Chapter Text
Every morning, Minho starts his day the same way. First, he feeds his babies - all old enough to know better, but still insistent on winding around his ankles as he makes his way out to their bowls. Next, he makes himself a coffee. He’s cutting back, honestly, but the routine is hard to break. Then, once he’s wrapped in his housecoat, he steps outside to his balcony and checks his phone. This way, he told Jeongin once, he’s in the perfect position to throw it or himself over the edge.
This morning is no different. He’s sore, a tinge in his lower back reminding him that winter is still slowly removing its claws from Seoul. There’s a dull ache in his jaw while he stretches that reminds him of his last rut, and as he carefully makes his way downstairs he thinks about getting one of those rice warmers for his joints. At least soon the weather will be perfect for running again, and he can get back to it without catching a cold.
When Dori can’t find his food bowl, he crouches and feeds him by hand before giving up on standing and instead deciding to spend a bit of time stretching on the floor. He’s got an appointment with his trainer today and runs through the stretches he’s been assigned before Soonie begins hitting him insistently with his tail.
Enough incentive as ever to start the next part of his morning. The sun is just beginning to peak into his kitchen by the time he shuffles over to the espresso machine. He’d grabbed this bag of beans in Japan, intended them as a gift, but had ended up loving the scent so much he just couldn’t part with them. They’re a nice dark roast that pairs perfectly with a bit of honey stirred in, and by the time he’s prepped his glass the drip is starting.
Yongbok had turned him onto that, something he’d seen on TikTok one day on his feed full of well meaning white women. “Hyung look”, he’d said, “it’s perfect for the sweet tooth you don’t have.” As always, he’d been right - the sweetness in the morning always helped him regulate his own scent no matter how early he had woken up.
As he listens to the machine run, he takes a second to run back upstairs to grab his phone and his housecoat. By the time he’s back downstairs all he has to do is gingerly grab his mug, toe his slippers on, and shimmy out the door onto his little balcony. Once his cup is safely stowed on his tiny outdoor table, he unlocks his phone.
Nowadays, this can be something of a monumental task. Two months ago he’d managed to have a shoot go insanely viral, and was thrust into the limelight of minor celebrity much faster than he ever thought he would be. He’d been a model for less than a year at that point, doing odd jobs for the smaller magazines around the city and only walking in one show. Before The Incident, as Seungmin called it, the most impressive thing he’d got was a shoot for Lotte where he got to wear a Rolex.
After The Incident, it wasn’t uncommon for him to wake up to something like 20 thousand new followers on Instagram. Which was..a lot, for him. He’d had to go out of the country for his last rut, for fear that he’d end up on a celebrity gossip page and ruin his career before it even began. He could see the headlines now - Lee Minho, 27, Alpha Sex Pest. Man dares to have a knot. Or something.
The balcony is where he gets most of his news now - it’s where he’d opened an email from his agent last month that said Gucci wanted him to walk in the Winter show. It’s where he’d gotten his first modeling acceptance in the first place. Today -
Today, it’s where his agent calls him. He picks up on the third ring, just like always.
“Good morning Kim Mija nim,” he fumbles around for a second, listening for her sigh. “To what do I owe the pleasure of hearing your voice on this fine Tuesday morning?”
“Lee Minho-ssi, if you’d check your emails before 8am like a normal young man you’d be calling me.”
Oh. He quickly pulls his phone away to scroll to his email, and bumps the volume up.
“I wish you’d put me on speakerphone, instead of doing this every time,” Mija huffs, tinny through his speaker. “I forwarded it to you three times to make sure you saw it, so it’ll be at the top of your inbox.”
It is - three times. A forwarded message from his agent’s office, requesting a meeting between his team and Han Jisung’s team at Esquire. Simple, efficient, no more details. The name sounds familiar though, so he pulls up Naver as Mija keeps talking.
“Han Jisung’s a real star in the business. He worked on that huge Versace omega shoot back in 2023, met Donatella and everything. He’s in the top ten most sought after photographers, so for him to request you for Esquire is huge.”
Minho’s barely listening, scrolling through shot after shot of vibrant color and bold fashion. Mostly omegas - actually, all omegas if the credits are correct. When he gets to a picture of the man himself, his jaw drops.
Han Jisung is beautiful. He looks like he should be in front of the camera himself, and as he scrolls through the interview he can’t help but ask.
“How did you possibly book this guy? He like, just got his own interview in Harper’s Bazaar.” He locks his phone screen before bringing it back to his ear. “This guy’s basically a celebrity himself.”
“If you’d been listening,” which he hadn’t been, “you’d have heard me say that he reached out to me. He went and found your profile and sent me that email.”
The concept that Han Jisung had sought him out specifically makes him feel sort of dizzy, and he crouches down before he can think about how close to the balcony he is.
The more he thinks about it, the more insane it sounds. A photographer of Jisung’s caliber reaching out to a model whose star only just started rising was almost unheard of. “So what do I do? Do you know what he wants?”
Mija laughs. “You show up to the meeting I set up for Thursday. I’m not stupid, Minho-ssi. I accepted his offer to meet the moment I opened my email. At 6 in the morning like a normal human being.”
By the time he hangs up the phone, his coffee is lukewarm. He’s got a meeting shared into his calendar, and as he leans his head back against the railing he pulls Jisung’s article back up.
Jisung seems personable. The interviewer describes him as easygoing, but with a confident and commanding energy. Infectious enthusiasm, a sharp tongue, all paired with soft cheeks and the roundest eyes Minho has ever seen.
The question What made you decide to focus on only shooting omegas? jumps out at Minho, and he sips his coffee as he reads.
“Well, I mean,” Jisung gestures to himself here, smiling widely, “I know the omega experience pretty well. For some reason, fashion is incredibly focused on the alpha gaze. I knew from the moment I picked up a camera that I wanted to be someone who shot omegas like they weren’t just slabs of meat. Like they were just as nuanced as beta and alpha models. I knew that’s what I needed to see as a kid, and I’m committed to making that a reality for every kid with a dream to model.”
Minho’s not really sure what Jisung wants with him then. He’s not bold and bright like Jisung’s portfolio, and his own bio very clearly marks that he’s an alpha.
Well, it’s not like he has anything to lose. He’ll show up on Thursday and hope for the best.
-
On Thursday, he shows up thirty minutes early. He’s not exactly nervous, but the more he thinks about it the more he worries that this might end up being a big awkward misunderstanding. He’s not sure if he comes across as more omega coded on film, but he’s really never thought about it. He’s on his sixth loop of the parking lot when he hears Mija’s heels clicking towards him.
“Minho-ssi,” she chides, fixing his hair and pressing an Americano into his hand as he comes up from a bow. “They’re going to think you’re some kind of freak, casing their parking lot. Come on.”
Minho declines to tell Mija that he is some kind of freak, and dutifully follows her inside the office building. Inside, the air is crisp and sterile. Minho bows to the security guard that lets them upstairs, and patiently lets Mija smooth his lapels down.
“If you’d just use your alpha energy to arrive early and sit still, you’d look much more put together,” she huffs, and gives him a chiding hit to the shoulder when he laughs. They both know Minho doesn’t look that mussed up, but he knows she does it because she cares. He’s one of her first big successes in the industry, and she’s got every right to be a bit protective.
The conference room they’re directed to is small, with large windows that Minho purposefully tries not to look at or think about. He’s not even sure what floor they were sent to, but his own first floor balcony at home is enough to make him nauseous sometimes. Instead he focuses immediately on the group of men standing up to greet them. He only recognizes one, but the instant they lock eyes it feels like he can’t breathe.
Then, Jisung smiles, and it feels like he’s breathing too much. His lips move before he can even process that he’s smiling back, small, fangs hidden carefully behind his lips. He’s bowing in the next second, and as he stands up he sees the way Jisung’s cheeks have a red tinge. Jisung bows back before he speaks.
“Lee Minho-ssi, Kim Mija-nim, thank you both so much for responding so quickly to my request.” He flashes an easy smile, before gesturing to the men next to him. “These are my business partners, Bang Chan and Seo Changbin. Together we work under the name 3Racha Film Studios.”
Chan coughs, once, and Jisung stares at him for a second before smiling shyly.
“Right, and my name is Han Jisung! I’m the chief photographer and the creative director of the editorial I’d like to pitch to you today.”
When they’re gestured to sit, Minho pulls out Mija’s chair before taking his own and watches the way Changbin’s eyes track his movements. It feels…strange. Changbin is almost certainly a beta. The only smells that Minho picks up on are his own, Mija’s crisp cotton, and a wisping of something floral and light that is probably coming from Jisung. Changbin looks at him like other alphas do when they’re sizing him up to fight or fuck. He’s not opposed to exploring one of those options with Changbin, but Jisung draws his attention before he can keep going down that path.
“Basically. Last week Esquire came to us and asked us to shoot an editorial spread, since the one we did last year was so popular.”
Minho knows the one. He’s looked at every picture Han Jisung has ever taken at least 10 times in the last 48 hours. The last editorial Jisung shot for Esquire was for Vivienne Westwood, Summer 2024. His models were wearing the Spring collection, giant shapeless bits of fabric that swallowed their bodies in movement and pattern.
“This year,” Jisung shakes his leg for a second, before pushing out of the chair entirely to stand. “This year, Esquire told me they want something new. Something avant garde, something that has never been seen before. They want a moment that shocks people, and they want to do it in a 16 picture spread.”
A 16 picture spread is massive - Minho was expecting maybe five, and he can see Mija’s shock out of the corner of his eye. Jisung smirks and rests his weight on his hands against the edge of the table.
“I told them I wanted to choose my model and set my own timeline. I’ve got the budget and connections, I just need the perfect muse. That’s where you come in, Minho-ssi.”
When Jisung makes eye contact with him, it’s like every bone in his body locks into place. He nods for Jisung to continue, and after a second where Jisung just opens and closes his mouth he whips his head back to Mija.
“I’ve seen your work, and honestly…I’m a huge fan. Even though I don’t know what I’m doing with this shoot yet, I knew I wanted you to be my muse. I saw your - I saw some work that you did and just knew I had to try.”
It’s hard to tell, but Minho swears Jisung’s scent curls forward just the tiniest bit. He raises his hand, and Jisung laughs but gestures for him to speak. “What work?”
Chan smothers a cough in his hand.
“I’m just curious because I don’t seem to fit your usual template for models. Your work is so bright - very loud.” He doesn’t mention the all omega part. If Jisung doesn’t he won’t either.
Jisung sits back down with a smile. “I’m flattered you know my work so well. How about this - if you agree to work with us, I’ll tell you. Otherwise, it’s a secret.”
Interesting. Minho blinks, then nods.
Jisung smiles again, before pulling out a large manila folder. “In addition to the budget we’ve been given for dressing, shooting, and our model, Esquire has a large back-stock of products we can use. Our team’s makeup artist - who isn’t here but would be present for the shoots - has a great contract with NARS that we’ll likely use.”
Minho feels the way Jisung’s eyes dart over his face, before he turns back to his papers and pulls out a few letterheads.
“Not that we’ll have to use much,” Jisung mutters, then continues at his previous volume. “I had originally thought to use Vivienne Westwood again, but Mija-nim says that you’re in talks to work more closely with Gucci - which is honestly perfect. Their timeless silhouette will fit your shape better, and the accessories are a lot more simple. Less to distract from…you.”
The final letterhead is flipped over quickly, and Jisung seems to take a quick breath before he speaks.
“You’ve also obviously done some work with Calvin Klein, and we’d be remiss to not reach out to them to see if there’s any pieces they’d consider loaning to the shoot. We’ll send all of these out the moment you agree, of course, just so that we get a better idea of what we’re working with.”
At that, Chan speaks up. “I’m the fashion coordinator for the studio, and I work a lot with Esquire separately. I can confidently say that even if we can’t get much from these brands, we’ve got enough pieces to dress Minho-ssi well and not step on any future contracts.”
Mija nods confidently, and Minho can already tell she’s sold on the idea. Something Jisung just said is sticking in Minho’s mind, standing out as strange. As Mija begins to ask for numbers and scheduling parameters, it comes to him. Jisung mentioned the Calvin’s shoot, which means he knows The Incident.
The Incident was Minho’s first semi full body print work. Calvin Klein had reached out to him for a single picture, as part of a January spread of denim in W Korea. Minho accepted and found himself getting shot in the most provocative poses of his career. The one that the director ultimately went with was a lewd shot of Minho from straight on, with his legs spread wide and his arms thrown back over the couch he posed on.
They’d asked if he would be comfortable exposing more of the underwear, and when he’d said yes he’d ended up with his entire fly unzipped and waistband pushed down. He’s been put in their more snug grey briefs, and..well. This certainly was showing all of it. The photographer at this shoot was an alpha, thank god, because he whistled when Minho sat after shimmying his jeans down that extra inch.
The combination of the plain black shirt they put him in and the nearly erotic amount of bulge on display was something of a hit. The moment the spread was revealed online, one of the few Lee Minho fansites tweeted “get the new W Korea mpfgghfjgng lee Minho’s entire knot is out”. Which, while not entirely correct, is sort of what it felt like in the moment. Kim Mija had gone from managing a relatively unknown model to having one who was closing in on 500,000 followers and who was trending with #25cmfor2025. It got Gucci’s attention so he wasn’t really complaining.
When he snaps back to the present, Jisung is talking again.
“Ideally, I’d like to book him non-exclusively for the next 6 months.”
Mija taps her fingers to her lips. “Six months is an awful long time. What if something comes up in the meantime? Minho is something of a newly hot commodity, and I’d hate to stifle his growth.”
“If I’m being fully transparent, I want this to be a natural discovery of a concept.” Jisung pushes back from the table and stands again. “I don’t know what I want, but I know for sure I don’t want to take up all your time on this. I’ll pay him for biweekly shoots, and at the end…we’ll have our editorial. I hope. If things come up for him, we can reschedule. I don’t have much going on other than this at the moment.”
Before Jisung can start pacing again, Changbin grabs his wrist and pulls him into the chai. He doesn’t stop speaking, and Minho has a feeling this might be normal for them.
“I anticipate getting the bulk of the filler pictures in the first few months, and locking down the story I want to tell in the last few. By then I’ll know who Minho-ssi is. Maybe we can say the first five months are biweekly, but month six - if needed - is weekly shoots. If I don’t have the concept by then I’ll just blow up the-” Chan coughs, and Jisung smiles. “I’ll just tell Esquire no can do.”
Mija hums appreciatively. “Sounds very fair to me. Minho?”
For a moment, all he can think about is how sweet Jisung smells. It’s like every time he’s stood up, gestured with his hands, even just smiled his big gummy smile, the whole room got a little sweeter. It’s not even just the smell - Jisung is so genuine, so enthusiastic, that it makes Minho want to say yes to him. So he does.
The moment Minho says yes to Mija, he feels tension drain out of the room.
Mija stands and shakes Jisung’s hand over the table. “Have your team draw up a contract and proposal, and send it my way. My legal team will look it over and get a response back as soon as possible.”
Once they’ve all stood up and Changbin goes to open the door, Minho realizes that he never shook Jisung’s hand. He turns, and nearly runs into Jisung. There’s a moment where they’re stuck staring at each other, before Minho bows.
“Thank you for your consideration, Jisung-nim.” He straightens up and he offers a hand. “I hope the contract will be good enough for my manager to accept.”
He watches Jisung do a double take, scanning him from his head to his feet, then back up.
Finally, after a long moment, he grabs his hand with a smile. “For you, I promise I’ll make it perfect.”
-
On Friday, Minho’s afternoon gym session is interrupted by a phone call. He picks up on the first ring, and hears Mija crow happily on the other end of the line.
“Who knew the secret to getting Lee Minho to answer my calls was to dangle the promise of working with a beautiful man in front of his nose?”
He huffs, and goes back to do crunches. “Just because you don’t like men doesn’t mean the rest of us don’t have eyes.”
“Oh, you know what I mean. They sent the contract over. Are you able to look at it now, or would you like me to just read it down line by line for you?”
Mija knows he’s at the gym. They have a shared calendar. “Sure,” he says, instead of that. “I would appreciate that, Mija nim.”
The contract is simple - Mija emphasizes multiple times that it’s far more money per shoot than she was expecting. Honestly, Minho hadn’t been expecting much of anything - so many contracts are paid out at the end that he hadn’t even thought Jisung would be allocated funds for a per shoot payment. There’s the standard non competition elements - no other editorials with a similar concept, no brand deals that would make the ones they’re planning to use mad, no talking about outfits that aren’t in stores yet.
At the end, Mija mentions there’s only one unique clause - Minho is going to be the only alpha on the set, and 3Racha Studios wants legal guarantee that he knows this before entering the space.
“What,” he groans, setting his dumbbells down. “They want me on good behavior? Big bad alpha?”
Mija hesitates. “Actually, it’s the opposite. The language they’re using is that it’s more-so to ensure that you don’t feel coerced in any way. Apparently 3Racha Studios employs a fully omega and beta staff, and they want to make sure you don’t feel threatened or discriminated against. There’s really strong legal protections for you in here, if something were to happen against your will. It’s impressive.”
When he’s quiet, Mija sighs. “Honestly, we’d be insane not to take this contract. You’ll be making money, not tied into a schedule that prevents Gucci from working with you in the meantime, and you’ll get a ton of PR for this. You can say no if you really don’t want it, but my professional opinion is that would be stupid of you.”
Mija lets him think, then. He can hear her humming distantly, and he can even pick up the sounds of her keyboard if he listens hard enough. He thinks about Jisung - how it seemed like just talking about this editorial filled him with so much energy that he couldn’t sit still, how he smiled that confident smile but blushed high on his temples. How he’d clearly been thinking of Minho, and if Minho says yes he’ll get to know Jisung’s secret.
He would be stupid to say no, and when he repeats that out loud he can hear Mija’s smile in her words. She tells him she just needs him to verify an e-signature, and then she’ll get it sent over before he’s even done at the gym.
-
On his way out of the gym, Minho gets a new email on his work account. It’s probably the contract confirmation, but when he clicks it he sees it’s from [email protected].
Minho-ssi,
I’m so excited to see that you accepted my contract. I promised it would be good enough for you, and I suppose this means I delivered. I’d love to meet up before our first official shoot, to get to know your style preferences. This way, I can prepare my team better with the types of makeup and hair products that they should be bringing. If you’re interested, I’ve attached a coffeeshop that we could meet at.
Sincerely,
Han Jisung
Minho is pretty sure this is the first email he’s ever read that made him giggle, and he shuffles his gym bag around to his shoulder to respond.
Han Jisung-nim,
Your contract was the most thorough I have ever had read to me. My agent assured me that it was all above board and a deal I would be an idiot to not accept. I would love to meet up for coffee. If you would prefer that my agent is there I will need to get back to you, but if not I am free this Sunday at 11am. Let me know.
Yours,
Lee Minho
Jisung replies less than 3 minutes later.
Minho-ssi,
Sunday at 11am works for me! See you there!
Sincerely,
Han Jisung
-
This time, Minho manages to show up to the cafe only about 15 minutes too early. The extra nervous energy pools in his fingertips like it always does when he goes into a new place. He does some stretches in the parking lot to try and shake it out before going inside. As he puts his hand on the door, he realizes that he was definitely in full view of the lobby, but Jisung is luckily facing the cashier.
He just watches for a second, as Jisung effortlessly flicks his fingers and giggles with the barista, familiar without being flirty. It’s entrancing to watch the way he moves through his space - like he’s the only person anyone should be paying attention to, collected and sure.
When Jisung spots him, his eyes widen comically, eyebrows curving to make him look like a cartoon of himself.
“Minho-ssi!” He calls, taking his drink and giving a slight bow to the barista. “Minho-ssi please order something, my treat. It’s my fault you’re out here.”
It’s sweet of him, but Minho shoos him to get a table instead. Once Jisung sits down, he takes a long look at the sight in front of him.
Jisung is just as handsome as he was on Thursday - he’s much more casual, but Minho recognizes a luxury jacket when he sees one. Coffeeshop Jisung has a fuzzy black beanie on, and it makes the wisps of hair sticking out from under the edges look extra full and thick. Come to think of it, it almost looks like Jisung perms it.
When Jisung clears his throat and takes a sip, Minho sees that he’s drinking a matcha latte - fitting for his scent, which seems to be present in a gentle honeyed sweetness lingering at the table. That would probably be weird to say, so instead Minho just sets his coffee down and excuses himself briefly to look for a honey packet.
As he slides back into his seat, he’s met with a rather amused stare.
“What?”
Jisung props his chin on his hand. “I didn’t think you’d be a black coffee guy. Your scent is sweeter. Bread-y maybe? Do you know what a Hawaiian roll is?”
Of all the things Minho was expecting Jisung to say, none of it was that. He squeezes a packet of honey into his coffee and stirs while he thinks of how to reply.
Scent talk must be on the table. Jisung started it first, right? “Well I would’ve guessed you’d be a matcha latte guy. You’ve got that…honeyed scent. Seems like you’d go well with matcha.”
At that, Jisung’s scent briefly blooms before tamping back down to the lingering honey. It’s stronger than before, enough to stick at the back of Minho’s throat, and he takes a sip of coffee to chase it.
Jisung clears his throat. “Well. I’d like to say that you’re the only man I’ve ever met that puts honey in his coffee. So you must be something of an expert.”
Is he flirting with him? Jisung is clearly aware that he smells like honey, and is making no real moves to clear the air of it. Instead of thinking too hard, Minho just smiles back. “What’s the real reason you wanted me to be your model? Since I signed your contract, I get to know your secret, right?”
This time, the florals hang in the air for longer as Jisung drops his head into his hands and groans. Minho’s willing to be patient, and waits until Jisung sighs deeply before straightening up and putting his hands back on the table.
“You already know the answer, I think.” His entire face is red, and Minho can see it even around the soft edges of his foundation. “It was the Calvin’s ad. That’s what caught my eye.”
Minho smiles, and sees the way Jisung catches the edge of his fang flashing. “If it makes you feel better, the Calvin’s ad caught everyone’s eye.” He almost wants to push, to ask what exactly caught Jisung’s eye, but before he can, Jisung starts talking.
“I know, I know but. Hear me out.” He waves the hand not holding his matcha in the air, red faced but making firm eye contact. “It’s more than that. You know. It was the first time I’d - we’d - seen your body like that! All your previous shoots were so faceless. You’d really only know what you looked like from the runways you’d been on. So yeah that was…eye catching. But not the only thing.”
He’s struck by how observant Jisung is - sure, maybe he’s just trying not to tell a relative stranger that he was called by his big dick, but it sounds like it’s coming from the heart.
“I guess that’s fair.” Minho leans back and thinks. “You know what my other work looks like, clearly. I didn’t mind being faceless in the magazines when I was mostly modeling accessories and bags. It’s part of why I wanted to take the Calvin’s offer. I got to have my face reveal and take my pants off.”
Jisung chokes, just for a minute, before laughing. “You say that so sweetly huh. ‘Take my pants off’ like Twitter wasn’t blowing up for 12 hours.”
Minho doesn’t point out that that means Jisung saw the hashtags. He wonders if Jisung ever considered how big his dick was. Instead of saying anything, he waves Jisung to continue.
Like he realizes he’s getting an out, Jisung smiles and presses on.
“I just really appreciate how you’re not posturing in your posing. You're confident, poised. Powerful, even. Most alphas, when they’re posing, have to embody this overbearing machismo. But you - I can tell you were posed. I can tell you listened to the director when they posed you, and the sense of power that came from that is better than any fake posturing.”
While Minho tries to feel normal about the fact that Jisung is calling him powerful, Jisung keeps talking.
“I’ve watched you on a few runways too. I’ve seen how you moved, and it’s like…a big cat, stalking his prey. You’re not strutting, you’re prowling. That’s less common for an alpha - they tend to swagger. Your photoshoots are easy for omegas to look at, and your runways are engaging. That’s the perfect combination in my book.”
Every word coming out of Jisung’s mouth makes Minho’s scent seep further. He’s not usually so shameless about letting it out in public, but there's a beautiful man right in front of him telling him he thinks about the way Minho prowls. It would make any man preen.
“You’ve got the perfect omega-gaze form, without even trying and while still being so completely alpha about it. It’s enticing. I want to see what I can do with someone like that on the other side of my camera.”
Once Jisung has said his piece, he turns to rummage through his bag, bringing out a small spiral notebook and a green gel pen.
“Enough of what I like. Let’s talk about what you like.”
-
Over the next two hours, Jisung asks Minho more questions than he would’ve thought were possible. Jisung goes bit by bit down the list, from Minho’s head to his feet. In general, Minho ends up being okay with most things. The only articles on the do not list are high waisted pants, tight collars, and skirts. Jisung had clarified at one point if tight collars meant turtlenecks, and looked very happy when they didn’t.
While Jisung makes some final notes, Minho clears their cups and grabs a napkin to wipe the table down. Jisung smiles at him and snaps his notebook closed.
“I’ve got a lot of great ideas here, Minho-ssi. I meant it back in the meeting when I said you’ve got the features for timeless.” Honestly, Minho barely knows what he means, but he nods and lets Jisung continue. “I know you’ve mostly modeled denim and accessories, but I know I can put together some looks that you’re comfortable in.”
Minho holds the door open for Jisung before bowing slightly. “Thank you for your time, Jisung-ssi.”
Jisung has been calling him Minho-ssi all morning, so he’s thinking that should be okay. Jisung groans slightly and gestures for him to stand up.
“The formalities make my skin crawl. Please just call me Jisung, at least when we’re not at the shoot.” Then, like he’d just remembered something, he claps his hands. “May I have your phone number as well, please? So we can communicate outside of our work emails, if you’d like.”
After assuring Jisung that he would like that very much, they go their separate ways. Before Minho gets on the train, he sends Jisung a text.
Hello Jisung-ssi
This is Minho
Please get home safely
Jisung responds twenty minutes later.
Hello Minho-ssi
I have arrived at my home safely
I can’t wait to work with you
-
Things progress quickly after their coffee date, which Minho catches himself calling it no less than five times. He’s still unsure if Jisung’s flirty tone had come from having to talk in circles around Minho’s dick, or if Jisung had been playing with their pheromones on purpose. Either way he’s got to show up and work for him regardless.
The first shoot is scheduled through his agent for two Wednesdays later, and Jisung’s email just asks for “casual clothes, no preparation.” He’s not sure what they’re actually planning to do, since it seems like a quick turnaround for the brands to have already replied. It looks like they’re meeting in 3Racha’s studio, and Minho pulls in just as Jisung steps out the side door to wave at him.
“Good afternoon, Minho-ssi,” he jogs towards him. “Is it an alpha thing to always arrive weirdly early to everything? Or is it just you? I don’t work with any alphas, so I literally have no frame of reference.”
It feels a little too early in their friendship to say something like ‘the little alpha ball that sits in my chest starts vibrating too much when I don’t know my perimeter’, so Minho shrugs. “I think it’s a me thing. The only other alpha I’m close with is only like this because I forced him to be . Alpha pack duplication, I think our friends call it.”
Actually, he’s not sure that’s a real thing. Yongbok said it the first time he heard Jeongin growl, and swore up and down he sounded just like Minho.
“Huh.” Jisung looks amused. “That’s pretty cute. Maybe it’s some latent pack alpha thing.”
That’s…scary to hear. Yongbok says the exact same thing. Maybe he’s onto something. Before he can fret over that too much, Jisung ushers him into the studio and immediately launches into the tour.
3Racha’s studio is small, but packed with life. Jisung shows him the two different places they shoot in the studio, one room with high ceilings and another with low ones. There’s a few staff moving around, and Jisung stops to introduce everyone they see. Minho’s not sure if he’s expected to remember all of these names, but he bows dutifully every time, and watches the way Jisung’s lips curl slightly.
Once Minho has met everyone he could possibly meet, they wind their way back to the studio with lower ceilings. Jisung flicks the lights on and sticks his head out the door to call the staff that had gathered in the hallway. He’s not sure what to do with himself - there’s nothing in this room, props pushed out of the way and covered by sheets.
“Minho-ssi, if you could please just stand in the middle of the room here?”
He’s moving before Jisung even finishes his directions, wandering carefully to a small tape X set under one of the lighting structures. Once he’s there, Jisung smiles.
“Perfect. Today, I’d like to do some pose work - I want to see how you move. Nothing crazy, no costumes, no B-roll. Just a mark, some lights, and you. To start, just stay right where you are. I’m going to move around you and get a feel for how you look under studio lights.”
Minho is great at staying still, so he flashes a quick thumbs up before letting his shoulders settle into a neutral position. Then - he watches Jisung get to work. He doesn’t know much about cameras, beyond how to pose for them, but Jisung holds his like it’s part of himself. It’s expensive, probably, given Jisung’s fame. It’s repetitive, soothing, and he lets himself zone out to the sound of Jisung's shoes and the shutter of the camera.
The next time Jisung speaks, he jumps.
“Okay - sorry. Sorry! You’re really good at holding still - statuesque. You photograph like one too, all those sharp angles.”
Minho’s ears heat up and he ducks quickly into a half bow to hide them.
“Next,” Jisung continues, kindly not mentioning any lingering redness, “I’d like to have you hit a couple classic poses. The standard fare- give me a pose, hold for 20, change position, hold another 20. However many you have.”
This part is harder, but mostly because now that Minho’s not zoning out he sees the way Jisung runs his eyes over his body. It’s nothing uncouth, far from it, but the reminder that Jisung likes what he sees makes him feel a little too warm. He can feel the energy in his fingers again, and tries not to think about running laps.
With the freedom to pose, he’s able to look around the room a little more. There’s only two other staff in the room, both of whom he’d been introduced to. One is making notes into her phone, while the other is monitoring whatever screen Jisung’s photos are being sent to. Jisung himself is staying mostly still for this portion, occasionally dropping into a crouch to hit a more dynamic shot. Occasionally, he takes a picture of a pose that Minho knows he looks great in, and makes a small noise in the back of his throat.
By the time Minho runs out of poses, Jisung has waved for him to pause.
“Now, for the last part I’d like to run you through some poses I’ve been thinking of. I’ll describe them, and you hit them. I like to do this exercise to figure out how you think of poses. Don’t worry about getting it perfect - I’ll correct you until you match the image in my brain.”
This part is easy for Minho. He’s always been more tactile, and anything that makes him feel his body is grounding. Most of his life, he’d entertained the thought of being a dancer - any kind, really, just as long as he was moving. Somehow he’d ended up at the opposite end of the spectrum, and found that same peace in stillness.
Jisung also makes it easy. Every direction he gives is simple, thorough, and exact. He says “give me a 45% degree over the shoulder, dropped chin” and Minho gets it. The “deep crouch, feet together” quickly gets a “heels together, aim for perched” added on. Any time Minho doesn’t see his vision, Jisung just keeps instructing - there’s never a sense of frustration.
In fact, the only thing that rubs Minho the wrong way is that Jisung isn’t really talking to him. He glances up to see Minho hit the pose, but all of his directions are done to Minho through the camera lens. It makes Minho more determined to do it right, to try and catch him in a moment of eye contact, but Jisung is faster every time.
The final pose (“seated, knees up, right arm propped up”) takes a few tries to get right, but when Jisung steps closer and adds “head back, neck taut” Minho finally gets what he’s been wanting. The moment he bares his neck, he watches Jisung’s eyes drop and trace the line of his jaw. He doesn’t immediately pull the camera up to take the shot this time, and Minho feels his lips pull up. This time, he’s sure.
“Please turn your head slightly, and make eye contact with me through the camera.”
It feels like it’s been hours since he’s been able to look Jisung in the eyes, and as he snaps his eyes to Jisung’s he sees him quickly lick his lips. For a moment, there’s a brief tremble in Jisung’s hands, but the moment he lifts the camera it disappears. Then, the moment is over. Minho stands up, groaning as his knee cracks and Jisung snickers.
“Thank you, this was perfect. I just need to finish up the letterheads we want to send out, but I’m confident I’ll have a list of items we can dress you in by our first real shoot. Since the other guys couldn’t be here today, I’d like to have one more meeting before we take our first pictures.” Jisung is flicking through his camera as he talks, but smiles up at Minho when he steps forward. “You’re really good at listening. I honestly…wasn’t sure how you’d be, as an alpha. Sorry for judging you, Minho-ssi. Are you free this time next week?”
When Minho assures him that he is, Jisung beams.
“Then I will see you next week. Please reach out if anything changes, alright? I’m so excited to get this started.”
-
The entire drive home, Minho thinks about the way Jisung licked his lips at the sight of his neck. He didn’t even think to pay attention to either of their scents in the moment, and hopes he didn’t manage to make a fool out of himself.
Speaking of scents, there’s one that wafts out his front door as he punches his code in. Jeongin sticks his head out of the kitchen as Minho kicks his shoes off, nose wrinkling, and rolls his eyes before disappearing.
“Whoever has got you smelling like that, break up with them,” he calls, slamming a drawer. “You’re too stinky. It’s gross.”
Minho stretches, smiling, and makes sure to push his scent out stronger.
“This is literally what you smell like, cake boy,” he shouts back. Which is true - Jeongin and he are called “the bakery pack” by their friends, by merit of both having sweet, bread-y scents. Minho’s is closer to a milk bread, he knows, but Jeongin smells like angel food cake that was being forcibly shoved into every pore of your body. Or close to it.
The kids Jeongin works with love it. Kids, even unpresented, manage to pick up on the cloying sweetness and hang off his every word. It wasn’t the reason he became a teacher, but it certainly didn’t hurt. Speaking of -
“How are the kids? You’d better have some stories to tell, to warrant breaking into my apartment and making-” He casts a look around, scooping Doongie off the counter. “Actually, are you just stealing my pans? What is happening here?”
Jeongin emerges from where he’s stuck his torso into a cabinet, banging his head twice but gripping the pan he’d been digging for.
“Sorry hyung,” he answers, clearly not sorry at all. “We’re doing a bake sale for the entire first grade, and I always forget I don’t have cupcake tins. Or paper liners. Or confectioners sugar. Or-”
Minho cuts him off by shoving his head down, gently. “Hyung doesn’t know why he even gave you the code, when all you do is steal from him.”
He sighs, dramatically, before pulling Jeongin to his feet.
He knows why he gave Jeongin the code, of course. They’re known each other for six years, had met in Minho’s final year of university after both of them mistakenly enrolled in the wrong course. For five long months they sat through a history of design in the Joseon Dynasty, gaining nothing but a lifelong friendship.
Jeongin was the first alpha Minho knew outside of his colleagues in the computer science department, and he was a breath of fresh air- literally. Minho met Yongbok and Seungmin through him. Their strange little “pack”, as Yongbok insisted on calling them. As much as Minho complained, they all had the code to his apartment.
“When do you need this by?” Tomorrow, based on the way Jeongin’s eyes widen. He always looked like Dori like this, trying to look cute to get out of trouble. Minho can’t really be mad - it’s his fault both of his boys turned out like that. “Go get the recipe cards. We’ll get these in the oven and order takeout for dinner.”
-
Once the kitchen had been cleaned of every last spilled cup of flour, they settled on Minho’s couch.
“Though you rudely didn’t ask, I had my first day of work with Han Jisung today. I told you about him, right? Little round guy, shoots omegas. Flowery. Bisexual.”
He watches Jeongin’s eyes get progressively rounder, before he swallows the food in his mouth and sets his chopsticks down eagerly.
“Hyung, I know Han Jisung. I’m not an idiot. He’s like the editorial photographer.” He frowns. “I don’t think you’re allowed to say ‘shoots omegas’ like that. It sounds wrong. How can you tell he’s bisexual?”
Minho doesn’t really know, but he’s got a good feeling. Jeongin punches him when he says that, though, so he punches him back.
It makes sense Jeongin would know who Jisung was. Jeongin was the entire reason Minho was even modeling - teaching elementary school might be Jeongin’s career, but fashion design was his calling. For years, Jeongin had been pushing him to just try out for an agency; he knew Minho was under-stimulated at work, knew he needed to be doing something with his body, and had finally annoyed Minho enough to say fuck it and apply.
Now, of course, he has to like he doesn’t owe his success to Jeongin. He’d get a big head about it.
“I know you’ve been planning this since you forced me into this career,” he says, pushing rice at Jeongin when he starts to complain. “I know your plan is for me to find you some fashion designer sugar daddy. I’ll keep my eyes open and let you know if anyone seems especially desperate for a sweet little alpha to take advantage of, okay? Don’t say hyung never did anything for you.”
Jeongin nods, miserably, and doesn’t even bother denying him.
-
Luckily, since Minho has now been to 3Racha Studios, he’s able to be incredibly normal when he shows up for their second meeting. There’s someone else with Jisung when he meets him at in the same studio as before, and it throws Minho off for a moment - the scent of citrus is so strong, he can’t even tell Jisung is there until he speaks.
“Good afternoon, Minho-ssi!” Jisung waves, smiling. He looks even softer today, even rounder somehow, and Minho’s body moves to reply without even thinking about it.
“Good afternoon Jisung-ssi. Have you decided to change career paths, and planted an orange grove overnight?”
Jisung chokes out a delighted laugh at that, spinning around to grab the other man in the room in a headlock. There’s a brief scuffle that Minho watches, powerless to do anything about, before he’s greeted by the sight of another man held tightly in Jisung’s arms.
“This is Hyunjin,” Jisung says, grinning. “He’s the makeup artist, and the most citrussy member of our crew. This is his brainstorming smell.”
Hyunjin grimaces, before flipping his hair into Jisung’s face and freeing himself. He sticks a hand out to Minho, who dips into a quick bow before grabbing it to shake. There’s a calculating look in Hyunjin’s eye when he does this, but he seems to think better of saying anything and instead smiles smugly.
“Nice to meet you, Lee Minho-ssi. I remember your Calvins ad. It felt like I couldn’t get away from it.” Jisung makes a strangled noise behind him. “At work and elsewhere. You have an incredible package by the way. Was that CGI? Stuffing? Fluffing? What’s your secret?”
Hyunjin is…refreshing. Jisung looks like he wants to die, but Minho can smell his soft floral scent winding its way through Hyunjin’s nearly cloying levels of tangerine. Before Minho can respond, someone else clears their throat.
“Hyunjin-ah,” it’s Chan, appearing over Minho’s shoulder and startling him. “You’re harassing him. You can’t ask him about his package just because he’s an alpha. What would your boyfriend think? Also it’s like, wicked against contract.”
Chan’s got a weird accent, but before he can place it, Hyunjin sighs and bows slightly. “I was asking for a friend, for the record. I don’t care about your penis and I don’t want to know. Please accept my apologies.”
Minho shrugs. “No worries. You weren’t asking anything the rest of Korea wasn’t. Maybe your friend can ask me themselves, so that we’re not violating the work contract. I’m not shy.”
Jisung’s floral scent spikes for a second, and he and Hyunjin make eye contact as they both turn to look at him. When he sees that Minho also caught it, a lazy smile crawls across Hyunjin’s face. “Oh, I’m sure he will regardless of the contract.”
Before Minho can ask what that possibly could mean, Jisung claps his hands frantically. “Everyone please, please stop talking. Let me do introductions before my muse walks out because he thinks we’re a bunch of sex pests, or something.’
At that, Jisung points to Chan.
“You met Channie hyung during the first meeting. 3Racha Studios was actually his idea, and he took a chance on me right out of college. Once I harassed him enough. He’s Australian, and tends to handle more of our foreign models and contracts.” Chan waves, jovially, before taking a seat. “Chan hyung is our head of design here. He’s the guy who will be dressing you, once I know what we want to do.”
Jisung turns to Hyunjin, and grimaces before speaking.
“Like I sort of already said, this freak is Hyunjin. I don’t know why he’s here or what anyone sees in him. We are enemies and I despise him.”
Chan makes a noise at that, and Jisung sighs.
“I’m mostly joking. His partner in crime is Changbin hyung, who is out of the studio on a location call right now. He’s the other guy you saw on the first day. Changbinnie is in charge of hair, so he and Hyunjin will work on you together most days.”
Minho bows to each of them before Jisung motions at him. “It’s a pleasure to work with you all. I’m relatively new in the business and getting to work with such an established company is an exciting opportunity.” He watches Hyunjin kick Jisung, before getting kicked by Chan in turn. “I can’t wait to see what Jisung-ssi does with this editorial.”
Hyunjin kicks Jisung again, before Chan sighs fondly and gestures for Minho to come sit at the table with him. There’s a stack of paper clipped packets in front of him, and he grabs one to pass to Minho.
“I know last time Jisung did mostly pose work with you,” he says. “Which was super helpful for me when it came to drafting a portfolio. The things in this packet are photographs of pieces we have in-house - mostly accessories and a few bags, but we’ve got a few tops that should fit based on the measurements your stylist provided.”
Hyunjin whispers something to Jisung at that, too low to hear, but for a second Minho can’t breathe with how fully his nose is filled with Jisung’s honeyed floral scent.
Chan continues like he’s used to them. “I’ve also included some photos of pieces we requested to borrow from Gucci. If they are on board, we’ll have some of these for the entirety of the shoot. The first contact we got back from them is very promising, which is great news - you’ve got an amazing silhouette for their current line, which is very contemporary.”
He turns another page, and shows Minho the pictures he’s talking about before Jisung steps in. “I remember at the shop you mentioned liking the way polos fit, so Channie hyung and I searched through Esquire’s store rooms to find one we picked up back in the 2024 collection. We’ve also got one simple grey henley that we bought from them back in…2022 I think?” Chan nods, flipping the booklet to display it. “We have to see what they send over, but I think I’d like to use that one for sure.”
Minho raises his hand, and watches Hyunjin poorly hide a smile. When Jisung looks at him, his lips curl up.
“You know you can just talk, Minho-ssi,” he says, tilting his head to the side and flashing his teeth. “None of us will think you’re some boorish alpha interrupting us.”
He actually had been worried about that, but decides to keep it to himself. “I’m curious, if you’re thinking this editorial is more clothing focused or more…concept forward. Most of your work seems to be conceptual around the season you’re shooting, but this feels more like you’re letting the clothes take second place in importance.”
Jisung makes a thoughtful noise, and takes a long moment to reply.
“You’re right, actually. I do tend to base my work around fashion, but it just doesn’t feel right here. I have to figure out something totally new, something that stands out from all my previous work, and I just can’t justify starting with the same formula as I always do. I’ve got some dream looks, of course, and quite honestly having a massive luxury house on board will give me clout to publish it. So, let me think about how to say this.”
Everyone waits, as Jisung puts his hands up and mimes putting words in place.
“The most important part of this shoot is you. I know my concept is based around you. I wa - Gucci wants you, so they want this to go well. I’m willing to play the game and get a big fashion brand on board if it means I can get a little crazy with my concept.”
Minho lets himself bask in the concept of Jisung wanting him, and sees Hyunjin wrinkle his nose. Chan picks up where Jisung left off, and flips the packet to the last few pictures.
“Like Jisung says, we want the clothes to still make you the center of attention. I’ve requested a few light linen pieces with softer edges to contrast your natural angles, some classic suit elements, and then a whole collection of denim and cloth. I’m envisioning blacks, reds, and greys - things that really make that platinum blonde you’ve got going on pop.”
Denim is an interesting choice - he’s only modeled jeans for Calvin Klein. When he brings that up, Chan nods.
“We were open about that in both letterheads - it’s not what we asked for, to be honest.” There’s a brief noise from where Hyunjin and Jisung are sitting, but when Minho looks over he can’t tell what happened. Chan plows ahead like nothing happened.
“Calvin Klein already got back to us anyways - they’ve sent a few pairs of jeans on top of underwear and undershirts, so once we see the rest of the clothes we can go from there and choose the best fit for each shoot. I think we’ll have a full wardrobe quickly, which is great since we can more easily decide on locations.”
“It’s not in the booklet,” Jisung says, cutting in, “but I’ve got a hotel I’ve wanted to have a shoot at for ages. They’ve got this beautiful suite with a patio, gorgeous brown brickwork and greenery. I’ve reached out to see when I can book it, but we’re probably looking at month two at the earliest. I’d love to get all the footage I need between here and there - way easier to move staff between just two locations.”
Hyunjin clears his throat, then. “I’d just like to say, on Changbinnie’s behalf, please don’t color your hair any during the time of the shoot. You’ve got the most delicious peak of roots coming in, and he loves to style hair that’s in that transition phase between dyed and natural.” Jisung nods along enthusiastically. “I didn’t include this in the package, but any makeup I use on you will be pretty natural. You’ve got a sort of ethereal beauty that pisses me off, and I want to really highlight that.”
With that, Hyunjin stands up and moves to the door. Before he leaves, he turns with a grin.
“You know, we heard back from Calvin Klein so fast because it was the first letterhead we sent. We have standards here.”
Chan sighs as he stands, and bows deeply with an apologetic grimace before following Hyunjin out the door.
Jisung doesn’t speak for a moment, doesn’t move from where he seems to be trying to fuse with the table. He touches his nose once, twice, but doesn’t speak. Minho takes pity on him, standing before bowing slightly.
“Your colleagues are fun, Jisung,” Jisung’s eyes snap to him at the lack of honorifics, and he cracks a small smile. “I’ll look forward to your scheduling email, and hope that we will have more than just Calvin Klein briefs to shoot me in next month.”
Jisung groans, and lets his head sink back to the table. “I hope so too, for all of our sakes.”
-
Over the next three weeks Minho received multiple emails from Jisung.
Minho-ssi,
I’m writing to inform you that you do not need to worry about having clothes for the first shoot - our friends at Gucci have eagerly complied with our request and sent over more clothes than we asked for. We’ll have those ready here next time you come in.
Sincerely,
Jisung
Minho gets that one while he’s clocked into the part time job he still has with the tech company he interned with out of college, and quickly switches tabs to reply.
Jisung,
I’m crushed to hear I won’t be able to have a repeat performance of my Calvins moment, as I’m sure it would be great for business. Looking forward to seeing the clothes you will be putting me in. Let me know when to show up, and I’ll be there,
Yours,
Minho
He doesn’t hear back from Jisung until the next day, after receiving a scathing phone call from Mija about “knowing that she can see the lewd emails he’s sending that poor man”.
Minho,
I would never stoop to shock tactics to sell my editorial. Besides, it’s been done. We’ll have to raise the bar while also wearing clothes. By the way, I’m sorry if my comment was out of line - Channie said I should be more mindful. In my defense, you started it. If you are free next Thursday, I would love to schedule our first official shoot. Let me know,
Sincerely,
Jisung
Minho sends a screenshot of the email to Mija, who replies that as she is on the thread she is unfortunately already aware of everything they send.
Jisung,
Apology accepted. I will be there next Thursday. Send me the time.
Yours,
Minho
-
Minho’s week flies by, and before he knows it he’s back at the studio - it seems like everyone he met on his first visit is back, buzzing around him excitedly. It’s a little much, but once he catches Jisung’s eye through the doorway he feels the world quiet around him just a little. Jisung is standing with his crew, nodding and grinning as his gaze slides between Minho and the others. After a moment, he watches Jisung clap one of them on the shoulder before stepping away to jog his direction.
“Good morning, Minho-ssi!” It really is a good morning, now that Jisung is so close. He’s done something with his eyes, some soft brown eyeliner that makes them look impossibly rounder. He bows, slightly, before stepping slightly closer.
“I thought you were going to be behind the camera.” If he’s not mistaken, Jisung’s breath catches. His eyes drop slightly, before pulling back up to meet Minho’s. “You’re done up prettier than I am. Don’t tell me the new concept is me taking the pictures?”
Some of the tension in Jisung’s shoulders drains when he laughs, clear and bright. There’s still some sort of energy held in him, Minho can tell, but he pops his hip and tilts his head with an over-the-top pout.
“Is a guy not allowed to look pretty? Just because no one is looking at me doesn’t mean I don’t deserve to get myself done up sometimes.”
It takes every ounce of strength for Minho not to reply that they both know one person who will be looking at Jisung, but the way Jisung’s eyes briefly travel down his face makes it seem like he was thinking the same anyways. He blinks, before straightening up suddenly.
“Come with me,” he says, breaking the silence and waving Minho into a room just off the studio they haven’t shot in yet. “We’re setting up the last of the lights in the big studio, and I’ve got the outfit for today laid out. Once you’re all dressed up, Changbin hyung and Hyunjin can get their grubby little hands on you.”
Jisung doesn’t seem like one to judge who has small hands, based on everything Minho had seen of them. This feels rude to point out though, and he keeps his mouth shut as he trails behind Jisung.
The side room is much quieter, and Chan pops up from behind a clothing rack when they enter. As he waves, Jisung hurries forward and starts taking hangers down.
“Like I promised, our clothes! No need for you to be naked in any way.” Minho pretends that he doesn’t hear the tinge that colors Jisung’s voice there, because thinking about it will make him go insane. As Jisung continues to pull hangers down, he starts passing clothes to Chan to hold up.
“Gucci sent a couple items from a totally new collection, real gorgeous stuff. I remember you mentioning a preference for soft clothes, so I tried to pull aside anything that felt too scratchy.” Jisung pauses, then turns to push one more item to Chan. “This is the outfit for today’s shoot - hyung, if you could - thanks, perfect.”
Once Chan has lifted his arms to fan out Jisung’s choices, he starts to explain each one.
“So Jisung and I actually spent a long time going back and forth on this one,” he pushes his chin towards the hangers on his left hand. “Since it’s black, we weren’t sure if it would pair well with the linen suit. Originally I was trying to push for some sort of baby blue, but we realized then we wouldn’t have a great shoe to match.”
Jisung jumps in here, showing Minho a shoe as he speaks. “I knew I wanted the contrast though, and hyung came around to my idea. Basically, we’re going to use this outfit as a base for some accents of silver - wrist, neck, and fingers will all photograph perfectly against this outfit. No belt.” Jisung’s voice shakes, just a little, on that word. He clears his throat. “I don’t like belts.”
Minho will ask about that later. For now, he runs a careful hand down the side of the pants hanging off Chan's right hand and furrows his brow thoughtfully. “Do you know what you’re looking for, today?”
It’s like a switch flips in Jisung when he asks, with the way his eyes light up. The strange nervous energy from before still lingers somewhere, but Jisung’s entire demeanor is cool and collected again.
“Not yet - I’ll know when I find it. Once you’ve got all this on, please come over to the main room. I’ll have the other two ready to take care of you.”
With that, Jisung turns and hurries out of the room. Chan takes a long breath before carefully putting his arms down with a long groan. He shuffles carefully toward a small door set into the back of the room, and gestures at it with his chin.
“Here’s the changing space. If you could just grab the handle for me - thanks man - just, maybe grab that shirt and I’ll be golden.” Once Chan awkwardly shimmies the final hanger off his arm, he beams. “Just give me a holler if you can’t get anything on. I’ll put your silver on once you’re done - you can leave the clothes you’re wearing in here, if you’d like.”
Once the door shuts, Minho takes a longer look at the items Chan has left behind.
The tan suit is heavier than he thought at first glance, but it’s got a gentle silhouette behind the heft. It’s beautiful - initially delicate looking, but sturdy the longer Minho looks. There’s a simple pair of black socks hung over the inside of a hanger, alongside a simple pair of black underwear. Briefs, Minho sees, smiling to himself at the thought of Jisung deciding if it was worth putting them in the pile.
Next, the shirt. Minho strips his top off first, before carefully pulling it off the hanger towards him. He’s surprised to find it’s actually sheer, and once he’s got it on he looks down to confirm that yes, his nipples are visible. It’s insanely comfortable, not rubbing or catching at all, and the collar barely hugs his neck. Jisung really did seem to take his notes into consideration, and as he shimmies on the briefs and buttons the pants around them he realizes just how much he appreciates him.
The pants fit perfectly without a belt, and once Minho slides the shoes on he takes a long look at himself in the mirror.
This outfit feels perfectly hand crafted for his body - there’s care here, alongside sensuality, but it suits him almost too well. Somehow, Jisung has done in three meetings what no other stylist ever has - dressed him to highlight his sharp angles while still keeping him soft and comfortable. He can smell his scent starting to intensify as he thinks about it, and steps out of the room after one final turn in the mirror.
Chan gives a wordless sound of excitement when he notices Minho, springing up from his chair and hurrying towards him.
“Oh, Jisung will love this. How does it fit? Buttons up alright? No pulling, tugging, pilling?” As Minho reassures him that everything is fine, Chan circles him three times. Once he’s certain himself, he motions Minho over to the table and gestures to the items that are spread out.
“We’ll go with these rings,” he says, already handing them over as he continues. “This necklace, and a watch - what wrist do you wear your watches on? Do you have a preference?”
He doesn’t, not really, but when he mentions being left-handed Chan smiles.
“Put that on your right, then. Just another little thing that makes it you, you know?”
Jisung isn’t in the main studio when he makes his way back, but Hyunjin and Changbin intercept him before he can decide where to stand aimlessly. They chatter over him as he’s pulled to the side, gently pushing him into a chair and throwing a cape over him.
“Morning, Minho-ssi,” Changbin says as Hyunjin rifles through a makeup bag. “Jisung didn’t ask for much today, so we’ll only be in your hair for a moment.”
He looks a little too proud of that joke, based on the way Hyunjin rolls his eyes in the mirror, but Minho smiles just the right amount to get one in return. Changbin, true to his word, spends less than ten minutes in Minho’s hair. He wets it a bit, before brushing a product through and fluffing it with some sort of small hair dryer. At the end, he looks mostly the same - just sleeker, more polished and put together.
When Hyunjin is able to swoop in, he describes every step of the process. They start with a bit of moisturizer before he carefully brushes on a super light foundation. At one point, he pulls out a tiny painter's palette and starts packing colors together, before explaining that this is how he can make sure Minho’s skin behaves exactly how they want it to under the light.
By the end, Minho doesn’t even feel like he’s wearing anything - Hyunjin’s got a light hand with everything he does, even as he’s dusting on neutral brown eye shadow and complaining about the length of Minho’s eyelashes. Eventually, the cape is pulled away, and he’s allowed a moment to stand and look at himself before Jisung is calling for him.
The moment he turns, he sees Jisung’s jaw drop. The sight makes him want to preen, just a little, but he compromises by straightening out and giving his shoulders a shake. By the time Jisung rushes forward, they’re both recovering.
For a second, Jisung looks like he’s about to reach forward and grab Minho’s lapels. Instead, he clasps his hands together and rocks up onto his toes before scurrying around to look at Minho from all angles.
“This is perfect! This is perfect. You’re so perfect. It’s like you stepped out of my dreams and into my studio.” If Minho preens a little more at that, he really can’t be blamed. Jisung makes it back in front of him, before sinking into a crouch and holding his cheeks with his hands. “Really, hy- Minho-ssi. Really you’re incredible. Please let me photograph you now.”
When Minho gets to the pre-taped mark on the floor, Jisung seems to have calmed down a bit. He’s still smiling, a goofy little grin that shows off his gums, but he’s a little less red. The shoot starts with little fanfare, staff in place and lights switched on. They’re starting with full body shots, similar to the ones Jisung had directed him through last time, and Minho lets himself get lost in the monotony of it.
Every few minutes, he moves to a new pose. Jisung steps forward, raises his camera, and takes a shot. Then he does it again. Again, and again, until all he hears is Jisung’s soft breathing and the faint whir of the lens. There’s some chatter in the background, but it’s more like white noise - putting the noises of Jisung’s shoes scuffing into high definition, tracking his progress across the floor with inhales and steps.
By the time he’s exhausted most of his poses, Jisung is less than three away from him. He’s not paying attention, totally absorbed in tracking some portion of Minho’s outfit through his viewfinder, and Minho waits for a long moment before he manages to finally catch his eyes over the top of the camera. Jisung jolts, freezing with his eyes wide, and Minho hears the way the camera goes off.
“Hi,” Minho whispers, just for the two of them. They exist there, in that bubble of only them, until Jisung shakes his head quickly and takes a slow step back.
“Are you comfortable?” Jisung quietly asks, lowering the camera. “Would you like a break? Do you like the clothes? Are you-”
Minho smiles, but shakes his head. Jisung is so alert, attuned to the way he’s starting to shift in place under the lights, but he’s not uncomfortable. He just needs Jisung’s attention, needs his eyes on him, but he’s not sure how to communicate that. Ultimately, he doesn’t need to - Jisung nods, and steps forward.
“I want to take a couple focused pictures now. I’ve got every possible shot I could from this outfit here today, so we’ll wrap with a few good close ups on the accessories. I’ll describe exactly what I’m looking for, just like last time, so just let me know if I don’t make sense.”
The first shot Jisung sets up is taken from the back - Minho hears Jisung walking behind him, hmm-ing and tapping his foot with every instruction he gives.
“Go ahead and unclasp the necklace,” is what Jisung says, before gasping. “Unclasp it - but hold there! Push your shoulders up please, drop your head a touch. Just like that. Now just move your hands slightly closer, and pull the clasp like you’re putting it on. Hold that. Hold that, exactly right there.”
The shutter goes off, over and over, and Minho holds the pose until Jisung gives a soft cry of approval. As he lowers his arms, Jisung circles back to his front.
“Okay, let’s do the front next. I’m envisioning like a-” Jisung lets the camera hang, pretending to pull at an imaginary collar. “Not like you’re flashing me, but like a cheeky lapel pull. Something to show off the necklace, but the rings are also there.”
When Minho goes to hold open both lapels, Jisung puts his hands up quickly.
“No, no - oh wow, that’s like. Entirely your nipples.” It is, and Minho pulls just a little further to watch the way Jisung immediately reddens, but doesn’t look away.
“If I had known you were putting me in a sheer top, I would’ve worn my piercings.” The immediate rush of honey hits Minho’s brain like a brick, and he feels his teeth click with the force of his jaw closing. Jisung is looking at him like he’s never heard him speak before, eyes wide circles darting between where he’s still holding his suit open and his own face.
“Your. Piercings?” Jisung faintly echos, a sort of hopeful tone in his voice. When Minho nods, he runs a hand across his face. “Your piercings. Of course. Your nipple piercings. Sure. Give me just a minute.”
He lets go of his lapels as Jisung breathes, before shakily lifting the camera again. They settle on a nice torso shot, Minho’s left hand pulling his lapel gently to the side to highlight how the necklace swings forward. Jisung keeps him there, frozen, and moves around him to reposition for their final shot.
“Pull your hand up just a little, like you’re thinking about putting it in your pocket. Trail your fingers along your thighs - a little higher, freeze there, please.”
Once Jisung steps away to look at the monitors, Minho lets himself relax. It’s nice how most of the staff isn’t paying attention to him, engrossed in their own things, and he lets his eyes glide over them mindlessly. Hyunjin catches his eye in the scan, frowning just slightly, but he just rolls his eyes when Minho furrows a brow at him.
Finally - he’s back to watching Jisung. Jisung’s got a leg propped up on a chair, and Minho does everything in his power to not stare at the curve of his ass. He’s waving his hand, gesturing to the monitor as he cycles through pictures, and Minho doesn’t even notice Chan coming up to him until he’s nearly on top of him.
“Jisung’s done for the day,” Chan says, fond exasperation in his tone. “He just doesn’t know it. Every time he does this he ends up talking in circles with the editing crew for three times longer than he needs to, even though he knows he got exactly what he wanted. You can go get changed.”
He takes his time changing, letting the sounds of the studio clear out as people move to different areas of the building. Once all of his outfit is hung back up or folded nicely (in terms of the briefs), he slowly makes his way back to the studio. Jisung, as promised, is still talking animatedly - just to Chan this time, who is smiling and nodding vacantly to whatever Jisung is saying.
As he approaches, Jisung turns.
“Oh - oh you’ve already changed. Sorry if I kept you too long, I just wanted to make sure I got everything out of my head and onto the screen.” Jisung motions to the files Chan is exporting, before turning back to face him. “Obviously I did. You’re incredible. I’m glad you liked the outfit, too, because I think we’ll keep you in it for the next one. I’ve got a concept cooking, slowly. I’ve like…just set the timer for the rice cooker in my brain.”
He’s so cute. Minho smiles and cocks his head to the side. “You’ll wash it right? Or do you want me to wear the same briefs?”
Jisung freezes, spinning to look at Chan before turning back to Minho.
“You wore those?” His voice is tight, higher than before. Minho nods. “Right, of course. We will make sure everything is freshly laundered.”
Once Chan finishes exporting all the files, he stands and drops a heavy hand on Jisung’s head, ruffling his hair fondly. It makes Minho’s stomach turn, for some reason, but the moment Chan steps away it stops. Jisung waves him off, and starts gathering his stuff as he talks.
“Sorry again for keeping you. I just wanted to let you know that we booked that hotel spot that I was talking about, for two weeks from now. If that doesn’t work I’ll call the hotel.” When Minho shakes his head, Jisung smiles. “It’s going to be perfect with this outfit. The greenery on the patio is all evergreen so it’s not brown and ugly right now. We’ll get the perfect touch of spring with the tan suit, a little more focus on you versus the accessories.”
“Should I wear my piercings?” This time, Jisung doesn’t bother to hide the way he swallows. Minho is suddenly very aware of how alone they are in the room. “I will if you want me to. Since you seem to like it.”
The gaze Jisung sends Minho’s way is withering, but less effective when paired with the blush sitting high on his cheeks. He makes a noncommittal gesture, which Minho decides to take as a yes. He takes pity on him then and moves back towards the door.
“The shoot today was wonderful, Jisung. The outfit you picked was so…me. I could tell you put it together while thinking of me, and this wasn’t some recycled idea.” The floral elements of Jisung’s scent start to unfold as he talks, even if Jisung isn’t looking at him. “You’ve made me feel comfortable and important the whole shoot. You deserve all the praise everyone gives you.”
Finally, Jisung looks him in the eyes. He’s still red, but his smile is huge and genuine. “Thank you, Minho-ssi. That means a lot. Your comfort is important to me - you’re my muse. I’ll see you next time, yeah? Have a good evening.”
-
That weekend, Jisung texts him for the second time.
Lee Minho-ssi
This is Han Jisung. I was wondering if I could make a request of you.
Minho very nearly replies something embarrassing like “I would do anything for you” before matching Jisung’s ultra formal tone.
Han Jisung-nim
How can I be of assistance today?
Jisung’s typing bubble appears, disappears, and reappears no less than three times before the next message comes in.
Upon further consideration, I would like to request you bring you piercings to the next shoot.
When nothing else comes through, Minho decides to prod.
If that’s what Jisung wants, that’s what he gets.
Just to be clear, you want me to bring my nipple piercings?
This time, the reply is instant.
Oh my godd
Do you have others?
Wait - sorry. That was unprofessional. I would like that. Thank you. I’ve been thinking about
The gap in messages stretches long enough that Minho almost sends another.
Please just ignore that. I would love if you could bring your nipple piercings. I’ve got some more ideas for full body shots and I’d like to be prepared just in case they’re visible.
Always best to be prepared.
Knowing that Jisung is at home thinking about him makes heat pool in his core, makes his mouth water without even thinking. He wants to keep pushing and prodding, to see the Jisung that comes out when he lets himself get flustered, but chooses to let it lie instead.
I’ll do anything you want. All you have to do is ask.
-
Minho doesn’t just bring his piercings to their next shoot - he wears them. They’re years old at this point, but every brush of the seatbelt on them while he drives to the hotel makes him feel like they’re brand new again. His nipples have never been sensitive, which is why he got the piercings. Yongbok had insisted on it. Something about solidarity, but in the end Minho had been the one babying him through the pain.
Well, at least they look good. Most of his partners had loved them, and Minho did love to be looked at.
He’s never been to this hotel, and takes a moment to walk the block surrounding it before heading inside. The cold air helps one problem, grounding him and letting any blood that had migrated southward on the drive make its way back up to the limbs it needed to be in. It also creates a problem that he becomes aware of the moment he raises a hand to greet Jisung in the lobby.
Jisung, to his credit, only double takes. Twice for each nipple, which were sticking through Minho’s shirt like that was his plan all along. He’s not mad about it, not when it makes Jisung smell so sweet and get so red, but he does give a slight cough when neither of them speak for too long. When Jisung’s eyes finally settle on him he makes a strangled noise, before giving half of a bow and quickly walking away.
The hotel is gorgeous, all modern fixtures and soft lighting, and Minho takes a moment to appreciate the vibes as he follows Jisung’s scent through the halls. If the rooms are anything like the lobby, he understands why Jisung wants to shoot here - the creamy white and light green accents must look great on film. By the time Jisung is letting him into a door, he finally speaks.
“Sorry, Minho. For my unprofessionalism.” Minho wants to grab him by the cheeks and make him look into his eyes. “Good morning, by the way. This room is where the guys will work on you - the door connecting it to our room is open. We just need to set up a few lights and we’ll be ready to go.”
He hesitates before looking right at Minho’s nipples again - soft now, which means Jisung is looking.
“I appreciate you bringing the piercings. I had expected them to be in some sort of case, but this was a…pleasant surprise.”
With that, he scampers back into the hallway and leaves Minho to step into the room. This room is smaller, one bed covered in tech gear and garment bags, and Changbin waves at him from the en suite bathroom.
“Morning, Minho-ssi,” he calls, before gesturing to the bed. “Hyunjinnie and Chan-hyung know to knock before coming in, so you can feel free to draw the blinds and change out there. I’ll stay in here until you’re decent. Well - they should know, at least. Maybe don’t get fully naked, just in case.”
Today’s outfit is exactly the same as before, just like Jisung had said, even down to the socks and the underwear. The suit is clearly freshly pressed, and he leaves the jacket laid out on the bed - better to get hair and makeup done, especially in the smaller space. He keeps the shoes off for now - it sounds like they’re planning to shoot outside, but he’d rather not put them on indoors until he has to. Instead, he shuffles his feet into the slippers by the bed and sticks his head into the bathroom.
“Hey,” He says, making Changbin jump and drop his hand dryer. “Sorry. Do you need to do my hair now? I left the jacket off, if that makes it easier for you and Hyunjin.”
The sheer shirt makes his piercings very obvious, if Changbin’s unashamed gaze is anything to go by. He doesn’t even try to look at his face when he answers.
“Wow, that’s. Wow. Has Jisung already seen you? Is he alright? I feel like I need to send someone out to make sure he’s okay.” He turns to pick up his dryer before stowing it safely on the counter. “I’m serious. To answer your question - yes. Come out to the desk, I’ll do your hair like before.”
Changbin is quicker than before, but Minho sees the way his eyes drift throughout. By the time they hear a knock at the door, followed by a ‘put your dicks away’, he’s already finished. Minho, with his dick snugly put away, doesn’t respond when the door flies open to reveal Hyunjin and Chan.
“Oh, well. You can take yours out, actually.” Hyunjin breezes in, blowing a kiss to Changbin and dodging Chan’s reproachful slap. “I’m kidding. Save it for Jisung.”
Minho’s not sure Jisung could handle seeing his cock today, in light of the nipple piercings, but he’s saved from his brain saying that aloud by the gasp Hyunjin lets out when he turns to look at him.
“Holy shit, are those real? I thought Jisung was lying or having some horny hallucination caused by too much - well. Never mind.”
He beckons Minho into the bathroom with both hands and hops on the counter, grabbing his case. Just like before, it’s a very toned down look. Hyunjin sighs loudly as he gently brushes color onto Minho lips, smiling.
“You know, I think Jisung didn’t realize how handsome you’d be in person. I had a whole idea going into this of the different looks I could do on your face, but then Jisung ruined that by bursting in and telling me I had to keep it natural.” Minho hums, and tries not to let his scent curl. Fails, by the knowing smile Hyunjin shoots him. “I’m going to do my best to get you in the red lip by the end of this. Mark my words.”
From the doorway, Changbin scoffs. “I don’t think you’re winning that one babe,” he’s propped against the doorframe, watching Hyunjin touch Minho’s head to move him around. “You’re persuasive, but I think Jisungie will fight you on this one. Not for the first time, either.”
Hyunjin rolls his eyes and leans closer. “Jisung and I were friends before we worked together, and I think Binnie gets jealous that he never got to see us fight for real,” he stage whispers, before winking at Changbin. “What a lecherous beta that one is. Just in it to see two omegas roll around in the dirt.”
Minho pointedly does not think about that, but he knows he will later.
“Have you all-” Hyunjin taps his chin closed, and keeps him quiet until his lips are finished. “Known each other for a long time? This studio has a lot of clout in the industry, so I imagine you all are pretty close. Some more than others.”
“Yeah, the three of us,” Changbin answers, leaning up against the counter now. “Jisung, myself, and Channie hyung have worked together for six years now. We snagged Jisung fresh out of school. He actually approached us, after hearing about our work to push for more beta rep in fashion. It was a dream match, of course. Jisung was young, but we took a chance and built our empire.”
Hyunjin rolls his eyes, and gives Changbin a shove. “I joined the team two years later, once Jisung was fully sick of my bitching about not finding good work in the industry. We really did have a few rough patches in the past, but we’re past that now. Well -” he smiles, “we got past it for real once I tried to fight him for Changbin. He didn’t want him, but you couldn’t tell me that.”
Minho nods. “What about Chan-ssi? Does he have a partner?”
If he wasn’t looking right at both of them, he might’ve missed it. Changbin stiffens slightly, shoulders squaring, and Hyunjin’s legs immediately freeze in position. It’s Changbin who answers first, a little more stilted from before. “Who’s asking?”
Weird, Minho thinks, before carefully pulling his phone out from under his thigh. He waits to make sure Hyunjin won’t tap him again for looking down, before unlocking it and opening his pictures folder.
“I hope it’s not weird to say this,” he says, “but I keep threatening to find an old man fashion designer to introduce to my little baby al- my pack.” He fumbles a little, but every misspeak thaws the men in front of him from their weird status. “He’s like my brother I guess. He’s the reason I got into modeling, and I know it sounds creepy but Chan’s really Jeongin’s type so. I figured I’d ask.”
Hyunjin snatches his phone, scrolling quickly through it. Once he’s shown Changbin enough photos, he passes it back with a secretive smile.
“Channie loves younger tops,” he whispers, and Changbin sighs but lets him speak. “Sorry for assuming you were - well. Sorry for assuming. I’ll put in a good word for your Jeongin.”
For the next ten minutes, Minho is fully engaged showing Hyunjin and Changbin the different design work Jeongin has done. He also shows them the picture of him falling into the Han river, and the picture of him crying over a video of a Fennec fox pup. This one is such a hit that none of them hear the door open, and Minho only looks up when a hint of soured vanilla winds through the room.
Jisung is standing there, smiling tightly, and Hyunjin slowly removes the hand that had been turning Minho’s hand towards Changbin. Before anyone can speak, Minho turns his phone out to the doorway.
“Look, this is Jeongin.” The picture he’s showing is of his last birthday party, when Seungmin had taken them to a spa. Jeongin and Minho both have at least a dozen cucumbers on their face, and both look delighted. “He’s my sort of brother, friend, pack thing. We want to set him up with Chan-ssi. What do you think?”
The more he talks, the more Jisung loosens. When he steps forward to look more closely at the picture his scent is back to normal, and he smiles widely.
“I thought you three were flirting in here, with how gross Hyunjin smells. Jeongin looks very cute, and I support it. Channie hyung…well, he could use a break.” When Minho puts his phone down, Jisung’s eyes zero in on the piercings and he coughs loudly. “We’re ready. Just please, please put your jacket on and head over.”
The room next door is huge, even with all of the gear and the crew packed inside. It’s got two beds, both covered in bags, and one of them points directly towards the massive en suite bathroom. There’s even a small nook tucked to the side, where the couch and television are, and beyond that is the patio. The whole space feels romantic, a space for lovers to meet and escape, and Minho briefly wonders if that’s what Jisung sees in it.
Chan waves at them from the patio and directs Minho to get his shoes on before stepping out. Jisung has a foot perched up on one of the deck chairs, checking the settings on his camera as Minho approaches. He sees the way Jisung steels himself before looking up, like he might’ve taken his shirt off entirely instead of putting the jacket on, and he laughs a little at Jisung’s half relieved face.
“Do you like this place?” Jisung gestures to the space, and Minho lets his eyes wander appreciatively over the greenery and brickwork. “It’s beautiful, yeah? I want the vibe here to be a lot more casual, moving out of the studio vibes and into something more outdoorsy. Without being outdoors really. The contrast between the plants, the bricks, and you is going to hit so good.”
With that, they get started. As everyone scurries to their places, Jisung starts to direct him through simple pose work, moving around the patio. They take a few shots on the chairs, one knee down, then seated, then leaning forward against the back with both hands grabbing the frame. Chan has to step in after these, quickly brushing the dust off Minho’s thighs and ass with a fabric brush. Jisung frowns every time, and he can hear Chan laugh behind him at a particularly bitter grimace.
By the time they’ve moved against the brick, Minho realizes that he’s not wearing any of the jewelry from the previous shoot. When he brings it up, Chan nods.
“Yeah, to make it a little more casual we were going to move away from the silver. Obviously not counting the ones you brought, since that was a request from our wonderful photographer.” Jisung is pretending to be fully engrossed in his camera as they speak, even though he can’t be more than two feet away.
They move away from classic poses once Jisung positions Minho against the wall, before having him shuffle slightly over to get into the sun. It feels nice against Minho’s skin, and he tilts his head back to bask in it while Jisung tries to figure out the angle he wants. They try a few, but it seems like none of them are quite right. Finally, Jisung steps forward, hand raised, and freezes an inch away from Minho’s shoulder.
Jisung is looking directly into his eyes, and he feels the way heat rises to the tips of his ears. Jisung lowers his hands slightly before looking at Minho’s lips on the way to his neck, where he keeps his gaze as he speaks.
“I apologize, Minho-ssi. I was about to move you without asking.” Minho’s instincts sing at this, wanting Jisung to just do it, just touch him, but he smiles instead of saying that.
“You can touch me, Jisung,” he says quietly and watches Jisung’s eyes snap back up to his. You can touch me in any way at any time sounds a little too inappropriate, so he stays silent and nods encouragingly as Jisung reaches towards his shoulder again. This first press of his fingers against the bone makes his fingertips feel like he’s touching a live wire, and he nods enthusiastically as Jisung moves to touch the side of his head.
It’s like everywhere Jisung touches he leaves a little puddle of lava behind. He can’t tear his eyes away, he can’t move from where he’s been positioned. All he can do is hope that Jisung keeps touching him, keeps looking at him, keeps pushing out the most clear floral scent he’s ever smelled rolling off of him.
Eventually, Jisung gets the exact pose he was looking for - Minho ends up half lounging against the brick, face turned upwards and eyes closed. It’s difficult, closing his eyes, but it gets easier as Jisung backs away to frame up the shot. He ends up all the way across the courtyard, and Minho hears the shutter go off a few times before Jisung is calling for him to please hold there.
The noise of the patio door opening is intriguing, but Jisung positioned him, and he needs to stay here.
When he hears a got it, you’re good called through the window, he lets himself relax and stares into the room. Jisung is inside, midway between the two beds, and he looks incredibly pleased.
“That’s exactly the shot I wanted,” he’s saying when he comes outside, and he moves towards Minho intently. He still hesitates for a moment, but must read Minho’s comfort in his eyes because he doesn’t ask for permission to touch again. “The window shot still shows the patio well, but gives a sense of someone from the inside looking out. We can edit out the glare in post.”
The next pose that Jisung sets him in is dynamic, standing upright and stretching his arms into the air. “Like you just stood up from the previous relaxed pose” Jisung instructs, before thinking for a moment. “Like you just saw someone inside that you want to entice to come out. A stretch less about stretching, and more about showing off.”
Minho knows his piercing is visible this time, by the way Jisung sucks his lip between his teeth. Before he steps away, Jisung adjusts the way the suit jacket lays on Minho’s hips and unbuttons it entirely. He still smoothes it down over Minho’s hips before scooting back inside to take the picture.
The final pose of the day has Minho leaning back against the brick, out of the sun and much closer to the hanging leaves. Jisung’s not physically posing him this time, instead choosing to take shots from all around the patio, and the lack of physical touch makes Minho restless. He’s never wanted that on a shoot, never had the desire to be touched and posed and looked at, but now he feels like he needs it to stay grounded.
He can tell he’s losing focus, and the plant isn’t helping - it keeps catching in his peripheral, and it’s making him twitchy the longer it moves in the slight breeze. Jisung notices, of course, and he hears a small giggle from behind the camera every time he flinches away from the branch. He ends up just facing the plant at one point, feeling uncharacteristically unmoored with the lack of direction. He’s not sulking, not really, but he smells Jisung’s scent curl around him as he approaches.
“Please look at me,” he says, and Minho has maybe been waiting his whole life for those words. The annoyance of the plant melts away as he meets Jisung’s beautiful eyes, wide and just a little uncertain. “Perfect. Thank you. Stay - stay just like that.”
Jisung’s voice is shaking, just the slightest, but Minho is too caught up in finally getting to look at him to care. It takes a minute for him to lift the camera, and it’s not until Chan gives an uncertain cough behind him that he ends up moving into action. The spell is broken when he turns away, and Minho shakes his head to clear it as he watches Jisung move towards the computer they’ve got set up. The entire back of Jisung’s neck is bright red, and Minho watches as Hyunjin comes over to whisper something in Jisung’s ear.
Whatever it is makes Jisung throw a weak punch, but he’s clearly pleased with the pictures. Chan sees him over Jisung’s shoulder, and must notice how he’s stuck in the limbo of the shoot feeling over but not being told. Jisung also hasn’t dismissed him, hasn’t told him to leave the pose that he’d put him in, and hadn't touched him again. He wants Jisung to touch him again.
When Chan jerks his head, Jisung whips around and sees that he hasn’t moved. He gives him a sheepish smile before officially calling it a wrap for the day.
Once Minho’s got his clothes back on, he goes to find Jisung. Jisung’s still at the monitor in the other room, but he looks up as Minho approaches - he’s got some of that nervous energy from before, but it eases when Minho asks to look at the shots they took.
Jisung clicks through them one by one, and Minho finds himself just staring at his side profile as he chatters on about the different shots.
“You’re making it hard for me to stick to a concept,” he says at the end, showing Minho the final shots with pride. The ones that he’d touched him during. The ones that made it hard for Minho to think. “This is exactly what I wanted though. It’s like every time I think I’ve settled on my next idea, you surprise me. I have a new idea for next time - but I want to meet here again. We’ll do a new outfit next time too.”
“I look forward to seeing what you do,” he replied, and doesn’t say anything about hoping that Jisung will touch him again.