Sehun hurried out of the theatre, hair flying everywhere while the rest of his classmates took their time in leaving. If he rushed, he'd be able to get the next train to Soho and be there within a few minutes.

He took a few more steps when he realized he'd left his scarf behind and with a groan, turned back around and went to go get it. The door to the theatre was still open when he arrived and he was just about to walk in when he heard the conversation going on between the students who were still there.

A girl walked to the seat his scarf was hanging on and picked it up. "Who's is this?" She asked.

"I think it belongs to that Sehun kid." Another girl told her.

"Oh god." The first girl said and rolled her eyes. She dropped the scarf back on the chair. "Don't want to mess with his stuff. His dad will probably have the scarf burned and then buy another for his precious son."

Sehun's eyes widened as a boy jumped off the stage and approached the girl at the chair. "Oh right. He's the rich one."

"He's a nice guy. I've talked to him a few times." The second girl said quietly.

The first girl shrugged, her long blonde pony tail waving around. "I don't know whether he's nice or not and to be completely honest, I don't care. I just hate how the professors and every single freakin' adult treats him like he's the in' son of God!" Blondie exclaimed.

"Sara, I don't think they actually do that...." The guy said.

"Uh, yeah they do, Brian." Sara pursed her lips at her. "On our last project, him and his group got a higher grade than we did and their project was awful!"

Sehun flinched. His group actually worked really hard on that project and he felt like it deserved their high grade. He stayed silent as he listened to Sara ramble on.

"The professors are all terrified to be honest with him because they know his dad can release Hell on them if he doesn't graduate." She said. "What the Hell, his daddy probably pays for just about everything in his life."

My dad has nothing to do with this, Sehun thought as he left the doorway and began his trip back down the hall.

The scarf can wait.

Of course this isn't the first time Sehun's ever heard this kind of stuff spoken about him. It still hurt the same way. For people to think that the only reason he was in that school and the only reason he was doing well was because of his family and status made him sad and angry all at once.

Yes, his father paid his tuition but everything else was all Sehun. He did the actual work to get into Juilliard. He was the one that applied. He was the one who choregraphed an entire dance routine and practiced acting out scenes into the early hours of the morning. He was the one who auditioned. He was the one who cried when his acceptance letter came late. He was the one who managed to get a spot in the school. Everything was all him.

Sehun knew it was absolutely mental to believe the things that people say about him, but the more he heard it, the more he believed it. What if every time he got a good grade it was because of his dad? What if everything anyone has told him was all a lie?

One of his professors passed by and said hello. Sehun turned to him. What if they're all liars?

Putting on a bored expression, he replied back with, "Hi."

"I heard you're doing a study on Arthur Miller. How's that going?" The professor asked, a smile on his face.

Sehun stepped away from him. "It's fine." He said as nonchalantly as possible. He stood up straighter. "Um, I have to get going. I have an appointment. So... Bye."

"Oh. Alright. I'll see you tomorrow." The other waved but Sehun never saw it as he rushed out of the building into the cold weather. It had snowed last night and the chill bit at his cheeks as his shoes left footprints in the thin layer of white frost. He pulled the zipper of his jacket up to his neck.

The scarf would be pretty helpful right now.

He heard his text tone go off. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he checked his inbox.

From: Luhan

Where the hell are u? We have things 2 get done!!!

Sehun allowed himself to grin just the slightest. Him and Luhan had exchanged numbers last week so that Luhan could text him whenever he needed Sehun to be at the studio. They agreed that they were to meet at least once a week and more if needed but they also had to make sure it worked with Sehun's class schedule. He quickly tapped out a reply and continued on towards the nearest subway entrance.

Yeah, the scarf can wait.

~~~~~~

When he got to the studio, Luhan was already there laying out clothes on a work table.

"He finally decides to show up." Luhan says sarcastically but Sehun swore, he saw Luhan turn to him with the smallest grin on his face before busying himself with the clothes once more. Sehun dropped his bag and jacket off on an empty work table and walked over, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his jeans.

"Yeah, I got kind of caught up on the way over." He said. "What are you working on?"

"This is the prototype for one of the outfits you're going to wear. I need you to try them on so I can see what other changes I need to make before I start working on the final copy."

"Oh, do you need me to try it on now?" Sehun asked.

Luhan nodded and gathered the clothes in his arms carefully. "You can change there. Be careful with these. They're what I have to work with."

Sehun nodded and took the clothes before he realized something. "So, um, do I just change here?"

"I don't really care." Luhan replied, too preoccupied with looking through his design book.

Raising his eyebrows, Sehun looked around before shrugging and placing the garments carefully on the table and began taking his sweater off. Turning around, he pulled his feet out of his shoes and ed his jeans, pulling them down.

Luhan looked up and took in the large expanses of pale skin. He blushed a rosy pink at the fact that Sehun was just casually standing in his briefs and wife beater in the middle of his studio. He watched Sehun pull up the new white pants before reaching around and shucking off his wife beater, revealing the toned body and dear God, his in arms and shoulders.

The designer looked down and tried to concentrate on his drawings. There was nothing wrong with finding Sehun good looking, he reminded himself. The kid does look like he should be on a magazine cover somewhere anyway. Luhan chanced a glance back up and was relieved to find that Sehun was fully dressed once more, having just finished slipping his arms through the sleeves of the jacket. He turned to face Luhan.

Luhan held his breath. Sehun looked perfect in the outfit. He was in all white but the paleness was balanced out by the gold shapes that embellished his jacket. "Whoa." Luhan muttered.

"What was that?" Sehun asked as he fiddled with the cuffs of the jacket.

"Oh, uh, nothing. Um, if you want to go see yourself, the mirror's right there." Luhan pointed a slightly shaky finger in the direction of one of the walls where a large mirror was positioned.

Sehun nodded and walked towards out. Checking himself out, he turned in front of the mirror a few times. Turning around to Luhan, he asked, "What do you think?"

Luhan flinched, startled by the sudden question. He had been staring at Sehun's backside for what felt like the longest time ever with his notepad and pen hugged to himself, his mind going hazy. Collecting himself, he checked the outfit up and down and, suprisingly, found no big issues to it.

"It fits you almost perfectly." He mumbled, chewing on his bottom lip. Striding up to Sehun, he pulled at the garments loosely and hummed to himself. "The jacket could be a bit smaller... How do the pants feel? Too tight, too loose?"

Sehun shrugged. "They're feel normal."

"Good. That means I don't have to change the sizing of those too." Luhan said as he jotted down notes. "All we need now is to find shoes that are in the right size for you."

Sehun fixed the lapels of the jacket. "This is the only outfit I'm wearing?"

Luhan shook his head. "No. The other one is waiting at headquarters. I forgot to go and get it before coming here but that can wait till next week. I need to get this done first. You can change back now."

"Alright." Sehun said, turning around once more and taking the jacket off. Luhan faced his work table, pretending to busy himself by scribbling nonsense into his notepad, anything to keep him from watching Sehun strip.

He looked up when Sehun brought the clothes to him, placing them with great care on the table in front of him. He was fully dressed in his casual clothes once more and Luhan couldn't help but release a sigh. He put the garments back on the hangers and put them back in the carrier.

When he returned, he saw Sehun sitting on an empty part of the table, his eyes boring holes into the walls while he cradled his face in his hands, a frown gracing his face.

"You seem upset." Luhan started. He gathered his papers and books into a pile. Reaching under the table, he pulled out a Louis Vuitton dufflebag from the shelf underneath.

"What?" Sehun turned to him.

"You seem upset." He repeated himself. "Your stare could set my studio on fire." Luhan joked, trying at his lame attempt to be funny.

Sehun smiled at him, his expression almost shy in its manner. He looked at the floor, his fingers tracing shapes on the table top. "It's not anything important. I just heard some people say some things and now I just feel kind of crappy." He glanced over at Luhan and saw the designer staring back at him, a blank look on his face. "What?" He asked.

"Tell me more." Luhan said, zipping up his bag but making no move to leave.

"It's kind of a long story."

"I've got time."

Sehun sighed. "I worked really hard on this group project and we managed to get a really high grade and some other people said that our group didn't deserve it. That we only got our grade because the professor is scared of what my dad could do if she gave me a low grade." He explained and watched as Luhan mulled over his words, his bottom lip caught between his teeth. Cute, Sehun thought.

"That wasn't such a long story." Luhan finally said. Sehun sighed once more but Luhan wasn't done yet. "And professors aren't stupid enough to do things like that. There's a reason why they're professors. Like, for real, what exactly can your dad do?"

"Nothing." Sehun mumbled. "He doesn't have anything to do with my schooling."

"Exactly. You know the truth and I know the truth. So who cares what other people say? Your professor obviously felt that you did a good job so she gave you the grade you deserve. Man, those who say that you didn't earn it." Luhan scowled.

Sehun was taken aback. It's been awhile since someone has said anything like that to him and to hear it coming from Luhan made his heart beat faster. He coughed awkwardly.

"You think I earned it?" He asked.

"Yeah, I do." Luhan said with a smile. He swung the strap of his bag over his shoulder. "You don't look like the type to use your wealth to get to where you are. Hell, if I had known any better, I'd say you're one of those over achievers who stay really late at dance studios and theatres until they get their routine or scene perfect." He chuckled.

Sehun laughed along, not letting Luhan know that he was exactly right about all the things he thought Sehun actually did. Also, Sehun noticed that when Luhan laughed or smiled, his eyes would crinkle up in the most endearing way. He stored that memory in the back of his mind.

"Thank you, Luhan." He said.

Luhan nodded. "Well," He said, "We need to get going now. I'm sure you have homework and I have to head back to the company and see if I can find those shoes. What size were you again?"

~~~~~~

The next week, Luhan had asked Sehun to meet up at the EXO Men building instead of the studio because the designer was going to run late and he also had to pick up the finished prototype for the next outfit. He told Sehun to just come up to the fifteenth floor and let himself in when he got there.

Whatever business Luhan had left to do at there was finished within a few phone calls and signed documents. Sehun sat and played with his phone until Luhan came up to him, a new suit carrier in hand and bag strapped over his shoulder and told him that they could go now. Sehun followed behind him.

They just stepped into the elevator and the doors were about to close when a hand came between them and the doors opened once more. A man who had to be in his late twenties walked in, apologizing to Luhan after he noticed who he was currently sharing an elevator with.

"It's no problem, Will." Luhan said before turning to Sehun. "Sehun, this is Will. He's one of my top designers."

"Hello." Sehun greeted him with a grin.

"Nice to meet you." Will reached a hand out and they shook on it. "Hey, wait a minute. Are you Sehun Oh?"

"Um, yeah?" Sehun furrowed his eyebrows.

"Oh wow! You're the son and heir of the owner of O.H. Corps., no? I designed a suit for your father once. Nice man, nice man."

Sehun stiffened and Luhan glanced sideways at him, noticing how the younger suddenly stood up straighter, his face going apathetic.

"Really, now?" Sehun answered unenthusiastically. "That's great."

Will nodded excitedly. "I can't believe I get to meet another member of the Oh family. Hey, maybe I'll get to design a suit for you one day." The man laughed and Sehun wanted to punch him. Luhan stayed silent through out the entire conversation, watching Sehun's reaction to everything Will said.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened on Will's floor. "It was nice meeting you!" He waved at Sehun. The other stayed still as a statue, ignoring Will until the doors closed shut.

The rest of the elevator ride was quiet save for the sound of the machine moving down the building. It wasn't until Sehun looked up at the screen showing the floor levels did he realize that they weren't going to the lobby. When the doors opened, they were in the garage underneath the building.

Luhan walked out and headed off in a specific direction. "We're not taking a cab?" Sehun asked.

"No. Why take a cab when you have you own a car?" Luhan scoffed.

Sehun frowned but didn't argue. "I can ride with you?" Sehun asked.

"Well, I haven't chased you away yet." Luhan said, not looking back. Sehun didn't respond as he kept up with Luhan's fast paced steps.

Luhan pulled a set of keys out of his pocket and pressed a button on the remote. Sehun heard the distinct sound of a car unlocking. A set of tail lights and Sehun drew in a breath. There, parked in front of him, was a brand new, shiny red Audi R8 coupe. Luhan opened the trunk and put his things inside before slamming it shut and walking over to the driver side. "Get in." He ordered, opening the door.

"Oh my God... You have got to let me borrow this sometime." Sehun said excitedly.

"Do you have your license?"

"Yes."

Luhan thought for a moment. "Sure." He shrugged before climbing into the driver seat.

Sehun's face lit up like a child on Christmas day as he fist pumped the air and opened the passenger door, sliding into the seat.

Luhan pulled smoothly out of his spot and out of the garage. Soon they were out in the bright winter sun, cruising down Midtown Manhattan. The radio was on and some R&B song was playing.

Suddenly, Luhan turned the radio off. "Explain yourself."

"Explain what?" Sehun asked.

"That thing with Will. He mentioned your father and you go all cold and stiff on him. At one point it looked like you were going to hit him."

Sehun released a deep breath. What a mood killer. "There isn't really much to explain..." He trailed off.

"Uh, yeah there is. You have something against people who bring up your dad." Luhan waved a finger at him without looking, his eyes remaing on the road.

Sehun groaned. "Fine, fine! Honestly, I just find it difficult to trust people. Sometimes I feel like people just treat me the way they do because of my dad. Yes, I know it's stupid and I shouldn't believe it but after hearing so much talk, you begin to think differently. I want people to see me as my own person. Not just some shadow behind my father. So, in all honesty, I have this fear that I'll always just be Sehun Oh, heir to O.H. Corps. I'll never be myself." He said, feeling himself grow more frustrated with every word. Seriously, why can't Luhan just drop this subject?

Luhan didn't say anything for a while. They rode in silence through crowded, winding streets and they were a few blocks away from the studio when Luhan decided to speak. "You are your own person, Sehun. You just need help realizing that. Also, you have choices in life. Just because one road is paved and ready for you to walk on, doesn't mean you have to go that way. Do what you want, take what you need, and don't give two s about what others say. Pave your own road. That's pretty much what I did."

"Really?"

Luhan nodded as he parked in front of the studio. "Yep. My parents owned a small bakery in Chinatown and they wanted me to take it over when I was old enough but, as you can tell, I didn't really do that." He took the key out of the ignition and got out, Sehun following suit.

The other was already opening the trunk getting his things out. "So that's how EXO Men started, isn't it?" Sehun asked.

"Pretty much. I didn't feel like baking cakes and pastries for a living. But I really liked designing so I created my own line and now look how far that got me. I have my own multi million dollar fashion brand and it's all because I decided to work hard and become the person I wanted to be, not what others wanted me to be and I didn't give a about what people had to say." He closed the trunk again, handing Sehun the suit carrier. "Which is what you need to do. You can trust me at least, can't you?" He started for the door.

Once inside, Luhan set all his things down, pulling out his design book and his notepad and laptop before tossing his bag underneath the table. "You'll find your way soon enough, Sehun. But for now, I need you to try on that." He pointed to the suit carrier.

~~~~~~

"What happened to the model that was supposed to walk the show, Luhan?" Sehun asked as Luhan went around and checked how the new outfit fitted him. It was all black this time, with a long leather jacket that had weird symbols on it and zippers on the shoulders, a black undershirt, and tight black skinny jeans.

"It's stupid." Luhan mumbled as he jotted down notes on his notepad.

"Come on now. I told you some personal stuff. The least you could do is tell me why one of your models quit."

Luhan sighed. Setting his pen and pad down, he looked Sehun in the eye. He said, "His name was Ryan and um- Jesus, how should I say this- we were dating. But things got difficult, you know, he's always on the move and I hardly have time for anything as it is. So, after a lot of fighting, we broke up. Then things just got awkward between us. He became really difficult to work with but I was willing to put up with it for the sake of my show. Then he just quits on me out of no where and leaves this empty spot in the fashion show. So, Tiffany went model scouting for me and found you."

"So that's the reason why we met..." Sehun said, letting out a chortle under his breath.

"Yeah, that's pretty much it. Anyway, you're better than Ryan. You're more lenient with things." Luhan smiled at him and Sehun felt his face heat up as his heart began pumping at a fast rate. Even though he only knew Luhan for about three weeks, the older has already managed to work his way through to Sehun's heart, making the boy have feelings that he's only experienced a few times in his life.

Luhan rummaged through his papers, an envelope falling out from the pile. "Oh! I almost forgot." He exclaimed. "Sehun?"

"Yes?"

"I'm holding my annual Christmas party on the 24^th and you're invited." He handed the envelope to the younger. "I think a little party could do you some good. You can drink, can you?"

"I just turned twenty." Sehun said dumbly. "I do drink, just not in public."

"Pssshhh...." Luhan rolled his eyes. "I won't tell the cops. Just don't go overboard. Besides, you could pass for twenty one. Make sure to wear you're best suit that night, alright?"

~~~~~~