Of course, understanding something and applying it was not an easy task. Just because his soul remained the same, did not mean that his personality or disposition was the same across his previous lives. Since Chae Woo-Jin and his past identities had completely different characters, it was evident that they had no influence on each other as they were individuals who existed independently.
Hence, up until now, whenever he acted, he would utilize his past lives as references to aid him in doing a better job at portraying the characters. However, he did not have the luxury of doing that now due to time constraints. He had no time to think, analyze and contemplate with the incessant buzzing of camera shutters.
Under such circumstances, the quickest solution was to directly take on the character of one of his past lives. Woo-Jin did just that, casting aside his own nature for the time being. In this critical situation, he chose deceitful improvisation over the truth. A smile gradually appeared on Woo-Jin’s face, which had been hardened. The look in his eyes started to turn cold and arrogant. At this moment, everyone who was present here was either his dependent or a lower-ranking person who had to obey his orders.
The clothes and accessories that he was wearing were prepared for him; he did not have to do anything to get them. The concept of material needs existed only to satisfy his desires; they were not a tool to prove his worth. His existence had already deemed him worthy. The clothes and accessories that he was wearing had value because he was the one wearing them. These items would become priceless because he wore them. Such was the origin of luxury goods.
It had been apparent that Woo-Jin was conscious of the value of the clothes and accessories through his cautious actions, but now, his cautious gestures were decisive. As Woo-Jin was pressing down on his temples, he looked at Kim Jun-Yeol. His cold eyes were at ease, like that of a predator who had found something that piqued his interest.
Kim Jun-Yeol paused for a second when he saw Woo-Jin’s sudden change in facial expression and gestures. Chae Woo-Jin no longer had a look of forced arrogance within the timid look on his face. At some point, Chae Woo-Jin started giving off an unapproachable aura through the lens. Kim Jun-Yeol took his eyes off of the viewfinder for a moment and looked at Chae Woo-Jin. He had subconsciously avoided looking Woo-Jin in the eye.
Kim Jun-Yeol had met several people who were renowned leaders, from politicians to CEOs of conglomerates, but he had never once avoided their gaze. Regardless of who they were, they were nothing more than a model, a subject that he had to take photos of. Photographers should never avoid the gaze of the subject’s eyes, which showed their inner feelings.
However, Kim Jun-Yeol had avoided the model’s gaze without realizing it today. That was because the moment their eyes met, he felt that he would be devoured by Woo-Jin’s charisma and the heavy aura surrounding him. More importantly, he got goosebumps all over his body which almost brought him to his knees.
“Now that’s real!”
The emotions Woo-Jin expressed was neither an act nor a sloppy impersonation. Woo-Jin was naturally emitting a sense of confidence and arrogance that only high ranking people possessed. He had finally given Kim Jun-Yeol the look that he had been searching for. Kim Jun-Yeol tried his best to focus, as he forced himself to straighten his shoulders that were hunched from the overwhelming aura.
“Hold up, I don’t think...this pose is…”
The documents were no longer there, and Woo-Jin had started browsing through one of the books on the desk. His left hand was in his pocket, causing a third of the watch to be hidden. Nevertheless, it was still better than his previous poses. Thus, there was no point in criticizing it.
“Didn’t you tell me that I’m allowed to pose however I want to?” Woo-Jin asked Kim Jun-Yeol in a graceful tone. Woo-Jin had skillfully adjusted his tone to fit the look of an arrogant sovereign, so even though he was speaking formally, the listeners felt as though he was addressing them casually.
“I said that because you will get the safest results if you follow the concept.”
“Are we just trying to get the safest results?” asked Woo-Jin as he continued looking at the book without glancing at Kim Jun-Yeol.
Shortly after, Woo-Jin lost interest in the book as it did not have much content. He threw it aside and looked through other things before he finally looked at Kim Jun-Yeol. When their gazes met, Woo-Jin smiled with a look in his eyes that seemed to ask him ‘Do you really want me to listen to you?’.
Despite being unhappy with Woo-Jin’s attitude, Kim Jun-Yeol instinctively pressed the shutter button out of habit as a photographer. Taking it as his consent, Woo-Jin used the sets that were assigned as backgrounds and started posing without hesitation. Originally, Kim Jun-Yeol’s work style was to create a scene that did not deviate from the image he had decided on. This was especially so for inexperienced or new models who were doing a photo shoot for the first time. He was more strict with them. It’s more accurate to say that he simply forced them to create the image he wanted.
However, today, Kim Jun-Yeol had given up on his principles because of Chae Woo-Jin, a rookie who was modeling for the first time. That was because he was overwhelmed by Woo-Jin’s energy, and that Woo-Jin had created a better and more perfect version of the concept that Kim Jun-Yeol had in mind.
At this moment, Woo-Jin, who was leaning against the desk with both hands in his pockets, crossed his legs in a laid-back manner said to Kim Jun-Yeol, “Isn’t this good enough?”
It wasn’t a question, it was a command. He was telling him to stop taking photos. Kim Jun-Yeol felt Woo-Jin’s sincerity and nodded as he pressed the shutter button for the last time. Kim Jun-Yeol, who had managed to get photos that satisfied him, was in a charitable mood.
For the next shoot, Woo-Jin sat on the railing wearing a blue suit with a violet jacket while drinking wine, etc. The photos mainly depicted the lofty private life of a distinguished man.
In the following shoot, Woo-Jin wore a casual suit and started playing with plastic model toys. Even then, he was completely immersed in it.
Woo-Jin came to realize that he liked being a model. He removed himself slightly from the character that he had assumed and started to express his own emotions during the photo shoot. Fortunately, the serious look in his eyes when he played with the plastic model toy was perfectly in line with the kidult image which Kim Jun-Yeol wanted.
Kim Jun-Yeol stopped using the sharp arrogant voice that he had been using earlier, and was no longer making demands. There was no longer any reason to terrorize a model who was doing well even without his interference.
Soon, it was Woo-Jin’s final shoot. This time, he wore a black suit with a dark gray necktie, coupled with cufflinks and a tie clip. The tie clip and cufflinks came as a set; the small diamonds that were closely embedded around the square onyx sparkled brilliantly whenever they reflected light.
This time, he had to work with a female model. According to the concept, a naked woman would wistfully hug a perfectly dressed man from behind with a bed in the background. Looking at the sunlight that was streaming through the window, it seemed to be a story about a woman who was trying to stop the man from leaving after spending the night together.
Woo-Jin took a close look at the model – she had red lips, her makeup was slightly smudged, her hair was unkempt, etc. A red bed sheet was wrapped around her body, but judging from her curves that were exposed, it seemed as though she was not wearing any underwear. The man was told to express his sexiness without showing any skin, while the woman was openly showing her sex appeal.
“Are we supposed to be a pair of lovers who are in love with each other?”
“I’m sorry?” asked the editor. She was making sure that Woo-Jin's attire looked okay, and she stared at him blankly after hearing his question.
Despite being in her late 30s, she was overwhelmed by the aura that was currently emanating from Woo-Jin, as she tried to get a read on him. Of course, she understood the situation as well as the gist of what he was saying, but it took her longer than usual to process his question. Woo-Jin pointed to the female model with his chin, who was sitting on the bed while waiting for them.
“My relationship with her. There must be a concept, right?”
“Ah, yes. According to the concept, she is your lover. It’s the story about a man who’s leaving for work and a woman who’s trying to ask him when they will meet again,” replied the editor.
“In that case, she’s not my lover.”
“Why not?”
“If we were lovers who had spent the night together, would she have to ask me when we will meet again? Lovers do not part with one another in that manner.”
The editor looked at Woo-Jin, who was smiling sweetly as if he was trying to imply something. She imagined something for a moment before blushing.
“In that case, why don’t we make two versions for this shoot?” interrupted Kim Jun-Yeol. He had been listening to their conversation and he was voicing out his thoughts. He smiled sinisterly as Woo-Jin and the editor looked at him at the same time.
“Lovers for one version and one-night stand for the other.”
“One-night stands are immoral!” The editor gnashed her teeth at Kim Jun-Yeol, saying it was classless. However, perhaps because they were well-acquainted, there was no grudge or hostility sensed in their exchange.
“I think it’s fine. I don’t think that normal lovers cling onto each other that much, asking when they’ll meet again.” Woo-Jin said that it seemed like an interesting plan and languidly agreed.
In the beginning, he had completely assumed the character of one of his past lives. But now, he had adapted to a certain extent and was now in a strange state where he was an amalgamation of both his past and present self. He was arrogant and insolent enough without going overboard, and laid-back at the same time. If other models were to do that, it might seem as though they had rudely interrupted the conversation, but because Chae Woo-Jin’s aura was overwhelming, people felt comfortable when the intensity of his aura fell.
“Exactly! That was what I thought right from the start,” remarked Kim Jun-Yeol.
“But during the planning meeting, you said that it was good because it was sad!”
“Oh really? Did I?”
Seeing how Kim Jun-Yeol looked away, claiming that he did not remember anything, the editor laughed speechlessly. They had already planned out a concept, and it was not Kim Jun-Yeol’s work style to deviate from it, but it was also not something that was in line with her personality as an editor. Most importantly, she was worried about how the clients would react.
“Let’s do the shoot first and decide later. Besides, calling it the one-night stand version is just a name that we came up with. We’re just taking photos anyway. It’s still the scene which we originally wanted.”
In other words, they were just shooting an additional version. Regardless of what it was called, they would still be getting the same content in the end. There was no issue except that the editor hated the vulgar term ‘one-night stand’. They would only be extending the photo shoot by just a little. Nobody could oppose Kim Jun-Yeol’s opinion as he possessed the greatest power on set. Following Kim Jun-Yeol’s suggestion, they decided to go with the ‘lovers’ version first.
“What’s your name?”
“I’m…Kwon Eun-Mi.”
Woo-Jin asked the female model, who was laying on the bed with only a thin sheet wrapped around her body, for her name as he gently sat down next to her. Kwon Eun-Mi looked up at him and said her name without thinking. She had already felt the overbearing aura from the man before her just a while ago during the earlier photo shoots, and she was being suffocated by the intense pressure. Kwon Eun-Mi felt nervous, which was different from her usual jobs.
“Ah, Miss Eun-Mi.”
When Woo-Jin looked down, the sight of Kwon Eun-Mi’s body peeking through the sheet made him feel very dizzy. It was a good thing that the sheet, which was made of silk gauze, was red. Else it would have revealed everything, as the material was that thin. Even so, the beautiful curves of her slender arms and legs were clearly visible as the sheet only covered her body from her chest to her thighs.
Woo-Jin’s first thought was that the woman’s body was beautiful. Smooth skin, long slender arms and legs, and a well-endowed body. As a model, Kwon Eun-Mi’s body was flawless. But it did not mean that Woo-Jin harbored any strange thoughts. He felt that she was beautiful, pretty and perfect in terms of her appearance. He did not think of anything else apart from that. On the contrary, he felt great respect for Kwon Eun-Mi’s great work ethics.
For someone who had never shown much skin for his roles, it was difficult for Woo-Jin to strip completely like Kwon Eun-Mi did. Even though there was a sheet to cover the important parts of her body, she could not completely hide her body that was subtly peeking through the fabric. Additionally, she acted comfortably in front of a man whom she had never seen before in her current state. That was certainly something Woo-Jin had to learn.
Woo-Jin swept Kwon Eun-Mi’s unkempt hair behind her ear, as he spoke to her. Her makeup had been redone and it was lighter and more elegant as compared to before. The cue to start shooting, as well as the shutter sounds coming from Kim Jun-Yeol’s camera, faded into the background.
“Did you sleep well?”.
“I’m sorry?”
“From this moment onwards, we are lovers. It’s my first time doing an editorial shoot, so I prefer to have a conversation as compared to just posing for a photo. Will you play along with me?”
“Ah…”
Although he had assumed the character of his past self and relied on it for the photoshoot, Woo-Jin gradually found his own essence after getting accustomed to it and realizing what the unique ambience Kim Jun-Yeol wanted was. Now, he was starting to act out an original version of himself. He was now playing the role of an arrogant but kind lover.
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