‘For your spring break assignment, I want you to draw a man.’

                That was your professor’s last words before he left the classroom, not even describing any other details for this special assignment. The class broke into an uproar, some cheering out loud for being able to draw boys, some groaning out loud with the possibility of hating seeing people. But you just froze in your seat, your mind going blank as the professor’s words slowly sank in. Drawing figures and bodies had always been hard for you and the fact that this time, it had to be in a form, you were surely going to flop this assignment.

                Before any further excited—and dreaded—discussions could be gone through between you and the fourteen other classmates though, the door opened again, and the professor peeked in with a grin on his face. You definitely did not like where this was going. ‘I forgot to tell you. No grabbing pictures from the internet or whatsoever. I want a real living model. Bring him along on our next class after spring break. Have a great time!’  And with that, he left again.

                Great time, my . You were definitely doomed in this.

                ‘Hell yes! I’ve been waiting for this day ever since the first time I stepped into this college, God bless Professor Kim for finally hearing my prayers,’ your best friend and classmate, Najeong, said with glee, her hands clasped together. ‘I can finally draw my baby boy’s delicious body, damn. Ooh, he’s gonna love this.’

                You made a face at your friend’s comment about her boyfriend’s body, packing your art supplies back into you bag pack. ‘Well, lucky you for having a boyfriend. Who the hell am I supposed to draw? I don’t have a boyfriend and I’m not even close with any of my guy friends.’

                Najeong followed you as you exited the class, waving goodbyes to your other classmates. ‘Just pick someone, maybe you can pay them? Oh! What about your hot neighbour?’

                ‘God, no,’ you groaned. ‘He might look nice but he’s weird. He might think I’m trying to hit up on him or something.’

                ‘Well, then. No choice, you gotta call any of the guys you know and pay them to be your model,’ Najeong said, and as much as you hate that idea—was it just you or it really sounded like you were going to have to pay for someone to strip for you—there was just no other way. You didn’t have anyone to pose buck for you for free, unlike your friend, so…

                Maybe you should hire a stripper to be your model?

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                Nope. Definitely not a stripper.

                Your friends had brought you to a famous strip cub in downtown last night, and you swore you would never go back there. As much as you had enjoyed watching the half- actors in the dramas that you had been following, watching real life men showing off their bodies felt weird and too awkward. Your friends had been excited in the strip club, but you end up running back home early before anything could even happen.

                ‘I told you it was awkward,’ you whined to the phone, caught in a call with Najeong as you walked through the campus. She had flooded your inbox and made thousands of miscalls, demanding the reason why you ran off home before the strippers could even get their trousers off their legs. You managed to avoid bumping into her as the spring break started today, but knowing how your friend was, she would come searching for you if you avoided her calls for too long. ‘No, I’m not hiring any strippers for this assignment!’

                ‘Then who the are you going to draw, dummy?’ She exclaimed through the line and you wanted to hang up so bad. Just thinking about this assignment was making you go nuts.

                ‘I’ll find a way,’ you sighed before ending the call, throwing the phone in your bag. You climbed your way up the hill and sat down on top of it, the grass tickling your bare legs. Spring was always your favourite season. Whenever you inhaled the smell of freshly grown buds and flowers, it always cleared up your mind. This small hill in the middle of the city park had always been your favourite place. The park itself was on a high ground, so you were able to see a lot of the city from this very spot. You always came here to draw the sceneries—something that you were actually very good in. Rather than drawing portraits of humans, you prefer to draw sceneries instead, especially sceneries of the spring.

                You took a deep breath, before taking out your sketchbook and paint supplies. Deciding to draw the blooming cherry blossom tree that you can see in front of you, you made your first on the empty canvas. Each calmed you down, the reason why you had chosen the art path even though your parents disagreed with it. You were already on the fifth , when something came flying out of nowhere and hit you directly on the back of your head. You shrieked in a fit of surprise, accidentally ruining your painting. Feeling angry, you threw your sketchbook away and stood, turning around to find the culprit.

                A small boy flinched when you glared at him. He immediately looked down, fidgeting. ‘I… I’m sorry. It was a… an accident.’

                You let out a sigh; nothing is going your way today. You couldn’t find someone to draw for the assignment, and now when you wanted to paint to clear your head, but you couldn’t even do that in peace. Picking up the ball that the boy had probably threw to you by accident, you returned it to him and waved him away. Then, you started collecting your things again and stuffing them into your bag. Let’s just call it a day, your mind said.

                As you climbed back down the hill, you had to cross a flat-but-quite-steep lane before climbing down more stairs. The lane was frequently used by skateboarders as they can easily skate down around the park. You were crossing the lane when suddenly a skateboarder whooshed past you, making you jump back slightly in surprise. It was just by sheer luck that he missed you. ‘Sorry!’ the man exclaimed as he went off, to which you ignored as you crouched down to retrieve the few things that fell down from your grasp. Why was everything not going to your plans today?

                You probably should not have taken too much time picking up your things then. Because seconds after, your luck ran out.

                ‘Watch out!’ You heard a man yell, and you lifted your head in confusion. A flash of pink and purple, before you were thrown off your feet, your art supplies flying everywhere messily.

                ‘AAHHHH!’

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                You stared at the cast around your right foot, the bandaged part of your leg elevated slightly using a pillow. You tried wriggling your toes, and immediately regret doing so, the pain shooting right up your leg. Clutching your leg tightly as you bend forward, you bite back the hiss that was coming out from your mouth.

                You were definitely having the unluckiest day in your whole life. You still have no model to draw and your relaxing time was interrupted rudely—now, you could not even walk on your own! Apparently, thanks to your absentmindedness, a skater boy crashed into you and accidentally caused your right leg to twist horribly. The doctor said it will heal in several weeks, but you were not allowed to be discharged from the hospital for at least three days. They needed to supervise your leg, whether you would need a surgery or not.

                ‘I told you it was an accident, I didn’t see her there!’ From outside of the room, you heard the man’s hushed exclaim. After the crash, you had passed out due to the view of your foot being twisted abnormally, so you did not get a clear look of the man who caused you this injury. But you remembered seeing a flash of pink and purple, were those the colour of his clothes? ‘I’m not sure. Look, let me settle it with her first. I’ll tell you if I need to borrow any money from you.’

                Money?

                ‘Hey, um… First of all, I’m sorry for hurting you,’ the man said as he stepped in, but the rest of his words were lost from your hearing once you finally saw him. You could not help but gape at the sight of his hair: they were dyed in pretty pastel pink and purple. The flash that you saw before he slammed into you. They were not the colour of his clothes—they were his hair. Unconsciously, you your lips. His hair looked like cotton candy.

                ‘Excuse me… miss?’ The man cleared his throat and you immediately tore away your gaze from his hair. There was a confused look on his face, and your cheeks pinked slightly at the realisation that you had ignored him just to stare dumbly at his hair.

                ‘I’m sorry, can you repeat wh—whatever you were saying just now?’ You said in a small voice, trying to hide your face behind your long hair. At times like this, your uncontrollable curly and bushy hair worked wonders to hide yourself. Shyly pointing at his head, you mumbled, ‘Your hair is too much of a distraction.’

                An awkward silence filled the air for a second or two, before he broke into laughter. ‘I guess it is a bit distracting, right?’ Before you could question as to why he just laughed at you, he extended a hand. ‘I’m Jung Hoseok, by the way. What’s your name?’

                You hesitated for a while, but there was something in his beaming smile that drew you into him. Taking his hand, you told him your name, the warmth radiating from his skin making you feel fuzzy in the insides. You immediately pulled away when butterflies threatened to form inside your tummy. No. That’ll be very awkward.

                ‘Alright… so,’ Hoseok started, rubbing the back of his neck rather awkwardly. He seemed hesitant to spill whatever that was on his mind, making you wonder if this had anything to do with the conversation you accidentally heard just now. ‘The doctor said you’ll have to stay here for at least three days more, right?’

                 You nodded, blinking blankly at him.

               His shoulders immediately slumped at your silent reply. Suddenly, he clasped his hands in front of him and bowed low, surprising you. ‘I’m really sorry for what had happened. I promise that I’ll pay you back for the hospital fees, but I’m rather short on money right now, so I don’t think I’ll be able to pay much. Please, I’m not just coming up with excuses. You can have my number, and I promise I’ll pay you back!’

                ‘Oh,’ you muttered when he kept apologising, and even though he was a total stranger to you, somehow you felt a tug at your heart. He seemed to be very sincere with his words. To be honest, you never planned to make him pay for it, it had been because of your carelessness that you were in his way. But now that it came to this, what if… ‘What if you do something for me, in exchange for the payment instead?’

                Hoseok slowly lifted his head, staring confusedly at you. ‘Do something for you?’

                You shifted your body slightly, getting closer to him so that you can whisper to him. ‘Yes. You don’t have to pay a single cent for the bills if you agree to help me.’

                His eyes widened, and he nodded, agreeing that he’s in. He even lifted a hand in the air while announcing, ‘I’ll do anything! Just name it.’

            You chewed on your lower lip for a second, rethinking about your decision. Was it right for you to use him this way? It might seem that you were taking advantage of him. But… he did say he was willing to do just anything, right? Taking a deep breath, you prayed that you would not be seen as some kind of a psychopathic ert.

                ‘You’ll need to undress and pose for me. I want you to be my model.’

A/N: I know it's already summer, but let's just pretend it's still spring okay? ♡