Is it normal to dream about characters you've read about in comics?

I don't expect anyone to actually answer the question above; I'm just sharing my personal experience and seeing if anyone else can relate.

Warning: Viewer discretion is advised. The person typing this message may or not be mentally ill. (I don’t think so…?)

I am a fan of "Killing Stalking", but I am not like most of the younger generation who think that Oh Sangwoo and Yoon Bum are "in love" or "exploring their sexuality together" like people did when the manhwa became mainstream, because they are in a toxic and co-dependent relationship. I enjoyed reading the manhwa for its psychological aspects and the representation of mental disorders. Feel free to disagree — art and plot are subjective to the reader and the reader alone.

This manhwa, however, gave me so much anxiety that I couldn't read a few chapters without pausing and having to evaluate each chapter before proceeding to the next. I didn't hesitate to research the ending of this manhwa, and when I did, I found that I had been even more anxious to read the next chapters than I did before. Sangwoo's death literally haunted me in my sleep, and I began to regret even reading the manhwa in the first place. (To be fair, I do have OCD and social anxiety, so it may not have been the manhwa after all. I also panicked about Sangwoo's death before actually reading the end...yikes.)

My anxiety became so bad that I started developing a neurological condition known as maladaptive daydreaming. According to Wikipedia, it is also known as "excessive daydreaming, [and] is a disordered form of dissociative absorption associated with vivid and excessive fantasy activity that often involves elaborate and fanciful scenarios...People who suffer from maladaptive daydreaming can spend more than half their days in 'vivid alternative universes.'" I can give you one hint as to who those "vivid alternative universes" were about...

I have always acknowledged that Sangwoo was handsome and attractive on the exterior, but on the interior, we know he is cruel, ruthless, and sadistic, as seen with Bum. When his suppressed memories came to the surface near the end of the manhwa, I felt an immense amount of pity and sadness, even though I knew his actions were condemned and did not excuse him, and yet that unwavering feeling of despair kept washing over me.

I felt sorry for Sangwoo, and the worst part of it all, was that if he wasn't as attractive as he was, I'm not sure if I would feel the amount of pity that I did. I am not sure if that makes me a terrible, and dare-I-say fucked-up person, and I'm even less sure if I want to know the answer to that question. I didn't want to be one of those people who were "horny" or "thirsty" for Sangwoo, but a seed of doubt was sowed in my mind. I began to imagine a universe in which Sangwoo could receive the help he needed, because I didn't think I could imagine another backstory as troubling as the one Sangwoo already had, and that he found someone who truly loved him for who he could be. The problem is, people like Sangwoo are beyond repair for humanity to solve, and this always disturbed me.

I am going to be explaining shortly the other universe I imagined for Sangwoo, but if you are interested in hearing the more elaborate details, please message me directly. I conjured a person — a girl, more specifically around Sangwoo's age — who not only had the ability to see a person's death, but also could see a person's memories. This, at least to me, is crucial to the setting, because without knowing who a person (in this case, Sangwoo) truly is, you cannot offer them the help they need. Sangwoo never had any intention of telling the world who he was and what he did; he believed there was nothing good in the world for him. In the end, this girl had a similar backstory to Sangwoo, and averted the situation with Bum from happening, seeing as Bum led to the death of Sangwoo. The girl eventually falls in love with Sangwoo for who he is, not caring for the people who Sangwoo has killed (reminder: I am fucked-up and so is that girl, apparently), as long as Sangwoo himself is alive. Long story short, they fall in love with each other, live with each other and then go on to die a peaceful life.

(If you're currently wondering how Sangwoo could fall in love with someone, seeing as his various mental disorders render this impossible, I have a good explanation. This girl loved him, and was willing to go to any means to sacrifice for Sangwoo, including her life. We know that with Bum, Sangwoo kept him alive because he said he loved Sangwoo, which is, quite literally, the only reason he kept him alive other than being a surrogate for his mother. All Sangwoo ever wanted was for someone to love him unconditionally, for someone to love him since the beginning of time. Sangwoo knew that his mother could never provide this type of love for him, and he resented her for that, but this girl openly spread her arms for him and saved his life, to the point that Sangwoo caved in and reciprocated these feelings, finally acknowledging and loving someone who wouldn’t treat him like his mother did.)

If you think I'm insane by this point, now is probably a good time to stop reading these next paragraphs and move on with your life. I'm fully aware of how deranged I sound, but I'm sure I'm not the only one with this type of experience (Maybe I am...but who knows?), so I would rather like to hear the experiences of others and listen to what they have to say before moving on with my own life.

If you have been in a similar situation or have dreamed about certain characters (maybe not in the extreme way I did), and are comfortable sharing this experience, please do. I would be extremely appreciative and would love to hear what you have to say. I am also interested in hearing if anyone else has the condition that I have (maladaptive daydreaming).

P.S. I apologize for my extensive message — I am hoping to become an English and philosophy major in the future.