Tiffany paced the set and waved her assistant away when she came running with a document. She whipped her phone out and dialed the number impatiently as her team discussed the final details with the photographers and his team.

"Here yet?" a smartly dressed gentleman lumbered over while tinkering with his camera.

"Sorry Key-ssi, you might have to wait a little longer." Tiffany apologized and heard him clicked his tongue.

"Five minutes, Tiff. I'm leaving if I don't see anyone." He firmly stated before yelling instructions at his team to check his equipments. Tiffany exhaled with furrowed brows.

Tiffany had managed to contact Taeyeon last night to inform her about the photoshoot today. Taeyeon was silent most of the time while Tiffany excitedly briefed her through basics of what to bring, do and prepare. Taeyeon simply muttered a "okay" and "good night" after the thirty minutes call and Tiffany went to bed with a spring in her step. 

Jiwoong had volunteered to chauffeur Taeyeon to the set upon knowing that Tiffany had managed to persuade her to take on the job. Jiwoong even offered to buy her dinner to know what tricks Tiffany had up her sleeves for Taeyeon to be so submissive all of a sudden. Glancing at her watch, Tiffany suddenly felt a shiver of dread coursing through her body that Taeyeon might had second thoughts. She would be livid but she wouldn't blame her- after all, Tiffany knew she practically forced a reluctant Taeyeon.

"," Tiffany muttered when Key threw another glance at her direction.

"Tiffany-ssi!" Tiffany silently praised the Lord when Jiwoong waved to her, lugging a little box with Taeyeon a few steps behind him, ducking her head.

Tiffany puffed her chest in confidence immediately.

//////////

Taeyeon did not know what was going on half of time. When Jiwoong appeared in her shop, she did not forget to give him a hard rap on his head. 

She nimbly packed her tools, fumbling a little because 1.) She has never ever taken her tools out of the room 2.) She did not have a proper box to fit them 3.) They are a huge mess 4.) Taeyeon? A model? How absurd! 

For the first time in five years, Taeyeon felt helplessness being brutally pulled out of her comfort zone.

"Oh," she finally said when Jiwoong offered to take her tools; Taeyeon noted the guilt in his smile but said nothing as Jiwoong patiently, again, reminded her what Tiffany had said last night.

Correction, Taeyeon did not know what was going on at all. A lanky lady had dragged Taeyeon by the arm the second she set foot into the room, with Tiffany making a fuss and it was chaotic- a sensory overload of noise. Taeyeon could not even understand what they were saying- a jeans in her hands, a comb in her hair, a spray can in her face and a brush tickling her nose.

"Nice to meet you, Taeyeon-ssi," she took the outstretched hand and noticed the amount of cameras around the set. A pastel pink backdrop, a bed, a stool and Taeyeon saw her tools laid neatly on a little table. The pink vial was supposed to be beside the black one she noted with a grimaced and ached to have a smoke; the little box was sitting somewhere in her bag.

"I'm Key, the photographer for today. I trust that Tiffany-ssi has briefed you about it so-"
He tugged at her shirt and again, the same lanky lady- Sooyoung, she heard Tiffany yelling her name- was fussing over her hair and wherever Key was pointing at.

"Ready?"

Everything in the set still as they looked at her- there were anticipation in their eyes, expectation that shrouded the air and Taeyeon was suddenly conscious about herself.

The first time Taeyeon had this much attention was during a recital in her kindergarten. Her mother was busy with Jiwoong, her father probably drunk and knocked out on a park's bench. She gave up her longest dream to be a singer because everyone was laughing at her and Taeyeon cried at her foolishness.

The next time Taeyeon received that much attention was when her best friend of grade six betrayed her. Threatened that Taeyeon is a rival when a popular senior approached her, she was slapped in front of the class and Taeyeon clenched her fists to see him laughing with the rest. Taeyeon realized that she didn't like guys very much after all.

The last time Taeyeon felt this much attention was on the day of her graduation. She found herself on stage, silence staring at her face because her parents were absent from the ceremony. The dull ache of a freshly inked lavender heather on her forearm kept her head above water and reminded her that she had survived school years.

Taeyeon seek solitude as she matured, minimizing contact with people and dulled her emotions.

Taeyeon desired to escape back to her shop, bury herself in the stale air of her old books, get started on Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and inhaled the comforting scent of tobacco. At the corner of her eye, she saw Tiffany and her brother smiling at her. 

For once, Taeyeon felt the responsibility to be the sister Jiwoong needed in his life.

"Right," she exhaled.

"I'm ready."

//////////

Taeyeon never knew that her body could be manipulated like that.

"A little more, Taeyeon-ssi- that's right! That's great okay, move your right knee, bent it a bit more- hands! Lift the machine a bit higher. Let me see your tattoo- oh amazing! Done, okay, next outfit!"

Taeyeon's jaw was aching, her legs asleep and her back protested when she straightened up. Taeyeon averted her gaze from a smiling Tiffany and Sooyoung was back at her side, dabbing brushes all over her face.

"Let's move on to the next shoot." Key's voice rang above the chaos in the studio and like a spell, everyone was back in their position within seconds.

"Taeyeon-ssi, we would like to see you in action." Key asked with a polite smile and oh, Taeyeon thought. A male was hovering over her and Taeyeon frowned.

"Sorry," Taeyeon stood to leave, "I have a policy that Tiffany-ssi should have informed you." She started capping her little vials of ink much to everyone's dismay.

"No wait, Taeyeon, wait." Tiffany grabbed her hand and she ignored the disappointment in Tiffany's face when she pulled away.

"What if I let you tattoo me again?"

"What?" Taeyeon shook her head. "It's not about who."

"Wait here," Tiffany said, staring at Taeyeon with an intensity and beckoned Sooyoung over. Taeyeon saw the blush on her face when she leaned to whisper something in Sooyoung's ear- she heard a harsh whisper "what?!" and Tiffany left tolling Sooyoung with her.

A good ten minutes later, Taeyeon felt the heat rised a few notch and the set was pin drop silenced. Tiffany settled herself on the bed placed in the middle of the studio. It was extremely provocative- the brunette wore a lacy top that revealed a black bra and complimented with denim shorts- Taeyeon was sure that even her ears were flushed.

"Here," Tiffany leaned towards her, tugged at her top a little and revealed her sides.

"What?"

"Here, Taeyeon." Taeyeon nodded dumbly at the fair skin presented to her.

"Toujours Belle. It means-"

"-Always beautiful," Taeyeon whispered.

She did not even have to question Tiffany's reason for it because somehow, it perfectly suited her.