thank u jesus for qian kun
kun, the insanely rich bastard that thinks he owns the world
he’s not always wearing a glare on his face
but if he does, you should know that you should be walking in the opposite direction right away if you don't want to get your feelings hurt
kun - to put it simply - isn't as nice as he claims
his friends like to say that if you want to survive college, then you’d have to survive bumping into qian kun at least once in your life
kun is a self-absorbed young adult that dwells on making himself feel superior
you can’t count the times you’ve heard people say that qian kun had ruined another soul in campus when a poor student stepped on his valentino shoes
sure qian kun is filthy rich and mind-numbingly powerful but he has no control over someone's life
but then again, anyone under qian kun’s scowl would crumble to pieces
you see, qian kun is rich
and he isn't that shy on rubbing it on everybody's faces
his sports car parked in the most convenient parking spot - that he paid for exclusively for him - was always the talk of the campus
so are his latest instagram posts wherein he's hanging around in one of their hangars
and rumors about him secretly running his family's business while simultaneously going to college
that,,, wasn’t entirely true
he wasn't all in the whole running his own business area
yet he appears to people like he is
choosing a business management major to ““expand”” his so-called industry knowledge
posting pictures of his father's office whilst putting in a hefty caption about how handling paperwork is draining
qian kun is as bogus as he is rich
you know for a fact he's not all he says he is
he’s loaded and handsome and has a knack for pissing every person on campus
but he’s also pushed into being pretentious out of pressure and chooses to hide what he's actually passionate about rather than fail to meet everyone's expectations
you’ve learned that qian kun, as unlikely as it is, is a coward too
because qian kun is the last person you expect to see at your photography class outside campus
with his expensively arranged outfit and top of the line camera - he's turning heads for everyone at the class
you yourself are baffled that he chose an ordinary photography class, unlike those with professionals
you try not to bump into him on campus because you think the lack of bling on you would offend him
but then he doesn’t look so intimidating now
“this is how you put the film on right ???”
qian kun mumbles beside you
the back of his camera is propped open and a roll of film is begging to be untangled on the palm of his hand
you think he doesn't recognize you and you're right
he had chosen this class specifically because no one there would try and suck up to him
and he had no clue about how photography works but he figures that everybody starts off at somewhere
“oh- uh,, yeah,, just pull this one back”
you instruct and help him set up the camera,,, kun thanks you and smiles sweetly as he does so
is this the same qian kun around school ??
you wave him off when he thanks you again, saying it's no big deal
you had a list full of questions
is this really qian kun or does he have a twin ??
it turns out that it isn’t
qian kun looks peculiar when he isn't spitting insults like,
“i get your mind is a size of a rodent’s but do you not know how to watch where you're going?”
and when he actually looks normal
no looking like the country's youngest ceo and top influencer with rolls of hundreds in his back pocket
just qian kun in a comfortable shirt taking pictures of things he finds pretty like the flowers on the side of the road and neat cafe entrances
and sometimes when kun gets lost in changing the settings of his camera, he comes to you
there’s only around fifteen people in the class but kun doesn't really talk much to others
he likes to be in the back and listen to the photographer talk about apertures and shutter speeds
ever so casually getting confused over which one is which
that’s when he comes to you
with his gleeful smiles that almost makes you forget how different he is when you catch sight of him around campus
“this icon’s for the shutter speed right?”
you nod and kun smiles charmingly. it’s getting to be around kun now, you notice. being exposed to this side of him convinces you that rumors are just rumors
his attention falls back to the small screen of his new camera again and you push your thoughts on the back of your mind
eventually when you two are set to capture moving landscapes around the city,,, you're shocked to see qian kun inviting you to shoot with him
“hey,,, i know the shoot isn’t due for another week but,,, do you wanna,, maybe,, take a headstart??”
his dimples are showing and his smile is warm and captivating
you bite the inside of your cheek and smile as you agree
qian kun hardly seems like a cold-hearted brat anymore when sunday rolls around and you’re having a photoshoot with him around quiet neighborhoods
he poses effortlessly in front of bakeries with old open signs on them and littered pots of plants just by the side of the entrance
beside the street lights that isn't lit but looks just as bright with kun beside it
sitting on the steps of the mossy stairs and capturing the towers of homes behind him makes everything slightly better
you remember how cold he is when he's as anywhere else
but also seeing that kun isn't really like that with your own eyes somehow puts you at ease
“this one looks good doesn't it??”
kun asks as he goes through the shots you took of him
surely it doesn't take many tries to get an image that catches kun’s eyes
“yeah,, we should try the playground next”
“let me take some of you too!”
kun cheers and takes his camera from his bag, backing a couple steps to get a better frame
“w-what,,, no that's not necessary, come on let's try the building with the pretty windows again”
you shake your head and grab kun by the shoulders and turn his body to the other direction
“come on! it’ll be fun to pose for the camera”
he whines but you persist on moving to the next location
kun sighs but he nods obediently
the building with the pretty windows is pretty crowded and you and kun are forced to stand by the side while waiting for the people to disperse
he grabs you a burger before sitting beside you
your legs are sore from walking around all day while carrying loads of lenses
kun groans and lets his back slump against the wall
“i can't tell if this hotdog is delicious or i’m just really hungry”
you grin and say he’s probably insanely hungry to think street hotdogs could be so appetizing to which he smiles to
there's a silence for a moment when you and kun stare to the people walking around the open area
the place is still packed with people - the scenery is beautiful and a great place to watch the sunset
especially since it's reflecting against the mirror windows of the building
so people tend to flock the place
kun knows this, he often drives by the building and sees the huge herds of people watching the sun hide between the clouds
he often thinks what it'd be like to watch it when he's not in the comfort of his car
and now he finally gets to,,, with you
“i have to say,,,, you feel kind of familiar to me”
kun mutters as he takes another bite
you stretch your legs and place your backpack over them
“i think it's got something to do with the fact that we go to the same uni”
you confess - taking another bite and avoiding kun’s eyes. he’s silent, you could tell you’ve pressed the wrong button
“oh,,, so you know about,,, that”
you could practically hear kun gulp
there's a shift in the air and you know he's uncomfortable
“yeah,,, but now i don't though”
it's an attempt to cheer him up after the troubling ,,,, revelation
kun looks at the ground and fiddles with the wrapping of his hotdog sandwich
“it's a front by the way,,,”
he whispers and clears his throat
kun warily glances up to you as if to see if you’ve been seeing him likes everybody else has
and kun, shocked to say, only sees your true eyes that aren't frightened nor laced with disgust
they're calm and inviting
kun’s chest heaves up and down as his breath eases
“you wanna tell me how it's a front?”
kun blinks and pulls through his thoughts
“oh,,, they say it's supposed to build me an image. the whole being a jerk kind of thing, it’ll supposedly help me when i take over the company,, something on the lines that i’m intimidating and not someone to mess with but i don't really want to earn my position there by pissing people off -”
kun purses his lips and settles for another bite
it's obvious that kun really feels genuine about how he feels
if only people saw this side of him
maybe they won't think that lousily of him
“- it just irks me you know? it's not like i enjoy hurting other people's feelings, i’m just trying to show my parents that i'm willing to do anything for the position, but i don't even think it's worth it at this point”
you sense the sting in his voice and hesitate to speak, a part of you wants to, but you know it’d be better for him to let it all out before you voice out your thoughts
“i just don't know how to turn it around. people think i’m this heartless egotist and it feels like whatever i do it’ll never change their minds”
kun's hands are leaned back against the dirty floor - acting as support when he talks
the only time kun could act as himself is when he takes the sundays off and sneak to his photography classes and act like how he wants to
“maybe there is something you can do”
you nudge him by the shoulder and his eyes fall to you
it's sad to see that they're mostly void of hope
but even a slither is all you need
“try to be less,,,, how your parents want you to be. and more how you want to be”
he scoffs playfully but you know he's considering it
“they will,,, you're the only heir and there's nothing they can really do about that,, they're gonna have to give you that position at some point or another, so just go nail being the nice dude now”
you chuckle and finish the hotdog in your hands
glancing at kun once in a while,, he seems to be relieved
because now there's only silence
while the sun sets and it isn't as painful to stare at it
kun keeps his eyes on the pretty scenery
and every second or so,,,, takes notice of the sunset too
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