Chapter 10: Stroll

“Am I legible to enrol?”

Naeun could tell he was joking but her mind was playing tricks on her because she felt the most insane impulse to say yes. Before she could actually open Hayoung had beat her to it.

“Of course!” Her assistant said, a little too enthusiastically. Naeun turned to glare sharply at an unwitting Hayoung.

“I should… leave you two alone.” Hayoung said meekly, before shuffling out of the room. When she was finally out of the ear shot, Naeun turned back to a bemused Myungsoo.

“No you cannot enrol here!” Naeun said harshly.

“Why not?”

“Because… you're a student. You already have so much work. And I really really hate students that don't attend class.”

“I'll attend every single class.” He flashed her an infuriatingly sweet smile.

“Tell me why you're here Myungsoo.”

“What if I said I just wanted to see you?” Naeun didn't know how he did it. But he pulled off lines like those so well without sounding corny and it irritated her even more because she knew he was trying to charm her.

She just didn't know exactly why.

“That would be lie.” Naeun scoffed.

“I'm not lying! I was hoping to take you to lunch.”

“I already ate." She lied.

“I called Eunji beforehand. I know your lunch break starts at 1:30 which is right about… now.” He grinned cheekily when he said the last word whilst looking at his watch.

Damn him.

“But monsieur… we've only been acquainted for a short amount of time.”

“You slept at my place last week.”

“SHE DID ?!?!” Hayoung (who was obviously eavesdropping from the next room) exclaimed loudly.

“Yah, are you insane?!” Naeun asked him as she pushed her index finger to his lip to shut him up.

“So you'll let me take you to lunch then?” He asked, hopeful and giddy.

“Say yes!” Hayoung shouted from the back room.

“I pay you to work Hayoung!” Naeun shouted back, haughty and annoyed.

“Fine.” Naeun begrudgingly agreed.

“But nothing fancy! And I have to be back in an hour.”

“Don't worry unnie. Take all the time you need. I can take care of the atelier myself.” Hayoung peeked out of the door and insisted that her boss enjoy herself. She also sent a thumbs up to Myungsoo's direction when Naeun wasn't looking.

Myungsoo smiled back in thanks.

“Just let me wash my hands.” She the tap and scrubbed the off the oil paint from her hands with hot water before removing her white painters garb.

She grabbed her purse and phone and headed to Myungsoo but he stood in front of her momentarily, his face seemed serious until the corners of his mouth creased up, revealing his dimples.

“You have a little something there.” Myungsoo took a wet cloth and wiped Naeun's cheek. He was a little too close for Naeun's comfort but her eyes found his staring right back at hers.

“Yellow.” He said so softly that it made Naeun shiver. He held up the stained cloth.
Naeun was blushing pink and she swore she heard Hayoung snigger from somewhere in the depths of the atelier.

“It's chartreuse.” Naeun corrected him and dumped the cloth in the sink.

“If you insist songsaengnim. Shall we go now?”

Naeun followed Myungsoo to a up-and-coming eatery with a large crowd outside.

She frowned, “I though I said nothing fancy.”

“This place serves gourmet sandwiches.” Myungsoo said whilst dragging her to order.

Naeun ordered a ham sandwich made with fresh out of the oven baguettes from the boulangerie next door, it had lettuce and the most amazing Comté cheese ever.

When Naeun reached for her wallet Myungsoo was already swiping his black credit card silently.

“You don't have to pay for me.”

“I'm the one that dragged you out to lunch.”

They had walked a few more blocks until they reaches the banks of the Seine. They sat in the shade of a weeping willow tree and had their feet hanging off the edge leisurely.

Naeun tore of chunks of her jambon beurre sandwich and munched on it happily.

“This is the most beautiful ham and cheese sandwich I've ever had!”  Naeun gushed.

“I'm glad you're enjoying it.” Myungsoo chuckled. A few ducks began to gather at their feet and Myungsoo threw them some baguette crust whilst they quacked cutely.

“So.” She dusted the crumbs off her and the ducks still gathered at their feet eagerly before a few minutes pass and they  finally swam away.

There was still a cremé de marron crepé they had picked up on the way, it was neatly wrapped in paper, just waiting to be eaten by a ravenous Naeun.

“Why exactly are you bribing me with ridiculously good food?” She asked whilst unwrapping her crepé and taking a big bite.

He paused before finally before speaking.

“ I need your help. More specifically... your studio-”

“Please don't tell me you're actually serious about wanting to enroll.” Naeun cut him off and stopped chewing on her crepé.

“Come on, I wouldn't be that bad!”

“I don't teach delinquents.”

“I just need your help.”

“I'm listening.”

“My assignment for photography this is semester is to take part in a showcase. This showcase will count as 40 percent of my grade. And I was wondering if I could use your atelier as a backdrop?”

“Backdrop?” Her ears perked at the word.

“Deh. The theme is passion. You're one of the most passionate people I know. ” He said things like that so easily.

She suddenly felt a blush creep on her but she looked down at the water.

“Ahh… thank you. But if you're going to photograph any students you need their permission of course.” Naeun said before her attention drifted back to the scrumptious dessert.

“Are you really letting me photograph there? Jinjja?”

“Of course. It's the least I could do. What harm could there be in letting you take pictures?” She shrugged.

“I look forward to it.”

They sat in silence for awhile just enjoying the peace and serenity. The ducks began to swim back and Naeun realised that they were sitting to close for comfort. With their shoulders bumping each others.

“I'm sorry for intruding your space.” He broke the silence.

“I practically had a sleep over at yours.” Naeun said without a thought.

“Ani. That was nice.” He chuckled and stole a glance at her, she was flustered over what she had accident let slip.

A sudden thought cross her mind.

How did she even ended up sitting next to Kim Myungsoo?

“Myungsoo. Why did you come to Paris?” She asked our of genuine curiosity and finished the last of her crepé.

He hesitated in answering her, but then he saw her eyes blinking back at him and he sighed a tired sigh.

“Because… because no matter what I did, no one really trusted me back in Seoul.”

“Shall we go back now?” She asked him softly after seeing him suddenly become so blue.

“Of course, I must be wasting your time.” He stood up and pulled her up to stand.

They walked at a casual pace as as they strolled by the Seine .

But they didn't know; that the time they wasted together was more precious than  they'd ever imagined.

“But Paris was a very old city and we were young and nothing was simple there, not even poverty, nor sudden money, nor the moonlight, nor right and wrong nor the breathing of someone who lay beside you in the moonlight.”
― Ernest Hemingway

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a/n:

Mianhe! i was busy preparing for an entrance exam!

and i got secretly addicted to Abnormal Summit...

I'm a bad authornim  T_T