"Are you doing modeling as well?"
Sihyun calmly asked, waiting for the response. Beyond the phone, a soft laughter was heard a few times, and then the answer came that today he decided to help someone he knows for a while. Yeah, that person you know is probably the CEO of the planning company, and your parents, right. Sihyun muttered inwardly and lowered the phone from his ear.
"I don't like that kind of thing."
[Got it.]
"Then I'll hang up."
Already feeling overwhelmed and reluctantly involved in something like passing out, Sihyun wondered why modeling work was mentioned. Just as he was about to press the end call button, Sihyun heard a question.
"Didn't you mind being forced to eat?"
"...."
An irresistible lure was thrown. Knowing that it was like a bait swaying in front of him with the expectation of gaining weight, Sihyun's finger, moving towards the red button, stopped. As if sensing Sihyun's dilemma, Seowoo let out another seductive proposal.
"Didn't you mind being forced to eat a lot? I'll stop when school starts."
"...Do I really have to do it?"
[No.]
"But why go to such lengths?"
Sihyun, unable to abandon his suspicions, asked with narrowed eyes, as if Seowoo was standing right in front of him, looking at him through the phone.
Well, a short chuckle was heard. Tock, the sound of tapping something was heard, and then a soft voice flowed into his ear.
"If I don't do this, it seems like you won't meet me."
"What?"
"Since it's my loss, I have to yield. So, will you do it?"
Staring at the raised question, Sihyun only glared at his phone. A fierce internal struggle began over which was worse between doing modeling work and forcefully stuffing himself with a large amount of food. As the dilemma prolonged, silence followed. Seowoo didn't say anything as if willingly waiting for that time to pass. The faint sounds of breathing that intermittently reached him only indicated that Seowoo hadn't hung up yet, waiting for his answer.
"...What kind of shoot is it?"
With a clink, the scale tilted.
"It's nothing special. Just a photoshoot in a school uniform. The suggestion was to make the strongest student a model, not a celebrity. Do you have a good mask?"
"If it's too grand, I don't want to do it."
"It's not that grand. Do you feel like trying it?"
"...Send me the address."
There was no point in beating around the bush. As Sihyun conveyed his message in a roundabout way, Seowoo laughed once more, understanding the response. No, he thought he understood.
[Come right now.]
"What?"
The call was cut off with that. Sihyun looked at his now silent phone with a bewildered expression, thinking he was about to hang up.
[Send it now.]
"What?"
Seowoo sent a message as if he knew Sihyun didn't pick up. It contained the studio address and a bright smiling emoticon. It was a basic emoticon. Sihyun couldn't help but laugh nervously, momentarily forgetting his discomfort. It seemed like Lee Hamin would have suited him better after all.
Seowoo [Come by 3 PM.] 01:07 PM
Sihyun connected his mapping app to the short message and checked the distance from Seowoo's studio. It was about an hour by bus. Should he shower, grab some clothes, and leave? Calculating the preparation time, Sihyun stood up. Tuck, the phone he was holding was placed on the desk. He didn't reply.
---
The rattling bus was far from comfortable. Sihyun started feeling nauseous after about 30 minutes on the bus, and it wasn't until he regretted answering Seowoo's question about doing the shoot about ten times that he finally reached the studio. As he entered the building with a somewhat grim expression, his phone vibrated.
Seowoo [7th floor.] 02:40 PM
He sent a message at just the right time, asking if he arrived. Sihyun pressed the elevator button to the 7th floor and leaned against the wall as the door opened with a soft sound. How could he refuse? The timing was good.
[Here?]
The voice welcoming him at the door was slightly warmer than on the phone. Seowoo seemed to have been waiting for him since he sent the message.
He still looked dazzling after a week. Although Sihyun had gotten used to seeing his face every day, not seeing him for just a week made it hard to grasp the reality.
Quietly nodding his head, Sihyun followed Seowoo, who gestured to follow. He looked around the studio like someone who just arrived in the city from the countryside. By the time he had widened his eyes at the unfamiliar surroundings, he suddenly noticed someone familiar.
Standing alone in a corner of the studio, the distinctive blue hair stood out. His handsome face, almost like a center even in the corner, naturally attracted attention. Sihyun bowed his head as if to greet Jo Gunwoo, who was dozing off and looked like he could collapse at any moment.
"He's here too."
It was more like a soliloquy than a question. The reason for that was because of the Madame who remembered who the strongest face was.
Yeah, I would've called Baek Geonu too. He's not just any face from our school.
Sihyun looked at Gunwoo, who was awkwardly standing against the wall, leaning his head on it. He seemed a bit paler than usual, perhaps from spending too much time cooped up at home. He looked like a vampire just crawled out of a coffin.
As I approached him, feeling like I should wake him up, Seowoo suddenly grabbed my arm. I noticed the curious gaze from Seowoo, who suggested we greet and leave. Things I hadn't paid attention to before suddenly caught my sharp senses. There was discomfort resembling displeasure. Reluctantly nodding, Seowoo took a step forward.
After greeting the people in the studio, they looked at us with strange eyes. It was as if the word 'Quadruple' was written in their eyes. One of the staff suddenly screamed and hugged me. Surprised and stiffened for a moment, I was pulled away from the woman by Seowoo.
"Sihyun is quite shy, sister."
He whispered to me with a soft voice, saying that people who look pretty tend to be more touchy. Kang Sihyun did have a handsome face.
Standing awkwardly, my back was pushed towards Geonu. The surroundings were filled with whispers about him being the Quadruple from the rumors. It felt uncomfortable and unpleasant to be caught in the midst of unfamiliar people in an unfamiliar place. Maybe that's why he seemed half-asleep.
Maybe he's dozing off too.
Sihyun, who had absurd thoughts, watched the people around him start moving busily. The thought of why he came here crossed his mind again.
I shouldn't have fallen for the meal.
And I didn't even get fooled into buying a meal, but rather, I got caught in the promise not to feed me. I sighed, wondering how my situation ended up like this. Suddenly, someone lightly touched my head as I was lost in thought. Although awkward, it was a touch that wasn't rough. It felt like stroking a cat.
I lifted my head to check the person next to me. Blue eyes met each other.
"...When did you wake up?"
The suddenly awake Geonu was looking down at me. Being this close, I realized that he was taller than me. Even if he woke up like this, his face didn't show any signs of a dark past. Each feature was so distinct, as if looking at a well-crafted art piece.
"A while ago."
Well, the art piece talks too.
Watching Geonu, who spoke with only his lips moving, Sihyun blinked slowly. Following Sihyun's gaze, Geonu also blinked. The silence between the two, who didn't speak for a long time, was broken by Seowoo, who brought the school uniform.
If you find it awkward to stand, why not sit in a chair?
Seeing that Geonu looked exhausted, Sihyun glanced at him. Whether it was because he was posing for a photoshoot or not, just standing still seemed to suit him. His handsome and charismatic face was particularly prominent today. Despite feeling unfairly treated, Sihyun looked at his face and understood. The director also seemed captivated by that face.
Eventually, Sihyun sat in the round chair handed by the staff. It looked similar to the ones in the school clinic, just with a different color.
"Hold the chair with your hands and lean forward slightly. That's right."
Rather than trying some awkward pose that might make things more uncomfortable, Sihyun followed the director's request obediently. When asked to look to the side, he rolled his eyes carefully. When asked to turn his head, he did so, and when asked to mess up his hair a bit, he did it roughly. The next demand came after a while.
"How about smiling while messing up your hair this time? Fresh and boyish!"
...What is that?
The director, feeling better about the smoother shooting than before, raised his tone. Sihyun, who had been receiving requests like a robot, froze his expression. The so-called fresh smile automatically brought to mind the smile of Kang Sihyun, but that was a facial expression he couldn't imitate.
Narrowing his eyes at the demand he was most worried about, the director urged him to do it seriously. Having realized this after shooting a few times, the director, who seemed fiery originally, was surprisingly human. However, he didn't say much to me, probably because I brought a model only based on his appearance as a Quadruple class.
At the mention of smiling again, Sihyun raised the corners of his mouth ambiguously. His lips curled slightly, conveying a subtle strain. The sound of familiar laughter pierced through his ears.
"Student, that's not a smile but a grimace!"
The director shouted loudly. The studio instantly buzzed with laughter. The previous laughter seemed even louder. Sihyun, with a stoic expression, looked at Seowoo, who was covering her face with her hands and laughing. His shoulders seemed to shake slightly. He was really in the middle of a hearty laugh.
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