabbed my arm dramatically in the restroom. "DO YOU LIKE SUNGHOON? Is it a crush?? When did it start?! Why didn't you tell meee?!"

"Maya!!" I hissed. "It's not like that!"

She squinted at me suspiciously. "Your face says something else."

I groaned and looked away. "I told you, it's not like that."

It's true. It wasn't.

It was confusion.

Fear.

A need to understand something I saw but couldn't explain.

We went back to casually chatting-well, as casual as Maya can be-unaware that someone else was nearby.

And they were listening.

────୨ৎ────

Word count : 1129.
SOTD : Flicker by Enhypen.
QOTD : Something you wish you knew sooner?

-That bad days are reminders that we're human and change takes time (idk its 2am so im getting deep)