though i'm not perfect, i'm beautiful
i'm the one i should love
warnings: non!mc reader, actress!reader, i glaze reader's looks like always, 'When Life Gives You Tangerines' mentioned cause it's goated, mc is an actual character referred to as 'Emcee' — you are not the game's mc
ᝰ. 𝐀 𝐃𝐄𝐕𝐎𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐍𝐄'𝐒 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐋 ᐟ꩜
[Name] [Last] was well-known for her beauty.
Since she was the age of ten, she was into acting and worked her way to the top as she continued to grow older.
A woman with beautiful [colour] hair and eyes that shimmered like [colour] diamonds, lips which would curl up in a smile that left everyone breathless and gestures elegant like swans floating across the stream.
[Name] was the personification of the word beauty.
And this beauty of hers was the one that led to her downfall.
You sat in the office with your manager discussing about your career when the contract came.
Fixing your gaze on the sheet of paper, you read every word in detail as the contract explained that a world-renowned artist named Rafayel wanted to capture you in his canvas for an exhibition.
"Do you agree to this, Ms. [Name]? It would be quite a popularity boost."
"I agree with him, it will be good for your career."
You hummed in agreement before you picked up the pen to sign.
First meetings are everything, as they help you form a base level of opinion about someone, which in turn leads you to wear an outfit that suits your style, staying true to your identity as a top-level celebrity.
You watched as a man with lavender hair walked in with a flowy yet elegant suit.
Getting up from your seat, you held your hand to shake it.
"Mr. Rafayel, I presume?"
"You're correct." He shook your hand, an easy smile on his face. "I'm Qi Rafayel."
"[Last] [Name]." You introduced taking your hand back.
"Yeah, I know. After all, I want you to be my muse."
At that time, all you could think was that the man in front of you laughed so pretty he could be a celebrity like you.
You walked behind him as he led you to his studio.
Seeing the mess everywhere, you blinked and showed nothing on your face, which would display your feelings of surprise at the mess.
"You have talent." You said after observing his paintings.
Rafayel's head tilted a little to face you, his lips curled into a smirk as his eyes twinkled in mischief and pride.
You didn't bother replying, but you didn't think he was that arrogant either.
As a top-level actress and model, you knew you were talented, and you would never deny that fact while pretending to be humble.
"Mr. Rafayel." You called out, "What is the reason you chose me as your muse for the upcoming exhibition?"
He turned to face and with his hands moving around, he answered.
"Seriosuly? That's your question? Have you seen the way your bones are structured to give you that mesmerising look?"
Seeing you blink in confusion, he continued.
"Look at that jaw of yours - perfect for sculpting, then your eyelashes which curl up a little and show off your eyes, also..."
Your jaw dropped a little as he continued yapping and yapping.
"My goal? Well, I have always wanted to be the number one actress."
"Woah!" Rafayel whistled and nodded his head, his eyes meeting yours. "I'm honoured to paint the future best actress then."
"That future is coming soon, my dear friend."
The purple-eyed man raised an eyebrow delicately as he looked expectantly for your words.
"I'm cast in a major drama, you know?"
"When Life Gives You Tangerines."
Slowly and steadily, the two of you became close.
The lines of friendship sometimes blurred as the two of you shared late-night talks, which were far too intimate to be considered just between close friends.
Yet, you never crossed the line.
And one day you knew why.
The first time you heard of her was when you were in your vanity van across the globe, far away from him.
Where it was afternoon for you, it was midnight for him.
With a grin on your face, you had picked up the call.
Before you could even say anything apart from his name, his sniff was heard.
"I found her..." His voice was slow.
You frowned at his tone, "Are you drunk? Who did you find?"
The call seemed to disconnect after that.
And the next day, when you returned, he had no idea that he had such a call.
The drinks affected his memory.
Because you had seen how he acted around people who tried to ask more about him, and after being friends with him so long, you grown to understand his expressions.
You met her on March 6ᵗʰ — on his birthday.
As you walked into the reserved restaurant room with a gift bag in your hands and a full disguise on, you saw him and then her.
Rafayel was stunning, an outfit matching his purple hair, which you had recommended to him.
The woman was someone you had not seen before, she was donned in a light pink dress that reached her mid-thighs, the same shade as his eyes.
Before you could even wave or smile or do anything, the woman squealed in delight.
"Omg Rafayel! When you said you were friends with the [Name], I thought you were just joking!"
"Come one cutie, I can't believe you trust me so little..."
The theatrics he played, you were far too used to them and he only used them with people he was close to.
And the nickname he called her by.
'Cutie...' Your eyes narrowed in thought.
With a picture-perfect smile, you held your hand forward.
"Hello, I am [Name]. It's a pleasure to meet someone who suffers the same fate as me."
Your sentence was the perfect mix of joke and polite, yet it was something you used to see how close the two were.
The girl in front of you clasped your hand with excitement as a grin appeared on her face.
"Hello, Miss [Name]! My name is Emcee and I've seen all your works starting from the beginning!"
You blinked at her enthusiasm before you took your hand back.
As a celebrity, you were used to such things after all.
Rafayel clapped, ending your introductions.
"Ok that's enough, come both of you, let's sit."
He stood up and helped Emcee in her seat.
Watching this, you coughed. "What a fake gentleman."
Without waiting for him to help, you sat down elegantly.
Rolling your eyes, you turned to Emcee.
"How did you have the misfortune of meeting him?"
Your words were taunting and teasing, nothing too rude between friends but not polite either.
Because the purple-haired man hadn't informed you of someone else joining.
"He's my boss." Emcee scoffed.
Tilting your head and asking for more, and as you heard their story, you were sure this was the woman he called his bride that night.
Smiling bitterly, you explained how you and Rafayel knew each other.
"Ah, nothing much. He just has the luck of painting my gorgeous existence into his canvas for his exhibition." You said.
Emcee's eyes lit up. "I would definitely go there to see you."
As the dinner continued, you had concluded that you wouldn't be with Rafayel, because he already given his heart to her.
And when the night finally came to an end, the two of them headed to his car.
Before you could walk away, Emcee turned to you with a smile.
"I almost forgot to tell you, I saw your new drama. Not to mention, in there, you play two roles and that too of the main character."
She smiled so sweetly and yet the sweetness felt bitter to you.
Because all you could hear was, 'Main character in fiction, yet not one in reality.'
Despite the bitterness you felt in that moment with Emcee and Rafayel, you smiled.
Because you were an actress.
When the news revealed you to be the muse for Rafayel's new exhibition, the internet blew up.
With a smirk, you watched yourself trend.
Nothing was more satisfying than your success.
Then you went to see the exhibition, secretly of course, because that's what celebrities had to do.
There, you saw them again together.
You bit your lip before taking a deep breath and walking away before Rafayel and Emcee could catch you.
Not that they would when the two of them were in their own world with no one to burst their bubble.
You were present in the paintings he displayed in his exhibition.
While she was carefully captured inside his heart.
A treasure that was too precious to be shared among others.
That's what she was to Rafayel.
You chuckled bitterly before putting on your best smile and posing for the cameras.
[Name] was and has always been a great actress.
The sentence chimed in your head.
The promotion for your drama went well, and everyone sent congratulations.
You turned off your phone and lay down on your bed.
The character you played never needed to beg for love, so why should you?
Rafayel may be someone in your heart, but no man was worth ruining your career, especially not someone who didn't value the way you wanted to be valued.
So when you won the best actress award during the award show, you got up to the stage with full pride.
A trophy in your hand, the one you wanted, for the role you worked so hard on, was presented to you.
Holding it, you smiled genuinely as everyone clapped.
"I told you, didn't I? I'll be the number one actress soon."
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