Taecyeon woke up at the sound of his phone alarm clock ringing. He opened his eyes, blinked a few times and yawned as he slowly stretched his body. Upon turning his head to the side, he noticed a yellow paper lying quietly on the bed.

It was a bright morning and he wanted to start it right. He lazily stood up and picked up the note to read it.

Good morning! Sorry you had to sleep on the couch! But you insisted so it’s not my fault. I woke up early and went through the papers I found inside the case you brought with you from Seoul. I thought you might need some help so I kind of checked it out and jotted down a few useful things (I guess!). Good luck on that board meeting! I’ll be downstairs at the cafe if you need me!

His face started to light up and the sleepy eyes were slowly awakening.

P.S. I figured you’d wake up at about 8AM so breakfast will be there by that time!

-Sun Mi

There was nothing he could do but smile. Sun Mi might act weird a couple of times but she’s this sweet and kind girl who loved to help a lot. She has imperfections but these things make her what she is, and that was what Taecyeon liked about her. She has a warm heart.

He stood up to get himself ready, still smiling as he went to take a shower.

_______________

The hotel lobby was vast and creatively designed to impress the guests. Chandeliers brilliantly aligned, illuminating the building with their bright lights. The grand piano stood silent at one corner, and people were going on different directions.

It was about nine in the morning when Yuri stepped out of the elevator to the ground floor. She walked around, looking for things that would bring her interest.

When she passed by the information booth, the colored brochures on the table caught her attention. She smiled at the desk clerk and picked one red-colored brochure.

She examined the contents, carefully reading each one. Good thing there were Korean translations, or else she’d have a hard time reading it in English, or worse, in French.

There were pictures of different beautiful locations; she thought it would be great to see those places again. She once travelled to those places, but it’s different now since she’s with Seungri.

At that thought, her mind paused. “I’m with Seungri,” she said in her mind. She didn’t feel bad about it, but neither did she feel happy. Then another thought came, “Oh yeah, I forgot we were pretending,” she mumbled and rolled her eyes.

She sighed, looking around the beautiful lobby again. “I’d be more than happy if this was all real, including him,” she said and walked away.

_______________

The cup of coffee in front of Sun Mi was now half empty. She busied herself writing on the notebook Taec gave her; sticking selcas and doodling on it.

Turning to the next page, she scanned the small pile of photos on the table. She had taken them the previous day, when they arrived and took a short stroll around the city.

She had taken pictures of Taecyeon eating crepe with whipped cream and chocolate, standing near the River Seine with a solo Titanic pose like Rose’s, and sitting on a bench. She also had pictures of herself eating ice cream, holding a small Eiffel Tower keychain, pouting beside the sleeping Taecyeon and posing with a cup of coffee in one hand.

She picked out two and pasted them on the notebook with the captions: ‘Why are you sleeping?!’ and ‘Taecyeon bought this for me! He has the same keychain too! Thank you!!’ respectively. She kept the rest of her pictures inside the mini album she brought along with her.

Not noticing him behind her, Taecyeon Sun Mi’s hair like she was his pet. He looked at her and smiled. She smiled back and greeted, “Good morning!”

Taecyeon sat in front of her looking at the notebook, now with the first two pages filled. “I read your note,” he said. Sun Mi shyly took away her gaze from him. “Sorry I left early, I couldn’t sleep anymore,” she replied. “You were sleeping on the bed, how can you have trouble sleeping?” Taecyeon was playing confused. “Do you want me to sleep beside you tonight?” he added and grinned.

“No!” Sun Mi exclaimed. “I mean, I was just too excited to take a look at the awesome places here,” Sun Mi’s face was so anxious. “Oh, I forgot to tell you.” The expression on Taec’s face changed. “I can’t tour you today, remember? Too bad I’m here for business. But here,” he handed her a booklet.

Sun Mi took a look at it and read, “Paris Group Tours.” She looked back at Taecyeon. “What’s this?” she asked. Taecyeon changed his sitting position, crossed his legs. “This day would be a waste if you’re just gonna stay here. I want you to join this group tour,” he said and curved his lips.

“But what if I get lost?” Sun Mi asked worriedly. “Don’t worry; you’ll have a tour guide. Just follow him or her around and take pictures. I’ll catch up with you when I’m finished. I bet it would end at about six in the evening,” Taecyeon said with a bothered look. “So I’m eating by myself later,” Sun Mi looked upset.

“Hey,” Taecyeon reached for her hand. “I promise to catch up okay? And I’m sure you’re gonna meet a friend or two there. Just don’t get too close to anyone and wear this,” Taecyeon took something from his pocket.

He pulled out two silver rings with their names engraved on it. “But we already have wedding rings?” Sun Mi showed him her left hand; she was wearing a gold ring and so was he. “So? It’s a couple ring. We’re not married anyway,” he smiled at her.

She took off the gold ring and wore the silver one. “Happy?” she smiled at him as she kept the gold ring in her purse.

Suddenly, Taecyeon’s phone rang; he had to leave.

He stood up and kissed her on the cheek with a whisper, “For good luck”. She chuckled at his words and bade him goodbye.

Taecyeon left the hotel with a smile and looked at the silver ring on his left hand. “One day, you’ll prove what you’re supposed to prove,” he mumbled as the doors opened for him.