` nova entertainment ; mock cf -- a day in november
here he was, in his element, smack dab in the only environment where his confidence outweighs his insecurities. he watched his fellow trainees with shrewd eyes, his expression almost as scrutinizing as the staff observing them from behind the cameras, wondered silently if maybe he should have picked the chicken after all. he’d started his career doing ramen cfs, was the most familiar with stuffing his face on camera and making anything edible look positively delectable just by blinking round eyes at a camera lens.
he was older now, but he had yet to grow out of big brown eyes and round pink cheeks, which would frame chicken just as well as they had ramen. but the thought of succumbing to the temptation that was the tantalizing scent of fried chicken made him queasy for all the wrong reasons. and even if he wanted to ruin all his hard work for a bite of chicken, it’d be so predictable. but maybe they wanted predictable. probably predictable was exactly what they wanted. and even bb cream or sportswear would have, perhaps, made more sense than women’s luxury fashion accessories. but this was his world, and for once he wanted to stand out instead of standing back and blending in the way that was always expected of him.
and so he stood, in plain trousers and a simple button-up that fit a little more snug than he preferred, behind of a row of five handbags, identical save for the subtle variance between shades of red and pink, lined up on a shining white display stand that gleamed under stark camera lights.
“it’s interesting that you went with vln. since i’m somewhat familiar with your experience, i’m more than intrigued. we do have some lines written up but i’d like to see you improvise first. can you do that for me?”
ricky nodded, all too aware of the way they’d added more rose to his cheeks and the fact that the camera would probably age him backward five years because of it, then positioned himself on the faint masking-tape x on the floor. there was a moment or two of inward panic as cameras adjusted on their stands, focused in on him from multiple angles, though he’d been instructed to play to just one. but then he recalled the one new note he’d retained from the company-sponsored lessons on set etiquette.
they don’t hire you for who you are. they hire you for who they think you are.
who did nova think he was? no, who did nameless industry marketers think he was? yoo ricky, nova entertainment’s performing robot? no. nobody wanted to see a robot waving their product around in front of a white backdrop. no, they wanted yoo ricky; the mga’s yoo ricky; yoo ricky, the country’s little brother. so that’s what they’d get.
ricky blinked down at the row of bags in awe, making a small sound of admiration before uttering a simple, “pretty...”
he crouched down until he could rest his forearms on the surface of the display, his chin propped on them so that his face was framed perfectly by two of the handbags, then cocked his head, scowling as if contemplating something incredibly important, his eyes flickering between the two bags before looking directly into the camera, eyebrows raising in a characteristic display of innocence.
“but noona, which one’s your favorite?”
he pretended not to notice the almost-smile from one of the female staff behind the camera, tried to ignore what it was she possibly could have whispered to the woman next to her, and continued his act. after all, the camera was still rolling.
he stood up straight, pointing to the bag to his left, coral in color.
then he walked over to the powder pink one on the far right, carefully plucking it from its stand and holding it up next to his face.
after a beat his face fell into a smile, one that verged on a grin but without looking over the top or unnatural, bashful and vaguely cherubic but not without a hint of cheekiness or the tease of an impending giggle, as he set the bag back in its original position.
“ah, i know. i’ll just get you them all. because you deserve luxury for every day of the week~”
“and cut! not bad, not bad. we’ll try that a couple more times and then give you a shot at the scripted lines too if you’re up for it.”
ricky nodded politely, grateful for the makeup that disguised the slight swell of pride he felt warming his cheeks.
for once, he’d done something right. and that was without anyone telling him how to do it at all. maybe he wasn’t so useless after all.
