Chapter 2
“Jin Ri.” One of the other senior assistants waved her over to their working table. “Can you look through these photos and see which ones you think are good to be published? When you’re done, you can give it to Seung Hun-ssi. I have to take care of something else.”

“Sure,” Jin Ri agreed, immediately setting off to work.

The photos were the ones taken during the official photo shoot for the fourth album. They were taken a couple of days after the test shoot. It was a lot of fun, as she recalled. Despite the y and somewhat beastly aura they were supposed to give the shoot, the boys were kept on cracking up jokes and fooling around on the set. The band was very professional, too. She didn’t hear anyone complain.

As she effortlessly sorted through the pile, she came across of photo of the youngest member. He hair was slicked back, his clothes sophisticated, his face serious. He seemed so different from the cheeky and inquisitive person that she’d talked to. Smiling, she put the photo in the good pile.

She then fixed the piles, put them in separate envelopes and labeled them accordingly. She was about the leave the room, the envelopes on hand, to go to Seung Hun’s office when Kyuhyun walked in.

“Hey,” he greeted her, a look of surprise on his face.

“Hi,” she responded, smiling a little.

“What are you doing here?” they chorused.

Jin Ri chuckled. “I’m working,” she informed him, deciding to go first.

“Me too,” was Kyuhyun’s reply.

“I guess that makes sense,” she pointed out. “Since we’re both in the office.”

“Are you going somewhere?” he asked, glancing at the envelopes.

“I was just going to drop this off to Seung Hun-ssi’s office,” she explained. “They’re your fourth album photos. Do you want to take a look?” she then asked.

“Sure,” he decided.

They walked to the table and Jin Ri handed him the photos from the good pile. She watched as his eyes widened in surprise.

“Wow,” he muttered as he flipped through each picture.

“Like I said, you guys photograph really well,” she reminded him, her lips curving up into a smile.

“I do know that,” he told her, smirking. “But these just look different from anything we’ve done before. I didn’t think it would turn out this good.”

“I’m surprised you still have apprehensions despite having done this for five years,” she commented as she returned the photos in the envelope. They then left the room. Kyuhyun decided to go with her to bring the photos to Seung Hun’s office.

“Nothing good ever comes out of over-confidence,” he stated. “It’s better to have a little room for doubt, that way you could give yourself room to improve, to grow.”

“So, aside from doubting that you won’t be able to look good in a certain concept, what else are you unconfident about?” she wanted to know. His answer surprised her a bit. She didn’t expect him to be so honest.

“Why are you asking?” Kyuhyun replied, looking at her inquiringly. He didn’t know how they went from talking about photos to talking about something personal.

She smiled sheepishly. “I’m prying, aren’t I? Sorry about that. I tend to ask too many inappropriate questions,” she explained.

He chuckled. “Don’t apologize. It’s fine.”

They reached Seung Hun’s office. Jin Ri turned to him. “This is me.” She gestured to the office door. “Thanks for walking me,” she slowly said, chuckling at the term. “I’m sure you’re busy so… bye.” She smiled at him and was about to open the door when Kyuhyun stopped her.

“I could tell you about it,” he suddenly uttered.

“What?” she inquired.

“The things that I’m unconfident about,” he reminded her. “Over dinner?”

“How about over lunch?” she suggested instead. “Tomorrow?”

“Sure,” he settled.

~ * ~

“Kyuhyun asked you out already?” Sun Young giggled. “I knew it. I just knew it. I knew someone was going to ask you out. I just didn’t know it would be this soon.” She watched as her cousin merely continued sorting out the photos she had taken for the day on her laptop. Jin Ri was naturally pretty with light brown hair that reached above her shoulders. She had nice eyes and a tiny face. But it wasn’t any of those that drew people to her. It was usually her smile.

“He didn’t ask me out,” Jin Ri corrected. “He just needed someone to talk to. It seems he has a lot of stuff he doesn’t share with people.”

“And he chose you to share it with?” Sun Young pressed. “Doesn’t he have a billion other people to talk to?” She sat down on her cousin’s bed and began flipping through a magazine that she found lying on the mattress.

Jin Ri shrugged. “It was over lunch. You know I can’t say no to food,” she replied with a grin. She stood up from the desk and sat down beside her. “So what do you think?”

“I think you should be careful and remember that you—.”

“Not about Kyuhyun,” Jin Ri interrupted her cousin with an eye roll. “About the magazine. Do you think I should accept?”

“I don’t know why you’re even asking me,” Sun Young told her truthfully. “You’re the best judge in these things. Besides, it’s High Cut. Why are you even thinking of not doing it?”

Jin Ri shrugged. She stood up and dialed a number on her phone. After a couple of minutes of talking, she ended the call. Sun Young grinned at her.

“See, that wasn’t so hard,” Sun Young teased.

Jin Ri merely smiled. “I’m going to take a walk. Want to go with me?” she offered, getting her camera from its case and putting the strap around her neck.

“I would love to, but I know I’d be a third wheel with your camera around,” Sun Young declined. She stood up. “Besides, I have to get going. I have a meeting with appa.”

“Say hi to him for me!” Jin Ri cheerfully said.

Jin Ri stepped out of her apartment building and began her walk. This was one of the things she loved the most. Walking around and taking photos gave her a sense of liberty and appreciation that, if asked, she would never give it up.

After taking a couple of pictures, she took a look at the time and realized that she still had about an hour left before she should be heading home. So she decided to go to Cheongdam for a bit.

She was stepping out of Boon The Shop when someone crashed into her. The first thing she thought of, as she squeezed her eyes shut and waited to hit the pavement, was her camera. She gripped it tightly. But, shockingly, she didn’t fall down.

She opened her eyes as the arm around her waist left and a deep voice told her his apologies. Looking up at the perpetrator, she began laughing.

“There’s nothing funny,” Kyuhyun stated, frowning a bit.

“Yes, there is,” Jin Ri insisted. “Us meeting like this outside of work is funny. What are the odds?” She grinned at him then turned her attention to her camera. It was a Canon EOS 7D. She’d wanted to have one for weeks and she had just finally gotten it. It wouldn’t to do have it breaking before she was able to fully utilize it.

Kyuhyun then began laughing. Jin Ri looked at him curiously.

“Now that is funny,” he snickered. She smiled when she realized what he was referring to. “Has it ever occurred to you to fix your hair first or something?” he suggested teasingly.

“Why, is my hair messy?” she asked, glancing at the window of the store and patting her hair down.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

“I could ask you the same thing,” she retorted, smiling. “You’re walking around in broad daylight. You might get mobbed.”

They both looked around at this thought and noticed that people were stopping to stare. Kyuhyun smiled nervously and pulled his hood lower to partly cover his eyes. He brought out a pair of sunglasses from his pocket and put it on.

He then grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of there.

After a while of half-walking and half-running, they ended up at Dear Chocolate, a café that made some of the best chocolates and served one of the most delicious hot chocolates in the city.

“What is this place?” Kyuhyun asked as he surveyed the place they had stopped at. The place wasn’t that big, but it gave off the feel of being spacious. The light and dark wooden panels, along with the small, rounded tables and semi-romantic lighting created a Zen-like atmosphere.

“It’s chocolate heaven,” Jin Ri gushed as she pulled him inside.

“So you’re a fan of chocolate,” Kyuhyun surmised after they’d placed their orders and had taken a seat in one of the quieter corners. There weren’t many customers around, which he greatly appreciated.

“Who isn’t?” she wanted to know.

“I don’t like chocolate,” he told her, watching her reaction.

She snickered. “You love chocolate,” she knowingly countered.

“How do you know?” he challenged. He smirked. “Have you been stalking me on the internet?” Before she could answer, he went on proudly, “I knew it! I knew it.”

“Uh okay, if it makes you believe that you know something,” she replied, rolling her eyes and giggling. She smiled when he frowned. “You love chocolate because it gives you warmth and comfort. You’re the type of magnae who likes attention. You love getting affection,” she told him as if it made the most sense in the world.

When their orders arrived, two mugs of hot chocolate along with a variety of chocolates, of course, they started digging in. Kyuhyun never expected to be here at this time with Jin Ri, eating yummy chocolate and having good conversation. It was a very pleasant surprise.

“Why do you like chocolate?” he inquired, deciding to just give in.

“Because it’s delicious,” was her simple answer.

“That’s it? I love chocolate because I like affection and warmth and comfort and you like chocolate because it’s delicious?” He looked at her in incredulity.

She giggled. “Not every reason has to be insightful.” She smiled at him as he raised an eyebrow. “But sometimes the simplest of reasons are the most profound.”