Snip, snip, snip. Kyungsoon busily trimmed her customer’s hair; it was her job after all. She worked at a rather small but homely fashion salon and it was situated in her neighborhood. To her, it wasn’t too glamorous but it was her job; it was how she paid the bills and she was good at it.

            Many luminous bulbs on the giant mirror in front of them gave off a soft, radiating light that highlighted her and her customer’s face and hair; typical beauty salon technique of reducing shadows on the customer’s face and show the full effect of the hairstyle and any color treatment. It would also help to flatter the customer’s appearance and hopefully make them feel happier about their new look. Kyungsoon had just finished up her female client’s haircut and she did a quick blow-dry before gazing into the mirror in front of them.

“How is it, Miss Nayeon?” Said customer flashed an astounded smile.

“Wow, I love it! It’s really something else. I never thought of having a fringe before, or t my hair that way.”

“I went with a side-swept fringe look, which is subtle. It matches you very much, and this is quite a popular look nowadays,” Kyungsoon explained. Nayeon grinned, playing slightly with the edges of her hair.

“I really do like it. Thanks, Kyungie. You’re the best hairstylist I’ve ever went to!”

Kyungie reddened at Nayeon’s exuberant comment. All of her coworkers paused and glanced at the aforementioned hairdresser, small smiles spreading on their faces. Nayeon was really, really pretty; even before her haircut. Kyungsoon wanted to make sure she did a good job; and apparently she did so. She bowed her head while ing Nayeon’s large apron and lightly shaking off the long, cut locks of hair from them. After she was done, Kyungie led Nayeon to the register to ring her up. Before Nayeon left, she had one more thing to say.

“I’ll be sure to recommend this place to my friends. Thanks so much again, Kyungie. I didn’t think such a gem would be found in a little neighborhood square.” Kyungie made sure to give the girl her business card for that purpose. Extra copies of the business card, in fact; Nayeon did say friends. The two exchanged more gleeful bows before Nayeon was off. Kyungie sighed triumphantly to herself and went to go sweep up the stray clumps of hair at her workstation. As she swept, a quirky voice spoke up from some feet away from her.

“Wow Kyungie, nice job. That’s another ecstatic remark from a customer. You’re doing well these days, hmm?”

Kyungie giggled at her coworker Rocky’s comment as she disposed of the hair clumps into a nearby trashcan. He was busy with his own client’s haircut. Kyungie worked with two other hairstylists during her shift; today it was Rocky, who she worked with a lot, and a rather new employee, Wheein. Wheein also was with a customer and she giggled from two rows down.

“Yeah, unnie! I hope someday you can teach me to cut hair like you do.”

            More blushing from Kyungie. She was just getting soaked with praise today. Her coworker’s customers were also smiling; it seemed like Kyungie was building quite a reputation in their small neighborhood. She hoped this would in turn give them more business, and maybe expansion? Dreams could only get bigger from this point on.

            Suddenly, a melodic tinkle of the door chime caught everyone’s ear. Kyungie’s looked towards the door and saw that a prince had entered their salon. Well, not literally; but in her eyes, an extremely handsome guy had just showed up, his eyes hopeful and a bit timid. His hands were in his pocket as he came closer. He seemed to be dressed in a somewhat strange school uniform of sorts.

“H-Hello, welcome!” Kyungie cursed herself for stuttering a bit. She really thought this boy was very good-looking.

“Hi, I would like a haircut…” Came his soft, caramel-like voice. Kyungie almost melted on the spot. She looked at her coworkers dumbly.

“I clearly have my hands full,” Rocky smirked, sensing that she was flustered because of this boy. Wheein echoed, since she was styling an ahjumma’s hair; she was even getting a curling iron ready for that signature look.

“Do you have a reservation?” Kyungie asked, and the boy shook his head.

“Well, it’s okay. There’s no one waiting. Havea seat right here, sir…” Kyungie gestured, and the prince bowed his head, offering a smile and approaching her. Coincidentally, there was no wait line; the boy had come during the lull period of the day.

            Kyungie steeled herself; she had to get into hairstylist mode. She tied the apron around the boy and made eye contact with him in the mirror. She asked him what kind of haircut he would like, though she really wanted to know more about his name, why he chose here and such. The boy said a simple trim would suffice. She opened her drawer and took out t scissors, nodding her head.

Who is he? I’ve never seen him here before… He’s so cute, oh my god.

“So, how’s your day been so far?” His voice caught Kyungie off guard.

“Good, good. Nice business so far, how about you?”

“I’m doing well. I actually came back from overseas school to visit my parents in this neighborhood, and I stumbled upon this place. I needed a haircut anyway.” His voice was so sweet, Kyungie wanted to die in bliss.

“Oh, so that’s what the uniform is for. I’ve never seen that kind of uniform before. How was school?” She hoped she didn’t sound like a mother or something.

            The two shared a pleasant yet brief conversation as she trimmed the boy’s hair. Kyungie noticed the boy wasn’t a man of many words; he chose his words carefully, but he was very kind. Well, she had to make sure she didn’t make any mistakes anyway; she didn’t want her bad haircut to ruin this boy’s precious face and looks. She had to show him how good she really was. She snipped here and there, now she had to give him a little wash at the sink. She led him there and told him to recline on the chair.

            He did so, lying down so that she could wash his hair in the sink. While looking down, Kyungie was treated to a nice view of the boy’s serene, angelic face while he shut his eyes and an expanse of neck.

Oh damn. Kyungie hurriedly the faucet water and washed his hair; she pumped some shampoo into one hand and then threaded her hands through his hair. The boy smiled and she couldn’t help but redden.

            As she worked the shampoo into his hair, she wished she could be the shampoo whose scent embraced him. She wished that she could be the only fragrance that could envelop him. Such strong feelings, but she loved strongly. Kyungie wished there was a way he could notice her and fall for her, like how one would instantly catch the scent of a pleasant shampoo and love it.

            Soon, she finished and propped his head up carefully with a small towel, wrapping his slicked hair in a little bundle. She dried his hair and then led him back to her workstation and her chair.

“Did you want your hair a bit styled with gel?” I think he would look amazing with that. The boy flashed her a gentle smile, nodding and she spazzed to herself before squirting gel into her hand. Kyungie expertly styled the boy’s cut bangs to fit the new cut. Once she was done, she set her hands down.

“How is it?” She asked meekly. The boy studied his new appearance bathed in a soft light, and he chuckled.

“Wow, I look like an idol right now. Thank you very much, I really like it.” Kyungie could disintegrate right now; she managed to make the stunning boy look even better. Like always, she led him to the cash register. She thought this moment was too fleeting though and wished she could be with him longer, maybe get to know him or something.

            The boy paid for his haircut and handed her the money. As she met his hand with her own, he seemed to hold onto his cash a bit longer than expected. She made eye contact with him and noticed he was regarding her with a curious but firm expression.

“My name is Eunwoo, by the way. I hope to see you again soon.”

            Kyungie was utterly caught off-guard by the boy’s soft parting words. Eunwoo bowed his head as Rocky and Wheein also thanked him from their places; Rocky was sweeping up his area and Wheein was almost done with her same customer. Eunwoo thanked everyone loudly and was on his way, leaving Kyungie confused but beyond happy that she knew his name now.

Eunwoo, Eunwoo, Eunwoo. Aghh, what a cutie….

“U-Unnie,” Wheein’s voice cut into her thoughts.

“Yes?” Kyungie replied quickly, walking back to her workstation.

“Can you help me out really quick? I think I made the curls too large…”

“Omo, what did you do to my hair?!” The ahjumma exclaimed. Kyungie was shocked but regained her composure, knowing how to resolve the curling mishap.

            [Closing time]

            It was a tiring day of work at K Salon. The place was bustling today, a bit more than usual. And throughout the day, Kyungie couldn’t get the image of Eunwoo floating in her mind to go away completely. His face and voice lingered on her like the trace of shampoo on one’s hair. Kyungie almost lost her senses when Wheein also needed help earlier, but Wheein was new and could still learn a few things. The three coworkers were packing up their accessories and equipment, getting ready for closing. Wheein’s loud sigh filled the room.

“I’m sorry guys; I made tons of mistakes today. I’ll get better,” She vowed. Rocky and Kyungie both interjected.

“Wheein-ah, you were great today. Don’t be so hard on yourself,” Kyungie replied.

“Yeah, you handled the rush well. Better than when I started here,” Rocky added, causing laughter to erupt in the salon. They made more small talk while cleaning up.

“So, that one customer you had today, Kyungie… the one with the overseas uniform,” Rocky brought up, bringing a recurring blush to the girl’s face as Wheein giggled. Kyungie clicked her tongue and told Rocky to knock it off.

“Oh yeah, he was so adorable!” The newbie gushed, causing Kyungie to her head at Wheein. Wheein held her hands up at the stare, stating that he wasn’t exactly her type though.

“You seemed so nervous, unnie. You must’ve found him cute too though,” Wheein added quirkily. The girl snorted.

“Yeah, he was handsome. But it’s not like I’ll ever see him again; by the time he needs another haircut he’ll be back overseas,” She lamented. Rocky chortled in response.

“Too bad for you. Did you even give him your business card?” Kyungie’s jaw dropped. She forgot to do that. How ironic that she gave out tons of copies to Nayeon but to the very handsome guy, she blanked out and forgot to even give him a form of contact number. Nonetheless, the crew finished up cleaning, well, Wheein finished first.

“Great, you’re done. You can go on ahead of us, Wheein-ah. Thanks so much for today,” Kyungie said, rearranging her tools in the area. Wheein protested but her seniors waved her off, all with good intention of course.

“You work tomorrow, too. We’ll see you later.” Rocky beamed brightly, and Wheein suddenly made a little squealing noise. Her two coworkers looked at her with matching awkward faces.

“S-Sorry. All right, I’ll be going. Thank you! Bye!” The newbie flew out of the salon, which caused the chimes to rattle and jerk erratically. Rocky sighed and Kyungie broke out into laughter.

“Okay, what was that?” Rocky asked, clearly confused yet amused by Wheein’s weird little yelp.

“Speaking of people liking someone, I think Wheein likes you,” Kyungie teased, causing Rocky to flip out and deny it many times over. Kyungie cackled while double checking all their trolleys and equipment; it was payback for earlier.

“Nah…” was Rocky’s only answer. Suddenly, another trill of bells sounded at the salon’s entrance, drawing attention from the two stylists. Did Wheein forget anything?

“Ayeeeee,” A voice dragged out, and they instantly know who he was.

“Jinhyun, you couldn’t wait outside until I finished?” Kyungie playfully grumbled, making the other boy laugh.

“Nope, not really.” Kyungie wanted to fling a brush at her friend’s head; they lived together in an apartment complex and were the best of friends. That’s why he could just waltz into the salon when it was closing time, then after he would drive them home. Rocky greeted Jinhyun and the boy smiled brightly at him, waving. Kyungie huffed.

“Well, I’m done now.” She announced. Rocky was also finished so they exited the salon and Kyungie locked up the place, since she worked opening tomorrow as well.

“And now we’re homebound, I’m starving and you’re cooking tonight. Rocky-hyung, want a ride home?” Jinhyun offered, and Kyungie noticed how tender her friend’s voice got towards the end of his sentence.

“It’s okay; I live in the opposite direction of you guys. I’ll be fine. I like walking home anyway.” Rocky kindly rejected, and both Kyungie and Jinhyun were put off by it. Jinhyun caught Rocky’s arm as the other headed in the opposite direction.

“Don’t worry… I’ll take you. Just come with us,” Jinhyun smiled, and Kyungie agreed. Rocky seemed bashful, but he finally caved in and the three filed into Jinhyun’s car.

            After a short drive, they ended up Rocky’s house. Rocky got out of the car and said he’d buy food for the three of them sometime, in which Kyungie denied. However, Jinhyun seemed ready to take the oldest up on that offer. Kyungie rolled her eyes, knowing it was his stomach doing the talking.

“I’ll look forward to it,” Jinhyun murmured.

“All right. Free up your schedules this weekend, ‘kay? I’ll see you tomorrow,” Rocky waved. Kyungie raised her eyebrows.

“You don’t work tomorrow right?” Rocky’s eyes widened and he nodded wildly.

“T-That’s right! Sorry, I mean I’ll see you later.” He seemed a bit panicked, earning laughter from Jinhyun. They said their goodbyes and Jinhyun was taking them home finally.

            They got out of the car in the apartment parking lot, and rode the elevator to the second floor. Jinhyun unlocked the door and they settled in, a long day of work finished. Well, Kyungie still had to cook for the two of them, but she was going to shower and rest a bit. The boy yawned and plopped his rear onto the sofa, to Kyungie’s dismay.

“And what do you think you’re doing mister?” She demanded. He had his phone out already and tapping the screen.

“Texting, Internet surfing, all that,” He replied busily. Kyungie clicked her tongue.

“For a teacher, you’re such a kid yourself,” She teased, and Jinhyun waved her off. He was a teacher at the local elementary school, but he was mostly assisting other teachers, especially for English lessons since they were both fluent.

Kyungie told him to go wash and prepare the vegetables and make rice; tofu stew was their dinner for tonight. Jinhyun nodded mechanically and continued occupying himself with his device. Curiously, Kyungie meandered over to him and tried to peer at his screen. He instantly shielded his phone.

“May I help you, oo?” He asked, feigning annoyance. She chuckled and wanted to know what he was doing that was occupying him so much. He dodged the question and told her to shower first, and then he would go next. Giving in, Kyungie sauntered to her room to grab a change of clothes and then went to shower.

            The steam and hot water refreshed Kyungie and helped melt all the stress from her body. She began shampooing and then added conditioner to her hair, humming softly to “You’re the Best” by MAMAMOO.

“Hey you, guy with the pretty smile~ you are a man that makes me go crazy… You steal looks with your body and face,” She sang Solar’s part, and immediately Eunwoo came to her mind again.

            As Kyungie finished up her shower, she contemplated that chance meeting with Eunwoo. So, he was a student coming back from overseas who was visiting his parents in this very neighborhood. What were the chances she would see him on the street, or at a local store? What if his parents cut their hair at her salon before? Darn, she didn’t really know much about him from that haircut session but she instantly craved more. He even told her his name and he hoped to see her again soon. How soon was soon?? He didn’t have her number, nor did she have his. She sighed, thinking the chance had gone already.

            Kyungie went back to the kitchen to get dinner started, and she saw Jinhyun sprawled on the couch, on his phone as expected. She saw that the vegetables were all washed and prepped on the cutting board, and the rice pot was set to rice cook mode. She nodded, grateful that the boy had done his part and she set to work.

            With the stew finally done, Kyungie called Jinhyun over to the table so that they could eat together. Jinhyun immediately dug into his food and Kyungie laughed at his voracious appetite, knowing how hungry he was. She asked how his day was and he launched into a discussion of his students. Then he asked her how was today and she lit up.

“Oh my god, there was this really cute guy that came in today, like oh damn.” She began spazzing. Jinhyun chuckled; the two of them always excitedly spoke about their crushes and eye candy. She told him every detail she knew, which wasn’t much. Now it was Jinhyun’s time to chime in.

“Girl, if he said he wanted to see you again soon, then you know he’s gonna visit you sometime. Like what the heck.”

“I don’t know… I really don’t. But I want to see him, he is so sweet,” She gushed. Jinhyun snorted.

“You barely know him and you’re spazzing about how sweet he is.” That’s how both of them were in fact. Kyungie could only spoon stew into and wait for a miracle to see the boy again. The bad thing about working in a salon is if a good-looking customer came in, it would probably be a long time until they decide to come back because obviously haircuts weren’t a daily occurrence. And regulars were typical in that salon, an overseas student like Eunwoo would probably not be returning if he had to go back. Kyungie actually dreaded going back to work tomorrow because she would not be seeing that lovely face there.

“Well, you aren’t teaching tomorrow right? What are you going to do then?” Kyungie asked her friend.

“Dance class, of course.” He replied casually, and she giggled. When he wasn’t teaching at the school, Jinhyun was attending dance lessons at a local studio. Kyungie wished she could join him, but she worked full time at the salon. She actually got paid pretty well because she had seniority there. How ironic that she seemed to work more than Jinhyun, but then again he was mostly a teaching assistant, and was working on becoming a full-fledged teacher at that elementary school. The two finished up their food and retired early for the night. Tomorrow was going to be another full day.