you're so golden! || minsung ||

12♕

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The first Sunday arrived and that not only marks a week since the beginning of the Selection but also means the debut of the competitors in the Official News of Euphoréa. Their participation was mandatory, but at least, this time, all they had to do was sit there and watch. They would go on air at six in the afternoon, stay there for an hour, and then, go to dinner.

Seokjin, Nabi and Yumi dressed Jisung with care. Even though it was made by a talented designer, the three servants applied some changes to make it fit the purple-haired boy as best as possible. To match his hair, now curly with the help of the same machine they used on the day of the transformation and that Jisung came to discover was called a babyliss, his suit is in shades of purple, more leaning towards lilac. The pants were tight so that Jisung's thighs and waist could jut out without too much excess, the white shirt is tucked inside them, and the buttoned blazer hugs his strong arms. And, of course, the gold pin with his identification shines in his chest. Jisung couldn't believe he was wearing such a beautiful outfit. To his surprise, it's probably the first outfit in which he looked in the mirror and loved what he saw. After putting in some earrings to fill in the holes in his ears and a very subtle layer of makeup, Jisung is ready.

He is the most beautiful version of himself he had ever seen but he could still recognize that face, and that was what mattered most to him. Ever since his name had been drawn, Jisung had feared he would become unrecognizable, a doll covered in layers of makeup and crammed with jewels that he would have to dig for weeks to find himself. But, until now, he was still Han Jisung .

And, true to himself, Jisung discovers that he is covered in sweat as he walks to the room where the Official News will be recorded. They had been told to arrive ten minutes early to prevent delays. For him, ten minutes meant fifteen, but for someone like Seo Yejun or Choi Sohui, it was about three. Thus, the arrival of the selected ones happened little by little.

There were hordes of people running all around, putting the finishing touches on the set - which now contained perfectly lined rows of white wooden chairs for the selected ones to sit. Jung Hoseok was already preparing in one of the corners to serve his role as master of ceremonies, dressed in an extravagant turquoise suit as he read the scripts and let a group of women touch up his makeup and hair. The room vibrated in a flurry of activity.

Jisung turns and witnesses a very tender moment between Minho and the beautiful queen Yuna. His mother soothes some strands of unruly hair into place. The prince straightens his coat and mutters something to her, to which the queen nods and Minho smiles. Unconsciously, Jisung grins too, delighted at the sweet image in front of him. Although he would have liked to see more, Jang-mi appears in all her glory, in a knee-length black dress, to lead the purple-haired boy to his place.

"It's time to head to the seats, Mr. Han," she says. "You can sit wherever you like, but you should know that most of the selected have already occupied the entire front row," Jang-mi seems to bemoan the fact as if she's giving him some bad news.

Jisung inwardly does twenty pirouettes and punches the air in bliss. "Oh. That’s okay. Thank you," he replies with a simple bow, happy to be able to sit in the back row and go more unnoticed.

Lee Felix is already sitting there as if he had purposely saved a place for Jisung beside him. The two greet each other in a whisper.

"You look like an eggplant because you're all in purple but I love it," Felix exclaims teasingly, covering his mouth to contain his laughter as Jisung's face tightens in surprise.

"You asshole!" Jisung pushes him lightly in revenge, laughing right away at the comment anyway.

"Anxious about the Official News?" Felix  asks, his gaze traveling curiously across space. "I honestly just want this to end. I'm not used to so much attention."