of days gone by
idxdaehyun:
Even if Nari’s poised smile (forced, he suspected, he had seen how her eyes lit up when she really meant it) gave nothing away, his own expression was wide open. He hadn’t had time to prepare himself, hadn’t found any room to create a mask to hide his feelings behind. Every time he thought he was ready to face her it turned out that he wasn’t, actually. “Don’t apologize, you’re all good. Can I help you with anything? It’s… rare to see you down here.”
Nari was rankled by the feeling that she should have seen this coming. She should have prepared. If she’d planned again, she could have maneuvered her way around this painfully awkward situation. Intellectually, Nari understood that she wouldn’t be able to avoid Dae forever, but Nari had never let something like that stop her before. The fallout from their breakup was a lot easier to deal with when she didn’t have to see him in person. Now, she was forced to face it head on. It made Nari feel like she was backed into a corner. Like a wild animal, Nari’s gut reaction to this was to attack. She’d brazen her way through this and then it would be over.
If only it were that easy.
“Oh, well...” Nari paused for a moment. She didn’t want to tell him the real reason she was there. ‘I’m here to beg for line’ was not a flattering narrative. Nari might have broken up with Dae, but she didn’t want him to think poorly of her. Still, she was in something of a bind. She’d been so caught off guard by the mere presence of Daehyun that she hadn’t had the wherewithal to conjure up a clever story, explaining everything away. Instead, Nari was forced to say whatever lame excuse came into her head.
“A friend of mine,” Nari cringed internally as the words came out of her mouth. It wasn’t a good start, but she at least was able to keep it together on the outside. “A friend of mine is in the studio today. I was just... looking for then. We have lunch plans and I don’t want to miss our reservation.”
It wasn’t a perfect story, but it was serviceable at least. Normally, Nari was more than confident in her ability to weave a tall tale, but Daehyun knew her too well for that. If anyone could see through her perfect smiles and carefully built facades, it was him. It was all the more reason to avoid him. Being around Dae was dangerous. For her career and for her heart.
“I’m sure I’m taking you away from something much more important. Please don’t be bothered by me.”








