Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The W Korea photoshoot had been on CORTIS’s schedule for weeks.

Ever since management had informed them that they had been invited back for another feature, the members had been looking forward to it. Their previous shoot with the magazine had gone well, and getting asked back felt like another sign that people were beginning to recognize them.

Even if it also meant waking up at an unreasonable hour.

The van ride to the studio was quieter than usual.

Martin sat near the back with his headphones on, occasionally glancing out the window as the city passed by. Across from him, James was fighting a losing battle against sleep, his head resting against the seat.

Keonho looked only slightly more awake.

Wrapped in an oversized hoodie, he was slouched in his seat with his arms crossed, staring blankly ahead.

“I hate mornings.”

“You say that every morning,” Seonghyeon replied from beside him.

“Because every morning deserves to hear it.”

Seonghyeon rolled his eyes and went back to scrolling through his phone.

Meanwhile, Juhoon sat quietly near the front of the van, looking far more put together than anyone else despite having gotten up at the same time.

Keonho noticed immediately.

“Why do you look awake?”

Juhoon glanced up from his phone.

“I am awake.”

“No, but like… awake awake.”

“What does that even mean?”

“It means the rest of us look like we just got dragged out of bed.”

“We did just get dragged out of bed.”

Before Keonho could continue his argument, the van slowly pulled to a stop outside the studio.

The members gathered their things and climbed out one by one, following a staff member toward the entrance.

Before they could even make it through the doors, they noticed a camera already pointed in their direction.

“Ah,” Martin said quietly. “We’re filming already.”

Almost immediately, all traces of sleepiness disappeared.

The members straightened up, slipping into their professional personas as they approached the camera.

“Ready?” the cameraman asked.

The five of them quickly lined up beside one another.

“One, two, three.”

“Hi, we’re CORTIS! Thank you for having us!”

All five members bowed together before lifting their heads with practiced smiles.

The staff greeted them warmly as they entered the studio.

Inside, the space was already bustling with activity.

Photographers adjusted equipment, makeup artists prepared their stations, and stylists moved between racks of clothing covered in garment bags.

The members looked around curiously as they followed the staff deeper into the studio.

After looking around a bit the director had instruscted them that before they could get their hair and makeup done, the members were to change into their assigned outfits first.

That immediately drew everyone's attention to the clothing racks.

Five racks stood along the wall, each one labeled with a member's name. Garment bags hung neatly from the bars while stylists moved around the room making final adjustments.

Naturally, nobody went to their own rack first.

The members immediately started inspecting everyone's outfits.

Keonho and Seonghyeon ended up standing in front of Seonghyeon's rack together.

The younger member unzipped the garment bag and began pulling out the pieces one by one.

The first thing he found was a sleeveless black shirt.

Then a plaid button up shirt.

Then a pair of oversized jeans.

Seonghyeon held up the plaid shirt and stared at it for a second.

Keonho looked at him.

Seonghyeon looked back.

"Nah."

"Nah."

The two spoke at the exact same time.

Seonghyeon lifted the plaid shirt again.

"They're probably just gonna make me wear this around my waist."

"Facts. Facts." Keonho nodded immediately. "I mean, in every other shoot we've done you've shown skin."

"Why are you saying that like it's my fault?"

"Because it keeps happening."

"It's not on purpose."

Keonho simply shrugged.

The outfit itself wasn't complicated, but it was obvious why the stylists had chosen it.

The sleeveless black shirt would show off Seonghyeon's arms while the oversized jeans gave the outfit a more relaxed look. The plaid shirt would add another layer without taking attention away from the rest of the outfit.

Simple.

But effective.

The designers clearly knew what they were doing.

The two moved on before Seonghyeon could say anything else about the outfit.

Next was Keonho's rack.

His name hung neatly from the front.

Keonho immediately opened the garment bag.

Inside was a white shirt with a red cuff.

Layered over it was a sleeveless blazer. There weren't any special patterns or flashy details on it. It was simple, clean, and mostly there to add depth to the outfit.

Then he pulled out the pants.

Silence.

Keonho slowly turned toward Seonghyeon.

Then held his pants beside Seonghyeon's.

The color was practically identical.

Both pairs were the same blackish-blue shade.

The only real difference was that Seonghyeon's jeans had a rougher texture and were baggier around the top.

Keonho stared.

Then looked back at his own pants.

Then back at Seonghyeon's.

"Seriously, bro?"

Seonghyeon immediately started laughing.

"They copied my homework and changed it a little."

"No literally."

Keonho held the jeans higher.

"They didn't even try."

The younger member let out a dramatic groan before rubbing his forehead.

Unfortunately, that happened to be the exact moment a staff member looked over.

The woman immediately walked toward them.

"Is something wrong with the outfits?" she asked. "We have backup options if needed."

Both boys froze.

Keonho's soul nearly left his body.

"No! No, nothing's wrong."

He instantly dropped the dramatic act.

The biggest, most awkward smile appeared on his face as he waved both hands in front of him.

"The outfits are great. Seriously. I was just joking around a bit."

"Oh."

The woman smiled.

"Okay. Just let us know if you need anything."

"Of course."

The second she walked away, Keonho's smile vanished.

He slowly lowered himself to the floor.

"Oh my god."

Seonghyeon crouched beside him, putting a hand on his shoulder while Keonho lowered his head, completely embarrassed right now.

"No literally."

"That was so embarrassing."

"I thought she was about to call another stylist over."

"I thought she was about to replace my entire outfit."

The two sat there in silence for a moment.

Then Seonghyeon spoke again.

"You looked terrified."

"I was terrified."

"Your smile was huge."

"Don't remind me."

"You started waving."

"I KNOW."

---------

Nearby, Juhoon was already in the middle of getting changed.

From inside the changing area, he could hear the younger members laughing way too loudly for people who were supposed to be preparing for a professional photoshoot. Keonho and Seonghyeon’s voices carried across the room, mixed with the occasional comment from Martin and James, none of them actually focused on changing.

Juhoon let out a quiet sigh.

It wasn’t that he minded noise.

It was just… they never seemed to take a second to settle into work mode the way he did.

For Juhoon, modeling had always been serious.

Not in a strict or uptight way.

It was instinct.

He had started out as a child model, so being in front of a camera came before anything else, before training, before debuting, before learning how to be an idol. He had spent years learning how to exist in front of lenses without thinking about it too much.

Where to place his hands.

How to angle his face.

How to keep his expression controlled from every possible direction.

And now, as an idol, it felt even more intense.

There were cameras everywhere.

Even when you weren’t on set, even when you weren’t “officially” filming, there was always a chance something was recording.

So Juhoon stayed aware.

Always.

He pulled on the black pants first, smoothing them out carefully before reaching into the garment bag for the next piece.

His fingers paused.

A second later, he pulled it out.

A skirt.

Juhoon stared at it for a moment.

“…Right.”

It wasn’t really unusual anymore. Plenty of idols had worn skirts for photoshoots or stages. He had even seen interviews from seniors like Yeonjun talking casually about liking skirts as part of fashion styling.

So it wasn’t strange.

Just unfamiliar on him.

He slid it on over the pants.

The combination immediately felt different, layers shifting slightly as he adjusted them. The colors didn’t fully match either. Nothing clashed badly, but nothing blended perfectly either. It was one of those outfits that only worked when you stopped overthinking it.

Juhoon just accepted it

That was part of the job.

Still, he couldn’t help glancing at himself in the tall mirror in the changing area.

He straightened his posture and started testing a few poses with the skirt on.

A slight turn of the shoulders.

A tilt of the chin.

A controlled side profile.

He liked poses like that, ones where he could subtly show expression. Sometimes a bit of tongue, hair tucked behind his ear, sometimes just a sharper angle of his jaw. Nothing exaggerated, just enough to change the energy of the shot.

His arms were exposed.

That wasn’t new.

But the room was colder than expected, and he could already feel small goosebumps forming along his skin.

He exhaled lightly through his nose, adjusting anyway.

If the cameras caught it, they caught it.

He shifted again, studying himself.

Over the past year, he had gained a little more muscle definition in his arms. Nothing dramatic, just enough that it was noticeable if you paid attention. He was still lean. 

In James’s words from that one interview

“Full of hungriness.”

Juhoon had never let that go.

He actually liked his build, though. He liked the way he looked in photos, liked experimenting with angles, liked how different lighting changed him. There was something satisfying about it that he couldn’t really explain.

He tried one more pose, turning slightly toward the mirror—

Then a knock came at the door.

Juhoon didn’t answer immediately.

Another knock followed.

Then a third, more impatient.

He finally opened the door.

James stood outside.

He was already dressed, looking effortlessly put together in a black turtleneck that fit neatly against his frame. A small metallic clip at the collar added just enough detail to break up the plainness. On his head sat a structured black cap. Simple, clean, almost uniform, like in its styling.

Very James.

“We gotta go get makeup done,” he said.

Juhoon nodded once. “Okay.”

For a moment, neither of them moved.

James looked at him, looking at juhoons outfit. 

Juhoon looked back.

“…We should go,” James added.

“Yeah.”

They started walking.

The hallway outside the changing room was still filled with distant noise, staff moving equipment, stylists calling out names, and the younger members still laughing somewhere behind them.

As they walked, Juhoon glanced at James.

His outfit actually suited him.

It wasn’t flashy at all, but it didn’t need to be. The clean black styling made his build stand out more naturally, and the hat gave the whole look a sharp, structured feel.

James had a stronger frame than him.

So did most of the members, honestly.

Juhoon didn’t think about it in a negative way. It was just something he noticed.

“They went simple for you,” Juhoon said after a moment.

James glanced over. “Hm?”

“I think it was the right choice.”

A pause.

“It looks good.”

James blinked like he wasn’t sure he heard him correctly.

Then his expression shifted.

“…Wow.”

Juhoon frowned slightly. “What?”

“Did you just compliment me?”

“I do that.”

“No you don’t.”

“I literally just did.”

James smiled now, clearly amused. “That’s like, once a blue moon.”

Juhoon clicked his tongue softly.

“This is why I don’t talk.”

------- 

The twins of the group were the first to finish hair and makeup.

Keonho and Seonghyeon stood in front of one of the makeup station mirrors, both leaning in slightly as they inspected their reflections now that they could actually sit upright and see everything clearly.

Keonho tilted his head first, squinting at his skin tone in the lighting.

He’d gotten noticeably more tan for the shoot.

He liked it that way.

He knew his fans liked it too, and honestly, he appreciated that the styling team had finally matched his shade properly. Korean base tones tended to run lighter, so whenever they got it right, it made him feel a little more seen in the process.

“Looks good,” Seonghyeon said, adjusting his fringe.

Keonho hummed. “Obviously.”

Seonghyeon glanced at him through the mirror. “You didn’t even look.”

“I don’t need to. I already know.”

“Confident for someone who woke up dead ass an hour ago.”

Keonho pointed at him without looking away from the mirror. “That’s unrelated.”

Seonghyeon laughed under his breath and turned his head side to side, watching how his hair stayed perfectly in place.

“You think they put glue in my hair?” he asked suddenly.

Keonho finally looked at him. “Why would they do that?”

“I don’t know. It just doesn’t move.”

“That’s called styling.”

Seonghyeon frowned slightly. “Feels illegal.”

“It’s not illegal.”

“It should be. It feels unnatural.”

Keonho let out a small laugh. “You’re dramatic.”

“You started it.”

“I didn’t start anything.”

Through the mirror, their attention shifted.

Behind them, movement.

Juhoon was finally done with hair and makeup.

Neither of them had seen his outfit yet.

By the time they had gone into styling, Juhoon had already been taken into the makeup chair, and he had stayed there longer than expected. Long enough for curiosity to start building in both of them.

Now the stylist was packing up brushes, stepping back, and leaving Juhoon sitting alone in the chair.

He was looking down at his phone.

Completely calm.

Like he wasn’t sitting under studio lights in full concept styling.

Keonho tilted his head immediately.

“There he is,” he muttered.

Seonghyeon followed his gaze. “Finally.”

Their hyung always looked like that.

Calm. Composed. Unbothered.

Even when everyone else was moving around, panicking over outfits or fixing details, Juhoon acted like he was already done with everything in advance.

It was almost annoying.

Almost impressive.

The stylist stepped away fully, and that was all the permission the twins needed.

They moved at the same time.

“Hyung—” Keonho started, already walking.