Entering the venue, my mouth falls open in awe. Even though I had a bit of trouble getting in due to all the paparazzi at the entrance, I can say that the struggle was worth it because wow.

The foyer into the main room wasn't really amazing, but now that I take in the high ceilings, the dark but classic ambiance, a smile falls on my lips and I look around curiously. There is a stage along one wall and a screen behind it, which will probably be used to present the collection later.

I almost squeal when I spot a mountain of macarons in the middle of the grand space. They are colored in pastel colors, just like that one dress I liked the most. When I step closer, I even recognize the brand's name 'Moulin' engraved in the macarons.

Waiters and waitresses run across the room offering guests various drinks, but it's not rushed or stressful. Soft piano music plays in the background, but it's very light, so you almost can't tell through the sound of laughter and conversation.

As I look around, I realize that I know almost no one here, except for a few familiar faces I see in our company. They are colleagues I've never spoken to, other than the occasional hello in the morning when passing each other. Some of them never even bothered to respond, which is okay.

I admire all the pretty women in the room and the clothes they wear. One elderly woman is wearing a mid-length dark blue dress and I want to tell her how lovely the color goes with her silver-dyed hair, but I decide against it.

Loud laughter echoes in my ear from my right and I see a group of men in neat tuxedos and their wives on their arms talking. I wonder where Megan and Josh are because I haven't spotted them yet.

I pull my phone out of my purse and as I type into our group chat to ask where they are, someone appears in front of me.

"And I was wondering who this stunning woman could be when I saw her from across the room," he says and I tuck my phone away before I finish sending the message. "Of course, it would be you."

I smile up at him. "Mr. Stan, hi." I greet and he raises both eyebrows in disappointment. "Ethan." I correct, and he grins in satisfaction.

"Mikayla." he breathes, taking my hand and placing a small kiss on my knuckles. "You look breathtakingly gorgeous."

I blush a little and try to cover it up with a laugh. "Thank you," I say. "I didn't think I'd see you at the launch party."

"Does that mean you think my fashion sense is terrible?" he asks teasingly and I feel bad because that's not what I meant. He looks down at his attire and then back up at me.

"No, no. You look good." I compliment him. "Let's just say I wasn't expecting you to be here."

And I'm not telling him that to flatter him or to be nice. He looks really good in his tux. The bow tie at his neck sits perfectly and his blond hair is combed out of his face. The best thing he's wearing, though, is his unwavering smile. Wow, he has some nice teeth.

"I suppose it's a good surprise to see me then?" he suggests, arching a perfect eyebrow. Maybe once or twice his eyes drop to the dress I'm wearing.

I like how easy-going and entertaining his presence is. The last time I saw him was the day he and Mr. Jeon had the meeting. He made sure to always throw in jokes and lighten the otherwise stiff mood.

He is also nice. He came to talk to me, even though I know there are probably dozens of other people he could rather talk to. We haven't chatted that much before, so I appreciate it even more. Besides, I like talking to people.

"It is," I smile, and he nods in contentment. "How are you?" I ask, trying to change the conversation.

"I'm doing fine. You know, meetings here and there." he replies, tucking a hand in his pants pocket as he steps closer so he doesn't have to yell over the loud noises for me to understand him. "I've been friends with Camille for a few years, that's why I'm here today."

"Oh, that's good." I don't really know how to respond to that. I think it's normal for rich and famous people to know each other without you being aware of it. But it's a good surprise to see him here.

He smiles big, showing off his perfect white teeth, and I don't know what to say anymore. There's not really much I know about him to start a conversation and that just makes him look down at me. He's tall and broad-built but not as much as Mr. Jeon.

Why in the world am I thinking about him so randomly?

Maybe it's because I saw him entering the venue in the corner of my eye a few seconds ago. I break eye contact with Ethan and start looking around the room. A waiter walks past us, asking if we want a drink, and Ethan grabs a champagne glass from the tray.

Ethan starts talking about his company and how his father wants him to finally take over as CEO. He says he's not ready for that yet because he wants to experience some firsts in his life before he accepts the responsibility of a company on his shoulders.

He invites me to play golf and I, as a person who can never say no to anyone, naturally accept this offer. I have never played golf in my life and I am quite afraid that the club will fly out of my hand when I try to hit the ball. In my imagination, the club lands on a retiree's head and I go to jail.

I laugh comically as I try to brush the exaggerated prediction of the future from my head and laugh at something Ethan says. I feel my phone vibrating in my purse, but I don't want to interrupt Ethan in the middle of his sentence because that would be rude so I try to ignore it.

And as Ethan finishes telling me about his wild vacation last summer, I notice frantic movement behind him. I look past his arm because it's blocking my view and I see Megan and Josh a few feet away from us, waving at me.

Ethan turns to look where I'm looking. "Your friends?" he asks as he turns back around and I smile apologetically at him because I did interrupt him somehow. "You can go over to them. I think they're waiting for you."

I scrunch up my nose. "You wouldn't mind?" I ask, and he shakes his head.

"I don't," he reassures me, taking my hand and placing another kiss on my knuckles. "Maybe I can steal you for a dance later." he smiles one of his lopsided smiles.

"Knowing myself, I'd stomp the crap out of your foot." I laugh and he joins me. I like how his eyes shine so blue in the light. "But why not."

"I'm looking forward to it." he chuckles and I excuse myself to walk over to Megan and Josh.

When I get to them, Megan looks me up and down. "Someone should call the police," she says seriously.

"Why? Did something happen?" I ask in a panic, looking around the room.

"Someone is looking smoking hot today. That should be illegal," she explains and I snort an ugly laugh. She pulls me into a hug.

"Well, someone wasn't my stylist for nothing." I tease and she raises her eyebrows proudly. I have to admit that she picked out a very nice dress for me. "You two look very good too. I love your hair, Megan."

I lift some of her braided hair into my hand and she thanks me. Her dark skin glows at her shoulders and collarbones. The black dress makes her look taller and curvier than she is, and I know some men will turn their heads when they see her walk past them.

"But girl, what is this hair?" she then gasps. I look up at her worriedly, now not so confident about the hairstyle. Maybe I forgot to curl a strand and it's hanging down my back in a weird way? "You should have put your hair up so people could see that sexy back."

Josh starts singing SexyBack by Justin Timberlake and Megan rolls her eyes at me. "I tried, but it looked bad," I say, affronted. Josh continues to vibe on his own.

This friend group is wild.

Megan takes my hair and places it over my left shoulder. I immediately feel the cold breeze as a waiter rushes past me smack against my skin. "Better." She smiles and I shake my head.

We talk until the lights pointed toward the stage interrupts us. The room gradually quiets and everyone turns their attention to the stage. I hadn't spotted Ms. Moulin yet, but now I see her walk up the stairs with a round of applause and then stop in front of the microphone.

She is wearing a short dress adorned with silver palettes. With the lights shining on her, she is the focus, just as it should be for an event organizer. She is the main character of tonight and she does justice to her appearance.

She smiles big at the crowd and the applause dies down. "Good evening everyone. Welcome to the launch of my new collection for Spring '22." she greets and the applause resounds again. "First, I want to thank you all for attending to join me on such an important day. It means a lot to me."

I can tell by the look on her face how happy she is and every time the crowd applauds her, she beams. Maybe sometimes she can be difficult to work with, but I don't think she's a bad person. I know her too little to even say that, let alone that I wouldn't anyway.

"What do we think of her dress?" Josh asks, his criticizing gaze focused on Ms. Moulin.

"I like it. It's definitely her style, bold and sophisticated." I say, nodding. I turn to Josh and he considers my words.

Then Megan and Josh look at each other and say at the same time. "Scandalous." Josh smacks Megan on the arm and they both laugh.

"We have been working hard, so I hope you will love all of it. This is only my second collection, but I promise it won't be my last. I want to thank my team who sat up late nights with me on it and my family who supports me in everything. And a special thank you goes to Jungkook and Jimin for the excellent commercial."

I look for Mr. Park and Mr. Jeon in the crowd and after a bit of searching I find them standing close to the stage and they are thanking everyone around them, applauding for them. Mr. Jeon bows his head respectfully and I smile at that. He can be very different sometimes.

"There's no way that pompous canary didn't give you credit for the commercial." Megan gets upset and I turn to her. "She could have at least put your name in small letters somewhere."

"I work for Jeon&Park, Megan. Of course she's not going to mention every single name that worked on the project," I say, shrugging my shoulder. I mean, I don't mind. The idea was mine, yes, but that's about it.

Megan says something under her breath and Ms. Moulin continues. "I hope you enjoy the rest of the evening and the commercial that will finally unveil the collection for all of us."

Another round of applause rings out as she descends the stairs from the stage. The room goes dark and the projector on the ceiling flashes the commercial to the screen. The scene cuts in as I suggested and we see a couple driving through the streets in a convertible.

There's not that much talking, just the occasional eye contact between the couple. The woman's dress floats through the air and I love how the editing team kept this scene in slow motion. I feel proud of myself because every detail was worked out the way I envisioned it.

After showing various dresses and outfits within the commercial, Moulin appears in large letters and the image fades to black. I spot Ms. Moulin turning to the crowd and thanking everyone for congratulating her on the launch.

The projection on the wall nonetheless stays on and a slideshow of the photoshoot appears. Everyone turns to their own conversations after the attraction at the stage is over and the room fills with laughter.

Megan grabs a margarita glass from the tray of a passing waiter and sips on it. I glance around the room and find Ethan, with whom I'm surprised to meet eyes at the same time. He smiles over at me and I smile back.

"Hey, Lizzie just texted me that she's at the bar. I'm going to walk over. I need to get drunk to put up with the bad music here." she jokes and I hope she's not serious. The last time she was drunk, I had to carry her back to her apartment. "Maybe I'll find myself a sugar daddy while I'm at it."

I almost choke on my spit and she laughs. Josh cheers her on and wishes her luck in her quest and I have to laugh a little. I love these two, they always put me in a good mood even if they are a little vulgar and sassy.

"Now it's just you and me," I comment, but find Josh looking in another direction. Some distance away, a young man is standing at a high bar table sipping his wine. I notice he is looking at Josh and he is looking back at him.

"Am I dreaming right now or is he checking me out?" he asks me and I giggle under my breath.

"I think he is," I agree with him, seeing the brown-haired man raise his glass in our direction. "I think you should say hello."

"You'll be okay alone for a few minutes?" he asks me, his demeanor changing. He puffs into his palm to check for bad breath and I usher him in the man's direction.

"I'm a big girl. Go." I reassure him and he winks at me. I know I probably won't see Josh again for the rest of the evening.

I laugh under my breath as Josh then reaches the brown-haired man and the two begin to have a casual conversation. I lower my eyes in a different direction, not wanting my friend to feel like he's being watched while flirting or anything.

"Well, now it's just me." I realize. I could head over to the bar and join Megan and Lizzie, but I don't exactly feel like having a drink and knowing Megan, I'm sure she'll be able to talk me into it.

I press my lips together and as I look around I catch sight of a large window that looks like it opens onto a balcony. Walking closer I see that it does indeed lead to a balcony and I decide to step out into the fresh air for a bit.

The weather is slightly cool, but it's not too cold that it would make me shiver. The air is fresh and I can hear the faint noises coming from the paparazzi who are on the other side of the building, waiting to snap more pictures at the end of the night.

I step closer to the railing and realize that it looks down on a valley. The venue is on the first floor, but it definitely makes sense to put railings here, because someone who wouldn't know would surely end up falling off. To be honest, the darkness down there is creepy.

But for some reason, I find it peaceful. Quiet chatter is audible through the window, so it doesn't feel too lonely. I won't be here long anyway, just for a few quick breaths.

I place my hands on the railing and look out at the skyline. The sky is clear and no clouds block the view up to the stars. I used to look at them when I was little and the hyper kid I was, I even climbed up on the roof of my parents' house a few times.

Wild Mikayla.

I laugh under my breath at my own thoughts and then turn to go back into the building, but I see a silhouette some distance away. Squinting my eyes, I try to make out who it is and as the person steps further out onto the balcony, the moon shines on his face.

Mr. Jeon seems unaware of my presence as he just looks ahead. He is a few feet away from me and he too walks to the railing. It's too dark to tell, but from what I saw earlier when he arrived at the party, he's wearing a gray suit.

I go back and forth between walking over to him and just going inside. I don't know if he came out here to have some privacy and I don't know if my loudmouth would help him with that.

I prepare to walk quietly, but before I can even take a step, his head turns in my direction. I don't know if he can see more in the dark than I can, but he doesn't squint his eyes, as if he doesn't care who is out here with him.

His eyes are soft and his face remains expressionless as he continues to stare in my direction. Now it would be weird and maybe rude to just leave without saying hello to him or just wishing him a wonderful night. So my feet lead me in his direction.

And he walks towards me as well.

"Good evening, Mr. Jeon." I greet when I'm sure we're within earshot. I stop and he comes closer. Then he nods once, quietly greeting me back. Should I go back now?

He continues to stare at me as if waiting for me to keep talking. If he turned his eyes in another direction, I'd take the hint and leave him alone, but for some reason, my feet decide I should stay.

Okay, feet.

"Are you enjoying the party?" I ask then because no sound escapes from him. "I think Ms. Moulin organized a really enjoyable party. And I really like the decorations."

He breaks eye contact and steps closer to the railing. Is that my cue to leave now? He takes a deep breath and looks out at the dark night sky adorned with stars. The piercing on his eyebrow glows and his jaw clenches.

"At the end of the commercial, when all the names were listed." he begins randomly. "Your name should be at the top of Jeon&Park."

Oh, okay.

I wave it off. "It's okay. Jeon&Park equals Mikayla." I say with a smile. "It's not like I have a praise kink and was expecting to get an award."

He clears his throat and looks away, making me realize what I actually said. I don't know why, but whenever I talk to Mr. Jeon, I say the most awkward and inappropriate things. I laugh awkwardly to cover up the embarrassing statement.

"Um. The weather is really good today, right? There are no clouds and it's not too cold." I try to change the topic so he forgets what I said. Someone should invent those memory erasers like in Men in Black. "I was stargazing."

I come to stand next to him and we gaze into the night together, leaning against the railing with our hands. There is a soothing silence between us and a light breeze sweeps my hair off my shoulder and covers my back.

I look up and spot the constellation of Libra. "How did you draw the stars as a child?" I ask, dropping my gaze to him. His eyes meet mine. "Like this, right?" I lift my finger and draw a star in the air. With the five edges and all.

"Yeah," he replies shortly.

"Me too. When I found out that stars are actually just floating rocks when I was six, I was so disappointed. I didn't talk to my mom all day because she was the one who told me that." I laugh and shake my head. Kids can be quite dramatic.

When I look back over at Mr. Jeon, there's a gentle expression on his face. He looked pale earlier like he was about to puke, but now he looks normal. Or maybe I just imagined it.

I always knew that Mr. Jeon was the type who didn't talk much, and I've learned to accept it. Until recently, I didn't have much to do with him at the company anyway. He would chime in with his opinion in between the few meetings I attended and that was it.

Since the last couple of months, at least I've come to understand that his rude phrasing isn't actually meant that way, but always seems rude because he doesn't mince words. It's like he's intentionally trying to keep people away from him.

I don't know how much time passes that we're standing here, but it's mostly me talking. Mr. Jeon just throws in short answers and sometimes he just hums as a sign that he's listening. Or he doesn't care enough to give his opinion on the subject.

"I've always wanted one that would stay healthy, but every time I've bought one, they've died within a few weeks," I tell him. I'm not sure when the topic changed from stars to bonsai trees, but here we are. "So I'm manifesting that the one I currently own won't die too."

I look at him and find him with his eyes closed. I don't think he's interested in my bonsai tree.

"You always talk so much." he then says after a few moments. My smile drops.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I'm sure you wanted your peace and quiet and I'm talking your head off," I apologize. I didn't realize I was talking too much and he was probably too nice to tell me to shut up. "You should have just told me to stop talking—"

He pushes himself off the railing and right when I think he's about to turn around and leave, he does just the opposite. He is now standing in front of me, or more accurately towering over me and I am too stunned to speak.

Wowza, that's a nice waist.

He looks down at me, his eyes as sharp as I've ever seen them. I want to think that the reason for his deep stare is the fact that I'm babbling all over him, but I'm not so sure about that.

He takes another step and his scent fills my nostrils. I can't quite read the expression on his face, but he looks pained. His nostrils flare and soon I can't pay attention to anything but his doe eyes sparkling. And it's not because the starry sky is reflected in them.

"Don't ever let anyone stop you from talking," he whispers.

And then he's so close.

I suck in a breath and all I can breathe in is him. I shiver as the cold metal of the railing presses against my bare back and I forget how to think, how to breathe, how to talk.

I want to ask him what he's doing, but my tongue seems stolen. His nose rubs against mine and the shiver that runs down my spine makes my eyes flutter shut against my will. It's dark now, but somehow it feels safe like I know exactly where I am, what's happening.

I don't know what I'm expecting, but definitely not the fleeting tickling sensation of something on my lips. And then it's gone before I can fully comprehend it, making me think it was just a figment of my imagination.

I hear him utter something unintelligible under his breath, but my brain is in other dimensions to understand it. After a few seconds, my eyes open and I come into view with Mr. Jeon. His eyebrows are drawn together as he looks down at me.

"I..." he begins, but stops himself. His mouth opens, closes again before any words I so desperately seek flow between his lips.

He shakes his head and lowers his gaze before turning and leaving.

I try to comprehend it as the tickling sensation returns to my lips. I bring my fingers to my lips as I watch Mr. Jeon walk away until he disappears inside the building.

What just happened?

____________________

A/N: 😫✋🏼