Ansi seemed to think for a moment before nodding her head.

“That’s a good idea! I’ll do the countdown.”

Soon, under the lead of an excited Hofri, the two decided to simultaneously talk about each other’s greatest charms.

“Okay, one, two, three!”

“A bold and stubborn personality and……”

“Your face.”

“……”

At Ansi’s resolute and frank answer, Damion trailed off.

Somehow his face felt hot.

Usually, don’t people talk about internal aspects?

Things like having a bold personality with strong opinions, or transparently and honestly expressing emotions, or the grace exuded from an upright posture, gestures, and each step.

“Damion is indeed handsome.”

“Yeah, I was also surprised when I first saw him a few years ago.”

“Especially those eyes……”

The conversation turned into an evaluation of Damion’s appearance, and Ansi was casually eating.

He had been watching her, thinking she might become a spectacle, but somehow he felt like he was the spectacle from the beginning.

However, it didn’t feel bad.

Well, it’s fortunate that at least his appearance pleases that woman.

Damion let out a chuckle and began cutting the food in front of him again.

[This is the timeline separator]

It was that night.

When Ansi had that dream.

When she opened her eyes, she suddenly realized she was in Damion’s room.

In the early dawn with dim light still lingering, Damion was adjusting his necktie while looking in the mirror. It was a dark wine-colored necktie that matched well with his light blond hair.

Thinking it strange to be blankly watching him prepare for work, Ansi opened her mouth.

‘I’ll go back to my room……’

But no voice came out. Like smoke, Ansi’s voice scattered and disappeared into the air.

‘Damion……?’

It was a strange feeling. As if her body was floating, as if the surrounding air was suffocating her entire body.

In the quiet room where only the sound of Damion’s hand brushing his clothes could be heard, Ansi took a step. But there was no sound of footsteps, and of course, Damion didn’t look her way.

At that moment, she felt a presence from the bed behind her. Damion, who saw the bed through the mirror, smiled slightly. Soon, a woman sat up from the bed.

‘……!’

It was herself.

Only then did Ansi realize that this was a dream. Unless she had an out-of-body experience like she had read about in a book, there was no way she could be watching herself like this, and there was no way she could…… wake up in his bed like that.

〈Are you awake?〉

Damion turned around and approached the her on the bed with a leisurely smile. And he lightly kissed her forehead.

〈Sleep some more. Have a good dream this time.〉

After laying Ansi back down and even covering her with the blanket, he finally stretched his waist as if satisfied. A pine tree shape was engraved on the silver cufflinks of his sleeves.

〈Are you going to work already?〉

〈I have some things to take care of. I won’t be too late. Do you like tarts?〉

〈I like them.〉

〈Me too.〉

Damion lifted the corners of his mouth. Ansi blankly stared at him as he smiled like a child.

〈I heard there’s a famous shop. Let’s eat together later.〉

Damion soon left the room.

Ansi, that is, the ghost-like her observing this situation, was automatically following him. As if pulled by an irresistible gravity.

He went down the stairs with a lively step and got into the waiting car at the front door. It was the one Ansi had also ridden in before.

Unlike in the room, the man looked out the window with an expressionless face. The sky was clear and the early morning air was cool. There was a large bridge over the river that stretched out in front of them.

〈Do you know how long that bridge has been there?〉

〈Hmm, about 2 years? Why do you ask?〉

〈Somehow…… it looks old.〉

Damion stared intently at the deserted bridge. But soon he withdrew his gaze. The car started driving over the bridge without stopping.

In the silence, Damion took out his pocket watch.

The watch indicated 5:45.

That’s when it happened.

Suddenly the ground shook.

At the same time, the car tilted to the side. Just as it seemed like their bodies were floating, the view outside the window rapidly changed.

They were…… falling.

〈Damn it……!〉

He muttered a low curse.

Ansi unknowingly tried to grab Damion, but her hand passed through him.

Splash!

The violent sound of the car hitting the water.

The transparent and dark river water filling their view.

The remnants of the broken bridge visible outside the window.

The car door that wouldn’t open no matter how much they pulled and pushed.

Fear filled her.

Along with this, her vision flickered.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Heuk……!”

Ansi woke up from her spot, gasping for breath.

She clutched her heart, exhaling roughly.

“Hah, heuk……”

Her breathing didn’t calm down easily. Breaths mixed with a hint of crying repeatedly entered and left her lungs as if piercing them.

Ansi looked around with bloodshot eyes. This was her room. A quiet and still room with no immediate threats.

What happened earlier wasn’t reality.

It was a dream.

It was an extremely vivid nightmare, but it was something that ended once she woke up.

So she should forget such a dream and go back to sleep now.

But……

Was this really a dream?

It was strange.

It was too vivid to be a dream.

Her heart couldn’t calm down at all. In the end, Ansi got out of bed. She quietly walked down the hallway, opening and closing the door with trembling hands.

It was fortunate that Damion’s room was right next to hers. Because with each step she took, her legs shook so much that if it had been further away, she might have collapsed halfway.

“……”

But once she actually arrived in front of his room, she didn’t know what to do now.

Should she go in? Is it okay to secretly go into the room of someone who’s sleeping? Hesitation followed one after another.

That’s when the door opened.

“Ansi?”

Damion looked down at Ansi with a surprised expression. As if he had been sleeping, his clothes were loose and his bangs were down.

Ansi looked at the man with trembling eyes. She wasn’t sure if the man in front of her really existed.

“What’s the matter?”

Damion reached out and cupped Ansi’s cheek. The warmth touching her skin was vivid.

Ansi raised her hand and placed it on top of his hand that was touching her cheek.

Unlike in the car earlier, this time she could grab him.

This man was really here.

Only then did she open her mouth.

“Well……”

I saw you die.

In my dream, you just died.

It would be strange to say that.

When Ansi didn’t answer, his eyes narrowed. His gaze turned towards the area around her temple.

“Are you in pain? You seem to have broken out in a cold sweat.”

“I had a…… nightmare.”

She decided to only say that much. Damion’s furrowed brows relaxed.

“So that’s why you came to find me?”

Ansi nodded.

Damion gently embraced her back and head. His solid body touched her. His hand slowly stroked her hair.

“You must have been scared.”

Ansi opened her mouth to answer something, but in the end, she just nodded. A gentle voice continued from above.

“I was just about to go check on you because I heard a noise from your room. Are you okay now?”

“Ah……”

Yes, I’m okay now.

She should have said that, but the words wouldn’t come out.

In fact, her heart was still pounding. Even though she knew this man in front of her was alive, she was still scared.

It seemed as if an aura of death was enveloping him like fog.

When Ansi didn’t answer, Damion pulled away. The man who had been staring at her intently took Ansi’s hand and lightly pulled her.

“Come in.”

Ansi stepped inside the door. Damion stroked her cold hand and said,

“I’ll go to the kitchen. It would be good for you to drink some warm tea.”

“Wait, wait a moment.”

Ansi unknowingly raised her other hand and tightly grasped the hem of the man’s clothes. If she let go of this man now, it felt like he would disappear. Just like earlier, it seemed like he would pass through her hand and scatter at any moment.

“It’s okay. I don’t need to drink tea. If I just go back to sleep, I’ll be fine……”

She poured out the words as if making an excuse.

Damion quietly looked at Ansi like that. And when Ansi finished speaking, a gentle and calm voice settled over her.

“Then, shall I put you to bed?”

Ansi blinked for a moment and absentmindedly nodded. Damion took her hand and moved towards the bed.

Ansi’s heart kept pounding. The aftermath of the dream seemed to be greater than expected.

The warmth felt from his large hand was warm. Ansi obediently followed, not letting go of that hand.

The bed was wide enough for several people to sleep in, but not much of the space was used.

Damion, who lay next to Ansi, lightly embraced her and made his arm a pillow. Then he turned on his side and slowly patted her shoulder.

“Shall I tell you a secret?”

“……Yes.”

“The method I use to escape the lingering images after waking up from a nightmare.”

“What is it?”

“I imagine eating a lemon. Sometimes I actually eat one.”

A lemon? Ansi furrowed her brows, unable to manage her expression.

At her reaction, Damion burst into laughter.

“It’s funny, right? But it helps. Maybe because it’s stimulating.”

“I’ll try it next time.”

“Not now?”

“……Do you have nightmares too, Damion?”

Ansi changed the subject. Damion let out a cheerful laugh. But his answering voice was somewhat subdued.

“Occasionally. There was a time when it was frequent.”