"Alright, maman, today is my first day. What do you suggest?"
"Nothing. Just be pretty like you've always been, amour."
"Well, what do you think about my outfit?"
Maman stopped what she was doing at the stove and looked at me. Finally, Her eyes trailed from the gold necklace she'd given me for mon anniversaire two years ago down to my black shorts jumper and the shimmery cardigan thrown over it all. I have to say I'd done a pretty good job. I looked nice, but not too nice. Just a little something to say I know how to dress.
"I thought you hated being looked at, chérie," Maman reminded me. "A lot of people are going to look at you."
I hadn't thought that far. What was wrong with me? This outfit was just begging for attention. My long, golden legs were going to be shown to the world. People were going to take pictures and post them online! I'd no longer be the mysterious daughter of Jaques Délon. You know what, I know how to solve this. No pictures will have a chance at figuring out what I look like.
"...Can I borrow your silver pumps?" I saddled up next to her. "Pwease?"
"Did you come over here in bad shoes just to ask me that?" she asked suspiciously.
"Ha-ha. Of course not, maman. Who do you think I am?"
"One of my daughters. You and Marie have done it multiple times."
"Maman, we're practically the same size. Partager c'est aimer."
Maman glared at me for a few seconds before relenting. I really needed my first day to go perfect. If something were to happen before I even got a chance to model, I needed to look good. Trashy would definitely get me in a situation I'm trying to avoid.
After dropping my sisters off at school, I prepared to go to Pére's company. He'd left before I went to the house, so he was definitely going to be surprised when I showed up in this. No matter how many times I tried to convince myself not to think of them, my future bosses were on my mind. Especially Byeong-ho.
I couldn't resist his quiet charm. Just the type of man I'd been waiting for all my life. I think he might be interested in really pretty women like my sisters, but he'll come 'round. It's likely that he's only after their looks for modeling. Marie is in a relationship while Jane is just hopping from guy to guy. Byeong-ho would be quite the catch.
Dae-jung seemed to be the type of man who wouldn't be able to stay with one woman. I could see the look in his eyes when my sisters tried to steal my offer. I'm most definitely sure that if they weren't their boss's daughters, he would court them. Plus, he seems a little too young for my taste. Unlike Young-ho.
He's one mysterious guy. Who would have thought someone like him would be in the fashion industry? I can tell that under all the bossing around and pretending to be happy with his job, Young-ho wants to settle down. Maybe not with me, but with someone who loves him for him. How come there aren't that many guys like here around the city?
Pére was right. I do need to get out more. Pretending my looks were stopping me from dating was a poor excuse. I've seen women who weren't quite as beautiful as my sisters snatch up handsome men like they were going out of style. If they can do it, then so can I. Being their model was the perfect opportunity to bring my A-game.
They'd better watch out for Francesca Délon. I'm going to make the best of this month.
⚜⚜⚜⚜
I arrived at the company just in time before the morning rush. Avoiding being in a crowd is what helped me avoid cameras whenever I went out. Weird? I know. It seems that the more people I am around, the more I stand out. It's better for me to be alone. Maybe that's why I don't have any friends. So sad.
To my surprise, there weren't any reporters outside. It's been a week since fashion designers from all over the world started coming to France. There won't be any reports on the fashion show until another two weeks. The week of the show will be even more busy. If I want to make an impact and be remembered by everyone not by my looks, but by my talent, then I need to focus. Like really focus.
I entered Pére's office, relieved to find him alone. He had his reading glasses on and was staring at papers crowding him. I closed the door softly and went over to him. It was nice to finally have some alone time with him before I have to work. Maman and my sisters like taking him from me. If my brothers were any different, then they'd do the same.
"...Are you busy, Pére?" I asked.
"Mmm, not really. I'm signing contracts right now," he muttered absentmindedly. "Why are you here so early?"
"I thought you'd want to have breakfast with me. Maman made your favorite."
"Bread and jam isn't my favorite, Cesca."
"Whaaaat? Who says I brought bread and jam?"
I chuckled and walked over to him. He looked up from his papers and smiled. To be honest, I've never seen my father smile at me for no reason. Besides when I say something stupid and he thinks I don't know what his smile means when I stop myself talking. I find it hard to believe that someone like him has the ability to smile at any and everything.
Regardless of this observation, I love my father like crazy. He's kind and gentle with me whenever I start talking about my appearance. Sometimes I feel like he's aggravated with my constant bickering about how I look. My freckles, on bad days, seem to stand out more. My brown-red hair seemed to get lighter and lighter every passing day.
"Aren't you supposed to be meeting my assistants?" Pére looked back down at the contract he was reading. "They might want to start measuring now."
"Wasting time is my specialty, Pére. They won't mind." I set the boîte à déjeuner on his desk and opened it. "Maman asked me to watch you eat. She knows you get distracted by work easily."
"I don't always get distracted."
"Pére, days like these have you on your toes. You forget to eat and you could faint. I know the staff cares for you, but I don't think they'd be too particular about helping you get to a hospital."
"Must you always look at the bad side?"
I laughed and pulled out a container of scrambled eggs. Of course, I was looking at the bad side. Pére was my only hope in coming out of my shell. If something happened to him, I don't think I could continue to live the way I do.
"Why don't you go check out the showroom," Pére suggested. "It would be a good experience and Dae-jung should be there. He'll show you the strings."
"Are you going to eat?" I asked.
"Of course, mon amour. Have I ever ignored your maman's requests?"
I stopped unpacking his breakfast and stared at him. He's ignored maman's requests about his diet plenty of times. His body was getting older and he hasn't been the strong, healthy man he was years ago. I do remember the time he forgot to eat and ended up in the hospital. It scared my family, but he pretended it wasn't a big deal.
"I can name a lot of times you ignored her. Promise me you'll eat and I promise I'll be a good student."
"I promise. Now go. I don't want them scolding you for being late."
I left Pére with a kiss and left his office. Now it was time for me to shine. I wish I could be more prepared, but this is it. I met many people in the elevator who didn't know about me. It was slightly awkward since I'd been coming to work with him more recently. If they've never seen me at least once, then they have a problem.
I can't count how many times people asked me where my ID was as I roamed the building trying to find the showroom. The guards almost tackled me before someone told them who I was. It was quite hilarious to see the look on their faces as they apologized and took me to the right place. I'll forgive them this one time.
Dae-jung wasn't hard to find. I spotted him yelling at the models who weren't necessarily doing bad, but weren't doing their best. One woman dared to give him a look when he told her she needed to stand up straighter. From my perspective, she did look like she was a sucre d'orge. I held my peace and waited for him to finish.
The room was gorgeous. Not many lights were on, so we all were being bathed in a light golden light. The seats around the runway were all in straight lines and it seemed nothing was out of place. I looked up and spotted several chandeliers swaying slightly from the circulating air. Some pieces caught the light and spattered rays all over the room. I could get used to seeing something like this everyday.
Dae-jung finally told them to take a break and planted his hands on his hips. From where I was standing, I got a good look at him. He carried authority with him like it was a bag. The women giving him looks weren't fazing him as he stared back at them. I couldn't be him. I would have quit or even fired some of them for disrespecting me. He's got some pride left.
He finally turned around and saw me. I smiled and waved. A look of confusion crossed his gentle features as he walked over to me. Was he confused about how I was here or why I was here? We met halfway and I almost had a heart attack from how close he was standing in front of me. If I leaned in, we could kiss. His brown eyes bore into mine as seemed to think about why I was here.
"Hi," I breathed.