“Give me the darn blush!” Everything was hectic. Nayeon’s voice rang through the ears of every single student working on the actors’ make-up, and she impatiently waited for the blush someone took a few minutes earlier. “Come on, people! Today’s the day of the musical – we have to step up our game!”

“Nayeon, here.” Amidst the chaos, somehow the blush had found its way to Nayeon’s hands – and she was one step closer to completing Mina’s look.

“God, you look beautiful.” Nayeon bit her lip and stepped back, admiring her work. “And damn, I’m so good at this!” The statement let a loose chuckle leave Mina’s lips, and Nayeon continued to apply the final touches of Mina’s make-up.

They only had two hours left until the performance, and though others may say that it’s a lot – it really isn’t. Everyone was rushing to do their jobs, ending in a mess of students stumbling everywhere and bumping into each other while running from place to place.

Anyone could tell how nervous Mina was. Her anxiety was probably fuelling the other students with more anxiety, which made Mina feel worse. Everything was crashing down on her at this moment.

I can’t do this, I can’t do this…! Mina had been repeating that statement in her head like a mantra, evidently making her heart beat way too fast (which honestly made her chest hurt), and her palms were too sweaty that she knew if she held something it would be completely soaked. She breathed in and out, feeling herself spiral out of control. This is bad, this is so bad. She hated her anxiety attacks and she prayed oh so dearly the night before that she wouldn’t get one today but she couldn’t stop it. She wished for someone to come along and end her misery but to no avail.

Chaeyoung was beside her, and Jeongyeon was in charge of her hair. She fixed it up in such a nice way that Chaeyoung felt so much better about herself, feeling confident about the performance that was about to come.

“Nervous?” Jeongyeon starts up the conversation, her voice carrying itself to Chaeyoung’s ears.

“Not really,” Chaeyoung smiles towards the other girl through the mirror. “I’m actually pretty excited.”

“That’s good for you,” Jeongyeon chuckles. “Though I think Mina needs some help right now…” Jeongyeon and Chaeyoung both glanced at the girl who was growing pale – even with the make-up on her face. Chaeyoung furrowed her eyebrows, her heart constraining at the sight of the poor girl. She reached towards her side, taking in Mina’s incredibly sweaty hand in hers before she intertwined their fingers together.

“Ch-Chaeyoung – It’s sweaty…” Mina stutters, her anxiety seeping through her words.

“I don’t care.” Chaeyoung says, even managing to rub the pad of her thumb against Mina’s palm. She pressed occasionally, something like a massage that she was trying to do simply because she wants Mina to feel better.

And Mina did – she felt herself calm down as Chaeyoung continued her magic on her. She felt insecure about the clammy state of her palms but if Chaeyoung says that she didn’t mind, then Mina would try her best to ignore it too. She took deep breaths as Chaeyoung squeezed her hands comfortingly.

By the time she has calmed down, she and Chaeyoung were done with their visual preparations. They both stood up and thanked both Nayeon and Jeongyeon profusely before walking up to the stage for some final rehearsals.

Mina sung her songs without a trace of nervousness in her voice and Chaeyoung performed their dances in confidence.

Everyone knew they were more than ready.

So when Jihyo called everyone to the backstage for one final talk, with hundreds and hundreds of people chattering in front of the stage – Mina and Chaeyoung were motivated.

“The weeks we’ve spent on this will be worth it,” Jihyo starts, eyes gliding over everyone before her. “I hope that you won’t be discouraged if something goes wrong.” She flashes everyone a smile, taking in the nervous expressions on the other students. “Actors, it’s fine if you make a mistake; and don’t blame yourself for anything – instead, be proud that you stood on that stage and that you performed in front of all those people because if you’re not proud of you, I’m here to be proud for you.”

“Designers, props, make-up groups and the rest who won’t act or sing or dance, don’t think of yourselves as useless. You’re the most important ones here and without you guys this thing wouldn’t be possible.” Jihyo looked at the said groups, whose expressions changed from being glum to being happy.

“No matter what happens, remember one thing.” Everyone grew silent; the only noise filling the theatre was the chattering of the audience outside. “The show must go on. Do your best!”

Everyone yelled cheers of excitement, then they all got to their respective posts.

Mina sneaked a peek outside, only to see her family sitting up on front. She scanned the audience, spotting Dahyun and Momo at the very back of the theatre next to a bickering Sana and Tzuyu. Mina giggled a little, happy that they got closer to each other amidst everything that happened. Mina was aware that their school’s theatre held a lot