Chapter 3

Lucy finally went to the adjacent room, feeling even more embarrassed as it was crowded. Yugjae finished her makeup and looked at her, giving her a huge smile while analyzing her.

"Hello, I'm Miranda, the makeup artist. Can you sit here?" Miranda approached Lucy, who diverted her eyes from Yugjae to the woman and nodded. She sat in the chair, watching Yugjae pass behind her, giving her one last look in the mirror before heading to the costume room.

"Your skin is really good," Miranda said, getting closer and wiping Lucy's skin with a damp cloth. "We won't need to use much."

Lucy nodded, trusting the woman to prepare her skin. She felt Miranda apply concealer and foundation, sealing it with powder and wiping off the excess. The woman allowed Lucy to see what she was doing, and even with all the products, it seemed like she wasn't using much; her skin just looked a bit more illuminated and clean.

For her eyes, a blend of brown and salmon eyeshadow was applied. The typical eyeliner completed the look, and Lucy was grateful that Miranda didn't use mascara, as it always made her eyes feel heavy.

"You're all set, my dear," Miranda smiled, analyzing how Lucy reacted.

"It looks very good, thank you so much, ma'am."

The older woman waved her hands, smiling along with Lucy. "Now go, or Chief Kwon will come yelling for you right here."

Lucy laughed but nodded. She left the room, looking for Yugjae, but couldn't find him.

"HEY, YOU!" Lucy widened her eyes as she saw the man called Kwon raise his finger at her. "COME HERE."

The man shouted with such ease that it was a bit scary. She approached, bowing to him again.

"Your form, I need you to fill in all your details here."

Lucy grabbed the paper and quickly read it. "Name and gender."

"I-I need to answer everything?"

"Of course you do, and without mistakes. We don't have many of these forms, and it will be recorded in case we like your work and need to call you again."

"Alright. Excuse me."

Her chest began to rise and fall as her breathing became unsettled. What should she do?

She sat in a corner, in one of the chairs, and stared at the paper as if it were a monster in her hands. "Do you need a pen?" Kang offered. Lucy took it and thanked her, looking back at the paper.

"Is there any problem?" The woman sat next to her.

She quickly denied it, but her eyes lit up when she saw Yugjae come out of the room. The boy looked handsome, but Lucy couldn't even notice. Her desperate eyes screamed for him through a glance, and Yugjae walked up to her.

"What's wrong, my dear?" He took the paper. Yugjae understood the problem immediately.

"Fill it out," he said.

"But... they'll see my name and... my gender..." she whispered bitterly.

She hated it so much that her heart ached.

"They won't. Just put Lucy and female gender. They won't ask for your documents; you're not signing a contract right now, it's just a form."

"Really?" Her eyes brightened again. Yugjae nodded, looking at her.

"There's no problem at all, and besides, it won't be a lie, right?"

"No," she denied happily, shaking her short hair.

Yugjae looked at her, fixate her eyes on the paper while he couldn't hide his feelings.

"You look even more beautiful with makeup, you know?" He couldn't hold back the compliment, whispering it and making her blush.

"Thank you..."

Lucy finished the form and handed it to Yugjae. He handed it to the boss, and the time for the photos was approaching.

"Are you ready?"

Lucy's heart raced every second, but she nodded. She got up and went to where the photos would be taken.

"You're up next," the photographer's assistant informed them. The man looked at Yugjae, completely relaxed and smiling, and then looked at Lucy, who was quiet, with wide eyes, and her hand on her elbow, showing her nervousness through her posture.

"Alright, loosen up, girl," the man said, zooming in and photographing Lucy's face. He smiled when the flash startled her, making her jump slightly in surprise. "Alright, Yugjae, help her relax. Show her how it's done."

Yugjae smiled but showed Lucy how comfortable he was in front of the camera. Lucy admired him; the boy seemed like a professional model, not a theater student.

His poses were natural, his chin held high, and he changed positions with ease.

"Your turn," Yugjae called her. "Just look at the camera and forget everything else."

Lucy nodded, taking a deep breath and standing in front of the camera. She looked into the camera lens, letting go of her arm and giving a shy little smile.

"You're beautiful, my dear, dare to be bold," Yugjae whispered.

Lucy lowered her eyes, feeling her cheeks burn. Her heart was already pulsing with nervousness; hearing compliments didn't make her any less scared.

However, the photographer lowered the zoom, capturing the moment when the shy girl seemed to laugh at the other boy while he looked even more in love.

"Get closer," the man asked.

Lucy looked at the camera again, seeing Yugjae stop by her side.

"It's a Valentine's Day promotion; I want you to look at each other as if you were in love."

Yugjae turned to her, smiling, but it was difficult for Lucy. She looked at him, biting her lower lip, and saw him smile even more.

"Are you nervous, aren't you?" Only a positive nod was the answer he got. "Okay, what do I do? Hmm... ah, tell me, why did the alligator take his son out of school?"

Lucy furrowed her brow, completely confused. But she shrugged, denying it.

"Because he's a reptile for the year."

Lucy continued looking at him until her brain understood it and a small laugh came out.

"See, it worked," he pointed out.

"Move closer! Get close!" The photographer asked.

The boy moved closer.

"Okay... why does the firefighter not like to walk?"

"Why?" She whispered, holding her hand on Yugjae's shoulder.

"Because he rescues."

Lucy shrugged, covering her mouth to hold back the loud laughter she wanted to burst into. Yugjae's jokes were terrible, but he looked at her expectantly, making them sound better.

The photographer took advantage of the moment, capturing the moment when the girl seemed to be laughing at the boy, and he looked even more in love.

The flash startled Lucy, making her gasp and put her hand between them, stopping Yugjae.

Her eyes, now wide open again, stared at him desperately.

"Great, I think that's enough for today," the photographer shouted to everyone.

Gradually, the people around them dissipated, but those two bodies remained together.

Lucy diverted her eyes, feeling Yugjae finally let go of her.

"I...," he tried to speak, but there was no time left. The girl moved away, walking towards the room where their clothes were, and didn't even look back.

Her instincts were telling her to run away.