makeup artist

3

dal groaned in annoyance.

making it back to the studio, he opened the door to a note stating the change of studios for the rest of the day. "why didn't they tell me before lunch?" he asked, packing his bags and slinging the coat over his shoulder, gripping the paper tightly.

hi dal!
the supervisor has told us to change rooms
if you could make your way down to 305b
after lunch that would be amazing!
-jangmi

"where is that?" dal grumbled, leaving the studio and entering the hallway. "i have a map!" grabbing the sheets of paper out of his bag, he walked down the corridor, tracing the lines with his paper.

not focusing on his surroundings, he bumped into someone's shoulder, stumbling backwards. the person grabbed his arm, dal breathing heavily. "are you okay?" looking up, dal caught his breath, mingyu looking back at him. "i'm alright." he said, smoothing the wrinkles out on his clothes. dal turned to walk away, stopping quickly. "can you help me?"

mingyu smiled, walking to the makeup artist. "i need to get to room 305b." nodding, mingyu looked around. "oh! go down that hallway and turn right. 305b should be the 5th door on the left." "thank you!" dal said bowing, making his way down the corridor, mingyu staring at him.

"gyu. gyu. gyu we have to go!" wonwoo said, yelling at the spaced out boy. "sorry." he said, running to join his friend, his gaze following the worker.

☆☆☆

"can you close your eyes please mingyu?" dal asked, mingyu closing his eyes and letting out a deep breath in response. holding the soft cloth in his hands, dal wiped it over mingyu's face, the layers of thick production makeup coming up slowly. "i'm going to put on a thicker cleanser to lift more of the makeup. tell me if it feels uncomfortable." "it's all good. thank you."

dal smiled, grabbing the secondary cleanser, rubbing it on mingyu's face. letting it soak, dal dunked the cloth, removing the rest of the makeup. "your makeup should be gone. you're free to go." smiling, mingyu sat up, going to talk with joshua.

"dal!" wooseok smiled, walking over to the finished artist. "can i get your number?" dal nodded, pulling out his phone, his contact information open on the screen. "alright, i got it. i'll send it to eunjoo." "goodbye!" the thirteen men said, dal and wooseok bowing as they exited the studio.

"you're free to leave." the supervisor said, dal smiling brightly. "thank you mrs. kim." "i expect all of you to be on time! we have some important schedules tomorrow!" "see you tomorrow wooseok." dal waved, wooseok cheering as he exited the room, slipping his headphones in as dal entered the elevator.

us by ha hyunsang played as he exited the company, waiting at the bus stop again. happily swinging his feet, he entered the open doors, taking his usual seat by the window.

letting out a deep breath, he saw the glass fog up. finishing his first day of work was exciting but also stressful as it marked a new stage of hopefully permanent employment. taking another breath, he closed his eyes, letting the notes flow through his ears.

and suddenly, the stress was lifted.
even though it wasn't there at all.

☆☆☆

flopping back on his bed, dal groaned, flipping over to climb onto the covers. "i want to sleep!" he cried, cuddling his pillow. closing his eyes, they fluttered shut, almost drifting off before the vibration of his phone woke him from his daze.

"hello?" he groggily asked, wooseok's voice streaming through the room. "dal, did you make it home?" "yeah, what about you?" "i live decently close so i made it back almost an hour ago." "lucky! my house is far away and i have to take the bus home."

the two chatted, dal checking the time. "have you eaten?" "no. i probably should go get dinner." "bye!" "bye, see you tomorrow!" hanging up the call, dal groaned once more, pulling himself from the bed, his pajamas pants flowing around him as he made it to the kitchen.

"do i actually want to cook?" shaking his head, dal took out his last cup of ramen, adding hot water into the bowl. grabbing a pair of chopsticks, he laid them on the lid, walking to the couch and sitting on the floor. turning on his tv, he found a drama he's watched hundreds of times, the familiar characters comforting to him.

eating his dinner, he watched shin sol-i and cha heon happily interact on screen. exhaling one more time, dal slurped the last noodles in the cup, turning off the tv as the episode ended. tossing the cup in the trash and his chopsticks in the sink, dal made his way to the bathroom, starting his nighttime routine.

brushing his teeth, dal spit out the toothpaste, rubbing the cleanser in circles. splashing the cool water onto his skin, he sighed as he patted the towel on his face, walking out of the bathroom and entering his bedroom.

snuggling under the covers, he drifted off to sleep, his sister's letter from when he got into cosmetology school.

dal,
you're going to make people beautiful.
and that's because you're so beautiful.
to my pretty brother,
hei-ran noona

and she was right.
he was pretty.

☆

words: 892
not edited

we're getting out of the intro and into
the good stuff
y'all are not ready for any of this