It remained shattered on the floor. A low grumble escaped into the pillow of the boy in bed once he registered what happened. An attempt to shut off the alarm on his mobile had sent the phone flying off the nightstand, colliding into the marble. Despite him running an agitated hand through his hair, he mumbled to himself, “Oh well.”

Shifting under the covers, he could feel the sun as it peaked through the curtains of the apartment’s windows, urging him to get up. He released another groan in response—he wanted to refuse and sleep the day away instead. He bartered with himself that he would only wake up if it were in a huge estate somewhere in the countryside where the nearby town would host a Farmer’s Market every Sunday. He opened one eye: no luck.

In place of quiet dreams, he took in the five-star hotel room he currently resided: satin bed sheets with candies on them, a Roman-styled bath, and a tiny nook of a kitchen containing the necessities. A true Presidential suite of a room and he fantasized of elsewhere. The idea of free room-and-board after signing his name to EXO Entertainment and SK-II was too much, too good to be true. Pushing back the blankets, the model slipped out of the bed and made his way to the bathroom to get ready. After he washed himself, he quickly got dressed, opting for casual wear to show off his laid-back style. A limousine waited outside of the hotel’s entrance. He was more than willing to take the substation or even walk down to the company building. However, as the sleek car pulled up to the curb, he soon realized that the limousine was the perfect choice.

Screaming people flooded the structure, seemingly looking for him. Not just any random passerby either—there were teenage girls. The model instantly asked the driver for help. She only grinned, entertained. She did give him words of advice, if that’s what the model could call it. She told him, “Smile like you’re not terrified.”

Being assisted with arrival, the doorman opened the shouting girls to the most ideal view of the celebrity inside. As if they couldn’t be any more deafening, once they locked eyes with the model, they must have raised an octave. The driver’s words echoed and the model flashed them a gummy smile. The moment was fleeting as he was ushered by someone into the building.

“Not bad for a rookie,” the man said. Lean and somewhat tall—still shorter than the model though—the stranger still had an air about him that spoke, “I’m much higher ranked than you are.”

 After being lead into an office, the model introduced himself with a courteous bow. The stranger smiled, almost breaking out into a small laugh. A greeting always said a lot about someone and to the stranger, the model proved he was more than what he appeared.

“Don’t worry about it,” the man said. “I’m your new manager, Yixing. You must be Kris.”

The model nodded in response. Just as Kris was about to say more, a phone call blared into the room, allowing Yixing to excuse himself to answer it while the model’s mind wandered about the office. Walls painted in magazine articles and Polaroid snapshots of beautiful people. Tiles carpeted in boxes of paperwork and other things. Unlike the rest, the desk itself looked new, cleared off, and minimalist. The quiet moments hardly lasted.

“YIXING!” A voice so powerful sliced through the ambient sounds of the office and to satisfy his curiosity, Kris peeked just a bit beyond the doorframe to see what kind of person would react so emotionally.

Gorgeous. The owner of such a booming voice was gorgeous. With the dolled up face of a delicate angel, he had quite the temper. Kris watched as Yixing conversed with him in soft tones and soon enough, the two of them turned to address him. He tried to offer a smile when Yixing told the other, “Lu Han, meet the face of SK-II…K•R•I•S.”