elise | jjk ✓

vingt-trois

📼 i loved you first
joan
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"jeongguk!" elise calls down the long, marble hallway that seems to lead nowhere.

the building is completely unfamiliar to the small, foreign girl, but her heels click along the tile nevertheless in pursuit of the hurt boy.

when rose had called her early yesterday morning and invited her to the gala, she was shocked to say the least. she was only in paris for a couple more days, and a gala, of all things, wasn't on her list of things to do.

and jeongguk?

how was she supposed to just show up and expect him to be okay with that?

where rose failed on her part, was how she didn't mention to jeongguk that his ex-girlfriend would be making a cameo.

but that's not what elise wanted to focus on right now. at the moment, she needed to make things right.

"jeongguk!" she calls one more time down the hallway. thankfully, the gala seemed to have started, so there wasn't anymore people milling around in the lobby — apart from the security guards and maître d'hôtels.

elise huffs and stops in her tracks. the museum was huge. and for all she knows, jeongguk could have left or went back into the ball room again, leaving her to be led on a wild goose chase.

however, soft sniffles come as a door opens to her left. just when she thought all hope was lost, a distraught jeongguk comes walking out from behind a large, wooden door labelled 'hommes'.

"jeongguk," she says breathlessly, rushing up to the surprised man, and wrapping her thin arms around his waist. "i'm so sorry. so, so, so sorry."

"elise," he sighs, arms unsure of what to do, but they engulf her into an embrace nonetheless. she's small and dainty, just as he remembered her.

"no," she pulls away from him, her round eyes sad and glossy with tears. "i am such an idiot. i shouldn't have come, it wasn't my place. i should just leave you alone."

jeongguk doesn't let her go, however. he holds on tightly to her forearms that still ghost lightly around his waist. his eyes are sincere as he looks at her, face still as patient and innocent as ever.

"you look beautiful," is all he can manage to say. "absolutely stunning."

elise's cheeks flare a bright red, mind running over itself in tumbles as the words that just slipped from his pink lips. did he really just say that?

"w-what?" she asks, completely shocked.

jeongguk only smiles, fingers rubbing lovingly against the jewelled fabric of her dress. "i said you look beautiful."

"jeongguk..." she steps away from his embrace. "no... how can you be so nice?"

"i'm done fighting elise," jeongguk answers. "i'm done fighting against whatever we have or did have. i'm done trying to find answers to things i don't actually want to know the answer to. it's exhausting. aren't you exhausted?"

elise pauses, frozen because she doesn't know what to say. she was exhausted, wasn't she?

"the way i left last time, from the hotel," jeongguk looks at her with regret, "i'm sorry. i was frustrated and i didn't think i had much else to say."

"i should be the one apologizing," elise laughs in shock. "jeongguk, i quite frankly put you through hell, and you're the one who's sorry?"

not a single word comes from his mouth.

"i should... i should be buying you a house, and-and taking you on all the vacations you want!" she smiles. "you don't owe me anything, and you sure as hell don't owe me an apology."

"i'm so sorry, jeongguk," elise says. "i really am. and i know that it's probably not enough, but i want to make it up to you. i want—"

the words fall silent against the air as jeongguk closes the gap between them and kisses her plump lips. she's shocked, and so is he. but it feels so right. like it's exactly what they needed without knowing that's what it was.

stars seem to align, applause goes off in the ball room for whatever reason — jeongguk hopes it's because one of taehyung's paintings sold for a million dollars — their lips move fluidly against each other's, like a dance.

elise is the first to pull away. their foreheads rest together as the applause continues and the stars remain twinkling in their irises.

"i love you," elise says quickly.

"i know," jeongguk smiles.

"and-and that's not enough," she whines. "but i love you so much. i never stopped."

"i know," jeongguk nudges her nose with his. "i didn't either."