Become My Model
I got back from the café, and still the words that Mr. Brown had said to me were stuck in my head. I have never given something like that a thought—making someone my reference model for the male lead of my second novel—because I was afraid that it would be too weird to watch that person each day like a complete stalker. I would not want to be sent to jail just because I was going to base my character on that specific individual. But if it's going to be done with his consent, I think it'll work. And I am positive that my work would be fantastic if my male lead this time was going to be as good-looking as my editor!
"Bethany! Bethany! Bethany!" I was snapped out of my thoughts when my sister began to shout my name. I opened the door to my bedroom, and there was the woman who got me into this mess, standing in front of me with an apologetic smile. She grabbed my arms and pushed me into my room. "How did it go? You've never told me anything about the meeting from the other day! Did the man our parents wanted me to marry look like a creep?"
"What? No!" I shook out of her grasp and sat in front of my computer like always. But my older sister decided not to stop asking me about Mr. Brown, to the point where she was blocking the screen so I would answer her queries about the man whom she was supposed to marry, but made her younger sister go in her stead.
"Is he hot then? Is he? Tell me more about him! Mom's only told me his name, Will Richard Brown! Is he rich? Does he own a car? Is he a CEO?"
"Quit it, Aki!" I yelled, turning the chair around and glaring at my insensitive older sister. "Can't you see that I'm trying to work here? Couldn't we just talk about Mr. Brown some other time when I'm not busy?" Akisha collapsed in my bed, which was nothing new, as she always does this whenever she wants someone to talk with. I returned my focus to the laptop in front of me and continued typing.
"I was just dying to know what he looked like, because it seemed as though Mom and Dad were still going to get the two of us engaged after all. It did not matter whether it was you who came that day, I guess. Weren't you figured out easily by our mother? I believe that's what you texted me."
I nodded my head and turned back around to look at Aki. "You're still going to get engaged with him?"
"That's what I heard when I passed by their room; they were talking about engagement and how they felt it was the right time for one of us to get married."
My excitement for my novel faded away when Akisha blurted that out. I guess that there was no way for me to make him the model for my newest book's male lead, as he is about to become another woman's fiancé, and it was my sister. I could never do something that I knew would hurt Akisha. I might as well look for another perfect example of an attractive ordinary man. I'm pretty sure there are a bunch of them out there; I just need to go out as much as possible.
Although I thought that Mr. Brown would have made my male character likable and magnetic to women if I were going to base him off of him, I mean, I witnessed it at the café last time. There were a lot of girls who were ogling him and had been waiting for the perfect time to try and approach him. It was too bad he was with me; he might have met somebody who was girlfriend potential if he was alone.
My head shook, and my hands slapped my cheeks to make myself quit daydreaming. I need to focus on my work, and I've got to keep my eyes open and sharp. An attractive man could enter this coffee shop at any minute. If he feels right to be my male lead character, I'd definitely ask for his number!
"You seem all fired up."
"Yes, I am! I am looking for the perfect man that is going to be the model for my—" I turned to look in the direction where I heard the voice, and I was not wrong. It was really Mr. Brown.
"Did we not agree that I'd be that man? Should I have made a written agreement and asked you to sign it?" I blew air from my lips as my arms crossed over my chest. My back is leaning against the seat.
"How could I ever request that of somebody that is going to marry my sister? I love Aki, Mr. Brown, although it doesn't show."
"Well, it's a good thing that you love your sister. Would you like to hear another good one, though?" I leaned forward as my head nodded. My editor suddenly moved closer, making me freeze on the spot. There was a smirk on his beautiful face as he adjusted my glasses with his index finger. "It is not your sister that I'm going to marry; rather, it's you."
I backed away; my face was flushed, as that was really a great shock, and I could not believe myself right now for feeling so relieved that he's not going to get married to my sister. My head tilted to the side as I wondered about what Akisha had told me yesterday. Could she only have misheard everything? And wait, Mr. Brown said it was me? We're going to get married?
My eyes darted back at the man sitting beside me, and over his shoulder, I noticed two girls whispering to each other while looking at him. It was just like that day—women were falling in love with him at first sight, and they were forgetting that I was the one accompanying the man they were all drooling over.
Wait, did I just get jealous? There's no way that I already like Mr. Brown, right? We've only known each other for three days!
"It's still going to be a marriage of convenience, though," he said as he crossed his legs. "It turned out that my mother had been a loyal customer of your mother, and as Mrs. Kim had nothing more to talk about than how great her twins were, my mother had then decided to marry me off to one of you. It was ideal to choose Akisha as she was older, but it was too bad that it was not her who came that day. I'd rather marry the one whom I've already met. My mother worries that I might never get the chance to find the most suitable wife for myself, so she did it without my knowing; however, we made a deal that if I did not like the woman she's found for me, I'll divorce her."
That makes sense, and here I was, overthinking things, like I was already in love with him after meeting him for a few days. It was a relief that this was the case, although marriage is still something that was supposed to be serious. I guess that Mr. Brown does not really think of it like that; he makes it seem as if it were a plaything, something that he could easily get rid of once he got tired of it. I'd hate to get married to a man like that, but then, if I were to turn this down, Mr. Brown might take back his offer of becoming my reference model for my male lead, and I could not have that.
"Okay." My hands smacked the table in between us as he looked into my blue eyes. "I accept your proposal."
"What proposal?"
"What do you mean by what proposal? Didn't you want to marry me? I get that you're only doing this because of your mother, Mr. Brown, and I have my own reasons as well for accepting this ridiculous set-up."
"And that is?"
"You're the perfect model for my male lead, and if I become your wife, then I would have the chance to watch you 24/7! The best part of it all, you can never sue me for it! You can never call me your stalker!"
I heard a giggle from the man who was sitting inches away from me as he shook his head in amusement. "I'm impressed; you're a lot smarter than I thought. I've come here all positive that you'd turn it down. You did come that day looking as though you did not want me to like you at all." I avoided his eyes as there was nothing that I could say to that—it was true, and it was my sister's idea.
"It backfired, though," he whispered as I waited for the next words to come out of his mouth. His gray eyes stared deeply into mine. "You've failed at making me not like you. So do we have a deal, Miss Kim?" I felt a tug in my heart when he said that, but I decided to brush it off. It must only be because of how gorgeous this man looks, and he was capable of making me nervous. Mr. Brown reached out his hand, and I shook it happily as he let out another laugh.
The excitement and the happiness all came back to me. My readers are sure going to love my second novel, and I am certain that they'll fall madly in love with the male lead! He's going to steal every woman's heart in this world—mark my words!