she lifted my chin up to the light, gently dusting parts of my nose and cheeks, oblivious to the passersby that were whispering and slowing down as they strolled past us. self-consciously, i smoothened out my dress and straightened my shoulders, trying not to blink as penny put on another coat of mascara on my fake lashes.
out of the corner of my heavily-coated eye, i saw the fiance changing out of his formal white shirt into a more casual black polka-dot shirt by the car. he'd changed into his second outfit for the day in a minute, while i... probably needed a few more, i thought wryly to myself as penny's hand emerged from the big black box with a long, luscious lock of wavy brunette mane to be attached to my hair.
all this was so surreal. after all the planning, all the brainstorming for ideas, the choosing of the dresses... and now here i was, the talent with a camera crew and a personal make-up artist. this must be what beyonce go through everyday, i thought giddily to myself. to have people fawn over you, wait on you while you get ready, bring you cold drinks with a dainty straw to make sure you don't mess up your lipsti-
OW. i felt a painful tug at the back of my head as penny worked to hide the hair extensions underneath my real hair, which jolted me out of my narcissistic thoughts. the fiance came up to me with a sympathetic grin on his barely made-up face, a water bottle (plus straw!) in one hand and a box of healthy snacks in the other. i grabbed a granola bar from the box and started munching on it as carefully as i could without touching my lips, thanking him with a squeeze of his hand. he had been nothing but sweet and supportive throughout the whole photoshoot, just as he had promised to be (despite the grueling hours and constant verbal orders to smile bigger and pose better).
suddenly, two young girls appeared right next to me, simply staring without saying anything. penny was unfazed, as if she was used to the attention (which she probably was, this being her profession), and continued to style my hair. i tried to smile at the little girls, but they scuttled off the moment our eyes met. shrugging to myself, i noticed several foreign tourists stopping and taking pictures. of me. or maybe the bulletin board behind me. i tried to look cool, like this was everyday routine for me - maybe they thought i was some korean actress, here for a remake of Winter Sonata... it seemed so silly, but all the positive attention was making me blush with secret pleasure.
but it would soon be over. the shoot will wrap up, the lashes will come off, and the adoring crowd will disappear. i sighed, and wished i could keep this experience for a little longer...
penny brushed through my new long curls for the last time and patted me lightly on the shoulder. you're all set, she said as she signaled to the camera crew with a clap of her hands. the two photographers and videographer sprang into action, grabbing their gears and strutted purposefully toward the tea plantation, waving the fiance and i over. i debated between the high heels and my agile bare feet, and decided to go nude. this was no time to be a princess; everyone was waiting for me. beyonce would have done the same. real stars always try to be considerate to the people around them, how else could the-
'put on your shoes and stand over there!' the main photographer yelled from behind the tree, where he was all poised to shoot, long lenses out and baseball cap turned backwards. i noticed the other two crew members were already in place. sheepishly, i put on the heels, holding onto the fiance's shoulder for support, and together we marched down to the plantation field as quickly as we could.
time to savor the last few hours of my star moment. SMILE!
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