[CONTENTID1] Springtime in Paris[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]

Finale 

[/CONTENTID2] 

 [CONTENTID3]

 

13/April/2018

The museum of photography, Seoul.

 

 

Bae Suzy watched the garnished frames that hung on the walls. It was her fifth exhibition. Art enthusiasts roamed the corridors, watching every detail, angles and settings. They called it born talent. They had their long conversations about themes and inspiration. Her works were said to have taken the nation by storm, as her photos could almost speak for themselves.

 

She watched her own photographs. Her project was about Jeju Island this time. Photos of fishing boats, sunlit pavements and pure blue beaches were everywhere in sight. And yet, there was one photo that wasn’t taken in Jeju.

 

Years ago, she took a photo of a man’s silhouette against a sunset. His figure was completely out, with the brilliant colours of orange and violet dusk behind it.

 

 She hung that one every time she had a photo exhibition; it reminded her of a chance encounter three years ago. She was a young trainee back then, just graduated from college.

 

The bittersweet sensations of thriving romance and new lives presented everywhere in sight. She lost herself to the nostalgic feelings.

 

She stumbled to the floor as a loud thud was heard. She realized a man had bumped into her.

 

“I’m so sorry, miss” the man offered his hand and she reached to take it with a smile. She gasped as she looked up to his face. He froze as well as they easily recognized each other. She could never forget his face.

 

“Suzy?”  He looked just as stunned. “You’re the photographer?” his question sounded more of a statement, like he should’ve expected that.

 

“You...You’re...back” she stuttered.

 

He nodded, showing the smile she became used to. “I have to be here for the wedding”

 

“The wedding?”

 

“Seung gi oppa!” they were interrupted as a young woman made her way through the crowds. She wore a bright, blue dress. She held onto his arm. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you, oppa” she pouted.

 

Suzy could see the ring on her left hand. She was so naive to even imagine the possibility. “I’ll be going then” she interrupted. She felt a sting in her heart, even if she’d already lost hope. “Thank you for coming here” she bowed, attempting to move away.

 

“Wait...aren’t you?” the woman stared at her with her eyes narrowing. “You are!” she squealed. ”You’ve been my inspiration for so long” she praised.  “You were so young back then when you started the travels, and all your photos were always so heartfelt and...”

 

“Don’t pester her, Jeong-ah” he urged.

 

Her lips formed a pout again, before crooking her head as she suddenly thought of something. “You know each other?” She watched the two of them. They both uneasily nodded. “How did you meet?”

 

They didn’t reply as her question evoked their memories.

 

It was a beautiful season in the city of love. Rose buds so familiar to her decorated the streets. Every little corner was rich with the early signs of spring, as it rested in the peaceful quietness before the tourism season.

 

13/march/2015

Paris, France.

 

 

Lee Seung gi turned off his alarm and sluggishly made his way to the wardrobe. On instinct, he pulled out his usual white striped shirt. It would be excessive to overdress for breakfast anyway. He gave one last glimpse out of his room window, right at the famous river. The water surface shimmered under the rising sun.

 

He took out his card and left the room. Fortunately, the elevator was still in his floor.

 

The smell of the freshly cleaned floor greeted him, mixing with the tempting scent of the mille fueilles. The waiters greeted with their usual enthusiastic ‘bonjour!’

 

They were pretty used to him by now. He had been living in France for five years, three spent in Paris. He came to learn the language over time, the same for the habits of everyday life.

 

He placed his cappuccino and plate of croissant down on an empty table. The worker gave him his morning newspaper. He was soon focused on an article about the newest project in Bordeaux. He took a breath full of the roses and rich coffee beans, and leaned back on the chair.

 

Not many guests were there at such an early morning. This was his favourite thing about France, the peacefulness of its mornings.

 

“Hello mom? Can you hear me now?” like other guests, his attention was fixed on the loud conversation, coming from the reception desk. It pierced right through his beloved morning. The owner was a young woman that walked in with many suitcases and a camera stand within her arms. “How about now? Hello!”

 

This was evidently her first time in Paris. She had obviously just walked out of the airport, giving the messy hair and weary eyes. She was speaking fluent Korean. “I’ve just walked out of the airport. I’ll call you later” much later, in private hopefully.

 

She stood by the reception and Flipped through her guidebook. “Uh, bonjour” she greeted. “Je veux uhh...voudrais...réserverai une chambre, s'il vous plaisez” it was rude to laugh but this was hilarious. He had to give her kudos for trying though. It took him way longer to learn the language.

 

He tried to clear his throat and stop from chuckling. His attempts failed as she slightly lifted the shirt to take out her money from the waist pack. She then stared in exasperation at the francs, trying to figure out how much to pay. With much help from the receptionist, she finally received her room key.

 

She was escorted upstairs by a bellhop. He almost missed the unexpected entertainment, almost.

 

---

 

He walked back in to the hotel after a long work day. It became his habit to spend the evening in the hotel lounge, having a glass of orange juice and winding down before going to bed.

 

The peace he had hoped for was once again broken. The woman from earlier was now on the desk facing him. The sunglasses were now taken off, in fact, she was in her pyjamas. An eye mask was holding her hair, she still didn’t notice it. Jet lagging was a terrible thing really. Despite all the mess, she was quite eye-catching.

 

She was irately turning her book, with one of the staff beside her, trying hard to understand her broken English, bits of French and gestures. It was clear that she was having some problems.

 

“Mais, le air conditioner, il est really umm...hot” she rubbed her forehead and bit on her lips.

 

“André, le climatiseur ne donne pas l’air froid dans sa chambre” he told the worker. His brows rose as he finally figured her request. He assured them that he’ll send the technicians to fix it, asking her to wait in the lounge.

 

She gave him an appreciative smile as the worker left them. “Thank you”

 

He smirked. “You’re welcome” Her eyes glittered as she stared at him. Her eye smile looked so trusting. “Would you like to join me while you wait?” he suggested while gesturing toward his table.

 

“Oh?” she gave into another bright smile. “I’d love to”

 

“My name is lee Seung gi” he smiled as he offered his hand.

 

“Bae Suzy” she shook his hand.

 

“Would you like some tea? My treat” he offered.

 

She made a face. “It’s too bitter. I really liked the soda here though” she eagerly stared. He couldn’t help but chuckle as he ordered for the both of them. “How did you learn the language?”

 

“I’m a supervisor in a construction firm. We’ve been doing projects around France for five years now” she nodded. “How about you? What are you doing in France?”

 

“I’m a photographer. My newest project is to capture the charm of France” she reached for her purse, handing him her flower decorated card. “But I can’t seem to capture anything interesting. It’s still missing, what makes Paris so magical anyway?” she had a slight pout as she remembered her photos.

 

 “You can’t capture the magic without finding it first” he told her.

 

She carefully stared at him. “I have to find the magic?” he nodded. “The essence?” her lips soon formed a grin. “Did you find it?”

 

“Uh...”

 

“Mademoiselle” the worker called as he made his way to her side. “Nous l'avons fixé” he returned her room key. She bowed in gratefulness as she stood up.

 

“I guess I’ll be seeing you around then” she told him. “Thank you again, for earlier”

 

“You’re most welcome” he stood as well. They both awkwardly stood there. “Well, have a good night” he couldn’t help but follow her hand as she caressed her tousled bed hair.

 

“You too, Lee Seung gi ssi” she bowed. She began to stride toward the elevator. He watched the small elephant prints on her pink pyjama trousers.

 

“Miss Bae” she turned back. He signalled at her hair. She ran her hand through it again in confusion to find the eye mask. A bright red blush formed on her cheeks.

 

---

 

The next morning, as he was making his way to the restaurant, he found her in the lounge again. She was staring at the laptop with her eyes wide and her lips parting. Many manuals were beside her, along with maps and metro handbooks.

 

“Good morning” she didn’t budge. “Miss Bae?” she finally lifted her eyes. She looked relieved to see him.

 

She patted the space on the sofa beside her and he hesitantly walked foreword. “Help me” she pointed at the maps in front of her. “I need to go to the Versailles, but I can’t understand a thing. Isn’t it supposed to be in Paris?”

 

He chuckled. “It’s in the Versailles” he took a seat beside her. The messy attire from last night was now replaced with a striking white dress. He tried not to stare at her silky hair and the dotted hair band that graced it.

 

“You need to go to ligne C, it should be around this station” he pointed at the map. “You can take a walk it’s really easy from there. Most metro conductor would understand if you ask ‘pour aller au chateau Versailles’ do you have a museum ticket?” He turned to find her looking distressed. She gaped at the screen. He sighed. “When do you need to go?”

 

“Before the end of spring” she replied. She watched in confusion as he pulled his pad from his pocket.

 

“I think I could manage to take you by the 24th of May”

 

She abruptly faced him in awe. “But...I couldn’t possibly ask you to do that. It’s too far...” she argued.

 

“It’s alright; I need to visit a project nearby anyway. I’ll take you”

 

“But” her eyebrows furrowed. “Would you do that?”

 

“Of course” he smiled. “As a compatriot” she broke into a small chuckle.

 

---

 

“Arrêtez l'ascenseur!” His hand immediately stopped the elevator door as he heard the alarming call. “Ahh merci mons...“she stopped as the door parted to reveal him. She flashed a bright smile. “Good morning”

“Morning, Miss Bae” he greeted. “Is your room in this floor?” he asked as he helped her to pick up the camera stand.

 

“It is, I’m staying in B2000” her hands tightened on the metal stand.

 

“I’m in B2014” They remained in silence as they frequently glanced at each other.  “Would you like to join me for breakfast?”

 

“I can’t” she abruptly replied as the elevator opened. She picked up her stand and raced to leave. He was left standing there, wondering if his kind gesture freaked her out. He was confused and quite annoyed with the behaviour.

 

That night as he was getting ready to sleep, he heard a knock on his door. He found it unusual as he didn’t order anything. He opened the door.

 

 “I’m really sorry” she blurted while offering him some sort of container. He stepped back in surprise. “I am, I was in a rush to catch the train, and I was already late, but...it was rude” she shoved the container in his face again. “So this is an apology” he could smell the strong aroma.

 

“It’s alright, I understand” he assured.

 

She smiled. “It’s kimchi, I bought it from the airport”

 

He chuckled. “It’s been so long since I’ve had kimchi, thank you” she saw the sincerity in his eyes. “Come in” he invited her inside.

 

Her eyes widened at the request. “Umm, I have to go to sleep” she easily came up with an excuse.

 

---

 

“Strawberry jam is the best here” he offered her one sealed packet. She took it with a silly grin as she was still caught in laughter about his summarization of every resident. “And that lady over there” he gestured and she followed his gaze. “She owns a house in Paris but she comes here to search for rich tourists”

 

She giggled as she tried to steal a peak. “It seems to be working” she remarked upon noticing she was caught up in a conversation with a gentleman. She took an extra loaf of bread before settling on the table. They shared the breakfast table over the past few days. “How long have you stayed here to know all of this?” she asked.

 

“I always stay here when I come to Paris; it’s a wonderful part of town”

 

She frowned. “You spent the past three years frequenting this hotel?” he nodded. “But isn’t it difficult? Don’t you miss home?”

 

He noticed by now that she had a habit of asking anything on her mind. She was straightforward and direct, but he knew it was innocent curiosity. He found it to be an appealing trait.

 

“I do miss Korea; I’m just required to be here. My career is here, it became a second home to me”

 

She fell silent, obviously thinking over his words. “Then, it became a home to you” she begun. “But you haven’t found its essence” he guessed the question meant she was still having problems with her photos.

 

“It never occurred to me that I must search for it” he truthfully answered.

 

She gave him a playful little grin; it was accompanied with a hopeful look in her eyes. “Let’s find it together then” she simply proposed. He couldn’t help but smile at her cheerful personality. Just like that, their agreement was sealed with a smile.

 

He didn’t know it back then, but the innocent suggestion over breakfast that day, was the gateway to an adventure.

 

“Excuse me” she addressed Anna; a waitress whom she discovered could speak in fluent English. “What is the essence of Paris” she asked.

 

“The essence of Paris?”

 

“Why do people come here, what makes it special?” she explained.

 

 “I think it’s the streets” Anna begun. “The streets are old, vaulted and it takes you back in time” they both stared in incomprehension. “Just take a walk around the flea market, bring your camera with you” she advised. “The results are bound to inspire you”

 

They took the recommendation. That afternoon, he took her to saint-Ouen. It was a popular window shopping attraction. They spent the day wandering through the streets. She was delighted to see the antiquities. Her camera was filled with photos of the tapestry.

 

“I should really b