A Risky Deal - Nachaeng

(CH.17) jumbling

Nayeon dreams again. But it's strange. She knows she's dreaming because she's suddenly a little girl again. It's her tenth birthday – there's a cake in front of her face and some balloons floating around the room, but other than that, she's alone. There's no one there to wish her a happy birthday, no one to hug her, no one to sing to her, no one to love her.

She calls for her parents. One time. Two times. But she only receives silence as an answer.

Nayeon feels the tears form behind her eyelids and it's pretty dumb because she knows it's only a dream. Still, there's this overwhelming sense of Deja-vu that almost breaks her apart – that makes the tears spill, nonetheless.

Almost on cue there are these arms again – wrapping themselves around her shoulders soothingly. It's warm and soft and tender and Nayeon relaxes against the touch – happy about the fact that there's at least one person who didn't forgot about her big day.

She utters a thank you as a token of appreciation to whomever these limbs belonged to, but the words get stuck in her throat when the grip around her torso tightens – firmer and more painful by the second, until she can hardly breathe. She gasps for air – her little hands clinging to arms that were the epitome of love only moments ago and are now the cause of her suffocation.

Nayeon wants to scream – both adult and child – because she has never felt so much pain in her life. And she wants out. Out of this dream. Out of her skin. Out of this pain.

Suddenly she's hyper aware of whom these arms belong to – who is about to kill her with their irrepressible closeness.

It's not her parents, or Sehun, or Yeri. It's not Chaeyoung.

It's herself.

*

The restaurant's coffee tastes horrid no matter how much sugar she puts in – and it almost makes her laugh at how that suits her mood.

Usually Nayeon would've ordered room service, but after laying awake for 2 hours – trying to get rid of the overwhelming feeling in her chest – she found herself unable to be around Chaeyoung anymore. Or anyone she knew, for that matter.

The feeling she had felt during her nightmare overcomes her time and time again – making her head spiral into a well-hidden, dark place she doesn't have time to go to right now.

She has allowed herself to be too distracted from what she was actually doing here anyway. Too caught up in her past disguised as Sehun and too invested in whatever it was that Chaeyoung made her feel – but Nayeon was about to put an end to all of that.

She was here for work – for her company, her staff, her reputation. Nothing else mattered – least of all something pointless like feelings.

If her dream has taught her anything, it is that affection can only end in despair.

"Can I get you something else, Miss? Another coffee, orange juice or strawberry milk?"

Nayeon snorts and doesn't even bother looking up at the waitress with the way too bright smile and even whiter teeth.

"Do I look like someone who drinks strawberry milk to you? Seriously, who even orders something disgusting like that in an establishment like this?"

"I do."

Nayeon closes her eyes briefly before looking up to see Chaeyoung standing beside the hotel employee. She's dressed in shorts, a sports shirt and sneakers – looking ready to hit the gym.

She sends the waitress a beaming smile, making the other woman blush instantly, before winking at her – causing Nayeon to silently roll her eyes.

"You're welcome to bring me a cup of this yummy strawberry milk, that was so rudely devaluated, Miss." Chaeyoung grins, before taking a seat in front of Nayeon without asking.