The Room She Drew

After leaving the park that evening, an awkward kind of comfort settled between them — the kind that only comes after a confession. They walked their usual route in silence, stealing glances at each other, their hearts still racing from the words they had shared. It was a special day, one neither of them would forget.

After dinner, they returned home. The evening passed quietly — the soft rustle of clothes, the gentle sound of water as they freshened up — and soon they found themselves in bed. They lay there, facing each other, the world falling away as their eyes met. Slowly, sleep pulled them under… but their gazes never wavered.

...

The first thing Lily felt was warmth — golden sun rays dancing across her face. Somewhere in the distance, birds were chirping, their song soft and soothing. A gentle breeze stirred the air. It felt… peaceful.

But something was wrong.

Her eyes fluttered open slowly, adjusting to the light. Curtains? Her brows furrowed in confusion. When did I put up curtains? Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she sat up and looked around. The room… it was unfamiliar. The bed beneath her wasn’t the simple mattress she had in her apartment — this was a real bed, large and elegant, with soft sheets and a canopy of white curtains draping around it. The walls were painted in a different hue — richer, warmer — nothing like her own space.

Her heart began to race. Someone kidnapped me?

But then her gaze fell on the figure sleeping peacefully beside her.

"Jin!" Panic surged through her. "Jin, wake up! Someone kidnapped us! Jin!"

He stirred with a groan, his hair a tousled mess as he sat up, squinting at the curtains around them. "What…? What are you—" His words trailed off as he finally took in the room. His sleepiness faded fast. "When did you put up curtains?"

"I didn’t!"

They both stared around in growing confusion. And then something clicked.

Jin’s eyes widened. "Wait… is this my room?"

"What?"

He scrambled out of bed, turning in circles as realization hit him. "This—this is my room! But how…? What are we doing here?"

"Your room? How? Jin, we were at my apartment!"

But Lily wasn’t even hearing him anymore. Her panic rose with every detail she took in — the bedposts, the side tables, the color of the walls. It was all so… familiar. Too familiar.

"I know this room," she whispered, pacing in confusion. "I know this room — the bed, the colors… I drew this room!"

Jin froze. "What?"

"I drew it," she said, her voice shaking. "It was in the same folder where I saved your file. I sketched this room before I ever drew you — maybe a week ago. Jin, how is this happening?"

"Lily—"

"Why is this happening? What’s going to happen next? I… I drew you too, remember?"

"Princess," he said softly, stepping toward her, trying to calm her down. "Breathe. Nothing’s going to happen, okay?"

But Lily wasn’t listening. "This has to be a dream," she whispered, eyes wide. "We’re dreaming. We have to be."

Jin’s voice was steady, but there was fear creeping into his own eyes now. "Both of us? The same dream?"

A sharp knock on the door made them both jump.

It was the first time, in all the strange days they had spent together, that someone had knocked on the door.

Jin’s voice dropped to a whisper, tense and urgent. "Princess… hide. Fast.”