The Imaginary One

D3C3D3

DECADE / three

It took four snoozes before Nayeon finally shut her alarm off. Today was a special day—it was her brother's wedding day.

The twenty-eight year old Nayeon shouldn't have slept late before her brother's biggest day, but she couldn't help it—she was too excited. She couldn't wait to dress up and look good. Even if she wouldn't be able to see herself—she wanted to feel good once in a while.

She heard nails scratching the floor and the subtle sound of her dog panting. Once she made a movement, the Labrador retriever softly barked. She moved up with eyes closed and a heavy body. The sun hadn't risen yet. She had her alarm set at 4AM. Missing a couple of alarms, she assumed it was past 4:30AM.

"Hey Siri," she commanded her phone that was lying on her bed, "time."

"It's 4:41," the phone responded.

It's been 6 years since Nayeon lost her vision. She was diagnosed with Retinitis pigmentosa (RP). It was a rare genetic disorder that progressively degenerated the cells responsible for receiving light, which eventually made a person with RP blind. It was tough for Nayeon, especially after she found out that the disorder was incurable. Her depression was eating her alive; she wanted to die. It was a good thing that it was her term break, negative thoughts wouldn't affect her studies that much.

The news surprised everyone, including Jongdae who was already in Amsterdam when he found out. Chanyeol and Nayeon had no idea that such disorder ran through their genes. It must have been their mom's, since their mom left them when they were young, and their dad's side of the family had no history of the said disorder.

It took a while before Nayeon could accept her state. She was lucky enough that the people around her cared for her, and that they didn't despise her after knowing what awaited her. But there were still some people, people who distanced themselves from her. She guessed it was inevitable. But this only made her appreciate the people who stuck around a lot more.

She mentally prepared herself. She went to blind school for a year, even tried to do simple chores with a blindfold on. She struggled studying braille—it was harder than it looked. Her fingers had to be sensitive enough to distinguish the dots combination. She met wonderful people who were facing the same challenge as her, both blind and going blind. She wasn't alone.It helped her go through things that only people like her could ever understand.

She was 22, her last year in college, when the beauty of the world decided to turn its back on her.

"You look absolutely fabulous!" Nayeon's co-worker and friend, Hyeri, exclaimed. They were at a hotel room where the reception will be held after the wedding. Hyeri pushed Nayeon to the mirror so she could look at Nayeon with her. "I wish you could see yourself right now."

Nayeon couldn't stop smiling, she was excited. She enjoyed the compliment she received from her friend. She moved her hand to feel her dress. The quality of the fabric made her feel fancy, her perfume smelled nice, and everything felt beautiful—she felt beautiful.

Nayeon was also excited because this was the first time she's going to meet a friend she hasn't heard from for a while—Jongdae. It was upsetting for her, and for everyone, that he only paid them a visit once. He stopped going back home after he graduated college in Amsterdam. Maybe med school was that tough in the west. They didn't hold a grudge against him since he was, after all, a good friend. They were grateful that he could come to Chanyeol's wedding. He just graduated from med school, so they guessed he finally had the time.