Dreaming of you-Chapter 52: Truth or Trouble? [2]

"Truth," I say.

Yeong-ae gives a smile. Her smile wide and mischievous, like a cat that had just caught a mouse.

"Oh, that’s interesting." she leaned in a bit and said with amusement.

Jung-hee sits quietly, clearly curious but more excited about what Yeong-ae going to ask.

Yeong-ae dramatically stroked her chin, pretending to think deeply. But everyone can tell she already has something on her mind. After a moment, she looks directly at my eyes and asks, "I always see you laughing and talking in your sleep. You dream about someone, don’t you? Someone you love, right? Who is this person you see in your dreams?"

The room goes completely silent.

I am stunned. My eyes widen. My mouth opens slightly, but no words come out. My heart beats faster. I knew Yeong-ae would ask something I’ve never told anyone before. But I didn’t know that Yeong-ae would notice so much. I don’t know what to say to Yeong-ae. Hundreds of thoughts were running through my mind, trying to find a way, but none of them seemed good enough.

Jung-hee leaned forward a little, curious. "Wait... do you like someone?" she asked in surprise.

I silently cursed myself for choosing ’truth’. I knew Yeong-ae wouldn’t ask an easy question. But what or how would I answer this question, and what would they think of me if I say the truth?

Now I was stuck in a great danger. Either I tell the truth and risk the embarrassment, or I lie and save face. But am I really embarrassed by this dream world of mine? By that mysterious person? If not, why am I hesitating? Why does this feel so vulnerable?

Seeing me stay silent for so long, Jung-hee step in.

" Yeong-ae, you can’t ask two questions. You have to ask either one. It’s a rules.

Yeong-ae gave her a playful side-eye, and I let out a sigh of relief.

"Okay, then tell me, who do you see in your dreams?"

I close my eyes for a few seconds. In those few seconds, every moment that happened in that world flashed before my eyes. I see those moments we spent together. Me and my faceless boy. I smiled softly and said with my eyes closed,

"I don’t know who he is. However, there is a different kind of magic in his presence. He can transform a dirty, gloomy, cold, serious environment into a bright, cheerful and unforgettable environment with his presence. He can put a smile on someone’s face in an instant with his magic. He can remove sadness and disappointment from someone’s life and make it lively in an instant. He has a different kind of power, a different kind of energy. He somehow understands the words that I never say—like he can read my soul."

I open my eyes. I smile and say, "Didn’t you want to know his identity! But that’s all I know about his identity. That’s all."

I look at Yeong-ae and Jung-hee. They were staring at me, completely stunned. I didn’t realize it until then. Their wide eyes made me flustered. I lowered my head. My cheeks were probably burning—felt like steam was coming out of my ears.

" I’m sure you’re in love with someone, Su-jin." Jung-hee said in stunned, "I’ve never seen this poetic side of you before."

" I knew there was something wrong. Huh, you see. Escaping Yeong-ae’s eyes? Impossible."

" "Okay, okay! Enough already! I’m spinning the bottle now," I quickly said and grabbed the bottle from Yeong-ae.

I started rolling the bottle again.

Once again, the air is thick with tension. But this time, it feels different—reversed, almost. Because now, I’m the only one unaffected. The others, Yeong-ae and Jung-hee, are clearly shaken. After all, they’ve just discovered my biggest secret—one I’d kept hidden from everyone. And now that it’s out, I have nothing to fear. I sit back, calm and collected, watching them squirm, wondering what I should do next. Should I give them something difficult? What if they pick truth instead of dare? Then what? What should I ask? Hmmm....

Lost in thought, I barely notice the bottle starting to slow. Both Yeong-ae and Jung-hee are gripping my hands tightly—as if holding on for dear life. I’ve never known anyone to hold hands with such intensity. The atmosphere is so charged, I don’t even bother to say anything about it. All our eyes are fixed on the bottle. It spins... and finally stops—pointing directly at Jung-hee.

It’s her turn now.

"Truth or Dare?" I asked.

"Truth" She

Jung-hee looks at me with tearful eyes. She gestures for me to save her like this time.

Since Jung-hee has helped me at my time, I think I can go easy on her.

"Okay, then start your and Dong-hyun’s love story from where it ended that day."

My question made Jung-hee breathe a sigh of relief. Jung-hee had to tell us this incident anyway, sooner or later. So she had no problem with it.

"Oh yeah, you didn’t tell us your story after that day! So tell us now the whole story. "

"I’m getting to it! But let me remember where I stopped.... Do any of you remember, where did the story end that day?"

"The fight with those goons. You told the whole story of that day. Tell us after that..."

Yeong-ae and I, we looked at Jung-hee with great enthusiasm. Jung-hee grabbed a pillow, got comfortable, and began from where she had left off.

Flashback –

Jung-hee was sitting quietly on the school field, watching the boys play basketball. Once their game wrapped up, the players headed to the sidelines to grab some water. After playing for quite a while under the sun, they were all drenched in sweat. A few of them, after sipping from their bottles, poured water over their heads, soaking themselves even more. Their well-toned bodies, six-packs glistening under the sunlight, became clearly visible. Some of them even took off their shirts.

From a distance, Jung-hee watched the scene unfold with a small smile. She was truly enjoying the view. Back in her high school days, most of the boys in her class looked more like overstuffed potato sacks rolling around. Just the thought of playing sports made them break into a fever. Forget six-packs—if one of them ran even a bit too fast, they’d end up lying on the ground in such a way that no one could tell whether they were alive or dead.

"Sigh...." Jung-hee muttered with regret.

"If just one guy had looked like this back in my high school days... I might’ve actually had a love life. This new generation is so handsome, hot, and sexy.

" Jung-heeee— pull yourself together. You can look, but if you even think of getting close, you’ll end up behind bars faster than Google Maps can reroute you." She let out a long sigh.

Still gazing dreamily at the boys, she suddenly noticed someone standing right in front of her. She looked up and saw Dong-hyeon, arms crossed and staring straight at her. Jung-hee frowned and shifted to the side, trying to look past him. But again, Dong-hyeon stepped into her line of sight.

Annoyed, Jung-hee said, "Move!"

She lightly pushed him out of the way, but he once again blocked her view.

That’s it, Jung-hee lost her patience. She stood up, clearly irritated.

"What is your problem? Why are you bothering me?"

"What were you just looking at?" Dong-hyeon asked.

"Why should I tell you?" Jung-hee replied, swallowing nervously.

"Oh, you won’t tell me? Then let’s go tell the principal office. You don’t have a problem telling him, right?"

At the mention of the principal, Jung-hee froze.

"W–Why the principal?"

"Well," Dong-hyeon said dramatically, "you were sitting here ogling the boys, harassing them with your eyes. Shouldn’t the principal hear about that? Come on, let’s go."

He grabbed her hand as if to drag her along. Jung-hee quickly pulled away.

"Wait, hold on." She try to smile and convince him, "We’re in the same class, right? Can’t we just settle this between ourselves? No need to involve principal, right?"

"What do you mean?" Dong-hyeon raised an eyebrow.

Jung-hee glanced around and then tried slipping some money into his hand. A bribe. Dong-hyeon’s face turned serious.

"Are y—you bribing me?"

"Oh come on! It’s not a bribe... it’s a gift. Just a little friendly gift."

"Prin..."

Before he could shout, Jung-hee panicked and slapped her hand over his mouth.

"Shhh! Don’t! Don’t say anything! I’ll do whatever you want, okay? Just be quiet!"

Dong-hyeon stared at her in silence. She slowly removed her hand from his mouth.

"Did I hear that right? You’ll do whatever I say?"

Jung-hee nodded, defeated.

A sly smile curved across Dong-hyeon’s lips.