15.

“Have you ever wanted to be somebody else?”

The man pursed his lips in thought before replying, “Sometimes.”

The brunette’s gaze urged him to continue.

“I’ve always wondered if I hadn’t been my father’s son, would I have been happier,” he said, voice light, “would I have been able to live my life the way I had wanted to?”

Rei’s heart ached at the sadness that lurked within his chocolate orbs.

“And what way would that be?”

A bitter smile made its way onto his face, “I’ve always wanted to be a dancer.”

Her eyes widened at his confession.

“Silly, huh?”

She shook her head with a smile, “No, not at all.”

Sehun nudged her side with a sly smile, “I’ve been told that my skills are out of this world.”

The woman snickered, playfulness written on her face, “We’ll have to see about that won’t we? It’s been a while since you’ve danced, I’m sure your skills have become rusty.”

The man faked an offended expression, his eyes shimmering with mischief, “You’re on! I’ll show you the greatness that is Oh Sehun.”

Their laughter filled the air.

“You’re lucky you know.”

Rei’s smile had a sad feel to it.

Sehun turned to face her, his eyebrows scrunched up in confusion, “Lucky?”

The brunette hummed, “Even if you haven’t achieved it, at least you have something to look forward to,” her eyes turned glassy, “something that keeps you going.”

He sighed, “I don’t think I’ll ever achieve it.”

Rei frowned, “You don’t know that.”

“No,” a bitter smile hovered around his lips, “I do.”

She shook her head at his words, “You still have your whole life ahead of you. You still have time to make it happen one way or another.”

Sehun looked at her in question, “One way or another?”

Rei nodded her head, “Not becoming a dancer doesn’t mean that you have to stop dancing.”

It doesn’t.

“You can make it work.”

You can,

Definitely.

“It’s not as easy as you think.”

She raised an eyebrow at him, “And it’s not as complicated as you make it out to be.”

Sehun chuckled, “What about you then?”

“Me?”

He nodded, “What do you aspire to be?”

The brunette bit her lip, “That’s a tough question.”

“It’s not.”

A few seconds of silence passed by.

“Come on,” he nudged her side with a playful smile, “You’re telling me you never had a dream?”

She smiled a bittersweet smile, “I did.”

“And?”

A mix of regret and sadness filled her voice and face, “I gave it up.”

“What about now?” he asked gently, his dark orbs never once leaving her face.

“Now?”

He nodded before adding, “Is there nothing you want?”

Her eyes brimmed with unshed tears, “There is.”

Silence.

“I want to be happy.” She said, voice soft.

Her crestfallen expression tore at his heart.

“You’re not?”

“I don’t know,” She then titled her head backwards in order to gaze at the clear night sky, “Am I?” She said more to herself than to him.

Am I happy?

Are you truly happy Rei?

Are you?

(Are you?)

“You don’t need to change, you just have to be yourself.”

His words kept on repeating in her head, like a broken record.

But who am I?

I’ve gotten so used to pretending, that I don’t know who I am anymore.

The brunette took a tissue and wiped away the tears that cascaded freely down her cheeks. She glanced up at the mirror; the tissue had smeared her makeup into dark blotches below her eyes. A frustrated sigh escaped her lips as she harshly wiped away the remaining bits of make-up from her face. Slowly, ever so slowly she uncovered her true-self. The one that laid hidden beneath the huge amounts of cosmetics she shielded herself with.

Who am I?

Who are you Rei?

I,

I don’t know.

I don’t know anymore.

She was sick and tired of being treated like a toy. Of being viewed as nothing more than a pretty face. But she did this to herself. She was the one who chose this path. No one had forced her to become this way, she did so willingly. After all, living an easy life was better than a hard one. Then why was she like this? Why wasn’t she satisfied with her life? Why wasn’t she satisfied with herself? Why was she ashamed? Why now? What had changed? What?

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