Milo:

  The hospital room slowly came into focus as I blinked awake. My vision was hazy at first, but as it cleared, I realized I was surrounded by my bandmates. Yoo was slumped beside me, his head resting on my arm. Dak-ho and Kwan were sprawled out on the two-seater chair on the opposite end of the room, practically on top of each other, both out cold. Daiki lay on the floor, with Jae-sung’s head resting on his stomach, both of them looking completely at peace. Seeing them all there brought a smile to my face. They hadn’t left. They must have taken shifts or something. A swell of gratitude filled me, warming me from the inside.

  I reached out, ruffling Yoo’s hair gently. “You having a nice nap?” I joked, my voice rough from sleep.

  His eyes popped open, and the moment he realized I was awake, they widened in disbelief. Without a word, he practically leapt on me with a hug that knocked the breath out of my lungs.

  “Yoo—“ I gasped, laughing despite the tight squeeze. “You’re crushing me!”

  His excitement was contagious, and before I knew it, the others were stirring too. Kwan rubbed his eyes, Dak-ho blinked awake, and Jae-sung and Daiki scrambled to their feet. In an instant, I was engulfed in a group hug so tight I thought it might actually suffocate me—but in the best way possible.

  “Guys, guys!” I chuckled, trying to catch my breath. “I can’t breathe!”

  They finally backed off, but I could see the relief on their faces. Dak-ho wiped a tear from his cheek, and I smirked. “What’s this? You’re not gonna cry on me, are you?”

  “Shut up,” he muttered, trying to sound tough but failing miserably. “We were all scared, okay?”

  I laughed, but as the haze of sleep lifted, a dull ache crept back into my body—more specifically, my knee. The pain had been gone while I was out, in that strange dream world, but now it was back. A nagging reminder that everything I’d just experienced wasn’t real. This was reality, and the pain was proof of that. I winced slightly, shifting in bed to get comfortable, but the ache didn’t let up.

  Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

  Kwan, always the observant one, noticed. “How’s your knee, man? Is it bothering you again?”

  I forced a smile. “Nah, it’s fine. Nothing I can’t handle.”

  Kwan raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced, but he didn’t push it.

  The warmth of their concern wrapped around me, and for a moment, I felt invincible. But as the fog of sleep fully lifted, an uneasy feeling settled in. Memories of running, of the forest, and of everything that had happened before I passed out blurred together. What had I just been through?

  Before I could dwell on it, Daiki stepped closer. “What do you remember last?” he asked.

  I paused, searching my mind. “Something about… being on horseback,” I said slowly, the words foreign as they left my lips.

  Daiki’s face softened, and to my surprise, he took my hand. “Man, I thought we almost lost you,” he murmured, his voice breaking.

  I blinked, taken aback. “Don’t be like that… Haruto,” I blurted out without thinking.

  The moment the name left my mouth, confusion flooded me. Where had that come from? Why did I just call Daiki “Haruto”? The name felt foreign, yet oddly familiar. Had it been from the nightmare I couldn’t quite remember?

  The room went quiet for a second, and Daiki’s eyes widened. Had I really just said that? But instead of reacting negatively, he just smiled through his tears and squeezed my hand tighter.

  What was happening? This was so different from the last time we interacted. Back then, he had been jealous of me for getting the role of General Haruto. He’d thrown snide comments my way, and the tension had been thick. But now, here he was, genuinely worried about me.

  What had changed? Had I been too caught up in my own insecurities to see how much they cared? The memories from the nightmare felt hazy, like I was trying to grasp something slipping through my fingers. I wanted to remember Jin-hoon—was it?—and Sang-min, and the others, but their faces were fading into the distance, becoming almost like strangers. Why were these names coming into my mind? The more I thought about them, the more disconnected I felt from the reality around me, as if I were standing on the edge of a dream I couldn’t quite wake up from.

  I looked around at my friends’ worried faces and felt a wave of gratitude mixed with confusion. Had I taken them for granted? The thought gnawed at me, but Daiki pulled me back to reality.

  “Milo,” he said softly, as if sensing my internal struggle. “We’re just glad you’re okay.”

  I nodded, but deep down, that tight knot of uncertainty wouldn’t loosen. The dull throb in my knee brought me back to reality with every beat. The dream had been so vivid, so strange, but this—this was where I belonged. This was real.

  ?Sky Mincharo