✧･ﾟ: * four *:･ﾟ✧

"I don't even want to know where you got so much money from. I bet you're a drug dealer. You know, the non-suspicious type that makes you suspicious. You have no idea what I'm saying right now, but that's okay. Sometimes a girl needs to hear herself talk."

Tae is silent a long time before mumbling a, "Yeah."

Madeline laughs.

She was more than surprised when his card didn't come back declined and they walked away crime-free. He didn't tell her how much the bill was. To be honest, Madeline isn't even sure he knows how much it was, but apparently he had it in his bank account. She can only imagine the amount of zeroes...

"Maddie?"

"Yeah?"

"You have home?"

"I'm not from here, remember?"

"Ah... You have place to go?"

She wants to lie, but her mouth moves faster than her brain. "No." She keeps going before he can speak. "I'm not going with you, Tae."

"Why?"

"You just bought me dinner. I don't know you."

"You know me."

"Not enough to go to your hotel with you."

"Where will you go?"

"I don't know. I'll find somewhere."

He intertwines their fingers. "It's dark. Dangerous. You come with me."

"Yes, because that doesn't sound dangerous."

"Eh?"

"Nothing."

She hears Tae shuffling through something... His pocket, maybe? She stands next to him without knowing what else to do, her hand still firmly locked in his. She probably couldn't pull away even if she tried.

"Hello? Yes, uh, I need... taxi."

She listens to him trying to pronounce the street names and grins to herself. He really is adorable, even if she can't see him. She doesn't let herself believe the innocence completely, though. This could be a hoax to get her alone in his room, after all. An unnecessarily kind and drawn out hoax, but a hoax nonetheless.

Well, if she dies, at least she'll die in Paris.

She hears the taxi pull up not too long later. Tae opens the door and helps her in, then climbs in behind her. He shows the driver his hotel address on his phone, then the car falls into a somewhat tranquil silence. The driver has classical music turned on low. Madeline feels for the button and rolls down the window just enough for her arm to fit through. She leans her head against the frame and lets the wind runs through her fingers.

She feels the heat of a stare again, but this time Tae doesn't speak. He just stares at her. Madeline isn't sure if she finds it flattering or terrifying.

They arrive quicker than she suspected. Tae pays the driver enough money that he shouts if he wants any change back, to which Tae ignores while he helps Madeline out of the car. His hand is soon in hers as he leads her through the hotel doors into the lobby. Is it weird that she can smell the five star rating?

Huh. Rich people.

The lady at the front desk has to call her manager to come down to speak English since she understands even less than Tae. Madeline speaks for Tae with the manager, then takes his room key and tells him to find the elevator. This man is on the top floor in a suite. On his own.

He's definitely a drug dealer.

"Seriously," Madeline says while walking down the hallway with him. "Where did all your money come from?"

"My dad," Tae says. "He's, uh, helping me see art."

"So your dad paid for your trip here?"

"Yes. He wants me to... travel like him."

"Must be nice."

"Eh? My dad is very nice."

She doesn't try to tell him that's not what she meant. She's starting to feel the exhaustion wearing in on her bones. She hardly slept on the plane, and she's been going ninety miles a minute since she arrived. One of those plush, suite beds doesn't sound so dangerous anymore.

Tae stops to unlock the door, then ushers her inside. She can't see how big it is, but by the way Tae continuously says, "Wow," in an awestruck way, she assumes it's pretty huge. She hears him walking around. The floor is either tile or marble—either way, Madeline concludes it's most definitely a rich person floor.

"Maddie, come on." Tae grabs her hand again and pulls her further inside. "You sleep in bed, yeah? I sleep on..."

"The couch?" Madeline guesses.

Tae snaps his fingers. "Yes. I sleep on couch."

"Tae, this is your room," she says, poking his chest. "I can sleep on the couch."

"Ah, no, no. Gentleman."

She sighs. "Yeah, you are."

"This way," he says, bringing her into the bedroom. "The bed is big. You will sleep well."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, yes. You have clothes?"

Madeline takes her backpack off. "Yep."

This small pile of clothes is not going to get her very far. She didn't have time or patience to pack actual luggage, though. Maybe she can find a laundromat somewhere.

"You change, change. I leave."

She listens to his footsteps to ensure he's out of the room when he closes the door, then she walks around the room, feeling the wall. There must be a bathroom connected with how fancy this place is and—got it. She goes back to her backpack and takes it into the room with her, locking the bathroom door just in case.

It takes her nearly ten minutes to figure out how the shower turns on, and it takes her another ten to find the little travel sized bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and soap. She deciphers which is which by the texture. She finds the towels and rags easily enough, thankfully, and she somehow gets the water to the perfect temperature.

She doesn't know how long she stays in the shower, but she feels so much better when she finally steps out. The best thing about fancy hotels is that they have good water pressure. She wrings her hair out in a towel before deciding to leave it down instead of putting it up. Even though it gets her oversized night shirt wet, she feels more confident with her hair down. Not that she cares about how Tae sees her.

When she steps into the bedroom, it's still quiet, so she finds the door that leads back into the main room. She hears the television on, and not too long after that, Tae sees her.

"Ah, clean. I..." He pauses. "The water."

"Did you... hear the water?" she asks, unsure.

"Yes!" he says and claps his hands. "I hear the water."

"You heard the water."

"Eh?"

"We'll work on grammar another time."

She's glad he didn't understand that sentence since she just insinuated there would be another time.

Tomorrow, she's gone.

She wants—no, needs to get to Rome.

"Sit down," Tae says, and she hears him patting the cushion. She walks cautiously over, careful not to bump into anything, then sits when she feels the couch against her leg. "Are you... tired?"

https://youtu.be/FDii3G-zzZY

"Not really," she lies. She doesn't know why.

To change the subject, she says, "What's happening on the TV?" She can hear it, but it's all really fast dialogue... and it's in French.

Tae inhales deeply, like he's preparing for a monologue. "Boy and girl, uh, fight. Girl likes other boy, and... I don't know. I'm confused."

She laughs. "It's okay. You tried."

"Let me see," Tae hums. She assumes he's switching through channels by the way the audio jumps and cuts off.

"Oh! I found, uh, I don't know the word?"

"What do you see?"

"I see... lions."

"You found animals?"

"Yes, yes, animals. He has, uh, bab-babies?"

"Babies, yep. Cubs."

"Cubs, yeah."

She leans her head back on the cushion and closes her eyes.

"The cubs are playing," he says. "They are so small. Like you."

She pouts. "I'm not small."

"Yes," he says with a laugh. "You are small. Short."

"Well, not everyone is blessed with long legs. How tall are you, anyways?"

"I don't know," he answers. "Tall."

She smirks. "You're so descriptive."

"De... what?"

"De-script-ive."

He repeats her.

"Yeah, good job. It means, uh... like, a lot of details. Do you know what details are?" When Tae is quiet, she continues. "Details are like little things. The red roses are a detail in the restaurant. The cubs being small is a detail. Details make up descriptions. Like if you're describing someone."

Tae shifts and she can tell he's facing her now. "Describing?"

She nods. "You say what something looks like. Describe yourself."

"Uh. I have brown hair and eyes. Uh. I am tall. Uh. I have a red... shirt?"

She nods again. "Good job."

"Thank you," he says sincerely, probably grinning from ear to ear.

"So what's the word?"

"Describe," he says. "And descr... descriptive."

"You learn really fast, Tae. You're smart."

"Ah, thank you. You're very nice, Maddie."

She smiles. "Go on. Describe the animals to me."

And so he does in the best way that he can. She corrects him when he messes up or forgets a word, and she reassures him when he questions himself or gets it right. She feels her eyes getting heavier and heavier, the deep and soothing sound of Tae's voice putting her at ease despite her worries.

She doesn't realize she falls asleep until she wakes up in the bed.