Chapter 41: Chapter 41: A Strange Dream.
Jake’s eyes slowly opened.
The first thing he felt was the familiar softness of his own bed.
The same old ceiling greeted him... the familiar crack in the corner and the same faded poster on the wall.
"...Huh?"
He sat up slowly, blinking in confusion.
Jake rubbed his face, his heart still racing from the nightmare he had just experienced.
It felt like he had endured a very long, painful dream, yet he couldn’t remember any of the details.
Only a heavy, exhausted ache lingered in his body.
"Uhh..."
With a soft sigh, he swung his legs off the bed and stood up, stretching.
The faint ache in his chest and the heavy fatigue slowly faded as he moved.
Everything felt normal.
The familiar smell of his room, the quiet hum of the air conditioner.
The nightmare or whatever it was... was already slipping away like smoke.
He could barely recall anything now.
Jake walked out of his bedroom, still trying to shake off the strange heaviness in his chest.
As he stepped into the hallway, he heard it... the rhythmic clinking of metal.
Clank...
Clank...
Clank...
It was the familiar sound of the dumbbells.
He followed the sound toward the small home gym area near the balcony and froze at the entrance.
There, with his back facing him, was a broad, heavily muscled back glistening with sweat.
His father was doing dumbbell rows with perfect form, each rep controlled and powerful.
The thick muscles on his back and shoulders flexed powerfully with every movement.
"Dad...?" Jake muttered.
His father paused mid-rep, lowering the heavy dumbbell with controlled strength before turning his head only slightly.
A warm smile appeared on his face.
"You’re up early for once," his father said, voice deep and steady. "Thought you’d sleep till noon again."
Jake didn’t reply right away.
He just stared at his father’s powerful, sweat-glistened back and shoulders... a sight he had seen hundreds of times before.
...Yet at the same time, he felt like he had missed it deeply.
Jake shook his head slightly and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"...Yeah. I think I had a really bad dream," Jake said, forcing a small laugh. "A really... vivid one but I’m already forgetting most of it though."
His father chuckled and resumed his reps.
"Dreams are weird like that. Go wash your face and eat something."
Jake lingered for a few seconds, watching his father train.
The familiar sight should have comforted him, but for some reason, an odd, empty feeling remained in his chest.
Something warm, soft, and precious lingered in his mind.... vague, like a half-forgotten memory, but refusing to disappear completely.
His father seemed to notice him still standing there and asked without turning his head.
"You sure you’re okay, son?"
Jake forced another laugh.
"I’m fine, Dad. Just... feeling a bit off today. Probably stayed up too late again."
His father nodded without turning around and continued his reps.
"Don’t push yourself too hard."
With a soft sigh, Jake turned away and walked toward the bathroom.
As he moved through the hallway, he subconsciously took in the familiar layout of their modest two-story house.
It was an old but well-maintained home in a quiet residential area on the outskirts of the city.
The walls were painted a simple off-white, with family photos hanging neatly along the corridor... pictures of him as a child with his parents, school graduations, and a big family trip from a few years ago.
The wooden floor creaked slightly under his feet in the usual spots he knew by heart.
The house wasn’t big or luxurious, but it had a warm, lived-in feeling.
Downstairs was the living room with an old but comfortable sofa, a decent TV, a small dining area connected to the kitchen, the bathroom, and the little home gym corner his father had built himself near the balcony.
Jake stepped into the bathroom, turned on the faucet, and splashed cold water on his face.
As the water ran down his skin, he stared at his reflection in the mirror.
It was his normal face... no injuries, no blood, no golden light-
"Golden light...?"
Jake froze at the thought, water dripping down his face.
Where had those words come from? They had slipped out unconsciously...
He shook his head hard and splashed more cold water on his face.
"What the hell am I thinking about?" he muttered, annoyed at himself. "Must’ve been some anime or game scene I watched. Yeah... that’s it."
Jake took a deep breath and left the bathroom.
The house was quiet except for the distant clinking of dumbbells and the soft ticking of the living room clock.
Everything was exactly as it should be.
He went downstairs to the kitchen, reheated some leftover fried rice from the fridge, and ate slowly.
The food tasted good, but... strangely flat today.
His mind kept drifting back to that vague warmth... something soft, comforting, and incredibly important pressing against him.
He put down his spoon, lowered his head, and stared at the table, lost in thought.
The vague warmth in his chest refused to fade.
It felt like he had forgotten someone... or something incredibly important.
...Something soft, gentle, and filled with pure devotion.
Before he could spiral deeper, heavy footsteps approached from the hallway.
"Smells good. Mind if I join you?"
His father walked into the kitchen with a cheerful tone, a towel slung over his broad shoulder and a fresh black tank top on.
Jake didn’t look up and just nodded absentmindedly.
Without waiting for an answer, his father pulled out the chair across from him and sat down heavily.
He grabbed a plate from the cupboard and served himself a big portion of the reheated fried rice.
"Ahh, leftover rice always tastes better for some reason~" his father said with a satisfied grin as he took a big bite.
"So, what was that bad dream about?" he asked between bites.
"You looked pretty shaken up earlier. You know, if something’s really bothering you, you can talk to me. Even if it’s just a weird dream, sometimes saying it out loud helps."
