Work Text:
sejin woke up at three a.m. again. it was probably the third time this week (and the day was only thursday) and he felt something wet on his pillow. he dreamed of a nightmare again, one that brought tears into his sleep.
he still had the image of his nightmare clear at the back of his mind. he couldn't get back to sleep, so he sat himself down and let the tears dry. he dreamed of something bad. really bad he didn't want to remember it. really bad he wanted it to be thrown away far, to be eaten and be gone. sejin hated nightmares, but nightmares came almost everytime he fell asleep. maybe it was about time he do something about it.
sejin got down from his bed, went to his desk, and picked up a piece of paper from the drawer. he should draw something. sejin feared a few things, and drawing had helped him overcome them. he wanted to draw something that could help him throw away his nightmare. or better: something that could eat it so it would never come back.
he gave it a little thought: something that could eat a nightmare... it should be big and scary. it should be a monster! but sejin hated monsters. monsters came into his sleep a few times. he wanted something soft and friendly; he wanted a friend. then he was reminded of what his mother always said to him: we don't have to be big to be strong. she always said that he might be small, but he could fight for what he thought was right for him.
maybe not all monsters were scary. or maybe not everything that fight big things should be monsters. or maybe the word monster should not be bad at all. a friendly and small monster who ate nightmare--he wanted that to be his friend.
sejin picked up his pencil and started to draw a circle. not a perfect one, but it didn't matter. the small circle was covered in light strokes; the monster had furs. two small round eyes to complete the picture. his friend who ate nightmare had come to life. marimong, he said to himself, its name is marimong.
he climbed back onto his bed and put the piece of drawing beside his pillow. "you can come and eat my nightmare." he said before getting under his blanket.
it felt warm and nice to have a friend. he could finally be asleep again, and marimong came right at the moment he fell asleep. it wasn't a nightmare: in his dream, it flew to him and snuggled into his face.
"your nightmare is delicious!"