“Oh my God. Kim Hana?”

You heard an oddly familiar voice behind you, and you had to fight the urge to open your eyes. You were getting your makeup done and you had to keep your eyes closed while the makeup artist was working on your eyeliner. The moment you felt her hand move away from your face, you opened your eyes, and the face you saw in the mirror caused your mouth to fall open.

“Son Dongwoon?”

The man grinned widely as he walked towards you with his arms open. You stood up, and he enveloped you in a crushing hug. “Wow. How long has it been since I’ve last seen you? Three years?”

“Somewhere along those lines, I reckon,” you replied as he pulled away and held you at arm’s length so he could study you.

“You look much better than I remember. Maybe I shouldn’t have let you go.”

You laughed awkwardly. Dongwoon was the man you’d dated after you’d broken up with Yongguk. You’d gotten to know him because you were modeling at that time and had worked with him on a shoot. In addition to being incredibly handsome, he was also funny and he enjoyed literature just like you. Fresh out of a suffocating relationship with Yongguk, you’d fallen quickly for free-spirited Dongwoon. He was the same age as you, but even then, at the age of nineteen, he’d traveled extensively. You used to listen to him talk for hours about his adventures, from hiking through jungles in Borneo to staying in temples in the mountains of Nepal. You’d broken up amicably after dating for a few months because you were going to college while he’d decided to move to Japan and model full-time. You’d kept in contact initially, but as you both got busier, you’d naturally drifted apart. The last you’d heard, he was working in New York, and this was the last place you’d expected to run into him.

“So, what are you doing now?” he asked cheerfully, letting you go and sitting down in the chair beside you, where another makeup artist soon appeared and began clipping up his hair. “I mean, obviously you’re still modeling, but have you graduated? Is this your full time job now?”

“I’m taking time off college,” you told him as you were pushed back into your chair by your makeup artist. “I did some volunteer work in Cambodia for a year, and now I’m working as a songwriter in this entertainment company which represents my brother. I’ll probably go back to school the next semester.”

“Oh, yes, I did see your brother on TV,” Dongwoon piped up. “He’s in an idol group now, right? BAP?”

You nodded. “Yeah. What about you? Why are you back in Seoul?”

He laughed, looking at you through the mirror. “I’m back here for good, I think. I was traveling and basically just popping into random castings with my portfolio the past few years, but I guess I just got tired of moving about and I really missed home. So I bought a ticket back from Milan last month, and signed a contract with a model management company here in Seoul. And well, here I am.”

“Sounds exciting,” you commented. “You must have a lot more stories to share.”

“Of course,” Dongwoon answered with a laugh. “It’s going to be a full day shoot. I’m afraid you’ll get so sick of my voice by the end of the day.”

The day passed quickly and smoothly with Dongwoon as your partner. With many other shoots where you had to work with other models, the atmosphere was usually awkward because you had to pretend to be chummy with people you’d just met five minutes ago. Thankfully, Dongwoon’s friendliness put you at ease. Being around him was so comfortable that it seemed like you’d never been apart at all, and your chemistry pleased the photographer. With each outfit change, you started with individual shots before both of you got onto the set together. You were shooting with a white background, which would have different scenes superimposed with Photoshop, so the whole shoot took place on the same set. You only had to do four sets of shots, since they also had other models scheduled on different days.

The first concept was pretty easy. It was a sweet look, with both of you in matching t-shirts with thick horizontal green and white stripes. While Dongwoon wore his over light pink pants, with spotted socks and white oxfords, yours had folded sleeves and was paired with a coral colored skater skirt, held up by suspenders. Knee-length white socks and hot pink heels completed the look. You had thick, round-framed glasses and glossy pink lipstick, and had to hold a huge lollipop as your prop. Your hair was tied up in two ponytails. At first, both of you stood beside each other and posed with wide-eyed innocent looks. The photographer snapped photo after photo, but you could sense that he wasn’t completely satisfied. Ever the professional, Dongwoon got the idea of teasing you. As he pretended to pull one of your ponytails and snatch your lollipop, your poses got more fun, and you saw the photographer smiling to himself.

The next concept was another casual one, and the clothes were denim-themed. You were in a white cropped tank top and denim overall shorts, while Dongwoon wore light washed denim jeans and a red plaid shirt ed to reveal a white wife beater underneath. He had a denim jacket tied around his waist, while you had a plaid-patterned handkerchief woven through your hair as a headband. Both of you wore matching white sneakers.

“Put your arm around her shoulder,” the photographer barked, and Dongwoon complied, slinging one arm over your shoulder. He snapped a few shots before frowning, putting his camera down for a moment. “Can you try piggybacking her?”

Dongwoon got on one knee immediately, with his back to you, but you hesitated. “I’m heavy, though.”

He turned and narrowed his eyes at you. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“If you can’t do it, we’ll try something else,” the photographer said.

“I can do it,” Dongwoon insisted, gesturing to you to climb on with a tilt of his head. “Come on, I’m a strong man. You think I can’t lift you?”

With a resigned sigh, you leaned forward and wrapped both your arms around Dongwoon. He stood up quickly, causing you to squeal and cling on tighter to him as he hooked his arms under your knees. He playfully bounced you as he moved around the set, and after a while, you were laughing so much you didn’t even have to pose or fake a smile. You’d started off on similar ground years ago, but it was clear that Dongwoon was now a pro, and you felt comfortable letting him lead you.

This comfort turned out to be essential when you got to the swimsuit segment of the shoot. You’d done it once before a couple of years back, but you hadn’t had a male partner then, much less one that was your ex-boyfriend. That shoot had been a pool party themed one, so there had been a crowd of people. Doing it with only one other person felt more… intimate somehow.

For the first time that day, as you changed into your swimsuit, you actually worried about how Yongguk would react. You hadn’t managed to talk to him since the boys were filming their music video in San Francisco, but you’d dropped him a text message letting him know that you were going to be at a photoshoot which required you to be in a swimsuit. He’d been too busy to give you a reply, but you didn’t expect him to too concerned about that. What you’d yet to tell him was that the male model you were working with happened to be the guy you’d dated after him, since you’d only just found out yourself. You had a bad feeling that he wasn’t going to be too pleased. But what could you do? Walk off the set insisting you weren’t going to carry through with the shoot? Besides, it had been a long time since you and Dongwoon had dated, and technically, you were still friends. He was so cool about working with you and you would probably have looked like a freak if you’d made a big deal about it.

Occupied with your thoughts, you hadn’t realized you were taking way too long to get ready. You quickly tied up the string of your bikini and hurried out of the changing room, where you were immediately swamped by two makeup artists. One of them started touching up your makeup, while the other proceeded to rub some kind of oil on your exposed skin. You caught sight of Dongwoon, who was standing aside and chatting with the photographer.

Your swimsuits were in matching colors as well. Dongwoon was wearing red and white striped swim shorts with a bright blue drawstring, and a loose white tank top with an anchor printed on it. You had a matching off-shoulder version with the same print, to be worn over your bikini for your individual shots. Your bikini was also in the same red and white striped print as his shorts, with the strings in blue. You had sunglasses, a straw hat, and a woven bag for this set, along with white espadrille wedges. As the makeup artists fussed over you, you watched Dongwoon get into position for his solo shots. Everything he did, he made it look so casual and natural. It helped that he was incredibly handsome, with features that made him look foreign, even though you’d met his parents before and knew for sure that they were both Korean. As soon as you thought that, you felt incredibly guilty and looked away.

“Hana-ssi, it’s your turn,” the photographer called, and you threw on your oversized white tank top, grabbing all your props and walking towards the set. The photographer made you try a variety of poses, even asking you to sit down and pretend to read a magazine. From the corner of your eye, you saw Dongwoon getting ready for the couple shots by removing his shirt. You could hardly tear your eyes away from his sculpted body as two makeup artists rushed forward to oil up his body.

Kim Hana, you have a boyfriend… you chanted to yourself. Think about Yongguk oppa… Think about Yongguk oppa… Speaking of Yongguk, he was definitely going to kill you if he knew you were admiring some other man’s incredible abs.

“Hana-ssi… Hana-ssi?”

You snapped out of your trance to see the photographer waving for you to move. You stood up as Dongwoon came onto the set, still a little dazed. He was all smiles as he came up to you. “You have to strip now, Hana ya.”

“What? Oh.” You hurriedly took off your tank top and handed it to one of the stylists who’d come forward to take it from you.

“Daaamn, how did I ever bring myself to break up with this?” he asked, giving your body a once-over, causing you to blush furiously.

“I have a boyfriend,” you blurted out.

Dongwoon laughed. “I was just kidding, baby girl.” He paused, seeing your frown. “Hey, I’m sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable. I didn’t mean anything…”

“It’s fine,” you said, forcing a smile. “I guess I’m just nervous. It’s been a while since I’ve done a shoot like this.”

He placed both hands on your exposed shoulders, massaging them gently. “Just relax! It’ll be fine.”

You nodded, trusting him, and he was right. He had a beach ball for a prop, and while he started off posing with it under one arm, the other arm around your waist, it soon became a toy more than a prop. You were soon tossing the ball back and forth between the two of you. The photographer was yelling out compliments as the two of you started laughing naturally. It didn’t feel like a job anymore. You were completely relaxed, and you were actually enjoying yourself.

“Face the camera,” the photographer commanded, and that distracted you for a second. At the same time, Dongwoon was moving forward to snatch the ball out of your hands. You managed to turn your body just in time, and this caused him to barge into you, his hands grabbing your waist to steady himself before he continued trying to smack the ball out of your hands. You bent over the ball to try to shield it with your body. “Good! Very good! Okay, next set!”

Both of you were still laughing hard as you headed for the changing rooms. “Still competitive, I see,” Dongwoon teased.

“So are you,” you shot back, before both of you were ushered into separate rooms to change.

When you got out, Dongwoon was already posing for his individual shots. The last style was for a night out at the clubs. You were wearing a sequined bustier with a leatherette miniskirt, spiked platform heels and thick gold accessories. Your hair was slicked back in a high ponytail. Dongwoon was similarly dressed in black from head to toe, in a graphic tee, dark jeans, and boots. He had a leather jacket slung over his shoulder as he gave the camera smoldering looks. When he was done, the dorky smile returned to his face and the photographer gestured you over. The last set of individual shots was the easiest for you. With the other styles, you had to be sunny and cheerful, but now, you were finally able to be sultry and sullen, which was your forte. You finished the last set quickly and were joined by your partner.

“Hana-ssi, why don’t you lean against the wall?” You complied, moving to a corner of the small studio. “Okay, now Dongwoon-ssi, stand closer to her… that’s right.”

Dongwoon moved closer to you, his expression serious. You tried your best to vary your poses. You angled your legs differently, tried different expressions, and placed a hand on Dongwoon’s chest so it looked as if you were trying to seduce him. He surprised you by leaning closer to you and tilting his head slightly so it looked as if he was about to kiss you. Your eyes widened, but you remained still. You knew he wasn’t really going to do it, but somehow, your heart still hammered in your chest. You could feel his breath tickling your lips now, and it made you uncomfortable.

“Alright, good job! That’s a wrap!”

The moment the photographer called out, Dongwoon exhaled sharply and burst into laughter. “Oh, thank God, I couldn’t have held it a second longer.” His usual boyish smile replaced the intense look that had just been on his face a second ago.

When he moved away, you felt a rush of relief wash over you. As the staff started packing up, you and Dongwoon headed off to change into your own clothes. When you got to the entrance of the studio, he was there waiting for you. “It was nice meeting you again, Hana. We should hang out sometime. I need help getting reacquainted with Seoul. Everything is so different now.”

“Yeah, a lot has changed in three years.”

“Are you still using the same number as before? I’ll call you and we can arrange something.”

You looked over onto his screen and nodded. “Yeah, that’s me.”

 He slid his phone back into his pocket, giving you another of his impish grins. “Cool. Can’t wait to see you again.”

Author's note: Just decided to throw Dongwoon into the story here because I'm absolutely obsessed with Shadow right now, and he seemed the most likely candidate to be a model out of all the boys in Beast. Surprise! Heehee.

xx.