The Nation's Sweetheart


PROMPT: International model Yoon Seri has graced the covers of global magazines and modelled for world-famous designers, but no one really knows who she is.


Except for her photographer, who accidentally walks in on one of her private moments. 
-


"Talent is in the building!"


Upon hearing the announcement, Ri Jeong Hyeok looks up from his camera, training his eyes to the door of the studio, curiosity bubbling inside him to finally see in the flesh the world-renowned model he is to photograph that day.


So far, in his young career in the world of photography, Jeong Hyeok has never met a single person who didn't have a magical story to tell about working with the Yoon Seri, the so-called Nation's Sweetheart.


The stories were all impressively consistent, with industry workers praising the beauty's professionalism and punctuality above all.


She was, they said, every photographer's dream subject, for she knew exactly how to work her angles, how to make love to the camera, so to speak, so that any shooting day with her would usually end earlier than scheduled.


Unfortunately, Yoon Seri also didn't talk much. When she did, it was only to greet the people working with her politely or to discuss the direction of the shoot. Nothing more, nothing less.


Because of this, it would readily seem that no one really knew who she truly was. According to the grapevines, even her personal assistants kept mum and didn't divulge much information about the model.


"She chooses her people carefully," someone once told Jeong Hyeok when they first found out he was going to photograph Seri's campaign for an Italian designer. "It's like they're all part of this elite club that no one else is allowed in."


Jeong Hyeok wasn't really one to listen to gossip, especially when it comes to work. His work ethic was very simple - to just do what is asked of him, and to mind his own business.


It was why he liked being behind the lens - all he had to do was take pictures, that's it. He also liked that he can tune everyone out and focus on the subject, so that while the world around him might be making a thousand noises, Jeong Hyeok only hears the clicking of his camera.


That being said, it was extremely difficult for him not to form an impression of Seri, what with everything that's been said about her.


He visualized a beautiful, size-zero mannequin who didn't talk and looked stunning on camera.


Nothing, however, could have prepared him for how breathtaking she truly was once she stepped inside the studio, effectively drawing everyone in the room to flock towards her.


They all fawned over her so much, Jeong Hyeok was surprised that there was no red carpet rolled out on the floor for her.


As he now prepares his equipment for the shoot, testing out several lenses, giving instructions to the lighting crew, the quiet photographer gets the surprise of his life when Seri suddenly appears beside him.



She holds out her hand with a small smile, though he can see that her eyes appear harrowingly empty.


A mannequin indeed.


"I look forward to a pleasurable shoot with you, Mr. Ri Jeong Hyeok," she greets him in a neutral voice he can't quite decipher, but he shakes her hand nonetheless.


The shoot did turn out to be pleasurable, if Jeong Hyeok were to say so himself. There were several ensembles that had to be included in the shoot, leaving the photographer wondering if a tantrum was forthcoming, but Seri truly proved herself to be the professional she was by going through every single style one by one, without any complaints.


She was a real trooper. All Jeong Hyeok heard from her during the shoot was "do I look alright in this light?"


She looked amazing in any light, in any angle, truth be told. As Jeong Hyeok kept focusing the lens on her face, he couldn't help but be stunned by her natural beauty. He knew they kept her makeup to a minimum, as was the directive of the designer, but he felt like they could have left her face completely bare and she would still be ethereal.


Eyes like almonds, lips like a rosebud, collarbones that seemed to be carved by the architects of Rome, Seri deserved the title of Most Beautiful Woman on Earth - which she currently holds for the tenth year in a row.


All the gossip about her was true, Jeong Hyeok also discovered. She worked her angles like a pro, so that the photographer really only needed to point the camera at her, and click.


It was, hands down, the easiest shoot of his life.


"And she's gone just as quickly as she came in," his assistant mutters as they now wrap up everything, his eyes following the departing form of Seri as she exits the studio. "What a beauty, though."


Jeong Hyeok silently packs up his stuff, inwardly thinking how lucky he was to finally be able to work with the famous model. He doesn't dwell much on the shoot as he makes his way out of the studio, making a beeline for the elevators.


Seeing the line of people waiting for the shaft, and wanting to get to his next appointment as soon as possible, Jeong Hyeok makes the decision to take the stairs instead.


What he finds on the landing just two flights before he reaches the ground floor makes his breath hitch.


There, sitting on the last step with her side against the wall sits the beautiful Yoon Seri, dressed in a shirt and jeans, her hair now flowing loose around her shoulders, and...


Eating a hamburger?


The moment feels too private for him to intrude into, and Jeong Hyeok finds himself in a pickle, wondering if he should go back up again, or just pretend he didn't see her.


Before he can make a decision, she suddenly turns her head around, chewing slowly as their eyes meet.


"I-I'm sorry, I-" He starts to say, but she merely turns back around and slides a little more against the wall, as if giving him enough space to pass through.


When he does reach her spot, he slows down his steps in an effort to pay her some respect, for, after all, he did just unwittingly invade her personal space.


He bows towards her when he reaches the landing, but before he's able to go down and save himself from further embarrassment, Seri's voice stops him.


"Would you like some?"


Jeong Hyeok's eyes go as wide as saucers as he looks down at the model sitting like a little girl, looking nowhere near the fabulous superstar he had just photographed.


She laughs, and Jeong Hyeok immediately describes the sound in his head as being as lovely and bright as the morning sun.


"Don't tell me you're one of those people who thinks models don't eat?" She asks playfully, handing him a burger.


How many of these has she eaten?? And is this real life?


A million questions run through his head at a dizzying speed, but it really does seem like no one was pulling a prank on him.


When he tentatively accepts the food, she scoots over and pats the space next to her. "You can sit if you like." But then she eyes the camera bags swung over his shoulder. "Oh, but if you're in a hurry, that's okay."


She goes back to munching on her burger innocently before reaching down for her cup of soda, and something in Jeong Hyeok decides, as irrational as it may sound, not to leave her alone.


"I do have time, actually," he says, putting his bags down by the corner, before joining her on the step. "You were such a pro, our shoot ended way earlier than expected."


"I love my job, that's why."


"Yes, I can see that."


The silence that follows is tempered only by the sound of their chewing. After a beat, when he finishes his food, Jeong Hyeok clears his throat. "I'm sorry for coming in here uninvited."


She merely waves her hand dismissively as she sips on her straw. "This area isn't mine anyway. I'm not gonna chew you out for it."


He chuckles, looking down at his shoes. "I thought you would, honestly."


Raising her eyebrows, she looks at him questioningly with a hint of a knowing glint in her eye. "Why? Because everyone thinks all I do is look pretty, and since I don't talk much, I must be a brat in real life, right?"


"No, of course not," he hastens to add. "Just because you don't talk much doesn't mean you're a brat. I just thought you'd be mad at me for suddenly coming out of nowhere, that's all."


She seems to deem his explanation good enough, or so it would seem to Jeong Hyeok, if the way she had nodded slowly in apparent understanding were any indication.


But her next words make his heart throb for reasons he cannot fathom, like all of a sudden the world around him was reduced to that tiny space by the stairwell.


"I don't talk because... No one ever asks me about me," the model mutters in a small voice.


And Jeong Hyeok, for once, violates his work ethic of minding his own business, of just doing his job and leaving when the work is done, for something in the way she had spoken this confession urges him to stay rooted to his spot, to listen to her, to accompany her for as long as she still liked.


Shifting his position so that he's facing her, he smiles at her and musters enough courage to say what he was about to say.


"You can tell me anything about you, Miss Yoon Seri."


-
Photos from BAU by Bride and You & Vast

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