« We met again, Mr Not Interested. Doesn’t that make us soulmates or something ? »

« No. » Luhan said - quite bluntly, in Baekhyun’s humble opinion. « But that was definitely the worst pick-up line I’ve ever heard in my whole entire existence, and with all those years I’ve been on Earth, I’ve known quite a few jackasses. »

« You’re breaking my heart. »

« You’re making me want to throw up. We’re even. So, perhaps we should stay away from each other for our own sake, don’t you think ? »

« Or else ? »

« Or else, I’ll start ripping your throat out if you don’t drop that cocky attitude. »

« Too bad. Because, besides your own feisty demeanor, you’re totally my style, sweetheart. »

« Well, . That escalated pretty quickly. It went from the lines of ‘I will ing murder you in your sleep’ to ‘You kind of hate me, but I love you’ love-hate thingy ? » Baekhyun thought, slightly perturbed.

« Wipe that smug look off your face, I don’t like it. » Luhan added one last hurtful comment, only to regret the words as soon as they came out of his mouth. « I must say, I really can’t pinpoint what your fans like about you. » Sehun didn’t retort and kept on a neutral face, but the stylist didn’t miss the flash of hurt reflecting in the other’s eyes. « Don’t feel guilty. By any means, he musn’t recognize you. »

« Xi Luhan. You told me you’ve never met him before ! How can you be so… » Tao exclaimed, probably surprised by Luhan’s inhabitual thoughtlessness.

Sehun’s face turned doubtful. « Luhan ? So that’s your name ? » he said, uncertainty lacing in his tone. The interested party blinked. Something was off. Baehyun had noticed it the minute Luhan’s response got so defensive, became so agressive. He tried too hard to make it as if he had the situation in hand, a lopsided grin plastered on his face. Though Baekhyun himself had to admit, he wouldn’t have caught on the stylist’s suspicious attitude if the latter hadn’t used such hurtful and unnecessary comments. His best friend’s number one rule was to never denigrate anyone’s work.

« We met for the first time at the wedding. » Luhan said, adamant. « And it’s Luhan hyung for you. »

« Right. But, hyung… » Luhan instantly regretted asking the younger to call him that, because Sehun had raised an eyebrow suggestively, looking fully aware of what he was doing. « It wasn’t the first time we met. Come on, is your memory that bad… »

Luhan’s smile twitched, as he turned in Sehun’s direction. « Oy, that’s not good. »

« Or are you hiding something ? »

The stylist dismissed the suggestion as if the subject of him lying was never brought up. « You musn’t have made that much of an impression on me then. »

« I believe I did. » Sehun, who had regained his confidence back, pulled Luhan towards him, whispering in the shell of his ear. « That night… » The Chinese man yanked his arm from the other’s embrace, flushed red. « I don’t know what you’re talking about. »

« Sehun. Stop it, you’re on professional grounds. » Chanyeol hissed.

« Sorry, Chanyeol hyung. » But Sehun’s defying gaze never once left Luhan’s. « He knows. »

The atmosphere around them had turned obnoxiously unpleasant, after Luhan and Sehun’s little power standoff. Baekhyun sighed. Tao didn’t tell them properly what Luhan and him were signing up for when they accepted the job. Thinking back on it, they didn’t even accepted it. Back out wasn’t an option, since he had offered an helping hand to his friend in the first place. But before he could have found the bravery to voice out his frustration, the photographer, Mr Kim, had given his set of instructions loud and clear.

« I’ve been informed that there’s been a change of plans. Because of our tight schedule, we still need to wrap the shoot in less than 24 hours, so let’s start. First, individual shots. I’ll do couple shots right after that. Interaction with your partner is key, so Tao and myself will pair you up based on your ‘chemistry’. I would usually finish by a group photo, but that won’t be necessary, since this is not the album jacket of an idol group we’re doing today. As we’re somewhat of running out of time, the professionals go first. Chanyeol, Sehun, mind showing the rookies an example ? »

Sehun sent a wink in Luhan’s direction. « Watch me. »

« I’d rather go blind. »

« Lu, Baek, come here. » Tao was once again standing before his work table, ideally situated next to his inspiration wall. « For sure, our experienced stylist right here is familiar with these kind of stuff. » Tao laughed when he received a slap on his arm - courtesy of Luhan - before turning to his other friend. « But you, Baekhyun, need to take a closer look. Try to focus on the expression they’re making, I believe that’s what you need to work on the most. » he advised, even though he was now frowning madly at whatever news his cell phone fed him.

Baekhyun stared at the moodboard, mouth open in shock. Images of movie scenes and previous menswear collections had been printed out ; that was also the way wedding photoshoots were carried out sometimes. However, some of the pictures were way more sultry and provocative. Those radiated an aura that screamed « », but were not as trashy as the word seemed to evoke. It was more subtle, as you could sense the feeling the photographer wanted to convey in the models’ poses and skinship.

« Do people really like this kind of ‘concept’ ? »

« Of course they do. It’s high fashion. »

« Is it ? »

« I wouldn’t have expected someone like you to understand that. Hopefully, you still have your good looks in order for you to save face. »

Baekhyun didn’t really understand what people found beautiful in his face. Surely, he was unique. But he had his fair share of insecurities as well. Like how he found his eyes a bit too small, his nose not sharp enough, and the rectangular shape his mouth took when he smiled quite unusual. He sure had one of a kind features, and, with time, had learned to accept the reflection he found in the mirror of his bathroom every single day. For models, it seemed to be way more complicated, seeing that their job was to expose themselves to other’s eyes. Baekhyun hated being in the spotlight. He would rather work in the shade than bearing with strangers’ judgemental minds.

« Being a model sure isn’t easy. » Baekhyun's words were rhetorical, and the man didn't actually expect a reply. But Tao had responded absent-mindedly. « It’s just a role, that obviously requires quite a bit of interpretation. What makes their job interesting is to get in the protagonist’s point of view. One model is more beautiful than the other, but they all have their flaws. They need to hide them in front of the camera, so they can concentrate solely on