Anytime Ever After [IU & KimSoohyun Fanfic]

11. rashes

They woke up feeling refreshed the next day. They woke up at 6 am and prepped themselves up. They met their team for breakfast at the restaurant of the hotel at 7:30 in the morning.

The paparazzi are still biding their time because they weren't able to capture good scoops. After all, the four of them only stayed in their suite that was guarded by two bodyguards.

After breakfast, they immediately went back to their suite to get ready for the fan meeting at 10 to be held at the Mercedes Benz Arena.

Alex was the first one to have her hair and makeup done. She was seated in front of the vanity mirror while her stylists were doing their thing. Aira was seated on the couch at the back. It's been a week since her team saw her and they noticed a change in Alex that they can't help but talk about it.

"That quick?" Alex asked when she saw her makeup artist, Elvie, put down the brushes and grabbed the straightening iron, which means she's done with her makeup and will now do her hair.

"Girl, you're blooming. Your skin is glowing and radiant. I don't need to put too much makeup making my work easy!" Elvie answered with a smile.

"Aigoooo. Just tell me if you want to finish your work early so you could still roam around, I won't stop you. I would even give you a bonus." Alex joked. She has been with her since her debut, so they have already reached the point of closeness where they rarely compliment her. These kinds of banters are normal with them while doing Alex's look.

"I agree. I don't know if there's something with China's atmosphere or you just had a good night's sleep last night." Her stylist, Annie, rebutted.

"But we're breathing the same air, eat the same thing since we got here and I had a good night's sleep too. Yet my skin is not like hers. So what's missing? That's unfair." Elvie refuted.

"So what's the secret, Alex?" Annie inquired while preparing Alex's first outfit.

"S for SECRET..." Aira rebutted which Alex was thankful for. She smoothly evaded the question with Aira's help.

"Just... I think my mini-vacation helped a lot. S for Sleep... Skincare... Less stress... It's a good mix. That's all." Alex tried to dodge the interrogation nonchalantly. 

"You know what, there's another S that can make you glow after..."

And the girls' conversation escalated to an implied exchange of meaning. They all got the message but they opted not to say it out in the open because the boys were just in the other room with open doors and they would surely hear it if their voices become louder than normal.

Annie chose three outfits for the three different segments in the fan meeting. When she tried to dress up with the first wardrobe, which is a sleeveless top, Aira noticed the visible red marks on her back and before Aira could say anything, she immediately explained,

"Those were just rashes," Alex answered when she saw Aira's I-told-you-to-be-careful look.

Aira went out of the dressing area and asked Annie if she brought an extra outfit that could be used as an overlay.

"I do, but what for? I checked it before coming here so it should be good to go? What's with the sudden change of outfit?" Annie curiously asked.

"Alex still has some rashes on her back," Aira explained calmly.

"I think I ate something last week that I didn't know I was allergic to until that time," Alex replied while inside the dressing area.

"So don't eat it anymore," Aira answered back with a playful tone.