The bright lights in the warehouse caused Jongin to raise an arm to shield his sensitive eyes, even though he was wearing his black aviator sunglasses. He wasn’t going to take any chances and allow them to possibly be damaged further, especially since his appointment with Dr. Kim Junmyeon was scheduled next week.

“You okay?” Yixing murmured, having seen the artist react as they walked into the warehouse together.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Jongin reassured his manager as he moved his arm down. “Just wasn’t expecting it to be so bright in here.”

As they walked closer to the area where the photo shoot was being held, they could hear voices coming from the mass of people clustered together around several large cameras and a giant cream-colored backdrop. “Give me more feeling!” a shrill, high-pitched male voice cried out amidst the hubbub of noise. Jongin internally remarked to himself how much that person, whom he assumed was the photo shoot director, sounded a lot like Jongdae when he was being especially whiny. “More! Give me more!”

When the pair was close enough to the crowd, Jongin saw that the source of the piercing voice was a man sitting with his legs wrapped around the back of a wooden chair while wildly waving a roll of paper in the air. A pair of round glasses with a fawn-colored frame was resting on the bridge of his straight nose. Jongin raised an eyebrow when he noticed that there were no lenses actually in the frame of the glasses.

“Turn, turn, turn—wait, that’s too much. Angle back just a little bit. No, I said a little bit! That's too much!” the man barked as he stretched up, lifting his bottom off of the chair. Jongin glanced over at the female model and she looked somewhat ticked off at the director’s incessant screaming. “And Mr. Lee, for the last time, where is Oh Sehun?” the man screeched as he stood up from his seat, looking around the room for the model who was nowhere to be seen. “We’re behind schedule because of him!”

“He’s getting his makeup done right now, Director Kim,” a slightly older man answered in a soothing voice. However, behind his back, he was wringing his hands nervously. “I promise he’ll be out soon. He’ll be here before Suji finishes her part.”

The photo shoot director sat back down and grumbled, “If he isn’t, I swear…” He pointed the roll of paper in his hand at the female model again and shouted, “Get in position, Suji!”

As the photo shoot continued, Jongin watched as Bae Suji, another famous model in the same agency as Sehun, continued posing while the camera shutters constantly clicked to capture her every movement. He noted her dark khaki-colored clothing and snorted when he realized that this color was being advertised as taupe as well. These so-called “fashion pioneers” were bigger fools than he originally thought they were.

“Boo.”

Jongin jumped in surprise and found Sehun grinning widely at him. “Hello, you handsome devil,” the artist greeted as he hugged his best friend who was dressed in a long, thin light khaki—Jongin refused to acknowledge it as taupe—topcoat with a matching pair of pants.

Once Jongin let go, Sehun turned to Yixing and gave him a quick hug as well. “Hey, Yixing! It’s been awhile, hasn’t it?”

Yixing nodded as he answered with a beaming smile, “It’s good to see you again, Sehun.”

The model was about to speak when the older man named Mr. Lee suddenly appeared at their side and latched onto Sehun’s arm. “You! How many times have I told you to stop being tardy?!”

“Relax, Donghae,” Sehun said, rolling his eyes as he pushed the older man off of him. “Suji isn’t even done. There’s no need for me to be early and wait around while doing nothing.”

“Still—”

“Be glad I’m earlier than I usually am,” Sehun cut in.

Yixing winced, feeling sorry for this Donghae fellow. After all, he himself had been interrupted by Jongin too many times for him to count. Sehun and Jongin were terribly alike in this aspect.

“And why should I?” Donghae looked at him with a frown before noticing who the model was standing with. His expression immediately changed from frustration to surprise to elation when he recognized the artist. “Oh my goodness, Kim Jongin, it’s you!” he exclaimed, bouncing up and down as he grabbed Jongin’s hands to shake them vigorously. “Do you remember me? When we met four years ago?” Donghae asked excitedly, his eyes shining brightly.

Jongin smiled awkwardly as he tried to extricate his hand out of the older man’s tight grasp. Yes, he remembered Donghae quite well.

The artist was in the process of taking down his sketches after concluding an outdoor exhibition. The showcase had been set up by one of his regular sponsors and it had been nothing less than an absolute success. Jongin had received dozens of commissions, which he had happily accepted, and several people had asked for his contact information since they wanted to collaborate with him in the future for other exhibitions and art shows. Yixing was busy tidying up the refreshments table while Jongin took care of his artwork.

As he was carefully handling the first of many enormous charcoal pencil figure sketches that were lined up in a row on easels, a man in his late twenties suddenly appeared and began scrutinizing the sketches. Jongin made no move towards him, since he didn’t mind the man looking as long as he didn’t take pictures or touch the artwork. The artist just continued placing the sketch he was currently holding into a protective plastic cover, taking extreme care not to crease any part of the delicate paper. He was so engrossed in his task that he almost didn’t hear the man talking to him.

“Excuse me, sir? Are you Kim Jongin?” The man waved a hand in front of Jongin to grab his attention.

“Oh, yes, that’s me. Sorry, is there something you need?” the artist asked as he straightened up to speak to the man.

“You have people posing for your figure drawings right?” the man questioned, pointing to the row of sketches that Jongin hadn’t taken down yet.

The artist nodded.

“I noticed that for the male figures, you’ve drawn the same person over and over again.”

“That’s right,” Jongin answered slowly, feeling confused. No one had ever inquired about his model choice before.

The man suddenly grabbed his hands and said in a pleading voice, “You must introduce me to your male model!”

“Huh?”

The man noticed how taken aback Jongin looked and released his hands to reach into his front jacket pocket for a business card. “Let me introduce myself.” As he handed the thin white card to Jongin, he continued, “I’m Lee Donghae, a scout for World of Fashion, and I just need to have this young man become our next biggest star. Please introduce me to him!”

Donghae had followed around Jongin for the rest of that afternoon until the artist finally agreed to bring the older man to Sehun, who then became the new target of the scout’s relentless begging.

“What do you think of the photo shoot so far?” Sehun asked, steering the conversation in a different direction while he draped an arm around his best friend’s shoulder. “Feeling inspired yet?”

“Nope, not at all.”

The model was about to reply when the director suddenly shouted, “Cut!”

“Took you long enough to get here, Sehun,” Suji commented as she walked over to her folding chair which was situated near the group.

“Sorry. I wanted to look my best for my guests here,” Sehun answered with a sweeping motion towards Jongin and Yixing.

The photo shoot director heard the two models’ short exchange and rapidly turned in their direction. “Oh Sehun! There you are!” he bellowed as he jumped off of his chair and joined the group, ignoring everyone but the male model. “Get yourself to the backdrop now! We’re late!”

Sehun groaned as the hyperactive man pulled him away from the others. “But Sunggyu,” he whined as he was dragged off.

“No complaints! We’re behind schedule!”

But Jongin noticed they were still using the same cream-colored backdrop. He had kept quiet during Suji’s photo shoot earlier, even though it had bothered him then, but he couldn’t stay silent any longer. “Are you seriously going to use this background for Sehun’s photo shoot?” Jongin asked, his tone laced with disapproval.

The photo shoot director whipped his head around and looked for the person who had made the comment.

Jongin stepped forward, his gaze hardening as he gestured distastefully towards the backdrop. “This is the worst kind of background you can use for this specific photo shoot.” Sehun silently cheered for his best friend, out of Sunggyu’s line of sight.

“And what makes you say that?”

“Sehun’s going to look washed out against that backdrop. You want him to stand out since he’s the main focus, so you should be using a pure white background instead. That cream-colored backdrop is going to contrast horribly with his khaki clothing set.”

“Jongin, it’s actually taupe, not khaki,” Donghae piped up from the side. Yixing cringed upon hearing the scout correct the artist on colors.

“That’s wrong as well,” Jongin said firmly.

“Oh?” Sunggyu stepped closer to Jongin, surveying the tall artist as he did. “I can assure you, young man, that khaki and taupe are two very different colors.”

“I agree with that. They most certainly are. Which is why it’s quite amateur for someone like you, who I presume has directed many photo shoots, to make such a silly mistake,” Jongin answered smoothly. He wasn’t afraid of Sunggyu. Even though his current color perception wasn’t as reliable as it had been before, there was no doubt in the artist’s mind that he was right about the clothing’s color. Because this drab shade could never, in a million years, ever be the beauty that was taupe.

It didn’t even make sense in the first place that someone had even considered making khaki a trending color for the newest fall collection. It was such a lackluster, dreary shade. Even though there was a slight pink tinge to Sehun’s clothing which added some minor depth to the tone, Jongin still wanted to toss the entire set to the trash where it belonged. Sehun was a model, for goodness sake, not a soldier in the military. Were people really that uncreative nowadays?

Oh right.

It’s not like he was any better himself. With his constant failures for over five months, Jongin shouldn’t be chastising others when he himself was unable to do any better either. His own work was just as bland and uninspiring as the khaki clothing that Sehun was wearing.

While, unbeknownst to anyone else, the artist was sinking back into the pit of toxic thoughts, Sunggyu carefully contemplated Jongin’s earlier words and saw some merit to them. “Replace the background immediately! Pure white! Just as this gentleman said!” he ordered, once again waving around his roll of paper in the air. Sunggyu hadn’t gotten this far in life as a renowned photo shoot director by disregarding others’ advice and he was willing to make changes to better his work. He turned to thank the artist for the constructive criticism, but it was too late.

Jongin had already slunk away to the back of the room, where the darkest shadows were. He didn’t have the heart to continue watching the photo shoot. After all, there was no way he could find any inspiration here if his muse was nowhere to be seen.

--

Jongin walked into the clinic, bundled up in his classic black clothing and wearing his trusty black aviator sunglasses once again. It was quiet with only the clicking sound of rapid typing audible. The artist’s black leather shoes sank into the soft moss green carpet as he walked down the hallway to the receptionist’s desk. Other patients paid him no mind, since they were either glued to their phone screens or napping in the large plush armchairs that were placed around the waiting room.

“How may I help you today?” a young female with long black hair asked pleasantly once Jongin was at the receptionist’s desk.

The artist carefully took off his sunglasses and leaned towards the female, who lightly blushed at the sudden proximity, before answering, “Kim Jongin. Appointment with Dr. Kim Junmyeon at two today. My manager called in last week to schedule the appointment. I believe he has already relayed the specifics regarding confidentiality surrounding my appointment.”

The receptionist nodded as she began sorting through several files on her desk. When she found the one labeled with Kim Jongin, she responded, “Oh yes, Mr. Zhang Yixing called us a week ago for you, Mr. Kim Jongin, with a referral from Mr. Oh Sehun. We treat a number of celebrities here at Bright Vision Eye Clinic, so our doctors and other employees are all aware of the protocol, Mr. Kim.” She smiled cheerfully at Jongin once she finished speaking, her hands clasped together over his file.

“Good.”

She handed him a clipboard with several papers clipped on top and a pen attached by a flimsy metal chain, saying, “Since you’re a new patient at our clinic, I need you to fill out these forms for me please. You can take a seat over there,” she pointed to a nearby vacant armchair, “and one of our nurses will bring you in when Dr. Kim is ready to see you.”

“Thank you.” Jongin gave the receptionist a half-smile before tucking the clipboard under his arm as he walked over to the armchair and slowly easing into it. It was much squishier than it looked and he leaned back comfortably, crossing his right leg over his left leg as he did. After propping up the clipboard against his right knee, the artist grabbed the pen and began doggedly filling out the paperwork. It took him some time to complete everything, since Yixing was usually the one who took care of the trivial details like this. The manager wasn’t at the clinic with Jongin today, because he had several errands to run while the artist was being examined.

Once he was done, Jongin sat patiently as he waited for his turn. He looked at his surroundings, but honestly, the waiting room was just so bland. Even though this was reputed to be one of the top eye clinics in the city, Jongin didn’t see what was so special about the place. The walls were a dull eggshell color which was bothering him because they should be perfectly, purely white. It reminded him of that awful cream-colored background that Sunggyu had originally set up for Sehun and Suji’s photo shoots, and a shudder went through Jongin’s body as the memory flashed through his mind.

The artist made a mental note to have Yixing send in an anonymous feedback report later, since Jongin didn’t think he would be able to stand seeing these dirty walls during future visits. And was that dust on his black leather shoes? Jongin grimaced when he leaned down to slide his pointer finger over the smooth surface and found a thin coat of dust covering his fingertip. Great, he’d have to add cleanliness to the growing list of complaints he had with this place.

And the ambiance was utterly dreadful. There was no soft background music playing, no screen showing a movie or a television drama, and no magazines for people to lazily flip through as they waited for their turn. There was nothing. Absolutely nothing. Jongin was appalled with how barren and boring the place was.

How in the world was Sehun satisfied with such inadequacy? He’d have to have a serious talk with his best friend about his standards once they met up again, because this was unacceptable.

Jongin was about to continue his unspoken tirade when he noticed the receptionist beckoning him to come to her desk. So he stood up and walked over, giving her a questioning look.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Kim, but I think you’ll have to reschedule your appointment with Dr. Kim.”

“Excuse me?!”

The receptionist slightly flinched when she heard the fury in his voice. “Dr. Kim was called away on an emergency just now, so unfortunately, the rest of his appointments that were scheduled today have been cancelled.”

“When is the next available appointment time with him?” Jongin asked hastily, his eyebrows furrowing with agitation.

She quickly scanned through the booking system on her computer before answering apologetically, “I’m afraid the next one won’t be for several weeks. Dr. Kim is fully booked for the next month. I actually had to swap out a different patient for you when Mr. Zhang was scheduling your appointment.”

“Weeks?!” This was not happening. “Look here, Ms.—” Jongin paused briefly as he quickly glanced at the receptionist’s nametag. “—Jung Soojung, you are aware of who I am, correct?”

“Yes, Mr. Kim,” she squeaked out timidly, having never dealt with anyone who had such a demanding and aggressive aura like Jongin did. “I’ve seen you and your art in several magazines. In fact, I’ve admired your work for quite some time now.”

“Then you must know that I don’t like to be kept waiting. Not to mention, my manager explicitly informed you that I need to be examined right away,” Jongin hissed with narrowed eyes as he towered over the receptionist.

“Y-yes, but—”

Jongin leaned even closer, stopped only by the counter that separated the two. His threatening stance caused Soojung to gulp loudly as she apprehensively scooted away. “Then I suggest you fix this problem immediately or else.”

“O-of course, Mr. Kim,” Soojung stammered before grabbing the phone on her desk and dialing a number.

Jongin returned to his seat, feeling extremely irritated. Nothing was going right for him. It was just his luck to have the doctor run out on him right before his appointment. It would’ve been too easy if everything actually went according to plan.

So the artist took this chance to silently sulk in his seat and let his anger simmer even more. Dr. Kim Junmyeon had better be the best darn ophthalmologist on this planet. Jongin had half a mind to just walk out and find some other eye clinic that would be more accommodating. It was ridiculous how terrible the service was in this place.

“Mr. Kim?”

Jongin turned when Soojung called for him. He heaved himself up off of the armchair and returned to the receptionist’s desk. “Have you solved the problem, Ms. Jung?”

She nodded vigorously with her eyes twinkling, because there was a solution, thank goodness. Soojung didn’t want to imagine how Jongin would react if he were told again that he’d have to come back at a later time for his initial consultation with Dr. Kim. “Luckily, one of our other doctors has finished his earlier appointments ahead of schedule, so he has time to squeeze you in before his next appointment at two-thirty. If you don’t mind not seeing Dr. Kim today, we can have your appointment go through as planned. The details of today’s examination will be given to Dr. Kim when he returns so that he’s well-informed of anything important for future visits,” the receptionist explained, silently praying for Jongin to accept this alternative.

The artist nodded slowly. Well, it was better than nothing. At least he wouldn’t be wasting his time and he’d actually be getting examined today. For once, something was going right. “That’s fine.”

“Perfect!” Soojung exclaimed happily, lightly clapping her hands together. “In that case, Dr. Do will see you now.”

♈♈♈