Jibe Gajima

Today wasn't going well for him. He exhaled loudly, frustration evident in his face and body language. He looked down at the clipboard in front of him, but this only proved to anger him more. Written on the paper were the names of four models to call back.

Out of the twenty-something models he saw today, only four were right for his next line of clothing. The rest were pretty, but that's all they had going for them. They had good looks, but no 'wow' factor. When Kibum saw them, he saw just another nameless model, not someone he wanted to represent his upcoming autumn line.

He even told the countless agencies sending models to the casting call what he was looking for, what exactly this line was about. "This line, Lucifer, will be showcasing the bite of winter's oncoming cold with an edgy concept, while still maintaining the playfulness that my brand, Electric Heart, is so well known for. I'm looking for models who can turn off the charm, and turn on the sex appeal at a moment's notice, and vice versa." He told them that, so why didn't he have more than four models?

The first model on his list was a young woman in her early twenties named Sunny. She was pretty, but the thing about her that caught his attention was that she seemed to be just as cute as she was seductive. She fit his criteria to a T.

The next model on his list was a petite seventeen year old named Jiyeon. With big, brown eyes, and luscious black hair, everything about her screamed "fierce!"

When Amber, the third model, walked in, he knew he couldn't pass up the chance to work with her. She was rather androgynous, and he found her look utterly unique and captivating.

He only found one male model up to his standards. Kwon Jiyong was well know in the fashion world for his outstanding modeling. His look was edgy. His look was cute. His look was sophisticated. His look was Jiyong.

No matter how much he liked the four models he currently had, it didn't change the fact that he had only four models. The fashion show he will hold for this line is going to be huge. He couldn't send one man down the runway to model every piece of menswear.

"Eotteohkeha hanayo?" He asked himself out loud, stretching and groaning in the process.

Maybe I should have made this casting call open to the public, he thought to himself. He'd probably have better luck with walk-ins off the street than the agency sent models, anyways.

"Kim Kibum-shi?" His assistant poked her head into the room.

"Yes, Danmi?" He pressed his mug of coffee to his lips. He took a sip of the warm liquid and instantly felt relaxed.

"The last model is here. Should I send him in?"

The young fashion designer nodded. "Please."

A few moments later, a young man, whom Kibum assumed to be around twenty, walked in.

He bowed slightly upon entering the room. "Anyong haseyo."

The first thing Kibum noticed was that he was simply dressed. Though the outfit wasn't complex, he still looked well put together. He was dressed in a pair of jeans, a metallic gold jacket, and a plain white tank top underneath.

He never understood why models showed up to Go-Sees overdressed. More often than not, they changed into an outfit of the designer's. Why spend so much time on an outfit that you're going to end up wearing for no more than five minutes? Besides, didn't that make changing in and out of the clothes more troublesome?

Earlier today, a girl came dressed in an elaborate outfit made entirely of his designs, as if that would make him like her more.

Maybe he would have been more flattered by her blatant sucking up if he hadn't had such a rotten morning. He slept through his alarm, burnt his tongue on his tea, and was ignored by three taxi's before he decided to take the subway to the other side of Seoul instead. He barely made it onto the metro in time.

Now here he was, with less than pleasing results from this casting call. Today really wasn't his day.

He greeted the model back quickly. "What's your name?"

"Kim Jonghyun," he replied. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr.-"

"Just call me Key," he said, waving his hand dismissively, while jotting down the name of the model across from him. "I like your hair, by the way. It's different." Jonghyun's hair was, indeed, different. It was brown at the crown of his head, and slowly faded into blond. His bangs were slightly crimped.

"Kamsahamnida." Jonghyun replied in thanks to the designer.

"Jonghyun-shi, how old are you? I'm curious." Key asked, his head propped up by his hands.

"Twenty-one." He responded, shifting his portfolio from one arm to the other.

Key let a quiet 'hm'. Jonghyun was older than him by a year. "Just as I thought. You're older than me, so don't feel like you have to be so formal with me, okay? I should be the one addressing you as hyung." Key laughed slightly, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he did so.

Jonghyun merely smiled in return. "Alright, Key."

"So, Jonghyun-shi, is that your portfolio?" He asked, pointing at the folder held secure between his arm and side.

Jonghyun nodded, and handed the leather bound book to Kibum. He took a seat across from the younger, and waited patiently as he waited for him to finish looking through his photos.

The blonde's portfolio contained a lot of variety. Glamour shots, commercial shots, you name it, it was there.

What Key was most impressed with was Jonghyun's ability to relay such real emotion to the viewer. It was his eyes, Key decided. Even if his face looked the same in each shot, his eyes carried different emotion.

He turned the page, to a photo of Jonghyun dressed in black, a red scarf around his neck, and beautiful white angel wings protruding from his back.

"This one is my favorite." He pointed at the photo, then looked back up at Jonghyun. "The concept is gorgeous.

The older of the two nodded. "That's from one of my favorite shoots. It was a lot of work, but a lot of fun, too."

"How long have you been modeling for?" He closed the book, and slid it back to Jonghyun, who graciously accepted it back.

"Two years, give or take."

Key nodded and stood up. "Well, do you want to change into a few different things, then show me your walk?"

"Sure, of course." He trailed after Key to the small rack of clothes in the room.

Key scanned Jonghyun over, trying to gauge his size. He was short, but fairly well built. He flipped through the various articles of clothing, looking for something he thought would fit the model.

He finally picked out a fitted black jacket, with blue studs accenting the pockets and shoulders. "You can just wear that over you white shirt." Key muttered, more to himself than to Jonghyun. After thrusting the jacket into Jonghyun's arms, he pulled a pair of shiny silver pants off the rack and handed them to him.

"Go try these on, okay? Don't worry if they don't fit exactly. It's just a little test walk. When you leave this room, the bathroom is the first door on your left. You can change in there." Key said, gently pushing the blonde towards the door of the room.

As soon as the brunette ushered him out of the room, Jonghyun did as he was told and found the bathroom.

He looked at his image in the full length mirror after changing. The pants were a bit baggy and loose, and the jacket, he noticed, was too tight on his muscled arms.

He sighed, and continued to study himself in the mirror. Key had told him not to worry if the clothes didn't fit right, but part of him wondered if that would be enough for Key to send him right back home.

Mentally, he scolded himself for the outrageous thought. He was just stressed. He'd been broke for more than a few months now, and the guilt of not being able to help Minho with the rent was eating away at him.

Minho had sworn it was fine, that he understood how hard it was to find work in this industry.

Jonghyun's roommate was a model as well. Minho had been modeling since he was fifteen, and currently he endorsed a rather famous couture brand.

"I have more than enough money for the both of us, so don't look so sad, hyung." He had told Jonghyun with a smile.

Still, Jonghyun felt bad. The thing that really killed him was that he hadn't sent a check to his parents in a little over four months. How was Taemin doing? he wondered.

What if he got a job at the coffee shop across the street from Minho and his shared apartment? That would help, wouldn't it?

He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the thoughts for a moment, and turned the knob on the bathroom door. He needed to get back to the interview.

Kibum stood up from his chair upon his return. "Let's see..." He rounded the corner of his desk and appeared in front of Jonghyun. "The sleeves are a bit too tight on this..." He mumbled, a thoughtful expression on his face. "And the pants are baggy. Can you still walk in this?"

"Ne," he replied. "They're not too big, so it's not a problem." He punctuated his sentence with a small smile.

"Hm." Key nodded, turning his back on him. He knelt down in front of the clothes rack and sifted through a box of shoes underneath it. He pulled out a pair of clunky, black leather dress shoes. "Put these on before you start walking."

Wordlessly, Jonghyun took off his Adidas and replaced them with the pair Key gave to him. "Where do you want me to walk from?"

"Why don't you start at the door, and end near my desk? It's a short pretend runway, but it'll work, right?" He laughed softly, and Jonghyun added his laughter to the mix.

Key watched as the blonde model walked, a definite swagger in his step. When he closed in on the desk, he posed with attitude for a moment, before walking back to the door so fiercely that Key just stared in awe at his retreating back.

"Well, Jonghyun," Key started, clapping slightly, "I'll definitely be in touch. Expect a call in a few days. I'd love to work with you."

A large grin spread across Jonghyun's face before he bowed deeply in thanks. He got the job.

Key noticed as Jonghyun hurried back to the bathroom to change that he seemed much happier than he did when he first arrived. He also noticed something else about the man.

He had a beautiful smile.