Chapter 266

[SILVER_SERAPIM☑]

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[Cute Do-hee’s Paris Date ❤️ @Just_Do_Hee]

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6 hours ago

─Aww, what are these cute kids doing? ㅠㅠㅠ

─Their visuals are honestly the best in Kpop history…

─ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋOh my god, Do-hee with those sunglasses is killing me!

‘What kind of photoshoot is this unni posting?’

That was my thought as I was fiddling with my phone in the car heading to the fashion show when I stumbled upon Sara Unni’s tagged SNS post.

Less than a day after posting about Fashion Week, and here she is dropping a private two-shot.

‘Sara Unni is going to hear it from the JS staff again.’

But who cares about their personal relationships when they’re in the middle of competition?

Still, I felt pleasantly surprised by Sara Unni’s affection.

The car slowed down.

“You can prepare to get off now,” said one of the staff members from the front seat as I threw a jacket over my shoulders.

The outside was already bustling with crowds everywhere.

It was my first overseas Fashion Week, so I was a bit excited, but not nervous at all.

First, my manager opens the door for me.

Then, there are strong-looking bodyguards.

And of course, countless reporters clicking away with their shutters.

─DOHEEEEEE!!!!

Naturally, the voices calling my name were super loud.

But like yesterday, it felt a bit too much…

‘Should I do a French greeting?’

Today, I decided on a cheek-kiss morning greeting.

I was a bit dazed, but before I knew it, I was entering the fashion show venue.

*

“Hi.”

Before the fashion show.

The exhibition hall was still bustling with reporters, various guests, and their personal staff.

“Nice to see you here. It’s tough to catch a glimpse of your face nowadays. You haven’t been checking messages.”

“Oh…?”

After exchanging casual greetings with other guests, Lira approached, clicking her heels, smoothing down her outfit before whispering to me.

“Long time no see? How are you?”

“I can’t say I’m well. Thanks to someone.”

“…Who could that be? Is it those people over there?”

I awkwardly averted my gaze from Lira’s intense stare and subtly pointed around.

There were famous entertainers, designers, models, and industry professionals who would be well-known in Korea.

They all seemed to be casually greeting and hugging, engaging in small talk without a care in the world.

But the side-eyes were clearly focused on Lira, who had just entered.

Lira was staring straight at me like she was about to shoot lasers.

“Hey unni, who’s the person on the left? The one in the beige pearl outfit?”

“That’s probably the chief editor of Alice.”

“And the one in the red outfit?”

“Model and designer. Thehez Rina.”

“Wow, you know such people? Lira unni, you’re super popular.”

To put it nicely, Lira looked sophisticated and cold.

To be honest, she looked a bit rude.
It happened.

People found it difficult.

Of course, that’s their actual personality.

Still thumbs up.

“She’s definitely one of the hottest girls in the world.”

“…What?”

Anyway, to me, she was just a somewhat strange chat buddy.

I guess my expression softened a bit, and that must have pleased her.

“But it’s a jackpot, isn’t it? Sitting next to each other like this.”

I was just relieved.

Finally, someone to talk to.

I was really worried it might be a bit boring since fashion shows aren’t my style.

“Do you think it’s a coincidence?”

“Ah, maybe it’s because they paired us up as Koreans? People who can talk to each other? Well, I’m good at English anyway. You’re good at it too, right, older sister?”

“Not that. I specifically asked for you to sit next to me.”

I whispered, so only Lira could hear.

“Indeed, a huge deal for Chanel.”

With her eyes closed, Lira took a deep breath.

Is that some kind of intimidating strategy?

Height-wise, I’m way taller, so it doesn’t mean much.

“…Please. I asked. I want to sit next to the new ambassador.”

“Wow, so Chanel accommodates even the hottest girls’ requests?”

“Ugh…”

Finally exhaling, Lira raised her hand to the camera taking our pictures and softly murmured.

“I’ll just ask what I need to. Are you following me?”

“Me?”

That was the question I’d been secretly waiting for.

From Lira’s perspective, it made sense to think that way.

Since all the fashion and jewelry ambassador brands overlapped, she might feel like the brands were ignoring her.

In fact, there was news saying I was the ‘second Lira’ in Korea.

I wasn’t exactly thrilled about it.

“Oh, never mind. You couldn’t have followed me.”

But then Lira started to laugh.

“All of a sudden?”

“I just liked it. Your title as the second whatever. I hope there are many articles written about it.”

“Yeah.”

“Look at this, your expression is pretty. Do you know what Do-hee’s face looks like right now? You need to manage your expressions, ugh, it’s embarrassing. This is what I’m talking about. I really like it.”

This narcissistic girl was starting again.

If you look closely, she definitely had a personality disorder.

Unlike my healthy self-love.

It felt like she had been hurt by someone when she was younger.

“But aren’t you going to answer? Why did you choose to overlap with the brand? You must have known that it would come up, right?”

“Older sister.”

Lira patted my back soothingly.

As if telling me to spill it out.

“Yes, Do-hee.”

Of course, I wasn’t going to let Lira know my true feelings.

“I wasn’t even aware that we would overlap in the first place.”

She wasn’t someone lacking in intellect.

If I said that directly, Lira would act even more obsessively.

I wasn’t exactly keen on fighting with her either.

So, I decided to dodge the question a bit.

“Do you know Stravinsky?”

Of course, I figured she wouldn’t be clueless about it.

“I do. There’s a movie too, right? Chanel and Stravinsky. The love story of Chanel and the pianist Stravinsky. I found it somewhat entertaining.”
“Yes, I was actually going to talk about that movie-.”

“But… even without hearing what you said, I think I know. The pianist and composer genius Stravinsky, whom Chanel loved and supported.”

Lira nodded a bit disinterestedly.

“And the genius pianist and famous idol, Do-hee Lee. Something like that?”

“Not quite…”

Though still young and cute, she was chuckling away.

“Why do you think people have such a mindset? Classical music is considered high-class for no reason.”

“All of a sudden?”

“Yes. Out of the blue, but…”

“Usually, people would think that. They’d say it’s cultured.”

“Then do you know that Stravinsky didn’t actually date Chanel?”

In the still noisy fashion show venue, Lira didn’t respond.

“Stravinsky is one of the few pianists who wrote an autobiography, and there isn’t a single mention of Coco Chanel in it. At the time of the affair rumors with Chanel, he was actually having an affair with another woman. Anyway, the affair was real. What was her name again… Anyway, this mistress story is quite detailed in his autobiography.”

“But Coco Chanel, the founder of Chanel… apparently didn’t firmly deny the rumors and deliberately blurred the lines. Even after Chanel passed away, the brand and the chief designers supported the story, turning it into a movie, which was nothing but a rumor.”

That’s what the person saw in the movie [Chanel and Stravinsky].

“But how many people actually know the truth? It’s just something Chanel used as a high-end marketing strategy. What I mean is, Stravinsky is a famous classical composer and pianist, and that conceptual image was just beneficial for Chanel.”

I continued to speak anew.

“Let me tell you another story. Since I’ve become an ambassador, I’ve done a little studying, and I heard that all the clothes in Fashion Week are ready-to-wear, right? It’s called prêt-à-porter. In English, it’s called Ready-to-wear, right?”

Lira nodded.

“Yes. And now, Paris also has another kind of fashion show that’s the opposite of prêt-à-porter. Haute couture, which translates to high fashion or high-end custom garments?”

“That’s right.”

“Oh, these days, some other idols have lyrics in their songs like ‘my outfit is haute couture’ and stuff like that. Anyway.”

Lira was smiling, but her expression clearly said, ‘Please just tell me what point you’re trying to make.’

“I keep finding things to talk about, but I’ve actually looked up haute couture fashion shows several times.”

Of course, I was still slowly revealing the background.

“It was interesting. Designers challenge one another to stack more bizarre structures on the model’s body. The models say, ‘Wow, that’s intense. Can you actually walk in that?’ And then, the VIPs see that and go, ‘Whoa, that person is amazing!? So cool!’ and start clapping.”

“But to my eyes… I couldn’t really get it. Haute couture, by definition, is supposed to be custom clothing. But is it really made to understand and reflect an individual’s style and aims? I don’t know, it feels more like a circus show we all enjoy together? I’ve read a lot to build my culture, but I can’t explain it.”
“Is it like a magic show that everyone enjoys together? I’ve read quite a few books to build my knowledge, but I just can’t explain this.”

At that moment, I glanced around the fashion show venue.

“If you look for articles or magazines, they just say it’s because I’m part of the general public and don’t understand. It’s hurtful to my pride. But then again, I don’t know much about art. I wonder if I’m just thinking too old-fashioned…”

It seemed like the chaos was finally settling down as the show was about to start.

“Sis, why do you think haute couture fashion is so complicated?”

“Well, it’s probably because they pursue experimental and innovative designs to emphasize artistry. They use various materials and techniques for artistic expression.”

Her words were no different from what I had seen in the articles.

Of course, that could also be a valid answer.

I preferred a more intuitive response.

“I think it’s because there’s no longer a king to set the standards for haute couture. Some people still long for the royal families and emperors from the medieval or modern era. But there’s no king to follow anymore.”

Rira chuckled at my words, a little amused.

“So you’re saying you want to be the one to present that answer? Is that right?”

“Come on… It’s not like I’m going through puberty. What I mean is, designers no longer create royal garments; instead, consumers are becoming the kings themselves and demanding answers. The power dynamic between producers and consumers has flipped.”

Rira merely raised her eyebrows without giving a nod of approval or disapproval.

“They say customers are kings, right? Spending money, yet treated like they’re not. Hmph.”

Of course, I wouldn’t be the one to buy these expensive clothes with my own money.

“I think the reason classic is seen as luxurious is similar. The music that royalty listened to in the past was classical. Nowadays, the music on the radio isn’t so different, though.”

I shrugged and laughed playfully.

“So my conclusion is… if a brand is obsessed with image-making, I don’t need to do anything. They’ll likely benefit me in various ways by being proactive. That’s the conclusion born from such a calculative thought process.”

‘Anyway, it’s not like I’m consciously doing this for you.’

However, considering how self-centered Rira could be, I wondered if she got the hidden meaning, as her gaze turned a bit hazy.

“It’s really something I can’t quite pin down. It seems simple yet unnecessarily complicated. Usually, others would just shorten it to ‘it’s a luxury brand image.'”

“Is that so? Well, I guess I’m not ordinary.”

Even simply thinking about it, I feel like I’ve lived twice.

“But, sis, didn’t I have a pretty hip mindset? Should I keep being hip? This time ‘New Vibes’ also did well.”

“Hip-hop has more of a sense of having overcome a crappy world, but it doesn’t really critique the consciousness or structure itself.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

And then Rira muttered.

“That feels a bit like enlightenment thought.”

“Huh?”

“Or social movements?”

“Eh?”

“Oh, if we go further, maybe a coup d’état?”

What the hell is she talking about, that crazy girl?

She’s really making me feel strange.

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