Episode 7
Joon-wan’s heart skipped a beat.
His trembling hand sifted through the soil, revealing a small portion of a familiar body.
“Whew…”
‘That was close.’
It was absurd to think the earthworm could simply vanish, yet he felt an inexplicable wave of relief.
Shortly after, Joon-wan’s car was parked in front of the psychiatric ward of a renowned general hospital.
He stepped out of the car, tumbler in hand, glanced at his watch, and headed towards the building.
Knock, knock.
He was at the outpatient clinic of the psychiatric ward.
“Brother.”
“Hey, you’re here?”
He opened the door as he knocked, and a man with a gentler demeanor, though bearing a resemblance to Joon-wan, looked up from his desk.
“Is it this late already?”
It was Joon-wan’s older brother, Joon-hyeok.
“Brother, listen…”
Joon-hyeok cut him off and stood up.
“Joon-wan, let’s grab some food at the cafeteria first. I’m starving.”
Joon-wan frowned at his brother, two years his senior.
“I’ll buy you something better.”
“No, seriously, the food here is great. They make amazing jjajang-bap.”
Despite his recommendation, Joon-hyeok ordered jjajangmyeon at the cafeteria.
Joon-wan was also hungry, having not eaten since the previous night. The recent events had suppressed his appetite, but once he started eating, he devoured his meal in no time.
Joon-hyeok, slurping his noodles with gusto, looked at his brother.
“See? It’s delicious, right?”
“Yeah.”
“So, what couldn’t you tell me over text? Knowing you, you would have at least given me a hint.”
He was setting the stage for Joon-wan to reveal his reason for visiting.
“…”
However, Joon-wan felt a wave of apprehension as he prepared to speak.
If he told his brother, a psychiatrist, everything that had happened, he might be recommended for hospitalization. He didn’t want that.
“I can’t talk about it here.”
Joon-wan looked around as he spoke, and Joon-hyeok’s eyes widened.
“Are you seeing a man?”
“Why is everyone saying that? I’m not!”
“You’re being so secretive. Mom was worried the other day. She wondered why a perfectly healthy, handsome young man like you isn’t living a normal life.”
Joon-wan grumbled, scratching his forehead.
“Is not dating considered not living a normal life?”
“It’s not exactly common.”
He wished it were that simple. Although, even that wasn’t a simple issue.
‘How should I put this?’
“Anyway, let’s get going. I have outpatient appointments after lunch.”
As Joon-wan struggled to find the right words, Joon-hyeok stood up. They returned to the consultation room.
“So, there’s this thing…”
Joon-wan carefully chose his words, omitting certain details and embellishing others for coherence, and began explaining his situation.
“Brother, I’ve been having these dreams lately, so vivid that they feel real even when I’m awake.”
“How vivid are they?”
“They feel like reality. I can’t tell the difference.”
“…”
Joon-hyeok’s expression turned serious.
“What kind of dreams?”
Joon-wan recounted the events, with some modifications.
He described having a dream about an earthworm attempting to ascend to the heavens and falling back to earth due to his words on the night of the earthquake in his city. He also mentioned a dream where a woman dressed as a celestial maiden appeared and berated him, a dream so vivid that it still felt real even after waking up.
“Are you sure it didn’t happen in reality?”
Joon-hyeok asked, wondering if his brother was confusing reality with fantasy.
“Brother, I can distinguish between reality and fantasy. But…”
“But what?”
“It sounds absurd, but… the line seems to be blurring lately.”
Joon-wan sighed heavily.
A long silence followed as Joon-hyeok seemed to be deep in thought.
“Joon-wan.”
“Yeah.”
“I have some time today. Do you want to get some tests done?”
“Sure. But can you get me the results quickly? Before I have to go back to the university.”
This was Joon-wan’s main objective for visiting his brother.
‘Let’s get some tests done and see if I’m going crazy.’
After three hours of in-depth psychological evaluation, Joon-wan was deemed to be within the normal range.
“You’re a bit stressed, but that’s common for modern people. And you’ve always been a bit obsessive.”
It wasn’t exactly praise, but it was what he wanted to hear.
‘Phew…’
Joon-wan felt a sense of relief.
“What’s that? Why are you carrying it around?”
“It’s coffee.”
“You’re carrying around brewed coffee these days?”
“Yeah, for the environment.”
Many people seemed interested in his tumbler today. It was just an ordinary tumbler.
“Want me to refill it if you’re done?”
“No, thanks. Oh, brother… do you use MRI in psychiatry?”
“Why? You want to get your brain scanned?”
“No, not me, but…”
‘I want to get this earthworm in the tumbler…’
“Never mind. It’s nothing.”
Joon-wan shook his head, stopping himself before he was recommended for hospitalization.
***
“After talking to you and reviewing your test results, I don’t think you have any underlying mental illness. Your perception of reality is intact, and you’re not experiencing hallucinations or delusions.”
That was the professional opinion of his psychiatrist brother.
“However, your anxiety about dreams intruding into reality is not a typical stress response. If anything changes, you should come back for another consultation.”
Joon-wan arrived home that evening, armed with his brother’s diagnosis.
‘I’m not crazy after all. I’m normal. Completely normal.’
He took off his shoes, loosened his tie, and was about to place the tumbler he had been carrying all day on the drawer by the entrance when he paused.
‘Why was I carrying this around all day?’
The day’s events had reassured him that he wasn’t completely insane.
‘Was I afraid it would escape again?’
However, he hadn’t achieved anything substantial. If he had told his brother everything, he would have been hospitalized.
“You must have been uncomfortable, huh?”
As he opened the tumbler and spoke to the earthworm, Joon-wan wondered if he was, in fact, losing his mind.
The earthworm was there, as expected. He checked on it, loosely closed the lid, and took it to the living room, placing it on the table.
Thud.
He disliked both noise and silence, so he turned on the television and headed to the dressing room. He hung his suit in the garment steamer, placed his cufflinks, tie clip, and watch in the central storage compartment.
“Whew…”
He felt the day’s fatigue washing over him.
[While there have been no aftershocks since the unexplained earthquake, continuous heavy rain has caused significant damage to crops…]
He listened to the news as he headed to the bathroom.
Twenty minutes later, Joon-wan emerged from the shower and returned to the living room, wearing only a loosely tied bathrobe. There was no need to tie it securely in his solitary apartment.
Or so he thought.
“…”
As he entered the living room, he was greeted by a beautiful woman in a purple silk robe, sitting on the sofa as if waiting for him.
“…”
She was wearing the same attire and ornaments as the previous night. It was undoubtedly the stalker from his bedroom.
The woman looked at him with a clear, unwavering gaze. She remained silent.
“…”
She was a stunning beauty, with a delicate nose, red lips, and captivating eyes. However, her beauty made the situation even more unsettling.
‘Who…?’
Her beauty and composure seemed almost unreal, making him doubt the possibility of rational communication.
‘Who is she…?’
Even her attire was bizarre. No one in their right mind would wear such clothing.
The woman sat on the sofa, her hands folded in her lap, gazing at him with a detached expression, her purple robe adorned with metaphysical patterns. It was then that Joon-wan realized his own state of undress.
‘Oh!’
He was practically naked in his own home.
As he instinctively glanced down at his lower body, the woman’s gaze followed, her expression unchanging.
“Hmm…”
After a prolonged silence, the woman seemed to realize the need to break the tension. She raised her gaze and spoke.
“…Well, you’re… well-endowed.”
Flinch!
Joon-wan, frozen in place, was jolted back to reality by her words. It was undoubtedly the stalker who had invaded his bedroom the previous night, though he couldn’t fathom where she had been hiding.
“Who are you?”
She must have been in his apartment the entire time he was out.
“No, I don’t know who you are, but please leave immediately.”
He regained his composure, hastily tied his bathrobe, and issued a warning.
“Trespassing is illegal. If you don’t leave now, I’ll call the police.”
A deep frown appeared on the woman’s fair forehead.
“I’m afraid I wasn’t trespassing… I was abducted.”
“…”
“Do you have any idea how long I’ve been searching for a way out of here?”
‘Is she delusional?’
It was clear, after a brief exchange, that communication would be impossible. Joon-wan looked for his phone.
‘I need to call the police.’
He had left his phone on the coffee table next to the overturned tumbler before showering. It was closer to the mysterious woman than to him.
‘Could I subdue her if I tackled her?’
He narrowed his eyes.
He probably could. However, he didn’t want to engage in a physical altercation while practically naked, risking further humiliation when the police arrived.
‘She might even claim she was abducted in front of the police…’
It was best to maintain distance and avoid physical contact.
‘If necessary, I’ll just go outside and ask someone for help.’
As Joon-wan strategized, the woman continued to stare at him, her eyes slightly narrowed.
“Seriously, you’re not the one who’s going crazy here. It’s me.”
“…”
“What are you even thinking?”
Joon-wan waited for her to elaborate, but the woman, her hands resting on her knees, her beautiful face etched with frustration, remained silent. It wasn’t an act; she genuinely seemed frustrated and angry.
He tightened his bathrobe and asked,
“How did you even get into my apartment?”
“Get in? Didn’t I say I was abducted? I have no idea how I ended up here.”
The woman retorted confidently.
“This place is like a stone box, not even a proper house.”
Her audacity was astounding.
“Ha.”
He let out a dry laugh, and the woman closed her eyes, exhaling a frustrated sigh.
“I’m not someone who should be conversing with a lowly being like you… We can’t communicate, I don’t know what you’re planning to do, and my powers are nowhere to be found. I feel like I’m going to die.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said, I feel like I’m going to die. I shouldn’t be doing this… but being nice isn’t working… Sigh…”
She pounded her chest with her fist, her frustration palpable. Joon-wan frowned, the situation becoming increasingly bizarre.
“You must keep this a secret.”
After a long silence, the woman spoke again, her expression pained, her voice barely a whisper.
“I am a Jiryong.”
“An earthworm?”
“No!”
The woman snapped.
“What earthworm? I am a dragon who would have ascended to the heavens if it weren’t for your interference!”
***