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There were four more days before the ball, Chris and the rest of the boys had successfully kept it a secret from Hoseok.
Today, Chris offered to treat him to dinner at the hotel, excited to show him where she worked finally.
The day went by quickly, normal customer enquiries, even a couple interested in holding their wedding at her hotel. She was back in her bedroom, ready to pull open the door to her wardrobe to pick clothes for her evening. But before, she caught a glimpse of herself in the full-length mirror.
Chris felt fulfilled, thankful for the busy day, which reminded her of why she loved her job.
Looking at the girl staring back, however, another reminder painted its way into her mind. It was the very thing her colleagues would tell her from time to time.
Chris was made for this job—or rather—that this job was made for her.
The times other people had paid her these compliments, she would simply brush them away. She'd never believe them.
But today, as she recalled handling daunting customer complaints and arduous booking requests with ease, she came to believe those comments the slightest bit.
Eyes lowering down to her bare arms, a flood of emotions swept right through her.
She started to appreciate Chris from five years ago, the one who cried the first time a customer raised their voice at her.
For the first time, she appreciated the woman who stuck by her side to comfort her, to help her learn her way to where she was right now.
For the first time, Chris realised that she had carried herself to where she was.
She was not an empty shell.
Meeting her own eyes, she watched them start to well with tears.
The girl in front of her had bruises and scars littered over her body, over her heart. But the girl in front of her also patched them all up with bandaids. She held herself together without anyone knowing.
The girl in front of her was not getting the credit she deserved.
And Chris started to realise that maybe, just maybe, she should give her some of that.
--
After actually exploring the town, Chris had started to wear her sneakers more often to work, and would rarely find herself dressed in heels to work. But that day she'd made sure her four-inch heels matched her citron dress, and that her wavy hair sat over her shoulders to bring out her chocolate eyes.
The time came rolling around for when Hoseok had agreed to meet her and Chris rushed down to the lobby.
She wasn't expecting anything less, but seeing the man in front of her still stole all the breath from her lungs. While he wore a black button-up, his skin still shone golden. And while the colour of his pants matched his top, he didn't look dull in the slightest.
