Every night, the nightmare comes.
Like always, I see my parents dying before my very eyes; their fingers clutching desperately at thin air, raw screams of help ripped clean from their throats as a writhing, black mass envelops their prone forms.
With my own feet rooted to the barren earth, all I can do is watch—watch the darkness consume my parents whole.
But unlike previous versions of the nightmare, I see something different.
A figure appears in the centre of the darkness, seemingly immune to its effects. In fact, the darkness steers clear of him.
The man gazes at me from across the wasteland, eyes a soft inquiry under the edge of his wide brimmed hat. His neck-length hair, the colour of pink fairy floss, ripples in the wind.
Slowly, his hand extends in my direction, unfurling—
***
I snap upright in my bed, lungs screeching for air.
The dark, quiet room welcomes me with a cool breeze, trying to pry off the sweat clinging to my skin. Oxygen stabs the back of my throat like shards of glass.
Damn, I hate my life.
Most of the nights, I'm tossing and turning in my bed, but eventually I get a few hours of sleep. Last night, though... images of my parents' faces and their outstretched arms flash through my mind.
That empty feeling resurfaces. A dull, hollow ache reminding me of the hurt that still lurks within, trapped under layers of neglect over the past nine months.
To this day, it's still trying to get out.
Head dropping into my hands, my trembling fingers find refuge in my scalp, and I force myself to inhale a deep, steady breath. It's okay, Y/n. You'll get through this. Heck, you even survived yearly exams. What's a little nightmare?
I hear my auntie's soothing tone overlapping my voice, calm like a still ocean. Do not push it away. You're stronger than you think.
With this mindset, I tentatively raise my head. Silky, diaphanous curtains flutter in the breeze, brushing against windows that are—
Open.
My breath hitches. I always keep them closed.
Jerking up higher in my bed, my eyes adjust to the faint predawn light slicing through the curtains. And then, like I'm suddenly thrust back in my nightmare, I spot something in the edge of my peripheral vision, stiller than any sea I've encountered.
I can feel the hairs on my neck lifting one by one as I pan my head to the right, to the motionless figure lounging in my armchair.
The man from my nightmare winks back at me.
Wait, how—
Fear sparks through me like an electric bolt, sending shock waves to every inch of my body.
Within the span of a blink, I'm crouched in the opposite corner to the figure, hand brandishing the end of a coat hanger like it would do anything at all.
Actually it can—I'll slap the living daylights out of this prick for intruding my house.
Trying to conceal the fear in my voice, I squeeze through gritted teeth, "Get the fuck out of my room, you thief."
The man's dark, slender eyes twinkle with humour as he glances at my harmless weapon, before he releases a delayed, tragic gasp. "Me? A thief? I could never."
My grip tightens on the coat hanger, lips pressing into a thin line. "Fine then, pervert. Get out before I call the police."
A feline tilt of the head. The only body movement I've seen from him. The rest of his body is so still—so unnaturally still. "Why would I need to be a pervert when I have this beautiful face?"
What?
I release a trembling breath. "Does it look like I care? Just. Get. The. Hell. Out." Before I literally smack you with my coat hanger.
Those eyes glow ever brighter, like a cat's nocturnal gaze. "You have a point. Why should you care? I mean, after all..." the man slowly rises to his feet, making me back up, "I'm just a faerie."
Despite the fear coursing through my veins, I find myself snorting—like he had grown an extra nose on his forehead and decided to call himself a unicorn. But a faerie... "You mean those little magical beings in children's books with the pointed ears and stuff? You're saying you're one of them?"
"A handsomer version, yes."
Oh dear.
I lower my weapon just a bit, before leaning in and cupping a hand around my mouth, "Do you... need professional help? My aunt's a really good psychologi—"
The man lowers his head with a chuckle, halting the words on my tongue.
Horror suddenly curdles in my stomach.
Because beneath the hat fixing his rosy tresses in place are slightly tapered, not-so-human ears. With a sense of alarm, my eyes pick up on the other details I missed; the unusual-looking black overcoat, the blue pendant glowing eerily around the man's neck.
When he looks up, I suddenly see a face that is all too foreign, all too perfect—from his narrow, glittering eyes to the sensual slope of his lips. No human should look like that.
My eyes widen with the realisation.
"I guess we'll have to do it the hard way," the man drawls, raising a hand.
"Wait—"
Before I can process anything, my vision turns black.
___
A/N: Sooo what do we think about the first chapter?
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Unveil | Choi Yeonjun
Fanfiction"In order to overcome something, you must first confront it." | Started: 01/11/22
