epilogue; 

if there was something he first noticed about the subways in paris, it's that there street performers are allowed to sing both inside the stations and even inside the trains. he had also took notice on how it seemed like it is always full of people, as if the crowd just never ends whenever a train passes by, but that was something that happens a lot back home - not as much as a metropolitan city like paris, but it does happen in seoul too. not like he takes the subway when he goes to work though.

quand il me prend dans ses bras
il me parle tout bas
je vois la vie en rose

the fact that the street performer right in front of him was asian just sparks his interest even more. he wasn't just sure what her exact ethnicity is. paris had a huge community of asian nationalities. he was pretty sure he just heard two people converse in japanese - well, he was pretty sure it was japanese. he doesn't speak the language fluently, but because of some classes he had to take back at school and his little addiction to anime when he was younger made it sure that it was indeed japanese. this girl, however, doesn't seem like she had any accent. at least when she sings. 

il me dit des mots d'amour
des mots de tous le jours
et ça me fait quelque chose

'maybe she's a native.' he thought to himself. 

just like the song, her voice was divine. she doesn't have strong vocals like adele, nor does she has a voice like ariana grande, but he thought that she sounded amazing, almost angel-like. even her visuals were as beautiful as her voice is. he must admit that she was attractive, giving off a strong aura in which he can't just look away. her white milky skin compliments her long black hair, and it matched her brown, magnetic eyes. he honestly just approached her because of the song, but now that he noticed her, he somewhat couldn't look away. the only thing that made him stop was his conscience, telling him how weird he was for randomly checking out a girl in a foreign city.

he was never that kind of a guy, or a creep as he'd describe himself currently, so he immediately looks away after realizing what he was doing was wrong, but not before dropping a 10 euro bill to the guitar case right in front of her. she managed to mutter a quick 'merci' to him in between the lines of the song as she smiled, and he could only return it as it was just right in time to when the train finally arrives.

honestly, he doesn't even know what he's doing in paris. he was just forced by his best mates to go there as they said it'd be the place for him to chill, the place where he could just release his stress and not think about anything else. it was utter bull. no matter where he goes, no matter who he is with, his head would be still full of thoughts that he shouldn't be thinking.

and yet, he find himself sitting alone on a bench under the bright lampshade, people-watching, or rather car-watching, in front of the arc du triomphe.

on his hand was a bottle of beer that he didn't even like. he just thought that he might as well drink something when the people he had passed by seemed like they were, though they had preferred wine. a guy even approached him before, offering him a drink. he declines. he was never really a wine person, let alone an alcohol one, which is kind of weird since he is korean, and koreans have a thing for sojus. but he even dislikes sojus, and would only turn to the drink when times are troubling him.

as he sat there by himself, he wondered where he should go on the following five days in paris that he has free. it wasn't his first time in the city, he had been there when he was younger, so he had little knowledge on what to see or where the famous attractions are located. and besides, he was in paris. places like the eiffel tower and the louvre are a must see. but he thought that sitting on the lawn of champ de mars to have the perfect view of the infamous iron tower was kind of boring, so he was having seconds thoughts of what to do.

'ah, it. i'll just let destiny decide what to do with me.' he thought to himself as he walked to the nearest metro.

just like he predicted, the train station was still full of people. while he did think of seoul's subway when he got there earlier, he was quite impressed that even at late night it was still buzzing with people of different races and different ages. it is, for him, so interesting to see distintive faces and hearing various languages. however, he didn't want to wait for the next train, so he had to squeeze in between the crowd to at least get a space inside the train. it was a move, but he was too tired to feel bad.

luckily for him, he sees someone get off their seat so before anyone else could steal it from him, he walks towards the empty seat. in his defense, there wasn't any older woman or any female passanger in sight. if there was, he'd give up the seat immediately, and there is no doubt in that. 

there is, however, a woman sitted right next to him that he didn't noticed until he sat down - and much to his surprise, it was the same woman he had given his ten euros to hours earlier.

even when the train started moving, she didn't buldge in her sleep. she seemed so tired and so deeply asleep that she didn't even care (or at least know) that the guitar case that she was holding was slowly releasing from her grip. if it falls, it'd break and it's just basic moral to grab it, so he did. he'd let it lean on the door right next to her, but he feared that it'd open when they reach other stations so he had to hold it himself until she wakes up.

that doesn't seem like the case, as the girl unintenionally places her head into his broad shoulders. he did feel a bit weirded out that there's this stranger occupying his personal space, but after thinking that she might have been very tired from singing around paris that day, he just presses his lips together instead of saying anything. there's no harm on being kind to someone you don't know. and she didn't seem like she wanted to purposely do that and even looked genuinely tired, so he had just let her sleep even when they already had passed by his stop.

"mom, i want... some bibimbap." she mumbles to her sleep, and that's when he chuckles.

"so you're korean, huh?" he whispers, as if the foreigners around them would understand. he lets out another chuckle when she continued complaining about food, and he could only wonder what she was dreaming about that got her so deeply asleep. 

the horror and embarrassment was evident on the young woman's face as soon as she woke up from her nap to see an unknown face. they were actually already in the last stop of one of the subway's many lines when they got out, and it was when they were already outside the subway when he got a better glimpse of her face. she, on the hand, was busy freaking out not only because of she just fell asleep on him, but also because she had missed her stop. she kept on apologizing to him (in french on top of that), and it was only when he handed her guitar when she realized that he had it and remember who he was.

"oh, tu est le monsieur-" she pauses, switching from french to english. she might have realized that he was a tourist. "you're that mister from before!"

seeing how enthusiatic she looked after realizing who he was, he couldn't help but chuckling once again. "i am korean too."

he noticed how fast her expressions changes, and it makes him laugh. in just a second, she went from being surprised to looking confused. "wait, how do you know that i'm korean?" this time, she finally speaks korean. it amuses him how the tone of her voice changes when she speaks a different language. when she speaks french, her voice somewhat sounded deep.

"just a wild guess."

she didn't seem convinced, but just lets it go as she went back to apologizing, though she basically just said everything she just said but in korean so he could understand. "it's really embarrassing, and i'm very, very sorry. i don't know how i could repay you for the time you lost because of me."

"well, i might forgive you..." he starts off awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "if you go with me to the nearest korean restaurant?"

this time, it was her turn to laugh. was this stranger asking her out? just because he helped her and was kind enough to let her sleep in his shoulders doesn't mean he scores a free ticket to date her. knowing that the boy was a tourist, she calls him out, but in french, "i mean, he is attractive and all, but does he think that i'm that easy?"

as she expected, he just blinks to what she said. "so is that a no? i thought that you'd be down for it since you talked about bibimbap in your sleep."

that's when she went back to being shocked, her eyes all wide and her jaw dropped.

"oh, i think... i shouldn't have said that?"

"did i... sleep talk?"

"uhm, yes."

"did i talk about anything else?"

"do you... want me to say it?"

"i think... you should tell me when we're eating."

so much for his 'i'm very tired tonight' bull as he exited a korean restaurant 30 minutes after he arrived there with her. she was surprisingly a big eater, that she had to explain to him that she has indeed eaten lunch and was not homeless, to which he replied by saying that he never thought that she was. in fact, he was, just like how he has been throughout the whole night, amazed by how big of a eater she was when she has such a tiny and petite body. he really enjoyed treating her for a meal as it obvious that she enjoyed it as well. it was like he ate twice when she saw her grinning when they were finished.

"you know, i just realized, i didn't really do anything to redeem myself..." she says quietly and in guilt when they came out of the restaurant. "i mean, i'm the one who should be the one who paid the meal and not you, considering that i'm the one who's wrong for sleeping and wasting your time."

"well, there is something you could do for me." he tells her, his hands on his pocket as he explained, "i'm going to stay in paris for five days and i'm not that familiar with the city."

"unfortunately, i do not know any tourguide around here." she says, looking genuienly sad for being useless, causing him to laugh.

"i was thinking, and talking about you. i was wondering if you could show me around, if you're not busy that is."

"oh, of course! i don't mind touring a fellow korean around! however..." she puts up a finger cheekily. "apart from your apology, what do i gain from this?"

"your favorite thing."

"which is?"

"free meals."

"it seems like you already know me."

she sighs, but laughs along with him anyways. she then suggests that they exchange information, or kakaotalk ids at least, so that they can communicate to where they can meet up tomorrow. it was then when she realized that they don't really know each other's names, despite having a long conversation during their meal.

"you can call me krystal. it's what everyone calls me."

"krystal..." he repeats with a smile on his face. "okay then. well, krystal. my name is kai. kim kai."

'kai, huh?' she thought to herself. it didn't sound very korean at all, so she found himself staring at him. his brown hair, his big eyes, his tan skin, she wondered if he was a halfer.

"miss krystal?"

"ah, yes. tell me."

"i just asked you if you wanted me to take you home, since it is late already."

"no, no need. i'll just take a taxi." she tells him, assuring him that she'll be safe and even promises to send him a message as soon as she arrives back home. 

still, kai insists that they search for taxis together. they eventually find a line of cab, which meant that he could go on as well after sending her off. as her sign of goodbye, krystal hugs and even kisses the boy on the cheek, which she deeply regrets as he freezes on the spot, very confused by what just happened to him.

"sorry, it's the culture here, and i forgot that you're just a tourist." she apologized for nth time that night. kai just nods, but he was still obviously dumbfounded. she just can't seem to stop embarrassing herself, so she quickly enters the cab after bowing at him - something that she rarely does in paris.

alone once again, a cab stops right in front of a still frozen kai, who watched her taxi drive away. a sudden realization struck him as he did. "did paris just become my favorite city?", he asks himself. "i think it just did."

a/n: idk what im doing with my life......... also, y is this so long tf