Chapter 23

“How is it even possible!?”

Lily stared blankly at the wall, completely stunned.

She couldn’t think straight — couldn’t tell what was real and what wasn’t. Her heart felt heavy, and her mind was spinning.

Was it really just a dream?

Suddenly, her phone rang again.

She picked it up quickly. “Emi!”

“Lily! What happened? Are you really okay?”

“I… I’m coming. I’ll meet you there.”

“Okay. Take your time.”

Lily ended the call with a long, shaky sigh.

Maybe talking to her will help clear my head, she thought.

She quickly got ready and left the house.

But her mind… was far from quiet.

On the way, she kept thinking about it all — Jin, the places they visited, the horse ride, the waterfall… and the arrow.

It felt real. Too real.

She finally reached the park — the same park where she used to hang out with Jin.

Or… thought she did?

Maybe it was all in her imagination.

Emi stood near the bench, waving at her. Lily rushed toward her.

“Emi!!”

“Ah, finally!” Emi smiled. “You really scared me, you know.”

“I have to tell you something,” Lily said quickly. Her voice carried a tension she couldn’t hide.

Emi’s smile faded. “What happened? Why were you crying earlier? Is everything okay at home?”

Lily sat beside her and took a deep breath.

Then she told her everything.

Every bit of the dream. Every detail. Jin. The forest. The pain. The goodbye.

By the time she finished, Emi was just staring at her — speechless.

“Wow,” she finally said. “Lily… I must say… you really need to stop watching so many dramas.”

“Emi…” Lily groaned, rubbing her face.

“Sorry, sorry! But seriously — what an interesting dream! A little weird, but... wow!”

“I know, right? But it’s just so hard to accept that it was just a dream. It felt so real. Like it was all really happening to me. It’s still spinning inside my head.”

“It was a dream though,” Emi said calmly. “I mean — come on. Time travel without any machine? It’s not possible. That’s just conspiracy theory stuff.”

She paused, then added with a grin,

“And second — your character in the dream? Wasn’t you at all. You’re tough, Lily. You don’t believe in things that easily. So… I had my doubts about dream-you.”

Lily blinked,. “You’re not wrong. But still… ugh, it’s weird.”

“Indeed! It's your dream after all!”

“Hey! Seriously?” Lily narrowed her eyes.

Emi burst out laughing, which made Lily crack a small smile too.

“Well, leave it now,” Emi said, nudging her. “The more you think about it, the more it’ll mess with your brain.”

“Hmm… maybe. I am overthinking,” Lily sighed.

“Exactly. So, are we going to sit here all day? Or are we finally moving?”

Lily chuckled at Emi’s overdramatic gesture. “Fine, fine… let’s go.”

And just like that, her heart felt a little lighter.

But that dream — it still lingered quietly in the back of her mind.