It was something more than just sheer passion on her part. She just doesn't wake up each and every day to go just for the sake it of it. She gets out of her bed because she desires to prove something. She wishes to show the world that you can start from nothing and make it to the top without hurting anyone.

Her eyes were puffy. The 25 minute shower she took did not help in easing the way she looks. The tears she shed the previous out of frustration towards herself proved to be an endeavor that has hit her personally. She always didn't have much and she's always been hard on herself when it came to personal matters. A pained sigh escaped through . Tears were still verging tears in her eyes.

"I could've done a lot better" She mumbles to herself. Sulli lowered her head, turning her head away from the bathroom mirror in the hotel she was staying at. As she let out a sob, her phone that was placed just near the sink rang and vibrated. Quickly, she wiped the tears off of her cheeks and answered.

"Choi Sulli speaking. Yes.. All right. I'll be there."

It was Miryo. She wishes to have Sulli go to the set early. A lot of additional preparations for the shoot the entire day have to be done. Bulk of the three day work will happen that day which is why additional and much needed man power is sought. Sulli dabbed on BB cream quickly on her face and lip tint and was off. A short taxi ride was enough to reach the destination. It was a garden park place. Krystal hasn't arrived and isn't scheduled to do so for two more hours. Miryo was in the tent.

"Eonni!"

"Sulli-ah! Nice to see you. Come.. We have to prepare a lot of things for the shoot today. It's an ad for Versace Korea."

Sulli only offered a slight smile and nod. Miryo noticed it and asked what's wrong.

"Is this about yesterday?" Miryo questioned. Sulli said yes. The older offered a slight pat on the back and smiled. "We'll be handling a different project head to day. I've got to admit the lady yesterday was such a pain in the neck. If you just saw how much she demanded unecessary things while I was shooting Krystal.. ugh. You'll be pissed. Anyway, don't look so gloomy today. Okay? I hired you because you have nice energy in the set. Bring that back."

"Ung!" With Miryo's encouraging words, Sulli brought back her contagious energy and moved quicker than a horse around the set. The Versace Korea styling head came early on and the woman looked a lot friendlier compared to the woman yesterday. She gave Sulli a warm smile and cleared what she is looking for in the look and styling she wishes to see on Krystal.

Sulli did as she was told. Gathering up the dresses and laid them out on a wide table to visualize on how it would look like on Krystal. She tried to remember Krystal's slender figure would fit on the dress. She pictured how her long and lean legs can be accentuated with high slit dresses or tight silk pants the company provided. By the time Krystal and the rest of the team arrived, the preparations were done. Krystal was the only element left.

Miryo welcomed the team. "Good morning! All the necessary preparations were made. Krystal-ssi just needs to get dressed. We can finish early if we get things done a lot earlier as well."
Krystal appeared she was listening but in the corner of her eyes she saw Sulli and waved at the stylist. A curt smile followed. Sulli saw it and bowed politely. Once the briefing about how the shoot will go, Krystal and her team headed straight to the tent.

"Sulli, right?" Krystal said.

"Huh? Ahh.. yes. It's me."

"Tough day, yesterday wasn't it?"

"Well.."

"No need to be shy about it. The woman in charge yesterday can get pretty demanding. I was extremely distracted while shooting yesterday. She kept ordering things that contradicted Miryo eonni's directions."

"I know!" Sulli blurted. Krystal stifled a laugh. "Sorry.."

"It's fine. Anyway, you also know Miryo eonni? How did you two meet? I've known her for quite some time. I was able to work with her when I was just starting. She's great isn't she?"

"She is. I took a styling job for one of her photoshoots for a magazine. She said she liked my work and asked for my number. It's my first official job with her when she asked for me personally."

"She must really like you." The two seemed to get along quickly. Well, truly they did. As Sulli did the make-up work for Krystal, she started imitated the way the woman yesterday on the way she talked. Krystal let out a loud laugh which surprised Krystal's team. She waved them off assuring everyone she is fine.

"You're funny." were Krystal's last words before she dived into the photoshoot that morning. Sulli's wish is coming true. The morning is looking bright for her.

He arrived earlier than they were asked for. They were asked to gather at 4:00pm but everyone was sure that everything will start by 5:00 or 5:30pm. The designer has always been known to start late and end late. It's just the way the designer operates. It was definitely a queue. Minho looked around and saw about 15 famous models and an additional 10 or 11 models that was in the same tier as he is. Seven of the fifteen models came from his agency. He took a big gulp from his bottled water and tapped his feet out of uneasiness. He has faith in himself but the nerves were getting to him. How can he win against the competition? He thought in his head. He felt as if he was having difficulty to breathe. Let alone, the narrow and rather confined corridor where they were all didn't have enough light and ventilation.

"Nervous?" a fellow model asked.

"Yes.. You?"

"We all are.. well, maybe not all of us. But it's nerve wrecking. This could be the make or break for someone's career. Whoever gets the contract as the male muse will have his career sky rocket. This designer is known to make that happen. Woo Bin who once modeled for this designer for a year is now a model turned actor. Who wouldn't want that?"

"Everything you said is true. We are like gladiators in an arena here right now; minus the blood. Nice to meet you, I'm Minho. Choi Minho.."

"I know who you are dude. You scored the hottest model out there.. Krystal Jung. I mean no offense, okay? It's just that how everyone perceived her. It's Lee Joon." The two male models shook hands and shared a few more conversations about what kind of arena male modelling. They both agreed that female models have it easier. As soon as the clock struck quarter to four, a team of security guards entered and led someone through another door. It caused a panic with all the models. Soon, a female came out of the door near the first person on the line and announced that the casting will start in three minutes. All the models started prepping themselves up.

By the time the clock read eight minutes past six in the evening, a man was already inside and it would be Minho's turn. He observed every model's face as they walked out of the casting room. There was no clear hint on what goes inside. Some of the models smile others just look defeated. There was no doubt that his heart was beating like crazy at that moment. Minho was part of the last set of models there were. By the time the model came out and Minho was called on, he hesitated and requested for an additional five minutes from the lady. The woman relayed the message to the casting team and said that the team was all right with it. It was time for them to rest as well.

Feeling the anxiety building up inside of him, Minho stood and started to walk around the corridor near the door. Lee Joon himself started to feel anxious due to Minho's pacing. "Dude.. Get in there!"

Minho shook his head. "I can't.. No.. How can I win against those other models? Most of them were from my agency. Don't you know that despite being a talent under the agency for almost a year, I don't have a single picture posted along the corridors!"

"Minho.. Minho! Get a grip. We're all struggling in this battlefield but use your wits. You told me you'll be willing to do it. Then do it! Get your in there!"
Lee Joon's words helped. Minho took a deep breath and walked inside the casting room once the lady came out. The room looked a tad different from a typical casting room. There were no clothes prepared. It was just a panel composed of one person. Minho expected it would comprise of at least three people but no.. It was just one person.

"Ughh.. Good evening! I am Choi Minho.."

"Please be seated Mr. Choi.." the person instructed. He did as he was told. The man looked through Minho's portfolio as the man rested so lazily upon his chair and legs raised on the table.

"You joined your wife's agency the moment you two got married?"

"Yes.. That is correct."

"You have the right height I am looking for. Your side profile is great to work with. Not a lot of models have the kind of jaw and nose line you contain. Then again, I ask them to model clothes not cosmetics."

"That is true.."

"This photoshoot?" The man pointed out a black and white photograph of Minho that was taken around 7 years ago. He was really young back then.. Scruffy, short hair, white shirt, jeans and a lean figure.. It was when he was just starting..

"Yes?"

"Mr. Choi, before anything else, can I ask..Why should I hire you?"

It was a usual question if one is going to ponder about it but can be difficult to answer. Minho thought for a minute and took a deep breath before answering. "I always believed in the value of honesty which is why I am going to be honest with you. My entire career, I've been a struggling model.. I know I am not the only one who has said that but somehow I feel I have to deal with a heavier burden. Krystal Jung is my wife. She is famous and people will always say 'Oh, you're Krystal's husband?' quickly after greeting. Don't get me wrong.. I love my wife but I wish to get out of that shadow. I don't want to be just Krystal's husband. I want to make a name for myself. I want to be known as Choi Minho. I know I have what it takes. I just wish that someone will be willing to take a risk on me. That is all I ask for."

The man nodded. Minho believed that he was able to convey his message clearly. "I like this photo.. When was this?"

"It was when I was just starting. I was around 16 or 17 then, if I remember correctly."

"All right. Uhmm.. Could you please stand up and go to the wall over there? Ms. Park will be taking a test shot of yours for my record."

Minho did as he was advised and took three test shots for the man. Truth be told, Minho was confused on what was happening. He had no clear understanding on who the man really was. Was he a casting manager? Was he the designer's secretary? As he recollected his portfolio, the man offered his hand and smiled.

"It was nice meeting you, Mr. Choi."

"Nice meeting you as well..."

"Ohh. Yes.. I forgot to introduce myself. I am Kim Kibum.. Key.. The designer in charge.."

Surprised with the revelation. Minho bowed which made Key laugh. He laughed so hard he almost fell out of his chair. "Forgive me, Mr. Choi. You didn't have to bow so formally like that. Anyway, it was nice meeting you. I'll be calling on my top five choices in four days or so. Thank you for coming."

Again, Minho bowed thanks and left. He gave Lee Joon a thumbs up who was preparing himself adjacent to the door. Feeling an unidentified delight, Minho ran over to his car and started to dial Krystal's number. It rang for several times. Minho was about to give up but suddenly someone answered the phone.

"Soojung-ah!"

The person on the other line apologized saying that Krystal fell asleep. The photoshoot ended just a few minutes before Minho called. Minho relayed a message, asking whoever answered to please say it to Krystal the moment she wakes up.

"I understand." The person answered. Minho listened and did not realize the other person already dropped the line. He drove back home and prepared a bottle of beer for himself. The confused feelings he had turned into a sense of disappointment. It just irked him a little bit that he has no one to share his happiness with. It sounded selfish but he just wished Krystal would call. She knew that it was casting day and a few words of encouragement would help. But then again, he understands the situation. Krystal's been working non-stop for the past two days. Minho knew that.

With the few friends he already had, Minho scrolled through his contact list hoping to call someone over for a bottle of beer or wine. When he stumbled upong Chingu, he tapped on her name and called her. It rang and rang but soon the operator answered asking Minho to leave a message.

"Chingu.. It's me. I know this may sound weird of me calling you but as much as I hate to admit it, I don't have a lot of friends around. I feel comforting talking to you. It's been great today, I guess? I don't expect for your reply. I just felt the need to share it to someone. Wish you well, Chingu."

Minho dazed off and fell asleep. His cellphone dropped to the floor as it escaped his relaxed hand as he fell asleep on the couch at the living room. Failing to realize that the following morning, he will be meeting Krystal to fetch her from Ulsan. Add to that he failed to realized that someone was calling.

And you all know who it was.. It was Chingu.

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Update! YEY! Was supposed to make it a double update but can't squeeze enough out of my head. OTL. Anyway.. I hope you understand why I am not letting them meet at once. I just wish to build up their friendship before it can actually escalate from that. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Next chapter will be keyber focused, more or less. I need to give them justice. :)) Please look forward to that!