Psychological Control

Chapter 9

She seemed to have fallen backwards, the narrow edge of the roof combined with the slippery rain made it more than twice as difficult with her high heels.

I didn't restrict myself to a normal walking position in order to maintain my balance, knowing that a compulsory leaning of my hands against the side of my legs would only make for a stiff and unorthodox stride.

But as I faced parallel to the ground, without a second to spare I slowly stretched my arms and took my first steps with my legs straightened out on the wall.

With my denim coat and my hair wet from the rain and hanging down from gravity, I knew the image on the monitor might not look so good, but all I could do was try to keep my posture balanced and keep my feet on the 'ground' one step at a time.

As I focused my mind was empty, the cheers of the crowd and the rain that filled my ears faded away, only the crew member on the ground waiting to catch me and the camera beside him were in my sight. Nina had been left far behind by the speed at which I was walking, and was still dangling in mid-air when I was still a few metres from the ground.

I know she lost her balance several times in quick succession, and the thirteen centimetre heels were like walking a canoe on stilts on her feet. To be honest, I don't think such a challenge is designed to be any more ornamental, but whether the show is designed to howl or to supposedly test the model's mettle is none of my business.

Upon landing, there were three screens in front of them blocking the view of the audience, where the stylists were allowed to adjust the models' hair again and remove their soaked denim jackets to reveal the outfits that needed to be shown inside. Nina's few mistakes added to the breathing time for me.

Nina was one of the only female models I interacted with during my interactions at the Supermodel House. But even so, I don't let the performance of anyone around me, even Chris, who I already know well, affect my work.

Once Nina had also stumbled down to the ground and taken off the safety harness in her denim jacket to get ready, with the staff directing us, Nina and I lifted the curtain and walked around the screen in front of us onto the formal catwalk.

In fact, walking as a male model is not too different from walking as long as you don't sway too much, hold your head up and show confidence when walking, look straight ahead and then walk in a straight line as fast as you can, that's all you need. The point is confidence.

Nina looks slender but is very strong inside, and a few slips in mid-air didn't throw her off her game on the runway. But even so, her modelling stride was lacking in poise because she was too thin.

It was pouring rain, but the wind that came with it really helped. The wind blew the ends of both our hair and our coats, and Nina's unsteady pace made her look wobbly.

The second group was Alice and Chris, whom both Nina and I knew well. Chris's was too stiff in the suspension, lifting his hands too high for balance, his eyes listless and clearly a bit out of play. Alice, on the other hand, was as strong as ever, and although she also lost out in the suspension on her heels, when she landed on the ground to actually walk, the strong wind that accompanied the downpour blew her hair with aplomb.

If Nina walking with me would have made her lose much of her colour in comparison, Chris and Alice's walk was a strong one with Alice grabbing everyone's attention.

The third group was Ashton and Gianna. Ashton was suspended in the air like a proud swan, his stride raised high on his neck as if he were on the ground. Gianna's modeling steps on the flat did not add to her impression in the audience's mind.

Group 4, Dan & Cheryl. Dan's mid-air walk was practically bent into a bow because of his fear of heights, and he looked a little weird leaning back too far. Cheryl even screamed out of fear. The performance of this group looked poor.

They were followed by Mike and Alyssa in group five, Jamie and Rena in group six... After the two groups that failed to perform, Jamie and Rena finally ignited the interest of the audience.

Rena, who has competed in beauty pageants, surprisingly took more impressive steps in the suspension than Ashton, ethereal with the determination of each step taken. I could see Alice looking at this group with a very cold, hard expression. Because they are both female models, she and Rena are bound to be arch rivals.

Jamie's performance could only be described as normal, but he didn't let Rena, who was much smaller than him, steal his thunder.

The seventh and final group, Marvin and Bianca. Bianca gave up trying to walk as soon as she was suspended in the middle of the building because she slipped several times and started to let herself pose as the rope lowered her. This little cleverness was the opposite of cleverness.

It was a challenge and the challenge wasn't about how good you were at walking on a flat surface, it was to see if you could overcome your fears in the middle of the suspension and try as hard as you could to show your confidence.