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3.5

     [Replaceable]

     I woke up to the blaring sound of my alarm. "Ughh..." I groaned. What a terrible way to wake up. I checked my phone for the time. 5:00. Time to wake up and get ready for the performance.

     Brushed my teeth, took a shower, did my makeup. All done in... Two hours. That sort of stuff isn't so easy to do. "Good morning~" Joshua said in English, referring to Jun who had just woken up. "Good morning." he replied back while rubbing his eyes. "Take a shower Jun, we're leaving soon."

     This time, I sat next to Jun, Joshua and Seonghee at the back of the bus where there were four seats side-by-side. I was squished between Jun and Seonghee. At least this time it's not as long of a ride.

     "Do you have any chips, Xiaohua?" Jun asked.

"Yeah, why?"

     "I didn't have breakfast. Can you give me some?"

I scoffed. "For free?"

     "Gosh, I'm starving! Can't you just give it to me for free just this once?"

     I laughed and turned my head away. He whined while begging me. Honestly, I would have given it to him, but it's cute to see him so desperate like this. Oh god, Xiaohua, snap out of it!

     "I'll grant you one wish!" he begged once more. "Alright, alright." I grabbed the chip bag out of my case and gave it to him. "Enjoy it." I rolled my eyes at him. How can one be so desperate for food? Well, at the same time, it's not like a wish is so valuable. Or is it?

     When we arrived at the stadium, I began Joshua's makeup earlier than usual. Not sure why, I guess I just wanted more extra time later. I started it with moisturizer, then foundation. "Different one this time?" Joshua said while inspecting the bottle. I nodded. "The other one smudged last time, so it's better if I use this one." I added some setting powder and began with the little details like contour and eyebrows. Don't rush it, Xiaohua, we're not looking to get fired.

     I inspected my eyeshadow palette, looking for a good color to use. "Oh, I like this one," Joshua suggested, pointing at a light orange, almost peach color. I swatched it on my hand to see how it would look on the skin. Hmm, it fits quite nicely. I added a bit to his eyelids, while he stared at my face. Gosh, here comes the uncomfortable feeling again. Good thing I finished fast enough before I could break again. "Xiaohua!" He said in a happy tone, "Your dark circles are fading!" My eyes widened as I looked into the mirror. "What? I didn't do anything though!" Joshua laughed to himself. "Obviously because it's your first day back. You'll have bad luck without us." I let out a chuckle while continuing his makeup. I guess he's right.

     "All done." I sighed in relief while stretching my back. Joshua looked at himself before walking into the snack room. "You never fail to impress me, Li Xiaohua!" I laughed while plopping onto the chair. That's about 3 years of secret makeup practice paying off. Congrats, Xiaohua.

     "Oh my gosh! I think I forgot to bring my eyeshadow palette!" Seonghee yelled. "Really!?" I shouted back while running to her bag to check. "Oh no. This is bad!" Mingyu ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Can you use mine?" I questioned while passing her the palette. "Waa~ You're a lifesaver, Xiaohua!!"

——

     "Good luck!" I yelled while they ran onto the stage. I sat down on my chair, looking at something in the mirror. No way. As I glanced from afar, a much too familiar scene was replayed, right in front of me. "Okay, do well out there." The girl said, patting Minghao's head. "Of course." They pulled each other into an embrace. Right. Infront. Of. Me. My eyes began to fill with tears, even though I thought I was already over him. Why am I crying over a relationship that only lasted about 2 weeks?

     I ran into the bathroom, bursted into tears. I guess I didn't move on, but how did he get a girlfriend that fast?! Am I that easy to replace?? I splashed my face with water in an attempt to stop the tears. Didn't work. Everytime the thought was recalled in my head, it also brought back the few memories we had together. The lipgloss, the paint, the hand-holding. Did that all mean nothing to him!? But it makes sense! That girl was pretty, pretty, pretty. That's what main characters look like. I'm just a side character who sits on the sidelines as she watches the love of her life live happily ever after.

     I took a deep breath while walking back into the dressing room. I smoothly sat next to another one of the other makeup artists, as if I didn't just leave the room to cry my eyes out. The others were conversing about something, so I decided to join in on the conversation. "So you're actually dating Minghao?!" One of the artists yelled in shock. Seonghee took a glance at me. Hold it in, Xiaohua.

     My lower lip began to quiver when the artist described everything in full detail. Their first date, first kiss, first time he slept over. It was all the same thing, but hers sounded much more pleasing than mine. As if he was happier with her than he was with me. I quickly averted my gaze to the opposite side of them, fanning my face to get rid of the tears. I got an idea! I have Yakult in my bag! Hopefully it'll help get rid of this pain inside.

     I stared into the mirror while taking occasional sips out of my Yakult. Her nose is small. Her face is pretty. Her dimples complement her smile. Her body is tall and godlike. Her hair is long and elegant. I am uncomparable to her. Might as well give up now.

——

     The members walked back into the dressing room. I remained in the chair, unaware that Joshua was standing next to me. "Hua. We're going now." He poked my upper arm. I shook my head, bringing myself back to reality. "Are you okay?" he asked. "Yeah. I'm fine." My voice was low. Just like the first day after Minghao broke up with me. I could tell that Joshua was worried, but just ignored it. I can't keep being so emotional. He's Minghao, I'm Xiaohua. He's an idol, and I'm a not-so professional makeup artist. I need to take a step back.

     "Hua, are you okay?" I sat next to the window with a very annoying Jun next to me. "Hua, answer me!" It's been going like this for a while. He began shaking my arm. "I'm fine." My teeth began to clench. "Are you reaaally okay? You've been-" "I'm fine! Can you just shut up already?!" I blurted out, grabbing the attention of just about everyone on the bus, including Minghao. I immediately covered my mouth while my eyes widened. "I'm so sorry, Jun. I didn't mean-" He let go of my arm, switched to the seat in front of me. Can this day get any worse?

     I guess everybody is mad at me. I mean, it is my fault, and they have every right to be mad. Can someone just fire me already? All I've been doing is causing trouble. I walked into the hotel room, began packing my things for the long road trip ahead of me. I am really sorry, Jun. But I don't think you'd forgive me.

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a/n 

no idea :) 

yep. i literally have no idea what to write for these author notes. god

BUT on the bright side, this chapter isn't short like the other ones

everybody say congrats, may !!

also i heard if you press the vote button you get a free cookie~ 🍪 (pls vote)