Taste | Changbin

Chapter Three

Lennon's fingers drummed along a white makeup desk. She had everything ready to go. All of her makeup was spread out on the desk. The boys' stylist had told her they were being dressed in simple colors. They wanted her to give them a natural look. 

They were being interviewed by a journalist for a magazine. At a later date, they'd be going to a photography studio for a photo shoot to go along with it. For now, she had to focus on the basics. She had to be up close and personal with eight men and part of her dreaded it. 

She loved playing with makeup and making people feel good about themselves. However, she had never had a job like this. Of course, she had been hired to do makeup for people before, but never for a group of people. She had never been hired to work for a band. 

Large groups of people made her nervous. She didn't want this job, at first. When her friends said JYP Entertainment was hiring, she laughed them off. There was no way she would have ever considered working for such a large prestigious company. Moving to South Korea was already a huge step out of her comfort zone. 

She hadn't known what type of job she was looking for, but it wasn't this. After chugging three different energy drinks and in a spur of the moment decision, she quickly filled out a resume. She attached a digital portfolio with some of her looks and sent it off to the company. 

It hadn't settled in until the next day while scrolling through her email inbox. There was a confirmation notice from the company thanking her for applying. She freaked out and called one of her friends. Her friend had to remind her that there was a chance she wouldn't get picked. After all, it was JYP Entertainment. 

She hadn't been expecting to get a phone call three days ago asking if she could come in for an interview at JYP's building. She hadn't expected to meet the man himself and have him ask if she could start as soon as possible. She hadn't been expecting any of it. Multiple candidates had applied and yet, somehow, he was drawn to her portfolio. 

After accepting, she didn't know if she should laugh or cry. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, her friends reminded her. She wasn't from South Korea, she was originally from America. She was still brushing up on her Korean. There were still a few words that she didn't know. 

She had woken up an hour early to make herself a cup of chamomile tea. She was hoping that it could calm her down. Her heart was pounding inside her chest. She was afraid that someone would come in and be able to hear it. She kept running her hands across her black jeans. JYP hadn't exactly given her a dress code, he told her to dress casually 

She had thrown on a pair of black jeans and a matching t-shirt. She had tied her long hair into a ponytail. Curtain bangs lined her round face. She had wanted to wear long acrylic nails, but she figured she shouldn't. She had never worked with these people before. What if she accidentally scratched them in the face? What if they fired her right then and there? It would be humiliating. 

The boys would be here to greet her at any moment and she hated it. She knew everything would be fine, but yet she was still nervous. She couldn't stop her hands from slightly shaking. She tried to take deep breaths, but they weren't doing anything. 

A knock on the door pulled her out of her thoughts. JYP opened the door and popped his head in. "Are you ready to go? Is there anything you need?" 

She forced a smile onto her face. "I'm ready whenever they are. Everything is good to go on my end." 

"Perfect! They're changing into their outfits in another room. I'll send them over one by one when they're done. That will give you a chance to get comfortable with them. They can be a lot when they're all together." 

"Thanks, I appreciate it." 

"Of course, the first one will be here shortly." 

He shot her a thumbs up before he closed the door. Without her saying anything, he picked up on her anxiety. He must have seen her shaking hands or maybe it was the slightly panicked look on her face when he popped his head into the room. 

"Pull yourself together, Lennon," she whispered to herself. She pressed her fingers into the side of her temples and gently rubbed. She fought her anxiety all night. Every few hours, she woke up; too jittery from her nerves. 

A soft knock came on the door again before it swung open. A blonde boy appeared in the doorway with a smile on his face. "Hi, I'm Felix." An iced coffee sat in his hand, he held it out to her. "This is for you, it's an iced Americano." 

"Oh, um...thank you? You didn't have to get me anything." She took the drink with a shaking hand. Internally, she cursed herself. This poor man was going to think she was a mess. 

"I wanted to get you something for your first day. I know how rough the first days can be. I didn't know what to get you and Hyunjin suggested it. It's a really popular coffee here in South Korea. I wasn't sure if you'd like it or not. You don't have to drink it if you don't want to. I know I'm not a huge fan of coffee either." 

"No, it's perfect. I actually didn't sleep that well last night, so this will wake me up." She took a sip from the green straw. Her face immediately scrunched up from the bitter drink. 

Felix pressed his lips together to stop his laugh from coming out. "Not a fan, huh?" 

"Honestly, I've never had one before." Her eyes widened as she tried to shake off her disgust. "I wasn't expecting it to be so bitter." 

"I'm sorry." 

"Don't apologize, I'm still going to drink it. It's given me quite the burst of energy from one sip. This time, I'll be prepared for the next." 

"What do you usually drink?" 

"Tea. It doesn't matter what kind, I'm just a huge fan of tea. I have it multiple times a day. It's always stocked in my apartment." 

"I'll note it for next time." 

"I appreciate it. Are you ready for your makeup?" She gestured towards the chair in front of the mirror. 

"Always," he shot her a smile. 

She took another sip of her coffee. If all the members were this nice, the job was going to be simple. Felix's presence  took a huge weight off her shoulders. He was nice, caring, and she hadn't talked to him for that long. 

If only everything would have gone as smoothly as this.