#ficti

“Na-Eun-a.” The door closed behind him with a bang and Taehyung looked up to see her standing in the stairway, her hands crossed across her chest. “I’m home.” She didn’t look happy to see him. Only inconvenienced. Her descent towards him was slow and calculating. She was always thinking of ways she could get rid of him.

She walked with grace and looked innocent, but once she opened her mouth she was venomous and intimidating. They were so different, it was a miracle they were together. She was the heiress of a rich company and he was just a rising actor. If it weren’t for her secret he wouldn’t have been tangled in all of this misery and pain. 

“Where were you?” She stood in front of Taehyung and stared into his eyes. Her makeup was flawless and her attire was professional. She was perfect from the outside but her inside was rotten. 

A hand brushed against Taehyung’s locks but she quickly moved it away in disgust. It felt like a slap in the face. “Why are you all sweaty? Were you with her?” She didn’t seem hurt or angry. Simply bored. Uninterested.

Taehyung stood before her, unable to utter a word. He looked down breathing slowly. “I had another bout. It was quite severe.”

Instead of comforting him and taking him into her arms, she scoffed. “Go get a shower and go to bed. You’ll need to be in good shape to shoot tomorrow.” And with that she turned around and walked away leaving him alone on the threshold.

Taehyung was terrified. He had never had a bout so aggressive. So raw and real. And she had been there the entire time, comforting him and being concerned. Not like Na-Eun who was disgusted of it. He knew she couldn’t drop him since they were indebted to each other and they both benefited from each other’s company.

He didn’t even know the name of the needle fairy. He would have to ask first thing tomorrow. Your concerned face was the only thing he could see and your soothing voice tingled in his spine. You had been able to calm him down with just your voice and touch. You weren’t a needle fairy but an angel. An angel sent from the heavens. 

The climb towards the bedroom was the hardest and the stairs seemed like thorn bushes planted there to stall him. The weariness in his legs stalled him as well. Closing his eyes, Taehyung rested the tired orbs. He shouldn’t have since his feet took a misstep and he nearly broke his nose from the violent impact. He almost wished he had, so he could walk away from the project and away from Na-Eun. But there was nowhere he could go. The entertainment was all he had and it had been made clear when he left home to pursue his career. There was no going back home since home wouldn’t be there for him.

He didn’t regret coming here, but the times were tough and sometimes he wished he could go back in time and never step foot in that night club where he first met Na-Eun.

The warm water rushed against his skin. The weary muscles in his back slowly relaxed under the cascade and the steam warmed him from the outside to the inside. He tried to take deep breaths to calm himself, but the image of you sat in your chair with a needle and thread in hand, fixing the tear he had caused was enough to calm him.

A small smile escaped and illuminated his face. “Needle fairy,” he whispered. But only to himself.

The piercing sound of your alarm woke you from your light sleep. You had never been one to sleep well, it seemed more like a chore than a luxury.

The floor was cold but you found it comforting. It was a real feeling unlike the emotions you were harvesting in you. Taehyung’s face had been the last thing you saw before falling asleep and it had been the first thing you remembered when you woke up.

He had looked like a cornered animal, in serious distress. To calm your nerves and to distract yourself, you lit a scented candle. You had a good hour to get ready for work but you didn’t feel like going today. It felt bad enough to get out of bed and remember the pain from years ago.

The work you had was the thing that kept you sane, but was also the reason why you were such a mess. You walked up to the dimly lit mirror and inspected every part of your body. It was a broken one.

The light from the morning sun barely came through and you didn’t see yourself clearly. You thought it was for the best. You didn’t want to see the bruises on your thighs or back. They brought back many bad memories. Memories you wished you could erase and move on. You turned slightly around to inspect the scars on your back. 

They were long and thin and went from your shoulder blade all the way down to the small of your back. They had stopped hurting a long time ago, but the memory of that night was enough to make you stumble backwards and into the bathroom to throw up any last remnant of yesterday’s meal.

The clothes you wore were a shield to protect you from prying eyes and mocking questions. No one needed to know what had happened to you. It was your business anyway. These things happened all the time in the business and actors weren’t the only people attacked. Assistants had it the worst.

All these thoughts racing in your head made you lose the time. You cursed and ran out the door with your hair in a messy bun and wearing the first clothes you had found in your closet.

As the car door closed, you put on a smile and welcomed the new day. No one needed to know what happened behind the closed doors. It was your business anyway.