Chapter 10 - February 2015

The speedometer on his dashboard slowly fell to zero as he reached the intersection.  Jason watched the red needle fall, he rolled to a stop at the red lights.  He lifted his gaze to his reflection in the rear-view mirror, he carefully pushed back strands that had fallen from their usual spikes and grinned at his own reflection.  Leaving the office a few minutes early was well worth it, he missed the rush of other employees trying to escape the staff carpark and was now on his way home. 

The lights turned green, so he shifted into gear and sped forward.  A brief grimace marred his face as he remembered that dinner would be cancelled today because they had a late photoshoot tonight.  His thoughts wandered to everyone’s happy expressions a few months before when Jessica-noona had opened up to them.  What followed were weeks of meetings with SNSD, their manager and director-nim.  Finally, they reached an agreement which satisfied all, he drafted the contract, ensured that every rule and procedure was followed, made it as airtight as possible and his noona was safe from being fired for any reason related to her fashion company.  There were safety nets in place should anything happen.  The girls’ faces the moment everything was settled and out in the open were the very definition of joyous.  They had laughed and celebrated and dragged him along in their feasting and drinking.  Not that he drank anything, in the end he, Yoona and Seohyun had ended up nursing everyone’s headaches the morning after.

Speak of the devil…

Someone was calling his phone and it had been rerouted to the Bluetooth speaker system in his car.  It wasn’t just any ringtone, the notes of Let’s Talk About Love filled his vehicle.  He pressed the button on the steering wheel to answer the call, eyes still fixated on the road.

“Hi Tiffany-noona.”

“Jason-ah~!” she said in a singsong voice, “Are you on your way home?”

A car merged into the lane in front him, he eased a foot down on the brakes to let him in then sped again to match the flow of traffic.  Only one part of his mind was paying attention to the call, the rest was taking heed of the rush hour traffic.

“Yes, noona,” he finally answered, “How is your photoshoot going?”

“TERRIBLE,” she whined, “The male model is late and now we’re stuck here waiting.” There was quality to her voice that told him she was probably pouting to her phone right now.

“That’s too bad,” he turned left at the next junction, “I’m free right now, do you want me to bring you food or anything?”

"Oooh! Can you get me a strawberry shortcake from Starbucks, please?!" she asked excitedly."

A car swerved dangerously into his lane. He stomped on the brakes, lurched forward in his seat and glared at the careless idiot in front of him. He beeped his horn in displeasure before returning to the conversation.

"Of course, noona," he answered, "Could you please ask the others what they like too?"

"Okay!"she said in English.

All he could hear was rustling as Tiffany moved about finding the rest of the girls to gather their requests. Jason indicated right and executed a turn into the Starbucks parking lot. He reached into the satchel on the passenger seat beside him, fished out a fountain pen from the pile of papers and stationery inside. With pen in hand and scrap bit of paper in hand, he carefully noted each order that he received. When Yoona and Sooyoung tried to order multiple meals each, Taeyeon chided them and restricted them to one thing only. Except when they whined till Yoona used her aegyo, Taeyeon caved in and allowed them a drink and food each. Jason laughed at their antics but dutifully wrote the requests down. He folded the white sheet of paper into quarters and tucked it into the waist pocket of his grey vest.

"Okay. I'll go order the food and drinks now," he said, "It'll probably take around twenty minutes for me to get there."

"Okay, Jason-ah. Drive carefully," Taeyeon said.

"Thanks, Jason!" Tiffany chimed in, "See you soon!"

With a click of a button the call was ended. Jason turned off his engine, grabbed his phone, exited and locked his car. Practised hands loosened the black tie around his neck and undid the top button, a casual, but classy air settled about him. A bell rang overhead as he walked into the cafe. Luckily for him there was no line, he quickly placed his order and sat down to wait in the seats by the windows.

Cars of every colour, red, silver, white, black, blue, were sluggishly inching forward in the traffic. So lost was he in thought that he didn't even notice the shy looks from the young women at the cashier and at the coffee machine.

He remained totally oblivious of their batted eyes, flirty smiles when he strode over to pick up the order. A small bow and polite thank you later, and he was swiftly out the door - much their disappointment.

Nothing could make you drive more carefully than having to make sure 7 coffees didn't slosh and spill all over your car seat. The sluggish pace of the traffic worked in his favour, he arrived the grey, unassuming buildings of the studio.

SNSD's manager greeted him at the entrance, Jason bowed to the older man in greeting, his hands were holding the coffee trays while the bag of foods hung on his arm.

"Good evening, manager-ssi," he said.

"Good evening, Jason-ssi," The manager chuckled lowly, "I see the girls have you working hard."

Security guards waved Jason through into the building when SNSD's manager vouched for him. He bowed his head to them, they nodded their heads in return. Jason walked into what looked like a large warehouse, with cameras and lighting equipment everywhere, there were more cables in that one room that he could have ever imagined.

"Haha no, not at all," Jason reassured him, "It's nice that I get to see them at work for the first time ever."

"HAHA Well they're very bored right now, so they'll be glad to see you," The manager leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, "The director just got a call, the male model has pulled out, they're busy looking for a replacement to get the shoot done in time."

Black wires and cables lay across the floor of the building, Jason walked carefully around and over each one lest he stumble and drop anything. The two of them reached a door labelled 'Make-up/Change Rooms: SNSD' and stopped.

"That's very troublesome," he frowned, "I hope everything settles well for you in the end, manager-ssi."

"Don't worry, we'll find a solution," the manager winked and clapped him on the shoulder, "And you may as well call me hyung. You hang around the girls so much, you're practically the tenth member!"

A glare reflected off his glasses when the light but it at just the right angle as he told his head back and laughed. The older man had clearly amused himself, Jason laughed too and shook his head.

He held out one of the trays, "I got you a mocha latte, I remember you mentioned you liked it once. Please take it, thank you for all your hard work."

The manager ruffled his hair good naturedly, picked up the indicated cup and turned to leave, "Thanks. You're a good kid."

Jason carefully stacked the two coffee trays, and balanced it on the same hand as the bag of foods. His tongue stuck out a little in the corner of his mouth as he concentrated hard at the task at hand. With his available right hand, he knocked thrice at the door before him. Yoona opened the door eagerly, welcoming smiles greeted him.

"Hi, I have a delivery for Sonyeoshidae," he joked, "Is this the right place?"

"Oppa!" Yoona hugged him, "Did you bring my food?"

When he entered the room, all the girls were in there just relaxing, make up and hair were already done, but they were still in regular clothes. To make sure the clothes for the photoshoot wouldn't get dirtied, they were still in large clothes bags on a rack. Everyone was either on one of the make up chairs, or the couch in the corner. Heads perked up at the sound of his voice, he entered the room to be greeted with enthusiasm.

"I don't think I'd be as welcome if I'd left your food," he chuckled.

"That's not true~" Yoona whined cutely.

Sooyoung bounded up to him from the couch, Sunny jolted as the taller one jostled her in her haste. With a wide smile, Sooyoung eagerly grabbed the bag of foods.

"You're always welcome, senpai," she said, "You're just MORE welcome when you bring food!"

"I can see that," Jason laughed.

Together the two shikshins picked out their orders and handed the bag off to Hyoyeon and Tiffany. Jason made rounds to everyone, personally handing each drink to the right person.

Taeyeon cradled the hot chocolate with both hands and savoured the first sip of the delicious drink. Her eyes fluttered closed and she sighed happily.

"Mmm. Thanks, Jason," she said.

"You're welcome, noona," he grinned, "At least you have a drink while waiting for a new male model."

Jason handed Sunny her drink next, she gave him a bright and cheery smile that he returned in kind. Unaware of the gaze that had yet to leave his form, Taeyeon eyed him as he wandered to each member and checked to make sure they liked the orders. She looked at his sense of style, the steady, even gait of his strides, his height in comparison to each girl and the way he carried himself with an air of understated confidence. Not as if he was the greatest, but that he knew his own capabilities and was confident in them. His easy banter and connection sealed the deal for her.

She stood up, drink in hand, strode to the door and called out over her shoulder.

"I'll be right back!"

"Okay!" they chorused back.

Yuri and Jason shared a confused look, then shrugged at each other. The ways of a leader's mind was beyond them. Instead they switched back to chatting about a movie they had seen in the past.

Taeyeon closed the door behind her, and surveyed the warehouse. Their manager and the director/photographer were in a heavy discussion just a few metres away.

Their manager ran a distressed hand over his face, his mouth formed into a grim line, the edges hardened with each word the director spoke.

"Oppa!" Taeyeon walked over to them, "Is there any news on the photoshoot?"

"Only bad," he sighed, "We can't find a replacement from the Modelling Agency for today."

"If we cancel today, we won't be able to book this place and equipment for a few more months," The photographer added.

Both men were pacing as they tried to come up with a solution that didn't push the photoshoot schedule back so far. The entire theme of 'Love' was chosen specially for a February release, for Valentine's Day. The delays would ruin the careful timing. Taeyeon cleared ,they looked at her questioningly.

"Can Jason take the model's place?"

Her manager's eyes lit up like a child's. He murmured, "He's pretty much the same height and build too..."

The middle aged photographer looked back and forth between Taeyeon's excited gaze and her manager's hopeful one. He scratched his head in confusion.

"Who's Jason?" he asked.

"Her dongsaeng," her manager explained, "The one who brought in coffee."

"Well," The photographer clapped his hands and rubbed them together, "Let me see him. He might be our only hope for saving today's shoot."

Inwardly, Taeyeon was punching the air in triumph. She gave no indication of this giddiness beyond a slight bounce in her step as she led the two men to the change rooms. Everyone looked upon the door opened, at the sight of the two men they straightened up immediately.

"Is everything okay?" Tiffany asked.

Taeyeon shot her a reassuring look, but otherwise gave her no response.

"Jason, come over here," she waved him over.

"Is something wrong, noona?"

The photographer circled him like a hawk... Or a vulture. His lips moved in a silent monologue, intense eyes studied his physique and angles. Taeyeon and her manager waited with bated breaths. He scratched the light stubble on his chin, imagining the different shots and lighting he would need to the do to accommodate for the difference in skin tone and whatnot, but...

"He'll work just fine," he announced.

"YES!" Taeyeon clapped in delight.

Jason had stiffened and stood at attention the moment the inspection began. His shoulders were pulled, his back was ramrod straight with his hands down by his sides. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Work? What are you talking about?" Jessica took the words right out of his mouth.

Taeyeon launched into a short explanation of her observations and how having Jason model with them would avoid all the dilemmas of a delay. Photographer-nim circled round to Jason's front again and grabbed his face with two hands. He felt like a doll as the a stranger turned his face every which way, studying the light and shadows of his face.

"You have a good looking face," he said, "Have you thought of being a model before?"

"Err... No, sir," Jason cast a desperate sideways glance at his noonas.

Photographer-nim released his face, stepped back and snapped his fingers. He gripped Jason's shoulder and guided him out of the room, into a similar one beside it, this time filled with male clothes. Jason tries to resist the push to the change rooms.

"I don't think this is a good idea," he protested, "I've never modelled before!"

Photographer-nim spun him around, gripped his shoulders tightly and looked him square in the eyes. Jason will never forget the almost manic gleam of an artist in his eyes, he gulped nervously.

"Listen to me," he said, "Your noonas need you. You're their only hope, so you have to do your best."

" Y-yes," Jason swallowed nervously.

The older man spun him around once more and shoved him into the hands of the make up artist. She kept his hairstyle the same, just using hairspray to keep in place. The make up was natural, but camera ready, just enough to give skin an even brighter, healthy glow. He was dressed in a dark green button up, ed to show a white t-shirt underneath, coupled with crisp denim jeans and black converse high tops.

Once ready, the lights out in the main room shone on him as he stood in position. He was standing on a black sheet, the background was that of a park. There was a park bench, with fake trees around him and leaves scattered on the ground.

"Because it's February, the theme of the shoot is love," Photographer-nim explained, "It will showcase different types of love."

"Like friendly and sibling loves?" Jason asked tentatively and with a spark of hope.

"No," the photographer quirked an eyebrow at him, "Like every person is different, so every couple is different. There are 'cute' couples who are so adorable, that when people see them they coo at them. Or there's the 'passionate' couple, and they burn with this inner flame."

Fearful of being told off again, Jason swallowed his protests away. In all honesty, he wasn't sure he could do this... To model as their boyfriend for every scene, it was probably beyond his capabilities.

The door to the SNSD change room opened and out stepped Taeyeon. Her light brown hair had a bandana tied with a bow on top. She was dressed in dark jean shorts, a white tank top with an open crop denim jacket and black converse shoes. It was simple, casual and she looked beautiful. Jason froze in place as she walked towards him.

"You look good, Jason-ah," she ducked her head shyly.

"You look beautiful, noona," he breathed.

A loud clap cut across their quiet moment. They were told that their theme was 'cute'. Both of them nodded and moved to sit on the bench as directed. Everyone else around them watched as the photographer moved around them taking pictures, he called out changes in position every now and then. Jason had her arm wrapped around Taeyeon, she leaned her head in his shoulder and smiled cutely. He looked down at her with a grin. Jason was starting to enjoy himself because the photographer was doing his best to make things sound more like fun, kept making the two of them laugh. Like they were two friends hanging out.

"These are good," he said, "But I'm not getting the 'cuteness' vibe that I'm searching for."

"Can I try something?" Jason asked.

He beckoned the photographer over and whispered in his ear, making sure that Taeyeon heard nothing. Whispers grew amongst the other members, speculations were thrown about to guess what he was up to. The intrigued photographer agreed to the idea, he walked off to the lighting crew and warned them of what was to happen.

"Taeyeon, Jason, can I have you both standing up? Just in front of the park bench?" Photographer-nim instructed.

"What are you doing?" Taeyeon whispered quickly.

"Don't worry, noona," he winked.

At the photographer's direction, Jason stood behind Taeyeon, wrapped her in a back hug and rested his chin on her left shoulder. They stood at an angle to the camera, with Taeyeon gazing at his smiling face. Her cheeks were aflame when she found out how close their faces were to each other.

"Okay. 3...2...1..." Photographer-nim counted them in, "Go!"

Without warning, Jason's grip around her waist tightened and he lifted her off her feet. She shouted in surprise as he spun her around through the air. He laughed hard as her legs swung in a circle. All the other girls laughed with him.

Taeyeon was smiling despite the sudden motion, she couldn't deny the fun in his idea. You could barely hear the rapid clicks of the camera, multiple shots of the whole thing were being taken to choose the best one later on.

When her feet finally touched the ground again, she lightly swatted his chest. He was laughing so hard, a stitch had started forming on his side, Taeyeon's wide smile threatened to split her face in half.

"Yah! You could've warned me!" she complained.

"But the surprise was the best part!" he choked out through his laughter.

Both of them looked over the photos taken and agreed with the photographer's choice for the shoot. One picture caught the moment where Taeyeon was smiling broadly, facing the camera, her hands were on top of Jason's hands and Jason was laughing just over her shoulder, hugging her tight. The other girls crowded around, oohing and ahhing at the cuteness of it all.

"That," Photographer-nim tapped the screen with satisfaction, "Is exactly the reaction we want."

On and on the concepts went for each girl. He and Hyoyeon had a 'best friends, turned to comfortable couple' vibe. Where he was dressed in light blue jeans, a white baseball tee and a snapback. Hyoyeon was in a pair of light blue denim shorts and black cut off shirt. The scene was a casual living room scene, with both of them sharing the couch. They lay down with their heads propped on opposite arm rests, Hyoyeon's feet sat on Jason's lap. Their picture was a shot of them tossing candies at each other, trying to catch it in their mouths. Most of the attempts were failures, but they had a blast. Teasing each other for try every missed throw and laughing at the desperate attempts to catch it.

Seohyun's couple concept was an innocent one, a 'sweet' couple that blinds you with its purity and innocence. She was dressed in a simple white sundress and ballet flats. Jason was in a short sleeved light blue button up and light brown shorts. The two of them lay on their stomachs on fake grass, facing each other, with their chins resting atop their folded hands. The light and simple background coupled with the shy smiles spoke volumes about the 'sweetness' of the 'couple'.

For Sunny, Photographer-nim wanted a sappy love. Like the ones that aren't afraid to show their moments of cheesy lines and cheesier romantic actions. This photo didn't have his face in it. Jason knelt on one knee, a bouquet of a dozen (fake) red roses in hand with his back to the camera. Before him was Sunny, her hands covered the shocked 'oh' of . You could really see the lengths this type of couple would go to for their partner, but, at the same time, you have to groan at how cheesy and sappy they are!

Yuri's shoot was almost problematic. It was a 'teasing' couple. The couple that you know care for each other a lot, but there's always an air of mischief. All the angles and shots just came out looking cute, there was something missing... Until Yoona ran into the change rooms and came back out with her hands behind her back. A cheeky grin on her face.

"Catch!" she shouted.

A small black object flew through to the air. Jason's right hand darted out and caught the soft thing. He opened his hand to see a miniature Mickey Mouse soft toy. Yuri's eyes widened comically when she spotted her beloved Mickey in his hands.

"Hey! Give me back Mickey!" she lunged forward.

"Come get it," Jason grinned.

He held it high above her head, just out of her reach. Yuri jumped up and down for her toy, all the while whining for him to return it. Jason laughed and leaned further away from her. They were toe to toe, a mischievous glint shone in his eyes with every swipe Yuri took. That was the scene immortalised on camera. That Mickey Mouse toy was hugged for the rest of the evening, never once leaving the safety of Yuri's arms... Much to everyone else's amusement.

Yoona's photo had the 'playful' type of couple, a concept the really captured her love of jokes and pranking. Without warning, the moment Photographer-nim counted to 3, she leapt up and onto Jason's back.

"Woah!" he shouted.

Her laughter echoed around them as he staggered from the sudden weight, before straightening. Their photo was of them both grinning at the camera with Jason piggybacking Yoona.

The next two shoots were different. They involved more of what Jason had expected of a modelling shoot. Photographer-nim was very specific about the expression, the positioning and the overall 'feel' of the picture. He and Sooyoung were put on a couch together.  Jason lay on his side, with his legs stretched along the length of the couch, resting on his left elbow. 

He was wearing something similar to his original outfit, a black suit pants, light grey vest, a midnight blue shirt and silver striped tie.  Sooyoung was in a floor length red dress that hugged her body beautifully.  It was fitted, but with a slit up one side for movement. 

Her theme was ‘seductive’.  Photographer-nim wanted Sooyoung’s gaze to be the kind to draw in anyone who looks.  The biggest problem was… Jason and Sooyoung kept falling into fits of laughter and giggles every time the two of the tried the ‘seductive’ gaze necessary for the photoshoot.  They only managed to capture one perfect instance. Just before they their façade broke again and they started laughing, photographer-nim managed to snap a picture.

Sooyoung was perched on the edge of the couch, close to Jason's waist, her legs were crossed, with skin peeking through the dress’ slit.  She had one hand lightly by her side on the couch, and the other had a hold of Jason's tie.  He was leaning up towards her a little, with half-lidded eyes, being pulled by her grip on his tie. 

The corner of twitched.  So did his.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” tears were almost streaming down her face.

Jason flopped back down to lie on the couch, “HAHAHAHAHA, s-sorry, photographer-nim. It’s too weird. HAHAHAHAHA.”

Photographer-nim just shook his head at the hysterical duo and looked to the skies as if asking for help. He was glad that he had captured that one moment, otherwise, this section of the shoot would have been impossible.

The make-up artist ushered Jason back into the change rooms.  She was a middle-aged woman, with light brown hair and a kind, but no-nonsense attitude.  Jason was still busy wiping the tears of laughter out of his eyes, even as she touched up his make-up and placed a clothes bag in his arms.  With a fond, yet exasperated shake of her head, the make-up artist exited the room to let him change in private.

Jason ped the bag, and his eyes bugged out at the sight of what had to be the most extravagant of all his outfits today.  It was a full suit.  Black suit pants, similar to the ones he currently wore, but made of a thicker, crisper material.  A white button up shirt, cream heavy vest and a jet black suit jacket.  The suit jacket even had coattails to complete the overall look of an upper class, sophisticated gentleman.  The young man sighed, but dutifully stepped out of his current attire.  Everything except for his underwear and white singlet was removed.

He stepped out of the change rooms a moment later.  He shut the door and looked to the modelling air. Just as it had when he saw Taeyeon, his breath caught.  Jason stood frozen by the door, his undone bow tie hung limply in his hand, completely forgotten.  Jessica was in a long silver dress.  Her make-up was soft, but dazzling.  She was obviously in heels. But everything about the scene was perfect.  A fake marble staircase rose behind her, the pattern on the floor had been changed to mimic that of a grand ballroom.  She stood there waiting.

With the lighting set perfectly, she was the Ice Princess.  The picture of elegance and cold beauty.

“Jason-ah,” she frowned at him, “Hurry up. The lighting is making me too warm!”

Jason snapped out of his trance and hurried forward, “C-coming noona!”

Unbeknownst to him, his bowtie was still in his right hand.  The black cloth caught Jessica’s attention. She pointed at it with her eyebrows raised, “Don’t know how to put it on?”

He flushed and mumbled, “No.”

Jessica just held out her hand impatiently.  He placed it in her palm.  The older girl stepped closer, right in his personal space, reached up and wrapped the cloth around his neck.  Her nimble fingers danced as they worked to tie the bowtie.  Jason tried ignore the closeness of her body, the sight of tiny golden flecks in her eyes, and even the feel of her breath as she stood so near.

With a discrete sigh of relief, he stepped back, bowtie now complete.  Together they stood in the centre of the set, he took her right hand in his left and dropped into a graceful bow.  Jason tried to ignore the thump of his heart; he felt so embarrassed – his entire face was aflame.  Not the nice warm, like one you’d get from a comforting hot chocolate. It was the kind of warm that made him want to hide. 

Jessica’s cool gaze softened.  Just a small touch, around the corner of her eyes.  He dropped his gaze to her hand, it was really soft and dainty in his larger one, and took a steadying breath.  Jason vaguely heard the photographer mumble as he walked around them and snapped pictures from different angles, flashes of light crossed his vision sporadically.

“That’s perfect,” his deep voice finally called out.  It was the kind a nice uncle would have whenever he came around to visit, “Jason-ssi, change into the final outfit. Jessica-ssi, you can change back to your normal clothes.”

Jason stood up, and felt a brief squeeze on his hand, before the hold was gone. He looked up to see Jessica already halfway to the change rooms. What was that for? Sometimes his noona confused him beyond belief, one moment she was a little reserved around him, and then, warm and comforting the next.  Enough to give him whiplash.

“Come on, come on,” the make-up artist auntie prodded him back into his change room.  Instead of protesting, he just shuffled forward once more.  He opened the door, walked in and heard her shut it behind her.

Jason slipped out of the suit jacket, undid the bowtie and took of the suit shirt.  Just in his singlet and suit pants, he sat still as a statue on the make-up chair.  He had learnt the hard way not to move when she was bustling about painting his face.  Rule: Don’t move, unless you want to be hit with a terrifying glare. 

When she moved aside, a stranger greeted him in the mirror.  He had sharper cheekbones, his eyes seemed to glow, with a dark eyeliner outlining them.  The way his hair stood was similar to his usual casual, but more… Roguish.  It was messy in a ‘someone-ran-their-hands-through-my-hair’ way, stylishly tousled. 

“Woah,” he breathed, “You’re amazing at this.”

“Thank you. Now, you can’t wear this for the next shoot.”

He followed the line of her perfectly manicured nail to his singlet. Jason frowned in confusion, it hadn’t bothered them before that he was wearing an undershirt.  The very thought of having to remove it made him shift uncomfortably in the faux leather of his seat.

“Err… Is there any way I could keep it on?”  He asked, but he knew he was clutching at straws.  His knuckles had turned white as he gripped the bottom of his shirt tightly.

“Sorry, no,” she shook her head firmly, “The photographer said no undershirt for this scene.  Something about vibes from a bit of skin peeking out or whatever.”

“I don’t want to.”

Jason's eyes widened. He clamped a hand over his mouth, hardly daring to believe the words he was saying.  His breaths started to shorten, panic began to set in.  Being impolite and difficult wasn’t in his nature, but the very thought of removing his undershirt nauseated him.  Logically, he knew that the shirt would cover everything he wanted to keep hidden, but the undershirt gave him a sense of comfort.  The make-up artist’s voice sounded muffled, as if he was underwater – everything sounded distant and distorted. 

A hand landed on his shoulder.  Jason jumped in his seat and stared up at the older woman.

“Are you okay?” she frowned at him in concern, eyeing his sweaty brow and panting chest – as if he had just run a marathon.

“Y-yes,” he in a deep breath.  With eyes screwed shut and fists clenched tightly, he quelled his panic and fought to keep his emotions in check. Causing trouble for all these people, especially his noonas, was unsightly and unprofessional.  It just wouldn’t do.

“If it bothers you that much, I’ll speak to the photographer–”

           “No. It’s okay. I’ll remove it.”

           “Are you sure?” she met his eyes in the mirror, the uncertainty she felt was clear as day.

He met her gaze steadily and nodded.  There was no way he was going to inconvenience these people after they have given him the opportunity to participate in a photoshoot.  So long as no one saw it, he would be fine.

             “Could I please have privacy to change?” his voice was a lot softer than either of them would have expected.  Like he hadn’t used it in a while, it had a lightness to it that was different,

The older woman nodded and backed out of the room. Leaving him alone with nothing but a threadbare couch and make-up materials for company.  Trying to delay the inevitable, he kicked off his dress shoes and stepped out of his suit pants.  The crisp grey denim of the skinny jeans hugged his legs, the fabric felt rough after the softness of the suit.  A black leather belt was tightened just enough for the jeans to hang low on his hips, you could just see the ‘V’ of his body.

Trembling fingers grabbed hold of the bottom of his shirt.  He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and whirled around.  Some part of him knew it was ridiculous.  What kind of person was so scared of removing a shirt? But the sight of his pale face on the reflective surface was more than enough to convince himself not to look.  He closed his eyed and took another deep breath.

In the hopes that it was like ripping off a band aid, he pulled the shirt up and over his head in one fluid movement. 

                “Are you oka– Oh my gosh!”

Jason jumped.  Tiffany stood at the door dressed in an incredibly y silver dress.  Sleeveless.  The shiny material clung to her curves perfectly and ended about mid-thigh.  Coupled with heels that brought her to the perfect height to tuck her head in the crook of his neck, she should have knocked him off his feet.  And it did, in a small way. 

Mostly, pure panic filled him as she stepped closer, the door fell shut behind her.  Her warm eyes never once left his torso.  Horror – he could see it in her gaze.  Horror at the ugly scars that marred his skin. It was like he had gotten on a rollercoaster, his stomach dropped and nausea gripped him again.

She reached out with finger to touch him.

                “N-no!” He leaped backwards away from her outstretched hand, “P-please. Turn away.”

Jason fumbled for the casual black button up shirt he was supposed to wear, but her soft hand stopped him.  Only a hairsbreadth away now, Tiffany was close, too close for comfort.  She gently pried the shirt out of his slack grip and draped it over her left arm.  Those big brown eyes locked on his panicked ones again. 

Concern. Nothing but concern and care.  He could feel his breath evening out.  The emotions in her eyes somehow calmed him, it soothed till the panic was kept at bay.  Once more those brown eyes looked at the scars. Eight pale jagged lines carved on his fair skin.  A fit body with abs that should have looked attractive, but  was nothing more than abomination - he knew this.  It was why he hated looking in the mirror whenever he stepped out of the shower, the reason why he always wore an undershirt.

Tiffany’s finger trailed down his arm, to his chest, then finally to the first of the scars.  Just under his rib cage.  He shivered at the sensation. It was soft, her finger was impossibly soft on the hard jagged surface of his scar.

                “What happened?” she whispered.  The first words she had spoken after her initial surprise.

He swallowed heavily and focused instead on the ageing couch in the corner of the room.  Its faded cushions and forlorn state was exactly like how he felt – tired.

                “I got jumped. Back in America,” bits of fluff had actually come out of the cushions.  Small bits of stuffing every now and then where the seams had given and up split open, “Multiple stabs.”

                “How did you–?”

                “Survive?”

She nodded, finger trailing over the rest of his scars.  Shivers trailed up and down his spine with every feather light touch on the puckered skin.

                “They left. I called the ambulance.” Jason tore his gaze away from the oddly sympathetic couch and looked down at the beauty before him, “Then I passed out.”

Tiffany was still staring at the wounds on his torso.  He couldn’t see the expression on her face, but the way her finger grazed over each scar aimlessly made him believe that she was probably dazed.  Only absentmindedly the jagged cuts as she stood lost in thought.  The lack of response was killing him inside.

His hand darted up and caught her movement.  Tiffany jolted and stared straight up at him.  There were unshed tears b in her large brown eyes.  They caught him off-guard, he had been so braced for disgust that he floundered for a moment.

                “Don’t cry, noona.”

That did it.  She flung herself in his embrace and cried.  Tears dripped on his neck and shoulder.  Tiffany held him close, her hands pressing on his warm back.  She could feel the muscles rippling under her hands as he shifted and wrapped his arms around her waist.

                “You must’ve been so scared,” she sobbed, “I heard the make-up artist and the photographer talking so I came to check on you. A-and… No wonder you didn’t want to take off your undershirt!”

He didn’t know what to do.  Tiffany was crying on his shoulder, and all he could think of was that she didn’t find him disgusting… Relief.  Nothing, but pure relief flooded through him as he sagged into her hug.

“I’m okay,” he murmured. Over and over again until her sobs quietened.  Till the trembling stopped and he could no longer feel new tears falling on his skin. At the thought of his half-ness, Jason flushed in embarrassment.  The very fact that he was shirtless had slipped his mind.

          “Noona… I need to put a shirt on…” Jason averted his gaze upwards to the ceiling.  He scratched the back of his head and refused to look down even he felt her pull away.

Tiffany stepped back, sniffling, her make up ruined.  Black smudges that used to be a smoky eye effect instead streaked down her cheeks in a morbid Halloween fashion.

Somebody knocked on the door.  Both occupants’ eyes snapped to the closed door, they had almost forgotten about the photoshoot!

                “Everything okay in there?” came the make-up artists familiar voice.

                “Yes! We’ll be out in a minute,” Jason glanced at Tiffany, only to find she had disappeared.  Tiffany was already standing in front of the mirror, old make-up removed and her hand expertly painting the lines and smoky eye effect once again, “Tiffany-noona talked to me about the undershirt thing. I’m feeling better about it now.”

                “Oh good.  Be quick. We’re nearly done.”

Footsteps receding from the doorway was all he heard.  His eyes sought out Tiffany’s in the mirror, they caught hers watching him with an unreadable expression.  Uncomfortable under her stare, he whirled around and picked up the discarded black shirt from the floor.  With the top two buttons undone, coupled with the make-up that was still mostly intact, he was the perfect picture of a young man about to go to a club.

                “You’re not disgusting.”

                “What?” He spun to look at the older girl. Almost stumbling backwards in surprise.  Instead of being at the mirrors, she was right behind him.  How she moved so silently was beyond him.

                “You’re not disgusting. So stop thinking that.”

                “I don’t–”

                “Yeah, you do. So stop it, pabo.” Tiffany rolled her eyes and flicked him lightly on the forehead.  Then she wrapped him in one last brief hug. Squeezing him comfortingly, “You’re really good looking.”

Before Jason could add another word in, she scampered off. Head bowed, she made a beeline straight to the door. She opened it and headed straight for the set.  He could’ve sworn her cheeks were pink.

---

Photographer-nim was walking around the two of them.  His camera clicking several times at different points of his circuit.  Their ‘passionate’ theme wasn’t coming out the way he wanted it to.  It seemed like no matter what they did, it didn’t have the right feel.  Jason was right in guessing a ‘club’ setting.  They were surrounded by black cloths and strobe light, it looked like the middle of a club dance floor. 

This was the final theme.  Except, it was the longest of all the shoots. And it was taking a toll on both of them.  Jason could see the tiredness in Tiffany’s eyes, it was in the way they had lost their spark, the way her smirk had lost some of its playfulness.  Every time she shifted her weight from foot to foot, he could tell that her shoes were making it hurt to stand.  They were miniscule, but because they were face-to-face, her arms around his neck, his hands resting on her hips, so close that he could feel every movement and little tick.

When the photographer stopped what felt like his hundredth circuit of them to look at his pictures disapprovingly, Jason looked around at the other girls.  Most of them were sitting on the ground by now, Yuri and Jessica had both fallen asleep against the wall, their heads leaning on each other’s.  Seohyun had begun reading her book.  Taeyeon and Sunny were playing games on their phones.  Yoona and Hyoyeon were just chatting, their back leaning on the wall, every now and then glancing at the final modelling pair.

In other words, they were all exhausted.  Jason hadn’t wanted to do this.  He was no stranger to clubbing, but it wasn’t a side of him he had ever wanted the girls to see.  Now it felt like he would have to reveal a part of it to help them. 

                “Photographer-nim, can I try something?”

The photographer looked up, more than ready to take any suggestions.  The older man was at a loss for why none of the pictures had what he wanted, anyone could see it from his frustrated sighs and the way he bit his bottom lip.

                “What are you thinking?”

                “Can you put on club music and dim the lights?”

Sure enough, he gestured to the tech guys and a bass beat started pumping through hidden speakers.  Everyone jolted awake as the heavy and fast beats pumped through the air, it coursed through him till his body thrummed along with the beat.

                “What are you doing?!” Tiffany shouted in his ear.  Just audible above the sounds of club music.

                “Trust me!”

Tiffany pulled back.  She searched his face for something, he wasn’t sure, but she seemed to find it for she nodded not even a second later.

Jason started nodding to the beat, then moving his body side-to-side in small motions. Staying to the rhythm of the music.  Tiffany followed his lead.  Jason closed his eyes and lost himself in vibes of a fake club around him.  When he opened them, Tiffany almost shivered.  They were different eyes. Where there was usually a quiet, reliable and kind confidence, instead there was a fiery confidence, that almost looked arrogant.  She stayed put though, not stepping away like she had initially started to do.  This was Jason.  There was no reason to be worried. Ever.

He spun her around. Pulled her hips till her back was flush with his front.  He took her left hand and pulled it up to caress his neck.  His head was mere millimetres from her face as he leaned down on her left shoulder.

                “Tell me if you’re uncomfortable! I’ll stop!”

                “Okay!”

Tiffany tried to ignore the feeling of his breath fanning across her face as he spoke.  He was so close, his lips only a hairsbreadth away.  She tried to ignore the butterflies in her stomach as the smell of mint hit her every time he asked her if she was okay.  He had reached down and twined the fingers of his left hand with her right, resting them just below her waist.  On her right, his right hand rested gently on her hip.  Drawing soothing circles in an effort to keep reassuring her that he would stop, the moment she said it, he would.

Jason's heart thudded loud and fast in his chest.  The way Tiffany’s back was pressed to his front, he wassurprised she hadn’t yet told him she could feel it thumping against her shoulder blades.  His mouth was suddenly dry, nervous at the thought of holding someone he cared so inappropriately.  In a lot of ways, he knew this was wrong, Tiffany was his noona, and he’s meant to be her reliable dongsaeng.  But… In too many ways to count, it felt right.  They moulded perfectly…

In that position, they gazed at each other. So close, the sparks in their eyes were back.  They burned together.  So caught up in the moment that they almost missed the photographer’s call for ‘Stop!’.

The music was cut off and the light flared back to life.  Both of them were left standing there a little deaf, a little blind, but somehow, that didn’t seem too bad.

                “That’s a wrap!” the older man’s voice shouted in the deafening silence that had followed.

Everybody cheered!  The girls were jumping and squealing and spinning each other around.  Manager-hyung was shaking hands with the smiling photographer.  Each lighting crew member was clapping and laughing with the rest of them.

Jason grinned down at the girl still in his arms, and she beamed back at him.  Her eyesmile made him breathless. Seriously, she was beautiful…  He laughed, turned her around and picked her up.  Together they spun around childishly.  Head thrown back, laughing without a care.  The younger man set her back down on her feet, hands holding her steady as she wobbled.

                “Hey, noona.”

                “Hmm… yeah?”

                “I think you’re really good looking too.”

Tiffany flushed.  Jason couldn’t help it, a cheeky smile escaped him and she caught on to his teasing.

Tiffany swiped at him, “Yah! Stop making fun of me!”

 

 

 

 

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I'm so sorry about the delay.  This was the longest chapter, it's probably too long, but I really wanted to include all the moments. :)  As always, review and please keep voting on the polls!