"Alright, let's see…" Kaija mumbled under her breath as she wandered through the towering Art Building with the schedule sheet clutched loosely in one hand. "Floor twenty…"
The campus map on her phone had already failed her three times.
Or perhaps she had failed it.
Either way, after fifteen straight minutes of getting hopelessly lost between glossy corridors, giant abstract sculptures, and elevators that seemed to lead everywhere except where she needed to go, Kaija was beginning to suspect KE had designed this place specifically to destroy newcomers psychologically.
"Modeling Session," she muttered again while stepping into the elevator at last. "Jeez. I don't even take that many selfies, let alone modeling."
The elevator doors slid shut.
Her sleepy blue eyes drifted toward her reflection in the polished metal walls.
Sweater. Jeans. Hair barely brushed properly.
Compared to everyone else in this place, she looked less like an artist and more like somebody who had accidentally wandered in while grocery shopping.
'Are singers triathletes these days?' she thought tiredly. 'Dance. Vocal. Media training. Modeling. Next thing they'll ask me to wrestle crocodiles for stage presence.'
The elevator dinged softly.
Twentieth floor.
Kaija stepped out into a long, quiet corridor lined with floor-to-ceiling windows. Golden evening light spilled across the polished floorboards, bathing everything in warm amber.
At the very end of the corridor stood a single door.
Kaija pushed it open.
Then froze.
"Hi, Kaija."
The voice was soft.
Warm.
Familiar.
A young man sat on the brown couch beneath the open window, one ankle resting casually over the opposite knee. Wind drifted lazily through the room, stirring the black strands framing his handsome face.
Juho smiled at her.
Not the polite smile people exchanged at work.
Not the distant smile coworkers used when passing each other in airport hallways.
A gentle one.
Intimate enough to make her pulse skip.
"Have you been well?" he asked.
"Ju… Ju… Ju…"
Kaija blinked so rapidly her vision almost blurred.
"Juho?"
"Yeah, it's me," he replied with a soft chuckle.
The digital camera resting in his hand glinted under the sunset light.
"You didn't see it wrong," he added. "Come on. Let me at least explain why you're seeing me here today before you short-circuit completely."
"Oh… okay."
Her feet moved automatically.
Back at the airline, there had been over a thousand flight attendants.
Yet somehow, Juho had always stood out.
Maybe because he was handsome.
No — definitely because he was handsome.
The kind of handsome that made senior attendants suddenly volunteer for routes they normally hated if he happened to be assigned there.
The kind that made passengers flirt shamelessly during flights.
The kind that made girls whisper in bathrooms.
Juho had entered training in the same batch as Kaija.
Same interviews.
Same training rooms.
Same examinations.
And despite that, they had barely exchanged more than a few polite greetings over the five months.
Mostly because Kaija had been too intimidated to approach him.
'Correction,' she thought while sitting stiffly beside him on the couch. 'Terrified.'
"So…" Kaija began carefully, trying to keep her voice normal. "You're saying you're a part-time photographer here? Like… this is your side gig?"
"Pretty much."
Juho nodded easily.
"Not many people at the airline know about it, though. So I'm not surprised you never heard."
Kaija stared at him.
The calm smile.
The relaxed posture.
The sunlight painting soft gold over his skin.
It genuinely looked like somebody had placed a romance drama male lead into this room by mistake.
"Does that mean…" Kaija swallowed. "You're my instructor?"
Juho burst into laughter.
Real laughter.
Low and warm.
"Oh, no," he said, waving a hand. "Nothing that serious. I'm just here to photograph you and teach you how to act in front of the camera."
He lifted the heavy digital camera between them.
The screen lit up.
Photos flicked past one after another beneath his fingers.
Elegant girls leaning against studio backdrops.
Male idols posing under dramatic shadows.
Magazine-cover smiles.
Sharp gazes.
Luxury concepts.
Every single image looked impossibly polished.
"These are the kinds of shoots we'll be doing," Juho explained. "Album covers. Promotional photos. Magazine concepts. Photobooks. Things like that."
Kaija's stomach sank further with every photo.
The women in the images looked flawless.
Like living luxury-brand advertisements.
Meanwhile, she still took selfies by accidentally opening the front camera.
"Don't worry," Juho said gently, immediately noticing her expression. "We'll start simple. I'll guide you through everything first before we move into harder concepts."
His tone softened.
"But…"
A faint amusement slipped into his voice.
"Why are you sitting so far away from me?"
Kaija jolted.
Only then did she realize she'd unconsciously pressed herself nearly against the armrest.
"I… I… I…"
Her fingers dug into the fabric of her jeans.
Words refused to form.
Juho studied her quietly.
Then his eyes narrowed slightly.
Understanding dawned.
The corner of his lips curved upward.
In one smooth motion, he set the camera aside and slid closer.
Far closer.
"Kaija," he murmured.
His fingers brushed softly along her cheek.
The touch was warm.
Gentle.
Dangerously gentle.
"Your face is burning."
His green eyes held hers steadily.
"Am I making you uncomfortable?"
"No!"
The answer exploded out of her.
Kaija practically launched herself backward.
"Not uncomfortable at all! Totally fine! Let's start shooting!"
The panic in her voice only deepened Juho's amusement.
Interesting, he thought.
He'd seen this reaction before.
Many times.
Girls trembling beneath his attention.
Faces heating up.
Voices shaking.
Usually it didn't take long after that.
A little flirting.
A little touching.
A little kissing.
And they melted willingly into his arms.
Juho had always considered himself good at reading people.
Kaija didn't seem any different.
Maybe quieter.
Maybe more awkward.
But still responsive.
Still interested.
"No, Kaija," Juho said softly.
He reached for her again.
This time, his hand gently guided her face back toward him.
"Let's do something more fun than shooting."
Then he kissed her.
The contact stunned her so completely that every thought in her head vanished.
Kaija froze.
Absolutely froze.
Her blue eyes widened helplessly.
Her heartbeat slammed violently against her ribs.
Juho's lips were warm.
Slow.
Confident.
Like he already knew she would melt eventually.
"You have no idea, Kaija," he whispered softly against her lips, "how long I've had my eyes on you."
Something fluttered violently inside her chest.
All at once, old memories surfaced.
Sneaking glances at him during airline training.
Watching him laugh with other attendants.
Thinking he was beautiful.
Thinking he would never even notice her.
Now he was kissing her.
Actually kissing her.
Her lips trembled faintly before they began responding on instinct.
"You… you did?" she whispered weakly.
Juho smiled against her mouth.
"You're beautiful, Kaija."
The praise wrapped around her like heat.
"You're quiet," he continued softly. "Detached. Like you're always floating somewhere outside the world everyone else lives in."
His lips drifted from hers.
Down slowly along her jaw.
Then lower.
Warmth spread through her entire body.
"It made me hesitate approaching you before," he murmured against her neck. "But now that you're here…"
His fingers slid carefully along her waist.
"…I think we could've had a lot of fun together."
Kaija blinked hazily.
"Fun?" she echoed weakly.
Juho chuckled.
"How about I show you instead?"
His hand moved higher.
Fingers brushing over the curve of her chest.
Kaija jerked violently.
"Wait!"
She grabbed his wrist immediately.
"Wait wait wait wait a freaking minute!"
Juho paused.
"But…" Kaija stammered desperately, cheeks blazing. "I'm not your girlfriend! I mean—not yet! I mean—we haven't even started dating!"
Silence.
Then Juho laughed.
Not mockingly.
Just genuinely surprised.
"Do we have to?" he asked lightly.
He leaned in and kissed her once more.
Brief.
Careless.
"Even if you had a boyfriend," he added smoothly, "I wouldn't really mind."
The world stopped.
Kaija stared at him.
The confusion in her eyes deepened second by second.
"What…?"
Her voice sounded small.
Fragile.
"Then why did you kiss me?"
Juho frowned faintly.
"I thought…"
Kaija turned away.
Her chest tightened painfully.
"I thought you had feelings for me."
For a split second, Juho's expression froze.
Then a disbelieving chuckle escaped him.
"Wait," he said. "You actually think people need to date to have sex?"
Kaija stood there silently.
Lips trembling.
Eyes lowered.
Juho slowly began realizing this wasn't embarrassment.
This wasn't teasing.
Something genuinely wasn't matching between them.
A long silence passed.
Then finally, Kaija spoke.
Softly.
"I'm sorry, Juho."
She adjusted her sweater with shaking hands.
"But in the world I live in…"
Her voice grew even quieter.
"People have sex when they're serious about each other."
Juho opened his mouth.
No words came out.
Kaija turned.
Walked straight toward the door.
And left.
The door slammed shut behind her.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck me…"
Kaija stormed toward the elevator so quickly she nearly tripped.
The moment she got inside, she attacked the close button repeatedly until the doors sealed shut.
Only then did she collapse against the mirrored wall.
Her entire body trembled violently.
Hands ran through her hair.
Across her burning face.
Over and over.
The kiss still lingered on her lips.
Warm.
Humiliating.
Confusing.
At last, the fluster drained away, leaving only exhaustion behind.
Kaija stared blankly at her reflection in the mirror.
"Unbelievable," she muttered.
A long sigh escaped her.
"Thank God I never told him I had a crush on him since the first training day…"