the model is a nerd; for chansoos
Title: the model is a nerd
Rating: [G/barely PG]
Side pairing/s: slight Sehun/Jongin
Length: 5.6k words
Summary: Just because Kim Jongin is a model doesn't mean he doesn't need to pay for college fees. Just because Byun Baekhyun is a student in college doesn't mean he can't fall in love with a model.
Baekhyun glances up from his Mac to look at his friend, Jongdae, who flipped through a High Cut magazine, his expression growing darker within each page. "Yeah, but you're not one of those people so -- " Baekhyun gestures at some papers that Jongdae had laid out on the floor before he had given up on his assignment.
"No, I'm serious." Jongdae scooches closer to Baekhyun and shoves the magazine in his hands, letting out a desperate groan. "Look. Look at him. Kim Jongin, male model."
Baekhyun is only half interested but he'll admit that this Jongin character has all the good genes. Double eyelids enhanced his round brown eyes and his jawline was sharp enough to cut glass. His hair looks soft as silk and Baekhyun tries not to feel too bad when he looks at the defined abs Jongin owned that he doesn't have himself. It's an ad for Calvin Klein and it suddenly makes Baekhyun want to own every single pair of briefs that they have to offer.
"Have you never seen a model before?" Baekhyun pushes the magazine aside and frowns, focusing back on the Facebook page he had open (there was a new kid in class and Baekhyun figured stalking him on Facebook was the best way to know more about him) as Jongdae sighs, laying on his back as he stared up at the sky.
"Why aren't I a model? All you have to do is be born with pretty genes and boom, you're fit to be a model." Jongdae suddenly perks up and Baekhyun can see the model wannabe studying him. "Hey, you'd make an okay model. I mean, you're nothing compared to Jongin but I think you'd be alright."
"Thanks," Baekhyun replies, giving him a sarcastic smile before continuing his scrolling.
Unlike Jongdae, he wasn't one to dream too much of the jobs that didn't have an open door to everybody. He didn't have high hopes either. Sure, he thinks he's pretty decent himself but modelling wasn't exactly his forte. He pauses, thinking of all the perks of being a model - money, fame, and not to mention all those other female models...but Baekhyun wasn't dumb. He also knew that being a model also meant diets, cameras and most likely nausea.
Baekhyun closes his laptop and stands up, giving a look to Jongdae. "I forgot I haven't done my laundry yet; I have to do it now before it gets busy around four. I'll see you later."
Jongdae frowns but nods as Baekhyun walks away, thinking how on earth was his friend going to make it out of college with his head in this clouds all the time.
"Okay, so I have a favour to ask," Jongdae says one day at lunch as he chews on a chicken burger. Baekhyun picks at his pasta before sighing and dropping his fork before picking up his soda can.
"No."
Jongdae frowns, placing his half eaten burger down and chews for a moment before picking up a fry. "What? You didn't even hear what I had to ask."
"Knowing you, it's probably nothing good," Baekhyun replies, wincing as he puts the straw between his mouth. He still remembers last time Jongdae wanted a favour and that ended with Baekhyun having to do community service for two weeks.
"True," Jongdae admits, grinning. "But this is a big favour. You need to honour it according to the best friend code."
"Since when are we best friends?" Baekhyun asks, receiving a fry thrown at him in return. "Alright, I'll cave. What is it?"
"There's this model convention this Friday and - "
"I knew I shouldn't have asked," Baekhyun sighs and Jongdae immediately starts to whine. "You can't be serious, Jongdae."
"I am a 110% serious," he huffs, frowning as he miserably chews on another fry. His shoulders are drooped as he sighs to himself. "You're the worst friend ever and probably just broke about six rules in the best friend code."
"There's no such thing as a best friend code," Baekhyun points out, scrunching his nose as he forked another noodle into his mouth.
Another fry flies in his direction. "Dick."
Baekhyun laughs, watching his friend mope. Baekhyun wonders for how long his friend would be able to hold up the guilt trick. Not long, Baekhyun decides when Jongdae suddenly lifts his head, a glint in his eyes. What could his next trick possibly be?
"Fine. I'm going to go anyways. I don't care if you don't come. You can sit in that boring calculus class alone while I go and meet a bunch of hot models."
Ah, so the jealousy trick was next. Baekhyun decides he's not going to give his friend the satisfaction and grins. "Okay, cool. Thanks for respecting my decision as my best friend, buddy." With that, Baekhyun wipes his hands and stands up, grabbing his lunch tray before sliding out of his chair. Don't get him wrong, Baekhyun didn't want to go to calculus class as much as Jongdae did but what fun would it be to just agree?
It's silent for a moment and Baekhyun thinks, did Jongdae really give up that easily? He should know better, really, because the next thing he knows, Jongdae's voice is clear in his ears from across the campus.
"Wow, hyung. You don't have to get mad and leave just because I won't make out with you - "
Baekhyun hurries back and drags Jongdae out of his seat, ignoring the small laughs and stares they were getting. "What time is the convention?" He mutters.
Although he wasn't looking at his friend, he could tell that he was smiling. "Noon, best friend. The convention is at noon."
Baekhyun should be at home, watching Law & Order but instead, he's here, stuck in a dark room with music blasting in his ears with strangers. He thought maybe it wouldn't be so bad when he spotted the table of food but it was so dark (with only a few moving lights on the ceiling), it almost seemed as if they had entered in Hollister instead of the convention. Plus, the food was nothing but finger foods. He wonders what Mike Logan was probably doing now as he glumly chomps down on a baby carrot.
"Did you come here just to eat?" Jongdae sighs, back from 'looking around'.
"Please, I'm barely eating. I feel like a rabbit," he adds, frowning. "Can we go now? Are you done?"
"Yes," Jongdae says and Baekhyun sighs of relief but Jongdae holds up a finger. "But I want you to see something. Or rather, someone."
Groaning, Baekhyun gets dragged across the room, apologizing to at least eleven people for bumping into them. They suddenly come to a halt, surprising Baekhyun as he crashed into his best friends back, and Jongdae gives out a quiet squeal.
"Look, there he is." Baekhyun makes a face before squinting in the dark at the figure Jongdae had pointed out. The adolescent is leaning against the wall and even though he's not doing much, it looks as if he's modelling right then and there. His grey, silver hair shimmered every now and then when a light happened to scan over him Baekhyun can see he's wears a bored expression.
"Is that - "
"Yeah, isn't he gorgeous?"
Baekhyun can only manage a nod because yeah, Jongin was pretty...well, pretty. Jongin glances around the room, his eyes looking tired when he locks eyes with Baekhyun. Baekhyun is most likely staring back, which is probably considered rude, but at the same time, the microphone from the front stage crackles to life and the host of the model convention beams.
"H-hello? Is this thing...is this thing working?" The host taps the mic yet Baekhyun can't tear his eyes off of Jongin, who already had lost eye contact with him and was staring up at the stage. "I'd like to announce the winner to the photoshoot draw is...Byun Baekhyun!"
Baekhyun's eyes finally leave Kim Jongin.
Beside him, Jongdae is clapping excitedly and jumping up and down like a little girl. "Jongdae," Baekhyun hisses, glaring at his younger friend. "Did you enter my name into the draw?"
"How could I not? Look, if I didn't, you wouldn't have won," Jongdae points out with one raised eyebrow.
Baekhyun sighs in defeat, turning his head back to only find Jongin staring back. He looks startled for a moment, then his expression relaxed and he gave a small smile.
Baekhyun was never one big on romance. He never read romance novels, never watched a chick flick and never really had his own experience with love. Sure, he loved his parents, his friends and knew who was important to him. All the gibberish about The Red String Theory, 'The One', and even fate seemed cliché to him. Call him cheesy, a hypocrite or even a liar, but Jongin kinda, sorta makes Baekhyun forget about all of that.
Call him cheesy, a hypocrite or even a liar, but Baekhyun swears his heart skipped a beat.
"Yeah, I'm outside the office right now," Baekhyun said, struggling with the sun in his eyes as he glanced up at the big building. Jongdae was abuzz with excitement and even though Baekhyun couldn’t see his friend on the other end, he could practically hear him smiling. “I can’t believe you signed me up for something like this.”
“You must have wanted to go anyways because you didn’t exactly decline,” Jongdae points out and Baekhyun lets out a sigh.
“Bye.I’ll call you when this nightmare is done.” And with that Baekhyun turns off his phone and pushes open the heavy glass door that lead to the SM Model Management building.
What the photoshoot draw was for was a full day at one of the biggest modeling agencies to ever be founded. What were the odds that Baekhyun won? He was probably the least interested in the modeling business whereas someone else would take this chance to find out more about their future, but here Baekhyun was, appearing in a building that most would only dream of entering.
“Are you Mr. Byun Baekhyun?” Baekhyun turns around to see a tall, thin boy, probably in his early twenties, with narrow eyes and strawberry blond hair. He’s taller than Baekhyun by much which concludes his theory that the boy that was addressing him was definitely a model. “You’re supposed to be in Studio B.”
“Sorry, but I don’t exactly know who you…” Baekhyun blinks.
“You don’t know me?” The boy is obviously caught off guard, his eyes widening but after a second he narrows them again. “Oh Sehun. I’m one of the best models.” He huffs before walking off and Baekhyun quickly scurries behind him.
Jongdae’s probably mentioned him once or twice, Baekhyun thinks. His expression was the same typical, bored expression that Jongin wore. It annoyed Baekhyun to see models always act like they had something better to do. Like they were better because they were pretty and that was all there was to their job - to stay pretty. Sehun wore a black MCM leather jacket and True Religion Jeans which only seemed to irritate Baekhyun more. What was with models wearing expensive things even outside their workplace? It was bragging almost. Baekhyun could even afford some of those Calvin Klein undies that Jongin had modelled for. Jongin, Jongin, Jongin. Every thought Baekhyun had since yesterday seemed to lead back to him. Would he meet Jongin? Baekhyun eyes Sehun from the side and nervously plays with his hands. Models made him nervous.
“I suppose you’ll find Studio B on your own?”
Baekhyun hadn’t realized Sehun had stopped walking and was already standing in front of doors that were painted with a large B.
He enters the studio and immediately is blinded by the lights and brightness. A camera goes off every second and there are several models scattered around the studio, either in makeup or wardrobe. Sehun disappears behind some racks of clothes, leaving Baekhyun alone to hastily step towards the man who seems to be the photographer.
“Hello,” Baekhyun greets, bowing slightly to the photographer who glances in his way for only a brief moment.
“Oh, are you that kid who won the draw?” He asks, his camera flashes not stopping once. Baekhyun looks over at the model who was currently being photographed and takes in his light brown curls and soft skin. “You’re doing great, Luhan. How about you tilt your head a bit...yes, perfect.”
“Yes,” Baekhyun replies, turning back to the photographer. To be honest, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do here. He knew he had VIP access but what could he possibly do in a modeling studio?
“Alright, Luhan. You did good. Go to wardrobe,” the photographer calls out behind the camera, standing straight and looks through the photos before looking over to Baekhyun. “Right. Hi. I’m Yixing, professional photographer.”
"Yixing," Baekhyun echos, looking at the photographer properly this time. He was young for someone who was working for SM; definitely one of the youngest photographers Baekhyun knows of. But then again, Baekhyun hardly knows any photographers, period. From the way Yixing spoke Korean, Baekhyun could tell he wasn't from here either.
"Yes." Yixing sets the camera down and claps his hands. "Well, I suppose you can head over to make-up and wardrobe and we can get the photoshoot going."
Baekhyun blinks. "Photoshoot?"
"What'd you think you'd do after you win a photoshoot draw?" Yixing laughs, his eyes twinkling, gesturing for Baekhyun to walk towards the large glass mirrors.
He blindly walks over.
A woman smiles at him as he sits down and she tells him what kind of look she'll be going for but Baekhyun doesn't really care. He was going to model? Baekhyun didn't even know how to take proper selcas let alone a photoshoot. Baekhyun sighs, staring at his reflection in the mirror and wonders how he managed to get in this situation. He watches as the make-up lady applies something to his lips when he catches a familiar face in the mirror.
Jongin sits in a chair, flipping through some sort of book as others fanned him to keep him from sweating. Standing beside him is the same 'Oh Sehun', and he's talking but it doesn't seem like Jongin was listening by much. Baekhyun rolls his eyes. Models. Sure, Jongin was a pretty face but that probably all there was to him. No personality, no morals and definitely no brains. Jongin’s ideal of fun was probably lounge around by a pool with his shirt off while girls danced in bikinis.
"You're ready to go," the make-up lady says, bringing Baekhyun to reality as he thanks her before sliding off the chair. "You can go to wardrobe now."
He obeys.
Besides, what could he do now? He already had a face full of make-up. Might as well.
There are several sparkly things thrown, colourful thrusted at him and some questionable pieces of clothing are chuckled into his arms. He's pushed into the changing rooms and Baekhyun is still unaware of what happened two seconds ago. He blinks, staring at the clothes and meekly picks out a black graphic tee and white shorts and glumly puts them on.
When he exits the changing room, all ready, it’s like everyone had forgotten about him and moved on. Everything else is already moving on, leaving him behind.
“Are you nervous?” Baekhyun glances to his left and sees the bronze model, flipping through a textbook. Funny, Baekhyun never knew there were textbooks for modeling. Jongin glances up and smiles, his pearly teeth showing. “It get’s easier once you’re behind the camera.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Jongin cocks his head to the side and blinks, staring at Baekhyun, making him clear his throat nervously. Were those judging eyes? Baekhyun can spot Sehun from the corner of his eyes, glaring at Baekhyun's back from afar. Jongin’s mouth slightly parts and Baekhyun swallows, ready for insults to spill out past his lips. “Eyeliner looks good on you,” he finally says.
It takes a while before Baekhyun registers that a model hadn’t just insulted him and instead, had complimented him but before Baekhyun can say his thanks, Yixing calls for Jongin, making the professional model give one last smile at him and sets his textbook aside.
Baekhyun looks over to the textbook, suddenly feeling lightheaded. What could the model possibly be looking at? A think magazine? Surely, a model didn’t have the memory span to read something actually educational - Baekhyun’s eyes widen in surprise.
It’s a calculus book.
“He said eyeliner looked good on you?” Jongdae is all bright as the two of them leave literature class. He clings to his books like a teenage girl in high school and sighs. “Byun Baekhyun, you are living quite a life.”
Baekhyun scoffs. “So what if a model said I look good in eyeliner? It’s not like I’ll ever see him again.”
“You don’t know that.” Jongdae says, wagging a finger at his friend. “When do your shots come in? I want to see if my prediction of you being a model is as spot on as I said.”
“Sometime this week I think,” Baekhyun shrugs as a vibrating goes off in Baekhyun’s back pocket. Baekhyun pulls it out hastily to see an unfamiliar number on his screen. Jongdae peeks at the number and raises an eyebrow but gets a swat in his arm in return. “Hello?”
“Is this Baekhyun?”
Baekhyun frowns, taking the phone down from his ear and squinted at the number. Nope, never saw that number before. The voice sounds vaguely familiar but… “Yes. Who is this?”
“Hello Baekhyun, this is Yixing. I was going over your shots this morning and I must say, I’m incredibly impressed.” Jongdae has his ear pressed up against the back of the phone and he gasps.
“Yixing as in the Zhang Yixing? The guy is a genius from China,” Jongdae exclaims, covering his ‘O’ shaped mouth with two hands. His shoulders then slump, his mouth growing a cheesy grin. “But don’t pay too much attention to the compliment; Yixing is known for being super nice.”
Ignoring his friend, Baekhyun strains to hear the photographers voice. “I think you have potential to actually become a model. To make it a career, if you’d like. We can discuss the details over coffee.”
Baekhyun’s mind is blank but Jongdae’s nodding so fast, he looks like a bobble-head and Baekhyun is worried his head might fall off. “Okay,” Baekhyun finds himself saying and when he hangs up, Jongdae is grinning so wide it scares Baekhyun a bit.
“I guess you’re a model now,” Jongdae says, slinging a shoulder around Baekhyun’s shoulder and laughing (but it sounds more like a cackle). “Remember me when.”
“He said he thinks. I’m not a model yet.”
“I know I said you shouldn’t take Yixing’s compliments seriously but to have a top-notch photographer say you have potential is something else, Baek.” Jongdae pauses. “Also, photographers don’t really think. They feel.”
”Stop emphasizing every other word,” Baekhyun grumbles. He’s no photographer but he feels like Jongdae deserves a punch in the stomach.
7PM and Baekhyun should be at home watching the newest episode of “It’s Okay, That’s Love” but instead, he is standing by the doors of a cafe that’s he’s never been to before. It’s the typical cafe that’s dimly lit with lights on the ceiling with calming music playing. Sighing, Baekhyun glances at his watch and bits his lip nervously.
Baekhyun is right on time.
So, what could explain where the famous photographer, Yixing, was?
As if on cue, his cell phone buzzes and unsurprisingly, Yixing’s name appeared. Hey, B! It’s Yixing. I’m really sorry but I’m going to have to cancel last minute. Photographer business. I’ll make it up to you next time, KIT! Wow, dumped by a text message? Baekhyun shoves his cell phone back into his pocket, grumbling when someone caught his eye. Inside the cafe was a familiar silver haired boy sitting in a booth in the far corner, with almost every set of eyes on him. A mug sat on the table as the boy flipped pages through something that looked oddly like another textbook but Baekhyun doesn’t want to believe it.
It’s like his body moves on his own, because soon enough, Baekhyun finds himself walking over to the same booth Jongin sat and slide himself into the seat across from the model as if it was him he was supposed to meet. Heck, if Baekhyun was going to miss an episode of his favourite drama, he might as well make the best of it.
Jongin looks up from his book (indeed it’s a textbook), and his eyes widen in surprise. “Oh,” is all he manages to say.
”Do you have any recommendations on what to drink?” Baekhyun asks, ignoring the pounding his chest that’s screaming ‘get out of there as fast as you can; you’ve embarrassed yourself enough!’ as he flips through the menu that was casted to the side.
”Um, I got a cappuccino so -- “
God damn, why was this model so quiet? “Anything more sweeter?” Baekhyun interrupts, scanning the several photos of coffee drinks in front of him.
Baekhyun spots Jongin grimacing in the corner of his eyes. “Uh, latte macchiato?”
Baekhyun shrugs and gestures for a waitress to take his order. Once he does, he looks over to find Jongin staring at him with much surprise and even looking timid. Baekhyun blinks and stares back before clearing his throat. “So, what are you doing at a cafe alone? Shouldn’t you be at some high class party with girls and beer?”
Baekhyun is surprised to hear Jongin laugh in response and when he laughs, his eyes scrunch up and he’s wearing one of the brightest smile. No wonder he was a model. “Is that really what you see me as?”
”I don’t know much about models,” Baekhyun says, shrugging as the waitress returns with his drink which Baekhyun takes thankfully. His throat was starting to get dry. “Sorry if I came off rude a few seconds ago. I get rude when I’m nervous.” A crappy excuse, Baekhyun figures, but hopefully Jongin will accept it.
Jongin’s still staring at Baekhyun thoughtfully, a bit of amusement in his eyes. “Baekhyun, right?”
To hear his name roll off of Jongin’s tongue so naturally and comfortable makes Baekhyun choke on his macchiato. “Y-yes.” Baekhyun wipes his mouth with the sleeve of his hoodie and frowns. “You’re Jongin.”
Jongin nods, smiling tightly. He closes the textbook (it was a textbook on music) and reaches for his own drink, taking a sip before placing it down again. He licks the steamed milk of his lips and Baekhyun tries not to watch the movement of his tongue. “So, how do you like modeling?”
Baekhyun shrugs again and he finds that when he’s in front of Jongin, he goes speechless even though the model hasn’t done much. “I’m not really modelling. I did one photoshoot.”
”But did you like it?” Jongin smiles. “You still modelled for that one photoshoot. You did a good job, by the way. I saw the shots. You look like you’ve done it all your life.”
Baekhyun ignores his compliment because if he concentrates on it too much, he might pass out. “It’s okay.” Baekhyun pauses, glancing at Jongin. “I probably don’t like it as much as you though.”
It’s Jongin’s turn to shrug as he plays with the handle of his mug. “I don’t like it that much. I mean, yeah, it’s okay but I’m just doing it for college fees.”
“College fees?”
Jongin laughs. “College isn’t free even if you have good looks, you know. I’d much rather be a professional dancer. Maybe even open my own dancing school. But until then, I gotta study and get at least the basic maths and english things down before really striving for my goal, you know?” Jongin pauses, sighing as he stirred his drink. “My parents want me to get a degree first though. They think dancing isn’t something that’s sturdy.”
Baekhyun scrunches his nose. “So, you’re taking the maths and english things down for your parents? Do you even like those classes?”
”I don’t like them, but I do good in them. I’ll just finish the classes to satisfy my parents. Once I finish them, I’ll bring up the subject of dance.”
”Why do you have to satisfy your parents? It’s your life. Chase your dreams, do what you like, be happy.” Baekhyun throws his hands in the air, furrowing his eyebrows. He hated how he sounded like some cheesy Youtuber but he ignored the feeling. “What’s so hard about that?”
”It’s harder than you think.”
Baekhyun scoffs. “It really isn’t.” Baekhyun drinks the rest of his latte before standing up, already somewhat irritated. “I think I’m going to go now. Sorry to ruin your night.”
Then Baekhyun walks out of the cafe (not after paying for his drink of course), shoving his hands in his pocket. Halfway to the bus stop, guilt starts to seep into his lungs and his chest feels heavy. He just acted like a major dick and he regretted every second of it. Baekhyun angrily ran a hand through his hair and let out a small yell of frustration? Why did Jongin make him like this? Baekhyun was sure that if it was with anyone else, he wouldn’t have acted the way he did.
The bus rolls in front of him, giving Baekhyun a ride away from the cafe and model. Hopefully, he’d never see Kim Jongin again but at the same time, he hoped he would.
“I’m sorry to cancel on our plans yesterday,” Yixing calls the next day, his voice dripping with regret. “I can come by your house if that’s okay and we -- “
”How about I come to your office instead?” Baekhyun interrupts.
Yixing hesitates. “Okay, but I might have a photoshoot going and -- “
”Yes, that’s fine.”
It was perfect.
Baekhyun marches up to the office, finding Studio B without Oh Sehun’s help and creeps into the room, his confidence sinking as soon as he stepped into the place.
”Confidence is key in modeling so I suggest you keep your head held high,” a voice says, a laugh following after. Baekhyun turns to the side and almost lets out a groan. This guy could not possibly be real.
”You’re too nice for a model.”
”Are models supposed to be mean?”
”Maybe not mean but snobby.”
Jongin laughs. “Well, I’m not. I don’t think so anyways. I’m not like other models, I guess.”
”You’re not,” Baekhyun finds himself saying. He had came to see Yixing but he was hoping to see Jongin so he could say sorry. But at the same time he wished he wouldn’t see Jongin. Apologizing was harder than he thought. He sways on his foot as he eyes a book in Jongin’s hands. “Why are you always reading?”
Jongin shrugs. “I like reading. It’s fun.”
Baekhyun lets out an exasperated groan. “Why are you reading when you could be at parties?” Baekhyun’s sure as heck that if he was a model, he’d be attending every party and event.
Jongin laughs again and Baekhyun thinks he really enjoys that sound. “I’ll bring you to the next one that happens. Then, you’ll see why.” He cocks his head to the side and his mouth forms a curious pout. “Are you here to see Yixing-hyung?”
Baekhyun stares at Jongin before taking a deep breath and clearing his throat. “Yeah, but I was hoping I’d bump into you as well.”
Jongin’s eye scrunch upwards, forming the perfect eyesmle. “Why? Did you miss me? Do you have a crush on me?”
Baekhyun feels his face heat up and he hates it. “Crush? N-no, this isn’t third grade, Jongin,” Baekhyun coughs out.
”Then why were you hoping to bump into me, hyung?” Jongin bends forwards a little so that their eyes meet and are at the same level; Baekhyun wasn’t sure if it was because the model wanted to remind him that he was shorter than the younger boy but he felt his chest tighten. “Was it to apologize for your dick-like behaviour yesterday? Because it’s already left my mind about that so why don’t we just forget about it, okay?”
The longer Baekhyun spent talking to Jongin, the more he grew annoyed. How was he so incredibly forgiving? What kind of model reads? What kind of model studies? And besides that, actually likes it? Who likes studying? Kim Jongin was a fraud. Kim Jongin was nothing like the models in TV and furthermore, his personality didn’t fit his flawless face. He liked to laugh, liked to read and wanted to dance. Kim Jongin was a twelve year old stuck in a twenty year old’s body. Baekhyun grumbles an excuse to Jongin about how he was in a rush before shuffling towards Yixing’s office.
Jongin confused Baekhyun and Baekhyun hated to be deceived.
After a week of Jongdae going on and on about how Baekhyun’s profile shots were evidently the work of Zhang Yixing, a week of the same Zhang Yixing calling to ask Baekhyun to come in for more photoshoots and a week of not seeing Kim Jongin despite the fact that Baekhyun had agreed to every photoshoot, Baekhyun felt more tired than he ever had his entire life.
The reason Baekhyun had agreed to the photoshoots wasn’t because Baekhyun liked model. It was okay, he guesses, but he much rather be at home. All the cameras, all the makeup, all the outfit changes stressed him out. But he went every day, in hope of seeing Jongin but the geek was hardly ever seen. Every time Baekhyun did see the professional bronze model, he was gone after the shutter of the camera.
Baekhyun needed a short escape from his new life that wasn’t all that new.
Strangely, he finds himself wandering towards the cafe where he had been with Jongin and pushes the door to the cafe open, not hoping for much besides a cup of coffee but there he was. Sitting in the same booth, a new book in hand with the same mug but this time, with a cookie in front of him.
Strangely, but not really, Baekhyun unconsciously walks over to the model and plops himself down like he had the first time. Jongin looks up with the same curious look he always had and a smile forms when he realizes it’s Baekhyun.
”It’s been a while. I was beginning to think you hated me.”
Baekhyun coughs and takes a sip from the boy’s cappuccino, trying to clear his throat (and mind). Hate him? Nobody hated models and whoever knew Jongin most definitely can’t hate him. “You really aren’t like other models,” Baekhyun finally says and Jongin laughs, a tittering laugh and Baekhyun doesn’t know what happens but he can feel himself falling more in love with the model than he ever imagined himself to.
Rating: [G/barely PG]
Side pairing/s: slight Sehun/Jongin
Length: 5.6k words
Summary: Just because Kim Jongin is a model doesn't mean he doesn't need to pay for college fees. Just because Byun Baekhyun is a student in college doesn't mean he can't fall in love with a model.
Baekhyun glances up from his Mac to look at his friend, Jongdae, who flipped through a High Cut magazine, his expression growing darker within each page. "Yeah, but you're not one of those people so -- " Baekhyun gestures at some papers that Jongdae had laid out on the floor before he had given up on his assignment.
"No, I'm serious." Jongdae scooches closer to Baekhyun and shoves the magazine in his hands, letting out a desperate groan. "Look. Look at him. Kim Jongin, male model."
Baekhyun is only half interested but he'll admit that this Jongin character has all the good genes. Double eyelids enhanced his round brown eyes and his jawline was sharp enough to cut glass. His hair looks soft as silk and Baekhyun tries not to feel too bad when he looks at the defined abs Jongin owned that he doesn't have himself. It's an ad for Calvin Klein and it suddenly makes Baekhyun want to own every single pair of briefs that they have to offer.
"Have you never seen a model before?" Baekhyun pushes the magazine aside and frowns, focusing back on the Facebook page he had open (there was a new kid in class and Baekhyun figured stalking him on Facebook was the best way to know more about him) as Jongdae sighs, laying on his back as he stared up at the sky.
"Why aren't I a model? All you have to do is be born with pretty genes and boom, you're fit to be a model." Jongdae suddenly perks up and Baekhyun can see the model wannabe studying him. "Hey, you'd make an okay model. I mean, you're nothing compared to Jongin but I think you'd be alright."
"Thanks," Baekhyun replies, giving him a sarcastic smile before continuing his scrolling.
Unlike Jongdae, he wasn't one to dream too much of the jobs that didn't have an open door to everybody. He didn't have high hopes either. Sure, he thinks he's pretty decent himself but modelling wasn't exactly his forte. He pauses, thinking of all the perks of being a model - money, fame, and not to mention all those other female models...but Baekhyun wasn't dumb. He also knew that being a model also meant diets, cameras and most likely nausea.
Baekhyun closes his laptop and stands up, giving a look to Jongdae. "I forgot I haven't done my laundry yet; I have to do it now before it gets busy around four. I'll see you later."
Jongdae frowns but nods as Baekhyun walks away, thinking how on earth was his friend going to make it out of college with his head in this clouds all the time.
"Okay, so I have a favour to ask," Jongdae says one day at lunch as he chews on a chicken burger. Baekhyun picks at his pasta before sighing and dropping his fork before picking up his soda can.
"No."
Jongdae frowns, placing his half eaten burger down and chews for a moment before picking up a fry. "What? You didn't even hear what I had to ask."
"Knowing you, it's probably nothing good," Baekhyun replies, wincing as he puts the straw between his mouth. He still remembers last time Jongdae wanted a favour and that ended with Baekhyun having to do community service for two weeks.
"True," Jongdae admits, grinning. "But this is a big favour. You need to honour it according to the best friend code."
"Since when are we best friends?" Baekhyun asks, receiving a fry thrown at him in return. "Alright, I'll cave. What is it?"
"There's this model convention this Friday and - "
"I knew I shouldn't have asked," Baekhyun sighs and Jongdae immediately starts to whine. "You can't be serious, Jongdae."
"I am a 110% serious," he huffs, frowning as he miserably chews on another fry. His shoulders are drooped as he sighs to himself. "You're the worst friend ever and probably just broke about six rules in the best friend code."
"There's no such thing as a best friend code," Baekhyun points out, scrunching his nose as he forked another noodle into his mouth.
Another fry flies in his direction. "Dick."
Baekhyun laughs, watching his friend mope. Baekhyun wonders for how long his friend would be able to hold up the guilt trick. Not long, Baekhyun decides when Jongdae suddenly lifts his head, a glint in his eyes. What could his next trick possibly be?
"Fine. I'm going to go anyways. I don't care if you don't come. You can sit in that boring calculus class alone while I go and meet a bunch of hot models."
Ah, so the jealousy trick was next. Baekhyun decides he's not going to give his friend the satisfaction and grins. "Okay, cool. Thanks for respecting my decision as my best friend, buddy." With that, Baekhyun wipes his hands and stands up, grabbing his lunch tray before sliding out of his chair. Don't get him wrong, Baekhyun didn't want to go to calculus class as much as Jongdae did but what fun would it be to just agree?
It's silent for a moment and Baekhyun thinks, did Jongdae really give up that easily? He should know better, really, because the next thing he knows, Jongdae's voice is clear in his ears from across the campus.
"Wow, hyung. You don't have to get mad and leave just because I won't make out with you - "
Baekhyun hurries back and drags Jongdae out of his seat, ignoring the small laughs and stares they were getting. "What time is the convention?" He mutters.
Although he wasn't looking at his friend, he could tell that he was smiling. "Noon, best friend. The convention is at noon."
Baekhyun should be at home, watching Law & Order but instead, he's here, stuck in a dark room with music blasting in his ears with strangers. He thought maybe it wouldn't be so bad when he spotted the table of food but it was so dark (with only a few moving lights on the ceiling), it almost seemed as if they had entered in Hollister instead of the convention. Plus, the food was nothing but finger foods. He wonders what Mike Logan was probably doing now as he glumly chomps down on a baby carrot.
"Did you come here just to eat?" Jongdae sighs, back from 'looking around'.
"Please, I'm barely eating. I feel like a rabbit," he adds, frowning. "Can we go now? Are you done?"
"Yes," Jongdae says and Baekhyun sighs of relief but Jongdae holds up a finger. "But I want you to see something. Or rather, someone."
Groaning, Baekhyun gets dragged across the room, apologizing to at least eleven people for bumping into them. They suddenly come to a halt, surprising Baekhyun as he crashed into his best friends back, and Jongdae gives out a quiet squeal.
"Look, there he is." Baekhyun makes a face before squinting in the dark at the figure Jongdae had pointed out. The adolescent is leaning against the wall and even though he's not doing much, it looks as if he's modelling right then and there. His grey, silver hair shimmered every now and then when a light happened to scan over him Baekhyun can see he's wears a bored expression.
"Is that - "
"Yeah, isn't he gorgeous?"
Baekhyun can only manage a nod because yeah, Jongin was pretty...well, pretty. Jongin glances around the room, his eyes looking tired when he locks eyes with Baekhyun. Baekhyun is most likely staring back, which is probably considered rude, but at the same time, the microphone from the front stage crackles to life and the host of the model convention beams.
"H-hello? Is this thing...is this thing working?" The host taps the mic yet Baekhyun can't tear his eyes off of Jongin, who already had lost eye contact with him and was staring up at the stage. "I'd like to announce the winner to the photoshoot draw is...Byun Baekhyun!"
Baekhyun's eyes finally leave Kim Jongin.
Beside him, Jongdae is clapping excitedly and jumping up and down like a little girl. "Jongdae," Baekhyun hisses, glaring at his younger friend. "Did you enter my name into the draw?"
"How could I not? Look, if I didn't, you wouldn't have won," Jongdae points out with one raised eyebrow.
Baekhyun sighs in defeat, turning his head back to only find Jongin staring back. He looks startled for a moment, then his expression relaxed and he gave a small smile.
Baekhyun was never one big on romance. He never read romance novels, never watched a chick flick and never really had his own experience with love. Sure, he loved his parents, his friends and knew who was important to him. All the gibberish about The Red String Theory, 'The One', and even fate seemed cliché to him. Call him cheesy, a hypocrite or even a liar, but Jongin kinda, sorta makes Baekhyun forget about all of that.
Call him cheesy, a hypocrite or even a liar, but Baekhyun swears his heart skipped a beat.
"Yeah, I'm outside the office right now," Baekhyun said, struggling with the sun in his eyes as he glanced up at the big building. Jongdae was abuzz with excitement and even though Baekhyun couldn’t see his friend on the other end, he could practically hear him smiling. “I can’t believe you signed me up for something like this.”
“You must have wanted to go anyways because you didn’t exactly decline,” Jongdae points out and Baekhyun lets out a sigh.
“Bye.I’ll call you when this nightmare is done.” And with that Baekhyun turns off his phone and pushes open the heavy glass door that lead to the SM Model Management building.
What the photoshoot draw was for was a full day at one of the biggest modeling agencies to ever be founded. What were the odds that Baekhyun won? He was probably the least interested in the modeling business whereas someone else would take this chance to find out more about their future, but here Baekhyun was, appearing in a building that most would only dream of entering.
“Are you Mr. Byun Baekhyun?” Baekhyun turns around to see a tall, thin boy, probably in his early twenties, with narrow eyes and strawberry blond hair. He’s taller than Baekhyun by much which concludes his theory that the boy that was addressing him was definitely a model. “You’re supposed to be in Studio B.”
“Sorry, but I don’t exactly know who you…” Baekhyun blinks.
“You don’t know me?” The boy is obviously caught off guard, his eyes widening but after a second he narrows them again. “Oh Sehun. I’m one of the best models.” He huffs before walking off and Baekhyun quickly scurries behind him.
Jongdae’s probably mentioned him once or twice, Baekhyun thinks. His expression was the same typical, bored expression that Jongin wore. It annoyed Baekhyun to see models always act like they had something better to do. Like they were better because they were pretty and that was all there was to their job - to stay pretty. Sehun wore a black MCM leather jacket and True Religion Jeans which only seemed to irritate Baekhyun more. What was with models wearing expensive things even outside their workplace? It was bragging almost. Baekhyun could even afford some of those Calvin Klein undies that Jongin had modelled for. Jongin, Jongin, Jongin. Every thought Baekhyun had since yesterday seemed to lead back to him. Would he meet Jongin? Baekhyun eyes Sehun from the side and nervously plays with his hands. Models made him nervous.
“I suppose you’ll find Studio B on your own?”
Baekhyun hadn’t realized Sehun had stopped walking and was already standing in front of doors that were painted with a large B.
He enters the studio and immediately is blinded by the lights and brightness. A camera goes off every second and there are several models scattered around the studio, either in makeup or wardrobe. Sehun disappears behind some racks of clothes, leaving Baekhyun alone to hastily step towards the man who seems to be the photographer.
“Hello,” Baekhyun greets, bowing slightly to the photographer who glances in his way for only a brief moment.
“Oh, are you that kid who won the draw?” He asks, his camera flashes not stopping once. Baekhyun looks over at the model who was currently being photographed and takes in his light brown curls and soft skin. “You’re doing great, Luhan. How about you tilt your head a bit...yes, perfect.”
“Yes,” Baekhyun replies, turning back to the photographer. To be honest, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do here. He knew he had VIP access but what could he possibly do in a modeling studio?
“Alright, Luhan. You did good. Go to wardrobe,” the photographer calls out behind the camera, standing straight and looks through the photos before looking over to Baekhyun. “Right. Hi. I’m Yixing, professional photographer.”
"Yixing," Baekhyun echos, looking at the photographer properly this time. He was young for someone who was working for SM; definitely one of the youngest photographers Baekhyun knows of. But then again, Baekhyun hardly knows any photographers, period. From the way Yixing spoke Korean, Baekhyun could tell he wasn't from here either.
"Yes." Yixing sets the camera down and claps his hands. "Well, I suppose you can head over to make-up and wardrobe and we can get the photoshoot going."
Baekhyun blinks. "Photoshoot?"
"What'd you think you'd do after you win a photoshoot draw?" Yixing laughs, his eyes twinkling, gesturing for Baekhyun to walk towards the large glass mirrors.
He blindly walks over.
A woman smiles at him as he sits down and she tells him what kind of look she'll be going for but Baekhyun doesn't really care. He was going to model? Baekhyun didn't even know how to take proper selcas let alone a photoshoot. Baekhyun sighs, staring at his reflection in the mirror and wonders how he managed to get in this situation. He watches as the make-up lady applies something to his lips when he catches a familiar face in the mirror.
Jongin sits in a chair, flipping through some sort of book as others fanned him to keep him from sweating. Standing beside him is the same 'Oh Sehun', and he's talking but it doesn't seem like Jongin was listening by much. Baekhyun rolls his eyes. Models. Sure, Jongin was a pretty face but that probably all there was to him. No personality, no morals and definitely no brains. Jongin’s ideal of fun was probably lounge around by a pool with his shirt off while girls danced in bikinis.
"You're ready to go," the make-up lady says, bringing Baekhyun to reality as he thanks her before sliding off the chair. "You can go to wardrobe now."
He obeys.
Besides, what could he do now? He already had a face full of make-up. Might as well.
There are several sparkly things thrown, colourful thrusted at him and some questionable pieces of clothing are chuckled into his arms. He's pushed into the changing rooms and Baekhyun is still unaware of what happened two seconds ago. He blinks, staring at the clothes and meekly picks out a black graphic tee and white shorts and glumly puts them on.
When he exits the changing room, all ready, it’s like everyone had forgotten about him and moved on. Everything else is already moving on, leaving him behind.
“Are you nervous?” Baekhyun glances to his left and sees the bronze model, flipping through a textbook. Funny, Baekhyun never knew there were textbooks for modeling. Jongin glances up and smiles, his pearly teeth showing. “It get’s easier once you’re behind the camera.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” Jongin cocks his head to the side and blinks, staring at Baekhyun, making him clear his throat nervously. Were those judging eyes? Baekhyun can spot Sehun from the corner of his eyes, glaring at Baekhyun's back from afar. Jongin’s mouth slightly parts and Baekhyun swallows, ready for insults to spill out past his lips. “Eyeliner looks good on you,” he finally says.
It takes a while before Baekhyun registers that a model hadn’t just insulted him and instead, had complimented him but before Baekhyun can say his thanks, Yixing calls for Jongin, making the professional model give one last smile at him and sets his textbook aside.
Baekhyun looks over to the textbook, suddenly feeling lightheaded. What could the model possibly be looking at? A think magazine? Surely, a model didn’t have the memory span to read something actually educational - Baekhyun’s eyes widen in surprise.
It’s a calculus book.
“He said eyeliner looked good on you?” Jongdae is all bright as the two of them leave literature class. He clings to his books like a teenage girl in high school and sighs. “Byun Baekhyun, you are living quite a life.”
Baekhyun scoffs. “So what if a model said I look good in eyeliner? It’s not like I’ll ever see him again.”
“You don’t know that.” Jongdae says, wagging a finger at his friend. “When do your shots come in? I want to see if my prediction of you being a model is as spot on as I said.”
“Sometime this week I think,” Baekhyun shrugs as a vibrating goes off in Baekhyun’s back pocket. Baekhyun pulls it out hastily to see an unfamiliar number on his screen. Jongdae peeks at the number and raises an eyebrow but gets a swat in his arm in return. “Hello?”
“Is this Baekhyun?”
Baekhyun frowns, taking the phone down from his ear and squinted at the number. Nope, never saw that number before. The voice sounds vaguely familiar but… “Yes. Who is this?”
“Hello Baekhyun, this is Yixing. I was going over your shots this morning and I must say, I’m incredibly impressed.” Jongdae has his ear pressed up against the back of the phone and he gasps.
“Yixing as in the Zhang Yixing? The guy is a genius from China,” Jongdae exclaims, covering his ‘O’ shaped mouth with two hands. His shoulders then slump, his mouth growing a cheesy grin. “But don’t pay too much attention to the compliment; Yixing is known for being super nice.”
Ignoring his friend, Baekhyun strains to hear the photographers voice. “I think you have potential to actually become a model. To make it a career, if you’d like. We can discuss the details over coffee.”
Baekhyun’s mind is blank but Jongdae’s nodding so fast, he looks like a bobble-head and Baekhyun is worried his head might fall off. “Okay,” Baekhyun finds himself saying and when he hangs up, Jongdae is grinning so wide it scares Baekhyun a bit.
“I guess you’re a model now,” Jongdae says, slinging a shoulder around Baekhyun’s shoulder and laughing (but it sounds more like a cackle). “Remember me when.”
“He said he thinks. I’m not a model yet.”
“I know I said you shouldn’t take Yixing’s compliments seriously but to have a top-notch photographer say you have potential is something else, Baek.” Jongdae pauses. “Also, photographers don’t really think. They feel.”
”Stop emphasizing every other word,” Baekhyun grumbles. He’s no photographer but he feels like Jongdae deserves a punch in the stomach.
7PM and Baekhyun should be at home watching the newest episode of “It’s Okay, That’s Love” but instead, he is standing by the doors of a cafe that’s he’s never been to before. It’s the typical cafe that’s dimly lit with lights on the ceiling with calming music playing. Sighing, Baekhyun glances at his watch and bits his lip nervously.
Baekhyun is right on time.
So, what could explain where the famous photographer, Yixing, was?
As if on cue, his cell phone buzzes and unsurprisingly, Yixing’s name appeared. Hey, B! It’s Yixing. I’m really sorry but I’m going to have to cancel last minute. Photographer business. I’ll make it up to you next time, KIT! Wow, dumped by a text message? Baekhyun shoves his cell phone back into his pocket, grumbling when someone caught his eye. Inside the cafe was a familiar silver haired boy sitting in a booth in the far corner, with almost every set of eyes on him. A mug sat on the table as the boy flipped pages through something that looked oddly like another textbook but Baekhyun doesn’t want to believe it.
It’s like his body moves on his own, because soon enough, Baekhyun finds himself walking over to the same booth Jongin sat and slide himself into the seat across from the model as if it was him he was supposed to meet. Heck, if Baekhyun was going to miss an episode of his favourite drama, he might as well make the best of it.
Jongin looks up from his book (indeed it’s a textbook), and his eyes widen in surprise. “Oh,” is all he manages to say.
”Do you have any recommendations on what to drink?” Baekhyun asks, ignoring the pounding his chest that’s screaming ‘get out of there as fast as you can; you’ve embarrassed yourself enough!’ as he flips through the menu that was casted to the side.
”Um, I got a cappuccino so -- “
God damn, why was this model so quiet? “Anything more sweeter?” Baekhyun interrupts, scanning the several photos of coffee drinks in front of him.
Baekhyun spots Jongin grimacing in the corner of his eyes. “Uh, latte macchiato?”
Baekhyun shrugs and gestures for a waitress to take his order. Once he does, he looks over to find Jongin staring at him with much surprise and even looking timid. Baekhyun blinks and stares back before clearing his throat. “So, what are you doing at a cafe alone? Shouldn’t you be at some high class party with girls and beer?”
Baekhyun is surprised to hear Jongin laugh in response and when he laughs, his eyes scrunch up and he’s wearing one of the brightest smile. No wonder he was a model. “Is that really what you see me as?”
”I don’t know much about models,” Baekhyun says, shrugging as the waitress returns with his drink which Baekhyun takes thankfully. His throat was starting to get dry. “Sorry if I came off rude a few seconds ago. I get rude when I’m nervous.” A crappy excuse, Baekhyun figures, but hopefully Jongin will accept it.
Jongin’s still staring at Baekhyun thoughtfully, a bit of amusement in his eyes. “Baekhyun, right?”
To hear his name roll off of Jongin’s tongue so naturally and comfortable makes Baekhyun choke on his macchiato. “Y-yes.” Baekhyun wipes his mouth with the sleeve of his hoodie and frowns. “You’re Jongin.”
Jongin nods, smiling tightly. He closes the textbook (it was a textbook on music) and reaches for his own drink, taking a sip before placing it down again. He licks the steamed milk of his lips and Baekhyun tries not to watch the movement of his tongue. “So, how do you like modeling?”
Baekhyun shrugs again and he finds that when he’s in front of Jongin, he goes speechless even though the model hasn’t done much. “I’m not really modelling. I did one photoshoot.”
”But did you like it?” Jongin smiles. “You still modelled for that one photoshoot. You did a good job, by the way. I saw the shots. You look like you’ve done it all your life.”
Baekhyun ignores his compliment because if he concentrates on it too much, he might pass out. “It’s okay.” Baekhyun pauses, glancing at Jongin. “I probably don’t like it as much as you though.”
It’s Jongin’s turn to shrug as he plays with the handle of his mug. “I don’t like it that much. I mean, yeah, it’s okay but I’m just doing it for college fees.”
“College fees?”
Jongin laughs. “College isn’t free even if you have good looks, you know. I’d much rather be a professional dancer. Maybe even open my own dancing school. But until then, I gotta study and get at least the basic maths and english things down before really striving for my goal, you know?” Jongin pauses, sighing as he stirred his drink. “My parents want me to get a degree first though. They think dancing isn’t something that’s sturdy.”
Baekhyun scrunches his nose. “So, you’re taking the maths and english things down for your parents? Do you even like those classes?”
”I don’t like them, but I do good in them. I’ll just finish the classes to satisfy my parents. Once I finish them, I’ll bring up the subject of dance.”
”Why do you have to satisfy your parents? It’s your life. Chase your dreams, do what you like, be happy.” Baekhyun throws his hands in the air, furrowing his eyebrows. He hated how he sounded like some cheesy Youtuber but he ignored the feeling. “What’s so hard about that?”
”It’s harder than you think.”
Baekhyun scoffs. “It really isn’t.” Baekhyun drinks the rest of his latte before standing up, already somewhat irritated. “I think I’m going to go now. Sorry to ruin your night.”
Then Baekhyun walks out of the cafe (not after paying for his drink of course), shoving his hands in his pocket. Halfway to the bus stop, guilt starts to seep into his lungs and his chest feels heavy. He just acted like a major dick and he regretted every second of it. Baekhyun angrily ran a hand through his hair and let out a small yell of frustration? Why did Jongin make him like this? Baekhyun was sure that if it was with anyone else, he wouldn’t have acted the way he did.
The bus rolls in front of him, giving Baekhyun a ride away from the cafe and model. Hopefully, he’d never see Kim Jongin again but at the same time, he hoped he would.
“I’m sorry to cancel on our plans yesterday,” Yixing calls the next day, his voice dripping with regret. “I can come by your house if that’s okay and we -- “
”How about I come to your office instead?” Baekhyun interrupts.
Yixing hesitates. “Okay, but I might have a photoshoot going and -- “
”Yes, that’s fine.”
It was perfect.
Baekhyun marches up to the office, finding Studio B without Oh Sehun’s help and creeps into the room, his confidence sinking as soon as he stepped into the place.
”Confidence is key in modeling so I suggest you keep your head held high,” a voice says, a laugh following after. Baekhyun turns to the side and almost lets out a groan. This guy could not possibly be real.
”You’re too nice for a model.”
”Are models supposed to be mean?”
”Maybe not mean but snobby.”
Jongin laughs. “Well, I’m not. I don’t think so anyways. I’m not like other models, I guess.”
”You’re not,” Baekhyun finds himself saying. He had came to see Yixing but he was hoping to see Jongin so he could say sorry. But at the same time he wished he wouldn’t see Jongin. Apologizing was harder than he thought. He sways on his foot as he eyes a book in Jongin’s hands. “Why are you always reading?”
Jongin shrugs. “I like reading. It’s fun.”
Baekhyun lets out an exasperated groan. “Why are you reading when you could be at parties?” Baekhyun’s sure as heck that if he was a model, he’d be attending every party and event.
Jongin laughs again and Baekhyun thinks he really enjoys that sound. “I’ll bring you to the next one that happens. Then, you’ll see why.” He cocks his head to the side and his mouth forms a curious pout. “Are you here to see Yixing-hyung?”
Baekhyun stares at Jongin before taking a deep breath and clearing his throat. “Yeah, but I was hoping I’d bump into you as well.”
Jongin’s eye scrunch upwards, forming the perfect eyesmle. “Why? Did you miss me? Do you have a crush on me?”
Baekhyun feels his face heat up and he hates it. “Crush? N-no, this isn’t third grade, Jongin,” Baekhyun coughs out.
”Then why were you hoping to bump into me, hyung?” Jongin bends forwards a little so that their eyes meet and are at the same level; Baekhyun wasn’t sure if it was because the model wanted to remind him that he was shorter than the younger boy but he felt his chest tighten. “Was it to apologize for your dick-like behaviour yesterday? Because it’s already left my mind about that so why don’t we just forget about it, okay?”
The longer Baekhyun spent talking to Jongin, the more he grew annoyed. How was he so incredibly forgiving? What kind of model reads? What kind of model studies? And besides that, actually likes it? Who likes studying? Kim Jongin was a fraud. Kim Jongin was nothing like the models in TV and furthermore, his personality didn’t fit his flawless face. He liked to laugh, liked to read and wanted to dance. Kim Jongin was a twelve year old stuck in a twenty year old’s body. Baekhyun grumbles an excuse to Jongin about how he was in a rush before shuffling towards Yixing’s office.
Jongin confused Baekhyun and Baekhyun hated to be deceived.
After a week of Jongdae going on and on about how Baekhyun’s profile shots were evidently the work of Zhang Yixing, a week of the same Zhang Yixing calling to ask Baekhyun to come in for more photoshoots and a week of not seeing Kim Jongin despite the fact that Baekhyun had agreed to every photoshoot, Baekhyun felt more tired than he ever had his entire life.
The reason Baekhyun had agreed to the photoshoots wasn’t because Baekhyun liked model. It was okay, he guesses, but he much rather be at home. All the cameras, all the makeup, all the outfit changes stressed him out. But he went every day, in hope of seeing Jongin but the geek was hardly ever seen. Every time Baekhyun did see the professional bronze model, he was gone after the shutter of the camera.
Baekhyun needed a short escape from his new life that wasn’t all that new.
Strangely, he finds himself wandering towards the cafe where he had been with Jongin and pushes the door to the cafe open, not hoping for much besides a cup of coffee but there he was. Sitting in the same booth, a new book in hand with the same mug but this time, with a cookie in front of him.
Strangely, but not really, Baekhyun unconsciously walks over to the model and plops himself down like he had the first time. Jongin looks up with the same curious look he always had and a smile forms when he realizes it’s Baekhyun.
”It’s been a while. I was beginning to think you hated me.”
Baekhyun coughs and takes a sip from the boy’s cappuccino, trying to clear his throat (and mind). Hate him? Nobody hated models and whoever knew Jongin most definitely can’t hate him. “You really aren’t like other models,” Baekhyun finally says and Jongin laughs, a tittering laugh and Baekhyun doesn’t know what happens but he can feel himself falling more in love with the model than he ever imagined himself to.