∂What It Took* // Self Para
A piping hot kettle of tea stood alone with her in the room. "Mocking me, huh?" Eunjung started squarely at the metal object, her long black hair tangled under a bun and face half done with make up. Thirty minutes until she was to be on the runway, and this was one of her last moments alone in the dressing room before they'd start pampering her up. Her stomach was doing summersaults, tossing and turning, and showing no signs of disappearing anytime soon. To be honest, the fact of it worried her. What was going to happen if it wouldn't disappear? She continued to fix her gaze on the teapot, biting her lip to withstand another high of pain. The tea kettle, obviously, served no signs of reply. "What am I doing?" Eunjung finally threw her hands up, eventually coming to terms that her nerves were driving her crazy. Her first fashion show, and one where she was allowed to model her own clothes, and she was loosing her sanity. Instead of continuing with her madness, Eunjung took the opportunity to try to calm herself down. She doubled over when her stomach turned again, cringing. After that pain had receded, instead of staring at the kettle in front her, Eunjung glanced to the reflection of herself in the mirror. It was the same pale porcelain like complexion, faint pink lips, high cheekbones, and rich thick silky black hair she'd had ever since she was a child. What got her here in the first place?  She thought. She ran her fingers through her hair, reminiscing on how many times, growing up, she'd gotten made fun of for being different. She knew that's when it all started. She'd been the only Asian girl in a European country, often being called 'slit eyes' or 'ugly' by not only her classmates but her parent's neighbors as well. She'd overheard her mother and father —a French couple with brown hair and tanned skin—  often being gossiped about for taking her in, and look down upon. And after that day, all Eunjung wanted was for prove all those people wrong. She suddenly sighed; thinking about it now gave her shivers, and she knew she'd be riled up if she let herself get carried away. She let bun that the stylists had tied on her head fall on her shoulders now, and cover her prominent shoulder blades.Â
