13 Aftermath

"M-Mr. Han?!" I exclaimed, my brain finally functioning.

"I'm here. Are you okay, Yuri? Did you not sleep well?" he asked, a concerned look on his face.

"H-huh? Sleep? Oh yeah..." I said as I realized that I just had a nightmare.

I touched my face with my hand and found it wet. Oh god, was I actually crying? I felt my face heat up and immediately sank under the blankets. Did Mr. Han just witnessed me, a grown man, cry in his sleep??? I couldn't help but cover my face with my hands. I was so embarrassed.

Mr. Han chuckled beside me.

"It's okay Yuri, everyone gets bad dreams too. I have to admit, you look quite cute sleeping, kind of like a cat," Mr. Han commented, looking at me.

When I heard Mr. Han told me I looked like a cat, I panicked. Immediately, I reached up to touch my head. Did my cat ears slip out??? I quickly realized that my secret hadn't been exposed. Letting out a breath of relief, I started to sit up. I looked towards the window and saw that it was still quite dark outside.

"Um, what time is it?" I asked Mr. Han quietly.

"It's 3 am in the morning," he replied.

"Oh, sorry for waking you up so early," I apologized, turning my face the other way. I can't believe that on top of crying in my sleep, I actually woke up Mr. Han.

"It's fine. Ju Zi actually came to get me, which I found was surprising. He must really like you, Yuri," Mr. Han explained, gesturing to the cat laying right besides my hand.

"Oh, really?" I said as I reached over to pat the tabby.

"Well, are you alright now? How are you feeling?" Mr. Han asked.

"I'm okay, it's just a nightmare after all. Nothing serious," I answered, giving Mr. Han a reassuring smile. "You can leave me now, I'm sure I will be able to sleep through the rest of the night."

"If you say so," said Mr. Han as he gets up from the bed.

When Mr. Han finally left, I let out a deep sigh.

"Thanks," I whispered, turning to the cat.

He let out a soft meow before snuggling back into his sleeping position.

"I guess I should go back to bed too," I said out loud to myself as I lay back down.

Lying there in the darkness of my room, it was difficult to fall back to sleep. Everything that had happened in my dream was still clear as day in my mind. I felt the guilt slowly swelling up again but I forced it down. You have classes tomorrow Yuri, I said to myself. I need to stop thinking and get some sleep!

...

All of a sudden, I hear birds chirping. My eyelids fluttered open and I saw the morning light pour in through the windows. I slowly sat up, rubbing my eyes. Was it morning already? Groggily climbing out of bed, I shuffled to the bathroom to wash up.

Ju Zi circled around my legs as I moved about the room, getting ready for the day. After I was all set, I decided to head downstairs. Mr. Han was in the kitchen, a frying pan in his hand. Ju Zi who was trailing behind me went up to him.

"Oh, good morning Ju Zi, you too Yuri," Mr. Han greeted.

"You're making breakfast?" I asked as I walked over to him.

"Yeah, how does an American breakfast sound?" he answered, crouching down to give Ju Zi a scratch behind the ears.

"I'm surprised you know how to cook…" I said.

"Haha, I know. I usually don't like to have people over because it makes it a bit difficult for me to concentrate, which is why I do most of the house chores," Mr. Han replied as he went back to the stove.

"O-oh… Was I a hindrance then?" I asked quietly, looking at the ground.