ANAGAPESIS

Crossroad.

There was where he saw her standing still by the curb, waiting for the green light to appear, so that she could cross it.

She was on the opposite side of him, smiling with her infamous smile that had turned her eyes into crescents when she noticed him.

Her smile was addictive, it made him smile as well without any concreted reason.

Excitedly she started her first step like a toddler as soon as the light for the pedestrian turned green, he loyally waited with his hands pocketed.

But, the excitement did not last long when constant honking filled the area, alerting him but not her.

A truck with flickering headlamps was coming towards her who halted in the middle of the road, waiting for her last fate came enveloping her.

"Iris!"

Gasping, Jaehyun opened his eyes from the deep sleep he did not realize he had, his friend from the driver seat of the car they were in concernedly checking.

"A dream?" Younghoon asked, watching the guy let his head fall backward, touching the headrest.

"A nightmare," Jaehyun replied, rubbing his face. "I've been experiencing this for a few days already."

"What is it about?" the other male questioned, hitting the brake pedal at the traffic light.

Watching the passerby crossing the road at the time made Jaehyun scoff. How realistic his dream was felt.

It seemed like a lucid dream.

"Not important," he shut his eyes tight, glancing outside the window next. Suddenly he was getting curious about the girl he shouldn't think of. Shrugging, he snapped into the reality. "What is it with the sudden trip to the beach?"

"My Alice loves the beach too much," Younghoon explained, shooting hearts from his eyes as he talked about his fiancee. "Iris is coming along."

The mere mention of the girl made Jaehyun's heart skip, relief came crashing over him to know that the dream was only a dream.

"At least, she is fine," he muttered alone, thinking that it was audible only to him but he was wrong.

Younghoon heard but pretended not, focusing on the road instead. But, he kept his eyes on Jaehyun along the ride, secretly figuring out his feelings.

He heard from his fiancee about how Iris almost got hit that day and Jaehyun was the one who saved her from the accident. After the day, the guy seemed to constantly experience bad dreams he wouldn't talk about.

"You care for her too much, don't you?" Younghoon raised his brow towards the clueless demeanor as soon as they parked the car.

But Jaehyun was only snorting, opening the door and getting off. He was not gonna lie that he had a slight excitement to see Iris, specifically after that certain dream he had.

However, to his surprise, the said girl was laid back on the beach chair under the big umbrella, sunglasses covering her eyes and a big towel draping over her body. She was sleeping soundlessly despite the strong wind blowing.

"It has been 30 minutes," Alice said, cupping her waist not too far from the sleeping demeanor. "She couldn't even sleep at home, so we let her sleep here."

"How miserable she must have been," Anne added, fixing the towel which had been messed up by the wind. "It is supposed to be a picnic but she's turned it into a camping."

They started to move around, setting up a place where they planned to have a BBQ, but Jaehyun seemed ain't never budge from his last position, still staring at the sleeping girl.

"Why is she depressed?" the question automatically escaped his lips, throwing it off towards the girls who busily setting up some utensils.

The glances they exchanged, and the bitterness on their faces were not something foreign, Jaehyun seemed to have guessed what it was about.

And it was not making him happy.

Constantly he did ask himself, why Iris must sacrifice her happiness just to see other people happy. Could not she be a bit selfish? Why did she keep hurting herself?

"Our world and hers are different," Anne pursed her lips as if she had been reading Jaehyun's mind. "We have to respect her decision."

"But still," the guy lost for words, turning his heels towards the girl, who suddenly woke up, breathing hard as if someone was strangling her in sleep.

The girls rushed over towards her, startled to see beads of sweat forming on her face after she took off the glasses, her eyes teary as well.

"Why?" Alice was concerned, pondering to find her eyes but she kept avoiding them. Her mouth seemed to be sealed as well, no words could leave her mouth.

Until Younghoon decided to be bold, approaching them, though he knew Jaehyun was questioning his action.

He summoned Iris alone, far from the group to have an allegedly private talk as a doctor.

"Have you diligently taken your medicine?" it was only the first question but chill had been sent down Iris' spine. The way she blinked, somehow made Younghoon sigh even more deeply. "You forgot, correct?"

Awkwardly, Iris scratched her scalp which did not itch. She was the type of person who rarely got sick, medications were so foreign to her.

"My anxiety is still controllable, right?" she asked nonchalantly, crossing her arms against her chest.

Sighing, Younghoon copied her posture, slightly bending down as he said, "It may get worse."

"I am tired already," dipping her feet into the water, she grinned a bit as the coldness of the water hit her skin. It made her want to go further, maybe until the water was over her head.

"What kind of a dream did you experience?" the next question snapped her back into reality, turning facing the tall doctor.

"A nightmare," confidently she answered which only made Younghoon's hair stand.

It was not a Deja Vu but it felt like one. How could their answers sound the same?

"Jaehyun has been experiencing the same nightmare too," it was then Iris' turn to be startled. By reflex her eyes wandered, finding the said demeanor who was also staring at her from the barbecue pit their friends had set up.

"What does that mean?"