Did You Think It Would Work in a Dream?
"How is there never a single quiet day?"
Si-hyun grumbled as he returned home and laid Luna down on the bed. The girl was sleeping soundly. The princess of mengmang-grade destruction, who possessed the most powerful strength yet showed such a fragile side in contrast.
"I kinda went off without thinking earlier, suspecting some creep was messing with Luna. But now that I think about it, didn't I just grab something ghost story-ish with my bare hands?"
The sensation still lingered. That weird, wriggling feeling in his hand! It reminded him of the time as a kid when he'd absentmindedly grabbed a fat earthworm while playing in the dirt with friends.
"Ugh. I can still feel that slimy texture!"
Si-hyun bolted for the bathroom to wash his hands.
Ding!
Si-hyun! Good news and bad news—which do you wanna hear first?
What the hell was this classic cliché line?
"Yeah. Don't wanna hear either."
Eek? Why, why not! There's good news too!
"You think I haven't fallen for your tricks once or twice? 'Aww~ Actually, it's not good news for you, Si-hyun—it's good for me! Eekung~☆' Right?"
Eekung?! I don't talk like that! ...But how'd you know?
As expected. They say even a dog from a private school recites poetry after three years. It hadn't even been three years with the Notification Window, but he'd developed an eye for spotting its scams.
"I'm seriously begging you—just let me flick your forehead once."
Si-hyun reached out toward the Notification Window, half-hoping.
Hueeeeng! N-No violence!!
"Haa, I gotta hear it anyway, right? Just spit it out in order."
Okay, good news first! Thanks to that gray worm-thing(?) you grabbed earlier, the conditions are met!
Conditions? What conditions?
Remember I told you before? If you get stronger, you can do a lot more. Finally, the system level has gone from 1 to 2!
"The system levels up too? Anyway, that means I can do more stuff now, right?"
Definitely good news. No more teetering on the edge with just the beginner package one-trick!
Now this is more like it.
Finally, he was enjoying a web novel cliché staple.
Wait a sec... Didn't it mention another piece of news earlier?
Si-hyun eyed the Notification Window with growing unease.
"So, what's the bad news?"
Well, when the system levels up, it needs time to sync. So you can't use abilities during that, but here's [Auto-Defense: 24 Hours] as compensation!
"Huh? Why's that bad news? Sounds like an awesome item."
At Si-hyun's question, the Notification Window started sweating bullets.
Um... I wanted you to like me, so... when Luna tripped following you earlier, I used it on her so she wouldn't get hurt...
"What?"
Luna was a mengmang-grade ghost story—her body couldn't even be scratched by a missile. And it used [Auto-Defense] on her?
This was like giving pocket money to a spoiled rich kid swimming in cash.
"Ha, ha, hahahahaha!"
My precious extra life!!
O-Of course nothing's too good for our cute Luna, but this is different!
"Notification Window... Come to think of it, earlier when we were out, I tried to do something naughty to you but held back...?"
S-Si-hyun... N-No wayyy...?
"Yeah. When I boldly declared myself a lolicon. What'd you say...? Oh right. You asked me to do something ero-manga-like...?"
N-Nooo...! I can't lose my first time like this so suddenly...!
"Get over here NOW!!"
This time, Si-hyun showed no mercy to the Notification Window that had stolen his spare life.
What is an unforgettable memory?
One that lingers in your heart, popping up now and then? Or the so-called "memories" people talk about?
Hard to define precisely, but if it appears vividly even in dreams, that must be it.
"Warm... memories."
The silver-haired girl realized she was dreaming. Cold stone floor, empty black sky. And shining fragments scattered like stars across it.
Tap.
The girl cautiously touched a fragment with her finger.
— "And I'm Luna, right? I won't just vanish without a word."
The moment he first called her "his" with his own mouth flashed by. From then on, she could let go of her anxiety about him leaving.
"So sparkly..."
Tap tap.
She pressed the next fragment, glowing with a gentle warmth.
— "Goodnight, Princess Luna."
The moment he first called her "princess."
"All these stars...?"
The black sky that once mirrored her empty heart was now adorned with bright fragments—all memories made by one man.
The one who said he liked her, that she was more precious than himself.
"Si-hyun..."
Whispering his name warmed her chest. Si-hyun was always by her side, awake or asleep. Even in dreams.
"Always... by my side..."
Her body and heart wereing with one man. No matter how much she filled the void, it was now brimming with Si-hyun.
As Luna lingered, touching the sparkling fragments one by one, a chilling voice tickled her ear.
"Hello, Luna?"
Soft yet cold tone. Just like the voice from the doll earlier that day.
"Who...?"
A short distance from Luna stood "it."
"I'm you."
It looked just like the girl. But something was off. Hair murky silver unlike Luna's moonlight strands. Eyes glowing dark gold.
Like a blackened moon.
"Me...?"
"Or maybe... Luna's desire."
Unlike the still girl, the black moon moved slightly. Light steps, dancing softly in curves, filling the space.
"Ahh—such a refreshing feeling. No one can interrupt our meeting here."
The black moon's toes skimmed the air, floating up as if delighted, relieved—like a wish granted.
"My desire...?"
"Of course. Look at me—I'm just like Luna, aren't I?"
The girl felt uneasy at the somehow dingy black moon.
It descended, circling Luna.
—Squeeze.
From behind, it gently hugged the girl.
"Luna, what are those fragments in the sky?"
The countless sparkling star fragments—memories Si-hyun made. Precious, unforgettable to Luna.
"Moments... with Si-hyun..."
"Right. And the moments Luna learned emotions."
The black moon took Luna's hand and floated lightly into the air.
Twinkle.
Starlight like a galaxy illuminated the girl and black moon in turn.
"Luna, doesn't something well up here every time you think of him?"
The black moon pointed to Luna's heart. The girl placed her hands on her chest and closed her eyes.
—The first time he called her "Luna."
—The first time he patted her head, saying she did well.
"It gets warm..."
Recalling precious memories with him made her heart race.
"Must feel nice, huh, Luna?"
The black moon tilted its head, watching her expression.
"Yeah... I like Si-hyun..."
"Haa~ How can you be this cute? Our Luna."
"Cute...?"
"Of course. That's why Si-hyun fell for Luna, right?"
Unlike its first impression, the black moon praised the girl, empathizing. But its occasionally flicking tongue looked serpentine at times.
"But why does Si-hyun come home sometimes smelling of other women, leaving such a pretty Luna behind?"
"That's..."
"He said he likes Luna—likes us. So why?"
It probed. A serpent's tongue dredging up undeniable past.
"Once, I could understand. But twice. He met other women twice, leaving Luna behind."
Cold. Chill seeped into the hand on her chest.
Imagining him laughing with another woman froze her heart.
"Si-hyun... said he likes me..."
"But Luna, think—what if he gets tired of us and leaves?"
The black moon slipped behind, hands on her shoulders. Serpent's tongue nearing her ear.
"We can't live without Si-hyun. If the man who gave us all these shining memories leaves...?"
"Si-hyun... leaving...?"
The girl didn't want to imagine it. Her body and heart already wholly his. A day without his touch—she couldn't bear it.
Her precious Si-hyun leaving her...?
"If he leaves... I hate that."
"Luna, he has a responsibility too. He can't just leave us—that's absurd. We have to make sure he can't leave, Luna."
"Make sure... he can't leave...?"
The black moon had waited for this. Agreeing bit by bit, earning trust—for this moment.
It smiled tenderly, taking Luna's hand in a pinky promise.
"Luna, don't you want to collect him?"
"Collect...?"
"Yes. We can have anything we want. Vast plains, towering trees reaching the sky, even twinkling stars and galaxies—all ours if we desire."
"Greed is our true nature. Nothing in this world is beyond us."
"Don't you want to feel this warmth forever? Collect him, and you can—eternally."
Luna's golden eyes trembled faintly.
"Si-hyun... forever..."
Si-hyun was precious to Luna. So she'd refrained from her powers as he asked, living like a normal girl.
But imagining him leaving filled her with unbearable anxiety.
"Yes. Together forever."
The black moon thought it almost had her. A little more, and Luna would bend to its will.
So it urged her on.
But.
[Listen, listen, I can't listen]
A mysterious voice from behind.
"No one but me and Luna can enter here. Who the—"
—Boom!
Turning, the black moon saw...
"Lulu...?"
The little rabbit doll Si-hyun had picked for Luna glared imposingly at the black moon.
"What... are you...?"
The rabbit doll raised a tiny hand to introduce itself.
[If you're asking who I am, it's only polite to answer. I'm the 'Auto-Defense: 24 Hours' protecting Luna from all threats.]
[Here to kick out the intruder crashing her happy dream.]
"Ha! You dare try to—"
—Snap!
Before the black moon finished, the rabbit doll snapped its fingers.
"...?!"
In an instant, the black moon was expelled from Luna's dream.
"Lulu... came to protect me...?"
The rabbit doll bowed politely to the wide-eyed golden girl.
[Call me Lulu casually. Beautiful princess.]