Labyrinthine Attachment

LABYRINTH SIX

unedited, per usual. hehe. enjoy!

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-NAEUN-

It was around 4 a.m. when the second to the last filming finished, and I am beyond thankful. Everything might be hectic and exhausting, but it is just as rewarding.

However, as much as I enjoy it, the 36 hours of no sleep is catching on to me. My head is spinning, and every time I bow to thank my co-actors and the whole team, I get increasingly nauseous.

"Naeun-ah, are you okay?" My manager asked when we left the set and walked to the car.

"Yes, Oppa. I just need to sleep it off. I'm free tomorrow, right?" He nods at my question and opens the door for me. I had no energy left to talk, so I napped the whole way home.

This seemed a bad idea because as soon as he dropped me off, my mind was groggier, and my limbs somehow lost their strength. My manager offered to walk me to the entrance, but I rejected his offer. I don't really want him to see Ilhoon, not that he's inside anyway. He's probably back in this apartment.

My management, of course, knows that I am back in my marital home, but I don't want them to ask more questions.

I don't know how I managed to survive the long walk-way walk to the front door, but I did. And how wrong am I to assume that he's not here? Because a few steps from me, a silhouette of a man I'd recognize even after a million years.

"Are you... all right?" He asked carefully, as I'd cut his neck for even approaching me, and for a second, my heart felt tight.

Experiencing why this is a bad idea is more dehumanizing than knowing it. All I want to do is push him away and run in the opposite direction, yet I find myself in his arms as he carries me to my room.

The rest of our interaction was a blur, and the last thing I remember was him removing my makeup. The thought alone makes me wish I had spent the night drinking and come home drunk.

At least then, I have the sorry excuse of having alcohol in my system for not remembering much from our interaction.

I wake up, and my head hurts. I feel dirty from not showering before sleeping, and my stomach is grumbling from hunger. My hand stretches to reach out for my water bottle, but I cannot feel it on my nightstand.

A groan escapes my lips as I realize I never had one in the first place. I haven't even unpacked most of my things yet.

It took so much energy to get out of bed and take a shower, but I was able to do it. And before leaving my room again, I tried to press my ear on my door to see if Ilhoon was in the house.

"Son Naeun, you've gone crazy," I whisper to myself when I realize what I was doing. Groaning as I gently open my door and tiptoe my way to the kitchen, only to halt and almost embarrass myself as I see Ilhoon leaning on the kitchen counter while sipping on his mug.

He's wearing thin-framed glasses, an off-white sweater, and white jeans. His dark hair is not styled, which only happens when he's at home. At least, that was how he was.

The light from the windows shines down on him, making him look glorious, like in the movies. He lifts his head and raises his brows at me, and bitter resentment fills my empty stomach with great intensity.

How dare he look so good? There's no trace of staying up late in him. Meanwhile, my skin still feels so dry despite the amount of skincare I did a few minutes ago.