Dear readers, if you are following the story, I apologize for any confusion about the change in the chapter numbering I might have caused. I was working on rearranging some things. No content has changed, just numbers. So this the officially the new chapter. Again, I apologize (bowing to my faithful readers respectfully).
Choi Young stepped out from behind the curtain, looking shy and not knowing how to move his body. The woman gasped, and elbowed the younger co-worker next to her, while Hee Jun's mouth opened and he just watched in awe. Choi Young was very uncomfortable with all the attention and turned away to look at the mirror, giving the audience back view: "Look at that!" "Wow", "I don't remember seeing such a great fit since Lee Min Ho modeled them." "I know. Not everybody can pull that off."
"Who is Lee Min Ho?" asked Choi Young innocently.
"YOU DON'T KNOW?" Hee Jun now believed that Choi Young really came from a very far place, possibly from another planet. "It is a person who gets paid a lot of money to look good in these jeans. I bet you could do that, too."
Choi Young started to learn how to appreciate his new friend's humor. "That is a funny joke. Getting paid for wearing clothes, ha-ha."
"It is not a joke, dude. Look around you, and you will understand what I mean."
A small group of people stood nearby watching him. Instead of the two salespersons, there were now five, all looking at him, gasping and whispering to each other. A few ajummas had no qualms about eating him with their eyes, not even pretending that they were shopping, like others. "Hee Jun, why are these elders looking at me like a juicy piece of meat?"
"Because they think you are."
"Ah? Are they so hungry and confused? Should we offer them to buy some food?"
"Obviously, hungry, and definitely not confused. Dude, with your looks, have not you gotten used to people checking you out all the time?"
"My looks? What is wrong with me?" and he tried to straighten his attire, feeling embarrassed not be at his best.
The man sighed. "He really has no idea. Amazing!" Hee Jun neared Choi Young and grabbed his forearms, "Heung, you are gorgeous."
"Get away from me," Choi Young swatted him like a fly, "Never touch me again."
"Chill, dude," and pulling away, he brushed off the lint from the jacket, "see, not touching, just cleaning."
Choi Young sighed, giving up - he either had to kill the guy or learn to live with him. Killing him would be bothersome and... kind of sad (he was way too entertaining), so the second option was more practical.
He looked at his long legs, hugged in places he was sure were not meant to be hugged by fabric so tightly. His waist, thighs, and knees were accentuated by the tight fit, making the length of his legs somehow more apparent even to him. He never once gave a thought to his height, unless it was of strategic advantage in a battle. And he was always thankful that his legs were long and strong, allowing him to easily move around obstacles and endure considerable distances. He had to have strong legs and steady posture in order to be a good fighter he was. It was all just a part of who he was, it was not for appearances. How can anybody care about his appearance so much that they dropped everything and needed to look? This world was full of leisure and people had strange habits.
He heard the saleswomen whisper to each other: "Maybe they are not gay, maybe that's his agent."
"You think? Then why is he touching him so much?"
"He has to make sure the clothes fit." And the conversation between the salesgirls continued, while Choi Young watched them.
"I'm changing, they are all staring at me..." He said embarrassed, turning. "Give me something appropriate that will stop them looking. I do not want anybody besides Eun Soo to look at me. Can you help me, please?"
"OK, dude, leave it to me, go! Do you need help?"
"Stay away!" And Choi Young closed the curtain to the dressing room, "priorities in this place are all askew," he said to noone in particular.
"Heung!" Called Hee Jun from the outside, his hand sliding into the opening of the curtain to offer some clothes. "Try these now! The girls are recommending them."
"Why must we follow their advice? They are the ones leering at me."
"That's why. They get paid to pick the right clothes for people."
"Is there a right kind of clothes?"
"Please, just try!"
"Excuse me sir," said one of the girls approaching Hee Jun, making him turn and nod. "Are you trying on new clothes for him to model? Or is he going for an audition?"
"Neither, but I bet he could land one on a spot."
"That man over there is a well known agent. He scouts frequently, he asked to speak with your friend." A man wearing sun glasses waved, waiting patiently for the response.
"Heung, there is a man who has been watching you."
Choi Young heard it all. Hypervigilance that went away for awhile, returned and he immediately thought of the assassin or someone else finally finding him and now posing grave danger not only to him, but Hee Jun and, of course, Eun Soo. He no longer was worried about the pants or how he looked, he immediately turned into the warrior, shedding the outer layers, exposing the core - cold, calculated, precise, driven by instinct and unflinching reflexes. He moved like a shadow, his lean body lifting in the air as he jumped over a bench and using a clothes rack to catapult himself higher, he landed on one of the tables, feet firmly planted in a stance for an attack. The distance between him and the enemy quickly measured and he flipped from the table, grabbing a metal pole, he noted nearby, off the top from the rolling rack, and moments later the end of the pole crushed the man in the dark glasses to the floor, with Choi Young victoriously standing over him. "Who are you?" he asked, "And why are you following me?" "Reveal yourself," he ordered, as the man, holding his shoulder that was probably badly damaged, cried out in pain and fear, taking off his glasses with a shaking hand. "I'm Do Jin, I'm a talent scout."
A round of applause reached Choi Young's ears and he saw a large crowd of shoppers and store staff around him. People were taking pictures, while women openly expressed admiration about his looks and his moves.
"What movie is it?" he heard shouts. "Are you shooting a commercial? When is it going to air?" A couple of women even approached him, asking for an autograph and he recoiled feeling threatened by this attention and so many eyes on him, with strangers now getting close, he felt like a caged animal in this loud zoo-like place, confined and not sure where to run. He turned away, covering his face from the bright flashes and wished to go home to the safety of his beloved, to the quietude and serenity that only Eun Soo could give him. With everything happening quickly, he could only recognize that the man on the floor, whom he could have easily killed, if not stopped by the crowd's presence, was not an assassin, just like he did not seem to pose any danger to him.
"Heung, OMG, what have you done?" Hee Jun gasped, collecting an injured man from the floor, "Sir, I'm so sorry, can we talk about it? My friend overreacted, he has a bit of a crazy streak, but he is not violent, I promise. Can we make an arrangement? I hope you won't press charges."
"Charges? The man is a diamond in the rough! I can go to the hospital and will not even ask you to pay the fees, but you have to promise to bring him by tomorrow morning to my office. He was born to be a star with his eyes, face, proportions, and the way he moves... He can be anything. The intensity, the passion... Ahhh, I've been doing this for 10 years and never seen anything that would even match this quality product. He is absolutely stunning in every aspect. So, do we have a deal?"
"Yes, sir, we are very sorry," and Hee Jun bowed as low as possible without breaking his back and tried to push Choi Young's back for a bow, but the general only glared, and lowered his head, "I apologize if I caused you an injury. I believed you were … somebody else." Leaving as he was, in a simple white t-shirt and skinny dark jeans, he turned and walked with his usual stride of long legs moving confidently, back straight, head high. Hee Jun's sleeve was pulled by one of the sales women, "Sir, how will you pay?"
"Pay?" and Hee Jun fished through his pockets secretly praying that he would have enough to cover the jeans. With a few wons left to his name, he picked up Choi Young's clothes from the dressing room and hurried out.