Picture Of You (100 SuJu Challenge)
Theme #97: Glasses
Title: Picture Of You
Pairing: (Writer’s Choice) Kibum/Donghae
Author: thundersquall
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 4,309
Summary: AU. Donghae’s a famous celebrity photographer, Kibum’s a sought-after model with an attitude problem.
The wonderful darleenk gave me the prompt “model/photographer!AU”, I simply grabbed it with both hands and ran with it. Thank you so much bb!
Also, this is a late, late, late fic for Kibum’s birthday. D: It’s all my fault for getting sidetracked by a million YeWooks. Happy belated birthday Kibum, and your arms of sex!
___
“Look this way. Tilt your head down slightly. That’s perfect! Keep it there now…”
Donghae presses the shutter of the camera, watching as the model’s face loads onto the screen of the computer in front of him. He frowns at the effect. She’s a pretty girl, but she just doesn’t have the charisma that translates onto print. He studies the picture again, zooming in on it, flicking his eyes between the screen and the girl looking expectantly at him from where she’s standing in front of the white backdrop, in the harsh glare of the lights.
Pretty, but nothing special. Not good enough to be put on the cover of Glass.
He doesn’t say it out loud though. He simply smiles at the girl and says, “All right, we’re done for today. I’ll send you your shots tomorrow, okay?”
“Yes, of course. Thank you, Donghae-sshi.” She bows, tries to direct a sultry smile at him, but he pretends not to see it, instead looking down at his camera and fiddling with it. From the corner of his eye, he sees his assistant, Sungmin, rush forward to hustle her away towards the changing room, and sighs in relief that Sungmin is always there to step in whenever the models try to get fresh with him.
Sungmin comes back in a couple of minutes, frowning. “You’re not going to use her, right?”
“No,” Donghae sighs. “She’s just not good enough for an upmarket magazine like Glass. Seriously, where are all the good models now? Why do the agencies keep sending me people like these?”
“Yeah, all they want to do is sleep with you to advance their careers,” Sungmin says cheekily. “Getting shot by the famous celebrity photographer Lee Donghae is quite a coup for most aspiring models, you know.”
“Oh, stop it,” Donghae laughs. He isn’t offended; Sungmin and he have worked together for so long they’re more like friends, and this easy banter has become common between them.
Sungmin grins, but his face becomes solemn again as he leans closer to look at the pictures Donghae just shot. “Seriously, can we get anyone good enough in time? You’ll need to get the selected shots to Glass in two days, right?”
“Don’t remind me,” Donghae groans. “If this goes on, I may have to use this girl. Or that guy I shot yesterday - the one you said had skin like an old leather wallet.” He sighs. “I’ll just get the artists to work their Photoshop magic.”
Sungmin frowns. “Don’t be silly, nothing’s magical enough to put either of those two on the cover of Glass without ruining your reputation. Can you think of anyone?”
Donghae purses his lips, thinking. “I’d wanted to stay away from the big names and use an unknown, but I guess I’m running out of time. How about Kim Heechul? He’s expensive, but I can convince Glass to up their budget.”
To his surprise, Sungmin shakes his head. “No can do. He’s in Japan now on a photoshoot, he won’t be back till next week.”
“Oh, crap,” Donghae says in frustration. “I need someone of his level for the cover. But then again, who is at the level of Kim Heechul?”
To his surprise, Sungmin’s eyes gleam as he looks at Donghae. “I know who you can use.”
“Who?”
“Kim Kibum.”
“Kim Kibum?” Donghae repeats in disbelief. “I’ve never shot him.”
“Good time to start.”
“I’ve heard he can be difficult.”
“So is Heechul, and you handled him fine.”
“Is he even free for this shoot?”
“Last I heard, he just wrapped up filming the commercial for Lunqvist’s new cologne. If I get to him fast, he may be able to schedule us in.”
“Will his agent even agree?” Donghae says doubtfully. “Kim Kibum and his agent are rather… choosy, aren’t they?”
Sungmin’s eyes widen. “Come on, no one will turn down a chance to be shot by you. You make or break careers, Donghae. And besides,” he grins again, “situations like these are what you need me and my clever skills of persuasion for.”
“Just don’t trick his agent into thinking you’ll give him sexual services in exchange for his client agreeing to do my photoshoot. Choi Siwon’s agent is still on my case about you.”
Sungmin just giggles. “Trust me, Donghae!”
Donghae smiles. He does trust Sungmin. He also knows that if Sungmin can’t get Kibum for him, no one else can.
________________________________________________________________________
“He’s an asshole,” Sungmin says, stomping into the studio where Donghae’s directing the lighting assistants who are shifting the lamps into position. “He’s the biggest asshole I’ve ever seen!”
“What’s wrong?” Donghae asks, turning to his friend. He’s never seen the normally mild-mannered, easygoing Sungmin this frustrated, his cheeks flushed and his eyes blazing.
“It’s your big-name model, “ Sungmin hisses. “Where does he get off, treating me like I’m some kind of lackey who’s completely beneath his notice?”
“What?”
“He’s the cockiest bastard ever, Donghae. I’ve been nothing but nice to him all morning and he’s barely said anything other than ‘No’ or ‘I don’t want that’ to me. And he’s refusing to use our makeup artist, and turning down every outfit the stylist brings him.”
“Why?”
“How the fuck should I know? He’s all yours, Hae. You wanted him, you handle him.”
Donghae gapes at his friend. “Sungmin, it was your idea that I use Kim Kibum.”
Sungmin flushes even darker. “Fine, but I didn’t expect him to be such an obnoxious prick. Who the hell does he think he is, acting like he’s God’s gift to this earth? Just because he’s got some looks, he thinks he’s better than everyone else.”
Donghae sighs. “So what do you want me to do?”
“It’s not what I want you to do, it’s what you have to do if you want your photoshoot to go smoothly. Just go in there and tell Kim Kibum to get that stick out of his ass.”
Sungmin stalks off, and Donghae looks helplessly at his retreating back. He’s never seen Sungmin this way before with anyone. Kim Kibum must be hard to handle indeed.
He takes a deep breath and strides off to the dressing rooms at the back of his studio, arranging his face into a bright, open expression complete with adorable grin. His guilelessness has always been able to disarm any diva’s antics and get them tripping over themselves to do as he asks - no, pleads, with large puppy-dog eyes and a good dose of cuteness - them to.
_______________________________________________________________________
It’s rare to see Donghae in the changing rooms when the model’s not ready. He generally prefers to wait in the photography studio until they’re done and come out to meet him, because somehow he believes that it intimidates them more if they don’t see him or know anything about him before the shoot starts. That way, he can control the shoot, and not the models, some of who have notoriously oppositional temperaments. Sungmin’s always told him his ‘belief’ is a bunch of crap, but it’s never gone wrong for him.
And now it’ll probably all end disastrously because of Sungmin’s huffy fit and a difficult spoilt model.
When Donghae steps into the dressing room now, it’s in its usual state of chaos before a photoshoot. People are rushing around, carrying armfuls of clothing and accessories and shoes; various makeup items and bottles of skin products are strewn over every available surface; and over all that is the constant noise of chatter as various people make their way around the room, stopping in surprise when they see Donghae and then bowing to him.
In the midst of all this frenetic movement, Kim Kibum stands out like a sore thumb in one corner, where he’s sitting unmoving and silent with his back to Donghae, under a bank of harsh bright lights, apparently about to begin his makeup. Several of Donghae’s staff are standing uncertainly around him, looking dismayed and uncomfortable as Donghae strides forward.
“Kim Kibum-sshi?” he says cheerily when he reaches the chair Kibum’s on. “I’m Lee Donghae, your photographer. I hear from Sungmin that you’re not very satisfied with clothes and makeup so far, is there any way I can help - “
Kibum swivels around slowly until he’s facing Donghae, and tilts his chair backwards slightly so he can look up into Donghae’s face. Donghae looks back down at him and feels his breath catch in his throat as his words trail off into nothingness. He’s seen Kim Kibum on screen and in print before, of course, he’s one of South Korea’s top models, but god, out of the thousand photos of Kim Kibum he must have seen before, not a single one of them does him justice.
Then quite abruptly, Kibum smiles up at him, full lips pulling back to show perfect white teeth, and Donghae’s quite sure he’s just died and gone to model heaven. How is it possible that someone this perfect existed and he, Lee Donghae, hasn’t even managed to shoot him yet? Excitement courses through his veins as he studies every inch of that gorgeous face in front of him, taking in the sultry dark eyes, the flawless skin, the bone structure. If only he can capture all that on camera, bring the essence of the man out onto the glossy page of a magazine cover in a way that no other photographer’s managed to do -
“Yes, I believe I’ll need your help if you’ve finished staring at me, Donghae-sshi,” Kibum drawls in a deep husky voice, and Donghae starts, jerking back involuntarily and then flushing. God, he hadn’t even known he was staring. He still isn’t over the shock of finding that the man Sungmin called an obnoxious cocky bastard is, in fact, the best-looking man he’s ever worked with in his career, and probably deserves to be as stuck-up as possible. With a face like that, he could get away with murder.
“We - we’re almost behind schedule,” Donghae manages, trying to gain some control of the situation. “Kibum-sshi, I’d appreciate it if you could let my staff do their work and get your hair and makeup done.”
Kibum’s eyes are amused as they flicker lazily over Donghae from head to foot and back up again. “Well, if the famous photographer Lee Donghae himself has come to request that I accede to his request, I can’t very well say no, can I? Besides, you flatter me, Donghae-sshi. I must be the first model you’ve come personally to speak to. Don’t you normally never interact with your models until they’re ready for the shoot?”
Donghae’s jaw drops. “How did you know?”
Kibum laughs, and Donghae finds himself once against fascinated by the way Kibum’s lips curve up and his eyes crinkle at the corners. “ Your quirks are well-known in the industry, Donghae-sshi. And I must say, I’m glad I waited.”
“Waited for?” Donghae’s getting more confused by the minute; he can literally feel the photoshoot slipping out of his hands. Great, now Kim Kibum will be pulling all the strings and rejecting every single shot he takes, and Donghae will never get someone else in time for Glass.
Just as he begins to feel the smallest wave of panic rising in him, Kibum turns back towards the bank of lights and motions towards the makeup artist standing a little way behind both of them. “I’m ready.”
“Excuse me?” Donghae blinks.
“I just wanted to see if you’d come to me. I’m satisfied now that you did.”
Donghae stands there, stunned, as the stylists converge on Kibum, and as his words sink in he feels his hands curl into angry fists. He turns and storms out, back to the studio, before he can take something and hurl it at Kibum’s head. He can’t believe he got played for a fool just because of some stupid model’s whims.
But as he looks down at the camera in his hands, eyes boring into it and fingers digging into it as if it’s the one that offended him, he finds himself thinking again of Kibum’s face and eyes and smile and how he’ll look in Donghae’s camera, in the poses Donghae directs him in, in the photos that Donghae will eventually develop.
And he finds that somehow, he can’t really stay angry for long.
__________________________________________________________________________
The photoshoot goes amazingly smoothly; Kibum is quiet and serious once they get to work and surprisingly cooperative, obediently arranging himself in one sultry pose or another. He’s even better-looking now that he’s dressed and styled like the high-fashion model he is, and for the first time ever Donghae’s more interested in the person himself than they way he looks on his camera. It doesn’t help that he’s distracted by how Kibum’s eyes are heavily lined with eyeliner, and the stylists put him in a simple black tank top that clings to his chest and shows off beautifully tanned skin and deliciously defined arms.
Donghae’s kind of torn between taking as many photos as he can of Kibum to preserve this spectacle of beauty forever, or just going up to him and running his tongue all over those arms, and to hell with the staff. He fights down the inexplicable feeling of want that rises in him whenever Kibum’s eyes lock on his, and simply shoots as much as he can until the studio’s reverberating with the almost-continuous sound of the shutter. He’ll filter out the ones that turn out bad later.
Sungmin reappears, looking calmer and less antagonistic, just as the shoot ends at about 8 p.m. and Kibum’s retreated to the changing rooms. He spends some time looking through the photos that Donghae’s already taken, his expression awed and utterly impressed.
“Wow,” he says. “Wow, Hae, you’ve outdone yourself this time.”
Donghae shrugs modestly. “Kim Kibum’s a pretty good model to shoot, to be honest. I hardly have to do anything.”
“Yeah, the guy’s good-looking,” Sungmin admits grudgingly. “Doesn’t change the fact that he’s a prick. But honestly, Donghae, your shots - they’re perfect. Forget about Glass, any magazine in the world would take these and willingly pay an arm and a leg. How are you so talented?”
Donghae hardly hears what Sungmin is saying; he’s just caught sight of Kibum striding purposefully towards them, agent in tow. He’s back in the simple jeans and fitted tee he wore to the studio in the morning, but he hasn’t bothered to clean the eyeliner off and when his eyes lock on Donghae’s, he can feel his heart leap into his throat. Dammit, he thinks miserably to himself.
“Thank you for your hard work, Donghae-sshi,” Kibum says formally and politely when he reaches them, and out of the corner of his eye Donghae sees Sungmin’s mouth fall open at his politeness.
“No, thank you,” Donghae says hurriedly, struggling to stand up and bow.
“Will I be able to see the photos soon?”
“Yes, most definitely. I’ll look through them tonight, pick out the ones that I think will be best for Glass, and send them in a CD to the magazine tomorrow. I’ll arrange for a copy to be sent to your agent as well.”
“No,” Kibum says. “Don’t send them to Henry. I prefer looking through my pictures myself. Why don’t we head out for dinner now and discuss this? I’ve shot a cover for Glass before, I know what they’ll like and not like. I could help you select the ones you need to send to them.”
“N-now?” Donghae stutters. Dinner? With Kim Kibum? He has to force himself to calm down, to take deep breaths, because after all he is the famous photographer Lee Donghae and he has no reason to be acting like a starstruck fan.
“Well, it is dinnertime now. Shall we?” Without waiting for Donghae to reply, he turns and begins walking off.
“Wait, wait, Kibum-sshi!” Donghae calls after him, almost bouncing on his heels in his panic. “I can’t just leave, I have to get the assistants to clear the props, clean the area - “
“Isn’t that your PA next to you? Lee Sungmin, I believe? He’s capable enough to do all that in your place, or you wouldn’t have him. Just take your laptop and go. I’m starving already.” And with that, he walks off again without a backward glance.
“Oh my god, he is such a prick,” Sungmin says bitterly once Kibum’s out of sight. “I can’t believe he just expects you to trail after him and leave me here to - Donghae? Donghae, where are you going?”
Donghae’s already running towards the exit, laptop tucked under one arm and camera under the other. “Sorry, Sungmin, just help me out for today, okay?”
“Oh my god Donghae I cannot believe you’re dumping me here for that obnoxious ass!” Sungmin screeches after him, but he’s already out of the door.
_____________________________________________________________________
Donghae doesn’t remember much about the dinner. He knows that they did spend the first half of their time picking and discarding photos, until they’ve chosen about 20 which they agree should be sent to Glass. The second half of the dinner is pretty much a blur, because Kibum keeps calling for more wine and refilling Donghae’s glass.
But mostly he doesn’t remember it because when he’s back at Kibum’s luxurious apartment (and he doesn’t remember how he got there either) and Kibum’s pressing him into black satin sheets with those arms and smiling darkly at him with a mere flash of white teeth, everything else but the way Kibum’s hands and lips and tongue feel on his body is driven out of his mind.
______________________________________________________________________
“Oh, fuck,” Donghae says the next morning, when he wakes up to a pounding headache, several lovebites, no clothes on and an equally naked Kibum sleeping in the bed next to him.
“Oh, fuck,” he says again, miserably, when he’s back home after sneaking out of Kibum’s apartment and calls Sungmin, who gave him 36 missed calls last night.
“Don’t tell me you did what I think you did,” Sungmin’s voice says sternly over the phone.
“I - I think I did.”
“You’re an idiot. A one-night stand with some swaggering model who’s just going to put you as another notch on his bedpost and tell the whole industry he slept with the Lee Donghae? Could you not have kept it in your pants long enough to think about your reputation?”
“Kibum wouldn’t do that,” Donghae swallows. “He’s famous in his own right, he doesn’t need me to increase his profile.”
“Wait till the word starts going around that Lee Donghae’s a slut, then come back and tell me the same thing.”
“Sungmin…” Donghae pleads. “Please, please just stop it, I’m feeling bad enough as it is.”
There’s a silence, but when Sungmin speaks again, his tone is softer. “Oh, Donghae, what am I going to do with you?”
“Come over to my place and bring me sleeping pills so I can kill myself,” Donghae says dejectedly.
____________________________________________________________________
Kibum calls him for an entire month, but he never picks up the phone. He’s afraid of what he might hear. What if Kibum thinks he’s easy now and decides to treat him like some sort of booty call? So he refuses to pick up his mobile, and Sungmin screens the calls to his office for him.
To distract himself, he throws himself into his work, with the result that most of what he shoots this month comes out spectacular. But, he thinks to himself secretly, none quite as good as Kibum’s photoshoot. He literally has to restrain himself, each time he switches his laptop on, from going into the folder where he keeps the pictures from Kibum’s shoot and going through them just to see his face again. Especially so when Glass calls to rave about his shots for Kibum and are effusive in their praise.
“They’re amazing,” the marketing director tells Donghae. “We want you to do another photoshoot with Kim Kibum, for the December Christmas issue.”
“What?” Donghae asks, horrified.
“Yes, Kim Kibum-sshi has amazing chemistry with the lens and you bring it out so well. We think the both of you are the best team for it. That’s a very important issue, all the big designers will be sending items that we want him to model for in it.”
“B-But - “
“We know we can count on you, Donghae-sshi.”
Donghae raises his eyes to the heavens, wondering how long he’s going to be punished for a stupid one-night stand. “Okay,” he whispers pathetically into the phone.
_______________________________________________________________________
“How long do you intend to avoid me?”
Donghae jerks wide awake at that voice, even though it’s half past one in the morning and the only reason why he’s even awake was the insistent ringing of his home phone. “Kibum-sshi?”
“Why have you been avoiding my calls?” Kibum asks, ignoring his question.
“How did you get my private home number?” Donghae shouts into the phone.
“Asked around. Got Henry to ask around. You wouldn’t believe how many favours I owe how many people in order to get this. But actually - ” there’s a slight pause. “Actually, not as many as the number of people I owe favours to now, just to get your home address.”
“Excuse me?” Donghae says disbelievingly.
“I’m downstairs now, and I would have come right up if not for the stupid security keycard system.”
Donghae’s heart is pounding with a mixture of fear and shock, but he manages to say, “That’s to keep people like you away from me.”
“I just want to talk. Okay? Can you please let me up? We need to talk because Glass wants us to work together again, do you know? They just called Henry last week and told him. And I have to talk to you, I don’t like the idea of you being so unsure about what happened. I don’t know why you have to avoid me, we were two consenting adults, it was something we both wanted, and - “
“Stop, stop!” Donghae cries, panicked. “Don’t - don’t talk about this in public!”
“Then will you let me up?” Kibum demands.
Donghae gives in; it’s obvious Kibum will never leave unless he does. “Fine, but come near me and I’ll scream rape and call the police.”
He can almost hear Kibum roll his eyes when he replies, “Fine, I promise.”
____________________________________________________________________________
“I thought you didn’t want me to come near you?”
“I thought all you wanted to do was talk?”
They’re in Donghae’s bed this time, both of them shaking bonelessly and panting and entangled in a sticky, slippery mess of arms and legs.
“How did this happen?” Donghae says, eyes wide, as he tries to catch his breath. “Why are we doing this? Weren’t we supposed to be discussing work? I mean, you just came up here and - and grabbed me, and then you do this to me, and I was just - “
“Donghae,” Kibum interrupts, turning to him, his face mere inches away from Donghae’s so that he can see every single eyelash framing Kibum’s eyes, see how dilated Kibum’s pupils are and how flushed he is as his bare chest heaves, perspiration gleaming on it. “Just shut up.”
And with that, he leans forward and kisses Donghae, kisses him until he’s breathless and unable to speak but for small little whimpers, and when he finally pulls away Donghae follows him, leaning in until he realizes what he’s doing and pulls back, blushing furiously.
“You’re not supposed to be doing this to me, Kibum,” he says in a small voice, turning away so he’s not looking straight at Kibum.
“Neither are you, but you do it anyway.”
Donghae opens his mouth, about to protest again (though he isn’t even sure, at this point, what they’re bickering over or what he needs to protest about), when an idea strikes him. He turns in Kibum’s warm arms, which have wrapped themselves lazily around him sometime during the kiss, and props himself up on one elbow to take his camera, sitting on the nightstand.
“What are you doing?” Kibum murmurs, already sounding drowsy.
Instead of answering, Donghae arranges himself back in Kibum’s arms, tucking his head into the crook of Kibum’s shoulder, as Kibum rests his cheek sleepily against the top of his head. “Smile,” he instructs like the photographer he is, and presses the shutter with a click.
Donghae’s still blinking the flash from his eyes when Kibum, next to him, says, “What was that about? Blackmail?”
He replaces the camera on the nightstand before turning to Kibum again, looking him square in his face, his perfect, beautiful face. “I’ll be using that as footage for the tabloids if you don’t kiss me again.”
Kibum doesn’t need any further urging.
_________________________________________________________________________
As one of the top photographers in South Korea, Donghae spends his days taking photos of the country’s most famous actors, models, and other celebrities. His pictures are in demand by practically every publication because they’re never short of stunning.
But Donghae personally thinks that all the pictures he’s ever taken, and had published, and won awards for, pale in comparison to one he has framed and displayed on the bedside table in his bedroom. It shows Kibum, his lips curved in a soft half-smile, eyes half-closed and hazy with the remnants of pleasure and the beginnings of sleepiness, cheeks tinted pink and the line of his shoulders and collarbones just showing. Next to him is Donghae, snuggled against his shoulder and smiling much more brightly, even though his eyes are as misted over as Kibum’s are.
Donghae thinks that photo is perfect, just like Kibum is. Kibum agrees, except that instead of himself, he says the photo’s as perfect as Donghae.
Title: Picture Of You
Pairing: (Writer’s Choice) Kibum/Donghae
Author: thundersquall
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 4,309
Summary: AU. Donghae’s a famous celebrity photographer, Kibum’s a sought-after model with an attitude problem.
The wonderful darleenk gave me the prompt “model/photographer!AU”, I simply grabbed it with both hands and ran with it. Thank you so much bb!
Also, this is a late, late, late fic for Kibum’s birthday. D: It’s all my fault for getting sidetracked by a million YeWooks. Happy belated birthday Kibum, and your arms of sex!
___
“Look this way. Tilt your head down slightly. That’s perfect! Keep it there now…”
Donghae presses the shutter of the camera, watching as the model’s face loads onto the screen of the computer in front of him. He frowns at the effect. She’s a pretty girl, but she just doesn’t have the charisma that translates onto print. He studies the picture again, zooming in on it, flicking his eyes between the screen and the girl looking expectantly at him from where she’s standing in front of the white backdrop, in the harsh glare of the lights.
Pretty, but nothing special. Not good enough to be put on the cover of Glass.
He doesn’t say it out loud though. He simply smiles at the girl and says, “All right, we’re done for today. I’ll send you your shots tomorrow, okay?”
“Yes, of course. Thank you, Donghae-sshi.” She bows, tries to direct a sultry smile at him, but he pretends not to see it, instead looking down at his camera and fiddling with it. From the corner of his eye, he sees his assistant, Sungmin, rush forward to hustle her away towards the changing room, and sighs in relief that Sungmin is always there to step in whenever the models try to get fresh with him.
Sungmin comes back in a couple of minutes, frowning. “You’re not going to use her, right?”
“No,” Donghae sighs. “She’s just not good enough for an upmarket magazine like Glass. Seriously, where are all the good models now? Why do the agencies keep sending me people like these?”
“Yeah, all they want to do is sleep with you to advance their careers,” Sungmin says cheekily. “Getting shot by the famous celebrity photographer Lee Donghae is quite a coup for most aspiring models, you know.”
“Oh, stop it,” Donghae laughs. He isn’t offended; Sungmin and he have worked together for so long they’re more like friends, and this easy banter has become common between them.
Sungmin grins, but his face becomes solemn again as he leans closer to look at the pictures Donghae just shot. “Seriously, can we get anyone good enough in time? You’ll need to get the selected shots to Glass in two days, right?”
“Don’t remind me,” Donghae groans. “If this goes on, I may have to use this girl. Or that guy I shot yesterday - the one you said had skin like an old leather wallet.” He sighs. “I’ll just get the artists to work their Photoshop magic.”
Sungmin frowns. “Don’t be silly, nothing’s magical enough to put either of those two on the cover of Glass without ruining your reputation. Can you think of anyone?”
Donghae purses his lips, thinking. “I’d wanted to stay away from the big names and use an unknown, but I guess I’m running out of time. How about Kim Heechul? He’s expensive, but I can convince Glass to up their budget.”
To his surprise, Sungmin shakes his head. “No can do. He’s in Japan now on a photoshoot, he won’t be back till next week.”
“Oh, crap,” Donghae says in frustration. “I need someone of his level for the cover. But then again, who is at the level of Kim Heechul?”
To his surprise, Sungmin’s eyes gleam as he looks at Donghae. “I know who you can use.”
“Who?”
“Kim Kibum.”
“Kim Kibum?” Donghae repeats in disbelief. “I’ve never shot him.”
“Good time to start.”
“I’ve heard he can be difficult.”
“So is Heechul, and you handled him fine.”
“Is he even free for this shoot?”
“Last I heard, he just wrapped up filming the commercial for Lunqvist’s new cologne. If I get to him fast, he may be able to schedule us in.”
“Will his agent even agree?” Donghae says doubtfully. “Kim Kibum and his agent are rather… choosy, aren’t they?”
Sungmin’s eyes widen. “Come on, no one will turn down a chance to be shot by you. You make or break careers, Donghae. And besides,” he grins again, “situations like these are what you need me and my clever skills of persuasion for.”
“Just don’t trick his agent into thinking you’ll give him sexual services in exchange for his client agreeing to do my photoshoot. Choi Siwon’s agent is still on my case about you.”
Sungmin just giggles. “Trust me, Donghae!”
Donghae smiles. He does trust Sungmin. He also knows that if Sungmin can’t get Kibum for him, no one else can.
________________________________________________________________________
“He’s an asshole,” Sungmin says, stomping into the studio where Donghae’s directing the lighting assistants who are shifting the lamps into position. “He’s the biggest asshole I’ve ever seen!”
“What’s wrong?” Donghae asks, turning to his friend. He’s never seen the normally mild-mannered, easygoing Sungmin this frustrated, his cheeks flushed and his eyes blazing.
“It’s your big-name model, “ Sungmin hisses. “Where does he get off, treating me like I’m some kind of lackey who’s completely beneath his notice?”
“What?”
“He’s the cockiest bastard ever, Donghae. I’ve been nothing but nice to him all morning and he’s barely said anything other than ‘No’ or ‘I don’t want that’ to me. And he’s refusing to use our makeup artist, and turning down every outfit the stylist brings him.”
“Why?”
“How the fuck should I know? He’s all yours, Hae. You wanted him, you handle him.”
Donghae gapes at his friend. “Sungmin, it was your idea that I use Kim Kibum.”
Sungmin flushes even darker. “Fine, but I didn’t expect him to be such an obnoxious prick. Who the hell does he think he is, acting like he’s God’s gift to this earth? Just because he’s got some looks, he thinks he’s better than everyone else.”
Donghae sighs. “So what do you want me to do?”
“It’s not what I want you to do, it’s what you have to do if you want your photoshoot to go smoothly. Just go in there and tell Kim Kibum to get that stick out of his ass.”
Sungmin stalks off, and Donghae looks helplessly at his retreating back. He’s never seen Sungmin this way before with anyone. Kim Kibum must be hard to handle indeed.
He takes a deep breath and strides off to the dressing rooms at the back of his studio, arranging his face into a bright, open expression complete with adorable grin. His guilelessness has always been able to disarm any diva’s antics and get them tripping over themselves to do as he asks - no, pleads, with large puppy-dog eyes and a good dose of cuteness - them to.
_______________________________________________________________________
It’s rare to see Donghae in the changing rooms when the model’s not ready. He generally prefers to wait in the photography studio until they’re done and come out to meet him, because somehow he believes that it intimidates them more if they don’t see him or know anything about him before the shoot starts. That way, he can control the shoot, and not the models, some of who have notoriously oppositional temperaments. Sungmin’s always told him his ‘belief’ is a bunch of crap, but it’s never gone wrong for him.
And now it’ll probably all end disastrously because of Sungmin’s huffy fit and a difficult spoilt model.
When Donghae steps into the dressing room now, it’s in its usual state of chaos before a photoshoot. People are rushing around, carrying armfuls of clothing and accessories and shoes; various makeup items and bottles of skin products are strewn over every available surface; and over all that is the constant noise of chatter as various people make their way around the room, stopping in surprise when they see Donghae and then bowing to him.
In the midst of all this frenetic movement, Kim Kibum stands out like a sore thumb in one corner, where he’s sitting unmoving and silent with his back to Donghae, under a bank of harsh bright lights, apparently about to begin his makeup. Several of Donghae’s staff are standing uncertainly around him, looking dismayed and uncomfortable as Donghae strides forward.
“Kim Kibum-sshi?” he says cheerily when he reaches the chair Kibum’s on. “I’m Lee Donghae, your photographer. I hear from Sungmin that you’re not very satisfied with clothes and makeup so far, is there any way I can help - “
Kibum swivels around slowly until he’s facing Donghae, and tilts his chair backwards slightly so he can look up into Donghae’s face. Donghae looks back down at him and feels his breath catch in his throat as his words trail off into nothingness. He’s seen Kim Kibum on screen and in print before, of course, he’s one of South Korea’s top models, but god, out of the thousand photos of Kim Kibum he must have seen before, not a single one of them does him justice.
Then quite abruptly, Kibum smiles up at him, full lips pulling back to show perfect white teeth, and Donghae’s quite sure he’s just died and gone to model heaven. How is it possible that someone this perfect existed and he, Lee Donghae, hasn’t even managed to shoot him yet? Excitement courses through his veins as he studies every inch of that gorgeous face in front of him, taking in the sultry dark eyes, the flawless skin, the bone structure. If only he can capture all that on camera, bring the essence of the man out onto the glossy page of a magazine cover in a way that no other photographer’s managed to do -
“Yes, I believe I’ll need your help if you’ve finished staring at me, Donghae-sshi,” Kibum drawls in a deep husky voice, and Donghae starts, jerking back involuntarily and then flushing. God, he hadn’t even known he was staring. He still isn’t over the shock of finding that the man Sungmin called an obnoxious cocky bastard is, in fact, the best-looking man he’s ever worked with in his career, and probably deserves to be as stuck-up as possible. With a face like that, he could get away with murder.
“We - we’re almost behind schedule,” Donghae manages, trying to gain some control of the situation. “Kibum-sshi, I’d appreciate it if you could let my staff do their work and get your hair and makeup done.”
Kibum’s eyes are amused as they flicker lazily over Donghae from head to foot and back up again. “Well, if the famous photographer Lee Donghae himself has come to request that I accede to his request, I can’t very well say no, can I? Besides, you flatter me, Donghae-sshi. I must be the first model you’ve come personally to speak to. Don’t you normally never interact with your models until they’re ready for the shoot?”
Donghae’s jaw drops. “How did you know?”
Kibum laughs, and Donghae finds himself once against fascinated by the way Kibum’s lips curve up and his eyes crinkle at the corners. “ Your quirks are well-known in the industry, Donghae-sshi. And I must say, I’m glad I waited.”
“Waited for?” Donghae’s getting more confused by the minute; he can literally feel the photoshoot slipping out of his hands. Great, now Kim Kibum will be pulling all the strings and rejecting every single shot he takes, and Donghae will never get someone else in time for Glass.
Just as he begins to feel the smallest wave of panic rising in him, Kibum turns back towards the bank of lights and motions towards the makeup artist standing a little way behind both of them. “I’m ready.”
“Excuse me?” Donghae blinks.
“I just wanted to see if you’d come to me. I’m satisfied now that you did.”
Donghae stands there, stunned, as the stylists converge on Kibum, and as his words sink in he feels his hands curl into angry fists. He turns and storms out, back to the studio, before he can take something and hurl it at Kibum’s head. He can’t believe he got played for a fool just because of some stupid model’s whims.
But as he looks down at the camera in his hands, eyes boring into it and fingers digging into it as if it’s the one that offended him, he finds himself thinking again of Kibum’s face and eyes and smile and how he’ll look in Donghae’s camera, in the poses Donghae directs him in, in the photos that Donghae will eventually develop.
And he finds that somehow, he can’t really stay angry for long.
__________________________________________________________________________
The photoshoot goes amazingly smoothly; Kibum is quiet and serious once they get to work and surprisingly cooperative, obediently arranging himself in one sultry pose or another. He’s even better-looking now that he’s dressed and styled like the high-fashion model he is, and for the first time ever Donghae’s more interested in the person himself than they way he looks on his camera. It doesn’t help that he’s distracted by how Kibum’s eyes are heavily lined with eyeliner, and the stylists put him in a simple black tank top that clings to his chest and shows off beautifully tanned skin and deliciously defined arms.
Donghae’s kind of torn between taking as many photos as he can of Kibum to preserve this spectacle of beauty forever, or just going up to him and running his tongue all over those arms, and to hell with the staff. He fights down the inexplicable feeling of want that rises in him whenever Kibum’s eyes lock on his, and simply shoots as much as he can until the studio’s reverberating with the almost-continuous sound of the shutter. He’ll filter out the ones that turn out bad later.
Sungmin reappears, looking calmer and less antagonistic, just as the shoot ends at about 8 p.m. and Kibum’s retreated to the changing rooms. He spends some time looking through the photos that Donghae’s already taken, his expression awed and utterly impressed.
“Wow,” he says. “Wow, Hae, you’ve outdone yourself this time.”
Donghae shrugs modestly. “Kim Kibum’s a pretty good model to shoot, to be honest. I hardly have to do anything.”
“Yeah, the guy’s good-looking,” Sungmin admits grudgingly. “Doesn’t change the fact that he’s a prick. But honestly, Donghae, your shots - they’re perfect. Forget about Glass, any magazine in the world would take these and willingly pay an arm and a leg. How are you so talented?”
Donghae hardly hears what Sungmin is saying; he’s just caught sight of Kibum striding purposefully towards them, agent in tow. He’s back in the simple jeans and fitted tee he wore to the studio in the morning, but he hasn’t bothered to clean the eyeliner off and when his eyes lock on Donghae’s, he can feel his heart leap into his throat. Dammit, he thinks miserably to himself.
“Thank you for your hard work, Donghae-sshi,” Kibum says formally and politely when he reaches them, and out of the corner of his eye Donghae sees Sungmin’s mouth fall open at his politeness.
“No, thank you,” Donghae says hurriedly, struggling to stand up and bow.
“Will I be able to see the photos soon?”
“Yes, most definitely. I’ll look through them tonight, pick out the ones that I think will be best for Glass, and send them in a CD to the magazine tomorrow. I’ll arrange for a copy to be sent to your agent as well.”
“No,” Kibum says. “Don’t send them to Henry. I prefer looking through my pictures myself. Why don’t we head out for dinner now and discuss this? I’ve shot a cover for Glass before, I know what they’ll like and not like. I could help you select the ones you need to send to them.”
“N-now?” Donghae stutters. Dinner? With Kim Kibum? He has to force himself to calm down, to take deep breaths, because after all he is the famous photographer Lee Donghae and he has no reason to be acting like a starstruck fan.
“Well, it is dinnertime now. Shall we?” Without waiting for Donghae to reply, he turns and begins walking off.
“Wait, wait, Kibum-sshi!” Donghae calls after him, almost bouncing on his heels in his panic. “I can’t just leave, I have to get the assistants to clear the props, clean the area - “
“Isn’t that your PA next to you? Lee Sungmin, I believe? He’s capable enough to do all that in your place, or you wouldn’t have him. Just take your laptop and go. I’m starving already.” And with that, he walks off again without a backward glance.
“Oh my god, he is such a prick,” Sungmin says bitterly once Kibum’s out of sight. “I can’t believe he just expects you to trail after him and leave me here to - Donghae? Donghae, where are you going?”
Donghae’s already running towards the exit, laptop tucked under one arm and camera under the other. “Sorry, Sungmin, just help me out for today, okay?”
“Oh my god Donghae I cannot believe you’re dumping me here for that obnoxious ass!” Sungmin screeches after him, but he’s already out of the door.
_____________________________________________________________________
Donghae doesn’t remember much about the dinner. He knows that they did spend the first half of their time picking and discarding photos, until they’ve chosen about 20 which they agree should be sent to Glass. The second half of the dinner is pretty much a blur, because Kibum keeps calling for more wine and refilling Donghae’s glass.
But mostly he doesn’t remember it because when he’s back at Kibum’s luxurious apartment (and he doesn’t remember how he got there either) and Kibum’s pressing him into black satin sheets with those arms and smiling darkly at him with a mere flash of white teeth, everything else but the way Kibum’s hands and lips and tongue feel on his body is driven out of his mind.
______________________________________________________________________
“Oh, fuck,” Donghae says the next morning, when he wakes up to a pounding headache, several lovebites, no clothes on and an equally naked Kibum sleeping in the bed next to him.
“Oh, fuck,” he says again, miserably, when he’s back home after sneaking out of Kibum’s apartment and calls Sungmin, who gave him 36 missed calls last night.
“Don’t tell me you did what I think you did,” Sungmin’s voice says sternly over the phone.
“I - I think I did.”
“You’re an idiot. A one-night stand with some swaggering model who’s just going to put you as another notch on his bedpost and tell the whole industry he slept with the Lee Donghae? Could you not have kept it in your pants long enough to think about your reputation?”
“Kibum wouldn’t do that,” Donghae swallows. “He’s famous in his own right, he doesn’t need me to increase his profile.”
“Wait till the word starts going around that Lee Donghae’s a slut, then come back and tell me the same thing.”
“Sungmin…” Donghae pleads. “Please, please just stop it, I’m feeling bad enough as it is.”
There’s a silence, but when Sungmin speaks again, his tone is softer. “Oh, Donghae, what am I going to do with you?”
“Come over to my place and bring me sleeping pills so I can kill myself,” Donghae says dejectedly.
____________________________________________________________________
Kibum calls him for an entire month, but he never picks up the phone. He’s afraid of what he might hear. What if Kibum thinks he’s easy now and decides to treat him like some sort of booty call? So he refuses to pick up his mobile, and Sungmin screens the calls to his office for him.
To distract himself, he throws himself into his work, with the result that most of what he shoots this month comes out spectacular. But, he thinks to himself secretly, none quite as good as Kibum’s photoshoot. He literally has to restrain himself, each time he switches his laptop on, from going into the folder where he keeps the pictures from Kibum’s shoot and going through them just to see his face again. Especially so when Glass calls to rave about his shots for Kibum and are effusive in their praise.
“They’re amazing,” the marketing director tells Donghae. “We want you to do another photoshoot with Kim Kibum, for the December Christmas issue.”
“What?” Donghae asks, horrified.
“Yes, Kim Kibum-sshi has amazing chemistry with the lens and you bring it out so well. We think the both of you are the best team for it. That’s a very important issue, all the big designers will be sending items that we want him to model for in it.”
“B-But - “
“We know we can count on you, Donghae-sshi.”
Donghae raises his eyes to the heavens, wondering how long he’s going to be punished for a stupid one-night stand. “Okay,” he whispers pathetically into the phone.
_______________________________________________________________________
“How long do you intend to avoid me?”
Donghae jerks wide awake at that voice, even though it’s half past one in the morning and the only reason why he’s even awake was the insistent ringing of his home phone. “Kibum-sshi?”
“Why have you been avoiding my calls?” Kibum asks, ignoring his question.
“How did you get my private home number?” Donghae shouts into the phone.
“Asked around. Got Henry to ask around. You wouldn’t believe how many favours I owe how many people in order to get this. But actually - ” there’s a slight pause. “Actually, not as many as the number of people I owe favours to now, just to get your home address.”
“Excuse me?” Donghae says disbelievingly.
“I’m downstairs now, and I would have come right up if not for the stupid security keycard system.”
Donghae’s heart is pounding with a mixture of fear and shock, but he manages to say, “That’s to keep people like you away from me.”
“I just want to talk. Okay? Can you please let me up? We need to talk because Glass wants us to work together again, do you know? They just called Henry last week and told him. And I have to talk to you, I don’t like the idea of you being so unsure about what happened. I don’t know why you have to avoid me, we were two consenting adults, it was something we both wanted, and - “
“Stop, stop!” Donghae cries, panicked. “Don’t - don’t talk about this in public!”
“Then will you let me up?” Kibum demands.
Donghae gives in; it’s obvious Kibum will never leave unless he does. “Fine, but come near me and I’ll scream rape and call the police.”
He can almost hear Kibum roll his eyes when he replies, “Fine, I promise.”
____________________________________________________________________________
“I thought you didn’t want me to come near you?”
“I thought all you wanted to do was talk?”
They’re in Donghae’s bed this time, both of them shaking bonelessly and panting and entangled in a sticky, slippery mess of arms and legs.
“How did this happen?” Donghae says, eyes wide, as he tries to catch his breath. “Why are we doing this? Weren’t we supposed to be discussing work? I mean, you just came up here and - and grabbed me, and then you do this to me, and I was just - “
“Donghae,” Kibum interrupts, turning to him, his face mere inches away from Donghae’s so that he can see every single eyelash framing Kibum’s eyes, see how dilated Kibum’s pupils are and how flushed he is as his bare chest heaves, perspiration gleaming on it. “Just shut up.”
And with that, he leans forward and kisses Donghae, kisses him until he’s breathless and unable to speak but for small little whimpers, and when he finally pulls away Donghae follows him, leaning in until he realizes what he’s doing and pulls back, blushing furiously.
“You’re not supposed to be doing this to me, Kibum,” he says in a small voice, turning away so he’s not looking straight at Kibum.
“Neither are you, but you do it anyway.”
Donghae opens his mouth, about to protest again (though he isn’t even sure, at this point, what they’re bickering over or what he needs to protest about), when an idea strikes him. He turns in Kibum’s warm arms, which have wrapped themselves lazily around him sometime during the kiss, and props himself up on one elbow to take his camera, sitting on the nightstand.
“What are you doing?” Kibum murmurs, already sounding drowsy.
Instead of answering, Donghae arranges himself back in Kibum’s arms, tucking his head into the crook of Kibum’s shoulder, as Kibum rests his cheek sleepily against the top of his head. “Smile,” he instructs like the photographer he is, and presses the shutter with a click.
Donghae’s still blinking the flash from his eyes when Kibum, next to him, says, “What was that about? Blackmail?”
He replaces the camera on the nightstand before turning to Kibum again, looking him square in his face, his perfect, beautiful face. “I’ll be using that as footage for the tabloids if you don’t kiss me again.”
Kibum doesn’t need any further urging.
_________________________________________________________________________
As one of the top photographers in South Korea, Donghae spends his days taking photos of the country’s most famous actors, models, and other celebrities. His pictures are in demand by practically every publication because they’re never short of stunning.
But Donghae personally thinks that all the pictures he’s ever taken, and had published, and won awards for, pale in comparison to one he has framed and displayed on the bedside table in his bedroom. It shows Kibum, his lips curved in a soft half-smile, eyes half-closed and hazy with the remnants of pleasure and the beginnings of sleepiness, cheeks tinted pink and the line of his shoulders and collarbones just showing. Next to him is Donghae, snuggled against his shoulder and smiling much more brightly, even though his eyes are as misted over as Kibum’s are.
Donghae thinks that photo is perfect, just like Kibum is. Kibum agrees, except that instead of himself, he says the photo’s as perfect as Donghae.