True Beauty: An Alternate Universe

Chapter Eighteen

Soojin:

Who was going out at this time? A part of me told me to ignore it, but a larger part of me told me to follow them. I slid off the bed and tiptoed to the door, peeking out of it. I saw a girl running through the path and into the bathrooms. I stepped out, slowly closing the door behind me and silently ran to the bathrooms. When I reached the entrance my steps slowed. I heard the water run and peered around the corner. "Jookyung?" I said, seeing the girl at the sinks. She froze, turning the tap off and hastily wiping what appeared to be a cleanser off her face. She turned around without much thought which caused me to gasp. She looked much different, her face dotted with acne, her eyebrows half shaven off, her eyes lacking the double creases. Her skin was still slightly red from scrubbing at it with the towel, and I noticed she had a pair of black glasses sitting on the sink beside her. Jookyung eventually noticed what was happening and gasped, covering her face with her towel and running past me, her products still on the counter.

"Jookyung?" I called after her, "Wait up!" I grabbed her stuff and ran after her, the cold air slapping my skin through my thin pajamas. I managed to corner her after she nearly bumped into the wall of the teachers cabin. I pushed her behind it, indicating to her to be quiet as Mr Han poked a tired head out the door, and back in when he saw nothing. When I was sure the coast was clear, I dragged her to our cabin, staying close to the walls. "Will you tell me what's going on?" I said, slightly out of breath from running around. Jookyung lowered the towel, her eyes a little teary. "Please don't tell anyone," she said in a whisper. I raised an eyebrow, "But why are you hiding your real face? Also why didn't you tell any of us?" I said. She took a deep breath before speaking, "I was bullied a lot at my old school for how I looked. When I found out I was moving I was ecstatic. I spent a lot of time practicing makeup so I didn't have to go through the same thing again," she said, sniffling.

"What?" I said, my voice lowering, "You don't have to feel embarrassed we would never treat you that way. Whoever bullied you back at your old school can come and see me," I smiled. She smiled with me, "You're the best Soo, but it's fine, really. I chose to appear this way at school and I think I would like it to stay like that for a little while. I haven't been here for that long anyways," she shrugged. I nodded, "I understand. Your secret is safe with me. No one has to know until you're ready okay?" I smiled. She hugged me tight. We both snuck back into the cabin, laying in our beds once more. I closed my eyes and fell asleep, happy that I could make Jookyung feel more included. The next morning Jookyung was up early again, her makeup completed. Everyone packed their bags before getting changed for breakfast. I wore a black, fold over, off the shoulder top with lace trims and flared sleeves. I paired that with a beige, pleated, denim miniskirt and black ankle boots.

I did my skincare and Sooah wanted to do my makeup. She put on concealer, a brown eyeshadow look with chunky glitters, brown eyeliner, mascara, red blush, highlighter and a glossy red lip tint. It was bolder than I would typically go for but all the girl insisted I looked great. I felt great as well, confidence pumped through my veins. Suddenly everyone wanted a chance to dress me up. Sihyun curled my hair and everyone else helped with accessories. "Seriously guys, I don't need all this," I said laughing as people held jewellery close to my face. "You might not need it but it's super fun for us!" Sooah said, holding up a familiar pearl bracelet, "How about this one?" she said, showing the others. "Oh that's the one Suho got for my birthday," I said, pointing to it. All the girls squealed in excitement, making me regret opening my mouth. They put the bracelet on me and picked out other pearl jewellery which included studs, a necklace and a headband.

"What do you think!" Sooah said, pointing at the mirror. I smiled at everyone, "This is the best I've looked! Who's next?" I said cheerfully. The girls started fighting for the chair but the teachers started to yell at us for taking too long. We all got out of the bathroom, the wind blowing my hair behind me. After putting our stuff away, the students started gathering into the dining hall. I felt a hand on my wrist and turned around to see Suho. We both paused so we were a little further away from the group and walked behind slowly. "Is it a special occasion why are you dressed all pretty?" he whispered near my ear. I smiled, "The girls got bored in the bathrooms so they helped me get ready. Do you like it?" I asked, giving him a little twirl. He discreetly placed a hand on my waist, pulling me closer, "I like it. I like it a lot. But so do the other guys. I saw a few of them staring at you just before," he said, placing a kiss on my cheek. "Lee Suho are you jealous?" I teased. "Very," he replied, chuckling. "Well now you know how I felt," I smirked.