#quaintrellesm

He fixes his ties for the umpth time that night  ,    not a hair out of place.   Arthur Wang sighed as he looked at his reflection for the last time just as  Lancelot poked his head and told him that his father was waiting for him outside.    He kept his head up high  ,   his posture picture perfect as the feeling of familiarity seep into his bones.   It had been years   ,   it’s been too long since he had been in a event such as this.     But he had kept himself calm and collected like he was expected to be.   This was a norm to the world that he was born in after all. 

The ballroom was decorated exquisitely   ,   familiar and unfamiliar faces greets him as he and his father walked in   ;    all eyes were on them   ------   where on him.      ❝     Smile son  ,   this is your soirée .      ❞     and smile he did.   He had almost forgotten that this was his party.   A party to welcome back the ‘prodigal son’ and heir of Millefiore whom had been away abroad for years to study.   Or so everyone thought. Nobody knew that it was nothing but a lie  ,  a cover to keep his true whereabouts from outside of his family.   Arthur never left South Korea  ,  not even out of Seoul. And no expected him to pose as a middle class man who runs a modest flowershop in a small neighborhood in the heart of Insa-dong where he lived until tonight.

His face felt numb from smiling all night  ,  greeting business partners  ,  investors and affiliates.   Arthur felt drained  ,  exhausted  ------  this is one part of their lifestyle that he hadn’t missed.   Dark hues roams around the ballroom  ,  lips pressed on the rim of the champagne flute that had been sitting in his hands far too long.   Yes  ,  this is his world.  No matter how long he had pretended otherwise. 

Arthur sighed  ,   was looking around once again when he saw her.  Suddenly he felt like he couldn’t breathe  ,  cold seeping into his bones as his heart pounded against his chest.  He hadn’t expected to see her there.  He didn’t even think that he’ll see her at all.  

                                        Seungha.  Sweet Seungha. 

He kept his eyes ono her  ,  not wanting to lose sight of her.  A small melancholic smile appeared on his lips.  She changed  ,  she changed alot  ;  he almost didn’t recognized her.  She’s a grown adult now  ,  more beautiful since the last time that he had seen her and no doubt angry at him as well.  Guilt gripped his chest as he stares at her  ,  he had been cruel  -----  so cruel to leave without saying anything.  To disappear from her without any word.   Even if it was for her own good.   But now seeing her there  ,  he finally has the chance to be with her.   And he knew that he has a shit ton of grovelling to do  ,  and he’s prepared for it.   Her justifiable anger is worth it if it means that she’ll give him a chance to be a part of her life once again.   Arthur sighed  ,  

@quaintrellesm​ / the last of us starters / accepting!  

three thousand tiny lights, strung together in a nest of wires so thin they may as well be invisible. as warped as the lights which cast them, translucent shadows dance around the room, and the city beyond these four walls hums in haunting harmony. seoul is always a little disoriented in these grey areas between seasons, rattled with a thunderous bass interjecting the solo of rain against glass and steel. it’s like an improv session that occurs every forty measures, but the city never seems to pick up on the rhythm. perhaps that’s why he had wandered into the room at first, attracted on some subconscious level to the familiar arrhythmia–an unrest he’s known longer than himself. shelter from the storm coaxed him away from the streets, and an enigma of a message pulled him only further in.

in the beginning, the exhibit was comforting. how could it not be, with curtains of warm, golden rays stretching to fill every space of the room? even the shadows that fluttered in the fringes of his vision hadn’t shaken him, more familiar than jarring in their asymmetry. he found comfort in the cautious steps of other visitors, in knowing that they were equally aware of their own movements. without meaning to, he had picked up on the conversations scattered around the room, soft murmurs and inquiries about the art piece. what does it mean? are there really three thousand lights? at first, it was all reassuring.

and then he notices the flaw, glaring at him with an intensity that sends tremors to his fingertips. how long has it been there, and why? if anyone else has seen it, they’ve made no such indication as they continue to the neighbouring exhibit, flyers and mobile phones in hand. steadily, the footsteps and conversations fade into white noise as he fixes his attention on the mistake. (but is it really?) as thunder roils through the building, his fingers tighten around the map of the museum that he’d plucked from the welcome desk, knuckles pale with realisation. it wasn’t the light that brought him here.

however long he stares at the mistake, it’s too long. when he hears the stranger’s question, he knows it’s meant for him, because they’re the only people left in the room.

“one of the lights is out,” he half-whispers, gaze still centered on the art piece. it’s not all that noticeable, not to anyone who isn’t looking, but the rust-red staining the tip of the bulb feels like steel to his skin. from the moment he’d walked into the room, maybe some part of him had always known it was there. maybe he had known what it was from the beginning: a mirror. and the infinitesimal spot of dark is his reflection. a mistake, an accident. a defect.

It was hard for Harlowe to recall the last time that she spent an evening like this. Chances to meet up with her non-idol friends came few and far between, especially now as she tried to push herself back into the groove of working. Even when schedules did line up in everyone’s favor, there was still a part of her that felt ashamed and unable to face the people that she’d spent the last year secluding herself from. The dreaded question of ‘how have you been’ was one that she was still trying to avoid, hoping to keep from being honest with the fact that she hadn’t been doing well, and still wasn’t in the best state.

As rare as such a gathering was, it was even more rare for her to turn down coffee. Normally it was her drink of choice, but given the time of night and the amount of stress she knew she’d be facing in the next few weeks, she figured it might be best to cut down her intake where she could. “Thank you. I really appreciate this, Seungah.” Harlowe smiled faintly as she lowered herself to the ground, turning towards her companion to see if there was any way that she could help with setting up. “It’s alright. The phone works two ways, right? So I’m sorry that I didn’t reach out either. I’ve been busy promoting... It was kind of overwhelming. I appreciate the break now, as short as it might be.” Folding her legs in towards herself, she took a short moment to glance up at the stars, a sight that she almost never had the opportunity to see anymore. Seoul had its perks, but deep down she was still a country girl that enjoyed all aspects of the outdoors. 

                               origin ! @quaintrellesm ! [ status : accepting ]

                  SEND ME A ★ IF YOU THINK I ACCURATELY PORTRAY MY MUSE !

// OOC