Chapter 45: When Dreams Bleed

It was that dream again.

Kim Dodam sat in the classroom, unease gnawing at him.

This time, Seol Haru wasn’t there.

In a corner, among the students, sat the strange man—This Man.

Unlike before, when he lingered at the back, he was much closer now.

They say it’s just psychological.

Experts claimed the viral sketch of This Man emotionally influenced people.

Dodam agreed—it was the most logical explanation.

Still, the discomfort lingered.

If only Haru were here, like last time.

But dreams never followed his wishes.

He glanced at the cut on his arm.

The same spot injured in a dream had bled in reality.

A strange coincidence.

The bell rang, and students poured out.

This Man stayed, staring at Dodam.

Dodam chased him, and the man fled.

Confidence surged.

He followed up the stairs to the rooftop.

“Where’d he go?”

He’d seen him enter, but the man was gone.

Then, a sharp impact hit from behind.

“Argh!!”

He fell, head crashing toward the ground—and woke up.

Sweat-soaked, he checked his body.

No injuries.

“…Thank god. Just a dream.”

Anonymous1: I died in my dream today.

Anonymous3: Same. Chased This Man and got hit by a car.

Anonymous22: I got stabbed out of nowhere. He used to just run.

Anonymous15: So many dying. I fell off Namsan Tower.

Anonymous9: Me too.

Anonymous7: 2222

Anonymous10: Yo, the community’s going wild.

Anonymous1: No surprise with so many dying in dreams.

Anonymous3: I dunno. Are people lying?

Anonymous10: You guys know, right?

Anonymous10: People say injuries in dreams happen in real life too.

Anonymous10: So, does that mean we could actually die?

Anonymous22: Lol

Anonymous15: Lmao

Anonymous9: No way that’d happen.

Anonymous7: Yeah, how many would die then?

Anonymous6: That’d be a catastrophe.

[Anonymous24 has joined.]

[Anonymous12 has joined.]

[Anonymous8 has joined.]

Anonymous24: This Man showed up again! He killed me.

Anonymous12: A sinkhole opened while I was crossing the street, wtf.

Anonymous8: A steel beam fell on my head out of nowhere.

Anonymous9: I’m staying home today.

Anonymous22: Same.

Anonymous10: Bunch of NEETs?

Anonymous3: Treat legends as legends. Listen to the experts.

As the date changed, the city buzzed with fervor.

Hwaseo and Doryeong skipped school, staying at the association.

“We have to stop it!”

“This Man’s growing too fast.”

“If this continues, it’ll be a disaster!”

Psychics pleaded with Hwaryeong, the temporary commander.

She knew the stakes.

“If dreams become reality again…”

“Today’s the deadline. If we don’t solve this today…”

The psychic trailed off.

A catastrophe loomed.

“The only way is to find This Man’s core,” Hwaryeong said.

“Time’s too short. It’s too risky to rely on luck.”

“Got a better plan?”

If they had one, they wouldn’t be in this mess.

Hwaryeong clutched her temples.

“Keep searching for This Man’s core.”

“And you?”

“I’ll ask the chairman for help.”

The psychics’ faces brightened.

Cheon Juseong, a living legend.

If he stepped in, they believed it’d be solved.

Hwaryeong wasn’t so sure.

Even he might struggle with so little time.

Can even he resolve this in time?

Still, he was their best hope.

Students, ever sensitive to trends, were rarely this chaotic.

And never over one topic.

“Yeah, I died in my dream too.”

“They say injuries in This Man dreams happen in real life.”

“No way. That’d mean we’re dying today?”

Dodam echoed the chatter.

The Supernatural Research Club was helpless.

Hwaseo was absent, and this was beyond schoolkids’ capabilities.

Even the association was likely struggling.

I made my decision.

Time for some method acting.

“Ugh, my head.”

Thud.

“Eek! Haru!”

“Seol Haru collapsed!!”

My good-student image secured an early dismissal.

At home, I laid out the jar fragments and sat cross-legged.

–Eek?

The clown doll plopped beside me, eyeing the fragments curiously.

It reached out, then recoiled, sensing the ominous aura.

This Man’s energy clings to the jar.

This Man was a peculiar anomaly.

Not a grudge or spirit—a phenomenon.

He didn’t exist in reality, only indirectly through dreams.

Hwaseo’s grandfather had flipped the script, sealing him in reality.

The talismans on the jar likely held special spells.

A method I couldn’t replicate.

But as a ghost, I had my own way.

–Eek!

The clown doll played with the tissues—the bathroom ghost’s gift.

They carried a friendly aura.

I placed the tissues on the fragments.

They’d suppress This Man’s corrupt energy and open a path.

Drawing my silver hairpin, I absorbed This Man’s energy, mimicking his traits.

Closing my eyes, I focused my sixth sense.

My spiritual form spread out.

I appeared where This Man was.

He sensed the intruder and fought back.

It was a war of countless chess pieces.

Dreams made such miracles possible.

The battle was evenly matched.

Then, psychics appeared.

The Psychic Association had four divisions: Astrology, Administration, Enforcement, and Special Operations.

Enforcement handled combat, occasionally aided by Astrology or Special Ops.

Now, all divisions were mobilized—efficiency be damned.

“No time! Hurry!”

After defeating another This Man and entering the next dream, they froze.

“…”
“What the…?”

The dream was already chaos.

A guest was here.

A long-haired woman in white floated, overpowering This Man with immense spiritual energy.

She wielded cold blasts and telekinesis.

“Byeokgwi!” Hwaryeong shouted.

Byeokgwi?

The name rang bells among the psychics.

She’d been a hot topic.

A unique ghost.

Why was she here, in This Man’s domain?

Why was she fighting him?

After a fierce clash, This Man fell, and Byeokgwi vanished.

It happened again and again—in dream after dream, they battled.

Other psychics reported the same.

An incomprehensible situation.

Is Byeokgwi fighting This Man for control?

It was a plausible theory, but it faded as both vanished.

This Man was gone because Byeokgwi defeated him.

If she wanted dream control, she’d have stayed.

“No more This Man sightings,” a psychic reported.

“Same here,” another said. “Team 3?”

“Nothing. Not a single one.”

Grudges and spirits came from human deaths, but phenomena like This Man had varied, unpredictable origins—born from nature or minds, with differing powers.

This Man was a phenomenon.

Byeokgwi’s nature was unclear.

“No matter how skilled, humans can’t match phenomena in their own game…” Hwaryeong sighed.

Byeokgwi had effortlessly resolved a nation-shaking crisis.

The situation wasn’t over.

It was just beginning.

The fight was close, but This Man couldn’t beat my duplicates, losing ground bit by bit.

Except in one place.

A point where This Man always won.

That’s where his core is.

I prepared for battle.

Unexpectedly, there was a guest.

A This Man radiating immense spiritual energy, its face expressive and dripping with malice—unlike its usual blank stare.

A refined man gripped its neck.

“You…” Cheon Juseong’s eyebrow twitched.