Fashioned For Love | Minsung AU

Six

~~~~~ 6 ~~~~~

"I'm so stupid," came the muffled voice of Han Jisung who was currently sobbing in Hyunjin's arms. As sensitive as the young boy was, he actually wasn't prone to crying like this so whatever happened had to be serious.

Hyunjin sighed, feeling his own heart breaking at the sight. He knew that they were drawing attention so he carefully guided his best friend to the bathroom, thankfully finding it empty and locking the door behind them. "Okay Hannie baby, tell me what's wrong. It's that bastard Mr. Lee's fault isn't it?"

"Don't call him that," Han says wearily, but Hyunjin noticed that he didn't deny it either. He knew it would only be a matter of time before something like this happened. But after a while of watching Han flourish in his position he thought just maybe Mr. Lee had changed. Hearing about him secondhand from Jisung definitely made his former boss sound like a different person. But obviously he was still the same.

"What did he do?" Hyunjin demanded, worry consuming him. Depending on what Han said, he may have to start searching for somewhere else to work because he was going to hurt Mr. Lee.

Han took a slow, shuddering breath. "It's my fault really. I—I overstepped, I think." He went on to explain the whole coffee debacle and Hyunjin felt his hands balling into fist.

"Ugh! Mr. Lee is so arrogant, high-handed and just...just—ugh!" He huffed, throwing his hands up, "Don't you waste another tear on that man, Ji. You're an excellent assistant. And with your talent and background you're honestly overqualified for this role. This is just a stepping stone for you Han Jisung," Hyunjin encourages, pulling the smaller man in for a hug.

"Thanks Hwang," Han whispered, squeezing him tightly. The sobs had subsided to just sniffles but Hyunjin could tell that he was still upset. "I guess I just...I wanted to become his friend," he confessed. "He's so smart, Hyunjin. He's talented too. And he may be blunt, cold and demanding but he piles that same amount of pressure onto himself. There was a part of me that wanted to ease that burden."

"You like him," Hyunjin whispered, pulling back to look Jisung in the eyes. The blush that colored his face told him all he needed to know. "Maybe you are stupid."

That made Han laugh, and he smacked Hyunjin's chest which was exactly what he wanted. He hated seeing his usually smiling, cheerful friend crying. "Shut up," he chuckled. "It's not like that. I just care about him is all. And I wanted to impress him, but every time I think I'm getting closer, another roadblock pops up. I've dealt with his temper before but not since we've gotten a little closer. I wasn't prepared for how much it would hurt."

"I get that," Hyunjin admitted. "But Hannie, being a good assistant and caring about Mr. Lee are two separate things. You're such a kind person that I'm sure it's easy for the two to blend together but I'm worried that you'll keep ending up hurt if you don't set boundaries for yourself. He told you to stop caring about him anyway, so if I were you, I would just listen."

There were more sniffles from Jisung, who had broken up their hug and went to get some tissues to dry his face. Once he was sure that Han wasn't going to start sobbing again, Hyunjin unlocked the restroom door and the two of them walked back to their respective desks. "Be strong Hannie," Hyunjin whispered, reaching for his hand and giving it an encouraging squeeze. He knew he would have to go back to Mr. Lee's office but at least it was the end of the day. Speaking of, he ought to get back to Mr. Bang's office.

Bang Chan was rather unique to Hyunjin since the man wore two hats in this company. He was the Head photographer as well as Editor in Chief, granted, nowadays they largely had other people to handle the bulk of both of these positions but the level at which he could still operate in both these fields was truly remarkable. Actually all three of these men are tremendously talented but unlike Mr. Lee, Bang Chan was a delight to work for. Admittedly he was getting used to the older man's warm, friendly dimpled smile every day. Recently he'd been insisting that he call him by his first name and Hyunjin had been hesitant at first, but it was impossible to deny him. Mostly because he didn't want to. He liked Chan a lot. The more they worked together, the more sides of this man were revealed.

He wasn't just talented, but he was a great leader. He could give accurate, constructive criticism to the writers without berating them and he could communicate his needs in a clear manner that made it easy to follow. And whenever they had to be at a photo shoot (yes, he still observed those even if he wasn't the one shooting them) he knew how to offer feedback without stepping on anyone's toes. Hyunjin couldn't help but admire that. Admire him. And then when Chan started asking for his opinions and actually listening to them, Hyunjin knew he was a goner. "Oh Hyunjin! I was just about to call for you," Chan greeted, wearing a wide smile, "we need to go over my schedule for next few weeks since some new events have come up."

"Events?"

Chan nodded, "mostly meetings but we've also been invited to a party. A networking thing," he explained.

Hyunjin frowned, but nodded and started re-arranging the schedule, "Sir, when you say we...."

"I mean me and you, I thought you might like the chance to meet with other people in our industry," Chan said seriously. "Tell me Hyunjin, are you content with being an assistant? Have you seriously never considered doing something more? I've seen you at our photo shoots, your eye for details and I've seen you giving pointers to the other models. Wouldn't you like to do that yourself?"

"Become a model?" It sounded too good to be true. Hadn't he gone down this road before? He'd been scouted by managers before only to wind up with bad deals and being used by the people around him. He took it as a sign that a life like that wasn't in the cards. But he loved fashion and that didn't go away even if his bad luck left him jaded. Working at SKZ was like a dream come true. But here was Bang Chan offering him a chance at more. "D-do...you really think I could do something like that?"

Much to his shock Chan got up from his desk and walked over so that they were standing face to face. His breath caught when his boss gently grasped his cheek, "Surely you know how beautiful you are Hyunjin, plus you understand what makes a good shot. I'm sure you'd be a natural at it. But, if you're scared, why don't you practice with me?"

He was still reeling over being called beautiful by Chan, maybe that's why he agreed to practice modeling with him without much thought. The resulting beaming smile from his boss made his heart race even faster. "Great! We can do it one day after work, before the party. That way you'll be confident when you meet everyone."

This all felt too good to be true, but Chan's warm smile and encouraging gaze melted away his insecurities for the moment, "Okay then, I'll be ready whenever you are. Thanks Chan."

He stroked his cheek before letting go, "You're welcome, Hyunjin."