Translation of Love

29

Dressing Room

We walk into the building hand-in-hand. I begin to grow anxious when we walk past the front desk, Taeyoung nodding in acknowledgement to the man that sits there.

He brings us to an elevator, lighting up the 6 button with a push of his finger. He turns to look at my blank face.

"You okay? You look kind of pale."

"Hm? Oh, I don't know. This is just all new to me."

"You don't need to be nervous Sohee, you're just watching," he laughs at me. My face frowns in annoyance. He holds the sides of my face, "아이구 [Aigoo], you're so cute."

He places his lip on mine, and I can't help but forget about him making fun of me a moment ago. He deepens the kiss when my fingers come up to rake through his soft hair, causing him to groan from the feel of my nails against his scalp.

"Sohee, be careful," he mutters between kisses, pushing me against the wall of the elevator.

I grow hot and I can feel the sweat beading on my neck. His tongue pushes its way into my mouth and I gasp in surprise.

Then the elevator dings, the automated voice saying "Sixth floor" in Korean.

Taeyoung pulls his mouth apart from mine and turns around to see a man staring at us in front of the doors.

He swiftly bows, grabbing my hand and walking out as if nothing happened.

"Oh my god," I mutter, my pulse beating at what feels like 180 beats per minute.

Taeyoung turns to look at me with a smirk on his face. He chuckles a bit and I hit his arm.

Then we're inside of a big room—so big and with ceilings so high that my feet stop in their place. It's intimidating. There's a bunch of screens at one end, white and green, with an array of cameras and equipment in front. There are people walking around, all with a purpose. Upbeat music blasts through the large area. Eventually, a few people stop to say hello to Taeyoung.

An older lady comes over to us, "아, 너 왔어 [Ah, you're here]." She waves her hand at him frantically, a flushed look on her face. She seems very busy, and in a rush. Taeyoung follows her to a smaller room, pulling me along.

"Please sit in hair and makeup first while I get things sorted."

The lady finally turns and notices me. Her eyes widen in shock, falling to look at our intertwined hands.

"오? 누구세요 [Oh? Who is this]?"

"매니저님, 이 사람이 내 여자 친구예요 [manager, this is my girlfriend]."

"여자 친구? 정말로? [Girlfriend? Really]?" Her surprised expression is accentuated with each word she says. "와우, 예쁘다 [wow, she's pretty]!" She exclaims, hitting Taeyoung's arm in approval.

I bow and introduce myself to her. She looks to be in her late 30s. She's probably Taeyoung's personal manager.

We walk into the dressing room and Taeyoung sits down in a makeup chair, the light bulbs surrounding the mirrors casting a heavenly glow on him. A team of makeup artists and a hairdresser begin to work on him, creating a wall between me and him.

"Would you like some water?"

I look at the manager in surprise from her English words.