Prologue

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Hakyeon didn’t exactly want to say that he was in a bad mood that day, especially not in front of Sanghyuk, who tagged along with his backpack slung over his shoulders lazily, the old straps almost slipping off of his broad shoulders. So, instead of speaking like he usually would, Hakyeon pursed his lips into a thin line, sealing it. Sanghyuk didn’t seem to mind the silence. To be exact, the younger smiled throughout the walk, tapping his fingers on his thigh along with the beat of whatever song it was playing in his mind. 

“Hakyeon,” Sanghyuk started, breaking the soothing silence that was enveloping them. The elder looked up from the floor, his camera held tightly in his hands. “Did you get any information on him yet?” Oh right, him. Hakyeon shook his head, eyes lingering on the old camera that his fingers laced around. Working as a photographer wasn’t easy, especially when you were supposed to chase down celebrities along the way to sell for the publishing quarters of Seoul—to get the juiciest news for bystanders.

“I’m working on it, Sanghyuk,” Hakyeon replied, his voice finally breaking through its barriers. He had spent the whole night running around, chasing down a celebrity van. He snapped pictures here and there and spent the rest of the night talking with the magazine writers and publishers. “I have a new model to work with, too.” 

Hakyeon worked two jobs as a photographer. One was legal and the other, not so much. Of course, no one would call stalking celebrities legal, or anything along the lines. But, Hakyeon did it for the money—something Hakyeon had been taught to do by his older siblings who sold themselves to earn enough cash for their family. 

But, Hakyeon didn’t want to go down that road. However, his plans can change easily when you hit a crisis. His mother was put in the hospital for nephritis—an illness in one’s kidney. Hakyeon stayed up night and day with his mother on weekends when he was free while the rest of his free time was spent in small, secluded rooms or on the streets, almond eyes fishing out the slight shine of idol stars. 

“New model? I heard he came from Moonlit.” Sanghyuk stated, his lips pursed while his eyes shimmered with worry. Moonlit Corporations. Hakyeon heard that it had been opened up for a very long time with powerful models and designers by their side. So