Premiere Night (2)

"Yes or no Valentina?" the seductive voice of the devil asked.

"Yes yes, I agree. Please help me." Valentina had no choice but to acquiesce. Watching Kaiser smile at her, she felt she had been duped once again.

"Good now let's go." Kaiser stood up and started walking towards to front door. Confused, Valentina hesitantly followed him while asking, "Where are we going?"

"To your premiere." Was the mysterious reply.

As she stepped out the front door, she noticed that there was a large minivan parked in the front. Kaiser stepped forward and personally opened the door for her. Inside, there were two people with a plethora of cosmetics and clothing.

"Get in. They'll get you ready while we head to the location."

"We?" Valentina asked incredulously.

"I need to make sure you're satisfied with the finished result, so you don't renege on our deal."

In a daze, Valentina got into the back area while Kaiser entered the passenger seat.

"Sit sit and let's get started." Speaking to her was somebody she recognized. It was Law Karameh. He was one of the top stylists who mainly did jobs for Platinum Entertainment and had styled many of the top actors, musicians, and athletes. Anyone who was styled by him quickly became a fashion icon as he always selected clothing that fit his muse.

The other person was Won Joyeon. One of the top makeup artists in the country. She was regularly a part of all the top magazines and fashion shows as the makeup director and had the nickname 'Hand of the Makeup God'.

"The boss briefed us and apparently you're going to your first red carpet premiere. Then we have to make sure you have a great impression. What role did you play? Are you the first or second female lead? A gorgeous beauty or the girl next door?" Law fired rapid questions at Valentina, and she could only cautiously reply.

"Yes, it's my first premiere ever. I'm actually the third female lead who had a dual villainous/innocent look if that helps." Gazing at the shocked expression of the two industry experts, Valentina could only shrug. I'm just a small fry so blame your boss instead of blaming me.

"Hmmm interesting, interesting. Well darling, when I take a closer look, your skin is so clear, and your features are beautiful, especially the eyes, ah such a vivid color. I think I should highlight your natural features and give you a bold lip. The perfect combination of an innocently seductive face with some passion." Won Joyeon said while rapidly turning Valentina's face from left to right.

"Since you're tall, you have great proportions. A bit slender but we can work with that. I think a bold look will suit you. How do you feel about the color red? We could do a gown or go more modern with a suit?" Law added while examining her from top to bottom.

As the two experts consulted themselves, Valentina could only sit blankly while she listened. The level of conversation had quickly transcended from the fashion basics she understood into what sounded like a completely different foreign language.

Before she could even respond, Valentina was turned this way and that as they drove to the premier. Her nails were buffed and painted red, her hair was straightened and then curled, and multiple face masks along with makeup were applied to her face. As the two hours were close to being up, she was then changed into a crimson dress. It had a sleeveless crisscross top and a long flowy skirt with a sheer middle that accentuated her tall, elegant figure. The dress had chiffon fabric that draped around elegantly. As Law tried to make her wear 160 mm heels, she had to convince him to let her wear comfortable flats since the dress was so long and had a mini train. She hadn't earned the skill to walk comfortably in heels yet and didn't want to fall and snap her ankles okay!

As Valentina did a final check in the long mirror, she was a bit stunned. Her long hair was loosely curled and framed her face perfectly before falling to her waist. The dress she wore highlighted her figure perfectly, especially her waist. She was originally skeptical of the color washing her out, but the crimson color made her skin look flawless. Her makeup was relatively light with minimal concealer and blush. Her eyes had light brown eyeshadow that accentuated her eye shape and color and the whole look was brought together with a crimson lip that matched her dress. 

She had to admit that she looked stunning. The 90 points of beauty were closer to a hundred and Law Karameh and Won Joyeon were definitely worth the money used to hire them.

As she got a final touch-up, Kaiser rotated the passenger seat to turn to look at her.

"Satisfied with the look?" he asked.

"Very!" Valentina had no choice but to be honest. She definitely felt that she was red carpet-worthy now. Even if people hated her, they had to admit that she looked good!

"Then we have a deal. Go show them who's the boss." He held out his fist and she hesitated a bit before bumping it with hers.

"Mmm!" Valentina nodded. It was the first time somebody was sending her off and cheering her on and she had to say, it felt kind of good. She grabbed the matching red purse, opened the door, and stepped onto the carpet.

***

It was the premier night for the drama <Spring Love>, and the reporters were lined up all over the red carpet at the Fox Theater waiting for the cast members to appear. The reporters were camped out in the best position looking to get the best visuals for the night, as well as the best story or headline. As people arrived, they quickly got to work snapping photos and asking questions.

The first couple of people who went down the carpet were some background characters and extras who were dressed okay and weren't too impressive. The reporters obligingly took a couple of photos, but they were waiting for the crème de la crème to arrive.

Suddenly, Director Cranston was spotted in a standard suit and director hat strolling down the carpet.

"Director Cranston, look this way!"

"Director Cranston, what can you tell us about filming the drama?"

"Director Cranston, who was your favorite cast member to work with?"

"Director Cranston, which cast member surprised you the most?"

Ray Cranston sorted through the cacophony of flash and sound until he found a familiar reporter. Focusing on him, he responded.

"I have nothing to say about the drama, please watch it yourself and make a judgment. As for the cast member who surprised me the most and who I enjoyed working with the most, I would have to say it would be our third female lead, Valentina Salazar." 

"The third female lead? Over the male or female leads? Director Cranston, why do you say that? Aren't there bad rumors about Miss Salazar, especially with regards to filming being delayed because of her?" a sharp-eyed reported rapidly followed up.

"I believe she showed the most growth during this project, and seeing her earnestness and dedication to being a good actor really reminded me of when I began in the industry. I look forward to her work in the future." Ray Cranston announced firmly. After taking a good look at the reporters, he continued walking in ignoring their calls for a follow-up.