But then...
Nothing happened.
Silence.
A strange stillness replaced the fear.
Slowly…
Cautiously…
She opened her eyes.
The dog was there.
Right in front of her.
Teeth bared.
Close enough...
Too close.
But it wasn't moving.
It was… stopped.
Held back.
Ji Eun's gaze shifted slightly, and that's when she saw it.
Someone stood in front of her.
A boy.
Tall.
At least in her small, frightened eyes.
His back faced her.
Shielding her.
One hand held firmly forward.
Not touching the dog.
Not striking it.
But the dog…
Wouldn't come closer.
It growled.
Snarled.
Tried to push forward,
But couldn't.
As if something invisible stood between them.
Ji Eun's breathing hitched. She didn't understand. But she felt it...
Safety.
The fear didn't disappear completely.
But it softened.
Just enough for her to breathe.
"H-hey…" she whispered faintly.
Her small fingers reached out slightly...
Wanting to hold onto something.
Anyone.
The boy didn't turn.
Or maybe he did.
But the dream refused to let her see.
His face...
Blurred.
Unclear.
As if time itself had erased it. All she could see was...
Broad shoulders.
Stillness.
Control.
And then...
His voice.
Low.
Quiet.
"It won't touch you."
The words echoed.
Soft.
Certain.
Ji Eun blinked.
Trying to focus.
Trying to see him.
"Who are..." she tried to ask.
But the dream began to fracture.
The garden flickered.
The light dimmed.
The edges blurred.
The boy...
Started to fade.
Wait...
Something in her chest tightened.
A sudden urge...
Desperation.
"Don't go—!"
But he didn't answer. Didn't turn. Didn't stay.
And the last thing she felt...
Was the absence.
As if something that had always been there...
Had slipped silently out of reach.