Chapter 181: Chapter 181: Noise and Calm

The heat of the city pulsed beneath their heels as they spilled out onto the curb outside COEX, victory-thin and crackling from the high of the show. The crowd outside was a fever dream of models, stylists, fans, media, execs still hunting for a headline, and a line of idling luxury cars glinting beneath the streetlights. Someone’s portable speaker pumped a bassline that bled into the hornet-buzz of gossip and honking horns. Every surface was alive, every face hungry for whatever came next.

Alina slid her phone open, already voice-messaging her circle of model friends: "Cloud 9 afterparty. Bring your A game. Leave the crypto bros and gold diggers at Down Under—tonight is ours." Her voice cut through the chaos, and it was answered with a string of immediate replies, half in Korean, half in English, all the international set rallying to her banner.

Harin was right behind her, grinning, thumbing off messages to their PR and LUNE’s own models. "Text everyone. If you’re not with us, you’re nowhere. Let’s show these new money bastards what legends look like." She threw an arm around Natty, who was snapping rapid-fire selfies of the whole crew—Joon-ho and Yura caught mid-laugh in the background, velvet and leather and wild hair framing their faces.

Natty grinned, uploading to stories, tagging everyone she could—Alina, Mirae, Yumi, Harin, Rina, even a few new girls met on the runway. "Hashtag Cloud9Takeover, bitches," she said, hitting post with a flourish. "Let’s get #FashionKillsCrypto trending, too."

Min-ji was already on it, sharing behind-the-scenes snaps; Rika posted a quick vertical of her party dress and Bee filmed a looping vid of Mirae pretending to drag Joon-ho into the limo by his tie. The group’s chat was a blizzard of messages and likes—stories crossing languages, time zones, and continents before they’d even left the curb.

As the squad surged toward the cars, the street itself became a battleground. Engines revved, drivers hustled. A convoy of imported sports cars with custom plates slid past, windows down, the girls inside done up like billboard queens. Paparazzi flashed bulbs as execs and influencers chased that perfect post-show moment.

Natty’s phone vibrated again—a push notification from Min-ji in the influencer group chat. "Check this," Natty said, holding up the screen as they hustled into their van. "Crypto Queen’s gone live at Down Under. Popping bottles, literally wearing dental floss, Baek Ji-hwan grinning like a Bond villain, surrounded by his harem." She crinkled her nose. "She tagged half the city—’Crypto will eat fashion alive tonight.’ Fucking hell."

Alina barked a laugh, flipping a bird at the neon-lit club across the avenue. "That bitch? I fucked her ex in Milan. Twice. She’ll be eating her own hashtags by midnight."

The others crowded in, watching the Crypto Queen’s livestream—her grinding on Baek’s lap, tossing Dom Perignon into a mob of crypto bros and influencer wannabes. The chat was a frothing mess of pump memes, $ symbols, and thirsty comments.

Yumi, still blushing but determined not to be outdone, asked, "Is she just thirsty for clicks, or does she actually think this is a flex?"

Harin rolled her eyes, voice edged with amusement and steel. "It’s a PR play. Baek’s got more cash than class—he timed the stream for right after our show, wants to hijack the hashtags, leech off our heat. Let them try. Our people come to party, not to pose."

Mirae, mouth twisted in a half-smirk, half-frown, muttered, "She probably thinks this is a power move. Let’s see how she feels when she wakes up tomorrow with nothing but a hangover and a spammed hashtag."

Joon-ho, scrolling through his own notifications—Coffee Prince fan page lighting up, @unholynuna already posting memes and screenshots of him in his suit—shrugged. "Let them party for the cameras. Real legends don’t chase hashtags. They become them."

Yura’s lips curled into a wicked smile as she checked her own phone. "If the crypto crowd wants a turf war, let them come. We’re the only show worth watching."

Alina cracked her knuckles, the gold of her rings catching the overheads. "I say we outlast them. Afterparties don’t end until someone cries."

Natty winked, scrolling back to her DM thread with Crypto Queen. "She’ll be the first. I’ll send her a selfie from Cloud 9, hashtag fashion owns the night."

Harin’s energy was contagious—she bounced on the edge of her seat as the van lurched into traffic. "You know what to do, girls. We make our own legend tonight. Tomorrow, every feed will be ours. Fuck the blockchain—this is the runway."

They peeled away from COEX, the city’s veins lit with LED and the pounding of nightclub speakers. In the mirror, Mirae caught Joon-ho’s eye and grinned, the promise of chaos sparkling between them.

Yura, though, didn’t follow them to Cloud 9. She tugged Joon-ho back, a soft hand on his arm, voice gone gentle. "I’m done for tonight," she admitted, fatigue bleeding through the adrenaline high. "I want peace, not another war."

Harin pouted, but even she could see the exhaustion behind Yura’s practiced smile. "Boring old couple," she teased, "but you’ve earned it. Take care of our queen, boss."

Joon-ho squeezed Harin’s hand, then let Yura lean on him as the rest of the girls howled and flashed peace signs out the window, engines roaring behind them. The van with Cloud 9’s crew melted into Gangnam’s Friday night, a rolling party on wheels.

Yura and Joon-ho’s ride home was a quieter affair—the radio humming, Yura’s head tucked against his shoulder, a contented sigh beneath every breath. Their world shrank to the cocoon of the car, the city roaring outside, but nothing to chase, nothing to prove.

At the apartment, Joon-ho set out dinner—takeout doenjang-jjigae, steamed egg, pork belly, the kind of meal meant for lovers not conquerors. Yura padded in barefoot, nightgown swishing around her thighs, hair damp from a quick shower.

They ate side by side on the couch, knees touching. Yura’s voice was soft, a whisper only he was meant to hear: "I miss this. Just us. No noise, no audience."

Joon-ho smiled, brushing her hair back. "This is yours, whenever you want it. Doesn’t matter what city thinks—here, you’re just Yura. Mine."

She smiled, melting, the iron queen of the industry turned all too human. "Thank you for holding space for me. Not just tonight."

"Always."

After dinner, TV flickered—news anchors raving about Seoul Fashion Week’s international success, spliced with clips of the runway, shots of Yura’s on-camera interview. Her phone buzzed with congratulations, but she silenced it, snuggling in.

Joon-ho hugged her, a kiss pressed to her temple, as the anchors cut from the high-gloss recap of fashion to shaky phone video from the Down Under club: Crypto Queen, half-naked, straddling Baek, the crowd roaring as police moved in to corral drunken partygoers. Sirens in the background, hashtags scrolling in the chyron: #cryptoqueen #fashionweek #chaos. Supercars getting ticketed, bros herded by police, the news anchor dryly noting, "Perhaps crypto can’t buy everything—not taste, not peace."

Yura’s laughter was soft, vicious. "That’s what victory looks like."

Meanwhile, Cloud 9 was a fever dream—red velvet rope, private booths, the DJ lighting up the house with a shout-out to the LUNE and Lumina crew. Security turned away a handful of crypto bros, a pair of gold digger models, a desperate influencer or two—all of them rejected at Harin’s command. "This isn’t Baek’s party. If you’re not with us, you’re not in."

Inside, the girls ran wild. Alina started a drinking contest, Mirae and Yumi led a circle of models into a dance-off that sent dresses flying, Harin went live for a flash Q&A, three thousand fans joining in to spam the comments: "FASHION WINS! LUNE #1!" Natty posted a Cloud 9 selfie, tagged Crypto Queen, and within seconds got bombarded by likes—and a salty DM from her rival.

The energy was electric—no hashtags, no planned chaos, just bodies in motion, laughter thick, a confidence that came from owning the room, not selling a coin.

Back at the apartment, Yura and Joon-ho watched the news break: "Nightclub disturbance in Gangnam. Police called to Down Under. Reports of excessive noise, street racing, and disorderly conduct." Footage cut to a line of supercars being ticketed, models staggering in heels, Baek nowhere to be seen. "No injuries reported, but several guests taken in for public drunkenness."

Joon-ho laughed, holding Yura tight as Harin’s latest message pinged: a selfie from Cloud 9, every girl in the frame, mid-toast, flipping off the camera, cheeks flushed with victory. The caption: "Victory is ours. #fashionownsnight"

Yura took the phone, showing it to Joon-ho, her lips curving in satisfaction. "This is how you win. Not by screaming the loudest, but by living the best."

He kissed her, gentle and deep, as the city raged outside—a kingdom fought for every night, but tonight, all theirs.

Midnight bled into morning. Cloud 9 pulsed on, legends made in sweat and glitter and wicked laughter. At home, Yura and Joon-ho’s world narrowed to soft sheets and warm skin, the only afterparty that ever really mattered.

Outside, the last hashtags died. But inside, the victory—fashion’s, LUNE’s, and theirs—burned bright and quiet, impossible to steal.