Yu Karina
The camera was rolling, and I was nailing every pose like usual.
I'd been acting purposely bitchy to her all day- so much that my manager told me to take it easy.
But honestly? I couldn't stop catching that stare Minjeong's giving me. The way she looked-intense, yes, more than nervous, yet completely drawn to her work.
Gosh...it threw me off than I expected.
"Ms. Yu."
My surname rolling off her tongue like it belonged there.
Her expression serious, eyes still locked on mine...like she was digging something in me.
Panic bubbled up inside me when she started walking towards me.
But I shoved it down hard.
No way was I letting her see me lose control.
Our bodies inches closer.
She hesitated for a moment before continuing,
"I think if you tilt your head a little to the left, the shot will be even better." She gently reached out to adjust the angle of my arm.
Her fingers brushed lightly against my skin-just a quick, innocent touch-but it sent a jolt straight through me.
The faint scent of her, subtle but addictive wrapped around me like a whisper, making me hyper-aware of every little thing about her.
My breath hitched. For a moment.
I gave her a mocking smile, "Got it. You don't have to tell me."
Minjeong pulled back, looking a little unsure, probably not realizing the effect she had on me.
But even after she stepped away, I couldn't help sneaking more glaces at her. I couldn't stop my mind from drifting back to that little touch-and that scent. It clung to me, pulling my attention away from the camera and making it damn near impossible to focus.
~
I thought it would end there.
But no.
We were now on a break before the last shoot.
My eyes wandered, searching for her.
And there she was, bent slightly over the water cooler, lifting a bottle to her lips. The way she tilted her head back as she drank, her soft skin glowing under the studio lights, and the subtle curve of her exposed neck.
I found myself wondering what it would be like up close-how her small lips felt on the bottle, how her throat moved with each swallow.
And suddenly, I felt this heat rising in me.
I was practically begging my inner self -I couldn't, unable to tear my eyes away, feeling both captivated and completely undone by her.
My skin prickled, and I had to blink a couple of times to hide how flushed I suddenly felt.
I quickly averted my eyes down on my untouched tray of food, trying not to look totally obvious.
Karina..if she caught you staring - You have to stick to the plan! Keep your distance, be professional and do not let this get out of hand.
I felt myself trembling slightly, steadying my breath.
The rest of the world felt blurry around her, and I had to force myself back to the tray in front of me, pretending it was the only thing that mattered.
"Rina,the shoot will start in 5 minutes okay?"
Yoona unnie's voice cut through the haze.
I blinked, snapping back, and nodded.
~
Same day,later
The room was dim, shadows stretching across the walls as the lights filtered weakly through the curtains.
Minjeong lay asleep on her bed, her chest rising and falling in a steady, peaceful rhythm.
From the corner, I watched her silently.
Every small detail of her pulled my attention like a magnet.
I barely breathed, trying not to make a sound, like I didn't want to break our moment.
Everything else felt distant, and all I could focus on was her.
Only her.
I shifted slowly, careful not to make a noise, until I was sitting right beside on the edge of her bed.
My hand hovered just inches from her face, trembling with the strong urge to touch her -to brush a stray hair back, to feel the warmth of her skin beneath my fingertips.
My eyes traced her delicate features - The curve of her cheekbone, the soft line of her jaw, the way her lashes rested gently against her skin, her small nose that I badly want to kiss.
My eyes dropped, the self control I have that I almost brush my fingers over the fullness of her lips.
"How badly do I want to touch you," I whispered under my breath, voice shaky, feeling it crawl under my skin.
I found myself staring longer than I intended.
But moments like these have its limits.
I looked at the alarm clock on her bedside table.
Almost 3 a.m.
Slowly, I pulled back just enough to gather myself. My fingers trembled as I rose quietly from the warmth of her bed.
Before leaving, I took one last look at her lips-soft, tempting, and so close but still out of reach.
Then, quietly, I made my way out the door.
~•~
Third Person's Point of view
The week has gone by with tangled mess of emotions. Mostly because of Karina's hostile attitude towards Minjeong.
Karina kept her usual sharp edge, tossing sarcastic remarks and cold stares, and it successfully ended messing with Minjeong more than Karina probably realized.
Minjeong would catch those harsh words and stiff replies and sometimes just shrink back, wondering if she'd done something wrong.
The photographer was trying to keep things professional even though the artist offended her more than she wanted to admit.
Karina, on the other hand, was pretending to have it all together. Acting tough and distant was easier than admitting that every time Minjeong was around, her heart did this weird flip-flop thing she couldn't ignore.
That little brush of her fingers, the way Minjeong looked at her through the camera. Karina noticed it all.
Karina's attitude made Minjeong push herself harder, but also made her question if she was even wanted. And Karina? She wasn't exactly clear on what she wanted herself. Because she knows her plan completely failed. Down. Bad. She was caught between pushing Minjeong away and wanting to pull her closer, all at once.
Just like today.
The studio was busy with the usual flurry of people getting things ready for the upcoming music video shoot.
Karina sitted by the makeup station, scrolling through her phone, deliberately keeping her gaze away from Minjeong, who was across the room adjusting her camera gear.
The two moved around each other like they were orbiting separate worlds-present in the same space but carefully avoiding eye contact.
Karina caught bits of the production assistant talking to Minjeong about shoot locations and timing. The latter nodded, but didn't look up once in the artist's direction.
As Karina's thoughts drifted, she grudgingly admitted to herself that maybe Minjeong's shots weren't just "decent"-they were actually perfect.
Every angle, every frame was precise, capturing something Karina hadn't realized she wanted to show. It made her stomach twist, but she couldn't deny it.
Her team had started noticing too. After reviewing some of Minjeong's work, they'd thrown curious looks on Karina's way. "Why do you hate Minjeong's shots of you so much?" "They actually look amazing." Those are the few words she frustratingly heard all week.
But because she was trying to make them believe, trying to make her plan work, Karina will just shrugged it off, insisting she was just being picky.
Whenever Minjeong glanced over-just for a quick second-she immediately looked away and got busy adjusting her lens cap a little more aggressively than needed.
No one said a word about the shoot plans between the two of them, and the silence felt way louder than any conversation would have.
Later, when the director called everyone for a quick meeting, Karina and Minjeong ended up sitting next to each other.
They exchanged only the necessary-stuff about lighting, timing, camera angles-and kept it strictly business.
The meeting wrapped up quickly, and as everyone began to disperse, Karina found herself stuck for a moment, her bag slung over one shoulder. Minjeong was gathering her things nearby, carefully tucking lenses and equipment into her bag.
Karina's heart hammered-maybe more than it should-and she caught herself watching Minjeong out of the corner of her eye. Minjeong glanced up briefly, their eyes almost meeting, but Karina averted just in time.
The artist told herself to calm down.
As the other was about to walked out the door, almost on impulse, Karina spoke, voice low and rougher than she intended.
"H-hey," she said, not really sure why.
Minjeong paused and turned to faced her.
"Y-yeah?"
Karina cleared her throat, suddenly feeling awkward. "You... you're better...than I thought."
The photographer blinked, surprised, "Oh."
Karina quickly looked away again, heat rushing to her cheeks. "Don't get the wrong idea. It's just... I didn't expect it to turned out well."
Minjeong smiled faintly, "Thanks," she said quietly, then added, "I'll keep doing my best."
Karina nodded, the words stuck in her throat as Minjeong walked away.
And, maybe for the first time, Karina wasn't entirely sure if she wanted to keep avoiding her photographer,
-or crawl, and claim, her, Kim Minjeong.