“Standby! 30 minutes to show time!”

The booming voice doesn’t affect me as I focus on applying the finishing touches to Kim Jaejoong’s face; it’s the day of his annual birthday fan meeting.

“Alright, you’re good to go, oppa.”

“Thank you, my little star!” Jaejoong oppa grins.

I roll my eyes and shoo him away so I can tidy my tools.

I’ve been Jaejoong oppa’s makeup artist for 5 years now, since his first solo album in 2013. There are probably rumors about him being difficult to work with because of his superstar status, but believe me, Kim Jaejoong is one of the most down-to-earth celebrities I’ve encountered, ever.

I started out in this industry as an intern at a mid-range beauty salon, when I was fresh out from university. From there I slowly worked my way up, attending various courses along the way to improve my skills, and joined my current workplace back in 2012. My portfolio wasn’t exactly very amazing then. Most of my clients were random one-timers, the occasional bridal makeup requests, and sometimes we get called in to do the makeup for back dancers for singers. I had never worked with any celebrity back then.

Getting to work with Jaejoong oppa was purely by luck, if I may say. It was supposed to be a one-time request, as the stylist team JYJ worked with was involved in a minor road accident that day. You could say we were all pretty much star struck, being in the same room as JYJ. My colleagues and I were tasked to do the dancers’ makeup, while my seniors were in charge of JYJ’s.

I started with the male dancers first, as the makeup for ladies would take longer. I’m the type who blocks out all noises around me when I’m focused on my job, so I didn’t know that I had become the topic of discussion in the room, amongst the dancers who had their makeup did by me. I was soon done with the guys, and was about to start on the ladies, when there was a tap on my shoulder. Imagine the shock I got when I realized it was Kim Jaejoong who had tapped me. I looked behind him and saw that my seniors were working on Kim Junsu and Park Yoochun, and Jaejoong oppa was waiting for his turn.

“Y-yes?”

He was all smiles, “you did a really good job with the dancers’ makeup! I really like it! Do you think you can do my makeup for today?”

“W-what?!”

Even my seniors and fellow colleagues were shocked by his sudden request. But my seniors soon regained their composure and urged for me to agree, for it was a once in a lifetime chance, and it would be a good addition to my portfolio. My colleagues confirmed they would be able to handle the rest of the dancers’ makeup and excitedly shooed me away.

“A-ah…s-sure…”

Jaejoong oppa noticed how nervous I was, “is it your first time doing a celebrity’s makeup?”

I nodded, unsure of what to say. He lightly placed a hand on my shoulder as an act of encouragement.

“Don’t be nervous! Just treat me as a practice mannequin!” he joked.

Does he know he looks even better than a mannequin? Gosh. I scanned through the reference pictures stuck on the mirror – a guide for us to get a grasp of the makeup style to be done – and laid out my tools in a practiced manner.

“What’s your name?” he asked; I know he was trying to make me feel less nervous, but him talking to me only made it worse.

“H-Han Byul…”

“Han Byul! Nice to meet you, Han Byul-sshi!”

He patiently waited as I took deep breaths to calm myself down.

Jaejoong oppa was so pleased with his look that day, he kept complimenting my skills. Fast forward many months later, I got a call from his personal manager, Ahn Youngjun (who would later be one of my closest friends), offering me a contract to be Kim Jaejoong’s makeup artist. Apparently it was Jaejoong oppa who personally appointed me, Youngjun said. But I was contracted to the beauty salon I work at, so I couldn’t give them an immediate answer. Youngjun said it wasn’t a problem, and that they could talk to my boss about their offer.

Nobody expected to see Kim Jaejoong walk through our salon’s doors the very next day.

My boss and I, along with Jaejoong oppa and Youngjun, had a long discussion in my boss’ room that morning. Needless to say, my boss was absolutely smitten by the extremely good-looking singer. They came to an agreement to have me work alongside Kim Jaejoong, while still contracted to the salon. The new contract was flexible and allowed me to take on ad-hoc jobs on days where Jaejoong oppa doesn’t have schedules.

So that was how my journey as Jaejoong oppa’s makeup artist began. Thanks to him, my portfolio grew tremendously. He would also always tell the people around him about how much he likes my techniques and would always recommend my makeup services. I started receiving offers and requests from entertainment agencies, big and small alike, because of Jaejoong oppa’s ‘promotions’, and have since worked with countless idol groups, sometimes for a one-time only request, sometimes for a full 3-month promotion period.

Then came oppa’s enlistment in 2015. We had an emotional farewell party for him, a lot of crying involved.