If it really turns out to have only been happening in their sleep, then what a dream it has been for Lion City Sailors to be 90 minutes away from reaching the AFC Champions League Two decider.
But, in what has been a brilliant campaign thus far, that is exactly the reality for the unheralded Singapore Premier League outfit -- who have rose to the occasion, and rode their luck a little, to be on the verge of becoming the first club from their nation to reach a major continental final.
On Wednesday, the Sailors will look to defend a 2-0 lead in the second leg of their semi-final against Sydney FC at Allianz Stadium -- which came courtesy of a stirring display a week ago that saw them stun their more-illustrious A-League opponents through well-taken goals from Bart Ramselaar and Lennart Thy.
It was the latest notable result following similarly-impressive victories over Zhejiang Professional, Port and Muangthong United, as well as a 1-1 draw against Sanfrecce Hiroshima that sealed progress to the last four -- although, in that quarterfinal tie, the Sailors did benefit from a 6-1 loss being overturned to a 3-0 win in their favour after the J1 League powerhouses had fielded an ineligible player in the first leg.
The Sailors have already matched the best display by any Singaporean club in reaching the semis of Asian football's second-tier club competition.
Yet, if they are going to continue dreaming, then they might as well fantasise about going one step further on Wednesday.
"This club has existed for just five years. In Singaporean football, not even one club in history went through the group stage [of an ACL-branded competition]," said Sailors coach Aleksandar Ranković in Tuesday's pre-match news conference.
"We've broke a couple of records this season, ending up first [of a group] in the group stage and then going all the way through to the semifinals now.
"It means a lot. For the players, for the club, for Singapore football.
"I'm joking with my staff all the time [that] sometimes I'm [wondering when] somebody's going to pinch me and wake me up, because we're still in that dream.
"It's great that we're still 'dreaming', but we are hungry. That's what I see with my players and we very much want to go to the final. I can see that desire on them."
Sitting alongside Ranković, the Sailors' Australian defensive lynchpin Bailey Wright expectedly faced some 'sliding doors' questions on his return to his homeland.
Having previously spent the entire of his professional career in England, Wright raised eyebrows in 2023 when he opted to move to Singapore when there would surely have been offers from the A-League for a player who has represented the Socceroos at two FIFA World Cups.
Reiterating the stance he shared with ESPN last week when he spoke of his sole target being to further the Sailors cause, even at the expense of Australian football, Wright said: "Occasions like this semifinal of the [ACL] Two is an opportunity for us to really put our mark on Asian football and [show] what Singapore is about.
"I guess maybe Singaporean football doesn't get much attention, but I think everyone who watch the game last Wednesday has seen that we're a really good outfit.
"Being 'Aussie', I'm always a big, big supporter of teams here in Australia, but we're here to disappoint [the home camp] and show who we really are as a team and as individuals.
"This is Sydney's first time in this semifinal, right? It just shows you how hard it is to get to this level.
"Now, we've only been a club for five years. You see just how hard it is to get to this level and you've got an opportunity to make a final that can sometimes take 20 years to come around.
"You just have to enjoy and make the most of it because, before you know it, your career is over and you look back at nights and moments like these and, if you capitalised on it, it'll live with you forever.
"[Back in 2023] this felt like the right move for me, although going into a bit of an unknown, but I've absolutely loved it.
"There were options to come back to the A-League but it just didn't feel right to me at the time. At the moment, I'm loving my football and loving Lion City Sailors and Singapore."
And while a two-goal lead is a decent-enough advantage to be defending, Ranković was quick to brush off any suggestions that an overly-conservative approach would be one that he will employ on Wednesday - even if he did admit he would happily take a stalemate.
"Of course we're not just going to sit back," he added. "Let's be clear about that.
"What gives us confidence is that, in every game in this campaign, we've scored away from home. So we have that capability.
"How many [goals] will it take [to get the desired result]? I will be happy with 0-0."