Apollo’s Heart - Chapter 11

Chapter 11 – Bizarre Obsession (1)

Darkness surrounded her body; she could feel the familiar vulnerability engulfing her. She tried to hold her ground, fighting that surging emotion, reining in her sanity. And yet, as the unknown force firmly spread across her legs, her resolve quivered—she surrendered.

She felt his hands hold her thighs tightly as if afraid she’d move. But only she knew that she wouldn’t. She was inching deeper into the torrent of undercurrent, refusing to swim to the surface. Just then, something like an electric current jolted her body.

The man had buried his face between her legs; a moan escaped her lips. Every time his lips and tongue tickled and sucked her sensitive part, her sight turned white. She felt a gush of pleasure, and finally, something burst forth.

She shivered along with the sensation that swept her from head to toe. Calming herself, she lifted her eyelids at the touch. His lips that had made love to her were wet and velvety.

The moment she felt that she gritted her teeth as she reached her peak. The dam broke. At the same time, the man in the dark made a rough insertion. Her hands, clutching the sheets, trembled at the sudden rush of stimuli into her.

His tongue, which had been teasing her sensitive cl*t for a long time, was now tending to her aroused buds. Her body twisted in response. The rough movements that hit her deep quickly brought her out of ecstasy. Unlike the tremors, his fierce thrusts were inducing in her lower parts, his lips and tongue tasting her silky skin were relaxed and gentle.

The man tossed her sweaty hair behind her ear and licked her earlobes. Her body swayed to his movements. She wondered when it would end; a guttural cry, which she belatedly realized, came from her.

“Ah!”

Her eyes flew open; she was panting. She looked around her. It was still dark. Although she was certain it was a dream, her body dripping with sweat made it feel like she’d actually had s*x. She felt hot and cold at the same time.

Even being wide awake, Yuri Han couldn’t find even a semblance of reality for a while. She looked around everywhere as if seeking for something reassuring. On the side table, the medicine sat untouched. She seemed to have fallen asleep while fiddling with the medication, which she ought to take before going to bed.

It’s that dream again.

She buried her face in her hands, barely catching her breath—a result of the excitement she had just experienced.

It’s all right, it’s all right. She mumbled.

Taking a long deep breath, she got herself off the bed. She could feel her legs quiver as they touched the ground, her trembling hands brushed aside the damp hair on her face. She took a moment to collect herself, or rather she thought she did.

Trudging to the bathroom, she dragged herself to the edge of the bathtub. Turning on the faucet, she blankly stared at the hot water filling the bathtub. Then, bit by bit, she lowered herself into the tub. When she felt the heat around her, she hugged her knees, closed her eyes, and buried her face. She could do nothing else, Yuri was drained. It’s not like she’d not slept enough, even then she was exhausted.

Gradually, as she analyzed her dream, the past events surfaced to her mind.

These ‘dreams’ had begun only after the hypnotherapy she’d undergone as a part of her treatment. Since then, she had regular bouts that always threw her into disarray… And each time, the content of the dream was the same—the same darkness, the same sounds and the same man indulging in an intense s*x with her.

She never really understood why this kept repeating, neither could she ask the doctor about it— after all, what girl could describe the salacious scene without being embarrassed, even to a professional.  At some point, she even doubted if she were a nymphomaniac.

Yuri’s hand unconsciously touched where the man had put his tongue. The caresses, the rapture, and the pain— the dream was as vivid as reality. When the scenes flitted past her mind again, her body heated up.

Who are you?

She leaned her head on the edge of the bathtub and asked the man in her dream… as if he’d look into her eyes and answer.

At the end of every dream, she would be filled with curiosity as much as confusion.  She was intrigued by his identity, her connection, if any, to him. Why does he keep on visiting her dreams?

And yet, despite it all, this man also evoked an unknown fear… as if he were the harbinger of despair and destruction.

She came out of the bathroom only after the water had cooled. There was still time before dawn, but she couldn’t dare to fall asleep again.

Turning on her laptop, Yuri started working. Establishing a concept wasn’t an easy task. A lot had to be considered. While the theme, locale, and color schemes were the prerequisites, setting up the background and lighting were vital for the installation process. She took a while to compile the details.

Once done, she quickly composed an email to Roy Jean. She attached an image of the site inspection along with the exhibition concept portfolio presented by the Daejin Department Store. She didn’t forget to mention her opinions and suggestions. When she was through, she hit send.

For some time, Yuri stared blankly at the computer screen bearing the search engine.  Taking a deep breath, she typed in the search bar: Psychogenic Amnesia.

A memory disorder resulting from psychological trauma. The exact cause cannot be determined, the possibility of healing varies from person to person—the explanation she had read over a hundred times, the disease she had been suffering from for some time.

Somehow, Yuri had no memory of five years ago. That didn’t mean all her memories were gone. No, it wasn’t the case. It was just that, as someone cut it out, only a year of time that should’ve been stored in her brain had disappeared.

The doctor who’d first treated Yuri said that her memory was not lost but that it was hiding somewhere in the deep recesses of the brain refusing to surface right now. However, he’d the confidence it’d return and naturally in a few months or years. He’d also added that there would be no significant confusion because people’s memories are unclear anyway.

All this while, Yuri had also tried to take it lightly. There was no problem with her day-to-day life, and there was nothing majorly upsetting either. As the doctor had said, no one in the world could remember absolutely everything. She was quite resigned to this logic, save one slight problem.

The hidden memory had stowed away something vital to her. This memory was akin to gravity; yes, the very one that keeps things glued to the ground.