chapter two

"Hyung, you ready?" Sungjong waves his hands in front of my face and I snap out of a clouded daze that I didn't even realise I was in.

Without immediately replying him, my eyes darted to the clear glass office in the very back of the studio, where Sunggyu was with Suzy and her agent. Sighing, I pout at Sungjong and he shakes his head at me with a smile.

I wasn't allowed into the meeting with them because I had other work to be getting on with, but I was jealous when he first shunned me out of the room. The only positive feelings inside of me right now were the ones that came with being the one to hold the camera up in front of Bae Suzy and taking a closer look at her beauty. It's great being a photographer, but with things like these- they only last a while.

"Okay, let's go shoot your damn hats." I mutter and stand behind my camera. Sungjong is in front of me, arranging and then rearranging his boatload of fancy hats that came in so many different patterns, they were so disorientating. He kept me anchored to my camera though, telling me what shots to use and which particular hat to focus on. Man, Sungjong sure loves hats. At least the striped orange and white one with a dumb flower on top took my mind off of things.

I didn't even realise the shoot was over until Sungjong began pushing his tray of hats to the elevator. Wait- when did he even put them away?!

"Hyung, Suzy's just a girl, stay focused!" he manages to call out before the doors closed on him.

I sigh again. He doesn't understand, does he? You can't simply say she's 'just a girl' because there's always something else to them, and all it takes is a closer look. When I notice how awkward my thoughts sound in my head, I shake it off and take another look at the office.

If only she didn't have her back to me. Sunggyu is so lucky.

But of course, with a smirk playing on my lips as I remember that I'm the photographer, I'm luckier.

-

I didn't have time to watch Suzy leave after her meeting because Sungyeol had already dragged me out to lunch before the doors could even open for her. I went willingly with him though, in need of some good food and fresh air. We decided to hit the nearest ramen shop and ordered whatever smelled good to us.

The first thing he says when we sit down at a booth is, "Bae Suzy."

My shoulders drop and I groan, "Let's not. Please."

He raises his eyebrows at me and wiggles them in a really creepy way. "Tell me exactly what you're thinking, my dear friend."

I narrow my eyes at him. I'd rather not think about things to do with Suzy, because the thoughts of her will just devour me. But he's my best friend, and he knows me better than anyone- so I may as well spill the beans. "She's pretty perfect, Yeol."

The wonderful therapist that he is (for this short time only), he clasps his hands together and leans his arms on the table. Our ramen bowl arrives and the waitress flashes him us a smile, but when I look up at her I see Suzy.

But it's not really her and I, the idiotically drawn man I am, am just imagining things.

We don't start tucking into our food yet. "I wish you the very best in this photoshoot." Yes, I did mention he was a wonderful therapist, didn't I? "But she's irresistable and you know it." He sighs. "You'll end up like all the poor losers out there yearning for her, so get a hold of yourself."

"I wish I could..." I quietly mutter to myself, yet he hears me.

"Myung, I know what you're like when you like a girl-" I get terribly obsessed. "And fooling yourself into liking her simply because you're mesmerised by her..." I already get what he's trying to say when he shakes his head.

I frown and it's because he is so damn right.

When I like a girl, she's the only one on my mind. Twenty-four seven and nothing else. I get so obsessed with her and the feelings of simply liking her that I become a punchline in a bad joke. When I like a girl, I really like her, and nothing can come between that/

"Hey, Myung," Sungyeol starts. "just do what you have to do and get the job over with. Then she'll be gone and you won't feel like such a sad puppy."

Then she'll be gone.

I nod, getting ready to start eating. Nothing like a good old ramen bowl to cheer up my Suzy blues. "I'll try."

“She’s one of them,” He mumbles through a mouth full of food. He raises both of his hands and holds one far from the other, a large gap between the two. “Way up high, unreachable. She’s a celebrity, so you can’t do anything about it.”

I sigh, “Suzy’s a person, Yeol, just because a person’s famous it doesn’t mean they’re not a person.”

“I’m not saying she isn’t a ‘normal person’ underneath her glitz and glamour, sure she might be, but I’m just saying, nothing’s normal for her.”

What he means to say is I’m too normal for her.

-

On my way back to the studio, I met Bae Suzy.

Sungyeol had to go after our ramen lunch date because Woohyun had deliveries for him to take care of. So I took my time walking back to INFINITE's main building and for some reason, deciding to take the back door instead of the front entrance, I found her there.

She was sitting on the fire escape stairs, her blue blazer sticking out like a thumb and she had tied her curly hair into a ponytail. With her back turned to me, I could feel beauty radiating from her. I gulp, already feeling like my soul was being out.

I wonder if I could go back in without catching her attention. I'd return to being a nervous wreck in frnt of a pretty girl and possibly die right on the spot! I went with creeping my way to the door and biting my lip as I did so, afraid to make any sound that would startle her. Please don't notice me.

She notices me.

"Oh!" Suzy gasps, her hand over her heart. "You scared me!" I notice her hands shaking from where I was standing.

Caught in the act of trying to escape the wonders of her, I nervous pinch my hand to tell myself to get a hold of reality. My hand instinctively travels to my nape and I brush my neck wondering what the heck I should say. "I was trying not to. Sorry" I mumbled lamely.

She laughs a small laugh and my heart pounds. "It's okay! I was looking for a distraction," she almost kills me with a smile, but I told myself if I wasn't being so affected by it, I could continue to admire the way her eyes lift up at the same time the corners of does. "Kim Myungsoo, right?"

She remembers my name. I nod and bite my tongue in happiness. She stands up from the stairs and brushes her fancy white jeans. "Do you have work to do?"

I shake my head almost immediately. I'm too obedient sometimes. I think of my schedule for the day and praise the heavens that the only piece of work left for me to do was help Sungyeol with finalising editorials. I'm sure he could do that alone... "Kind of." I reply. "But nothing much, to be honest."

Suzy smiles. Stop doing that. She's so pretty, she could make men forget their own name. Who am I again?! She takes a few steps towards me and I'm careful not to instantly pull away, surprised at her gesture. "Let's go to town!"

My eyebrows automatically raise, "Town? We're already in town, miss Suzy."

"We are?" She asks quizzically. I nod. "Oh..." then she chuckles and I'm pretty sure her confusion defies the rules of it being against the moral law of being too cute. "Then let's get away from here!"

 “E-excuse me? But we have a job-“

Suzy takes my hand. I lose control of my senses and she looks me in the eye.

“Please,” she croaks quietly. There’s something wrong. “I don’t want to be here right now.”

I nod almost immediately, her grip on my hand slowly slipping away. I tighten it though to hold onto her, our eyes never wavering from each other’s. I don’t think she needs to say anything else for me to know that there’s something up with her, her eyes – once dainty and bright from our very first meeting – were clouded with worry and fear.

I speak up, my throat slightly itchy from wanting to say something else, but not being able to. “I don’t even know who you are.” I mutter sheepishly.

She shakes her head. “I don’t either.”

“What does that I mean?” I ask.

She looks down at our hands, my grip still on hers. I don’t think I should pull away though. I wait for her reply. “I’m Bae Suzy, but there’s nothing beyond what people see.”

For some reason, I want to so badly tell her that she’s wrong. I’m no mind-reader and I definitely don’t have the ability to read people at a glance, but there’s that strange feeling of knowing attached to the tip of my fingers, shocking up my arm.

When silence lingers in the air for too long, I’m the one to break it. Two words is all it takes.

“Let’s go.”

We drift away from the busy streets bustling with life and transport, away from the building that holds me down – Sunggyu hyung was definitely going to kill me for this – and we walk, hand in hand much to my worry and surprise. I’m not exactly sure where she wants to go, but I know I would follow her anywhere.

I look at her as she leads, her ponytailed hair lighter in the small sunlight, her eyes so focused on the way forward. I think back to the way she suddenly looked at me when I told her we couldn’t leave. There was a sense of fear reflected in her eyes, desperate to tell me something. She was scared of something, so suddenly, but I didn’t know what. Was she in trouble? Was she being followed or chased? I need to find out. I need to know.

Who is Bae Suzy?

idk guys...i feel like you'll all be disappointed with this story or something, haha.

but the drama's coming up, so i just wanted to put this out already~ plus the teaser in the prologue is about to insert itself into the fic, please anticipate that!! plus if there's any confusion, know that it'll all be revealed soon because i have a habit of making things open ended, just wait lol

i'll update soon, thanks for reading!♥