Choi Jonghun was a spoiled brat.

 

It had only been one day since Hongki started his new job, but already he was weary of Jonghun and his obnoxious prince complex. Hongki had never met anyone so demanding and self absorbed in his entire life. Everywhere he went, he expected everyone to cater to his each and every whim, lest he unleash misery and tears on the whole damn world.

 

While taking a break from filming their music video, Hongki watched Jonghun demand one of the staff members for a glass of sparkling water—not even a bottle, a ing wine glass, that prissy bastard—and then snap at the poor girl for taking an hour to fulfill his ridiculous request. Even once he had his fancy wine glass, he took one sip and then angrily shoved it back in her hands because it apparently wasn't bubbly enough for him.

 

It took all of Hongki's self control not to sock him in front of everyone right then and there.

 

That very same day, Jonghun verbally abused an innocent crew member for daring to offer him a fruit cup with strawberries in it, reduced a girl to tears when she tried to fix the unacceptable fruit cup by taking out the strawberries, and then, once both workers had apologized profusely, all but sobbing out the words, Jonghun decided he'd lost his appetite.

 

By the time it was all over, nobody dared to get within ten yards of Jonghun.

 

“You know, it's a shame such a pretty face has such an ugly personality,” Hongki muttered some time later, as he touched up the fake tattoo along the side of Jonghun's neck. They were on the set of FT Triple's music video, and though the filming was scheduled to end in about an hour, they were running a bit behind schedule and still had quite a few more scenes to film. Hongki figured they'd still be here long after the sun had set and the moon had risen.

 

In response to Hongki's remark, Jonghun glared in his seat, arms crossed over his chest, lips pursed in a childish glower.

 

Hongki sighed. Obviously this brat was still sulking. Whether it was about the scolding he received this morning for refusing to cooperate with Hongki, or the fact that nobody else on the crew was willing to deal with him, Hongki wasn't quite sure. It was probably a combination of both.

 

Truthfully, Hongki didn't want to deal with him either. He would have been more than happy to just let Jonghun deal with his own makeup and wardrobe, but Hongki couldn't afford to get fired. He knew he'd have to thank Yonghwa properly at some point, because although Jonghun was a total in the pain in the , the pay was good—a lot more than he'd expected.

 

He thought he'd be stuck with an intern's salary, just a sliver over minimum wage, but when the CEO proposed a salary well over his expectations, Hongki was completely taken aback—and of course a little skeptical.

 

Why pay a first timer so much? It didn't make sense. There had to be a catch.

 

Until he realized that when he'd been offered a job as a stylist for a group, what it really meant was Choi Jonghun's personal makeup and wardrobe guru. Suddenly, the extra money made a little more sense. Perhaps it was more of a compensation for being stuck working with Jonghun than a raise for Hongki's personal skill set.

 

Hongki couldn't help but scoff at the realization.

 

Even the CEO had to bribe people to put up with Jonghun. How pathetic.

 

Well, perhaps Hongki shouldn't complain too much. He was behind on rent, could hardly afford food, and he had a mass of student loans hanging over his head. A good salary was a very welcome motivation, even if Hongki couldn't shake the suspicion that there was some other ulterior motive behind it.

 

“I really don't understand the plot to this video,” Hongki couldn't help but comment a moment later, as he glanced over at the crew members who were in the midst of tying tires together with rope.

 

It was an outdoor shoot, and the sun was low on the horizon, leaving the sky stained with a vast array of orange and pinks. Although it was also nearing the end of summer, the weather was still hot, and Hongki could feel the beads of sweat collect at his back.

 

Hongki shook his head a little, brow furrowed in concentration, as he set aside the ink and grabbed the eyeliner instead. He'd been instructed to give Jonghun a “charmingly rebellious” look, and though Hongki doubted the words charming and Jonghun could ever belong in the same sentence together, he had to admit, he was pretty damn proud of himself for making Jonghun look at least kind of approachable.

 

Of course, Jonghun had fussed about every little thing, insisting that Hongki was using too much eyeliner, or that he pulled too much of his hair back into a ponytail, to which Hongki responded by telling to shut up and let him do the job he was hired for.

 

“So, there's a girl that two of you like,” Hongki began, referring to the video's storyline. “But she gets into an accident. She'll die if she doesn't get this really expensive surgery, so you have the brilliant idea to enter a basketball tournament in the hopes you'll win the cash prize and save her life. Except, you end up losing, and the girl is never mentioned again. Assuming she's dead, what was the point of the whole thing? 'Sorry your girlfriend died, but you won the moral victory, and that's all that counts?'”

 

Jonghun rolled his eyes. “I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand.”

 

“Someone like me,” Hongki echoed, smiling sarcastically before leaning close to Jonghun's face, eyeliner in hand. Dark eyes stared back at him sharply, and Hongki could only narrow his eyes at him. “Are you calling me stupid?”

 

“I'm certainly not calling you a genius,” Jonghun grumbled under his breath, to which Hongki responded by leaning even closer, his gaze burning with wildfire once again, as he brought the liner close to Jonghun's eyelids. Jonghun jerked his face away.

 

“You want to know something, Jonghun? You have this uncanny talent for making people hate your guts. You should really work on your attitu—Quit squirming, damn it!” Hongki hissed all of a sudden, as Jonghun repeatedly jerked away from the makeup utensil in Hongki's hand.

 

“You're too close!” Jonghun hissed right back, scowling as he placed a hand on Hongki's chest and roughly shoving him back a few feet.

 

Hongki stared at him incredulously, waving his arm around in a dramatic huff. “How do you expect me to do this if I'm all the way back here?”

 

“Do you have to be right in my face?!” Jonghun snapped, cheeks tinged the faintest shade of pink—be it from the heat or his own anger, Hongki wasn't quite sure. Either way, Hongki could feel his patience wearing dangerously thin. At this rate, he was going to end up smacking Jonghun right to the moon.

 

“Yes!” Hongki finally exploded before he grabbed Jonghun's face between his hands, forcing him still. “Now sit still, close your eyes and let me fix your damn makeup before I shove this thing up your gigantic nose!”

 

Jonghun could only stare at him for a moment, jaw clenched, as Hongki held his face between the palms of his hands. Hongki's face was so close, so very close. His breath tickled Jonghun's lips, and Jonghun quickly decided the heat of the sun was getting to him, because he suddenly felt his skin burn underneath Hongki's touch. He ignored the warm flush of his cheeks and let his gaze fall downward, complying for once.

 

Even as Hongki touched up his eyeliner, the brush lightly sweeping across his eyelid with all the gentleness of a feather's touch, Hongki continued to keep his free hand braced against the side of his face. Jonghun didn't close his eyes, however, as the gleam of Hongki's necklace had caught his attention. He found himself reaching for the shiny golden charm—a skull, of all things—before he realized what he was doing.

 

Jonghun's fingertips brushed against the smooth skin of his chest. That tank top Hongki wore exposed far too much of his collarbone, Jonghun thought belatedly, before Hongki's fingers clasped around Jonghun's wrist and forcefully wrenched his hand away, his eyes flickering like wildfire.

 

“Where the hell do you think you're touching?” Hongki demanded.

 

“I was just looking at it!” Jonghun hissed, perhaps a bit too defensively, as he scowled and yanked his hand out of Hongki's grasp. He brought his arm close to his chest and protectively cradled his wrist, not because Hongki had hurt him, but because he'd had the nerve to be physical with him. Jonghun narrowed his eyes.

 

Nobody touches Jonghun without his permission and gets away with it.

 

Suddenly, he was once again nose to nose with Hongki.

 

“Then look with your eyes, not your hands,” Hongki muttered, his breath sweeping across lips with the words. Jonghun kept his jaw clenched, his gaze hard and icy as he tried to ignore the annoying drum of his heart against his ribcage. Hongki stared at him, his eyes ablaze with a fiery storm of emotions. Jonghun held his gaze, refusing to let him affect him anymore than he already had.

 

“Choi Jonghun, on set please,” was the call from the director that broke them from their trance as he impatiently motioned Jonghun over.

 

Hongki pursed his lips, but finished up tweaking the eyeliner without so much as another word. He used his fingers to fix a few flyaway strands of dark hair, but Jonghun stopped him by batting away his hand away and standing to his feet, his dark, piercing gaze burning with that ever present hostility.

 

“Don't start thinking you can start mouthing off to me without consequence, Lee Hongki,” Jonghun said, his voice low and dripping with venom. “I'll have your fired by the end of the week.”

 

Hongki smiled sarcastically and waved him off. “Have fun with that. The CEO hired me himself, so good luck trying to tell him how to run his business.”

 

Jonghun clenched his jaw, but didn't say anything more. Instead he turned around and went to take his spot in front of the camera. As soon as he was out of earshot, Hongki ran his hands through his hair, let out a noise of frustration and slumped into the seat Jonghun had previously occupied.

 

Food, rent, loans, food, rent, loans, Hongki reminded himself over and over again in an attempt to calm himself down. Closing his eyes, Hongki took a deep breath and leant his head over the back of the chair. His fingers absentmindedly found their way to the charm around his neck, his thumb the golden memento.

 

God, Jonghun was such a pain in the .

 

Forget how good the salary was, Hongki wasn't getting paid enough for this .

 

 

 

><><><><

 

 

 

“I want Lee Hongki fired,” was the first thing Jonghun said—well, more like demanded—as he stormed into the CEO's office early the next morning. The man barely glanced up from the papers spread across his desk as Jonghun plopped himself into the chair directly in front of his desk, arms crossed defiantly over his chest.

 

“No.”

 

“No?” Jonghun repeated as his brow nearly rose right into his hairline. “That's it? You're not even going to listen to what I have to say?”

 

“I don't need to, Jonghun,” the CEO sighed. “Whatever your reasons are for stomping into my office and demanding me to fire one of my employees, I don't care. The answer is no, plain and simple.”

 

“He's rude, mouthy, and completely unprofessional,” Jonghun ranted anyway. Of course, he didn't mention the fact that being around Hongki made him feel weird, uncomfortable even, but he quickly pushed these thoughts out of his head and continued ranting. “He's a nuisance. People like him bring down the company's image and make it seem like our standards are the lowest of the low. Why is he here?”

 

Finally, the CEO looked up from his papers, a disapproving frown at his lips.

 

“You dare ask me why?” He demanded, before he crossed his arms atop his desk. “Choi Jonghun, let me ask you a question. Who raised you into stardom? Who made you successful around the world? Who put a roof over your head and lined your pockets with cash?”

 

“Don't act like you did us favors,” Jonghun shot back, before his lips twitched into a caustic smile. “You wanted to conduct an experiment, and you made us your lab rats.”

 

The CEO's gaze hardened. “And just where do you think you would you be without me? You would have no part of this industry if I hadn't taken you in.”

 

“You think so highly of yourself,” Jonghun nearly scoffed. “I'd be just as successful, with or without you.”

 

“Oh, would you?” The CEO challenged. “Then tell me, what company would want an idol who can't sing or dance, who can hardly act worth a damn, and who has zero charisma? Can you think of one? I can't.”

 

Jonghun said nothing. Instead, he kept silent, his jaw clenched, his gaze hard and unwavering. As if he needed to be reminded of all the things he couldn't do. So he lacked a little in the singing department, big deal. The other three members had that much covered.

 

He couldn't dance? Who cared about that? He didn't need to. They were a band, not a dance group. Maybe acting wasn't his forte either. Did it really matter all that much? Saying he had no charisma? Now that stung. He was Choi Jonghun, he was all charisma. Why else would he be the one with the most fans in the band?

 

“You've become spoiled, Jonghun,” the CEO said as he narrowed his eyes at Jonghun. “You should learn to be grateful for what you have instead of demanding for more than you can handle. Now get out of my office. You have a schedule to attend to.”

 

“I'm not working with Lee Hongki,” Jonghun insisted once more, barely managing not to snap out the words like he so wanted to do.

 

“Jonghun,” the man uttered sharply, visibly losing his patience with him. “Lee Hongki is a valuable asset to this company. I'm going to give you a choice. Either you learn to be a professional and work with people you don't like, or I fire you. The choice is yours.”

 

 

 

><><><><

 

 

 

“Mr. CEO,” one of the directors, Kim Youngsun began as she handed him a fresh stack of papers, having overheard the argument from her own office next door. “Not that I agree with his reasons or tone of voice, but I'm curious as well. What is your aim here, hiring Lee Hongki?”

 

He hummed in response. “He's an interesting case.”

 

“An interesting case?” She repeated, before her brow raised in surprise. “Sir, with all due respect, he's the type to cause the company internal problems.”

 

“The guinea pigs have run their course, Miss Director,” the CEO sighed, absentmindedly scratching at the nonexistent hair on his chin. “It's about time to retire them and focus on our next big project.”

 

“Okay, but what does that have to do with Lee Hongki?”

 

“I want him to be our next big project,” he said simply, before he looked up from his desk and aimed a meaningful look at the director. “Those boys we have are running out of steam. Once they fizzle out, Hongki will be the one to take over. Like I said, he's an interesting case. I can make him a thousand times more profitable than those boys will ever be combined.”

 

“He's already refused the offer.”

 

“That may be true now, but he's full of ambition. He won't be satisfied standing in the background for long.”

 

“You sure talk big,” she murmured. “Let's hope your skills in persuasion haven't rusted.”

 

The CEO smiled. “Trust me, I know how to work people like him.”

 

 

 

><><><><

 

 

 

Jonghun seethed in his seat in the dressing room, staring down at his phone and listening as the other members chatted happily with the makeup artists. He scrolled through the pages of one of FT Triple's fan sites, looking through all the pictures fans had posted of their filming the previous day. Some of them were fuzzy, grainy, most likely taken with a cellphone camera, but others looked almost professional, as though they'd been taken with a professional grade camera.

 

Jonghun couldn't help but smirk a little as he came across pictures of himself. It seemed he looked good no matter the angle or camera quality. He kept scrolling, finding pictures of everyone, Minhwan, Seunghyun and Jaejin included, in the varying stages of their music video. However, as Jonghun came across one picture in particular, the smirk fell right off his face, the caption and corresponding comments sending a fiery bubble of rage burning in the pit of his stomach.

 

Who's this cutie with our y prince?

 

Is he a makeup artist? He's so cute, he looks like a celebrity.

 

Does anybody know his name?

 

I love his top! Where can I get his outfit?

 

Let's start a mini fan club for our adorable stylist-nim!

 

All hail the cute stylist-nim!

 

The picture in question was of course of none other than the nuisance himself, Lee Hongki, when he'd had one hand pressed against the side of Jonghun's face as he touched up his makeup. Jonghun's jaw clenched as he stared at his phone's screen. He couldn't believe the fans were actually going crazy over this guy. In a picture where Jonghun was supposed to be the topic of interest, the only thing anyone could talk about was Lee Hongki.

 

Jonghun pursed his lips and quickly scrolled through all the comments. Surely one of these fans had something to say about this picture other than speculating over Hongki's identity. Surely not all of them were insane. Finally, Jonghun's eyes zeroed in on his own name, but he immediately scowled once he read the comment.

 

Jonghun looks a little flustered here, don't you think?

 

The fact that this was the highest rated comment was infuriating. Flustered? The fans thought he was flustered? Because of Lee Hongki? As if he would ever be flustered by the likes of him! His cheeks were red because it was hot outside. It was most certainly not because of that mouthy brat.

 

Clenching his jaw, Jonghun tossed his phone on the table.

 

Lee Hongki.

 

What was so special about Lee Hongki? The CEO had said he was a valuable asset to the company. Jonghun scoffed at the thought. He was nothing more than a hired hand. His job was to make stars like Jonghun shine even brighter than they already did. He was little more than a stagehand. How valuable could he possibly be?

 

More importantly, where the hell was he?

 

Jonghun's gaze quickly flicked around the room. Lee Hongki wasn't here. Jonghun was sitting here, bored out of his mind, while the other members got all made up. He'd even arrived at the proper time today. Did Hongki think he had somewhere better to be? Somewhere more important than making Jonghun look as beautiful as he could possibly be?

 

Jonghun's thoughts drifted, and he found himself seething more and more with each passing second.

 

Maybe Hongki had gotten himself fired after all.

 

Or maybe he'd quit.

 

Jonghun inwardly scoffed. What a pathetic brat. He hadn't even lasted a full 24 hours.

 

Jonghun rested his head in the palm of his hand and closed his eyes. He wasn't quite sure how to pinpoint the dark emotion pooling in the depths of his heart. It was most certainly not disappointment, despite what the tiny voice in the back of his head had to say about it.

 

No. He didn't want to deal with Hongki anymore. One day was bad enough.

 

“Oh, you're actually on time today?”

 

Jonghun's eyes snapped open at the deep voice. Immediately his gaze focused on Hongki, who held not one, but two coffees, one in each hand. Was that why he was late? Jonghun smirked. Maybe Hongki had learned something after all. Jonghun reached out, intending to take one of them as he waited for the pitiful groveling to occur, but then Hongki turned and called out to one of girls across the room.

 

“Shin Hye!” The two exchanged a smile and quick greeting, before Hongki held out one of the coffees for her. “Here, as a thank you for yesterday.”

 

Jonghun watched as Shin Hye accepted the coffee with grateful smile. Slowly, Jonghun's outstretched hand fell limply to his lap, his upper lip curling over his teeth as he glowered at Hongki with the force of the sun.

 

“What? He brings her coffee but pitches a fit when I ask for it? Who the hell does he think he is?” He muttered to no one in particular, before he finally stood and snapped at top volume. “LEE HONGKI! GET OVER HERE THIS INSTANT!”

 

“Uh oh,” Shin Hye winced. “What did you do?”

 

“I don't know,” Hongki groaned. “I'm not even awake yet.”

 

Jonghun stormed over to him, the entire room enveloped in a disquieted silence. As if time had frozen, everyone paused what they were doing, their wary gazes focusing on Jonghun and his fiery warpath.

 

“Who do you think you are, spiting me like this?” Jonghun hissed, leaning close to Hongki's face.

 

Hongki's brow knit together. “What are you talking about?”

 

“You!” Jonghun shouted. “You think you're something special, don't you? Just because you've got the CEO on your side, you think you can rally an army behind my back?!”

 

Hongki grimaced. “What the hell kind of drugs are you on right now?”

 

“I'm not going to let you belittle me like this,” Jonghun muttered, before he shook his head and smiled caustically. “I'll show you who's in charge. I will make your life hell, Lee Hongki. That much is a promise.”

 

Without another word, he his heel and stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind. Hongki merely stood there for a moment, unmoving and quite dumbfounded, before he shot a confused glance around the room.

 

“What just happened?” Hongki asked, wondering for a brief moment if he was perhaps still dreaming. He'd already figured Jonghun was insane, but Hongki hadn't expected such a dramatic meltdown so early in the morning.

 

“Congratulations, Hongki,” Seunghyun chirped brightly, his cheerful smile a bit out of place in the dark atmosphere Jonghun had created. “It looks like you broke Jonghun.”

 

 

 

><><><><

 

 

A/N

 

It feels a bit strange to write Jonghun like this, when in my other story he's quite timid.
He's a fun character here, I'll admit that much. :)


Thank you for sharing your thoughts! I'm so glad you guys are enjoying this.
I'm working to update both this and Perfectly Imperfect as frequently as possible,
but I've got a full class schedule during the week, so please bear with me if I can't update as often I'd like.


As always, don't forget to share some love!
I'll see you again soon, my lovelies~