05ㅣConflict
-
I returned home without even finishing my thoughts. Before I knew it, the pitch-black night sky enveloped me, and I drifted off to sleep. If things had gone according to plan, I should have fallen asleep long ago.
A room devoid of anything. Darkness enveloped all sides. I don't know how long I stayed there. Every negative emotion a human can feel, along with thoughts of my boyfriend, pounded at my heart. My head felt like it was going to burst, my vision was obscured by darkness, and my heart was crushed by an indescribable pain.
I curled up as low as I could, crouching in a corner, covering myself. It was the only way I could protect myself. My heart pounded, my nose stung, and clear, pure tears streamed down my cheeks. How could I be so broken? Then, from afar, a ray of light shot at me.
Trapped in the darkness, the light I saw was clear yet hazy. I couldn't open my eyes easily. It felt like the light was blinding me. When I finally adjusted to the light and opened my eyes, there stood the boyfriend I'd been waiting for. But I couldn't approach him or speak to him.
My body stiffened, refusing to listen. I wanted to say something. For a moment, I realized this was déjà vu. I'd had dreams like this before. But that time, I could speak, I could move. My boyfriend had no expression. I couldn't express it in words. He seemed expressionless. An aura so strong it felt like black smoke was emanating from behind, threatening to engulf me.
There was nothing more miserable than simply looking at the boyfriend I'd been missing. It felt like my boyfriend was looking at another woman. He wasn't the man I knew. He seemed like a completely different person, just a boyfriend in disguise. Then, my boyfriend spoke.
"conflict."
With those words, I awoke in a cold sweat. My pillow and bedsheets were soaked with tears and sweat. I sighed and sat up, a pungent odor gushing from my nose. I knew it was a nosebleed.
I quickly plugged my nose with a tissue. The incessant nosebleed spoke volumes about my state of mind. How tired must I have been to have a dream like this and then have a nosebleed? I felt sorry for myself.
After the bleeding stopped and I was catching my breath, it finally occurred to me: the keyword my boyfriend had mentioned, "conflict." Now it was almost certain. My boyfriend was appearing in my dreams, dropping keywords one by one. But there was a problem here, too.
If I were to piece together these clues and complete the puzzle, if I were to uncover the true conclusion of a case, not a hypothesis, what would I do then? If I reported it to the police, there wouldn't be any evidence left. The only evidence I have is my dream. How on earth would I prove it? My goal is to catch the culprit.
My mind once again cluttered, I clutched my hair and roared. The frustration was driving me crazy. I desperately wanted to catch the culprit, no matter what. And I wanted to ask: if it was murder, why on earth did he do it?