"How many times do I have to tell you I was in a car accident, Jinn? I'm bruised all over, from head to toe, and you still want me to lie on the floor! This is too much! I'm going to tell my mom! I'm going to tell her you're a jerk!" Jerome threw a pillow on the floor angrily, as if he couldn't take it anymore.

 

After struggling to finish his shower with only one hand, the young man emerged in a bathrobe, only to find the room's owner coldly pointing at the sofa. No matter how big it was, it wasn't big enough for someone as aching as he to lie comfortably. They fought over it, finally settling on the bedroom floor, but it was just the bedroom floor! Even with a sheet and a blanket, it wasn't thick enough for someone with such an aching body to sleep peacefully!

 

"So you're going to sleep in the same bed with me? Me, who hates your guts, and you, who hates mine? Sleeping side-by-side, sweetly? Seriously?" Jinn didn't want to be cruel to someone who was in pain like this, but like he said, wouldn't it be too much of a struggle for two people who dislike each other to sleep side-by-side in the same bed?

 

"If I were normally this stubborn, I'd have slept through ten naps by now. But right now, I'm in pain all over. I really can't sleep." This time, Jerome wasn't trying to cause trouble. He had just been in an accident and was still very weak, both mentally and emotionally. Now wasn't the time for arguments or teasing like he usually did. He had to refrain from that for a while. He could only engage in verbal sparring because, in his current state, he was at a disadvantage in every way. It wasn't good at all.

 

The room's occupant narrowed his eyes slightly, as if deep in thought, trying to figure out how much he could tolerate having his enemy sleeping next to him.

 

Jinn's condo has only one bedroom, two bathrooms, and a small kitchen. But what makes it special, and what made him choose it, is the spacious living room area. The view from the 34th-floor windows is stunning, perfect for relaxing, thinking, and letting his mind wander. He's already made half of it his design workspace, with the other half a small corner with a sofa and TV. Therefore, the only places where this uninvited guest could sleep are on the couch outside or in the bedroom itself.

 

"I haven't even lost the race yet. Why do I have to do what you tell me to do?" Jinn sighed, but what else could he do? He'd consider it charity for an injured person, wait for him to recover, then kick him to the ground.

 

"Do you think I have a choice? Staying like this is good because I can cause trouble, and it'll be fun to fight. But I'm at a disadvantage right now, aren't I? My body's injured, my finger's broken, my head hurts. If I had a choice, I'd want you to be the last person to see me like this. It's so sad just thinking about it." He initially intended to say something sarcastic, but as he spoke, he became genuinely sad. The injured man slumped onto the edge of the bed, his expression lifeless.

 

Jerome dislikes looking bad in front of others. He hates it, really. It's a strange habit; he doesn't know where it came from. He just became like this without realising it. Even when he's injured like this, he still asks his father to bring him a shirt and trousers. It's become a habit, a routine. It's not difficult for him to dress well when he's with other people.

 

It was even worse with his rival. Jerome wanted to look good to make Jinn jealous, to make him smirk every time he saw him. He wanted the other person to know the difference, that he would always look better, be more handsome. But this time, the first person to reach him was Jinn. The one who saw his pale face and dishevelled clothes when he left the emergency room was Jinn as well. And to make matters worse, they had to be together, with Jinn helping him take off his clothes, put them on, and doing this and that. To be honest, he was more miserable than happy to be able to tease him.

 

If it weren't for his desire to understand the dreams and strange images that appeared without warning, he would never be in this situation. Of course, but this time he's been punished, and there's nothing he can argue against; there's no way he can change anything.

 

"Oh, as if I think I look good these days. In my eyes, you're just a beggar, no different," Jinn said with a straight face. What? Does he think I think he's handsome or cool? Nonsense!

 

"Go ahead and say it. Only you know what you're thinking," Jerome pouted, ignoring whatever the other person said.

 

"I'll kick you in the face. Are you going to sleep like this? If your testicles show, I'll take blackmail photos, I'm warning you. Heh heh." The owner of the room glared at the person still in the robe with a wicked look.

 

"Even if you actually took those photos, you wouldn't dare show them to anyone. They'd ask where you got them from. Would you tell them you took them yourself, saw them with your own eyes? Hmph!" Jerome smirked maliciously.

 

"...Hmph," Jinn was truly speechless. He probably wouldn't dare show it to anyone. No, he wouldn't have taken it in the first place. Just the thought of having a picture of that idiot's little worm in the album made him shudder!

 

"Okay, fine," Jerome decided not to get himself into any more trouble (for the day) because it was late and he felt a little sleepy, wanting to go to bed early.

 

“Noon, you can unpack your suitcase tomorrow,” the owner of the room nodded towards the wardrobe where a large suitcase was placed. Actually, he didn't want to pay attention to it, but as they knew, they would probably be living together like this for a while longer. Despite appearances, Jinn was quite organised. Not to the point of meticulously arranging everything, but he certainly didn't leave things scattered along the walkway. As long as things were in their proper place, that was fine.

 

"Okay, I'll try to put it on myself first," the injured man said. He didn't want the other person to help him with everything either. It seemed like he was relying too much on Jinn, and that wasn't what Jerome wanted.

 

"Okay, I'm going to take a shower first. Don't you dare mess with anything! I remember exactly where I put it." He pointed two fingers at his own eyes and then at the other person, as if to say, "I'm watching you. Don't touch it."

 

"Do you think I'm two years old? Go away!" The guest wanted to roll his eyes three times and waved the room's owner away dismissively.

 

After hearing the bathroom door close, Jerome awkwardly opened his bag. His parents had helped him pack, but now he had to do it himself, realising how difficult it was only to have one hand that was still functional. The young man spent several minutes struggling to put on his underwear, then his elastic-waisted pyjama pants, and finally hesitated, wondering whether to put on a shirt. Normally, Jerome would sleep shirtless, but being in someone else's room left him unsure what to do.

 

"At least I can dress myself, so that I’m not such a burden."

 

Jinn's voice coming from behind made Jerome glance over. He saw his rival walking out of the bathroom, drying his hair, wearing only sweatpants. He decided to throw his shirt back into his bag, no longer thinking about it. The young man observed the person who was five centimetres shorter than him with a mixture of surprise and curiosity.

 

Jerome quickly admired the well-built upper body, knowing how much effort Jinn had put into achieving it. Before, Jinn had almost no muscle at all, a lean and slender figure. Coming this far was truly remarkable.

 

"Yeah, I didn't want you to mess with my body too much. I was afraid you wouldn't be able to control yourself."

 

"Pfft! You're so self-absorbed, you jerk! And your mom messaged me saying to put some ointment on it." Jinn put the phone down on the table in front of the mirror before turning on the hairdryer, cutting off the conversation as if he didn't want to talk anymore.

 

Jerome raised an eyebrow and walked out to pick up the phone that was lying outside the bedroom. He checked it and saw a large number of missed calls and unread messages. There were messages from his mother, father, Jinn’s mother, friends, and Beam. The young man chose to reply only to Jinn’s mother and his mother and father, and would deal with the others later.

 

"Hey, open this box for me."

 

Jinn turned off the hairdryer and looked at the person handing him a vial of medicine, speechless. Just a moment ago, they said they didn't want any fuss, and less than five minutes later, they were giving him medicine and telling him to open it. But the young man said nothing. He was tired. He'd been to school all day, then picked up his friend and the adults in the evening, went to his friend's room to collect his things, stopped for dinner, and then got into another fight in his room. He'd definitely gotten along better than usual today.

 

And it seemed like Jerome was thinking the same thing, because, besides handing over the ointment and silently applying it, the other person said nothing else. It's unclear whether he was tired or just sleepy.

 

"Don't go to sleep yet. Wait for the medicine to dry, or you'll stain my bed." Jerome only had a few bruises: on his right temple, right shoulder, and leg, and a few on his left. Unfortunately, his right leg was unaffected. He probably didn't kick hard enough.

 

After that, they both lay down on opposite sides, trying their best to avoid any part of their bodies touching the other, without exchanging a single word. It was as if speaking more would drain their energy.

 

At first, Jinn felt a little unaccustomed to having such a large man sleeping beside him, especially since usually only thin, small men had that privilege. But before he could think too much about it, he quickly fell asleep. Since it was his own room, the scent of his own didn't feel out of place at all.

 

Conversely, Jerome, sleeping in someone else's room, wasn't falling asleep easily. He didn't have any unusual sleeping habits; he was just wondering whether sleeping next to Jinn would make his dreams more intense than usual. He was both expectant and curious about what might happen in his dreams, just as he had been for the past two or three nights.

 

The handsome face glanced briefly at the broad back of the person sleeping with their back to him, before closing his eyes, letting his mind wander, and quickly drifting off to sleep. He entered another strange dream, a dream that changed every day, never the same, but what remained the same was the perspective he saw. The person within his field of vision was always Jinn—only Jinn, and no one else.

 

Why?