What’s the reason for a person to dream?
The 100% accurate reason hasn’t been revealed, but lack of sleep is the most common cause. It’s said that when the mind and body are exhausted or when the environment changes, one can’t achieve deep sleep and thus dreams are born.
That’s exactly why Yusia was dreaming right now.
After a few days of not sleeping properly, her sleeping arrangements had switched from her own home to Kayak’s house. It’d be weird not to dream in such a situation.
In her dream, Yusia found herself buried in a massive pile of marshmallows. She didn’t know how long she had been there; she just snapped to consciousness and realized she was trapped.
“What the…!”
Being buried in giant marshmallows? That’s not something an average person experiences in their lifetime. The absurdity of the situation screamed “dream” all over it.
However, Yusia didn’t realize that she was dreaming at all.
That’s the thing about dreams. The dreamer doesn’t recognize it’s a dream until they wake up.
The marshmallows surrounding Yusia began to move as if they were alive.
What started as a soft, gentle pressure around her body gradually transformed into a constricting embrace, inching in closer and closer.
“Ugh… Ughh…”
Yusia, her face squished, felt a threat to her life and started to struggle. She squeezed and pinched the marshmallows sticking to her face, desperately trying to pry them off.
‘Can’t breathe…!’
Overwhelmed, she succumbed to the assault and soon lost consciousness.
And at that very moment, she woke up—out of her dream, and out of sleep.
*
Yusia woke up the next morning.
After bringing her inside, feeding her warm tea, and giving her shoulder a massage, she soon started dozing off. So, she laid her down on the bed, and just like that, Yusia fell into a deep sleep.
Contrary to her insomnia claims, she had slept for over 12 hours.
“Uh…”
She looked a bit dazed, but her face was glowing, clearly well-rested.
The sparkle in her previously dull eyes returned. Just yesterday, her unfocused gaze resembled that of a madman, which was slightly scary, but not anymore.
I had also just woken up beside her. I heard some rustling and felt a ticklish sensation on my body when I opened my eyes.
“Yawn, did you sleep well?”
“Yeeah…”
After such a long slumber, Yusia seemed to be in a pleasantly dazed state.
For some reason, she looked a bit dazed.
Even when I greeted her good morning, she didn’t really react and kept glancing down at her hands, then at me, as if she was still waking up.
“What’s wrong? Was the bed uncomfortable?”
“Ah, no.”
When I asked, Yusia shook her head. Well, the bed was a bit cramped for two people.
Even though Yusia is petite, she’s still a full-grown woman. Sharing a single bed was a bit of a stretch.
But there weren’t any extra blankets on the floor. Allowing guests to sleep over had become a recent trend for me. It’s not like a solo dweller usually has spare blankets lying around.
“I thought it’d be a bit awkward to sleep on the floor, so I let you sleep in the bed. It was okay, right? Did I have any weird sleeping habits?”
“No, there… weren’t any. No.”
As she said that, Yusia slowly avoided eye contact.
She might not realize it, but she had a little habit.
Whenever she lied, she would look away and her eyes would spin a bit. It’s a subtle habit that most people wouldn’t catch, but with my extraordinary senses, I picked up on it immediately.
From her reaction, it seemed something did happen. Did I roll around like a sleepy burrito?
I had slept deeply without waking up, so I had no clue what went down last night.
Riri and Nicang, who also shared the bed, didn’t mention anything either.
Maybe it was just today that was strange. I should probably prepare extra blankets for next time, though I’m not sure if I’ll have someone over again anytime soon.
“Well, shall we get moving if we’re awake?”
Anyway, that wasn’t the important part. The night had passed, and morning had arrived.
Yusia seemed more energized now, and we had things to do.
“We need to start filming that.”
“…Yes!”
The moment Yusia heard “filming,” her eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning.
*
“Just do whatever you normally do. Don’t mind the camera.”
“Like usual? Got it.”
Even though I said that, Yusia was still a bit anxious. Not thinking about the camera being shoved in her face? Yeah, right.
“Is anything ever easy?”
“It’s common to feel awkward when you’re overly conscious of the camera.”
“This is a bit different from a personal broadcast. If I had to compare, it’s closer to public entertainment shows or the vlogs that celebrities often shoot.”
“But Yusia’s worries turned out to be unfounded. Kayak nodded at Yusia’s words and immediately got started on her own tasks.”
“Now that I think about it, my boss has experience in even public broadcasting, so there was really no reason for Yusia to be concerned.”
Kayak was putting on her coat, dressed in casual outdoor wear. She had a windbreaker on top and paired it with famous brand training pants below.
Yusia, noticing the outfit that looked like she was going out, aimed the camera at her and asked, “Where are you going?”
With a refreshing smile, Kayak answered, “Oh, I go outside for a light workout every morning as soon as I wake up. Just to wake myself up. Sometimes I jog lightly, sometimes I just take a walk, and sometimes I swing at the nearby playground.”
Her comments, aware of the camera, didn’t seem to be a deliberately staged scene.
In fact, Kayak often told Yusia about her daily morning exercise. She sprinkled in that she occasionally skipped it, maybe once a month, but she was consistent with her routine otherwise.
‘Wait, does that mean I have to go and run too?’
Yusia made a face of despair at that thought.
Her lifestyle pattern was indeed unhealthy; she was someone who couldn’t even get up properly in the morning, let alone do morning exercises like Kayak.
Today, lucky for her, she had woken up well-rested without intending to, because usually, she would be pulling an all-nighter and just about to go to sleep or dreaming at this hour.
There was no way she would have good stamina. Instead of exercising, she was busy editing Kayak’s videos, huddled in her room.
“Perfect! This is a chance for you to exercise with me, Manager!”
“Ahahaha…”
Yusia let out an awkward laugh while following Kayak with the camera.
*
7 AM. The sun had just begun to rise.
The morning air, not yet warmed by the sunshine, was cool to the point of being chilly. At least that’s how Yusia felt about it.
“Ah, this is nice.”
“What’s nice…?”
“Isn’t it refreshing? Doesn’t it feel invigorating?”
Kayak’s perspective seemed a bit different, however.
“Ugh…”
“Ugh….”
Yusia adjusted the angle of the camera with great care, trying to keep her voice from being picked up as she walked. Trembling in the cold air seeping into her lungs was just a bonus.
“If you run, you won’t be cold! Just keep your breathing steady, puff puff!”
Luckily, Kayak was considerate and didn’t speed up, otherwise she’d be left in the dust, and filming would be a total bust.
For someone like her, who usually didn’t enjoy outdoor activities and had the stamina of a potato, jogging lightly in the morning was akin to a grueling march. But there was no turning back.
After all, it was none other than Yusia herself who planned the content to film Kayak’s every move for 24 hours. Talk about digging her own grave!
“Shall we take a break? Let’s sit on that bench and catch our breath.”
“Yes, yes….”
As soon as Kayak finished speaking, Yusia flopped onto the bench. The best she could manage was to hold the camera straight up, capturing Kayak properly within the frame.
Just then, a middle-aged couple jogging around the park, much like Kayak, called out to them.
“Oh my, what a pretty young lady! Out again today!”
“Wow, you’re really diligent. Doesn’t a young person need their beauty sleep?”
“Haha, hello!”
Kayak chatted warmly with the couple as if they were old friends.
From the gist of their conversation, it seemed like this wasn’t their first meeting during jogs; their routines must have crossed paths enough for this to happen regularly.
Regaining her composure, Yusia raised the camera. It was a pretty good shot.
Even with the couple’s faces blurred out, Kayak’s friendly demeanor would shine through as a delightful image.
Seizing the moment, Yusia sent Kayak ahead and initiated an interview with the couple. Luckily, they were intrigued and agreed to participate.
“Since when have you known that white-haired lady?”
“Just say it right here? How interesting! Oh, I’ve known that girl for quite some time now. Must be over six months, I think…”
“I like how lively she is, so unlike these young people nowadays. If I had a son, I’d make her my daughter-in-law, but all I have is a daughter…”
A bit too much information flooded in, but Yusia nodded along and captured it all on camera.
She was pretty sure she could turn this into something entertaining in the editing room.
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