─── ·𖥸· ───

"The Moon collection by Evanesce in collaboration with Miranda was a huge success. The project was led by the designer Sam Arthur and..."

"Mrs Yoon will get thirty-five per cent from Miranda." Secretary Kim informs Jeongguk. "I definitely think Ryu Iseul is up to something. Wings is in shambles because the media won't stop going on about Ms Yoon's competency since Wings could have easily worked with Evanesce through Mrs Yoon. She'll face a huge backlash when we go back to Korea."

Jeongguk clicks his tongue, fixing his tie. "It's not like Minhee made all of this happen. The media is so twisted," he sighs. "They should make articles on something like Mrs Yoon betraying Wings and her daughter, what in the world..."

"Mrs Yoon won't be questioned for her choices because she has been actively working beside Mr Yoon for all those years," the elder man says, helping Jeongguk with his coat. "And Wings has been on its road to downfall for more than a year, people don't trust them anymore."

"Anyway," Jeongguk gives himself a last look in the mirror. "Let's go. The final show is waiting for us."

Outro: Ego is a different vibe altogether.

There's glitz, glamour, anticipation and pressure. Jeongguk goes around backstage, wishing each model good luck, awe over how beautiful some of them look. It's surprising that the clothing pieces Jeongguk thought looked shit in the portfolio are actually beautiful when he sees those on the models. That's fashion for you.

He comes across a room with a closed door and a board with 'Kim Taehyung' written on it hanging off the door with a do not disturb sign. He looks at his secretary, who is busy staring at the portfolio pictures of Taehyung hanging on a pinboard.

Soon, they are sitting in the front seats of the ramp as the crowd fills the hall and music starts playing.

"Is that a condom?"

Jeongguk jumps in his seat when someone whispers in his ear. He looks back with widened eyes and sighs in relief when he sees it is Minhee. "Did you approve of this? Condom fashion?"

Jeongguk rolls his eyes, "It's a balloon, to support the local rubber farmers in South Asia."

"There are other ways to do that," Minhee scoffs. "That girl can't even see where she is walking. What if she suffocates inside it?"

Jeongguk ignores her, looking back in front. Soon after, Taehyung walks in with his usual demeanour, fierce and intimidating; the crowd cheers when Hoseok walks in and they all clap for the successful show. It's when all of the hosts and designers have spoken and thanked the audience, does the light dim and it's their cue to exit.

Minhee and Dahyun go their own way, telling Jeongguk when he asks that Dahyun wants to try Korean cuisine in the Parisian way which makes no sense but they are on their way anyway. Secretary Kim jokes that they will be having tteokbokki with a spoon and fork instead of chopsticks and Minhee brushes him off by saying, "It's better than trying to eat a chocolate souffle with chopsticks," and Secretary Kim walks away, embarrassed.

When the men reach their hotel, it's ten past eleven at night and the blazing noise of the music is heard from the bar across the street. "Take your day off tomorrow, Secretary Kim," Jeongguk says. "We have no schedules, right?"

The elder man yawns, "Yes, and the flight's preponed to 12 instead of 3 am, so I will have the taxi ready by nine. Are you going somewhere though?" Secretary Kim asks, seeing Jeongguk stop at the entrance of the hotel instead of walking in with him.

"Um, yeah...actually..." the younger clears his throat. "I want to complete what I started."

Kim's eyes soften, nodding. Jeongguk turns around and walks away.

And when Jin sees Jeongguk walking in the middle of the empty street lit by yellow lamps, with the Eiffel tower lighting his silhouette, he sighs.

"I hope you finally find peace, Jeongguk."

...

When Jeongguk stands at the base of the Eiffel tower and looks up, he thinks the sky's the limit. Interestingly enough, it reminds him of the Wings headquarters which makes him feel a similar way.

That he is just a small creature in this huge world.

Tall buildings used to scare him, made him dizzy but now, he is on his way to the top, physically and metaphorically. "That looks scary."

Jeongguk closes his eyes, knowing that voice very well. "Can you stop following me around?"

"I didn't really mean to," Minhee says. "But I heard from Secretary Kim that you are going to go on the top floor and I also wanted to go, so I just came."

"He told you?" Jeongguk raises an eyebrow, sceptical. Minhee nods, shrugging. "Why? Have you told him not to tell me?"

Jeongguk licks his lips, nerves rising. He wanted to do it alone, no, he had to do it alone. If Minhee tags along, he doesn't know if he will be able to keep his promise. He starts walking away, hands stuffed in his pockets and fumbling with the silk scarf kept in one of them.

"I am not a fan of Paris honestly," Minhee all of a sudden says, catching up to him. "But I have been curious about how the tower is. Like, did we need a wrought-iron lattice tower to commemorate the centennial of the French revolution?"

Jeongguk chuckles, pulling Minhee towards one of the pillars to take the elevator. The crowd is less, it might be because it is almost midnight. "So you like history now?"

"Uh huh."

They take the elevator to Level 2 and the entire time Minhee sings a song about flying and jokes about her being the CEO of 'Wings'. "See what I did there?" and she laughs.

Jeongguk doesn't know why he feels so empty, down and restless at the same time. It's like he doesn't want to do anything, doesn't want to move from his place, doesn't want to think but all he wants to do is...he doesn't know what.

Minhee is obviously excited about it. She tries to see from every side of the cabin, tries to point the hotel they are staying in, asks loads of questions about which building's roof is that.

It's so surprising to hear her constantly blabber because Minhee does talk, but never like this. It's a different side. It's endearing and it brings a small smile to Jeongguk's lips.

They get off on Level 2 and there are quite a bunch of people already clicking pictures of the magnificent city view. "I wanna go on the top though!" Minhee says, pouting.

"We'll have to take the other elevator," Jeongguk tells her. "Are you sure though? Not afraid of heights and all, right?"

Minhee scoffs, crossing her arms in front of her. "I literally have my office on the 99th floor, Jeongguk, and this is what, 80th?"

Jeongguk scoffs. "Must be good to have an office taller than the Eiffel Tower."

And Minhee is walking around the deck, clicking pictures and aweing at the view. Jeongguk thinks if they were on better terms, he would have asked Minhee to stand in front of him so he could take a picture of her.

He would have told her that the view is better with her in the picture and maybe Minhee would have shyly kissed him.

"Jeongguk, the cabin's here. Let's go."

He hears her call for him and he wants to ask her why. Why does she want him to come with her? Why are they acting like they weren't ready to bite each other a few months back?

Why are they acting like they are someone who they are meant to be?

"Aren't you coming?" Minhee yells from a distance.

Jeongguk sighs, walking inside the cabin and holding his breath. He can't believe he's actually here. It's so different from the image he always had in mind. His heartbeat fastens as he looks down the cabin.

The Eiffel Tower. He gets it.

He gets why it's so special. He gets why Paris is so special.

It's the way he can see the whole city from here, he thinks he loves it. He loves the open garden he can see from here, the neon signs of bars, yellow lamps on the streets and cars zooming past.

When they reach Level 3, that's the topmost floor of the tower, Jeongguk grows weak on his knees. He's not afraid of heights but he feels dizzy when he looks down the net and sees the Seine.

It's so quiet here.

Minhee is quiet too, she is walking around the deck again.

Jeongguk shudders as his hand reaches to take out the scarf in his pocket. He thinks he'll faint the next moment, his vision is blurry but he tries to keep it in.

He needs to do this.

He bends down, holding the railing when he almost loses his balance and loops the scarf around the rail. He makes a knot, then a bow before bending forth and kissing it.

He stands up, leaning on the railing. He wants to cry, his lips tremble and his heart staggers. Memories are such a curse for the one who's left behind.

"Thank you," he whispers as he buries his face in his hands. "For showing me how beautiful this city is."

"Can you please click a picture of us?"

Jeongguk sniffs, holding back his emotions as he looks to his side. Minhee is clicking a picture of a small family— mother, son and daughter, who look like twins.

They smile at her and nod in approval when she gives them their camera back. Minhee bows slightly before walking up to Jeongguk.

No one says a word, no one moves.

The world looks so small from here, Jeongguk thinks. He was a part of it before but now he is on the top, watching the world merge into the horizon.

"People from the ground can't look at us, right?" Minhee says. Her voice is scratchy as if she just woke up. "They won't be able to see me if I wave at them..."

The people down below can't see them. People on the top can see them, but they are tiny. Isn't it a little unfair? Jeongguk thinks.

"Jeongguk, do you know about constellations?"

Jeongguk is caught off-guard with the question. He clears his throat, looking towards Minhee. "No..I wasn't really interested in stars."

I had other things I could look at instead.

"Oh, I always wanted to be the one who could point at the sky and make out like— hey, that's Orion belt," Minhee says, chuckling.

"You could always point to a star and name it yours," Jeongguk shrugs and looks at her. She looks back at him, curious. "Stars don't feel bad, they won't come to fight you. They just sparkle, they only shine from a distance."

It's funny, Minhee thinks, how the Eiffel Tower in all of its sparkling glory stood only a little away from her back then in the hotel's balcony, a sight she had wished to see all of her life, and yet she had barely even acknowledged the presence of the glorious backdrop.

Any other night, alone or otherwise, she'd be marvelling over it. Just like the city view right now.

But tonight is one of those rare nights again, where Minhee has found the company in the form of a person she had never thought could remind her of the sunflowers.

"What about you?" Minhee whispers. The tension settles in the air as her breathing quickens. "What kind of star are you, Jeongguk?"

Jeongguk's breath shudders, his eyes failing to look away from hers. Move back, stay away, don't do this.

"What kind of star are you that you shine even up so close?"

She leans forward and Jeongguk doesn't move away. "What kind of star are you, Jeongguk, that even Paris is outshined?"

Jeongguk doesn't say anything, having his breath knocked out of him. His gaze flickers down to her lips and then he's closing his eyes, feeling them press against his.

He clenches his fist, unable to stop a tear that rolls down his cheek and to his lips. Minhee feels the saltiness of it, his unmoving lips and steps back.

"W-why are you crying— look if it's because—"

And she is pulled closer in an instant, lips against hers and a hand resting on her cheek.

It's soft, something so tenderly intimate in their movements that Minhee fails to recognise. The kiss is a little uncoordinated, unlike the one they have shared before. It may be because Jeongguk refuses to make it deeper, keeps it soft by nibbling and taking his time by sucking on one of her lips at a time.

When they separate, he rests his forehead on hers. Her hand comes up to his cheek in an attempt to wipe his tears.

"Don't shine so bright Jeongguk," Minhee whispers. "I don't wanna fall in love with you."

Jeongguk leans back, eyes fluttering open. He gulps when he sees Minhee looking at him like that. As if he's the only one here, as if he's the only one she can see.

He pulls her close and wraps his arms around her, whispering in her ear, "Don't fall in love with me. Don't. I like this, I like it this way."

✎... 

𝒫𝒶𝓇𝒾𝓈 𝒷𝓊𝒸𝓀𝑒𝓉 𝓁𝒾𝓈𝓉:

̶1̶.̶ ̶m̶a̶k̶e̶ ̶a̶ ̶c̶u̶s̶t̶o̶m̶ ̶b̶o̶u̶q̶u̶e̶t̶̶

2̶.̶ ̶a̶t̶t̶e̶n̶d̶ ̶a̶ ̶c̶o̶u̶p̶l̶e̶'̶s̶ ̶p̶a̶s̶t̶r̶y̶ ̶c̶l̶a̶s̶s̶̶

3̶.̶ ̶t̶a̶s̶t̶e̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶J̶G̶ ̶c̶h̶o̶c̶o̶l̶a̶t̶e̶s̶̶

4̶.̶ ̶c̶l̶i̶c̶k̶ ̶a̶ ̶p̶i̶c̶t̶u̶r̶e̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶n̶t̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶ ̶w̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶l̶o̶v̶e̶ ̶a̶t̶ ̶M̶o̶n̶t̶m̶a̶r̶t̶r̶e̶ ̶P̶a̶r̶i̶s̶̶

5̶.̶ ̶ ̶l̶a̶v̶o̶m̶a̶t̶i̶c̶ ̶c̶a̶f̶e̶̶

6̶.̶ ̶r̶i̶d̶e̶ ̶a̶ ̶b̶e̶e̶r̶ ̶b̶i̶k̶e̶̶

7̶.̶ ̶s̶h̶a̶r̶e̶ ̶a̶ ̶k̶i̶s̶s̶ ̶i̶n̶ ̶f̶r̶o̶n̶t̶ ̶o̶f̶ ̶E̶i̶f̶f̶e̶l̶ ̶T̶o̶w̶e̶r̶ ̶<̶3̶

─── ·𖥸· ───