And as the servants bustled around to serve the fresh blood, everything went into a haze.

Tw: might not be suitable for all readers

"Hyunsoo." I called out, blindly reaching out in front of me due to the bright light illuminated onto my face.

As the lights dimmed, I realized where I was. The green floor, the green circling, the green goblets- it was without a doubt the Sim castle.

Suddenly, the guards came out again onto the platform. Someone was again struggling in their arms. As I peered closer, I realized that someone was Hyunsoo. He was acting exactly how he had previously.

Shocked, I couldn't do anything but gawk. How was he alive? Why was I back here again? Where was everyone else?

Why did it seem like the exact same scene was reoccurring?

"Let go of me!" Hyunsoo shrieked, his premature voice slicing through the air. The guards didn't say anything, simply forcing him onto his knees again. Curses flew out of Hyunsoo's mouth.

As if finally noticing my presense, he whipped his head to me. "Yumin," he yelled out, eyes boring into mine. "Save me!"

Snapping out of my daze, I attempted to lift my foot up. However, my feet just simply wouldn't move. I let out a panicked noise, desperately trying to tug my feet to work. It was as if my feet were cemented to the ground.

A gurgling noise brought my attention back to the stage. I realized with horror that the noises were coming from Hyunsoo. His hands were on his throat again, clasping onto the hilt of the knife lodged in it. However, it was his eyes that sent a shiver down my spine.

They were so cold. So transparent with hate. Hate directed towards me.

I screamed, desperately trying to run to him, but my forsaken legs just wouldn't move. Hyunsoo's mouth opened, rasping out words.

"I hate you." He said, choking on his own blood.

My entire body shook and I couldn't take my eyes off of him. My attention was stolen by another sight to my left, initiating another terrified scream from me at the sight of what it was.

"Yunseo." I croaked out, tears flowing freely down my face. She, too, has a hand on her throat, drowning in her own blood.

"Yumin." She said it in a whisper, but it was like I could hear it as a yell. "Why us?"

I turned my gaze shakily towards Hyunsoo, my throat crying.

"Why do we have to be killed?" He asked, the light leaving his eyes.

"Why not you?" Yunseo added.

I raised my hands to my ears, feeling my knees give up as I slowly sank to the ground. "I don't know." I whispered, voice shaking. "I'm sorry."

"You monster."

"How could you just watch me die like that?"

"Did you even love us?"

"What do you have that's so special?"

I shook my head, closing my eyes and pressing my hands firmer on my ears. "I'm sorry."

"Will your apology give me my life back?"

"I'm sorry."

Suddenly, a hand grasped onto my chin, violently lifting my head to meet them. I was met with Yunseo's eyes, but all of the kindness left her face. Dried blood stuck to the ends of her mouth.

"Die." She stated, hands lowering to squeeze my neck. I screamed, hands flying up to claw at her hands.

There was nothing I could do but scream. Why was I always unable to anything but scream?

Why?

"Yumin!" A familiar voice urgently yelled out, making me gasp and open my eyes.

I was met with a dark room illuminated by the small lamp on my bedside table. I struggled to catch my breath, taking in my surroundings.

Large, worried eyes stared back into mine, peering at me for any injuries that might be the cause of my screams. Soft hands were placed securely on my shoulders, holding me up.

It was then that I noticed that I was crying, my face red and throat sore from screaming. I let out another sob, realizing that the situation was just a dream.

But how could a dream feel so real?

"Jungwon-" I let out through my sobs, shaking.

He cut me off, sitting down next to me on my bed and pulling me into his arms. "Shhh, don't worry. I'm here, love. Calm down."

I shut my mouth, desperately trying to quiet down my sobs, resulting in pathetic whimpering sounds shying out of me.

Jungwon giggled at the sight, pulling me closer into his arms. "No, that's not what I meant. Let it out, just try to calm yourself in the process."

I sniffled, gulping for air. "Pick a damn side, Jungwon."

"I love the ocean." He said with a small smile playing on his lips.

I paused from my efforts of wiping off my face with my hands and still hiccuping with tears, taken aback. "What?"

"I said I love the ocean. I've always had, always will. Something about it is just so calming, whether it's bright outside or pouring down rain."

Leaning deeper into his touch, I let him continue.

"My grandma used to take me out onto the beach a lot when I was younger, along with another one of my friends. It was like a break from life, a break from my duties. It was as if nothing mattered other than the three of us and the ocean."

I blinked up at him, taking in his appearance. His hair was disheveled, as if he had just gotten out of bed. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if he really had. Nonetheless, his eyes were bright and crinkled as he recalled the fond memory. A small, reminiscent smile played at his lips. My hand curled on the fabric of his shirt.

"There's this really cool food stand there. Actually, I wouldn't really consider it 'cool'. It's just a merry jolly place that gives off good vibes. The old vampire couple there sells bunggeopang, the best I've ever tasted." He rambled on. "Now that I think about it, I should probably take Riki there sometime. He loves bunggeopang."

His eyes lit up, face breaking in a big smile. "Actually, we should all go there together sometime. It'd be so fun. We can just tell an excuse, like we're inspecting the beach or something. That's something princely, isn't it?"

To my surprise, I let out a laugh at this. He looked down at that, smiling fondly at me. "See, that feels a lot better than crying, doesn't it?"

I nodded, still not feeling the energy to talk a lot. However, my mood had slightly gotten better. "How are you feeling?" He asked softly.

"Shitty." I answered honestly, voice cracking in the process.

Noticing that, Jungwon gently let go of me, standing up. I immediately felt cold without his presense, yearning for him to come back into that position. "I'll go get you a cup of water." He said softly, turning to do just that.

Watching him start to leave, I felt panic rise in me. I couldn't be alone. Not right now.

I reached out to one of his hands, grabbing it with my own and stopping him. He turned, staring at me with big doe eyes. "Is there something wrong?" He asked.

"Please don't leave me." I whispered.

His eyes softened hearing these words, and his other hand came up to cover mine.

"Do you mind just staying here tonight?" I asked. I patted the spot on my bed next to me, looking at him with pleading eyes. "I don't want to be alone."

Jungwon gave me an encouraging smile before nodding, circling around the bed to the other side to get in his spot. He settled in, pulling the blanket around both of us. It was only then that I felt safe enough to lean back fully into my bed.

Of course, Jungwon always knew what I needed the most at the moment. I felt an arm circle my waist, pulling me once again into his frame. I snuggled into his chest, enjoying his warmth and familiar smell, feeling the panic slowly leave my body.

"I won't ever mind." He whispered. "I'll never leave you."