Chapter 10: Nightmare

I was sitting on the sofa, holding a cup of instant noodles in one hand.

The sensation of the warm broth going down my throat was so satisfying.

A familiar drama was playing on the TV.

“Ah… this is nice.”

I took another sip of the broth and looked at the TV screen.

The drama was slowly ending, and the screen switched to commercials.

Strangely, all the commercials were related to yuri (girl’s love) programs.

[The sublimity of scissoring… ]

Click.

[So, a girl’s smooth… ]

Click.

[Even just holding hands is yuri-licious!]

Click.

Dramas, variety shows, and even documentaries were all about yuri.

‘What’s up, all the commercials are weird these days.’

I felt strange, but I didn’t pay much attention.

It’s not like it’s the first time a broadcasting station has aired strange programs.

But the screen on the TV started to change strangely.

The woman on the screen was staring straight ahead, her gaze fixed.

She slowly smiled and reached out of the screen.

I rubbed my eyes and looked at the screen again.

Her hand was coming out beyond the boundary of the screen.

“Um… isn’t that a bit of an over-the-top production… Gaaah…?”

I laughed and muttered, but her hand didn’t stop.

No, to call it a hand… it was a strange shape, neither fingers nor flesh.

“What is that… a cucumber?”

[Cucumber, or fingers…

……

You can only choose one.]

My laughter disappeared, and I stared at the TV.

That strange woman was slowly crawling out of the TV.

Soon, her entire upper body came out of the screen and into the world.

Her eyes were directed at me.

“I, I have to run away…!”

I threw the cup of noodles on the sofa, stood up, and headed out of the room.

I rushed to the door in a hurry, but a small Pomeranian was sitting in front of the door.

The dog looked familiar.

It was the dog that was with the [Butter Dog Lover] woman.

“You again!”

The Pomeranian wagged its tail and looked at me.

But those eyes were not pure at all.

I hastily turned around, and the woman from the TV was already completely out in the room.

Her hands were groping the air as if trying to grab me.

‘I’m blocked in front and behind…!’

I eventually decided to break through the Pomeranian’s side.

The moment I was about to run quickly, avoiding the dog, the dog barked sharply and jumped up.

“Ah!”

The Pomeranian’s teeth grabbed my sleeve, making me lose my balance.

And then, I felt a familiar sensation somewhere.

The cold sensation of metal touching my neck.

‘A leash again?!’

I was surprised and twisted my body, but the leash was already tightly wrapped around my neck.

“Finally caught you.

You’re such a quick one.”

She appeared.

Tied to the leash, I looked up at her.

I struggled to escape, but each time I did, the leash tightened, blocking my movement.

I grabbed the leash with my hands and tried to get it off somehow, but no matter how hard I tried, it wouldn’t come loose.

She was still smiling softly.

“Don’t try to run away.

Now you’ll be with me forever.”

Her voice was gentle, but I could feel the eerie energy hidden within it.

I stepped back and crouched down.

“Why are you doing this?

Why, why me…”

But my questions did not evoke any sympathy from her.

She slowly wound the leash and approached me closer.

“Because you’re really special.”

She reached out and gently stroked my face.

I cringed and turned my head, but I couldn’t avoid her touch.

“Now I’ll protect you.

You don’t have to worry about anything.”

She pulled the leash slightly to make me come closer to her.

This time, there was no [Bad Hand], and the escape route was blocked by that strange TV woman.

It was truly a situation of being caught between a rock and a hard place.

There was no way out.

In the end, I had no choice but to helplessly succumb to her touch.

Her hand stroked my hair, and she whispered softly.

“Good.

You’re very obedient.

You should have been like this from the beginning.”

I lowered my head, listening to the sound of my heart pounding.

My body was trembling, but for some reason, I had no strength.

All I could do was accept her touch and remain silent.

“Don’t worry now.

I’ll take care of everything.”

She slowly released the leash, wrapped it around her hand, and smiled at me.

“You’re mine.

Don’t try to run away from here anymore.”

I nodded helplessly as I listened to her words.

The cold touch of the leash on my neck made it difficult to breathe, but I didn’t even have the strength to escape.

She slowly pulled the leash, drawing me forward.

“Now, just listen to me obediently.

Isn’t it simple?”

Her voice was soft and sweet, but it contained an eerie authority.

I lowered my head and answered weakly.

“Yes.”

She let out a satisfied laugh.

“Good.

You’re finally listening.

Then… shall we see how good of a girl you are?”

I no longer resisted.

Every time she pulled the leash, I naturally moved in her direction.

No matter how much I wanted to resist in my heart, my body was already following her commands.

She lifted my chin with one hand, making me look directly at her.

Her eyes were cold and sharp.

“Now you’re mine.

Wherever you go in this space, whatever you do, you must have my permission.”

I swallowed my breath and slowly nodded.

“I understand.”

She seemed satisfied and stepped back, wrapping the leash around her hand.

“Good.

You’ve become really good now.

You’re really cute, you know.”

I silently listened to her words and lowered my head.

The presence of the leash constantly reminded me of the reality that I could no longer resist.

And, at that moment.

“Gasp!”

I woke up from this nightmare.

Still feeling the unpleasant sensation, I looked around with anxious eyes.

Fortunately, there was nothing.

“Ugh, ugh.

It was a bad dream.”

I tried to calm the goosebumps that kept rising, and I trembled in the tent.

February 2, 2025.

Day 2 in a safe-looking space.

I don’t even know if it’s morning, but is it right to call this the second day?

Anyway, let’s say it’s the second day since I woke up and slept.

Anyway, I had a really strange dream when I closed my eyes for a while in the tent.

It was an ordinary daily dream of eating cup noodles and watching TV, but suddenly the woman on TV crawled out of the screen.

It was like some Squid Game, she showed me a cucumber and fingers in both hands and told me to choose one of the two.

I was scared and tried to run away.

But a Pomeranian was standing in front of the exit.

The TV woman was following behind, and the dog was in front.

I thought, ‘Oh well’, and tried to break through, but… I was blocked by the dog and tied up with a leash.

After that, ugh, it was all unpleasant.

The cold touch of the leash and the eerie smile of that woman were so real that it felt really bad.

It’s been a while since I woke up from the dream, but I’m still sweating cold.

The sensation of that leash is still vivid.

Why did I have such a dream?

Maybe it’s because I’ve been so tense lately.

No, was that really a dream in the first place?

I don’t know…

Monster File: [Nightmare-Bo-jinger Game]

Form: This monster takes the form of a woman crawling out of a TV screen.

It’s like a ghost from a classic horror movie.

She has long, pale hands, and her fingers are a bizarre shape that is indistinguishable from plants or fingers.

The overall appearance looks like a human woman, but she seems to have the supernatural ability to freely cross the boundaries of the TV screen.

Characteristics: It seems to have the ability to cross over from the TV screen to reality.

She asks you to choose between a cucumber and fingers, but it’s unclear what happens if you choose.

I didn’t see it for long, so I don’t know.

Danger: It seems like she can restrain the opponent with the shape of her hands or block their movement using visual fear.

Since she appears through the TV, turning on the TV in a dream can be a danger signal.

Weakness: Although it’s not certain, it’s a being associated with the TV screen, so turning off the TV or breaking the screen might weaken it.

In the dream, refusing her presence and turning your eyes away from the screen might reduce the pressure.

Monster File: [Nightmare-Butter Dog Lover]

Form: It’s a combination monster of a dog and a woman.

The dog is in the form of a small and cute Pomeranian, but you shouldn’t be fooled by its appearance.

Characteristics: It’s similar to the [Butter Dog Lover] I met before, but this time the Pomeranian actively interfered with me.

I’m not sure if it’s because it’s a being in a dream, or if the monster also evolves every time I meet it.

I hope it’s the former.

Danger: Now the dog is no longer a harmless being.

If I meet it again next time, it will be difficult to shake it off.

Ugh, why is this happening to me?

Weakness: The main body seems to be the woman with the leash.

If you neutralize this woman, this dog is likely to be neutralized as well.

And although it’s active, the dog’s movements are relatively simple, so it seems like it can be avoided if you distract it or lure it in the opposite direction.

In my case, I couldn’t avoid it because I was in a situation of impasse.

Monster Type File: [Nightmare Series]

Peculiarity: These are monsters that take the form of nightmares, or monsters that I don’t know if they were just created by my tension.

There are monsters I see for the first time, and monsters I’ve seen before.

Fortunately, it seems like they can’t threaten my body in reality because it’s a dream.

However, considering that they make me feel like I’m forced to obey or give in in my dreams, it seems like they’re urging me to give up.

But, no way.

I’m going to escape from this strange backroom no matter what!