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"I need you, to do me a favour. And that is... Inception."
Yoo Joonghyuk stared at the person before him.
He had watched Inception when it had first come out. How old was he then? Nineteen? Twenty?
That was how old he had been. In the zeroth turn, at least.
Before the world had become a prisoner of the Star Stream, before he had succumbed to the Scenarios.
That movie had fascinated him when he was younger and naive.
He had felt excitement, wonder, amazement, and also a harrowing sense of dilemma, one that would affect young minds when they have not a lot to worry about, except the ordeals of life.
A question that had perhaps existed since the existence of humanity.
That movie had brought the idea to his mind, had planted it in his head the same way it had occurred inside the story.
Was his life just a dream?
Back when he had lesser things to worry about, when he had not the slightest inkling of what was to come.
And it had made plenty of sense to him.
The movie had reiterated a fact: inside a dream, you could never find out how you came about to be at a certain place, or in a certain situation.
And that had resonated with him.
When asked about his early life, his mind had always drawn a blank.
His parents? He hadn't ever known that they existed, and had he not been born, he wouldn't have even believed they were real.
A baby had been dropped upon his porch with the note that she was his sister, right when his career as a pro gamer under an exploitative gaming company had started taking off.
He had hired detectives to look for his parents; nothing came up, and it was as if they had never existed.
As years passed on, he began believing that perhaps it was really all a dream.
That none of anything that had happened ever made any sense, that it was all so peculiar, the kind of absurdness reserved only for dreams.
It was like he had 'spawned' in the dream, and suddenly, everything tragic was happening to him.
Ironically, this wasn't even the most tragic part, but he was unaware when he was younger.
Many a times he had looked at a sharp object, at the edge of the building, at ropes lying around a tall surface, and each time he remembered that dying in a dream meant you would wake up in the real life.
And yet, he was a coward, and each time, he'd turn his eyes away.
He would think of Mia, and he couldn't bear to acknowledge that she was not true, that it was a projection his mind had come up with, and he had decided that if this was a dream, he'd choose it a million times over reality.
Because he never remembered himself falling asleep in the first place.
And then came the scenarios.
On the subway for the first time, that fateful day when everything had changed...
When he had seen the terrorist reveal himself, he had, for the first time, hoped it was all a dream.
He had hoped that if he'd die in the subway, he'd wake up back at home, in the real life, with actual parents, and Mia cuddling with him.
And then the dokkaebi had arrived.
He hadn't known what had come over him; was it bravery, or stupidity?
He couldn't decide.
All he knew was that he had changed the trajectory of his life when he leapt at that man.
After that, everything that had happened, scenarios, tragedy, deaths, the 'end of the world', everything that had come, that would make a person think "It's all a dream, and I'll soon wake up."
But for Junghyeok, that was what had cemented for him that this was all reality.
Because it proved to him that life was unfair, that this time, there was genuine struggle and tragedy, that he genuinely deserved happiness because he went through actual pain, and that there was a meaning to his life.
He had reached his desired ending.
His companions remained with him, he grew old with them together, he had love and happiness around him, everything was finally at peace.
But he could never remember why he chose to regress.
When everything was perfect... Why?
... He had always felt that he was forgetting something.
It had made the idea of all this being a dream even more prominent.
However, once he regressed, twice, he had lost such ideas.
It became clear to him that this was no dream.
Because each time he died, he woke right back up in this wretched world once again, and everything repeated itself over and over.
With how his mind had completely fractured from spending a hundred years in the Dark Fault, which had felt to him an eternity, and after being tortured to death by Asmodeus in the second turn, he had no time to think of that movie or unimportant ideas that had occupied his mind in his youth.
But when he had seen the poster of the movie in the Theatre, a blur of memories had rushed past him.
The most prominent one being how he had disliked the ending of the movie.
It was a happy end, yes, but also an ambiguous one.
And he hated open endings.
He needed closure.
There's comfort in surety, and he had wanted that.
"Hello? Are you still in this conversation?"
Junghyeok snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the man.
He was different from Saito. He was someone else.
Which would make sense, because no movie here had the main cast as the original one of the movie.
This was just an NPC.
"Why do you need me to perform inception?"
The man raised an eyebrow at Junghyeok, then said, "Will you do it or not?"
Junghyeok looked at him, then wondered if he could straight up deny the premise.
Alternate endings were accepted, after all.
But this would not at all make for a satisfactory ending, and unless he did that, the movie would not be cleared.
Junghyeok sighed, and the man before him said, "I'll help you. You want to go back to your home, to your family, right? And the organisation is on your ass. I'll make one phone call and it'll all be-"
"I don't have a family."
The man stopped speaking from surprise at the pure coldness of Junghyeok's tone.
Junghyeok continued speaking, "I don't have a family, I don't have anyone waiting for me, and I don't have a home. I'm used to living on the run. So, if you have nothing worthwhile to offer me-"
"You don't have a family?"
Junghyeok stared at the man, annoyed that he cut him off while speaking.
But at the way he was grinning... Junghyeok sensed something was terribly amiss.
"... I just said I don't."
"Then... Who's that?"
The man pointed behind Junghyeok, and he turned around.
And immediately, the breath got knocked out of him when he saw them.
His eyes shook, and his chest tightened.
Lee Seolhwa... And their child in her arms.
So many thoughts crossed his mind, but he could comprehend none of them.
He... He was seeing the two of them...
Perhaps it had been a thousand years after he was seeing them.
Perhaps it was a few centuries.
What mattered to him was that... They were there.
In front of him.
If he reached forward and called out to them...
If he called for Lee Seolhwa, would she turn around and still look at him with the love she once had for him?
If he held the baby in his arms... Would it feel safe? Would it reach out to Junghyeok and remember he was its father?
Junghyeok felt terrified when he realised that he couldn't even remember if his child was a boy or a girl.
Or... What if...
What if when Junghyeok went towards them...
They would be revolted that he let them...
Die?
Suddenly, bile rose up in his throat, and his chest became stuffy.
His knees gave out and he fell to the floor, breathing heavily.
What was this, why was he...
He couldn't see clearly -
Why... Why was his vision blurry? What-
A drop fell on his hand.
He looked down, and another drop fell on his palm. Followed by two more.
Slowly, he wiped his eyes.
He... Was crying.
He felt a hand on his shoulder.
Looking up, he saw it was the man.
He smiled and said, "It's funny you believe you aren't already in a dream."
Junghyeok blinked away his tears, then looked at Seolhwa and his child.
This... This was a dream?
...
A strange force wrenched and tugged at his heart, pulling it apart as he felt desperation he had never felt before.
He... He couldn't lose them again!
Once was enough, he couldn't again -
He tried to move forward and reach for Seolhwa, whose back was turned towards him -
And just as his fingers grazed her shoulder, something rung in his head.
His vision went awry and the world started to spin, and only when a throbbing ache settled at the back of his head and blood began trickling down, did he realise that he was hit on the head.
He fell backwards, feeling dizzy beyond comprehension, and stared up at the man.
He looked down at Junghyeok's face, and right before Junghyeok blacked out, he said, "Wake up, Yoo Junghyeok."
He gasped as he sat up, chest feeling tight.
He couldn't breathe for some reason, and his throat was congested.
He hit his chest, and whatever was blocking his airway opened up, but he bent forward and hunched over, vomiting out his guts.
Blood... Strange. Why did he vomit blood, too?
After vomiting and wiping his mouth on his sleeve, he sat back again, but hissed when a sharp pain tore at his side.
He turned his eyes towards it, and cursed under his breath when he saw that he was bleeding from his side, and it was clearly stabbed.
He slowly got up, trying to wrap his head around what had just happened.
The movie... Had begun with a dream.
Not very different, but it still was.
He was made to wake forcefully from that dream... But why?
And who was that man and why had he done that?
And... And why did Junghyeok see Lee Seolhwa and their child from the second turn?
This turn, he hadn't even met Lee Seolhwa yet.
And he had made a resolve that he'd close off his heart this time.
After all, after everything he went through, he didn't want his heart to be vulnerable ever again.
But then... Why did his mind have projections of them?
And why was he stabbed right now? Was this also a dream, or was it reality this time?
In the first place... Where was he?
... Wait.
Wait, this-
He knew this place, but-
Why was he in the Dark Fault?!
No, no, no no no no no no no
He couldn't be back here he didn't want to be here he couldn't lose his mind again go back go back the dream was better this was not reality he couldn't
"Junghyeok-ah."
A heavy exhale left his mouth, and he winced at the pain his side gave him.
Turning himself around with much difficulty, he realised it was-
Lee Seolhwa. Before him, once again.
... No, no, why was she here?!
He walked towards as quickly as he could with his pain, and immediately braced himself by holding onto her shoulders.
"Seolhwa, Seolhwa, you can't be here, do you understand? If you stay here, you'll go INSANE! Listen, let's go away from here, why are you here -"
He stopped speaking when she cupped his face.
With a tender but solemn smile aimed at him, she said, "Junghyeok-ah. Don't you see? I'm not real. This is a dream."
... Another dream?
"And... You know I died back then. You have to let go of me."
Junghyeok's eyes widened. His grip on her shoulders tightened, and he lowered his head to regain his thoughts. Again, looking at her with urgency in his eyes, he said, "No, Seolhwa, I... I need you to leave this place. You'll never be the same again -"
"And you're different too, now. You don't love me anymore, do you?"
Junghyeok stayed silent for a moment, bewildered.
Seolhwa spoke on with her serene smile, "I'm in your mind... A projection of your subconscious... Why? Not because you feel love for me anymore... But because you are guilty. Guilty for something that never happened because of you. You were betrayed, you were the victim-"
"And why was I so foolish and powerless that I was betrayed?! What was the point of regression, when I'm going to make mistakes over and over again?! Mistakes that cost me my happiness, and my loved ones their lives?! I couldn't see our child grow up, Seolhwa, and neither did you. I snatched away your happiness, and... I had to hold my dead child in my arms. Hell, I don't remember the gender of my child!"
Seolhwa looked at him for a moment, then leaned forward and joined their foreheads together.
She ran her fingers through Junghyeok's locks, then whispered, "You can't always be perfect. You can't always be the victor. You're a human, Junghyeok-ah. Accept that fact. Besides... The me you know no longer exists. Neither does our child. And the child doesn't detest you. And neither do I. I know you can't trust my word because I'm a projection of my mind, and you'll think I'm speaking what you want to believe... But I know that Seolhwa never blamed you."
Junghyeok sighed, then pulled her into a hug, wincing again as the pressure on his side increased.
In his ear, Seolhwa whispered, "Move on from me, like you planned to. Forget we were ever married and ever had a child. It's all in the past, and we died back then. We no longer exist, and we can't be together again. Once you accept it... It'll be easier to move on from the loss."
Junghyeok buried his head in her shoulder, biting his lip to stop himself from sobbing.
He gasped when he felt his insides being twisted.
He pulled away from the hug, and looked at his side to see Seolhwa holding a dagger inside him, twisting it.
Her hand was covered in blood.
Before he could feel the pain, Seolhwa wiped his tears away and said, "It was necessary. Wake up, Junghyeok-ah."
Junghyeok sat up, breathing heavily.
It was better than the first time.
Just... Just what was going on?
How many layers of dreams in was he in the plot?!
This felt less like the plot of Inception, and more like solving his own traumas.
Just where was he now?
Drearily opening his eyes wide, he looked around.
... His older home.
The one he lived in, when Mia was young, and he had just begun rising to fame.
This was another dream, wasn't it?
Slowly, he got off his soft bed (he just realised how warm and comfortable it was), and began moving outside his room.
To the side was his gaming room.
Seeing it, several memories came to mind, but he didn't care.
He wanted to... He wanted to see Mia.
Where was she?
He walked on ahead, going to the kitchen to see if she was there.
No, she wasn't.
He went to the dining room; neither there.
He opened the door to her bedroom; she wasn't even there.
As a last resort, he checked his gaming room.
Empty.
He sighed and moved outside his house.
There was a park in front of him.
It was strange. He never remembered a park being close to his house.
But he had planned to buy a house somewhere near a park, because Mia had said she'd like to play there.
From the porch of his house, he could see Mia swinging alone on the park swings.
Why wasn't he there, pushing her back and forth? Why was she playing alone?
He walked towards her slowly, looking around.
The only thing familiar about this place was their old house.
This place was sunny, whereas where they used to live, it was often dark because it was deep inside a locality.
This place had a long, clear road on both sides, and it seemed it led into a forest trail.
Hadn't Mia said something like that? That she'd like to hike, when she was around seven years old?
With a dazed look, Junghyeok walked towards Mia.
He looked down at himself.
He seemed younger. And his clothes were also normal, comfortable clothes.
This was most definitely a dream.
But... It didn't seem too bad.
Before he knew it, he was standing behind Mia.
She had stopped moving, and was just sitting on the swing with her feet planted on the ground.
They did not talk for a moment, and then Mia said, "Oppa... If you are here, you might as well push me."
Junghyeok got behind her, and tentatively pushed the swing forward.
She swung into motion, leaning her body forward and backward to create a momentum.
This moment had never happened in the past.
And that's why Junghyeok wanted to participate in it.
He pushed the swing again, and again, and again.
He pushed it high, he smiled when she squealed and laughed, he held the swing and turned it around, making her go in circles.
This went on for a few minutes, and they had slowed down now.
Junghyeok himself had gotten onto the swing next to her.
They both just swayed without movement.
Mia looked at him, then looked again at the floor and said, "Do you already know... I'm a projection?"
Junghyeok stared into the forest, then looked down and kicked a leaf.
Even though he didn't answer, Mia already knew. She said, "It's a dream, but... It's nice. But it only has everything I wanted. What about you? Why is nothing here what you wanted?"
Junghyeok didn't answer her, but looked up at her and stared.
She looked at him curiously, then spoke in a small voice, "Oppa... Do you think you weren't able to raise me well?"
Junghyeok sucked in a deep breath, feeling a sharp pain in his chest, and looked away to the side.
He heard the creaking of the swing, and when he turned his head towards her, he saw she had jumped out of her swing and was standing next to him.
Holding his hand with her smaller ones, she said, "I feel very safe when I'm with you. And I'm happy. You have tried your best to give me all I want. You were a child when you were burdened with me."
As he tried to tell her she wasn't a burden, she smiled and said, "Shh. I know what you want to say. I just... I guess you couldn't have helped it. You did all you could. But it's not like I don't have complaints with you."
Junghyeok exhaled.
She said, "You... You don't give me enough attention. You gave me toys, games, gifts, everything, but you were always too busy to play with me. You're too noble. You always care about the greater good, and you recklessly leave everything behind for what lies ahead. You're very brave and strong, but that's a problem because you never act weak and never tell me what you truly feel. You think I'm very capable, because you have taught me well enough to be that way, and you have a habit of abandoning everyone. You forget me even in the Scenarios, you keep me safe with your friends and go headfirst into danger, but it doesn't matter to you because I'm safe. You seldom reach out to me and talk to me like a brother, but you always care for me and make sure I'm well provided for and am safe and okay, and I just want you to stay with me, but you sacrifice yourself, and you leave me behind because you can just move on-"
Junghyeok leaned down and picked her little self up in his arms.
She began crying in his shoulders, and he hugged her tightly, his jaw hurting with the effort not to cry.
She was just a child.
A child who was his sister.
Someone whose first family was him, someone who relied on him.
And everytime, he chose to leave her behind.
Running his fingers through her hair, he kept apologising to her.
He kept apologising, till the word 'sorry' became less a word with meaning and more a sound of repressed grief.
His eyes began tearing up, and he hid his face in her hair.
"Oppa... I want to go hiking."
At the sniffling voice in which Mia said this, his heart ached.
He knew this was a dream.
What good would come from playing along with the whims of his subconscious' projection?
But it was his little sister Mia.
He didn't want to hurt her even in a dream.
Thus, he immediately got up, put her down, then held her little hand in his, and began moving towards the forest trail.
As they began moving ahead, Mia began speaking of her friends and teachers from school, and Junghyeok listened very well this time, because he regretted being too busy to actually listen to her stories in reality.
As they went deeper into the forest, the landscape and physics of the geography started making less sense.
Why was the forest trail moving up towards summit, hanging in air with nothing but clouds below.
For lack of a better description, this place seemed like the map in Temple Run.
Also, the trail had gotten so thin, and it was congested at some parts, twisted at the others.
There was a bottomless abyss below them, and Junghyeok couldn't even comprehend what would happen if they fell there.
Suddenly, he heard very vague music playing from somewhere far away.
It slowly started growing louder, louder, louder, until he could make it out when he just strained his ears.
~Non, rien de rien~
What?
What did this-
Suddenly, the whole world began shaking.
He tightly held onto Mia's hand, who hugged him tightly in fear.
Trees began getting uprooted, dust fell from above, branches and roots began moving haphazardly, dust storms arose, and the paths suddenly started merging together, twisting and turning everywhere.
Suddenly, the ground beneath them shook with a thunderous rumble, and very slowly began turning around.
It started rotating, and Junghyeok held onto Mia with all his might, scooping her up in his arms.
"Oppa! What's -"
"It'll be alright, Mia, we'll be alright!"
He knew it wouldn't be.
Perhaps even she knew it.
Since this was a dream...
Was this whole thing a kick from the reality, so that he could wake up?
Suddenly, his grip began slipping away from the ground.
Mia caught onto a tree and safely climbed it, but Junghyeok was unable to.
He caught onto the ledge of the road, barely hanging on with the last of his strength.
"OPPA!"
It broke him to see his sister cry out like that, but he couldn't get too attached.
His real sister was back in the real world, and he wouldn't reach there unless he completed the movie and broke through the Movie Theatre.
"Mia... I'll be fine. Tell me what you want."
Mia looked at him with quivering lips, then said with a shaky voice, "Just... Stay with me more."
Junghyeok nodded. "I will. ... In the real world."
He left the ledge, and hearing Mia cry for him one last time, he let himself fall down.
Junghyeok gasped as he woke, and reached forward in surprise when he realised he was actually falling backwards in real life.
His hand caught onto something -
Was it another hand?
He looked up and realised that Lee Hyunsung was holding his hand tightly, pulling onto him with all his might.
Behind Hyunsung, there were two more people pulling him backwards to help them lift Junghyeok.
Junghyeok used his other hand to grip the surface, and exerting all his strength, he kicked his feet up and managed to put them on the land.
They finally pulled him back and he climbed up, and the other three collapsed backwards.
There was Lee Hyunsung, and...
Kim Namwoon?
Lee Jihye?
What was this place now?
Junghyeok turned around and realised it.
The 'sub-scenario: Escape' location.
The broken bridge they had to cross, to reach Oksu station.
But... Kim Namwoon had died this time round, hadn't he?
He was killed, more specifically. By that absurdly courageous (or stupid, this one was more likely) man, who killed his previous companion and had the audacity to saunter up to him and call him his companion in front of Gong Pildu.
And why was Lee Jihye here? They weren't supposed to meet outside the subway.
This was clearly another dream.
Goodness.
"Master, are you okay?!"
"Captain, I was only meant to dangle you over the edge to wake you up, but I accidentally let go of you! Please forgive me, please don't kill me!"
Junghyeok just glared at Kim Namwoon, who flinched and skittered away.
Hyunsung stood in front of Junghyeok and scratched the back of his head, smiling sheepishly as he said, "It was my fault, Junghyeok-ssi, that I asked him to perform the kick."
Junghyeok shook his head, then stood up. "Why... Why was I dreaming in the first place?"
Jihye looked at him, surprised. "Master, you don't remember?! You literally got a scenario, telling you to dream about your sponsor, so that you can find out his truth?!"
His sponsor?
... The Oldest Dream?
But why would he get such an absurd scenario -
Oh right. This was a dream.
Made sense.
Or it didn't, and that's why it made sense.
Nothing made sense to Junghyeok anymore.
This was the... What, third time he was waking up?
He moved towards the edge of the bridge, and looked down.
The ichthyosaur was looking at him.
If he jumped into its mouth... He'd just wake up again, wouldn't he?
He looked at his sword on his scabbard.
It felt unnaturally light in weight.
This was most definitely a dream.
Jihye said from behind him, "Master, if you're planning to jump, you'll just wake up."
He turned around, and was slightly surprised to see Hyunsung standing right in front of him.
"I'm sorry, Junghyeok-ssi -"
"You don't have to apologise, I've just accepted it at this point -"
"Wake up."
And he nodded his head when he got pushed back, breaking into the surface of the water, rather than the mouth of the monster.
By the time the contact fully subsided, he found out he was awake.
Sitting on a chair.
And in front of him...
Was Kim Dokja.
Yoo Junghyeok took a deep breath.
He was unable to believe his eyes.
This guy- what was he doing even here?!
Kim Dokja was staring directly at him, standing while leaning back on the wall with his arms crossed.
Junghyeok looked around.
This was... Chungmuro station.
The place where Junghyeok had noticed the potential of Jung Heewon and Lee Gilyoung, except now it was just the two of them here.
The funny part was... Junghyeok was unable to tell if this was a dream or not.
After all, this could be the reality.
Since he had still not completely cleared the movie, anyone else could join it until it was completely finished.
What if he took a lot of time and this son of a bastard appeared here to take advantage of it?
Of Junghyeok having went through all the ordeals, and him being here to share the rewards?
Not that Junghyeok cared, but if that was the case, he wouldn't let Kim Dokja leave unharmed.
Junghyeok reached for his sword-
-but it wasn't on his person.
He looked around for it, then looked at Kim Dokja, who just grinned at him.
"Looking for that?"
He pointed towards the door, where Junghyeok's sword was kept, intertwined with Kim Dokja's.
He pushed himself off the wall and began moving slowly towards Junghyeok, like a predator walking towards prey.
Junghyeok was about to stand up, but Kim Dokja was quicker and rushed at him all of a sudden, pushing him back in the chair.
Junghyeok would have protested, but that moron placed his foot on Junghyeok's thigh forcefully, and locked him in place by caging him in with his arms on the chair.
"What the fuck-"
"Junghyeok-ah!" Contrary to what he was doing, his tone was cheerful.
Junghyeok bit his tongue, then said, "Why are you being so overfamiliar? And why are you here?"
Kim Dokja raised an eyebrow at that, as if the mere thought of being questioned by Junghyeok was an offense against his bloodline. "How silly, Junghyeok-ah. Why won't I be here? Like I had said, we are companions in life and death, and by not denying it and even standing up for me and my companions against that tyrant Gong Pildu, you clearly agreed with my sentiment as well."
This stupid idiot!
Junghyeok's jaw ticked with annoyance. "Get off of me, Kim Dokja."
"Not before you tell me why you basically accepted me as your companion in spirit."
Junghyeok sighed, trying to keep his demeanor calm. "Listen, I've been through enough already. Don't annoy me, and I don't know why you entered this movie when I'm already in it, but if you're here to snatch anything from me, any of the rewards, any-"
"I came here only to get the answer to my question. Did you accept me as your companion? Can I assume that?"
Junghyeok breathed deeply. "Why do you want to kno-"
"Because, you stupid fool, our desires align. We both want the same conclusion, even though our methods may be different. And I want to be on a level of companionship with you, where our differences don't hurt each other, or our aims. I want there to be transparency and trust and mutual respect between us, and of course, support. Which is a lot to ask for, considering you choked me and threw me into a monster's mouth the very first time we met-"
"I haven't yet accepted you as a companion, but I've acknowledged that you are here, and will probably be a continuing presence and a source of disruption to my plans", Kim Dokja fell silent when he began speaking. "I wanted to see if you could fend for yourself when left to fatality alone. I had felt guilt, but then I decided that if you had been lying about being a prophet, you had it coming, and that to become my companion, you must pass that test. And -"
"So, to you, companionship is something that is measured by skills and abilities?"
Junghyeok's face hardened, then he looked away and sighed. "In this kind of world... There's no point taking helpless people as your companion -"
"I took Lee Gilyoung and Jung Heewon with me, and they are now individuals you want to add to your group. What does that say about you or your ideology?"
Junghyeok kept quiet.
Then, he stared at Dokja again. "I don't know about all of that. I'm deeply flawed, and... And if you wish to be my companion, you have to accept me with all my problems and all my imperfections. You proposed the idea in the first place. As a prophet, you must know about me, don't you? And yet, you chose to team up with me. This is the real me, bare, unhidden, that's the hideousness of me."
Kim Dokja stared at him for a moment, then lowered his leg from Junghyeok and moved back. "Well... I'm also flawed. Everyone is. I've yet to meet perfection, and the day I do, I'll kill them. Because they're not real. If I can accept you with your imperfections... Why can't you accept me with mine? You don't need to be alone, you know? You don't have to carry such a huge burden alone? I know the future, and I know about you. Let me be by your side, to make it easier for both of us."
Junghyeok just stared at him for a moment, then got up and went towards the door.
Kim Dokja watched him curiously.
Slowly, he picked his own sword up.
... Lighter than a feather.
A dream, once again.
He looked at Kim Dokja.
Who stares back at him, unperturbed.
Junghyeok moved towards him. "This is a dream."
"I know."
Junghyeok had nothing else to say, but he just gave his sword to Kim Dokja.
He took it, looking at Junghyeok questioningly.
Sighing, Junghyeok said, "Well... As the first act of companionship... I'll trust you to kill me. Run this sword through my chest."
Kim Dokja stared at his eyes, and after a bit of staring Junghyeok looked away.
Kim Dokja sighed, then stood in front of him and said, "Well, I guess I gotta commit to the bit. Yoo Junghyeok... Wake up."
He was used to it now.
That's what he told himself, and yet, he laid on the ground fatigued, sweat covering his body.
He sat up, and a scenario window hovered over him.
No, it was more like a client email hologram kind of thing.
It read: I want you to do an Inception, where you resolve someone's mental traumas.
...
Ah.
He had ended up resolving his own.
He let out a humourless laugh, then he stood up.
The movie was successfully completed, and after he received his rewards, he was thrown out of the movie poster.
He stood and looked at the ripped up poster in wonder.
He pulled his sword out, and weighed it in his hand.
This was the correct weight of his sword.
He was back in reality.
He put the sword back.
He wasn't really sure what to feel in his mind.
But he had one confusion that stood out most from all his emotions.
Why had Kim Dokja appeared in his subconsciousness, even though they had only recently met, and all the rest were his companions from long times?
...
Well, he'd never know.
But it was time to clear the next movie now.