Diamond in the Rough (Seventeen and Bangtan Fanfic)

40: Bangtan Girl

Rika panicked and shot up from her seat, bowing multiple times, "Sajang-nim! I'm really sorry to have created such a commotion, I won't do it again! Please let me perform!"

"Rika, I said sit down."

La Hee unnie went ahead and started wiping off Rika's makeup as Rika sat there, dread filling her heart.

As Rika sat there, frozen like a statue, La Hee wiped her makeup off, the smudged blacks at the edges of her eyes and the all too heavy skin coloured makeup on her skin. Everything felt so light all of a sudden, all the bounds and binds released from her face. And yet it was an empty sort of feeling, an empty sort of freedom.

All she could do was sit there with her stained performance clothes, all the magic being wiped off from her face.

"La Hee-ah," Bang sajang spoke again, "I'm sure you could do better that what she just had."

Rika looked at Bang sajangnim, then at La Hee unnie, both of them wearing a mischevious grin of some sort on their face.

_______________

Rika's POV

This time my makeup was so light I could hardly feel it, except for the thicker eyeliner and mascara. But I felt like me, prettier than I ever could be and ready to perform for sure, but me. Of course the last makeup was beautiful, but it felt too burdening, more of a mask telling me that I wasn't pretty enough rather than colours that made me feel more me.

La Hee unnie also changed my performance clothes.
"What kind of white top and shorts is that?" She scoffed, and I laughed too. It really was a little bit absurd to perform in what I had worn last to collaborate with Bangtan boys. It was too girly, too flirty...and more of all, it wasn't clothes that reflected who I was as a person.

My clothes were now set as baggy black jeans and a grey top to match with Bangtan boys.

"Take this one," La Hee unnie passed me a cropped grey top as she rummaged in the clothes hanger.

"It's so short," I mumbled, running my hands down the scar on my side from that incident. The scar Mark had accidentally inflicted on me. The scar Jun had cleaned and bound for me. It was like a pinkish brown lightning strike down the side of my pale skin, a scar I wasn't sure what to feel about. This cropped shirt would easily reveal that scar for the world to see.

"Why," La Hee unnie turned to look at me with challenge in her eyes, "Are you ashamed of the scar?"

I didn't miss a beat.

"No, of course not," I looked at her determinedly in the eyes and saw a triumphant grin on her face. She knew I'd say no.

"Good. Whatever happened in the past doesn't define who you are. You choose how you want those events to define you."

I could only sit in awe at her powerful words and felt a smile creeping up my face along with the torrent of bravery and courage that was blooming in me.

"Thank you unnie." I said as I quickly peeled off my awful top and put on the new grey one. I looked at myself in the mirror for a moment, baggy black jeans, a neat but edgy gray cropped top, combat-like boots, hair tied up in a messy ponytail, the ends that were preciously curled now rippling down from a ponytail...I look brave. I look like a warrior (A/N: Author starts singing Warrior BAP) and that's exactly how I feel. I love it.

"Okay, all ready," Unnie smiled and patted my shoulder reassuringly before tying a black bandana to my wrist to add an accessory to my performance outfit, "Our Bangtan girl."