Ren’s POV

The following morning I arrived early to JA Style’s studio after receiving a surprising call from Jason for me to come in. He was finally calling me in to see my walk. I was so nervous after hanging up that I couldn’t eat. I immediately showered, got dressed, fixed my hair and was out the door in a flash. While dressing I made sure to wear somewhat decent for fear of being judged again like the last time I saw Jason. I realized that he could actually be pretty cruel without intentionally meaning it… or had he meant it that last time? To save the employer-worker relationship between us I chose to go with the former than the latter. I wore a pair of ripped black skinny jeans and an open buttoned white long sleeved shirt with a silver cross necklace. I grabbed my pair of dark designer sunglasses and took a taxi to the studio. As the car pulled up to the building I spotted Jason standing out in front unlocking the doors. It seemed he had just arrived as well. I paid my fare, climbed out and approached him.

“Good morning.” I greeted him. Jason tiredly glanced my way and lifelessly stared at me. His appearance shocked me. He had heavy bags underneath his eyes and his short red and black hair was a mess as if he hadn’t even bothered to brush it this morning. He looked the complete opposite of the designer image he tried so meticulously to craft for himself. Suddenly I felt so overdressed compared to him. I furrowed my brows in concern. I hadn’t ever seen him like this before. “Are you okay?”

Jason unlocked the glass door and pulled it open, holding it out for me. “I’ve been up all night working.” He mumbled underneath his breath as he stepped inside after me. Once I had entered the first floor to the studio I turned back to face him.

“Working?” I asked. “Are you sure you want to see my walk now? If you’re too tired I can just-”

Jason dryly laughed. “Too tired? There’s no such thing in the fast-paced fashion world where if you even blink an eye you’re already left behind. Nonsense; you’ll walk now for me that I have the time. Tired or not, I can still recognize talent when I see it. I hope you’re as impressive as you claim to be after mentioning Dambi’s name.”

“Was Dambi really that great?” I asked. I was aware that she had been a runway model at one point in the past, but I hadn’t really heard of her. Was being mentored by her a bigger deal than I thought? As I asked this Jason suddenly paused before arrogantly throwing his head back and scoffing.

“She was. But a model’s poor attitude can ruin her career.”

I furrowed my brows. “Pardon?” I asked. Had Dambi been a diva during her career? I couldn’t picture it. She was probably one of the nicest people I had met as of late. I couldn’t see her being cruel to anyone… well, except for Jason. They both seemed to talk poorly about one another.

Jason smirked. “Are you ready to show me what you got?” He asked, changing the subject. It was clear that he didn’t want to talk about it anymore. Rather than continuing it, I nodded. I followed Jason up to the rehearsal room where he stood at one end with his arms folded across his chest and watching me. He leaned back against the mirrored wall and stared at me with a fierce stare similar to the gazes of the other judges I had auditioned for in the past. “You may begin.”

I took a deep breath and remembered to relax my shoulders before taking a step forward. I began to glide down the length of the rehearsal room. As I walked, I constantly heard Dambi’s voice in the back of my head, reminding me to make it look as effortless as possible while at the same time doing my best. I came to the end of the room, approaching Jason who didn’t say a word as he watched me. I gracefully turned from him and began my walk away from him. On the inside I was a nervous wreck. I prayed during my entire walk that it hadn’t shown in my face or actions. When I came to the other end of the room I stopped when Jason called out to me.

“That’s enough.” He sternly replied. I glanced back at him over my shoulder before fully turning back to him. That was enough? I had heard these words before several times at auditions. It usually meant that I had failed. But Jason had already signed me, so wasn’t my spot here guaranteed until the contract expired? Even still I was worried. JA Style was my entrance into the modeling world. If I screwed this up, I’d never get to meet Mr. Kim or even be able to dream about representing his clothes. Finally Jason spoke up. “Impressive.”

My eyes grew wide in shock. “Y-You really think so?” I asked, my heart racing and pounding loudly inside of my chest. A small, tired smirk spread across the corners of Jason’s lips.

“You improved quite a bit in such a short time span. I like it. It shows dedication, and that’s exactly what I want from my models. That being said, I have a show coming up and now that I’ve confirmed that you can do the walk, I want for you to be in it.” Jason casually replied, acting as if it wasn’t a big deal when it was the complete opposite to me.

“My first show?” I asked, near fainting. Jason gave me an amused look as he waved his index finger at me.

“Don’t get cocky now; I’m testing you out. If you flop this show you’re going back to sitting on the sideline. Understand?” He asked. I eagerly nodded, grateful for my first opportunity at being a real runway model.

“When is the show?” I asked.

“In two weeks. It’s a big name collaboration show, so there will be other designers there showcasing their work there as well.”

“Big name designers? How important is this show?”

“It’s not exactly Seoul Fashion Week, but it’s a step below it. Either way, it’s still a pretty big deal. That’s why I look like this at the moment. I’m losing my mind simply trying to prepare for it.” He sighed heavily. I felt my knees start to grow weak. I needed a moment to process all of this. My first show was going to be a big name, important event? It was two weeks away but I already had been struck with a bad case of nerves. Jason suddenly paused and gasped loudly as if he had somewhat forgotten something. “Oh! I suppose I should mention this as well; House of Kim will be there.”

I lost my footing and stumbled forward, quickly catching my balance. “W-w-what…?” My voice trailed off in disbelief. My heart was pounding so loudly inside of my chest that I couldn’t hear clearly. Did he just say… House of Kim? “U-Um… um…” I began to nervously ramble. “Is there a chance that perhaps Mr. Kim might be there?”

Jason gave me a blank look. “Huh?” He asked, as if confirming how ridiculous my question just now sounded.

“I’m sorry. I know that was a stupid question. I’m just nervous, that’s all. Especially knowing that I’ll be walking the same runway as House of Kim’s designs for my first show.” I self-consciously replied. Jason smirked.

“The nerves go away after the first one. But in the meantime, make sure to change that awful hair of yours before the show.” Jason suddenly ordered, taking me by surprise. It seemed like no matter how hard I tried to dress to impress him, it never worked. Jason always found something about my appearance to pick at, this time it being my hair.

“My hair? What’s wrong with it?” I blinked. Jason looked at me like I was stupid. It was strange, considering his current appearance at the moment. I’d be lying if I said that I wasn’t offended. I liked my current hairstyle. It was natural, but at the same way chic, depending on how I styled it. But apparently it didn’t live up to Jason’s expectations.

“It’s not flashy enough.” He claimed. I stared at his noticeable vibrant red hair which I didn’t exactly care too much for. It drew too much attention on him wherever he went. I wanted attention on me, but not for that reason. Jason continued. “Make it platinum blonde.”

Platinum blonde? Did I have a say in the matter? I thought back to the contract that I had signed with him. Probably not. As Minhyun had described to me the other day, I was Jason’s property until the moment my contract expired. If he wanted me to go platinum blonde, I had to listen to him despite my inner protests. I pursed my lips together before forcing a defeated smile on my face. “I’ll go to the salon.”

“Good. Go now. We’re finished here. Oh, and make sure you start dieting. If the sample size doesn’t fit you, it’s going to a model who will. You don’t want to miss out on your first show because you were too fat, do you?”

I’m fat…? I stared down at my frame. I didn’t think so, but when I thought about my bad eating habits maybe Jason wasn’t too far off. I nodded. “Understood.” I politely bowed before dismissing myself, leaving Jason’s studio feeling defeated and struck down. There were two things he didn’t agree with about my appearance; my hair and my weight. I thought I had looked good… No, don’t let these depressing thoughts get to you, Ren. This is the way this industry is. Whatever change you make, it’s always going to be for the better. Let’s view this as an opportunity to become prettier. I took a deep breath and exhaled before marching my way into town, stopping by the nearest salon I found. Seeing as it was still pretty early in the morning, business was practically dead. I noticed that all of the bored hairdressers suddenly sprung to life as I stepped inside. One of the women practically came running in her heels across the salon.

“How can I help you?” She eagerly asked. I hesitantly paused before pointing to my hair.

“I need…” My voice trailed off. The hairdresser stared at me, waiting for me to continue. I didn’t really want to do this. I didn’t want to change for somebody else. But it was part of the job description. I knew what I was getting myself into when I decided to enter the modeling industry. I just wasn’t prepared for it. “Can you make it blonde? Platinum blonde?”

She smiled at me. “I can do that!” She replied, leading me to her chair and sitting me down. She left to go to the back to start preparing the ingredients she would need to transform me into a blonde. It wasn’t long before she returned back with a cart full of supplies and immediately went straight to work. The entire process took several hours. During that time, I slipped in and out of consciousness several times. Each time when I woke up I was surprised that I still wasn’t done. She sat me under the hairdryer for another hour before taking me to the back of the salon to wash my hair. When she finished, she wrapped a towel around my head and led me back to the chair. She eagerly smiled at me. “Are you ready to see the new you?”

I nervously glanced at my reflection in the large mirror in front of me, biting my lower lip. No, I wasn’t ready. But she didn’t give me the chance to respond before unwrapping the towel from around my head, revealing my bright new locks. When I caught my first glimpse of it I was stunned. It felt like I was staring at a completely different person. I didn’t recognize myself. But the more I stared, the more it sunk in that this person in the mirror was me and no one else. Apparently my reaction was a bit too quiet for my hairdresser’s taste. She nervously glanced at me in the mirror.

“Do you not like it…?” She disappointedly asked. Several of the other hairdressers all gathered around to take a peek at my drastic transformation.

“You look stunning!” One of them chimed in, trying to build up my self-confidence and esteem.

“So exotic! You almost look like a model!” Another hairdresser also commented. I gave her a surprised look.

“Really?” I asked. She smiled brightly and nodded. I glanced back at my reflection in the mirror, looking at myself in a whole different light now. I did look more like a model now, didn’t I? I played with my bangs and adjusted them, trying to grow used to this ‘new me.’ It wasn’t so bad… I thanked the hairdresser, paid, then stepped out of the salon. I glanced down at the time on my phone. When I had first entered it was still early morning, but now that I was leaving it was already late into the evening. I stretched my stiff arms and legs and began to self-consciously walk down the street. Everywhere I went now I seemed to draw attention with my vibrant hair. I caught several women glancing my way, even a few men. And they weren’t looks of surprise or disapproval either. When I glanced back at several of my onlookers they became flustered and hurried away. This brought a small smile to my lips. Maybe Jason had been right about the hair change after all. I would have never predicted such a good turnout being blonde, however, Jason had. Well, I wasn’t exactly surprised. He was a designer. He seemed to know what looked good and apparently blonde hair on me was a match.

My cellphone down in my hand started to ring. I paused then glanced down to see who was calling. JR’s name surprisingly flashed across the screen. My eyes grew wide in shock. Was I imagining things, or was he really calling me back so soon? I grinned then happily picked up. “JR! What a surprise!”

“…What do you mean?” He asked, sounding paranoid. I nervously laughed. Nice going, Ren. In four words you managed to scare him again.

“Nothing, nothing! What’s up? Did you think of something that you wanted to do already?” I asked. JR hesitantly paused.

“Um… not… not really.” He replied. I blinked.

“Hm? Then why did you call?”

“I mean!” JR abruptly said then cut himself off. “I mean… I haven’t thought of anything but… did you…” His voice trailed off uncomfortably. I smiled, eagerly awaiting him to finish, however, he seemed stuck.

“Do I want to…?” I attempted to keep the conversation going.

“Want to come over?” He finally asked.

“Really?!” I asked, overexcitedly. “I had to beg the last time to come over and now you’re inviting me? Awesome! Yeah! I just got done with my schedule today. Do you want me to head over now?”

“S-Sure.”

“No problem! Heading over now!” I replied, hanging up. I glanced out into the street and waved down a taxi, climbing inside. I had him drive me all the way to JR’s apartment complex, where I paid him upon arrival several minutes later and stumbled out. I climbed up the staircase to JR’s apartment, stopping in front of the door. I knocked. A couple of minutes later a stunned JR opened the door.

“You…” His voice trailed off as he continued to stare at me in shock. I sheepishly cowered, covering my hair with my hands.

“I know, I’m blonde. Is it weird?”

“…Got here really quickly…” JR continued. I paused then glanced up at him. JR finally glimpsed up at my hair. “Oh… you’re blonde.” He finally noticed. I nervously laughed.

“Oh, yeah, I was close by and took a taxi. And yes, I’m blonde…”

“But you were a brunette just yesterday…” He awkwardly pointed out.

“I’ve been a blonde for about an hour as of today.”

JR oddly pointed at his own messy locks. “I’m blonde too.” He replied. I don’t know why I thought this was funny, but I suddenly broke out into a fit of laughter. It was just the way he said it; he sounded somewhat loopy, as if he had just taken a night time cold medicine or something. He just sounded slow.

“I noticed!” I replied through my laughter. JR awkwardly smiled.

“It um… it looks good.”

“Thanks! Can I come in?” I nervously laughed. JR gave me a surprised look as if he hadn’t realized that he had failed to let me in and had left me standing on his front porch. He quickly nodded and stepped aside. I entered and removed my shoes before making myself comfortable on his living room couch. As he followed behind me he remained standing. I glanced up at him from over my right shoulder. “So what’d you have in mind?” I asked, referring to why he had asked me over. A panicked look spread across JR’s face.

“I didn’t think that far ahead…”

I laughed. “What? Really?” I asked. He shook his head.

“Are you hungry?” He asked. I immediate sat up straight.

“Is there ever a time where I’m not???” I joked then paused. Jason’s words from earlier suddenly replayed in the back of my mind. I sadly pouted. “Ah, I can’t. I’m on a diet.”

“You always say that but you never mean it.” JR replied, reminding me of my own failures in life. I groaned, throwing my arms up in defeat.

“I knoooow. But this time I really mean it.”

“What’s changed?” JR asked, seeming genuinely interested. I paused, glancing back at him and smiling.

“You want to know?” I asked then waved my index finger around in the air happily. “Jason’s going to be using me in his show in two weeks! It’s going to be my first time down an actual runway! Isn’t that exciting?!” I cheered, my head still up in the clouds. A stunned look spread across JR’s face before quickly disappearing. He nervously smiled.

“A-ah, is he?”

“Yeah!” I exclaimed.

“A-ah, congratulations…” His voice awkwardly trailed off as he scratched the back of his neck. He turned away from me and made his way into the small kitchen in the back of the front room. I turned around on the couch, sitting on my knees and leaning against the backrest, watching him as he blankly stared inside of his small white refrigerator. I tilted my head to the side.

“Were you hungry? Don’t let me stop you from eating! Go ahead and order out! I won’t mind.”

JR suddenly snapped out of his trance. “Huh? Oh… okay.” He replied, pulling out his phone and starting to dial a number shortly afterwards. He placed in an order of ramyun with several sides then hung up and rejoined me in the living room. “Are you sure you didn’t want anything?”

I nodded. “I am a hundred percent committed to remaining faithful to this diet!” I declared. JR smiled and chuckled at me in amusement as if he didn’t believe me. I playfully narrowed my eyes and decided to let it go. As JR sat down on the opposite end of the couch I slid closer to him, staring directly into his eyes. JR fidgeted uncomfortably and leaned back.

“Is there something I can help you with…?” He asked, trying to put more space between us. I devilishly smiled.

“You’re a fashion blog writer, aren’t you?”

JR blinked. “You know I am.”

“Meaning you’ll probably be attending the fashion show that’s coming up, riiight?” I continued to ask. JR nodded.

“Not probably. I will be there.” He confirmed. I gasped then smiled, excited. I clasped my hands together and leaned in closer towards him, ignoring the boundaries of personal space and making him squirm.

“You probably have the inside scoop, don’t you?” I asked. JR gave me a strange stare.

“I don’t… know what you’re talking about?”

I sighed, forgetting that JR wasn’t a mind reader. “Jason said that several big name designers will be there. Do you know which ones they might be?” I asked. JR paused then blinked several more times before finally picking up on the hints I was dropping.

“Are you asking me if House of Kim will be there?”

“No, no! I already know they’ll be there. I’m asking if perhaps you know if Mr. Kim might be in attendance…” My voice trailed off as I nervously twiddled my fingers together. JR stared at me for the longest time before responding.

“I know we’re friends, but I’m not allowed to reveal who will be there ahead of schedule. Sorry…” He uncomfortably replied, looking away from me. I pouted then fell back in the couch and away from him.

“Ah, when will I finally get my chance to meet the mysterious Mr. Kim?” I sighed, leaning my elbows on my lap and resting my chin in my palms. Suddenly the doorbell rang. JR rose and walked around the coffee table and to the door, opening it and revealing the delivery food man. He reached into his back jean pocket and removed his wallet, paying the man and taking the food from him and shutting the door. He returned to the living room and sat the plastic bags on the table. The delicious aroma of noodles filled the air. I frowned as I watched him remove the bowl of ramyun from the bag and placed it on the table. It smelled so good… I snatched the decorative pillow beside me and clung onto it in a bear hug, watching as JR opened all of the side containers. When he finished he snapped his chopsticks apart and paused before glancing back over me. I was practically sitting on the edge of the couch cushion. An awkward, amused smile washed across JR’s face before he held the chopsticks out to me.

“Did you want any…?” He asked. I tightly pursed my lips shut and adamantly shook my head in protest.

“No.” I lied. JR continued staring at me.

“…Are you sure?” He asked again.

“Yes.” I stubbornly replied. JR nodded then pulled the chopsticks away from me and towards the bowl of noodles where he grabbed some and raised them up in the air, displaying them in front of me. Well, I’m sure it wasn’t on purpose, because I didn’t think JR seemed like the kind of guy to purposely torment me with food, but right now it sure felt like it. As he started to move the chopsticks full of noodles closer to his lips I shrieked, making JR pause. He silently shook his head and handed me the chopsticks which I hungrily took from him and devoured all of the noodles. JR scooted the bowl closer to me.

“Here.”

“Thank you!”

“And your diet?” He asked, reminding me.

“I’ll start it tomorrow!” I claimed as I continued to dig in. JR silently shook his head. Deep down I could tell that he was judging me, but I didn’t care.

“I’m sure you will.” JR responded.

“Why does food taste so good if it’s so bad for you?!” I whined as I continued to eat. JR laughed then sat back as I continued to eat like a dinosaur without any shame in front of him. It was funny; I never really showed this side of me in front of others before, but yet, I felt comfortable letting it show in front of him. Only my parents and my older brother were aware of my ravenous appetite. Growing up, back from elementary through high school I usually skipped lunch to avoid letting my less than graceful eating habits appear in front of everyone. I would wait to eat until I got home, almost eating my poor family out of the house. Now that I thought about it, it was amazing my mother didn’t kick me out any sooner. How they managed to afford our food bill because of me… Now that I lived alone, it was great. No one judged me and I could eat any time I wanted- although it didn’t mean that I should. I was weak today, but tomorrow was a brand new day. Starting tomorrow I would be a brand new man! I’ll get skinnier and prettier and I will fit in those sample clothes by the fashion show.

 

 

The next afternoon I found myself with several of Jason’s other models gathered inside of the practice room. I remained standing at the back of the room behind the other models while Minhyun and Aron stood proudly at the front. We were all standing around and waiting for Jason to make his big announcement for his lineup for the show. Jason stood at the very front of the room with his back pressed up against the mirror wall. He was carrying a clipboard in his left hand and was ferociously scribbling notes down. This carried on for several minutes until he finally and tiredly glanced up and back at us. It seemed like the bags underneath his eyes had grown bigger, resembling a panda. Still writing, he began to call out names.

“Hwang Minhyun,” Jason called out, still writing. “Headliner.”

Minhyun arrogantly smirked, holding his head held high and proudly folding his arms across his chest after his name was called. The headliner was the highlight of the show. He or she usually wore the statement piece, or simply put, the best outfit of the collection. The headliner was usually also the top model of the group. I stared over at Minhyun who didn’t in the least look shocked about receiving his role. “Of course I am.”

“Kwak Aron,” Jason called out, “First in lead.” He replied. Aron carelessly nodded as if it weren’t a big deal to him. To be the first lead was the second most important role. The headliner, the first lead and the second lead were the three most important models in the show. First and second leads walked the runway last, followed by the headliner. Thinking back to the first show I had seen both Aron and Minhyun walk, they still kept their positions from last time. Minhyun had been the headliner and Aron had been the first lead even then. No wonder why it didn’t come as a shock to either of them or much less a big deal.

“Was it really even necessary to call the two of us in here, Jason?” Minhyun asked while staring down at his nails. He really didn’t want to be here, from what it seemed.

“We’ve always been at the top.” Aron replied, backing Minhyun up. Jason tiredly stared at the both of them. By just the look on his face, I could tell that he didn’t have the energy to want to deal with them. But nonetheless, he did.

“I know that. I didn’t call the meeting without purpose, and that purpose will be revealed shortly. Now if you don’t mind, can we all get back to our jobs here, princesses?” Jason tiredly mocked them. Apparently there was no such thing as being too tired to be his usual self. Aron shot him a dirty look while Minhyun scoffed.

“Do whatever you want.” Minhyun replied.

“Thank you for your permission.” Jason sarcastically said before rolling his eyes then glancing back over at the remaining models in the room. “Choi Ren,” He suddenly announced my name, looking for me. Startled, I stepped out from behind the others and stood at the front of the group beside Aron and Minhyun. I could feel both of their heated glances on me as I dared to stand next to them after Jason had called my name. I shrunk into my shoulders. “You’re second lead.”

“WHAT?!” Aron loudly shrieked in disapproval. In the background I could hear several disgruntled sighs in the back of the room from the other models. Apparently Aron wasn’t the only one who didn’t believe I should be second lead; all of the other models thought so too. I uncomfortably shifted my gaze down to my feet, refusing to look up. I hated all of the sudden negative attention surrounding me. Aron rudely pointed his index finger at me. “Why does the newbie get second lead? He’s never even walked a show! This is clearly favoritism!”

Jason coldly glared at him. “Favoritism? Favoritism was clearly what I had in mind when I picked you to be the first lead; I was actually going to give it to Ren, but you’re right, he’s new. And that’s why I made him second lead.”

Aron gave Jason a hurt look. “What? You were… going to give first lead to him?” He asked, sounding betrayed. He glanced back at me with the same hurt look on his face. I purposely looked away from him, feeling extremely nervous and on edge. I was excited to get the opportunity to be the second lead this early on in my career, but at the same time I was upset with Jason for doing this to me. Didn’t he know that both Aron and Minhyun were on my case 24/7? And now he had just given them a legitimate reason to hate me.

Jason folded his arms across his chest with his clipboard hanging off to the side. He gave Aron an irritated look. “You don’t approve? Maybe if the two of you had originally taught him to walk as I had instructed, his walk wouldn’t have turned out to be perfect.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Aron growled.

“The two of you refused to teach him, and so he found help from someone who would. Someone better than the both of you combined.” Jason shot back.

“Who?!” Aron turned around to face the other models.

“No one in this room, so calm yourself. You don’t need to know. Just know that Ren is catching up to you, darlings. That means that starting from now on you’ll just have to work harder for me. You have competition now.” Jason replied in amusement before walking towards the door. “Everyone else is dismissed. Keep practicing and stay on your diets. Showtime is in less than two weeks.” He stated before exiting the room. Once he was gone I felt Aron grab me by my left shoulder and forcefully turn me around to face him. He glared at me with angry eyes.

“Who was it?!”

“A friend!” I shot back defensively.

Aron gave me a disgusted look. “You have friends? Don’t bull me.”

“Amazing, isn’t it? Especially after what lengths you’ve gone through to turn everyone against me here!” I snapped. I was in no mood to deal with him either. I was so tired of this.

“What was that?!” He growled, shoving me backwards.

“Just what the hell is your problem? You’re nice to me one day and you treat me like dirt the next! What do you want from me?!” I snapped as I stumbled back several feet.

“Enough!” Minhyun finally spoke up, breaking up the fight. Aron glanced up at Minhyun in shock. Minhyun ignored him, keeping his gaze fixated on me. “It’s not your fault if you just so happen to be decent at your job.”

I quietly remained staring at him, not sure whether or not to trust him. “Minhyun…”

Minhyun glanced down at Aron. “Don’t hate the man for doing what we agreed upon. Besides, he’s finally made things interesting around here. Don’t you agree?”

“But he can ruin your spot!” Aron claimed. Minhyun shook his head.

“I’m not worried about that. He might be good, but he’ll never be headliner good.” Minhyun replied as he started to walk away. Before he passed me he paused by my side. “Ah, that reminds me. Congratulations on attaining second lead.”

I stared at him in disbelief. Was it possible for another human being to be this cold and cruel while attempting to seem nice? I might not seem the most intelligent on the outside, but believe it or not I could tell when someone was talking down to me and I hated this. I hated how Minhyun tried to seem nice on the outside while horrible on the inside. I forced a smile on my lips. “Thanks.” I coldly responded. Minhyun smirked then threw his head up high before leaving with Aron following closely behind. Once they were gone I gripped my fist down by my side and narrowed my eyes while staring at my reflection in the mirrors. I was determined to do my best at the show as the second lead. I was going to do this and shock the Seoul fashion world with my looks and talent and upstage Minhyun and Aron. Only then could I become Jason’s next top model and headliner and nail this little competition between Minhyun and I.

 

 

In the following weeks up to the fashion show, I strictly stuck to my diet and went to the gym religiously. The few times I met with JR and food was involved and made him promise me not to give me any, no matter how annoying I became or how much I begged. And he was a good friend, keeping to his promise. Though at times I hated him for it and even blamed him for making my life miserable by keeping food away from me. But he understood. And he even promised me that after the show that he would treat me to a meal. My heart fluttered at the possibility of getting to eat a real, decent meal instead of living on salads and air. Other than the occasional visits, we hadn’t seen each other much in the past two weeks. He was busy with his work and I was busy trying to prepare myself for the big night. The night that we had that awkward encounter and misunderstanding and even the night of the Apink concert, I had noticed that my heart felt strange around him. I had even so much as began to believe that I possibly developed a crush on him. But lately with so much time apart, the times we did see each other, my heart was calm. Maybe I had misunderstood my own heart or confused myself. That probably had to be it.

Around 3 PM I arrived down at the venue that the fashion show was to be held later that night. I showed my badge to the security who then let me in and I was escorted through the madness going on in the inside of the building for preparation for tonight. I was led to the hall of dressing rooms, where I entered the door labeled ‘JA Style.’ I spotted Jason literally running around the dressing room, sorting through racks of clothes and losing his mind. He was communicating to his staff back at his studio through a headset. He seemed frustrated and upset with them over not being able to find a piece he was looking for and ordered them to send it to the venue before tonight. He heavily sighed then turned and finally noticed my arrival. His face lit up.

“Ren! You’re here early! Great! I’m going crazy right now but let’s go over what pieces and in what order they’ll be worn tonight. All of the designers have a 15 minute time slot on the runway. We’ll be going 8^th out of 10 slots.” Jason said as he walked over and pulled me towards the rack of clothes. He started shifting through several different hangers, searching for I could only suppose the outfits he wanted for me to wear.

“8^th? That’s a pretty big deal, right?” I asked, recalling on my memory from the previous shows I had watched on TV from the luxury of my living room. The closer you were towards the end of the show, the more important designer you were. Jason laughed as if I had just told a hilarious joke.

“You’re so funny, Ren. Pretending to be stupid.”

I narrowed my eyes at him but decided to let it go. “Who’s going last?”

“House of Kim.” Jason carelessly replied, pulling a suit from off the rack.

“Really?” My eyes lit up. Jason glanced at me and laughed again, amused. I bit my bottom lip before gathering up the courage to ask him something. “Is there… perhaps a chance that we might get to watch House of Kim’s line walk down the runway?”

“Are you really shocked that the headline designer is House of Kim?” Jason sighed in response to my first question. “Oh, Ren, you’re adding on to my headache… Perhaps? Don’t know. It all depends on how quickly you finish wrapping up for me here.”

I practically squealed with excitement. “Really?!” Jason stared at me like I was out of my mind before smirking.

“Yeah, I know how important seeing House of Kim is for you. Besides, he’s finally come back after such a long period of inactivity. Hell, I want to see this as well.” Jason replied then held up a rather punk-rock outfit. “This will be your first outfit. There’s a total of three collections. The second outfit will be streetwear and the third will be classic menswear. Enough here; go meet with the makeup artists and the hairstylists. They’ll brief you on which styles you’ll wear tonight. I’m sure you’re aware of this, but the moment you walk offstage you need to change outfits, hair and makeup as quickly as possible and then get back out there on time in the correct order. You’ll have a team that will assist you in this.”

I nodded. “Yes, I understand.”

“This is your first show; don’t disappoint me. I have a lot riding on you tonight.” Jason replied, sounding beyond stressed out. I confidently smiled at him.

“You’ve got nothing to worry about. I’m ready.”

Jason cautiously stared at me. “Are you sure?” He asked, sounding as if he didn’t believe me. I huffed and placed both hands on my hips.

“Have more confidence in me. You were the one who personally scouted me off the street, weren’t you? You said you saw something in me and I’m determined to prove you right about me. Besides, you finally approved my walk. I’ve been training all of this time. I’m ready.” I reassured him. Jason nodded and hesitantly smiled at me.

“You’re right. Go out there tonight and rock that runway for me.” He finally said with confidence in his voice. I smiled and nodded back at him before leaving him to go and speak with the stylists in the back of the dressing room. When I approached them they pulled out several pallets of predetermined makeup designs and hairstyles to go with the outfits. It wasn’t long until they both went to work on me. They applied the first round of makeup on me and as they were styling my blonde locks both Minhyun and Aron walked in the room. Minhyun sipped on a cup of ice water as he passed me and sat down in the styling chair next to me. Aron took the empty chair beside him. The makeup artist that had previously been working on me immediately turned and started on Minhyun. Minhyun shut his eyes and allowed the stylist to apply BB cream onto his skin, clearly ignoring me. As the hairstylist finally wrapped up on me I slightly bowed my head and thanked her. She made her next round over towards Minhyun while two completely different stylists went to work on Aron. I stared at my reflection in the mirror; my eyes had been elaborately decorated with fine black eyeliner and smoky eyeshadow. For a brief second I didn't even recognize myself. When I did, my heart seemed to skip a beat as the realization that this was really happening suddenly sunk in. This was it. I was finally a real runway model, wasn’t I?

I nervously pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contact list. I felt like I was seconds away from a panic attack. I scrolled past JR’s name and stopped as I came across Dambi-noona’s number. She had once been a former model, hadn’t she? Although talking to JR would surely calm me, right now I needed to hear advice from the one person who could possibly relate to me the most. I dialed her number. It didn’t take long before she picked up and answered my call.

“Ren? What are you doing calling me? Aren’t you supposed to be getting ready for the big fashion show tonight?” Her friendly, worried voice poured out from the speaker. I nervously pursed my lips together and took a deep breath. My hands were visibly trembling. Just minutes ago when I was speaking to Jason I was confident enough, however, as the clocked ticked forward I grew more and more anxious and worried that I might make a mistake.

“Ah, noona, I’m already done preparing for the first outfit. I’m so nervous right now, please help me.” I pleaded. Ever since receiving her training, I had kept in frequent touch with her so much that she had allowed for me to call her noona as well.

“The key is not to worry about it. Just go out there and do your best. The more you think about messing up, the bigger your chance of actually doing so. You don’t have that luxury of messing up, so try to go out there with a calm, collected mind.”

“I wish you were here. I could really use a familiar face in the audience.” I replied, somewhat joking.

“Oh! How did you know?” She asked, sounding surprised. I blinked, confused.

“What?”

“JR naturally has an invitation to tonight’s event, being part of the press. He had an extra invitation and asked me to be his guest. I’ll be sitting with him out in the audience tonight.”

“Oh my god, are you serious?” I asked, somewhat relieved. She laughed.

“Yeah, totally! However, that also means I’ll be watching you like a hawk. I was the one that taught you your walk, if I’m correct. Don’t let me down!” She playfully scolded.

“Of course not! Oh my god, I’m so happy. Thanks so much for coming to support me, noona.”

“Heh. You know I wouldn’t have it any other way. I hear a lot of important people will be here tonight. If there was ever a night to wow the world with what you’ve got, tonight’s the night. Go out there and kill it, Ren.”

I happily smiled. “Got it.”

“Ah- I better let you go. I need to finish getting ready myself. I have big plans to spruce up that little writer of ours for tonight.”

I blinked. “Huh? You mean… you’re going to make JR actually dress up for tonight’s event?” I asked, trying to picture it in my mind. I couldn’t. I couldn’t ever picture JR in anything but his usual hoodie and jeans. Did he even own a suit? Dambi cackled maniacally.

“I always dress to the occasion. I was once a big name on the runway too; people still remember me. If he wishes for my company, he’ll have to dress the part too.”

“Why do I find myself more anxious to see this than walk the runway tonight?” I asked, amused. I actually couldn’t wait to see if she would be successful or not. I imagined that JR would fight her on this. He was strictly all about dressing for comfort.

“You should!” She teased. “Anyways, good luck out there!” She replied before quickly hanging up. I smiled as I put the phone back down in my lap. I couldn’t help but grin and shake my head in disbelief. This was just something I’d have to see to believe. As I glanced back up I noticed Minhyun staring over at me from his chair. My smile quickly faded and I awkwardly looked away and off to the side.

“Are you excited about tonight?” He surprisingly asked me, attempting to make small talk. I glanced back at him and stared at him. What was he up to now?

“Um, a bit, yes.”

Minhyun faintly smiled. “That’s good. If you’ve got absolutely no passion it’ll show in your performance.”

I remained quietly staring at him, continuing to wonder what he was planning. “A-Ah, really?” I awkwardly asked, nervously looking away. Minhyun nodded.

“You know how important tonight is for Jason, do you not?”

I nodded. “Yeah. It’s a pretty big deal.”

Minhyun turned his head away from me, staring at his own reflection in the mirror. “Competition aside, I take seniority pretty seriously around here. If just one of us looks bad out there, we all look bad and that reflects heavily on Jason as a designer. Remember, it’s all about the clothes, not you. It’s your responsibility to make those clothes look desirable.”

“Is that it?” I asked. Minhyun glanced over at me through the corner of his eyes.

“Is that what?” He asked for further clarification.

“Is that why you’re suddenly being nice to me? Because you’re my sunbae?” I cautiously asked. “In reality, you still probably hate me and want nothing to do with me. But as my sunbae, it’s your responsibility to take care of me.” A small amused smirk spread across Minhyun’s lips.

“Leave whatever’s off the runway off the runway, huh? If you’re that bored to start fights, it can wait until after the show is over.” He winked at me as if hoping that I would try to start one with him. I sighed and turned away from him. I wasn’t even going to dignify that last remark of his with a response. I stood up and walked towards the wardrobe to finish getting ready.

 

 

By the time the fashion show was to start, all of Jason’s models were dressed and ready. Before it was our turn he had lined us all up and we practiced several times in rotation on the imaginary runway in the length of the dressing room. When it was our time, a producer came for us and escorted us to the back curtain of the stage. I stood third to last in line with Aron and Minhyun behind me. Jason stepped outside of the curtain first and stood off to the side. Catchy runway music started to play in the air. Jason announced the first line of designs and the first model finally stepped out. As he reached the end of the runway and turned around, the second model in line entered the stage. The two crossed paths midway and the first model finally exited the stage and started to run after he stepped behind the curtain, in a rush to change outfits. Several more models before me left. When I finally found myself first in line, I briefly shut my eyes and took a deep breath before opening them and watching for my cue. When the model in front of me reached the end of the runway and turned, I knew it was my turn. I stepped beyond the curtain and started to walk down the runway just as I had practiced with Dambi hundreds of times back in her dance studio. As I walked I kept my head held confidently up. When I reached the end of the runway, I struck a pose, showcasing the first outfit briefly before gracefully turning around and making my way back. Midway I crossed paths with Aron who didn’t even seem to notice me and kept walking with a confident, yet graceful strut in his steps. When I exited the runway I quickly ran to get changed as well. About a minute later I was joined by Aron who stood beside me, rushing to undress.

“Not bad, newbie.” He said, catching me off guard. I briefly paused and glanced over at him before reminding myself that I didn’t have time to spare. I stripped down to my boxers and allowed several of Jason’s staff to help me redress as several helped Aron beside me. A team of makeup artists and hairstylists swarmed over the two of us, rushing to make the necessary changes. The total process took a grand total of three minutes before they moved on to the next models. The two of us rejoined the end of the line, dressed in the second outfit for Jason’s second line. Aron folded his arms across his chest as he stood behind me. “In cases like this, new models like you either sink or swim.”

“I’m going to swim.” I replied, determined. Aron smirked.

“We’ll see about that. Two more to go before you’re home-free.” He reminded me, sounding as if he wanted to see me fail. Who was I kidding? He was probably hoping I would. Minhyun finally rejoined us at the end of the line. As he did so, he curiously stared at me.

“Who did you say taught you your walk?” He asked me again.

“I didn’t say.” I shortly responded. An annoyed look spread across Minhyun’s face before he pursed his lips and forcefully smiled.

“Then who?” He asked again.

“Do I have to answer that?”

Minhyun scoffed. “Then don’t. See if I care.” He replied then turned away from me, minding his own business. As I waited for my second turn to walk the runway, I tried to peek beyond the curtain each time it spread open, trying to catch a glimpse of where Dambi and JR were sitting. I had been so caught up trying to look flawless my first time that I didn’t even notice the audience. To be honest, I didn’t want to risk trying to searching for them while I was walking for fear of accidentally tripping or making a mistake. Just knowing that they were in the audience was enough for me. Besides, I would catch up with them after JA Style’s slot was over and then I’d get to see House of Kim live in action! I couldn’t wait.

As the several models in front of me went, it was finally my turn again. When it was my cue to go again, I confidently stepped out beyond the curtain and began my walk down the runway again. As I walked, I noticed several camera flashes coming from down in the audience. I hadn’t been aware of it the first time I had walked. Had they been taking pictures the first time? I couldn’t tell. I turned at the end of the runway and made my way back, nailing it for a second time. I left the stage and hurried into my last outfit change. The team went straight to work again, stripping me down and redressing me and applying the last set of makeup and adjusting my hair. When they finished I was practically thrown to the back of the line in a frenzy, followed by Aron who would have almost flown past me if I hadn’t of reached out and grabbed him. After catching him, I quickly pulled my arms away and Aron awkwardly cleared his throat.

“Thanks for that. But we’re still not cool, you know.”

I rolled my eyes and smiled and nodded. “I know.”

Minhyun finally rejoined us, leaning forward and over Aron’s shoulder to reach me. “Last round. The last round is the most important. Make sure it’s your best out of all three.” He advised. I nodded then once again waited. When it was finally my turn, I noticed the music had changed to a classier music score to accommodate the last three suits in the collection. I relaxed my shoulders and held my head straight, confidently striding out onto the runway and remembering Dambi’s tip to make my walk look effortless. This time down the runway there was a sea of camera flashes going off down in the audience. When I made it to the end, I made my brief pose and noticed several more camera flashes going off. I had to suppress my urge to smile and kept a straight, blank face. I swiftly spun around and made my way back, walking past Aron midway once again. Once I was off the stage I watched as Minhyun, the headliner of the show, majestically made his way down the runway in Jason’s best suit. The audience seemed to stare at him in awe and the entire room was filled with camera flashes, far more than what I had received. Minhyun perfectly nailed the walk down and took much more time posing at the end of the runway. Rather than watch him with jealousy, I actually admired his skill. Minhyun was flawless. Despite the fact that we didn’t get along off the runway, I admired his talent professionally and hoped that I would amount to his skills eventually. It was just my first time; with more shows underneath my belt I was certain that I could match up to his level too.

Both Aron and I stepped back out onto the runway, walking behind Jason as he joined Minhyun at the end. The four of us posed for pictures and then took a bow as Jason thanked the audience. As we walked back off the stage, Jason glimpsed over at me with a large smile that I could only silently question. Once we were backstage Jason practically tackled me, clinging onto my back like a koala would to a tree. When I struggled to balance both of our weight he finally released me and playfully punched me in my shoulder.

“What was that? First time? Ridiculous! That was perfect- no, beyond perfect! Ren, you did such a good job!” Jason congratulated me. I gave him a stunned look.

“You’re just saying that…”

“Hey, I’m JA Style’s Jason; I don’t lie. That was just… wow. I think I might need to sit. Aron, go fetch me a chair.” Jason jokingly ordered. Aron shot him a look that could kill.

“You’re not serious.” Aron growled. Jason waved his hand at him in irritation.

“Away with you; you’re killing my mood.”

Aron scoffed. “Was Ren the only one walking on that runway tonight?” He asked in disbelief. “What about me and Minhyun?”

Jason rolled his eyes. “You two were fabulous like always. But Ren was the real show-stealer of the night! I mean… ah, I have no words for this!” As he continued to excitedly ramble on about how amazed he was with my performance, I couldn’t help but notice the hurt, concerned looks on both Aron and Minhyun’s faces. Not wanting to take all of the credit, I waved my arm towards them.

“If it wasn’t for my sunbaes’ help, it wouldn’t have been possible. Really, they were really good to me too.” I claimed. Minhyun glared at me then scoffed before angrily turning away from us and walking away. Aron stared at me, silently shaking his head before hurrying off after Minhyun. I sighed. It seemed that whatever I did, the two of them would always be angry or upset with me. Once they were gone I turned to Jason who was still rambling.

“Are we finished? Can I go out to watch House of Kim?” I asked for permission. Jason paused for a moment, a serious look flashing across his face. He hesitated for a moment before finally nodding, forcing a smile on his lips.

“Yes, go.”

“Thank you so much!” I jumped up and squealed before excitedly bowing down in front of him and running away still in Jason’s suit. I exited the backstage area and entered the audience, carefully scanning the audience in search of JR and Dambi. I found Dambi first, dressed in a beautiful long strapless black dress and her short hair pinned up. I paused when I spotted JR sitting next to her in a matching black suit, wearing his blonde hair slicked back, revealing his strong forehead. From head to toe, JR looked extremely sophisticated. Sitting next to Dambi, they almost looked like a celebrity power couple. As I took in this rare sight, I felt my heart start to act strange like it did back at the concert and that time at JR’s apartment. What in the world… I thought… I thought I had gotten over this feeling… Dambi suddenly noticed me and excitedly waved her black gloved hand at me while JR sat motionless, looking uncomfortable. He looked much like a pouting child would when being forced to wear something they didn’t want to wear. When he failed to wave at me, Dambi took his left hand in hers and began to wave it around. JR awkwardly shrugged into his shoulders and sank into his seat. I smiled widely and laughed, joining them. I sat beside JR. As I sat, I immediately turned to him.

“You look…” I was at a loss for words. My heart was still acting strange and my mind was conflicted. I was certain that I didn’t have a crush on him anymore… but then what was this? Dambi grinned.

“He cleans up well, doesn’t he?” She nudged JR with her elbow. JR turned a bright shade of red.

“Noona, can you stop?”

“Aww, it looks like I’ve gone and embarrassed him again.” She shrugged, still grinning. I smiled.

“You look good. Both of you. Thank you, noona, for coming.” I politely bowed my head in front of her. She nodded.

“Of course, you did amazing out there yourself. You should have been down here to hear all of the comments you received; several fashion editors and big name people were asking who you were. You impressed quite a few people tonight.”

I stared at her in shock. “Really?” She nodded and proudly smiled.

“You did great, Ren.”

“Thank you so much, noona.” I replied with tears building up in the corners of my eyes. I waved my hands in front of my face, not wanting to ruin my makeup. JR finally turned to look at me.

“It’s true. A lot of reporters and editors were asking about you. From a writer’s perspective, you did a great job showcasing Jason’s designs. I’m pretty sure he was hugging you backstage. You amazed everyone.” He replied probably for the first time in full length sentences in front of me without pausing awkwardly. I stopped and blinked at him a couple of times. Who was this person sitting beside of me? Ah, he probably had his professional face on right now. I knew that it was possible to behave a certain way while working and a completely different other way on your downtime. Maybe that’s what was happening here. I smiled at him.

“He was. He said he was impressed. But I had a difficult time believing him-”

“Why? I taught you well. Of course it would only show.” Dambi proudly and confidently held her head up high. JR nodded.

“I definitely saw noona’s influence in your walk.” He confirmed. Dambi held her index finger out and waved it in front of me.

“But it’s also important to note that a majority of the style of your walk was all your own, ok?”

I nodded then smiled at her. “Ok.” I replied as the lights dimmed and music started to play once again. The next designer after Jason had begun. Although I had been watching the designer’s entire show, my mind was elsewhere. I couldn’t believe I had just finished walking my first show, and not only that, but I had apparently done a great job at it. Both Dambi and JR were here, and JR was even dressed up… I secretly stole glances at him during the next showcase. It was amazing how different a change of clothes could make him look; he looked dark and fierce- almost intimidating. But that look quickly faded when he caught me staring at him. He stopped scribbling down notes and uncomfortably looked at me before looking back down into his lap.

“Is… it strange?” He quietly whispered to me so that Dambi couldn’t hear. She seemed to have her attention fixated on the runway anyways. I quickly shook my head.

“I told you; you look good. Really good.” I reassured him.

JR paused in disbelief. “…Really?” He suddenly glanced back up at me, staring directly into my eyes and catching me off guard. I felt my heart start to skip a beat again and I began to feel flustered. I awkwardly looked away from him and nervously laughed.

“Yeah.”

“It’s uncomfortable.” He replied.

“Huh?” I quickly glanced back at him.

“This suit… it’s… itchy.” He awkwardly held his arms out and made an irritated face. I laughed again; for a second I had almost thought that my complimenting him had made him feel uncomfortable, not the suit. I was glad that wasn’t the case. I reached over and tugged on his right sleeve.

“Then why are you wearing it? You never dress up to these events, remember? You’re usually the talk of the night amongst reporters for your choice of wardrobe and you usually don’t care. So why change for tonight?” I asked. JR froze.

“Because…” His voice trailed off. A panicked look slowly spread across his face as he tried to search for the right words to use. “Tonight… was a big night.”

I silently stared at him. “Is that… right?”

JR slowly nodded. “I mean… I’m here to do my job, but… I was also happy… no, excited to get to see your first show. I asked Dambi-noona to come with me because I know how you two have become close friends too. She was the one that mentioned that I should dress up tonight to show my support for you, and so I did. I hope… you felt my support from down here in the audience.”

I smiled sweetly at him, touched. “I did. Thank you, JR.” I replied, happily turning my attention back to the runway to see the designer walking down the stage with his headliner and first and second leads, indicating that his slot was over. My heart leapt; House of Kim was next. I gripped my knees, trying to contain my excitement. This was the Apink concert all over again. I couldn’t believe it; all that time I had spent admiring House of Kim’s designs from magazines and online videos and now I finally had the chance to see it up close in person! Was this really happening? There was a brief period of quiet inside of the room after the previous designer had left the stage and House of Kim was preparing to take over for the final segmented slot of the night. As I anxiously waited, I felt JR’s silent gaze on me. When I turned to address him that’s when I noticed the lights suddenly dimmed and a dark silhouette emerged from behind the curtain, taking a stance on the right side of the runway and standing where all of the previous designers stood while showcasing their lines. I furrowed my brows and squinted my eyes. Who could that possibly be standing on stage? House of Kim’s designer never attended any of the shows himself- I froze. What if tonight was different? What if that silhouette standing in the corner of the stage was… Mr. Kim himself?

Music started playing, spreading throughout the air as the stage lights flashed down on the runway. The first model emerged from behind the curtain and started their walk. As they reached the end of the stage, they stuck a pose then spun around. Several more models came and went, showcasing an elaborate, fashionable design of office wear. My jaw dropped in awe as I took in the sight of House of Kim’s clothes in person aside from pictures. The cameras did House of Kim’s clothes zero justice. There was just a touch of perfection that not even the cameras in magazine pictorials could handle. There was nothing like seeing it up close with your very own eyes. As the first line had finished walking the stage, the second emerged, revealing a classy yet sophisticated everyday wear line. I alternated glimpses between the models and the dark silhouette still standing in the corner of the stage. I still couldn’t see him. I gave up temporarily and returned to admiring the collection until the third line completely wrapped up as well. I watched as the silhouette moved from out of the shadows and towards the middle of the stage, linking arms with his headliner as they walked down the runway together. As the lights hit him, they revealed a tall, wide, muscular built man wearing black sunglasses and a black suit with his short blonde hair spiked up and back. He had several piercings in his ears and wore several earrings. The aura he gave off around him was strong and intimidating. When he neared the end of the runway in front of our seats, I stared up at him, my heart racing as he slowly removed his sunglasses and revealed his handsome features. A stage crew member handed him a microphone from offstage and he reached over and took it. Was this…

“Hello, everyone. Thank you all for watching. It is my greatest desire that you enjoyed what you saw. That being said, allow me to finally introduce myself to the world.” He said then glimpsed down into the audience. I froze as for a brief second we made eye contact. My heart continued to pound loudly inside of my chest like a drum as I felt his eyes on me. “My name is… Kim Baekho; designer and CEO of power-fashion-house House of Kim… Any questions?” He darkly smirked.

It’s him…

My eyes grew wide with shock as I sat back in my seat, completely floored. A sea of camera flashes went off inside of the room as several fashion reporters rose from their chairs and completely surrounded all sides of the elevated runway. Both Dambi and JR immediately shot up from their seats to back up and prevent being trampled, however, I had been so awestruck at the moment that I couldn’t move and I became separated from them in a matter of seconds. Suddenly I felt a hand grab me by my right shoulder from behind, pulling me up out of my chair and backwards. When I finally tore my gaze from the stage and Mr. Kim, I noticed that it was Jason who had come for me. He gave me a tired, worried look.

“You saw that horde of reporters… why didn’t your brain tell you to move?” Jason asked. I glanced back over at Mr. Kim again, still speechless. I couldn’t believe it… my hero… my inspiration… he was standing right there… he had even looked at me-

Dambi suddenly shoved past the crowd. “Oh, thank god you’re ok! It got violent pretty quickly up there!” She replied, joining me by my side. She froze and glimpsed at Jason with distaste as she noticed him standing in front of me.

“You’re wearing one of my best suits!” Jason scolded. “What would you have done if it had gotten ruined? Would you pay for it? Can you even afford it right now?” He continued to chastise me. Dambi narrowed her eyes at him and stepped forward, reaching over and grabbing him by his suit lapels and practically lifting him up to his toes.

“Do I need you kick your again for being an insensitive bastard?” She replied in a thuggish, gangster-style way of speaking, despite the classy and elegant way she was dressed. Jason seemed both terrified and annoyed of her.

“You put me down this instant!” He claimed. Dambi dropped him. I glanced over at her in surprise.

“What’s going on between you two?” I asked, wanting to finally get down to the bottom of Jason’s relationship with Dambi. Dambi folded her arms across her chest and huffed while Jason dusted off and adjusted his suit.

“Let’s just say I’ve had my fair share of run-ins with him at these fashion shows and I don’t agree with any of his business practices, that shady little rat-”

Jason arrogantly laughed, cutting her off. “Amazing! Who actually let you inside, Dambi? I’ll alert management to fire them.”

“I was invited here.” She boldly replied.

“Who in the world would invite an ex-gangster-model like you?”

“Oh my; gangster?” She laughed. “Funny. Why is it that I only turn into one around you?” She replied. Suddenly I noticed both Aron and Minhyun walk up behind Jason, peering in on the conversation currently going on. They immediately latched eyes onto Dambi as if somewhat recognizing her. At that moment JR walked up, stopping beside me and quietly observing the fight between Dambi and Jason. Jason scoffed.

“I appreciate you teaching our Ren how to walk; it’s a pity that the student will go much farther than the teacher ever did in this field.” He coldly stated. Dambi gave him a startled, hurt look. She tightly pursed her lips together then briefly shifted her gaze down to the floor before glancing back up at him.

“Why would it be a pity? If it’s something he wants, he will go for it. I quit because I realized that it wasn’t something that I wanted after all. Especially after meeting you. I feel sorry for those forced to be around you; but what can I do? You’re someone with an important foot inside the door of the Asian fashion industry. All I can do is warn others to watch out for you and your conniving ways.”

“Noona,” JR finally spoke up, surprising all of us. “That’s enough. Please. Step with me outside?” He asked. Dambi paused briefly before nodding and following JR out of the building, leaving me alone with Jason, Minhyun and Aron. Once they were gone Jason growled.

“That crazy .” He clenched his fists angrily down by his sides before glancing over at me. “You; don’t you believe a word of what she said. She’s still miffed about losing her modeling career over an incident that occurred with my company, which of course she still blames me for. It’s because of that she doesn’t support my friendship with JR.”

I froze as I heard Jason’s story. Was this the truth? To be honest, I felt like I knew Dambi more than I knew Jason. I felt as if whatever story she told me would be more credible than his. But what if Jason’s story was true? It was obvious that Dambi held a grudge against him. It seemed like the more answers I received, the more questions I had regarding what had went on between them in the past. I awkwardly nodded. “Mmm, ok.”

“Just know that you’re my model and I have you taken care of.” Jason assured me before walking off and getting lost inside of the crowd that was still gathered around the runway and Mr. Kim. Now that he was gone I turned back and briefly glimpsed at the blonde back on stage before suddenly feeling a hand wrap around my right shoulder and forcefully turn me back. I was confronted by an irritated and pissed off looking Minhyun. He shot me a jealous look.

“You were mentored by Son Dambi?” He asked, almost sounding betrayed. I gave him a confused look.

“Why does it matter to you?” I muttered, about to turn when I was stopped by Minhyun again. He gripped my arm tighter, holding me back. I narrowed my eyes and glared at him. I was getting extremely tired of this battle between us. “What?” I firmly warned.

“Son Dambi wasn’t just any model; she was a supermodel. She’s walked runways in Paris and New York.” Minhyun replied. I stared at him, stunned. I had known she was a model, however, I hadn’t known this much about her.

“Then what happened? What is Jason talking about?” I asked. Minhyun darkly looked away while Aron stepped forward.

“Son Dambi and Jason have a history of never getting along in the fashion industry. At one of the shows they were both working at, Jason’s headlining outfit went missing. It was found among Dambi’s personal belongings in the dressing room. He brought it up with her management and ultimately she was let go. After that incident she never re-entered the modeling industry and just faded away into nothingness… But how did you of all people manage to find her?” Aron asked, sounding amazed. I blinked.

“Through… JR.” I cautiously replied. Stunned looks spread across both of their faces. Aron laughed, raising a brow.

“The fashion terrorist? Knowing supermodel Son Dambi?”

“They were classmates back in school.”

Aron paused. “, really? Damn. If I had known that little loser knew Son Dambi, I would have been nicer to him.”

I narrowed my eyes at him after he hit a particular sore spot of mine. “He’s not a loser.” I firmly replied. Both Aron and Minhyun gave me surprised looks before Minhyun removed his hold on me. He smirked then turned his back to me.

“Whatever you say, Ren. Whatever you say.” He said tauntingly before leaving with Aron. I tightly clenched my fist down by my side as I watched them leave. I had just become so angry when I heard them talk about my friend that way. It upset me because I knew he wasn’t like that. JR was funny, he was courteous, he was nice… He was many things, but a loser wasn’t one of them. Just because he was a little different from everyone else… It wasn’t fair to him that two people who knew absolutely nothing about him were making remarks about him. I pursed my lips together. Suddenly I didn’t feel like being here anymore… but… I glanced back at this mysterious person who stood on stage and still answering questions, claiming to be the famous Mr. Kim. No, he wasn’t claiming. It was him. It had to be him. How else would he have been able to gain access to this event, let alone stand on stage? I continued to stare at him in admiration, completely entranced with his handsome features. This man… this beautiful man was Mr. Kim, the man responsible for creating a fashion empire with the clothes I adored so much. No longer was he a shadow, but an actual person with a face now. But… why now? Lost deep inside of my thoughts, I almost screamed when I felt a hand pat me on my back. I jumped and spun around only to see JR standing behind me. He gave me a terrified look.

“Are you… ok?” He wearily asked. I awkwardly nodded.

“I-I’m fine.”

“…What were you looking at?” JR asked. I glanced back at the blonde in the black suit up on stage.

“Is that… him?” My voice trailed off as I continued to stare. “Is that… really him?” I continued to ask in disbelief. I was completely star struck. JR uncomfortably paused.

“Do you want to know the truth?” He asked. I slowly turned around and faced him, waiting for him to continue. JR stared at me. “It’s him.” He quietly replied, confirming my suspicions. My eyes grew wide.

“Really?”

JR slowly nodded. “…Yes. I’ve interviewed with him before behind closed doors. It’s him.” He seemed to sadly say. I tilted my head to the side, confused.

“But why do you sound so upset suddenly?” I asked. A startled look spread across JR’s face before he quickly tried to disguise it with a smile. He shook his head.

“It’s nothing. Do you want to get out of here now? I promised you a meal, didn’t I?” JR said, quickly changing the subject. My eyes lit up as soon as he mentioned food. I was about to cheer when suddenly I noticed Mr. Kim bow and start to walk down the opposite end of the runway. I froze and shrieked in a moment of panic. JR gave me a strange look. “What’s wrong?”

“He’s leaving!” I placed both hands on the sides of my face. I started to nervously jump up and down. JR blinked.

“I don’t get it.” He replied. Suddenly a crazy idea popped into my head.

“Should we follow him?” I asked, not wanting to leave Mr. Kim’s strong presence. I had been waiting for so long to see the man with my own eyes, and right now he was in the same building with me, about to leave… I wanted to see more of him.

“Huh???”

I pouted and gave JR puppy-dog eyes. “I just want to talk to him.”

“Ren… I understand that your biggest dream is to meet House of Kim’s Mr. Kim, but this is a bit… much. That’s called stalking. It can land you in jail…” JR replied, sounding somewhat distressed. I stared at JR briefly for a couple of seconds before suddenly taking off running in the opposite direction from him, running through the crowd of people and carefully following Mr. Kim as he exited the building. I hid behind several reporters as they took pictures of him entering inside of his flashy, expensive looking car. I jumped up and down to catch more glimpses of him. When he started the engine I quickly ran several feet away and approached the side of the street, desperately waving my arms around like a madman.

“TAXI!” I managed to flag one down. As it stopped, I reached forward and pulled open the handle to the door. I kept my gaze focused forward as I climbed inside. “Follow that car!” I instructed, reaching backwards for the handle to pull shut the door. I froze when I felt someone on the outside yank it back open. I glanced over my shoulder to see JR standing there on the sidewalk, staring inside of the vehicle while holding the door open. We met eyes for a few seconds before JR hesitantly climbed inside, joining me. I gave him a stunned look. “JR… are you sure?” I asked, surprised. JR slowly nodded.

“I’m going with you.” He adamantly replied. I smiled then crazily turned back to the driver, hitting the back of his seat repeatedly and in a rush.

“GO!”