Chapter Text
Cha young never broke the rules, she was an honor roll student, class president, and leader of the History and Martial Arts club. She was laser-focused on becoming a lawyer just like her dad but today she was a teenager miles away from her parents' watch and the idea of sneaking out grew more and more enticing as the hours passed.
Admittedly she only won the contest so she could defeat the popular mean girls who had made fun of her hair, she didn't expect to actually follow through their two days one night Paris trip but of course, nothing comes easy in life, they were chaperoned 24/7 and their schedule was more akin to a boring history field trip than a spontaneous adventure in the city of romance.
She finished unpacking, her hotel room was perfectly average, the best part of it was the view out on the balcony, the sun was setting and the sky was painted a vibrant orange with beautiful pink clouds, the city was buzzing with people from the distance they looked like little dots dancing around the pavement.
Cha young caught her reflection on the window, she knew the hair was a mistake, most people first drunk experience involved busted knees or a terrible hangover but she and her friends ended up with various degrees of fried blonde hair and terrible haircuts. When she was finished dressing up the room looked like a bomb went off, she wasn't even sure how she could create such a mess with just one suitcase of clothes.
She ended up wearing her denim overalls with an off-the-shoulder long sleeved shirt, a black choker, and her favorite black ankle boots. She smiled showing her brand new braces, all she needed was an excuse to sneak out, she lied through her teeth saying she forgot her French dictionary by the pool, her heart was raising while she went down the elevator, she couldn't believe how easy it was, now she hoped that by the time she went back Ms. Lee would be already asleep.
Vincenzo was bored out of his mind, he was dragged on a business trip for "safety" reasons and got stuck waiting around while the elders were discussing information he wasn't trusted with, and lately there wasn't a meeting that didn't end up with them dozing off after the fourth bottle of wine. "Go back to the hotel there's nothing you can do here" - as usual, the Boss bodyguard barked orders at him and didn't wait around for him to follow them. He got up from the small concrete fence and walked all the way into the Hotel entrance.
Standing in the lobby she realized she didn't actually expect her plan to work, she wanted to explore Paris but she didn't have a map nor a clear destination, lurking around trying to be unsuspicious, she spotted another teen that looked out of place, she guessed he was one of the winners from the other district, he looked like a wannabe businessman- ill-fitted dress pants and light shirt. Someone must have the same idea as her. She approached him stealthily.
She grabbed his arm whispering "Are you sneaking around too?" when he turned around his eyes pierced through her. She quickly let go putting her hands behind her back as if she was about to get bit.
"Oh sorry i thought you were-" she said before correcting herself "i mean je pensais que tu... étais quelqu'un- d'autre" she gestured with her hands as if he was going to understand what she said better that way.
"I can understand you just fine" he said in fluent Korean while stepping away from her.
"Oh that's a relief, i was looking for ..- he didn't let her finish her sentence looking around her as she was a lost kid in a supermarket.
"Are you going out here alone? How old are you?" when he scanned her head to toe she felt a tinge of insecurity.
"I was born in the year of the snake" she said defensively, he didn't look much older.
"So was i" Vincenzo replied surprised.
She gasped dramatically, a fated meeting in a foreign city, how adventurous. She set her mind on collecting brag-worthy stories to surprise her friends with when she went back.
―"and that means you shouldn't be out here" he said instantly crushing her dreams.
She let out an exasperated sigh "You're also out here!" "it's not the same" he replied.
"Tch, sexist!" he was wasting her precious time, there were at least five teachers chaperoning their trip and the fact that she didn't run into one of them yet was a miracle.
"It's not that" he rebutted, if this girl didn't sound like a stubborn middle-schooler he would offer to accompany her wherever, it's not everyday he gets the chance to hang out with other teens let alone a girl but one minute into their conversation she was already getting on his nerves.
"Then what is it?" crossing her arms waiting expectantly.
"It doesn't matter!" he waved the question away, if he had to explain the difference between them they would be standing there the whole night.
"Do you at least know your way around here? i have no time to explain but i need directions" she whispered.
"Yes" he lied, he didn't want to go back to the boring hotel room, he was fond of his alone time but that damn cheap room was against everything he stood for, he couldn't even get drunk because one of his superiors ransacked the minibar before he could hide anything.
"Okay let's get out of here before someone spots me" she said looking at the ground making her way out of the lobby.
He followed behind amused by her boldness. After crossing the main entrance Cha young could see the gates of the hotel, the sun was still setting and the lights were turning on one by one, there weren't many people going around but she quickened her pace in case someone saw her from the widows.
"OI! where are you going kid?!" questioned someone behind them.
"Oh shit" Vincenzo said, he knew who the voice belonged without even turning around.
Vincenzo grabbed Cha young's hand and started running, Cha young felt her stomach flip, why did she do this? not ten minutes into her adventure and she was already busted. Letting an incredulous laugh, she gripped his hand as if her life depended on it. There was no point in turning around, if she was going to get in trouble she would at least make it worth it.
The bodyguard chased them a block before turning around, they didn't pay him enough to babysit a brat.