Minseok removed his hood as he stepped into his apartment, the familiar air of neglect wrapping around him. A warning notice about his unpaid rent lay crumpled in his hand, but he tossed it aside with an annoyed sigh.
‘Dreamy’s downfall is near,’ echoed his CEO’s words in his mind as he slumped onto his bed.
Yet, even then, he could not feel complacent. In the span of just two months, his once-promising career had plummeted to an all-time low, while Zeno’s face dominated the billboards and flooded social media feeds. With three million followers and a steadily growing fan base, Zeno was thriving. How could this be happening when HE was the one expected to be a rising star?
Minseok knew that J-Slick was onto something, but the plan was to target Zeno’s company. Determined, he devised a scheme to undermine Zeno in subtle ways. It was a well-known fact that Zeno didn’t look as handsome on screen as he did in real life, and Minseok intended to expose that truth. He set out to capture Zeno in the most unexpected moments, hoping to snap a photo that would reveal an unflattering angle.
However, as he scrolled through the photos he had taken, frustration surged within him. Why was it that every single image showed Zeno looking undeniably good? It felt as if the universe conspired against him, leaving Minseok with the realization that no matter how hard he tried, Zeno continued to shine.
***
[+1 Camera Ready. Be as good-looking on camera as you are in real life. Every shot flatters you—no bad angles, no weird lighting. Passive booster.]
[+1 Bulletproof. Have a bulletproof body for one hour. Can’t be physically harmed, no matter what hits you. One-time use only.]
No wonder his fansite photos had become so much better. Zeno now looked as good on camera as he did in real life. The second item… he didn’t even want to talk about it.
“We’re here!” Moby exclaimed as he parked in front of the building of ‘Mirae Axis,’ a multi-million dollar company that had started as a small food business and branched out into various industries.
“But why is she also here?” Moby whispered, leaning closer to Zeno.
Zeno glanced at the unwanted visitor in the backseat before sighing. “She didn’t want to let me go this morning.”
“Well, take care of her. I’ll be going inside.”
Moby was about to protest, but Zeno was already jogging toward the building. The moment he arrived, he was treated like royalty.
The staff bowed as he entered, and they even prepared a red carpet leading toward the set.
Zeno scratched the back of his neck, confused by the treatment.
“Zeno Han actually agreed to become our ambassador?”
“Isn’t he insane? Why would he choose to model for dog food?”
“Is it because he doesn’t have any modeling experience?”
“So, he decided to go with dog food?”
“I heard our CEO personally chose him. He really likes ‘The Forsaken Prince.'”
“Not at all,” another muttered. “It’s his daughter who insisted on it.”
Zeno arrived at the set—a garden in the middle of the building itself.
“Zeno Han!” a woman dressed like a dalmatian greeted Zeno as if they were old friends.
“Good morning,” Zeno politely said, bowing in respect.
The woman smiled, appearing lovestruck.
“We lost her,” some of the employees muttered from behind her.
“My name is Mirae,” she said, offering her hand. “I’m the daughter of the CEO of Mirae Axis. He named it after me.”
“I can see that,” Zeno muttered, taking her hand and shaking it firmly.
“So, are you single?” she asked.
Zeno nodded, which made her squeal.
“I knew it!” she exclaimed. “My dad made the right decision recruiting you. This is the first time we’ve done something like this, so it’s out of our comfort zone.”
Zeno’s ears already hurt. This woman talked a bit too much. However, she seemed harmless… and she was the reason he got this deal, so he decided to endure it.
“Right?” Mirae exclaimed. Zeno merely nodded.
She giggled and tapped his shoulder. “Get dressed already and we’ll start the shoot. The dog is also on its way.”
Zeno nodded once more and went to get his hair and makeup done. He got dressed quickly, praised by the stylists as they outfitted him in an all-denim ensemble with a scarf tied around his neck like a collar.
He looked good. Of course, he did.
Mirae seemed to think so too since she nearly went into a seizure just looking at him.
Nova, the seasoned photographer known for capturing some of the greatest models in the country and who was well-compensated for her work, sighed in annoyance.
She didn’t like how this nepotism baby (aka Mirae) was soaking up attention from a man who was only decent-looking! The staff, too, seemed to think Zeno was overrated—or maybe that was because their boss’s daughter had been gushing about him for the past hour.
“Can we start already?” Nova asked, already losing patience.
“Oh, yes,” Mirae exclaimed. “We’ll start with the solo shots while waiting for the dog.”
Nova sighed once again, chewing on her gum. She watched as Zeno received the final touches on his makeup.
Alright, maybe he was handsome. However, she was a photographer; no one appeared good-looking to her until she brought out her camera.
He was a rising actor, and his drama had been talked about by her generation, but she had no time to watch it. She was too busy, so she didn’t get the hype!
If this company didn’t pay her as much as luxury brands did, she would have never agreed to such a photoshoot!
“You better make this easy,” Nova muttered to herself. This Mirae lady was fawning over him so hard, so he needed to live up to the expectation.
Zeno finally took his position on the grass, with the dog food right next to him.
“Do you have any experience in modeling?” she asked.
Zeno thought about it before shaking his head. “I took my profile photos once,” he replied.
Well, that much was true; he didn’t have any modeling experience in this life.
“Great,” Nova stated explicitly, bracing herself for incompetence. “The soul of Kairos Sterling, the greatest model of all time,” she muttered. “Please give me strength.”
Zeno’s eyebrows instinctively rose. Did he just hear his name from before?
“Well,” Nova said, snapping him out of his thoughts. “Let’s prepare for a long shoot.”
Zeno smirked. Luckily for her, he had plenty of experience from his past life.