All my life, I've had strange dreams. Dreams of women I had never met—women who weren't even human. It started when I got a job at a famous company. Unlike normal dreams, these were vivid, almost real. The women in them had tails, claws, tentacles, animal ears, and sometimes even bodies made of slime, plants, or dragon scales. I called them monster girls because they were unlike anything in my world.
Whenever I met them in my dreams, they would always ask me the same thing:
"Who are you? Why do I keep seeing you in my dreams?"
It left me confused every time. I thought I was the only one experiencing these dreams, but they were seeing me too. While others had normal, random dreams, mine were always filled with these mysterious monster girls.
Each time, they would share their sorrows with me. They spoke of losing loved ones, being hated by others, suffering abuse from their parents, or simply feeling unbearably lonely. Their words were filled with pain, and yet I always found myself replying the same way:
"There's no reason to hate your life. Just keep going and don't let what others say or do define you. You own your life, so live it with happiness."
As soon as I said those words, the world around me would turn bright white. A sense of dizziness would take over, and just before I blacked out, I would hear a soft, feminine voice whisper:
"I hope we will meet one day in the real world."
Ding! Ding!
I opened my eyes. My alarm was blaring.
I turned to my clock—7:30 AM.
"Oh crap! I overslept!"
I jumped out of bed, rushed to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and took a quick shower.
"Damn that dream again! Why does it keep happening to me? And why today, of all days?"
I quickly put on my office uniform and dashed out of my tiny rented room, skipping breakfast. Grabbing my bicycle, I pedaled as fast as I could to the company.
The moment I stepped into the office, my boss's loud, irritated voice greeted me:
"Jack! You brat! If you keep coming in late, you're getting fired!"
Before I could even apologize, he dropped a mountain of paperwork on my desk.
"Finish all of this today. And make sure it's done right."
"Okay…" I muttered, my shoulders slumping as I sat down.
My job was dull and exhausting. No breaks, no freedom. Just hours upon hours in front of a computer. Nine hours a day of mind-numbing work. No friends, no girlfriend—just loneliness. The only excitement in my life was my bizarre dreams.
As I worked, my thoughts drifted to my family. I missed my younger brother. My mom always cooked my favorite beef dishes when I was a kid. Maybe I should visit them during the holidays.
Hours passed, and finally, it was time to go home.
"I'm so exhausted. Maybe I should grab some fast food before heading back…" I yawned as I packed up and left the office.
But when I reached the parking area, I froze.
My bicycle was completely wrecked. A car had crashed into it.
"Oh, come on! What the hell is with this day? God, if you're listening, just send me somewhere peaceful where I can finally relax—wait, no! Forget I said that!"
As soon as those words left my mouth, the sky darkened unnaturally. A bright light flashed in the distance. My stomach twisted in fear as I saw lightning strike the ground nearby. My hands trembled—I had always been terrified of lightning.
Then, before I could even turn around—
BANG!
A bolt of lightning struck me directly.
Darkness swallowed me whole.
Was I dead?
No. Because what happened next was beyond anything I had ever imagined…