heylo, before you continue reading, thanks for sticking with me here! if you have twitter and wanna chat about stories or the struggles of life, you can always find me here: @ashensprites

now, back to the story!

The runway was much bigger than Hyewon expected. It stretched before her, seemingly never-ending. It expanded and shrunk before her eyes - one moment too narrow, forcing her to navigate it like a tightrope, and the next moment it was as vast and wide as the ocean, making her feel as if she was the only one standing on a large stage, attracting the eyes of every single person there. She could feel her heart start to dance erratically again. She raised a trembling hand to clutch at her chest, another to cover as she huffed out uneven breaths.

With every shaky step she took forward, she just knew that people were laughing at her. They whispered behind her back, commenting on her awkward expressions, sniggered when she stumbled and tripped over her own feet. 

It had always been this way, ever since her first performance in elementary school.

At the end of the runway, sitting with cold, calculating eyes, was Eunbi. An ethereal goddess in all of her intimidating beauty, flanked by her equally beautiful partner, Lee Sian. Hyewon could feel them judging her, disapproval growing with every second, shaking their heads at her graceless movements. 

Eunbi snapped her fingers, and a trapdoor opened under Hyewon’s feet. She could feel herself falling, falling through darkness, and all she wanted was for it to swallow her whole…

And then her alarm went off, startling her awake. Cold sweat rolled down her back and drenched her sleep shirt. Forcing herself to take deep breaths, she shivered in her warm bedroom. The nightmare felt so real, too real. Glancing at her phone, she noted with growing dread the date on the screen. Three more weeks. 

Three more weeks, and she’d have to live out her nightmare in real life.

Her phone buzzed, making her jolt again. An incoming message from Sian read: “Hyewon, please don’t forget to come into the office a bit earlier today. We need to make some adjustments before runway practice.”

Hyewon buried her head in her hands with a groan. .

#

“You don’t look so good,” Nako remarked as she handed over a bag full of bread to Hyewon. “Are you sick?”

“Didn’t sleep well,” Hyewon muttered.

Nako bit her lip. “Do you need me to call Eunbi? Tell her you can’t go in today?”

Hyewon shook her head vigorously. She couldn’t just chicken out of this job; what would Eunbi think of her? 

Knowing full well she couldn’t dissuade Hyewon, Nako grabbed a couple of macarons on display and packed them into a box. She shoved it into Hyewon’s bag. “Then at least eat some of this. You can share them with Eunbi, she likes macarons too.”

Thanking Nako, Hyewon tiredly staggered out of the bakery. Pursing her lips, Nako made a quick call to Eunbi. “Eunbi, Hyewon doesn’t look so well today…”

#

Hyewon found herself shoved into a comfortable roller chair upon arrival at the office. Sian carted her from the door all the way to the fitting room where Eunbi was waiting for them. Plucking the bag of bread from Hyewon’s hand, Sian neatly arranged the food on one of the tables. As she did that, Eunbi leaned in to stare at Hyewon.

“You look haunted,” Eunbi said very matter-of-factly.

“Thanks, I am.” The words came out in a tone harsher than Hyewon expected, and she winced in apology.