Paparazzi.

5: lucid dreams.

A day ago.

In the aftermath of the final click of the camera shutter, the man, draped in the timeless allure of a meticulously tailored tuxedo, cloaked in its elegance, a trademark of his presence. Each flash of the lens had woven an ethereal tapestry around him, a symphony of visuel poetry frozen in frames, he was the eternal definition of beauty.

As the star wrapped the tendrils of stardom around him, the photoshoot ended, thus, he gracefully exited the building, leaving behind the studio's enchanted ambiance. The sprawling city of Los Angeles sprawled beneath him, a reel where dreams were both conceived and etched onto the film of existence. The star's journey continued beyond the boundaries of LA, heading straight to the airport, excited to return to his Korean roots, a departure etched with the poignant resonance of traditions. The city of angels whispered its farewells, tales of red carpets and flashes of cameras echoing through the avenues. And then, like a migratory celestial body, he soared through the skies, leaving the city of angels and its flashing lights behind. His destination: the cradle of his roots, Korea. The very mention of it resonated with nostalgia and a quick yearning for the familiar embrace of his homeland.

The airport lights dimmed as his plane taxied on the runway, the departure a subtle curtain fall on the cinematic stage of LA, the star, now a voyager between frames, carried with him not just the physical distance but a trove of memories and aspirations, his silhouette fading into a starlit reel of the night sky.

In Korea, as he stepped onto familiar soil, a sea of devoted fans awaited, their excitement palpable in the air. With his team guiding him through the massive crowd, the exhaustion of the journey melded with the elation of returning home. Despite weariness, a genuine smile graced his face, a testament to the profound happiness of being embraced by the warmth of his fans chanting his name, seeking his attention, and the comforting, long awaited embrace of his homeland, Eunwoo truly missed this.

Surrounded by bodyguards assuring his safety, he was pushed inside a black van, finally being able to breathe, no matter how many times Eunwoo thought he was used to this, it was still always so tiring yet it remains a meritorious occupation.
« Where to, young master? » Eunwoo heard the driver say, the term 'young master' surprising him a little, he looked at the driver, only to recognize him as a chauffeur who works for his father, the realization made him want to puke, the young star knew it wasn't an option to leave the car and search for his label's van, considering the circumstances of the numerous fans waiting for him outside,so he hoped he would remember to write the label an apology afterwards, looking at the driver patiently waiting for a reply from his 'young master' Eunwoo decided to surrender, he was too tired to think about what scene his father was scheming for. He told the driver his address, wanting to get away from this doomed property of his dad as soon as humanly possible, and with that the car departed.

Crossing the threads weaving the busy streets of Seoul, Eunwoo has nearly forgotten how welcoming this city was during summer, starring from the car's window at people's faces, he could only get used to this, closing his eyes, he noted in his mind that he shouldn't sleep, because he wasn't going to comfortably bath in his father's wealth. « Young master, we have arrived » he heard the creepily nice voice of the driver politely say with a smile, « tell me, what academy did you attend? » Eunwoo decided to ask, the driver was beyond happy his master, the heir to the cha's fortune, was willingly conversing with him, « a butler's prestigious academy in the Netherlands, sir » the driver answered, almost too proud.  « well, I believe they didn't teach you how to properly smile? If it was up to me, you wouldn't graduate » was his remark, you could say Eunwoo decided to power-abuse in order for him to feel better. Hoping that the driver would report this to his supervisor , who would report this to his father.
Eunwoo wanted nothing more than to piss off his dad, before he left the car, the driver hesitantly called him, now definitely not smiling, he handed him a red envelope.