chapter ten;
something different
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"Woah, it's so soft," Jisung chuckled as a young, Japanese girl slid a yukata over his shoulders and pulled it around his bare torso, "I like it." She smiled cutely as he talked away in Korean, probably understanding a mere half or third of what he muttered. The fabric was indeed very soft and kind to the skin, and the hotel took a lot of pride in this. Each of the seven boys had split off into groups of four and three, and the divided rooms were equipped with wicker privacy screens to dress behind.

They could all hear one another talking either with their assigned tailor or each other. Luckily, Jisung had ended up with Mark and Jeno who weren't too hyperactive or strange.

"Yikes, I can't breathe," the oldest of the boys whined, spinning around as the girl tied the obi, or sash, around his waist. It was a deep maroon colour in contrast to his emerald yukata with dark red flowers littering the sleeves. It was a bit more feminine than the usual male attire, but for the fun that was in it, most people turned a blind eye to such things. "Is it supposed to be so tight, or am I just getting fat?"

"Sorry Sir," the young female apologised with an accent, "This is tradition. They are supposed to," she frowned, removing her hands from the sash and holding onto her own as she thought, "Hug the waist?"

"Yeah, I suppose," Mark sighed. He wasn't really complaining too much though, as he had neither the energy for it nor the rude etiquette. "Thanks."

"Of course," she bowed, guiding him out from behind the screen into the rest of the paper room. The scratchy carpet was clearly woven more manually than automatically, and the two mats facing each other basically called out to them. "Please kneel down, and I shall do your makeup."

Makeup? Do I even need that? He didn't bother raising his suspicions or qualms, instead doing as he was told and proceeding to sit still while the ravenette perched beside the cosmetic gear and got ready.

"Ooooh, looking sexy," Jisung's deep voice chuckled as he too emerged from his place behind his privacy screen and took a separate mat to oppose his little helper. "I like the green tones."

"Not too shabby yourself," Mark scoffed beside him, holding still as the girl started with applying a neutral gold around his eyes, faded with the beige colours. "I never thought yellow could look so cute."

"I didn't think it was my colour either, yet here I am." The brunette waited patiently for his own face to be taken care of, and he got a little worried when a dazzling cerise pink shadow palette was taken out. Wow, that's a bold colour. There's no way that'll suit me...Yet again, he said nothing in retaliation.

"Guys..." Jeno suddenly called from his hidden place in the room. "Is it too late to chicken out?"

"What do you mean?" The youngest responded. "You've been so quiet all along, Dude. Almost forgot you were here."

"I mean..." the male swallowed audibly, getting pushed out of hiding by his female aid. "I think this is a bit much on me..."

He was a liar.

A terrible liar.

Not a soul present would've agreed with such a stupid statement, since Lee Jeno looked fabulous. The girls seemed to have chosen a navy colour for him, with lilac petals falling along the fabric like snow. His lovely, clear skin was made even further beautiful as it stood out from the colours, and they'd parted his hair down the middle so that the black strands hung near his eyes like dark curtains.

"Marry me," Jisung snickered, patting the mat beside his and watching while the boy sat down. I wouldn't be worried about how amazing you look right now, more so what Jaemin will do if he gets his hands on you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Ah, the oblivious type," Mark whispered to the youngest, who in turn nodded disappointedly. He didn't really vibe well with oblivious romantics since he himself needed someone to be frank, forward and honest with him. It mattered little to him that Jeno was as such, though, for he had no intentions of wooing him. Love wasn't on his agenda for this month.

"Look forward," the second oldest's helper chimed, using her petite hands to tilt his jaw from one side to the other. "I'll use pinks and bronzes." She was pretty hard to understand due to the accent, but even harder to comprehend when Jeno knew next to nothing about cosmetics and makeup.

"Sure?"

And so the three sat patiently and relatively quietly, occasionally passing comments about what the others may have been doing, or what dinner may have been like - nothing hugely important. Once they were done and free to go, the six youths in the room all bowed respectfully to each other and Mark led his two group members to the paper sliding doors. Jeno couldn't help but press his fingers to his eyes at times, totally mesmerised by how heavy his face felt with essentially another layer on it. Jisung was no better, really.

"Okay, let's get this show on the road-" the oldest began, though paused once in the hallway to find the other four emerging from the room a few doors down. They were giggling childishly, pushing at each other and stumbling into the narrow space in fits of hysterics.

Donghyuck appeared to be the little ringleader of the tomfoolery, his blonde hair neatly brushed back to fall gracefully over his eyes every time he moved suddenly. His pale salmon yukata was of a plain design, though the sash was far more elaborate with embroidered flowers, laces through it, and it hugged his waist tightly.

Renjun had a purple summer outfit wrapped around his lithe frame, cherry blossoms sprinkled down the sleeves and again near the legs. His had a slightly more open chest area, probably not on purpose, and his obi was more like a soft tie wound around his mid-area over and over, yet it fell loosely near his hips and had the two ends left dangling with his movements.

Jaemin was a sight for sore eyes, what with his pink yukata decorated in black roses and ivy vines - a real mixture of innocence and sophistication. His makeup was much more obvious with pink shadows, sparkling contour along his gorgeous cheekbones, his fluffy blonde hair left astray aside from a pretty lotus clip he'd probably chosen himself.

Lastly, Chenle was stunning. His raven hair had been kept in a middle parting, yet was flicked in such as way it seemed air-brushed. His lips were a cherry colour, his eyes were outlined to appear more feline-like, his yukata was a brilliant red with golden trimming, and royalty could've been envious had they seen him. The sleeves ran over his hands so that they were hidden, and the ends of the gown dragged along the ground a bit.

Jisung couldn't peel his eyes away from him.

"Wow, guys," Mark clapped happily, "You really cleaned up."

"Ahhhhh, Jeno! Step on me," Jaemin squealed excitedly while rushing over to the tall boy and running his hands over the attire. "Damn, what's with all this skin showing, hm?" He poked at his exposed collarbones, "Someone will snatch you."

"What do you think?" Donghyuck did a small twirl and just looked so ethereal in the process. "Are you gay for me yet?"

"So shameless," Mark smacked his shoulder, but smiled fondly. "You do look good though, I'll grant you that."

"Like how good?"

"Don't push it."

Chenle and Renjun stuck together, nattering away in Chinese since they could relate to the traditional hanfu back at home. This was an incredible experience, however, and they were beyond excited. It did take them a small while to figure out that they were the hold up though.

"You two are so antisocial," Hyuck scoffed, coming up from behind them and pushing their figures in the direction of the staircase. Jisung awkwardly held off for a moment before joining Chenle at the back as they moved.

"You look pretty good in Japanese clothing," he tried, now wishing his social skills were a little more up to scratch than this. It shouldn't have been so nerve-wracking. "Wow, I hope that didn't sound as weird as I think it did-"

"Thank you, Jisung," the older winked nonchalantly. "You look great as well. This," he brought his hand up to caress the slight wing of cerise eye shadow extending farther than his lid, "Looks so pretty."

"Really? It's not, um..." he cringed at his words, "Too feminine?"

"Psh, no. Makeup doesn't have a gender if you do it right. I'd wear it more often if I was bothered."

You don't even need it, the younger wanted to assure him...but didn't have that nerve just yet.

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I think the spaced updates are just how this will be in future, dudes. They're fun to write though, so don't worry if I'm taking too long - it's definitely school's fault. Once exams are over, I'll be back to the spamming and you'll wish I'd shut up XD

Anyway, thanks for reading. ChenSung are so cute sksksks and I can't wait to develop the relationships more.

Until the next update, you stunning people,
-lily