Meanwhile, in the northern parts of Opaque city:

"I guess the old man was right, after all, there's no denying that annoying guy has some skills."

​​

Owen crossed his legs elegantly as he sipped on his coffee, completely short of his usual playboy style.

Perhaps if he had operated with Mason like this last week they would have gotten their work done much sooner, without all the dilly-dallying in between.

Still, that wouldn't have been possible considering Owen's nature.

The old man he was talking about was of course his father, Zenon Zekan, from whom he inherited his last name. As for the title of annoying guy, that was heaped on Mason, who had made him change poses for hours without end.

Every time Owen thought about it, he couldn't help but sigh.

The photo had been clearly taken in less than a second, yet the process had taken him half a day. There was no efficiency there, not to mention how tedious it was to do nothing but sit while being yelled at for how sloppy he looked, no matter how poised he presented himself.

He had held himself back from swearing on so many occasions that he would have trouble counting, but maybe it was also that restraint that prevented Mason from taking a single presentable photo, at least according to his standards.

Owen couldn't help but show some admiration for the models whom he worked with as a businessman in the fashion industry, an appreciation differing from his usual regard. ღゝ◡╹ )ノ♡

This was yet another reason why he wouldn't be able to follow in his father's footsteps, instead of learning from his mother, working to build on her business.

Owen simply didn't have the patience for such a form of artistry, he was the type of person who needed to see physical evidence for his every action. This is also why he couldn't follow his parent's examples when it came to their love story.

Owen simply couldn't fathom how someone could love another, who had absolutely no blood ties with them, to the point of wanting to live with them for the rest of their lives, willing to do anything and everything for them.

He loved his parents and his parents loved him.

To him, blood would always be thicker than water.

Owen had explained his thoughts to his parents, which was also why they didn't do anything to try and change his habits.

Both Zenon and Ainsel knew well that despite their son's bad reputation, Owen still knew well where the boundaries of his relationships stood.

He wouldn't do anything that could bring harm to his future nor influence his goals.

Still, on this occasion, when his father asked him to do his best to change his reputation to some degree with his father's help, he agreed without much resistance.

It couldn't bring him much harm, and it was also best for him if his poor reputation didn't affect his business too much.

The same way a bad reputation would bring negative influence, a good one would end up helping him.

Owen could see the value in such a transaction, even if this one photo wasn't going to make it or break it, it was a good start.

After seeing the satisfactory result, Owen couldn't help but see a business opportunity there.

He had also seen the threads that had been created due to this simple photo.

Owen was a businessman in the fashion industry, closely tied with the entertainment and the modeling industries. Media was also closely related to all of these, affecting the rise and fall of all the personages taking part, and something that could make such waves was bound to be of significant importance.

"What appointments do we have for today?" Owen spoke to his assistant.

"You have 2 appointments that can be moved to another date and a dinner appointment at 7 PM with Miss Lenin."

"Then push those two back and I'll be there at 7."

*** ***

Mason: I'm the annoying guy? These kids really don't know how to show gratitude these days.

Owen: Don't take it too hard, you have anyone make you sit there for hours on end with no visible progress and I promise you a title much worse than that one would be promptly bestowed on you.

Owen: Most likely behind your back too.

Mason: Oh so we're acting all benevolent now? Modest too?

Owen: If you say so, I won't be the one to refute.

Mason: ...

Mason: Then why don't we consider that I wasted the same amount of time just to get you to look decent enough for a shot?

Owen: *Touches face in contemplation*

Mason: This is what I mean. You all want tangible benefits, if you can't see them right then and there, then you think that there's nothing there. You're just too young and inexperienced to understand just yet, look at how amazingly effective my photo was.

Owen: *Can't even refute*

Mason: Yet to see the big picture indeed.

Owen: If I didn't know any better I would have assumed you were 100 years older than me when we're from the same generation.

Mason: *Rubs nonexistent long beard*

Mason: Then just call me grandfather. (　‾᷄꒫‾᷅ ).

Owen: ...

Owen: Can you afford to be my father and my mother's senior? *Smug Smug* (｡◝‿◜ ｡)

Mason: ...

*** ***

On Mason's side:

"Move down," Mason ordered with a wave of his hand towards the person under the limelight.

The man to whom Mason's camera was pointed at shifted his body weight.

He had previously had his legs crossed with his arms open wide to cover the lining of the long couch prop, now sliding slightly off so that his back was sliding down the couch with his legs wide apart and his arms using the seat as support.

*Click*

"Yes, now change to your right side," Mason continued.

The model changed his pose once again and Mason moved in order to get the best shot.

They moved in sync along with Mason's every order, as if this had already been previously planned and rehearsed numerous times, over and over, until it was almost like a dance.

*Click* *Click*

"Calm your facial muscles down a little more"

*Click* *Click*

"Tilt to the right from the armrest."

*Click*

Everything went so smoothly that others couldn't possibly have believed that Mason was one of the hardest photographers to work with, never wasting a single film if he found it not worth it, even if he could simply delete it at a later date.

Mason had some light precipitation by the time he was satisfied with everything he got from this wardrobe change.

"Okay everyone, take a rest. Good job Noah, we'll be continuing in another 40 minutes. Change to set 4 while you are at it."

Mason then turned back from looking at his model and the crew who was handing him refreshments.

Some of the others, such as the makeup artist and the ones in charge of the clothing had already been on the move despite being on a break as of just 3 seconds ago, this was because even the model had been moving.

Noah didn't even rest, who were they to do so?

"We'll be using shots number 3, 4, and 6. Get rid of the other ones," Mason ordered the people to the side, who worked on the screening.

In his studio, Mason gave out the orders and everyone else followed.

When he was working, there was only his voice and the clicking sounds echoing. It was only after he gave them all a break that the others broke out into their usual worker's gossip.

"Kyaaa~ How can he be so hot?"

"You can't say that right? Isn't that sexual harassment? Noah's still a minor right?"

"Please look at him before you say that! If that's the case, then I feel like this whole photoshoot is sexual harassment, after all, the CXC clothing brand is aiming for the seductive shots with this line of clothing."

"Yeah, but that doesn't change the fact that the boy's only 16 years old. We shouldn't get ahead of ourselves here."

"Yeah, but who can say that he's a 16-year-old when they look at the photos he just took?"

It was true. Whenever they looked at Noah through that screen over there, they couldn't help but question his true age, especially with the extra help from the makeup.

"I didn't think that he would be able to do it considering his usual style, this should be completely out of his comfort zone, yet somehow I feel like he must have been like this all along…"

"I was shocked too."

They had always known that Noah was one who could make it work with all kinds of styles, but this was truthfully the first time they had gone for the sexy style, mainly because of his age, even though he didn't look like a minor, it didn't change the fact that he was one.

Limiting some of his work range.

"Well, what did you expect from one of Mason's favored models?"