Ma Moitié (My Other Half)   "Soojung" Silence. "Soojung!" Silence again. Sehun got impatient as he waited for his girlfriend in the middle of her apartment, for about fifteen minutes already. They were supposed to be on their way to a conference, but as per usual, Soojung was taking her sweet time getting ready. It was a habit of hers. "Sooj-" "I'm done! Let's go!" Soojung came out wearing a dark pair of jeans, an ABBA top with a denim jacket thrown over her shoulders. It looked very simple yet well-thought of. Sehun, who was previously annoyed, forgot all about her tardiness and was mesmerized by her effortless charm. "Hoon?" Soojung asked, seeing that her boyfriend was not moving. "My bad... I just can't believe it." "Believe what?" She asked, grabbing her keys at the same time. "That I am dating the most attractive girl on campus. What a lucky man I am" He replied while leaning in to give her a kiss. Soojung chuckled before slightly shaking her head. This was typical of Sehun to come up with unexpected compliments whenever she finished getting ready. It happened even while in her pajamas. "Come on, let's go show the world how attractive your girlfriend is, then!" She said, grabbing his arm and pulling him towards the door. "I'll be home late, Shishi! Don't wait up!" She screamed out for her roommate to hear, before exiting the place. The couple walked down the street from Soojung's apartment to where Sehun's car was parked. They could have simply walked to school, as it was just a block away from her place, but Sehun wanted to go out on a date after the conference and was too lazy to walk back up to get his car afterward. Traffic was also horrible around that area of Toronto during rush hour, so it was better to be far away from it by then. Parking the car at school was the smartest option. "So, what's the conference about?" Soojung asked as she strapped herself in. "Hopes, dreams, and obstacles." He maneuvered out of the parking lot. "Who is the lecturer?" She asked again. "Do you remember my favorite model?" "Easy! Tyson Beckford, right?" She replied. "Yes! Good job, baby." He said, looking happy. "Well, Sehun, it's not like we've been dating since high school." She said sarcastically. "Alright, anyway, he's been doing a tour of University campuses to inspire all the aspiring models, like me. Plus, there is a possibility of signing with his agency if he notices promising faces." He exclaimed excitedly. "That is so cool. I'm sorry for making you late!" She apologized. "It's fine. We all know how those lectures start. The complex part now is to not get noticed for coming in late, but for my face." He smiled at her and parked the car in front of the school centennial. "Come on." Soojung jumped out of the car and followed Sehun to the auditorium. The room was packed full and it took them a few minutes to locate two free chairs side by side. The entire department of liberal arts was present, plus some curious onlookers. Because honestly, a lot of girls came for the eye-candy. While trying not to get noticed, Soojung and Sehun struggled to get to their seats. As soon as they settled down, something out of the ordinary happened. "I was just talking about the power of will and making sure to get whatever you feel you deserve, with hard work and perseverance, right? The boy and girl who just walked in..." Tyson said. He was looking in their direction, but the two were uncertain about who he was actually referring to. They looked confused as everyone looked at them, apparently waiting for their reaction. "Is he talking about us?" Soojung whispered to Sehun. "Yes, you two. The girl in the ABBA shirt." Beckford continued. "Can someone give them a mic?" In a matter of seconds, Soojung was holding a microphone and standing next to a very confused looking Sehun. He could not even say a word. "When you came in, you saw a bunch of free seats here and there, but you did not take them. May I ask why?" He asked them. Soojung had the microphone and was expected to reply, but she did not know why this man was so curious about why they did not take the first seats they saw. Was it really that interesting, she asked herself. "Because they are single seats and we wanted to sit together" Sehun replied instead. "You wanted it so badly that you turned down all the single seats and persevered to find two chairs side by side, right?" "I mean, yes we were hoping to find some" Sehun said again. "This is perseverance. They could have just settled for what they were shown in the first place, but they wanted something different and they succeeded. I know it might sound far-fetched, but I want you all to view life in the same light. Coming from a certain background and having a set of obstacles should only matter if it motivates you to strive for more than the best. It should not be an excuse, nor a reason for being stuck in one place. It should be the fuel to positive success." The model concluded. Soojung and Sehun were still standing, but at least now they knew why they had been interpellated and felt humbled by it. A gesture that had no big meaning whatsoever, became a way for the model to follow up on his ideas. "Thank you so much for being so receptive despite just arriving..." Tyson told them as the microphone was taken away from their hands. "Oh, my God" Soojung said when they sat down again. Sehun smiled from ear to ear and looked at his girlfriend as if to make sure that it all really happened. He put his arm around her shoulders and turned to listen to the rest of the lecture. Soojung found it quite inspiring and wanted to know more about the model and his story. At the end of the conference, while some students signed the papers to pass the auditions, she rushed down the stairs and went in the direction of the stage. Sehun who was also lining up to sign the paper looked at her going, without understanding what she was up to, but before she could reach the place, two security guards blocked her way. She was not about to give up just yet. "Mr. Beckford! Mr. Beckford!" She exclaimed. Tyson, who was speaking to the Arts and Liberal Studies' dean, turned his head towards the voice and recognized the girl by her shirt. "Let her in for a minute." He told his security. "Thank you!" She exclaimed as she walked up to the stage.

"I'm sorry for interrupting you, Dean Thomas." She apologized first.

Seeing that she had been blocked by two robust men, Sehun started to run down the flight of stairs, but before he could get to her she was being walked to Tyson Beckford. He froze into place. "Mr. Beckford, your lecture has managed to spike a lot of interest in me and usually I'm not really into these types of things. I'm more of a pragmatic artist if you'd ask me." She started saying, making Tyson chuckle. "What do you major in, miss...?" "Jung! Krystal Jung. I major in Fashion and Design. I like to think that I am just another type of artist who will one day create pieces for the world to be moved by" She replied.

"She is one of our best students. At the top of the department." Dean Thomas told the man.

"Well, miss Jung, I like to think that modeling is a kind of art of its own, somehow." He replied. "Well... I believe so as well. My boyfriend over there is pretty good at it by the way, but he's been a tiny bit anxious about his future lately. I just wanted to say thank you, because I can feel that your words mattered to him." She said. Tyson Beckford looked over Soojung's shoulder at Sehun and smiled again. He found it incredibly encouraging to see t