Chapter 2

While hurrying through the hallways, it was a little past eight in the morning, and classes were about to begin. Due to the late night they all had, everyone had slept in, resulting in a mutual delay.

Kimi waved as she passed by her classroom, bidding farewell. Lucy and Jaesun were still running; if they were any later, they would be prevented from entering the class and would have to wait for the bell.

Luckily, they managed to arrive just in time. They excused themselves and headed to their double desks, settling down and gathering their materials.

"We barely made it," Lucy chuckled softly, opening her notebook to start taking notes.

"It's your fault. You came up with the idea of watching that awful horror movie in the late-night session."

"It wasn't awful, it was fun."

"I almost fell asleep right there!"

The two friends laughed, trying not to attract the professor's attention.

"Are you going to take those photos today?" Jaesun asked.

"Yes, at three. Yugjae said I don't need to worry about my outfit; they have costumes there. Costumes, Jaesun! " Lucy covered her mouth, laughing even more.

Jaesun observed her discreetly. Lucy bit the tip of her pen while looking at the professor, too excited.

He approached slowly. "How are you and Ryeon doing?"

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked, jotting down the explanations without looking at him.

"Are you okay? I mean, in your relationship."

"Of course, we are, silly." Lucy rolled her eyes and underlined what she deemed important. "Why?"

"Just curious..."

Lucy glanced at him, raising her eyebrows. "Spit it out, I know you."

"Lucy, we're best friends, right?"

"Right."

"And that means we can be open with each other, right?"

"Get to the point already." She laughed.

"Because you were flirting with your roommate."

Lucy's eyes fell on Jaesun. She opened her mouth to answer, but her mind was racing. Why was Jaesun asking her this?

"I wasn't flirting with him!" She protested.

"Oh, no? You two exchange more smiles than usual. Last night, you were talking as if you were the only ones there. He calls you 'my dear,' and you blush! If that's not flirting, I don't know what is."

"Jaesun..." Lucy sighed. "I love my boyfriend."

"I'm not saying you don't love him, but you and Yugjae have been flirting for weeks. If you had any issues with Ryeon that made you stop feeling things only for him, opening up to like someone else too, be careful. Either you, Ryeon, or even Yugjae will end up hurt."

"I don't...," Lucy breathed deeply, biting her lower lip. "I don't want to hurt anyone."

"I'm not against your happiness, Lu, you know that. Just be careful. Ryeon doesn't deserve that, and neither do you or Yugjae. When you look into his eyes, you can see they light up because of you. He really likes you!"

Hearing that hurt Lucy. It wasn't a secret, but her confused mind didn't admit it, thinking it was just her imagination craving affection. However, seeing Jaesun noticing the same thing, recognizing that she liked that affection, made her feel guilty, immediately thinking of Ryeon and how it could be perceived as deceitful on her part.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, looking down.

Jaesun sighed, getting closer and giving her a small kiss on her slouched shoulder. "You don't owe me an apology, my love, you know that. Just take a moment, breathe, and think, okay?"

Lucy nodded, looking back at the professor.

"Alright."

***

As girl dried her hair after the recent shower, she remained pensive. Was she really flirting?

She bit her lower lip, looking at Yugjae through the mirror. He was standing right behind her, engrossed in his phone and already dressed, which only added to her confusion.

There was no doubt in her mind that she loved Ryeon, but she was fully aware that Yugjae had feelings for her as well. The way he treated her, especially when most people in the university looked at her with disdain and talked nonsense about her, felt like an amulet that brought her comfort.

However, until that moment, she hadn't thought about the possibility that it was wrong to act on those feelings. Yugjae was just being nice to her, he was considerate, kept her company to watch movies when their friends were busy, and called her "my dear" just like Ryeon called her "beautiful"...

She closed her eyes, denying the thoughts. She had been foolish, reckless, and opportunistic. She shouldn't take advantage just because nobody had treated her well before, and now he was treating her nicely. There were feelings involved, and she shouldn't just dismiss them.

Finishing with her hair, she straightened it with a flat iron. While sitting in front of the mirror, she noticed Yugjae's constant gaze on her. She tried not to be bothered by it while doing her makeup, but it was difficult. Very difficult.

"We have to go," he said.

Lucy nodded, hurrying to finish. She stood up to fix her clothes as Yugjae got a jean jacket to tie around his waist.

"How do I look?" she asked.

She glanced at him briefly and then averted her eyes, nodding. "You look good."

"Are you sure? You didn't even look properly."

"It's good," she smiled, grabbing her bag and putting it on her shoulder. "Let's go?"

Yugjae nodded, opening the door and letting her go ahead. Unlike earlier, while they were in the taxi on their way to the photo shoot, they chatted freely, without any discomfort or feeling of being held back. Lucy laughed about some of the silly poses Yugjae instructed her to do and refused to do, even if they paid her double.

"Even if they paid you right away?" he teased.

"Fine, but not that pose with my legs up. I'd look like a crazy person!"

"That one was just a joke. They wouldn't ask you to do that. I think."

"You think?!"

Their loud laughter filled the vehicle. Lucy's blood ran cold as she saw the company they were about to arrive at, and when the car parked, she swore she was trembling.

"You don't need to be scared," Yugjae told her, holding her hand. "Let's go in."

Lucy got out of the car, still holding onto his hand. She took deep breaths multiple times. Yugjae smiled, trying to ease her nerves.

As they entered the studio, Lucy's eyes didn't have enough time to take in everything. There were so many people, constantly moving around.

"We need to go to Studio 19," Yugjae said.

Lucy nodded, walking by his side. Their hands were not together, which she appreciated in her nervous state. Her hands were sweating like never before, and her throat felt dry. When they reached the photo shoot area, everything got even worse.

"Thank goodness you arrived. This is a disaster. We need your beautiful face to save everything," a short man approached, stopping in front of Yugjae as he spoke to him. "You see those people over there?" He pointed to a few people sitting in chairs in the corner. "They are all a disaster. A disaster! My money is going down the drain; they are all complete incompetents. Only you will save this, and..."

His rambling stopped when his eyes fell on Lucy. He studied her, taking a step back, looking her up and down.

"Is this the girl?" he pointed at Lucy. She swallowed hard, seeing him asking Yugjae.

"Jeon Lucy, she's my... partner."

Lucy stared at him with wide eyes. She looked back at the short man and blinked as he approached her.

"Beautiful, isn't she?" Yugjae asked, seeing how interested the man seemed in her face.

"A bit too tall, but... quite beautiful."

Lucy was still scared; everything around her was overwhelming. However, she thanked the man for the compliment. He seemed irritated, and not receiving a negative response seemed like a good way to start.

"Okay, go straight to the dressing room. Yugjae, go straight to makeup, and you, too tall girl, go through that door; you'll meet Kang Min-Ha, my assistant. She'll give you something nice to wear."

Said that, the man left, shouting at a couple who were on the floor covered with a black fabric.

"He's the boss," Yugjae whispered, making Lucy look at him. "If he said you're beautiful, no one here will say otherwise."

"Why... did you say I was your companion?" she asked.

"Ah..." Yugjae smiled, shyly. "I meant it in the sense of a scene partner, or... you know, someone to share a room with. But him knowing that you and I are friends helps, because he won't pair you up with someone else, and you won't get yelled at."

Lucy nodded, even though the response wasn't entirely clear or reassuring.

"Come on, I'll take you to Min-Ha."

Walking slowly among the many busy people, Lucy felt the urge to run away. She really wanted to escape and go back to her dorm, but she needed the money, and without the photos, she wouldn't get paid. So, she convinced herself to give her best; it was for an even greater cause.

"Min-Ha?" They entered the room. Yugjae smiled, seeing the woman in the corner. "This is Lucy, she needs a costume."

"Hello, nice to meet you," Min-Ha greeted her with a handshake.

"Make her even more beautiful, okay?" Yugjae said, looking at Min-Ha.

"You don't give me orders," the woman smiled. "Your wardrobe is in the back; come and change after your makeup."

"Okay, I'll be back soon, alright?" He looked at Lucy. She nodded, watching him leave her alone with Min-Ha.

"How tall are you? 177 centimeters?" Min-Ha asked, looking through the garments on hangers.

"Yes," Lucy mumbled, biting her lip as she saw Min-Ha pick up a pair of pants and reject them, looking for another.

"Do you have any issues with wearing dresses?"

"None..." she approached, trying to break her shyness.

"Then it's alright to show your legs?" Min-Ha looked at her, holding up a black dress with a ruffled bottom. Lucy nodded. "Alright, try this one. Change over there," she pointed to the dressing area.

There was a fitting room. Lucy took the dress and thanked her, going to the designated spot. She placed it next to the mirror and took a deep breath before removing the jeans she was wearing, along with the loose shirt. She looked at the dress again, searching for the courage to put it on.

She carefully slid it over her body, fearing she might damage a piece that didn't belong to her. She noticed how tight it was, but it didn't seem vulgar at all.

She looked at her body with its very accentuated curves. The ruffled hem made her hips appear wider, which made her turn to the side and chuckle softly, noticing her buttocks looked quite lifted in the dress.

She felt beautiful and sexy.

She adjusted the thin straps and the bust. She didn't particularly like having her shoulders, collarbones, and part of her cleavage exposed all at once. However, the dress cinched at her waist, accentuating her wide hips and even displaying her bony shoulders, making her look delicate. In the end, she loved it and walked out, seeing Min-Ha analyzing her.

"Nice... very nice," she commented, examining her even further. "We have some jackets in various sizes. Want to take a look? To cover your shoulders."

"Do we really need to cover them up?"

Min-Ha looked at her and shook her head.

"Let's leave it like this, then. Now, go to makeup; it's right here. And please, tell Yugjae to come soon."

Lucy smiled, saying goodbye, and walked shyly to the makeup area. She was wearing sneakers and didn't ask Min-Ha if it was okay. But since she hadn't said anything until then, maybe it was fine.