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“For the last time, it’s pronounced Alexander McQueen and not Alexander Mack Quin. I don’t even speak English,” Jimin said, clicking his tongue while pushing his blond hair back as he stared earnestly at the developing film, the fifth try.Namjoon huddled next to him, trying to get a closer look at the credit card-sized Polaroid. Somehow both were convinced that it would be the best Kim Daily yet. In seconds, the image was crisp. Jimin’s skills had greatly improved since he held the black camera, pictures going from off-centered blurs to photographs worthy of magazine spreads. The platinum blond patted his friend’s back, proud of the result.Like the rest of the posts tagged #KimDaily on Instagram and Twitter, they used black and white film. Inky grays covered his torso, a simple black sweater, accentuated by distressed silver running up and down his legs. Shoes were kept simple yet uppity, a pair of Ferragamos to go with the Ray-Bans covering his eyes. Up-down wasn’t perfected by EXID. They copied him.“How should I caption this?” the “model” asked, drumming his fingers on the wooden table while staring at a 94.9k follower count.Jimin shrugged and fiddled with his choker’s pendant. “Do whatever, I guess. If you’re desperate for likes, maybe do something deep like a book quote or something.”Almond eyes glowed. “I have a perfect idea.”
KNJ91294: I have been and still am a seeker. #kimdaily
Jimin scoffed as he read the caption. “Fucking edgy.”“Whatever,” Namjoon scoffed. “It fits the aesthetic anyway, so why bother?”No matter how much he checked, the orange bubble hovering above the footer never disappeared. Notifications poured in as per usual and the likes and comments piled. He pointed the phone at Jimin. “Look at this,” he said, smirking, “Over a thousand likes and it’s only been a few seconds since the pic’s been uploaded.”“Someone also slid into those DMs,” the brunet noted with a smirk, eyeing the orange circle below the house icon.Namjoon raised an eyebrow and swiped left. The sender, kim_seokjin, complete with a minimalist icon of their initials (on a pink background, no less) and a blue checkmark, seemed to be legit. Jimin smirked and whispered something in Namjoon’s ear. He responded with a punch to Jimin’s arm.“No, but seriously, hyung,” Jimin coaxed. “Open it up.”
1:03 PM
kim_seokjin: Hello, I am a professional model working with SM Modeling. Currently, I need a photographer for a shoot. I’ve been following you for some time now and would love to have you be the photographer for said shoot. Meet me in Yongsan Park tomorrow at 10 AM for more details.Namjoon blanched. I never took the photos… He shrugged. But I guess it’s worth a shot? He was the average amateur photographer with an iPhone in his pocket and a wanderlust for the prettiest places on earth. “Modeling” was a side hobby. I’d get connections out of the deal, though. He thought of a loyal fan of his, van.te, an amateur like him but rather planning to pursue photography. He’d receive messages from van.te through the afternoons and evenings into odd hours, (Supposedly, van.te worked a job despite his age.) constantly discussing the composition of a photo or how well-done the lighting was. I’ll do it for him. He’s the one who’s into this stuff and he’ll benefit.Jimin clenched Namjoon’s hand and shook it with a smirk. “Seems like you’ve got yourself millions of won waiting for you.”Namjoon nodded. But money was secondary.The pink icon appeared in the bottom corner and pulsed for a moment until another message appeared.
kim_seokjin: If not tomorrow, then anytime this week works. Surprisingly, I’m free then.
“Dude, you have to say—” Jimin paused as his eyes scanned Namjoon’s prompt reply. “Nevermind then.”Namjoon shrugged and pointed at the “yes.” “It’s already set.” A cool breeze slithered among the trees as Namjoon sat down at the base of the stone fountain. The overcast skies definitely weren’t ideal for photography; colors were too cool. He clicked his tongue and checked his watch. It’s 10. Why isn’t he here yet? For what seemed to be the hundredth time, he scanned his surroundings and made a few mental notes:
Trees: Too many to count.
Pigeons: Three; one’s perched right next to me, oh my god it’s pretty cute— and two on the fountain poking at the remains of a Subway sandwich.
Sandwich: Being decimated by pigeons.
People: 0. Zero. 제로.
Namjoon shrugged. Might as well just read.And he did. The thing is, the book happened to be one of those books. Not the shitty e-reader with a blue light that fried retinas, and definitely not the one-dollar ghostwritten romances sold at the thrift shop. This was a perfectly normal book, the average YA bestseller recommended to a friend with a cookie-cutter dystopian plot. But no, it had to have prose that caged him into the author’s universe, clouding his mind with images of the characters, the backgrounds, the drama, the unnecessary paragraphs-long makeouts—“Excuse me?”The command jolted him from his spell. Mental note: Don’t bring any YA sci-fi books with you.“Excuse me.”A man stood in front of him with crossed arms and long fingers tapping furiously. He pouted with cherry-like lips at the bewildered photographer, then quickly widened his eyes and relaxed his posture, slightly adjusting his choppy brown bangs. “Oh, I’m sorry for disturbing you while you read—”Namjoon shook his head and chuckled while slowly closing his book. “No, it’s okay. I was the one who didn’t pay attention.”“So I’m assuming you’re KNJ94912.”“And that you’re Kim Seokjin, according to your username at least. You know how people online are.”The brunet nodded. “Well, I’m the real deal. I still don’t know your actual name, though.”“Kim Namjoon and, yes, the numbers in my username are my real birthday.”“So I’m Seokjin-hyung to you,” the model replied with a slight grin.Namjoon nodded in defeat and affirmation. “Anyway, what’s the shoot for?”“Vogue Korea cover.” Jin shrugged. “And also I’m asking on behalf of two of my other friends. You may have heard of them; they’re famous internationally.” He whipped out a rose gold iPhone and fiddled with his thumbs, then showed the screen to Namjoon. The picture, buried beneath a slew of others, was of two men posed together. One, tan and dressed in a slightly unbuttoned pink pin-striped shirt and black pants, reclined on a red velvet chair with mussed, parted dark brown hair. The second, with black hair and an exposed forehead, leaned on the arm of a matching couch with his head resting on the other’s shoulder. Both were bathed in golden light. “The one in the chair’s Kim Taehyung. Local Gucci freak, can’t blame him since he primarily models for them, and an enigma. He gushes over Van Gogh one minute and fanboys over Haikyuu another. Next to him’s the International Playboy himself, Jeon Jungkook. Child of stage parents and basically a prodigy. For reference, Tae’s 19 in the picture and Jungkook’s 17. Now they’re 21 and 19 respectively.”At just the mention of “Vogue,” Namjoon’s brain went straight to white noise. Vogue. Korea. Famous international models. Could he really do this photography thing? Sure, he could take a decent picture. He posted some of his own photography on occasion. The platinum blond knew how to navigate Photoshop and to find the right percentages for each Instagram filter.Except he wasn’t Min Yoongi, his photography major friend who won a literal shit ton of awards annually despite taking naps seemingly every second and releasing albums on Soundcloud every three months.
To be fair, you’re a math major. But you have experience.
To be even fairer, most, if not all, of my Polaroids are overexposed.
“… As for the ‘behalf of them’ part, both of them are huge fans of your work. Taehyung even bought a Polaroid and some film because of your feed. You might’ve seen extreme likespams from a certain user going by ‘jeon091′ these days…”Namjoon locked eyes with Seokjin in slight confusion. The model cocked his head and Namjoon felt the back of his neck heat up. “I don’t check my notifications, sorry..”Seokjin shrugged. “Understandable given your follower count.”“Anyway,” Namjoon said, drumming his fingers on his book, “what’s the theme you want to go with?”The brunet chewed on his bottom lip, his eyebrows furrowing as he filtered through various concepts in his head. “Perhaps retro and modern? Because Polaroids resonate both with our childhoods and are trending right now.”Namjoon nodded fervently with a wide smile. “Yes. I’m already thinking of how it’ll play out: bold color palette, mainly primaries, vintage Rolex watches juxtaposed with Commes des Garçons, smartphones, succulents, analog TVs, nineties chokers and, and…” He snapped his fingers, trying to come to a conclusion. But so many ideas cluttered his mind.The brunet smirked with a knowing glance. “It’s not every day that you meet a photographer fluent in fashion.” He scanned Namjoon from head to toe with satisfaction. “Gucci top. Uniqlo pants; great choice. And I see you’re wearing the same Ferragamos you wore in yesterday’s Kim Daily.”“Yeah.” Namjoon laughed. “I mix high and low pieces. Anyway, getting back on topic, when is the shoot?”“I don’t know yet. In the meantime, I guess we can chat through Instagram on specifics and stuff.”“Sounds good,” Namjoon replied with a firm handshake. “Anyway, uh, see you then?”“Yeah,” Seokjin blurted. Instantly his face reddened. “Er, um, I have a CF shoot I need to go to, so, uh—yeah, see you then.”
10:59 PM
kim_seokjin: aren’t you the photographer for kim daily?
jimin1095: how did you find my insta?
kim_seokjin: asked namjoon through his dms. turns out you were tagged in this one post
jimin1095: don’t. mention. it.
jimin1095: anyway, why the sudden dm?
kim_seokjin: you know the saying looks can kill?
jimin1095: yeah
kim_seokjin: namjoon fits that entire fuckin statement and fuckin murdered me yesterday
jimin1095: so how’s heaven lol
jimin1095: or hell if you’re that kind of person
kim_seokjin: your friend metaphorically sucker-punched me in the heart by existing
kim_seokjin: the white tshirt, his p ro p o r t i o n s, his dorkiness, aaaaaa
jimin1095: lol nice
jimin1095: i’m sending these to him
kim_seokjin: i’ve fallen and i can’t get up
kim_seokjin: NO
kim_seokjin: DON’T
kim_seokjin: I BARELY KNOW YOU BUT GET READY TO CATCH THESE HANDS
“He blocked me, Jimin. I mean, I’m not opposed to the idea,” Namjoon said after a few sips of his Americano, “but I can’t contact Seokjin outside of Instagram. Besides, there are only three days left until the shoot.”“No problem,” the brunet chirped with a shining grin. “Just check Kakao.”Namjoon narrowed his eyes. “Don’t tell me you…”Jimin shrugged and kept the same angelic smile that his friend wanted to rip off and banish to the ninth circle of hell.“I do many things for my dearest friends.”