Jae:Thank you.
I was in sight of the door.
Jae:Going into aeroplane mode. I’ll check in when it’s over.
Dillon:You’d better.
Jae:I hope you have a good first day at your new job.
I waited for a couple of minutes, but Dillon didn’t respond. I assumed that meant he wasn’t looking forward to it. I switched on aeroplane mode with a sigh and slipped my phone into my bag.
I didn’t have to wait much longer before being shown into the building and told to sign in at reception. There was a bored-looking woman behind the desk. I guessed she was in her mid-twenties. She had an edgy haircut, dramatic eye make-up, and beautiful clothes. I wasn’t sure why she was a receptionist instead of a model.
“Hi, I’m here for the open call.”
The woman rolled her eyes. “Honey, everyone’s here for the open call. Name?”
“Jae Cho.”
“Age?”
“Twenty-one.”
“Address?”
I gave her my home address. Should I have given her Xander’s, as I’d be staying there for a month? Not that I knew the postcode.
“Mobile number?”
I rattled it off.
She handed me a card with a number on it. “Don’t lose it. Go through the door to your left, along the corridor to the end, through the double doors, and take a seat. Someone will call you when it’s your turn.”
“Thank you.”
I followed her directions and walked into a room full of the men who’d been in front of me in the queue. There were a dozen free chairs, at most. There was a table with tea and coffee-making facilities, a few jugs of iced water, bowls of fruit, and plates of biscuits. The wall-mounted TV showed footage of Paris Fashion Week. I helped myself to some water and an apple and sat. It was going to be a long day.
People were called by number, one at a time. Over the next hour, more men arrived than left, leaving a few to either lean against the wall or sit on the floor. After that, no one else came in.
“They probably turned people away,” the guy sitting next to me said. He was tall and slim with an androgynous look.
“You think so?”
“I know so.” He lifted his stare from his tablet. “Is this your first open call?”
“Yes.” It was a safe bet that it wasn’t his first. “I’m Jae.”
He stared at my hand for at least thirty seconds before giving me a limp-wrist handshake. “Seth.”
“Have you got any tips?”
Seth pursed his lips. “I’m not sure I should help my competition.”
“Oh. No. Of course not. Sorry for asking.”
“I’m screwing with you.”
Wow. Seth had one hell of a poker face. I’d been convinced he wasn’t going to offer me any advice. I was happy to be wrong.
