Kim Jonghyun supposedly started his career in high school, with a beautiful photograph of the senior garden, originally for the yearbook, but a local studio had bought it for display.

 

Seven years on, the 25 year old Jonghyun had travelled the world taken thousands of pictures, released two books. But somehow he was lead back to Seoul, his one true home, as he liked to tell people.

 

~~~~~~~~

 

He waited in the small cafe where he was supposed to meet his newest copy editor. It was about time that Jonghyun began on his third book.

 

"Hello I'm Lee Jinki," the man introduced himself as he shook Jonghyun's hand before sitting down.

"Nice to meet you," Jonghyun greeted before taking a seat himself.

 

 "I'm very pleased you decided to work with us for your next book. I've always been a fan. I'll be your copy editor." The editor was smiling wide, but his eyes didn't crinkle showing authenticity.

 

"Are you really?" Jonghyun questioned, "you don't seem too pleased."

His smile dampened, "oh, no.Really I am, it's just I usually work in the literature department, I'm not too experienced with photography. Sorry if it seemed like I was displeased with working with you. I'm not, I swear."

He spoke fast and worriedly to try and clarify the misunderstanding that it made Jonghyun chuckle at his sudden nervousness. 

"Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll do an amazing job with this." 

 

Jinki brimmed with a new found confidence, "I know it's early, but I would like to go over ideas for the theme."

Jonghyun nodded in acceptance, "well my main idea is in the subtle beauty of the city."

"Oh, Seoul... Tokyo?"

"Yeah, maybe even both."

Jinki started to understand where it was heading, and was quiet as he thought of a proposal but Jonghyun spoke again, "maybe seasons, how seasons change a city."

Jinki contemplated the idea, of seemed very plausible, but there was one thing that stood out, "you mean the production of this book will take a year?"

Jonghyun smiled sheepishly while taking a sip of his coffee, "it would, wouldn't it?"

 

Jinki looked uncertainly as he tapped his fingers tapped against his own coffee cup. "Ok."

 

The leader of his editorial team would throw a fit for such a long production but Jinki would fight for it if that was Jonghyun's plan.

 

 

~~~~~~~~

 

"Our first deadline," Jinki sighed, looking at the the papers scattered in front of them. with pencilled boxes with winter spread or author's page scrawled across. They had started a huge load of preparation after the first meeting. Budgets and future deadlines and basic outline. The deadline set for planning was approaching and Jinki's lead editor who had begrudgingly agreed needed a fully detailed plan on his table to propose to the financial and promotional teams. 

 

Jinki was nonetheless stressed, he needed it to be perfect and convince a whole team to take on the challenge. Jonghyun however was calm. 

 

As Jinki sat on the floor checking over all the papers, Jonghyun brought homemade coffee and placed it on the coffee table next to Jinki, only to be ushered away and place it further away from the sheets.

 

"Hey, we still have a day." Jonghyun reminded, "I've worked hard on the outline and you have done everything with so much detail, so relax."

 

Jinki looked at Jonghyun who was sitting on couch above him, still holding his coffee. He sighed and leaned back into the couch behind him, "is that for me?"

"Yes," Jonghyun chuckled and gave it to his hands.

 

Jinki took the mug, still warm, and he finally looked around. After rushing in the morning, he had never taken it in. They were in Jonghyun apartment, it was large and modern but Jinki realised that every photograph was beautifully placed on the wall. He looked at the photograph in front of him hung in the living area. It was of the ocean, coral and beautiful butterfly fish swimming around. Jonghyun followed his line of sight, "that's the Great Barrier Reef, Australia, you can go scuba diving there."

 

 Jinki was in awe of the photograph. "And that over there, he pointed near to where they enter the apartment, "was New York City". "And that one," he pointed behind to the picture of lights and shoots of water is "Dubai."

Jinki smiled widely in admiration.

 

He looked over to another side of the apartment and there were some canvases stacked against the wall.

 

"Heh, seems like a mess doesn't it."Jonghyun chuckled rubbing the back of his neck, "I was thinking of changing the arrangement of photos around here. I want to put up some of my older stuff from when I started."

"Oh wow," Jinki exclaimed, "where did you travel back then?"

"I didn't travel anywhere, everything was taken in Seoul. Those are some of my favourites."

 

Jinki was taken back, "why?" Seoul was nowhere near as amazing as the rest of the world.

Jonghyun thought for a moment about what was keeping him here but that was a reason he wasn't ready to share just yet "I guess because it's home."

 

Jinki couldn't understand that. For Jinki who had never left Seoul, the rest of the world seemed a much more interesting but at the same time unattainable place.