Kai slowly opened his eyes, waking up in his room, letting out a soft shout as he stirred from his bed.
"Ahh…"
After the sound faded, he glanced around the room. All he could hear was the drip of water from a faucet left running, echoing gently in the sink as he sat on the bed and whispered to himself:
Drip… drip… drip… The faint rhythm of water drops resonated across the room.
"What… was that all just a dream? Why did it feel so real?"
"Eh… why are my tears falling?"
"What's happening… everything I saw, everything I experienced… was it only a dream? Why did it feel so real?"
He got up from the bed and walked to the bathroom, turning on the faucet to splash water on his face, staring at his reflection in the mirror.
"Sigh… it was just a dream, huh… it felt so long… Wait, what day is it today?"
Kai dried his face with a towel, picked up his toothbrush, squeezed toothpaste onto it, and then left the bathroom. He grabbed his phone from the bed while still holding the toothbrush in his mouth, thinking to himself:
"So, it's a day off… and it's still early… Sigh, what should I do today? Maybe I'll play games… no, first, I should get something to eat."
Kai returned to the bathroom to rinse his toothbrush clean, then spat out the toothpaste. He stepped onto the balcony, gazing at the buildings and the morning sky. Looking down, he saw people walking along the streets below. Deciding not to take the stairs, he thought:
"Huh… maybe the elevator is faster today."
He stepped into the elevator, pressed the button for the ground floor, and soon found himself stepping out into the exit of his apartment building. He wandered along the streets until he reached a convenience store, picked up some food and snacks, paid at the counter, and stepped back outside. Kai opened the snack wrapper and nibbled as he walked through a narrow alley by a trash bin in the quiet morning. He paused, glancing at the alley.
"No… the black cat isn't here… I guess I just pass through here too often at night… sigh."
He sighed, looked around, and continued walking. Soon, he spotted a bookstore and decided to step inside.
"Huh… why am I even coming here? Maybe I'll just check out some comics."
Kai wandered around the store, browsing the shelves, until a book caught his eye: Traveler of the Universe.
"Ha… ha… ha… a book about the universe? Might as well take a look."
He skimmed through the pages, then decided to buy it. Walking to the counter, he paid.
"Thank you for your purchase," said the cashier.
Kai wandered through the familiar alleys again until he returned to his rented apartment. He took the elevator up to the 17th floor.
Ding. The elevator doors opened, and Kai stepped out, heading straight to his room. He placed all his belongings on the table, plugged in the electric kettle, and sat down with the book.
"Sigh… the title seemed interesting, so I bought it… weird… it's strangely similar to the dream I had."
As he read, the kettle whistled. He unplugged it, poured hot water into a cup with instant food, and waited a moment.
Kai picked up his phone, played his favorite music, and returned to the book. As he read, tears began to flow down his cheeks.
"Why… why is this book so sad? Why am I crying?"
The tears wouldn't stop, and he had to pause. He walked to the balcony, staring at the sky, lost in thought.
"Why do I feel so strange… like I'm missing something… why… what is it?"
He gazed at the sky, mumbling to himself. He sat down, lying back on the balcony, staring up at the open sky.
"Why don't I have any friends… I wish I had someone to be close to… I want an adventure…"
"Why… why wasn't that dream real?"
Kai cried quietly on the balcony.
"Rese… Eugene… it wasn't real… was it?"
"I just… I just wanted a close friend… I wanted an adventure…"