ULRICH STERN

Ulrich entered the modeling industry when he was thirteen, out of pure curiosity. People always complimented his looks, his messy brown hair and green eyes that he inherited from his mother, so he decided to give it a shot.

Four years later, Ulrich Stern is seventeen and a high schooler, but that doesn't stop him from being one of the most famous and well-paid models in France. He never thought that something that seemed so short-lived will become his life, but he doesn't regret it. Sure, modeling can be very hard on him sometimes, both mentally and physically; but whenever he sees how much people appreciate him and his work all the bad things disappear.

His father never approved his career but Ulrich didn't care. One thing that modeling gave to him but his father never could is feeling enough. His mother was quiet about it. She supported Ulrich and was happy when her son was happy, but acted neutral most of the time because of her strict husband. Sometimes Ulrich just wished they could get away from him. No, not sometimes. He always wished that.

His mother being French, and father German, Ulrich was bilingual. Johannes studied at one of the most prestigious Universities in France and that's where he met Christiane. He was there thanks to a scholarship. Ulrich always wondered what was the reason his father decided to study abroad. Germany is a developed country that has a variety of Universities to choose from. Knowing how his father would react to a question like that, Ulrich never asked him. He was better off not knowing the reason.

Ulrich's favorite type of job was modeling for sports and casual clothes. He rarely did shots in clothes like suits and tuxedos that most of his model friends liked. It simply wasn't him. He never liked being something he's not, even though it was required for this industry.

But, he'll have to wear a suit this time. Tonight, a celebrity model event - also known as CME, was happening. It was an event that a lot of well-known designers and models from all over the Europe attended. It's held in a different country every year, and this time France was chosen as the host. One part of this event was a fashion show, but Ulrich wasn't participating in it this time - it's CME's tradition for models from host country to only be guests, so he will be just a spectator this time. He knows he'll get very bored because he'll have nothing to do, but his manager insists on him going. At least William and Odd will be there, so they can crack jokes every five minutes and not feel bored.

William and Odd are Ulrich's best friends. Odd is in Ulrich's class, while William is a grade above them. Odd is a type of guy that changes girls like he changes socks. Ulrich wouldn't exactly call him a playboy; it's just that none of his relationships worked out and he had no luck in love. Contrary to Ulrich's broad shoulders, muscular and tall build, Odd was slim and short. He had shoulder length blonde hair with purple highlights, that was usually tied. Odd wasn't a model. His dream was to become a designer or a musician. His passion was designing new pieces of clothes - and he even made them himself. He pulled at least a dozen all-nighters to make and design a dress for every girl he liked. But even that didn't help him have a stable relationship.

William was probably the most charming guy of their group. He had messy black hair that was a bit shorter than Odd's. Had it been a little longer, he would be able to tie it like Odd does. His dark brown eyes, at first glance, looked black unless you take a careful look at them. He wore black pretty much all the time and had very pale skin. Ulrich and Odd liked to joke how he is a tame version of a goth. He was a model, just like Ulrich, but not so big and not so known. His aunt got him into modeling as a part-time job, but William quickly grew to love it and started working more professionally. That's actually how he got to know Ulrich. They went to the same school for over five years, but got closer only year and a half ago when they had a shot for an ice cream commercial.

The school they attended was Kadic, a talent high school. Nothing about it had to do with ''talents'' but people called it that because it was made for students that were in some sort of showbiz - music, acting, modeling... It allowed students to miss their classes whenever they had to due to their errands and to take tests later if they need to. Classes and subjects were the same like any other school.

Ulrich was probably the most popular boy in the school. It was not just because of his career... It was also because, apart from being good looking, he had a mysterious aura around himself that made girls fall in love with him. He was quiet, but not too much. He was nice, but also not too much.

Despite so many girls liking him, and Odd and William being very jealous, Urlich wasn't interested. None of those girls evoked any kind of deeper emotion in him. Sure, he was grateful to them, and was happy that they appreciated him, but it just wasn't it. He didn't want to date someone just so he could mess around. He wanted the real thing. He wanted someone who will hold his hand and make his whole world go round. Someone who will make a storm in his body and heart.

So far, only one girl achieved that. He isn't sure he could call it love since they've disliked each other since they met. But she definitely had some kind of a magnetic power that pulled Ulrich in.

She was Yumi Ishiyama.

And she will also be attending CME tonight.

How great.

This chapter was kinda boring but I had to get Ulrich's introduction out of the way. The next one will be Yumi's introduction! You will find out more about why they dislike each other, and what made Yumi enter the modeling industry.
See you in next chapter 3