#ken angst

Rolling over to ease some of his worries, Jaehwan reached out for your body, his hands coming up empty. Patting around the bed more vigorously, he snapped his head up to look at the evidently vacant side of his bed.

Where were you?

When he went to sleep, Jaehwan was sure you were there. Snuggled into his side as you whispered a sweet ode for a good night’s rest into the side of his neck where you had buried your face. And he had fallen asleep all too easily.

Only for you to … surely it was all just a dream.

Throwing back his blankets, Jaehwan slipped his feet into his slippers before padding out into the living area of his apartment. It was just as quiet as the bedroom had been and it concerned him. Had he woken up from his dream yet or was this still the nightmare and he was now living life without you? He clamped a hand over his mouth as he tried to prevent any signs of distress. Surely, this was all a misunderstanding and once he was properly awake, everything would make complete sense.

Hurrying over to the refrigerator to retrieve some water, he drained the entire thing, throwing the empty bottle in the trash and hoping the disturbance of noise would lure you out from wherever you were hidden now.

Still, his belongings were the only thing within his focus.

“Rationally thinking, what should I do?” he murmured to himself, though his increasing heart rate was doing little to assist in logical thought. He instead careened throughout the rest of his apartment, opening doors only to shut them hastily when he didn’t find you behind them. Stopping long enough to grab his car keys, Jaehwan left his apartment quickly, cursing the slowness of the elevator that carried him down to the parking lot under the building. Once the doors open, he sprung out of them, jogging to his car and climbed inside.

He could only think of one other place to find you.

The drive to your old apartment went by in a blur and to be honest, Jaehwan didn’t even remember how he got there. All he knew was that your doorbell would probably fall off if he didn’t stop pressing it and when you didn’t appear right away, he knew he had been foolish.

He was so sure you lived with him. Or, you had been living with him in the dream and – well, Jaehwan couldn’t quite decipher which world had been the real one or not. And that, coupled with the last sighting he had of you before waking up, led him to start banging on the door as tears streamed down his face.

He had lost you.

Slumping to his knees, Jaehwan fell silent. He contemplated his next steps, not wanting to admit he had seen you die. Surely he was just mixed up and this was all just a really scary dream.

The door suddenly opened before him and he looked up, relief coursing through him as he choked on his sobs. “Y/N!”

“Oh my god, Jae, what… and how… why are you in your PJs on my doorstep? Are you okay?!”

“I had a nightmare about you, and I wanted to make sure you were alright!” he spluttered out along with a fresh wave of emotions, your own body dropping down to his level. Your arms encased him firmly, rocking him softly and murmuring comforting words into his ear.

You were safe after all.

After some time, a soothing cup of tea, and a full explanation of the nightmare, you took Jaehwan’s hand in yours and patted it gently. “Do you really think you could get rid of me that easily?”

“That’s not funny, I was really scared.”

“Thank goodness it’s all a dream,” you breathed, leaning into him and Jaehwan pulled you closer.

It was then that he took in his surroundings and frowned. “Y/N, this isn’t your apartment.”

“What? Of course, it is.”

“No, you had yellow walls. Why are they beige? And look, your mirror is missing. Where am I?”

“You’re being weird, Jaehwan. This is my house and I’ve always lived here.”

“No, I’m certain you and I live together now,” he corrected, pulling away from you. “This isn’t right. None of this is.”

“What do you mean?”

He backed away, shaking his head softly and clamped his eyes closed to reset everything. When he would open them again, this house would look correct to him.

“Jae?” you breathed and shook him roughly, causing his eyes to fly open faster than he had been prepared for.

Jaehwan stared up at the ceiling, blinking rapidly when he realised it was familiar. Turning his head to the side, he found you in his bed, relief evident in your face. “Oh thank goodness, I was worried I’d never wake you up. You were having a bad dream, are you okay?”

“I was still dreaming?” he questioned, slowly looking over your shoulder to see the morning sun infiltrating through the gap in the curtains. It had been night time only a moment ago and he grabbed at his chest, heaving in a deep breath. “I’m awake now, for good, right?”

“Well, I sure hope so! Why, did you wake up in your dream?” you wondered and with a nod, Jaehwan launched into telling you everything he could remember. You listened intently, sometimes gasping or leaning in towards him at points in the story. When he finally came to an end, you were still.

And then you slapped him and let out a small whine. “Really?! You dreamt all of that and the most I ever get is going through random hallways that never end! Why do you get to have such a fantastical journey as you sleep?! It’s so unfair!”

“Unfair?! You died!”

“And then came back to life!” you pointed out with a huff and Jaehwan merely stared at you before letting out a laugh. It felt too good and he continued until you joined him, hugging him in the process. He held you just as tightly as he had in his dream, but this time he could tell the difference. You were truly here, and this was real life. No vivid dream could fool him of your actual touch and he smiled.

He didn’t care if you were jealous. He would much rather have bland dreams for the rest of his life if it meant waking up and finding you at his side every day.

“Do you feel better now?” you asked into the embrace and he nodded, shifting back just enough to smile warmly at you.

“I’d feel better if you could kiss me. In my dream, you kissed me and-”

With your lips now pressed into his, Jaehwan was certain he would forget the bad dream he had real soon.

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