Chapter 53: How About Dyeing This Thing Green Instead?

Passing through the lush, tree-lined path and guided by his manager, Lin Shouxia arrived at the magazine's photo shoot set.

Good news: just a few months after his debut, he landed the cover of Allure magazine.

Bad news: this was a couple’s pictorial shoot, and his partner was none other than the playful youngest member of ITZY.

According to the company’s department head, having only one hit song made even shooting a magazine spread a struggle for him. This time, getting a chance to shoot the cover right off the bat was something to really thank Shen Youna for.

Of course, the ones most deserving of thanks were SBS TV and producer Park Jinyoung, who had forced the two of them together as a single unit.

He was actually a bit frustrated. His debut was recent, and having only that one popular debut track wasn’t entirely his fault…

Debuting at the end of the year, he hadn’t even completed three weeks of promotional activities before public attention was fully absorbed by the upcoming music battle.

At times like these, even if he wanted to stir up some mischief, no one would likely pay him any mind.

But shooting a pictorial was just shooting a pictorial. Although it was his first time experiencing this, at least he had a senior who had been in the industry for years by his side, so there shouldn’t be any major mistakes.

With that thought, Lin Shouxia sat before the makeup mirror, looking utterly disheartened as the stylist transformed his hair into a trendy, avant-garde style.

His hair, originally a deep orange, was redesigned into a golden hue. Seeing himself in the mirror, he felt a bit unsettled.

“Your skin is very fair, and your features are so defined. Dyeing it gold will make you look even better.”

As the in-house stylist for Allure magazine, he had crafted looks for many famous male artists, some even hailed by fans as their idols’ ultimate styles.

Lin Shouxia glanced at the manager waiting nearby; seeing no objection, he nodded in approval of the new look.

After all, he had no extra work recently, and filming projects would take a while to start. Changing his hair color wouldn’t affect his work.

Still… he wondered if Liu Zhimin would like his new hairstyle.

“Actually, with your looks, even teal would suit you well.”

The stylist tidied up a few imperfect corners with his scissors, then smiled satisfied with his creation.

For an artist with such features, any hair color would look good in photos.

His original hairstyle was quite fitting, but since the ITZY youngest member dyed her long hair burgundy, dyeing Lin Shouxia’s hair a pale gold would create a better visual balance.

“Green…” Sitting in the chair, Lin Shouxia imagined having the top of his head dyed green. His mouth twitched slightly, and he felt quite uneasy.

“Let’s skip the green. I don’t think I can pull it off. Gold looks good enough.”

With that, he jumped up from the makeup mirror and collected today’s fashionable outfit from the staff.

On top was a stylish, warm Barrie jacket, paired with matching pants.

At the photographer’s request, he leaned casually against a cabinet, striking a relaxed pose.

The solo shots wrapped up, and the long-anticipated duo shoot finally began.

Lin Shouxia stood awkwardly, feeling Shen Youna’s hand resting on his shoulder and her long leg brushing lightly against his.

His body stiffened.

“This set doesn’t look good at all,” the photographer said.

“Shouxia, relax a bit. This is a couple’s pictorial. We need strong chemistry between you two to get this approved,” someone urged.

The photographer glanced quickly through the camera images and shook his head.

While Shen Youna was nailing the desired effect, Lin Shouxia’s performance was utterly inadequate.

Not only were his movements stiff, but his expression was tinged with awkwardness.

This wasn’t a couple’s shoot at all. If these photos were released, people might even believe the two were enemies.

“I… I got it,” Lin Shouxia said, stepping back a couple of paces to keep a safe distance from Shen Youna. He took a deep breath, slapped his cheeks, trying to perk himself up.

But no sooner had he turned around than Shen Youna reappeared beside him, grabbing the hem of his shirt.

“What’s wrong? Why suddenly so nervous?” she asked curiously.

They had worked together once before, so they should be at least somewhat familiar.

Why was he so tense again upon meeting?

“Let’s take a short break. Our artist might be a bit tired,” his manager observed his state and approached the studio supervisor, requesting extra time for Lin Shouxia to prepare.

Artists like this could be quite troublesome.

He was very talented and usually professional without needing much supervision.

The only issue was probably a bit of shyness.

But that was understandable—after all, he hadn’t gone through trainee life, never experienced group living or performing. He would likely improve over time.

It was strange though.

Despite being nervous with collaborators, his chemistry with partners was actually quite high.

A TikTok short video he did with Liu Zhimin had already amassed hundreds of thousands of likes.

Their year-end stage with Shen Youna had officially surpassed one million views.

Though he seemed the least likely to stir up couple rumors, the forced pairing effect kept getting better and better.

After a brief rest, Shen Youna noticed Lin Shouxia’s condition had improved significantly. Though he still passively followed the directors’ instructions, his expressions and movements were no longer so stiff.

“Youna, put your hand on Shouxia’s collar and unbutton two buttons, okay?” the photographer, a seasoned pro, instructed.

He knew how to maximize the magazine’s appeal and what couple fans loved.

As for the die-hard fans who disliked certain pairings…

They didn’t need to be appeased. As long as their idols had external projects, they would buy them regardless of their partners.

“That looks much better. Shouxia, try to look a bit happier. Just pretend you’re acting,” the photographer coached.

After shooting another set following the photographer’s directions, Lin Shouxia looked down at his half-unbuttoned chest and sighed.

Many male stars posing for fashion magazines had to show a bit of skin, sometimes flaunting abs to boost sales.

But wasn’t this supposed to be a couple’s pictorial?

Dressed like this, once people saw the photos, strange rumors might start swirling.