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riki shivered as he adjusted the focus of his camera, the cold air creeping inside the long sleeves of his black button up and settling uncomfortably on the middle of his chest.
click. a beautiful shot of the mediocre last minute altar the hotel staff managed to put together in the middle of a beach filled with nosy people.
click. a neat, clean picture of the groom, patiently waiting for his bride to show up.
click. the rings, the so called never ending symbol of love.
click. loud cheers hurt his ears as he photographed the happy couple's first kiss as husband and wife.
the photographer sighed as he expertly made his way through the sand to talk to his boss, the main videographer, who had just recorded the couple's exit with a charming smile directed at them.
"hyung" the younger spoke in a low voice, not that it mattered anyway, the deafening commotion drowning every sound they made. "can i go home now?" he quietly pleaded, camera safely hanging from his neck, puppy eyes directed towards the elder.
heeseung raised an eyebrow as he signed to the coordinator to get the guests ready for the photo session.
"riki, we've talked about this. you're the main photographer, you can't leave before the session"
"but hyung, you got all these interns, look!" he whined, his eyes locking on the young boy that messily tried to photograph the bride's bouquet, a white rose falling from the perfect arrangement. riki internally cringed, deciding to focus on heeseung's hands that had started to change the lens of the camera on the black tripod, nicely placed in the middle of the aisle.
"so? they're just learning, riki. they're here as support, plus you know the bride specifically requested you" the younger raised his head at that, a smirk making its way to replace the pout that had adorned his lips.
"really? the bride requested me?" he smugly asked, no sight of his previously slouched shoulders.
"yes riki, and if you make me say it again, i'll make you stay until the reception" a laugh made its way out of the younger's mouth as he took his camera back in his hands. "that's so mean, hyung!" he cheerily spoke before walking towards the protagonists of the event, instructing them how to pose to get the perfect shot; once the veil, dress and bouquet looked just as he wanted, he took three steps back and pressed the button on his camera, multiple shots to ensure a good picture.
"she better tip me, then" he quietly said before signaling them to kiss.
｡*✧*。
she did, in fact, tip riki. and quite generously, enough for him to treat his best friends a delicious dinner.
"let it go, riki. it's your job" jungwon spoke, putting his chopsticks down, lazily chewing on a grilled shrimp.
"he's right, you know. plus, don't you love photography? what's the big deal?" jay asked, teasingly pulling a strand of the younger's hair, smiling in satisfaction when he heard riki whine.
"of course i do, hyung. but i don't know if i want to photograph foreigners' weddings for the rest of my life" riki sighed, the steamy meat on his plate long forgotten. "it's always the same, almost every single weekend spent doing the exact same thing, even hearing the same stuff too! 'oh, ever since i met you, i knew you were the one' 'oh, the first time we kissed, fireworks went off'" he spoke in a mocking voice, the laugh of his friends rumbling in his head. "i'm so sick of it! and i swear to god, hyung, if i hear 'can't help falling in love' one more time"
jungwon cackled at that, effectively choking on the bit of food in his mouth, causing the tallest to snort as he reached to pat his hyung's back.
"it's still better than a boring office job" the pretty-eyed man reasoned once he calmed down "besides, riki, you're literally one of the most successful people i know. and you're only 22!"
despite wanting to argue, wanting to tell jungwon that it's not about that, that he doesn't care about money or recognition, that he only wants creative freedom, to do what he loves without restraints, he doesn't. he smiles sincerely at his hyung instead, because he knows he's right, he knows they both think is a little unfair a rich man like him whined about the job that gave him said wealth.
"you're right, hyung. i'm sorry. i'm just..." he paused, chewing on his lip like he's been doing a lot lately, the slight sting comforting his troubled mind. "i just get a bit tired of the monotony, is all" he dared look up from his now cold food and instantly regretted it as he saw the warm, understanding look both his friends had on their eyes; he felt his own water the tiniest bit when jay's hand dived in his hair, soothingly stroking in a way only his favorite hyung could.
"you know, you could enter photography contests, or go on walks and shoot whatever you'd like. you can find your muse anywhere, riki-san" the youngest smiled at the nickname, deciding to listen the advice of his best friend.
and so, the journey to find his muse started.
｡*✧*。
he tried everything, he did several shoots, from boutiques that insisted on paying him far more than what was accorded, to modelling students that blushed at the smallest interaction they had with the handsome photographer.
he kept on shooting, editing and delivering wedding pictures expertly as he had been doing for the past three years.
everything was overwhelming him yet he was no closer to finding his muse, whatever the hell that meant. the only fact remaining was that he's sick of weddings.
now's not the time, he thought.
he stood still, taking a picture of the sea that somehow looked prettier today, smile planted in his face as he checked it, walking back to where the ceremony was being held, the greenish blue hue of the water mixed with the sound of it at the back relaxing riki.
"ouch!" he heard, and he swears the next 5 seconds went by in slow motion. he saw his camera slip from his hands and he watched as it slowly, slowly made its way towards the sand. he tried to reach for it, he really did but he couldn't move, his arm stubbornly stuck to his side as he made peace with the fact that he was gonna lose his favorite camera. he closed his eyes, he couldn't bear to watch this.
he waited. one, two, three heartbeats went by without him hearing the soft thump his precious item would have for sure made. deciding to open his eyes, riki was met with the least expected sight to behold.
out of all the scenarios he managed to put together, the one right in front of him was too good for him to understand. this guy honestly must be an angel and riki almost wants to kiss him just for saving his camera, the handle tightly held in his right hand.
"oh my god, i'm so sorry! are you okay?" the man spoke and riki thought maybe the same recycled vows about love at first sight finally made sense. the pretty, innocent eyes staring down at him working as a realization that he'd been leaning down.
"i'm okay, thank you" his voice sounded weak as he stood up straight, and he would've jumped in the water and let nature do her thing if the angel before him hadn't smiled so brightly and purely.
"that's good. i'm guessing this is yours, then" honey like voice mixed with beautiful hazel eyes looking up at him melted riki's brain and gave him goosebumps all over his body. he dumbly stared at the man for a good 5 more seconds before realizing doing so isn't socially acceptable.
he mentally smacked himself. you're 22, riki. for the love of god, pull it together.
"yes, thank you so much for catching it, i seriously thought i was gonna have to buy another one" his usual deep, smooth voice was heard and he thanked every entity he didn't blush at the contact their hands had when he grabbed his camera.
"no problem at all. you must be nishimura riki, right? i've heard so much about you" if the taller didn't blush at the touch of their hands, he definitely did at the way the pretty man said his full name, permanently banning anyone else from saying it.
"that's my name, yeah. i'm sorry, i don't know yours" the other smiled again and riki's brain melted -again- at the way his eyes disappeared.
"i'm kim sunoo, i'm the minister"
pretty name, pretty voice, pretty eyes, pretty man. pretty pretty, he's so pretty, riki smartly thought.
he had about two seconds of clarity where he realized he was about to flirt with the minister before deciding he doesn't care. "how come i've never seen you before? i'm sure i'd remember someone like you"
yeah, he didn't care if he got to see the prettiest shade of red dust over the man's -sunoo's- cheeks.
"i just started out in the business, and i'm only doing it because i'm looking to pay for photography school" the volume of his voice decreased at the last bit, he looked away shyly as the blush of his cheeks deepened when he realized just who he was telling this to.
riki raised a brow at that. a photography student? working as a minister? he has no idea how that would work, but yet again, does he really know anything about ministers?
"you're a photographer?" he asked, and sunoo swore his heart could explode at the raw sincerity in the other man's voice. i'm a photographer, he thought.
"i want to be one. i'm only in my second year right now" he pulled himself back from going on a rant about his utmost admiration for the older (although, honestly, aren't his eyes giving him away?) and how they study his work at his class.
"riki, what in god's name are you doing?"
riki felt his face lose all color, slowly looking behind sunoo, (beautiful, beautiful sunoo) who turned around startled by the sudden voice, to lock eyes with a very angry heeseung.
"hi hyung, i'm just getting to know the minister here" he smiled nervously, doing his best to appear casual as he rested his hand on the younger's shoulder.
bowing politely, the boy blushed down to his neck and mentally blamed it on the furious sun hitting his face directly.
heeseung squinted his eyes at riki before he bowed back "it's very nice to meet you, i'm lee heeseung" his voice sweet like caramel, charming sunoo into a dumb, shy smile. "riki, help him put that on and go back to doing your job" the tone on the oldest's voice completely changing as he addressed him, throwing a small object at riki, who by pure luck didn't trip trying to catch it, before going away.
as the photographer looked down at the small mic resting comfortably in his hands, he felt the corners of his lips lift into a mischievous smile at the opportunity and he made a mental note to treat his heeseung hyung some ramen. he looked back to sunoo, the innocent look in his eyes firmly locking themselves inside a crystal box in riki's mind.
"sunoo-ssi" he took a small step closer to the younger. "could you please come closer so i can put this on you?" the minister is already close enough, he knows this; and he's positive sunoo does too, but he doesn't back down and waits for the younger's reaction to his advances.
sunoo is a simple man. he likes going on long walks and picking up flowers for his sister, he likes to dance and sing to girl group songs and he loves to play and joke around with his friends. he secretly loves petnames and he loves storing his precious memories on photographs. he's also gay. so very gay, and this older, tall, broad, really really attractive, talented (and rich!) man was shamelessly flirting with him 15 minutes before the start of a wedding (that he's officiating, for god's sake).
so, ignoring all logic, he obeys and takes a step closer to riki, because when else is he going to have an opportunity like this?
sunoo's at a proper distance now, close enough for the photographer to hook the mic on his shirt and call it a day. but he's greedy, and he wants to seize every chance he gets to see the pretty blush on the shorter.
"this won't do" he clicks his tongue as he firmly takes sunoo's hand and pulls him towards his body, his other hand on the smaller's waist, steadying him.
the effect is immediate, a high pitched squeak leaves the poor boy's mouth before the older's cologne is flooding his nose and making him weak in the knees; a clean, sandalwood scent.
he thinks there's no other scent that could be a better fit for riki.
his cheeks flush with color once again, and he would've been mortified for acting like a high schooler if it weren't for the look on the taller's eyes. shivers went down his spine once his fuzzy brain focused on the long, slender fingers tightly grasping his own waist and suddenly everything was too much. reaching to hold himself up by the other's arm, sunoo quickly realized how big of a mistake that was when he got to feel just how broad and... just big riki is.
with a dry mouth and spinning mind, he wished for the earth to split open right there and swallow him whole, or for the (attractive, so attractive) man in front of him to kiss him.
riki (unfortunately, sunoo thought) didn't kiss him, instead he carefully pinned the mic on the smaller's button up before leaning down and whispering in a very flustered sunoo's ear "wait for me after the ceremony ends, yeah?"
with that, he leaned back, turned the mic on; and shooting a wink at the younger, he left.
as if he didn't just completely wreck sunoo's peace of mind.
｡*✧*。
after carefully saving all his supplies inside a black bag and hanging the camera around his neck, he waved goodbye to his boss, rushing to the back exit where he knows sunoo will be.
the ceremony was honestly the best one riki's ever witnessed. and, okay, call him biased, but the words sunoo spoke were so beautiful it made the photographer feel warm and tingly inside, and it wasn't just because of the man that spoke them.
he saw just who he was looking for sitting patiently on a white bench, eyes roaming all over the small garden filled with colorful flowers to his left, as if he himself wasn't the prettiest one in the building.
his hands worked by themselves, turning on the camera and bringing it close to his face to capture the breathtaking sight in front of him. as he analyzed the picture, he understood what jay meant and he found himself thinking he wouldn't mind if sunoo was the only thing he could photograph from now on.
"ah! riki-sunbaenim" the smile on his face unconscious as he looked up from his camera to find the other's eyes.
"sunoo-ah, you can just call me hyung" he didn't miss the way the younger's cheeks flushed, the small "okay, hyung" forever engraving itself in his mind.
"i'm sorry to keep you waiting, sunoo-yah. i just wanted to make sure i had enough time to properly ask if you're free tonight"
a blinding smile appeared on the smaller's face as he nodded enthusiastically, he made his way towards the older and almost melted at the way riki locked his pinky with his own, leading him out of the hotel and into the older's car, a comfortable silence surrounding them. sunoo knows it's a little irresponsible of him to completely trust an older, technically unknown man, but there was something in his eyes that told him he was legitimately interested on the student, and god knows sunoo was too.
the photographer started driving with a smile, he looked briefly to the other and saw the other look away shyly for being caught staring.
"tell me about yourself, sunoo" he spoke softly, not wanting to disrupt the calm atmosphere between them. the younger hummed. "what would you like to know, hyung?"
how is his voice so perfect? he thought and he was hit with the sudden urge to touch the smaller, his hand reaching to stroke the soft, black hair on the back of sunoo's neck.
"everything" he started. "what do you like to do?"
sunoo smiled and started talking about his likes, his dislikes, his hobbies, his school, everything just as riki asked. he realizes he doesn't mind listening if sunoo is the one talking.