"We can discuss that," Jay said, also wanting to see that kind of shoot.
"Can I watch?" Casper raised his hand.
June clicked his tongue.
"No underwear shoot is going to happen," he firmly said. "Can we please just go ahead with the jacket shoot?"
"Whatever June requests, I will follow," Pablo said. "Let's get started with Jisung!"
The styling and makeup team started preparing the boys and proceeded with the photoshoot right away.
Setting aside his crazy antics, Pablo was truly a talented photographer.
June, who had just finished getting his makeup done, was now monitoring Akira. He was posing before the camera, and Pablo made him appear like he had a serious aura.
Akira definitely didn't have that kind of aura, so that, in itself, was already a talent.
He was waiting for his turn, and it seemed like Choi Pablo was, too. Pablo nearly squealed as June took centerstage.
"You look like a diamond!" Pablo exclaimed. "I definitely chose the right outfit for you. I scolded your stylist to style you better in future schedules. Your beautiful looks are being limited with such simple outfits!"
"I like the simple outfits," June deadpanned.
"I do, too," Pablo smiled. "But being glammed up like this is also nice from time to time, right?"
"Now, come on! Look pretty for Pablo!" he said.
June sighed and posed in front of the camera. Pablo was pleasantly surprised since June had improved since the last time they had a photoshoot. He still looked a bit awkward at times, but there were also a lot of outstanding shots.
"Handsome! Handsome!" Pablo continued to exclaim.
June smirked in satisfaction, and at that moment, Pablo quickly captured the shot.
"This is it," Pablo said. "I don't need any more shots!"
With that, June's photoshoot quickly ended. For the last part of the shoot, the members grouped together to get their photos taken.
The atmosphere in the studio was lively and harmonious, with all of the members enjoying the photoshoot with Choi Pablo.
They were thankful that the photographer made the shoot very enjoyable. It almost felt like they weren't working for most of the time.
After a while, the shoot finally ended, and the members were now getting dressed in their normal clothes.
The skies had already turned dark, and they were making plans to have dinner.
"Why don't we go to a pork belly place?" Pablo suggested, not wanting to let June go just yet.
"Your treat?" Akira shamelessly asked.
Ren clicked his tongue and slapped Akira's arm out of embarrassment.
However, Pablo enthusiastically agreed.
"Of course!" Pablo exclaimed. "Let's go. All of the staff members should come too."
June sighed at the thought of being with Pablo even after work hours. The photographer was very talented, but he also annoyed June to the max.
Even now, he was pointing to his crotch, silently convincing June to have the underwear photoshoot.
June firmly shook his head, causing Pablo to visibly slump his shoulders.
Fortunately, they were in different cars as they went to the pork belly place. However, Pablo didn't give June much space to breathe as he sat next to him in the restaurant.
"Under—"
"No," June deadpanned. "I'm never going to do it."
Pablo shook his head, coming up with new strategies on how to encourage June for that photoshoot. After 'Hate To Love You's' first episode aired, June's image had been stuck in his head.
"Why not?" Pablo asked out of disappointment.
"The company doesn't allow it," June said to finally get Pablo to stop talking about the underwear shoot.
Just then, Jay inserted himself into the narrative.
"I can probably convince them," he said.
Pablo's eyes sparkled in excitement.
"Even then, I still won't do it," June stubbornly said.
Pablo clicked his tongue and finally dropped the topic.
As the meat arrived, Pablo started grilling it for June.
June didn't complain. This was his job when he was part of the White Tiger Gang—grilling the meat for his superiors. So, being served was a great change.
"How's the comeback preparations going?" Pablo asked, finally saying something normal.
June shrugged.
"It's going pretty smoothly," June said. "There are some problems with the company here and there, but it's not something the team can't handle."
"That's great," Pablo genuinely said. "If you have any trouble, just tell me. I may not look like it, but I'm pretty influential. I might not be as rich as Azure, but I'm still pretty rich."
"Yeah, I know," June chuckled, recalling his past scandal that involved Choi Pablo's parents.
"What about you?" June asked. "What are you up to these days?"
"Photoshoots, as usual," Pablo said. "I found some pretty promising artists, but no one can compare to you."
June shook his head in amusement.
"However, I am pretty sad that Esther is resigning. That sneaky woman was actually looking for another job while working in my office. Now, I'm stuck looking for a person whose moral ground is skewed. I need someone who'll do anything for me!"
June stopped midchew after Pablo's statement.
"Right…you need a new assistant," June muttered."One that's thick-faced, down-to-earth, and borderline crazy?" he asked.
"Exactly!" Pablo exclaimed. "You get it. I had some applicants come in this morning, and none of them were like that."
A smirk appeared on June's face.
It seemed like he wasn't actually going to send someone a monthly allowance anymore.
"I think I know a person like that."
***
Cousin: Why the hell did THE Choi Pablo just email me?
Cousin: And he's telling me to convince you to do an underwear photoshoot.
Cousin: Reply to me!
Cousin: June!
June shook his head and tossed his phone aside, ignoring its constant notifications. Instead, he opened his closet and stared at himself in the mirror while miming some movements.
He wanted to sleep early since they had a long day tomorrow, but he couldn't shake off Luster's chorus out of his mind.
Despite Jaeyong's assurance that the group still had some time to create the choreography in the upcoming weeks, June couldn't keep still knowing that the chorus was still not finished.
He played the song in his earphones and tried multiple movements. However, none of them seemed to match with the song. He continued dancing in different styles, but then again, none of them fit.
June sighed and sat on his bed, suddenly feeling exhausted.
He brought out his phone and halted when he saw the calling card kept inside his case.
June pursed his lips and brought out the card, intently staring at its contents.
'Trigger Dance Studio.'
Then, he remembered Gun's words in the practice room a while ago.
"I have to teach a dance class. More and more people are becoming interested in dancing because of idols, so the business is booming."
June hummed.
Maybe he could spare an hour or two.
