As if on cue, every head in the room turned around when they heard the familiar sharp footfall. Mouths fell agape in awe as they watched the magnificent figure walking into their office. A chill ran down their spines when their eyes locked with the pair of passionate ones.

The corners of her red-painted lips lifted upwards to emit an icy smile. The employees froze on their seats, receiving her smile. Throwing an acknowledging nod at the usual attention she received on a daily basis, the girl barged right into the CEO’s office. 

"Why is it that everytime you appear, our employees look like they have witnessed a devil walking down the aisle?" The older woman said with an unsurprised tone.

Jihyun rolled her eyes at her boss and sat opposite her. "Why did you call me, Ms. Kwon?" She threw her expensive leather purse on the empty seat next to her. Jihyun hated talking out of context and wasting her precious time. The girl clasped her hands and placed them on the table.

Straight to the point.

Resting her chin on the back of her hands, Jihyun squinted her eyes, trying to read Ms. Kwon's oh-so skeptical countenance. "Any hot stuff?" She half-whispered curiously and winked.

Ms. Kwon scoffed, and reached out to the iPad lying next to her laptop. “Well..." dragging under her breath, she began scrolling down her emails which she had left open earlier when Jihyun barged into her room without a warning and gave her a mini heart attack.

Jihyun abused her neatly done nails by nudging them against the arm of her chair — her patience level was low. Ms. Kwon’s actions only intensified Jihyun's irritation. Not this old woman calling Jihyun early in the morning just to show the girl her beautiful face as she ignored her presence and played with that electronic device.  

The girl her teeth and leaned back on the office chair, utterly annoyed with the fact that she forgot to feed her cat and rushed to the office immediately after receiving Ms. Kwon's "emergency" call.

Feeling a mixture of boredom and irritation, Jihyun spun the office chair while eyeing her boss, who was wholly immersed in her plaything; well, that was what Jihyun liked to address Ms. Kwon's iPad because that woman was always on it.

"Don't say you called me this early in the morning just for me to adore your bootiful face that is immersed into that ?" Jihyun pointed her finger at Ms. Kwon’s iPad and shook her head in dismay.

Heaving a sigh, Ms. Kwon placed the device on her desk and darted her eyes to the girl seated opposite her. "Like you said, I do have some hot stuff for you, darling." 

The older lady folded her hands and smirked. Jihyun immediately stopped spinning her chair and froze. Her eyes twinkled at the mention of "hot stuff." A huge grin flashed on her face as she thought about how her hands would be busy capturing the hot stuff, aka art in her language.

Park Jihyun is known as one of the most famous photographers in South Korea, widely recognized for her artistic and realistic photography skills. Many well-known producers, actors, magazines, and brands from worldwide to small scale would do anything to work with the 28-year-old, but here's the catch— she only signs the deal if the muse or model or the product is artistic in her eyes.

"Really? Which brand is it? Dior? or... Gucci?" Jihyun’s voice was higher than her usual volume as she elevated with excitement.

Ms. Kwon waved at the girl, and Jihyun sulked. "So it's not a brand?”

Jihyun’s curious eyes sparkled like diamonds. Ms. Kwon only smiled at the expression as she opened to continue— but a phone call interrupted them —quite loudly, but not louder than Jihyun’s groan that followed it. Jihyun threw daggers at Ms. Kwon with her gimme-the-hot-stuff-now look but having grown used to her lack of patience ever since Jihyun joined, Ms. Kwon went on with the phone call, ignoring her. 

"Yeah? Thank you." Ms. Kwon ended the call with a small bow, a habit of hers. She then turned her attention to the sulking kid in front of her and announced, “Your hot stuff is on the way."

Jihyun's excitement was back, and it was now overflowing. "Who who who?!" The girl batted her eyelashes.

Ms. Kwon shrugged and grabbed the iPad in her hand, to which Jihyun rolled her eyes and threw her hands in the air. Not again. She huffed.

"One of the top models who just debuted as an actor." Ms. Kwon spoke, eyes and fingers still busy on the tablet pc in her hand.

Jihyun hummed softly as she pondered about who that could be. "Mmmh... Kim Jongin?" 

"Nope."

"Then... Park Chanyeol?" Jihyun's eyes shimmered, and her face brightened just by thinking of the model-turned actor's name. Well, who wouldn't want to do a photoshoot for one of the hottest men on this planet? And not to mention his new look— long blonde wavy hair. It was just chef’s kiss.

"Nope." 

Ms. Kwon shattered her daydream into pieces. 

Jihyun was slowly losing interest. No one was more artistic than the two names she had just mentioned. 

Nah. Jihyun smirked to herself as she remembered one more hot stuff from her list.

"Well... the y dilf Kim Junmyeon?" Her words faltered as Ms. Kwon dropped her focus on the iPad and turned to Jihyun. 

"Seriously? He ain't no rookie actor." She deadpanned. 

“Well,” Jihyun chewed her bottom lip and straightened her posture when she saw that her boss was adjusting her glasses. That was the signal. Ms. Kwon would always do that to express okay, now we’re getting down to business. Jihyun finally sighed in relief.

"Here is the portfolio of the model you're going to work with." Ms. Kwon handed her the iPad. Frowning, Jihyun seized the device from her hand, never tearing her gaze from the woman. Jihyun's frown deepened when she read the name written in block letters and she continued scrolling down the page with her heart drumming against her chest with anxiety. 

And just like that, her face drained its color when her finger paused at the said model's photo. 

Oh Sehun.

No.

No, was the first word that crossed her head. 

No way.

No way in hell was she going to work with Oh Sehun, no matter how many tickets to Junmyeon's musicals Ms. Kwon bought her or how many millions she offered.

"Yes, the model turned actor is Oh Sehun." Ms. Kwon rests her back against her chair and stretches her hands in the air, tired from working continuously. But a frown crossed her face when she saw Jihyun’s expression— the girl was contemplating something. "It's interesting how you don't know the current hot stuff,” she continued. "I mean, Oh Sehun." Ms. Kwon cleared which only fuelled Jihyun's anger.

The sassy photographer couldn't retort. She was still in a daze where she couldn't take her eyes off Oh Sehun's photo in his portfolio. Everything that was happening right now felt unreal.

The newfound anger boiled Jihyun, ready to flow out of the vessels anytime, but she chose to bottle everything up before exploding. Inhaling sharply, Jihyun placed the device on the desk. She raised from her seat and grabbed her purse from the chair where she threw it.

"Wait. Are you leaving?" Ms. Kwon asked, her voice coated with uncertainty.

"I'm not taking up this project." Jihyun said bluntly.

"Why?"

Because she never and ever will work with her lifetime nemesis.

"Just cause."

But she wasn’t going to tell her boss that.

"You can't just say that, Jihyun!”

Ms. Kwon rose from her seat and raised her voice which surprised Jihyun because Ms. Kwon was known for her tranquil nature. “You know how much the company depends on you and how your juniors look up to you. You are their role model, Jihyun. Do you really want to disappoint them?"

Jihyun sighed and shrugged. "It's not like I forced them to look up to me."

Gripping tightly on the doorknob, Jihyun was ready to barge out of the room just as she had entered, but she paused upon hearing Ms. Kwon yell her name. The girl turned around, tired, to look at her boss. What the is wrong with this woman?

"Please. Jihyun." Ms. Kwon pleaded.

It was once in a blue moon sort of thing for Ms. Kwon to do something like this.

"The producer of Sehun's debut film is one of our shareholders and he personally requested you. If you decline this project then we have to cut short everyone's pay, including yours."

What the ? Jihyun's eyes widened at her words. Nobody touches Park Jihyun's money.

Ms. Kwon watched Jihyun slowly walk to the chair she previously sat on, but this time, she watched the younger spin the chair with her hand as if she was thinking about something— thinking about reconsidering this project.

"How much do I get?" Jihyun's hand twirled the chair as she spoke.

"200 million won."

And in an instant, she stopped twirling the chair. A grin sneaked her red lips upon mentally counting the number of zeros proudly standing next to her bank balance digit. Heck, who would say no to a staggering amount of money? Two hundred million is it. And more importantly, Jihyun likes money; the money she earns through her skills.

"Okay, I’ll do it." Jihyun finally agreed. Down the toilet, she flushed her previous claim that she won’t fall for any amount of money. Really, she’d be foolish to swat this money off her hands.  

Jihyun stumbled a little when Ms. Kwon surprised her with a hug. "I have no idea why you denied this at first, but I'm really grateful that you agreed." She patted Jihyun.

Lips curved up to a fake smile which everyone would buy as natural except her boss, Jihyun broke the hug. Ms. Kwon scoffed. "Aww, anything for you and our company, boss." She lied through her pretty set of, perfectly aligned teeth.

"You are awfully nice today." Ms. Kwon remarked sarcastically. Folding her hands and cocking her head to the side, She scanned Jihyun from head to toe. Only Jihyun could look the most glorious even though only in beige pants and a blazer paired with a white shirt.

Jihyun coughed at Ms. Kwon's remark and dramatically covered with her hand.

"Boa-ssi, have I ever denied your request? You just hurt me." She wiped her fake tears. Ms. Kwon shook her head, evidently done with Jihyun being Jihyun, and decided to slide a topic before the girl changed her mind.

"We have a meeting with Mr. Oh and his co-star. The producer wanted you to have a small talk with them about the photoshoot's concept."

"Oh,"

"And they will be here in a few minutes. I hope you join."

"Well, why not?" Jihyun replied with a smirk as she opened her hands in the air.

Why not work with the piece of named Oh Sehun if he is worth 200 million won?

Jihyun played with her pen while Ms. Kwon went on and on about the concept, she least cared about. Among everything and everyone present in the meeting room, the only thing that interested her at the moment was the person sitting opposite. The male had his head angled to the side as he looked at her through his black shades. The black Berluti leather jacket and curtain hairstyle looked so good on him, and it annoyed her so much.

Jihyun her lips whilst rocking her office chair back and forth, her eyes glued to Sehun, who was obviously unbothered by her continuous stare. 

"So that was it!" Ms. Kwon closes the file after explaining the concept of the photoshoot interrupting Jihyun and Sehun's staring contest.

Sehun peeled his gaze off of Jihyun and smiled warmly at Ms. Kwon. 

"Ms. Kang and Mr. Oh. This is Ms. Park, your principal photographer for the next three days." Ms. Kwon introduced Jihyun to the pair.

"Nice to meet you, Ms. Park." Sehun's co-star beamed. Jihyun just nodded, a little taken aback by Seulgi's sudden cheerful approach. How did this girl have such a high level of energy in herself so early in the morning?

Ms. Kwon smiled awkwardly at the sunshine Ms. Kang before glaring at the uninterested photographer. Jihyun just blankly stared at her until she looked away with a sigh. Jihyun could see that her boss was barely containing the urge to scream at her and she was enjoying this view a little too much.

"Jihyun, I hope you understood the concept of the photo shoot." Ms. Kwon said with a tight smile, trying to manage the last piece of their perfect image in front of the two strangers in the room.

Jihyun twirled her chair like a little kid, keeping everyone waiting for her answer. And when she stopped, her eyes zoomed into Oh Sehun who was clearly and very weirdly, unfazed.

Yes...very well,” Jihyun said, pursing her lips.  

"The concept is about two so-called best friends getting married due to family reasons, they don't have feelings for each other but still agree to the marriage because they don't have the energy to hurt their parents' hearts or whatever.” She paused to tsk at how cliché the plot sounded. “They divorce after two months and after the divorce they realize their feelings for each other. es. So basically, the thing is, I need to capture their lives from friends-to-enemies to friends-to-lovers, right?." Jihyun stopped rocking her chair as she finished her summarization and scoffed.

Ms. Kwon and Sehun's co-star, Kang Seulgi, looked at her with their mouths open, shocked after hearing her explanation. Wheres Sehun looked unfazed, maintaining his I-still-don't-give-a- gaze.

"Yeah, that is it." Ms. Kwon stressed. Jihyun smirked, taking the pen in between her fingers. 

"Then I guess, the meeting is over?" She raised her eyebrows, spinning the pen with her index and middle finger.

The white noise from the projector screen filled the spacious conference room as none opened their mouths to retort Jihyun.

Seulgi looked at Ms. Kwon and Sehun. She was lost. Neither of them had any intention to talk with Jihyun. Taking in a sharp breath, the petite girl decided to initiate a move. "It was nice discussing with you, Ms. Park. I hope we have good teamwork for the next three days." Saying, she rose from her seat and extended her hand, flashing her hearty smile at the photographer. The smile that makes her cheeks look like an apple, so delectable, any one would love to have a bite if she was an actual apple.

To Seulgi's surprise, Jihyun, who was subtly mean to her earlier, shook hands with her. It made the actress so happy.

"Nice meeting a beautiful muse like you, Ms. Kang."

To say that Seulgi was blushing was an understatement. Of course, hearing a compliment like this wasn't new to her, but getting praise from a beautiful girl and a great photographer like Park Jihyun made her feel overwhelmed.

Mumbling a soft thank you, Seulgi sat back down. She smiled shyly at Ms. Kwon, whose eyes asked if she was okay, and Seulgi nodded, gesturing that she was indeed okay.

"I guess the meeting is over. Excited to meet you at the airport, Ms. Kwon." Seulgi raised her fist in the air and grinned. She was being nice because she wanted a more significant output. She was very determined to promote this movie with high quality as her recent four films flopped hard in the market.

Ms. Kwon pouted before correcting Seulgi. “I will not be joining you guys tonight. I have some work to look after here.”

"Wait. We are flying tonight?!" Jihyun interjects, her voice slightly higher pitched than her usual one as she was indeed surprised. She did know they were working for three days straight, but she really did have no idea that they were starting right away? Like what in the Jupiter was going on?!

Ms. Kwon clicked her tongue as she remembered something. "Right, the tickets!" The elder rose from her seat and handed everyone a white envelope containing the flight ticket to Jeju.

Jihyun scoffed and took the white envelope with the tip of her fingers as if she was holding a dirty rag. Well, anything related to Sehun was filthy, but that was not the case here— where was the flight ticket for her assistant?!

"Ms. Kwon. Where is one for Jongdae?" 

"Right, I forgot, my bad. Here you go," Ms. Kwon handed her another envelope.

No way in hell Jihyun was going to spend three days without her assistant, and no one could prepare an edible breakfast like him. And most importantly, only Kim Jongdae had the patience to tackle her temper.

As the meeting ended, everyone left the conference room except Jihyun. She was busy circling the blunt end of the pen against her temple as she eyed Sehun's photos and the outfit designs from the file Ms. Kwon handed to her before leaving the room.

Jihyun stopped circling the pen and brought it next to his face in the photo. She sank her teeth in her bottom lip and slowly traced his face on the image with her pen's blunt end. "Oh Sehun, you y idiotic motherer." She breathed unconsciously.

"I know I'm y. Thanks for acknowledging."

Jihyun abruptly dropped her pen as soon as hearing the voice she loathed. The one that dared not to speak during the meeting but now — Oh ing Sehun.

Lifting her eyes from the file, Jihyun glanced at the figure standing across the table from her. Sehun's dark orbs glistened with the light's reflection as they were now free from the black shades. Her breath hitched as the same sharpness from ten years ago surged through her veins when their eyes locked.

Jihyun trailed her eyes down from his eyes, nose, lips, his broad huggable shoulders, and to the shiny metallic thing he hastily pushed into his jeans pocket. His black shades, the ones that made him look smoking hot, which Jihyun hated to admit.

Reading the silence in the room and the undiverted glare from Jihyun, the boy shrugged and grabbed his phone from the table.

Sehun lifted it in the air, and Jihyun's eyes naturally followed his hand as if he had casted a spell on her. "Came to get this back." He waved the device in the air, and again, Jihyun's heart wavered.

"Gosh, it's been a decade and you still haven't changed." Sehun chuckled as he reminisced the way she was cold to Seulgi earlier. His words only added fuel to the fire burning inside Jihyun's eyes. "Cute." He said, strolling to the exit door.

Jihyun stayed mum and watched the boy's lean frame move to the end, reaching the exit door.

"Looking forward to the next three days, wait- no, three days and half a night with you, Jiji!" He chirped on purpose to trigger the girl. A triumphant smirk formed on his lips as he heard the girl yell with a passionate amount of hatred.

"Don't call me that, you ing !"

Jihyun's nostrils flared as she seethed with anger. Sehun could pass with a distinction for testing her patience.

Eyes shut in ecstasy, Jihyun was visibly enjoying the song playing in her earbuds. A subtle smirk lingered on her lips after she successfully sang along to her favorite part of the song in her head. Jihyun fished out her phone from her shorts' pocket and paused the music she was listening to when the air hostess arrived with her favorite wine. Her hands reached for the glass of wine on the tray. But to her dismay, someone grabbed the glass of wine from the tray and sat next to her.

To say that Jihyun felt like kicking the out of the flying airplane was an understatement. "What the , Sehun?" She cursed under her breath. Sehun ignored her and adjusted himself on the seat. She watched the boy his lips, and she, too intuitively hers watching him.

Rolling her eyes, Jihyun leaned closer to whisper into his ears, not wanting to let the production team know about her ill-temper. "What the are you doing here?"

Sehun once again ignored her and took a sip from the glass of his favorite. He hummed softly, feeling his taste buds throbbing to life at the familiar taste. Jihyun leaned back and groaned. Sehun was getting on her nerves, and she didn't have a single idea what was going on inside the stupid brain of his; apparently, it was made only of clay.

"Hey, Jongdae." Jihyun nudged the guy sitting next to her on the other side. Lips pressed into a thin line, Jihyun eyed her assistant, who was peacefully snoring in his sleep. What a disappointment. Even if the flight is one hour long, you can always trust him to snore within two minutes of take-off. Shaking her head, Jihyun sighed before turning to face Sehun. She definitely wouldn't have peace of mind without shooing this guy away.

"!"

Jihyun hissed when all of a sudden, Sehun brought his face close to hers. The male frowned, watching how Jihyun's face made a million expressions in two seconds; they all screamed her hatred towards him. A smirk lingered over his lips as his gaze slowly traveled from her eyes, nose, to her lips— she was biting her bottom lip as if she was biting him. So hard with hatred. He his lips, watching how her bottom lip glistened with the way she was abusing it with her teeth.

“What?” Jihyun asked him, barely opening in case the movement caused their lips to meet. She wanted to be safe anyhow. 

Sehun’s gaze on her lips faltered at the interruption. Jihyun watched his eyes widen, as if he was surprised by his own thoughts. Shrugging, he his teeth and leaned back. Jihyun frowned at what just happened. Is he high?

Sehun nonchalantly plugged the earphones in his phone and casually scrolled down his playlist as if he just wasn’t an inch away from kissing her. WHY DID HE DO THAT?

The audacity of Oh Sehun to listen to music after ruining her peaceful flight. Jihyun wouldn't let it go this easily.

"Piss off, er!" Jihyun snatched his phone from his hand. Sehun's jaw dropped at her action. Was she serious?! Sehun looked at her with disbelief, and she threw glaring daggers at him.

Sehun exhaled sharply and folded his hands. He turned his frame to her side, the cushion seat sinking with his weight as he leaned his body towards her.

Jihyun would be lying if she didn't feel anything looking at the handsome face she hated the most. It has been a decade, yet Sehun was still looking breathtaking as hell. "You still haven't changed, huh?" He asked, successfully locking eyes with hers after so many tries. He was staring deep into her soul, and she felt tiny under him, she had always been defenseless around him. She hated it.

"S-Stop pissing me off and go back to your seat." Jihyun averted her gaze from him to the phone in her hand. She was tightly clutching his phone, scared he might snatch it back from her because it was his property, to begin with.

"Talking about pissing. While I was busy in the toilet, the kid sitting next to my seat peed on mine. I talked with the cabin crew and they told me this was the only empty seat left." Sehun explained. Jihyun blinked— this was the most he talked to her in ten years. Even during their meeting in the afternoon, he kept it short but never failed at annoying her.

Jihyun pursed her lips. She didn't know what to say, more like she lost her brain cells after staring at his face for more than a minute because no words were forming inside her head besides how artistic and attractive he was.

Unsurprised with the silent treatment, Sehun went back to his previous position and sipped his wine. "My phone." Sehun opened his palm to her, and she handed him the phone back, although deep down, her selfish self wished he never asked for it back. Sehun never asks back anything she gets from him. It has always been like that until ten years ago.

Low-key embarrassed with the news that she found the guy she hated attractive, Jihyun covered her face with the towel resting on her lap. Sehun chuckled as he stole a glance at her.

It has been ten years, and the Park Jihyun he knew had never changed.

"I missed you," he softly muttered under his breath as he pressed the play button in his music app. He thought Jihyun didn't hear him but little did he knew; he left Jihyun breathless under the cotton towel with the words he had just uttered.

IS HE SERIOUS?!

As soon as they touched Jeju airport, the fans started to crowd near the entrance. Jihyun scoffed at the fangirls screaming and crying Sehun's name as if he was the one that helped them pay their bills.

"Clowns." She twitched her lips, annoyed at the high-pitched noise. Her hand extended to punch the guy standing next to her. "Ow!" Jongdae yelped, rubbing the spot his boss just hit.

"God, look at his face," Jihyun gritted. 

"Who?" came a reply from her curious personal assistant.

"That motherer named Oh Sehun."

Jongdae's eyes followed Jihyun's furious ones. She was deep-frying Sehun in a pan of boiling oil with just her eyes.

The assistant gulped in fear and stepped back a little. Jihyun was scary, but luckily he had the patience and courage to tolerate her. Jongdae desperately needed the job, and no other job had the same pay or one as close as what Jihyun offered him. Well, working with Jihyun was also a significant feat in his resume. A two year experience of handling Jihyun was equal to a life-worth job with high pay.

Sehun pouted behind his mask and stood still, more like he froze on the spot with his fans crowding the airport. Everyone was busy filming him at every angle as possible with their digital cameras and smartphones. No one would want to miss Sehun wearing a cute yellow turtleneck sweater that made him look chic or a cute littol chick— even if it meant waiting for him at the airport for hours and getting to see him late at night.

Sehun rolled up his sleeve a bit to look at his watch. It was 11 pm, and he wondered how his co-star, Kang Seulgi, successfully escaped because factually, she was his senior in acting and was, well, a very talented actress who had many fans. Well, Sehun wasn't complaining about the amount of attention he had been receiving lately. Indeed, he was grateful to have a lot of fans, but at the same time, he wished they would at least think about respecting his privacy.

Sighing, he watched his bodyguards, who were trying their best at calming the fans down and keeping him safe at the same time. His droopy eyes lazily trailed through the crowd and met the pair of eyes he longed for a decade.

A slight upgrade— the eyes that always looked at him with affection were now glaring at him with despise and he was not surprised.

Sehun looked away after a split second of meeting eyes with Jihyun. He shook his head lightly as the memories of their last moment together before parting ways started to cloud his mind. He bit the insides of his cheeks. He didn't feel sad, nor did he know what he was feeling exactly, but bitter was the right word to describe what he felt for the past ten years and is feeling right now.

Sehun really didn't expect them to part ways and to meet like this. Jihyun was his everything, and she still was. And he chuckled, thinking about how Jihyun had never changed except for her appearance. She had matured a lot. Like, a lot.

Noticing how Sehun was chuckling behind his mask, Jihyun tightened her grip on the suitcase. Of course, she could read Sehun's every action. Unfortunately, they knew everything about each other. And it irritated her— knowing nothing could be fixed anymore. Everything was beyond repair. 

Her gaze softened; she felt his tired eyes fixed only on her. Jihyun took in a sharp breath and tried tearing her gaze off him. She failed.

What does he want?

And little did she know, she was already diving deep into his ocean eyes.

Jongdae’s shoulders slumped as he got tired of calling his boss’ name. He didn't know that his boss was busy having a staring contest or whatever with the person she claimed to hate with every bone in her body.

Jihyun flinched as she felt something cold against her skin, and her eye contact with Sehun broke, fortunately. Jongdae placed the bottle of cold water against her hand to get her attention as she was zoning out... more like zoning into Sehun's little world hidden inside his orbs.

"What the , Jongdae?!" The girl hissed. Jongdae looked unfazed. Jihyun scanned his face wondering what in the world was wrong with him.

The boy pointed to his back with a blank face. Jihyun tiptoed to the left to see where he pointed. . She cursed in her head.

The production team was already inside the van waiting for them to join. She looked at Sehun for one last time before facing her assistant. The poor guy looked exhausted, sandwiched between two gigantic figures— his bodyguards. But who cares? Definitely not Jihyun.

"I'm sorry, Jongdae." She mumbled and hurried to the van with her assistant helping her carry another bag.

Sehun huffed after loosening the tie that had been suffocating him for a while. He just finished his makeover and was already sweating. The air conditioner was on, but the outfit he wore was uncomfortable. The last time he wore a school uniform was almost nine years back. Sehun fell back on his chair and gulped the tin full of glucose.

He peeled his back from the chair as he watched Jihyun's assistant marching towards him. Sehun cluelessly eyed Jongdae, who busily skimmed through some files. His busy hand stopped at a particular page. Jongdae’s lips pressed into a genuine smile as he tore his gaze off  from the files and glanced at the handsome model.

"You look like a high school heartthrob, Mr. Oh!"

Flustered at Jongdae's sudden compliment, Sehun shyly scratched the back of his head. "Thank you, Mr. Kim."

Jongdae giggled before throwing him a question. "Have you seen Ms. Kang?"

"Nope."

"She is not on the filming site and Ms. Park nitpicks when it comes to punctuality."

"Oh," Sehun said unamused. Jihyun had always nitpicked when he arrived even a minute late for their movie nights. But that was ages ago.

The assistant rubbed his temple— Jihyun would definitely give him a lecture if he didn't bring them on time, and he was definitely not in for it. "Photoshoot begins in fifteen minutes. I want you and Ms. Kang in ten." Jongdae left after informing Sehun.

The man cursed under his breath and crushed the empty tin in hand. "Where the hell is Seulgi?"

Sehun hadn't seen Seulgi since last night after exiting the airport. Heck, she wasn't even present when Jongdae showed him the example shots for their photoshoot earlier this morning. The lines between his eyebrows deepened, and a groan escaped his lips when he remembered Seulgi pleading to someone on the phone the other day when they were on their movie set. And after that incident, she wasn't being herself and got distracted the entire day after receiving a call.

Sehun's thoughts stopped midway when he heard someone sob. Tossing the crushed tin into the trash bag near him, he rose from his seat. His legs naturally followed the continuous sobs. He halted in his tracks when he noticed a figure talking to someone on their phone. Sehun gulped when he figured the person wearing a school uniform was Seulgi. She was covering the phone with her other hand, and he could see the traces of tears on her cheeks.

"Seulgi?"

Startled by the sudden intrusion, the girl abruptly ended the call when she heard Sehun. She kneeled, pretending to tie her already tied shoelaces, and secretly wiped off her tears. Sehun mentally scoffed; why was she even trying? He already heard and saw her crying.

Standing up, Seulgi flashed the male a sweet smile like she wasn't crying moments ago. "Oh, hey Sehun! What's up?"

Sehun just stared blankly at her. He was concerned. If she needed a break today, then he was ready to postpone the photoshoot tomorrow. But at the same time, he didn't want to be nosy. Sehun and Seulgi were just co-stars who pretended to be very close off-screen just for their movie promotion. They wanted their chemistry equally balanced both on and off screen— that's what the director advised. Nonetheless, he was kinda worried for her.

Sehun cleared his throat and nodded, pretending he saw nothing.

"Mr. Kim was looking for you. The shoot begins in ten minutes." He said and walked back to his spot.

The way Seulgi acted after a particular phone call made her actions look shady. And the last thing Sehun ever wanted was not to get involved in anything nefarious.

"It's my pleasure to work with you, Mr. Jung." Jihyun flashed her bright smile to the producer. Of