2.1k//content tags! poly relationship, mentions of homophobia, enby seonghwa
this is a spruced up version of my twitter thread so follow my twitter @ YoonkittyWrites
-
Seonghwa and Yeosang are extremely popular models, though to many there is a deal-breaker. Their agency and their morals. Of course the two are some of the most beautiful people in the world, so it's no shocker that most of the general public does find them attractive. Even straight men and women who don't particularly find them attractive can see where the appeal lies at.
The two are also known for the way they're currently breaking the boundaries of fashion. The two are upfront with their distaste for gendered clothing, their belief that anyone should be able to wear whatever they want, and Seonghwa's criticism of the modelling industry.
Seonghwa is one of the very few openly non-binary models, and the only one who's truly mainstream. They lean into whatever side of the spectrum they feel like going with for a fashion show, though they mostly stay on the feminine to androgynous sign, only sometimes dipping into masculinity.
When they first broke out onto the scene years prior, at age 18, through a major company, their look had been very masculine. If you look online you'll still find pictures of them in suits and tons of aggressive leather, leaning into the mean CEO and badboy stereotypes that made females and twinks swoon. Though that was never what Seonghwa wanted to model with, it's just they never had a choice.
As a teenager who was just eager to do something they always wanted to do and not knowing you should get a lawyer when looking over contracts, they got fucked by the label hard. They managed everything about their life. Seonghwa lost almost all their autonomy. They had no say over what they wore for photoshoots, no say over the body modifications they got (mostly just a shit load of ear piercings and lots of hairdye) and lost communications with almost any of their friends. Not only that, the apartment that the company gave them had security cameras in it, watching to see if Seonghwa cheated on the absurdly strict diet that they were given. Their cellphone 'privileges' got revoked after the CCTV caught them eating a pint of strawberry icecream.
Worst of all, the company refused to let them come out as non-binary, and so Seonghwa had to suffer with everyone using he/him pronouns and calling him 'a handsome man', often having gender dysphoria as they stared at themselves in the mirrors in their apartment for hours at a time.
Once they turned 21 their contract was up for rearrangement and they were planning to give them a bit more freedom as their popularity grew, Seonghwa left the company. At 22 he joined the KHJ company.
Yeosang is a cisgender man, but sometimes he does his fashion shows in dresses or skirts. He's secure in his gender identity and he has no problem with leaning into He's almost always wearing a full-face of makeup just to say 'fuck you, men can wear makeup and dresses'.
His first modelling gig was with Seonghwa and Hongjoong when he was 20. He was going to college for a BA in business that his parents wanted him to get. On the side he went looking for a part time job and after hearing quite a few times that he could be a model, he decided to become one by joining Hongjoong's company.
Many people praise both Seonghwa and Yeosang for the clothing items that 'cross the gender boundary". People praise Seonghwa for coming out at a high of their popularity, reminding interviews when they misgender them, and encouraging more non-binary individuals to do modelling. Yeosang is praised for his confidence and unbothered attitude when asked about why he wore 'girls clothes'. Everybody eagerly waits for the newest clothes they'll be modelling in, excited to see how their designer breaks barriers next.
The designer of course, his the previously mentioned Kim Hongjoong. Hongjoong was working himself up in a major company (not the same one as Seonghwa though) and was set to get a few major promotions after a string of well-received clothes. But then in the break room Hongjoong ran into the 'three C's', the CEO, CAO and CFO of the company laughing loudly. Upon listening (eavesdropping) on their conversation, he learned they were discussing LGBTQ+ topics. From a very conservative angle. In fact, they were flat out mocking the whole community, especially trans and non-binary people. Even going so far as to trash a model for recently coming out of the closet as a lesbian. Hongjoong was so livid he turned down the promotion and quit.
He instead started up his own company, making clothing for the LGBTQ community. Not to spite the CEO's but because he always had the belief that anyone should be able to find clothing for them and LGBT, especially trans individuals had a hard time with that. He made a lot of dresses that accommodated for those without breasts and pants that bulged naturally for those who weren't AMAB. It's clothing made with those people in mind, so they don't have to spend upwards of 50 dollars tailoring their clothes. He also makes gender androgynous clothing and clothing with the colours of some of the flags. He's careful of course to not make every item stand out as "hey look at me, i'm very gay" because for some that's not an option they can have. Unlike some of the companies, that think everything LGBT has to be plastered with rainbows all over it.
His first model was Seonghwa, after they'd left their company and the oppressive management that made them feel overwhelmed.
Seonghwa's first words to him was "Hello Kim Hongjoong, I'm Park Seonghwa. If you've seen me model before I'd like for you to clear your assumptions of me. It's not public knowledge quite yet but I'm non-binary, I use they/them pronouns and I'm looking to model for you if you have positions available because I admire your clothing."
Their words were rehearsed, but firm, and to be honest Hongjoong wasn't looking (though he did need a model) but he immediately wrote up a contract for Hwa, admiring the older's fire.
Later of course, he would come to find that the reason Seonghwa was not yet out of the closet was because of their previous company.
It was rough at first. Hongjoong's clothing was only available in Korea (significantly limiting their clientele) and polarizing. Even as KHJ built up a name in the LGBTQ+ community they'd yet to break into the mainstream demographic even though they had clothing for cis people. The only notoriety really came from Seonghwa, who had a major scandal by coming out the closet with an IG post wearing a skirt explaining their gender.
That was also the way they got their first media coverage as a brand.
"Kim Hongjoong used to be a designer at a high-end fashion brand who left his well-paying job to run a start-up for a market that's barely relevant for people who consider themselves "transgendered" (he said in a mocking tone). He was a fool for leaving, and he'll realize it when his company fails. Don't even get me started on his only model, Park Seonghwa! Of course we all remember him as the "badboy" (a picture shown of one of their old photoshoots) but now look at him! He's wearing a dress! A dress! Not only that, he wants to use those ridiculous they/them pronouns! Nobody will take him seriously dressed like this, nor will they take his boyfriend Hongjoong seriously either!"
They hadn't even begun dating yet.
It was just a fucking monologue, showcasing all the ugly parts of homophobia, and that's when it dawned on the two of them what they had signed up for. Hongjoong was more angry over the coverage, cursing at the video of the newscaster that went viral. Seonghwa was hurt. This was the reaction that they were expecting, they should've been expecting. Not everyone was going to be nice, and they knew this, but it still hurt. Worse than every time someone misgendered them before they'd come out, because this time it was on purpose. Hot tears ran down their face, a mix of anger and sadness washing over them. But after the emotions cleared, the two of them only pressed harder.
Hongjoong started offering his clothes in America and the UK, having a translated website for those who spoke English (they were working on Spanish). They started having double the shoots that they normally did. Hongjoong was buying slots on electronic billboards to put Seonghwa's picture on. The two of them were burning through all the money in the savings account, praying for something to stick.
Luckily, it did. Clothing was starting to sell, they were getting praised from the LGBTQ community and supportive allies. It was good. They started making money.
The next biggest success came when Yeosang joined. He'd burst through the company doors similar to Seonghwa, "I want to model for you!" he exclaimed. Seonghwa stared at him, offering him a friendly smile, "You do?" he asked. Yeosang nodded, "You're both really cool, and I love the clothes, I need to make some money and my friends say I'd be a good model but the modelling industry scares me, especially after all the things you've said about it and I think that you'd be a really nice fit for me!"
The way Yeosang quickly rushed that out made it clear that it was not scripted.
"What are your pronouns?" Seonghwa asked.
"W-what?"
"Your pronouns, so I can tell Joong about you without misgendering you," Seonghwa replied slowly, their eyes narrowing slightly.
Yeosang turned bright red, "Oh! Yeah, of course! I go by he/him."
Seonghwa went and got Joong, explaining that there was a boy downstairs looking to model for the brand. At first Hongjoong was hesitant about hiring Yeosang as a model. Hongjoong was worried for the image of the company if he got a cis model and didn't want it to seem like he was abandoning the community.
Seonghwa reminded him that they were an all inclusive brand, which included cisgender and straight people. Yeosang specifically seeked them out, meaning he was comfortable with their brand. Korea was still a conservative country and it might be a while until they got an openly trans or queer model, they probably could use more than just Seonghwa. Hongjoong thought about it for only a little bit before he modified Seonghwa's contract to hand to Yeosang, reminding him that he was signing up for backlash by joining the KHJ brand. Yeosang signed it.
After a photoshoot using Yeosang, they blew up again. The man was just as pretty as Seonghwa, and other companies were annoyed they didn't have such a pretty model. The general public was drooling over Yeosang and his switch from the masculine look to the more feminine one, both of which highlighted his features well.
It was their last step to finally breaching the mainstream audience. KHJ became the number one brand to go to in Korea and the States if you wanted inclusive clothes made and modelled by someone in the community.
During public appearances the three remained close, practically glued to the hip and speculations began that they were seeing each other. Which of course drew negative attention from the traditional news sources, not that they really gave a fuck. So they decided to come out as being in a polyamourous relationship. Again, not specifically to spite those people (though it was a big fuck you) but because none of them wanted to hide from the public eye.
After all the criticism, it really didn't hurt any more. Seonghwa had already dealt with being oppressed and told they couldn't be themselves, hell if they were going to let some homophobes tell them they could love two people at the same time. Yeosang already was out as bisexual AND polyamourous when he signed for the company, and Hongjoong was very open that he was queer.
It would be ridiculous to wonder why the three people wouldn't be in love.
Yeosang and Hongjoong were in love with Seonghwa's motherly personality and the way that they dotingly cared for the two of them.
Seonghwa and Hongjoong were in love with Yeosang and his faux unbothered attitude, all while smothering them in all the skinship and affection he could.
Yeosang and Seonghwa are just as in love with Hongjoong and his go-gettter attitude with his zero-fucks opinion on how anybody felt for him.
They were all in love and obviously the homophobes who already hated the KHJ brand would hate them for it. Not that it really mattered, but they had their brand. The LGBT community loved them, and it's not like the relationship status would change anything.
But even they had to start over as the three of them, broke and unknown, worrying about their paychecks and if they'll even make it through the next month, it wouldn't change the way they love each other. Because even if nobody cared, they always would care about each other.
They'll always have each other.
