It's the next day when I find myself at the academy again. Today's a bit different though. I ignore all of my classes except for lunch with the girls and head straight for my park.
Yes. My park.
It was going out of business because in this time and day where we have so many updated versions of gadgets and fun technological developments, no one would actually want to choose a slide over that.
But I know I would. I never grew up with any of that gadget crap and only found out about it when the Songs took me in. Other than that, I would always run off from where I was staying to go to this park.
Luckily, we saved it just before it got demolished.
At present, Rainbow Park is empty. As always. Despite this, everything is still in good condition due to the maintenance guys we hire to ensure that the park's facilities are still up and going. There are also five park caretakers that we hired to take shifts at taking care of Rainbow everyday so none of the material actually rusts or breaks.
I sit on the bench with my legs spread and lean back, letting the serenity that this empty park brings, envelop me.
Throwing my head back, I sigh in content.
Until my peaceful session is interrupted by a loud rustling of leaves crunching under someone's feet. Loud footsteps indicate that whoever this person is, is headed in my direction but I make no attempt to move from my position.
I stay in my place, anticipating the visitor but shift when I don't feel a presence near me.
I allow my eyes to flutter open and scan the area until my beady eyes land on a fully clothed figure. And not just any figure. As I refocus my vision on the boy, I see that he's wearing the Park Academy uniform.
Intrigue blooms in my chest but the fatigue that washes over me keeps me in it's grasps, holding me in place. So, I lean back and relax.
Until I feel a presence near me.
So much for peace and quiet.
I remain unmoving until a click sound startles me to my awakening.
My eyes fly open in haste and I almost sigh in relief when I see that the camera isn't aimed towards me.
It's aimed towards a little squirrel that's eating an acorn cutely. I tilt my head at it and then allow my eyes to shift to the boy who's taking the picture.
He seems so engrossed in it that he doesn't even notice me sitting here and watching him. I scan him and see his silver hair down to his thin lips, then back up to his perfect eyebrows which are scrunched up in concentration. His nose is high and defined and I notice how it flares a bit when the squirrel moves away from his camera's line of sight.
I smile a bit.
Looking out onto the horizon, I see that the sun is starting to set and the shades of red and the progressively darkening blue blend perfectly together. The sun is now a ball of fiery red as it very slowly lowers into god knows where.
I turn to the photographer who's still struggling to keep the squirrel in place until I feel frustration run through my veins at his madness.
"Why don't you just capture this picturesque view instead of wasting your time on a living organism that won't even cater to your photographic needs?" I declare, visibly making him jump at the sudden intrusive voice.
His turns his head to me and we both cringe at the crack that reaches our ears. I'm surprised he didn't get a whiplash.
As our eyes meet, I immediately recognize the boy and raise a brow.
When he comes back to his senses, he walks over to me and sits by my side, making me scoot over.
He angles his body and the camera towards the horizon and numerous clicks are heard through the park.
I patiently wait for him to finish until I feel him shift so I open my eyes and hold his gaze.
His beautiful lips part to speak. "Thanks for the tip." He says with a smile.
I nod in acknowledgement.
"Shinsung, right?"
"Glad I'm famous." I sneer sarcastically.
His smile drops a bit. "You are, actually. Your names are bouncing off the academy walls left and right so it's hard not to know you."
I nod again.
"What are you even doing here? This is private property, you know? You're trespassing." I say nonchalantly as if I'm telling him about the weather.
"I could say the same for you, Princess," He replies in a deadpan tone followed by a humorless chuckle.
"I can be here whenever I want. The Songs own this. They're my boss and they've given me permission to come here whenever I want. So, here I am." I say with a shrug.
He hums in reply and looks thoughtful for a moment.
"You should be my model." He suddenly says.
I shoot him a weird look.
"Where'd that come from?" I ask jokingly but he simply shakes his head and shrugs.
"It would be good to have someone like you as a model." He explains. "Why me, though? There are so many prettier girls at Park Academy. Just choose them. Besides, I'm less of a 'capture-the-moment' type of person and more of a 'live-in-the-moment' type of person. So, I'm not really into getting my pictures taken."
He looks at me with a deadpan look. "You are pretty. And besides, all the other girls are snobbish and prissy. They're never actually interested in making art. All they want is to get in my pants. You're different. I can feel it. You're pretty chill. Like. I don't know. A cousin, maybe? Yeah. Those are the vibes I get from you. So, I think it'd be really cool if you'd decide to work with me."
I turn towards him completely after I've made up my mind. "I'll work with you," I start and his eyes immediately light up with joy as he moves to hug me but he halts when I push him off by putting my hands on his chest. "But only until I find a proper replacement for me. I'm sorry but modelling isn't really one of my interests so I don't wanna do it forever. But I promise to continue helping you until I find someone else who we can both trust to model for you instead." I explain and he sighs.
"That's good enough. Though I doubt you'll find anyone who will actually wanna genuinely work with me. But if that's what you want, then I'll respect that." He says.
This makes me smile and I mutter a soft 'thank you' before looking out into the horizon once more. The sun has completely set now but the sky isn't that dark yet. It's still a dark orange dotted with specks of soft red. This makes me realize how long I've been here and how late it is but I don't mind.
Without taking my eyes off the scenery, I speak; "Have you always wanted to be a professional photographer or is it just a hobby?"
He replies to me in that baritone voice of his. "Well, it's always just been a hobby but nowadays I've been feeling more drawn to it. It's probably because of my mom. Ever since I was a child, I'd always take her camera and take pictures of her beautiful artwork until one day, I got one of my own. Taking pictures is just something I really enjoy. It's not really something that I'd take up as a job since I have to take over Victory Group one day, but it's rest-assured that I will continue doing it for the rest of my life. I enjoy but I don't love it. It's just a past-time."
I nod in understanding then remember something.
"If it's okay for you, I could recommend you to the Songs to be the official photographer for this weekend's upcoming press conference where they finally reveal the Young Lady's face. You'll get a seat at the first-row and even get to attend the after-party for the VIPs." I state.
He stares at me in awe.
"You'd really do that? I mean. Of course you don't have to. Not that I wouldn't want you to, of course. I do want you to do it....it's just...wow....can you really do that? Would you? For me? Cause that would mean a lot and-" He trails off and smiles at me sheepishly. "Sorry. I tend to ramble when I get too excited."
I simply chuckle at him. "It's okay. I get it. And I would do it for you. You're giving me the opportunity to work for one of the best photographers ever so I figured I should do something in return."
He hugs me and this time, I let him. "Thank you so much, Shinsung. This is an amazing opportunity. How'd you even know that I'm an amazing photographer when you haven't even seen my photos yet?" He asks while pulling away.
"I just know."
He gives me his signature boxy smile and I smile back.
I rise from my seat and he follows.
"I have to go now. It's getting pretty late and I have to help mom make dinner for the Songs." I declare and he nods in understanding.
I see that he's about to speak but I wave and walk off before he can.
I turn around half-way with a grin and say;
"Feel free to come here whenever you like, Taehyung."