If there's any part Levi likes the least in his line of work as a fashion designer, it is what is happening right now, with the backstage photoshoot finished, models all lining up waiting for the show to kick off. Because at this point, no matter how many imperfections he sees, with limited time there's very little he can do.
It is why Levi tends to leave the final checkup to the show producers. Miche and Nanaba may not pay as much attention to details as he does, but they know how to make correct decisions to keep the show within the narrative.
But with Hange Zöe, for the first time, Levi finds himself unable to trust the show producers to keep her in line. With the cream-pleated dress, golden jewelry, headpiece, and that look on her face, together with the crazy hip movements she pulled off earlier, Levi can see clearly that once on the runway, she will be the very definition of being out-of-place, standing out from the rest of the models like a sore thumb.
"If you want to talk about the way I walk, we already discussed it during the rehearsal," she blurts out before Levi can say anything, arms crossing over the chest defensively.
With her eyes already being amplified by the eyeliner, Levi feels his chest tighten under her intense stare.
How can someone's lips look so sculpted under pastel makeup?
Opening his mouth, Levi has every intention to say something but all he can manage is to gape. For some reason, his throat simply refuses to make a noise when he looks at her.
So instead, the designer finds himself turning to his cousin Mikasa, pointedly asking the intern how she could manage to dress Hange Zoë so completely wrong.
"Did you even check the fitting photo? She looks entirely out of place," Levi chides.
Mikasa widens her eyes, taking a step back before she curtly fires back.
"What? Of course I did! Why did you say that? I'm the one who styled this look with you, Levi," Mikasa says. "You seriously think I'd screw it up?"
Levi shoots her a hard look. "We agreed the fabric shouldn't look so perfect. But look at her skirt. If you didn't fiddle with the fastening on the waist, how can it appear to be so neat?"
"How should I know? Because she's exactly the right size and shape for the dress?" His cousin rolls her eyes. "And if you must know, I didn't use the fastening underneath. She doesn't need it. You're mad because things didn't go your way. That's your problem, not mine."
Levi clicks on his tongue, reluctantly taking in a long breath to look at Hange Zoë. It is true. Mikasa had dressed her exactly according to their previous fitting. But because the model had been replaced, the whole effect of the ensemble had flipped. Instead of the low-key luxurious quality that is suitable for private occasions, the dress now looks like a red carpet piece. Had he known the effect that golden jewelry and muted, silky fabric can have on olive skin and brunette hair, he might have chosen other combinations for this particular look.
" TEN MINUTES! " Miche shouts from the front, sending the already focused backstage on alert.
Levi sighs as he closes his eyes. It is too late to change anything now. But he would be damned if he cannot at least make sure this person knows how she should behave in his show.
"I hope you remember what we'd spoken about during the rehearsal," the designer warns, scowling as the ex-pageant queen rolls her eyes.
"Don't worry!" She smirks before glaring up at him. "I didn't drop my work running here to sabotage your show. The last thing I want is to hear you yelling through my ears."
"Better remember you said that when you hit the runway!"
"Oh, I'm good at memorizing things in case you're wondering."
"We'll see." Levi cannot help but sneer as Nanaba emerges from the crowd.
"Everything OK?" The show producer asks, giving Levi a hard look. "I need her to stand by inline, Levi. Where do you want to stay during the show this time?"
"Behind the audio console," the designer replies, gesturing for Mikasa to walk away with him before he looks back at the woman in pleated dress.
"Because I have to observe the show with my own eyes."
Making his way through the staff passage to the front, Levi finds himself silently counting his breath. Unbeknownst to most people, he is always very nervous while waiting and watching his show. Mikasa, on the other hand, is hyped as a kid dosing up on too much sugar, as soon as they take off her white coat, the young intern is nowhere to be seen. From experience, Levi knows she's on her way to sneak in with her girlfriends, probably Sasha or Annie, despite both girls' studies having nothing to do with fashion.
Shaking his head, Levi sighs as he recalls his little Mikasa's cheeky smile when she first successfully smuggled her friends into his show two years ago. The designer had expected their uncle would at least pretend to disapprove but that old geezer simply laughed and applauded her daring spirit.
That's what it means to be an Ackerman, kiddo! Kenny had said to Mikasa at the time, deliberately ignoring Levi's glare. Such favoring gesture always makes Mikasa grin like a Cheshire cat. The brat!
Anyway, as long as she keeps her not-so-secretive mischief under wraps, the designer is very willing to turn a blind eye to her little activities. After all, what kind of a fashion student is she if she never crashes or helps to crash a show or two? Just because he had to follow Kenny's request to study finance for his BA, missing most of the fun in his college year, it doesn't mean Mikasa has to be like him. So long as she keeps it out of his sight…
"Ugh…Levi!" Just as he steps out of the door behind the audio panel, a hushed voice catches his attention.
The designer cannot help but wince. In front of him stands a very startled Armin followed by Mikasa, together with Jean, Connie and Sasha, the three kids with whom he has the misfortune to become very familiar through his baby cousin over the years. Because despite being granted unlimited allowance and permission to do literally anything by Kenny, Mikasa's favorite pastime during her high school years was to take her friends to their shared apartment as if she owned the whole house, much to Levi's annoyance.
"What on earth are you doing here?" The designer scolds. The small crowd immediately goes silent before Mikasa shrugs and begins.
"Well, I'm just taking them to sit at the back of the front-left." His cousin states, matter-of-factly. Under normal circumstances, Levi should feel his blood boil, but after everything that had happened today, he already lost the strength for it.
"Mikasa!" Levi sighs heavily. "Just because I pretended not to see you sneak Sasha in last time…doesn't mean you can bring your whole gang with you, alright?"
Next to Armin, Sasha flinches a little as he speaks her name, hastily hiding a paper bag that smells like cinnamon rolls into her bomber jacket.
Levi's eyelid twitches. Mikasa tilts her head to look at him.
"Oh." She smiles. "OK."
OK indeed! Levi shoots them a deadly glare, which is certainly ignored by them because, at the very same time, the light above them begins to darken. The two audio technicians race next to him to take their positions. The show is about to start.
"Get out of my sight," Levi whispers as the space begins to quiet down. The kids immediately take the cue, swiftly but smoothly scurrying away.
"And don't get in the way of paying audiences!"
Miche and Nanaba have a particular way to plan a show.
Instead of talking to the designing team first, they like to observe the finished pieces and looks on their own accord, coming up with a general but usually quite specific thinking for the show, then bringing the idea to Levi to discuss.
Because of this reverse method and their daring approach, over the years, not only did they successfully turn Levi's sometimes conceptual style into engaging dialogues, but also win their runway shows a very positive reputation, for being able to attract both refined and popular audiences.
In other words, watching their production is a joy.
With the opening tune hitting the first note, Levi inhales deeply as he takes in the vibrant and uplifting music, feeling his jaw easing while the first model sporting a knitted cobalt blue Wings of Freedom ankle dress striding through the runway. The specially-made stage floor creates a trail of moving sparks following her trail, making a drizzling, fairytale-like visual effect that immediately sends the audience into an exhilarating mood.
Listening to the quiet exclaims and whispers, Levi let out a smile in the dark. You have to hand it to Miche and Nanaba. They may argue with him constantly but when it comes to creating an exquisite quality, the pair are no doubt among the best in the industry.
Following the ankle dress, there are a series of Wings of Freedom 's signature extra short khaki jackets with crossed-wings blue and white badges, mixed with white shirts, tank tops, handkerchief skirts, fitted trousers, jodhpurs, denim shorts, over knee suede boots, and patchwork sneakers.
The highlight of the first 11 WoF looks is Eren donning a white sheer pullover, hooded black coat, and loose chino trousers, that ridiculous man-bun they tied on his head turns the wide-eyed kid Levi has known for years straight into a poised young adult. The contrast between the two images almost makes him burst into chuckles. When Miche and Nanaba suggested they should put Eren on the runway, Levi was suspicious of the idea. But after Eren was elected The Most Likable Up-and-Coming Young Athlete by readers of one of the soccer magazines, there was hardly anyone, not even Eren himself, who was able to dissuade the show producers to change their minds.
As a result, the young man has been forbidden to trim his hair for months, so that Miche and Nanaba can put him into the coming-of-age-youngster-eagerly-searching-for-true-self narrative that they had planned for Wings of Freedom . Judging by the reaction of the front row KOLs, Eren's spontaneous focused expression when he's nervous certainly does the trick.
But Levi's light mood doesn't last long. With the bright music slowly turning into a much slower rhythm, the designer feels anxiety build up within his stomach as models showcasing his namesake line step down the stage.
The first two white tailored looks switch the mood from a light-hearted Sunday trip to a momentous expedition. The sparkling light underneath the models' feet morphs into a rich and deep purple/burgundy shade, subtly underlining the exquisite quality of the fabric. Unlike the vibrant mix and mash style of Wings of Freedom, for his main line, Levi prefers a more fabric-centric designing method. Utilizing the lighting from the floor is just another way Miche and Nanaba come up to fuse the starkly different two lines into a single theme.
Following the tailored suits, a series of tailored jumpsuits, and frock coats come to the show.
Because Levi had chosen a relatively simple palette of black, white, earthy red, gold, and green, when they were planning the show, Miche and Nanaba decided to put the structured looks at the beginning and the end, placing the softer, flowy, casual ones in between. This means the pleated Grecian dress that Hange Zoë is wearing, the one that caused him stomach pain, is about to appear on stage.
But it isn't there. What is happening?
Blinking rapidly at the ongoing show, Levi feels panic rise within his chest.
Hange Zoë should be on the runway by now, but she isn't.
Not only that, the other two evening gowns and cocktail dresses also vanished from the line-up.
In fact, the entire sequence from the mid-section had been reshuffled. Miche and Nanaba made a major change minutes before the show started.
They had never done that in the past. Why did they do that?
Before Levi can think further, the final part of the music begins to play. A golden floral gown was supposed to appear after Hange Zoë strode down the runway. All of a sudden, the atmosphere among the audience begins to lighten.
With the next two models appearing on the runway, Levi finally picks up what Miche and Nanaba are trying to do.
They changed the sequence because they want the former Miss Humanity to close the show.
And he has a sinking feeling about it.
At the far end of the runway, Hange Zoë emerges and begins to stride down the runway at a pace that is even crazier than earlier in the rehearsal. Her exaggerated movement immediately sparks an ebullient reaction from the audience.
With the brisk rhythm, she swaggers forwards to the other end of the stage, barely making a full stop in front of the photo zone. The way she turns to showcase the back of the dress is so dramatic and swift that Levi feels like he can hear the sound of swish from her swirling skirt through the music, cheerful audience and all the clicking noise from the photographers.
Unable to do anything, Levi feels like a dead man. He wants to turn and storm backstage, demanding an explanation from Miche and Nanaba. But his body is paralyzed by the boiling blood rushing up his head until the back of Hange's white figure disappears from the runway.
Finally, the music switches for the last time. As models emerge again for the curtain call, Levi finally gets his strength back. He is about to run backstage to confront the show producers. But the cheerful cries from the crowd immediately catch his attention.
At the end of the parade, ex-Miss Humanity Hange Zoë smiles at the audience as she glides down the stage. Her hair is a bit out of place from the swift catwalk earlier. But it only seems to add to her enthusiastic energy.
Stopping in front of the cameras, she gives a few turns while scanning across the crowd, her eyes narrow upon seeing Levi hiding behind the sound control. That complacent expression on her face almost makes Levi explode with anger.
But before he can do anything, the phone inside his blazer pocket suddenly buzzes, nearly making him jump.
Fishing out his phone, Levi winces upon seeing Erwin's name on the screen.
"Yes?" Picking up the call, the designer skips one bit as he realizes that his voice is louder than expected. So he rushes into the staff passage, extracting himself from the show and hoping no one would notice.
"Where are you? You're needed at the photo studio right now !" Erwin's voice sounds urgent.
"Why?"
"Because we just got dozens of requests from various publications that they want to photograph our backstage and collection. So you need to be here. There are reporters and editors who have questions for you."
"Tch!" Levi halts abruptly in the dim corridor. "I don't do interviews, Erwin."
"You do now."
"No," Levi says firmly. "I didn't do interviews when we started. Didn't do interviews when we got awards. This... accident certainly won't become an exception. That's not how I do business."
"Accident?" Erwin's voice suddenly gets sharper through the phone. "Levi, you do realize what that accident means, right?"
"That we screwed up and became the talk of the season?"
"No, my friend." His CEO bursts into chuckles. "That is not the case at all."
"Then what is it?" Levi asks impatiently.
"They want to ask you questions because apparently, Hange's performance… ' stirs up all the emotions which will be remembered for years to come, '" Erwin blurts out the last few words like a chant.
"What?"
"Because of that, they want comprehensive coverage. It means you, the designer, and the model Hange, will be the center of the stories."
"Erwin," utters Levi as he stares blankly at the rough wall ahead. "What are you talking about?"
"Levi," the CEO cannot withhold his excitement any longer. "Your Grecian gown just made a moment ."