“I just don’t understand what my parents were thinking, how could I, possibly qualify for a model?”

“....”

Jin turned to the person next to him. “Jimin, are you even listening to me?”

The man whom he was referring to as Jimin looked up with a dazed and confused look in his brown eyes. “Huh, what?”

Jin groaned. “You’re suppose to be giving me advice on what I should do to save my pride!”

“I was?” Jin shot him a death glare. “I mean yes, of course.”

Jimin turned off his phone and shoved it back into his pocket. “Sorry hyung, it’s just that Kookie’s been sick lately, so he’s been texting me, asking me to bring him some food since he knew I was coming over to your place.”

Jin smiled at the thought of Jimin’s adorable eighteen year old boyfriend, Jungkook. It sounded like the poor boy’s rhinitis had come back. It made sense since it was already autumn.

“Anyway, what seems to be bothering you?” Jimin asked, getting comfortable on his bed.

Jin toyed with the fluffy, pink alpaca in his arms as he told Jimin the story of Jung Kibum and his offer. He also talked about how the family restaurant was struggling to keep up with their monthly payments.

“Umma says that her, Appa, and everybody else want me to move on from community college and get into a better school,” Jin replied solemnly.

Jimin nodded, grabbing another one of Jin’s plushies and hugging it close to his chest. “Hmm, that’s quite a dilemma you've got if you ask me. Although, I’m pretty sure this may actually be a good thing.”

Jin looked up at his friend and cocked his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

“Your mother has a point Jin. Magazine models get paid very generously, so you'd be able to keep your family business up and running. As for the college part, I’ll let you decide on that.”

Jimin patted Jin on the shoulder encouragingly. Jin however continued to argue his point.

“I know that I’ll be helping a good cause, but it’s just…” Jin looked down at his lap.

Jimin tried to catch the look in his friend’s eyes. “Just what?”

Seokjin looked at Jimin and wiped his eyes. He hadn’t even realized he was crying. “It’s just, what if I’m not qualified. What if it was all a mistake and I’m not fit for modeling. I’d not only be humiliated, but I’d be letting my family down.”

Jimin sighed, pulling his friend into a hug, he whispered in his ear, “Don’t even say that. You’re parents, whom I’ve come to know as probably one of the sweetest people on the face of the planet, love you. They won’t care if you’d get dropped. They’d be proud to know that you tried.”

He gently pushed Jin off of him and smiled. “If those modeling guys tell you that the job’s not for you, then that’s their loss. You’re one of the most respectable and loyal guys I’ve ever known. Don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise, but you’re also one of the most beautiful. Inside and out.”

Jin’s face finally cracked into a glowing grin. He laughed out a sob as he wiped his eyes again. “Wow Jimin, that was probably one of the most heartfelt things anyone has said to me. No wonder Jungkook fell for you.”

Jimin rubbed the back of his neck and blushed sheepishly. “More like I fell for him.”

A tri-tone suddenly echoed from his back pocket. Jimin took out his phone to see who was texting him. “Oh, speak of the devil.”

“Is it Jungkook? What did he say?” Jin asked, looking over his shoulder to read the message.

“He’s asking, since I’m here, if I could bring him home some soup. You don’t mind, right hyung?”

Jin shook his head, then jumped off the bed, with Jimin following in tow. “Of course, I’m pretty sure Umma can recommend a good herbal soup to take care of that nasty cold.”

With that, the two teenagers walked downstairs into the restaurant.

After Jimin left, Jin flopped down on his bed and sighed. What Jimin had told him was a major ego booster, but it wasn't enough to have him make his decision yet. He went over to his laundry basket and fished out the jeans he had worn the day he met Jung Kibum, then took out the business card from the pocket. Jin went over to his desk and fired up his computer. A website popped up when he typed in the name of the company into the search engine.

Lo-Fi Beauty : The Making of Youth

He scrolled through all of the pictures provided on the website, then felt sick to his stomach. The men posing for these pictures were all flawless. Most of the ages for all of the men in the industry ranged from about seventeen all the way to their thirties. His curiosity peaked even higher when he started researching how much the salaries were worth. His jaw hit the ground when he read what the pay was: $400 dollars a month. That was more than he made in a year!

Jin leaned back in his seat and took a breath, then started weighing his options. With a $400 salary, he could not only pay the bills of the restaurant, but could also pay to go to college. If he backed out, this opportunity may never come back. His parents would go bankrupt, they’d lose the restaurant, they’d be living out in the streets, and Jin would have to work as a hooker to support his family. Jin shook his head from the idea. Ok Seokjin, you’re overthinking everything.

Jin suddenly stood up from his desk and made his way into the bathroom. Looking at his own reflection, Jin began to wonder what that man saw that caught his attention. His skin was rather translucent, almost porcelain like, without a blemish in sight, and the way his face was sculpted was quite sleek yet angular. However, Jin always thought his eyes were too big and kind of puffy looking, that and the fact his nose also seemed so prominent, but not as much as his lips, which for some reason, always seemed to capture other people’s attention. His eyes, nose, and lips were something that Jin felt insecure about. They were always sticking out.

From the way Jin saw himself, he would describe himself as someone with a baby face. Someone who was ‘too cute,’ or ‘just pretty.’ Models didn’t have a baby face, and they were most definitely not too cute or just pretty. Jin ran his hand through his hair apprehensively, then frowned. They also didn’t have an annoying streak of blonde hair that always seemed to mock him.

Jin once again thought about just cutting the streak, but to him, it almost felt like it was some sort of omen. He remembered clearly when he accidently dyed his entire blonde. The looks people gave him were neither confused nor annoyed. They found it actually eye catching. People actually noticed him. Jin didn’t want the attention however, so he ended up re-dyeing his hair back to brown. The blonde streak was a survivor. And it was telling him to make a statement. With a deep breath, Jin ran back inside of his room, picked up his phone and dialled the number on the business card. After a couple rings, someone finally picked up.

“Hello? Yes, my name is Kim Seokjin, I spoke with a Jung Kibum yesterday about modeling for your company, and I was wondering if there are any open spots. There are? Alright, then I’d like to sign up for it. Ok, thank you and goodbye.”

Jin hung up and stared at his phone. Did he just do that? Submit himself into one of the highest class companies to become a model, all for the sake of his family?  

Or am I just doing this for myself? Jin thought in regret.

~

The following morning, Jin was sitting down at the dining table munching on a peach bun before leaving for school. The sweet tasting dessert dumpling always seemed to calm his nerves. He remembered that the lady he had called yesterday had emailed him a message that they would like to have an interview with him the day after tomorrow. Jin was beyond nervous. He didn’t know how to make a first impression, let alone for a modeling career! Jin grabbed another bun from the container he was holding and scarfed it down. Eat now, panic later. A car horn suddenly alerted him that it was time for him to get to his morning class. Grabbing his things, Jin stood up and made his way out the restaurant.

“Bye Umma, bye Appa!” Jin yelled to the top window of the building. Yerin and her husband waved goodbye as they watched their son depart into the bus.

Jin took his usual sit in the back and sat down next to his friend, Yoongi.

“Hey Jin hyung, Jimin just texted me saying that you’re going to be a model. Is that true?” Yoongi asked with anticipation evident in his eyes.

Jin wrinkled his nose. “Kinda? I don’t know yet.”

Once the duo got to the school, Yoongi got off the bus and made his way towards the Commons core building. “Well, I’ll see ya later I guess.”

Jin nodded. “Yeah, see ya.” He waved goodbye until Yoongi had disappeared out of his sight, then made his way towards his own building.

Taking his seat in class, Jin got out his books and waited for the teacher to come in. His phone suddenly vibrated, signaling a text. He took out his phone and realized it was from Jimin.

Jimin: Kookie’s feeling better! We’re having a sleepover after school at my place, you guys on board?”

Yoongi replied almost instantly.

Yoongi: Yeah I could use a break XP

Jin thought about it before sending his answer.

Seokjin: I’ll have to ring Umma about it, but I think I can go :)

His teacher suddenly entered the classroom and told his students to get in their seats. Jin sent a quick ‘Teach is here, gotta go!’ Then shoved his phone back into his bag.

Once Jin’s two hour seminar had finally ended, Jin gathered his things and made his way towards the bus stop. Yoongi was already there waiting for him. Since him and Yoongi were close to reaching their final year of community college, most of their seminar’s only lasted two hours Monday through Tuesday and four hours Wednesday through Thursday. They were off on Fridays.

“So, are you going to Jimin’s or not?” Yoongi asked during the ride home.

Jin shrugged. “Yeah, I’ll have to get Minji to cover for me though. Other than that, I’m free.”

~

“Yo Jin, catch!”

Jin yelped when a bottle of ramune was thrown at him. He luckily caught in his his arms, then gave Jimin a smile. “Awesome, thanks.”

Jimin gave him a wink then sat down next to Jungkook who was sprawled out on one of the inflatable mattresses and wrapped has arm around his waist. He took out a miniature carton of orange juice and handed it to his boyfriend. “Since you’re still sick, you only get juice.”

Jungkook gave him a cheeky grin. “So thoughtful.” He accepted the drink then kissed his cheek.

Yoongi faked barfed, while Jin gushed at the couple. “Reason number one why I’m single,” Yoongi mumbled as he took a sip of ramune.

“You just haven’t found the right person,” Jin teased, poking his cheek playfully.

“You’re one to talk!” Yoongi retorted, swatting his hand away.

Before the two elders could argue any further, Jimin interrupted by asking, “So how’s the whole modeling thing coming along hyung?”

Jin stopped mid-thought and looked at his friend. “Nothing’s happen really..besides the fact the they want me to have an interview with them the day after tomorrow.”

“So you really are going to be a model!” Jungkook stated a matter of factly, hugging his knees to his chest.

The brunette man shrugged. “I guess I am now.”

Yoongi noticed the look of remorse on eldest face. “You don’t seem too excited,” he said in a voice that was barely audible.

An awkward silence filled the entire room, until Jungkook suddenly said, “How about we do Jin hyung’s makeup!”

Yoongi and Jimin stared at the maknae in confusion, while Jin gaped at him in horror. “Excuse me?” Jin shuddered.

“Baby, have you been watching those girly makeup videos again?” Jimin asked, playfully nudging his boyfriend’s leg with his knee.

Jungkook’s cheeks flushed a light pink. “They’re not girly! I’m just suggesting it so Jin hyung doesn’t have to feel awkward around some dude putting on beauty products on his face.”

“Knowing you, you’re probably gonna start freaking out once the eyeliner comes out.” Yoongi quirked his brows in amusement.

“Of course he’ll start freaking out, hyung has sensitive eyes after all,” Jimin added.

The entire time, Jin felt like he was blushing from head to toe as his friends kept talking so lightly about him, almost as if he wasn’t in the room. “Why don’t we find out for ourselves,” Yoongi’s suggestion finally brought Jin back into reality.

“Mwo-what?” Jin threw confused stares at the three other individuals in the room.

“Want us to put makeup on you?” Jungkook casually asked.

Jin frantically shook his head, and tried to make a break for the door. “Oh no, you guys are not putting makeup on me. Hell no! No way. Aniya!”

Yoongi smiled mischievously. He locked eyes with Jimin and Jungkook, and nodded towards Jin’s direction. “Grab him.”

“You are not putting lipstick, eyeliner, or whatever on me. I highly oppose of this guys!” Jin’s yelling sadly made no prevail as Jungkook and Jimin dragged him into Jimin’s ensuite. With a little struggling, the two managed to force Jin to sit down in a little swivel chair. Jimin plopped down on his lap so he wouldn’t move. Yoongi closed the door of the bathroom, then took out a small bag filled with various different shades of eyeshadow, a couple sticks of eyeliner, and even some blush. “You owe me one Jimin, hopefully my mom won’t know that a couple of her cosmetics are missing. That woman is like hell when she’s mad.”

“Did you guys freaking plan this?” Jin asked suspiciously.

“Of course not. I just happened to text Yoongi hyung separately and asked him to bring a couple of his mother’s makeup so we could purposely torture, I mean, help you.” Jungkook replied all too innocently.

Jin continued to whine about the entire idea. “Oh stop being a baby and just close your eyes,” Yoongi nagged. Jin sighed in defeat and did as he was told. He couldn’t help but flinch slightly when Yoongi started applying concealer underneath his eyes. Yoongi then grabbed one of the pallets and grabbed a blending brush.

At the same time, Jungkook grabbed some blush, which he started applying heavily onto Jin’s cheeks.

“Hey, you’re supposed to do that later!” Yoongi snapped as he started applying black eyeshadow onto Jin’s eyelids.

Jungkook shrugged and grabbed some mascara. “Does it really matter what order it goes in?”

Jin was surprisingly calm as Jungkook and Yoongi continued to fuss over him. He had almost forgotten Jimin was still sitting on his lap. “Alright hyung, pucker up,” Jungkook said, a smile tugging at his lips. At this point, Jin just didn’t care anymore as he pursed his lips and allowed the youngest individual to apply some bright red lipstick.

“Alright, voila!”

Seokjin opened his eyes and stared back at his reflection in shock. His eyes were coated with black, making him look like a panda. A panda with hot pink blush and red lipstick smothered on his lips.

Jungkook bit his lip to keep from laughing. “Well..pfft...what do you think?”

“What do I think?” Jin echoed.

Yoongi couldn’t contain his laughter anymore. His laughs bounced off the wall of the small cubicle ensuite, making them twice as loud. Pretty soon, Jimin and Jungkook joined in and started bursting out laughing. Jin smiled sourly. With a vicious glare in his eyes, Jin grabbed the lipstick off of the counter and grabbed Jimin by the front of his shirt.

“Your turn.” Jin started smearing red lipstick onto his face.

Jimin thrashed and fell off of his lap. “Yah! You punk!” With another hand he grabbed the eye liner and started drawing a moustache onto Jin’s upper lip. Jin laughed and went back to smearing more red lipstick onto Jimin, which he accidently got onto Jungkook’s shirt.

“Kim Seokjin!” The maknae grabbed a green eye shadow stick and charged after Jin, who had somehow escaped from the ensuite. The four males ran all around the house, chasing one another with makeup in their hands, which they successfully managed to get onto the person they were chasing. After what seemed like forever, the boys went back to the bathroom to check the damage they had done. Jin now ended up looking more like a red lipped panda with a black moustache, Jimin had two green swirls drawn onto his chubby cheeks, as well as some red lipstick messily applied to his lips. Jungkook’s lips were also red as well, and had some black jagged lines drawn down his cheek and black circles around his eyes. Yoongi managed to get the least damage, by sustaining only a faint red stain on his cheek.

Jin snickered. “We all look like we deserve to be models.”

“Definately,” Jimin agreed, throwing an arm around Jungkook’s shoulder.  

I stayed up really late typing this extra fluffy chapter just for you guys XD Hope you guys liked it.