It was nearly one in the morning when Jia found herself in the main kitchen of the mansion she called a home. She swept through the white modern appliances in her black sweats and black camisole. She, being known to do such at an absurd hour of the night, was making tteokbokki with leftover rice cakes from the freezer. The spicy scent filled the air deliciously, intoxicating her into a dreamy state of mind. She began thinking. Jia thought about the school uniform on her door upstairs, about the school awaiting her deep in the mountain range. The potential she had being a sum of those who previously went before her, like her brother. She was to uphold that potential- that status.

Something furry brushed her leg and she jumped, before realizing it was just the Choi's siamese cat, Byeol. She pursed her lips in a somewhat comforted look before checking her phone for the time. She sighed. Her brother had gotten up randomly and left without a word and she had no clue when he'd come home.

Whatever she thought. Why did she care anyhow?

Her thoughts drifted to the boba tea in the refrigerator, bringing her back to the food had being prepared before her.

Time seemed to pass by forever. It was not until close to three when there was a sound from the main lobby. The fromt door of the Choi mansion creaked open. San had returned, but it wasn't just San's voice she heard.

"You're place if huge- what," A voice whispered quite loudly- a light feminine voice.

"Yeah, the Choi's are quite a successful family," A deeper voice- also not her brother's- spoke, but a voice she recognized.

Jia disregarded the sounds, pulling out her AirPods and staring to the ceiling. Byeol had left her as the cat tore for the lobby. She knew the feline had made its way to San from the faded bright laugh she heard through the song she began to play. She would just play it as if they weren't here-

"JIA-" San yelled, being prominently heard through her earbuds.

Jia grimaced, pulling out the buds before walking towards the grand lobby. She threw her hair back before raising her hands to wrap around and fix it into a hair-tie she had laying on her wrist. She rounded the corner to see three figures there in the dimly lit lobby. She didn't take time in looking anymore to them when she spoke.

"I swear if that- wait," Jia paused as she now took in the features of the three figures.

Her heart jolted at the tall dirty blonde dressed in his sleep wear as he gave her a friendly nod and a small smile.

Mingi.

Her gaze drooped to her brother's where he kneeled qith the cat, but they didn't stay any longer. Her eyes lifted once more to the girl that was with them. Her figure was slim and cute. She was taller than Jia but certainly carried a posture that made her more petite. And her red ombre hair- wait. Wasn't that familiar to Jia?

The girl stopped at Jia's entrace almost immediately. Her eyes widened a bit, jaw dropping as she began backing up. She'd only backed up slightly, but still managed bump into Mingi. Mingi froze slightly, startled a bit as he glanced down to the girl before looking back to Jia. The girl backed away quickly, taking an interest in gazing down to her and Byeol.

Jia narrowed her eyes to the girl. Then it had clicked. Jia blinked, tilting her head before speaking monotone, "Wait, yes. I know you. You work at that bakery, no?"

San blinked, glancing between Jia and and the familiar girl, "Huh-"

"I-umm," The girl's voice was as shaky as it had been at the bakery. She bit her lip, almost afraid of admitting the obvious, before sighing, "Y-Yeah, I am."

Mingi only gave a confused look upon the two of them from the corner of Jia's eyes. Did he know her? How else was she here? Jia bit her lip at both the thought and recollection of the event at the bakery.

"Yeah, that stain won't come out. It was a Gucci shirt," Jia said blatantly.

She didn't waste anymore time there with the three, spinning on her heel and returning to the kitchen. The scent of tteokbokki came wafting deliciously to her once more. She'd helped herself to a stool at the kitchen counter, making herself comfortable as she pulled out her phoen to scroll through. She didn't bother with AirPods. Becaause of this, she could hear the muffled chatting of the group. She didn't care to pay attention to what they spoke. That was, until they entered the kitchen. Jia mentally groaned.

She still didn't pay them any mind until a tall figure took to swiveling into a seat on the other side of her. Jia glanced up to be met with Mingi's dark gaze looking to her, sending her heart into motion. He offered a small smile, his narrow eyes crinkling slightly. Jia blinked as she processed the image of him, before giving a small smile back. Despite the small curve of her lips, her cute dimples around her mouth still showed. This was a rare sight as the girl rarely smiled anyways.

The moment was interrupted when a hand pinched Jia's arm, jolting the smile off her face.

"C'mon, we're hungry." San urged aas he moved his hand off of Jia's arm.

The smile was quickly replaced with a frown.

"Serve yourself, dumbass," her voice was a subtle ice dagger. She moved away from the group, pulling her phone back out and taking a seat in a sofa on the other side of the large room. She popped an AirPod into one ear. She certainly didn't wish to hear them now. However, this time, her ears dipped into listening on what the three spoke of. She went in aand out of listening to the group as she sat there.

"So... guess I'll have to go back to sleep?" The Akiko girl asked. Jia had picked up on her name by listening into their talk.

Mingi puffed out a small laugh before stating, "I mean, yeah."

There was the clink and movement opf plates on a solid surface. San cleared his throat, "You can use the guest wing. or you can use the untouched rooms in our wing- or the couch- I really don't care."

Typical of her brother. Jia yawned behind her hand, eyes turning to crescents as she shut them. She let out a breath and began to stroke Byeol, who had strode over and leapt onto her lap. The cat's gaze looked up to her in a comforting and loving manner, blinking slowly.

"Thank you," Akiko spoke before yawn came from her, "It's just... will my dreams feel so vivid and so exhausting? All the time?"

Mingi answered, "Well, for the task you performed and being new at oneironautics- I wouldn't say it's bad you feel tired- You expended a lot of energy recreating Seonghwa- I MEAN-"

Oneironautics?

Jia spun her gaze over to the group, her eyes hitting her brother's who was looking to her. She gave an incredulous look to him as he lowered the ttoekbokki from his mouth.

They both spoke at once.

"You do oneironautics?" Jia questioned in an accusatory manner. her gaze flicked to Akiko who was glancing between all of them in a confused manner.

"Seonghwa?" San had dropped the rice cake completely before placing his hands on the table. He looked between Mingi and Akiko beofre thoroughly speaking, "You haven't told me everything. Tell me everything. Now."

Akiko looked between them, her eyes wide and her face turning slightly red, "I- well-"

Mingi intervened, "Akiko created a perfect mirror image of Seonghwa right in front of me in her dream. But she's never met him before- except in her dreams."

"He is real!" Akiko blurted, eyes wide and cheeks becoming a bot rosier, "I wasn't going insane at the bakery, was I? He was outside walking in front of the window!"

"Of course he's real, he's only well known in our school as the best junior there is," San spluttered, glancing to Akiko in disbelief at her lack of knowledge. He quickly averted, making it unnoticeable as he landed his gaze on Mingi, "Why the hell is he infiltrating her dreams out of the millions he could've chosen?"

Jia furrowed her brow, the drama of something she ddidn't entirely know was blossoming beofre her. Like Hell she'd be a part of this.

"Ah, fuck this, im going to sleep," Jia didn't waste her time with more words as she got up to leave. She saw her brother and Mingi wave a hand to her before they continued their talk.

Jia didn't bother to lend an ear, exiting the kitchen and making her way to the stairs.She slipped into her room, not bothering to close the door either as she headed for her bathroom. Her thoughts once more returned to the school in the mountains. She tried to push the thoughts away, paying attention to the view of her bedroom ahead.

She first saw the discarded laptop on her white bed. Groaning from exhaustion, she approached it, flipped on her playlist, and vanished into her bathroom. She treated herself to a nice long shower as the music echoed through her suite. She had gotten out into the steamy bathroom to prepare herself for the lazy evening.

San pushed into the room, not bothering to make his presence known as he strolled into the bedroom. The cat snoozed at the foot of the bed, which San made himself at home on with the huge amounts of pillows and blankets. San, being notoriously curious, opened Jia's computer that laid there. A show was still paused on the main tab when the screen turned on a smaller window revealing a site of music that was currently playing.

Jia appeared out of the bathroom, cloaked in a white fluffed blanket. Her hair was up in a messy bun and her face bare. She wasn't happy to find her brother lounging on her bed, on her computer no less.

"The bloody hell do you want?" Jia snarked as she began walking forward.

San didn't show any reaction to her, except for the stare he gave from above the computer screen. His words were almost as deadly as a knife in tone, "Just why you think you can be an outright bitch to our guests?"

Perhaps Jia shared aa trait with her brother of showing no reaction.

She rolled her eyes as she stood at the edge of the bed, "Not to both of them."

San shut the laptop and sat up straight, his gaze still on his sister as he cocked his head, "Jia, you can't be rude to someone and nice to their friend. Even if said friend is a guy."

Jia cuffed him on the head, her words baring deadly, "I don't care."

San shrugged, "You should. The institute doesn't tolerate such an immature attitude or whatever the hell you're doing."

Jia gritted her teeth before blaring "Again with that blasted school! Can you shut up for one minute about it?"

San got up from the bed, "No, I bloody well can't. Our entire family has excelled in oneironautics and the majority have held celebratory plaques in the main hall. I'm not going to let you break that record by being petty."

"All you're concerned about is the clout, huh?" Jia snapped, pulling out the bun and letting wet clumps of hair fall over her face.

San blinked, taking a calm posture and voice, "Believe what you will."

"Just give me a bloody break, for God's sake!" Jia's voice rose, "For years and years on end, you and dad have been pestering me about college- even before high school. Can you lay the fuck off?"

"Success is all i want from you. You know that," San implied in an important manner. Important to what he waanted out of her for himself.

Jia went quiet.

That's it.

"Get the fuck out of my room."

San's tone changed immediately, more tender, "Jia, I was just-"

"No, get the fuck out."

"I-"

"OUT-"

San nodded, not fighting with another word as he quickly left the room.

Jia just sat in the soft light, seething. As the door shut behind her brother's retreating form, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Guilty for what? For fighting for what she wanted? Was the guilt coming from that fight being selfish- because she was being selfish?

Jia sighed, letting the questions dissolve with her breath. What's done was done, and she couldn't afford to lose any more time to sleep over it. So, she finished her preparations for the night and the day tomorrow. She slid under the covers, snuggling in and shutting her eyes. She drifted off.