We all have our ideal of something, whether it’s our ideal life, ideal person, and ideal world. Choi Yeonjun has it as well; an ideal world.

An ideal world he thinks where he belongs. An ideal world where he thinks he should be, an ideal world without violence, sickness, a hopeful one, colorful, lively and a place where he is happy.

But is it really right for him to stay inside his make-up, ideal world?

Choi Soobin obviously is against it. He might be living in the both worlds, walking across different subconscious from time to time but he knows that a person shouldn’t be living inside a dream.

Yeonjun saw how the stranger, Soobin just stared at him without any expression. He doesn’t know if Soobin see him as a pitiful or he’s still insulting him because his face is just looking at him blankly.

“H-hey! Where are you going?” Yeonjun yelled when he saw Soobin walking away and went out through the door. He followed him but Soobin suddenly disappeared. “Hey! Where are you!?”

Yeonjun made himself teleported into the city street and there are a lot of people as usual. He looks around but the man isn’t by the sight anymore. He’s now annoyed because there are so much people and they are blocking him from looking for Soobin.

“Hey! Where are you? And who really are you!?” he shouted in annoyance. “How dare you come inside my dream and demand me to come back? Huh!? How dare you mock me when I said I wanted to stay here? Why? Who are you!?”

Suddenly the people disappeared, everything stops moving aside from him then pants after shouting and saw Soobin not that far from him. “Who really are you? D-did you just… did you just control them?”

“How did you stay here for five years when you can’t even control them? This is why there’s no brain-activity because you’re practically dead in here,” Soobin stated.

Yeonjun frowns, “What the heck are you talking about?”

“You stayed here and build this ideal world of yours when they don’t even give you attention? What are you doing in here?” Soobin asks. “Ideal world in a dream is no use if they can’t even interact to you, Yeonjun. Grip yourself and you should find your way home now,” he added.

Yeonjun looks away and bit his lower lip. “I can’t… I don’t know how.”

“What the,” Soobin scoffs.

“If I can I already did! If I know how to go back I’m not in a freaking coma right now! I wanted to go back too! Because I feel alone too in here. I can be what I am here but the people in here can’t see me at all. I created a world for my own sake, for my own satisfaction but I just can’t control them and so I want to go back! But,” he pauses when he felt a lump in his throat.

He continues,  “But whenever I think about what’s in the real world, what should I face in there, I-I’m starting to doubt. In here I don’t need to please people, in here I’m happy, in here I can perform well and do whatever I want,” tears started to escape from his eyes. “That’s why I wanna stay here. I want to be here for the rest of my life! I don’t care what will happen, I’ll stay here!”

“Are you hearing yourself?” Soobin asks and walks towards Yeonjun’s direction. “These people,” he snaps his finger and the crowd appear again moving and unbothered. “These people doesn’t know who you are and even if you perform and will clap at you they are fake,” he snaps and there’s just the two of them again. “They clap at you and acknowledge you because that’s what your subconscious is telling to, they are forced to do that because you own this world. You’re not creating an ideal world for your happiness, you are making yourself a fool just to feel the satisfaction.”

Choi Soobin gritted his teeth being dead serious about this matter. “If you perform in reality, those who loves you and likes you will stay for you and applause you,” he continued.

“You don’t understand! We have different reality! You say that because you never experienced what I did! You don’t understand a thing and I will stay here no matter what!” Yeonjun raved while in tears.

“I understand it well!” Soobin snapped, eyes getting bigger as he’s mad. “And what did you say? You’ll stay here no matter what?” he scoffs and smirks then pierced Yeonjun’s eyes. “These, all of these will crumble, Choi Yeonjun. Once you feel the extreme agony and depression this colorful world of yours will get ruined. Everything will die, everyone will disappear until you’re the only one who’s left and death will start haunting you.”

Soobin continued, “Listen to me, this is not permanent. You can’t control your dream and manipulate things and that’s the danger that will come to you. One by one will be gone and your own subconscious will eat you up and you’ll die in here.”

Yeonjun cannot speak up and argue about what Soobin just said. This is the first time he’s hearing a harsh reality about lucid dreaming and he can’t fully understand and accept that fact. So, he just keeps quiet.

“Do you want to die in this fake world when you can actually experience the real thing in reality?”

“I-I… I j-just…” Yeonjun lost of words.

“Make up your mind, Choi Yeonjun then I’ll comeback in here after you decide. Then, see you around,” Soobin snapped his fingers and everything went back to normal in Yeonjun’s world and he disappeared.

Yeonjun ended up crying because Soobin’s words stuck in his head. He suddenly felt confused. In five years, everything’s fine. Everything’s doing well in him in that world but everything just started to break after.

A sudden rumbling sound was heard and Yeonjun’s eyes widen when he saw a building from afar collapsing. His lips tremble and his hands shake. Soobin is right. Everything will get destroyed in no time.

Soobin who’s standing on a highest building and looking down at Yeonjun, sighs. He keep his hand in his pocket and looked up the peach sky. There are two moons and the sun is about to set.

“He really created a one nice world…” Soobin commented. “If only he can fully control these things, he might surpass my ability,” he added and disappeared from where he’s standing.

“Soobin! Oh my God, you’re finally awake!” Hueningkai exclaimed when he saw Soobin open his eyes.

Soobin takes a seat feeling dizzy and took out his coin to flip it and saw the result is Crown. He looked at Hueningkai and smiles. “I fully decided to take him back,” he said to him.

Hueningkai nods because in affirmation because of what they talked about that Soobin will just try it out for one day. “I’ll call Dr. Park and Kim,” Kai said and stands up.

“Call Beomgyu too,” Soobin added.

“And Taehyun?”

“No, just Beomgyu,” he said and Kai just went out of the private room.

Soobin looks beside him and stared at Yeonjun. “Why don’t you want to go back, huh? I’m really curious,” he whispered to himself and the doors open revealing the two doctors with Hueningkai.

“Did you find him?” Dr. Kim immediately asks while the other doctor is monitoring Soobin’s vital signs.

“Kai, bring him something to eat from the cafeteria,” Dr. Park instructed and Hueningkai dashed out.

“I found him,” Soobin replied. “But the thing is… he doesn’t want to go back.”

“Huh!? Why is that?” Dr. Kim exclaimed. “Did he tell you the reason? You’re not lying, right?”

“Why should I lie when my life is at risk in here?” Soobin frowns in annoyance. “Anyway, that’s why I need to talk to Beomgyu before I come back to sleep,” he added.

Soobin took a rest through eating and walking outside. He’s been sleeping for three days straight, though not a new thing still can be cause of collapse of his body. It’s already night, he decided to went up to the rooftop where the cold wind is.

He rested both of his elbows on the railings and started looking back at what he saw inside Yeonjun’s dream. He sighs and thinks on ways how to persuade Yeonjun again.

“Soobin! I heard from Dr. Kim about what happened,” Beomgyu’s voice from behind was heard but Soobin didn’t bother to look back. Beomgyu stops beside Soobin. “How’s he? Did he say something? Is he going to come back?”

“What’s your relationship to Yeonjun?” Soobin directly asks.

“Friends, best buddies, why? Did he tell you something about me?” Beomgyu asks in excitement.

Soobin shook his head. “None,” he answered and looked at Beomgyu. “Where’s Yeonjun’s parents?” he asked again.

“They are broken family… His mom is in Europe and his dad is in China for business. Dr. Kim is their family doctor and that’s why he’s keeping him safe and doing everything to wake him up,” Beomgyu answered.

“So that’s why,” Soobin nods. “They are family of businessmen, I guess,” he added.

“Yeah,” Beomgyu’s voice went low. “That’s why they don’t want Yeonjun to enter the entertainment industry unless he’s going to be a businessman,” he reasoned. “It’s sad… really sad. Yeonjun really wants to be an artist and perform for everyone,” he added with a sigh.

Soobin is just quiet, suddenly thinking again. Then Beomgyu speaks, “Is he doing fine in there? How’s he? Please tell him to come back,” Beomgyu pleaded.

“He’s fine… He’s doing well and yes, of course, I’ll do everything to wake him up.”

Choi Yeonjun has been walking back and forth to where he last saw Soobin. He wants to meet him again but he doesn’t know why so he’s just in there watching the people passed by him.

“Were you waiting for me?”

Yeonjun instantly looked back and his face brightens when he saw Soobin. “H-hey! What… what did you take so long?” Yeonjun suddenly whines.

Soobin frowns for a second. Yeonjun’s really waiting for him. “What is this…” Soobin muttered. “Why? Did you miss me?” he suddenly decided to tease him.

“W-what are you talking about?” Yeonjun tried to raise his voice.

Soobin started walking towards him. “Hey, don’t you feel annoyed by how many people you have in here? At least lessen it. Does your ideal world scream over population?” Soobin whines and snapped his fingers. Now, it’s like around thirty people walking around them.

“You’re so cool. H-how can you do it?” Yeonjun suddenly asks.

“I can completely turn your dream into the most horrible one,” Soobin bragged a little and decided to put both of his hands to his pockets. “So, have you made up your mind?”

“You see,” he pauses to breathe out, feeling nervous. “I’m alone in here, right? And you’re the only person who came for me… So, can we stay a little bit longer in here?”

“Huh?” Soobin reacted. “We can’t stay here for long, you need to go back immediately.”

“If!” he raised his voice. “If you’ll let me stay here for a while with you, you might help me figure out how to go back. It’s been so long since I got here that’s why I already forgot. C-can you help me?” Yeonjun negotiated.

Ideally, Soobin will agree but he can’t stay for long in someone’s dream. He’s basically inside someone’s head and it could also mean he’s using too much energy that may put him into danger.

But on the other hand, Soobin needs to figure out how he can take Yeonjun back to reality. He can’t take him out that easy. He can’t make him wake up that easy.

Yeonjun went here and get stuck is also connected to Yeonjun’s real world. They are two different human beings and Soobin doesn’t have the ability to connect both of their worlds that easy, if he can, there’s so much to risk and he can’t afford it.

How will Soobin going to answer this?

“Sure, I’ll stay. Let’s figure things out and then let’s go back together,” Soobin agreed.

Yeonjun almost tear up in gladness and excitement then he went closer to Soobin and hold his hands. “Thank you so much! But… what’s your name?”

“I’m Choi Soobin, a lucid dreamer who’ll take you home.”