Admittedly, she hadn't been very thorough in her planning. How could she when she'd done it on the spot and with her brain still a little fuzzy? She glanced at Yoongi again, careful not to move too much. In sleep, his face held a child-like innocence. A curtain of freshly washed dark hair flopped down his forehead, shielding his eyes. Her fingers itched to brush the strands away, but she settled on digging her nails against her palms. Right now, the fear of this rare moment flitting away was greater than any other desire.

  Yeoreum decided she would wait a little longer. If things didn't work out, she might never have this opportunity to be with him again. She had to savor it. Besides, judging by the way his lips were slightly parted and the pale lavender smudges beneath his eyes, she guessed he was exhausted, too. Let him rest. Slowly, she lay her head back down, closed her eyes, and allowed the scent of his skin to transport her to another time.

She was now at Yoongi's 10-pyeong studio apartment, the one near their university. Both of them were working on a group presentation together. Her friend, Hani, was also supposed to be there, but a massive typhoon was ravaging Seoul, pounding everything outside with a steady barrage of heavy late-Summer rain. Yeoreum, having left the dormitory earlier, was the only one who made it to Yoongi's place. She'd been staring out the window, wondering how to navigate the palpable tension that was also taking up space in the already tiny room when Yoongi stood next to her. Immediately, a smattering of goosebumps dotted her arm. As usual, she was hyper-aware of everything about him.

Yoongi smelled so good. He always did. More than once, it had tempted her to bury her nose against the column of his throat and inhale his delectable scent. Even now, her body swayed towards his drawn like a sunflower to the sun.

"I'm not sure you can go home tonight," he had said, thankfully oblivious to the damning thoughts in her head. "The news says this is the worst typhoon to hit Seoul in years. It's dangerous out there."

"Maybe I can take a cab?" she reluctantly asked.

In truth, she wanted to stay there. The possibilities of spending a long night together made her feel tingly all over. Maybe doing so would push things along. She was so tired of the limbo they were currently at. Everyone, even their usually clueless friends, could see there was something between them. Yet neither she nor Yoongi took that step over the precipice of friendship both aware of the gravity of the consequence. Except now, she didn't care about whatever cursed history their families shared. She was ready to fall.

"Maybe if the rain stops," he replied, sliding a doubtful glance towards the windowpane. "But I don't think it will."

"Yeah, I don't think so, too..."

The shrill sound of the emergency alert blared from both their phones. Yeoreum jumped, hitting her elbow against his arm.

"Oh sorry! Did I hurt you?" she asked.

"Nah, don't worry about it," he said, fishing his phone out of his pocket. "Well, it says that roads are flooded and everyone is advised to stay indoors."

"Then it's settled. I'm staying here."

"If you're worried, I have a friend who lives in the building across the road. I can sleep there tonight so you're more comfortable?"

"We can sleep together. I don't mind."

Yoongi looked up, his eyes wide. Yeoreum realized she'd made a Freudian slip and hastened to repair the damage. "I-I mean, you can sleep with me." No, wait. "That's wrong, too. I meant to sleep here with me. Share the space. Together..." she finished lamely, heat suffusing her cheeks.

Yoongi chuckled. "I wouldn't mind sleeping with you, too. In whatever sense you mean."

She stared at him then, eyes drilling into his as she tried to decipher its depths.  To her surprise, he didn't look away like he normally would. The air around them grew heavy. Outside, lightning flashed momentarily illuminating his dark gaze. Was that desire she saw?

"What if I wanted to sleep with you?" she dared to ask.

In a voice as low as the thunder rumbling in the distance, he replied, "You would have to define what that means."

"I mean the one where we don't actually go to sleep."

He raised his brow.

She held her breath.

Electricity crackled in the room. It was unbearable. Yeoreum exhaled, but before the last breath of air left her lips, Yoongi captured the sound with his own.

"Yeoreum-ah..."

An agonized cry pierced through her consciousness and scattered away the fragile pieces of that long-ago memory. Yeoreum snapped her eyes open to the present and squirmed. Yoongi hugged her so tight it was almost impossible to breathe.

"Yeoreum-ah..." he cried again, fingers digging against her sides.

Wincing, Yeoreum angled her head back so she could see his face. Yoongi appeared to still be asleep. And yet, he was calling out her name. Was he dreaming about her?

"I'm here," she said, wiggling her hand free so she could cup his face and was surprised to discover cold, wet tears on his cheek.

"S-sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I shouldn't have..."

His voice drifted off into silence. Yeoreum waited just in case he would say more. When he didn't, she asked, "Why are you sorry?"

Instead of answering, he opened his eyes. A squeak rushed up to Yeoreum's mouth then got stuck in her throat so it sounded more like a gurgle. Yoongi looked straight at her, his clear, direct gaze making her wonder if he'd been awake all along.

"Kim Yeoreum."

"Y-yes?"

"You're Kim Yeoreum," he said again.

She nodded.

His face contorted in pain. "Why are you always in my dreams?"

"You... you dream of me?"

"Always."

Her heart constricted at the revelation. She bit the inside of her cheek, trying to control the rush of emotions that threatened to overflow. She shouldn't get carried away. What if this, too, was a dream? What if she was stuck in a drunken daze after all. If it turned out to be so...

"T-then... then do you finally remember me?"

"Remember you?" 

His brow furrowed in confusion. The metallic taste of blood seeped through her mouth as she bit herself too hard. Yeoreum winced. She was right to give up. She'd failed again and again. Only a fool would expect the outcome to change.

"N-nevermind," she whispered, pulling her hand back. "I... I've been a thorn on your side for too long. That's why you dream of me." She forced out a wobbly smile. "T-thank you for taking care of me. I'm f-fine now so I should g-go home."

Yeoreum untangled herself from his embrace and hastened to get out of bed before he saw the tears spilling down her face. This had been a disaster. What had she wished to achieve by doing this? All she'd done was torture herself even more. Min Yoongi had forgotten her long ago. No amount of last-minute scrambling was going to change that. Especially when she'd pinned all her hopes on something as transient as love.

Love did not conquer all.

Love, like any other emotion, faded with the passing of time.

A sob escaped her lips. Yeoreum ran towards the living room. Behind her, she could hear Yoongi moving so she quickened her steps. Just when she was about to open the front door, he called.

"Juliet!"

Yeoreum stopped, shock stilling her movements. She gripped the doorknob until her knuckles turned white, but refused to look at him. There was only so much she could take.

"Wh-what did you say?" she asked.

"You're Juliet."

"What Juliet?"

She heard the muffled sound of his footsteps traverse the distance between them. Before long, his scent wrapped around her again, letting her know he was close behind. Yeoreum stilled herself against the onslaught. Her heart had been crushed so many times. If it shattered again tonight, she was certain it could never be put together again. At least not in this lifetime.

"The person sending letters to the radio station. That's you."

"You're wro—"

"And the person who wrote in my book," he went on, cutting her off, "that's you, too.     I thought it was a coincidence at first. But the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Ever since I met you, I kept having these strange dreams."

"Wh-what do you dream about?" she whispered.

"Someone I used to love. Juliet."

Used to.

The ache in her chest grew. Yeoreum pressed a fist against it. "S-she must be one of your e-ex-girlfriends. Why—" She gasped. "Why do you think it's me?"

"She used to only appear to me in flashes. I'd see the back of her head, hear her laugh, feel the warmth of her hands... Then I started receiving those letters, and the dreams became longer, like scenes from a movie. I'd hear conversations in my head. Vivid flashes of memory. But never her face. Until tonight. I finally saw her. And guess who I saw?"

"Who?"

"I saw you."

Yeoreum's heartbeat picked up its rhythm and drummed furiously against her ribcage. She should be happy. Her plan worked after all. And so, she laughed. Yet, the sound that came out of her mouth held no sign of amusement. It was dull and brittle instead. She was too afraid. Too afraid to once again cling to that spark of hope.

"Only because I was with you tonight," she replied. "Y-you're mind must have mistaken me for someone else."

The shuffling of his feet signaled his movement. He'd taken a step closer. His breath fanned against her neck. Yeoreum swayed forward, knees weak with the effort it took to stay upright when all she wanted was to curl inside herself. Fortunately, she was able to brace herself against the door.

"It's you. It has to be you."

Something soft briefly pressed against her nape. When she realized it was his lips, she squeezed her eyes shut, torn between staying and fleeing. If she left now, maybe she could still salvage a minuscule part of herself.

"You taste like my dreams," he said against her skin. "Even your scent is familiar." This time he wrapped his arms around her waist and held her flush against his body. "And this... I feel like I've done this a million times before. Who are you?"

"I'm... I'm Kim Yeoreum."

"Then Kim Yeoreum-ssi, why? Why do you feel like home?"

---

A/N: Time really does fly, huh? Can't believe my last update was August 2020. Sorry, friends! :(