여우 같은 기지배 (you sly girl); xiuhan; nc-17 part 1
Title: 여우 같은 기지배 (You Sly Girl)
Paring: Xiuhan
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 15245
Summary: In which Minseon wonders when Lu Hua will settle the fuck down from her string of relationships to realize that Minseon is her endgame.
Notes: genderswitch!xiuhan. for my precious azeli_ouo, who insisted that this fic be written; it was fate. a giant thank you to wordsmithfrey for being the first to have to squint at this mess.
inspired by fx’s “여우 같은 내 친구” (no more).
when do kyungsoo comes through her door looking harassed and flustered, kim minseon already knows what will come out of the secretary’s mouth. “lu hua is here to see you, ms. kim.”
minseon pinches the top of her nose bridge, halting writing her email in favor of preparing herself for a windstorm. it’s no secret that lu hua never visits her at work for a work based question. her secretary’s expression is sympathetic when she looks up, done with mentally preparing herself, and waves her hand, tone weary, “let her in.”
hardly after her words are out, the door slams open, a cry of “i broke it off with him!” echoing out around the room. lu hua stomps in, her heels almost clicking indignantly against the tiled floors, before coming to minseon’s desk. she catches a glimpse of kyungsoo’s grimace before lu hua’s manicured nails are slapped against her desk.
“i dumped him!” lu hua repeats, eye ablaze.
minseon glances longingly at her computer screen. “i’m working, lu hua,” she tries.
the model rolls her eyes, hand waving through the air, figuratively and literally dismissing minseon’s weak protest. “you can get back to your boring life when i’m done telling you about what the bastard tried,” lu hua huffs, collapsing into a nearby chair.
minseon doesn’t even try to hide her sigh as she turns off her computer screen and puts on her ‘i’m tired of this shit’ face. “what did you do this time, you fiend?”
lu hua doesn’t even blink at minseon’s barb, patting the seat next to her. “come closer, i hate talking to you behind that big desk. i know it makes you feel powerful but you just look tiny behind there and stop trying to be intimidating. kyungsoo can’t even faze me,” lu hua says, blinking up at her with those selling point doe eyes. minseon curses under her breath about her shitty choice of friends and pads barefoot across her million dollar office to settle next to her number one model, best friend, and insufferable crush.
“go on.”
it’s almost like some terrible cycle. lu hua will sweep through minseon’s office declaring she’s broken it off with some poor sod that she’s been stringing along for however long her fancy’s lasted until she comes back, a few days, weeks later, with stars in her eyes about a new man.
sometimes, when minseon’s had one or two too many glasses of wine, she’ll joke that lu hua should’ve become an actress instead of a model with her amazing transformation skills. it’s not even enough that lu hua like a man hanging off her arm like a designer bag meant to be swapped every few weeks, it’s that when she changes purses, she changes herself. at first, it’s fascinating, watching lu hua go into her phases. it’s like the little things about her that make up the whole change. words that she’s never used before start showing up and her entire demeanor just changes. lu hua’s always gotten a mixed response from minseon, something caught between amused and irritated but she’s noticed that the first few days disorientate her best friend.
“why do you like doing this?” it’s saturday night and it’s been dubbed girls’ night in.
there’s strawberry seeds stuck in their teeth, half of the bottle’s been drained, and their lipsticks have transferred to their glasses. “huh?” lu hua turns to minseon.
“why are you doing this?” minseon repeats, cheeks flushed prettily with alcohol. lu hua’s told her that as the president of a modelling company, she should take part of her company’s photoshoots. minseon’s laughed at her more than once.
lu hua blinks. “doing what?”
minseon’s forehead wrinkles and her lips pout out. “doing that changing thing. for your boyfriends.”
oh. she snorts and leans back into minseon’s couch, sighing, “it’s just fun, i guess. fun, turning yourself into someone else. i like it.”
“huh,” minseon grunts, “you...always do that. i mean, you came to korea to chase after a guy. why don’t you just stay who you are? isn’t a relationship about revealing the real you?”
lu hua giggles, answering, “there are relationship like that, but it’s not what i’m looking for. i’m just looking to have fun, minseon-ah. nothing too serious.”
“why not?”
she shrugs, stalling by taking a sip. “just not what i’m looking for. i’ll eventually settle down and go for a serious relationship, i guess but right now isn’t the time.”
minseon’s quiet and they move on to other topics.
boss min
deer of the dawn:should i go blonde?
boss min: ?? why? did the promotion manager ask you to?
deer of the dawn: haha, no. i just think that i’d look good in blonde.
and joonheon oppa really likes blondes
boss min: ...make sure that your manager agrees first
deer of the dawn: !!! BUT JUNHEE UNNIE NEVER AGREES TO ANYTHING. AND YOU’RE MY BOSS, MIN. ASK HER FOR ME PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEE?
boss min: lu hua, i hope you know i have better things to do than ask managers of my models to let their models dye their hair
deer of the dawn: it only take 5 minutes anD YOU KNOW I’D LOOK GOOD.
boss min: ...
deer of the dawn: MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN
minseon doesn’t respond. next time she looks at her mobile there’s over 300 messages from her model. her sigh is tired.
minseon’s eyes almost pop out when she sees lu hua. she does, however, choke on her overpriced coffee. “what did you do to your hair?” she sputters after the model comes to her desk.
“dyed it,” lu hua simply says, tossing her hair over her shoulder. her hair’s lightly curled, the ends curving in and it’s pulled up in a half-ponytail showing off her pretty face, but it’s so, so, blonde, “like it?”
the ceo swallows, leaning back in her chair. “jesus, lu hua,” she hisses, raking her fingers through her very safe, very black hair.
“i take that as a yes then?” lu hua raises her brow and reaches over minseon’s desk to grab at her coffee. minseon just shoots her a dirty look for taking the coffee but doesn’t voice a protest when the model sips.
minseon just sighs. she’s never been able to control the other and she doesn’t have a clue why she thought that she would’ve been able to dissuade her. “yeah it it looks good. you know you look good in any hair color,” she grumbles, taking back the coffee to suck grumpily on the straw.
lu hua laughs and shoves aside a stack of papers on minseon’s impeccable desk (ignoring the small squeak that came out of her boss’ mouth). she perches lightly on the desk, pretending like 2 perfectly good chairs weren’t there.
scowling, minseon stands and takes a small section of the dyed hair. “i liked your hair before.”
“have you thought about dying your hair, min?”
minseon takes a seat back in her chair before frowning. she doesn’t take very long before answering, “i don’t think i’d look good in dyed hair…”
“even brown? like a warm brown?”
what minseon hates about her rules about eye contact when she talks to people is when she subconsciously looks straight into lu hua’s eyes and her goddamn breath catches in her throat. like some reflex, minseon can feel heat creep up her neck and fuck, her cheeks are coloring. it doesn’t matter how long that they’ve been friends or how many times that minseon has seen lu hua at her worst, sprawled across minseon’s couch in a overlarge hoodie and unwashed, slept in hair. lu hua’s beauty always makes minseon just freeze up in the stupidest of times. for lu hua, she has to break her own rules and look away from the girl, afraid of too many things.
her throat swallows and it takes another second before she can find her voice and answer her friend, instead of leaving the model fiddling with the ends of her hair. “yeah, even brown. besides, my mom likes my black hair,” even to minseon, her voice sounds breathy, like she’s just run a marathon or like she’s in love. it’s ridiculous and absurd and fanatical but minseon can’t help the way her mind wanders, the way her chest seizes, the way her fingers ache with the want to curl around lu hua’s, the way she’s way over her head for her best friend.
before lu hua can respond, her phone rings and by her ringtone, minseon knows that it’s her manager. minseon covers her stupid thoughts by cracking a smile and cocking an eyebrow knowing that their short time together is up.
lu hua just rolls her eyes and huffs her way out of her boss’ office, trying to console her manager by repeating, “i’m coming, i’m coming.”
the next time they catch up to the other is at a coffee shop, not too far from the company, but far enough so that other employees who may wander off from work doesn’t bump into them.
“what’s up?” lu hua greets as she slides into the seat across from her smartly dressed boss, lipstick left on her straw.
“got an offer from china for you,” is minseon’s unexpected reply.
lu hua blinks, fingers sliding down her cup. “china? i thought you said that it wasn’t finalized yet and that you were still ironing down the details.”
minseon’s smile is cheeky and reminds lu hua that minseon’s more her friend than her boss, “who do you think i am? of course i got the details down.”
“when is it?”
“week before the lunar new year.”
her breath catches in her throat.
“i also placed a vacation for you for the week after,” minseon continues, like she didn’t just place a giant present in lu hua’s lap.
“oh minseon. oh wow.”
“you can thank me.” minseon’s smile is soft.
lu hua nearly launches out of her seat and engulf her best friend in a tight hug rapidly chattering her thanks in every language that she knows (which is a stunning amount). minseon just laughs, eyes curving up and cheeks bunching. her hand comes up to cover her mouth as she laughs but she remembers she’s with lu hua so the hand just comes up to pat the lu hua on the back. “you’re welcome, lu,” minseon’s glad that a gesture like this means so much to the girl.
when they’re both back in their seats, minseon pauses to sip at her drink, and chokes on it when lu hua asks if she’s going to china with her.
coughing, she thumps her chest before asking, “why?”
her blinking looks just like her innocent facade, her voice pleasing and soft, “because you’re my boss. so you should be there for my first china gig.” minseon’s mouth open and snaps shut when lu hua finishes, “plus, you’re my best friend and you should be there.”
“b-but the compa--” minseon sputters.
“which joonmyun-oppa will take perfect care of the 2 weeks that you will be off. at the worst, you can bring whatever things you need and i know you have a satellite phone.”
minseon is almost roped into thinking about it.
taking a deep breath, lu hua continues, “i also want you to meet my parents. i know you didn’t place my vacation at such a convenient timing for no reason.”
well now lu hua’s got the ball rolling. minseon sighs. with lu hua like this, there’s no way that she’ll take no for an answer. so she stalls. “i’ll think about it.”
lu hua beams at her. “perfect.” minseon can just tell that lu hua knows that she’s going to cave. sometimes she hates that lu hua knows her so well.
this time, it’s not lu hua who has to go, but minseon. her phone vibrates on the table and when she glances at the screen, it’s kyungsoo who texted, meaning that it’s someone decently important. he avoids taking away whatever time she’s given to see lu hua because he’s been her secretary since minseon’s been drinking shitty, overpriced coffee at 3am when she first inherited the company. he knows her like an older brother, dammit.
“i got to--”
“go. yeah, i know.” lu hua knows that minseon’s schedule is jammed packed, but somehow she always finds time for her. and she’s grateful for that. lu hua tugs in minseon for a last hug before they don their professional facade to finish the day.
she slides into her car and watches lu hua climb into her van, manager making a quick bow at the ceo. lu hua’s van peels away from the curb and it’s lost in a sea of vehicles before minseon plugs in her phone and turns on the car. minseon presses play on her phone blindly and won’t say i’m in love from a favorite disney film fills the car.
“no.”
the drive back to the company is silent.
“i heard you got plane tickets to beijing.” is the first thing that lu hua says when she picks up the phone.
“wha--i just booked them.”
“my sources are quick.” lu hua’s tone is way too smug.
minseon leans away from the phone to press a button on her desk. “goddamit, kyungsoo.”
there’s a click and kyungsoo’s voice comes through her speakers, laughing before saying, “that scared me. an angry voice just came out of nowhere and said ‘goddamnit, kyungsoo’ and then i realized it was you and started laughing.”
she scowls at her desk before remembering that kyungsoo couldn’t actually see her. oops. “you didn’t waste a moment, did you?”
“nope, the moment you asked for times, i texted lu hua.”
“stop whispering lies in lu hua’s mind. she already has too many delusions in there,” minseon snips and she turns down the volume of the radio. she hears a small ‘hey!’ come from her forgotten phone from her desk and snickers.
“and yes. i’m going to beijing,” minseon resumes, when she picks up the cell. “but i’m going for other meetings and possible future contacts there. it’s not just play and fun, lu hua.”
the familiar beijing accent fills her ear when lu hua teases, “you need to take that stick out of your ass, minseon. play a little, relax, pop off a button or two on your blouse. god, you have such nice boobs and you restrain them all day in your unflattering bras. show off your ladies once in a while, won’t you?”
wha--her bras are not unflattering. she glances down and adjusts her blouse, feeling the collar snug against her collarbones. so what if she likes to cover up?
minseon makes an offended noise in her throat and coughs. “don’t change the subject, you fox. you’re going to beijing for work, too, remember?”
they chatter a bit more on the phone before an email pops up in the corner of her screen and it’s back to kim minseon, ceo of elite.
lu hua comes bursting into her office, per usual, but this time, her normally free hair is tied up in a sever bun at the nap of her neck and her sloping collar is up to her neck in a classic black and white halter top. it’s like something minseon would wear.
“lu hua?”
as if saying her name broke some sort of spell, lu hua sighs heavily and reaches up to undo her bun and her other hand works at her top bottom. her hair tumbles down and her collarbones peak out from under her blouse and minseon fights the urge to swallow. “hey min.”
blinking, minseon remembers what her original question is. “what’s with the outfit?”
lu hua glances down and sighs. “sehun likes the office noona look.”
there must be question marks all across her face because lu hua adds, “i meet him at the convenience store. he doesn’t know that i work as a model.”
minseon shouldn’t even feel disappointment, or at least even be used to that wave of bitter disappointment. but she’s not made of stone, she’s just human, so minseon tries to be lenient on herself.
she tries to keep her emotions out of her voice. “new one?”
lu hua’s glare is sharp and unexpected. “what the fuck do you mean ‘new one’?”
the hostility in the words has minseon backing up with tense shoulders. like realizing what she’s just done, lu hua’s back collapses, her head falling forward to be caught by her hand. lu hua rubs her temples and in that moment, she looks exhausted. “i’m sorry, i don’t know what came over me. i’m just tired.”
minseon hesitates. “sorry, i didn’t mean anything by that.”
lu hua’s smile is weak but at least it’s a smile. “gotta go, jihoon oppa’s calling.” lu hua looks so lost in that moment what minseon can’t help but to gather up her best friend in her arms. even though minseon’s shorter than lu hua, hugging lu hua just feels so comfortable and right.
“don’t overwork yourself. if you’re really tired, then call me and i’ll try to clear up your schedule a bit. no one wants a burnt out model.”
now lu hua’s smile is grateful and minseon much prefers this one. she never wants it to fade.
“thank you, minnie.”
lu hua buttons up her blouse on her way out.
minseon sighs as she settles into her seat, even the muted hustle and bustle of all the passengers sounds relaxing to her. she’s lucky today, she gets the window seat.
the past few weeks had been stressful, minseon breaking the news to joonmyun that she was taking a work trip to china to help luhan and to arrange a few meetings with the beijing branch. her cousin had taken the news with unexpected optimism (although minseon’s rarely seen her directior of fashion without his trademark pearly whites on display) and had promised her that everything would be run smoothly. within a fortnight, everything had been arranged, from which people minseon would be sharing meals with, her hotel, and even a few days that minseon had off to sight see.
kyungsoo had insisted on these days, saying that “she needed to see a bit further than her computer screen and up the nose of another perspective partner”. minseon had grumbled a bit about these days, saying that she could instead just reduce the day to 1 or 2 events but in the end, her secretary had locked her schedule and she accepted the days off.
smiling, she slips on her headphones, even the quiet buzz of the airplane settles down as everyone finds their seat. she’s got a tourist and sightseeing book open on her lap and she’s even got a few pages bookmarked, courtesy of kyungsoo. there’s at least 15 minutes until the plane begins rolling down the runway and minseon’s been on enough place rides to have her seatbelt strapped in and everything tucked away where it should be.
minseon’s always loved travelling. she loves the quiet that plane rides offer, minseon having an excuse to shut off her phone and disconnect from her busy life. she takes the opportunity to check out a few of the landmarks that kyungsoo’s circled but she falls asleep quickly to the soundtrack of her favorite drama from her childhood. it’s been a long time since minseon had enough free time to watch anything.
the airplane touches ground and jolts minseon awake, her bun bopping the top of her forehead with the jerk of her head. her headphones are askew, the left one half off her ear and she can hear a stewardess announce in korean that they’ve landed, saying the time and weather and then repeating the whole thing in mandarin. it indicates that it’s the end of minseon’s regretfully short flight and it’s time for minseon to power her phone back on and text kyungsoo that she’s arrived safely. her secretary honestly worries more for her than her own mother.
her phone pings when minseon thanks the bellboy for his help and the youth flushes, bowing deep before briskly walking back to the elevator and she lets the door swing shut, fishing through her pocket to find her phone. a text sits in her inbox.
boss min
deer of the dawn:hows your hotel?
minseon blinks, little smile curling up the corners of her lips.
boss min: lovely, as usual. pity i won’t have much time to spend in it.
deer of the dawn: oh psh, youll spend more time out of it sightseeing i hope. there’s a lot that china’s got to offer.
boss min: how’d you know that i was planning to sightsee?
deer of the dawn: kyungsoo sent me your schedule at the promise that i’d be your tour guide. the last few days of your trip you’re spending with me, i hope you know.
minseon shouldn’t even be surprised anymore.
boss min: (shocked emoticon) am i being kidnapped???
deer of the dawn: (head shaking emoticon) oh stop being dramatic, i just wanted you to meet my parents, they live more on the outskirts of beijing.
boss min: nice to actually know something a week before it happens. doesn’t happen often with you (snickering emoticon) anyways i gotta bounce, gotta put on my big girl suit and check with tomorrows producer for your shoot. you know that youre shooting solo tomorrow right?
deer of the dawn: oh wow, did i suddenly get 2 managers?
boss min: shut it. i was just making sure that you knew ok
deer of the dawn: (heart eyes emoticon) awww thanks minnie. and yeah, ill work hard tomorrow! (cheering emoticon)
minseon digs through her carryon to pull out her charger and sighs, plugging the device into an outlet and pulls out her makeup, her suit neatly pressed and waiting for her in the closet. ‘make a man out of you’ plays in the background while minseon prepares, humming and air punching when appropriate.
“turn your head a little more to the left and cast your eyes down, right there!” the photographer instructs, lu hua doing her best to follow. there’s less makeup than lu hua’s used to for a photo shoot, the crew trying for a minimalistic and realistic look.
it’s a simple enough concept, the first photoshoot the elite’s got lines up for lu hua. it’s a photoshoot for a teen magazine and they want to play up lu hua’s doe like eyes and elegant beauty. the concept was to capture the feelings of first love, an innocent sort of love, a young girl who’s blooming and falling in love. they’ve kept the makeup very natural, just a touch of mascara and blush to contour cheeks.
today, lu hua’s sweet and demure, her gaze into the camera soft and inquisitive. the photographer’s full of praise for the chinese model but he’s still searching for that perfect photo that really makes every girl who’ll see the cover and remember that tender feeling of their first.
lu hua tries to play the part, feeling very teen in her loose tee and worn jeans, her blonde hair tied back in a casual low pony, but there’s just something about the concept that lu hua can’t slip into.
the photographer calls a 5 minute break after a few more photos, noticing that there’s a small commotion in the back. it’s nearly noon so lu hua wonders if it’s the lunch break when she notices a number of the staff bowing and then she spots a familiar face.
minseon’s come to visit, a staff badge bouncing off her torso as she makes numerous mini bows of thanks to hard working staff.
lu hua’s caught by surprise, the schedule that kyungsoo had sent her hadn’t mentioned minseon would be visiting any of the few shoots that had been dispersed. lu hua’s finally able to capture minseon’s attention and minseon waves, her cheeks bunching up when she smiles at her friend.
a flash goes off and lu hua’s blinded, unprepared. “i thought we were done,” she questions the photographer.
he smiles, slightly apologetic, “your expression was really nice right there.”
she frowns and steps down from the set to peek at the computer that processes each of the photos that the photographer takes and sure enough, there’s the latest photo and when lu hua sees it, she just blinks. the photographer’s right, lu hua’s mouth is just a lit agape and she can see the beginnings of a smile there, a certain light brightening up her eyes, like a young girl in love.
there’s something about the expression that stirs something in lu hua’s mind but it doesn’t take root deep enough to stay and the thought’s gone after a moment. turns out, minseon’s bought lunch for the entire staff.
minseon jolts awake with a small gasp, feeling like electricity running through her veins. everything’s too warm, her sheets are crumpled at the foot of the hotel bed, ache low in her belly. her mind might still be hazy from sleep but she just knows that she’s soaking, back slightly arching into the mattress.
she’s trying to think why she’s awake, shifting through her disorientated mind when she remembers with shocking clarity of her dream. her eyes drift shut and her dream’s imprinted onto the back of her eyelids. she can see how pretty lu hua looks with dark red marks littered down her neck bared to her, how eager lu hua parts her legs when she settles between them, how lu hua’s hands reached out for her to be closer. minseon swallows thickly as the cries of dream lu hua replay and her hand slides down her body unconsciously.
minseon’s legs fall apart, her body shivering with anticipation when she fingers the band of her sleeping shorts. she plays with the elastic with a bit, abs clenching and relaxing under the softest of touches. she doesn’t even know what time it is, but right now she just needs these few minutes of escape.
she tries not to but her mind replaces her own hand with lu hua’s hands and minseon bites down hard on her lip when her hand goes beneath her shorts and she feels just how wet she is. “oh god,” she breathes into the dark hotel room, other hand coming up to cup her breast.
there’s something so wrong about how her breath hitches at the imagination of her best friend, but lu hua’s so beautiful, so unattainable that minseon’s only able to have her in her mind.
minseon’s middle finger pressed between her folds, not quite pressing in and she clenches around nothing. minseon’s breath is quickening, long inhales and exhales exchanged for soft pants and gasps. this is so wrong, but minseon’s still too sleepy, still too turned on, still too in love to not allow herself this small, small pleasure.
the first finger pushes in and her tiny gasps sounds loud in the hotel room. she jolts, hyper aware of her finger slowly pressing in. she’s trying to adjust, it’s been too long since she’s last been touched, by herself or someone else.
the sheets protest loudly as they’re crumbled under her writhing, finger pressing in and out in an excruciating pace and her thumb and forefinger pinching a hard nub. little sounds fall out of her mouth but minseon’s not even fully aware of all the noise she’s making but it makes the slide easier.
her left hand twists her nipple and the first loud moan comes out of her mouth when her thumb brushes teasingly across her clitoris. minseon’s teasing herself, drawing the experience out because right now, she’s quieted that little voice in her head that says that she shouldn’t be doing this, this is wrong, this is lu hua so that now all she hears is her own noises and lu hua’s imagined one.
“please,” she begs to no one, her index finger teasing along the edges. “i need this, i need this,” minseon babbles. her back’s arching to give her more pressure where she wants, her hair for sure a mess now, and her left hand squeezing hard over her boob.
lu hua’s mentioned a few times of her envy of minseon’s full cups and she uses that to imagine lu hua complementing the perky nipples, the way they fit so nicely in her hand. now her legs are bent, toes curling into the mattress.
minseon adds the second finger and she gasps. her eyes fly open and she’s blinking fast, tears welling up, shivers wracking her body. minseon hadn’t realized how much she needed this, how much she craved a release. she’s lightly circling her clit with her thumb and it’s driving her insane because she doesn’t know if she wants her fingers on her, in her, there’s too much going on.
“yesyesyes,” she’s babbling to herself, pushing herself closer and closer to that horizon. it’s been so long that minseon’s given herself this luxury and she can already feel herself clenching hard around her fingers. she’s so close, so close, the trembling women’s so sensitive, sensitive to her fingers on her nipple, in her, around her clit and minseon takes that final push to her orgasm by pressing her thumb down hard on her clit and white stars burst in her vision.
she doesn't even know if her eyes are open or if they’re closed, waves of pleasure washing over her. her toes curl hard into the sheets, her fingers now weakly pushing in and out of her through the orgasm.
her breathing in harsh in her ears, coming down for her high. minseon feels so sated, almost boneless with pleasure. she hadn’t even realized that it’s been so long, that it’s been so long since she let herself go like that and now the reality of what she’s just done causes her cheeks to burn hot. there might not be anyone in the room at see how red her face or how flushed her body is but minseon squeaks in embarrassment, turning her head to her pillow.
“oh my god,” she whispers out loud to an empty room. “holy shit.” how can she look lu hua in the face now.
“i’m so fucked.”
lu hua pouts at her phone. she’s between shoots and she’s got a few hours to kill before the next gig so she had slipped away from her manager and she’s meeting up with an old friend from before she moved to korea. her friend had texted her that she’s running a few minutes late so lu hua’s sitting alone in a food stall, smiling softly at the owner.
lu hua doesn’t particularly mind waiting, it’s the tight schedule she’s built her day around that she’s worried about. but the atmosphere around her helps loosen her nerves and she finds herself soaking in the calm air.
they’ve arranged to meet up at a food stall that’s recently popped up in the area and it’s off a side road that’s close to the park so lu hua can hear the shouts and laughter of children float by when the wind blows hard. there’s a little pot of white blossoms on her table and it’s an adorable touch. lu hua follows that weird urge to lean in and smell the flowers when she hears the familiar and telltale sound of a camera click.
she instinctively glances around to see if someone was taking a photo on their phone or something but instead she sees the lense of a canon pointed at her. her eyes widen and she glances to see if the owner had taken a photo of the scenery behind her but then the owner emerges from behind his camera and his cheeks are flushed.
“oh, i’m so sorry,” he says in smooth mandarin, camera lowering to his waist. “i’m so sorry i took your photo without your permission, you just looked so peaceful smelling the flowers and--” the man cuts himself off, biting his lower lip.
“oh,” is all lu hua can say.
“i promise i’ll send you the file and delete it, it’s such a lovely photo.” his mandarin has a slight lilt to it, accent perhaps? it’s not quite a beijing accent but hints a little country. the man is handsome enough, not cut lines like the models lu hua works with, but he’s got simple beauty, black hair mussed by the wind. his watch is expensive so lu hua doubts that he’s just some random civilian.
“could i see the photo?” she finds herself saying and even the surprise on the photographer’s face says that it wasn’t the response he hadn’t expected.
he’s got a really kind smile, is lu hua’s thought when he nods and steps closer, turning his camera so lu hua can see the photo.
it’s candid and lu hua’s obviously not looking at the camera but the expression on her face can only be described as serene. the wind’s playing with her baby hairs and lu hua can tell that he’s an experienced photographer because even with the lighting, he’s got the perfect exposure and focus for the colors of the display screen to show as closely to life as possible. lu hua’s had outdoor shoots before, but it’s always posed, positioned for the camera.
it’s got a feeling of sincerity and lu hua blinks.
“i promise to delete it right now if you want, but it’s a really nice photo and i’d love to develop it and send it to you,” the photographer continues, bringing the camera back to his chest.
“i don’t really mind,” lu hua says, “but how will you send it?”
the man digs into his pocket and withdraws his business card. “by email, if you’ll email me with your email, i’ll send it.”
he hands over his card and lu hua reads the characters for zhang yixing, photographer in neat print. the card’s simple in design but it says all that it needs to and it matches the clean cut man.
“i’m zhang yixing, as the card says,” the man finally introduces himself.
lu hua takes his out stretched hands and reciprocates, “lu hua. nice to meet you.”
“lu hua! sorry for making you wait!” song qian’s long last heard voice interrupts the two and announces the arrival of her late friend.
lu hua stands and envelopes her longtime friend in long hug, trying to express her happiness at the sight of her friend through the grip.
qian settles in the chair across from lu hua and glances at the man. “hello,” she greets, addressing the man.
“good afternoon,” he says, nodding his head in her direction and she returns the nod. “i won’t take any more of your time, i’ll let you ladies be.”
yixing takes one more small bow at them before strolling off and qian turns to lu hua. “who’s he?”
lu hua shrugs, not really sure of what had just transpired either. “some photographer. he took my photo and wants to send it to me.”
qian frowns in the direction zhang had walked off in and made a little hrrmph! noise in the back of her throat, her indication of dismissing the incident. she turns back to lu hua with sparkles in her eyes and the tale of the most amazing love courtship she’s been in at the tip of her tongue and the photographer is forgotten quickly enough.
lu hua always thinks it’s funny where fate takes her in all of its adventures. and lu hua thinks it’s a little funny that she finds herself across the room of that odd photographer she had met a few days ago.
there’s no point pretending that she hadn’t seen him, they’re staring directly at each other across the room, pretentious glasses of wine raised to their lips. lu hua’s got the corner of her lip raised in an amused smile, while the man -zhang yixing- ’s got his brow raised in acknowledgement of her.
in reality, lu hua’s the one that shouldn’t be at the place where they meet again with the consideration that they’re in the middle of an art showing. she’s here because it’s a sponsor’s photographer’s showing and yixing melds in with the crowd, expensive suit pressed and tailored for his build. his watch glints on his wrist and lu hua almost laughs at the consistency.
“are you enjoying the pieces?” yixing says once he crosses the room to her side as though it’s completely normal that they’ve met again. there’s a million people in beijing but the one man who has a candid photo of her is standing next to her.
lu hua takes her eyes off the photo that she had been observing to glance at the man next to her, gauging her response. “yes.” she goes with something simple.
yixing hums in his throat and even lu hua finds the noise calming. maybe it’s that laidback, artist vibe that she gets from him or the way he all his movement are unhurried, not calculated, but as though he doesn’t have anywhere to rush to, that lu hua finds herself relaxing around him.
tranquil.
that’s how lu hua describes the aura around yixing.
“do you know the photographer?” lu hua asks, returning her attention back to the crisp photo of a deer standing alert atop a rock in some quiet forest.
she can hear, rather than see the small smile he dons. “i guess you could say that, yes,” yixing answers, “we attended the same art school and hung in the same group of friends.”
glancing around the exhibit, she takes in the moving metaphorical money bags speaking in hushed conversations saying, “and have you had one of your own showcases like this?”
“no. no, not yet. i still haven’t picked the number of satisfactory photos required for something like this,” is yixing’s easy answer.
she had gone home the other day and plugged his name into baido and the results that had returned told her that yixing just wasn’t some no name, wandering photographer. he’s got a number of awards tucked under his belt, even a few magazine articles praising a high schooler yixing. but yixing doesn’t need to know about her search.
“a perfectionist?”
yixing’s smiles lifts a little wider, “no, just picky.”
lu hua smiles back like he’s just said a joke. she’s been in this business long enough to know that it isn’t really.
“hello?”
“this is lu hua, the woman you’ve had the pleasure of meeting at the park and at today’s exhibit.”
yixing laughs and even through the phone’s speaker it sounds delightful. she wants to hear more of it, which is the reason for this phone call. “yes, yes, i make it a point to remember delightfully beautiful women.”
“yixing-i can call you yixing, yes?”
“i have no qualms.”
“yes, yixing. would you perhaps be free of any arrangements this evening?” she’s just stepped out of the exhibit hall and stands at the lobby of the showcase, nearly about to call a cab to get her back to her hotel when lu hua’s struck with an impulse to invite the photographer out to dinner. lu hua’s always been straightforward and one to act on her emotions, and this is no exception.
“hm? no, after the exhibit, i am free. are you perhaps hoping to change that status?”
lu hua appreciates a man who can detect hints. “exactly. i’m hoping for a dinner.”
“and a dinner you’ve won. have you left yet?”
“i’m at the front of the building, in the lobby.”
“i’ll see you in 5.” and the call ends. lu hu doesn’t mind the abrupt end, it fits yixing, no nonsense and all.
“at least it’s always easy to find you.”
lu hua frowns, she’s not the tallest girl here, but it might be her hair color? “what do you mean?”
yixing smiles, offering his arm and she loops her arm through his after a moment of hesitation. he doesn’t answer her question until he’s hailing down a taxi. “you’re the prettiest girl there. it’s very easy to spot you, lu hua.”
lu hua’s no stranger to compliments, but yixing’s make her flush to the tip of her ears. she doesn’t know how to respond, pulling out her phone to text her manager that she’ll find her own way home tonight as yixing tells the driver the location.
“have you been there before?” the photographer asks as the taxi peels away from the curb and back into the current of traffic.
she shakes her head; she hadn’t even recognized the name of the place. “i haven’t been back in beijing for a while,” she says in explanation.
“haven’t been? your mandarin sounds pretty spot on so i’m assuming you were born here. living abroad? america?” yixing says.
lu hua shakes her head, “no, not that far. i’ve been living in south korea. moved there awhile back ago for work.”
the taxi slows and the driver parks, turning to them to inform them of the price. it’s after yixing pays the fare in exact change, she realizes that he’s been carefully observing the fare like any beijinger should have. she’s been away for too long.
it isn’t until lu hua closes the door to her hotel room, lips curled unconsciously at the memories of the evening, that she realizes that she had forgotten to talk about the photograph and how she really didn’t mind it.
she tugs her cell phone out of her purse while she digs her toes into the back of her heels to kick them in the general direction of the door. she sighs when her fingers hit the smooth surface of the smartphone and when her heels touch the floor.
her right hand’s swiping to find her texting app while her left is working sloppily at the zipper at the side of her pencil skirt. she clicks ‘new message’ fumbling with reaching her thumb across the screen to type in zhang yixing in as the recipient while she absent mindedly steps out of the skirt puddling at her feet.
lu hua takes the moment to appreciate technology as she sends a quick ‘thank you for this evening’ text bottomless and flushed out on the hotel sheets. the screen eventually blacks out while she daydreams but pings once as yixing’s ‘you’re welcome. thank you for the opportunity to get to know you. i had a lovely time’ text arrives in her inbox and she’s smiling stupidly at the screen. she decides it’s because of the cute emojis he’s sent with the text.
heaven knows that lu hua’s been on her fair share of dates-she’s been on enough to know what to call this evening-but she feels so at ease, so okay to act like lu hua, not lu hua the model, not lu hua the saleswoman, not lu hua the pretty girl but just the girl who left china to pursue her career. it’s like a breath of fresh air.
she doesn’t bother to send another text that evening, riding high on this relaxation that unplugs her from the world as she slides with a sigh into warm water.
yixing’s got this funny thing about timing. he manages to text lu hua these texts that all suggest a casual hangout right when lu hua finishes an event on her schedule. he even manages to catch her during her 2 hour breaks, time long enough for her to steal away and grab lunch with the man. lu hua even goes out with him again on the second evening, this time yixing inviting her to a hilltop side that’s prime picnic area that’s a gorgeous viewpoint of the sunset and she realizes the beauty of a beijing sunset.
but really, the funniest thing about yixing is how easily and quickly he captures lu hua. her attention’s been caught since the first day but as the days pass, she feels herself being reeled in. and she doesn’t mind it a single bit.
Part I | Part II
Paring: Xiuhan
Rating: NC-17
Word Count: 15245
Summary: In which Minseon wonders when Lu Hua will settle the fuck down from her string of relationships to realize that Minseon is her endgame.
Notes: genderswitch!xiuhan. for my precious azeli_ouo, who insisted that this fic be written; it was fate. a giant thank you to wordsmithfrey for being the first to have to squint at this mess.
inspired by fx’s “여우 같은 내 친구” (no more).
when do kyungsoo comes through her door looking harassed and flustered, kim minseon already knows what will come out of the secretary’s mouth. “lu hua is here to see you, ms. kim.”
minseon pinches the top of her nose bridge, halting writing her email in favor of preparing herself for a windstorm. it’s no secret that lu hua never visits her at work for a work based question. her secretary’s expression is sympathetic when she looks up, done with mentally preparing herself, and waves her hand, tone weary, “let her in.”
hardly after her words are out, the door slams open, a cry of “i broke it off with him!” echoing out around the room. lu hua stomps in, her heels almost clicking indignantly against the tiled floors, before coming to minseon’s desk. she catches a glimpse of kyungsoo’s grimace before lu hua’s manicured nails are slapped against her desk.
“i dumped him!” lu hua repeats, eye ablaze.
minseon glances longingly at her computer screen. “i’m working, lu hua,” she tries.
the model rolls her eyes, hand waving through the air, figuratively and literally dismissing minseon’s weak protest. “you can get back to your boring life when i’m done telling you about what the bastard tried,” lu hua huffs, collapsing into a nearby chair.
minseon doesn’t even try to hide her sigh as she turns off her computer screen and puts on her ‘i’m tired of this shit’ face. “what did you do this time, you fiend?”
lu hua doesn’t even blink at minseon’s barb, patting the seat next to her. “come closer, i hate talking to you behind that big desk. i know it makes you feel powerful but you just look tiny behind there and stop trying to be intimidating. kyungsoo can’t even faze me,” lu hua says, blinking up at her with those selling point doe eyes. minseon curses under her breath about her shitty choice of friends and pads barefoot across her million dollar office to settle next to her number one model, best friend, and insufferable crush.
“go on.”
it’s almost like some terrible cycle. lu hua will sweep through minseon’s office declaring she’s broken it off with some poor sod that she’s been stringing along for however long her fancy’s lasted until she comes back, a few days, weeks later, with stars in her eyes about a new man.
sometimes, when minseon’s had one or two too many glasses of wine, she’ll joke that lu hua should’ve become an actress instead of a model with her amazing transformation skills. it’s not even enough that lu hua like a man hanging off her arm like a designer bag meant to be swapped every few weeks, it’s that when she changes purses, she changes herself. at first, it’s fascinating, watching lu hua go into her phases. it’s like the little things about her that make up the whole change. words that she’s never used before start showing up and her entire demeanor just changes. lu hua’s always gotten a mixed response from minseon, something caught between amused and irritated but she’s noticed that the first few days disorientate her best friend.
“why do you like doing this?” it’s saturday night and it’s been dubbed girls’ night in.
there’s strawberry seeds stuck in their teeth, half of the bottle’s been drained, and their lipsticks have transferred to their glasses. “huh?” lu hua turns to minseon.
“why are you doing this?” minseon repeats, cheeks flushed prettily with alcohol. lu hua’s told her that as the president of a modelling company, she should take part of her company’s photoshoots. minseon’s laughed at her more than once.
lu hua blinks. “doing what?”
minseon’s forehead wrinkles and her lips pout out. “doing that changing thing. for your boyfriends.”
oh. she snorts and leans back into minseon’s couch, sighing, “it’s just fun, i guess. fun, turning yourself into someone else. i like it.”
“huh,” minseon grunts, “you...always do that. i mean, you came to korea to chase after a guy. why don’t you just stay who you are? isn’t a relationship about revealing the real you?”
lu hua giggles, answering, “there are relationship like that, but it’s not what i’m looking for. i’m just looking to have fun, minseon-ah. nothing too serious.”
“why not?”
she shrugs, stalling by taking a sip. “just not what i’m looking for. i’ll eventually settle down and go for a serious relationship, i guess but right now isn’t the time.”
minseon’s quiet and they move on to other topics.
boss min
deer of the dawn:should i go blonde?
boss min: ?? why? did the promotion manager ask you to?
deer of the dawn: haha, no. i just think that i’d look good in blonde.
and joonheon oppa really likes blondes
boss min: ...make sure that your manager agrees first
deer of the dawn: !!! BUT JUNHEE UNNIE NEVER AGREES TO ANYTHING. AND YOU’RE MY BOSS, MIN. ASK HER FOR ME PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEE?
boss min: lu hua, i hope you know i have better things to do than ask managers of my models to let their models dye their hair
deer of the dawn: it only take 5 minutes anD YOU KNOW I’D LOOK GOOD.
boss min: ...
deer of the dawn: MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIN
minseon doesn’t respond. next time she looks at her mobile there’s over 300 messages from her model. her sigh is tired.
minseon’s eyes almost pop out when she sees lu hua. she does, however, choke on her overpriced coffee. “what did you do to your hair?” she sputters after the model comes to her desk.
“dyed it,” lu hua simply says, tossing her hair over her shoulder. her hair’s lightly curled, the ends curving in and it’s pulled up in a half-ponytail showing off her pretty face, but it’s so, so, blonde, “like it?”
the ceo swallows, leaning back in her chair. “jesus, lu hua,” she hisses, raking her fingers through her very safe, very black hair.
“i take that as a yes then?” lu hua raises her brow and reaches over minseon’s desk to grab at her coffee. minseon just shoots her a dirty look for taking the coffee but doesn’t voice a protest when the model sips.
minseon just sighs. she’s never been able to control the other and she doesn’t have a clue why she thought that she would’ve been able to dissuade her. “yeah it it looks good. you know you look good in any hair color,” she grumbles, taking back the coffee to suck grumpily on the straw.
lu hua laughs and shoves aside a stack of papers on minseon’s impeccable desk (ignoring the small squeak that came out of her boss’ mouth). she perches lightly on the desk, pretending like 2 perfectly good chairs weren’t there.
scowling, minseon stands and takes a small section of the dyed hair. “i liked your hair before.”
“have you thought about dying your hair, min?”
minseon takes a seat back in her chair before frowning. she doesn’t take very long before answering, “i don’t think i’d look good in dyed hair…”
“even brown? like a warm brown?”
what minseon hates about her rules about eye contact when she talks to people is when she subconsciously looks straight into lu hua’s eyes and her goddamn breath catches in her throat. like some reflex, minseon can feel heat creep up her neck and fuck, her cheeks are coloring. it doesn’t matter how long that they’ve been friends or how many times that minseon has seen lu hua at her worst, sprawled across minseon’s couch in a overlarge hoodie and unwashed, slept in hair. lu hua’s beauty always makes minseon just freeze up in the stupidest of times. for lu hua, she has to break her own rules and look away from the girl, afraid of too many things.
her throat swallows and it takes another second before she can find her voice and answer her friend, instead of leaving the model fiddling with the ends of her hair. “yeah, even brown. besides, my mom likes my black hair,” even to minseon, her voice sounds breathy, like she’s just run a marathon or like she’s in love. it’s ridiculous and absurd and fanatical but minseon can’t help the way her mind wanders, the way her chest seizes, the way her fingers ache with the want to curl around lu hua’s, the way she’s way over her head for her best friend.
before lu hua can respond, her phone rings and by her ringtone, minseon knows that it’s her manager. minseon covers her stupid thoughts by cracking a smile and cocking an eyebrow knowing that their short time together is up.
lu hua just rolls her eyes and huffs her way out of her boss’ office, trying to console her manager by repeating, “i’m coming, i’m coming.”
the next time they catch up to the other is at a coffee shop, not too far from the company, but far enough so that other employees who may wander off from work doesn’t bump into them.
“what’s up?” lu hua greets as she slides into the seat across from her smartly dressed boss, lipstick left on her straw.
“got an offer from china for you,” is minseon’s unexpected reply.
lu hua blinks, fingers sliding down her cup. “china? i thought you said that it wasn’t finalized yet and that you were still ironing down the details.”
minseon’s smile is cheeky and reminds lu hua that minseon’s more her friend than her boss, “who do you think i am? of course i got the details down.”
“when is it?”
“week before the lunar new year.”
her breath catches in her throat.
“i also placed a vacation for you for the week after,” minseon continues, like she didn’t just place a giant present in lu hua’s lap.
“oh minseon. oh wow.”
“you can thank me.” minseon’s smile is soft.
lu hua nearly launches out of her seat and engulf her best friend in a tight hug rapidly chattering her thanks in every language that she knows (which is a stunning amount). minseon just laughs, eyes curving up and cheeks bunching. her hand comes up to cover her mouth as she laughs but she remembers she’s with lu hua so the hand just comes up to pat the lu hua on the back. “you’re welcome, lu,” minseon’s glad that a gesture like this means so much to the girl.
when they’re both back in their seats, minseon pauses to sip at her drink, and chokes on it when lu hua asks if she’s going to china with her.
coughing, she thumps her chest before asking, “why?”
her blinking looks just like her innocent facade, her voice pleasing and soft, “because you’re my boss. so you should be there for my first china gig.” minseon’s mouth open and snaps shut when lu hua finishes, “plus, you’re my best friend and you should be there.”
“b-but the compa--” minseon sputters.
“which joonmyun-oppa will take perfect care of the 2 weeks that you will be off. at the worst, you can bring whatever things you need and i know you have a satellite phone.”
minseon is almost roped into thinking about it.
taking a deep breath, lu hua continues, “i also want you to meet my parents. i know you didn’t place my vacation at such a convenient timing for no reason.”
well now lu hua’s got the ball rolling. minseon sighs. with lu hua like this, there’s no way that she’ll take no for an answer. so she stalls. “i’ll think about it.”
lu hua beams at her. “perfect.” minseon can just tell that lu hua knows that she’s going to cave. sometimes she hates that lu hua knows her so well.
this time, it’s not lu hua who has to go, but minseon. her phone vibrates on the table and when she glances at the screen, it’s kyungsoo who texted, meaning that it’s someone decently important. he avoids taking away whatever time she’s given to see lu hua because he’s been her secretary since minseon’s been drinking shitty, overpriced coffee at 3am when she first inherited the company. he knows her like an older brother, dammit.
“i got to--”
“go. yeah, i know.” lu hua knows that minseon’s schedule is jammed packed, but somehow she always finds time for her. and she’s grateful for that. lu hua tugs in minseon for a last hug before they don their professional facade to finish the day.
she slides into her car and watches lu hua climb into her van, manager making a quick bow at the ceo. lu hua’s van peels away from the curb and it’s lost in a sea of vehicles before minseon plugs in her phone and turns on the car. minseon presses play on her phone blindly and won’t say i’m in love from a favorite disney film fills the car.
“no.”
the drive back to the company is silent.
“i heard you got plane tickets to beijing.” is the first thing that lu hua says when she picks up the phone.
“wha--i just booked them.”
“my sources are quick.” lu hua’s tone is way too smug.
minseon leans away from the phone to press a button on her desk. “goddamit, kyungsoo.”
there’s a click and kyungsoo’s voice comes through her speakers, laughing before saying, “that scared me. an angry voice just came out of nowhere and said ‘goddamnit, kyungsoo’ and then i realized it was you and started laughing.”
she scowls at her desk before remembering that kyungsoo couldn’t actually see her. oops. “you didn’t waste a moment, did you?”
“nope, the moment you asked for times, i texted lu hua.”
“stop whispering lies in lu hua’s mind. she already has too many delusions in there,” minseon snips and she turns down the volume of the radio. she hears a small ‘hey!’ come from her forgotten phone from her desk and snickers.
“and yes. i’m going to beijing,” minseon resumes, when she picks up the cell. “but i’m going for other meetings and possible future contacts there. it’s not just play and fun, lu hua.”
the familiar beijing accent fills her ear when lu hua teases, “you need to take that stick out of your ass, minseon. play a little, relax, pop off a button or two on your blouse. god, you have such nice boobs and you restrain them all day in your unflattering bras. show off your ladies once in a while, won’t you?”
wha--her bras are not unflattering. she glances down and adjusts her blouse, feeling the collar snug against her collarbones. so what if she likes to cover up?
minseon makes an offended noise in her throat and coughs. “don’t change the subject, you fox. you’re going to beijing for work, too, remember?”
they chatter a bit more on the phone before an email pops up in the corner of her screen and it’s back to kim minseon, ceo of elite.
lu hua comes bursting into her office, per usual, but this time, her normally free hair is tied up in a sever bun at the nap of her neck and her sloping collar is up to her neck in a classic black and white halter top. it’s like something minseon would wear.
“lu hua?”
as if saying her name broke some sort of spell, lu hua sighs heavily and reaches up to undo her bun and her other hand works at her top bottom. her hair tumbles down and her collarbones peak out from under her blouse and minseon fights the urge to swallow. “hey min.”
blinking, minseon remembers what her original question is. “what’s with the outfit?”
lu hua glances down and sighs. “sehun likes the office noona look.”
there must be question marks all across her face because lu hua adds, “i meet him at the convenience store. he doesn’t know that i work as a model.”
minseon shouldn’t even feel disappointment, or at least even be used to that wave of bitter disappointment. but she’s not made of stone, she’s just human, so minseon tries to be lenient on herself.
she tries to keep her emotions out of her voice. “new one?”
lu hua’s glare is sharp and unexpected. “what the fuck do you mean ‘new one’?”
the hostility in the words has minseon backing up with tense shoulders. like realizing what she’s just done, lu hua’s back collapses, her head falling forward to be caught by her hand. lu hua rubs her temples and in that moment, she looks exhausted. “i’m sorry, i don’t know what came over me. i’m just tired.”
minseon hesitates. “sorry, i didn’t mean anything by that.”
lu hua’s smile is weak but at least it’s a smile. “gotta go, jihoon oppa’s calling.” lu hua looks so lost in that moment what minseon can’t help but to gather up her best friend in her arms. even though minseon’s shorter than lu hua, hugging lu hua just feels so comfortable and right.
“don’t overwork yourself. if you’re really tired, then call me and i’ll try to clear up your schedule a bit. no one wants a burnt out model.”
now lu hua’s smile is grateful and minseon much prefers this one. she never wants it to fade.
“thank you, minnie.”
lu hua buttons up her blouse on her way out.
minseon sighs as she settles into her seat, even the muted hustle and bustle of all the passengers sounds relaxing to her. she’s lucky today, she gets the window seat.
the past few weeks had been stressful, minseon breaking the news to joonmyun that she was taking a work trip to china to help luhan and to arrange a few meetings with the beijing branch. her cousin had taken the news with unexpected optimism (although minseon’s rarely seen her directior of fashion without his trademark pearly whites on display) and had promised her that everything would be run smoothly. within a fortnight, everything had been arranged, from which people minseon would be sharing meals with, her hotel, and even a few days that minseon had off to sight see.
kyungsoo had insisted on these days, saying that “she needed to see a bit further than her computer screen and up the nose of another perspective partner”. minseon had grumbled a bit about these days, saying that she could instead just reduce the day to 1 or 2 events but in the end, her secretary had locked her schedule and she accepted the days off.
smiling, she slips on her headphones, even the quiet buzz of the airplane settles down as everyone finds their seat. she’s got a tourist and sightseeing book open on her lap and she’s even got a few pages bookmarked, courtesy of kyungsoo. there’s at least 15 minutes until the plane begins rolling down the runway and minseon’s been on enough place rides to have her seatbelt strapped in and everything tucked away where it should be.
minseon’s always loved travelling. she loves the quiet that plane rides offer, minseon having an excuse to shut off her phone and disconnect from her busy life. she takes the opportunity to check out a few of the landmarks that kyungsoo’s circled but she falls asleep quickly to the soundtrack of her favorite drama from her childhood. it’s been a long time since minseon had enough free time to watch anything.
the airplane touches ground and jolts minseon awake, her bun bopping the top of her forehead with the jerk of her head. her headphones are askew, the left one half off her ear and she can hear a stewardess announce in korean that they’ve landed, saying the time and weather and then repeating the whole thing in mandarin. it indicates that it’s the end of minseon’s regretfully short flight and it’s time for minseon to power her phone back on and text kyungsoo that she’s arrived safely. her secretary honestly worries more for her than her own mother.
her phone pings when minseon thanks the bellboy for his help and the youth flushes, bowing deep before briskly walking back to the elevator and she lets the door swing shut, fishing through her pocket to find her phone. a text sits in her inbox.
boss min
deer of the dawn:hows your hotel?
minseon blinks, little smile curling up the corners of her lips.
boss min: lovely, as usual. pity i won’t have much time to spend in it.
deer of the dawn: oh psh, youll spend more time out of it sightseeing i hope. there’s a lot that china’s got to offer.
boss min: how’d you know that i was planning to sightsee?
deer of the dawn: kyungsoo sent me your schedule at the promise that i’d be your tour guide. the last few days of your trip you’re spending with me, i hope you know.
minseon shouldn’t even be surprised anymore.
boss min: (shocked emoticon) am i being kidnapped???
deer of the dawn: (head shaking emoticon) oh stop being dramatic, i just wanted you to meet my parents, they live more on the outskirts of beijing.
boss min: nice to actually know something a week before it happens. doesn’t happen often with you (snickering emoticon) anyways i gotta bounce, gotta put on my big girl suit and check with tomorrows producer for your shoot. you know that youre shooting solo tomorrow right?
deer of the dawn: oh wow, did i suddenly get 2 managers?
boss min: shut it. i was just making sure that you knew ok
deer of the dawn: (heart eyes emoticon) awww thanks minnie. and yeah, ill work hard tomorrow! (cheering emoticon)
minseon digs through her carryon to pull out her charger and sighs, plugging the device into an outlet and pulls out her makeup, her suit neatly pressed and waiting for her in the closet. ‘make a man out of you’ plays in the background while minseon prepares, humming and air punching when appropriate.
“turn your head a little more to the left and cast your eyes down, right there!” the photographer instructs, lu hua doing her best to follow. there’s less makeup than lu hua’s used to for a photo shoot, the crew trying for a minimalistic and realistic look.
it’s a simple enough concept, the first photoshoot the elite’s got lines up for lu hua. it’s a photoshoot for a teen magazine and they want to play up lu hua’s doe like eyes and elegant beauty. the concept was to capture the feelings of first love, an innocent sort of love, a young girl who’s blooming and falling in love. they’ve kept the makeup very natural, just a touch of mascara and blush to contour cheeks.
today, lu hua’s sweet and demure, her gaze into the camera soft and inquisitive. the photographer’s full of praise for the chinese model but he’s still searching for that perfect photo that really makes every girl who’ll see the cover and remember that tender feeling of their first.
lu hua tries to play the part, feeling very teen in her loose tee and worn jeans, her blonde hair tied back in a casual low pony, but there’s just something about the concept that lu hua can’t slip into.
the photographer calls a 5 minute break after a few more photos, noticing that there’s a small commotion in the back. it’s nearly noon so lu hua wonders if it’s the lunch break when she notices a number of the staff bowing and then she spots a familiar face.
minseon’s come to visit, a staff badge bouncing off her torso as she makes numerous mini bows of thanks to hard working staff.
lu hua’s caught by surprise, the schedule that kyungsoo had sent her hadn’t mentioned minseon would be visiting any of the few shoots that had been dispersed. lu hua’s finally able to capture minseon’s attention and minseon waves, her cheeks bunching up when she smiles at her friend.
a flash goes off and lu hua’s blinded, unprepared. “i thought we were done,” she questions the photographer.
he smiles, slightly apologetic, “your expression was really nice right there.”
she frowns and steps down from the set to peek at the computer that processes each of the photos that the photographer takes and sure enough, there’s the latest photo and when lu hua sees it, she just blinks. the photographer’s right, lu hua’s mouth is just a lit agape and she can see the beginnings of a smile there, a certain light brightening up her eyes, like a young girl in love.
there’s something about the expression that stirs something in lu hua’s mind but it doesn’t take root deep enough to stay and the thought’s gone after a moment. turns out, minseon’s bought lunch for the entire staff.
minseon jolts awake with a small gasp, feeling like electricity running through her veins. everything’s too warm, her sheets are crumpled at the foot of the hotel bed, ache low in her belly. her mind might still be hazy from sleep but she just knows that she’s soaking, back slightly arching into the mattress.
she’s trying to think why she’s awake, shifting through her disorientated mind when she remembers with shocking clarity of her dream. her eyes drift shut and her dream’s imprinted onto the back of her eyelids. she can see how pretty lu hua looks with dark red marks littered down her neck bared to her, how eager lu hua parts her legs when she settles between them, how lu hua’s hands reached out for her to be closer. minseon swallows thickly as the cries of dream lu hua replay and her hand slides down her body unconsciously.
minseon’s legs fall apart, her body shivering with anticipation when she fingers the band of her sleeping shorts. she plays with the elastic with a bit, abs clenching and relaxing under the softest of touches. she doesn’t even know what time it is, but right now she just needs these few minutes of escape.
she tries not to but her mind replaces her own hand with lu hua’s hands and minseon bites down hard on her lip when her hand goes beneath her shorts and she feels just how wet she is. “oh god,” she breathes into the dark hotel room, other hand coming up to cup her breast.
there’s something so wrong about how her breath hitches at the imagination of her best friend, but lu hua’s so beautiful, so unattainable that minseon’s only able to have her in her mind.
minseon’s middle finger pressed between her folds, not quite pressing in and she clenches around nothing. minseon’s breath is quickening, long inhales and exhales exchanged for soft pants and gasps. this is so wrong, but minseon’s still too sleepy, still too turned on, still too in love to not allow herself this small, small pleasure.
the first finger pushes in and her tiny gasps sounds loud in the hotel room. she jolts, hyper aware of her finger slowly pressing in. she’s trying to adjust, it’s been too long since she’s last been touched, by herself or someone else.
the sheets protest loudly as they’re crumbled under her writhing, finger pressing in and out in an excruciating pace and her thumb and forefinger pinching a hard nub. little sounds fall out of her mouth but minseon’s not even fully aware of all the noise she’s making but it makes the slide easier.
her left hand twists her nipple and the first loud moan comes out of her mouth when her thumb brushes teasingly across her clitoris. minseon’s teasing herself, drawing the experience out because right now, she’s quieted that little voice in her head that says that she shouldn’t be doing this, this is wrong, this is lu hua so that now all she hears is her own noises and lu hua’s imagined one.
“please,” she begs to no one, her index finger teasing along the edges. “i need this, i need this,” minseon babbles. her back’s arching to give her more pressure where she wants, her hair for sure a mess now, and her left hand squeezing hard over her boob.
lu hua’s mentioned a few times of her envy of minseon’s full cups and she uses that to imagine lu hua complementing the perky nipples, the way they fit so nicely in her hand. now her legs are bent, toes curling into the mattress.
minseon adds the second finger and she gasps. her eyes fly open and she’s blinking fast, tears welling up, shivers wracking her body. minseon hadn’t realized how much she needed this, how much she craved a release. she’s lightly circling her clit with her thumb and it’s driving her insane because she doesn’t know if she wants her fingers on her, in her, there’s too much going on.
“yesyesyes,” she’s babbling to herself, pushing herself closer and closer to that horizon. it’s been so long that minseon’s given herself this luxury and she can already feel herself clenching hard around her fingers. she’s so close, so close, the trembling women’s so sensitive, sensitive to her fingers on her nipple, in her, around her clit and minseon takes that final push to her orgasm by pressing her thumb down hard on her clit and white stars burst in her vision.
she doesn't even know if her eyes are open or if they’re closed, waves of pleasure washing over her. her toes curl hard into the sheets, her fingers now weakly pushing in and out of her through the orgasm.
her breathing in harsh in her ears, coming down for her high. minseon feels so sated, almost boneless with pleasure. she hadn’t even realized that it’s been so long, that it’s been so long since she let herself go like that and now the reality of what she’s just done causes her cheeks to burn hot. there might not be anyone in the room at see how red her face or how flushed her body is but minseon squeaks in embarrassment, turning her head to her pillow.
“oh my god,” she whispers out loud to an empty room. “holy shit.” how can she look lu hua in the face now.
“i’m so fucked.”
lu hua pouts at her phone. she’s between shoots and she’s got a few hours to kill before the next gig so she had slipped away from her manager and she’s meeting up with an old friend from before she moved to korea. her friend had texted her that she’s running a few minutes late so lu hua’s sitting alone in a food stall, smiling softly at the owner.
lu hua doesn’t particularly mind waiting, it’s the tight schedule she’s built her day around that she’s worried about. but the atmosphere around her helps loosen her nerves and she finds herself soaking in the calm air.
they’ve arranged to meet up at a food stall that’s recently popped up in the area and it’s off a side road that’s close to the park so lu hua can hear the shouts and laughter of children float by when the wind blows hard. there’s a little pot of white blossoms on her table and it’s an adorable touch. lu hua follows that weird urge to lean in and smell the flowers when she hears the familiar and telltale sound of a camera click.
she instinctively glances around to see if someone was taking a photo on their phone or something but instead she sees the lense of a canon pointed at her. her eyes widen and she glances to see if the owner had taken a photo of the scenery behind her but then the owner emerges from behind his camera and his cheeks are flushed.
“oh, i’m so sorry,” he says in smooth mandarin, camera lowering to his waist. “i’m so sorry i took your photo without your permission, you just looked so peaceful smelling the flowers and--” the man cuts himself off, biting his lower lip.
“oh,” is all lu hua can say.
“i promise i’ll send you the file and delete it, it’s such a lovely photo.” his mandarin has a slight lilt to it, accent perhaps? it’s not quite a beijing accent but hints a little country. the man is handsome enough, not cut lines like the models lu hua works with, but he’s got simple beauty, black hair mussed by the wind. his watch is expensive so lu hua doubts that he’s just some random civilian.
“could i see the photo?” she finds herself saying and even the surprise on the photographer’s face says that it wasn’t the response he hadn’t expected.
he’s got a really kind smile, is lu hua’s thought when he nods and steps closer, turning his camera so lu hua can see the photo.
it’s candid and lu hua’s obviously not looking at the camera but the expression on her face can only be described as serene. the wind’s playing with her baby hairs and lu hua can tell that he’s an experienced photographer because even with the lighting, he’s got the perfect exposure and focus for the colors of the display screen to show as closely to life as possible. lu hua’s had outdoor shoots before, but it’s always posed, positioned for the camera.
it’s got a feeling of sincerity and lu hua blinks.
“i promise to delete it right now if you want, but it’s a really nice photo and i’d love to develop it and send it to you,” the photographer continues, bringing the camera back to his chest.
“i don’t really mind,” lu hua says, “but how will you send it?”
the man digs into his pocket and withdraws his business card. “by email, if you’ll email me with your email, i’ll send it.”
he hands over his card and lu hua reads the characters for zhang yixing, photographer in neat print. the card’s simple in design but it says all that it needs to and it matches the clean cut man.
“i’m zhang yixing, as the card says,” the man finally introduces himself.
lu hua takes his out stretched hands and reciprocates, “lu hua. nice to meet you.”
“lu hua! sorry for making you wait!” song qian’s long last heard voice interrupts the two and announces the arrival of her late friend.
lu hua stands and envelopes her longtime friend in long hug, trying to express her happiness at the sight of her friend through the grip.
qian settles in the chair across from lu hua and glances at the man. “hello,” she greets, addressing the man.
“good afternoon,” he says, nodding his head in her direction and she returns the nod. “i won’t take any more of your time, i’ll let you ladies be.”
yixing takes one more small bow at them before strolling off and qian turns to lu hua. “who’s he?”
lu hua shrugs, not really sure of what had just transpired either. “some photographer. he took my photo and wants to send it to me.”
qian frowns in the direction zhang had walked off in and made a little hrrmph! noise in the back of her throat, her indication of dismissing the incident. she turns back to lu hua with sparkles in her eyes and the tale of the most amazing love courtship she’s been in at the tip of her tongue and the photographer is forgotten quickly enough.
lu hua always thinks it’s funny where fate takes her in all of its adventures. and lu hua thinks it’s a little funny that she finds herself across the room of that odd photographer she had met a few days ago.
there’s no point pretending that she hadn’t seen him, they’re staring directly at each other across the room, pretentious glasses of wine raised to their lips. lu hua’s got the corner of her lip raised in an amused smile, while the man -zhang yixing- ’s got his brow raised in acknowledgement of her.
in reality, lu hua’s the one that shouldn’t be at the place where they meet again with the consideration that they’re in the middle of an art showing. she’s here because it’s a sponsor’s photographer’s showing and yixing melds in with the crowd, expensive suit pressed and tailored for his build. his watch glints on his wrist and lu hua almost laughs at the consistency.
“are you enjoying the pieces?” yixing says once he crosses the room to her side as though it’s completely normal that they’ve met again. there’s a million people in beijing but the one man who has a candid photo of her is standing next to her.
lu hua takes her eyes off the photo that she had been observing to glance at the man next to her, gauging her response. “yes.” she goes with something simple.
yixing hums in his throat and even lu hua finds the noise calming. maybe it’s that laidback, artist vibe that she gets from him or the way he all his movement are unhurried, not calculated, but as though he doesn’t have anywhere to rush to, that lu hua finds herself relaxing around him.
tranquil.
that’s how lu hua describes the aura around yixing.
“do you know the photographer?” lu hua asks, returning her attention back to the crisp photo of a deer standing alert atop a rock in some quiet forest.
she can hear, rather than see the small smile he dons. “i guess you could say that, yes,” yixing answers, “we attended the same art school and hung in the same group of friends.”
glancing around the exhibit, she takes in the moving metaphorical money bags speaking in hushed conversations saying, “and have you had one of your own showcases like this?”
“no. no, not yet. i still haven’t picked the number of satisfactory photos required for something like this,” is yixing’s easy answer.
she had gone home the other day and plugged his name into baido and the results that had returned told her that yixing just wasn’t some no name, wandering photographer. he’s got a number of awards tucked under his belt, even a few magazine articles praising a high schooler yixing. but yixing doesn’t need to know about her search.
“a perfectionist?”
yixing’s smiles lifts a little wider, “no, just picky.”
lu hua smiles back like he’s just said a joke. she’s been in this business long enough to know that it isn’t really.
“hello?”
“this is lu hua, the woman you’ve had the pleasure of meeting at the park and at today’s exhibit.”
yixing laughs and even through the phone’s speaker it sounds delightful. she wants to hear more of it, which is the reason for this phone call. “yes, yes, i make it a point to remember delightfully beautiful women.”
“yixing-i can call you yixing, yes?”
“i have no qualms.”
“yes, yixing. would you perhaps be free of any arrangements this evening?” she’s just stepped out of the exhibit hall and stands at the lobby of the showcase, nearly about to call a cab to get her back to her hotel when lu hua’s struck with an impulse to invite the photographer out to dinner. lu hua’s always been straightforward and one to act on her emotions, and this is no exception.
“hm? no, after the exhibit, i am free. are you perhaps hoping to change that status?”
lu hua appreciates a man who can detect hints. “exactly. i’m hoping for a dinner.”
“and a dinner you’ve won. have you left yet?”
“i’m at the front of the building, in the lobby.”
“i’ll see you in 5.” and the call ends. lu hu doesn’t mind the abrupt end, it fits yixing, no nonsense and all.
“at least it’s always easy to find you.”
lu hua frowns, she’s not the tallest girl here, but it might be her hair color? “what do you mean?”
yixing smiles, offering his arm and she loops her arm through his after a moment of hesitation. he doesn’t answer her question until he’s hailing down a taxi. “you’re the prettiest girl there. it’s very easy to spot you, lu hua.”
lu hua’s no stranger to compliments, but yixing’s make her flush to the tip of her ears. she doesn’t know how to respond, pulling out her phone to text her manager that she’ll find her own way home tonight as yixing tells the driver the location.
“have you been there before?” the photographer asks as the taxi peels away from the curb and back into the current of traffic.
she shakes her head; she hadn’t even recognized the name of the place. “i haven’t been back in beijing for a while,” she says in explanation.
“haven’t been? your mandarin sounds pretty spot on so i’m assuming you were born here. living abroad? america?” yixing says.
lu hua shakes her head, “no, not that far. i’ve been living in south korea. moved there awhile back ago for work.”
the taxi slows and the driver parks, turning to them to inform them of the price. it’s after yixing pays the fare in exact change, she realizes that he’s been carefully observing the fare like any beijinger should have. she’s been away for too long.
it isn’t until lu hua closes the door to her hotel room, lips curled unconsciously at the memories of the evening, that she realizes that she had forgotten to talk about the photograph and how she really didn’t mind it.
she tugs her cell phone out of her purse while she digs her toes into the back of her heels to kick them in the general direction of the door. she sighs when her fingers hit the smooth surface of the smartphone and when her heels touch the floor.
her right hand’s swiping to find her texting app while her left is working sloppily at the zipper at the side of her pencil skirt. she clicks ‘new message’ fumbling with reaching her thumb across the screen to type in zhang yixing in as the recipient while she absent mindedly steps out of the skirt puddling at her feet.
lu hua takes the moment to appreciate technology as she sends a quick ‘thank you for this evening’ text bottomless and flushed out on the hotel sheets. the screen eventually blacks out while she daydreams but pings once as yixing’s ‘you’re welcome. thank you for the opportunity to get to know you. i had a lovely time’ text arrives in her inbox and she’s smiling stupidly at the screen. she decides it’s because of the cute emojis he’s sent with the text.
heaven knows that lu hua’s been on her fair share of dates-she’s been on enough to know what to call this evening-but she feels so at ease, so okay to act like lu hua, not lu hua the model, not lu hua the saleswoman, not lu hua the pretty girl but just the girl who left china to pursue her career. it’s like a breath of fresh air.
she doesn’t bother to send another text that evening, riding high on this relaxation that unplugs her from the world as she slides with a sigh into warm water.
yixing’s got this funny thing about timing. he manages to text lu hua these texts that all suggest a casual hangout right when lu hua finishes an event on her schedule. he even manages to catch her during her 2 hour breaks, time long enough for her to steal away and grab lunch with the man. lu hua even goes out with him again on the second evening, this time yixing inviting her to a hilltop side that’s prime picnic area that’s a gorgeous viewpoint of the sunset and she realizes the beauty of a beijing sunset.
but really, the funniest thing about yixing is how easily and quickly he captures lu hua. her attention’s been caught since the first day but as the days pass, she feels herself being reeled in. and she doesn’t mind it a single bit.
Part I | Part II