Myungsoo was happily and peacefully married to his studio for a whole decade until one day some pretty boy barged in and disturbed his marriage. "Wow!" The stranger exclaimed with amazement, "I've been to every corner of Seoul but I did not know a place like this exists!" In all honesty, Myungsoo wasn't sure what the boy found so fascinating. The walls were nothing special but a boring color of black and peeling paint. The ceilings had mold and dust rested on the surfaces of cameras, papers, utensils, and furniture that sat out in the open. The skinny boy walked to one side of the wall and finally, Myungsoo's curiosity was answered. "Seriously? The legendary hip-hop star took a picture in here? Wow!"

On the wall behind the shooting set were old photos Myungsoo was responsible for taking. They were all works of his and within each photo, they held images of people who have rose to stardom in the present time. Myungsoo could only assume the boy was a hardcore fan as some photos were probably taken when the youngster was possibly only ten, but he could recognize the celebrities immediately. "No way! Even Japanese stars! And oh! Look at this beauty! Isn't she Chinese or what?" The boy asked, overly-excited.

In the midst of the boy screaming at the top of his lungs, Myungsoo pulled out a book where appointments were scheduled in. "What did you say your name was, kid?"

"I still can't believe you took his picture! I mean just look at him! His hair was such a popular 90s hairdo then!" The boy continued to fanboy over one of the many hundreds of photos. In the picture was the rising star Lee Hoya, a hip-hop star who's becoming the favorite celebrity of all time. Hoya was seen sitting in a leather black chair with his hair spiked up and his legs crossed. What made him appear breathtaking was the take of the angle and lightning on his manly and handsome face. “How did you manage to make a human look so invincible? I mean just look at him! He almost looks too good to be human!”

Myungsoo shut the book and toss it onto the table then he shoved his hands into his pockets with a sharp sigh. “If you won’t tell me your name, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

“No, just give me a few more minutes! I mean who makes art and just leaves it hidden in a studio with such poor conditions? These can be worth millions of dollars or even gold!” The lad said with a tone of disgust before turning back to admiring the wall of photos.

Myungsoo held in the grudge for wanting to knock the kid out with a deep exhale. “I asked for your name. This studio isn’t a museum where you can come and go and talk smack as you please. The only visitors allowed in  here are customers with an appointment.” The seriousness in Myungsoo’s voice was a turn off to the boy as Myungsoo could tell when he spun around on his heels and puff air from the corner of his lips.

“Lee Sungjong is my name, mister.” The sass in the younger’s voice bothered Myungsoo. He hated stuck ups and sassy people.

“Now was that so hard?” Myungsoo mocked before proceeding to pick up his book and re-opening it. On the side, Sungjong pursed his lips and gave Myungsoo dirty looks. Upon scanning the contents held in his book, he glanced up with curiosity in his eyes. “There’s no Lee Sungjong today. Only a Lee Sungyeol?”

“Really? That can’t be possible, can you check again?”

Myungsoo frowned and flipped through the pages again to make sure he was on the right page. Without looking up he hummed, “Yeah, no Lee Sungjong.”

“That can’t happen.” The youth who claimed to be Sungjong jogged over and ripped the book from Myungsoo’s hands. Without any manners, he set the book down on the man’s desk and skim the list of customers with his index finger, while mumbling his name. Myungsoo waited on the side with an annoyed expression. The stomping of Sungjong’s foot picked up when he also began to panic. Myungsoo sneered a little at the hint and folded his arms across his chest.

“What did I say? Find your name yet?”

“Let me find it!” Sungjong hushed, making Myungsoo red with irritation.

“Hey, kid. Even if you find your name do you think I’m going to take your pictures if you keep acting up? Who do you think you are? Huh?”

Sungjong smacked a hand against the book before looking up and forcing his bangs out of his face with a of his head. “Are you kidding me? Just how old is this notebook?” Sungjong’s question threw Myungsoo off. “Look here.” Myungsoo eyed Sungjong’s hand on the book and then saw that he was pointing to a specific spot on the page. “Why is Lee Hoya scheduled for an appointment today as well? He’s a superstar now who’s doing a world tour, yet he’s scheduled for a photoshoot in this shabby place?” Sungjong insulted.

Myungsoo his lips before locking eyes with the youth who was just a bit shorter than him. “So I tried to fool you with an old appointment book. What are you going to do about it, kid?” Myungsoo taunted. In return Sungjong exhaled and brushed a hand through his hair, messing it up.

“Mister, if I was you and my studio was only this much, I think I would treat my customers with more sincerity and kindness. Who knows? This kid may have more wealth and fortune compare to you, and maybe he could help you out with a thing or two. Like, for example throwing paint that could be easier for the eyes on the walls. Or hiring a proper desk assistant to help you with scheduling appointments because apparently, you’re still using a notebook from a decade ago.” Myungsoo noticed that the gleefulness he had in his eyes when he first entered has been replaced by daring eyes. “So go on, kick me out. Or,” the young man pulled out a credit card and held it to their eye-level, “you can snap a few of my pictures and take my money. Your choice.”

Myungsoo breathed a scoff. “Are you done? Haven’t you learned not to judge a book by its cover? You can’t buy me over with money. Even if I have no pride, I wouldn’t take your money. I’ve been in this industry for a long time and why do you think I still get customers with a place like this? People come to me so I can make them look pretty and flawless in pictures.  People would go to the extreme to get a good photo taken, in which case I’ve been offered cars, houses, private jet, world tour, and positions you can’t even dream of. But I’ve turned down a lot of their offers. Want to know why?” The look on Sungjong’s face was obvious that he was annoyed but Myungsoo wasn’t about to give out. Sungjong chose the wrong photographer to bribe. Myungsoo took a step closer to Sungjong and brushed the boy’s shoulder before speaking. “Simply because I didn’t like them. If I don’t like someone, why should I take good photos of them? Why should I turn the camera only to them and make sure they pause with a smile when it’s most likely a fake one? Why should I spend endless hours of my time cropping and fading out wrinkles and marks they don’t like?” Myungsoo lowered his hand from Sungjong. “Get the picture?”

Sungjong took a step back and slide his hands into his own blue jeans that were torn at the knees. “I’m sorry. Please take my photos.” His surrender almost knocked Myungsoo off his feet. “I hope you will take my photos and forgive me for speaking recklessly.” Sungjong build the courage to look Myungsoo in the eyes. Myungsoo then cocked his head to the side.

“Why?”

“There’s a place I want to reach so I’m seriously begging for your help.”

“A place? What can a photo do?” Myungsoo asked, unconvinced.

“Don’t play pretend. It was thanks to you that people like Lee Hoya and Yamada Ryosuke are able to become celebrities after getting recognized. So—”

“How did you know about Yamada Ryosuke?” Myungsoo asked with a deadly tone. “He was a private client.” Sungjong looked elsewhere in order not to cower in front of Myungsoo.

“We’re friends,” Sungjong said bluntly but Myungsoo wasn’t convinced.

“Friends? I didn’t know you were Japanese.” The serious-annoyed sound mixed in Myungsoo’s voice made Sungjong uncomfortable. Sungjong took a small step back that he hoped had gone unnoticed but it was no use when Myungsoo closed the gap by shoving and pinning Sungjong against the wall. “Tell me, how did you know about this place? Did you hear it from Ryosuke? Usually, when clients leave and become celebrities or stars, they don’t mention this place because it’s embarrassing. But how did you know about it?”

Unlike Myungsoo’s aggressive actions, his voice has suddenly become calmer and lower.

“Yamada Ryosuke is my friend and he was the one who recommends your studio to me….I saw a photo of him that he said was taken by you….I just thought you could help me….”

“With what exactly?”

“Uh, a good photo,” Sungjong said, lowering his voice to the same level as Myungsoo. Myungsoo finally took a few steps back to allowed Sungjong to balance himself.

“Unfortunately I can’t help you,” Myungsoo stated before going back to his desk to shift things around.

“Why not?” Sungjong asked blankly.

“I don’t want to.” Silence filtered the air about them before Sungjong spoke up.

“Photographers aren’t exactly the type of career one would shoot for in the long run. Especially if he doesn’t aim for a high position along powerful and famous people. But there must have been a reason why you chose to become a nameless photographer, right?” Sungjong urged. Myungsoo stopped whatever he was doing and froze for a moment.

When he finally replied, his answer was shorter than what Sungjong had expected. “Like anyone out there, I once had a dream of becoming someone with a good name and reputation. But now, I can’t find any reasons to continue that path.”

“Why not? What did your dream consist of that you can no longer continue to follow to the end of it?”

“A model,” Myungsoo said picking up a pen and playing with it.

“I can do it—”

“A female model,” Myungsoo concluded, cutting off any hopes Sungjong may have gained.

“Why a female?”

Myungsoo turned around to face Sungjong before slightly sitting on the edge of his desk. “You’d be disgusted if I told you the reasons behind it.” Sungjong kept quiet in hopes that Myungsoo would continue, in which he did after looking up from the pen. “To promote . Between a straight pair.”

A/N: Man was that a chapter....Anyway, I hope the beginning hasn't bored you yet. The ending of this chapter may sound and even look twisted but I promise you the story won't be so twisted in that aspect. Let's just call it y-Myungsoo-had-a-creepy-fantasy-moment-for-a-short-time....