Evenstar

45. Malice

"What's your favourite color, Oppa?" Dae Eun asked as she pored over the first draft of the plans made by their architect. She tried remembering the themes and motifs of his Seoul apartment but wasn't sure if that was what he would also want for his house.

"It depends, Eun-ah. For clothes?" Taehyung was in his hotel room in London, still in bed, waiting for his day to start. He called Dae Eun early because he might not get the chance to do it later. It was the last day of their concert in London, then they would be leaving late that night for Paris. And in a few more days he would finally see her face to face. Their time apart was over and he couldn't wait to hold her in his arms again.

"Not really. Just in general, Wangjanim." She planned to make his choice the main color of their interior. "Something you won't get tired of seeing everyday, something comforting."

"This is very mysterious. What are you planning on getting for me, Gongjunim?"

"It's a secret. You'll find out soon." Dae Eun was so excited that she had pushed away all the stress she had gone through for the past months. Her phone kept ringing constantly with calls and messages but she ignored them and found herself feeling better by the day.

"I'm not sure... I like earth colors, but those may be too strong for everyday. Maybe a lighter version of green or brown... beige, white, cream, gray, olive?" Taehyung couldn't figure out what Dae Eun had in mind, and so he went for the safer colors.

"Okay, Oppa. I like those, too." Dae Eun smiled. She didn't plan to tell him until the house was done. She had arranged for him to have his own studio, a mini theater, and a small dance studio which could also double as a gym and exercise area for them. The house was getting too large - not as big as her dad's but too large for two people. She wanted five bedrooms.

"When will you get to Paris?"

"We should be there by the afternoon of September 3. I'll be going to your concert with Anne and her fiance, Manon. She's my friend from university." Dae Eun hadn't seen Anne since they graduated, but they kept in touch occasionally. Anne's family had a farm in Provence. "Oppa, this is the first time I'll be watching your concert. And from up close! I'm so excited!"

"I'm more excited to see you in the audience, Gongjunim. If I see you, can I bring you onstage?" He was really tempted to introduce the love of his life to ARMY.

"No, Oppa." Dae Eun was suddenly reminded of the ARMYs hounding her. Was it possible that some of them were from France? "You know I don't like to be the center of attention. I might vanish into thin air."

"Gongjunim, you'll need to get a little used to it from now on. But yes, let's do it slowly."

"Oppa, are you able to sleep well in your hotel room? Is it too small for you?" Dae Eun had asked for a high-ceiling design for their bedroom, with three floor-to-ceiling walls made of smart glass. She could just picture what it would be like to stay there and see the view of mountains, trees and flowers as the seasons changed.

"It's okay for a hotel room. We just sleep here anyway. It is a bit stifling, but I just keep thinking that we only have to endure a few more days, then I can go back to the comfort of my home. Are you sleeping well, Dae Eun?"

"Not really, I miss you."

"I miss you too, just a few more days..."

They hung up after a while and Dae Eun added some more notes for the house design. She would offer to shoulder some of the expenses for the construction, feeling she had gone a little overboard. Maybe it was because she had used it as an escape from the bashing, and she wasn't really thinking clearly, but she knew that she had made a good design that Taehyung would be happy to live in. She asked herself too if she was jumping the gun. What if Taehyung changed his mind? Then the house would just be a painful memory for her - much like the cottage was for her appa. She pushed the thought away, not wanting to entertain any more negative thoughts until she met her oppa again.