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Taeyeon jerks awake.
Ragged breaths slip past trembling lips as she kicks the suffocating blue sheets away and sits up in bed. A quick glance at the clock ticking away quietly on the cabinet tells her that it's only half past 5 in the morning, and even though a part of her would love to head back to sleep since work only starts in the afternoon for her, Taeyeon spends a moment longer staring into the dark absentmindedly before dragging her disoriented self to the bathroom. She doesn't remember what dream she had; the remnants of it are retreating to the crevices of her mind the more she tries to grasp at them. It definitely isn't a good dream, though, seeing how she had jerked awake in desperation.
After washing up, Taeyeon is wide awake and more than ready to start her day. With what, though? The house fairy sits down on the edge of her bed heavily, casting an idle glance around the room as she struggles to think of her to-do list. Being someone who dislikes leaving things till the last minute, it seems like she has ticked every single thing off the list, leaving her with absolutely nothing to look forward to.
Pulling the curtains aside, Taeyeon is greeted with a snow city. It has been snowing for days now, the temperature numbing her chaotic thoughts.
Involuntarily, her gaze lands on the device that was tossed onto her bed just moments ago. Her phone that remains cold and quiet. She doesn't even bother charging it, despite knowing it's low on battery.
It's only been a month since Baekhyun left for China, but Taeyeon begs to differ. It feels like years, like a significant part of her is torn and snatched away by his hectic schedules, leaving nothing but a gaping absence. Her gut feels odd whenever his name surfaces in her mind; she feels sick without him around.
The late night phone calls have trickled to nothing, especially since the both of them are exhausted after a long day at work. Her messages aren't even read by him, and she's starting to wonder if he's not opening the chats on purpose. She does that often as well, but only to people who she doesn't know what to reply to. Is Baekhyun hesitating about that too, then? Is he reluctant to talk to her now? Or is she just being paranoid about it all?
She hates it when she overthinks.
Yet, it's a defense system long built inside of her.
—❆ —
"Come in."
Taeyeon nudges the door that has been left ajar and slips into the recording room, eyes seeking for that familiar form.
Kim Yeokwoo turns at the sound of her footsteps and gestures for her to take a seat. It's become a regular routine - their meetings have been becoming more and more frequent as days go by. Taeyeon wonders, for a moment, if Yeokwoo has been contacting Baekhyun as well, or if another producer is in charge of discussing the plans with Baekhyun.
