Chapter One;

"I don't know why you can’t just choose someone quickly."

"Minho, you don't understand it! Nobody is good enough!" The photographer whined loudly. Honestly, Minho didn't really care about who would be his partner in the photoshoot. His priority was just to finish the job so he could take another one. If he knew it would be this complicated, he would have never taken it. The photographer had these images in her head - and it looked like no one was enough to be paired up with him. "I have all these pictures in my mind but neither of them are similar to it."

"Just choose someone already." The model tried to stay calm but it was hard. He looked over the portfolios thrown all over the table and randomly picked one up. It was Tiffany Hwang's - one of the closest friends he could make in the model industry. Minho would have loved to have a photoshoot with her. "What about her?"

"She would be good, but your manager said not to use her, since it'll look like you two are dating. And people are already suspicious about you two." She sounded disappointed. Minho picked up another one from the table and showed it to her. He had a feeling she just needed to make a big fuss about the whole thing, then she would choose someone from the people she had already deselected.

"Then, how about her? Park Sooyoung. She goes by Joy, right? She's quite popular these days. I saw her on a poster the other day." Looking over her portfolio, he could see why she was so admired these days. She was clearly attractive.

"Too popular and too young for you. It would be clichéd. I need a fresh face." The photographer sighed. When she was about to speak again, her phone buzzed and Minho sent her a questioning gaze before she mouthed, "It's your manager."

He watched her growing excitement by every passing minute, whispering into her phone. It must have been good news then, to make this whiny kid become so happy. Maybe Jonghyun found the perfect match for the photoshoot - she told his manager to go around the streets and ask around.  If none of these professional models were good enough, there must be someone new who was. He hoped his manager found a pair for him - he wanted to be through with the whole thing. The photographer bit down a smile and looked brightly at him.

"I got him." She talked to herself rather than to Minho, not like he minded it. She was getting on his nerves.

"Who?"

"So - apparently, I found a picture of you and a boy in your-uhm, wallet. You two looked so good together so I just told Jonghyun to find him." She smiled sheepishly and all Minho wanted to do was leave the freaking place right then. First of all, why did she look inside of his wallet? Wasn't she shameless? Second, that picture was something he treasured even though he didn't want to meet the person on it ever again. He was a good memory for Minho - but he was sure the one in the picture didn't think the same of him. "I hope you aren't angry at me."

"Tell me he doesn't want to work with me." The model ignored her last sentence because, oh my god. The only picture that was in his wallet was the one with Taemin, his ex-boyfriend. They broke up in a cold way but somehow he just couldn't forget him entirely. But this didn't mean that he wanted to meet him again. Not in the whole world. "Please tell me he doesn't."

"Oh, he does."

This wouldn’t lead to any good, he could sense it.

After the girl hurried away from the studio, Minho dialled his best friend's number. She picked up after the first ring. He only said one sentence and hung up right after it. After all, he was going to explain everything in person.

"I need your help."

Minho waited for Tiffany to -not- pay her coffee and amaze everyone with her smile. She always did this, cheap trick from her.  He never entirely got why she felt she had to do this, since she had the money to pay for it. These little things always made him smile- but not now. It was a serious topic he wanted to discuss with her. She was the elder sister he never had- and damn, she was pretty good at being all protective with him.

"So, what's wrong?" Tiffany furrowed her eyebrows and sipped from her coffee. Suddenly Minho held all of her attention and it was something he had to be happy about. Tiffany could hardly concentrate on anything for a long period of time. "You only call me when something bad happens with you. And this call was quite worrisome."

"Taemin's back." Minho blurted out right away. There was no point in beating around the bush. He stared at his feet, feeling his stomach knot in a tight grip. He only had to say this and she gasped beside him, making him sigh. Tiffany and her overdramatic self. Even though this topic matched her gasp. The memory of Taemin was kind of sensitive for Minho in the past years. He never truly got over his relationship with the boy, the wound never healed properly. But, all of it was the cause of the model himself. After their break up, Tiffany nursed his broken heart and helped him stand on his own feet. Since then they were best friends. It had been five years, if he remembered correctly.

"Oh, my dear." Tiffany caressed his black hair carefully. Minho could bet that she was waiting for him to break down, but it wouldn’t happen. He wouldn’t let it happen to him again. He wouldn’t break down because of Lee Taemin again. "How?"

"We need to work together." Minho said simply, watching her reaction. She just furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.

"I didn't know he was a model."

"He wasn't. The photographer saw his picture and sent Jonghyun to ask him to do a photoshoot with me." Jonghyun knew Minho was together with Taemin back then. But he thought they broke up quietly and they stayed friends since he had a picture of them in his wallet. When he told his manager that wasn't the case, he apologized repeatedly, yet he could do nothing about it. He already signed the contract with Taemin, there was no going back. "And he agreed to it somehow. I don't know the details."

"Why did he agree to work with you?" It was a question Minho asked himself quite a lot since he heard about it. His last memory of the boy was him whispering to him that he hated him. Minho knew people could change their minds, but after five years? He could hardly believe it.

"I just don't know."

"What are you going to do?" Tiffany was worried, it was crystal clear, but Minho was also. When it came to Taemin, he wasn't that cool and careless person he liked to think himself to be. Taemin had a huge effect on him and ah, why did everything have to be so complicated?

"I don't know that either, Tiff." Minho sent her a pleading look. "Please, help me!"

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