vampire // txt

chapter 7: blood tests

"What an interesting... look you have there." I pose awkwardly in a crowded room of props and miscellaneous objects. A bag of tangled wigs and a box of vibrant colored light bulbs sit on a white foldable table. There's numerous conversations across the large room in every corner. A staff member hurriedly walks in under a wide doorway with loaded arms of folded fabric. Next to me is a clothing hanging rack full of shirts from bland white poet shirts to cotton blouses with stripes of pastel colors. A few feet in front lies an exhausted boy, legs spread out while sitting on a low plastic stool. He sips his water and raises his hand to rub his eye but stops.

"Whoops, almost ruined my makeup. I think the stylist will adjust my outfit again once he comes back with his life rejuvenating coffee." He stares at his bottle. "Hopefully," Beomgyu adds.

"We can hope," I say back.

We hold eye contact until the tips of his lips curve up, and a laugh escapes me. He joins in, but our laughter gets cut short when a woman steps in next to us. She wore a plain black t-shirt with blue jeans.

"Have you been touching your face at all? Here, come sit in your chair so I can touch up your makeup." She waves him to stand up and rushes him to the makeup and hair area. We give each other one last look with the silent words of 'I want to go home'.

I hope that medicine helps him with his stomachache. He better keep his promise to stay away from eating too much raw cookie dough. Bless that boy.

Like a thief with lasers, I carefully make my way through the maze of tables and boxes that cluttered the studio towards the doorway. Placing each step meticulously. And like a moving laser, who rings an alarm when in contact with me, Kai calls out my name. His hair was delicately styled by every strand, black waves perfectly curved around his face. He wore a white beaded blouse with subtle yellow details and white pants.

"Mi-ae! What are you doing here? Did Beomgyu get smacked by Soobin when Beom wore one of the wigs and scared the staff and complained that he needed first aid?"

"What? That happened? Also hello Huening," I greeted, happy to see his face that makes me magically feel better.

"Oh, so he hasn't done it yet... please forget I said anything."

"Um-" I try to move closer to Kai as he steps away but trip over bundle of power cords.

Shit.

With my hands spread out in front of me I prepared myself to dive into the shambles of cords and random items. Then, something catches me from behind, two arms under my shoulders. I rebalance myself and turn around to see my savior.

"Careful, this nightmare shoot is a real nightmare."

I stare at Yeonjun whose hair is also perfectly styled and whisked to the side, wearing a white blouse with a wide blue band on the arm. He adjusts the v-neck of the shirt and tilts his head downwards. He leans in near enough where I can see the fine powder of his makeup.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" I ask, slightly red from being a little taken aback by how close he is.

"Lipstick," he blunts out.

I touch my lips, smearing it on my finger. "Does it look weird? It's a new shade Jake bought me."

"Jake? Who's Jake?"

"You know, Jake? He's in Hype so I thought you'd know him."

"Jake... from State Farm or what?"

"Yes, from State Farm if he was an insurance agent instead of an idol. Really?" I rolled my eyes at him.

"I was sarcastic," he deadpanned.

"I know you were sarcastic."

We stared at each other for a moment before Kai quickly excuses himself from the sudden tense mood change.