The bright and warm light shone over his face. The sun has significantly risen along the sky for it to shine bright upon him and the lack of curtains on the sliding door provided enough exposure for the light to wake him from his slumber. He fell asleep on the couch with his cellphone in his left hand. The wine glass and the half empty wine bottle were left on the dining table. Minho turned his face around to the other side and wiped the dried up drool along his mouth. With his squinty and barely open eyes, he checked on the time. It was already past ten in the morning. He lowered his head and it took him a good three minutes to actually realize what's going on.

"It's past ten!" he shouted as he jerked up. He rushed out of the couch and looked around the living room. He rushed to sink and washed his face. Without even wiping, Minho rushed to the second floor to head on to the bedroom's bathroom to take a bath. Krystal was no longer home when he realized it. Minho had to be move and act fast. He was supposed to wake up at least an hour ago to prepare himself for the meeting. It is the meeting that will finally decide his fate. It is the day that Key will finally announce who the male model muse will be.

He opted for a clean white polo shirt, denim jeans, top-siders, a G-Shock watch and a pair of Ray-Ban shades to complete his look. Minho took a deep breath and looked straight into the mirror.

"You can do this, Minho.." he said to himself and left.

By the time he has arrived at the studio, Siwan and the other model, Kris were already seated at the waiting room. Key's assistant was gracious enough to offer all of them tea but they have been informed that Key won't be coming in an hour or so. The three of them didn't mind.

Truth be told, Minho is confident in his looks. He may have not hit it big but he knows he is capable of actually making it. But he would steal his glances to them every once in a while. They were tough competition after all. Siwan has long reached his success. He started earlier than Minho by a year. Siwan didn't garner attention early on but an ad for a sunglass label put his name out in the market. He turned into one of the most in demand male models to work on print and runway. On the other hand, Kris has the least experience of the three of them.He just started around three to four months ago but he has garnered the attention of designers and photographers due to his exotic look. Kris is of Chinese descent and his height is truly unimaginable. The guy is 6'1". He is easy to spot along the streets.

As Minho started to gulp down the tea, the assistant came out and informed the three of them to head inside. It was more than obvious that the three of them were expecting Key would already be there but to their dismay, he still wasn't. The assistant asked them to take some final shots which Key would last consider into his decision. It was quick; only two to three shots for each of them. 

Another 20 minutes passed and Minho was already nervous. He started playing with the hem of his shirt and sighed ever so frequently. Soon enough, someone barged in through the door. It was Key. He entered with his shades, Nike AIrMax shoes, neon green socks, ripped jeans, a red plaid polo over a white shirt and a CommeDes cap. He held a cup of coffee in his hand. It was safe to say that he looked tense.

"Hey guys.."

"Good morning."

Without a word, the assistant handed over the polaroids and Key laid them out on the table. He just took ten to fifteen seconds to look at each set. He clapped his hand, removed his shades and looked all three of the models in the eye. He called on Siwan to bend over.

"Leave.." Key whispered into the model's ear. Shocked  by what he heard, Siwan sported a confused look on his face before the assistant pointed the way out of the office. It was only then Minho and Kris comprehended the situation. 

"So, it's down to the two of you?" Key questioned. He left his seat and walked around as if examining the two models. He wasn't really giving any signs on who he'd choose between the two. 

"Can the two of you turn around for me, slowly?" he requested and the two did.

"All right then."

Key walked back to his seat and sighed.

"It's been a pleasure meeting you, Mr. Wu but I do hope you will still be interested to do the runway for me."

Kris then nodded and shook hands with Key. Shouts of success were supposed to fill the room however Minho didn't react even after Kris walked out the door. Key had to give him a good pat on the shoulder for him to realize that he has been chosen as the male model muse for the brand. He looked at Key with surprised eyes and shouted. He laughed and shouted which only made Key and his assistant laugh at the situation.

It was biggest break to date. Being chosen as the male muse for the brand will surely put his name out in the cutthroat industry. It will finally help him establish his name and career.

"Oh my gosh.. Key.. I.."

"There is no need to thank me. You were my frontrunner all along but I really preferred Kris' height over yours. Siwan had a good resume but he wasn't exactly my cup of tea at the end of the day."

"I don't know how to thank you.. I am really.. thank you. Thank you so much!"

"Celebrate as hard as you can tonight but don't get too drunk. I will need you to be here at the studio by 9:00am in the morning. We will be working on the preliminary campaign as your official debut as the muse of my brand. All right?"

Minho nodded and sped to the agency. He cannot wait for another second to pass on announcing the big break to Krystal. He parked his car sloppily. He didn't even take notice that he almost occupied the neighboring parking space. He ran through the hallways and Narsha even questioned why he was running. Minho didn't bothering answering. He rushed to the fourth floor of the agency and found Krystal on the lounge enjoying a cup of tea.

"Soojung-ah!"

Surprised, Krystal looked rather confused. Who wouldn't be? A panting man shouts out your name and grasps you by the shoulders. "What's going on, oppa?"

"I got it." Minho uttered breathlessly.

"Got it? Got what? What are you talking about?"

"I am the muse. Key's brand!"

Krystal screamed and hugged Minho. The couple jumped around. Her scream was loud enough to be heard on the entire hallway which made the other models and staff flee to the crime scene. A lot were relieved nothing crazy was going on but they did witness two people prancing around the lounge looking like fools.

The clock struck two and Krystal had to leave Minho temporarily for a photoshoot commitment near Gangnam. It wasn't far but the shoot might last for three hours or so. Alone, Minho didn't really have anything better to do. However, a dear friend of his appeared by the door and was a life saver.

"Hyung!" Minho stood and offered the older man a hug. It's been some time since they last saw each other.

"How have you been, Changmin hyung?"

Instead of giving an immediate reply, Changmin just sighed and ruffled through Minho's wavy hair. The latter swatted the former's hand and laughed.

"How are things with Soojung?"

"It's been good. She decided to come back to modelling after almost a year of being out of the scene. I am telling you, she is still in demand."

"Yeah.. I can see that.I came here the other day but I was informed you two were out in the field. Luckily, I stumbled upon you today. I wanted to see you. It's been quite some time."

It is not known to many even those in the agency that Minho and Changmin knew each other way before Changmin went into modelling. They used to live in the same neighborhood and were friends way back then. Changmin was recruited into the agency by a manager and started when he was a junior in high school. He has turned into a successful producer for songs since he has musical talent but Changmin influenced Minho in having an interest for modelling.

"How about a drink later on tonight? Krystal and I will have dinner and we can meet afterwards?"

"I can't.. I have a meeting with some producers tonight. Tomorrow night will be best.."

"All right."

"Have you heard?"

"Heard what?"

"Apparently she's also here in Seoul. I didn't really know until recently but I came to know that she's been here almost as long as you have.. Haven't you met her?"

"Not really, hyung. Seoul is bigger than it seems.."

Changmin bid his goodbye and reminded Minho of their boys' night out the following night. They will need some catching up since it's been more than four years since they last had a proper conversation. Changmin is a really busy man. Even if he produces full time, he still gets modelling offers every once in a while. 

Once the sun set, Minho received a message from Krystal saying  she'll wait over at their favorite Italian restaurant in Gangnam. Minho quickly left the agency and thankfully traffic wasn't heavy. He reached the restaurant in around 10 minutes. His wife was already waiting inside. 

"Forgive me if I look wasted and all.. Didn't get the chance to dress up."

"You look fine."

Krystal ordered ahead for the two of them. She ordered for a pomelo and shrimp salad with reduced vinaigrette and asparagus soup on the side. She ordered angel hair putanesca for Minho. The two even shared a bottle of white wine. It's tasteful, not as enjoyable as beer or soju, but still good. It's also adequate to keep him sane for the shoot the following morning. 

It was already past ten in the evening when the two of them arrived home. Krystal pecked Minho on the lips and headed upstairs while Minho stayed on the living room. He wasn't really feeling sleepy despite drinking two glasses of white wine.

"She's here?" he whispered.

"Eonni!! Seriously, why didn't you wake me up? How come you did not wake me up? I told you last night to wake me up no matter what since I have work today.. Amber eonni, come on!"

"I heard your alarm ring so I thought you woke up. And to be honest, I just woke up as well.. Do you know what time I arrived home last night? It was almost four in the morning. Coming home from Incheon was annoying. We were supposed to finish the last case before midnight but the station was short handed so my companion and I still had to extend for two more hours."

Sulli quit nagging Amber and decided to fix herself. It was the day of the photoshoot Key organized. It was one of what they agreed upon the other day. Key will hire Sulli as a stylist and let her use some photos and in return, Key will be present when Amber gets shot for Sulli's work. 
Sulli adorned in her floral dress and gladiator sandals bid Amber farewell and took a cab to Key's studio. She hasn't received any nagging calls from Key but she'd rather be early than piss him off. He may be her friend but it was still work.

20 minutes tops, Sulli arrived and thankfully Key wasn't present yet. It was still an hour or so before the shoot starts. Key's assistant briefed Sulli on what was being sought for in the shots. She understood the instructions and started to prepare the outfits. Sulli looked through the racks of clothing that Key provided for the shoot. She still gets amazed the way he designs the clothes. Key designs and stitches all the clothes the muse uses for shoots and shows. He does have a team that helps him finish everything else during the peak of commercial release. 

Sulli picked out a pair of ripped denim, a plain white shirt, red sneakers.. Sulli aimed for it to be an approachable casual look. She was told that the entire theme of the campaign was to model someone every girl would wish to be her boyfriend and every guy would wish he would be the model. It sounds easy but it is not as easy to execute. There can be biases on styling since Key wishes to cater to both audiences. She chose a second outfit to have a navy blue, imprinted wife beater, a gray plaid polo to be tied on the waist, black ripped jeans and dunks. A lollipop was an added bonus.. By the time Sulli was already preparing the third outfit, she heard the door click from outside. 

She stopped on what she was doing and headed to see who it was. It was Key. He sported a smile on his face.

"Good morning, Sulli!"

"Good morning, oppa."

"The model will be here in around 5 minutes. We need four outfits for the first part of the shoot. Are they ready?"

"Well, I'm on my way to preparing the third outfit."

"I see.. Well.."

Key stopped with his words and went to open the door. Sulli saw a view of someone vow and assumed it was the model. She tidied herself up and stood straight to welcome the model. Key made way and before the model even step foot. She already bowed.

"Good morning! Please take care of me."

The model just bowed. By the time Sulli stood straight back up and faced the model, she was almost face to face with him. She looked at him carefully and her tiny Korean eyes opened wide. She took three steps back and so did the model.

They both faced Key.
"Him?!" "Her?!"

Key was surprised and confused; at a complete loss on what was going on. 

One thing was starting to surface though, Minho knew Sulli and Sulli to Minho. The twist? It's not the way you imagine it to be.

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A fairly short update, tbh. The last line, it's pretty much my line of thought relaying that the way they know each other isn't really what you may think it is.. :) Next chapter, maybe it will be more evident. Please look forward to that!