Astral projection isn't new. The Us gouvernment also did try to study about it from the end of WW2 to "approx." mid 80 (from what we know because they may try even still today to understand how you could do it with full control over it). You have a lot about it too in the "esoterism". So yeah they just use something related to dreams (lucid dream and astral projection) the author may have been inspired by some case but I think they could also just use the subject because, it is a subject.
Personaly if there is some "inspiration" in there I would say syoon have a similar backstory that happen to a koren idol. She was "burn alive" but survive, after that she couldn't be an idol anymore because she was disfigured. A lot think it was "a friend" who was with the idol at the time (when it happen) and she would have done that because of jealousy that "friend" was the daughter of a police officer who took the case. The "case" was close soon enough without telling any information like; it just happen because it happen and the idol just burn like that probably because she played with a lighter that was the conclusion of it... but people think that they covered it up.
Nah this might be irrelevant in the story but I came across on social media that astral projection is a real deal. Like ingo swann who literally did astral projection to Jupiter and they call it remote viewing. I also saw another post that we actually can do it . And that will free us all no secret no government suppression. Idk but this scared the shi out of me. Aside from the dark romance of this story this might be a reference