[The Gathering of Dreamers]
In the circles of those who knew, there existed a community known by that name.
The Dreamers.
At first glance, it sounds somewhat romantic.
A gathering of those who dream of dreams or the future—it certainly could be seen that way.
But.
That community, where complete anonymity was supposedly guaranteed, was not quite as romantic.
If anything could unite them all.
Yes.
Perhaps it could be called a “victims’ gathering.”
More precisely, the gathering of victims who, starting at some point, began to see a “blue something” in their dreams.
That was the one commonality among those frequenting this place.
Seeing a strange “blue something” in their dreams.
Excluding that, these people seemed to have nothing in common—was their gathering here truly just a coincidence?
Only the one who brought them here could know the answer.
Anyway.
In this community, which prided itself on complete anonymity, a myriad of random posts usually flooded the boards.
Like a smokescreen, everyday meaningless topics and “mines” worth of posts daily filled the community.
An anonymous site was bound to become a place like that.
But.
There were days when eerily similar-themed posts appeared.
On those days, even those who normally posted all sorts of strange things turned into monks that had rediscovered peace, engaging in polite conversations.
And it just so happened that a few days ago was one of those days.
The day came without any warning signs, so its pattern seemed unpredictable.
But on those days.
The cries of those unable to keep their mouths still and those desperate to tell their stories—even if no one around them believed—began on the community forum.
[It feels like I had that dream again after a long time]
Writer: Monkey Wandering Through Dreams
———
I saw that “blue thing” after a long while, and it felt a little off today.
Would you say it was angry?
It seemed crankier than when I saw it before… and after seeing it, something felt uneasy, like something bad might happen.
Does anyone see anything different than me?
If I’m the only one seeing something different, it’s a bit unsettling.
———
[RidingMonkey: I had a similar dream too. Calmed it down after it was angry. Maybe next time you meet it, consider approaching it?]
[BananaEatingMonkey: Don’t worry, I had the same impression.]
[MeatEatingMonkey: Me too. Hmm, why are all our nicknames related to monkeys today?]
———
[Why is it angry?]
Writer: Monkey Steering the Train
———
Honestly, I didn’t even know it was angry because the blue mass was just bouncing around.
But seeing the posts coming up today, it seems it was angry.
It rarely ever got angry, so something must have happened, and it’s bugging me.
What’s more, it’s kind of strange.
We always have similar dreams, but to experience the exact same vibe in a dream is something new.
What’s going on here?
Does anyone have an answer?
———
[RidingMonkey: If we knew, would we be posting here? Most people come here just to talk about what they’ve seen.]
[SwordDancingMonkey: Mol?lo] [FlowerHoldingMonkey: Perhaps it’s something like MK Ultra… Could this place be made to monitor that? Something does feel strange.]
———
[After dreaming about it today, it definitely seems odd.]
Writer: Monkey Separating the Train
———
Thinking about it carefully… I don’t even remember how I ended up here.
I was just naturally doing it for some reason, but something makes me uneasy.
Maybe it’s because the “thing” was angry in my dream…
———
[FlowerHoldingMonkey: Now that you mention it, me too.]
[RidingMonkey: I feel the same.]
[BananaEatingMonkey: Huh?]
[Monkey Dreaming the Dreams: …Huh?]
[MeatPrepMonkey: Why are we all monkeys again?]
———
[This post is blind due to a violation of the rules.]
[The server is under maintenance.]
[Approximate maintenance time: 8 hours.]
[The maintenance ended earlier than expected.]
———
[Let’s run ㅋ]
Writer: Monkey Who Ate the Dream
— —
A place where various experiments were conducted under the sea—perhaps something similar was happening here.
After all… wasn’t there a lot of noticeable change, even to my eyes?
Especially the floating formless shape over there that hasn’t been named yet.
Yet, for now, it decided to leave me alone—no experiments happened.
It was simply the return of the routine I had before heading to the seaside.
Just watching TV, sleeping when I felt like, and eating the food delivered at specific times—a very mundane life.
Thinking about it, maybe I’ll end up like a messed-up jelly…
But on second thought, does it even matter?
People call someone like this a couch potato, don’t they?
So I guess I’m a bed potato jelly then.
Although I did find myself intrigued by discovering new abilities.
Like the creature flying around and squishing into corners—I thought I too might be able to fly in the sky.
But…
I couldn’t learn how to fly.
Whatever the issue was, I wasn’t able to take to the skies.
I didn’t necessarily want to mimic Superman, but why could that thing fly, but not me?
Maybe…
Perhaps I just haven’t learned how to fly?
Or…
Perhaps I inadvertently expelled that ability when I last released that strange emotion?
If that were true, it would be truly regrettable.
I spat out the overwhelming anger to prevent it from interfering with my daily life.
Even if it seems a bit unfair, just spitting out the anger and keeping the ability to fly like some kind of all-you-can-eat buffet…
Still, maybe I should try again?
Only…
To do that, I’d need to swallow that floating whale again.
Is the whale that I spit out still the same whale I consumed earlier?
Looking at the freely roaming creature made me think of something that gave me an odd, uncomfortable feeling.
Even though we weren’t friends exactly, it did make me feel a bit unsettled.
So, I just surrendered, laid back on the bed and stared at the TV while munching on the cookies I’d stashed.
Perhaps like the tentacles on Sosik, I might someday discover an ability to fly through the air.
It’s just not now.
It’s said that birds learn to fly by falling from their nests.
If that holds true, perhaps I too might learn to fly by falling from somewhere.
I imagined myself falling from a high place, and my jelly trembled.
Even from a modest height I’d probably be okay, but if it’s even slightly higher, it’ll be disastrous—I can see myself splitting into j-e-l-l-y.
…Do I really need to fly?
If I want to, then…
There’s flight options like planes.
Now that I think about it, there’s no need for me to personally fly.
Having a ride hanging onto the whale and floating around seems… more than enough.
Anyway.
I’m resting because I can’t maneuver within the room—not because I’m cowardly.
Ah.
Still, it seemed like I had managed to acquire a new ability.
I don’t know when it happened exactly, but it was something I’d briefly glimpsed in the whale’s stomach not too long ago.
I threw the remote control in my hand into a corner of the bed with a flick.
It flew in circles and safely landed at the corner.
Having confirmed that, I stared at the remote and sent out an almost imperceptible signal of desire for it.
Then.
Daesik, who was blankly staring at the TV, slowly stood up, then Alice grabbed the remote and brought it to me.
Even Sosik, sprawled on the side, moved a little—slowly wiggling, and the whale, which was nestled in the corner, lazily flew toward me.
So…
I might have gained the ability to give commands—or rather, convey emotions—to these little nuisances?
Considering how Daesik and Sosik reacted while rushing toward the fallen person…
It was clear beyond a doubt that they were affected by me somehow.
Perhaps the extremely intense emotion—anger—had stripped away their sense of individuality?
So…
If I manage to convey strong enough emotions—or commands—can I control these beings just as I want?
…Right now it might be more akin to some uncontrollable spam mail I’m subconsciously sending them instead of actual communication.
Of course, Daesik’s movements were more out of compliance with my requests.
…Right?
I gently patted Daesik’s head who had brought me the remote.
Then Daesik joyfully raised one of his arms.
Great.
Thankfully, it wasn’t both hands.
Still, one thing that bothered me.
I have no real idea what these beings think.
Fortunately, at least their actions and expressions make it somewhat clear what’s on their minds.
I often thought—perhaps we could communicate directly through conversation?
Though…
If I attempt to write or speak…
Would these beings follow by mimicking?
Considering my prior plan to test them by seeing if they could grasp text, but it fizzled out.
It’s true that communicating accurately with “people” might end up being too much of a burden to me, and deciding impulsively could be dangerous.
Anyway.
With nothing immediate to do, I felt like a rich man of time.
It feels like I have the power to destroy this whole community at my fingertips with just the right timing.
While pondering over this immense power one day…
Han Seori and Kim Cheon-soo entered together.
And looking at what they carried…
It appeared they were about to go out again.
The sensation of power flowing out of me was palpable.
The jelly deflated, losing all of its puffiness.
