Y/N sat in her living room, drinking beer and watching dramas in an attempt to stop thinking about him. Danbi lay beside her, his head resting on her lap while she sighed for the umpteenth time that evening. But no matter how much she tried to distract herself, her thoughts kept drifting back to her mysterious dreams and the man who had unexpectedly entered her life.
She found herself wondering about him—his name, his story, and what had brought him to this neighborhood as a single father. Her heart ached with curiosity, but she scolded herself for allowing her imagination to run wild. She reminded herself that it was just a chance encounter, and there was no reason to read too much into it. After all, she had always been a practical person, and believing in fate and destiny had never been her style.
But when the doorbell rang and Danbi barked excitedly, breaking her out of her reverie, she jumped to her feet, nearly spilling her beer. Who could be visiting at this hour? She set her half-empty glass down on the coffee table and hurried to the door, with Danbi following closely behind.
Opening the door, she was met by Minjae who held a colorful drawing in his tiny hands. "I made this for you." Y/N knelt down to his level and accepted the drawing, a warm smile spreading across her face. It was a simple, colorful depiction of her, Danbi, and Minjae playing in a garden, but it was enough to make an old man cry.
"This is so beautiful. Thank you, Minjae." Y/N ruffled his hair and he leaned in the way Danbi liked to be petted, a contented smile on his face. "Aren't you sleepy?"
"No. Daddy on the phone. Minjae stayed up." He replied, his eyes wide with excitement as he held up his drawing for Y/N to see again. "Can I show you more drawings?"
"Of course, I would love to. But it's time to sleep, hm? We can look at more drawings tomorrow." She said with a gentle smile, aware that it was getting late for a young child. And right then, his father rushed out of his place, letting out a heavy sigh of relief when he saw Minjae safe and sound.
"How many times have I told you not to run off like that, Minjae? Why do you keep worrying me?" His tone made Y/N's lips form into a thin line as she stood up and looked away, afraid that he'd blame her for keeping Minjae awake.
"I'm really sorry," Y/N said softly, her gaze fixed on the floor. "I didn't mean to keep him up. He came over on his own." Minjae held her leg, making her glance down at him. His big, innocent eyes looked up at her, and she felt guilty.
His father crouched down to the child's level, his tone softer now. "Minjae, we've talked about this, buddy. You need your rest. And you should always let me know where you're going, okay?" Minjae just nodded at him and let go of her pants before standing up and yawning, rubbing his eyes with his little fists. "I'm very sorry for the trouble. He just gets very excited when he meets new people."
"No, it's okay. I liked his drawing." She looked down at her feet and then back at Minjae. "But it's getting late, and I'm sure you need to get to bed. You two have had a long day with the move and all."
"Yeah," He nodded before carrying Minjae who seemed like he was on the verge of falling asleep in his arms. "I didn't get to introduce myself. My name is Lee Heeseung. It's nice to meet you."
"Uhm, I'm Lee Y/N," She smiled a little awkwardly, her heart skipping a beat at the realization that their names were so similar. "It's nice to meet you too, Heeseung." With a polite nod, Heeseung carried the sleepy Minjae back to their apartment. And Y/N just stood there for a while, letting out a heavy sigh before she closed her apartment's door behind her.
Lee Heeseung. In her dream, he was a wedding dress designer who passed away due to cancer, and he had a soulmate named Rose. Every time she dreamt of bits and pieces of their life together, she felt an inexplicable pain and longing. And now it felt as if the lines between her dreams and reality were blurring.
"Girl, you didn't text me for the whole day." Harin's said, her voice filled with concern on the other side of the line while Y/N hugged Danbi and nestled into her couch. "What's up?"
"Weird things are happening to me." She sighed, caressing her dog. "Do you remember the dream I told you about? The one with the wedding dress designer named Heeseung and his soulmate, Rose?"
"Yes but why are you bringing that up again?"
"It appears he's a real person. He's my new neighbor." Harin's gasp was audible through the phone and it made Y/N realize that the situation was indeed quite extraordinary. "His name is also Lee Heeseung, but he has a son. He's a single father."
"Holy shit, Y/N," Harin muttered, keeping silent for a while. "You probably just saw him somewhere and you subconsciously incorporated him into your dream. It's a weird coincidence, but I doubt it means anything more than that."
Y/N nodded, even though Harin couldn't see her. "That's what I thought at first, too. But there's something about this that feels... different. It's not just the name; it's the way I felt when I met him. It was like a déjà vu, like I had known him before."
"Y/N, when I tell you you read too many fantasy books, you really need to hear it," Harin chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "Past lives? Fate and destiny? Come on, this is the real world." Y/N laughed at that because it was true. This wasn't some fantasy novel or a movie script. It was her life and in this world, things didn't typically play out like they did in the books she loved.
Meeting her 'dream guy' in reality didn't mean she was destined for some epic love story. It was just a curious coincidence, and she needed to treat it as such.
That night, Y/N went to sleep in a good mood. It was the first time she slept without dreaming of the tragic love story of Heeseung and Rose and she realized that it was because she convinced herself it was just a dream, nothing more. And because the next day was a Saturday, she was even happier to be able to spend her day with her dog, watching her favorite shows and enjoying some much-needed relaxation.
Her love life was, the way she liked to call it, "comfortably single." She hadn't been in a serious relationship for a while, choosing instead to focus on her career and personal interests. And that was perfectly fine with her. She was content with the way things were, living life at her own pace.
But it wasn't going to stay that way for too long.
YOU ARE READING
✓ IF YOU STAY | HEESEUNG
Fanfiction❝People come and go, but can't you be the one who stays?❞
