Yeonjun was getting another lecture from his manager about treating his assistants better. Another one just quit because they had enough of his entitled attitude. He didn't care if they quit. In his mind, it was a blessing to even work for him.
Unfortunately, that kind of thinking earned him a terrible reputation. No one wanted to work for him and he really needed the help. He walked around his dressing room yelling "I'm Yeonjun fucking Choi! How hard is it to find someone to work for me?! Millions of fans would be honored to get me my damn coffee!"
His manager quit on the spot. Now he didn't even have him anymore. His ego insisted he was fine but the next month proved he wasn't. On top of modeling and acting, he now had to schedule his own press releases, go over his contracts with his lawyers, manage his bills, manage his social media and find himself new opportunities. He lost a lot of sleep. His skin begun to break out due to lack of self care. His attitude towards everyone was bad before. Now it was downright terrible.
Another up and coming model was starting to take his place. This Kai Huening was getting all the opportunities he had before. Rumor was, he had people lined up to work for him because of his cheerful aura.
Yeonjun flipped through the magazine shoot that should've been his. He began to admit, the guy was good but he could've done it better. He called the editor to ask why they switched him out at the last minute. The answer he got was simple. He was old news.
Now extremely pissed off, he stormed to New York city to find this Kai Kamal Huening. He too was modeling in New York fashion week but he didn't have nearly as many deals as the younger. How ridiculous was that? He was Yeonjun Choi for gods sake. The greatest gift to a camera, the world has ever seen.
He asked a makeup artist where he could find him. She told him he was currently modeling in the Ralph Lauren collection. He got in with his face but was forced to stand in the back.
Yeonjun stood with his arms crossed against the wall. Model after model came down the runway. The theme seemed to be timeless in Italy. He judged each model and insisted he could wear it better.
Then Kai came down the runway. He was wearing a sheer white lace shirt with a slim white blazer over. His pants were straight cut white, with a slim gold belt. White leather loafers with a gold floral detail completed the outfit. His hair was black and neatly arranged so you could see a peak of his forehead down the center. He had flush pink eye shadow and nude pink lips. Yeonjun's jaw dropped. He looked absolutely stunning. When turning back around, he locked eyes with Kai for a moment before the model kept walking.
Yeonjun wanted to hang around. Besides his looks, he wanted to see why people wanted to work for this guy so badly. He didn't have as much experience as himself. Everyone in his profession was pretty. What made this guy so special?
What he did not expect to see was for Kai to come back out and thank everyone in the front row after the show. Usually the models just changed and went to an after party or to their hotel rooms. Kai seemed to personally thank everyone. Yeonjun whispered "kiss ass."
Kai didn't quite hear that so he walked over. "Hi! You're Yeonjun right?"
"Yeah. I'm THE Yeonjun Choi."
"I know! I've been a huge fan of yours for years! Your Elle shoot was probably my favorite!"
His chipper attitude was annoying. The adorable smile on his face was even worse. "Eh. Wasn't even my best one."
"Oh. Well which one did you think was?"
Yeonjun had to think about that really hard for a second. The Elle one was actually his favorite but it was too late now. "Marie Claire probably."
"That one was so good too! Want to know something weird?"
He didn't really but for some reason he couldn't stop talking to this guy. "What's weird?"
"There's a black version of this exact outfit. I was supposed to walk with someone else as a duo. I actually thought it was going to be you!"
"Wait, what?"
"Yeah! Want to see it?"
Yeonjun did. He followed Kai backstage and saw the outfit. It had his exact dimensions on the tag. The realization hit him that this was something his manager preplanned months in advance but he spaced on it because he was so busy. He mentally slapped himself for losing an easy paycheck.
Kai looked at him intensely staring at the outfit. "You were supposed to walk with me weren't you?"
"Yeah. Slipped my mind."
"Want to try it on at least? I bet it'll look amazing! We would be the perfect yin and yang!"
Yeonjun stared at it some more. He then stared at Kai. They were the perfect yin and yang. He started to see why people fell for this guy.
He took the outfit in his hands and begun to change. Kai looked away to give him some privacy even though changing in front of people was something they were used to in their profession.
The outfit fit perfectly and looked amazing. He hated himself even more for not wearing it. He told the other to turn around. His ego needed a boost.
Kai stood next to him in the mirror. He giggled because it was the first time he realized he was taller. "Wow. We look great! I'm sorry you couldn't walk with me today. We would've stolen the show. Hell, we could've been the finale!"
The assistants to the designer told the models it was time to give the outfits back. They stripped them off then changed into their regular clothes. Yeonjun looked ridiculously flashy in contrast to Kai's track pants and hoodie. Even with the casual outfit, Yeonjun thought he stood out from every other model he has met. "Are you doing anything after this?"
"No. I was just going to go to my hotel and watch Netflix. That's how I choose to party."
Yeonjun laughed. Seeing the younger smile made him happy. "You want to do something? I don't have a show for two days."
"I have one tomorrow morning so I can't be out too late. We can get a quick bite to eat then see a movie or something!"
"If you order a salad, I'm not going."
Kai laughed really loudly. "Actually, I was thinking sushi. My metabolism is pretty high. I'm lucky I guess."
"Me too!" That came out a bit too excited for Yeonjun's liking. "I mean... yeah. Sushi sounds great."
At the restaurant, they got to know each other pretty well. Yeonjun's career path was completely different than Kais'. He started modeling and acting when he was three. Grew up in the industry. His parents homeschooled him so he could focus on his career.
Kai, on the other hand, went to normal public school and aspired to be a journalist. He was walking down the street with his sisters when a modeling agent approached all three of them. They thought he was scamming them until they realized it was legit. He started modeling when he was 19. He was now 20 and one of the most in demand male models in the world. The three Huening siblings were powerhouses. There wasn't a more influential trio in their agency.
Yeonjun had no idea what it was like to genuinely like someone. He has never had to work very hard to get a date. With his usual confidence, he put his hand on Kai's thigh while they were laughing together.
Kai asked "what are you doing? Is this why you asked me out?"
"Yeah. Why else would I? You're so hot."
"Oh." The younger pulled out a $50 then placed it on the table. "I think I'll be going now."
Yeonjun was confused. He tried a line he learned over the years of flirting practice. "Wait. I'm sorry. I know that I'm a piece of shit, but I'm willing to change if you just give me another chance. You're too amazing to lose."
Kai stopped for a moment. "I have to get some sleep. It was nice meeting you."
Yeonjun watched him walk away. He couldn't believe that line didn't work. It always fucking worked. Well, lucky for him because in two days they were going to be modeling in the exact same show.
He paid for the rest of the bill then walked back to his hotel room. He honestly didn't know why he cared so much about the rejection. Yeonjun simply assumed it was because he had never been rejected before. He hated that feeling.
Before he went to sleep, he turned on the entertainment news channel. There was already a small segment on Yeonjun not showing up to the Ralph Lauren event. Critics were wondering if his career was over. The next segment was about Kai. It reported his breakup with fellow actor Soobin Choi. The news lady commented "they left on good terms and wished each other the best of luck." Based on how polite the guy was, Yeonjun believed it.