"Mismatched" [1.5/2]
Title: Mismatched [1.5/2]
Pairing: Jaejoong/Changmin
Genre: AU, romance
Warnings: much one-sided affection
Summary: Changmin's life takes an unexpected turn when he falls in love.
There was a quiet boy who always waited at the back of the room, fiddling with the collar of his well pressed shirt as his colleagues moved obediently into position before the intrusive lens of a camera. Sometimes he would brush his bangs self-consciously, or tug at whatever he was wearing. It had been a year and he was still not quite used to this modelling business.
Shifting slightly, he caught his image on one of the windows, reflected back at him with startling clarity. The contacts in his eyes had long ceased to be uncomfortable and growing up had done him well. His face appeared more chiselled and cheekbones more prominent; his body filled out and, since he'd begun working out, adjusted well to his height. His shoulders were broader now, his movements more fluid, and confidence seemed to exude from every action he made.
Graduation had been a year ago, the end of what had been a sudden month and a half of popularity after his unplanned haircut that fortunate night. He'd even been voted valedictorian, which frankly had scared the shit out of him because he'd had to write up a speech in less than two weeks and not appear as if he really was scared out of his mind on that stage. But his entire family had come to the graduation and it had satisfied him immensely to see their proud smiles. They were primarily the reason he'd worked so hard at school anyway.
Then he was officially done with the one thing that had caused him so much grief for the last three years and it had been disappointingly anti-climactic. He kept in contact with no one but Tiffany, who continued to come to him for help. She also fast became one of his closest friends (or one of his only friends) without the social stigma attached from his high school days. They never discussed his failed confession to her and he never brought up the person she had liked over all the guys who had asked her out. His feelings for her had subsided to brotherly affection, and she was always eager to call him her oppa.
After graduation, the next month or so was spent cramming, and he ended up passing the college entrance exams with flying colours. A week before classes were to begin, his sisters had dragged him to an audition to a talent agency called SM Entertainment, hoping that they would get in but ended up giving their brother his start to a modelling and acting career that now spanned the last year.
He was seventeen at the time and he slowly but surely reached a sort of quiet stardom, appearing in a myriad of magazines and cast in two minor but memorable roles in mini-dramas, alongside college life (though he mostly took online classes). The fact that he had played the quiet, good boy that never got the girl in both cases hadn’t escaped him, but it didn't bother him anymore. If it was reflective of his real life at all, it merely meant that he no longer wanted the girl.
Today at the shoot, he had considerably less patience than usual. What had been promised to him to be a six-hour day had spanned into seven and a half and he was itching to leave. This fact did not escape his fellow colleagues.
"You know, Changmin, there's been something I've always wondered about you," Junsu spoke up, his light scratchy voice oddly matching his unconventional good looks. He stood several inches shorter than Changmin, but he walked with a confidence unmatched by many and an easygoing attitude that was rare to come by in this business.
Changmin looked questioningly down at him.
"You always look a little uncomfortable here," he continued, his posture relaxed and completely at home with his surroundings, "like you want to take off as soon as the shooting's done. Yet you're one of the best new talents the agency has." Junsu cocked his head curiously. "Why'd you choose this?" He didn't have to explain what 'this' was.
Changmin shrugged, adjusting the collar of his trench coat again. It was hiked up against his neck, meant to give off a classy look but it itched like hell. The coat was made of bad material.
"Shouldn't you two be shooting by now?" Yoochun walked over to them, yawning and pulling one arm over his head to work out a muscle. He'd changed back to his usual clothes ten minutes ago and held a cup in his hand. "Are they still busy with Yunho?"
"Yeah," Junsu glanced over where the aforementioned man stood at the far end of the room, surrounding by lights, cameras, and the staff and crew. "The photographer didn't like how his hair looked so the stylists are redoing it." Turning back to the other man, he had to hide a smile.
Catching the change in expression, Yoochun's nose wrinkled at him and he jabbed him on the shoulder. "Just because you don't have to suffer now doesn't mean it won't happen. Any day now, Junsu, any day."
"Is that a threat, Park Yoochun?" Junsu made no attempts to hide the disdain from his voice. They were friends but also rivals, and it had pleased Junsu to no end to see Yoochun walk out from the hair salon last Sunday with his hair in a giant permed cloud on his head and two strips of orangey blonde hanging by his face. He'd wasted no time jumping all over that as his new source of amusement for the week, and Yoochun still held a grudge against him. "They've finally realized I can look hot too, so it's your turn to suffer."
"Shut up," Yoochun grumbled and stuck his hands in his pockets, scowling.
"It looks fine," Changmin said, rolling his eyes a little at the childishness of the two who were supposed to be his hyungs. He shifted on his feet, checking the expensive watch strapped to his wrist anxiously.
Junsu's brows furrowed. "Hey, answer my question, Min."
"What question?" Yoochun blinked questioningly.
"My sisters told me to audition," Changmin answered absentmindedly, turning his head away from the two to look at the man who was currently sporting an annoyed expression (rare for him) and three women hovering around him with bottles of hairspray, blow dryers, and combs. Changmin hated picky photographers the most - often, last minute changes meant that the few hours that they had sat in wardrobe, hair, and make up were virtually wasted and it made the staff feel like crap too.
"Are they hot?"
His head whipped back to face him incredulously. "What?"
Junsu promptly smacked Yoochun. "Stop going after underage kids, you pervert."
"It was a perfectly reasonable question to ask," he complained, rubbing his arm. "If you gave me a bruise I'm going to kill you."
"How? Suffocate me with your hair?"
With a cry, Yoochun launched himself at him and the two tumbled onto the makeshift couch settled against the corner for the models to reside while the staff worked. They fell clumsily onto the cushions, Yoochun attempting to choke Junsu with his tie and Junsu running quick fingers up and down Yoochun's side, causing him to dissolve into loud, raucous laughter.
The staff all stopped their work at the noise and turned to stare at them. The looks didn't stop the two; in fact, it encouraged them to be even louder, and Changmin politely removed himself from the tussle, walked past the stream of staff members now rushing to break them up, and settled himself next to the oldest one in their little quartet.
"They should just take out all the extensions," Yunho sighed through gritted teeth, "my hair looks like straw."
"I think the staff just thinks it's hilarious to see us all switch hairstyles," Changmin responded in a monotone, but a smile inched across his face.
Yunho glanced up to look at him from his seat on the tall stool. "You always seem to have impeccable hair though. You don't get your hair done here, do you? The stylists always loves your styles and lets you keep them...The same can't be said for the rest of us."
Changmin shrugged in response, turning away to fiddle with a brush. "Are you almost done yet, hyung?"
"Just one more shot with this watch, I think. Are you last?"
"The manager said I'd be done before six and it's seven thirty already," Changmin sighed, frustrated.
"Meeting someone afterwards? A girl?" The older man teased, grinning as he blushed, shook his head, but remain tight-lipped. "Well I'm not nosy," he continued, waving a reassuring hand at him. "But try not to let Yoochun know about it."
"Why?"
Yunho just smiled.
Once the fight was broken up, the staff trooped back to the centre of the room and attacked Yunho's hair again. Changmin stumbled away from the area and had resigned himself to waiting for the next few hours before the studio's manager called everyone over and promptly announced the end of the shoot, and that they would continue the next day. Yunho and Junsu were to stay to wrap up their shoots, as they were nearly done, and Changmin had to come in again the next day at eight-thirty in the morning.
Relieved, he bid the three goodbye and hurried into the change room. He wiped off the make up and stripping quickly, he threw on what he'd worn to the studio in: a sweater, jeans, and a cap. It felt disgusting to wear the cap over the clay still clinging to his hair but he ignored it, opting for discretion rather than comfort. He held a pair of sunglasses delicately in one hand as he left the room and started down the hall, eager to get out of there.
"Changmin!"
He slowed down, turning around in surprise. "Yoochun hyung? I thought you left already."
"Yeah, well, a couple of the other guys wanted to go for a drink so I'm just waiting for them. You want to come along?" Yoochun flashed his rather infamous suave grin but Changmin shook his head. The grin fell away as quickly as it had appeared.
"Busy, maybe next time. Thanks for inviting me," he turned to leave but the other man caught his hand in his. He looked questioningly at him.
Frustrated, Yoocun tightened his hold. "Why don't you ever come out with us? We're friends, aren't we?"
"Of course," he glanced down at their hands, "I'm just busy in the evenings." School. He sighed at the thought of the report waiting for him on his computer.
"How about the weekend? Is the weekend okay?"
Changmin looked back at him weirdly. "Sunday...afternoon, maybe. Yoochun hyung, you see me almost every day at work. Why the sudden eagerness to hang out?"
He looked taken back at his blunt question. "Just...you know, you've been with us - with SM - for awhile now and we haven't really hung out much, have we? Just us. I figured we could hit the town tonight. A new club just opened a couple blocks away and - "
"I'm not - " He paused, frowning, and then continued, " - I was never a party person. Even in high school." Changmin smiled to himself at the irony of that. It wasn't that he didn't like parties; he was just never invited. And now that one of the three most sought after talents SM had was practically begging him to go, he was refusing the invitation. But there were more important things to him now then ass kissing, which is what Changmin had assumed this was. He knew Junsu and Yunho longer than Yoochun - given Junsu's usual rivalry and animosity towards him, Changmin had never been introduced to Park Yoochun until three months ago, when Yoochun himself had stepped forward to offer him a hand after he had tripped on some faulty wiring in the studio and had landed himself in a rather embarrassing situation that involved water and wet stains on suspicious areas.
Even now, though Junsu and Yoochun got on better terms, Changmin just wasn't as close to him as to Junsu and Yunho, both of whom had practically taken him under their wing once they found out he had gotten into SM almost by accident.
He'd had to face another stage in his life that involved bullying and hostility from others yet again, due to the opportunities that were coming his way and not to those that had been in the business for some years already. It was only after the discovery by himself and companies alike, that he had quite an acting talent and ability to appear photogenic at every given moment, as well as months of relentless hard work, that had eventually dispelled the ugly rumours that had surrounded him and the behaviour directed at him by Yunho and Junsu.
If there were any way to avoid those rumours from springing up again, he would take it without a second glance.
"Yeah? You graduated last year right?"
"Yes." Changmin began to wonder where he was going with this. He tried to surreptitiously check his watch.
"In a hurry?"
He smiled tightly. "Sort of. Family stuff."
Yoochun stared at him intensely for a bit, before he shrugged and stepped out of his way. He couldn't quite cover the stiffness that prevented him from smiling as easily as before though, and he shook his head. "Alright alright, a blind man can see how eager you are to leave. I'm taking you up on that offer for Sunday though."
"Sure, hyung," he said before waving and hurrying out of the building. He didn't know what had gotten into Yoochun, but he wasn't sticking around to find out what it was. He pulled the cap lower over his face as he walked as quickly as he could to the closest subway station. Giggling women and businessmen strolled past him but he paid them no attention, with only one destination in mind.
It took him the usual forty-five minutes to get from the studio to the familiar door. The jingle of the door made him smile and the sight that greeted him made him smile even wider.
Jaejoong was sweeping the floor, piling strips of hair into a pile on the centre of the floor. A look of concentration adorned his face and his black hair - having decided he'd damaged his hair enough - was pulled back. At the sound he made, Jaejoong looked up and a wide smile split across his face. "Minnie ah!" A pair of thick black frames sat upon his nose.
"I didn't know you wear glasses, hyung," he said and let the door fall shut behind him. He looked around. Customers should be long gone by now and he was somewhat glad of the hold up at the studio. It gave him the rare chance of catching Jaejoong alone.
"I ran out of contacts today," he said while setting aside the broom. "Don't I look good?" He struck a pose.
"Nothing short of gorgeous," he said, in a way that made it sound like he didn't mean it though he really really did. He was sure no sane person would disagree with him either.
"Aw, you're sweet," he patted his cheek and gestured for him to follow him. "Want me to help you wash off that crap your stylists seem to love piling into your hair? I keep telling you, your hairstyle looks fantastic natural, it doesn't need so much styling products..."
Changmin let him ramble on as he followed him. Jaejoong often complained about the way the studio chose to do his hair (though he loved the clothes and often insisted Changmin really dress like that) and Changmin often let him, silently agreeing but knowing he had no say anyway. To Changmin, no one had as much expertise with hair (most of all, with his) than Jaejoong. After all, the very first haircut he'd ever gotten from this man proved that theory quite well.
"So what was the theme this time?"
"Suave and handsome businessmen wearing their life savings around their wrist."
"Watches?"
"What else?"
He'd settled onto the couch and with his head hanging comfortably over the sink, his eyes slid closed, the exhaustion from today finally getting to him. Above him, he could hear Jaejoong's chuckle at his response. The familiar sound of water running echoed in his ears and a pair of hands and fingers - now entirely too familiar - slid through his hair and he sighed inaudibly.
"Comfy?"
"Hmm."
Jaejoong often played very soft instrumental music; Changmin let it caress his ears as he breathed deeply, feeling the aches of standing around all day fade away.
Ever since the first hair cut, Changmin had returned to the hair salon. During the last months of school, it had been twice a month, more out of necessity than anything. At the time, he couldn't think of any excuse to go besides getting a cut and he didn't think Jaejoong would believe him if he needed a cut every other day (because that was how often he wanted to see him). It surprised Changmin how much he liked the man - he was fun, naturally flirty, but very kind to all his customers, which was why he had many regulars. Despite Changmin's earlier misgivings about him, Jaejoong always had a nice word to say to him when he dropped by and when he left.
In fact, Jaejoong complimented him beginning on his hair and cheekbones to his long legs and slim figure. Changmin was pretty sure there was not a single part of his body that Jaejoong had not praised at some point, and soon he learned that rather than blushing, perhaps Jaejoong was like this with everyone, and he put it behind him. Still, he loved the feel of Jaejoong's hands threading through his hair. He loved the way Jaejoong would smile whenever Changmin cracked a joke - slowly tried to come out of his shell. He really loved the way Jaejoong made his hair look (and he wasn't a vain person - it was just the Jaejoong association).
It got kind of frustrating though, with the knowledge that Jaejoong was basically nice to whomever passed through the doors of his salon.
However, maybe it was because of what had happened with Tiffany that while Changmin became Jaejoong's friend, he watched and appreciated from afar. He didn't have the same 'plan of action' and never tried to come up with one. It satisfied him just to be near the man, who would playfully touch his shoulder or the small of his back as he passed by. Every time it happened, he could not stop the shiver that ran through his body. It came as no surprise one day, after coming home from another visit to Jaejoong's, that he realized there really was no way out; at least no way out he could foresee (or wanted to find). These sudden and unexpected (then again maybe that was just the nature of his affections, no matter who they were directed towards) feelings were here to stay.
And stay they did. Jaejoong was the first one to hear of his successful audition and the first one to congratulate and encourage him to pursue the career, with only one promise. That Jaejoong was the only one allowed to go near his head with a pair of scissors and Changmin had agreed, not noticing the way Jaejoong had tucked a piece of hair behind his ears fondly and patted his head from behind as he snipped away.
"Okay, up," Jaejoong said and Changmin instinctively sat up, muscles groaning at the sudden action. "Come over here so I can blow dry it for you."
"Isn't it getting too long?"
"Of course not."
He blinked at him in front of the mirror as he slid into the seat.
"I mean," Jaejoong smiled a little, plugging in the contraption he held in his hands, "you look good in any style, but isn't this the first time it's grown this long since I first cut it for you?"
He nodded. "I'm not used to it."
"Well that's easily fixed," Jaejoong chirped, "just give it some time!"
Actually he'd grown it out so that he'd have more excuses to come to Jaejoong's place, but it turned out Jaejoong liked him with the hair (just not the style he'd had in high school). Jaejoong had snipped a bit here and there and had declared him 'perfect' with a smile and great flourish, so he didn't have the heart to protest. Ever since high school, he never really liked having long hair again.
The blow drying took little time and before he knew it, Changmin was seated on the couch by the side of the wall with a cup of steaming tea in his hands with a grinning Jaejoong seated on a chair in front of him, leaning on the back of the chair that faced him. This was a common ritual for the both of them.
"So why did you come so late today?" Jaejoong nursed his own cup, but wide dark brown eyes stared inquisitively at him.
"The shoot lasted longer than I expected," Changmin grumbled, sighing a little as he rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "Yunho hyung was still stuck at the shoot when I left." He couldn't hide his apologetic expression. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you close up." It had been several weeks since he'd had even a bit of free time in his hectic schedule to drop by - that was one of the downsides of being in the business.
"Hey, don't beat yourself up about it! You were busy and - well, Changmin," Jaejoong rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "you're working full-time and I feel bad making you help me here. I should just hire someone to help me, right?"
"No! I mean - " his eyes darted past Jaejoong's raised eyebrows, "I want to. I don't mind."
A hand reached over, lingered about half a millimetre in front of his face, and his breath caught. A finger then traced the circles under his eyes that the stylists at the studio always tried to cover with layers of make up. He usually let his sisters and mother fret about them but seeing the deepening frown on Jaejoong's face made him wish he actually slept at a reasonable hour the night before instead of completing the online assignment for his business course. "It's - " nothing, was what he wanted to say.
"I do," Jaejoong said softly. Their eyes met.
Changmin chuckled, pulling Jaejoong's hand into his own. "Hey I'm an adult now. I can take care of myself," he responded, smiling a half-smile that he hoped did not belie the pounding of his heart.
He watched as Jaejoong's eyebrows furrowed. "Changmin - "
"And besides, you need me around. What if Minhee and her mom come by again?"
Jaejoong buried his face in his hands at the mention and Changmin couldn't help but sit back and laugh. A woman had visited the salon with seven-year-old Minhee two months ago, the little girl being in need of a haircut after she had supposedly gone at her bangs with a pair of scissors two days before her aunt's wedding. Minhee had thrown a huge temper tantrum right in the middle of the salon and Jaejoong had been at a total lost. While he loved kids, Jaejoong was unused to kids that were upset and took every means to let the world know.
Changmin had very calmly knelt beside the girl and told her that Jaejoong was a magical hairdresser and that he could turn her into a princess. The man in question had turned to him and looked at him as if he was crazy, but the girl suddenly began to look at Jaejoong with renewed interest and he'd stared back at her, lost.
Then Changmin had sighed in disappointment, saying that Jaejoong couldn't possibly use his magic on her. Minhee had looked as if she was about to burst into tears again, before Changmin quickly explained that Jaejoong's magic came at a price and that nothing made Jaejoong happier than a big, big smile on a little girl's face. Immediately, Minhee had stood up and gave Jaejoong a grin that stretched from ear to ear, wiping at her tears with the sleeve of her shirt.
"I'm still amazed you came up with such a child friendly story."
"Well serving tea and sweeping up doesn't exactly let me display my babysitting skills. Living with two sisters taught me the ways of a girl's heart. Doesn't it just prove I'm a useful volunteer? I'm irreplaceable, aren't I?" He grinned playfully at him.
Jaejoong rolled his eyes but smiled fondly back at him anyway. "But if I see you catching some shut eye in the storage room like last time I'm definitely kicking you out. You need to take better care of yourself," he added worriedly.
The younger man blushed lightly at having been caught. That time he'd just finished filming but had rushed to the hair salon anyway, which he could now admit had been a rather bad idea. "Don't worry about me."
Jaejoong 'hmm-ed' and fell silent, fiddling with a ring he was wearing on his index finger. His gaze settled on something across the room and Changmin took the chance to sneak sideway glances at him. He never tired of looking at this man secretly. He was truly most beautiful when he was lost in thought, when those normally wide and vibrant eyes were calm, his face relaxed, those lips half-parted...Changmin shifted uncomfortably.
The hairdresser turned to him again, a teasing smile back on his face. "You must be popular with the female models then, if you know a girl's heart so well."
He laughed. Every reference to the possibility of him charming a woman was going to remind him of the fiasco with Tiffany back in the day and how he had spectacularly failed at 'charming' her. "No, it only applies to the hearts of my sisters or other potential sister figures in my life."
"No girlfriend?"
"No."
"Well, how about in the past? Before I met you - "
"High school was not the best place for me to meet girls," Changmin reminded him, chuckling. Old memories, given time, did not cut as sharply as they had when he had first graduated. Oftentimes when he found himself here, either for a cut or just to watch Jaejoong, it was to make himself stop thinking and consider the 'what ifs.' Jaejoong had been surprised at how he had became a regular visitor, but Changmin found him easy to talk to on top of being amazingly nice and he had revealed bits and pieces. "Besides," he continued, his eyes never failing to break contact, "I have someone in mind right now."
Seeing Jaejoong open his mouth, however, and the slight widening of his eyes in curiosity gave Changmin half a second to regret his words and panic; he stood up hurriedly, checking his watch. "I should probably head home."
Looking disappointed, Jaejoong stood up alongside him. "Alright, tell me the story of your love life next time."
"I'll think about it," he said lightly while slipping his cap and sunglasses back on.
"Hey!"
"It's no fun if you don't try to guess, you know," he smiled warmly and Jaejoong fell silent, eyes averting elsewhere. He blinked as he came to the sudden realization, "How come I don't hear anything about your past relationships?" 'Or any current ones?'
Jaejoong paused. "I don't have any?" He suggested, offering a placating smile.
"I don't believe you," he poked him on the shoulder, and the older man gave him an injured look.
"I've sworn off love?" Changmin raised an eyebrow and he sighed, throwing his hands up. "It was a long time ago and it's not important anymore and - when are you free?"
"Subtle," he grinned and Jaejoong shrugged.
"Can't blame me for trying. So, when?"
"I don't know," Changmin sighed audibly, "I didn't even start the full body shots for the shoot today and I think my manager wants me to audition for something...again. But...I'll call you or you can call me?"
"Okay," he nodded and walked him to the door. Jaejoong slung an arm around him in a casual hug. Changmin, easily forgetting himself, looped his own arm around his small waist and pulled him close, breathing in deeply.
"Changmin?"
"Sorry," he pulled away and released his friend, taking an extra half-step back. Jaejoong stared up at him with a strange expression on his face. "I just missed - " seeing you, " - coming here, it's been awhile. I always feel relaxed when I'm here."
He laughed. "You're so weird, Changmin. This is not the best place to relax, you know."
"Oh well," he shrugged and returned the smile. He bid him goodbye and left. Sometimes, as he walked back home, he wondered whether Jaejoong ever looked around the salon and felt lonely without Changmin there. It was a vain thought, and though Changmin rarely allowed himself to fantasize anymore, he still wished that maybe Jaejoong missed seeing him as much as Changmin did when he was kept away for weeks on end. Shooting the last drama had done exactly that and he was almost dreading it.
So deep in thought was he that night that he completely forgot about Yoochun's promise.
Next
Pairing: Jaejoong/Changmin
Genre: AU, romance
Warnings: much one-sided affection
Summary: Changmin's life takes an unexpected turn when he falls in love.
There was a quiet boy who always waited at the back of the room, fiddling with the collar of his well pressed shirt as his colleagues moved obediently into position before the intrusive lens of a camera. Sometimes he would brush his bangs self-consciously, or tug at whatever he was wearing. It had been a year and he was still not quite used to this modelling business.
Shifting slightly, he caught his image on one of the windows, reflected back at him with startling clarity. The contacts in his eyes had long ceased to be uncomfortable and growing up had done him well. His face appeared more chiselled and cheekbones more prominent; his body filled out and, since he'd begun working out, adjusted well to his height. His shoulders were broader now, his movements more fluid, and confidence seemed to exude from every action he made.
Graduation had been a year ago, the end of what had been a sudden month and a half of popularity after his unplanned haircut that fortunate night. He'd even been voted valedictorian, which frankly had scared the shit out of him because he'd had to write up a speech in less than two weeks and not appear as if he really was scared out of his mind on that stage. But his entire family had come to the graduation and it had satisfied him immensely to see their proud smiles. They were primarily the reason he'd worked so hard at school anyway.
Then he was officially done with the one thing that had caused him so much grief for the last three years and it had been disappointingly anti-climactic. He kept in contact with no one but Tiffany, who continued to come to him for help. She also fast became one of his closest friends (or one of his only friends) without the social stigma attached from his high school days. They never discussed his failed confession to her and he never brought up the person she had liked over all the guys who had asked her out. His feelings for her had subsided to brotherly affection, and she was always eager to call him her oppa.
After graduation, the next month or so was spent cramming, and he ended up passing the college entrance exams with flying colours. A week before classes were to begin, his sisters had dragged him to an audition to a talent agency called SM Entertainment, hoping that they would get in but ended up giving their brother his start to a modelling and acting career that now spanned the last year.
He was seventeen at the time and he slowly but surely reached a sort of quiet stardom, appearing in a myriad of magazines and cast in two minor but memorable roles in mini-dramas, alongside college life (though he mostly took online classes). The fact that he had played the quiet, good boy that never got the girl in both cases hadn’t escaped him, but it didn't bother him anymore. If it was reflective of his real life at all, it merely meant that he no longer wanted the girl.
Today at the shoot, he had considerably less patience than usual. What had been promised to him to be a six-hour day had spanned into seven and a half and he was itching to leave. This fact did not escape his fellow colleagues.
"You know, Changmin, there's been something I've always wondered about you," Junsu spoke up, his light scratchy voice oddly matching his unconventional good looks. He stood several inches shorter than Changmin, but he walked with a confidence unmatched by many and an easygoing attitude that was rare to come by in this business.
Changmin looked questioningly down at him.
"You always look a little uncomfortable here," he continued, his posture relaxed and completely at home with his surroundings, "like you want to take off as soon as the shooting's done. Yet you're one of the best new talents the agency has." Junsu cocked his head curiously. "Why'd you choose this?" He didn't have to explain what 'this' was.
Changmin shrugged, adjusting the collar of his trench coat again. It was hiked up against his neck, meant to give off a classy look but it itched like hell. The coat was made of bad material.
"Shouldn't you two be shooting by now?" Yoochun walked over to them, yawning and pulling one arm over his head to work out a muscle. He'd changed back to his usual clothes ten minutes ago and held a cup in his hand. "Are they still busy with Yunho?"
"Yeah," Junsu glanced over where the aforementioned man stood at the far end of the room, surrounding by lights, cameras, and the staff and crew. "The photographer didn't like how his hair looked so the stylists are redoing it." Turning back to the other man, he had to hide a smile.
Catching the change in expression, Yoochun's nose wrinkled at him and he jabbed him on the shoulder. "Just because you don't have to suffer now doesn't mean it won't happen. Any day now, Junsu, any day."
"Is that a threat, Park Yoochun?" Junsu made no attempts to hide the disdain from his voice. They were friends but also rivals, and it had pleased Junsu to no end to see Yoochun walk out from the hair salon last Sunday with his hair in a giant permed cloud on his head and two strips of orangey blonde hanging by his face. He'd wasted no time jumping all over that as his new source of amusement for the week, and Yoochun still held a grudge against him. "They've finally realized I can look hot too, so it's your turn to suffer."
"Shut up," Yoochun grumbled and stuck his hands in his pockets, scowling.
"It looks fine," Changmin said, rolling his eyes a little at the childishness of the two who were supposed to be his hyungs. He shifted on his feet, checking the expensive watch strapped to his wrist anxiously.
Junsu's brows furrowed. "Hey, answer my question, Min."
"What question?" Yoochun blinked questioningly.
"My sisters told me to audition," Changmin answered absentmindedly, turning his head away from the two to look at the man who was currently sporting an annoyed expression (rare for him) and three women hovering around him with bottles of hairspray, blow dryers, and combs. Changmin hated picky photographers the most - often, last minute changes meant that the few hours that they had sat in wardrobe, hair, and make up were virtually wasted and it made the staff feel like crap too.
"Are they hot?"
His head whipped back to face him incredulously. "What?"
Junsu promptly smacked Yoochun. "Stop going after underage kids, you pervert."
"It was a perfectly reasonable question to ask," he complained, rubbing his arm. "If you gave me a bruise I'm going to kill you."
"How? Suffocate me with your hair?"
With a cry, Yoochun launched himself at him and the two tumbled onto the makeshift couch settled against the corner for the models to reside while the staff worked. They fell clumsily onto the cushions, Yoochun attempting to choke Junsu with his tie and Junsu running quick fingers up and down Yoochun's side, causing him to dissolve into loud, raucous laughter.
The staff all stopped their work at the noise and turned to stare at them. The looks didn't stop the two; in fact, it encouraged them to be even louder, and Changmin politely removed himself from the tussle, walked past the stream of staff members now rushing to break them up, and settled himself next to the oldest one in their little quartet.
"They should just take out all the extensions," Yunho sighed through gritted teeth, "my hair looks like straw."
"I think the staff just thinks it's hilarious to see us all switch hairstyles," Changmin responded in a monotone, but a smile inched across his face.
Yunho glanced up to look at him from his seat on the tall stool. "You always seem to have impeccable hair though. You don't get your hair done here, do you? The stylists always loves your styles and lets you keep them...The same can't be said for the rest of us."
Changmin shrugged in response, turning away to fiddle with a brush. "Are you almost done yet, hyung?"
"Just one more shot with this watch, I think. Are you last?"
"The manager said I'd be done before six and it's seven thirty already," Changmin sighed, frustrated.
"Meeting someone afterwards? A girl?" The older man teased, grinning as he blushed, shook his head, but remain tight-lipped. "Well I'm not nosy," he continued, waving a reassuring hand at him. "But try not to let Yoochun know about it."
"Why?"
Yunho just smiled.
Once the fight was broken up, the staff trooped back to the centre of the room and attacked Yunho's hair again. Changmin stumbled away from the area and had resigned himself to waiting for the next few hours before the studio's manager called everyone over and promptly announced the end of the shoot, and that they would continue the next day. Yunho and Junsu were to stay to wrap up their shoots, as they were nearly done, and Changmin had to come in again the next day at eight-thirty in the morning.
Relieved, he bid the three goodbye and hurried into the change room. He wiped off the make up and stripping quickly, he threw on what he'd worn to the studio in: a sweater, jeans, and a cap. It felt disgusting to wear the cap over the clay still clinging to his hair but he ignored it, opting for discretion rather than comfort. He held a pair of sunglasses delicately in one hand as he left the room and started down the hall, eager to get out of there.
"Changmin!"
He slowed down, turning around in surprise. "Yoochun hyung? I thought you left already."
"Yeah, well, a couple of the other guys wanted to go for a drink so I'm just waiting for them. You want to come along?" Yoochun flashed his rather infamous suave grin but Changmin shook his head. The grin fell away as quickly as it had appeared.
"Busy, maybe next time. Thanks for inviting me," he turned to leave but the other man caught his hand in his. He looked questioningly at him.
Frustrated, Yoocun tightened his hold. "Why don't you ever come out with us? We're friends, aren't we?"
"Of course," he glanced down at their hands, "I'm just busy in the evenings." School. He sighed at the thought of the report waiting for him on his computer.
"How about the weekend? Is the weekend okay?"
Changmin looked back at him weirdly. "Sunday...afternoon, maybe. Yoochun hyung, you see me almost every day at work. Why the sudden eagerness to hang out?"
He looked taken back at his blunt question. "Just...you know, you've been with us - with SM - for awhile now and we haven't really hung out much, have we? Just us. I figured we could hit the town tonight. A new club just opened a couple blocks away and - "
"I'm not - " He paused, frowning, and then continued, " - I was never a party person. Even in high school." Changmin smiled to himself at the irony of that. It wasn't that he didn't like parties; he was just never invited. And now that one of the three most sought after talents SM had was practically begging him to go, he was refusing the invitation. But there were more important things to him now then ass kissing, which is what Changmin had assumed this was. He knew Junsu and Yunho longer than Yoochun - given Junsu's usual rivalry and animosity towards him, Changmin had never been introduced to Park Yoochun until three months ago, when Yoochun himself had stepped forward to offer him a hand after he had tripped on some faulty wiring in the studio and had landed himself in a rather embarrassing situation that involved water and wet stains on suspicious areas.
Even now, though Junsu and Yoochun got on better terms, Changmin just wasn't as close to him as to Junsu and Yunho, both of whom had practically taken him under their wing once they found out he had gotten into SM almost by accident.
He'd had to face another stage in his life that involved bullying and hostility from others yet again, due to the opportunities that were coming his way and not to those that had been in the business for some years already. It was only after the discovery by himself and companies alike, that he had quite an acting talent and ability to appear photogenic at every given moment, as well as months of relentless hard work, that had eventually dispelled the ugly rumours that had surrounded him and the behaviour directed at him by Yunho and Junsu.
If there were any way to avoid those rumours from springing up again, he would take it without a second glance.
"Yeah? You graduated last year right?"
"Yes." Changmin began to wonder where he was going with this. He tried to surreptitiously check his watch.
"In a hurry?"
He smiled tightly. "Sort of. Family stuff."
Yoochun stared at him intensely for a bit, before he shrugged and stepped out of his way. He couldn't quite cover the stiffness that prevented him from smiling as easily as before though, and he shook his head. "Alright alright, a blind man can see how eager you are to leave. I'm taking you up on that offer for Sunday though."
"Sure, hyung," he said before waving and hurrying out of the building. He didn't know what had gotten into Yoochun, but he wasn't sticking around to find out what it was. He pulled the cap lower over his face as he walked as quickly as he could to the closest subway station. Giggling women and businessmen strolled past him but he paid them no attention, with only one destination in mind.
It took him the usual forty-five minutes to get from the studio to the familiar door. The jingle of the door made him smile and the sight that greeted him made him smile even wider.
Jaejoong was sweeping the floor, piling strips of hair into a pile on the centre of the floor. A look of concentration adorned his face and his black hair - having decided he'd damaged his hair enough - was pulled back. At the sound he made, Jaejoong looked up and a wide smile split across his face. "Minnie ah!" A pair of thick black frames sat upon his nose.
"I didn't know you wear glasses, hyung," he said and let the door fall shut behind him. He looked around. Customers should be long gone by now and he was somewhat glad of the hold up at the studio. It gave him the rare chance of catching Jaejoong alone.
"I ran out of contacts today," he said while setting aside the broom. "Don't I look good?" He struck a pose.
"Nothing short of gorgeous," he said, in a way that made it sound like he didn't mean it though he really really did. He was sure no sane person would disagree with him either.
"Aw, you're sweet," he patted his cheek and gestured for him to follow him. "Want me to help you wash off that crap your stylists seem to love piling into your hair? I keep telling you, your hairstyle looks fantastic natural, it doesn't need so much styling products..."
Changmin let him ramble on as he followed him. Jaejoong often complained about the way the studio chose to do his hair (though he loved the clothes and often insisted Changmin really dress like that) and Changmin often let him, silently agreeing but knowing he had no say anyway. To Changmin, no one had as much expertise with hair (most of all, with his) than Jaejoong. After all, the very first haircut he'd ever gotten from this man proved that theory quite well.
"So what was the theme this time?"
"Suave and handsome businessmen wearing their life savings around their wrist."
"Watches?"
"What else?"
He'd settled onto the couch and with his head hanging comfortably over the sink, his eyes slid closed, the exhaustion from today finally getting to him. Above him, he could hear Jaejoong's chuckle at his response. The familiar sound of water running echoed in his ears and a pair of hands and fingers - now entirely too familiar - slid through his hair and he sighed inaudibly.
"Comfy?"
"Hmm."
Jaejoong often played very soft instrumental music; Changmin let it caress his ears as he breathed deeply, feeling the aches of standing around all day fade away.
Ever since the first hair cut, Changmin had returned to the hair salon. During the last months of school, it had been twice a month, more out of necessity than anything. At the time, he couldn't think of any excuse to go besides getting a cut and he didn't think Jaejoong would believe him if he needed a cut every other day (because that was how often he wanted to see him). It surprised Changmin how much he liked the man - he was fun, naturally flirty, but very kind to all his customers, which was why he had many regulars. Despite Changmin's earlier misgivings about him, Jaejoong always had a nice word to say to him when he dropped by and when he left.
In fact, Jaejoong complimented him beginning on his hair and cheekbones to his long legs and slim figure. Changmin was pretty sure there was not a single part of his body that Jaejoong had not praised at some point, and soon he learned that rather than blushing, perhaps Jaejoong was like this with everyone, and he put it behind him. Still, he loved the feel of Jaejoong's hands threading through his hair. He loved the way Jaejoong would smile whenever Changmin cracked a joke - slowly tried to come out of his shell. He really loved the way Jaejoong made his hair look (and he wasn't a vain person - it was just the Jaejoong association).
It got kind of frustrating though, with the knowledge that Jaejoong was basically nice to whomever passed through the doors of his salon.
However, maybe it was because of what had happened with Tiffany that while Changmin became Jaejoong's friend, he watched and appreciated from afar. He didn't have the same 'plan of action' and never tried to come up with one. It satisfied him just to be near the man, who would playfully touch his shoulder or the small of his back as he passed by. Every time it happened, he could not stop the shiver that ran through his body. It came as no surprise one day, after coming home from another visit to Jaejoong's, that he realized there really was no way out; at least no way out he could foresee (or wanted to find). These sudden and unexpected (then again maybe that was just the nature of his affections, no matter who they were directed towards) feelings were here to stay.
And stay they did. Jaejoong was the first one to hear of his successful audition and the first one to congratulate and encourage him to pursue the career, with only one promise. That Jaejoong was the only one allowed to go near his head with a pair of scissors and Changmin had agreed, not noticing the way Jaejoong had tucked a piece of hair behind his ears fondly and patted his head from behind as he snipped away.
"Okay, up," Jaejoong said and Changmin instinctively sat up, muscles groaning at the sudden action. "Come over here so I can blow dry it for you."
"Isn't it getting too long?"
"Of course not."
He blinked at him in front of the mirror as he slid into the seat.
"I mean," Jaejoong smiled a little, plugging in the contraption he held in his hands, "you look good in any style, but isn't this the first time it's grown this long since I first cut it for you?"
He nodded. "I'm not used to it."
"Well that's easily fixed," Jaejoong chirped, "just give it some time!"
Actually he'd grown it out so that he'd have more excuses to come to Jaejoong's place, but it turned out Jaejoong liked him with the hair (just not the style he'd had in high school). Jaejoong had snipped a bit here and there and had declared him 'perfect' with a smile and great flourish, so he didn't have the heart to protest. Ever since high school, he never really liked having long hair again.
The blow drying took little time and before he knew it, Changmin was seated on the couch by the side of the wall with a cup of steaming tea in his hands with a grinning Jaejoong seated on a chair in front of him, leaning on the back of the chair that faced him. This was a common ritual for the both of them.
"So why did you come so late today?" Jaejoong nursed his own cup, but wide dark brown eyes stared inquisitively at him.
"The shoot lasted longer than I expected," Changmin grumbled, sighing a little as he rubbed at the bridge of his nose. "Yunho hyung was still stuck at the shoot when I left." He couldn't hide his apologetic expression. "I'm sorry I couldn't help you close up." It had been several weeks since he'd had even a bit of free time in his hectic schedule to drop by - that was one of the downsides of being in the business.
"Hey, don't beat yourself up about it! You were busy and - well, Changmin," Jaejoong rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "you're working full-time and I feel bad making you help me here. I should just hire someone to help me, right?"
"No! I mean - " his eyes darted past Jaejoong's raised eyebrows, "I want to. I don't mind."
A hand reached over, lingered about half a millimetre in front of his face, and his breath caught. A finger then traced the circles under his eyes that the stylists at the studio always tried to cover with layers of make up. He usually let his sisters and mother fret about them but seeing the deepening frown on Jaejoong's face made him wish he actually slept at a reasonable hour the night before instead of completing the online assignment for his business course. "It's - " nothing, was what he wanted to say.
"I do," Jaejoong said softly. Their eyes met.
Changmin chuckled, pulling Jaejoong's hand into his own. "Hey I'm an adult now. I can take care of myself," he responded, smiling a half-smile that he hoped did not belie the pounding of his heart.
He watched as Jaejoong's eyebrows furrowed. "Changmin - "
"And besides, you need me around. What if Minhee and her mom come by again?"
Jaejoong buried his face in his hands at the mention and Changmin couldn't help but sit back and laugh. A woman had visited the salon with seven-year-old Minhee two months ago, the little girl being in need of a haircut after she had supposedly gone at her bangs with a pair of scissors two days before her aunt's wedding. Minhee had thrown a huge temper tantrum right in the middle of the salon and Jaejoong had been at a total lost. While he loved kids, Jaejoong was unused to kids that were upset and took every means to let the world know.
Changmin had very calmly knelt beside the girl and told her that Jaejoong was a magical hairdresser and that he could turn her into a princess. The man in question had turned to him and looked at him as if he was crazy, but the girl suddenly began to look at Jaejoong with renewed interest and he'd stared back at her, lost.
Then Changmin had sighed in disappointment, saying that Jaejoong couldn't possibly use his magic on her. Minhee had looked as if she was about to burst into tears again, before Changmin quickly explained that Jaejoong's magic came at a price and that nothing made Jaejoong happier than a big, big smile on a little girl's face. Immediately, Minhee had stood up and gave Jaejoong a grin that stretched from ear to ear, wiping at her tears with the sleeve of her shirt.
"I'm still amazed you came up with such a child friendly story."
"Well serving tea and sweeping up doesn't exactly let me display my babysitting skills. Living with two sisters taught me the ways of a girl's heart. Doesn't it just prove I'm a useful volunteer? I'm irreplaceable, aren't I?" He grinned playfully at him.
Jaejoong rolled his eyes but smiled fondly back at him anyway. "But if I see you catching some shut eye in the storage room like last time I'm definitely kicking you out. You need to take better care of yourself," he added worriedly.
The younger man blushed lightly at having been caught. That time he'd just finished filming but had rushed to the hair salon anyway, which he could now admit had been a rather bad idea. "Don't worry about me."
Jaejoong 'hmm-ed' and fell silent, fiddling with a ring he was wearing on his index finger. His gaze settled on something across the room and Changmin took the chance to sneak sideway glances at him. He never tired of looking at this man secretly. He was truly most beautiful when he was lost in thought, when those normally wide and vibrant eyes were calm, his face relaxed, those lips half-parted...Changmin shifted uncomfortably.
The hairdresser turned to him again, a teasing smile back on his face. "You must be popular with the female models then, if you know a girl's heart so well."
He laughed. Every reference to the possibility of him charming a woman was going to remind him of the fiasco with Tiffany back in the day and how he had spectacularly failed at 'charming' her. "No, it only applies to the hearts of my sisters or other potential sister figures in my life."
"No girlfriend?"
"No."
"Well, how about in the past? Before I met you - "
"High school was not the best place for me to meet girls," Changmin reminded him, chuckling. Old memories, given time, did not cut as sharply as they had when he had first graduated. Oftentimes when he found himself here, either for a cut or just to watch Jaejoong, it was to make himself stop thinking and consider the 'what ifs.' Jaejoong had been surprised at how he had became a regular visitor, but Changmin found him easy to talk to on top of being amazingly nice and he had revealed bits and pieces. "Besides," he continued, his eyes never failing to break contact, "I have someone in mind right now."
Seeing Jaejoong open his mouth, however, and the slight widening of his eyes in curiosity gave Changmin half a second to regret his words and panic; he stood up hurriedly, checking his watch. "I should probably head home."
Looking disappointed, Jaejoong stood up alongside him. "Alright, tell me the story of your love life next time."
"I'll think about it," he said lightly while slipping his cap and sunglasses back on.
"Hey!"
"It's no fun if you don't try to guess, you know," he smiled warmly and Jaejoong fell silent, eyes averting elsewhere. He blinked as he came to the sudden realization, "How come I don't hear anything about your past relationships?" 'Or any current ones?'
Jaejoong paused. "I don't have any?" He suggested, offering a placating smile.
"I don't believe you," he poked him on the shoulder, and the older man gave him an injured look.
"I've sworn off love?" Changmin raised an eyebrow and he sighed, throwing his hands up. "It was a long time ago and it's not important anymore and - when are you free?"
"Subtle," he grinned and Jaejoong shrugged.
"Can't blame me for trying. So, when?"
"I don't know," Changmin sighed audibly, "I didn't even start the full body shots for the shoot today and I think my manager wants me to audition for something...again. But...I'll call you or you can call me?"
"Okay," he nodded and walked him to the door. Jaejoong slung an arm around him in a casual hug. Changmin, easily forgetting himself, looped his own arm around his small waist and pulled him close, breathing in deeply.
"Changmin?"
"Sorry," he pulled away and released his friend, taking an extra half-step back. Jaejoong stared up at him with a strange expression on his face. "I just missed - " seeing you, " - coming here, it's been awhile. I always feel relaxed when I'm here."
He laughed. "You're so weird, Changmin. This is not the best place to relax, you know."
"Oh well," he shrugged and returned the smile. He bid him goodbye and left. Sometimes, as he walked back home, he wondered whether Jaejoong ever looked around the salon and felt lonely without Changmin there. It was a vain thought, and though Changmin rarely allowed himself to fantasize anymore, he still wished that maybe Jaejoong missed seeing him as much as Changmin did when he was kept away for weeks on end. Shooting the last drama had done exactly that and he was almost dreading it.
So deep in thought was he that night that he completely forgot about Yoochun's promise.
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