Hearts in Seoul ✧

xv

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After Kayleigh had somewhat healed from the horrors of that night, He-Jin and Roisin both decided to help Kayleigh with the preparations of becoming a muse. The basketball team provided her with the outfit she was supposed to wear, which was to her, a sigh of relief. The only help she really needed was in the catwalk, makeup, hair... and practically everything. He-Jin was kind to offer to do her makeup, as she said she knew the Korean beauty standard. Roisin was tasked in the hair department, and she said that she was willing to be part of Kayleigh's glam team.

In the catwalk department, neither Roisin nor He-Jin could help her. Kayleigh had to resort to watching Victoria's Secret Fashion Show video on YouTube and follow along. At first, her hips were stubborn and would not sway in the rhythm of the beat, which frustrated her to no end. But when she took it more seriously, a few hours later, she was pleased with the way her shoulders and hips were in sync. She showed her two friends her progress so far and judging by the way their eyes gleamed as she walked, they seemed more than pleased —  proud even.

The opening day of the league arrived quickly. Kayleigh was extremely nervous, especially since most of the other muses were already models beforehand. She almost wanted to quit and ask Mi-Rae to take over, but she was fully aware that the effort put in was not only hers but also all of theirs. She woke up too early that morning. Around eight o'clock, she had a heavy breakfast; avocadoes on toast, two eggs and a breakfast smoothie, which should be enough to sustain her appetite for the whole day. After having breakfast, she freshened up herself, taking a good thirty-minute bath and brushing her teeth five times.

Once she finished her shower, the doorbell rang to her and Roisin's shared housing, welcoming Jacob, Joseph and his now-girlfriend, who also happened to be one of her closest friends, He-Jin.

"Hey! Figured you wanted to prepare early," Jacob held out the bag he was carrying. "Here's your uniform. Shoes are provided by Justin too."

"Thank you," Kayleigh thanked, as Roisin shifted in the bed, waking up. "You guys wanna come in?"

"No, no. Joseph and I just wanted to drop this off. Joseph the gentleman also wanted to drop his girlfriend off," Jacob teased, earning a light punch from Joseph.

He-Jin blushed. "Okay, well, I'm the girl's makeup artist for today. We should start as early as possible. Bye, Jacob!" she turned to Joseph. "Bye, love!" He-Jin waved them off, smiling. Roisin was fully awake now, striding to the toilet to brush her teeth.

"Bye!" the two boys said.

"See you both later at Jamsil Arena! We'll be waiting then!" Jacob stated, waving his hand to them.

He-Jin locked the door behind them and settled her makeup kit on a table. Roisin emerged from the bathroom, now all freshened up with a huge smile painted on her face.

"What's inside the bag?" Roisin asked as she prepared the curling iron.

"My clothes. Let me change into them really quickly while you guys prepare."

Kayleigh looked at the mirror once she finished changing. Pleased would be an understatement. Her body had become the perfect shape to her, thanks to the constant workouts she engaged herself in every day. The fabric clung to her curves in all the right places, without being too seductive. Her dress was split into two pieces — a tight crop top and a high-waist skirt slightly above her knee.

Her jersey-dress was predominantly black, that faded into a light blue. Stripes of white lined her sides and visible streaks of crimson and deep green were scattered all around the chest and back. The word "muse" was written at the back in bright white, which stood out from the deep hues of the uniform. Kayleigh also noticed the Alpha wolf — the gang's emblem, the same one that hung on one of the walls in their dugout — was embroidered on the upper left chest area of the uniform, where her heart was. The school's logo was drawn front and centre as well. According to Joseph, she was given the female version of the basketball uniform to match with the team and that she was going to love it. She couldn't help but be awed at the way she looked in her apparel. Joseph truly did a great job in designing it.

"Wow. You look so good!" Roisin awed, once Kayleigh stepped out of the toilet.

"Yeah. It looks perfect on you!" He-Jin agreed.

"Thank you, guys! I appreciate it a lot!" Kayleigh thanked, taking a seat in between Roisin and He-Jin. "But we're kinda in a bit of a tight crunch. We can start with the makeup He-Jin."

"Gladly. I'll be your fairy godmother today!"

And truly, she transformed her into a beautiful Korean idol. Korean beauty loved the dewy, fresh-faced look and leaned more towards natural makeup. He-Jin was able to paint her face to the beauty standard. She took her precious time applying the products on her face while choosing the right products that would suit her skin tone. When she handed her the small, hand-sized mirror, Kayliegh's jaw dropped to the floor, because she truly looked like a model.

"I wanted to only enhance your face, not transform it. Hope you don't mind," He-Jin blushed. "If you want to know all the details I can tell you."

"Yes, please! I love my makeup! I might recreate it!"

"So, I had to obviously make sure I used the right shade of foundation on you. Not too light, not too dark. And since you are quite oily, I had to make sure I apply powder in areas where you are oily. In regards to your brows, I used a light brown shade to match your hair colour. I wanted to make sure that your eyebrow shape is natural, so I only filled it in. For the lids, I used a light orange and a light brown shade, and I used a shimmer shade to highlight your inner eye corner and your lower lash line. I used a coral blush and a nude matte lipstick."

"He-Jin! This is a work of art! No wonder Joseph loves you!" Roisin cooed. "By the way, want to tell me how you two came together? That is if, you don't mind."

"Yeah! Wow! This is a hidden talent, He-Jin! Thank you!" Kayleigh thanked, unable to rip her gaze off the mirror. "And yeah, you guys are dating? Spill the deets!!"

"Uh, we became official like a day ago," He-Jin blushed. "I don't know. He was playing the piano when I walked in and then, we just kissed. After that, he told me how much he loved me ever since he saw me last year, but he was shy and all so he did not have the guts to speak to me. But since, we and the J-Alpha have become... well, we are somehow involved with them now, he took this as a chance to go for it. And yeah! Here we are!"

"Congratulations, He-Jin! I'm so proud of you!" Roisin awed.

"Yeah! Congratulations! This is too cute!" Kayleigh beamed in return.

"Thanks, guys! I appreciate it! But Roisin, start with her hair now! We only have a few hours left!"

Roisin oop-ed and prepared her curling iron. Kayleigh was anxious as to what her hair would like. She hated sitting on a chair, waiting for each and every strand to curl in the heat of the iron and do practically nothing. She wasn't patient in that perspective.

Roisin, though, seemed to have a trick up her sleeves. She barely used the curling iron, and only did so when she gave her wispy bangs. She tied her long hair instead into a low ponytail. In less than thirty minutes, Roisin was finished.

"Ta-da!" Roisin said. "Here's the final look! It doesn't take too long but hope you like it!"

"My goodness!" Kayleigh exclaimed. "I love it! It frames my face perfectly! Thank you!"

"No problem!"

He-Jin was in awe as well of how Kayleigh looked. She looked exquisite and He-Jin and Roisin were sure that at least one of the J-Alpha member will fall in love with her, well, excluding Joseph. Kayleigh slipped into her light brown Keds sneakers, provided by Justin, and prepared themselves to leave.

Kayleigh straightened herself and called out to the other two girls, who were also pampering themselves. "Let's go, girls! We should not be late! I want you girls to claim the front seat!"

The three girls laughed at that and together they walked the housing's barren hallway, ready to go to Jamsil Arena.

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