Chapter 1

“Sir, this is Jin Ri. She’s the new assistant.” The secretary then took her leave and closed the door behind her.

Jin Ri bowed politely at the man behind the desk, who was to be her boss. “Good afternoon! I’m Jin Ri. It’s nice to meet you.”

Shin Seung Hun was one of the senior members of the team of photographers of SM Entertainment. He was well renowned in the industry and Jin Ri highly admired his work. He stood up from his seat and walked over to her, offering to shake her hand. “I’ve seen your portfolio,” he said. “Pretty good.”

“Thank you, sir,” she said with another bow.

He picked up a folder from his desk and began flipping through it. “Shingu and Brown University,” he read off one of the pages. “And you’ve worked with a couple of magazines.” He looked at her again. “Why are you only doing freelance?”

“I don’t think my skills are enough to go full time,” she answered, smiling. “But with your help, I’m sure I will get better.”

He chuckled and nodded. “That you will.” He placed the folder on his desk and moved to step out of the room. “Let’s go then.”

Jin Ri followed Seung Hun through the maze of corridors and offices. They went up two floors and finally went inside a studio, where there were a lot of people setting up for what seemed like a photo shoot. She stood by the door as he approached a lady, who gave her a curious look then nodded.

“What do you say you start today?” Seung Hun suggested with a big grin. When she nodded, he added, “I assume you have a camera with you.”

She smiled. “I always do.”

~ * ~

“Kyu, it’s your turn for the wardrobe fitting,” Ryeowook said, coming out of the room and into the hallway, where the youngest was playing a game on his PSP. Their schedule for the day was to do wardrobe fittings and test shots for the fourth album pictures.

“Just a sec,” Kyuhyun said, looking very engrossed in his game.

“It’s been five seconds already,” Ryeowook announced, his eyebrows raised in amusement as the magnae continued playing.

“Aish,” Kyuhyun said, looking up at him. “You made me lose. Thanks a lot.” He stood up, grumbling.

“My pleasure,” Ryeowook sniggered as he walked away towards the studio.

Kyuhyun glared at his friend before going inside the room, where the stylists were preparing the clothes for him. When the stylists had finally decided which clothes he was going to wear for the shoot, he left for the studio.

The other members were standing on the side of the room, wearing the outfits for their fourth album pictorial. Half of the members were being photographed. He was going to sit on one of the chairs on the side to continue playing his game when he noticed a girl he hadn’t seen before taking photographs of the members who were doing test shots.

Walking towards Sungmin, who was talking to Eunhyuk, he quietly nudged him. “Who’s that?”

Sungmin looked up. “Who?”

“The girl taking photos,” Kyuhyun replied. “Is she new?”

“Seems like it,” Sungmin answered with a nonchalant shrug. He then turned back to Eunhyuk and started talking to him again.

Kyuhyun watched as the girl started taking photographs of the other members who were now looking at their shots through the computer. It interested him that there seemed to be a glow that appeared on her face every time she took a look at the shot that she took.

“Kyu, you’re up next,” one of the assistants called to him.

He walked up to the stage and just stood there, doing the poses that the photographer made him do to see the different angles. As he moved around the stage, he continued watching the girl and wondered who she was. She looked like she was having the time of her life.

“Hyung, do you know who that is?” Kyuhyun asked Leeteuk after the whole test shoot was done.

Leeteuk glanced at the girl he was referring to. “I think she’s one of the new assistant photographers,” he responded. He looked at his dongsaeng. “Why?”

Kyuhyun merely shrugged. “Just curious.” Then he went back to playing his PSP as they walked back to the wardrobe room.

~ * ~

“How was your first day?”

“Not bad,” Jin Ri answered as she balanced holding her phone with her shoulder and packing her camera in her bag. The production team had already left the shoot area and she was alone, fixing her stuff.

“How are the Super Junior members?” her cousin teased.

Jin Ri rolled her eyes. Ever since Sun Young, her cousin, found out that she was going to work for SM Entertainment, she already kept on teasing her about meeting the band. But it was because Jin Ri knew that Sun Young was a bit of a fan.

“I don’t know why you don’t just meet them yourself,” Jin Ri said, putting her bag on the desk and holding her phone properly. “You can do that in a snap of your finger.”

“Whatever,” was Sun Young’s only answer. “Are you coming over? Do you want to have dinner out? We can go to that samgyupsal place that you love.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be busy?” Jin Ri asked curiously. Her cousin was supposedly at work.

“I should be, but I really want to get out of here already,” Sun Young complained. “So are we going out or what?”

“Fine,” Jin Ri said, carrying her bag and walking towards the door. “I’ll meet you there in an hour. I feel like taking photos of the Han River.”

Jin Ri ended the call as she exited the room. As she was walking, the wardrobe room opened and the Super Junior members walked out. Kyuhyun walked out last, concentrated on his PSP. Jin Ri smiled and shook her head.

“Don’t you get tired of staring at such a small screen all the time?” she asked unflinchingly.

Kyuhyun looked up from his game, startled to hear a female voice amidst his hyungs’. He looked at her and blinked for a couple of seconds before he found his voice. “Uh…”

She laughed. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your game,” she apologized with a warm smile. She bowed slightly at him and walked ahead.

Kyuhyun stared at her for a bit, put his PSP in his pocket and then ran after her, ignoring s’ curious looks. “Hey,” he called, slowing as he reached her.

“Hi,” she greeted him back with a smile.

“Who are you?” he bluntly asked.

She gave him a curious look, holding back her laughter. “Why are you asking?”

This put him off. “I’m just wondering. I saw you in the shoot earlier. Teukie hyung said you’re an assistant photographer.”

“You know, you should really listen to your hyungs. They’re right most of the time,” she answered him. She gave him another smile and started walking ahead, stunning Kyuhyun.

“So you’re new?” he asked, catching up to her again. She really made him curious. There was just something about the way she subtly avoided him to get to know her that made him even want to get to know her more.

“Yes.” She nodded. “That’s why you haven’t seen me before,” she added teasingly. “Today was my first day, actually.”

“How was it?” he wanted to know.

“You guys photograph really well,” she commented with an approving nod. “It’s no wonder every photographer in Korea wants to have to chance to do a photo shoot with you.”

He smirked. “Of course we do. We’re Hallyu stars, you know.”

She snickered. “If you say so.”

They continued their light bickering until they reached the parking lot. When the other members finally caught up to them, Jin Ri turned to Kyuhyun and said, “Well, you guys should get going. I assume you have busy schedules.” She smiled at him and walked towards her car.

“Hey!” Kyuhyun called. “What’s your name?” he asked when she stopped to look at him.

“Jin Ri.” She smiled at him then, with a wave, she left.

“Jin Ri,” Kyuhyun repeated softly.