Warning: The following contains spoilers for Eaternal Nocturnal Episode 9, "The Deal" by instantmiso and Paul Jun available in English on Webtoon.
Eaternal Nocturnal stars two opposite but complementary characters who seem destined for each other. Eve is a girl who suffers from chronic insomnia, while Dae is a dream eater who can't get his fill. Their problems felt resolved when Dae stumbled upon Eve's sleeping body and feasted on her dreams -- which both satiated him and relaxed her. For subsequent sequences, Dae looked to be the only one aware of the other's existence. In Episode 9, however, the two officially met each other.
After proving that his peaceful sleep was due to eating Eve's dream, Dae had been lurking around her place every night. That was how he found out about her unusual nightly activities, which rarely involved sleep, causing him to fail in entering her dreams for a few consecutive days. Finally, he caught the nocturnal girl asleep one night and he didn't miss his chance. He dug into her dream.
Entering the world inside Eve's dream, Dae found himself face to face with the owner of his meal. She greeted him by saying, "It's you again," which shocked Dae since he believed she wouldn't recognize or remember him. Then, Dae had a brief but compelling flashback. He remembered the only other person who'd managed to recognize him in his full dream eater form. This mysterious individual had shoulder-length dark hair, but no other features were visible. Dae expelled the memory as quickly as he thought of it.
Both Dae and Eve are still a mystery at this point in the series. The webtoon has only introduced a few characters related to them, and they are yet to be expanded upon. Thus, fans know next to nothing about the two main characters' pasts. It is unknown whether Dae has been born a dream eater or if this supernatural power is something he acquired. Similarly, fans only know that Eve has tried everything to treat her chronic insomnia, but not how long she's been suffering from it or what caused it in the first place. This makes the tiny morsel of Dae's backstory both shocking and exciting.
Albeit brief, his recollection implies a few things. Firstly, it means that Dae has had at least one previous experiences dealing with a person who recognizes his dream eater form, and this experience could contribute to his aversion against being attached to his targets. Furthermore, given the newfound precedence of this dreamer and eater interaction, there may be a deeper and more resounding meaning behind Eve and Dae's connection. Perhaps, there is an archetype within the story's lore of a dreamer whose dreams are satiating for the eater and an eater whose presence is calming for the dreamer.
Many questions still remain, and many more have sprung up from the latest developments, perhaps the biggest being: How is this mysterious person related to Dae? While the answer remains out of reach for now, the person may hold clues to solve how Eve can recall her previous dreams, despite them being consumed by Dae. Fans can only wait and hope that future chapters of the ongoing Eaternal Nocturnal will provide more answers.
