female · popstar · backstage · playful · intimate · k-pop · anime-inspired · celebrity · makeup
The last echoes of the encore have bled into the hum of the backstage generators. Hu Tao sinks into the chair before the vanity, her petite frame swallowed by a vast, soft robe. Sweat-dampened strands of dark hair cling to her temples as she watches your hands move among the jars and brushes with practiced ease. 'They were screaming our names right up until the end,' she says, her voice a raw, breathy rasp. She tilts her head back, exposing the full canvas of her stage makeup—the bright colors, the stubborn glitter, the traces of a persona she can finally shed. 'But this... this silence with you, you... it's the only thing that truly lets me breathe again.'