Thread by @jihyestan

want actor au w joongdok girlfriends.... actress yjh and makeup artist kdj who is the only one who gets to do yjh's makeup bc she doesnt like any of the other makeup artists

kdj pulling her away after a scene to touch up her makeup but it ends w kdj pressed against the wall as yjh kabedons her. kdj trying so hard to focus on lining yjh's big pouty lips, using her pinky to smudge the color a bit, trying not to squeak when yjh bites her finger

yjh purposefully messing up her makeup so they can have a break where its just them alone in her break room, kdj's careful hands tilting up her face, leaning into her touch....

originally, kdj wasnt even meant to /see/ yjh. she wasnt a professional mau at all. she was on set as an editor, looking over the script to correct things and suggest better dialogue and scenes. her friend, hsy, was one of the scriptwriters and brought kdj onto the set

bc kdj reads so much and is good at catching small details and making sure plot points are resolved and foreshadowing makes is subtle but understandable.

kdj spent the first few weeks by hsy, working w the director and other scriptwriters. she and the actors never crossed paths.

but outside of editing, when she wasnt reading the latest chapter of her favorite webnovels, kdj also did makeup.

at first, it was to cover bruises from school bullying, then to make herself look less tired while jobhunting. she practiced often, new styles and new brands

and then she started.... experimenting. kdj enjoyed how makeup could change her entire face, make her look like someone else. she looked at webnovels' official art and would attempt to look like one of the characters. she got good and started doing closet cosplays for fun.

the only social media she has is to post pictures, cosplaying as her favorite characters. it's wildly popular in webnovel communities, where ppl request her to do different characters. it's a good way to find new novels to read.

she never posts her actual face though.

so one day kdj is on set looking over the script for the next episode of the drama she's working on. it's still early, filming hasnt started yet and the actors are getting ready as the film crew sets up.

shes zoning out a bit when someone runs over, looking distressed.

the crew member talks to the director in low tones, wringing their hands. the director scowls and pulls out their phone, sends off a text to the entire crew that filming will be delayed for an hour.

"yoo joonghyuk's makeup artist is unable to come in today," the director says.

"is there any other makeup artist who can take over?" they ask, but all the other maus are already with the actor their assigned to, and cant do yjh's makeup with so little time and not enough preparation.

also, yjh is known for being unable to get along with the crew.

she often demands to get new people bc she's unsatisfied with those she works with. no crew member has ever been able to stay assigned to her for more than two weeks.

kdj knows of yjh, of course. yjh is a rising star, an extremely popular actress known for her looks and

her skills, especially with intense, strong characters.

hsy enters at that moment, frowning at her phone. "cant we just send someone over to yjh?" she asks, coming to sit next to kdj.

the director sighs and says, "you know ppl try not to work with her."

"besides, it needs to be someone skilled and professional. we dont have any other maus since a few have been sick all week."

hsy glances over at kdj, who's immediately prepared for the worst and glaring at her suspiciously. "does it have to be a pro mau or anyone willing?"

"i'll take anyone willing at this point. we're already a few fays behind schedule, we cant afford to be picky right now."

hsy grins, like this is exactly what she wanted. "send kim dokja. she's good with makeup."

"no," kdj protests, betrayed.

"oh?" the director says.

hsy helpfully holds out her phone, showing the director kdj's cosplay pictures, the ones kdj accidentally showed her and made her promise to never tell anyone!

kdj starts planning a murder just as the director nods, looking approving, and says, "youre in charge of yjh's makeup"

NO is her immediate reaction, but then the director offers extra pay, a LOT of extra pay, even if yjh kicks her out. kdj, a slave to capitalism, agrees, pinches hsy as revenge, then lets a crew member guide her to yjh's dressing room.

another crew member, looking very relieved, drops a spare makeup kit into her hands. "good luck," they whisper empathetically, then disappear, leaving kdj standing in front of a door with "Yoo Joonghyuk" written on it.

ok. now or never.

kdj knocks on the door, then enters without waiting for an answer bc theyre on a schedule here! and she wants to be done with this asap!!

yjh is glaring at her from where she's sitting in front of the vanity. "who are you," she says and wow. yeah. thats a nice voice.

kdj understands why shes so popular a little better. not the point though! she's here for a job and she WILL do it. the pay is too good not to.

"your makeup artist cant make it today so i'm taking over. what needs to be done?"

yjh looks away, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

"how should i know? thats /your/ job."

kdj smiles politely, pushing down her annoyance. do it for the money!!
"alright then," she says, "i'll keep it light and waterproof in consideration of all the stunts you have to do today." bc of course yjh refuses to use a stuntwoman.

another reason for her popularity, no doubt.

kdj, eager to get this done with, sets down the makeup kit, a small bag full of the essentials, and gets to work. yjh doesnt say anything and keeps still and kdj alters the foundation to match her skintone, then applies it with

a large brush. she gets to contouring, internally bemoaning how such a rude person can have such high cheekbones and a strong jawline. she goes light on eyeshadow and uses eyeliner to bring out the sharp angle of yjh's eyes.

so focused on getting it done, kdj doesnt notice

her hand tilting yjh's chin up, or how close they are, or how yjh stares at her with dark eyes when kdj pulls away to grab a lipstick and lip liner a shade darker than her natural color.

she DOES notice when she wipes away some excess lipstick. yjh is staring her down the way

a predator would to prey and kdj hastily leans back, trying to act natural, and grabs a sealant to finish up.

when she finishes packing everything up, kdj steps back and admires her work. she is pretty good at makeup, isnt she?

yjh stands and corners her against the wall.

"whats your name?" she asks, voice low as kdj freezes up and wonders if this is how she dies. was yjh not happy with her work? was she going to sue kdj for this?

"tell me," yjh demands, leaning in closer to look kdj in the eye. "i want to know who im going to be working with."

kdj swallows heavily, then manages to say, "kim dokja. im kim dokja."

"a new hire?"

"uh. no. im an editor. i work with the scriptwriters and director."

yjh raises an eyebrow at that, looking unfairly elegant as she does. "and why is an editor doing my makeup?"

"no one else is able to, and i have some experience."

for another long, long moment, yjh stays there, keeping kdj trapped against the wall. then she pulls away and it takes everything in kdj not to collapse in relief.

"i see," yjh says. "i'll be in your care, then."

and she walks out the door like nothing's wrong. it takes kdj another minute to process her words, then she slides down the wall and sits there for a few minutes, trying to steady her rapid heartbeat and compose herself.

it's fine, a new mau will take over later. no worries.

"how do you feel about personally working under yjh as her makeup artist?" the director asks during their lunch break. kdj chokes on her drink and spends a minute coughing out her lungs.

"huh? what?" she rasps, thumping her chest.

"yjh must have liked you. she wants you to keep

doing her makeup. offered to hire you herself once your done working here."

yjh, known for going thru staff quickly, never satisfied yjh, wanted to hire her? kdj wonders if she tripped into an alternate reality.

"i dont know..." she says, "im not a professional makeup artist."

"i'll pay you more than them," comes a voice behind her, and kdj all but jumps out of her skin as yjh sits besides her. "you are skilled and efficient, and dont rely on me to tell you what to do. work for me."

"im an editor, though?" kdj says, bc maybe yjh forgot.

"and you can be a makeup artist too. give me a touch up when you're done eating."

how demanding... kdj glares at yjh for a moment, then hurries to finish eating. the moment she's thrown her trash away, yjh is grabbing her arm and taking her back to her dressing room.

yjh has done a few scenes filled with stunts, having to go over multiple takes. her hair is getting messy and her eyeshadow is beginning to smudge.

its honestly so unfair. yjh is sweaty and tired, but she still looks better than kdj ever did with 8 hours of sleep.

is there anything that could her look disheveled and more like a normal person? probably not. not with that perfect face structure.

pouting a bit over the unfairness of it all, kdj tilts yjh's head up and tells her to close her eyes. for some reason yjh takes a deep breath?

she must still be recovering for her stunts. kdj carefully fixes up her makeup, each touch gentle. and then she pulls away to grab a hairbrush bc she might as well go all the way for this. the pay is /really/ good.

yjh leans back against her, eyes closed as kdj runs the brush

through her hair, carefully pulling through tangles.

kdj cant help but stare; this is THE rising star or south korean film, acclaimed actress yoo joonghyuk with her perfect face and perfect body. who knows when she's going to have another chance to see a closeup of perfection?

so she keeps brushing long after she's done fixing yjh's hair, taking the chance to run her fingers though yjh's (very soft) hair as well.

their lunch break ends soon, and yjh probably hasnt eaten since she had to finish a scene. kdj reluctantly pulls away.

"im done."

yjh opens her eyes and their eyes meet in the mirror. yjh looks relaxed now, softer and more approachable than she did that morning.

"thanks," she says, and her voice is low and quiet, not breaking the strange atmosphere around them. goosebumps rise in kdj's arms.

what's this? this is... weird. kdj looks away, well aware of her red her cheeks are becoming thanks to the well-lit mirror.

"since you're done, you should get something to eat before you have to start filming again," kdj says, just to fill the silence between them.

"i will," yjh replies, standing. she grabs kdj's wrist before she can move away. it's not as strong or demanding as before, just... there.

conquering queen of film, what are you doing? kdj may not know her well, but even she knows this is strange for yjh.

"your number."

"huh?"

"give me your number. i'll buy you lunch tomorrow."

what? why would she need her number for that? but she's offering a free me....

kdj, predictably, gives yjh her number. what? a girls gotta eat!

maybe she should have thought this through more. yjh leaves in a remarkably good mood. its so unexpected that it's all the cast and crew discuss when theyre not working. some even go to kdj for gossip!! this is more social interaction that she's used to, and hsy has to hide her

in order to get some work done. theres a script to look over and plotlines to fix, kdj has no time for gossip!

not that that stops anyone from cornering her in their search for answers every time hsy has to leave to talk to other scriptwriters.

despite her visible distress and discomfort, crew members keep asking her about yjh, as if she would know. they met today! all she did was yjh's makeup. what would she know?

but ppl also heard how yjh wants to hire her and that just makes things worse.

kdj considers poisoning yjh as revenge, but decided against it bc theres a LOT of filming that still needs to get done and not enough time for petty revenge.

on the plus side, being cornered on set gives her an excuse to watch yjh act. she's going over a fight scene and

she's got her sleeves rolled up. her arms are... really nice. muscular. big. kdj may be staring.

"that's right," says one of the crew cornering her, "you've never seen yjh act before, right?"

"not on set."

"well, as her makeup artist, you should stay and do touchups."

they wink and pull the other two crew members away to actually do their jobs. kdj watches them leave, then sits on an empty folding seat out of the way bc she might as well. until the next few scripts are finished, she has nothing to edit and nothing to do.

she could read but... how many times is she going to get the chance to watch yjh in action? so kdj settles in to watch, then nearly falls over when she realizes that yjh is staring right at her.

is she not supposed to be here? is it actually not allowed?? she panics.

yjh looks away and steps back onto the set, effortlessly becoming the main character's confident bodyguard, flirting with a minor villain.

its interesting, being able to watch the scene and all the work happening behind it. she wouldnt mind working on more tv sets.

yjh walks off the set. she goes to the director, says something, and then walks to kdj.

kdj blinks at her, wondering if she's in trouble, but all yjh does is asm, "were they bothering you?"

"who?"

yjh scowls. "the people before. they were crowding you. you looked upset."

"ah, no im fine! i just dont like talking to a lot of people." kdj smiles nervously, wondering /why/ yjh is asking this.

"you talk to me just fine."

"yeah, but that's because it's you."

yjh smiles a little at that. yjh, who never smiles outside of acting! smiling at her!!

alarm bells are ringing in kdj's head. why is this happening to her? time for a distraction, then.

"do you need a touchup?" she asks, bc surely yjh didnt come over here to make sure she's okay.

yjh stares her down, then brings up a hand and smudges her eyeshadow.

"yes," she says. "i need a touchup."

kdj smiles and grabs her personal makeup bag, bc the kit for yjh is still in her dressing room, and stands so yjh can sit. internally, she's swearing at yjh. what's the point of messing up her hard work!! shes going to help anyways!

she fixes it up as best she can with a different palette. yjh keeps her eyes closed and stays perfectly still so kdj can work. it doesnt take long but kdj wants to keep yjh from bothering her again, so she adds a little blush, reapplies her lipstick, keeps busy as best she can.

but theres not much to do for a touchup, so just a few minutes later, kdj pulls away and says, "done."

yjh opens her eyes and ignores the small mirror kdj holds out to her. "are you going to stay here?"

"no, i need to get back to the scriptwriters."

yjh's brows furrow, but she doesnt say anything, so kdj takes that as permission to leave. "work hard out there!" kdj says, then makes her escape, ignoring the heavy stare of yjh following her.

really, yjh is both exactly what she expected and not at all what she expected.

well, as long as she can do her job, it doesnt really matter. kdj puts it all out of her mind and gets comfortable next to hsy, pulling out her phone to read the next chapters of a new webnovel she found.

tomorrow an actual mau will take over and that will be that.

which is what /should/ have happened, so why is she in yjh's dressing room again?

"yoo joonghyuk," she says, beginning to lose her patience, "why am i here again?"

"to do my makeup, what else?"

"shouldn't an /actual/ makeup artist do it?"

"you have the skills for it. you dont wait for me to tell you what to do, and you're not scared of me. you're the first makeup artist i like. i'm not going to let you go so easily."

whats with that!! kdj is an editor!! she has a job on set already!! why is this happening!!

"i'll pay you more that what you're making right now. i'll take care of everything you need. why don't you work for me?"

"im not a makeup artist!" it feels like talking to a brick wall.

yjh smiles at her (again!) and says, "here you are though, doing my makeup."

she should leave. she should refuse to work with yjh and hide with the scriptwriters. she should make it clear that she's happy with her current job.

she does yjh's makeup. and when yjh texts her to come to her dressing room during their lunch break, there's food on the table

and an open seat for her.

kdj stays, and agrees to be yjh's personal makeup artist.

au continues in a new thread!

https://twitter.com/jihyestan/status/1412850360830468101?s=19