Learn to Love You

The morning in Tokyo, as early as seven, the streets had already been filled with traffic. It was not just on the streets but along the pavement as well, the majority of people in suits could be seen walking, mostly going to work. The city had awakened and was finally ready to start another day. At the centre of a big crossing, a giant billboard started to play on the nearest building. The display showed animated visuals of a male supermodel who was promoting the latest smartphone brand."Being trendy and cool with SuperZ SP" the clean and clear voice of the supermodel was heard as the shot continued to focus on his flawless smile. The brilliant shot of the moment had definitely captured the gaze of the passersby. Some had stopped just to keep watching for the advertisement and some were seen to be charmed by the male supermodel. There was also a group of fangirls caught fawning over the billboard while holding some placards as if they were cheering for the advertisement.Leo JunhoAs the name appears alongside the model as the advert shot is ending, loud screams can be heard coming from the fans.Leo Junho, he was the male supermodel in the advertisement. Normally, male models are often overlooked because the fashion industry is skewed toward women. In Leo Junho's case, he was indeed very lucky due to his background; his father was a famous vocalist in a legendary rock band called Psychotic Vires and his mother is a well-known comic artist that still has some running titles. Normal people can only dream of being just like Leo Junho.As some sparkles of light forced through the cracks in between the curtain, a pair of fragile fingers could be seen moving, browsing random stuff on the internet. She was lying on the bed while her eyes were busy staring at her phone. A few minutes later, a tall man appeared from the bathroom, he had just finished taking a shower.While brushing his wet hair with a small towel, drops of water were dripping all over his tall body. Despite being slender, abs and muscle were still noticeable acknowledging the fact that he did put some work on his body. He has fair skin and a dapper haircut like an idol."It looks like you're in the new ads. I'm impressed to know that despite working hard, you still manage to find time for fun and games, Junho." She chuckled, her eyes still glued to the phone's screen. Junho just let out a smile. He then threw the towel where it quickly landed on the nearby chair, letting himself bare naked, revealing his good figure. He went close to the edge of the bed and sat."As long as the pay is well deserved. I love seeing my bank account's savings," he let out a giggle, and then kissed the woman's lips, "You wake up so early, do you still have the energy to do more rounds?" As Junho smirked, his hands started to move, touching the woman's soft body. His lips slowly planted some kisses around the woman's body.She let out a small moan, "I would love to, but unfortunately I have to go to work.""Well, a 30-minute morning round won't take up too much time." He continued to kiss her, this time a little bit bolder as he started to ravish the woman's mouth nonstop. Junho's continuous kisses and bites caused the woman to start being in a sexual mood again. She just let him do whatever he wanted.Just as they were in their mood, suddenly a loud ringing could be heard not far from the bed. It was Junho's work phone. Junho sighed. He knew exactly who was calling him based on the ringtone he had set up."Ah, fuck... I really didn't want to answer the call..""Then, don't do it." She stopped him."I can't... Huu... fuck." He got off the bed and quickly walked to the table. He grabbed his phone and pressed the green button to answer."What's it, manager-nim? I'm busy.""Partying and having one-night stands are not considered as being busy. Where are you right now?" Junho's manager was obviously very angry based on the loud tone.Despite knowing his manager's low temper tolerance, he still tried to be sneaky with him, "Hm, what if I don't want to tell you?"As a result, the playful answer made the manager even furious, soft growls could be heard through the phone. Junho tried to hold his laugh. He loves to tease his manager a lot. But, that bad habit of his usually made everything turn worse."Leo Junho. If you refuse to tell me where you are now, it's OK. I'll just ask the President to personally call you then. I guess you prefer that option, am I right? Or even better, should I ask him to give you a ride himself?""Wha-- alright fine! It was just a joke" A quick answer from Junho is heard.Involving the president of the company in his affair sounded like a threat to Junho. Knowing his president, he did not want him to be associated with any of his problems. The manager was finally able to make Junho listen.He immediately got up from the bed as he realised he had crossed the line with his manager."I'm at Hotel Z. You sound like you are in a hurry, though. It's not like I have any scheduled today." He quickly buttoned his shirt while still talking on the phone."Well, I have just received the news this morning and we'll need to attend a meeting today. A new job offer, it's a big project and knowing you, you'll definitely can't refuse.""Really?? Then tell me!" Junho pleaded."Listen, HXT x Cool is asking you to be their model and ambassador for the brand." The manager sounded excited."No way, this isn't real???" Junho stopped for a while, trying to process his manager's every word."100% real!!" His manager replied and his tone sounded like nothing but happiness.HXT x Cool brand is a world-famous men's clothing brand, so getting an offer from such a well-known corporation is like he had struck gold. If he becomes their model and ambassador, it would open more job offers from other international brands, on top of, having the opportunity to spread his name in the fashion industry worldwide."Fine, you better hurry up. I'll be waiting at the parking lobby." He instantly agreed to not miss the offer.As he ended the call, he felt a pair of hands hug him from behind."Do you seriously need to go? You're the worst. You put me in the mood and now you're just going to leave me like that.""Well, you know that I will always be available any time you call me," Junho reassured her."But right now I need to go. Work comes first, you know me." Junho kissed the woman as an apology for stopping in the midst of their sexual desires."Sorry," he said in between kisses."Fine. Next time, no excuses, okay?" The woman finally confided.Junho replied with a faint smile. There will be no second time. I had fun, well, for a night, he thought to himself. He bid goodbye as he waltzed to the door.Another night well spent for Leo Junho. Habitually, he slept with different people, regardless of gender. However, he was not into any relationship and he still would not want to settle down with anyone. He was still young and his career was soaring steadily. Any relationship could probably hinder his progress, such thoughts had led Junho to limit his relationship to one-night stands.Although, this sparked so much interest from the paparazzi. Whenever they took some photos of Junho, he was always seen with different people and those kinds of materials were sold for dozens to magazines. People love scandals, after all. Nevertheless, it is not easy to put Junho in huge trouble that is enough to make people cancel him. He has a large number of cult followers who are willing to defend his flaws and weaknesses.In the past, Junho used to be an idol trainee before he got scouted into the modelling agency. While being a trainee, Junho was able to gather a large number of loyal fans that would support him in any circumstances. Later, he got to the point of nearly debuting, but unfortunately, he quit for unknown reasons. There were rumours claiming he was fooling around which caused his failed debut, but neither he nor his former agency had addressed the issue. It was then forgotten as time passed......Junho walked quickly to the parking lot. He moved towards the black SUV that was parked at the right corner. He opened the door and entered the car, and he could see his manager's face smiling, yet it seemed slightly to be accompanied by a dark vibe.Acknowledging that he was at fault for making his manager grim, he promised himself that he would not go overboard with the teasing next time."So, where are we going, manager-nim?" Junho casually browsed his phone as Kurokawa Shotaro, his manager, started to drive, leaving the parking lot."We need to meet up with the president first. He will brief you on the project, and then at 2 PM we will have a meeting with the HXT x Cool brand at their agency."Junho kept listening from the backseat as the manager continued."You know...HXT x Cool is known to be very picky when choosing a new ambassador for their brand. Someone like you who only knows how to party around, I doubt could be their first choice. I don't know what you did to make them choose you for this project, I guess whatever can make their products sell like hotcakes, I guess. And that will be YOU, Junho."A little slap back in between the words of his manager just made Junho let out a small snicker. Nevertheless, there is some truth in those, he thought."What can I say more, you're very lucky, brat. "He continued as his eyes glued to the driving wheel.Lucky is the word that people tend to describe Junho, he could be considered a silver spoon. He was born with privileges like his good looks and tall height of 185cm. Junho got his looks from being a son of mixed parents, his father is mixed Korean and American while his mother is Japanese. Due to that, he also has the advantage of being multilingual. As early as seventeen, he was scouted by Elite Fashion Company for having the whole package checked out. Junho does not put any limit on himself when choosing work. He is very versatile in his job. He would not just do men's fashion but is willing to work for women's as well such as lingerie, high heels, makeup and such. His style of work attracted many brands to hire him as their representative. Even though he was quite a party boy and was tirelessly gossiped about with many baseless rumours, yet when it came to doing his job, he did his work diligently. He is known to never be late to work and very attentive to his client's requests."By the way, Junho..." The manager stopped, his expression suddenly turned dull."What?" The young model frowned, confused, looking at his manager's sudden change."Can you at least please, for once, avoid going to parties and fooling around with anyone you find? It didn't bring any good and only gave me trouble. Plus, how am I supposed to work peacefully if I see the President's murderous look every time I meet him? Maybe, at least do it once per week. Have some mercy on my, boy"It sounded like advice but at the same time it was also like a woeful plea, Junho could not tell. But he found it funny as his manager seemed desperate in pleading for him to start behaving. He knew his manager meant no harm and only worried about him. Somehow he also pitied his manager for having to manage the relentless Junho. He gave a little laugh.........Tokyo, 11.21 AM, at Kana 8 Apartment...It's heavyIt's dreadful...I didn't want to wake up.Rin struggled with the thought every time his eyes opened. He tugged his blanket up to his neck, wrapping his body while leaning on his left. He didn't feel like doing anything that morning.EmptyA strong feeling he felt growing inside his head.He can hear the morning chirps from faraway birds.Annoying. He grunted softly.A sudden ringing from his mobile phone broke the silence in the room. It startled him to the point that it was enough to put him in a foul mood. He was finally able to get a good sleep last night, something that he rarely did. Initially he wanted to ignore the phone but the continuous call would not stop bothering.He got up instantly to stop the ringing. A slight headache made him slightly wobble while trying to reach his phone."Fuck!"He grabbed the phone while his other hand was holding his head as the pain struck. It took him several minutes to see his assistant's name on the phone screen and quickly answer."What's it, Mari?" Rin asked while his eyes were half closed. His right hand was glued to his forehead as he could still feel the headache."Sorry to bother you, Rin-san. You probably just woke up?" Mari sounded apologetic."Hmm...it's okay." Rin was still rubbing his head."Well, I have just finished an online meeting with the HXT x Cool company. They wanted to hire us for a photography session of a huge project, and... I was kind of excited, so I decided to call you immediately." Mari explained in excitement."Alright. I'll get ready and probably it will take 30 minutes. Meet you at the studio""Okay, sure. I'll be waiting." Mari ended the call.Rin just sighed while putting away his phone somewhere on the bed. He ruffled his hair lazily. Looking at the digital watch beside his bed, it was 11:27 a.m. near lunchtime. He did get a good sleep but probably thought he could sleep for a few minutes more. He sighed again. His body felt heavy and the drowsiness was still lingering.Yet, work comes first, so he thought. He motivated himself to get off his bed and dragged his legs to the bathroom.His bathroom is just enough for a small tub and a shower. There was a mirror above the granite sink near the shower, he tried to look at the mirror. His eyes were filled with dark circles, a noticeable sign for someone who lacks sleep. It was so obvious that it kind of bothered him. He wanted to get rid of it but it seemed his sleeping trouble was getting worse.Sometimes, sleeping pills were not effective enough which made him turn to a drinking habit. When he could not sleep, he would just buy several drinks from the nearby convenience store. He would keep drinking till he passed out. Despite being able to sleep, having to wake up with a slight headache the next day did not make him feel great; just like today. Either way, it was never going to help him with his sleeping problem.Looking at himself in the mirror, he looked miserable, more like his usual thought about himself."Aishh..There's no time to get lost in your dark thoughts, Takamine Rin."He snapped back to reality.He opened the water tap, and let the cold water run before he cupped them and washed his face with it. Each droplet felt icy cold but it helped him to stay awake. Also, it is as if he was trying to erase the negative thoughts that have been occupying his mind every time he got up. Then, he let the water from the shower flow over his body. He was numb; it felt like a never ending despair.Bam!His fist got red from the punch on the wall. It did not bleed but it did feel painful. He basically did not care,it was more painful in the head than the pain he felt in his fist. When Rin could no longer block the awful thoughts to himself, he usually ended up hurting himself.Rin reached for the key and a continuous beep was heard from the black Aventador. He started the engine and swiftly drove out from the garage. He needed to hurry to his studio and the traffic seemed busy as it was in the middle of lunch. It took him 30 minutes to arrive at his studio. He carefully parked the car at the back corner of the designated parking lot, under the Ginkgo tree. He reached the brake, stopped his car and got out of his car. He quickly crossed the small road and entered his studio. The first staff that saw him entering greeted him with a smile. Rin bowed back and walked towards the elevator, he pressed Floor 2 when he got inside. Nova Studio belongs to Rin and is known to be his private company with 3 floors; the ground floor for instant portrait photo and print service, second floor is staff's working space and the third floor was photography set space. It's one of the well-known photography services and it was established around 6 years ago by Rin after he moved from Australia to Japan. He was born in Australia and studied there, taking photography as his major. Before establishing his own company, he worked for a photography company in Australia for a few years before he decided to move to Japan. His career grew in Japan and he has worked with numerous big clients. This is thanks to his childhood friend, Akihito who helped him out, as this friend took care of the PR things, which definitely helped him secure the jobs that paid well.The tapping sound from the keyboard can be heard filling the quiet room. It came from the assistant table where Mari was seen busy typing on her computer. His hands were fast typing while clicking on the mouse at the same time. She wrote down details in the form about her previous virtual meeting with HXT x Cool company. That's her usual task, preparing the documents for the job offers they got. After she's done checking it, she printed all the documents. At the same time, Mari's done printing all the documents, and Rin arrived at the office just in time. He went to his table, put all his stuff there."You're ready? Come, let's discuss in the meeting room." The small brunette girl immediately got off her chair, took all the documents and followed her boss from behind.Mari sat after handing Rin a copy of the documents.She closes the gap between her and Rin."So HXT x Cool planned to launch new collections for men's clothing, but their main focus for this new collection would be men's underwear. Plus, they will appoint a new ambassador to represent their brand.""Okay, do you have any idea who's going to be their new ambassador?" His eyes are still checking the documents that Mari prepared for him. To be honest, he didn't mind which model the client would choose since he could guide the model for the job. New or veteran, it doesn't really matter to him. All he wanted was for the model to deliver the message in the photos."About that, they actually have yet to disclose who'll be their new model.""Seriously? Have you asked about it?""I did ask about it, but they said they would reveal it during the meeting with us. I think we might meet the new ambassador there too.""Ha, I don't know what's with their issue of not wanting to reveal the info. Even though we knew it would be focusing on men's underwear, we needed to know about the model's info, because if we knew about the model's profile, we could plan for the theme for the photoshoot.""If they want the brand to become famous and sell out quickly, of course they will keep up with the new trend that's popular on social media. Looking at this brand, they might hire the most popular model for this.""Who?" Rin asked; because he never kept up with those models or any influencers."Well, the only famous model that has power as an influencer could be Leo Junho. He's the only one that fits those standards.""There's a reason why I do think he might be the one. After all, he's the only one rising top model that always ranked high in brand reputation this year, and has more CM and television coverage than any other potential candidates."Hearing those points from his assistant, Rin started to process everything he knew about the supermodel. To be honest, he had never worked with Junho before, but he had heard a lot of rumours and gossip about the young supermodel. One of them is Leo Junho who would sleep with anyone regardless of their gender or status. Before this, there was a rumour that the photographer he happened to know was fired for sleeping with Junho. The controversy spread like wildfire, even among the photographer community. Hearing that Leo Junho might be the one, as Mari assumed, made Rin feel uneasy. He knew that this Leo Junho guy was definitely a perfect candidate for the ambassador role for the brand, but he couldn't hide the fact that this male supermodel would give him some trouble during the shoot.That is if Leo Junho is the new ambassador."I'm surprised if they chose him, since he didn't really have a good reputation. Well, I guess it's about money now since this Leo Junho guy brings profits to any brand he works for. " Rin sighed; he didn't like that ugly truth."Well, that's the fact that everyone agreed on. He has a crazy cult of fanatic fans who are willing to throw money at him. Even if he just made a cameo for the movie, it's going to trend immediately on social media. We can't deny the power he has to influence people to spend money. And of course, those brands and companies saw the opportunity.""But, Rin-san. This is just my assumption. My prediction could be wrong too. Let's just hope it won't be him. ""What's so good about that kind of celebrity? Huh, I guess time is different now; the more controversy is created, that would be better because it means they are being relevant to their fans. Enough about this boy. So, when will we meet with this brand? For the meeting ""I planned to schedule the meeting on Wednesday this week. If it's not good, I think Friday should be okay too.""I'm okay with those days. I don't think we have any urgent jobs at that time.""Alright, then I will let them know then."After that, Rin stayed in his office room, locking himself in and continuing to do his work. His eyes were glued to his laptop. He was doing some research about the brand he would deal with. He wrote down some key points in his sketchbook. Sometimes he yawned while rubbing his forehead. He still had the fatigue lingering inside him. He took off his glasses and sighed. Even if he goes back to his house to rest, it's hard for him to fall asleep quickly. It's now almost 7 PM as he checked the time. He didn't realise that time was flying fast. He bet that his other staff were already prepared to go back to their own houses. He went out of his room, and he was right, no one was there except him alone. After he confirmed that, he went to the pantry, grabbed a cup to make the drink for himself. He leaned on the table, grabbed the warm tea, and took a sip of it. His eyes looked at the open windows where he could see the city at night. The cold air that came from the windows made his body shiver slightly, yet somehow that coldness gave him the calm emotion that he wanted at the moment. He closed his eyes, feeling that unexplained silent atmosphere. The breeze made his cheek slowly change his skin colour, whitening both parts a bit, but that didn't bother him that much. He felt that he could stay in that moment longer; he didn't want to let go of that calm feeling ever again.Beep. The notification from his phone slowly dragged him back to the real world. He opened his eyes again and reached for the phone in his pocket. He quickly pressed the password for the phone and checked the chatting apps.[Where are you? Still at the office?]The message was from his friend, Akihito.[Yes. I'm here. Why?]He replied to the message.[Let's go eat dinner at Hana Kotoba's. I've just finished my work.][Okay. [I'll see you there.]As he sent the message, he switched off the pantry lamp and went back to his room, packing all his stuff. Before going to the elevator, he made sure he turned off all the electronic equipment. After he was done, he locked the studio's door, put the key inside his pocket, and walked to the elevator. After a few minutes, the door was opened and he quickly went inside......The jazz music echoed around the Hana Kotoba restaurant. This is the perfect music to chill out to. The customers inside the restaurant seemed to mind their own business, chatting with friends, eating, and so on. There are not so many people inside the restaurant, but that doesn't make the workers there less busy. In the left corner of the sitting area, which is a bit hidden from other customers, Akihito was sitting there, browsing on his phone. His left hand slowly stirred the black espresso he ordered. This should be enough, he said to himself. As he drank it, he could feel the strong smell when his nose inhaled it. He checked his phone again, Rin should have arrived now, he thought. His eyes then went to the door direction, to alert himself in case his friend arrived. Then, one minute later, the vintage bell made a sound as the door was opened, and the black haired man was greeted by the waiter. It was indeed Rin. Akihito then waved his hands, and the other noticed him, and quickly went to the table his friend was sitting on. He put his bag on the empty chair to his right and sat on the other chair."Sorry, did you wait long?""No, I just arrived 5 minutes earlier than you. What a bad eye bag you have. Totally like a dead zombie. Still can't sleep, huh?""You knew about that, but you still ask about it?""Well, that's what a typical Asian does. We love to ask things we already know. By the way, just order your food first. I already ordered mine." Akihito pushed one of the food menus to his friend. The other opened the menu, checking which food he would like to eat. Honestly, he didn't have much appetite, so a light snack would be totally okay. He called for the waiter and the waiter went to his table, ready to take his order.......While waiting for their food, these two friends chatted casually and talked about their work. Rin started to talk about the huge job he just got from that brand. Hearing that from his friend, Akihito was amazed by that and congratulated his friend."But, the thing is I don't know who they will choose as their new ambassador. But, Mari assumed that it would be Leo Junho. I'm not sure if he would really be the one because looking at his bad reputation if me; I would think twice. Honestly, I never worked with him before. So, I have totally zero clue about him.""But, wait. You did the work for him before, right?" Rin remembered that Akihito worked with a lot of people, he thinks that his friend might have happened to work with this young model."Oh, yeah I did. Well, based on my experience, when it comes to jobs, he's definitely very 100% professional. He listened well to my instructions. He rose to even greater fame thanks to the PR work I did for him. So, the small bad issues like him having a one-night stand with anyone or he always partying didn't hurt his reputation much for now because, despite that; people acknowledge his work and skills. Second, his fans were getting used to that. For them, it's not a big issue anymore. Plus, the companies that he deals with getting higher profits thanks to him. If you let those bad rumours slide, working with him definitely would bring good to him. Because that guy has Midas's touch, hahaha.""Then, I can expect that it wouldn't be a problem, right?""Yes, no problem. But, if he's the one that the brand chooses as their main face. We don't know yet, but I agree with Mari's points."Rin nodded as he understood all the points he got. If that's what his friends told him, then it should be okay. After all, it's not like he will encounter Leo Junho anymore after his job is done......