Chapter Text
Bright... It was always so bright.
The minute Park Jinyoung stepped from the sleek black limousine, the sound of clicking reached his ears, though from where was unknown considering that all he could see were flashes of light as sets of cameras were suddenly fired in his direction. Despite being generally blinded by the sea of white, he did his best not to squint, letting his lips curve upwards into a soft and reserved smile, one that was practiced in-front of the mirror time and time again until perfect. Perfect, that's what Jinyoung strived to achieve in everything he did.
After a couple of seconds, he felt another presence behind his left shoulder. For a split moment, Jinyoung let his gaze drop to the ground, observing the way his dark loafers clashed against the scarlet coloured carpet beneath. Apparently taking this as a sign that Jinyoung was ready to move, the figure behind him placed a light hand on the small of his back, the touch was soft and could be easily broken, but it was a protective gesture that Jinyoung was all too familiar with.
For the first time he glanced over his shoulder, taking in the placid expression of the person who was a mix of his bodyguard and friend. Mark.
Mark stood tall, a rigid spine, lips pulled into a straight line, brows furrowed, half hidden by the large sunglasses that Jinyoung wasn't fortunate enough to be wearing as well. Despite his skinny frame, Mark was well-built and strong enough to protect Jinyoung to the extent that he needed to be protected. It was odd to see his usually lazy smile taken over by such seriousness, but as Jinyoung always said, 'one must know when to be professional'.
Jinyoung gave a small nod in unspoken acknowledgement to Mark's action and there was a sudden pressure on his back as Mark began to lead him away from the limousine and further up the carpet to where there were rows of white backdrops with celebrities posing infront. Jinyoung would have to be photographed a good while longer before he could go inside, but these were the professional pictures, the ones that would be displayed on T.V shows and magazines. Such easy publicity shouldn't be ignored.
Mark stood back, among with the other bodyguards and photographers as Jinyoung took his place infront of a backdrop with the logos of some sponsoring companies printed on. He turned his body on a 3/4 angle and one hand holding both sides of his navy blazer together, his eyebrows raised slightly as he gave that familiar collected smile. Once again, his vision was filled with a sudden white light.
Park Jinyoung, aged 22, currently one of the most well-known and acclaimed actors in South Korea and even abroad. Originally the son of a wealthy and famous businessman who owned a multitude of influential companies, his sudden movie debut had been a shock to the world. Though it was just a minor role, nobody had expected the heir to a business empire to opt into acting. Of course, he was still preparing to take his father's place when time came, so with his established acting career and millions worth of family wealth, Jinyoung was on his way to becoming one of the wealthiest men in Korea. And here he was, at an awards ceremony nominated for multiple awards for both his T.V series and movies.
After a couple of minutes of photos, he felt another two people join either of his sides, most likely prompted to by a photographer looking for a group shot. Jinyoung exchanged quick greetings with the other two celebrities, each being an actor themselves, before spending the rest of his time adjusting himself for picture upon picture.
As more people arrived, Jinyoung had gradually moved down the line until arriving at the main entrance.Mark who had been trailing along from behind the camera-line met up with his employer once more. Out of the sights of paparazzi, Mark offered a characteristic lax grin. "You seemed to be getting into it, those were some sexy poses near the end."
Professionalism was out the window now that it was just the two of them apparently. Mark could put on a good act, but only when necessary. Jinyoung's teeth pressed into his bottom lip, eyes swirling with a mixture of annoyance and embarrassment. He hated being teased, especially from Mark, who may be older than him but was of different status. They were friends of course, but Jinyoung figured he deserved some sort of respect.
"I wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary." He replied eventually, giving a sniff and turning his nose upwards and away from the bodyguard. He heard a low chuckle emit from Mark's chest, but there was no other indication of amusement as the other man's expression turned stoic once more. Immediately, Jinyoung's gaze traveled towards the door longingly. So far he had just been giving smiles and bowing towards everybody he passed, socialization was necessary but it could be tiring.
Just as he had been taking a step towards the door, there was a voice that rose above all the other chatter from around, and it was being directed towards him.
"Junior-Hyung!"
Jinyoung stopped dead in his tracks, eyebrows knitting together in confusion and annoyance. Junior? He hadn't been called that in ages, since the drama that he'd starred in, really the drama that brought him fame. He was grateful for the role, but the name Junior had oddly enough stuck to him and he was only being able to shake it as of late.
The voice was familiar enough, but once he turned around, seeing a certain tall and lanky man was no surprise. Jinyoung let the tension release from his shoulders, yet his expression was still somewhat guarded.
"BamBam-ssi." He replied, from the sound of his voice, he was comfortable with the other man, but the Junior thing had irked him enough, like a bad nightmare being replayed once more. BamBam didn't seem all the deterred though as he strolled up towards Jinyoung and swung an arm over his shoulders, pulling him close and quickly flashing the cameras a smile before turning his attention towards Jinyoung fully.
"It's been so long, you never call me anymore." The younger male's plump bottom lip stuck out in a pout and Jinyoung averted his gaze for a moment before bringing it back over. "Yes, well, I'm sure you're just as busy as me." His tone held a tint of sarcasm, something he'd never offer to somebody he didn't at least consider a friend.
Him and BamBam went far back, actually, they had met on the set of Jinyoung's 'Junior' drama. They had both been starting their careers there. BamBam had been an assistant costume-designer at the time, and despite his playful and loud personality, had surprisingly grown close with Jinyoung. His real name of course, wasn't BamBam, but Jinyoung had never known the other male as anything but, the designer always said he wanted to be known by something attention-grabbing and original, BamBam certainly was that. He was good at his work and after the drama, he had been somewhat of a personal stylist to Jinyoung, but schedules tore them apart the more popular they became. BamBam was now one of Korea's top fashion designers, setting the trends among idol groups and other celebrities, he was nominated for a costume design award today, and Jinyoung had no doubt that he would get it.
Even without knowing his reputation, one look at BamBam would tell you he was knowledgeable in fashion. He wore a dark turtleneck sweater with a maroon blazer and pants, his shoes were heeled giving him a few extra centimetres in height. Not just his clothes, but his hair was dyed a metallic gray and styled to perfection while he skin was flawless with a little bit of eyeliner to darken his eyes. For a moment, Jinyoung thought his simple navy suit and loafers wasn't enough, before reminding himself that anything else would've been too out of character for him.
Mark stood patiently behind Jinyoung, staring straight ahead through the tinted sunglasses. BamBam, who was without a bodyguard, leaned further into Jinyoung playfully. "Will you sit with me then, Hyung? We have to catch up at least, I've missed you~"
Jinyoung's cheeks were started to go red, they were being far too affectionant for a red carpet like this, with so many eyes on them, any tabloid could start a rumour. At this point, he was just itching to get inside where the paparazzi weren't welcome, so he gave a small sigh. "Yes, yes, fine. Hurry up though." He already had a reserved table, but truth be told, he knew nobody from it, so sitting a bit further back from the stage with BamBam wouldn't hurt, even if it would confuse the cameramen that were supposed to be looking out for him. He was abusing his celebrity privilege by changing the arrangement but nothing too bad, right?
BamBam's content hum was clearly a sign of his excitement as he thankfully pulled back from Jinyoung to let the other walk more freely. The younger boy was going on about one thing or another, and from hearing him talk, you really wouldn't have assumed him to be such a sought-after and respected man. But wasn't that the thing with celebrities? Fans never knew who they really were.